State News Shot

Poll Shows Obama is in Deep Trouble

Last Updated on Thursday, 8 September 2011 01:53 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 8 September 2011 01:53

Check out the latest poll results from Resurgent Republic:

By almost every measure, President Obama’s prospects for reelection are bad.

Most Americans:

Think the country is on the wrong track (67 percent);

Believe Obama has turned out to be a weaker leader than they expected (60 percent);

Think his policies have made things worse for most Americans (50 percent);

Disapprove of Obama’s job performance (50 percent);

Disapprove of his handling of the economy (57 percent);

Think it is time to give someone else a chance to be President (52 percent).

Moreover, intensity is very much on the side of those who view Obama unfavorably, including among Independent voters:

Those who believe he has turned out to be a much weaker leader than they thought he would be outnumber those who believe he turned out to be much stronger by 33-13 percent (with Independents at 36-7);

Those who think his policies have made the economy much worse outnumber those who think they made it much better by 32-13 percent (with Independents at 33-6);

Those who strongly disapprove of his job performance outnumber those who strongly approve by 36-23 percent (with Independents at 37-14 percent);

Those who strongly disapprove of his handling of the economy outnumber those who strongly approve by 45-18 percent (with Independents at 48-10).

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Court Upholds WA AG’s Authority to pursue Health Care Challenge

Last Updated on Friday, 2 September 2011 12:39 Written by rslcpol Friday, 2 September 2011 12:39

From Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna:

In a 9-0 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court denied the City of Seattle’s request to require Attorney General Rob McKenna to withdraw Washington from the multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal health care law passed in March 2010 and upheld the Attorney General’s authority to defend the public interest.

“I’m pleased the court affirmed the authority and responsibility of the Attorney General to challenge the constitutionality of federal laws that threaten the constitutional rights of this state and its people,” McKenna said. “It’s important that the state’s constitutionally-established, independently-elected Attorney General – whomever it may be — have the authority to protect the legal rights of the state and its people in the years to come.”

The city argued the Attorney General overstepped his authority when he joined more than a dozen state attorneys general in filing the suit in late March 2010.

The state argued the courts have consistently recognized that the Attorney General’s constitutional and statutory role requires him or her to exercise independent legal judgment that takes into account the legal interests of the state of Washington as a whole when determining how to best protect its legal rights.

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Americans Leave Blue States for Low-Tax Red ones

Last Updated on Monday, 29 August 2011 12:31 Written by rslcpol Monday, 29 August 2011 12:31

From the Daily Beast:

Conservatives yearn for a big, clarifying electoral victory in November 2012, but they’re already winning decisively whenever Americans vote with their feet—or their moving vans.

New Census numbers show citizens fleeing by the millions from liberal states and flocking in comparable numbers to bastions of right-wing sentiment. Call it the Great Political Migration.

Between 2009 and 2010 the five biggest losers in terms of “residents lost to other states” were all prominent redoubts of progressivism: California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey. Meanwhile, the five biggest winners in the relocation sweepstakes are all commonly identified as red states in which Republicans generally dominate local politics: Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Georgia. Expanding the review to a 10-year span, the biggest population gainers (in percentage terms) have been even more conservative than last year’s winners: Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Texas, in that order.

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Mississippi GOP Aims for a Sweep

Last Updated on Thursday, 25 August 2011 01:50 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 25 August 2011 01:44

From the Wall Street Journal:

The Republican Party has launched a major push to capture the Mississippi House of Representatives this fall, a goal that has eluded it since Reconstruction and that would remove nearly every vestige of Democratic control from the state’s government.

A win for Republicans in Mississippi on Nov. 8 would complete a near sweep of state governments across the South that began decades ago and accelerated in last year’s midterm elections. South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee now have Republican governors and the GOP controls both houses of the legislature in those states and North Carolina.

Mississippi is one of only four states holding legislative elections this year. The others are Louisiana, Virginia and New Jersey, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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Redistricting Scorecard: Florida could be the Key

Last Updated on Thursday, 25 August 2011 01:40 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 25 August 2011 01:34

From the Washington Post:

Nearly half the the states required to draw new congressional maps before the 2012 election have done so, and Republicans and Democrats are neck-and-neck in the battle to create new districts for their side to win.

According to the Washington Post’s Redistricting Scorecard, a new proposed GOP map in Georgia that creates two winnable seats pulls Republicans about even with Democrats in the quest to create favorable new seats. In the states where we know how the maps are likely to turn out, the Post’s projections now have Republicans gaining one seat, while Democrats would keep their current number of seats.

It should be noted, of course, that much has yet to play out, including some crucial maps in Florida and New York. Florida, in particular, could determine which party wins the battle to create new seats.

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GOP Capitalizes on Historic Gains

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 August 2011 01:45 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 24 August 2011 01:45

From NewsOK:

OKLAHOMA wasn’t the only state after the 2010 elections to capitalize on a right turn.

An analysis in the July/August issue of State Legislatures magazine says GOP victories in the states have produced more results than the party’s takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican legislatures and governors have produced major changes on a variety of issues, including pension reform, collective bargaining, voter identification, abortion and immigration.

Nationwide, Republicans picked up more than 740 legislative seats in 2010. The number of states in which the GOP holds a majority in both legislative houses grew from 14 to 26.

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PA: Governor Backs Voter ID Bill

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 August 2011 01:42 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 24 August 2011 01:41

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

The state’s top election official came out in support of a GOP-backed effort to require voters to show photo identification every time they cast a ballot in Pennsylvania.

Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele said the proposed ID requirement would make it harder to commit voter fraud.

She made her remarks Tuesday morning in Lancaster at the Pennsylvania County Election Officials Conference. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, has been the most vocal proponent of the change in election law. His bill passed the state House in the spring and awaits action in the Senate.

Democrats largely oppose the proposal, saying that it would be unnecessarily burdensome, especially to Pennsylvanians who don’t have driver’s licenses.

Mr. Metcalfe said his legislation ameliorates that concern because it would provide for free photo IDs for non-drivers.

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WSJ: Deadlock in Ohio Over Union Rights

Last Updated on Friday, 19 August 2011 01:57 Written by rslcpol Friday, 19 August 2011 01:57

From Wall Street Journal:

Labor unions have rejected an offer by Ohio Gov. John Kasich to seek a compromise on a new law that removes most collective-bargaining rights for the state’s 350,000 public employees, as a fight over the legislation heads toward a statewide referendum in November.

On Wednesday, Mr. Kasich, a Republican, and the party’s leaders in the Ohio Senate and House made a pitch to public-employee union leaders to “avoid the bitter political warfare” over the law, known as Senate Bill 5. In a letter Thursday, however, unions said a “fresh start must begin with a full repeal of Senate Bill 5.”

Rob Nichols, a spokesman for Mr. Kasich, said the governor’s offer to meet with union officials Friday still stood. “We’re confident that there are reasonable folks who understand the value of restarting the negotiations that labor unfortunately pulled out from earlier, and we look forward to talking with them on Friday,” he said.

Republican House Speaker William Batchelder rejected the unions’ suggestion to craft a new law. “That dog won’t hunt,” said Mr. Batchelder, noting that GOP lawmakers offered to negotiate a compromise with unions in June but that effort failed.

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RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie on “Face the Nation” this Sunday

Last Updated on Friday, 19 August 2011 12:50 Written by rslcpol Friday, 19 August 2011 12:50

Be sure to tune in to CBS Face the Nation on Sunday!

From CBS:

Chief White House Correspondent Norah O’Donnell guest hosts this Sunday’s “Face the Nation” with guests Senator John McCain, Economist Mark Zandi and former party chairs, Ed Gillespie of the Republican National Committee and Terry McAuliffe of the Democratic National Committee.

And they’re off! The Republican field for the presidential nomination came into focus in the past week as Texas Governor Rick Perry entered with a splash, wedging himself with Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in the top tier of the race.

But the spotlight has its pitfalls, as Perry has learned quickly – coming under fire for his comments on global warming, creationism, and for attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. He’s also taken on Governor Romney, setting up a choice for Republican voters over who’s best able to create jobs.

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VA AG Says he may run for U.S. Senate

Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 August 2011 01:23 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 17 August 2011 01:16

From the Washington Post:

Much of the speculation about Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s political future has focused on whether the Republican who has made a name for himself suing the federal government would run for re-election, or for governor in 2013.

But in an interview with The Washington Post, Cuccinelli said he may run for U.S. Senate in 2014 — possibly setting him up to take on one of Virginia’s most popular politicians, Democrat Mark R. Warner.

And Cuccinelli didn’t hold back on his criticism of the former governor, who many assume has grown a bit restless with the great deliberative body that is the U.S. Senate.

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