Bachmann Ad in Iowa; Weber Apologizes

Meanwhile, Maggie Haberman reports at Politico:

Tim Pawlenty's campaign co-chair Vin Weber apologized tonight for a comment he made to The Hill in which he said Michele Bachmann has "sex appeal:"

"I made a mistake that was disrespectful to my friend Congresswoman Bachmann. I've been a Bachmann supporter in her Congressional bids and I apologize. I was not speaking on behalf of Governor Pawlenty's campaign but nevertheless, it was inappropriate and I'm sorry."

The timing by Weber was less than fortuitous for his candidate, who has been slowly approaching a direct contrast with Bachmann, but has yet to truly draw one - and may now be reluctant to move too swiftly toward it.

Note, however, that her own manager said that she is "every bit as attractive" as Sarah Palin.

Attacks Against Bachmann

At Political Mavens, Lloyd Green writes:

This past week’s The New Yorker blog offered a window into the liberal soul in it current state of ideological corruption, in which virtually all that remains is reactionary negativism. Chronicling his interviews with a group of Brooklyn bar flies at an Atlantic Avenue dive, The New Yorker’s John Cassidy pronounced that the Bachmann presidential campaign was tantamount to Nazism. According to a Cassidy, “From National Socialism to Poujadism to the Tea Party, the suggestion that the motherland needs reclaiming from alien forces has been central to populist right-wing movements.”

Using the other “N word” in reference to Bachmann is over the top. Comparing Bachmann to European fascists denies reality and ignores the facts.

Bachmann is a Christian Zionist. In 1974, Bachmann volunteered on a Kibbutz. This was in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. She remains a staunch supporter of Israel. According to Bachmann, the United States and Israel “share the same exceptional mission — to be a light unto the nations.”

By crudely trashing Bachmann, Cassidy disregarded one of the cardinal rules of debate, namely, that the first person to invoke the Nazis or Hitler in debate that is not about World War II is the loser.

The fact that The New Yorker — long known as an editor’s magazine, which is to say, this was no random incident — bandied the Nazi motif so early in the campaign speaks volumes about how liberal America views Michele Bachmann and the 2012 presidential election. Liberal America is scared of Bachmann, in particular, because Bachmann’s profile is a Red State mirror image of those things that Manhattan liberals prize most.

Bachmann is family oriented and accomplished. Bachmann’s home life is tidy. Bachmann is credentialed in the way that editors and readers of The New Yorker would otherwise be comfortable.

She is a former tax litigator with a Masters of Laws degree from William and Mary. One of her children taught with Teach for America. Another child graduated from medical school. There is an upward and literate arc to the Bachmann household. Her family is no less admirable than the Obamas.

Newt Hangs On

Jeff Zeleny writes in The New York Times:

Newt and Callista Gingrich were standing on a street corner, an aide snapping pictures, as they waited for yet another campaign day to begin. A swarm of photographers gathered — a block away to capture the arrival of Michele Bachmann.

“The attention comes and goes,” Mr. Gingrich said, reciting rhythms of the Republican presidential race. “Sometime around October and November, it will settle down and be a race.”

Mr. Gingrich, who has spent the last month trying to reassure supporters and donors that his campaign is alive and well, arrived at the annual Fourth of July parade here wearing a striped shirt and a smile.

While he conceded that “the hardest thing is raising money,” he declined to answer specific questions about his finances.

“I don’t feel any worse than Reagan felt in ’76 or McCain felt in ’07,” Mr. Gingrich said. “It worked out just fine for them.”

There were no policy speeches, public campaign events or town-hall-style meetings on Mr. Gingrich’s itinerary during his visit on Monday. His aides said his schedule was intentionally flexible so he could hold one-on-one meetings with voters. It was a sharp departure from the pace he demonstrated nearly two months ago, when he staged a 17-city tour of Iowa.

Seema Mehta writes in The Los Angeles Times:

Newt Gingrich, whose presidential bid has been beset by problems including the resignation of nearly his entire campaign staff, said on Monday that his upcoming fundraising report will be bleak.

“The fact is a month of media barrage is painful, and it slowed a lot of things down,” he said, before marching in a Fourth of July parade in Clear Lake, Iowa. “Our numbers will not be as good as we would like, and candidly, the consultants left us in debt. But every single week since they left we’ve been cutting down the debt, and we raise more than we spend in a week.”

Maggie Haberman writes at Politico:

Newt Gingrich has been trying to demonstrate an effort to rebuild his campaign, and one way was by getting his first finance co-chair in Iowa since the mass staff exodus of a few weeks ago.

Aides to Gingrich said he asked Greg Ganske, a former congressman who served in the House during Gingrich's tenure as Speaker, to serve in the position during a tea party event in Indianola.

Ganske has been out of Congress for several years, but Gingrich has made clear he plans to try to make a renewed effort in the Hawkeye State, spending a string of days there this month and next in the lead-up to the Ames Straw Poll.

The Washington Post also took a look at his approach on the stump over the weekend, which has favored "niche topics" and a string of free media appearances on Fox News and radio stations.

The "niche" topics, such as Alzheimer's, actually touch millions of Americans. More here.

Rick Perry Update

Rick Dunham writes at The Houston Chronicle:

Rick Perry is the 100 million dollar man of Texas politics.

Over the past decade, he has been a political money machine, raising more than $100 million for three gubernatorial campaigns and another $50 million for GOP candidates as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2007-2008.

But the Texas governor's fundraising prowess will be tested as never before if he runs for president in 2012. While he's raised more campaign cash than anybody not named Bush in Texas history, Perry faces different rules and greater demands should he set his sights on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

"In order to have a realistic chance of winning the Republican primary, Perry will need at least $200 to $250 million in the form of direct contributions or independent expenditures on his behalf," said Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University.

Perry has a host of assets that could make him a strong candidate for the GOP nomination: An enviable record of Texas job creation during a roiling recession, a consistent conservative record on economic and social issues alike, and an undefeated record as a political candidate.

But one longtime Perry supporter and donor says the governor has to answer "yes" to two questions before he says "yes" to a presidential candidacy: Is he willing to undergo the grueling demands of a campaign, from the nearly 24/7 schedule to the media scrutiny of every aspect of your life? And is he willing and able to raise the money to compete first with Republican Mitt Romney, a wealthy businessman with a nationwide fundraising machine, then with President Barack Obama, who broke every record for presidential fundraising in 2008 and is aiming to top the $1 billion mark in 2012?

Dave Montgomery writes at The Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

The just-concluded 82nd Legislature has armed Gov. Rick Perry with a host of red-meat issues to present to conservative Republican voters if he jumps into the wide-open presidential primary race.

But analysts say some of those issues could carry consequences down the road in reaching broader constituencies in a general election matchup against President Barack Obama.

Texas' longest-serving governor burnished his conservative profile with legislative victories that included a no-tax-increase budget with $15 billion in cuts, property rights protections, voter ID legislation and a bill requiring sonograms before abortions.

Two other Perry-backed issues -- an immigration measure to ban so-called sanctuary cities and legislation to prohibit intrusive airport pat-downs -- could also enhance the Texas governor's stature among conservative activists, though they ultimately died in the Legislature.

Even without declaring, Perry is becoming an early favorite among Tea Party activists for his adherence to limited government and his criticism of Washington. Sabato's Crystal Ball, an online analysis headed by much-quoted political observer Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia, places Perry in the top tier of 11 Republicans with presidential aspirations. The Texas governor ranked No. 3, behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.

But his embrace of the voter ID and sanctuary city bills has threatened a backlash among Hispanics, who accounted for 56 percent of the nation's population growth over the past decade. Perry's push for the sonogram bill has fortified his long-standing ties to family values and anti-abortion groups, but it has also made him a target from other circles.

At The Los Angeles Times, Mark Z. Barabak reports that the governor and the former president don't like each other:

Privately, the former president has spoken of his successor as a political lightweight and someone not all that bright. Perry scoffs behind closed doors at Bush's privileged background and popularity among country-club Republicans, suggesting the New England native is a faux Texan.

Comrade McCotter

The Detroit Free Press reports:

It was one part tea party rally, one part holiday concert.

But the Freedom Festival, sponsored by conservative talk radio station WAAM-AM (1600), was also the launchpad for U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's presidential run.

The 45-year-old Livonia Republican filed the necessary paperwork Friday to make the run, but he made it official in Whitmore Lake on Saturday, on a makeshift stage in an open field under a sweltering and ominous sky that threatened to soak the hundreds of people who came to the festival.

...

Talk to people who know McCotter well, and he's either the smartest guy in the room or a hard-line conservative who doesn't know what he's gotten himself into.

The first time Tom Stroup met McCotter, they talked about China and how to deal with trade issues. The conversation earned Stroup, the chairman of the 11th District Congressional Republicans, one of the congressman's nicknames.

"He calls me Comrade," said Stroup of Northville. "He has a huge vocabulary that sometimes sails over my head, but he's the smartest guy in any room that he walks into."

Second-Quarter Fundraising

The Washington Post reports:

Republican presidential candidates are giving out the first hints of their second-quarter fundraising, with total tallies lower than they were in the presidential contest four years ago.

Officials with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s campaign said Friday that he raised less than $20 million.

Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty’s campaign said he raised $4.2 million in the recent quarter. Texas Rep. Ron Paul raised more than $4.5 million. Jon Huntsman, a former Utah governor and ambassador to China, raised $4.1 million with “less than half” coming from his personal funds, an official with his campaign said.

The slow start was largely attributed to the tough economic environment, but the figures will inevitably be used as a measure of each candidate’s strength.

Pawlenty’s total, in particular, calls into question how well he can position himself as the alternative to Romney, especially with a fellow Minnesotan and blockbuster fundraiser, Rep. Michele Bachmann, surging in the polls.

“Fundraising numbers are important because they help generate buzz and excitement,” said GOP consultant Todd Harris, “and because in politics, money begets more money.

RNC Bounces Back, Dems Use Rove as Boogeyman

Bloomberg reports:

Big donors have re-opened their checkbooks for the Republican National Committee, a sign that under new leadership the group is digging out of financial troubles.

The RNC collected $2.5 million in checks of $20,000 or more during this year’s first three months, according to the Federal Election Commission. That’s more than half of the $4.4 million the party raised in large amounts during 2009 and 2010 combined.

The surge in such donations comes as RNC Chairman Reince Priebus’s campaign has sought to woo back major contributors who abandoned the national committee when it was led by Michael Steele, the former Maryland lieutenant governor whose free-spending habits and penchant for making unpredictable comments on television irked party insiders.

The Hill reports:

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has sent out fundraising emails from individual senators for the past several days, capping off Thursday's deadline with a plea from Democratic strategist James Carville.

Carville's pitch centered on American Crossroads's recent ad buy and specifically mentioned one of the conservative outside spending group's founders -- former Bush strategist Karl Rove.

"Your decision right now … determines whether we have the money to invest in key races. If we meet our goals, we can hold the Senate and stop their sick Republican agenda. But if Rove wins, you got Big Oil writing energy policy, Big Insurance handling your health care, and you can kiss Medicare goodbye. Your choice, folks. You know what you need to do," Carville wrote.

The approach might work with contributors, but demonizing GOP operatives failed with the general electorate last fall.