Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: NRSC attacks McCaskill for avoiding Obama--Election Day in West Virginia--Perry slips in new Post poll--South Carolina picks Jan. 21--Chrsite announcement expected today or tomorrow--Could Hank run for TN-SEN?
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:58:00 -0600

By James Hohmann (
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] ; Twitter: @jameshohmann)

TOO CLOSE TO CALL - ELECTION DAY IN WEST VIRGINIA: Everyone has expected the acting Democratic governor to walk away with today's special election for governor, but the race has tightened up as Republicans successfully made President Obama an issue. Anything can happen with the low turnout that is expected. Public Policy Polling reported yesterday that Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin leads Republican Bill Maloney only 47-46. Dave Catanese, who has been covering the race for POLITICO, says Democrats believed they had a 5-6 point advantage a week ago but now concede its just 2-3 points, if that. "While history is with Tomblin, momentum is with Maloney," Dave writes. "If Tomblin loses, the White
 House should be alarmed. There will be another cascade of stories that point the finger squarely at Obama." His blog post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2bbfb1792e43045800b13d3e38b0f4b0d62cbc013dfac79502e6f4c4449f1b7a Tom Jensen's write-up of his PPP results:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd6e8cf3fa392427d70e61149940f5d41594f0f85a6c3b54ab 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd6e8cf3fa392427d70e61149940f5d41594f0f85a6c3b54ab .

IF DEMS LOSE IN WEST VIRGINIA- A TALKING POINT TO DOWNPLAY OBAMAZATION: The Associated Press curtain-raiser from West Virginia looks at the parochial issues at play in this non-federal election: "Both Maloney and the Republican Governors Association, which has spent at least $3.4 million attacking Tomblin since late August, made an issue of a greyhound breeding business run by his mother. They allege that Tomblin has wrongly voted on issues relating to a state fund that benefits in-state greyhound breeders."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd9cfa5a11bb2dc95d96f6ad49a021f2522a6daf2fc7c35f57 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd9cfa5a11bb2dc95d96f6ad49a021f2522a6daf2fc7c35f57 

EXCLUSIVE - NRSC ATTACKS MCCASKILL AS SHE SKIPS OBAMA VISIT: Surprising no one, vulnerable Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill is skipping President Obama's visit to her state. She was a key early supporter of the president, but her reelection campaign now requires putting distance between herself and a president who will almost certainly lose the Show-Me state. The NRSC seizes on the private jet flap again to mock McCaskill for avoiding a photo-op with the president. It's not as good as the fresh video they would have gotten of the two, but Republicans will happily use the visit to get some nice earned media. Watch the 81-second video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bddd310dfbe426b3e15274c4b8b3a9b6a9e6dd1cab96e7a1ad 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bddd310dfbe426b3e15274c4b8b3a9b6a9e6dd1cab96e7a1ad 

Speaking of Missouri, a day after Republican John Brunner announced his campaign for the Republican nomination to challenge McCaskill in Missouri, his campaign is giving Morning Score readers a sneak peek at his first television advertisement. It is a positive, 30-second bio spot with a general shot at a broken Washington (including a picture of McCaskill watching Obama as he talks at a press conference):
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd19eb02520381bfdc3b2c39b96c0a7aacace26f1cb9a486a9 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd19eb02520381bfdc3b2c39b96c0a7aacace26f1cb9a486a9 .

As the game of chicken over the primary calendar goes on, Paul suggests Obama could be impeached and Obama says Americans are not better off than they were four years ago, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

PERRY SLIPS-NEW WASHPOST-ABC POLL SHOWS CAIN TIED FOR 2ND IN NATIONAL POLL: "After a quick rise in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has experienced an almost equally dramatic decline, losing about half of his support over the past month, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll," Dan Balz and Jon Cohen write. Romney is first again, and Cain is tied with Perry.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd4eb9868216bdc17eb916de265d44d985b40c4a13dca8b195 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd4eb9868216bdc17eb916de265d44d985b40c4a13dca8b195 

CBS POLL - 7 IN 10 SAY OBAMA HAS NOT HELPED ECONOMY: "Sixty-nine percent say the president has not made real progress on the economy, which voters overwhelmingly cite as their most important issue. Twenty-five percent say he has made real progress," according to a CBS write-up of a poll they released last night. "Perceptions are not improving. The percentage who said Mr. Obama has made real progress has dropped 10 points from a survey 13 months ago, when 35 percent said he had made real progress."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd267273dc53cf9a6cc4f8741a88cca5dd7665bbfeb52efa81 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd267273dc53cf9a6cc4f8741a88cca5dd7665bbfeb52efa81 

The same poll also finds that just one in five Americans are happy with the direction of the country.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648fb3272f566d0f97245eb3507fdf003253f0697384ad665d54 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648fb3272f566d0f97245eb3507fdf003253f0697384ad665d54 

CALENDAR UPDATE - SOUTH CAROLINA PICKS JANUARY 21: South Carolina will hold its Republican primary Saturday, Jan. 21. That's 10 days before Florida's Jan. 31 primary. The Union Leader reports that the New Hampshire primary will be held "perhaps on Jan. 10" but adds that the final date will be picked by New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner "perhaps not until sometime in November."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f58949131d0625e14c3423989bc1d77b380c5d06491630ce2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f58949131d0625e14c3423989bc1d77b380c5d06491630ce2  .

- A GAME OF CHICKEN - NEVADA VS NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire's Secretary of State went on Jon Ralston's 'Face to Face' program on Nevada television last night to say he won't set his date until Nevada schedules its caucuses. 'We're just asking if Nevada would try to find a way to be able to do it to preserve our tradition, and hopefully Nevada will," he said. "If not then it's my obligation to make sure that we end up having our primary date on a day that does. That means that I will have to wait." Nevada has said it will go five days after New Hampshire.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648fe9f186dad78832e902a484fd50cd6ef030f5e5c35f0227f1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648fe9f186dad78832e902a484fd50cd6ef030f5e5c35f0227f1 

-WSJ EDITORIAL - FLORIDA TRYING TO SUBVERT PROCESS: The Wall Street Journal's editorial board attacks Florida for scheduling so early a primary. The paper claims it is a power play by elites to get the primary battle over with as early as possible. From the piece: "It's already October 3, and a rushed calendar means the primary campaign would be over in four or five months. This would help the well known and well-heeled candidates, or those who have been running for years."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f0f73f64e54288a8263fa8661e8b9012a6d6211718d839245 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f0f73f64e54288a8263fa8661e8b9012a6d6211718d839245 

CHRISTIE UPDATE - ANNOUNCEMENT "WITHIN 48 HOURS": A source told CNN yesterday afternoon to watch for a decision WITHIN 48 hours. (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648fa079592fe590ca09f1b58d16fd69a6177d4ea371359e4fec 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648fa079592fe590ca09f1b58d16fd69a6177d4ea371359e4fec ) The network has another source, an Iowa GOP contributor who has tried to woo Christie to run, being told to 'wait until Wednesday' before backing another candidate. "I've been told after Wednesday I'm free to do whatever I want," the contributor said (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648fd7fe47916a7997c9320afc692b1f9acda3156a68650f235a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648fd7fe47916a7997c9320afc692b1f9acda3156a68650f235a ). Politicker NJ cited a source pushing back on the Wall Street Journal report from yesterday about the Christie camp being scared of the compressed calendar:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f06a7df8083222e829b2291c01f9106010e1794aa7ca1301d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f06a7df8083222e829b2291c01f9106010e1794aa7ca1301d  .

-WOULD START IN FOURTH - ONLY MODEST SUPPORT FOR A CHRISTIE CANDIDACY: "About 42 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents say they would like to see the New Jersey governor join the race," according to the Washington Post-ABC poll out this morning. "Thirty-four percent, say no, with the rest offering no opinion." Meanwhile, two-thirds of Republicans say they don't want Palin to run.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd4eb9868216bdc17eb916de265d44d985b40c4a13dca8b195 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef26966d210394bd4eb9868216bdc17eb916de265d44d985b40c4a13dca8b195 

-STILL NOT TALKING: Some, though, are trying to reading into remarks he made at the swearing-in of a Superior Court judge who was an assistant U.S. Attorney when Christie ran that office. Speaking about her, he said people tend to "blow smoke" at people with powerful positions. Per Star-Ledger: "You can become intoxicated by that smoke. And you can wind up, as the smoke gets thicker and thicker, losing your way. Losing that inner compass that we all hope remains true to who we are and what our role is in whatever position or authority we hold," he said. "I am confident that no matter what smoke is blown from this counsel table up towards Donna on the bench that she will not lose her sense
 of self."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f2b71933e273fd21864ec3fe504180613d191170f14ac0b97 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f2b71933e273fd21864ec3fe504180613d191170f14ac0b97 

-IOWA GOVERNOR WOULD "LOVE TO SEE" HIM RUN: Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad told the Des Moines Register yesterday that he'd "love to see him run" for president. Christie came to Iowa to fundraise for him two weeks before last year's midterms. "The presentation he made at our fundraiser was the most inspired I've been since I've heard Ronald Reagan," Branstad said.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f3134141dbe8bf8d8f44d2ad6a009d672d84e84ab90258f54 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f3134141dbe8bf8d8f44d2ad6a009d672d84e84ab90258f54 

HUNTING CAMP - PERRY GETTING BACK-UP: MSNBC host Joe Scarborough called it disqualifying if true, but Rush Limbaugh called the whole story preposterous. "This is such an obvious smear, even by the Washington Post's standards, the worst kind of McCarthyism ... It is an absolute joke," Rush said. We'll let you be the judge of which of these guys has more pull over the GOP base. The question is whether criticisms from people like Scarborough scare away donors. Video of each talking head:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f42e6cefcafbff2a9f788a635e28c5944dd9433e243299535 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80c4a4f22347648f42e6cefcafbff2a9f788a635e28c5944dd9433e243299535  .

-ROMNEY CALLS NAME OFFENSIVE: Mitt Romney called the name offensive during an interview on Sean Hannity's radio show. "I've followed it from afar,' he said. 'I think its offensive. I think most people think its offensive." He declined to answer additional questions, referring them to the Perry campaign.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2ee800c5fecf77e65ee970cc879906212b02bf32a59e20b352 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2ee800c5fecf77e65ee970cc879906212b02bf32a59e20b352 

-CAIN WALKS BACK CRITICISM: "All I said was the mere fact that that word was there was 'insensitive," Cain told reporters outside Trump Tower, where he met with Donald. "That's not playing the race card. I am not attacking Gov. Perry. Some people in the media want to attack him. I'm done with that issue!"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e38ba9b8cfe6f347f1f88dba4d8fbc2f4b50947ad6f05fa36 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e38ba9b8cfe6f347f1f88dba4d8fbc2f4b50947ad6f05fa36 

- SANTORUM SAYS PERRY IS NOT A RACIST: "I don't believe Rick Perry's a racist," he told reporters at a stop in Clarion, Iowa. "I think that's a side issue. It's unfortunate that he's being hit with that...It's one of the sad vestiges of that past that people who live in that area of the country unfortunately have to deal with and hopefully they'll be able to put that issue to bed and that's about all I can say."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e3d474a8e5922e22d80fd01b7a72facf675ab6c5eafffd534 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e3d474a8e5922e22d80fd01b7a72facf675ab6c5eafffd534 

HOW THE CAMP NAME STORY IS PLAYING -

- Concord Monitor: "Race card on Perry not playing in N.H." The top says that "Perry's Granite State supporters say they're paying little attention to a report that the governor and his father have frequented a Texas hunting camp with a racially-offensive name."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2ea6c2769644b4803610c56becb4b709ee706beba71bfe2f7a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2ea6c2769644b4803610c56becb4b709ee706beba71bfe2f7a 

- CBS News: "Iowa officials say they believe Perry is no racist."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e9b3621804336fd453cf8143b742dfe0cf04ce9b757010474 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e9b3621804336fd453cf8143b742dfe0cf04ce9b757010474 

- Associated Press, from Austin: "Perry once defended Confederate symbols."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e904aaf757a92ca366e7bd73459ed61f5d0cf672c45d0e9ec 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e904aaf757a92ca366e7bd73459ed61f5d0cf672c45d0e9ec 

- The Texas Tribune: "Texas Chief Justice Says Ranch Furor an Overreaction."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e9b7207446a2f7d035498be75f8f9992af45b35af82ffbc06 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e9b7207446a2f7d035498be75f8f9992af45b35af82ffbc06 

- The New York Times sent Manny Fernandez to Paint Creek, Texas, to try finding the rock: "The day after The Washington Post reported that Mr. Perry had once hunted at and taken guests to a hunting camp that had the name Niggerhead painted on a rock at the entrance, cars and trucks traveled the dusty road leading to the area on Monday afternoon. The vehicles belonged to reporters with various newspapers and television news outlets, but their visits were short-lived, and it remained unclear if the rock was even still there."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e19ee53b0eb481e250d25c40c87643f0ab33ce5a3b4ed59d9 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e19ee53b0eb481e250d25c40c87643f0ab33ce5a3b4ed59d9 

NOT ALL HUNKY DORY - TWO NEGATIVE PERRY STORIES:

- This morning's Austin American-Statesman looks at a private firm with close ties to Perry being hired to do a lot of disaster-relief work in an unusual arrangement. Perry campaign communications director Ray Sullivan used to lobby for this company.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2ed7d13910e6a2589ee1608bb8e8074814b369ad8011e1870a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2ed7d13910e6a2589ee1608bb8e8074814b369ad8011e1870a 

- The AP moved a story yesterday about Perry's support for tax grants to subprime lenders: "As Texas governor, Rick Perry spent tens of millions in taxpayer money to lure some of the nation's leading mortgage companies to expand their business in his state, calling it a national model for creating jobs. But the plan backfired. Just as the largest banks began receiving public cash, they aggressively ramped up risky lending. Within four years, the banks were out of business and homeowners across Texas faced foreclosure. In the end, the state paid $35 million to subsidize it."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e0df8dfaacbc4a0b2afe80a99a3a7c998d389960f2f2d7e44 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3b3c93f5dfb0d2e0df8dfaacbc4a0b2afe80a99a3a7c998d389960f2f2d7e44 

ROMNEY'S RISKY PLAY - HITTING PERRY ON IMMIGRATION COULD BACKFIRE: There are three potentially significant problems with Romney going after Perry so hard on the DREAM Act and other immigration measures. 1) This could really hurt in the general election by making him look unfriendly to Latinos in FL, CO, NV and NM. Democrats are already seizing. 2) Romney has his own liabilities on immigration, namely his documented use of a landscaping company that hired illegal Guatemalan workers. 3) Perry has essentially the same position as Marco Rubio, which could make it really hard to tap him as his running mate next year. Maggie Haberman has more in a story leading our site:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210364b84d52feb14e887cff9e38138db48c778cecd513b9bac8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210364b84d52feb14e887cff9e38138db48c778cecd513b9bac8 .

Meanwhile, the current issue of the Weekly Standard defends Perry's record on immigration. "Texas's college tuition policy is not the abomination Mitt Romney claims," the magazine writes.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210354fa65c437347b1bd827ce26c029bf8f8fb8baeeb6af4dfb 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210354fa65c437347b1bd827ce26c029bf8f8fb8baeeb6af4dfb 

PAUL BROACHES IMPEACHMENT - STEPS UP CRITICISM OF AL-AWLAKI KILLING: "I think the impeachment process would be possible," the Republican presidential candidate said in response to a question from a student at a University of New Hampshire town hall about the killing of American-born Anwar al-Awlaki.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c21039990c6202885d2dfacf5067dc7b0afec669b9022a6a7af34 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c21039990c6202885d2dfacf5067dc7b0afec669b9022a6a7af34 

ROMNEY DEFENDS KILLING - FRONTRUNNER BACKS UP OBAMA ON AL-AWLAKI: 'It is appropriate. When someone has, is engaged in treasonous behavior and has allied themselves with a force that has declared war on the United States of America and is in that sense an enemy combatant, we have every right to fire on them, as they would fire upon us - and have - fired on us,' Romney said during a long interview with the Union Leader, broadcast on C-SPAN. Story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c2103ad22147731139cdb3fd54546e9789c115ebdb7ae90575660 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c2103ad22147731139cdb3fd54546e9789c115ebdb7ae90575660  . Video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210350453c98a7722a685b6a74abc064f634f17a230a06ae860c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210350453c98a7722a685b6a74abc064f634f17a230a06ae860c .

WHAT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE UP TO: Cain meets with Ed Koch in New York. Gingrich screens A City upon a Hill in Columbia and stays the night at the governor's mansion with Nikki Haley. Bachmann speaks at a 10:30 a.m. Faith and Family Council press conference before a 5:30 p.m. Family Leader fundraiser at a pumpkin farm in Grinnell. Romney hosts a town hall meeting at The Villages in Florida.

WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO - CAMPAIGN SWING TO DALLAS AND ST. LOUIS: Per the White House Daily Guidance, "In the morning, the President will depart the White House en route Dallas, Texas...Later, the President will deliver remarks at a campaign event at the Sheraton Hotel in Dallas...In the afternoon, the President will visit Eastfield College, a community college in Mesquite, Texas, where he will tour the campus' Children's Laboratory School and meet with students and teachers...In the evening, the President will deliver remarks at a campaign event at the Renaissance Hotel in St. Louis...Later in the evening, the President will deliver remarks at a campaign event at a private
 residence...At night, the President will return to Washington, DC."

MONEY PROBLEMS - BACHMANN SHIFTS KEY STAFFER TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE: Andy Parrish is leaving Iowa to return to Michele Bachmann's House office. He has long been super close to the congresswoman. As other staff fled, he stuck around. The campaign spokeswoman offers the laughable spin that this always the plan and resources are being shifted to where they are best used. The fact that he's staying in her fold suggests that they want to keep him and can continue to pay him through the congressional office. We're watching closely for her Q3 debt number.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210356ffdc28d56d27d8b770b57aa39990654ea1226ff843250d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210356ffdc28d56d27d8b770b57aa39990654ea1226ff843250d 

SOLYNDRA LATEST - HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS 20/20: The president told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview broadcast online Monday that he does not regret touting the solar company Solyndra as a model of the stimulus. "Hindsight is always 20/20," Obama said. 'It went through the regular review process and people felt that it was a good bet.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c21038fc4d596043bf8cc386e22a3859305cbc7eee096e15996ac 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c21038fc4d596043bf8cc386e22a3859305cbc7eee096e15996ac 

-DEM DONOR EXPRESSED CONCERNS: Per the Washington Post: "A Silicon Valley investor and senior administration officials warned the White House to reconsider having President Obama visit a solar start-up company because of its mounting financial problems, saying he might be embarrassed later. 'A number of us are concerned that the president is visiting Solyndra,' California investor and Obama fundraiser Steve Westly wrote to Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett in May 2010. 'Many of us believe the company's cost structure will make it difficult for them to survive long term. ... I just want to help protect the president from anything that could result in negative or unfair press.' The memo
 was among several copies of e-mails released Monday morning by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is investigating a government loan to the now-bankrupt company."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210325e2ce31e1d927093b42414ead7e5c48e6a1adbfd66e561f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c210325e2ce31e1d927093b42414ead7e5c48e6a1adbfd66e561f 

-A BUSH OFFICIAL SAYS HE WOULD HAVE OK'D SOLYNDRA LOAN: Some nice back-up for the Obama administration. "I am glad I was not in that chair to get that call, because from what I know of the facts right now, I probably would have made the same decision," said Walter Streight Howes, a director in the Department of Energy under President George W. Bush.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c2103d33ee37ea6211fa2ac8f709992e886b3db2cd5a3954ca06e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c2103d33ee37ea6211fa2ac8f709992e886b3db2cd5a3954ca06e 

TENNESSEE SENATE - ESPN DROPS HANK WILLIAMS JR. FROM OPENING MNF: ESPN dropped Hank Williams Jr. from opening Monday Night Football last night after comments he made about President Obama on Fox News earlier in the day. Per USA Today, Williams "compared this summer's so-called golf summit between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner as 'one of the biggest political mistakes ever.' As Williams put it on Fox News' Fox & Friends: 'It would be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli leader) Benjamin Netanyahu.' When asked on Fox to explain his analogy, Williams said Obama and Vice President Biden are 'the enemy.' Although ESPN has a policy about its on-air personalities getting involved in
 politics, Williams has said he's interested in running as a Republican in 2012 for a U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee." Bob Corker may not like that... Story on suspension:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c2103a530bd8a9705410f3dd98edadfda4fb48614dfbc07a7c710 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06d0932e5f4c2103a530bd8a9705410f3dd98edadfda4fb48614dfbc07a7c710  Video of Fox hit:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2bbfb1792e4304585c0ed7811722255b55fc918902c48bec6c22f4cb92bd2163 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2bbfb1792e4304585c0ed7811722255b55fc918902c48bec6c22f4cb92bd2163 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Well, I don't think they are better off than they were four years ago." - Barack Obama, with a surprising answer to a question about how he'll convince people that they are better off than they were four years ago.
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