Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Netroots call Reid top priority - Bloggers pulling for Palin in '12 - Romney endorsing N.C. slate - Monday stakes: Who has the biggest week ahead? - Blunt, Paul lead narrowly - Clinton in for Callahan
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:20:41 -0400 (EDT)

By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, [email-masked])

POLITICO SNEAK PEEK -- NETROOTS NATION VOTES: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's reelection campaign is the top priority for the Democratic Party's liberal base this year, according to a straw poll of progressive bloggers and activists taken at the Netroots Nation convention in Las Vegas. The poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and due for release this morning, offered a list of five high-value races to choose from: 31 percent of respondents said Reid's campaign was the most important, 25 percent chose Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak's Senate campaign and 21 percent picked Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway's race against Rand Paul. (Two House races -- Minnesota state Sen. Tarryl Clark's campaign against Rep. Michele Bachmann and Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello's reelection fight -- followed with 15 percent and seven percent, respectively.)

STILL THE ONE THEY WERE WAITING FOR: President Obama clocked an 84 percent approval rating in the poll, though the number of participants who said they strongly approved of his performance was lower, at 32 percent. Three quarters -- 74 percent -- of respondents said the White House and Congress should focus on job creation as their top priority. And the bloggers have no appetite for bipartisan conciliation: 90 percent agreed with the statement that Obama “has tried to work with Republicans in good faith and should not compromise any further.”

PLUS -- THE 2012 QUESTION: A strong plurality of poll respondents said Sarah Palin is the Republican they'd most like to see heading the GOP ticket in 2012. Forty-eight percent of participants said they're hoping for Palin, with Ron Paul (11 percent) in second, Rick Santorum (10 percent) in third and Mitt Romney (9 percent) batting cleanup. The poll tested 306 Netroots Nation attendees, 210 web participants and 96 participating by text message. Read more about Netroots Nation from Charlie Mahtesian, POLITICO's man on the ground. http://politi.co/9B2THe

As Jan Brewer plays in Colorado, Zach Wamp walks it back and Barry Switzer picks a favorite, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm elections. There are 99 DAYS until Nov. 2.

MONDAY STAKES -- The 2010 countdown clock is finally in double-digit territory: the earth will make just 99 complete revolutions between now and Election Day. With time running out, here's Morning Score's weekly list of the politicians that have the most to gain or lose in the week ahead:

(1) Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel and former Rep. Nathan Deal, who head into a GOP runoff primary for governor with limited resources and just two weeks to make their case to the voters; (2) Former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, who faced the first resignation call from a Democratic colleague (the only moderately endangered Ohio Rep. Betty Sutton) on Friday and can't afford many more; (3) Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, who got a financial lift from his state's public financing system and needs to make every penny count against gubernatorial primary foe Rick Scott; (4) Michigan Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who's looking at a potentially career-ending Democratic primary eight days from now and needs to close well; (5) The state of Arizona and every politician in it, with the S.B. 1070 immigration bill poised to become law on July 29.

SCORE EXCLUSIVE -- ROMNEY DOES N.C. -- The Mitt Romney endorsement train is rolling through North Carolina today, as the former Massachusetts governor's Free and Strong America PAC backs Sen. Richard Burr and a slate of House candidates for the fall campaign. Romney's sending a $5,000 donation to Burr's campaign and cutting $2,500 checks to incumbent Reps. Howard Coble and Virginia Foxx, as well as challengers Harold Johnson (running against Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell) and Jeff Miller (running against Rep. Heath Shuler). It's a familiar approach for the well-funded, well-organized Romney: be everywhere that counts.

SOMETHING IN THE WATER? Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck is trying to explain his way out of yet another gaffe -- this time, his description of tea party members as “dumbasses” after getting questioned about President Obama's birth certificate. His exact comment -- “Will you tell those dumbasses at the Tea Party to stop asking questions about birth certificates while I'm on the camera?” -- was captured on video by a Democratic tracker. http://bit.ly/dutfcO

PLUS -- BREWER FOR NORTON: The Arizona governor endorsed Buck's GOP primary opponent, former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, in her latest out-of-state political foray. Jan Brewer cut a robo-call saying that Norton would “fight back to stand up to President Obama” and “liberal national Democrats ... challenging Arizona's commonsense law.” Previous Brewer endorsements have gone to Karen Handel and Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Mary Fallin. http://bit.ly/94txxL

POLL OF THE DAY: Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt holds a single-digit lead over Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan in the race for retiring Sen. Kit Bond's seat, according to Mason-Dixon. Blunt currently takes 48 percent of the vote to Carnahan's 42 percent -- a lead that reflects both the national political atmosphere and Blunt's early television advertising. Just 34 percent of Missouri voters said they approve of President Obama's job performance. http://bit.ly/cL66gX

AND -- IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Kentucky's Senate race is even closer, with Rand Paul leading Jack Conway by just three points and neither candidate within shouting distance of 50 percent. A Braun Research poll conducted for Kentucky's cn|2 shows Paul with 41 percent of the vote to Conway's 38 percent. http://bit.ly/dgEKBR

SCORE'S TAKE: If this were 2006 or 2008, both of those Democrats would be leading, maybe comfortably. The races are clearly winnable for Carnahan and Conway, but it would sure help if the national environment softened just a bit.

2012 TALKER -- WAS THAT 'BIDEN' OR 'BITE ME'? POLITICO's Carol Lee reported over the weekend that the White House has dispatched a communications team to Florida to help address fallout from the oil disaster and response. State lawmakers -- including the Democratic candidate for governor -- delivered stinging criticism of the administration in a state that helped carry the 2008 election for Obama: “Florida Democrats accused the administration of largely ignoring their calls and letters and complained of a White House that's out of touch. Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer and the state's presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, even characterized Vice President Joe Biden's recent visit to the state as 'a screw-up,' saying she was 'embarrassed' by his speech. 'It was just so off target and out of touch with the reality of what's going on over there,' Sink said ... 'The Obama campaign was brilliant at connecting with people emotionally, and what I'm seeing and feeling on the ground as I talk to people in Sarasota is that [it] is not happening,' said state Rep. Keith Fitzgerald.” http://politi.co/bmK97I

NRA PICKS DEAL: The powerful gun lobby endorsed Nathan Deal for governor, with NRA heavy Chris Cox declaring: “His constant and unapologetic support for gun rights in Congress demonstrates a strong commitment to the rights of law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen.” http://bit.ly/bbdq01

CLINTON WATCH: Former President Bill Clinton has scheduled a new campaign trip, this time for Bethlehem, Pa., Mayor John Callahan's House campaign. Callahan is a former Hillary Clinton backer and one of his party's top congressional recruits -- Vice President Biden personally courted him for the race. Clinton will hold a fundraiser for Callahan's bid against Rep. Charlie Dent on Aug. 10, according to the Allentown Morning Call. http://bit.ly/cdSHn2

ENDORSEMENT OF THE WEEK -- BIGGER THAN CLINTON? Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, one of two Democrats competing in this week's gubernatorial primary, rolled out an endorsement from legendary Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer. The Oklahoman explains why this is important: “Switzer in 2002 is credited with helping Gov. Brad Henry come from behind to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in a runoff election and go on to an upset victory in a three-way race in the general election. A scientific poll by OU showed that of those who voted for Henry, 16 percent said Switzer's endorsement influenced their decision to vote for Henry, who easily won re-election in 2006 but is prohibited from seeking a third term.” http://bit.ly/bdX8Ob

ACROSS THE BIG MAP -- with POLITICO's Tim Alberta:

-- Moran vet defects. Kansas Rep. and Senate candidate Jerry Moran's former campaign manager, Paul Moore, backed rival Republican Todd Tiahrt for Senate Sunday, warning in a letter: “To my surprise, Jerry Moran winced at the frequent use of the words 'conservative' or 'pro-life' to portray himself out of fear he might offend moderate or pro-choice voters.” Moran spokesman Dan Conston called Tiahrt's campaign “desperate” for highlighting the words of a “disgruntled former employee.” http://bit.ly/c7yVKA

-- McCain does NY-13. Arizona Sen. John McCain is endorsing former FBI agent Michael Grimm for the GOP nomination in New York's 13th Congressional District, a Staten Island-based seat McCain won in 2008. Grimm is running with the Conservative Party's endorsement, but GOP primary opponent Michael Allegretti has the backing of the Staten Island Republican Party. The incumbent is Democratic Rep. Mike McMahon. http://politi.co/9sZAbm

-- Brady vs. Santa Claus. Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady is up with a new television ad slamming Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn for acting like it's “Christmas in July” -- and giving pay raises to his staff while pushing for higher taxes. “Families are suffering, and the last thing Illinois needs is Pat Quinn tossing our money around while we can't even pay our bills,” the narrator says. http://bit.ly/9G3ZHo

-- Meet Bill Binnie. The Nasha Telegraph took its readers for a tour Sunday through Republican Senate candidate Bill Binnie's expansive personal fortune. “The political question is whether Binnie's jaw-dropping wealth in this flat or barely improving economic time we live in will be to voters an inspiration or a turnoff. ... On one level of reality, Binnie can't shake the country club tag. He owns one. ... Binnie estimates he owns "15 or 20 cars" valued at $6.8 million ... All of this largesse still gets dwarfed against an investment in Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France.” http://bit.ly/cobuJI

-- Wamp: I didn't mean it. Tennessee Rep. Zach Wamp, running in the GOP primary for governor of Tennessee, backed off comments he made before the weekend suggesting his state might cut ties with the federal government in response to Democratic policies. “When I'm governor of Tennessee, of course we will not secede from the union,” Wamp said. “But we will also not have a governor who will cave in to Barack Obama.” Wamp trails Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, 25 percent to 36 percent, in the latest poll of the GOP primary, with Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey taking 20 percent. http://bit.ly/9nHrGL and http://bit.ly/cPSAq8

Go to Morning Score Now >> http://www.politico.com/morningscore

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