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Obama makes his midterm pitch

Now less than six months until Election Day, weve reached the point in the 2014 midterm cycle where everyone has begun to focus on the campaign. And that was especially true of President Obama, who pretty much spent his entire day fundraising for Democrats and making a midterm pitch that was largely devoted to the economy. We have made enormous progress over the last five-something years. We've created 9.2 million jobs; auto industry has come roaring back; we have reduced our oil imports; we are producing more clean energy than ever before; we have seen college attendance go up; we've seen high school dropouts go down, he said at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in San Jose, CA. But for all that we've done we know that we've got more work to do. Then the president turned to the Republican opposition. [T]hey have said no to every proposal that we know could make a difference in the lives of hardworking Americans. Theyve said no to proposals that would rebuild our infrastructure. Theyve said no to proposals that would increase basic research that drives the innovation that has made this region the envy of the world. They have said no to equal pay for equal work. He added, They said no to increasing the minimum wage. Theyve said no to helping kids afford college. They even shut down the government and almost created another global financial catastrophe because they wanted to get their way. The Wall Street Journal writes that the White House wants to focus on contrasting the two parties when it comes to the economy.

A good week for the NRSC

Yet Obamas argument comes at the tail end of what has been a good campaign week for Republicans, particularly the folks at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. They got the candidate they wanted in North Carolinas Senate race -- Thom Tillis -- and avoided him having to spend the next two months in a run off. They also appear to have their favored candidates in Georgia duking it out (David Perdue vs. Jack Kingston) instead of the ones they feared would take off (Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey). Speaking of Tillis, dont miss this very interesting TV ad that Senate Majority PAC (D) is running against him in North Carolina; the narrator infiltrated Tillis victory speech on Tuesday. Talk about taking the campaign tracker video business to another level -- direct to air.

Is Montana done?

Theres one other piece of good news for Senate Republicans: It appears that they are beginning to pull away in Montanas Senate race. A poll from Hickman Analytics (D) found Rep. Steve Daines (R-MT) leading appointed Sen. John Walsh (D-MT) by double digits, 49%-37%. Yes, its just one poll, but it confirms the conventional wisdom that the race might not be competitive in November. As weve pointed out before, the BIGGEST development in the GOP prospects to retake the Senate in 2014 was 1) when Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) decided not to run for re-election, and 2) when former Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) decided not to run for the seat. Had either of those things NOT happened, Democrats would likely be sitting much prettier in keeping the majority. No other retirement cost them more, arguably.

Romney calls for raising minimum wage, name-drops 2016 favorites

Republican 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney appeared on Morning Joe this morning, and he made news on two different fronts. First, he advocated for raising the minimum wage. I think we ought to raise it. Because frankly our party is all about more jobs and better pay, and I think communicating that is important to us, he said. Its striking that the Republicans who have recently come out in favor of raising the minimum wage -- Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum -- were the partys presidential candidates in 2012, and all of them won office in blue states. Second, Romney name-dropped folks hes watching in 2016, and what was as interesting were the folks he DID NOT name. I am not running for president in 2016. Im going to be supporting someone who represents practical conservatives that I think we need. You know some of my favorites: Paul Ryan, of course. I love Paul, we were a great team together. But Chris Christie, and Jeb Bush and Rob Portman. The list is long. Scott Walker. There are a lot of fellows. Should all of those practical Romney conservatives (as he described them) end up not running, then what? Does Romney end up hovering over the 2016 field a la Christie in 2012 or Hillary and Gore in 2004 with the Dems? Perhaps.

NBC/WSJ poll on most admired first ladies

Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton share the title of the most admired first lady of the past 25 years, with current first lady Michelle Obama in a close third, according to the most recent NBC/WSJ poll. With Mother's Day approaching, 27% of respondents picked Barbara Bush as the most admired first lady, an equal percentage chose Hillary Clinton, and 24% selected Michelle Obama. Former first lady Laura Bush was fourth at 17%. But there are striking splits among different subgroups. Democrats narrowly prefer Michelle Obama over Hillary Clinton, 42% to 39%. Republicans prefer Barbara Bush over Laura Bush, 45% to 36%. And independents admire Barbara Bush (28%) and Clinton (27%) the most. Among African-Americans, its Michelle Obama at 58% and Hillary Clinton at 30%. Among Latinos, its Clinton at 45% and Obama at 29%. And among whites, its Barbara Bush (33%), Clinton (24%), Laura Bush (21%), and Obama (18%).

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Obama Makes His Midterm Pitch