Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: American Solutions boosts Walker - AFL promises historic protests - Emanuel wins outright with 55 percent - Gingrich bristles over affair question - Dem heavies plan super PAC - Wu admits prescription drug use
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:25:39 -0500 (EST)

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

FIRST IN SCORE - SOLUTIONS FOR WALKER: American Solutions, the political committee of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, will send a message of support this morning from a coalition of tea party groups to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. "As the country watches the events unfold in Madison, we hope that citizens everywhere understand what is at stake," the letter reads. "Your effort to balance your budget and reign in government spending is a test of whether we continue to have, as our Founders established, a government of, by, and for the people. As you press forward, please know that you have our steadfast support." Organized by American Solutions e-campaign director Adam Waldeck, there will be more than 40 signatories when the letter is unveiled this morning, including Amy Kremer of the Tea Party Express, Dana Loesch of the St. Louis Tea Party and Ryan Hecker of Contract from America. Watch for the message here: http://bit.ly/ft9CY0  

POPPING FROM THE AFL-CIO - Memo: "Grassroots Momentum Continues to Grow as Unprecedented Numbers of Wisconsinites Speak out Across the State Against Walker's Political Attacks on Working Families" - The labor giant will issue an update on where things stand on the ground: "This Thursday will be largest demonstrations outside of Madison in Wisconsin's history. ... [G]rassroots efforts will increase this week as teachers will be focusing their attention on these local events after they finish school each day. ... Many local cities and counties have passed resolutions opposing the Budget Repair Bill including Eau Claire City Council, Eau Claire County Board and Kenosha City Council. Resolutions are moving in Kenosha County Board and Oshkosh City Council." Full update: http://politi.co/hfyjwV  

LATEST IN THE CAPITOL: Walker warned in an address Tuesday evening that Wisconsin will have to start laying off public employees if Senate Democrats don't return to finish debate on the collective bargaining bill. The Journal Sentinel has more: "'The missing Senate Democrats must know that their failure to come to work will lead to dire consequences very soon,' [Walker] said ... In a response to Walker - also televised - Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D-Monona) said Walker should compromise with the unions. 'This is a compromise that any good politician, any good leader, should be able to recognize and seize,' Miller said from Illinois." http://bit.ly/ea0th8  

As Joe Biden returns to campaign footing, Mitch Daniels leaves the state and Joseph W. McQuaid embraces Twitter, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign. 

IT'S OVER IN CHICAGO: Call him Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel. The former White House chief of staff took 55.2 percent of vote in last night's Chicago mayoral election, winning "a majority of support against five opponents in the first Chicago election without a sitting mayor on the ballot since 1947," the Tribune writes. More from the paper: "In a city with its share of racial divisions, Emanuel appealed to voters across those lines. He won the predominantly white wards of his former congressional district on the North and Northwest sides. And the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama also scored substantial margins in predominantly African-American neighborhoods. 'All I can say, you sure know how to make a guy feel at home,' Emanuel, who faced a high-profile legal challenge to his residency, told a packed room at a plumbers union hall on the Near West Side." The runners-up: Gery Chico - 24 percent; Miguel Del Valle - 9.3 percent; Carol Moseley Braun - 9 percent. http://bit.ly/dMKH2X  

OBAMA REACTS - His statement: "I want to extend my congratulations to Rahm Emanuel on a well-deserved victory tonight. As a Chicagoan and a friend, I couldn't be prouder. Rahm will be a terrific mayor for all the people of Chicago." 

SENATE SIREN - "Senate Dems launch super PAC" - POLITICO's Manu Raju scoops: "Top Democratic operatives are quietly building an aggressive campaign machine to battle huge Republican third-party spending and sway critical Senate races in 2012. The strategists, including pros like long-time advisers to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, are putting the finishing touches on a group called the Majority PAC, a 'super PAC' that can raise unlimited money to attack or support candidates. It is modeled on the third-party operation, Patriot Majority PAC, which ran bruising TV ads against tea party candidates like Reid's opponent Sharron Angle." 

MORE - MEET THE TEAM: "The operation is in seasoned hands. Long-time Reid strategist, Rebecca Lambe, and his former chief of staff, Susan McCue, are leading the charge - along with Craig Varoga, who runs the Patriot Majority. Two other veteran political operatives who once led the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee - J.B. Poersch and Jim Jordan - are also spearheading the effort, as are veteran Democratic fundraiser Monica Dixon and long-time Democratic attorney, Marc Elias." Read the whole thing: http://politi.co/fRCWPG  

THE 2012 SCORE - CONSENSUS ON THUNE - Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is the big winner from South Dakota Sen. John Thune's decision to take a pass on 2012, the experts say.
- The New York Daily News: "Thune's decision not to run is a blow to the conservative establishment -- but a likely boon to someone like former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has a similar profile to Thune's and would have competed for the same bloc of conservative support." http://nydn.us/ejFU9I 
- POLITICO's Hunt and Martin: "If Thune had decided to run, his campaign would have focused heavily on Iowa, where his Midwestern roots and what he called 'common sense conservatism' would have been likely to resonate. His decision not to run could help other candidates who need to do well there, particularly former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty." http://politi.co/eWlxnK  
- Chris Cillizza: "While Pawlenty may benefit most from Thune's no-go decision, it also should open up the Iowa field slightly -- good news for any of the lesser known candidates like Govs. Mitch Daniels (Ind.) and Haley Barbour (Miss.) who need to make their names, literally, with a strong finish in Iowa." http://wapo.st/dEvAXY  

POPPING ON 2012 LIVE - "Newt Gingrich confronted over affair" - POLITICO's Emily Schultheis: "Newt Gingrich's speech at the University of Pennsylvania Tuesday night quickly took a turn for the dramatic when the first student to question him brought up his admitted extra-marital affair and accused him of being 'hypocritical' for espousing moral values. 'You adamantly oppose gay rights... but you've also been married three times and admitted to having an affair with your current wife while you were still married to your second,' Isabel Friedman, president of the Penn Democrats, said. ... Gingrich, speaking to about 800 at a speaker series event on the west Philadelphia campus, tried to cut off the question. 'I'll bet almost everybody here can gather the thrust of your question,' he said. 'I appreciate the delicacy and generosity in the way it was framed. ... I hope you feel better about yourself. ... I believe in a forgiving God, and the American people will have to decide whether that their primary concern. If the primary concern of the American people is my past, my candidacy would be irrelevant." M-O-R-E: http://politi.co/e7ik8A  

COMING SOON? DEM SPOTS CROSSROADS: American Crossroads, the third-party GOP campaign juggernaut, is poised to go on the air again in a series of congressional districts, according to a Democratic source tracking ad reservations. Time has been booked in Republican-held House seats, including the districts of Illinois Rep. Robert Dold, Minnesota Rep. Chip Cravaack and West Virginia Rep. David McKinley. 

ATTACKING ON LIBYA - Two potential 2012 candidates, Pawlenty and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, have blasted President Obama for his handling of the situation in Libya. "The Libyan people have taken to the streets ... and peaceful protesters have been literally gunned down," Pawlenty wrote on Facebook. "Yet the President remains silent, unwilling or unable to speak with moral clarity about America's interest in supporting the aspirations of all who seek freedom." Palin: "It's a little perplexing looking at the White House today. There was a statement on the horrible earthquake in New Zealand ... But nothing on the slaughter in Libya?" http://bit.ly/hR1vuJ  and http://on.fb.me/fkBPoM  

TODAY - BIDEN ON THE TRAIL - From the White House guidance: "At 12:00 PM, the Vice President will attend a reception for the Democratic National Committee. At 1:30 PM, the Vice President will attend an event for Representative Carolyn Maloney." 

BUT FIRST - SET YOUR DVR - @IowaGOP tweets: "Don't miss Chairman Strawn talking Iowa GOP presidential politics live on MSNBC's Morning Joe. See it [Wednesday] morning at 7:40 Iowa time." That's 8:40 a.m. on the East Coast, folks. http://bit.ly/eNHK75  

AND THEN - TONIGHT - DANIELS GOES NEXT DOOR - The Indiana governor will keynote the Hamilton County Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in nearby Ohio. The Cincinnati Enquirer: "Daniels is a far cry from last year's Lincoln-Reagan speaker, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, another possible 2012 contender who is a favorite of the tea party movement ... Daniels stumped for John Kasich in northern Ohio last fall. He is the 10th possible GOP presidential contender to make the pilgrimage to southwest Ohio." http://bit.ly/eYpi6M  

PRIMARY RUMBLE - N.H. VS. FLORIDA - The Nashua Telegraph takes note of the Sunshine State's attempt to defend a late-January primary date - and raises the prospect of a 2008-style race to the front of the calendar: "If allowed to stand, [Florida's primary] would have the domino effect of shifting New Hampshire and the other early states back into January - just like last time. In 2008, New Hampshire voters went to the polls Jan. 8, one week after ringing in the New Year. ... [New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill] Gardner is well positioned to do what has to be done. Last summer, Gov. John Lynch signed a bill into law that strengthened the secretary of state's hand even further, ensuring he has all the flexibility he needs to maintain the tradition of the first-in-the-nation primary. Still, it would be nice if he didn't have to use it." http://bit.ly/ezEOpE  

LAST-TERMER WATCH: Oregon Rep. David Wu admitted in a message to The Oregonian that he used prescription painkillers given to him by a campaign contributor last October. The Democrat's disclosure followed a report in the paper that Wu's staff had worried about his mental health and urged him to seek medical treatment last fall. From the paper: "A campaign staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as the person still works in politics, confirmed that Wu, 55, had taken oxycodone from the donor. Wu's unpredictable, and according to people who worked with him, temperamental behavior during the 2010 campaign contributed to significant departures of his senior staff." Wu defended his ability to serve in office on ABC's "Good Morning America" yesterday, insisting: "I got the help I needed then. I am continuing to consult medical help as I need it and I'm in a good place now." http://bit.ly/hsUIWQ and http://abcn.ws/gzSGRF  

POLLING THE SPECIAL - CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: Either Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn or California Secretary of State Debra Bowen is narrowly ahead in the race for Rep. Jane Harman's soon-to-be-open House seat. POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt reports on the pro-Bowen survey: "The poll, commissioned by the Washington-based Progressive Change Campaign Committee, shows ... Bowen leading ... Hahn 33 percent to 29 percent among all voters. ... Among Democrats alone, the poll found Bowen and Hahn tied at 36 percent." The Hahn campaign released a survey of its own from the Democratic firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates: "According to our recent live telephone survey of 400 likely special election voters ... Hahn begins the special election campaign for the 36th Congressional District with a five-point lead in a ballot test including five other candidates who have either declared or publicly indicated interest in running." http://politi.co/gByIML  

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Beautiful day at Seacoast Science Center. Not a candidate in sight." - Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid, tweeting at @deucecrew http://bit.ly/gZXrUO  

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

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