The Fix - Chris Cillizza&#8217s politics blog on washingtonpost.com - April 12, 2009

Gresham Barrett and the Perils of the TARP Vote

South Carolina Republican Rep. Gresham Barrett's vote last fall in favor of legislation that created the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) came back to haunt him earlier this week when an angry crowd of conservative activists booed him at a tea party gathering in Greenville.

By Chris Cillizza | April 18, 2009; 9:08 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Governors , Republican Party
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The Line: 10 Republicans To Watch

Out of power everywhere they look, Republicans are in the midst of, what they call in sports, a rebuilding year. The first building block of any rebuilding is an infusion of new talent -- young, fresh faces who bubble up through the ranks to emerge on the national stage. "You become a top-down party when you've had the White House for a long time," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) recently. "That has happened to us."

By Chris Cillizza | April 17, 2009; 2:50 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (91)
Categories: The Line
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Obama's First 90 Days In (Polling) Perspective

New data out of the indispensable Gallup polling organization shows that President Barack Obama's average job approval during his first 90 days in office is 63 percent, the highest rating in its surveys during that critical time period in more than three decades.

By Chris Cillizza | April 17, 2009; 11:36 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Parsing the Polls
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White House Cheat Sheet: Influencing the Influencers

President Obama has courted the chattering class. (Photo by Daniel Aguilar of Reuters) President Obama ran against the chattering class politics of Washington but since coming into office has effectively manipulated this elite group of influencers using a variety...

By Chris Cillizza | April 17, 2009; 6:02 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Morning Fix
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Fundraising Heros and Zeros

Campaign fundraising reports for the first three months of 2009 were due at the Federal Election Commission yesterday. This is one of the Fix's favorite parts of the year (yes, we are well aware of how lame that is) -- combing through stacks of numbers to sort out who won, who lost and who isn't even really trying.

By Chris Cillizza | April 16, 2009; 2:18 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Eye on 2012 , House , Senate
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Wag the Blog: Did the Tea Parties Succeed?

The tea parties are over. Did they work? That depends on whom you ask.

By Chris Cillizza | April 16, 2009; 11:37 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (530)
Categories: Wag The Blog
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White House Cheat Sheet: Elevating Economic Messengers

As President Barack Obama jets off to the Summit of the Americas today, continued concerns over the domestic economy has placed a premium on building a stable of able -- heyooo! -- economic spokesmen and women who can reassure the American public that the Administration is on the case.

By Chris Cillizza | April 16, 2009; 5:28 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Morning Fix
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Toomey Time in Pennsylvania

Former Pennsylvania Rep. Pat Toomey made his primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter official today, accusing the incumbent of being "complicit" in an effort by President Barack Obama and Congress to steer the country far to the ideological left.

By Chris Cillizza | April 15, 2009; 4:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Senate
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Poll: Minnesotans Want Senate Race Resolved

A new independent poll brings more bad news for former senator Norm Coleman (R): a strong majority of Minnesotans want him to concede his race against Democrat Al Franken. Sixty-three percent of Minnesota voters think Coleman should step aside and...

By Chris Cillizza | April 15, 2009; 2:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Senate
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Jeb Bush's Policy Campaign

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush -- shown here with President Bush in 2008 -- has emerged as a key player for Republicans in the politics of policy-making. (Allen Eyestone/AP) Jeb Bush is the first to acknowledge he's no political...

By Chris Cillizza | April 15, 2009; 12:50 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (49)
Categories: The Rising
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White House Cheat Sheet: Of Tax Day and Tea Parties

Conservatives across the country are hoping to grab the national spotlight away from President Barack Obama for at least a day by holding tea parties across the country today to signal their displeasure with the government spending put in place in the early days of the Obama Administration.

By Chris Cillizza | April 15, 2009; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (245)
Categories: Morning Fix
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Coleman, Franken Feud Continues

Less than 24 hours after a three-judge state panel unanimously rejected former Sen. Norm Coleman's election contest in his race against Democrat Al Franken, the two sides are retrenching for the next fight in this extended political war.

By Chris Cillizza | April 14, 2009; 4:40 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Senate
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National Republicans Get Behind Specter

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter got a boost with an endorsement today from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post) National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn released a letter today offering a full-throated endorsement of Sen. Arlen Specter...

By Chris Cillizza | April 14, 2009; 2:35 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Senate
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Grading Obama's Economy Speech

President Obama's just-completed speech on the economy marked a sharp and (purposeful) departure from many of the addresses he gave both on the campaign trail and in the early days in the White House -- explanatory rather than lyrical, substance...

By Chris Cillizza | April 14, 2009; 1:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (79)
Categories: White House
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White House Cheat Sheet: An Economic (Re)Focus?

President Barack Obama will address the state of the economy in a major speech today at Georgetown University even as some Republicans are increasingly skeptical that his message is reaching the American people.

By Chris Cillizza | April 14, 2009; 5:55 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Morning Fix
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Election Contest Falls in Franken's Favor

The three-judge state panel charged with ruling on an election contest brought by former Minnesota Republican Sen. Norm Coleman ruled unanimously in favor of Al Franken, delivering the Democrat an important victory but not (yet) signaling the end of the...

By Chris Cillizza | April 13, 2009; 9:50 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (93)
Categories: Senate
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Parsing the Polls: Dick Cheney, Joe Biden and America's Safety

Expect new poll numbers out of CNN this afternoon to draw a huge amount of attention. Why? Because they provide strong empirical evidence that suggests most Americans do not agree with Vice President Dick Cheney's contention that the policies pursued by the Obama Administration in its first 100 days have "raise[d] the risk to the American people of another attack."

By Chris Cillizza | April 13, 2009; 4:26 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (113)
Categories: Parsing the Polls
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The Fix: April 12, 2009 - April 18, 2009