Posts Tagged ‘Karl Rove’

PA GOP News Brief – 8.26.10

1. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Toomey defends financial positions during campaign stop

2. Indiana Gazette: Gubernatorial hopeful Corbett tours IRMC

3. The Morning Call: Dent takes aim at Callahan

4. The Patriot News: Republican candidates in Pennsylvania senate, governor’s races lead among likely voters, poll shows

5. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: Honey, I Shrunk My Approval Ratings

1. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Toomey defends financial positions during campaign stop

Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey yesterday accused Democrats of “demagoguery” for criticizing his positions on Social Security and deregulating the financial instruments some blame for deepening the recession.

Toomey, a former Lehigh County congressman, said he still supports a law that exempted derivatives from some of the laws governing securities. He noted the law — the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 — passed the House by a vote of 377 to 4, passed the Senate unanimously and was signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

“That bill did absolutely nothing to cause the financial crisis, and no credible person has tried to make that argument,” Toomey said between campaign stops in Butler and McCandless. Asked whether he’d vote for it again, he said: “Yes. I think all 377 (House members) would vote for it again.”

2. Indiana Gazette: Gubernatorial hopeful Corbett tours IRMC

Gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett said while he hasn’t read all 2,000 pages of the health care reform bill, he’s heard from community hospitals such as Indiana Regional Medical Center that the impact is “going to be hard.”

As Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Corbett joined a lawsuit with a number of other states challenging the constitutionality of the bill, which was signed into law by the president in March.

“It is such a challenging issue for the next governor,” he told administrators and staff at IRMC Tuesday afternoon. “We’re not counting on Washington; we’re doing everything we can.”

3. The Morning Call: Dent takes aim at Callahan

Gearing up for perhaps his toughest re-election fight, three-term Congressman Charlie Dent cast an opponent Wednesday as a tax-and-spend Democrat who had been “deceptive” about his own record and is ducking major issues like national security.

In slam after slam, Dent used his first major news conference of the campaign to summarize three months of press releases. He tried to tie Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan to President Barack Obama and to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose priorities Dent describes as leaving “economic chaos and uncertainty.”

Meanwhile, Republican Dent described himself as serving as a “check and balance against reckless spending and job-killing legislation.”

4. The Patriot News: Republican candidates in Pennsylvania senate, governor’s races lead among likely voters, poll shows

With voter anxiety over the shaky economy and faltering recovery, Republican candidates at the top of Pennsylvania’s ballot are riding high.

Democrats find themselves on the wrong side of an enthusiasm gap with 10 weeks to go before Election Day, according to the Franklin & Marshall College poll released today.

“Democrats are at a decided disadvantage when it comes to voter motivation,” said F&M pollster G. Terry Madonna.

The poll points to ominous signs for Democrats. Voters are pessimistic about the state’s direction, the economy, and the performance of President Barack Obama, Madonna said. And Democratic voters say they are less likely to vote than Republicans.

5. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: Honey, I Shrunk My Approval Ratings

In what will rank as one of the all-time presidential PR disasters, we’re now well over half way through what the White House called “the summer of recovery.” And what a recovery it’s been.

Earlier this month, first-time claims for unemployment hit a nine-month high. The unemployment rate remains at 9.5% and 18.4% of workers are out of a job, can only get part-time work, or have given up looking for a job altogether. Sales of existing homes dropped 27% from June to July, hitting the lowest point since data were first collected in 1999. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index fell to 50.4 in July, continuing a slide that started in February. And the stock market is down 11% from its peak in April.

All of this has helped shatter public confidence in the president. In early May, Mr. Obama’s approval on the economy in the YouGov/Polimetrix poll was 42%. By mid-August, it was 35%—a frightening number for Democrats less than 70 days from a midterm election.

1. The Morning Call: Corbett: Job loss in Pa. is Rendell’s fault

2. Erie Times News: Pat Toomey: Toomey defends vote to allow lake drilling

3. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: The Missing Word In Our Afghanistan Strategy

4. The Hill: Republicans focus on tax cuts for recess

5. Politico: New business plan: crushing Dems

1.    The Morning Call: Corbett: Job loss in Pa. is Rendell’s fault

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett on Wednesday laid the blame for nearly 600,000 lost Pennsylvania jobs at the feet of Gov. Ed Rendell, charging that his tax-and spend policies have hindered the state’s ability to ride out the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.

“In the last eight years our state budget has gone from $22 billion to $28 billion,” Corbett said. “And what’s the result today? Our state has nearly 600,000 unemployed citizens on the rolls.”

Corbett made his remarks at Longwood Gardens, a regional attraction where he touted the link between Pennsylvania’s tourism industry and economic development.
2. Erie Times News: Pat Toomey: Toomey defends vote to allow lake drilling

I decided to run for political office because I believe there are serious changes needed in Washington so we can reduce our country’s exploding deficit, create the jobs we desperately need and reduce the rising cost of health care.

I believe it is important to discuss these issues so voters can make accurate, informed decisions about whom to support.

Unfortunately, my opponent Joe Sestak does not feel the same way. A couple of days ago, he wrote an Op-Ed piece that dramatically distorted a vote I took in 2001, claiming I support drilling in Lake Erie (”Toomey wrong on lake drilling,” Erie Times-News, July 15). That is not the case.

The vote in question would have imposed an across-the-board federal prohibition on oil exploration in many bodies of water across the United States. I, along with half of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation, voted against this federal prohibition. I do not believe that it is the federal government’s job to dictate to the people of Erie or anywhere else in the country whether or not they can engage in oil and gas exploration in their local bodies of water.

3. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: The Missing Word In Our Afghanistan Strategy

What President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron didn’t say during last week’s joint news conference may have mattered more than what they did say. The omissions could lead to a grave setback in the war on terror and deadly results for the Afghan people.

The president and prime minister declared their solidarity on the Afghanistan war. Both leaders “reaffirmed our commitment to the overall strategy,” in Mr. Cameron’s words. Mr. Obama said that approach aimed to “build Afghan capacity so Afghans can take responsibility for their future,” a point Mr. Cameron called “a key part” of the coalition’s strategy.

All well and good. But neither leader uttered the word “victory” or “win” or any other similar phrase. They made it sound as if the strategic goal was to stand up the Afghan security forces, leave as soon as that was done, and hope the locals were up to keeping things together.

4. The Hill: Republicans focus on tax cuts for recess

Instead of calling for an extension of Bush’s tax cuts, which House Republican leaders support, they refer to the looming “Democrats’ tax hikes.”

Under the heading “Job Creation,” Republicans call the expiring tax cuts, set to lapse at the end of this year, a Democratic plan “on increasing taxes by $3.8 trillion.”

The scarce references to Bush come as Democrats attempt to tie the Republican Party to the 43rd president three months before the midterm elections.

…

The document, provided to The Hill, states, “Since taking office, President Obama has spent more than $6.1 trillion in 18 months. At $333 billion per month, that is more than twice the amount spent during the first two years of the George W. Bush administration.”

5. Politico: New business plan: crushing Dems

Democrats may be going out of their way to say they aren’t anti-business, but business is gearing up to demonstrate that it’s anti-Democrats — at least when it comes to members of the party’s liberal wing.

The latest blatant signs of hostility come from coal executives who are considering starting up their own political operation to work against candidates they deem unfriendly to their interests. Their first three targets are all Democrats.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has already vowed to invest $75 million in the mid-term elections. And health insurers are also planning to play big in November, although the specifics remain in flux. Both groups are hedging their bets by aligning themselves with some moderate or conservative Democrats in case Republicans don’t win control of Congress.

PA GOP News Brief – 7.22.10

1. PA GOP: Professors Obama & Pelosi to Murphy: You Get an “A” In The LIBERAL Arts

2. Reading Eagle: Corbett touts economic plan during visit to Robesonia-area company

3. The Times Leader: Independent poll shows 11th race a ‘tossup’

4. The Hill: NRCC adds 33 to candidate program

5. USA Today: Opposing view on balancing the budget: Stop these tax hikes

6. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: Friendly Fire on Capitol Hill

1. PA GOP: Professors Obama & Pelosi to Murphy: You Get an “A” In The LIBERAL Arts

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Spokesman Mike Barley released the following statement regarding news that 8th District Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy has voted to advance the Obama-Pelosi Agenda 97% of the time according to The Washington Post.

“Make no mistake about it: Murphy is one of the most fierce supporters of the Obama-Pelosi Agenda,” said Barley, “Under their watch, unemployment and the national debt have nearly doubled with no end in sight. Patrick Murphy has voted to support the ultra-liberal Obama-Pelosi agenda 97% of the time, and by any standard, scoring a 97% on any test earns you an ‘A’.”

2. Reading Eagle: Corbett touts economic plan during visit to Robesonia-area company

Corbett, state attorney general and Republican candidate for governor, is visiting businesses around the state to learn more about their operations and to talk about what he would do to improve the economy and the business climate if he defeats Democrat Dan Onorato in the Nov. 2 election.

After touring the food distribution center and learning more about its computerized operation, Corbett talked about his plans with about 25 workers.

Corbett said he would reduce the corporate income tax rate and get rid of the inheritance tax that hurts families leaving small businesses and farms to their heirs.

3. The Times Leader: Independent poll shows 11th race a ‘tossup’

A poll done by an independent firm shows U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski struggling in his quest for a 14th term.

Kanjorski, 73, D-Nanticoke, is being challenged for the third time by Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta in the 11th District race.

“We wouldn’t change our rating unless there were strong indicators indicating Barletta ahead,” said Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report in Washington, D.C.

The Rothenberg Political Report will post today that it has moved the Barletta/Kanjorski race from “lean Democrat” to “toss-up/tilt Republican.”

The report states, “PA 11 Congressman Paul Kanjorski had a tough time disposing of challenger Lou Barletta (R), the mayor of Hazleton, and Barletta is running again, with polls showing serious trouble for the Democrat.”

4. The Hill: NRCC adds 33 to candidate program

The National Republican Congressional Committee Wednesday added 33 Republican candidates to its “On the Radar” and “Contender” lists.

“These candidates have worked hard to meet the benchmarks set to place them on the road to victory,” said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) in a statement. “With voters frustrated with an out-of-touch Democrat majority, these candidates are willing to take the necessary steps to achieve our goal of retiring Nancy Pelosi and winning and building a lasting Republican majority.”

Below is a full list of the candidates elevated by the committee.

On the Radar: Dee Adcock(Pa.-13), Jason Allen (Mich.-01), Dan Benishek (Mich.-01), Susan Bitter Smith (Ariz.-05), Tim Burns (Pa.-12), Donna Campbell (Texas-25), Peter Corrigan (Ohio-10), Hunt Downer (La.-03), John Gomez (N.Y.-02), Rich Iott (Ohio-09), Bill Johnson (Ohio-06), Jeff Landry (La.-03), Ben Lange (Iowa-01), Delia Lopez(Ore.-03), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa-02), Star Parker (Calif.-37), Keith Rothfus (Pa.-04), Frank Scaturro (N.Y.-04) and Brad Zaun (Iowa-03).

Contender: Charlie Bass (N.H.-02), Francisco Canseco (Texas-23), Dan Debicella (Conn.-04), Randy Demmer (Minn.-01), Chris Gibson (N.Y.-20), Jaime Herrera (Wash.-03), Dan Kapanke (Wis.-03), Mike Kelly (Pa.-03), John Koster (Wash.-02), Michele Rollins (Del.-At Large), Jon Runyan (N.J.-03), Bobby Schilling (Ill.-17), Scott Sipprelle (N.J.-12) and Steve Southerland (Fla.-02).

5. USA Today: Opposing view on balancing the budget: Stop these tax hikes

On Jan. 1, Democrats will raise taxes — the question is whose and for how long. By not extending critical tax relief enacted in 2001 and 2003, our nation would face the largest tax increase in history.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would take a 1.4% hit — potentially enough to trigger another recession, the last thing out-of-work Americans need.

We need to stop these tax hikes and create a foundation for economic growth that, coupled with spending cuts, will reduce our massive budget deficits.

6. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: Friendly Fire on Capitol Hill

Describing the White House last week, Congressional Democrats used words like “ineptness,” “neglected” and “disconcerting,” and phrases like “isn’t aggressive enough.” President Barack Obama has only himself to blame for these protests.

Well, maybe more than just himself. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs may have spoken the truth when he admitted Democrats could lose the House. He forgot that White House staffers are expected to be advocates, not prognosticators, when their party faces electoral defeat. Mr. Gibbs need not lie, but he could have been discreet.

PA GOP News Brief 7.15.2010

1) PA GOP: Joe “Says Tax” Can’t Run From Record Of Voting With Nancy Pelosi Nearly 100% Of The Time

2) PoliticsPA: Meehan internal shows name ID has him ahead of Lentz

3)    National Review: Lou Barletta, Holding  a Slim 19-Point Lead in PA-11

4)      Pa2010: Marino wants Nine Debates

5)      Politico: Senate GOP wants Berwick hearing

6)      Baltimore Sun: Steele defends Tea Party from racism charge

7)     Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: My Biggest Mistake in the White House

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1)      PA GOP: Joe “Says Tax” Can’t Run From Record Of Voting With Nancy Pelosi Nearly 100% Of The Time

HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding Joe ‘Says Tax’ Sestak’s attempt to distance himself from his extreme liberal voting record:

“Whether Joe Sestak voted with extreme liberal Nancy Pelosi 100% or 96% of the time, I would imagine that much like a proud parent, Speaker Pelosi is pleased with Joe Sestak’s A+ record of voting alongside her to implement her extreme liberal agenda,” Gleason said. “While Joe Sestak is quibbling over a percentage point, the fact remains that he served as a rubberstamp to bailouts, the government-takeover of the health care industry, the cap-and-trade energy tax and countless other massive spending bills.  When Nancy Pelosi really needs Joe Sestak, he is there every step of the way.”

2) PoliticsPA: Meehan internal shows name ID has him ahead of Lentz

An internal poll from the Pat Meehan campaign obtained by PoliticsPA shows the Republican congressional candidate leading Democratic opponent Bryan Lentz by 21 points, 47 percent to 26 percent, largely on the strength of a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in name ID.

The poll, conducted by Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates, surveyed 400 “likely 2010 voters” from in the 7th Congressional District on June 16 and 17. The questions, provided in the polling memo, appear straight forward, and campaign officials say those surveyed were not read any information about the candidates before answering.

3) National Review: Lou Barletta, Holding  a Slim 19-Point Lead in PA-11

A poll commissioned by his campaign shows Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta (R) leading 13-term Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D) 56 percent to 37 percent. The Tarrance Group surveyed 400 likely voters on July 12 and 13. Its poll has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

4) Pa2010: Marino wants Nine Debates

Republican Tom Marino is on the attack in the 10th Congressional District, all but demanding Congressman Chris Carney’s (D-10) participation in nine, one-hour debates. The Marino camp says the debates will turn the race into a true battle of ideologies, one that would inherently favor a Republican in the conservative-leaning, northeast Pennsylvania district.

Marino’s debate challenge came in a letter to Carney’s campaign, accompanied by e-mail blasts to supporters and the press.

The letter, written by Marino campaign manager Dave Weber, requests a response by July 22.

“We’ve made it explicitly clear that we will work with Congressman Carney’s campaign to set up the debates,” Weber told pa2010.com. “We will work around his schedule and do whatever we can to make this work. ”

5) Politico: Senate GOP wants Berwick hearing

Senate Republicans are demanding to hear from Don Berwick, the physician President Barack Obama recess-appointed last week to run the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Republicans on the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the post, say that not holding a hearing with Berwick would “result in circumventing the open public review that should take place for a nomination of such importance” and “casts a shadow over his legitimacy and authority to serve as administrator during a critical time for CMS.”

6) Baltimore Sun: Steele defends Tea Party from racism charge

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele is defending the Tea Party movement from accusations of racism…..

Steele, the first African-American to head the Republican National Committee, issued a statement Wednesday about what he described as “recent statements claiming the Tea Party movement is racist.” He said such statements “are not only destructive, they are not true.”

“Tea Party activists are your mom or dad, your local grocer, banker, hairdresser or doctor,” the former lieutenant governor of Maryland said in statement. “They are a diverse group of passionate Americans who want to ensure that our nation returns to founding principles that honor the Constitution, limit government’s role in our lives, and support policies that empower free markets and free enterprise. Enough with the name-calling.”

7) Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: My Biggest Mistake in the White House

Seven years ago today, in a speech on the Iraq war, Sen. Ted Kennedy fired the first shot in an all-out assault on President George W. Bush’s integrity. “All the evidence points to the conclusion,” Kennedy said, that the Bush administration “put a spin on the intelligence and a spin on the truth.” Later that day Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle told reporters Mr. Bush needed “to be forthcoming” about the absence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Thus began a shameful episode in our political life whose poisonous fruits are still with us.

The next morning, Democratic presidential candidates John Kerry and John Edwards joined in. Sen. Kerry said, “It is time for a president who will face the truth and tell the truth.” Mr. Edwards chimed in, “The administration has a problem with the truth.”

Mike Barley
Director of the Communications and Technology Departments

Republican Party of Pennsylvania
717-234-4901, ext. 115
mbarley@pagop.org

PA GOP News Brief 7.8.2010

1)     PA GOP: Kanjorski Decries Town Hall Meetings Saying They Would Blow His Day

2)    Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: ACORN affiliate ordered to open books

3) Times Leader: Kanjorski’s request for Wall Street cash ripped

4)     Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: A Growth Agenda for the GOP

5)     Fox News: Civil Rights Panel to Renew Subpoenas, Pursue Federal Probe in Black Panther Case

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1) PA GOP: Kanjorski Decries Town Hall Meetings Saying They Would Blow His Day

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Spokesman Mike Barley released the following statement regarding comments made by Congressman Paul Kanjorski’s on WILK FM’s Steve Corbett Show this afternoon:

“Congressman Paul Kanjorski proved yet again that he has zero respect for people living in Northeast PA.  As a sitting Congressman, it is deplorable that he thinks so little of his constituents that he is concerned he may ‘blow a half a day or a full day’ having a town hall meeting to hear their concerns or thoughts.  He also complained that they require a ‘lot of effort.’  I think most hardworking Pennsylvanians would agree that if he is unwilling to put in the hard work it takes to be a congressman, then he should step aside today!”

“I have a problem with them.  We have had town hall meetings in the past.  They don’t.  They actually put you through an awful lot of effort and time to put them together and only about, oh, anywhere from twenty-five or fifty people will show up at a town meeting and you have to blow a half a day or a full day.” – Congressman Paul Kanjorski (WILK-FM, 7/7/10)

2)      Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: ACORN affiliate ordered to open books

Charging that it repeatedly failed to comply with state laws governing nonprofit organizations, state Attorney General Tom Corbett wants an affiliate of ACORN to comply with a subpoena seeking detailed financial and other records.

In a petition to Commonwealth Court, Corbett charges that ACORN Institute continued to raise money after the Pennsylvania Department of State issued cease-and-desist orders.

The petition, filed last week in Harrisburg, claims the institute — an affiliate of the defunct Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now — “solicited and received $706,975 in contributions.” The institute collected at least $355,056 during time periods when it was not properly registered.

3) Times Leader: Kanjorski’s request for Wall Street cash ripped

Wall Street is pulling back on donations to Democrats, but that hasn’t stopped some of them – including U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski – from asking for campaign contributions, even in light of the recently passed reform bill.

Lou Barletta, Kanjorski’s Republican opponent in the 11th Congressional District race, criticized the 13-term incumbent in a release sent out by his campaign.

“Now, after railing against Wall Street when the media is watching, Kanjorski goes back to his Wall Street friends with his hand out,” said Shawn Kelly, Barletta spokesman. “It’s hypocritical and it’s shameful.”

4)     Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: A Growth Agenda for the GOP

During the last week, President Barack Obama doubled down on a losing political bet, further cementing the Democratic Party’s reputation as the champion of bigger deficits, higher spending and more government. He did so just as the public is crying out for lower deficits, less spending and less government.

In his Saturday radio address, Mr. Obama attacked Republican opposition to additional stimulus spending, saying they “just don’t get it.” Maybe they do get it. The first, $862 billion stimulus bill of 17 months ago has after all failed to work the president’s promised magic.

Last Thursday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the president in his bad bet by offering up the economic gem that extension of unemployment benefits “creates jobs faster than almost any other initiative you can name.” Really? Faster than, say, cutting personal income tax cuts or slashing the corporate tax rate?

5) Fox News:Civil Rights Panel to Renew Subpoenas, Pursue Federal Probe in Black Panther Case

The bipartisan panel investigating allegations that the Justice Department wrongly abandoned a case against the New Black Panther Party plans to issue a new round of subpoenas and call for a separate federal probe following explosive testimony from an ex-Justice official, a commissioner said.

As the case heats up, members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights may even travel to South Carolina to track down one witness.

Former Justice attorney J. Christian Adams on Tuesday testified before the commission that his former employer not only abandoned the voter intimidation case for racial reasons, but had instructed attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims.

Commissioner Ashley Taylor said the panel will send out a letter as early as Wednesday calling for the Justice Department to open an investigation into the charge. The letter will go to Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, who in May told the panel to bring any such claims “to our attention” if there’s evidence.

Mike Barley
Director of the Communications and Technology Departments

Republican Party of Pennsylvania
717-234-4901, ext. 115

PA GOP News Brief 2.18.2010

1) Tribune Democrat: Shuster: Stimulus cash ‘squandered’

2) Plum Line: Karl Rove: Economy Is Recovering Despite Recovery Act, Not Because Of It

3) Politico: Davis: Best GOP recruits ever

4) Washington Times: GOP ‘tsunami’ predicted for exurban, South, mountain states

5) CNN: Conservatives rally ahead of midterms in Washington

1) Tribune Democrat: Shuster: Stimulus cash ‘squandered’

Congressman Bill Shuster released a statement on the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the stimulus:

“It’s been a year since the Democrats in Congress passed President Obama’s stimulus into law and we continue to see double digit unemployment, housing foreclosures and a sluggish economy.

“The president and congressional Democrats squandered an opportunity for a targeted stimulus program that should have been focused around a mixture of tax cuts and infrastructure investments. What the American people got instead was a near trillion-dollar grab-bag of big government social spending and pet projects from the political left.

“Taxpayers at home and across the nation are tired of the excuses coming from Washington and the massive debt that has been laid at their feet by the stimulus. Unspent stimulus funds should be returned to the Treasury to pay down the debt.”

See Also: WSJ: It’s the Spending, America

2) Plum Line: Karl Rove: Economy Is Recovering Despite Recovery Act, Not Because Of It

The Plum Line comments on Karl Rove’s statements regarding economic recovery and the stimulus.

With the spin war over the Recovery Act in full swing today, a Democrat points out that Karl Rove seemed to debut a new talking point today: Yes, the economy is recovering, but this is in spite of the Recovery Act, not because of it.

Rove’s assertion is interesting, because it may foreshadow an argument we may hear more often from stimulus critics, should more good economic news start rolling in:

“This in many ways is a false debate,” Rove said. “The economy is stabilized compared to where it was a year ago, but is it because the government has spent $200 billion in the stimulus program? I don’t think so.”

“If you take a look worldwide, the Federal Reserve and the central banks have injected $30 trillion into the world economy,” Rove continued, before acknowledging: “Again, the economy is going to recover, no ifs, ands, or buts.”

3) Politico: Davis: Best GOP recruits ever

Politico reports on a banner year for GOP recruitment.

Former GOP Congressman Tom Davis, who heads the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership, praised the party’s recruiting classes in the House and Senate as the best in modern political history and predicted sizable Republican gains this year in both bodies.

Davis, a noted political junkie and former National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, met with political reporters Wednesday morning to give his view of the 2010 political landscape. Since retiring from the House in 2008, he’s emerged as a frank voice willing to criticize elements of his own party.

“Republicans have had the best recruiting year in history, as near as I can tell, although you might argue 1946 for unique reasons. … It’s hard to think of a better recruiting year than the one we’re in,” Davis said. “This [election] is, pure and simple, a referendum on the Democrats at this point.”

Analyzing the election returns from Republican victories in the off-year gubernatorial contests and the GOP upset in last month’s Massachusetts Senate special election, Davis argued that Republicans have been making significant gains among constituencies where they lost ground in 2008 — exurban voters, blue-collar whites and Southern and Mountain West voters.

See Also: Roll Call: Tom Davis Praises Best GOP Recruiting Class in History

4) Washington Times: GOP ‘tsunami’ predicted for exurban, South, mountain states

The Washington Times reports on analysis predicting substantial GOP gains across the country.

Former Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, the architect of previous Republican campaign successes, says outer-suburban voters eager to place a check on President Obama and Democrats are swinging back to the GOP and will power a Republican resurgence in New England, while aiding GOP “tsunamis” in Virginia, Colorado and Iowa.

Mr. Davis, the current president of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of the party’s more moderate lawmakers, told reporters Wednesday that the GOP has had its best-ever year of recruiting candidates for congressional elections, which has helped put so many seats into play.

He said Democrats are having a tough time reaching a balance of keeping regular voters happy while also appeasing the liberal voters who surged to the polls in the 2008 election.

“Those are the problems Democrats have coming in. The surge voters right now, they’re asleep. And the outer suburbs, the South, the mountain states, I think you can look for Republican tsunamis,” Mr. Davis said. “You’re going to have big years.”

5) CNN: Conservatives rally ahead of midterms in Washington

CNN reports on the CPAC convention in Washington this week.

(CNN) – Conservative activists from across the country are gathering in Washington for their annual conference to rally members and try to integrate the burgeoning Tea Party movement within the fold.

The three-day CPAC conference features both rising stars and political heavyweights in the Republican Party who will voice their views on the best way forward as discontent with the government grows and the midterm election cycle gets going.

Marco Rubio, a darling of the Tea Party and candidate for Florida’s Republican Senate nomination, is expected to tell attendees Thursday that as a midterms near, voters are “looking for leaders that understand what is happening, will stand up to it and in its place offer a clear alternative.”

The elections will not be just a choice between Republicans or Democrats or liberals or conservative, but “it will be a referendum on our nations [sic] very identity,” he plans to say, according to excerpts released by his campaign.

See Also: TPM: Exorcising The Ghost Of Arlen Specter At CPAC

See Also: TPM: The Re-Emergence Of Rick Santorum — >From Ex-Senator To Potential Presidential Candidate