The Week Ahead: Super Tuesday Is Here
The first full week of June brings loads of intrigue and will kick off quickly as 11 states hold primaries on Tuesday. The results will define some of the biggest races in the country, as Republicans decide who will take on Senators Harry Reid in Nevada and Barbara Boxer in California. They're far from the only races of consequence, but they'll be two of the most closely watched.
Some of the questions going into Tuesday include: In Nevada, will Sharron Angle become the latest example of a tea party-backed candidate defeating an establishment candidate in a Republican primary? In California, can Tom Campbell overcome a severe monetary disadvantage and questions over some of his moderate policy stances to topple Carly Fiorina? And will Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln become the fifth incumbent to be defeated during primary season?
We delved into these and seven other highlights from this week's contests in a piece called "10 Things To Watch On Super Tuesday."
Now for the rest of this week's happenings:
WHITE HOUSE: The Gulf oil spill will again take much of the attention at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Adm. Thad Allen did a tour of the Sunday morning talkshows and will meet the press at the White House today at 10 a.m., alongside Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Allen said yesterday that BP had successfully capped the leak, saving 10,000 gallons of oil per day. Later today the president will speak at a high school graduation in Kalamazoo, Michigan; Tuesday morninig he'll hold a national tele-town hall meeting from a senior center in Wheaton, Md., to talk about the health care reform bill (the event will be broadcast live on C-SPAN); on Thursday, a bipartisan, bicameral group of leaders from the Hill will reportedly attend a meeting at the White House to discuss the legislative agenda for the rest of the year.
Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, left Saturday for Africa, where they'll visit Egypt and Kenya before arriving in South Africa to attend the opening of the World Cup.
CAPITOL HILL: A fight in the Senate will continue this week over the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's resolution of disapproval will be debated and voted on Thursday. The Senate will also vote on several judicial nominations and a tax-extenders bill that has already passed the House. Unlike the Senate, the House doesn't return from Memorial Day break until Tuesday afternoon. Possible bills up for consideration include the FHA Reform Act and the Small Business Lending Fund Act.
**Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 47.3 / Disapprove 46.4 (+0.9)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 21.4 / Disapprove 72.0 (-50.6)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +1.2
**In Case You Missed It: In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, published yesterday, Nevada Sen. John Ensign compared his personal problems to that of a professional athlete, who must put them at the back of their mind on game day: "Put it this way. Let's say you are a professional athlete and you had some personal problems, whatever those were. Well that night, the game's there. You have to go do your best for your team. They are paying you; you are a professional."
**Sporting News: The sports gods were surely not thinking of us politics hacks when they scheduled both Game 3 of the NBA Finals and Stephen Strasburg's major league debut for Tuesday -- the biggest primary night of 2010. The Celtics came roaring back to victory last night, defeating the Lakers 103-94 in L.A. and tying the series at one game apiece. The series heads to Boston tomorrow for the first of three games, followed by two more in L.A. if necessary. Also, tonight the Nationals will make their second consecutive first overall pick in the MLB draft; they're expected to take catcher/outfielder Bryce Harper, whom -- along with Stephen Strasburg -- agent Scott Boras calls a one-in-50-year player.