links for 2010-01-25

President Obama, buffeted by criticism of his massive health care reform bill and election setbacks, said today he remained determined to tackle health care and other big problems despite the political dangers to his presidency.
"I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president," he told ABC's "World News" anchor Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview today.

Obama sat down with Sawyer two days before he will deliver a State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress, and he acknowledged the political setbacks of his first year in office.

The State of the Union will be Obama's chance to jump start his agenda, but he ducked when Sawyer asked if he could guarantee there would not be a tax increase for anyone making less than $250,000.

"I can guarantee that the worst thing we could do would be to raise taxes when the economy is still this weak," he replied.
+++++++
Please pledge to serve only one term …

Gingrich outlines an extensive list of priorities he'd like to see Republicans tackle:

1. Jobs, jobs, jobs.
2. Balance the budget.
3. An American energy plan.
4. Appropriations reform.
5. Litigation reform.
6. Real health reform.
7. Every child gets ahead.
8. Protect religious liberty.
9. Protect Americans, not the rights of terrorists.
10. Defending America is job one for government.
++++++
Indeed

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Republicans lead Democrats in the generic congressional ballot, 45% to 42%.

"Their advantage is a function of the same formula that has brought them victories in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts of late: a double digit lead with independents (43-31), and a slightly more unified party base (87% of GOP voters say they'll support their party compared to 84% of Democrats.)"

3* Suppose the state of California must decide between filing for bankruptcy, cutting back on services, or raising taxes. Which option would you prefer?

15% Filing for bankruptcy
43% Cutting back on services
28% Raising taxes
14% Not sure
++++++++
The major issue along with jobs for California Governor and U.S Senate races in 2010

President Obama will propose in his State of the Union address a package of modest initiatives intended to help middle-class families, including tax credits for child care, caps on some student loan payments and a requirement that companies let workers save automatically for retirement, senior administration officials said Sunday.
+++++++
How are you going to pay for it?

Later this morning the Fiorina for U.S. Senate campaign will announce the formation of 17 new coalition groups in support of her campaign. Those new groups, and their leaders, are listed below. Fiorina will announce that she has tapped Gayle Pacheco, Chuck McDougald and Evie Coss to lead her grassroots leadership team.
* Johnnie Morgan – African Americans for Carly
* Kevin Kester – Agricultural Leaders for Carly
* Wen Chang – Asian Americans for Carly
* Reuben Franco – Business Leaders for Carly
* Heidi Gallegos – Educators for Carly
* Saman Dias – Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses for Carly
* Judy Corless – Health Care Professionals for Carly
* Larry Goldberg – Jewish Voters for Carly
* Bob Pacheco – Latinos for Carly
* Heather Flick – Lawyers for Carly
* Mindy Fletcher – Moms for Carly
* Dave Rudat – Public Safety Professionals for Carly
+++++++
the Fiorina campaign starts to flex its muscle

Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, who roared into office three years ago with nearly 61 percent of the vote, trails Republican John Kasich 51-45 percent in a Dayton Daily News/Ohio Newspaper Poll released Sunday, Jan. 24.

The great recession has put voters in a sour mood and left them open to change, said Eric Rademacher, poll director.

“If the election were held tomorrow, we might be talking about how a bad economy contributed to a political environment that had voters in the mood to fire their incumbent governor,” said Rademacher, co-director of the University of Cincinnati’s Institute for Policy Research.
++++++++
A GOP windfall is shaping up if the economy shows no improvement.

Nearly three out of four Americans think that at least half of the money spent in the federal stimulus plan has been wasted, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday morning also indicates that 63 percent of the public feels that projects in the plan were included for purely political reasons and will have no economic benefit, with 36 percent saying those projects will benefit the economy.

Twenty-one percent of people questioned in the poll say nearly all the money in the stimulus has been wasted, with 24 percent feeling that most money has been wasted and another 29 percent saying that about half has been wasted. Twenty-one percent say that only a little has been wasted and 4 percent feel that no stimulus dollars have been wasted.
+++++++++
And, there has been NO stimulative effect – plus NO JOBS

ED GILLESPIE AND TOM REYNOLDS: The former RNC chair and the former NRCC chair, respectively, are set to head GOP efforts to take back state legislative seats in '10 when they take over the Republican State Leadership Committee. The RSLC, and its Dem counterpart, the DLCC, are perhaps the least-known of any of the major party-run political committees, and yet they have a big impact on what Congress will look like for a decade to come.

Gillespie will chair the RSLC with Reynolds as vice chair, they will announce later today. And, they say, targeting key state legislative seats in just a dozen chambers across the nation could give the GOP outsized influence in those states' redistricting process. That could result in a 25-30 seat pickup in Congress for the GOP, over the long term. And they're going to be well-funded, too; after raising $22M in the '08 cycle, Gillespie and Reynolds are aiming to pick up $40M this time around.
+++++++++
Full court press now by the GOP