Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Health debate frozen in CNN poll - 2012ers slam law - DSCC taunts Snowe on reform vote - Barbour wants victory in Nevada - Romney picks N.H. team - Dem Buckhorn wins in Tampa
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 05:48:43 -0400 (EDT)

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

BREAKING - "CNN Poll: Time doesn't change views on health care law" - Via CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser: "One year after President Barack Obama signed the health care reform bill into law, a new national poll indicates that attitudes toward the plan have not budged. According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday, on the one year anniversary of the signing of the law, 37 percent of Americans support the measure, with 59 percent opposed. That's basically unchanged from last March, when 39 percent supported the law and 59 percent opposed the measure." http://bit.ly/gZHkV9  

THIS JUST IN - T-PAW ON THE LAW - Calling the Affordable Care Act "one of the most flawed and misguided laws in modern history," former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty blasts in a statement: "Obamacare takes our health care system in the wrong direction, failing to reduce costs and improve quality. The law infringes on individual and states' rights by forcing individuals to purchase a good or service, which is why I joined a lawsuit calling the law unconstitutional. If courts do not do so first, as President, I would support the immediate repeal of Obamacare and replace it with market-based health care reforms." 

SNEAK PEEK - DEMS TAUNT SNOWE - There's only one Republican member of the Senate who supported any form of health care reform last year: Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, who voted for one version of the law in the Senate Finance Committee before opposing final passage. Now, as Snowe prepares to run for reelection in 2012, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wants to spotlight that vote for conservative voters already inclined to replace her. From the DSCC hit coming today: "As a top target of Tea Party conservatives and grassroots Republicans, Snowe will be forced time and again to explain why she first voted for but then against President Obama's health reform plan ... Health reform legislation provided tax credits to nearly 26,000 Maine small businesses, prevented insurance companies from denying coverage for more than 270,000 Maine children based on pre-existing conditions." DSCC spokesman Matt Canter: "Mainers deserve a senator who will fight to lower health care costs for their families instead of advancing her own political career ... Snowe will be forced to explain her position on health care reform and explain why she first voted for and then against the most important piece of legislation of her career." 

THE VIEW FROM FIRST STREET - Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus will argue in an op-ed today that the GOP must "redouble our efforts over the next two years to retake the Senate and elect a Republican President so we can repeal this job-destroying law." "What we cannot afford to do," Priebus writes, "is allow President Obama and his liberal allies to continue with their propaganda tour while ignoring the reality on the ground." The RNC is holding a conference call for reporters with Reps. Tom Price and Bill Cassidy - two physicians - to discuss the law. For the Democratic National Committee, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the messenger of choice; she'll hold a press call with Americans who have been helped by the Affordable Care Act. 

AND THE 2012-ER YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney - the Republican with more at stake in the health care debate than any other - pledged in a National Review post last night that as president he would immediately "issue an executive order paving the way for Obamacare waivers to all 50 states ... As I have stated time and again, a one-size-fits-all national plan that raises taxes is simply not the answer ... By the way, what works in one state may not be the answer for another." Read the whole thing: http://bit.ly/ed8nbR  

As Bev Perdue sinks, Newt Gingrich plans another Georgia jaunt and Planned Parenthood finds a new friend, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign. 

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE - UP FOR GRABS? Nearly three dozen Republican House freshmen appear to be in "a weaker position than Democratic incumbents were even in late 2009," according to a must-read Democracy Corps memo which argues that control of the lower chamber could change again in 2012. The Democratic polling outfit surveyed 50 competitive congressional districts with the following results: "These incumbents, identified by name, have an average approval rating of 35 percent across the 50 districts, with 25 percent disapproving ... This is about 10 points lower than the approval rating Democratic incumbents held in July of 2009 ... After winning these seats by a collective 14 points in 2010, these Republicans now lead generic Democratic challengers by just 2 points, 44 to 46 percent, and stand well below the critical 50 percent mark. The race is dead even in the top tier of the 25 most competitive seats." http://bit.ly/hQrJNx  

POPPING IN N.J. - GORKA TO TRENTON: The New Jersey Republican Party has selected Rick Gorka, most recently of Charlie Baker's campaign for governor of Massachusetts, to serve as its new communications director. A former RNC regional press secretary, Gorka joins the New Jersey GOP just a few months after a leadership shakeup brought in Saddle River Mayor Samuel Raia as chairman. Prior to working for the RNC and the Baker campaign, Gorka was West Coast communications director for John McCain in 2008. 

THE 2012 SCORE - MITT PLANTS A FLAG: The former Bay State governor has locked down two key staffers from his 2008 campaign to lead his 2012 effort in New Hampshire. Jim Merrill, who was state director for Romney there in 2008, is back as a senior adviser, according to the Union Leader. Jason McBride, who ran Romney's effort in Michigan during the last campaign, will be the New Hampshire campaign manager. More from the paper: "Merrill ... was also Ovide Lamontagne's top adviser in the 2010 Republican U.S. Senate primary and is the managing director of Devine Strategies ... McBride recently served as the deputy political director at the Republican National Committee." http://bit.ly/f2jo5Q  

JMART'S TAKE: "McBride directed Romney's successful 2008 Michigan campaign and has extensive experience there. But no state looms larger for the former Massachusetts governor than New Hampshire. While trying to downplay expectations in Iowa and South Carolina, Romney recognizes that it'll be imperative to perform well in the Granite State, where he has a summer home, to weather potential difficulties in other early states." 

MORE ON THE ROMNEY TEAM - BALANCING ACT - The Boston Globe's Glen Johnson observes that a group of Romney's closest advisers must balance the budding presidential campaign with another 2012 effort they're intimately involved in: Scott Brown's reelection bid. Three top Romney aides from 2008 - Eric Fehrnstrom, Beth Myers and Peter Flaherty - are working on both efforts from their new headquarters on the Shawmut Group. Johnson: "[I]f Romney wins the nomination, and Democrats succeed in their effort to recruit a challenger to Brown, both of their campaigns will reach their peaks the following fall. Who gets the Shawmut Group's best effort? Best commercial ideas? Debate prep? Political roast jokes? ... [S]hould Romney run, Fehrnstrom, Myers, and Flaherty are not expected to be paid staff members again but consultants. Fehrnstrom, for example, doesn't plan to be on Romney's plane again as traveling press secretary; rather, he intends to work from the home office and focus on message development and television commercials ... Fehrnstrom and the other advisers note that they are hardly the only political consultants with more than one client." http://bo.st/grWnWo  

AND - IN NEVADA: Romney won the endorsement of freshman Rep. Joe Heck Tuesday, bolstering the likely presidential candidate's already strong lead in the early presidential state. Heck spokesman Darren Littell told the AP that "the newly-elected Nevada congressman would support Romney if he entered the race for the GOP nomination ... Heck and Romney's friendship dates back to Romney's 2008 bid. Romney won Nevada's early caucus that year, but ultimately did not win his party's nomination. Romney also campaigned for Heck in 2010." http://bit.ly/iiEnso  

NEARBY - BARBOUR PLAYS FOR KEEPS: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour visited Carson City Tuesday to meet with Republicans about a possible presidential campaign. And much as he did in Iowa, Barbour set a high bar for himself in the 2012 primaries. "If I run, I will compete to win the Nevada caucus and the general election," he said. The Las Vegas Review-Journal has more: "Barbour dismissed the notion that this early, any of the potential presidential candidate would be a sure thing in Nevada or any other state. 'Obviously, I don't think there's a lock for anybody,' Barbour said. Some of the Southern governor's positions might not play well in Nevada, including his support to build a nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain to bury waste -- something the state's congressional delegation has successfully fought for years." http://bit.ly/gqXM16  

SAVE THE DATE - NEWT GOES HOME - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be back in Georgia to address the state party's victory dinner on May 13. That's in the general vicinity of when Gingrich said he'll decide on a 2012 campaign. More from the AP: "Gingrich has been shoring up support in his old home state as he readies for a possible White House bid ... Gingrich has the backing of Georgia's current and former chief executives. Gov. Nathan Deal and former Gov. Sonny Perdue have both said they'll support the 10-term congressman." http://bit.ly/eIWAJa  

ONE PAUL OR THE OTHER - Good news, sports fans: There are at least even odds that either Texas Rep. Ron Paul or Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will run for president in 2012. After Rand Paul refused to rule out a presidential run during a visit to South Carolina Monday, an anonymous adviser to the Paul clan elaborated on the senator's thinking to CBS: "I wouldn't say it's the most likely thing in the world, but he's keeping it on the table ... His dad is likely to go ahead and do it. And if his dad doesn't do it, it seems like there would be a dearth of candidates out there who are serious about taking on problems ... There's better than a 50/50 chance that there will be a Paul in this race." http://bit.ly/dP2iX6  

METRO SECTION - BUCKHORN WINS - Democrats held the mayor's office in the political battleground of Tampa, Fla., last night, giving the party a much-needed win in a state that served up some of the biggest Democratic disappointments of 2010. The Tampa Tribune reports on Mayor-elect Bob Buckhorn's victory in the heart of the I-4 corridor: "Buckhorn will succeed Mayor Pam Iorio, who has governed the city for the past eight years and can't run again because of term limits. He will take office on April 1. Tonight's results were a flip from the five-way race on March 1, when Ferlita received 984 more votes ... In a city grappling with record high unemployment, job creation and the economy were the dominant issues of Tampa's mayoral race." State Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith: "Bob Buckhorn showed he was the candidate with a vision for Tampa's future ... and the strong Democrat who will fight to bring jobs to the community." http://bit.ly/eZcPlQ  

ELSEWHERE IN FLORIDA - From today's White House guidance: "In the morning, the Vice President will travel to Orlando, Florida. At 12:30 PM, the Vice President will attend an event for Senator Bill Nelson. In the afternoon, the Vice President will travel to Tampa, Florida, where he will attend an event for Senator Bill Nelson at 4:30 PM." 

OMINOUS POLL OF THE DAY: The North Carolina governor's office may already be lost to Democrats, no matter who their party's nominee is next year. Incumbent Gov. Bev Perdue's approval rating is 22 points underwater, so PPP - the Democratic firm based in North Carolina - tested several replacement candidates. The result in every case is a win for Republican Pat McCrory, the former mayor of Charlotte: "Perdue trails Pat McCrory 50-36 this month in a hypothetical rematch of their 2008 contest ... [Attorney General Roy] Cooper does better than Perdue, trailing by only an 8 point margin at 43-35. But [Lt. Gov. Walter] Dalton and [state Sen. Dan] Blue each do worse, trailing by 20 point margins at 47-27 and 48-28 respectively. Democrats would be facing an uphill battle with any candidate." http://bit.ly/giEuKb  

THE W.V. SPECIAL - LABOR'S CANDIDATE - Don't look now, but West Virginia House Speaker Rick Thompson is on a roll with labor endorsements in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. After winning support from the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and the West Virginia Education Association, Thompson was endorsed Monday by the United Mine Workers of America. UMWA president Cecil Roberts praised Thompson's "outstanding and long-term record of support for coal miners" in announcing the union had endorsed him over incumbent Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. Dave Catanese has more on the Thompson campaign here: http://politi.co/i1MN2o  

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I have no intention whatsoever of doing the show I am doing now on Fox anywhere else." - Glenn Beck, not exactly swatting down a New York Times report that he might start his own channel http://nyti.ms/ed32VU  

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