House Speaker John Boehner has shifted his senior staff and moves his chief of staff since 2010, Barry Jackson, to a new role and replaces Jackson with Mike Sommers.

Sommers moves up from the position of deputy chief of staff for leadership operations since 2011.

Aides say this "staff transition comes as Congress looks ahead to perhaps the most consequential end-of-session legislative period in modern history."

Barry Jackson, who also served in the Bush White House, will take on a new focus of strategic planning.

President Obama isn't running only against Mitt Romney; his campaign also wants to run against the Republican Congress.

And so Obama campaign is up with a new TV ad that touts Obama's jobs plan and notes that Congress refuses to act to pay for it.

It will air in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Script:
The President: "We're still fighting our way back from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Our businesses have created almost 4.3 million new jobs over the last 27 months, but…we're still not creating them as fast as we want."
Narrator: "The President's jobs plan would put teachers, firefighters, police officers and construction workers back to work. Right now. And it's paid for by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more But Congress refuses to act. Tell Congress we can't wait."

Just hours after the Obama campaign announced that it, the Democratic National Committee, and other Obama-related committees had raked in $60 million in May, Team Romney said they one-upped them.

Their Romney campaign/Republican National Committee haul: $76.8 million. They also reported having a combined $107 million in the bank for all of their committees.

“We are encouraged by the financial support from a broad range of voters," Romney Victory National Finance Chairman Spencer Zwick said in a statement. "Voters are making an investment because they believe that it will benefit the country.”

But if the financial reports from April are any indication, much of that nearly $77 million is coming in the form of big five-figure checks from large donors.

Around this same time last month, the Romney camp and RNC reported raising a combined $40 million. But when we saw the actual Federal Election Committee filings, it was $11.7 million for the campaign, $11.4 million for the RNC, and the rest -- $17 million -- for the Romney Victory Fund.

The Romney Victory Fund -- which also includes coordination with the state GOPs of ID, MA, OK, and VT -- is the mechanism that allows donors to contribute up to $75,000 each. In mid-May, both Mitt Romney and his wife each contributed $75,000 to the Victory Fund.

There is also an Obama Victory Fund, which allows large donors to cut equally big checks. But when Team Obama announced raising $43.6 in April, the FEC filings later showed that the campaign raised $25.7 million, the DNC raised $14.3 million, although nearly half of that DNC money came from a transfer from the Obama Victory Fund.

(When Team Obama collects large checks, the first $5,000 go to the campaign, which is the individual maximum; $30,800 go to the DNC, which is the max; and the rest go to the other committees.)

We will not be able to get a campaign vs. campaign or party vs. party comparison on these numbers until June 20, when FEC reports for May are due.

Team Obama on the defensive… Romney, by comparison, largely escapes the scrutiny for now… Public workers and the blame game… Team Obama raises $60 million in May, its best monthly haul of the campaign… Obama to talk student loans, economy in Vegas… House Dems take one step forward in CA, but one step back.

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on June 6, 2012.

*** Obama on the defensive: At the very time that the Obama campaign has tried to go on the offensive -- hitting Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital and in Massachusetts -- they’ve found themselves mostly playing defense the past couple of weeks. On the May jobs report. On Wisconsin. On Bill Clinton going off script on Romney’s business record and the Bush tax cuts. And it’s possible that the month of June gets even tougher if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against all or some of the federal health-care law. What has to be doubly frustrating for Team Obama is that these stories are largely out of their control; after all, they weren’t the ones who decided to launch the recall against Gov. Scott Walker (R). This might explain why the Obama campaign has an expensive TV ad buy hitting Romney and his record as Massachusetts governor. It’s a way to blunt the impact of what has been a tough couple of weeks, and what could be another tough few weeks.

*** By comparison, Romney largely escapes the scrutiny -- for now: Interestingly, with all this tough attention on Obama and Democrats, the story that we might have expected in the late spring and early summer -- defining the challenger Romney after he wrapped up the GOP nomination -- hasn’t really taken off. Yes, the New York Times today takes a look at Romney’s San Diego home, and it also noted the double standard of the campaign jobs argument against the president. And the Boston Globe recently examined Bain. But compared with Obama over the past couple of weeks, the former Massachusetts governor has been able to largely escape the scrutiny. Part of that is by design with the Romney campaign; they keep the candidate in a bubble, and that’s helped prevent Day 2 stories on anything since he’s unavailable for comment, etc. That was the tough lesson the campaign learned during the primaries when they had to expose him. The more they exposed him, the more he stumbled into his own problems causing him to go on the defensive.

*** Public workers and the blame game: There’s an additional point we want to make about Tuesday’s outcome in Wisconsin: Republicans have been VERY effective in selling the public that blame for the problems in government lies at the feet of public workers and their public pensions for the budget deficits out there -- federal, state, and local. When there’s an economic downturn, Democrats and liberals often point their fingers at Wall Street and big business. Republicans, in previous economic downturns, haven’t been as effective at giving an anxious public someone to blame until now. But ever since the financial industry and economy collapsed in ’08 -- exploding the size of deficits because tax revenues went down -- Republicans and conservatives have handed the public public-sector workers and their pensions as the focus of their ire. Their argument: “Look at those folks with their protected jobs and protected pensions; you don’t have that; you could get laid off tomorrow, your 401K is in the toilet.” That very well might explain why two California cities (San Jose and San Diego) voted to cut its retirement benefits for their workers. Here’s a question to chew on: Who is taking more political heat right now -- Wall Street (even after that JP Morgan news) or public workers?  

*** Team Obama raises $60 million in May: Early this morning, per NBC’s Carrie Dann, the Obama campaign announced that it, the DNC, and related committees raked in more than $60 million in May -- its best fundraising month of the campaign. (May, you'll recall, was when the campaign had that contest to attend a fundraiser with George Clooney.) In April, the Obama campaign, DNC, and related committees raised $43.6 million. In March, they raised $53 million, which was the previous monthly high. In April -- his first month as the presumptive GOP nominee -- Romney, the RNC, and related committees raised some $40 million.

*** Vegas, baby: Out in Las Vegas at 3:50 pm ET, President Obama “will urge Congress to act now to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling in 25 days,” a White House aide tells First Read, adding: “The president will also call on Congress to pass elements of his American Jobs Act, which independent economists say will put thousands of cops, teachers and firefighters back to work now.” 

*** On the trail: In addition to Obama’s event in Las Vegas, Mitt Romney stumps in St. Louis, MO at 1:40 pm ET… First Lady Michelle Obama holds a campaign event in Dale City, VA at 2:30 pm ET… And Ann Romney visits Woodlands Center for Specialized Medicine in Pensacola, FL.

*** House Dems take one step forward/one step back in CA: Yesterday, we noted some Tuesday’s primary results around the country. What we didn’t mention were the results out of California, which was using a new primary system in which the two biggest vote-getters -- regardless of party -- advance to the general election. As msnbc.com’s Tom Curry notes, Democrats out there took one step forward and one step back in their bid to pick up the 25 seats necessary to win back the House in November. In one district that voted for Obama in ‘08, Curry writes, Democrats spent lots of money to ensure Democrat Julia Brownley finished in second place to advance to the general against GOP state Sen. Tony Strickland. But: “Democrats suffered a surprising and costly defeat in [another district] identified by House race expert David Wasserman of the non-partisan Cook Political Report as ‘a must-win for Democrats.’ Their candidate Pete Aguilar won only 23 percent of the vote – leaving two Republicans, deep-pocketed seven-term incumbent Gary Miller and state Sen. Bob Dutton, to square off against each other in November.” 

Countdown to GOP convention: 81 days
Countdown to Dem convention: 88 days
Countdown to Election Day: 152 days

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*** Thursday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: DCCC Chairman Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) with Wisconsin takeaways, Arizona expectations and more… U.S. Senate candidate Dan Liljenquist on his upcoming primary against Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)… NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell on the Capitol Hill kerfuffle over recess plans… Latest on Obama vs. Romney with The Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson, former Obama White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki and Republican consultant Phil Musser.

*** Thursday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Washington Post’s EJ Dionne, USA Today’s Susan Page, Politico’s Roger Simon, former PA Gov. Ed Rendell, and the Las Vegas Sun’s Jon Ralston.

*** Thursday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’S Thomas Roberts talks with DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Karen Finney, Chip Saltsman, the Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut, and Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY).

*** Thursday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, the Associated Press’ Kasie Hunt, the New York Times’ Jodi Kantor, the Nation’s Ari Melber, TIME’s Massimo Calabresi, and RealClearPolitics Washington Editor Carl Cannon.

*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), former HHS Sec. Donna Shalala, Author Dan Klaidman and former Ambassador Martin Indyk.

*** Thursday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Newsweek/Daily Beast columnist Zachary Karabell on Bernanke testifying, Time magazine’s Rana Faroohar, and Michael Smerconish.

“Mitt Romney isn’t the only Massachusetts resident to recently clinch his party’s nomination for president,” the Boston Globe writes. “Jill Stein – a Lexington resident who actually has experience debating Romney before a televised audience – on Tuesday in California secured the delegates needed to win the Green Party nomination. One of her chief rivals for the nomination was comedian Roseanne Barr.”

FLORIDA: “Gov. Rick Scott's elections chief on Wednesday defiantly refused a federal demand to stop purging noncitizens from Florida's voter rolls, intensifying an election-year confrontation with President Barack Obama's administration as each side accuses the other of breaking federal law,” the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times write.

“Veteran League of Women Voters volunteer Mary Berglund had been registering voters since 1986, until the civic group a year ago abruptly halted its 72-year practice in the face of a new Florida law restricting voter registration campaigns,” the Tampa Bay Times writes. “But Berglund and her civic-minded colleagues gathered in front of a Pinellas elections office Wednesday to announce they are getting back in the game. After a federal judge last week temporarily blocked parts of that new elections law as violations of the First Amendment, the League of Women Voters and other groups are resuming their nonpartisan registration efforts.”

Scott also cut off funding for Innocence Commission, the Huffington Post reports. The state Supreme Court formed the commission in 2009 after 23 death row inmates, 12 others convicted of “serious crimes” and other rape and murder convictions since 1973 with the advent of DNA. “Scott vetoed the $200,000 the legislature had budgeted for the commission to continue.”

Connie Mack refused a debate with George Lemieux. "It’s clear the race for the U.S. Senate in Florida is now between Connie Mack, the Republican, and Bill Nelson, the Democrat," Mack campaign manager Jeff Cohen wrote in a letter to Jeanne Grinstead, deputy managing editor of the Tampa Bay Times. The primary is Aug. 14.

MONTANA: There will be Senate debates June 16 and 24.

VIRGINIA: The president leads 47%-42% in Virginia in the latest Quinnipiac poll. That’s slightly narrower than the 50-42% margin in the poll in March. But there’s still this vulnerability for the president. “On who would do a better job on the economy, 46 percent say Romney and 44 percent say Obama,” the Richmond Times-Dispatch writes.

There continues to be a gender gap, with Obama winning women 51-35%, and Romney winning men 49-44%. For context, Obama won Virginia women 53-46% - AND men 51-47% in 2008.

Obama and the DNC said it raised a combined $60 million for the month of May. If they raise $60 million a month between now and the election, they’ll have a total of $750 million.

Politico: “Clinton aides: Bill screwed up.”

Bloomberg warns those hopeful that the health law will be struck down that justices were equally picky about a challenge to the 1965 Voting Rights Act in 2009, but upheld the law. “Two months later, the court left the law intact on an 8-1 vote. The justices struck a compromise that let them avoid a direct ruling on the constitutional challenge to the measure,” it writes. “As the high court prepares to rule by the end of this month on health care, the voting rights case underscores the hazard of predicting the outcome of Supreme Court cases.”

About 1,100 turned out to see Michelle Obama in Philly yesterday. She stumps today in a swing county in Virginia, Prince William.

Today, Obama makes remarks in LA this morning at a fundraiser and then speaks at UNLV on student loan interest rates.

Most Americans don’t want to go into Syria.

A CNN poll finds George W. Bush is the only living ex-president with less than a 50% favorability rating. He’s at 43%/54%.

The stock market had its biggest day of the year yesterday, by the way.

A teen radio host from West Virginia says President Obama is “making kids gay.”

The Boston Globe: “Mitt Romney’s newly announced Hispanic Steering Committee includes a half-dozen supporters of the DREAM Act he opposes.”

The Globe also notes Romney’s use of Bill Clinton.

Scott Walker said Romney’s the underdog in Wisconsin.

Romney’s key battlegrounds: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia.

The bulk of ad money is being spent by both sides in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia.

The Hill has another look at how Rubio and Portman have been working to boost their foreign policy creds. A couple of interesting tidbits: Portman said he did not speak with Romney about his trip beforehand. “It’s a very difficult time right now in the Middle East; every one of Israel’s borders is under increased pressure, [with] the possible exception of Jordan, and even there, having gone to Jordan after Israel, they’ve got challenges,” he said. “It’s an important time to be there.”

Rubio says he would like to visit the Middle East before the election. He had tentatively hoped to do so this summer, but his schedule became too busy. “It will be hard to do at least until after the conventions,” said Rubio. … “I would love to go to Israel as soon as possible,” he said.

When you see “schedule became too busy” think BOOK TOUR.

AYOTTE: She’s defending Scott Brown’s vote against the “Paycheck Fairness Act.”

BUSH: A very interesting exchange on CBS that will air Thurs AM:

CHARLIE ROSE: Have you made the decision that you do not want to be president?

HEB BUSH: I've not made that decision, although there's a window of opportunity in life for all sorts of reasons, and this was probably my time. Although I don't know, given kind of what I believe and how I believe it, I'm not sure I would have been successful as a candidate, either.

And on VP: "I'm not gonna do it and I'm not gonna be asked and it's not gonna happen," he told CBS' Charlie RoseCHRISTIE: Ad him to the list of Republicans using Bill Clinton’s CNBC interview to push for lowering taxes.  The Christie folks blasted out an email with the title: Former President Bill Clinton Agrees: Assembly Democrats Giving Up On Raising Taxes “Probably The Best Thing To Do Right Now" To “Avoid The Fiscal Cliff”

And from Reuters: Environmental groups sued New Jersey on Wednesday for Governor Chris Christie's decision to pull the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a 10-state compact that aims to cut air pollution from power plants.

The Philadelphia Inquirer: “A subdued and sparsely-attended town hall meeting with Gov. Christie in this Middlesex County township Wednesday had one noteworthy bit: several anti-Christie electronic traffic signs, set up by town workers at the behest of the Democratic mayor in apparent violation of state regulation. If you paused long enough as the words scrolled through, the signs read: ‘Welcome to P-Way Governor ... Please return ... 3.4 mil. in energy money back to taxpayers.’ Another sign on the way out of the church where the event was held read: ‘Come back soon Gov. with energy money in hand.’”

DANIELS: On Fox, he continued to use strong language to deny any interest in the VP slot: 

BAIER: How do you know that you're not on the shortlist for Governor Romney?
DANIELS: Let's just say that I have strong confidence that the nation will not face that problem.
BAIER: So you're not being vetted?
DANIELS: Well, you wouldn't know if you were, but I'm pretty sure 'no'.

JINDAL: Could Bobby Jindal’s star be on the rise in the VEEP stakes?  This NewsMax article says yes.  And did you know?  And did you know he took on the nickname Bobby after the youngest son in “The Brady Bunch.”

MARTINEZ: Along with Marco Rubio, she will also serve as a an honorary chair for Romney’s Hispanic Steering Committee.

MCDONNELL: Similar to the NBC-Marist poll, a Quinnipiac poll finds adding Bob McDonnell to the ticket has little impact. With McDonnell, the margin is Obama-Biden 48%, Romney-McDonnell 43%. Without him, it’s 47-42% Obama.

He got some bragging rights from last night’s Walker win, the Examiner reports.  On CNN, called Walker “a man of courage.” And on Morning Joe, he had this to say, per Politico: “It was about whether [Walker’s] reforms were working,” said McDonnell on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “To me the message is that a politician that stands up and says, ‘This is what we need, this is what we can afford, and if you do these things we’ll get results and bring in jobs and reduce our budget deficits’… and the voters will reward them for it.”

PORTMAN: In honor of D-Day, the Ohio Republican went bipartisan this morning and held a colloquy on the Senate floor with Sen. Lieberman.

RUBIO: This statement came from the Romney camp: “No community values entrepreneurship and small business more than the Hispanic community. Unfortunately, President Obama’s failed policies of new regulations, higher taxes, and Obamacare and his anti-business rhetoric have hit Hispanics especially hard. Big government really hurts those who are trying to make it.  And with unemployment still abysmally high, the Obama economy is crushing Hispanics' dreams for their children to live a better life. The Hispanic community cannot afford four more years of double-digit unemployment and higher levels of poverty. Mitt Romney will stop the attacks on job creators, encourage entrepreneurs to chase their dreams, and bring good jobs and a better future to all Americans.”

Today Rubio was named one of 4 honorary chairs for Romney’s Hispanic Steering Committee. There are 3 national chairs.

And today we found out he is colorblind, literally.

RYAN: Carrie Dann reports that the current VP had some harsh words for this potential VP: Even worse than GOP obstruction, he said, would be the other party's vision for the country as laid out by Rep. Paul Ryan, whom Biden called "a bright, handsome guy" whose budget would have "a devastating impact on America." "He is a fine guy but I think his ideas are not nearly as fine as he is a man," he said.

Gov. Scott Walker held his first event since winning the recall election last night, and Moe reports that he had this to say about VP: “I say if you want a great candidate for vice president from Wisconsin, pick my friend Paul Ryan.”

SAN ANTONIO, TX — Mitt Romney's campaign seem bolstered in their hopes of winning Wisconsin this fall, with Romney predicting Republican Gov. Scott Walker's victory in last night's recall election would "echo throughout the country" this November.

"What happened yesterday was people looked at a Republican governor, a conservative, and even though they may have been Democrat or independent, they looked at the record of a conservative who cut back on the size of government, who held down taxes, who said we had to reform — in this case public sector unions that asked for too much — and then he went to the polls," Romney told donors at a fundraiser here in San Antonio this morning.

Romney expanded upon that position in a conference call with business owners later this afternoon.

"The vote that we saw last night in Wisconsin said that people in what many have considered a blue state — it hasn’t voted for a Republican for president since 1984 — a blue state said we’ve seen a conservative governor, he cut back on the scale of government and has held down taxes and stood up to the public sector unions, and we want more of that not less of it," Romney told callers from the National Federation of Independent Business. "And I think you’re gonna find that in the decisions being made in November."

And while exit polls last night in Wisconsin showed Romney trailing President Obama among recall voters, the state is an attractive target for Romney's campaign as it looks to make inroads against the president's 2008 electoral map.

One Romney adviser described Walker's victory, and the mobilized, organized and well-funded Republican apparatus that made it possible, as something that "opens the door for us," in the Wisconsin — but emphasized that Romney doesn't have to win the state to reach the 270 it needs to win the White House.

Another top Romney adviser cautioned that the campaign had not yet decided how big of an effort to make towards winning Wisconsin, but suggested that the campaign would certainly be on offense there.

Wisconsin has become an unlikely incubator for top Republican talent in recent years, with Walker, RNC Chairman Reince Preibus and House Budget Committee Chairman (and oft-floated VP shortlister) Paul Ryan all hailing from the Badger state. 

The Obama campaign has kept its own focus on what it asserts is Romney's lackluster record as governor. 

“In Texas today, Mitt Romney offered nothing more than empty election-year promises—promises that we’ve heard from him before. He said that his priority as president would be job creation, but we know that that wasn’t his priority either as a corporate buyout specialist or during his time as governor," said Obama spokeswoman Lis Smith.

Fresh off last night's victory for Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said there could be repercussions for President Obama, because he didn't do much to help liberal activists get Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett elected.

On MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports, the native Wisconsinite said Democrats "were really disappointed in this president for not coming into Wisconsin. He was in Chicago; he was in Minnesota. I mean, he really didn't lift a finger for them and neither did the Democratic Party, and so, they really feel put off."

But in the final exit poll, which included weighting for absentee ballots and showed Walker with a big lead, President Obama led Republican Mitt Romney by a 51-44 percent margin.

Priebus first tried to dismiss the result, which was similar to other polling conducted before the election.

"Well, I mean, those same exit polls said that it was going to be a close night, and it was not a very close race," Priebus said.

The early, unweighted exit polls did show a close race, but later data showed results closer to the eventual outcome. Walker won 53-46%.

Priebus continued, "But let's assume that the exit polls as they relate to Obama are accurate. I think you can't really poll today how people are going to feel in a couple of months."

He added that Democrats "wanted to prove that what happened in Wisconsin in 2010 was just a fluke. And this was their time, their opportunity to show the world that Wisconsin was blue, and they just needed a little help from Barack Obama. And they didn't get it. And for Obama to come back now in a couple of months, and expect some lovefest, that ... he's going to be greeted with open arms, I got a feeling that a whole lot of people and Democratic activists on the other side of the aisle in Wisconsin are going to say, 'Go back to Illinois. You weren't here for us, and we won't be there for you. That's a serious problem for the president."

Mitt Romney began invoking Bill Clinton last month on the campaign trail, lamenting that, it's too bad Barack Obama is just nothing like the former president.

Yes, the same Bill Clinton congressional Republicans pushed to impeach in the 1990s. 

After Clinton's on-again, off-again messaging for President Obama, Republicans in Congress are now feeling the love, too.

Just today, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports that Sens. John Thune, a potential vice-president pick for Romney, and Orrin Hatch took to the Senate floor to sing Bubba's praises.

Hatch went all out, invoking the 42nd president's name 10 times.

THUNE (R-SD):

"and with regard to the tax increases, I would make the same argument. the same argument actually that former president Bill Clinton has been making and that is we need to extend these tax rates; we create too much economic uncertainty out there by having this cloud out there on the horizon and that that is a real warning sign..."

Not to mention, of course, that Clinton doesn't support permanently extending the Bush tax cuts and that every Republican voted against Clinton's 1993 tax increases.

HATCH (R-UT):

"Well, it was no surprise therefore that when former President Clinton stated yesterday that we were still in a recession. Economists might say that is not technically accurate, but it is certainly how most Americans feel. What did come as a surprise, however, were President Clinton's remarks on tax-mageddon, the fiscal cliff that the nation faces at the end of this year. At least yesterday it sounded like his view was that we should do a complete 180 and race away from this cliff extending in full the tax relief extended, or enacted by President Bush and extended by President Obama in 2010." ...

"There should be no higher priority for the president and the congress than addressing these tax increases. Yesterday President Clinton seemed to agree, arguing that we should act now, not after the elections, to avoid the fiscal cliff. at a minimum, he concluded that a temporary extension of current tax relief was in order. quote -- to quote former President Clinton -- "They will probably have to put everything off until early next year. that's probably the best thing to do right now," unquote." ...

"Now, President Clinton further argued, quote, "What i think we need to do is to find some way to avoid the fiscal cliff. to avoid doing anything that would contract the economy now and then deal with what's necessary in the long-term debt-reduction plan as soon as they they can, which presumably will be after the election." Unquote." ...

"Now, channeling Gilda Radner, President Clinton tells us, never mind. President Clinton knew what he was saying. One thing I can say, knowing him as well as I do, he's a very smart man. He was making an elementary point, one that the president, President Obama, seemed to agree with when he was -- seemed to agree with when he was not running for election on a platform. President Clinton, not wanting to further undermine our economy, recommended a short-term extension of all the tax relief." ...

"This is just me now," this is President Clinton. "This is just me now. I am not speaking for the White House. You could tax me at 100%, and you wouldn't balance the budget. We are all going to have to contribute to this. If middle-class people's wages were going up again, I don't think they would object to going back to tax rates from when he was president." With due respect to our former president, I do think that he was speaking for the White House, and I do think that most Americans would object to a tax hike. That is why President Obama has decided to lay low." ...

"And if the president and his campaign team think that they can punt this issue until the fall, they are sorely mistaken. The American people will voice their displeasure with his failure to lead in November. President Clinton got it right the first time yesterday. The fiscal cliff must be addressed now. We cannot wait until later in the year."

A reminder:

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Appearing in swing state North Carolina, Vice President Joe Biden blasted congressional Republicans Wednesday for obstructing the president's attempts to jump-start job creation, promising the administration will use all constitutional tactics to bypass the gridlock. 

"We will use every power that is legally under our constitutional capacity to act when the Congress will not," Biden told a supportive crowd of about 600 at Wake Forest BioTech Place in Winston-Salem. "But understand our Republican friends in Congress are just as determined to not act." 

Carolyn Kaster / AP

Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a roundtable with college presidents and education system leaders June 5 in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington.

Saying that job gains so far still are "not enough," the vice president urged cooperation and continued "fighting" to correct the country's financial troubles. 

"Not enough, not enough, not enough," he said of the nation's economic progress since the 2008 downturn. "And it's up and it's down, but it's been constantly forward. But not enough. We have to do more, we have to keep fighting through this period of transition and this godawful recession we inherited.

Ryan Williams, a spokesman for Mitt Romney, said Biden's speech "will do nothing to lower the state’s 9.4 percent unemployment rate, encourage small business growth, or help companies add to their payrolls."

Biden skewered congressional Republicans for obstructing what he called "bipartisan" and reasonable measures to spur jobs, naming items on the president's congressional "to-do list" such as the creation of a veterans job corps, mortgage refinancing assistance for some homeowners, and incentives to keep companies from going abroad. 

On last year's Capitol Hill fight over payroll tax cuts, Biden invoked his upbringing and "neighborhood"  to suggest that most Republicans don't relate to the impact the thousand dollar cash infusion would have had on average American families. 

"A lot of these guys don't know that a thousand dollars makes a difference," said the Pennsylvania native. "It makes the difference between whether or not you pay your automobile insurance that year. It makes a difference what you're going to eat and how often you have meat on the menu. A thousand bucks makes a difference in my neighborhood." 

Even worse than GOP obstruction, he said, would be the other party's vision for the country as laid out by Rep. Paul Ryan, whom Biden called "a bright, handsome guy" whose budget would have "a devastating impact on America." 

"He is a fine guy but I think his ideas are not nearly as fine as he is a man," he said

The vice president's appearance in swing state North Carolina marked a visit to one of the most heavily trafficked political battlegrounds in the state. NBC's most recent analysis found the Greensboro-High Point area is the seventh most saturated media market in the country for political ads.  

The venue for his remarks was a 242,000 square foot research center which houses several companies — with its largest tenant being Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center — and employs approximately 450 people. 

The Winston-Salem area has suffered major job losses as a result of the declining manufacturing and textile industries in the region. But Biden pointed to the area's new focus on biotechnology and other types of innovation as an example of how Americans are re-imagining manufacturing in the modern era. 

"What I can tell you about America is this: there is a deep deep strength in this country," he said. "No matter how tough things get, there is no quit in this country." 

In the past 24 hours, Republicans have seized on what they called supportive statements by top Democrats -- former President Bill Clinton and former Obama White House economic adviser Larry Summers -- for extending the so-called Bush tax cuts.

One example of this: “Even Bill Clinton came out for it, before he was against it, and then, you know, Larry Summers, the president's former economic adviser this morning came out in favor of this,” House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said during a press conference.

Another example: Sen. John Thune (R-SD) said on the Senate floor he would make “the same argument actually that former president Bill Clinton has been making and that is we need to extend these tax rates.”

But White House Press Secretary Jay Carney today pushed backed on the GOP effort, saying that there is no gap between their views on this and President Obama's.

“There is no daylight between President Clinton and President Obama” on extending the tax cuts for the middle class but not for the wealthy, Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One as the president traveled to California for campaign events.

And when asked about the earlier reports suggesting Summers favored their extension, Carney simply said, “I don’t think that’s what Summers meant.”

In fact, the transcript agrees with Carney, according to the Wall Street Journal, which corrected its original report of Summers' statement on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Summers never once mentioned the tax cuts.

MSNBC’s BRZEZINSKI: Larry Summers, let’s start with you. You heard Bill Clinton talking about the tax cuts. We had terrible unemployment numbers coming out last week. What would you advise the president to do at this point?

SUMMERS: Look, the real risk to this economy is on the side of slowdowns. Certainly not on the side of overheating. And that means we’ve got to make sure that we don’t take the gasoline out of the tank at the end of this year. That’s got to be the top priority. We’ve got to make sure that what we keep providing support to the economy. The areas where we have done that, like support for the auto industry, we haven’t had great results but much better results. In the areas where we aren’t able to do what we wanted to do, areas like preserving jobs for teachers, areas like construction and investment and maintenance of the country’s infrastructure, you look at the employment report, and we’ve really got terrible results. So the key priority has got to be for the short run making sure that there’s the energy to keep the economy growing, because we’re not going to do anything about the deficit unless we do that.

As for Clinton, he appeared to suggest -- in an interview yesterday with CNBC -- that all the Bush tax cuts should be extended temporarily, though he stated he opposes their permanent extension.

"I think what it means is they will have extend-- they will probably have to put everything off until early next year. That's probably the best thing to do right now," Clinton said. "But the Republicans don't want to do that unless he agrees to extend the tax cuts permanently, including for upper income people. And I don't think the president should do that. That's going to-- that's what they're fighting about."

But Clinton then added, "I don't have any problem with extending all of it now, including the current spending level."

Clinton's office later issued a statement, clarifying that he opposes extending the tax cuts for the wealthy. "[O]n extending the Bush tax cuts, as President Clinton has said many times before, he supported extending all of the cuts in 2010 as part of the budget agreement, but does not believe the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans should be extended again. In the interview, he simply said that he doubted that a long-term agreement on spending cuts and revenues would be reached until after the election."

Also aboard Air Force One, Carney responded to criticism from conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh that President Obama’s public appearances with celebrity supporters make him “the male Kim Kardashian.”

Referring to one of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s top –- and most provocative –- surrogates, Carney said, “Two words: Donald Trump. Next question.”

He also noted that while Obama may have many high-profile backers, his campaign also relies on small-dollar contributions. 

“The fundamental difference is President Obama has vast numbers of small donors who support his campaign. That is not the case for the Republican nominee,” Carney said.

NBC’s Frank Thorp and Kelly O’Donnell contributed reporting.

NBC News has obtained a list of talking points being distributed to the offices of House Republicans by Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) office in preparation of the Supreme Court's ruling on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law.

The list sheds some light on how Republicans plan to react in the event that the Supreme Court strikes down the entire law, or just pieces of it.  According to a GOP aide, Speaker Boehner discussed these talking points during the GOP conference meeting this morning.

The talking points say that Republicans will not introduce a massive package to replace the entire law if the Supreme Court strikes it down, but instead will "enact common-sense, step-by-step reforms" in its place. 

Republicans use the mantra "Repeal and Replace" when talking about Obama's health care law, but have yet to introduce any real legislation to take it's place in the event the law were to be struck down.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TALKING POINTS:

- Unless the Court throws out the entire law, we need to repeal what is left of ObamaCare and enact common-sense, step-by-step reforms that protect Americans' access to the care they need, from the doctor they choose, at a lower cost.

- Republicans will not repeat the Democrats' mistakes. We won't rush to pass a massive bill the American people don't support.

FULL LIST OF TALKING POINTS:

TALKING POINTS: WHAT WILL REPUBLICANS DO IF THE U.S. SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN ALL OR PART OF THE PRESIDENT'S HEALTH CARE LAW?

·    The president's health care law is making things worse -- driving up health costs and making it harder for small businesses to hire workers.  The only way to change this is by repealing ObamaCare in its entirety.

·    Unless the Court throws out the entire law, we need to repeal what is left of ObamaCare and enact common-sense, step-by-step reforms that protect Americans' access to the care they need, from the doctor they choose, at a lower cost.

·    Republicans will not repeat the Democrats' mistakes.  We won't rush to pass a massive bill the American people don't support. 

·    Health care coverage has become too expensive for too many people.  The number-one health care concern of families and small business is the cost of health care, and Republicans' health care reforms will lower costs.

·    Women make approximately 80 percent of the health care decisions made for their families.  Republican health care reforms will ensure families and doctors make health care decisions -- not Washington.  

·    We want families to be able to make their own choices in health care, visit the doctor of their choosing, and receive the health care they and their doctor feel is best.  Those decisions shouldn't be made by Washington.

Darren Hauck / Reuters

Scott Walker embraces his family as he celebrates his victory in the recall election against Democratic challenger and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in Waukesha, Wis., on June 5, 2012.

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's resounding victory over political foes who had sought his removal from office cemented the ascendancy of a new class of Republicans whose political style was forged in the Badger State.

Walker survived an effort led by Democrats and labor unions to oust him by way of a popular recall; an effort first initiated after the governor pursued legislation stripping organized labor of their collective bargaining rights in the very birthplace of those unions.

The campaign drew national headlines because of its implications for unions, but the stakes were equally high for a new generation of reform-minded conservatives. Walker and Rep. Paul Ryan, also of Wisconsin, represent the vanguard of this wave of Republicans, underscoring the extent to which the state has become a deep bench for emerging GOP leaders.

First Read: Walker wins and labor loses

"We're a state that's produced a lot of great leaders, Paul and Scott being good examples of those," said Ray Boland, a former state veterans affairs official in Wisconsin in attendance at a Walker campaign event on Monday. Boland is hoping to join this class of Republicans this fall; he's running for Congress as a Republican against veteran Democratic Rep. Ron Kind.

Wisconsin has produced some of the GOP's most visible leaders in recent years — Walker, Ryan and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. This troika all grew up in the state's southeast corner, and cut their political teeth in the post-Reagan era of the GOP.

They're unified not just by common roots, but a similar approach to politics.

This generation of Republicans, Priebus said last week in an interview with NBCPolitics.com, are "down-to-earth relatable people that, if they have to grab a weapon and run up the hill, they will."

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Reince Priebus introduces Mitt Romney during the Republican National Committee State Chairman's National Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., April 20, 2012.

Walker and Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, have fashioned themselves as earnest politicians who profess an interest in accomplishments over their own political careers. (Nevermind the fact that each has long been involved in state and federal politics.)

"Tonight, we tell Wisconsin, we tell our country and we tell people all across the globe that voters really do want leaders who stand up and make the tough decisions," Walker said Tuesday.

To be sure, these Republicans have attracted intense support and opposition. Ryan and Walker don't adopt the most strident rhetoric, relative to many other conservatives. But their aw-shucks approach to politics belies the exceptionally aggressive reforms they're willing to pursue in hopes of cutting deficits.

Walker emerges victorious in Wisconsin recall

"It’s an earnestness: here’s what I believe, here’s why I believe it, here’s what I think is the right thing to do, and if you elect me, I’ll go do this," Ryan said in an interview with NBCPolitics.com. "And then you get elected and do it. It’s that simple; it’s liberating."

That message has particular traction during this age of austerity, when concern about mounting public debt has become one of the top political issues.

Ryan's "Path to Prosperity" is an audacious budget that calls for major changes to Medicare and Social Security. Walker's effort to curb public employee unions' collective bargaining rights earned him the headache of Tuesday's recall election.

These Republicans are lightning rods, but because of their deeds, rather than their words.

It's also why presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has tried to tap into this kind of Wisconsin-style politics in mounting his own campaign versus President Obama. Ryan is rumored to be on the short list of candidates to round out the GOP ticket, in no small part because it would double-down on this frank genre of politics.

(The Wisconsin congressman wouldn't even entertain a question about the vice presidency.)

The Wisconsin way has also fueled Republican hopes of winning the state in the Electoral College this fall. The state has voted Democratic in recent presidential elections, and still appears to lean in that direction: President Barack Obama led Romney by 9 percent in exit polling from Tuesday's recall.

"We hear the same thing every four years," said a longtime Democratic operative in the state. "I think right now, given all the polling that's been done, Obama has a slight advantage here. But I think history suggests they'll be close races, and hard-fought."

And if Romney does win in Wisconsin, it might be difficult to parse out a broader implication for Obama. After all, Republicans' efforts to fight off recalls for the better part of the past 15 months has meant they've built a vaunted voter mobilization machine unparalleled in any other state.

"He is competitive," Ryan said of Romney's hopes in the state this fall. "And I think he’s going to win."

"How many times do we need to win before people start to believe that we can win in Wisconsin as conservatives?" asked Priebus.

He gleefully added at Walker's election night party on Tuesday evening: ""The message [to Obama] is we can't wait for you to get into Wisconsin and test the water."

With the labor movement reeling from the result of Tuesday's recall election in Wisconsin, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka sought to downplay the significance of Gov. Scott Walker's victory over a union-driven effort to unseat him. 

Trumka, the leader of one of the nation's largest labor groups, dismissed the notion that unions might look back upon their unsuccessful campaign against Walker with regret.

"We didn't decide on this recall. It was the workers in Wisconsin and the voters in Wisconsin who did," he said on a conference call with reporters. "Hell, I don't know if we'd do anything differently."

First Thoughts: Walker wins and labor loses

The AFL-CIO president highlighted instead two mitigating factors from Tuesday's recall, in which Walker beat out Democratic opponent Tom Barrett by 7 percentage points. 

Trumka pointed to Walker's sizable advantage in spending between his own campaign and allies who flooded the airwaves in Wisconsin. Trumka also stressed the recall of a Republican state senator, which flipped control of that chamber from Republicans to Democrats. 

"This isn't the crystal ball that predicts the future; this is a very unique circumstance," he said.

The AFL-CIO also circulated a poll of union members who voted on Tuesday that reflected strong support for collective bargaining rights and generally stingy opposition to Walker. 

Trumka noted — to his chagrin — that much of the debate during the closing weeks of the Walker-Barrett campaign had shifted away from the initial debate over organized labor.

The whole effort to recall Walker was prompted by the governor's pursuit of a controversial state law stripping public sector workers of that privilege. 

Walker emerges victorious in Wisconsin recall

Wednesday's call was just the opening wave of postmortems associated with the recall, and the effort by groups with a stake in the race to spin (favorably or unfavorably) the outcome. 

One of the biggest open questions for proponents of the recall will be whether President Barack Obama could have done more to aid the Barrett campaign. 

"I think there's probably some mixed feelings," Trumka acknowledged of Obama's distance from the race, noting also that he wasn't interested in second-guessing the president's participation.

Walker wins and labor loses: If you’re going to try to kill the king, you better make sure you succeed… What helped Walker: Many didn’t think the recall was legitimate… Advice: Don’t put a lot of stock into the commentary that has November figured out after last night… Is the GOP’s message of economic optimism (in WI, OH, VA) helping Obama?... Looking at turnout and party ID… How the exit polls work… And breaking down some of last night’s other results.

Darren Hauck / Reuters

Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker waves as he celebrates his victory in the recall election against Democratic challenger and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in Waukesha, Wisconsin June 5, 2012.

*** Walker wins and labor loses: If you are going to try to kill the king, you better make sure you succeed. And last night in Wisconsin, organized labor and state Democrats -- who launched the recall against Gov. Scott Walker (R) -- didn’t come close to succeeding. With 99% of the vote in, Walker beat Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) by seven percentage points, 53%-46%, which was almost identical to the margin in their 2010 contest. While labor and state Democrats lost the legislative battle over collective bargaining last year, they had won the public-relations fight: Walker’s approval rating declined, and the political consensus was that the Wisconsin governor had overreached. But labor and its supporters went for the kill. First, they launched recalls against GOP state senators in 2011, picking up two seats but not enough to switch control of that chamber. And then they launched their recall against Walker and lost. (A small silver lining for them: They appear to have picked up another state Senate seat, thus flipping control.) They didn’t have the patience to wait until the November presidential election or until 2014 to exact their revenge. And they lost.

*** What helped Walker -- many didn’t think the recall was legitimate: Maybe the most important numbers in the exit poll from last night: Just 27% said recall elections are appropriate for any reason (and Barrett won those folks, 90%-9%). By comparison, 60% said that recalls are legitimate only for official misconduct (and Walker won them, 68%-31%), while another 10% said recalls are never appropriate (and Walker won here, 94%-5%). Bottom line: Walker benefited greatly from the fact that many Wisconsin voters didn’t think the premise of last night’s recall was legitimate. Indeed, 18% of those who said they’re supporting President Obama in November voted for Walker. Think about that for a second. What we’ve heard from some Democrats and labor folks is that they couldn’t wait; they couldn’t stop a train that was already moving. They tried to recall Walker because they could and they wanted revenge. In hindsight, it sure looks like it was a decision made in haste, like during a temper tantrum. But if they had seen the entire forest -- that there’s a higher standard for a recall, that Walker was going to have a sizable war chest, and that their nominee was going to have less than a month to run a general-election campaign, that they were NOT going to be able to recruit an elder statesman as their nominee (think Herb Kohl) -- would they have reconsidered?

*** What do last night’s results say about November? Well, Republicans saw some very good signs, especially when it comes to turnout. But the Obama White House and Chicago campaign headquarters can also take comfort that the exit poll shows Obama beating Romney by seven points, 51%-44%, and it even shows him slightly ahead of Romney on improving the economy, 42%-38%. In fact, the exit poll only validates the White House’s decision to stay away from the recall, especially given the numbers that didn’t think the recall was legitimate. We learned that a united Republican Party is going to beat a Democratic Party that wasn’t all-in in Wisconsin. But is that what it’s going to look like in November? Bottom line: Don’t put a lot of stock into the folks who think they have November figured out after last night. If anything, Wisconsin still looks a lot more Pennsylvania (a state floating between Lean Dem and Toss-up) than Iowa (which is a battleground where Obama has some work to do). That said, Chicago ought to realize -- if they didn’t before -- that this isn’t 2008. They are facing a Republican Party that is better financed and more organized than they’ve been since 2004. Team Obama may have a very good ground game, but it’s not OVERLY superior to the GOP’s right now.

*** Is the GOP’s message of economic optimism helping Obama? Here’s a related thought: Are the constant reminders by Walker and the Republican Governors Association that the economy has improved in Wisconsin helping Obama in that state? As we mentioned above, according to the exit poll, Obama narrowly beat Romney on the economy -- and we haven’t seen numbers like that nationally. Indeed, GOP governors in a handful of important battleground states (like Bob McDonnell in Virginia and John Kasich in Ohio) have touted the economic progress in their states. Does that optimistic message -- which is counter to the message Mitt Romney is campaigning on -- ultimately help Obama? That’s something to watch over the next five months…

*** Turnout and party ID: Turnout last night in Wisconsin was higher than 2010, but not quite at 2008 levels. Both Walker and Barrett got more votes than they each got in 2010. Here’s how it breaks down:

2012:  2,503,745 (Walker 1,331,076- Barrett 1,158,337)
2010: 2,160,832 (Walker 1,128,941- Barrett 1,004,303)
2008: 2,983,417 (Obama 1,677,211- McCain 1,262,393)

Meanwhile, note the party ID from last night’s exit poll: Dem 34%, GOP 35%, indie 31%. In 2008, that split was Dem 39%, GOP 33%, indie 29%. In 2010, it was Dem 37%, GOP 36%, indie 27%. And in 2004, per NBC’s Natalie Cucchiara, it was Dem 35%, GOP 38%, indie 27%. Bottom line: 2008 was an anomaly in Wisconsin, which explains why Wisconsin was so close in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.

*** How exit polls work: We saw plenty of commentary last night that because the initial exit polls were all over the place -- first showing a slight lead for Walker, then a 50%-50% race, and then a comfortable Walker lead -- they’re not to be trusted. But it’s important to point out that these exit polls get weighted throughout the night, and the current numbers are pretty good. Here’s how an exit poll works: Say you survey 50 key precincts, and you find out that “Republicans in Precinct 50 said this” or “Democrats in Precinct 35 said that.” What they said is true. But what you don’t know is how many Democrats or Republicans there actually were. But once you find that out, the data is weighted.  But the most important missing ingredient in last night’s exit polls was the lack of data on absentee voters. It appears the absentee turnout was higher than 15% -- a full five percentage points than previous estimates (or the 2010 race). And Republicans clearly did a lot better with absentees. The INITIAL findings of the exit poll (far too much of which goes public) was based ONLY on Election Day voters. The current poll has now been reweighted…

*** Last night’s other results: Elsewhere last night, Martin Heinrich easily beat Hector Balderas in New Mexico’s Dem SEN primary, and he’ll take on Heather Wilson in the fall… In New Jersey’s congressional member-vs.-member race, Bill Pascrell (backed by Bill Clinton) beat Steve Rothman (backed by Obama)… And in California, “birther” Orly Taitz failed to win the right to challenge Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) in the fall; Elizabeth Emken won that honor by finishing second in that “jungle primary.” 

*** Bill Clinton: Here we go again: The biggest non-election news last night was what Bill Clinton said about the Bush tax cuts in an interview on CNBC. Republicans made lots of hay out this story from the interview: “Former President Bill Clinton told CNBC Tuesday that the US economy already is in a recession and urged Congress to extend all the tax cuts due to expire at the end of the year.” But Clinton also said he opposed their permanent extension, as the GOP wants. Clinton’s office later put out a statement, saying that “he supported extending all of the cuts in 2010 as part of the budget agreement, but does not believe the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans should be extended again. In the interview, he simply said that he doubted that a long-term agreement on spending cuts and revenues would be reached until after the election.” 

Countdown to GOP convention: 82 days
Countdown to Dem convention: 89 days
Countdown to Election Day: 153 days

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*** Wednesday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) on surviving the recall and how he plans to govern now… Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) on the equal pay fight… Jesse Kelly, Republican nominee in Tuesday’s AZ-08 special election, on what his race against former Giffords aide Ron Barber is all about with six days to left… More 2012 headlines with NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, The Rothenberg Report/Roll Call’s Nathan Gonzales and the AP’s Kasie Hunt.

*** Wednesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey (D), National Education Assoc. President Dennis Van Roekel, National Journal’s Major Garrett, Salon.com’s Alex Seitz-Wald, GOP strategist Susan Del Percio, journalist & publisher Karen Hunter, and iVillage chief correspondent Kelly Wallace.

*** Wednesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts talks with Delaware Attorney Gen. Beau Biden, Ron Reagan, State Rep. Lena Taylor (D-WI), April Ryan, J.P. Freire, Richard Goodstein, “Kill or Capture” Author Daniel Klaidman.

*** Wednesday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, MSNBC Political Analyst Richard Wolffe, Rolling Stone Executive Editor Eric Bates, Abby Huntsman, Rolling Stone’s Ari Berman, and Dan Rather.

*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews former Gov. Haley Barbour, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), former Ambassador Theodore Kattouf, Ambassador Nicholas Burns, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Craig Gilbert.

*** Wednesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Daniel Bice, The Hill’s AB Stoddard, Michael Smerconish, the Wall Street Journal’s Mark Maremont, and Blues legend Buddy Guy.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Scott Walker on Tuesday became the first governor in the country's history to survive a recall election, besting his 2010 rival in a contest that broke spending records and captured the nation's attention.” And: “Public-sector unions are clear losers in Walker victory.”

Walker won 53-46%.

Turnout last night in Wisconsin was higher than 2010, but not quite at 2008 levels. Both Walker and Barrett got more votes than they each got in 2010.

Here’s how it breaks down:

2012:  2,503,745 (Walker 1,331,076- Barrett 1,158,337)
2010: 2,160,832 (Walker 1,128,941- Barrett 1,004,303)
2008: 2,983,417 (Obama 1,677,211- McCain 1,262,393)

Wisconsin State Journal: “Control of the state Senate appeared to have been wrested from Republican control early Wednesday as late results showed former state Sen. John Lehman beating incumbent Sen. Van Wanggaard by less than 1,000 votes.” More: Though taking control of the Senate is a huge moral victory for the Democrats, they won't be able to do much with it, at least for a while. The Legislature isn't scheduled to convene again until January, and Democrats will have to defend their majority in November's elections. But Democrats will be able to block any Republican legislation should Walker call for a special session of the Legislature.”

“The governor quieted the rowdy crowd when he mentioned his opponent, Barrett, striking a note of unity,” the Wisconsin State Journal writes. “‘No, no, the election is over,’ he said. ‘It is time to move the state forward. Tomorrow we are no longer opponents. Tomorrow we are one as Wisconsinites.’ Walker said one of the first things he would do following his win is meet with his cabinet and discuss the moves needed to move the state forward. The governor also said he planned to invite the Legislature to a sort of ‘brat summit’ at which they can begin making peace with one another. Walker did not provide details on such a meeting.”

Some front pages:

New York Times: “Governor wins Wisconsin vote in recall drive: Setback for Democrats.”
Wall Street Journal: “Recall bid fails in Wisconsin: Gov. Scott Walker win caps fiery battle, deals public-sector unions a blow.”
Chicago Tribune: “Walker survives Wisconsin recall.”
Chicago Sun-Times (over a photo of President Obama): “Beyond recall: Wisconsin’s mixed message.”
Indianapolis Star: “Indiana await recall fallout: Wisconsin vote was viewed as referendum on labor rights.”
Minneapolis Star Tribune: “Wisconsin governor survives recall vote: GOP is looking for a carryover into the presidential race.”

And why did a woman slap Tom Barrett in the face at his concession rally?

“Republican Gov. Scott Walker survived Tuesday’s recall effort in Wisconsin, devastating Democrats and labor unions after a bitter battle closely watched by the White House,” the New York Daily News writes, adding, “Exit polls Tuesday showed Obama doing well in Wisconsin. But Walker’s victory puts Wisconsin — which has gone for Democrats since 1984 — into play on Election Day and could force the President to devote precious resources to defending the state.”

Obama led Romney 51%-44% in the exit poll, and while Obama won Wisconsin by 14 points in 2008, it was the closest state of the 2004 election, with just 0.38 percentage points separating Kerry and Bush. Al Gore won it by just 0.22 percentage points, or 5,700 votes. Clinton, in a 1996 landslide, won it by 10, and by about 4 points in 1992, the same margin as Dukakis in 1988. Reagan won it by nine in 1984.

“President Barack Obama is launching a two-day campaign fundraising swing in California,” AP notes. “The president will start Wednesday's crusade for cash with two events in San Francisco, followed by a pair of appeals in Los Angeles. Among the evening events is a gala for gay and lesbian supporters where tickets cost up to $25,000 per couple.”

The president is up seven points in a new Pew poll, 49-42%, but economic perceptions have grown more negative.

And in Pennsylvania, he leads Romney by 12 points, 48%-36%, per a Franklin & Marshall College poll.

“Republican Gov. Scott Walker survived Tuesday’s recall effort in Wisconsin, devastating Democrats and labor unions after a bitter battle closely watched by the White House,” the New York Daily News writes, adding, “Exit polls Tuesday showed Obama doing well in Wisconsin. But Walker’s victory puts Wisconsin — which has gone for Democrats since 1984 — into play on Election Day and could force the President to devote precious resources to defending the state.”

Obama led Romney 51%-44% in the exit poll, and while Obama won Wisconsin by 14 points in 2008, it was the closest state of the 2004 election, with just 0.38 percentage points separating Kerry and Bush. Al Gore won it by just 0.22 percentage points, or 5,700 votes. Clinton, in a 1996 landslide, won it by 10, and by about 4 points in 1992, the same margin as Dukakis in 1988. Reagan won it by nine in 1984.

“President Barack Obama is launching a two-day campaign fundraising swing in California,” AP notes. “The president will start Wednesday's crusade for cash with two events in San Francisco, followed by a pair of appeals in Los Angeles. Among the evening events is a gala for gay and lesbian supporters where tickets cost up to $25,000 per couple.”

The president is up seven points in a new Pew poll, 49-42%, but economic perceptions have grown more negative.

And in Pennsylvania, he leads Romney by 12 points, 48%-36%, per a Franklin & Marshall College poll.

“Republican Gov. Scott Walker's recall victory in Wisconsin sets the stage for what's now expected to be a hard-fought presidential battle for this Midwestern state,” the AP writes. “The Republican's solid victory served as a warning for President Barack Obama about the potential hurdles he faces as he fights to hang onto a traditionally Democratic battleground he won comfortably in 2008. And, at least for now, it gave presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney a reason to feel optimistic about his chances of winning a state that has voted for the Democratic nominee in the past six elections.”

More: “Obama's team, which has been on the ground organizing but hasn't spent money on advertising for months, signaled this week that it believed the state had grown more competitive. In May, campaign manager Jim Messina had said Wisconsin was trending toward the president. By Monday, he was listing Wisconsin as ‘undecided.’”

“Mitt Romney said in a newspaper interview that he believes President Obama is holding onto the government's stake in General Motors to "avoid an embarrassing financial loss" before Election Day,” USA Today writes. “In an interview with The Detroit News, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee vowed to quickly sever ties between the U.S. government and GM, which was bailed out with about $50 billion in taxpayer funding. ‘The president is delaying the sale of the shares to try and avoid the story that the taxpayer took another loss. I would get the company independent from the government and run for the interests of the consumer and the enterprise and its workers -- not for the political considerations of government officials,’ Romney said.”

But: “He told The News that Democrats are "distorting" his stance on the auto bailout, which also provided assistance to Chrysler. ‘If they needed help coming out of bankruptcy and government support, that was fine, but I was not in favor of the government writing billions of dollars in checks prior to them going into bankruptcy,’ Romney said in the interview.”

Was Mitt Romney’s email hacked?

GOP 12’s Heinze: “We've been seeing a more confrontational and combative general election strategy from Mitt Romney than first expected -- one that's less politically safe and measured. So that begs the question: Will he still go for the ‘safe’ guy who's mild-mannered (Rob Portman) or will he unexpectedly turn to someone like Chris Christie?”

MCDONNELL: His job approval is at 53%-30%, per Quinnipiac.

MASSACHUSETTS: Mark your calendars… “Elizabeth Warren said Tuesday she will participate in four televised debates with Senator Scott Brown and has already agreed to two, one with a consortium of media outlets in Springfield and one on WBZ-TV in Boston,” the Boston Globe writes. “Brown, who had agreed to participate in the WBZ-TV debate, responded to Warren’s statement by agreeing to participate in the Springfield debate, as well. He also urged Warren to join him in two radio debates.”

NEW JERSEY: As expected Bill Pascrell (Clinton endorsed) defeated Steve Rothman (Obama endorsed) in the Democratic House primary in North Jersey.

VIRGINIA: Quinnipiac continues to find no daylight between Tim Kaine (D) and George Allen (R), with the two locked in a 44-43% dead heat, with Kaine leading ever so slightly.