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Taco Bell PR Stunt Could Revive $2 Bill
Tweet Share on Facebook June 8, 2010 Comment (29)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
A public relations stunt by one of the nation's largest fast-food chains could expand circulation of $2 bills, a favorite of collectors and older Americans. Taco Bell tells Whispers that they plan to go public with a campaign tomorrow when they will pay for a full-page ad in USA Today to urge the government to print and circulate the little-used $2 bill.
The effort is part of the restaurant's bid to promote its new $2 meals. To build the effort, the firm has started a Facebook page to collect signatures on a petition. The $2 bill hasn't been in demand and production for years and accounts for less than 1 percent of all bills in circulation, said the firm. The last one was printed in 2006.
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Wolf Blitzer, Sport Junkie
Tweet Share on Facebook June 7, 2010 CommentBy Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer isn't just a fall sports fan when football, hockey, and basketball dominate. The host of CNN's Situation Room tells us that he's crazy for the Washington Nationals, major league soccer, and even the NBA draft. "The night Rand Paul won the Kentucky [Senate] primary was the night the [Washington] Wizards won the lottery for the NBA No. 1 pick, and I was thinking of [likely first pick] John Wall of Kentucky even while anchoring our coverage of Rand Paul's win," he says. What's more, he watches a local TV feed of Nationals' minor league phenom Stephen Strasburg games at the team's Syracuse, N.Y., farm team. "Can you imagine?" asks Wolf. As for his latest fave: the aptly named Buffalo Blitzers, a pro soccer team.
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Republicans Worry They Could Squander 2010 Opportunity
Tweet Share on Facebook June 7, 2010 CommentBy Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
The political grass can hardly get greener for Republicans. President Obama's approval rating continues its downward spiral; Americans are angry about government spending and debt; fears of job losses and foreclosures continue to dominate the headlines; Democratic congressional leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are overwhelmingly unpopular; and GOP voter intensity is sky high. Picking up the 40 seats needed to take the majority in the House in the upcoming midterm elections should be a breeze. But Republicans aren't so relaxed. Many of them feel this is a do-or-die election year. "We need to do great," says Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions. The reason, he adds, is that the politics favoring the Republicans are "not likely to be like this in two years."
That concern is not lost on Rep. Kevin McCarthy, one of the House Republican leaders plotting the GOP comeback and the architect of americaspeakingout.com, an effort to write a new Contract with America. "You take the opportunity when it arises," he says. After all, the GOP could see itself on a downhill path just like the prez. "If I just look a little time ago, the president was at a 70 percent approval rating and he fell very quickly," says the California lawmaker.
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5 Reasons Obama Is the Same as Bush, Clinton
Tweet Share on Facebook June 4, 2010 Comment (17)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
Elected in a euphoric wave of hope and change for the future, President Obama's recent stumblings over the Gulf oil disaster, efforts to influence Democratic races and hiccups in stopping domestic terrorism have even his friends thinking he's no different than any other president. [See photos of the disaster in the Gulf.]
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Zogby: North Korea, Oil Spill Make It a Bad Week for Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook June 4, 2010 Comment (7)Pollster John Zogby updates our weekly Obama Report Card with a grade on the president's performance. Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis, and interaction with major players to come up with a grade and some comments that capture how he see's the president's week ending.
John Zogby on Week 72:
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Harry Reid's Reelection Bid Gaining Momentum
Tweet Share on Facebook June 3, 2010 Comment (9)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid might not be a dead man walking after all. Despite earlier polls showing him losing badly to Republican challengers, it appears too early to count him out. In fact, say allies, President Obama's chief Senate champion is riding some polling momentum. "Reid's numbers are improving while GOP candidates are suffering," says an adviser. "Momentum at the moment is on our side, but five months is a long time." [See where Reid is getting his campaign cash.]
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Poll: Should Obama Attend a Michael Jackson Memorial?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 2, 2010 Comment (71)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
Get ready for a new wave of Jacko-mania later this month, the first anniversary of pop star Michael Jackson's June 25, 2009 death. Washington Whispers is getting prepared with the help of our Capitol Bobbles maker, PoliticalWobbles.com. The firm has just issued a new MJ doll in time for many memorials worldwide, prompting this question: Should the White House send a representative to attend any of the events?
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Obama Official: Terror Not the Enemy, Just a State of Mind
Tweet Share on Facebook June 2, 2010 Comment (5)By Alex Kingsbury, Washington Whispers
The administration has taken grief over its descriptions of the fight against al Qaeda, as when it swapped the "Global War on Terrorism" for "Overseas Contingency Operation." Now John Brennan, the president's counterterrorism chief, is fighting back. "Our enemy is not terror, because terror is a state of mind," he defends. "Nor do we describe our enemy as jihadists or Islamists because jihad is a holy struggle," he says. "Characterizing our adversaries this way would actually be counterproductive. It would play into the false perception that they are religious leaders defending a holy cause when, in fact, they are nothing more than murderers."
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Madeleine Albright’s Smithsonian Fashion Debut
Tweet Share on Facebook June 2, 2010 CommentBy Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has hit the big time. Her fashion pin collection is going to the Smithsonian Museum. The "Read My Pins" exhibit, titled after her book of the same name, opens June 16. Says Maddy: "I have single-handedly revived the costume jewelry industry." And she keeps on collecting. NATO just gave her one as thanks for her new strategy to turn from war-fighting to security.
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Buzz Builds for Chris Christie in 2012
Tweet Share on Facebook June 1, 2010 Comment (1)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
It's still not too late for Republican presidential hopefuls to get into the 2012 primary race. Just ask friends of tough-talking New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. He's in his rookie year, but his belt-tightening demands in Trenton have caught the eyes of Republicans eager to install a budget cutter in the White House. If there is a theme for what the GOP is looking to take on President Obama with, it's frugality. But the big presidential buzz remains with Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a two-term budget slasher who was former President George W. Bush's first budget boss. He seems to pick up support daily. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions says he likes the Hoosier because "he can explain how we got into this mess and how we'll get out." Many key Republicans feel that 2012 hopefuls will have to be angling for the primary by no later than early fall if they want enough time to raise money, increase name ID, and recruit staff.
