“Maine's Republican senators will vote against the House Republican 2012 budget authored by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, with Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe in opposition to the House GOP-proposed Medicare changes,” the Portland Press Herald reports.

“House and Senate leaders are setting themselves up to fail,” Roll Call writes. “Senate Democrats have long been planning for this week’s political show vote designed to defeat the House Republican budget plan, and now the House GOP has its own show planned — a stand-alone debt ceiling vote as soon as next week with the express purpose of killing it.”

“House Republicans will hold a symbolic vote next week to pressure Democrats into accepting deep spending cuts in exchange for lifting the $14.3 trillion debt limit,” The Hill reports. “The move, announced Tuesday in a closed-door conference meeting, is designed to show President Obama and Senate Democrats that Congress will not unconditionally grant the government more borrowing authority.”

Vice President Biden stopped at a stakeout in the Capitol last night after more than two hours of deficit reduction talks, NBC’s Libby Leist reports. Biden told reporters that White House, Republican and Democratic negotiators are making progress towards agreeing on a large number of cuts. "I think we're in a position where we'll be able to get to well above a trillion dollars pretty quickly in terms of what would be a downpayment on the process," he said. Biden added, "Everybody knows that at the end of the day, we're going to have to make some really tough decisions on some of the big ticket items"

Biden said he told Republicans that "revenues" are going to have to be part of the deal and when asked if they accepted that he joked, "Republicans love it, they just love it"

He ended by saying he couldn’t reveal any more details. "The bottom line is the best way to test it is, in my view being around here all these years, we've been having serious meetings about the most critical issue facing the country economically and everybody's still talking to one another and they're not talking much to you." The group included Sens. Kyl, Inouye, Baucus and House members Cantor, Van Hollen, and Clyburn.

How about this fact? “With Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and his wife filing for divorce last week, The Oregonian reports that every lawmaker who has represented Oregon's 5th congressional district has divorced while in office,” PoliticalWire writes.

Is Grover Norquist the biggest obstacle standing in the way of a bipartisan compromise on the nation’s long-term debt? Bloomberg writes, per PoliticalWire: "There may be enough congressional Republicans enthralled with Norquist, a small-government advocate who has spent the last quarter-century pressing lawmakers to sign a pledge never to raise taxes, to kill any comprehensive, bipartisan deal to rein in the $14.3 trillion national debt, say current and former members of Congress." And: Norquist "says he has secured written pledges from 40 of the 47 Republicans in the Senate and 233 of 240 party members in the House."

FLORIDA: Rick Scott’s approval has tanked. A Quinnipiac poll finds him with just a 29%-57% job approval, “the worst score of any governor in the states surveyed by Quinnipiac,” the polling firm writes in a release.

KENTUCKY: “At least twice in recent years, Gov. Steve Beshear's office called the Kentucky Retirement Systems to suggest meetings with two of the governor's Democratic political supporters who were working on behalf of private investment companies,” the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

MASSACHUSETTS: The Boston Globe’s headline: “Warren does not rule out a run.” The paper caught up with her briefly on Capitol Hill yesterday: “In a brief interview yesterday, as she was rushing down a hallway after testifying on Capitol Hill, Warren offered the standard non-denial of interest in a Senate run: ‘I’m working on the consumer protection agency, that’s 14 hours a day, that’s what I’m working on,’ she said.”

Today, by a bipartisan voice vote, the House Appropriations Committee approved $1 billion in disaster-relief funds for communities affected by the weather damage in the Midwest and other areas.

The money will be in an amendment to a Homeland Security bill that will be on the House floor in the middle of next week.

The $1 billion will be fully paid for by an offset. That offset is a $1 billion cut in a Department of Energy program called, "The Advanced Technology Vehicle Loan Program," which was in the stimulus package. It's a program both sides were willing to cut.

Yesterday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) caused some consternation amongst some when he said any supplemental funding bill for disaster relief would have to be paid for -- and thus not add to the debt. Today’s bipartisan vote ensures that will be the case.

Elizabeth Warren, President Obama’s controversial pick to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, today appeared as a witness at a congressional hearing to testify on the oversight of the bureau. But things got a little testy when Warren wanted to leave before two members had a chance to question her.

In a heated back-and-forth with Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Warren insisted that she had been promised by his staff that in exchange for moving the hearing time up by 45 minutes, she would get to leave after one hour of questioning. "Congressman, you are causing problems,” Warren said. “We had an agreement for a later hearing. Your staff asked us to move around so that we had to change everything on my schedule.”

McHenry said they had not made such an agreement:

Warren: Congressman we had an agreement
McHenry: You had no agreement
Warren: We had an agreement for the time this hearing would occur
McHenry: You're making this up Ms. Warren...This is not the case.

Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) then jumped to her defense, "Mr. Chairman, you just did something that I'm trying to be cordial here, but you just accused the lady of lying." 

Near the end of the exchange, Warren offered to answer any remaining questions in writing: "I would be glad to answer questions for the record. We can do that... If you'll just send us questions for the record, we're glad to answer them, and they'll be a matter of the public record."

McHenry tried to repeat to Warren that he believed there was no agreement on departure time. "I understand your frustration. I just ask you to see my side of this thing as well."  At that Cummings tried to break in.

McHenry: If the gentleman will simmer. You know
Cummings: No. I'm cool.  I just want to make sure she's treated fairly.
McHenry: I understand. 

The exchange lasted about seven or eight minutes, and at 2:26 pm ET, McHenry recessed the hearing. Later this afternoon, McHenry released a statement about the hearing and Warren’s departure:

“Committee staff worked diligently to accommodate Ms. Warren’s schedule. The hearing was scheduled on a day of her choosing, incorporating the likelihood of votes to ensure she would not be interrupted during questions, and allowing for all participating members to speak.

"I was shocked by Ms. Warren’s blatant sense of entitlement. She was apparently under the assumption that she could dictate a one hour time limit for her testimony to Congress and that we were there at her behest instead of the other way around. This is just further example of her disregard for congressional oversight.”

When President Obama signed the guest book at Westminster Abbey today, he placed the date from before he was even president.

After inscribing the book with the words, "It is a great privilege to commemorate our common heritage, and common sacrifices," he and the first lady placed their signatures. And the president wrote dated his entry "24 May 2008" -- today's date, but only three years earlier.

A powerful national anti-tax group offered Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty general praise on Tuesday but questioned his “exact ideological moorings” on tax and spending issues.

“After examining Governor Pawlenty’s record, we are reasonably sure that Governor Pawlenty would be a pro-growth President, but he will also probably be susceptible to so-called ‘pragmatic’ policies that grow government,” Club for Growth president Chris Chocola said in a statement after the group released a summary of the former Minnesota governor’s record on fiscal issues.

Pawlenty, who formally announced his 2012 bid yesterday in Iowa, is the second candidate to receive the Club for Growth’s white-paper treatment after former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

In its analysis, the group praised Pawlenty for vetoing tax raises passed by his state’s legislature but slammed his backing of a cigarette tax increase and called his record on regulation “deeply troubling.”

As governor, Pawlenty supported cap-and-trade policies, a stance for which he has since apologized and dubbed “a clunker.”

The anti-tax group also offered a mixed assessment of Gingrich earlier this month after the former Georgia lawmaker announced his presidential run. The club praised his contributions on free trade and tax reform but bashed his support for health care mandates as well as his temperament. (One particular ouch: Calling out Gingrich’s “penchant for condescension” in describing the former speaker’s endorsement of Dede Scozzafava, a congressional candidate opposed by the Club for Growth.)

“One could reasonably expect a President Gingrich to lead America in a pro-growth and limited government direction generally, possibly with flashes of real brilliance and accomplishment, but also likely with some serious disappointments and unevenness,” the club said of Gingrich.

In its new white paper out today, the club offered Pawlenty some wiggle room by noting that Minnesota is a generally liberal state; it went for Kerry by three points in 2004 and Obama by 10 points in 2008.

But that excuse, it added, only goes so far.

“We believe he would be a stronger pro-growth executive in a more conservative climate, but his ‘clunkers’ as he himself describes them are difficult to ignore,” the club said.

That analysis underscores the challenges faced by a Republican governor of a Democratic or even a battleground state in checking the requisite boxes for fiscal purists eying the GOP 2012 field.  (see: Romney, Mitt)

(By the way, the club wrote of Romney in 2007: "While his record on taxes, spending, and entitlement reform is flawed, it is, on balance, encouraging, especially given the liberal Massachusetts legislature. His record on trade, school choice, regulations and tort reform all indicate a strong respect for the power of market solutions. At the same time, Gov. Romney’s history is marked by statements at odds with his gubernatorial record and his campaign rhetoric.")
 

Back in 2009, we said this: As the GM bailout goes, so goes the Obama presidency.

Two years later, GM -- as well as Chrysler -- seems to be doing quite well after the bailout, thank you. Earlier this month, GM reported its biggest profit since 2000. And today, Chrysler said it has repaid $7.6 billion in loans from the U.S. and Canadian governments.

President Obama released this statement on Chrysler's repayment:

Chrysler’s repayment of its outstanding loans to the U.S. Treasury and American taxpayers marks a significant milestone for the turnaround of Chrysler and the countless communities and families who rely on the American auto industry. This announcement comes six years ahead of schedule and just two years after emerging from bankruptcy... Supporting the American auto industry required making some tough decisions, but I was not willing to walk away from the workers at Chrysler and the communities that rely on this iconic American company

And in a Web video, the Democratic National Committee is seizing on this positive auto news, noting that Republicans -- like Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty -- objected to the auto bailout back then. The video's kicker: "Detroit Bankrupt. If Republicans were in charge, this would be the headline."

*** UPDATE *** The Romney camp responds that what Obama did was follow Romney's recommendations for the auto industry. “President Obama spent billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to bailout the auto industry," said spokeswoman Andrea Saul. "Mitt Romney argued that instead of a bailout, we should let the car companies go through a restructuring under the protection of the bankruptcy laws. This is the course the Obama administration eventually followed. If they had done it sooner, as Mitt Romney suggested, the taxpayers would have saved a lot of money.”

Republican Rick Santorum will officially announce his candidacy for president the week of June 5, a Santorum aide confirms to NBC News.

The former Pennsylvania senator is considered a longshot, but he has made more campaign stops in Iowa and New Hampshire than any other potential candidate.

Santorum will also participate in a June 13 Republican presidential debate, sponsored by CNN.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell went on attack against Democrats this morning on the Senate floor, criticizing their attempt to capitalize on the controversial Rep. Paul Ryan Medicare plan by holding a vote on Ryan's budget this week.

"They aren't even pretending to put principle over politics here," the Kentucky Republican said. "According to Senator Schumer, their focus is on an election -- that's still almost two years away! Well, my suggestion is that Democrats start thinking about putting their names on something other than an attack ad. They could start with a budget."

McConnell, who has been careful not to offer a full-throated endorsement of Ryan's plan, said Ryan has shown "courage" by at least putting a budget plan out there.

"Democrats are showing none by ignoring our problems altogether," he said.

Republicans say Democrats have no deficit-reduction plan and are only interested in scoring political points by voting against the Ryan budget. Democrats say Republicans want to "kill Medicare," and they are out to make sure the program is protected.

Meanwhile, when the vote on the Ryan plan actually takes place is still being negotiated between Majority Leader Harry Reid and McConnell's offices. Reid's office says the vote is likely Wednesday or Thursday after the Senate finishes debate on the Patriot Act. To counter the Democrats, McConnell plans to call for a vote on President Obama's February budget and possibly two other Republican budget proposals as well -- Rand Paul and Pat Toomey.

The latest example of Paul Ryan’s impact on national politics: today’s special election in NY-26… The Medicare debate has played a role in the race, and if the GOP loses, it could force them to re-evaluate how they approach the issue in the months ahead… Warning: Don’t overstate a single special election, but also don’t underestimate Medicare’s political power… Polls close in NY-26 at 9:00 pm ET… Obama to head to Missouri on Sunday… President Obama and British PM Cameron pen London Times op-ed on their “essential relationship”… Pawlenty’s moment of truth… T-Paw is in Florida… And will it be Scott Brown vs. Elizabeth Warren in MA next year?

*** Ryan’s impact: Five months ago, who could have predicted that Paul Ryan would become one of the biggest forces in American politics? We all knew that John Boehner would play one of those roles. So, too, would Eric Cantor. And Darrell Issa was the committee chairman we all thought would dominate the Sunday shows. But in the past week, let us count the ways that Ryan -- with his budget plan and Medicare phase-out -- has impacted the political debate: 1) a GOP presidential candidate was forced to reverse himself and apologize to Ryan after disagreeing that his plan went too far; 2) the Democratic-led Senate plans to vote on his budget this week simply because Democrats smell political blood; 3) Sen. Scott Brown -- potentially the GOP’s most vulnerable incumbent senator in ’12 (though he doesn’t look that vulnerable right now) -- said he wouldn’t vote for it; and 4) the Ryan plan has become a top storyline in today’s special congressional election in NY-26.

*** Medicare’s impact in NY-26: If Republican Jane Corwin wins this contest to replace ex-GOP Rep. Chris Lee (he of the shirtless photo), the party will breathe a sigh of relief. But if Democrat Kathy Hochul wins, as the current momentum suggests, much of it will be due to third-party candidate Jack Davis siphoning support from Corwin. But the Medicare debate will have played a role, too. “Jane Corwin says she would vote for the 2012 Republican budget that would essentially end Medicare,” goes one Hochul TV ad. “Seniors would have to pay $6,400 more for the same coverage. But the plan Jane Corwin supports would cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans.” Corwin responded with her own TV ad, saying to the camera: “I’ll fight to save Medicare from bankruptcy, and I’ll never let career politicians cut Social Security. You can count on that.” What’s more, a recent Siena poll -- which had Hochul leading Corwin, 42%-38% -- found the Democrat with a 56%-36% fav/unfav among district voters 55 and older, and the Republican with an upside-down fav/unfav, 40%-51%, among this group.

*** Don’t overstate a single special election, but don’t understate the power of Medicare: If Democrats do win tonight, it’s important to note the predictive limits of special elections. Indeed, if you looked only at the results of last cycle’s specials (NY-20, NY-23, PA-12), Nancy Pelosi would still be speaker. But a GOP loss in NY-26 -- a district John McCain won in 2008, 52%-46% -- would be a wake-up call for Republicans on Medicare, forcing their House members and even presidential candidates to re-evaluate how they approach the issue. Never ignore the senior vote and the power of Medicare. One irony of Paul Ryan’s emergence as a force in politics and in NY-26: Most, if not all, of the GOP House candidates running last year distanced themselves from Ryan’s budget “roadmap,” which included not only an overhaul of Medicare but also Social Security. Republicans made a mistake in 2005 when they ignored their near-loss in an Ohio special election; they never even studied the reason behind it, simply chalking it up to a bad candidate. Candidates do matter, but so do issues that motivate folks to polls. Democrats made a mistake last year, taking comfort in their ground game thanks to special election victories.

*** Obama heads to Missouri on Sunday: In brief remarks he made from London on the second day of his overseas trip, President Obama said he will travel to Missouri on Sunday to assess tornado damage there, NBC’s Athena Jones reports. The president said his thoughts and prayers were with the families who are suffering. "And all we can do is let them know that all of America cares deeply about them and that we are going to do absolutely everything we can to make sure that they recover.” Jones adds that Obama spoke by telephone yesterday with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to express his condolences, and talked with him again today. The president directed FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to travel to Missouri to provide assistance, along with a FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team, which is working with FEMA officials already in Missouri to coordinate with state and local officials to help in disaster response and recovery efforts.

*** An “essential relationship”: Also while overseas, Obama wrote a London Times op-ed with British PM David Cameron on the two nations’ “essential relationship.” Obama and Cameron said, “Yes, it is founded on a deep emotional connection, by sentiment and ties of people and culture. But the reason it thrives, the reason why this is such a natural partnership, is because it advances our common interests and shared values. It is a perfect alignment of what we both need and what we both believe. And the reason it remains strong is because it delivers time and again. Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship — for us and for the world.” In addition, both the U.S. and U.K. have announced the creation of a joint National Security Council of sorts to deal with the joint operations the two countries have in so many parts of the world. And don’t miss this package one of us put together on Obama’s day in Ireland yesterday.

*** Pawlenty’s moment of truth: Turning to the 2012 presidential race, Tim Pawlenty couldn’t have picked a better day -- after Mitch Daniels’ decision not to run -- to formally announce his presidential bid. It’s a huge opportunity for him. But you do have to wonder if the message Pawlenty unveiled yesterday (It’s “time for truth”) could end up being a headache for the Republican presidential candidate. The Wall Street Journal editorial page loved his statement -- in Iowa, of all places -- that the U.S. can no longer afford ethanol subsidies. But as the ethanol lobby asked, when will Pawlenty deliver his speech in Houston, TX about ending federal oil subsidies? Or when’s the speech in New Hampshire that U.S. tax rates are already at their lowest level since 1950? Or when’s the speech in Northern Virginia that defense spending is too high? And the AP even fact-checked Pawlenty, saying that a parsing of his opening-day statements “shows they were not the whole truth.” Still, he's trying to come across as the straight/tough talker on spending. The initial reaction by some conservative opinion leaders has been positive. This is the anti-Gingrich of announcements… so far. *** CORRECTION *** Tax rates aren't at their lowest level since 1950, but tax levels (as a percentage of all personal income) are.

*** On the 2012 trail: Pawlenty, in Coral Gables, FL, is on the second leg of his announcement tour, holding a Facebook town hall at 1:30 pm ET and media avail at 2:15 pm… Rick Santorum also is in Florida… Buddy Roemer is in New Hampshire… And Michele Bachmann holds a telephone town hall.

*** Warren vs. Brown in MA? As we mentioned above, Scott Brown is potentially the GOP’s most vulnerable Senate incumbent this cycle, but his poll numbers in liberal Massachusetts are in good shape right now. The reason: He’s tried hard not to be viewed as a national Republican -- voting for New START, for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and, this week, against the Ryan budget. But here’s a question: Will that be a trickier line to walk if fellow Massachusetts Republican Mitt Romney becomes the GOP nominee in 2012? Brown and Romney share much of the same political braintrust; The higher profile Romney becomes in the national debate, the harder it's going to be for Brown to distance himself. And now comes the news that Democrats are recruiting Elizabeth Warren to run against Brown next year. The Dems probably realize they can’t beat Brown with a generic Democratic candidate. That’s where Warren comes in.

Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 81 days
Countdown to NV-2 special election: 112 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 168 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 258 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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“Today's tight race in New York's 26th Congressional District has become a referendum on the Republican plan to transform Medicare,” the AP writes. “The western New York district is among the most conservative in the state. Nevertheless, the latest poll shows Democrat Kathy Hochul with a slight lead over Republican Jane Corwin in the race to succeed Republican Chris Lee, who resigned.”

Roll Call: “[F]air or not, the race has been framed as the country’s first unofficial referendum on Republicans’ plan to reshape Medicare. This referendum, however, could send ripple effects deep into 2012.”

The Hill: “All of Washington will be watching New York on Tuesday, where a Democratic win in the special election could have national implications for the Republican Party. The special election for former Rep. Chris Lee’s (R) seat has been cast as a referendum on the GOP’s budget proposal and given both parties a chance to test campaign themes ahead of the 2012 election.”

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: “Western New York has been in the spotlight as the candidates debated the future of Medicare, federal spending, taxes and the broader purpose of government.”

The Buffalo News’ editorial page: “This page recognized Corwin’s abilities, but endorsed Hochul in the race. We believe she is best suited to the task of restraining government while protecting important programs like Medicare, safeguarding the environment, improving the nation’s education and other issues.”

Polls are open from 6:00 am ET to 9:00 pm ET.

GIULIANI: Rudy, Rudy, Rudy: “As the Republican presidential field shapes up, ‘America’s mayor’ is considering another shot at becoming America’s president. Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, ‘is still considering it, very definitely,’ said Wayne Semprini, Giuliani’s 2008 New Hampshire state chairman,” the Boston Globe says.

And, per the New Hampshire Union Leader, he’ll return to New Hampshire in June.

HUNTSMAN: USA Today’s Susan Page writes, “Jon Huntsman Jr. is hoping for lightning to strike.” He told USA Today in New Hampshire, "Politics is a surprising business. People can come in with the right message and capture the zeitgeist of the public and they're off and running. It's catching lightning in a bottle."

Slate notes that Huntsman said the stimulus “wasn’t big enough.” Huntsman said on FOX in February of 2009: “Well, if I were in Congress, I probably would not have voted in favor because it didn't have enough stimulus and probably wasn't big enough to begin with.

And Steve Benen notes that Huntsman (on camera) said infrastructure should have made up 75% of the stimulus. “Stimulus, to be sure, that was needed,” Huntsman said.

He “will leave the campaign trail to return to Utah later this week to attend his son's high school graduation,” the Deseret News writes.

PAWLENTY: The AP fact-checks Pawlenty’s announcement speech. “A parsing of Pawlenty's opening-day statements shows they were not the whole truth.” (1) “A federal pay freeze is already in effect”; (2) “Obama's health care overhaul might be unconstitutional in Pawlenty's opinion, but it is not in fact unless the Supreme Court says so. Lower court rulings have been split”; (3) “Obama's record shows more tax cutting than tax raising”; (4) Despite his claim otherwise, “Minnesota remains among the 10 worst states in its overall tax climate”; (5) Despite claiming, he “stood up to the teachers unions and established one of the first statewide performance pay systems in the country," that system is voluntary and “most school districts have not joined.” AP does note, however, that he offered “tough choices” to fix the debt crisis: “Although politicians typically talk about the need for hard choices, Pawlenty actually does name several. He proposes to phase out ethanol and corporate subsidies, raise the Social Security retirement age for young workers and restrain cost of living increases for Social Security recipients who are wealthy.”

Jeb Bush praised Pawlenty’s stance that ethanol subsidies “have to be phased out.”

PERRY: Still waiting for Superman: “A new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll finds just 4% of Texas Republicans say they'd vote for Gov. Rick Perry (R) for president if he decided to run,” Political Wire writes.

ROMNEY: “There was plenty of speculation a few months ago that Mitt Romney would ignore Iowa in the 2012 election after a disastrous and expensive outcome there helped seal his fate in 2008,” the Boston Globe notes. “But while he is not spending near the time or resources this time around – instead focusing more closely on New Hampshire and Nevada -- Romney’s strategy in this GOP presidential primary clearly does include the Hawkeye State. How much may become clearer this week as he travels to Des Moines for the first time since announcing his exploratory committee. He is scheduled to appear at a forum at noon Friday sponsored by the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity.”

Romney is way ahead in New Hampshire, according to the latest CNN/WMUR poll (conducted last week). He gets 32%, followed by Ron Paul at 9%, Gingrich and Giuliani at 6%, Palin 5%, Bachmann, Cain, Daniels, Huntsman, and Pawlenty at 4%, Gary Johnson 2%, with 17% undecided. Romney also won second choice, followed by Palin; 43% say they’re dissatisfied with the field.

The New York Times wraps up the president’s day in Ireland yesterday. “In a jubilant visit that included a pint of Guinness at a local pub — the first lady, Michelle Obama, had a half-pint — a stop at a house once lived in by his great-great-great grandfather and quite possibly the most garrulous rope line he has ever worked, Mr. Obama made a familiar pilgrimage for an American president: going back to his Irish roots. It was the emotional highlight of a 12-hour visit to Ireland by the president, as he kicks off a six-day tour of Europe that will also take him to Britain, France and Poland — and immerse him in thorny issues like the military campaign in Libya and upheaval elsewhere in the Arab world.”

“Democrats took a victory lap Tuesday to celebrate Chrysler's repaying of its bailout, and hit the Republicans who opposed the rescue of the Detroit automaker,” The Hill writes, adding, “The DNC released a new web video containing clips of Republican presidential contenders publicly opposing the administration's bailouts for Chrysler and General Motors (GM) in early 2009.”

Come on, get happy: “Americans have been pessimistic about the direction of the country for more than two years, yet a vast majority has been consistently happy and satisfied with their own lives during that time, according to polling results published by the Associated Press,” the Boston Globe writes, adding that the poll earlier this month showed, like other polls, that there is pessimism about the direction of the country, but people said they were personally happy. “[L]ittle-noted results … suggest that the level of personal happiness in America has stayed remarkably stable through the recession and the painfully slow economic recovery. Asked to ‘think about how things are going in your life in general,’ 81-one percent of respondents this month reported being ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ happy; just 14 percent said they were personally unhappy.”

Roll Call sets the table on what’s at stake for Republicans in the coming Senate vote on the Paul Ryan budget: “After seeing GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich get pummeled for calling the House Budget chairman's plan to overhaul Medicare ‘right-wing social engineering,’ Republicans have begun to realize that opposing Ryan does not come without a cost from the party's base. But changing Medicare into a subsidy for private insurance is a big loser in general election polls, and Ryan's plan is giving Democrats new hope that they will take back the House and retain the Senate in 2012.”

Another “pivot” to jobs? “House Republicans are trying again to focus their efforts on a job creation agenda, with leaders acknowledging they want to boost the GOP’s political standing with voters,” Roll Call says, adding, “The majority has struggled to promote a clear vision on how its economic priorities will boost job growth in the private sector. Instead, party leaders have focused most on cutting spending. They instructed Republican committee chairmen to strip away extraneous government regulations that they argue stifle job growth — an effort that is more difficult to translate into a messaging strategy than the catchier Democratic plan dubbed ‘Make It in America.’”

Zing. Roll Call has this headline: “Issa Promised Tough, but So Far Oversight Isn’t.”

MASSACHUSETTS: The New York Times says that national Democrats are wooing Elizabeth Warren to challenge Scott Brown in next year’s Senate contest. “In seeking to enlist Ms. Warren for a different campaign, Democrats are taking aim at two birds. They can lay the groundwork for a potential compromise over a different candidate to lead the new [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] and, they hope, they can increase their chances of reclaiming Mr. Brown’s seat by sending against him a woman who has won considerable acclaim and popularity among liberals for taking on the financial industry.”

“Senator Scott Brown, after signaling earlier this month that he would vote for a controversial House budget plan, said yesterday he will vote against the budget blueprint and its overhaul of Medicare,” the Boston Globe notes, adding, “Brown becomes at least the third Republican senator to disavow the House budget. Senator Susan Collins of Maine has said she opposes it, as does Rand Paul of Kentucky. Like Brown, other candidates and elected officials find themselves under pressure to explain where they stand on the budget. Senate Democrats are pushing for a vote as soon as tomorrow that they believe will give them a weapon against Republicans in individual elections.” More: “Brown has insisted that his position has been consistent on the Ryan budget: approval of its general direction, without saying whether he would vote for it. But his comments in Newburyport suggesting that he would vote for it unleashed a firestorm of criticism.”

Politifact calls Brown’s stance on Ryan’s plan a “full flop.”

“Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) scolded the senator for opposing the House GOP budget from Rep. Paul Ryan,” The Hill writes. “An Illinois Republican on Monday said Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) should be ‘ashamed of himself’ for opposing Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget plan.” (Walsh, by the way, is going to be one of the most vulnerable incumbents next cycle, and may be redistricted out.)

NEVADA: “Former Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R) has said she won’t run as an Independent in Nevada’s 2nd district special election, but a fundraising appeal sent Sunday indicates she is not giving up after a judge ruled that the parties can choose their nominees,” Roll Call writes.

VIRGINIA: “Retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) sent a fundraising email to supporters urging them to donate to former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D), who is running to succeed him in the Senate,” Roll Call writes.

WASHINGTON: The New York Times says Dennis Kucinich was shaking hands in Washington state. “Mr. Kucinich is indeed thinking about running, but it would not be another try for president and maybe not even an eighth House race back in Ohio. Instead, the 64-year-old Mr. Kucinich, who first gained fame as the ‘boy mayor’ of Cleveland in the 1970s, is delicately examining the idea of running for Congress here in Washington State next year. Given Ohio’s loss of two House seats, his district is likely to disappear when new map lines are drawn.”

Don't call former Gov. Tim Pawlenty "boring," says the co- chair of the Minnesota Republican's presidential campaign committee. 

"I never heard this criticism of Tim Pawlenty ever in Minnesota politics," former Minnesota congressman Vin Weber told Andrea Mitchell Reports. "I think when people get to know him, they'll feel he has a charisma that is deep and endearing to people. He relates to average people probably better than just about anybody I've seen in politics."

Weber also said Pawlenty, who officially announced his candidacy Monday to a crowd in Iowa, is "doing pretty well" raising money for his campaign.

"Nobody is going to be in the Romney class,” he said of the perceived front runner, Mitt Romney. “Mitt Romney has personal wealth, a donor base nationally that he developed last time, and he's kept it up over four years."

But Weber says the large funds the former Massachussetts governor has amassed will not deter Pawlenty from running a competitive campaign.

"[We] have all the money we need to run a campaign in all the early states particularly and capable of ramping up from there if we have success,” Weber said. “I don't worry about that at all."

Fred Malek, co-chairman of the finance committee for John McCain's 2008 campaign, echoed Weber's belief that Pawlenty is a strong candidate, saying Pawlenty is one of the "three former governors all of whom are outstanding...Any one of the three will be an outstanding candidate [and a] great president." Malek has not yet endorsed a candidate. The other two governors – Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.

AP

Barack Obama (or is it O'Bama?) takes a gulp of Guinness in Moneygall, Ireland.

On television, it certainly looked like a huge crowd that greeted President Obama at the College Green in Dublin.

*** UPDATE *** Local fire officials in Ireland told American reporters traveling with the president that they estimate the crowd to be about 25,000. (Irish Times had reported that "up to 60,000 people" heard the speech.)

The paper writes, "To rousing cheers he introduced himself as: 'Barack Obama, of the Moneygall O’Bamas. I am here to find the apostrophe that we lost along the way."

Obama drew on the strong Irish heritage in the United States, saying, "You can say there's always been a little green behind the red, white, and blue."

He ended his speech, on message: "Is feidir linn."

Translation: "Yes, we can," in Gaelic.

Earlier in the day, the president headed to the town of Moneygall, where he can trace back ancestors. He was warmly greeted, and took a gulp of Guinness at a local pub.

AP

Republican Tim Pawlenty at the podium in Des Moines, Iowa, announcing his run for president.

Officially announcing his presidential campaign from Iowa, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty today said that this is a "time for truth," and that he's running "to keep the American dream alive."
 
His kick-off touched on multiple issues -- the country's debt, entitlement programs, even taking on ethanol subsidies in this agriculture-heavy state.
 
His "truth telling" began with the country's national debt and energy subsidies, saying: "America is facing a crushing debt crisis, the likes of which we've never seen before. We need to cut spending, and we need to cut it -- big time. The hard truth is that there are no longer any sacred programs."

Pawlenty continued, "The truth about federal energy subsidies, including federal subsidies for ethanol, is that they have to be phased out. We need to do it gradually. We need to do it fairly. But we need to do it."
 
The former governor said he plans to go to Florida tomorrow, where he'll tell "both young people and seniors the truth that our entitlement programs are on an unsustainable path, and that inaction is no longer an option."
 
Following his trip to Florida, Pawlenty stated he'll make his way up to New York City, where he'll tell Wall Street that if he's elected, "the era of bailouts, handouts, and carve outs will be over. No more subsidies, no more special treatment. No more Fannie and Freddie, no more TARP, and no more too big to fail."
 
While staying away from other Republican candidates for the most part, he DID mention Jon Huntsman when discussing his experience overseas saying, "I think in terms of the 2012 candidates -- with the possible exception of my friend Jon Huntsman, I'm gonna have the most or as much international experience of anybody in the field."

He followed up by listing some of the places he's visited, "I've been to Iraq five times; I've been to Afghanistan three times, visiting troops and giving encouragement as commander-in chief of the [state's] National Guard, although they were on fed mission at the time. I've been to Bosnia and Kosovo. I've led trade missions all over the world, including South America, China, and India."

The Senate has just gone into session -- and it took Majority Leader Harry Reid two minutes to begin attacking the Paul Ryan Medicare plan, as well as where the Republican Party stands on the proposal.

Without naming GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, Reid said "one prominent candidate" has "spun himself into circles" to explain his position on the plan.

Reid plans to hold a vote on the Ryan budget later this week (day TBD) -- which he argued will "kill Medicare." Reid is calling the vote to force Senate Republicans to take a position on the Medicare proposal.

To counter the Democrats, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to call a vote on President Obama's FY2012 budget to force Democrats (especially those up for re-election in 2012) to take a stand on a budget that many said didn't go far enough in spending cuts and deficit reduction.

Both votes are purely political with no chance of passage. 

Despite Paul Ryan’s attempt on NBC’s Meet the Press to shut the door on speculation that he might run for president in 2012, he got one high-level possible supporter today.

At a press conference on Capitol Hill today, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said he’d like to see Ryan (R-WI) run.

“Sure, I think Paul is about real leadership,” Cantor said in response to a question of whether he would like to see the congressman make a bid. “I think that's what this public so desperately wants to do right now. They want to see Washington that will lead. They don't want to see individuals dismiss the current problems as something that we can sweep under the rug. These are problems that go to the very existence of programs that are so important to people. Yet, somehow the other side castigates, us for putting a plan out there that is responsible. What is the choice, their choice thus far has been bankruptcy of these programs and rationing of healthcare.”

Cantor’s comments come as many in the GOP are disappointed with the current crop of 2012 candidates. When asked about Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ decision not to run, Cantor said, “Certainly I think Mitch Daniels would have been a great candidate. He had his decision to make, and he made it.”

Cantor made sure to praise the current field as a “strong candidates” but mentioned it’s “early still.”

When asked whether any GOP 2012 nominee should totally embrace Ryan’s budget plan, a plan that includes a significant altering of Medicare, Cantor said, “I'm looking for the presidential candidates to embrace our formula in the Ryan Budget. I'm looking for them to embrace a leadership roles that makes tough decisions."

Cantor also made sure to point out he himself would not be a candidate for president in 2012.

He may have served as the Speaker of the House for nearly four years, made dozens of appearances on the flagship interview shows of the Washington circuit, and founded a hydra of a political organization so vast that it's nicknamed "Newt Inc."

But don't call Newt Gingrich a D.C. guy.

“I'm not a Washington figure, despite the years I've been here," the former House speaker told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast on Monday. “I’m essentially an American whose ties are across the country and whose interest is in how you change Washington and not how you make Washington happy.”

Gingrich said he has “many many supporters” who have backed him since the 1980s, but he insists most of that base is primarily “grassroots.”

The presidential contender pointed to widespread criticism of his (35^th) appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press as a sign that the Beltway intelligentsia are not in his corner.

"It is impossible to watch television in the last week and not get the conclusion that I'm definitely not the candidate of Washington, D.C.,” he said, noting the positive response he received from voters in Iowa during a campaign swing there last weekend.

“Everywhere I go across Iowa, everywhere I see people randomly, they have figured out I am the guy who wants to change Washington, and they can tell it because the people they see on TV from Washington aren’t happy with me. … I will clearly be the most change-oriented, the most fundamental reform candidate in this race in either party.”

In his 36^th Monitor breakfast appearance, the former Speaker dismissed critics who have called his campaign dead-on-arrival, commented drily about the press’s predilection for “gotcha questions,” and highlighted his policy victories while serving in Congress.

“I have a clear record of significant change in Washington,” he said in his opening remarks.

Gingrich also addressed questions about his personal finances, saying that he is “totally mystified” at the attention received by a Politico story last week revealing that Gingrich once carried a debt of hundreds of thousands of dollars to luxury jewelry store Tiffany’s.

“I owe no personal debts,” he said after noting that expenditures made by himself and his wife Callista are not made with public money and represent only after-tax income.

“If Obama followed our pattern of fiscal responsibility, the United States would currently be running a surplus and be buying back debt from the Chinese,” he said. “I’m happy to say I love my wife. I love many of our family and friends. We’ve tried to be very good to a range of people.”

Daniels is the latest Republican to say no thanks to a bid against Obama… But as Mario Cuomo, Al Gore, and Dick Gephardt discovered in 1992, every nomination is worth having… Pawlenty makes his presidential run official in Iowa at 12:30 pm ET -- and he's trying to sound a lot like Chris Christie and Daniels… Get ready for a summer of speculation about other Republicans who might run… Previewing Obama’s Euro Trip… Scott Brown will vote against the Ryan budget… NY-26 poll has Democrat Hochul in the lead… And Huntsman wraps up his swing through New Hampshire.

*** No thanks: On the day another 2012 Republican makes it official (Tim Pawlenty), the political storyline is remains fixed on the one that got away (Mitch Daniels). Daniels' decision over the weekend not to run for president wasn't surprising, but what is are all the top Republicans who've taken a pass. Mike Pence. John Thune. Haley Barbour. Mike Huckabee. Daniels. Even Donald Trump. Their reasons have been different -- Pence had his eyes on Indiana's governor’s mansion, Barbour said he didn't have the fire in his belly, and Daniels said it was his family. But, collectively, these no-gos further a narrative suggesting a reluctance to take on President Obama next year. Question: If Obama's presidency has, in their words, been so damaging to the economy/deficit/national security/Israel, why aren't these Republicans trying to unseat him?

*** But remember 1991-1992: Then again, as those who took a pass on the 1992 presidential race know (like Al Gore, Mario Cuomo, Dick Gephardt, and Bill Bradley), every nomination is worth having. Indeed, thanks mostly to the economy and a relatively polarized electorate, there’s a path for a Republican to go from McCain's 46% to 50%. And just look at this New York Times piece from August 1991: “Democrats struggled today to adjust to the last thing they needed six months before the Iowa caucuses: an already tiny Presidential field that keeps shrinking. As expected, Senator John D. Rockefeller 4th announced in Charleston, W.Va., today that he would not seek the 1992 Democratic Presidential nomination. That announcement, just three weeks after Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, the House majority leader, took himself out of the race, combined with the demurrals of other Democratic heavyweights to create a frustrating, embarrassing pattern for the party.” Is it 1991 -- or it is 2003 or 1995? Team Obama isn’t taking anything for granted. “Unless it’s Palin or Gingrich, we expect a very close race no matter who emerges,” an Obama 2012 adviser told the Washington Post.

*** Pawlenty makes it official (and sounds like Chris Christie): While Daniels, Barbour, and Huckabee signal a reluctance to take on Obama next year, Tim Pawlenty sure doesn’t. At a town hall in Des Moines, IA at 12:30 pm ET, Pawlenty will formally announce what we’ve all known for the past year or so: he’s running for president. (He also released an announcement video yesterday.) Per released excerpts of his remarks today in Iowa, Pawlenty is trying to grab from Daniels or Chris Christie the mantle as the straight-talking truth-teller. "President Obama's policies have failed. But more than that, he won't even tell us the truth about what it's really going to take to get out of the mess we're in… I'm going to take a different approach. I am going to tell you the truth." More T-Paw: “We're running out of time. It's time for new leadership. It's time for a new approach. And it's time for America's president -- and anyone who wants to be president -- to look you in the eye and tell you the truth." The question this tough rhetoric raises is whether Mr. Minnesota Nice is the right candidate for this message. Tactically, this is exactly where a candidate vying to be the alternative to Romney ought to be, given where the conservative opinion elite and grassroots are. But can Pawlenty sell it? Romney, tactically, tried to be the perfect fit for the GOP electorate in 2008, and it never fit him.

*** And T-Paw has his chance: The stars have certainly aligned for Pawlenty; he stands to benefit (in campaign money, endorsements, and stature) from Daniels’ absence. But here’s also a truth: He has to win Iowa. Second place isn’t going to give him the momentum to springboard him into New Hampshire and South Carolina. In his interview on “TODAY” this morning, Pawlenty took a pass on Matt Lauer’s question why he would be a better GOP nominee than, say, Mitt Romney. On Lauer’s question if he has enough charisma to defeat Obama, “I am not running for entertainer-in-chief… I’ll bring the solutions forward that will actually fix the country.” On Tuesday, Pawlenty heads to Florida, and he travels to DC the day after.

*** Get ready for the summer of speculation: So we pretty much have our GOP field: Romney, Pawlenty, Huntsman, and maybe Bachmann -- along with Gingrich, Santorum, Ron Paul, Herman Cain and the rest. But make no mistake: The next three or four months will be full about speculation and chatter if someone else gets in. Will Chris Christie listen to a draft (it's coming, trust us)? Could we see Rudy Giuliani take a look (he is, according to a handful of GOPers in the know)? What about Rick Perry? And then there’s Paul Ryan. On “Meet the Press” yesterday, the Budget Committee chairman left the door slightly open. “I'm not running for president. I'm not planning on running for president. If you're running for president, you've got to do a lot of things to line up a candidacy. I've not done any of those things. It's not my plan.” One other thing: There is plenty of Bush money on the sidelines. Perhaps we should refer to these Bush money folks as "Lone" Rangers?

*** Euro Trip: Perhaps the best way to describe President Obama’s visit to Europe (his 9th since taking office) is a "maintenance trip" -- as in, it's about maintaining the goodwill, whether with Ireland (important to Irish-Americans) the U.K. (that special relationship), the G8 (always important), and Poland (think missile defense and Russia). Three issues hang over this trip: Libya, Afghanistan, and the Middle East peace process. As impatient as the American public can get over military operations, it's even more so in Europe, and there's growing impatience in some European corners over Libya and some backseat commanding over America's role in the military campaign.

*** Defining the trip’s success: Success for the White House on this trip, politically, would be full-throated G8 support for the president's vision for the Mideast peace process, as well as support for the financial programs and recommendations he laid out for countries going through democratic reforms. Aides suggest his Israeli-Palestinian roadmap will get strong G8 and Euro support. But it's less clear whether European countries are ready to throw in what the U.S. would like to see financially when it comes to helping countries like Egypt and Tunisia.

*** Scott Brown will vote against the Ryan budget: While he didn’t use the words “right-wing social engineering,” Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R) today pens an op-ed explaining why he will vote AGAINST the Ryan budget when it comes up for a vote this week in the Senate. In short, he opposes its Medicare phase-out. “I fear that as health inflation rises, the cost of private plans will outgrow the government premium support— and the elderly will be forced to pay ever higher deductibles and co-pays… Second, Medicare has already taken significant cuts to help pay for Obama’s health care plan. The president and Congress cut a half trillion dollars to the private side of Medicare — meaning seniors are at risk of losing their Medicare Advantage coverage. Another key principle is that seniors should not have to bear a disproportionate burden. But that doesn’t mean we do nothing.”

*** NY-26 and Medicare: Speaking of the Ryan budget, it has emerged as a significant issue in tomorrow’s special congressional election in NY-26 to replace ex-GOP Rep. Chris Lee (he of the shirtless photo). A Siena Research Institute poll released over the weekend shows that Democrat Kathy Hochul leading Republican Jane Corwin, 42%-38%, with independent Jack Davis at 12%. Make no mistake: If Hochul pulls off the upset, she can thank the wealthy Davis, who previously ran for this seat as a Democrat. But the Ryan budget – and Medicare, specifically, has played a role here. Per Siena’s analysis, “Twenty-one percent of likely voters name Medicare as the single most important issue for them in their decision to select a candidate in this special election.  Of those, 74 percent prefer Hochul.” There's mounting evidence that Democrats have drawn blood on Medicare: The two best examples today are Brown op-ed and NY-26.

*** On the 2012 trail: In addition to Pawlenty’s announcement from Iowa, Huntsman finishes up his multi-day swing through New Hampshire, and Ron Paul unveils his leadership team in Ankeny, IA.

Countdown to NY-26 special election: 1 day
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 82 days
Countdown to NV-2 special election: 113 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 169 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 259 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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“President Obama struck back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in a speech to a pro-Israel lobbying group on Sunday, defending his stance that talks over a Palestinian state should be focused on Israel’s pre-1967 borders, along with negotiated land swaps, and challenging Israel to ‘make the hard choices’ necessary to bring about a stable peace,” the New York Times writes.

“Mr. Obama, speaking before a conference of the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee, offered familiar assurances that the United States’ commitment to Israel’s long-term security was ‘ironclad.’ But citing the rising political upheaval near Israel’s borders, he presented his peace plan as the best chance Israel has to avoid growing isolation. ‘We cannot afford to wait another decade, or another two decades, or another three decades, to achieve peace,’ Mr. Obama said. The world, he said, ‘is moving too fast.’”

“President Obama sought to prove his pro-Israel creds Sunday by assuring the nation's largest pro-Israel lobby that America's commitment to the security of the Jewish state is unwavering,” the New York Daily News adds.

There have been plenty of critics on the right of Obama’s speech about Israel. The Boston Globe, though, says, “Netanyahu was hearing what he chose to hear when he objected to the principles for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that President Obama outlined in his recent speech on the Mideast.” And: “Obama was right to say what he said. And the overall import of his speech was protective of Israel’s long-term interests… More than ever, Israel needs the security that can only come from a two-state peace agreement. Netanyahu would be acting in Israel’s interest if he welcomed Obama’s offer to help forge that peace.”

“George Mitchell, who stepped down as the Obama administration’s special envoy to the Middle East last week, said Sunday that President Obama’s call to base Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on pre-1967 borders is not a threat to Israel,” The Hill writes. Mitchell said on ABC, “I don't believe it is threatening Israel. A major objective of this initiative, among others, is to prevent a disaster for Israel from occurring at the United Nations General Assembly in September, when the Palestinians have said they will see a unilateral declaration of statehood. The president spoke out strongly against that. We oppose it. And the way to prevent that from occurring is to provide an alternative in direct negotiation that would foreclose or make not necessary that option.”

The Boston Globe on the backlash Cornell West is facing: “A leading black scholar is unapologetic for his scathing and racially loaded comments about President Obama last week, which have ignited fierce blowback from African-American leaders and intellectuals in arguments that continue to rage in black media and on the Web.” More: “Critics have suggested that West’s comments, published on the political blog Truthdig, were motivated by personal slights. West has acknowledged he felt Obama disrespected him and did not return his calls after West stumped for him in the 2008 election. Critics have also described West as a phony, an ivory tower advocate for the poor, or just unhinged. ‘My question to Dr. West: Is this personal or it is political?’ the Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and Obama ally, said in an interview. ‘Where has the president’s politics changed since when [West] endorsed and supported him for president?”

“Stephen J. Kerrigan, who also helped coordinate the Democratic convention when it was in Boston in 2004, has been named as chief executive officer overseeing the 2012 convention in Charlotte, N.C.,” the Boston Globe reports.

CAIN: Herman Cain’s officially in.

DANIELS: “Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has opted not to run for president, citing the concerns of his family as the reason he's passing on a chance to claim the Oval Office,” The Hill writes.

The Washington Post: “GOP strategists say that the removal of Daniels as a factor has made it even more obvious that the contest is becoming one between presumed front-runner Mitt Romney and a pack of underdogs hoping to emerge as the alternative to the former Massachusetts governor.”

“Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' decision to stay out of the presidential race could give a significant boost to the candidacies of former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, several Iowa Republicans said Sunday,” the Des Moines Register adds.

GINGRICH: Roll Call describes Gingrich as “on the defensive” to “explain his stance” on Paul Ryan’s plan. “I made the mistake of accepting [host David Gregory’s] premise. I wasn’t referring to Ryan,” he said. “I was referring to a general principle. We the people should not have Washington impose large-scale change on us.” But “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer challenged Gingrich, playing a clip from last week’s interview that showed Gingrich referring to Ryan… Schieffer asked Sunday whether the Ryan plan was ‘too big a jump,’ as the former Speaker had said. ‘I think it is a big plan that needs to be worked through with the American people,’ Gingrich said.”

A quarter-million- to half-a-million-dollar line of credit at a jewelry store is “frugal”? “The beleaguered former House speaker bobbed and weaved Sunday when ‘Face the Nation’ host Bob Schieffer tried to pin down why a self-proclaimed thrifty financial conservative spent so much on bling at the high-end Manhattan store,” The New York Daily News writes. Gingrich’s answer on Tiffany’s, in part: "Well, go talk to Tiffany's. All I'm telling you is we are very frugal. We, in fact, live within our budget. We owe nothing… "It's a - go talk to Tiffany's. It's a standard, no-interest account.”

Meanwhile, Paul Ryan responded on Meet the Press to Gingrich’s claim last week that his plan was “right-wing social engineering.” Ryan said, per GOP 12: "His quote was deeply inaccurate. It was a gross mischaracterization of the House Republican budget plan. Newt's acknowledged that; he's retrated it, and let's be clear, what we're proposing here: this is as sensible and gradual as it gets." (Here’s the video.)

HUNTSMAN: “Unapologetic for being ‘respectful’ and ‘gracious’ to the Democratic President who appointed him, potential Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman came to New Hampshire this weekend not to criticize Barack Obama, but rather to call for a new ‘industrial revolution’ fueled by domestically produced energy and tax and regulatory reform,” the New Hampshire Union Leader reports. (By the way, check out Huntsman’s jean jacket.)

Real Clear Politics’ McPike writes of the “media frenzy” following Jon Huntsman through New Hampshire.

PAWLENTY: Roll Call writes that “Pawlenty’s (R) plan to go all in in the Hawkeye State” could be “a bigger gamble than in previous cycles.”

In an announcement video he released last night, Pawlenty says, “I could give a speech and tell you I was running for president. I could have a podium with a campaign logo on it… Or I could try something different. I could just tell you the truth. The truth is our country is in big trouble. We have far too much debt too much government spending and too few jobs. We need a president who understands that our problems are deep and who has the courage to face them. President Obama doesn't, I do.”

The DNC is questioning why Pawlenty’s running at all. Spokesman Hari Sevugan: “Despite spending the last two and half years putting aside his duties as Governor to set up his campaign, Tim Pawlenty doesn’t have a compelling rationale for his candidacy. He can’t run on his record as Governor, where he cut services, raised taxes and left his state with a $6 billion deficit and plummeting approval ratings.”

ROMNEY: The Boston Globe goes to South Carolina with Romney: “Mitt Romney this afternoon assailed President Obama for not articulating a clear position on how he would reform Medicare – but then the former Massachusetts governor declined to articulate such a position himself.”

The Hill: “If there is anyone else who can fill the void — and that’s by no means certain — he or she needs to step into plain view soon. The hurdles to mounting a viable national campaign could soon become too high to clear. The GOP’s foremost problem is easy to identify but difficult to fix. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the putative front-runner, but leaves a lot of conservatives cold.”

RYAN: So you’re sayin’ there’s a chance? Paul Ryan all but ruled out a run for president on Meet the Press. “My heads not that big, and my kids are too small,” he said, adding that he won’t get into “hypotheticals” about a run in the future.