Democrats Scramble in Special Election Showdown

The prospect of losing two House seats in back-to-back special elections next month has sparked a vigorous, behind-the-scenes Democratic effort, designed to avoid an outcome that could lead to panic among the rank and file and stall the momentum generated by the recent passage of landmark health care legislation.

The trajectories of the two elections, which will take place in Pennsylvania and Hawaii over a span of four days next month, have raised alarm bells among top party officials who fear that a pair of defeats in the Democratic-held seats could amount to a Massachusetts Senate sequel, overshadowing President Barack Obama’s health care reform plan and reinforcing a narrative that the Democratic Party is on track for severe losses in November.

According to sources familiar with the effort, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already assembled teams of top party operatives — including veteran pollster John Anzalone and longtime ad man Saul Shorr to work on the Pennsylvania campaign, and media strategist David Dixon, who signed on to work the Hawaii race — to oversee what are expected to be large and expensive independent expenditure operations. - Politico Story

Harry Reid Tries to Sell Health Care to Greta

Dems Who Voted for Health Care Hiding from Voters

CANTON, Ohio — Before Congress left town for the spring recess, Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged rank-and-file Democrats to return home and tout the benefits of the landmark health care bill.

But instead of barnstorming their districts celebrating their historic accomplishment, some have been content to remain beneath the radar, reluctant to advertise their role in passing the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s domestic policy agenda.

Rep. John Boccieri, who represents this conservative area in northeast Ohio, is one of them.

After announcing his intention to vote for the bill in a news conference televised live on CNN two days before the vote, Obama lauded his political courage. The president noted that the freshman Democrat sat “in as tough a district as there is,” a shout-out that prompted a standing ovation from the House Democratic Caucus.

For the past week, however, Boccieri has gone dark, surfacing only last Wednesday night — in New York City — at a cocktail party fundraiser to benefit his reelection campaign. Otherwise, the congressman had no public schedule. A spokeswoman said he was focused on “constituent services.” - Politico Story

NJ Democrat Fights Recall in Court

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is asking the New Jersey Supreme Court to stop a tea party-led effort to recall him from office.

His office announced Monday evening that Menendez was appealing to the state's highest court to rule that the recall effort is unconstitutional since the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly allow for the recall of sitting U.S. senators.

"Mainstream New Jerseyans believe deeply in the U.S. Constitution, which for more than 200 years has made ours the greatest form of government in world history,” said Afshin Mohamadi, a Menendez spokesman. “This attack on the Constitution undermines our uniquely American system of democracy and will be contested. It would be deceiving to the electorate to pursue a process that ultimately would be nullified by the Constitution.”

The move comes several weeks after a state appeals court—citing New Jersey law allowing for the recall of statewide elected officials—ruled that the case could move forward.

“The lower court declined to decide the fundamental matter at hand, and this is why we are appealing and hope that the New Jersey Supreme Court addresses this important issue,” said Mohamadi. “In the meantime, Senator Menendez continues to be focused squarely on his work in the Senate to help create jobs, ease the burden on family budgets and provide tax relief to those who need it most." - Politico Story

Investigating the Back Room Deals in Health Care

A top House Republican is investigating the legislative deals the White House and Democratic leadership cut with special interest groups while crafting the new health care reform law. And California Rep. Darrell Issa is not happy with the American Medical Association’s terse response to his questions.

Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee, sent letters to five special interest groups, most of which supported reform and cut deals with the Democrats.

“Contrary to the president’s oft-stated goal of transparency, the rank-and-file members of the Democratic Caucus and the entire Republican Conference have not had the opportunity to participate in the negotiations between the Democratic leadership, the White House and health care stakeholders. This is troubling to members of Congress who value transparency in government,” Issa wrote to the AMA, AFSCME, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Hospital Association and PhRMA.

Issa asked the groups to detail the health care meetings they had with White House and Democratic congressional leadership officials, what benefits they won from the negotiations and what they were required to provide in return. - Politico Story

Obama Approval Falls to Lowest Yet

(CBS) After passing health care reform and signing the bill into law, President Barack Obama has suffered a drop in approval in the past week. A CBS News poll shows that Mr. Obama's approval rating has dropped to 44 percent. Before health care passed, Mr. Obama's approval was at 49 percent.

The new number is Mr. Obama's lowest yet.

Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson told "Face the Nation" anchor Bob Schieffer that Mr. Obama is "in a pickle."

Dyson said that Mr. Obama "has to recognize he's governing all of America, has to give in and make concessions […] and head toward the middle as he's done after winning a perceived left victory [in health care]."

He added, "The reality is [Mr. Obama]'s trying to balance it out. He doesn't want to give in to the 'Tea Party,' but he sees legitimate points and anger and has to govern according to a vision for which he was called to office which is to say reform health care and student loans. - CBS News Story

Obama Takes on Talk Shows

Barack Obama’s tongue-lashing of conservative talk show titans Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck this week could prove a winner for both sides.

The president gets a boost with his base and may win over some independents by tying his political opponents to two of the nation's most polarizing figures.

But the conservative talkers get presidential confirmation that they're at the center of the political debate — together with a collection of sound bytes that will fuel their shows for days to come.

In an interview that aired on CBS’s "Early Show" Friday, Obama said the rhetoric employed by the chief chatterers of the conservative movement is “troublesome” — and he cast Limbaugh and Beck as demagogues who cash in on the fears of Americans struggling through a rough economy.

Limbaugh fired back in an e-mail to POLITICO, arguing that his ratings are just fine in good times and bad — and accusing Obama of "purposely" governing "against the will of the people."

It's not the first time a president has gone after conservative talk radio; in the days after the Oklahoma City bombing, President Bill Clinton said that "promoters of paranoia" on the airwaves "must know that their bitter words can have consequences."

And it's not Obama's first round in the ring, either.

The president's shots at Limbaugh and Beck are just the latest sequel in what is becoming a franchise of attacks on conservative media outlets and personalities deemed hostile — and one in which a good portion of the box office returns are certain to accrue to the president’s handpicked villains. - Politico Story

Obama Pulling out Every Weapon to Save Mass. Governor

President Barack Obama raised $2.5 million for the Democratic National Committee Thursday night, but his trip to Boston had another, less publicized purpose — saving Deval Patrick.

Few politicians are as close to Obama as the Massachusetts Democratic governor or have deeper ties to the president and his core team of advisers.

And almost no one faces a tougher reelection battle this year than Patrick, whose disapproval ratings would be considered near-terminal if not for the three-way race that he currently finds himself in.

As a result, the White House is looking to every weapon in its arsenal to help Patrick win a second term.

Patrick has been at the White House at least a half-dozen times in the past year, whether he’s lunching with senior adviser David Axelrod, dropping by the Oval Office for a chat or attending Obama’s first state dinner.

The Massachusetts governor is the only Democrat besides Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) to get the president to headline a personal fundraiser for him more than a year before the November election. Obama’s former campaign manager, David Plouffe, has been consulting for Patrick’s 2010 bid since last spring, and Axelrod also has lent his expertise. - Politico Story

Obama Giving China Free Ride in Exchange for Iran Sanctions?

A prominent Democratic senator on Sunday suggested that the Obama administration was letting China slide on possible currency manipulation in exchange for help on Iran sanctions -- something the White House flatly denied.

Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter, reacting to news that the White House was delaying its report to Congress on whether China is manipulating its currency, told "Fox News Sunday" he's concerned the administration could be missing a chance to help U.S. workers get on a level playing field.

The report was originally scheduled for release by April 15, around the time Chinese President Hu Jintao is visiting Washington for nuclear talks.

"I'm not too happy about a delay," Specter said. "We have a real problem with the Chinese. They are very shrewd and customarily they outmaneuver us. They take our jobs. They take our money and then they lend it back to us and own a big part of America. So let's watch exactly ... what's happening."

Critics say the administration is delaying the report on exchange rates because it wants Chinese cooperation for new sanctions on Iran, and doesn't want to alienate Beijing. - FOX News Story

Obama Making Lobbyist Richer

Health care reform made the public mad, and it made lobbyists rich.

Though President Obama promised during the 2008 campaign to curb the influence of special interests, slap a leash on lobbyists and "put the interests of Main Street in front of K Street and Wall Street," the past year hasn't exactly live up to that standard.

Special interest spending on Capitol Hill broke records in 2009, topping $3.47 billion. And almost half of the president's recess appointments last weekend were tied to or work for so-called special interests.

Finance figures show those interests are giving huge sums to Democrats and Republicans alike -- but while the influence game is hardly the problem of one party, the legislative frenzy on Capitol Hill has only inflated it over the past year.

"While companies are slashing jobs, while companies are scaling back other operations, they are in fact boosting their operations when it comes to trying to influence lawmakers," said Dave Levinthal, with the Center for Responsive Politics. - FOX News Story