Barbour: Surprising even his own backers, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour announced on a Monday afternoon conference call that he is not going to run for president. His later statement straightforwardly explained why: at 63 years old he did not want to spend the next 10 years of his life committed to an effort that intense. Barbour’s exit frees up talented staff for any campaign to grab, but many in D.C. immediately focused their attention on Mitch Daniels. The Washington Post‘s Dan Balz reported that close adviser to Daniels told him “on the margins, it makes it more likely he will run.” CNBC’s John Harwood tweeted: “#mitchdaniels confidant: Indiana Gov. now “60 to 70%” likely to seek 2012 GOP nomination.” For his part, Daniels did offer a short non-committal statement on the news: “Haley Barbour is a great citizen; he’d have made a great president. I’d have been proud to try to help him had he chosen to run.”
Gas prices: Republicans would seem to have the upper hand on gas prices. The Washington Post reports today “that 60 percent of independents who say they’ve been hit hard by surging gas prices also say they definitely won’t support Obama in his bid for reelection.” So then why is House Speaker John Boehner repeating White House talking points on gas prices? Yesterday, Obama spokesman Jay Carney stepped up the White House’s war on oil companies saying it was “simply crazy” to continue subsidizing oil companies. Instead of calling shenanigans on the White House blame game, Boehner affirmed the White House line of attack telling reporters that oil companies need to start paying “their fair share in taxes.” This on the same day that Obama’s EPA denied American consumers access to 27 billion barrels of their own oil currently buried under Alaska’s Chukchi Sea. The denial was based in part on fear that ship exhausts would increase carbon emissions 70 or more miles from the drilling site.
Debt limit: Boehner is standing tough on the debt limit though. He told Politico yesterday: “If the president doesn’t get serious about the need to address our fiscal nightmare, yeah, there’s a chance it [the debt limit vote] could not happen.” Boehner did identify two goals he wants to accomplish with a debt ceiling vote: 1) controls on discretionary spending; and 2) changes to Medicare and Medicaid. He would not commit to a vote on the issue before July 4.
2012 round up: Ron Paul will officially announce his candidacy today in Des Moines … Jim DeMint, who still insists he is not running, will head to New Hampshire this Friday for a jobs summit … According to the Center for Public Integrity, in 2009 New Gingrich took $300,000 from a major ethanol lobbying group … Mitt Romney admits to a mistake in his most recent New Hampshire op-ed …
Righty playbook:
- RedState’s Erick Erickson reads Ryan Lizza’s New Yorker profile of Obama’s foreign policy strategy which Lizza calls, and Erick echoes, Leading from Behind.
- Hit and Run’s Tim Cavanaugh notes that in yesterday’s LAT poll 86% of Californians support cutting spending.
- RedState’s LaborUnionReport notes that the NLRB is now suing to invalidate the Arizona and South Dakota constitutions over their secret-ballot guarantees.
- Cato’s Ilya Shapiro explains that the only news out of the Supreme Court’s decision to wait to hear Virginia’s Obamacare case is that Justice Elena Kagan did not recuse herself from the proceedings.
- RedState‘s Brian Wilson notes that, while King & Spalding will not defend marriage, the white-shoe firm is proud of defending Muammar Gadhafi.
- Fox News reports that Bell city manager Robert Rizzo hid $4.5 million in a second pension fund to skirt California retirement limits.
Lefty playbook:
- TPMDC’s Brian Beutler details the left’s intimidation campaign against King & Spalding on DOMA.
- ThinkProgress’ video of Sean Duffy defending his vote in favor of Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity is popular on lefty blogs today.
- A video that is not getting picked up by lefty blogs is President Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina’s First Look at Our Campaign Plan YouTube.
- TAPPED’s Pema Levy notes that the Indiana State Senate’s passage of a Planned Parenthood defunding bill puts Gov. Mitch Daniels and his truce on the spot.
- The Daily Beast‘s Eric Alterman says Obama’s presidency is beginning to look a lot like Jimmy Carter’s.
Speaking of Beltway Confidential
More by Conn Carroll
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Restore US economic growth by stopping crony capitalism
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‘Patriotic Millionaires’ ought to spend their own cash for causes
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- Oct 4, 2011
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