The Fix: October 11, 2009 - October 17, 2009

Friday Governors Line: What Will VA and NJ Mean?

Eighteen days out from the Nov. 3 gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, both parties' expectation-setting machines have gone into high gear. Republicans argue that both states went for President Barack Obama last fall and the fact that they are competitive in each is a sign of his faltering appeal among the electorate. Democrats respond that no president's party has won even one of the two state's governorships since 1985 when Gov. Tom Kean (R) won a second term during the presidency of Ronald Reagan (R). (That same year Democratic Gov. Jerry Baliles was elected in Virginia.)

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 16, 2009; 12:52 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (120)
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The Live Fix!

Another of live chatting with Fixistas is in the books. Among the topics we covered in this week's edition of the "Live Fix": where things stands in Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, how much trouble is Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) really in and great political names.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 16, 2009; 12:16 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (7)
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Morning Fix: Reid's Early-Bird Ad Strategy

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) took to the Nevada airwaves this week with a series of ads designed to reintroduce him to the state's voters more than a year before any votes will be cast.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 16, 2009; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (65)
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Short Takes: The Perils of Governing

New numbers from Gallup that show Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as more popular than President Barack Obama provide a clear illustration of the fundamental clash between campaigning and governing.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 15, 2009; 3:00 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (35)
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The Most Important Number in Politics Today

368,000 That's the amount that Kentucky businessman and Senate candidate Rand Paul (R) outraised his primary opponent Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) by in the third quarter, a staggering sign of the continued potency of the Internet cash-collecting operation built by his father during the 2008 presidential race.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 15, 2009; 1:00 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (20)
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Beau Biden's Coming-Out Party

Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden (D) acknowledged that he is considering a run for his father's Senate seat but put no timeline on a decision in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" today.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 15, 2009; 11:10 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (45)
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Morning Fix: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of FEC Reports

The Fix has had Oct. 15 circled on our calendar for some time since it is the day all candidates for federal office are required to report how much they raised and spent over the past three months. (Are we aware of how dorky the above paragraph sounds? You bet. Long ago we decided to embrace the political nerd in us.) Money isn't the only thing in politics but a demonstrated ability to either convince other people to invest in your campaign or put your own money behind a bid is a significant measure of viability.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 15, 2009; 5:20 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (25)
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The Reids and the Dangers of Dynastic Politics

Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid's (D) long-awaited announcement today that he would run for governor of Nevada in 2010 means that he and his father -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) -- will be on the same ballot next November.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 14, 2009; 4:00 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (26)
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The Most Important Number in Politics Today

That's the percentage of the vote that Chris Daggett, the independent candidate for governor in New Jersey, received in the latest polling on the race by Quinnipiac University.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 14, 2009; 2:00 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (23)
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The Rising: Strawn's Youth Movement in Iowa

You may not have heard of Matt Strawn but every Republican who is pondering a run for president in 2012 has him on their speed dial. That's because Strawn, at the tender age of 35, has ascended to one of the most coveted perches in the political world: chairman of the Iowa Republican party.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 14, 2009; 12:27 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (44)
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Morning Fix: Health Care Winners and Losers

The Senate Finance Committee's 14-9 vote to send a health care bill to the full Senate floor marked the culmination of months (and months) of debate, hand-wringing and cajoling and likely set off weeks (and weeks) of debate, hand-wringing and cajoling as the White House seeks to drive the legislation to final passage.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 14, 2009; 5:11 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (56)
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Fix Poll: McCain Wins! (Sort of)

Unlike other results shows -- "Dancing With The Stars" we are looking at you -- here at the Fix we get right to the nitty-gritty. Yesterday we asked Fixistas to choose the most overrated Senator in the chamber. After more than 3,000 votes, the winner was Arizona Sen. John McCain with 23 percent.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 13, 2009; 5:00 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (79)
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Short Takes: The Schwarzenegger Effect

A new Field poll in California showed that just one in four voters approve of the job Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his lowest rating in the six years since he took office following the recall of then Gov. Gray Davis (D).

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 13, 2009; 4:00 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (15)
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The Most Important Number in Politics Today

1 That's the number of Republican votes -- in the form of Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) -- that President Barack Obama's health care bill received in the Senate Finance Committee today.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 13, 2009; 2:09 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (143)
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NV-Sen: Harry Reid's Dilemma

t's becoming increasingly clear in recent weeks that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in deep trouble when it comes to his re-election race next fall. A new independent poll conducted for the Las Vegas Review Journal shows Reid trailing two unknown opponents -- former state party chairwoman Sue Lowden and businessman Danny Tarkanian -- and just 38 percent of Nevada voters had a favorable opinion of their senator. At the heart of Reid's vulnerability is the disconnect between his role in Washington as the leader of Senate Democrats and his status as Nevada's senior senator.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 13, 2009; 11:54 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (62)
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Morning Fix: Can Deeds Come Back?

Two new polls -- one conducted for the Washington Post and one for the Richmond Times-Dispatch -- show former state Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) opening up a high single digit lead over state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D) with less than a month remaining in the Virginia governor's race.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 13, 2009; 5:50 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (54)
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Fix Poll: The Most Overrated Senator?

Last week, Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) won our Fix Poll as the most underrated Senators in the chamber. (We might have gone with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham but that's fodder for a different post.) Today we tackle the other side of the question: Who is the most overrated member of the world's greatest deliberative body?

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 12, 2009; 2:30 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (63)
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The Most Important Number in Politics Today

That's President Barack Obama's job approval number in the Gallup daily tracking poll, the highest he has been since the start of August.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 12, 2009; 12:00 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (88)
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Morning Fix: An Abbreviated Fix

The Fix is celebrating Columbus Day -- honoring our Italian brothers and sisters -- today by taking it a little easy.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 12, 2009; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (68)
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