Visual source: Newseum
Margaret Carlson:
Republican pollster Frank Luntz said that Republicans he assembled for a focus group responded so viscerally to Perry’s immigration talk that they couldn’t turn their dials to negative fast enough. Iowa kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats, who helped former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee win the Iowa Republican caucuses last time around, said he was sure that Perry would take the opportunity to clarify his stance at an appearance the next day before the Florida Conservative Political Action Convention. Perry didn’t. As a result, Vander Plaats told Time, a lot of conservatives who once ran toward Perry are now “running to somebody else.” Given that opening, don’t be surprised to see Romney, who has mostly ignored Iowa, suddenly find his way to Des Moines and Davenport.
Mickey Edwards:
Perhaps Rick Perry’s experience should be a caution to Gov. Christie but there are other, better, role models for the need to think carefully before jumping into a presidential race.
At the moment, Christie is the Republican Party’s savior-in-waiting (as Mitch Daniels would be). But we’ve had those “sure things” before, the brilliant and revered heavyweights who would leap in like Mighty Mouse and save the day. Fred Thompson was one. Rudy Giuliani was one. In his own mind, Newt Gingrich was one. If Christie gets in the race, he’ll come under the same scrutiny and he, too, will be found to be an imperfect replica of the model we carry in our heads. In the end, no matter how much we may wish otherwise, this will come down to a race between humans; there are no Clark Kents waiting in the wings.
NY Times:
Being a governor is, itself, a difficult job and any mistakes can be magnified if local critics can point to the presidential circus as the reason that Mr. Christie falls down on his job.
For Mr. Christie, who in 2013 will face a tough re-election bid in a state that often leans Democratic, a drawn-out national flirtation could be ammunition for his opponents, even if he does not flirt back.
Democrats in the state are sure to use reports about the speculation to paint Mr. Christie as more interested in his own political career than in the state. The longer the drama goes on, the more power those attacks could have.
Jennifer Rubin from the right:
Then there is the electability factor. I’ve said (because voters, operatives, office holders and candidates repeat it over and over again) that the Republicans have a single nonnegotiable item in assessing candidates: electability. Right now this may be Mitt Romney’s strongest card. Since mid-August, in virtually every Gallup, Quinnipiac, Washington Post-ABC News, Bloomberg, CNN and other reputable national poll, Romney does better in the head-to-head matchup against Obama than Perry does. On average, Romney does about 5 percent better than Perry. That is significant, and could represent the difference between winning back the White House and having four more years of Obama.
EJ Dionne summarizes Elizabeth Warren and says tax the rich because they owe something back to the country that made them rich:
Watch the video it's very good.
Jonathan Cowan:
Contrary to the woe-is-me attitude running rampant among many, our recent poll of 2008 Obama voters in battleground states (including Colorado) reveals good news: the base is back.
Droppers - the name we’ve coined for folks who voted for Obama in 2008 but dropped off in 2010 - have come home, and while an aggressive turnout operation is necessary, with the expected ground game they will be with him next year. By a margin of 50 to 8 they blame the GOP for the near default in August, and three-quarters already say they’ll vote for the President in 2012 (only three percent say they’ll definitely vote for the Republican).
The Republicans are already doing a heck of a job activating the Democratic base, and the Droppers have extremely negative views of Republicans, who they call stubborn and irresponsible. They hold even stronger negative feelings about the tea party. The idea of putting the tea party and Republicans who are beholden to it in charge of the White House will ensure that key groups like young voters and Latinos will mobilize for the president next year in Colorado and other crucial states.
Charlie Cook:
Boehner, Cantor, and McCarthy have not asked for my advice on this matter, but here’s my free advice to the leadership (which would also be offered to House Democrats if they were in the majority and faced this situation): Pick out a handful of the 48 and make them regret that they ever got out of bed last Wednesday. Toss them off of choice committee assignments, pull subcommittee chairmanships, and deny requests for foreign junkets. When asked to do something for those members that would make them look good back home, just say no. Votes have consequences and if leadership is to be respected, it also has to be feared.
Part of the problem is that John Boehner is widely acknowledged to be a great guy. While Boehner is known to have a firmer side, he has never held the job of whip, either in the majority or minority role, and occasionally he needs to be a real SOB and punish someone and make it stick. The last Republican speaker, Dennis Hastert, was also a great, truly gregarious guy, but he had Majority Leader Tom DeLay on board as “The Enforcer.” Somebody out of this threesome at the top of the GOP leadership will have to play the role of SOB or there will be many repeats of this embarrassment.
Good advice, but it won't be taken. This was never about actually running the country. The GOP is into power, not governance.