Afternoon Fix: DeMint advises House conservatives
Americans for Job Security has a new ad out, Chuck Schumer gets caught sharing “extreme” messaging, Jim DeMint is advising House conservatives to get aggressive, Annie Kuster is running again, and Jon Huntsman could skip Iowa.
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EARLIER ON THE FIX:
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FIRST ON THE FIX:
* Americans for Job Security (AJS) went up with ads in the D.C. area this weekend, starting on Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” asking Congress to “stand up for local merchants, not Wall Street” by supporting caps on credit card swipe fees. AJS emerged as a pro-Republican force in the 2010 elections. But in this fight they’re actually aligned with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.) and against many members of the GOP. The ad will run for a week on cable, the radio and online in a $425,000 buy. Watch it here.
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
* Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) met with House conservative leaders today and encouraged them to be more aggressive in the budget fight. He said that Republicans can come out the victors of a government shutdown, if they frame it as a Democratic attempt to save special interests. The senator, a force from the right in Congress, is hoping to join a tea party rally on Thursday outside the Capitol.
* During what he thought was a private conversation (but was actually a conference call with reporters), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) today told fellow Senate Democrats to describe Republican spending cut plans as extreme. “I always use the word extreme,” Schumer said, not realizing that members of the media were already on the line. “That is what the caucus instructed me to use this week.” Democrats quickly realized their goof – but still stuck to their “extreme” talking points.
* The DCCC has announced its senior staff for the next election cycle, with a lot of familiar faces. Most of these hires have been reported; now they’re all official. Former political director Robby Mook is the new executive director. 2010 communications chief Jennifer Crider will remain in a senior role at the DCCC as well as serving as political director for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Kelly Ward, who worked on incumbent protection last cycle, will serve as political director. Travis Lowe, who was a regional political director, is now in charge of campaign operations. Missy Kurek, in her fourth cycle with the DCCC, is running the financial side.
* Meg Whitman has a new career path: Venture capitalism. Beaten decisively in the California gubernatorial race last year by Jerry Brown, the former eBay CEO is reportedly headed to Silicon Valley’s Kleiner Perkins. She’s in Hawaii with her husband and did not comment on the Fortune magazine report.
WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS:
* President Obama is in New York tonight for two Democratic National Committee events, both in the historic center of African-American political power, Harlem. First there’s a fundraiser at $30,800-a-plate at trendy Red Rooster Restaurant (random trivia: the chef catered Obama’s first state dinner), expected to net about $1.5 million for the DNC. That’s followed by a "thank you" event with supporters at the nearby Studio Museum.
* Annie Kuster is running again for New Hampshire’s second district, she announced today. The former lobbyist and non-profit founder lost very narrowly last fall to Charlie Bass (R), who had himself lost the seat in 2006. It’s one of the districts Democrats are targeting in their bid to take back the House. Liberals nationally were big fans of Kuster last time around and are excited to see her run again.
* If Jon Huntsman does run for president, he’s planning to largely avoid Iowa, strategists tell the Daily Caller. They say he’s just at too big a disadvantage compared to other candidates. Huntsman’s Mormonism and his support for gay civil unions would make his campaign a tough sell in that state. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (a fellow Mormon) has been floating a similar strategy.
* Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has started some defensive fundraising in the wake of some massively bad revelations about unpaid taxes on her private plane. “It has been a heck of a week but I’ve weathered worse,” the email reads. “2012 may seem a long way off but, for Republicans trying to pick up another Senate seat, the battle for Missouri is well under way.”
THE FIX MIX:
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