Junkie Gone For Today

We had Jesse, Scoop and Andrew. But never a presidential candidate named Michael Jackson.

We're taking the rest of the day off.

ScuttleButton is up. The desk is clean. And we wanted to leave you with this Michael Jackson button ... a spoof, of course, put out in 1983-84 as a response to the Jesse Jackson for president campaign.

What a week. See you Monday.

11:57 AM ET | 06-26-2009 | permalink

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Andy Borowitz: Ayatollah May Be Following All Iranians On Twitter!

One of the funniest people in the world is the satirist Andy Borowitz. His missives that reach my in-box each day more often than not elicit a laugh-out-loud reaction.

Like today's:

In a nationally televised speech in Iran today, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei ordered his countrymen not to stage further protests, warning the nation, "I am following you all on Twitter."

To back up his words, the Supreme Leader then displayed his Twitter account page, showing that he was indeed following 65,875,224 people, but had only one follower, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Ayatollah's announcement sent a chill up the spines of opposition leaders, most of whom assumed that the Supreme Leader did not have a Twitter account.

"You mean he's been reading all my tweets?" said opposition organizer Mohsen Sobhi. "Oh, s***."

10:19 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink

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Robert Siegel Shares Scene From 'The Way We Were'

Robert Siegel is, as many of you know, the host of NPR's All Things Considered.

He is also a graduate of Stuyvesant High School in New York City, Class of 1964.

Robert may be one of the more famous graduates in Stuyvesant history -- unless you think James Cagney is more famous. But Robert sends along a page of the current Alumni Spectator -- the Stuyvesant newsletter -- that features some other famous graduates who are in the news.

It's worth a look!

 

4:41 PM ET | 06-17-2009 | permalink

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When Bush Comes To Shove: 41st Prez Plans New Chute Jump At 85

Former President George Bush -- we're talking 41, not 43 -- turns 85 on Friday. And he plans to celebrate his birthday by making a parachute jump in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he has his summer home.

The Associated Press says Bush "will make a tandem jump with a member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team onto a landing zone near St. Ann's by the Sea Church in Kennebunkport," according to Bush aide Jim Appleby. The AP report continues:

Bush's most recent jump was in November 2007 at the reopening of his library at Texas A&M University in College Station. He made his first jump as a Navy pilot when his plane was shot down over the Pacific during World War II. He also made two jumps apiece on his 75th and 80th birthdays.

According to the World Almanac, only six former presidents have had a longer life than Bush, who was born on June 12, 1924. They are/were:

Gerald Ford (93 years, 165 days)
Ronald Reagan (93 years, 120 days)
John Adams (90 years, 247 days)
Herbert Hoover (90 years, 71 days)
Harry Truman (88 years, 232 days)
James Madison (85 years, 104 days)

3:42 PM ET | 06-09-2009 | permalink

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Friday On Junkie: NJ & VA Gov Races, Podcast & ScuttleButton!

If the thought of Friday wasn't exciting enough, there's this to look forward in tomorrow's Political Junkie:

-- A look at the two gubernatorial races up in 2009, in New Jersey and Virginia.

-- The new episode of our "It's All Politics" podcast, recorded today, will be up on the site tomorrow morning.

-- And a new ScuttleButton puzzle.

6:13 PM ET | 05-28-2009 | permalink

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On Wisconsin: A Big Thank You To Milwaukee's WUWM

Thanks to everyone at member station WUWM in Milwaukee for their hospitality and good humor during my visit last Thursday. It was standing room only for my speech at the Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners on Thursday night ... but that's because we hid the chairs.

A special shout out to General Manager Dave Edwards, Development Director Noel Skarpmoen, Lake Effect host Mitch Teich and, last but not least, the incomparable Lara Couture, WUWM's development specialist, who made everything go smoothly.

11:46 AM ET | 05-26-2009 | permalink

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See You In Milwaukee!

If you're in proximity of Milwaukee, Wis., on Thursday night, and you want to help out NPR member station WUWM -- and if you want to be captivated by a political speech that includes (yes, it's true) ScuttleButton puzzles -- then you'll make your way to the station fundraiser at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners. Event starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for the fundraiser are $10. For more information, call (414) 270-1225.

6:04 PM ET | 05-20-2009 | permalink

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Gone Today ...

... But here tomorrow.

No Political Junkie today.

We return tomorrow with the new podcast, the new yakking, and the new ScuttleButton puzzle.

8:51 AM ET | 05-07-2009 | permalink

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Should We Blame Elizabeth Edwards For Husband John's Sins?

This is one of those posts where I'm having trouble coming to a conclusion. I need your help.

There seems to be a backlash building against Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), who has written a tell-all book (and hit the TV talk-show circuit to expand on it) about her reaction to the news that her husband was having an affair during his 2008 presidential bid.

Since her cancer returned in 2007, Elizabeth Edwards has become one of the nation's most admired and sympathetic people. Given the dire prognosis of her illness, her decision to go along with her husband's second White House bid was hotly debated at the time.

Continue reading "Should We Blame Elizabeth Edwards For Husband John's Sins?" »

4:40 PM ET | 05-06-2009 | permalink

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Guess The Next Supreme Court Justice

We had one contest, to predict the next secretary of health and human services secretary, following the withdrawal of Tom Daschle. That one was won by Cheryl Weller of West Orange, N.J., who wound up with a Nixon campaign button from 1968.

We had another contest, to guess the Senate confirmation vote for Sebelius at HHS. No one correctly got that one.

We're trying again. Who will President Obama nominate to replace the retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter? The first correct answer will win a Nixon's The One bumper sticker from that '68 campaign. Impress your friends when you affix it to your car!

But first send in your prediction to politicaljunkie@npr.org. First one wins.

4:38 PM ET | 05-01-2009 | permalink

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That Sebelius-For-HHS Contest

For those of you wondering who won our "correctly guess the Senate confirmation vote for Kathleen Sebelius for secretary of health and human services and win a personalized ScuttleButton puzzle" contest -- a very cleverly-titled name for a contest, if you ask me, especially in light of the fact that "U.S. News and World Report" was already taken -- the answer is ... no one.

No one arrived at the 65-31 tally. But here are the three people who came the closest:

Dennis Triglia of Portland, Ore., said 64-33.
David Poleykett of Charlottesville, Va., said 67-32.
Payton Bradford of Athens, Ga., said 68-31.

Congratulations to all. But, sadly, no button puzzle.

5:21 PM ET | 04-29-2009 | permalink

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Senate Confirms Sebelius 65-31

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) has been confirmed as secretary of the Health and Human Services Department. The Senate vote was 65-31. Sixty votes were needed for approval.

The nomination took on a greater urgency in the wake of the swine flu outbreak. That apparently outweighed Republican objections to her record on abortion.

President Obama's first choice for the post, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, withdrew his name from consideration on Feb. 3 following tax payment problems.

Mark Parkinson, the former state Republican Party chairman who became a Democrat to run with Sebelius on the 2006 ticket, will become the next governor of Kansas. He has said he will not run to keep the post in 2010.

6:10 PM ET | 04-28-2009 | permalink

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Update On Sebelius Contest

A clarification to our contest announced yesterday, in which the first person to correctly predict the Senate vote on the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be the next secretary of health and human services wins his or her own personal ScuttleButton puzzle.

The vote we are looking for is NOT the final confirmation vote. It's the initial vote -- it may even be a procedural vote -- in which Democrats are hoping to get more than the 60 votes needed to shut off a Republican filibuster. That's the vote everyone is watching, and that's the vote that matters. Especially when it comes to a personal ScuttleButton puzzle.

As we discussed yesterday, filling that Cabinet post has undertaken a new urgency in the wake of the spreading swine flu virus.

To help people understand more about the potential crisis -- 50 cases have now been reported in the U.S. -- NPR has launched a new blog, Flu Shots. The blog will track news about the virus from all around the world.

9:51 AM ET | 04-28-2009 | permalink

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Predict The Senate Vote On The Sebelius-For-HHS Nomination

The last contest we held was to predict whom President Obama would select to head up the health and human services department. The first person who guessed Kathleen Sebelius received a genuine "Nixon's The One" campaign button from 1968.

Now it's time for another Sebelius contest. The Senate is likely to vote on her nomination next week. What will be the final vote?

Last week, Michael Steele, the chair of the Republican National Committee, called on Obama to withdraw Sebelius' nomination, citing the "significant questions" about the campaign contributions she received from a late-term Kansas abortion doctor.

Today, the administration's response to the swine flu outbreak has been complicated, to some extent, by the fact that there is no HHS secretary in place. It was Janet Napolitano, the homeland security chief, who was front and center on the administration's response. (Note: Napolitano refused to blame rightwingers or veterans for the outbreak.)

The early money is on Sebelius getting the 60 votes that would overcome a filibuster and win confirmation. But who knows? The first person to accurately predict the final Senate vote will get ... a ScuttleButton puzzle in his or her honor!

It doesn't get better than this.

Send your guesses to politicaljunkie@npr.org.

4:26 PM ET | 04-27-2009 | permalink

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Pulled Away, Back Tomorrow

Summoned to University Park, Pa., for the afternoon. No more Junkie posts today.

We are ... Penn State.

We're back ... Tomorrow.

(With a ScuttleButton puzzle that I particularly like.)

12:40 PM ET | 04-23-2009 | permalink

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Prosecute Bush Officials On Torture? Sen. Levin To NPR: Commission Good 1st Step

The genie -- interrogation methods used by the CIA against suspected terrorists, approved by the Bush administration in the aftermath of 9/11 -- is out of the bottle.

President Obama's decision to release secret memos detailing these tactics, which included waterboarding, has unleashed a firestorm of controversy and anger, mostly centered on what kind of punishment, if any, should be administered to those who formulated and approved the policies.

Once, the mantra of the Obama administration was to look forward, not to "dwell on the past." No longer. The graphic details of the harsh techniques that were released have resulted in a renewed call to punish those responsible. The president is now open to that.

Continue reading "Prosecute Bush Officials On Torture? Sen. Levin To NPR: Commission Good 1st Step" »

5:16 PM ET | 04-22-2009 | permalink

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Harman On NPR: 'I'm Outraged Over Wiretaps.' Still, More Questions Than Answers.

Yesterday, the story was about Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) and whether or not she told a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department to go easy on two pro-Israeli lobbyists who were under investigation for espionage if the agent would use his influence with incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi to help Harman become the next chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Harman's alleged conversation, thought to have taken place in either 2005 or 2006, was apparently captured on an NSA wiretape. The story was broken by Jeff Stein of Congressional Quarterly; it later found itself all over the blogosphere (including here), and on the front page of today's New York Times.

The part of Stein's story that could not be confirmed was that then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told the DOJ to back off from any investigation of Harman in exchange for Harman's support for the warrantless wiretapping program. I'm told that Justice Department sources say such a scenario was highly unlikely.

But the headlines today were mostly about Harman and the potential of a quid pro quo regarding helping the two lobbyists, who worked for the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in exchange for advancing her ambitions.

Continue reading "Harman On NPR: 'I'm Outraged Over Wiretaps.' Still, More Questions Than Answers." »

6:59 PM ET | 04-21-2009 | permalink

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What To Make Of The Alleged Jane Harman/AIPAC Quid Pro Quo

The bombshell by Jeff Stein of Congressional Quarterly -- that an NSA wiretap picked up Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department to reduce espionage charges against two officials of American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in exchange for the agent's agreement to lobby Nancy Pelosi to name Harman chair of the House Intelligence Committee -- is spreading like wildfire on the Internets.

But is it true?

Continue reading "What To Make Of The Alleged Jane Harman/AIPAC Quid Pro Quo" »

3:24 PM ET | 04-20-2009 | permalink

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Richard Kimble (aka 'The Fugitive'), Meet Roland Burris

A delightful piece of trivia today from Roll Call's "Heard on the Hill" column (subscription required).

Reporters Emily Heil and Elizabeth Brotherton note that in the 1993 movie The Fugitive, when U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) is chasing Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) through downtown Chicago during the St. Patrick's Day parade, whom do we see smiling in the parade but Roland Burris!

It just so happens that the scene was shot during the actual parade, and if you watch this film clip, you'll see Burris, then the Illinois attorney general, among those marching. It's about a minute in.

10:59 AM ET | 04-13-2009 | permalink

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Updates: Mark Lane Mug Shot; I'll Have Chocola On Club?

Mark Lane's mug shot, Jackson, Miss., 1961. Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Today's post about Mark Lane, the activist who was Dick Gregory's running mate on the Freedom and Peace Party ticket in 1968, elicited a note from Eric Etheridge, author of a new photo book about the Mississippi Freedom Riders called Breach of Peace.

The book features portraits of about 80 Riders and the mug shots of all of the 320-plus Riders arrested in Jackson, Miss., in 1961. Eric sent in the shot of Lane, which is featured above. (Does anyone know how to contact Mark Lane? Eric has located about 115 of the Riders but not him. Let me know.)

Continue reading "Updates: Mark Lane Mug Shot; I'll Have Chocola On Club?" »

3:18 PM ET | 04-09-2009 | permalink

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Today's Web Chat: What To Make Of The Results In NY 20

The results of Tuesday's special election in New York's 20th congressional district will be talked about for years and years to come.

Well, at least it will on Wednesday.

The contest to replace now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) -- which pitted first-time candidate Scott Murphy, a Democratic businessman, against Jim Tedisco, the Repubican leader in the state Assembly -- is too close to call. Sixty-five votes separate the two, with 154,000 cast, and 10,000 absentee ballots still to be counted. How to interpret the results?

That will be the main focus on our regular Wednesday web chat that begins at 2:45 p.m. ET, or immediately after the conclusion of the Political Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation.

Plus: The president's handling of the problems facing the auto industry, his agenda for the G-20 summit, an update on the Minnesota Senate race (haven't we heard that before!), and the latest on two embattled Pennsylvania pols -- Sen. Arlen Specter (R) and Rep. John Murtha (D).

I'll be joined by Liz Halloran, the Washington correspondent for NPR Digital News, who has been following the Coleman-Franken case, and Casey Seiler, the state editor and blogger for the Albany Times-Union, who has been all over the Tedisco-Murphy race. As always, the chat is hosted by NPR's David Gura, assistant editor at Talk of the Nation.

If you want to submit questions in advance, leave them in the comments section.

7:27 AM ET | 04-01-2009 | permalink

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The Political Junkie Is On Vacation

I'm taking my AIG bonus money and finding a beach somewhere. Next week there will be no Junkie posts, no Talk of the Nation appearance, no Web chats, no This Day in Politics, no sophisticated humor, and -- gasp -- no ScuttleButton puzzle. No Ken at all.

Returning Monday, March 30. Please don't forget me.

Ken

E-mail will always be close by: krudin@npr.org

P.S. It's not too late to enter my March Madness pool.

6:32 PM ET | 03-20-2009 | permalink

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Farewell To Button ... And Hello To Buttons!

We usually don't endorse candidates here at Political Junkie -- strike that, we never endorse candidates.

But if there was ever one we would have considered backing, it was -- for obvious reasons -- Daniel Button. The deliciously named Button was an editor for the Albany Times-Union who challenged the long-impenetrable Democratic machine in Albany led by Mayor Erastus Corning and party boss Dan O'Connell. In 1966, when Democratic Rep. Leo O'Brien was retiring, Button jumped into the race, as a Republican, and won. He was re-elected in 1968.

But in 1970, Albany mapmakers redrew congressional districts, merging his with that of conservative Democrat Sam Stratton. With the demographics clearly favoring the Democrat, Stratton won a landslide victory.

Button was a liberal Republican, when they used to have such things, and strongly opposed the war in Vietnam.

Dan Button died earlier this month at the age of 91. Click here for a nice obit by David Filkins in the Times-Union.

I always liked the idea of a congressman named Button. And, speaking of buttons ...

If you want to see how warped Ken Rudin and other collectors of political memorabilia are, in person no less, then you'll come out tomorrow, Saturday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., to the 10th annual meeting of (gulp) the National Capital Chapter of the American Political Items Collectors (APIC). The show will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Tysons Corner in McLean, Va.
Address: 1960 Chain Bridge Road
Hotel phone number: (703) 893-2100

Admission is $4; $1 off with student or congressional ID.

This year there will be a special display: "The Road to 2008 -- Racial Politics in America," featuring a display of items from 1776 to today, with themes of slavery, Uncle Tom's Cabin, civil rights, and the Freedom Train, up to Barack Obama's victory in 2008, and everything in between.

Hope to see you there.

Note: NPR and its member stations are not legally responsible or for anything I might say or do at APIC meetings.

3:06 PM ET | 03-20-2009 | permalink

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Schock & Awe: Fans Of 'Hot Freshman' Have Trouble Focusing

Aaron Schock is a freshman Republican from Illinois who won the House seat vacated by Ray LaHood (R) last year. Before coming to Congress, he spent four years on the Peoria Board of Education and four in the Illinois state House. But he's probably best known, according to a poll by readers of the Huffington Post blog, as Congress' "Hottest Freshman."

I have a sense that's what attracted some to today's meeting of the Joint House-Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. The agenda: to talk about Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) proposed amendment that would take away the gubernatorial power to fill U.S. Senate vacancies. These meetings don't typically fire romantic imaginations. But for two young women, Wednesday's subcommittee hearing had a special feature: One of the witnesses was the 27-year-old bachelor Schock himself.

The women appeared equally entranced, says our spy at the hearing, filling notebook pages with Schock's name, hearts and curlicues and rustling with excitement when the congressman testified about Feingold's proposed amendment. (And I have this confirmed: They didn't have the same reaction when Rep. James Sensenbrenner [R-WI] spoke.)

Is this Hot or What??

One can only imagine what went on at today's meeting of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises!!

4:55 PM ET | 03-11-2009 | permalink

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Guest Blogger: Things Go Better With ... Orszag?

From Julie Rovner, NPR health policy correspondent:

So there was Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag, doing his usual job of dazzling the members of the Senate Finance Committee with his encyclopedic knowledge of the nation's health care system and its economic underpinnings Tuesday. When it finally came Sen. Tom Carper's (D-DE) turn to question Orszag, there wasn't much left to ask. So he took a whole different tack -- zeroing in on the brown liquid in the glass Orzsag had been sipping from periodically during the hearing.

"Dr. Orszag, I've been at a lot of hearings before, and I've seen a lot of witnesses have water at their table," Carper began. "And I've thought, the times I've heard you testify, as CBO director and here as OMB, I thought, 'boy, this guy is smart.' " Carper went on to recall a story he heard last month about President Lincoln and Gen. Ulysses Grant, when Grant was in charge of the Union Army. He said some of Lincoln's advisers wanted him to fire Grant, because he drank too much. But at the time, Grant was doing a pretty good job. "And Lincoln apparently said to his top adviser: 'Find out what Grant is drinking and make my other generals drink it too,' " Carper said. And peering straight at Orszag, he added, "we need to find out what you're drinking and we'll pass it around."

For the first time all morning Orzsag looked a little sheepish. "I hope this isn't product placement, but this is Diet Coke," he replied.

4:46 PM ET | 03-10-2009 | permalink

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Today's Web Chat: What To Do About Pork?

Friends, Romans, Countrymen: Lend me your earmarks.

OK, you get the point. Today's Web chat at noon focuses on the pet projects included in the omnibus spending bill that is before Congress, the kind of projects that get many Republicans, especially, John McCain, apoplectic. But how does this square with President Obama's pledge about pork-barrel spending?

I'll be joined by NPR money, power and influence correspondent Peter Overby and Reihan Salam, associate editor at The Atlantic and co-author of Grand New Party. As always, the chat is hosted by NPR's David Gura, assistant editor at Talk of the Nation.

If you want to submit questions in advance, leave them in the comments section.

See you today at noon. (Hopefully, by now you remembered to set the clocks ahead.)

10:49 AM ET | 03-10-2009 | permalink

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No Wednesday Junkie This Week

That's right. It's true.

No Political Junkie postings. No "This Day in Campaign History." No Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation. No useless trivia question. Nothin, no way, no how.

See ya on Thursday.

8:08 PM ET | 03-03-2009 | permalink

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Tuesday's Web Chat: The Future Of Conservatism

Today's edition of our Tuesday Web chat at noon focused on the future of conservatism, and the ongoing feud/dust up between Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

I was joined by NPR congressional correspondent David Welna and Kelley Vlahos, contributing editor of The American Conservative magazine. The chat, as always, was hosted by NPR's David Gura.

Check out the chat below.

11:50 AM ET | 03-03-2009 | permalink

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We Have A Winner For Our 'Nixon Button For HHS Secretary' Contest

Sebelius was a potential Obama running mate in '08.

Lots of strong reaction, both ways, to the news that President Obama has nominated Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) to be the next secretary of health and human services.

But that's not nearly as exciting as this: We have a winner in our "be the first to predict the next HHS secretary and win a genuine Nixon for president button from 1968."

While millions of Americans are wasting time trying to figure out why a Nixon button, we are focusing on announcing the winner. And that is ... Cheryl Weller of West Orange, N.J.

In submitting her entry on Feb. 6, Cheryl wrote, "I'm doing this to get the Nixon button and for the glory."

Well, she gets both. Congratulations!

12:23 PM ET | 03-02-2009 | permalink

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The Weekend: Romney Sweeps CPAC Poll; Sebelius To Get HHS

Here's an update on some political happenings over the weekend:

With only about 1,340 days until the election, Romney wins CPAC straw poll.

CPAC Straw Poll. This is a perfect example of my schizophrenia. I say (and truly believe!) that 2012 presidential straw polls at this point are meaningless, if not nutty ... and yet, I'm interested in every one. And so, I watched with fascination at the lines of people ready to cast their ballots at the multiple booths at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday. These straw polls may all have the legitimacy of a typical Chicago election, but nonetheless, here are the results, as per CPAC:

Mitt Romney 20%
Bobby Jindal 14%
Ron Paul 13%
Sarah Palin 13%
Newt Gingrich 10%
Mike Huckabee 7%
Mark Sanford 4%
Rudy Giuliani 3%
Tim Pawlenty 2%
Charlie Crist 1%
Undecided 9%

This was Romney's third CPAC straw poll victory in a row.

The poll was taken of 1,757 people who were preregistered to attend the conference. Most of those who voted were between 18 and 25. Ninety-five percent said they disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president. Fifty-five percent said they were "generally satisfied" with the potential field of GOP candidates for 2012, while 44 percent said they were not.

Sebelius for HHS. President Obama will name Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as his secretary of health and human resources later this afternoon. This is the post that Tom Daschle was ready to take until he, oops, realized he hadn't paid $140,000 in taxes until he was nominated. Here's my political bio of Sebelius that is currently running on the home page of NPR.org.

When the Sebelius nomination is official, we will reveal our contest winner: As promised, the first person to correctly guess the next HHS secretary wins a genuine Nixon's The One campaign button from 1968. I'm not exactly sure what the correlation is between Sebelius and a Nixon button, but that's OK.

Paul Harvey dies. A legendary radio commentator (and one of the first people I remember listening to on politics as a kid on WABC in New York), Paul Harvey died Saturday at 90. A longtime conservative voice in the 1950s and '60s, Harvey broke with President Nixon on the Vietnam War in 1970, calling for a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops. ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said, "Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation's history. We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him." He had worked at ABC for more than 50 years.

10:07 AM ET | 03-02-2009 | permalink

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Tuesday's Web Chat: Setting Up Obama's Speech To Congress

 

Host

David Gura, assistant editor of NPR's Talk of the Nation

 

 

 

Chat Participants

Ken Rudin, political editor

 

 

 

Scott Horsley, White House correspondent

 

 

 

Mike Memoli, blogger for Real Clear Politics' Politics Nation

 

 

At noon ET you can take part in the latest installment of our Tuesday Web chats on the latest news in politics. It comes just nine hours before President Obama gives an address to a joint session of Congress.

While the president's speech is likely to focus on the economy, and his plans to fix it, other issues, such as administration initiatives in health care, energy and climate change, could come up.

What do you want to hear from the president? What would you ask him if you could? What role should Republicans play in the opposition?

You can submit questions for the chat now in the comments section below. We'll also be taking your questions live during the chat.

4:16 PM ET | 02-23-2009 | permalink

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No Junkie Thursday

I will be unavailable all day on Thursday and thus no postings ... well, except for the obligatory "this day in campaign history" in the morning. I expect to be back on Friday -- with, among other things, a new ScuttleButton puzzle.

But, before I leave you ...

-- New York Gov. David Paterson (D) has decided the special congressional election to replace now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) in the 20th CD will take place March 31. The race pits venture capitalist Scott Murphy (D) against state Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco (R). The race was profiled in a Monday posting.

-- With Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter one of only three Republican senators to support the Obama economic stimulus plan (and the only one of the three up for re-election next year), there is more speculation about him facing a formidable primary challenge in the 2010 May primary. The name of former Rep. Pat Toomey (R), who took on Specter in the 2004 primary, has come up again, even though he had earlier talked about running for governor. Six years ago, Toomey, the head of the conservative Club for Growth organization, came close to defeating Specter -- despite the support for Specter by a still-popular President Bush and Sen. Rick Santorum.

-- Hilda Solis is closer to becoming secretary of labor. Late this afternoon, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted to approve her nomination and send it to the Senate floor. Two Republicans voted against her: Pat Roberts of Kansas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. Final vote is expected by the end of the week.

5:50 PM ET | 02-11-2009 | permalink

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The Stimulus Bill And The Limits Of Bipartisanship

Republicans are not onboard, but -- for now at least -- a majority of the public appears to be.

 

It had not been the best couple of days for the 44th president.

Barack Obama had watched with embarrassment as his HHS secretary-to-be was not to be. In the House, not a single Republican (nor a married Republican either) voted for his economic stimulus package, despite his active courting of them. And while the measure nonetheless passed the House, the airwaves and blogosphere were filled with Republican critics of the plan: It was too big, too expensive, too filled with pork, and would not necessarily result in the jobs desperately needed to boost the economy.

Barack Obama had apparently had enough. If governing was not necessarily doing the trick, maybe the answer was campaigning. And so the president flew to the city of Elkhart, Ind., where the unemployment rate has surpassed 15 percent and where he argued that the country can't fall into the morass of politics while people are suffering. Then he came back to Washington to await the Senate vote.

Three Republicans -- Maine's Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, along with Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter -- were all he could get on yesterday's key vote to advance the stimulus bill in the Senate, but it was enough. And then he went before the nation last night, his first prime-time news conference since the inauguration, where he tried to make the case that even an imperfect bill was better than no bill at all.

There was skepticism from the reporters, but Obama would have none of it. "If there's anyone out there who still doesn't believe this constitutes a full-blown crisis, I suggest speaking to one of the millions of Americans whose lives have been turned upside down because they don't know where their next paycheck is coming from."

That Republicans by and large oppose this bill doesn't mean that they are wrong and the president is right (or vice versa). The GOP has real philosophical and ideological problems with the size and the scope of the bill. And no one can say with any certainty whether or not this will do the trick. But, as the president has argued, he inherited the economic mess and he was elected to deal with it. And he maintains high public approval. If, in the next year or so, nothing has changed in the lives of those affected by the economic downturn, it could be the Democrats who pay the political price.

The Senate is likely to pass the bill today. Because of the difference in the way the House and Senate operate -- whichever party has even a simple majority in the House can normally ram through what it wants, whereas in the Senate a lot of compromise and give-and-take are necessary -- the two bills are different. In the House, which didn't need GOP votes to pass it, there is more money for aid to state and local governments. More money for Medicaid payments to the unemployed and uninsured. In the Senate, which needed incentives to bring some Republicans along, there are more tax cuts. After today's Senate vote, the bill then goes to a House-Senate conference committee, where the differences need to be ironed out, and then it goes back to the respective chambers for a final vote.

And that leads to this morning's question from Rick Possee of Union, Maine:

Once the stimulus bill leaves the conference committee and returns to the Senate, does it need 60 votes or just a majority?

It will still need 60 to get past a filibuster, but there is no indication as of now that there will be any Republican attempt to hold up the bill when it comes back from conference. It will be interesting to see how insistent House leaders are about removing some of the sweeteners designed to attract GOP votes from the Senate bill.

President Obama once talked about getting 80 votes in the Senate. Now he'll be happy with a bill to sign.

10:24 AM ET | 02-10-2009 | permalink

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Stimulus Package Wins Key Senate Vote

The $829 billion economic stimulus bill has won a key hurdle this afternoon, with 61 senators voting to end debate -- more than the three-fifths necessary. Three Republicans joined the Democrats -- Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

Final passage on one of President Obama's most important priorities is expected tomorrow. Following that, the House and Senate -- which will have passed different versions of the bill -- will iron out their differences in a conference committee.

5:53 PM ET | 02-09-2009 | permalink

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Today In Junkie: Whither The Gillibrand House Seat

Here's what's coming up today in Political Junkie:

-- Can the Republicans win back the New York congressional seat Kirsten Gillibrand gave up to serve in the Senate? And will Gov. Paterson ever call for a special election?

-- The latest on the economic stimulus package.

-- Rep. Artur Davis (D) has announced his candidacy for governor of Alabama. A list of other African-Americans who were gubernatorial nominees of their party.

-- New "It's All Politics" podcast is up, for better or worse.

All this and (maybe) more, today in Political Junkie. Wanna be on our mailing list? Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org

7:36 AM ET | 02-09-2009 | permalink

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Justice Ginsburg Undergoes Cancer Surgery

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery today for removal of a cancerous tumor from her pancreas.

She is being treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.

Ginsburg, 75, the court's only female justice, has served since 1993, when she was named by President Clinton.

Nina adds, "Ginsburg's pancreatic cancer was discovered early, in the course of a routine annual screening, but medical literature says even in this circumstance, a patient's five-year survival chances range from 10 to 30 percent."

1:06 PM ET | 02-05-2009 | permalink

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Who Will Lead The Republican Party?

Michael Steele is one of two African-Americans hoping to head up the RNC.

Ordinarily I would concede that it's hard to even get political junkies excited about the election of a new national party chairman. This is inside baseball to the extreme.

But when you're the Republican Party, and you have no obvious front-runner to recapture the presidency, and that new guy in the White House who beat you is extremely popular, and your leader in the House is the same guy who watched the Democrats net 50 seats the past two cycles, and your leader in the Senate is more of a tactician than a charismatic national figure, maybe the person elected to head up the GOP is someone worth watching.

If we're not exactly sure what message the party is trying to deliver in the wake of its defeat last November, there is one thing we are sure of: Republicans want to move in a new direction. And that's why my gut tells me that Mike Duncan, who headed up the party since 2007 as the personal choice of President Bush, is not going to get re-elected. That's not to say that Duncan isn't a good guy; he's just Bush's guy. And with Bush's policies being repudiated by voters in both 2006 and 2008, keeping Duncan just doesn't make sense.

(Was Duncan a good fundraiser? Yes. Was it his fault that John McCain had trouble connecting with grass-roots conservatives? No. And shouldn't he get credit for the post-Nov. 4 Republican victories in the Georgia Senate race and picking up the House seat of Bill Jefferson in Louisiana? Sure, why not? Let's give him that. But with the "change" mantra working so well for the Dems, I would think that a party that so desperately needs a new course would look elsewhere.)

Four candidates are vying to replace him. Two of them are African-American: Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland and a regular commentator on the Fox News Channel, and Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's former secretary of state and the GOP nominee for governor in 2006. The other two are white state party chairmen: Saul Anuzis of Michigan and Katon Dawson of South Carolina.

Another candidate, Chip Saltsman, dropped out of the contest yesterday. Saltsman, a former party chair from Tennessee who ran Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign last year, got some unwanted attention at Christmas when he mailed out a holiday CD to RNC members that included a song called "Barack the Magic Negro." He called it "light-hearted" satire; others called it poor taste. As it was, Saltsman's candidacy suffered because of it, and he never was a factor in the race.

To win, a candidate needs 50 percent plus one of the 168 members of the Republican National Committee who will be eligible to vote -- thus, 85 members. Duncan may indeed have the most committed votes at this stage, but I suspect that as the last place finishers drop out after each round, RNC members will coalesce around someone else. My guess is that it's Dawson.

It's not that the South Carolinian doesn't have his own problems. Until last fall, he was a member of an all-white country club, a curious message to send if the party is looking to increase its support among black and Latino voters.

But the other candidates have their own vulnerabilities as well. Anuzis has been feuding with other Michigan Republicans, who argue that under his watch the party has lost too many Senate, gubernatorial and congressional races. Steele is accused by many of being too moderate; Blackwell of being too far to the right.

On that latter point, it is fair to say that Blackwell has indeed picked up a slew of endorsements from both social and economic conservatives. That list includes Steve Forbes, Gary Aldrich, Phyllis Schlafly, Pat Toomey, Brent Bozell, James Dobson, Ed Meese, Tony Perkins, David Keene, Tim LaHaye and Richard Viguerie.

The other ghost in the room, other than that of George W. Bush, is Howard Dean. Dean, the recently departed chairman of the Democratic National Committee, pushed a "50-state strategy" when he took over the DNC in 2005. And whether you agree or not with the assessment that he did a good job -- I think he did -- he brought new technology and new troops to states that had long gone without any Democratic Party presence. The next Republican chairman can only hope to duplicate Dean's success.

7:30 AM ET | 01-30-2009 | permalink

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House Passes Stimulus Bill; Obama Hill Visit Nets No GOPers

Minnick, an Idaho freshman, was one of only 11 Dems to vote against the stimulus bill.

He wooed them; he flattered them; he listened to them. But when all was said and done, no Republican in the House voted for the $819 billion economic stimulus bill pushed hard by President Obama. Nonetheless, it passed yesterday by a 244-to-188 tally.

I suspect that some House Republicans liked the attention they got from the new president; there's nothing worse when you're in the minority party in the House and your party doesn't control the White House. You're just not relevant. It's akin to being a Maytag repairman. But there was never any indication that despite the tax-cut sweeteners, a sizable number were going to be persuaded. As it was, the sizable number was zero.

And that was fine with Pat Toomey, the former Pennsylvania congressman and head of the fiscal conservative Club for Growth, who warned:

No congressman can vote for the stimulus bill and claim to be a defender of economic freedom. In fact, the Democrats' package is the antithesis of economic freedom. The bill is a paragon of government run amuck, a ballooning deficit, fiscal irresponsibility, and political greed.

And I suspect that some House Democrats resented the compromises made by Obama to get GOP votes, sensing that they didn't need to dilute the bill to pass it. Bob Herbert, in his New York Times column on Tuesday, wrote that it would be foolhardy to listen to the GOP when assembling this bill:

When the G.O.P. talks, nobody should listen. Republicans have argued, with the collaboration of much of the media, that they could radically cut taxes while simultaneously balancing the federal budget, when, in fact, big income-tax cuts inevitably lead to big budget deficits. We listened to the G.O.P. and what do we have now? A trillion-dollar-plus deficit and an economy in shambles.

In the end, I also suspect that what Obama was doing was less trying to win over Republicans than to make a point that he would consult with the GOP in trying to push his agenda -- unlike, say, his predecessor, who often eschewed the need to talk to congressional Democrats. And while it turned out that Obama didn't need any GOP votes yesterday, he might need them in the future. And thus the attempt at dialogue.

For the record, while no Republican voted for the stimulus bill, 11 Democrats voted against it. They are:

Bobby Bright (AL), Parker Griffith (AL), Allen Boyd (FL), Walt Minnick (ID), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Frank Kratovil (MD), Collin Peterson (MN), Gene Taylor (MS), Heath Shuler (NC), Paul Kanjorski (PA), and Jim Cooper (TN). Bright, Griffith, Minnick and Kratovil are all freshmen.

The Senate takes up a similar, more expensive, version of the bill next week.

9:42 AM ET | 01-29-2009 | permalink

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If You Didn't Think C-SPAN Was Wacky Enough Now ...

... wait until Feb. 4!

That's when Howard Mortman, the DC blogger/comedian/media strategist/jack of all trades becomes -- gulp -- the director of communications for C-SPAN, the cable television network that covers Congress, politics, politicians and the media without editorial spin. Mortman, a former colleague of mine at The Hotline, is less a spinmeister than a guy who just loves this stuff and doesn't take himself too seriously. Still, it is a combination that makes us sit up and take notice.

Congratulations, Howard!

5:02 PM ET | 01-26-2009 | permalink

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Reports: Jeb Bush A No-Go For Senate; Sanjay Gupta For Surgeon General

Two new reports circulating in the blogosphere:

Politico's Jonathan Martin reports that Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, will not run for the Senate seat of retiring Republican Mel Martinez. Martin quotes Mario Rubio, the ex-state House speaker, as saying Bush felt "it just wasn't the right timing." Rubio himself now looks likely to run, writes Martin:

Rubio, a close Bush ally who was waiting on the former governor's decision, said he would now "seriously explore the opportunity."

"I'll be meeting with family and supporters in the weeks ahead and make a decision shortly there after."

Rubio will visit with Republican campaign officials in Washington next week ahead of a likely bid.

Roll Call's John McArdle lists several House members who are considering the race, including Connie Mack IV (R), Allen Boyd (D) and Ron Klein (D). McArdle adds, "Most insiders remain focused on whether the state's chief financial officer, Alex Sink, will run. Sink is a moderate who is the only elected statewide Democrat."

Florida Democratic state Chair Karen Thurman said in a statement that she is confident her party will win the Senate seat: "Over the past several years, Democrats have made major gains in Florida winning three of the six statewide elections. On November 2, 2010, Florida will be electing another strong Democrat to the U.S. Senate, who will work to implement President-elect Barack Obama's vision of change and join Sen. Bill Nelson in representing the Sunshine State in the tradition of Bob Graham and Lawton Chiles."

Back to Jeb: I never felt that Jeb Bush had a great desire to come to Washington, let alone serve in the Senate. But both his father, the former president, and his brother, the current president, have talked up the prospect of Jeb for Senate in recent days.

It would have been Jeb, the legend goes, rather than George W., who was elected president in 2000, had Jeb not lost to Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1994. There have always been whispers that Jeb was the family favorite, as well as the smarter politician. But in '94, as Jeb was losing in Florida, George W. was unseating Ann Richards in Texas. And by 2000, he -- not Jeb, who wasn't elected gov until 1998 -- was on the fast track to the GOP presidential nomination.

The other piece of news comes from The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz, who reports that President-elect Obama has offered the post of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and CNN correspondent, who apparently wants the job. Kurtz offers more:

The final vetting process is under way. He has asked for a few days to figure out the financial and logistical details of moving his family from Atlanta to Washington but is expected to accept the offer. ...

The offer followed a two-hour Chicago meeting in November with Obama, who said that Gupta could be the highest-profile surgeon general in history and would have an expanded role in providing health policy advice, the sources said. Gupta later spoke with Tom Daschle, Obama's White House health czar and nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, and other advisers to the president-elect.

The Michigan-born son of Indian and Pakistani parents, Gupta has always been drawn to health policy. He was a White House fellow in the late 1990s, writing speeches and crafting policy for Hillary Clinton. His appointment would give the administration a prominent official of Southwest Asian descent and a skilled television spokesman. ...

Gupta's only hesitation in taking the post is said to involve the financial impact on his pregnant wife and two children if he gives up his lucrative medical and journalistic careers. But he is expected to accept the position within days.

The offer, if it is made, comes after CNN anchor Lou Dobbs was not offered the job as homeland security secretary.

3:48 PM ET | 01-06-2009 | permalink

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Today In Political Junkie (LOTS To Talk About!)

Back from a week's absence, today's Political Junkie brings you:

-- Bill Richardson withdraws: Obama gets his first embarrassment. It may be more than just embarrassing for Bill.

-- Illinois Senate: Did Blagojevich really name a Senate successor to Obama while we were on vacation? What was he thinking?? The latest on Roland Burris' chances to get confirmed.

-- Colorado Senate: Gov. Ritter has his say, and it's Bennet for the Senate. Not every Colorado Democrat is thrilled.

-- Minnesota Senate: Schumer says it's time for Franken to be sworn in. Not so fast, says GOP. So much for the era of post-partisanship in Washington.

-- This Day In Campaign History: A new daily feature starts today.

-- Fan mail from those who missed the Junkie blog: I'm kidding. Nobody wrote.

-- 2008 Obits: Our special feature on those in the political world who left us last year.

Welcome to 2009. I hope everyone had a healthy, safe and wonderful New Year's!

7:55 AM ET | 01-05-2009 | permalink

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The Political Junkie Will Return In 2009

It was a remarkable, unpredictable, topsy-turvy year, not the least of which is that, for the first time in history, the U.S. has elected a president born in Hawaii.

I will be pondering that one all week, along with writing up my New Year's resolutions and plotting new things to bring to this column (oops, "blog"). Any thoughts, comments, ideas, criticism or cash, send them my way at politicaljunkie@npr.org.

The Political Junkie returns on Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and Happy New Year!

Ken Rudin

(or, as my Camp Lokanda friends on Facebook call me, "Kenny Rudin")

10:15 AM ET | 12-29-2008 | permalink

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Someone Is Reading This Blog

The Political Junkie, at 12:24 pm today:

It's cold outside, the economy stinks, and the Yankees still haven't signed Mark Teixeira.

The Associated Press, two minutes ago:

The New York Yankees have reeled in another prime free agent, reaching a preliminary agreement with first baseman Mark Teixeira for $180 million over eight years.

A person familiar with the negotiations disclosed the agreement, which is subject to a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet final.

Coincidence? I think not.

3:36 PM ET | 12-23-2008 | permalink

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Today In Political Junkie

-- The Obama transition team releases a report of its contacts with Gov. Rod Blagojevich regarding the vacant Illinois Senate seat;

-- New numbers are expected in the Minnesota recount between Sen. Norm Coleman (R) and challenger Al Franken (D). But don't expect a winner anytime soon;

-- List of 2010 gubernatorial elections;

and ...

most important ...

-- Pre-holiday ScuttleButton puzzle!

10:03 AM ET | 12-23-2008 | permalink

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Today In Junkie: The Death Of 'Deep Throat,' Good News For Franken In Minn., and ScuttleButton!

Here's what's coming up today in Political Junkie:

-- Mark Felt, the former FBI agent who became the "Deep Throat" source in the Watergate scandal, has died at age 95.

-- The Minnesota Supreme Court said that improperly rejected absentee ballots in the too-close-to-call Minnesota Senate race should be counted, which is good news for the camp of Democratic candidate Al Franken, not so for Republican incumbent Norm Coleman.

-- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich holds a news conference at 3 p.m. ET.

-- New "It's All Politics" podcast is up, for better or worse.

-- Another ScuttleButton puzzle!

9:35 AM ET | 12-19-2008 | permalink

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Yesterday In 'Political Junkie'

If you weren't so busy throwing shoes at Bernard Madoff you would have seen these postings yesterday in Political Junkie:

The prospect of Caroline Kennedy actively seeking Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be-vacated Senate seat.

The incident Sunday in Baghdad is not the first time a shoe has been used as a political metaphor.

The Electoral College, and a listing of electors in the past who failed to vote for the candidates to whom they were pledged.

Nobel Prize winners in the Cabinet.

9:45 AM ET | 12-16-2008 | permalink

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'Political Junkie': The Blog

When my weekly Political Junkie column resumed on the NPR Web site back in January of 2004, I stated that my goals for the column were the same as when it ran previously (1998-2001) on the Web site of the Washington Post. It was sharing a love of politics: the campaigns, the candidates, the voters, the process, the history, the trivia, the lore. All of it.

Just as I could never talk about baseball (another passion) without reaching back into the past, I'm the same about politics. That's true whether we're talking about the race for president, the battle for control of Congress, state and national conventions, redistricting, third parties, primaries and caucuses. The confluence of the present with the past. That has been what each Political Junkie has been since Jan. 14, 2004 — encompassing nearly 200 columns, thousands and thousands of questions from readers from all over the world, with each column featuring vintage campaign buttons illustrating the subject(s) of the week.

And something very important happened in the process. It was not a monologue. It was a conversation. I would hear constantly from fellow political junkies from all corners of the globe (are there really corners on a globe?) about what they were seeing, and hearing, and discussing with their friends, neighbors and co-workers. For every fun fact or piece of trivia I included in my column, there were countless tidbits of campaign treasures I received from you. The conversation that went on in this column expanded, first to an appearance each Wednesday on NPR's Talk of the Nation program, and then to a weekly podcast (It's All Politics) with NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving. Both the podcast and the Political Junkie segment on TOTN continue. But now comes a change in this column.

It will no longer be just once a week. As anyone who has been reading this from the beginning knows, it has multiplied in size. The columns were running close to 3,000 words, a bit much to be read online in one sitting. And so, starting today, Political Junkie goes from a once-a-week column to a blog featuring multiple posts each day. The format will be pretty much the same, only spaced out in the course of a week.

In the wake of one of the most intense and exciting presidential campaigns in recent memory, I have found more and more people interested in politics than ever before. This is not just anecdotal; my e-mail "in box" has been filled with far more questions about far more subjects than ever before. I'm hoping the same excitement and interest will carry on into this post-election phase: the transition from Bush to Obama; the new Cabinet and the resulting special elections; the still-undecided contests in Georgia, Minnesota and elsewhere; and the next round of elections in 2009, 2010, and (gasp!) 2012. That's the argument for taking the column to a daily presentation.

I've never had a rooting interest in politics; I'm neither a Democrat nor a Republican. But for as long as I remember, I have had a deep passion about covering it, talking about it, writing about it. I hope the passion you experienced in this most amazing election season will continue as well. Please let me hear from you on this. Tell me what works and what doesn't. I know there are a lot of political blogs out there, and some readers might say the last thing we need is yet another one. They may be right. But unlike others, this is not one that preaches a point of view. It doesn't take sides, nor does it take positions. If it's yelling you want, there are plenty of avenues for you to find that; I'm not a yeller. No yeller journalism here. Above all, what I try to do is to make politics fun.

A tribute for the ages.

One more thing: a huge thank you to Evie Stone, who has been manning (or personning) the Vox Politics blog these past months. She has done a superb job, under trying conditions, and so she gets her very own "button puzzle" — a feature you may see appear now and then in this blog. Her name is spelled out in campaign buttons, something that I'm sure she will agree is far more rewarding than money.

Please see the FAQ if you have any lingering questions about PJ's transition to a blog. And don't ever hesitate to ask any question and offer any suggestion.

1:12 PM ET | 12-01-2008 | permalink

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 'Political Junkie' blog?

The Political Junkie column that you knew and loved each week on the NPR Web site is now a daily blog. The same features, insightful analysis and sophisticated jokes will remain.

It is written by NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin, a self-described political junkie who can remember the results of every congressional election since 1066 but somehow forgets to send his mother a birthday card each year. It is written for those political junkies out there who eat, breathe and sleep politics and campaigns — and their history, lore and trivia.

It will include postings and tidbits from NPR reporters and correspondents around the country.

It will also include questions from readers around the world, as was the case with the weekly column.

How can I send you questions for the blog?

Same as before: Send an e-mail to politicaljunkie@npr.org or submit your question through the Political Junkie contact form.

Can I send you private, not-for-publication e-mails?

Yes, to the same e-mail address or through the same contact form.

How can I contribute to the conversation on your blog?

There is a comment form at the bottom of each blog entry. Registered members of the NPR community can publicly comment on and discuss all posts. I'm hoping to have a civil conversation here. But I also understand that politics do generate some heated opinions. So, please read NPR's guidelines for commenting and Community FAQ.

Is there a way you can add me to your mailing list?

Absolutely. I had been sending out an e-mail notice each week when the new column was up on the NPR site. I don't think people are in the mood for a daily reminder. So, I will send out a weekly note summing up the hot topics discussed on the blog. Please send me your e-mail address if you want to receive my weekly update. Of course, you can take your name off the list whenever you like. In addition, you may subscribe to an RSS feed, something that I have no understanding about whatsoever.

Will a daily Political Junkie mean that the weekly PJ segment on NPR's Talk Of The Nation will end?

No, they continue each Wednesday, despite popular demand.

What about the weekly It's All Politics podcast?

That continues as well. The listener will be thrilled.

Can I link to your blog?

I would be honored.

Will you still be shamelessly asking for campaign buttons from your readers?

Yes. That goes without saying.

Who's going to be the Republican nominee for president in 2012?

Ask me in 2012.

1:01 PM ET | 12-01-2008 | permalink

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