Casey looks pretty solid

PA-Sen: Casey in Command (For Now)
Public Policy Polling (1/3-5, Pennsylvania voters): Bob Casey, Jr. (D-inc): 51 Charlie Dent (R): 31 Undecided: 18 Bob Casey, Jr. (D-inc): 49 Jim Gerlach (R): 33 Undecided: 18 Bob Casey, Jr. (D-inc): 48 Rick Santorum (R): 41 Undecided: 10 Bob Casey, Jr. (D-inc): 47 Mark Schweiker (R): 34 Undecided: 18 Bob Casey, Jr. (D-inc): 50 Marc Scaringi (R): 27 Undecided: 22 (MoE: ±4.2%) PPP's first look at the 2012 Pennsylvania Senate race finds Bob Casey Jr. in, superficially, very good...

Poll: Rick Santorum Strongest Challenger to Casey
A new poll showed Sen. Bob Casey on stronger footing than several of his fellow first-term Senators up for re-election in 2012. Is the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling daring Rick Santorum to abandon his presidential ambitions in favor of a run for his former Senate seat? We found it interesting that PPP released a new survey on Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey’s (D) re-election chances with the following paragraph in the Press Release: “With yesterday’s release showing Rick Sa...

Where all the Defeated Dems Go
In this past November’s election, the people of the Philadelphia suburbs spoke, and so did the rest of the state and country.  All in a similar voice showing their collective displeasures with elected officials, particularly Democrats.  So with many formerly elected Democrats now out of a job, one wonders, where do they all go?  Some of these Democrats, with their political “heydays” far behind them, have moved on from public service and found vocations elsewhere...

Santorum: Best Chance for GOP to Recapture PA Senate Seat
While  former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum has been hinting at a presidential run, a new poll from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling shows he’s currently the best hope for Pennsylvania Republicans hoping to defeat Democrat Sen. Bob Casey in 2012. According to PPP, if it’s Casey vs. Santorum, Casey would capture 48 percent of the vote to Santorum’s 41 percent. The next best contender would be former Governor Mark Schweiker, who would win 34 percent to Casey’...

Outburst at Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes is pure Rendell, observers say
This Sunday, on CBS's 60 Minutes, an event will occur that will shock the heck out of everyone in America. Except those who live around here. Ed Rendell's going to blow up at a reporter. The outburst is recorded and ready to roll. The subject is casinos. Lesley Stahl, longtime CBS reporter, one of the smarter people in the business, is pressing Rendell about casinos and their effect on addictive gamblers. He takes it less than well. "People are losing money for the state to get its reven...

The 112th Congress Convenes
At noon today the 112th Congress opened for business. Congratulations to Senator Pat Toomey, Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, Congressman Pat Meehan, Congressman Lou Barletta, and Congressman Jim Gerlach. The above image sums up the mood of this day exquisitely - what mere words could enhance the message of the photo?  Oh, there were words that nearly brought tears of joy. dmataconis Twittered: “Alan Grayson is no longer a United States Senator”. Gah! I still get choked up re...

Thursday Morning Coffee: Your Top Five Reads Of The Day.
Good Morning, Fellow Seekers. We're running a little late this morning, and thus find ourselves seriously pressed for time. So here's the rundown on the Top 5 stories making news in Pennsylvania for this sixth day of the New Year. 1. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler ... ... took his one-man crusade against "anchor Babies" (if there's a more hideous way to describe an innocent child, we've yet to hear what it is) to Our Nation's Capital yesterday, where he called for altering the 14th Amendment...

Poll Watch: Public Policy Polling 2012 Pennsylvania Poll
Public Policy Polling 2012 Pennsylvania Poll If the Candidates for President next year were Democrat Barack Obama and Republican…, who would you vote for? Barack Obama 47% Mike Huckabee 44% Barack Obama 46% Mitt Romney 42% Barack Obama 48% Rick Santorum 40% Barack Obama 50% Newt Gingrich 40% Barack Obama 51% Sarah Palin 36% PPP surveyed 547 Pennsylvania voters from January 3rd to 5th. The survey’s Margin of Error is +/-4.2%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and w...

Romney Leads First New Hampshire GOP Primary Poll
The New Hampshire primary is just over a year away and will be here before you know it. However, the action hasn’t even gotten underway as far as Candidates officially positioning themselves, so take this for what it’s worth : Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire in the early stages of the race for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination, according to a new survey commissioned by NH Journal and conducted by Magellan Strategies. The survey is the ...

Romney more than doubles any challenger in early New Hampshire poll
A new poll from the NH Journal has former Massachusets Gov. Mitt Romney dominating the field of possible 2012 Republican Presidential Candidates. Romney secured 39 percent support in the poll, with no other challenger even breaking the 20-percent mark. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gains the second highest percentage at 16, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 10 percent. The rest of the potential Candidates are even further behind, gaining only single-digit support: eight percen...

Magellan Poll: Romney Holds Huge Lead In 2012 NH GOP Primary
As New Hampshire goes, so goes the nation. Well, not always, but winning the state's presidential primary usually gives a Candidate a big leg up as they seek their party's nomination. A new Magellan poll has some great news for Mitt Romney then, as it indicates that if the Republican primary were held today, the former Massachusetts Governor would win in a blowout. In the poll of New Hampshire Republicans and Independents, both of whom can vote in the state's GOP primary, Romney drew over twic...

Romney tops Palin by whopping 23 points in N.H. poll
The conventional wisdom has been that Romney was at a big disadvantage in the upcoming Republican primary. He's got a record as an establishment favorite and a moderate, his Health Care plan as Governor of Massachusetts looks an awful lot like ObamaCare, and he's a Mormon. In the era of the Tea Party, that's a lot for GOP primary voters to swallow. Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire in the early stages of the race for the 2012 Republican Presidential nominatio...

Ensign Would Face Uphill Race
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) trails every Democrat in a hypothetical Reelection race but Republicans have a very good chance at keeping his seat if Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV) ends up as the party nominee instead. Key finding: "Ensign's Approval Rating is only 35% with 50% of voters disapproving of him. His numbers are especially atrocious with Independents, as only 22% of them are happy with the job he's doing while 56% express Disapproval of his performance. Ev...

New, big challenges confront Obama the candidate
President Barack Obama wears safety glasses during a tour of the Thompson Creek Window Company, where he spoke on The Economy, in Landover, Md., Friday, Jan. 7, 2011. No longer the political phenomenon who promised change and looked the part, President Barack Obama confronts enormous challenges, chief among them The Economy, as he starts building a re-election campaign different from the juggernaut that vaulted him to the White House. Now he's the Incumbent facing the daunting task of convincin...

New, big challenges confront Obama the candidate
WASHINGTON (AP) — No longer the political phenomenon who promised change and looked the part, President Barack Obama confronts enormous challenges, chief among them The Economy, as he starts building a re-election campaign different from the juggernaut that vaulted him to the White House. Now he’s the Incumbent facing the daunting task of convincing a nation burdened by high Unemployment that he has delivered change, made the right moves and earned the chance to continue the job. ...

New, big challenges confront Obama the candidate
WASHINGTON (AP) - No longer the political phenomenon who promised change and looked the part, President Barack Obama confronts enormous challenges, chief among them The Economy, as he starts building a re-election campaign different from the juggernaut that vaulted him to the White House. Now he's the Incumbent facing the daunting task of convincing a nation burdened by high Unemployment that he has delivered change, made the right moves and earned the chance to continue the job. "Ultimately, ...

New, big challenges confront Obama the candidate (AP)
WASHINGTON – No longer the political phenomenon who promised change and looked the part, President Barack Obama confronts enormous challenges, chief among them The Economy, as he starts building a re-election campaign different from the juggernaut that vaulted him to the White House. Now he's the Incumbent facing the daunting task of convincing a nation burdened by high Unemployment that he has delivered change, made the right moves and earned the chance to continue the job. "Ultimately,...

Behind choice of Ed Lee as S.F. interim mayor
City Administrator Ed Lee is all but assured appointment as San Francisco's next mayor, with the Board of Supervisors' 10-1 vote Friday to pick him as Mayor Gavin Newsom's replacement. But Newsom has yet to vacate the mayor's office to assume his new job as Lieutenant Governor, leaving the decision on who will succeed him to fill out the year remaining on his term to the new Board of Supervisors, which will convene today with the swearing-in of four new members. The new board is scheduled to...

Behind choice of Ed Lee as S.F. interim mayor
City Administrator Ed Lee is all but assured appointment as San Francisco's next mayor, with the Board of Supervisors' 10-1 vote Friday to pick him as Mayor Gavin Newsom's replacement. But Newsom has yet to vacate the mayor's office to assume his new job as Lieutenant Governor, leaving the decision on who will succeed him to fill out the year remaining on his term to the new Board of Supervisors, which will convene today with the swearing-in of four new members. The new board is scheduled to...

Real Live Death Panels
A second person in Arizona has died while waiting for an organ transplant. Not because they couldn't find a Donor but because state Budget cuts took the patients off the transplant list. When CBS News first met 27-year-old Tiffany Tate in December 2010 she was in desperate need of a double lung transplant. Yet she and 98 other people in Arizona were kicked off the organ transplant list. The state decided it could no longer afford to pay for some transplants which can cost $200,000. "If we all d...

Quinn tax hike in trouble
SRINGFIELD — As the Illinois House returns to the Capitol Sunday, the Income Tax-hike agreement Gov. Quinn struck with the Legislature’s ruling Democrats faces serious questions with time running out. Top allies to House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) said Friday the “framework” that Quinn, Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) agreed upon for raising the individual income tax from 3 percent to 5¼ percent needs work. “I don’t see th...

Jerry Brown's budget cuts start in his own office
On his fifth day in office, Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he is returning $7 million to the state treasury through a slew of cuts, including shaving the Governor's office Budget by 25 percent. California is facing a Deficit of up to $28 billion over the next 17 months, and Brown will unveil his Budget proposal Monday - a plan that is expected to include deep cuts in spending as well as a restructuring of how many government services are delivered. On Friday, the new governor announced a nu...

Jerry Brown's budget cuts start in his own office
On his fifth day in office, Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he is returning $7 million to the state treasury through a slew of cuts, including shaving the Governor's office Budget by 25 percent. California is facing a Deficit of up to $28 billion over the next 17 months, and Brown will unveil his Budget proposal Monday - a plan that is expected to include deep cuts in spending as well as a restructuring of how many government services are delivered. On Friday, the new governor announced a nu...

Flood of Ads Hitting North Dakota Airwaves Early
Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad, already under the glaring light of a hot re-election campaign, has plans to hit the airwaves even though the 2012 races have just begun. Though the North Dakotan hasn't announced whether he'll run for re-election and so far has no Republican challenger, commercials are already airing in the state. Next week Conrad will become the first Senator this cycle to air an ad on his own behalf. The conservative nonprofit American Future Fund fired the opening salvo with a rad...

The Silly Hat Throw Season
The Silly Hat Throw Season is now in full swing. Presidential flagpoles face metal fatigue from so many names going up and down them. Everyone’s political vanity is loosed in this season, and a media now constructed to avoid serious political discussion for as long as possible is more than willing to play along. There are about 10-12 reasonably serious potential Republican Candidates for president in 2012. Not all of them will run. As I pointed out in a recent column, the larger number will ...