AP - Rod Blagojevich, who rode his talkative everyman image to two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including the incendiary allegation that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

Ron Brownstein, Nat'l Journal
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is still weeks away from a decision on joining the 2012 Republican presidential race, but his camp has already made some key decisions about how he would run if he does, according to his top political adviser.If Perry enters the race, he is determined to compete in all parts of the country -- including areas that historically haven't been as welcoming to Southerners, said David Carney, the governor's longtime chief strategist, in an interview. That intention to compete everywhere looms as an important factor in Perry's deliberations, Carney told...

Ron Brownstein, Nat'l Journal
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is still weeks away from a decision on joining the 2012 Republican presidential race, but his camp has already made some key decisions about how he would run if he does, according to his top political adviser.If Perry enters the race, he is determined to compete in all parts of the country -- including areas that historically haven't been as welcoming to Southerners, said David Carney, the governor's longtime chief strategist, in an interview. That intention to compete everywhere looms as an important factor in Perry's deliberations, Carney told...

Robert Shrum, The Week
If you're old enough, you may find a use for those "Cuomo for President" buttons from the 80s and 90s that you threw in the back of a drawer way back when. That is, assuming they only flaunt a last name: Mario, who would have won, declined to run. But after just six months in father Mario's old job as governor of New York, another Cuomo — Andrew — has defining achievements that could position him to run and win in 2016. I predicted Andrew Cuomo's rise to Ben Smith of Politico in a conversation...

James Antle, The American Spectator
After days of being just one vote away, the New York statelegislature passed a bill late Friday night allowing marriagelicenses to be issued to same-sex couples. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signedthe measure into law, prompting Philip Klein to quip,"So a lot has changed since [the] current NY governor's dad ran the 'Vote for Cuomo Not the Homo' campaign.A lot has changed indeed. As recently as the 1990s, the beliefthat marriage was anything but a union between a man and a womanwas a fringe position. A huge bipartisan congressional majoritypassed and Democratic President Bill Clinton...

The Ticket - Jim DeMint hasn't said who he'll endorse in the upcoming 2012 GOP primary, but he does know who he won't support: Jon Huntsman. In an interview with CNN's Candy Crowley, the South Carolina senator and tea party leader trashed the former Utah governor for refusing to sign a pledge vowing to "cut, cap (and) balance" [...]

During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said any "presidential candidate who's not willing to say we have to balance our budget should not be president of the United States."

The South Carolina senator -- a conservative force who waded into a handful of high-profile GOP primary races in the last election cycle -- recently made clear it'd be a "dealbreaker" for earning his support if a presidential contender doesn't stand behind the "Cut, Cap and Balance" pledge, which entails opposing any debt limit increase without significant spending cuts, enforceable spending caps and congressional approval of a balanced budget amendment.

Republican White House hopefuls former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum have all added their names to the pledge.

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman recently signaled he will not join the ranks of his Republican rivals, saying, "Other than the pledge of allegiance, I don't do a whole lot of pledges."

GreenvilleOnline.com reports:

Joel Sawyer, state director for Huntsman 2012, told GreenvilleOnline.com that Huntsman favors a balanced budget amendment. He just doesn't sign pledges.

“Gov. Huntsman believes his own record and the record of all candidates are stronger than any pledge, and his record is one of passing the biggest tax cut in Utah history, implementing a flat tax and balancing the budget,” Sawyer said.

In weighing in on the field of GOP presidential contenders, DeMint said he likes "a lot" of the names in the primary mix and that many of them are reaching out to him.

"I'm working with people in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina, to try to get a lot of people to hold back and not commit so we can see how they respond to this debt ceiling, the balanced budget and some of the things that we're going to face here over the next few months," he explained. "I think we'll know who our candidate is by how they lead based on what we're doing here."

WATCH:

Time.com - As Texas' Republican governor, Rick Perry, gets closer to deciding whether to enter the 2012 presidential race, it's clear his campaign would be about jobs

Time.com - As Texas' Republican governor, Rick Perry, gets closer to deciding whether to enter the 2012 presidential race, it's clear his campaign would be about jobs

The Ticket - Sarah Palin is headed to Iowa. The former Alaska governor and her husband, Todd, will attend Tuesday night's premiere of "The Undefeated," a feature-length documentary about Palin's time in office and rise on the national political scene. As The Ticket previously reported, the film was directed by conservative filmmaker Stephen Bannon, whom Palin aides approached [...]

Ricky Smith used to spend his Sundays on Jones Street, doing drugs and sleeping on cardboard. His three children never saw him and he spent his days working as a pimp. He was one of many chronically homeless living in San Francisco.

But after years on the streets, he finally changed his life with a big, helping hand from a San Francisco program called Care Not Cash.

For Ricky, a life that was once a mirage became a reality.

Instead of doing drugs on Sundays, he had dinner at his sister's home, where she served his favorite dessert, peach cobbler. He rebuilt his relationship with his children, and he bought a used, blue Schwinn bike.

Ricky finally started to explore a city he spent years living and seeing through a limited viewpoint.

Most importantly, he slowly began to regain his dignity and secured a place he could call home.

But now, an initiative spearheaded by a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Jane Kim, is on the November ballot, and it threatens to strip the only real chance the homeless in San Francisco have at a new life. If she and her supporters are successful, they will effectively destroy a program that has been held up as a national model for reducing chronic homelessness.

In 2002, San Francisco voters passed Proposition N, more commonly known as Care Not Cash, by almost 60 percent. The initiative was authored and championed by then-Supervisor Gavin Newsom, who was elected mayor in 2004, and is currently serving as lieutenant governor of California. (I managed his campaign for lieutenant governor.)

Care Not Cash provides something to San Francisco's homeless that many never thought was possible: the potential for a permanent solution to their housing crisis.

Permanent housing is about more than a roof over someone's head, it's about the dignity that comes with being able to call a place home. When homeless people have the opportunity for a home, they finally see the other possibilities in life. It gives them a far better chance at living a life of fulfillment rather than of disappointment.

Care Not Cash upended the previous model of the service by cutting the county (San Francisco is both a city and a county) welfare cash benefits many received and directing those funds to supportive housing services.

Participants start off by receiving a shelter bed and basic services, along with a $59 monthly stipend. Once the participant has located permanent housing (there are several housing programs run by the city), the monthly stipend goes up to $85. In the case that housing is unavailable, the participant is given $422.

To date, Care Not Cash has helped 3,400 people transition to permanent housing. As a result, the general assistance rolls of the City and County of San Francisco have been reduced by 85 percent.

The ballot initiative that Supervisor Kim introduced last week -- which four other supervisors quickly supported, thereby putting it on the November 2011 ballot -- would prevent the City and County of San Francisco from counting shelters as part of the housing solution. As a consequence, more participants would be paid the $422 stipend until they are placed in permanent housing.

Supervisor Kim introduced the initiative to, in her words, "strengthen" Care Not Cash. She asserts her changes will put the homeless on equal footing.

She claims that those not participating in Care Not Cash, which includes many who are not identified as chronically homeless, can no longer get into shelters. As a result, shelters are left with empty, unused beds. Supervisor Kim argues that we must have consideration and empathy for those who aren't ready to change. I don't disagree with her, but she is squashing a spider with an anvil. And her efforts to fix this problem are indicative of the tendency of many politicians to lean on convenient solutions rather than creating innovative ones.

Instead of attempting to directly solve the problem the general homeless population is facing, she is punishing those who are making a real attempt at changing their lives. Supervisor Kim sees some people as unwilling or not having a real need to transition into permanent housing through Care Not Cash, so she thinks that nobody should have the opportunity.

It is foolish and despicable for her, and the supervisors who are supporting her initiative, to expect someone who has been living on the streets for years, who may be battling drug/alcohol addiction and mental illness, to take a first step of finding permanent housing. Living in a shelter is the first critical step of many, and it serves as the most effective transition to a permanent solution. Her initiative will also destroy virtually any motivation the chronically homeless have to move forward, because now they have a reason not to change: $422 a month provided without any expectations.

Some in the San Francisco press corps have attempted to frame this effort by Supervisor Kim and her colleagues as an attack on Gavin Newsom's legacy. They're probably right.

It's much easier for his political opponents to attack the program because in their minds, Care not Cash is about Gavin Newsom and his agenda, not about the lives that will be limited by their actions. It's a classic example of the kind of political cowardice that's destroying our system of government.

As far as I'm concerned, this initiative has nothing to do with his legacy and everything to do with a shocking disregard for the homeless and the eradication of innovative solutions for helping them to move forward. And it's not just about what's going on in San Francisco, it's about our tendency to view the homeless as an inconvenience, rather than as human beings who need our patience, compassion, and long-term commitment to help them get on their feet.

If the November ballot initiative passes, people like Ricky Smith will once again see only a mirage of what could be, because we were too impatient to imagine what is possible for him: a life lived with dignity and a beautiful blue Schwinn.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A new Iowa Poll shows national Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney and Tea Party favorite Michele Bachmann leading among the state's likely GOP caucus-goers.

The poll conducted for The Des Moines Register shows Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with support from 23 percent in Iowa. Bachmann, the Minnesota representative who plans to launch her campaign in Iowa on Monday, has support from 22 percent.

(Check out HuffPost Pollster's national trend estimate for the 2012 GOP contest. See results with Sarah Palin and without.)

According to the survey, former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain is running in third in the Hawkeye State at 10 percent. While perhaps not as well known as some of his rival GOP contenders, Cain has found success in appealing to conservative voters on the trail since announcing his candidacy last month.

Romney was the No. 2 finisher in the caucuses in his bid for the 2008 GOP nomination. Bachmann is a three-term congresswoman and newer face in the 2012 White House mix.

The results are based on telephone interviews with 400 likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers from June 19 to 22. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Romney has said he plans to run a scaled-down Iowa campaign, compared to the all-out, $10-million effort he waged for the 2008 caucuses.

Tim Pawlenty has been the most aggressive about campaigning in Iowa, having lined up top Iowa and national consultants, been a frequent visitor to the state and ran the 2012 campaign's first Republican candidate television advertisements last week.

However, only 6 percent of Iowa Republicans expected to attend the 2012 caucuses prefer the former Minnesota governor as their choice, according to the poll.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose campaign has struggled since widespread staff departures this month, has support from 7 percent, the same as Texas Representative Ron Paul.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has 4 percent, followed by former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who has said he will not campaign in Iowa, with 2 percent.

Mark McKinnon, Daily Beast
Huntsman is in. Newt's been abandoned (again.) Perry is seriously pondering. And Palin put her bus tour on hold for jury duty. While some of the already declared GOP presidential candidates have been met with ennui by voters (who are still more focused on pocketbook pain), the political punditry has spent the week picking winners and losers.Judging by the column inches of adoration "“ and attacks "“ the momentum this week went to Gov. Rick Perry. Though he's not yet officially in the race, the Texas governor's address to the Republican...

Jennifer Jacobs, Des Moines Register
Politics reporter More posts by Jennifer Jacobs Illustration by Mark Marturello/The Register© 2011, Des Moines Register and Tribune CompanyTwo-time candidate Mitt Romney and tea party upstart Michele Bachmann are neck and neck leading the pack, and retired pizza chief Herman Cain is in third place in a new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll of likely participants in the state’s Republican presidential caucuses.The results are bad news for the earnest Tim Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor who is in single digits despite a full-throttle campaign.Romney, a former...

Politico - The former Utah governor realizes that this is not a conventional moment in politics.

Politico - The former Utah governor realizes that this is not a conventional moment in politics.

Politico - The former Utah governor realizes that this is not a conventional moment in politics.

Politico - The former Utah governor realizes that this is not a conventional moment in politics.

Politico - The former Utah governor realizes that this is not a conventional moment in politics.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A new Iowa Poll shows national Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney and Tea Party favorite Michele Bachmann leading among the state's likely GOP caucus-goers.

The poll conducted for The Des Moines Register shows Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with support from 23 percent in Iowa. Bachmann, the Minnesota representative who plans to launch her campaign in Iowa on Monday, has support from 22 percent.

According to the survey, former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain is running in third in the Hawkeye State at 10 percent. While perhaps not as well known as some of his rival GOP contenders, Cain has found success in appealing to conservative voters on the trail since announcing his candidacy last month.

Romney was the No. 2 finisher in the caucuses in his bid for the 2008 GOP nomination. Bachmann is a three-term congresswoman and newer face in the 2012 White House mix.

The results are based on telephone interviews with 400 likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers from June 19 to 22. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Romney has said he plans to run a scaled-down Iowa campaign, compared to the all-out, $10-million effort he waged for the 2008 caucuses.

Tim Pawlenty has been the most aggressive about campaigning in Iowa, having lined up top Iowa and national consultants, been a frequent visitor to the state and ran the 2012 campaign's first Republican candidate television advertisements last week.

However, only 6 percent of Iowa Republicans expected to attend the 2012 caucuses prefer the former Minnesota governor as their choice, according to the poll.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose campaign has struggled since widespread staff departures this month, has support from 7 percent, the same as Texas Representative Ron Paul.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has 4 percent, followed by former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who has said he will not campaign in Iowa, with 2 percent.

Politico - Overnight, the governor becomes a national contender and makes his mark with the party base.

Politico - Overnight, the governor becomes a national contender and makes his mark with the party base.

Politico - Overnight, the governor becomes a national contender and makes his mark with the party base.

Politico - Overnight, the governor becomes a national contender and makes his mark with the party base.