Campaign News

In Blow To Unions, Walker Easily Survives Recall Effort In Wisconsin's gubernatorial recall election yesterday, Gov. Scott Walker (R) prevailed over Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett (D) 53.2% to 46.3%. Last night and this morning, Walker's win is being described as an unmitigated disaster for labor unions, and an enthusiasm boost for conservatives.
While many analysts tied the Wisconsin campaign to the upcoming presidential election, and suggested Wisconsin might be in play for Mitt Romney, according to the Washington Post , Tuesday's exit polling found that "fifty-one percent of voters said they will back Obama, while 44 percent said they will support Romney." The New York Times is also reporting that "it remained an open question whether Mitt Romney...can assume the momentum of Mr. Walker's campaign" since "exit polls of voters indicated that 18 percent of Mr. Walker's supporters said they favored Mr. Obama."
The AP says Walker "beat back a recall challenge Tuesday, winning both the right to finish his term and a voter endorsement of his strategy to curb state spending, which included the explosive measure that eliminated union rights for most public workers." According to the AP, "Democrats and organized labor...found themselves hopelessly outspent by Republicans from across the country who donated record-setting sums to Walker."
The AP reports, "Union households made up about a third of the electorate, and about two-thirds of them backed Barrett, about the same level of support he received among the group in 2010."
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel adds that Walker "said he would meet with his cabinet Wednesday to focus on the economy, and said he hoped to soon bring Democrat and Republican lawmakers together to meet over brats, burgers and beer. He cut off the crowd when they booed a mention of Barrett. 'Tomorrow is the day after the election and tomorrow we are no longer opponents,' he said. 'We are one as Wisconsinites.'"
Walker Win's Implications For November Analyzed ABC World News reported that "a lot of people are asking, is this preview of Obama versus Romney in the fall?"
Correspondent Mike Tobin, appearing on Fox News after Walker's victory was announced, said "the implications immediately went national." RNC chair Reince Priebus "says they will now take this message across the country, and the message means, he said, that big labor bosses can no longer bully the taxpayers of America."
The CBS Evening News reported, "Some $64 million was spent on the race, most of it by out-of-state supporters of...Walker." CBS added that former President Clinton "campaigned for Barrett," but "the current President stayed away." Politico also reports that "after steering clear of the election for weeks," the President "sent a late, token message of support for Barrett -- who wasn't the first choice of labor activists."
Byron Tau, in Politico , said the White House is "denying that the contest portends anything for President Obama's chances in November. 'A race where one side is outspending the other by a ratio of at least 8 to 1 probably won't tell us much about a future race,' press secretary Jay Carney said." Tau adds, "Still, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina listed Wisconsin as a toss-up in a video message to supporters this week -- even as the campaign has limited Obama's involvement in the polarized recall election."
Politico reports Mitt Romney "phoned...Walker on Tuesday evening," and, "in a message to the press, Romney predicted the results in the Wisconsin race would 'echo beyond the borders' of the state, calling them a validation of small-government conservative politics."
Labor's Declining Influence In The Spotlight The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , in an article titled, "Unions Are Clear Losers In Walker Victory," reports, "Voters dealt a blow to the nation's public sector unions Tuesday in the state that first granted them broad bargaining power more than a half century ago." The Journal Sentinel adds, "Though public unions will not disappear as a result, they were the clear losers," and "have no prospects for recovering what they lost, with neither the money nor manpower they had when Walker rose to office."
According to the New York Times , "The result raised broader questions about the strength of labor groups, who had called hundreds of thousands of voters and knocked on thousands of doors. The outcome also seemed likely to embolden leaders in other states who have considered limits to unions as a way to solve budget problems, but had watched the backlash against Mr. Walker with worry."
Politico , in an article titled, "Big Labor Is Big Loser In Wis.," says, "Walker's decisive victory...demonstrated the vulnerability of a long-formidable movement whose ranks are already thinning across the country," and "underscored the fact that unions...aren't going to be the left's counter to conservative groups' outside cash in November."

Kyrillos Wins Right To Take On Menendez The AP (reports that state Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R) will battle New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez (D) in the fall election. In yesterday's Democratic primary, Menendez ran unopposed. In the GOP primary, Kyrillos "defeated three little-known challengers. The 58-year-old Menendez had a lot more campaign money in the bank: $9.4 million to Kyrillos' $1.4 million. But the 52-year-old Kyrillos could benefit from out-of-state GOP money if he can keep the race close through the summer."
The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger reports, "The race is expected to be contentious, since Kyrillos is close to Gov. Chris Christie, who has a tense history with Menendez. But Menendez dominates in campaign cash and other factors, such as the state's Democratic bent and 36-year history of electing only Democrats to the US Senate, making it up an hill battle for Kyrillos."

Heinrich, Wilson To Face Off In Race To Succeed Bingaman The AP reports that Rep. Martin Heinrich (D) yesterday won the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed retiring New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D) and will now square off against ex-Rep. Heather Wilson (R) this fall. Heinrich bested state Auditor Hector Balderas (D) in yesterday's Democratic primary, taking "60 percent of the vote with almost half of the expected turnout counted, according to unofficial results. Wilson easily defeated Las Cruces businessman Greg Sowards for the GOP nomination, receiving 70 percent of the vote."
Roll Call reports that Heinrich and Wilson "will now face off in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. ... Roll Call rates the race as a Tossup."

Clinton-Backed Pascrell Crushes Obama-Supported Rothman In NJ9 Primary The AP reports that NJ8 Rep. Bill Pascrell (D) "won a bitter battle of incumbents Tuesday," defeating NJ9 Rep. Steve Rothman (D) "in the Democratic primary in" the redrawn NJ9 Congressional District. The AP adds, "Pascrell had 60 percent of the vote. He is almost guaranteed the win in November in the solidly Democratic district." The AP adds, "Pascrell, 75, got a helping hand from former President Bill Clinton in the final days of the campaign, while Rothman, 59, got one from President Barack Obama."
The Bergen Record reports, "On paper, Pascrell was outnumbered," but he was "able to peel away voters who had supported Rothman for years and pump up turnout in his base, where he'd always been a top vote-getter. He also used an endorsement and public appearance from former President Bill Clinton to blunt Rothman's claim Pascrell was too moderate for the heavily Democratic district."

Washington News

Al Qaeda's Number Two Killed In US Drone Strike Al Qaeda's second in command, Abu Yahya al-Libi, has been killed by a US drone strike in northwest Pakistan. All three network news broadcasts reported on al-Libi's death last evening, dedicating a total of nearly seven minutes to the story. The network news coverage and print reports this morning describe al-Libi's death as a major victory for the US and the most significant setback to al Qaeda since the death of Osama bin Laden. NBC Nightly News reported that "the US has confirmed the killing by a CIA drone strike of another very senior Al Qaeda leader, it happened in Pakistan. And US intelligence officials call it a significant blow to Al Qaeda. They say the man Abu Yahya al-Libi killed is believed to rank second in the organization and was involved in numerous terrorist plots against Western targets over the years."
ABC World News reported, "Al-Libi was a huge player in Al Qaeda. US officials believe his death is so significant that we are now closer to the ultimate demise of Al Qaeda's core than ever before."
The CBS Evening News reported, "Abu Yahya al-Libi was one of the last remaining pillars of the core of Al Qaeda." US officials "say he was at the center of planning new attacks and coordinating Al Qaeda's outreach to top affiliates like Al Qaeda in Yemen." CBS added, "One US official says Al Qaeda has no one on its roster who can come close to replacing Al-Libi's expertise."
The AP calls al-Libi's death "the most significant victory so far in the controversial bombing campaign and the biggest setback to the terror network since the death of Osama bin Laden." White House spokesman Jay Carney said al-Libi's death is "a 'major blow' to the group," describing him "as an operational leader and a 'general manager' of al-Qaida." Carney said, "His death is part of the degradation that has been taking place to core al-Qaida during the past several years and that degradation has depleted the ranks to such an extent that there's no clear successor."

CBO Report Says Federal Debt Will Exceed 70% Of US Economic Output A CBO report issued Tuesday says the federal debt will "surpass 70 percent of the nation's annual economic output," McClatchy reports. In its 2012 Long-Term Budget Outlook, the CBO said, "The sharp rise in debt stems partly from lower tax revenues and higher federal spending caused by the severe economic downturn and from policies enacted during the past few years. ... However, the growing debt also reflects an imbalance between spending and revenues that predated the recession."
The Hill notes in its "On The Money" blog that the report "will likely provide additional campaign fodder for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Republicans, who are emphasizing the need to tackle the long-term debt as a way to create business certainty and boost jobs." The Hill also notes that Democrats "used the CBO report to call for a 'balanced' debt plan that includes spending cuts and tax increases."
The Washington Times reports that the report "produced hand-wringing and finger-pointing on Capitol Hill." House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said, "The president's policies are not working," adding, "The sobering reality of our economic challenges require leadership and action. The president and his party's leaders have failed on both counts." House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer "said the hurdle is the GOP's demand that spending cuts fuel any debt solution."

AP Analysis: Obama "Failed To Spur A Sustained, Robust Recovery" Andrew Taylor, in a piece for the AP titled, "Few Options Left For Obama On Economy," says, "In the wake of an alarmingly weak jobs report last week," President Obama has "few if any realistic options for jolting the economy out of its doldrums before Election Day." According to Taylor, "Big-ticket items like payroll tax cuts, free-trade agreements, months of extended unemployment benefits and 'stimulus' spending on public works and aid to states and local governments have been tried but have failed to spur a sustained, robust recovery." Taylor adds that the President's "to do list" for Congress "hold[s] little promise of lifting a $15 trillion economy from its torpor."
Fed Mulling Additional Stimulus Measures The Wall Street Journal , in an article titled, "Fed Considers More Action Amid New Recovery Doubts," reports that recent weak US economic data have caused the Fed to consider taking additional action to stimulate growth and job creation. The Journal says the Fed's outlook has changed since its last meeting in April, and it is now mulling extending "Operation Twist," in which it sells short-term bonds and uses the proceeds to purchase longer-term securities. The Journal also reports that Fed chair Bernanke is reluctant to take actions that could be interpreted as interfering with the presidential election.
According to the Washington Post , "Any new action could provoke tough political criticism," since "Republicans, in particular, have expressed deep concern about the measures taken by the Fed to support the economy - and could be doubly upset if new efforts goose the stock market and are perceived to work in favor of President Obama's reelection."
Most States Have Yet To Return To Pre-Recession Growth USA Today reports, "The residents of only nine states have returned their economic output to the level that existed before the downturn struck at the end of 2007," and "even states now on the rebound -- such as Michigan, Connecticut and California -- find themselves far behind where they were economically when the recession started 4½ years ago." According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, "41 states haven't made up the ground lost during the deep recession that ran from December 2007 to June 2009."

Senate Fails To Move Paycheck Fairness Act The Senate on Tuesday failed to advance the Paycheck Fairness Act, a Democratic bill aimed at closing the pay gap between men and women. Much of the coverage this morning indicates that the bills failure was not unexpected, and that Democrats saw the debate as an opportunity to put Republicans on the defensive on an issue of great importance to women. The AP reports that Senate Republicans blocked the measure, which fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance and adds that President Obama "and his congressional allies aren't finished appealing to women on the No. 1 concern for all voters: the cash in their wallets on the heels of recession." The AP notes that for Democrats "passage wasn't the only point. The debate itself was aimed at putting Republicans on the defensive on yet another women's issue, this one overtly economic after a government report showing slower-than-expected job growth."
The New York Times reports that Republicans "united against the measure for the second time in two years," and notes that the measure was part of Senate Democrats' "continuing effort to highlight divisions with Republicans over women's issues and to force Republicans to take difficult votes on bills focused on domestic violence, wage discrimination and other matters."