Republicans Catch Democrats in Generic Ballot
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on July 29th, 2009 4:40 am by HL
Republicans Catch Democrats in Generic Ballot
A new NPR poll finds Republicans catching Democrats in a generic congressional ballot test.
“Asked whether they would support a Democrat or a Republican for Congress in 2010 if the election were held today, 42% said they would choose a Democrat and 43% a Republican, a difference well within the poll’s margin of error (plus or minus 3.4 percentage points for each number in each question).”
For several years, Democrats have held wide leads on such questions.
A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds Republicans with a three point lead over Democrats.
Dodd, Conrad Under Ethics Investigation
The Senate Ethics Committee “is aggressively investigating whether Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) received preferential mortgage treatment through Countrywide Financial, with sources saying the inquiry could come to a conclusion in the near future,” Roll Call reports.
“The source familiar with the investigation confirmed that the committee staff has deposed numerous witnesses with knowledge of the mortgage deals and has called some to testify before Senators who sit on the committee. They have also asked Conrad and Dodd to submit to written questions, which both men said they have done.”
The official who handled the mortgages for the senators said they knew they were receiving preferential treatment.
Daily Pulse on Health Care Politics
The Hill reports that a House fight among Democrats working on health care reform “has spread to the Senate, where centrists and liberals are clashing over the direction the legislation should take.”
“Trouble is brewing now that a bipartisan group of senators — led by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) — has signaled it will exclude a government-run insurance option from the committee’s draft legislation that could be marked up next week.”
Roll Call describes the fight over the public option as more like a war.
Meanwhile, CNN reports a House Republican leadership aide “is forwarding a memo written and distributed by a GOP House staffer, saying he has been informed by the House Democratic leadership they plan to leave for the August recess Friday without bringing health care reform to the floor, but Democratic leaders vehemently deny that decision has been made.”
In fact, CQ Poltiics says House leaders have not yet determined “when the House will begin its August recess, which is scheduled to start at the end of this week.”
