ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



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Liberals press Reid on public option

Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009 10:27 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: , ,

From NBC's Mark Murray
The liberal group Progressive Change Campaign Committee is airing a new TV ad in Nevada, which urges Harry Reid to support a public option in the health-care negotiations. The ad asks: "Is Harry Reid strong enough?"

As Senate majority leader, Reid is tasked with forging together the Senate Finance Committee health-care bill (which doesn't contain a public option) and the Senate HELP Committee bill (which does). Today's New York Times writes that Reid "could choose to leave more contentious elements out of the measure he brings to the floor and allow backers of the public option, for instance, to try to add it through an amendment. If they can assemble the necessary votes, it would be a triumph; if they lose, they would have had their chance."

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McDonnell hits back in new TV ads

Posted: Friday, September 25, 2009 12:24 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Mark Murray
Social issues -- especially the fallout over Bob McDonnell's (R) 20-year-old graduate thesis -- continue to dominate the race for Virginia governor. Consider the two new TV ads McDonnell is airing.

The first blasts opponent Creigh Deeds (D) for running a "dishonest attacks" against McDonnell.

The other one features McDonnell's daughter Jeanine, who served in Iraq, to counter the criticism the Republican has received for writing in that 1989 thesis that working women and feminism were "detrimental" to the family.

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New Deeds ad targets McDonnell thesis

Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 1:01 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Mark Murray, Bobby Cervantes, and Ali Weinberg
As Virginia's gubernatorial contest has tightened, according to a new Washington Post poll, the Deeds campaign (D) -- for the first time -- is airing a new TV ad explicitly targeting Bob McDonnell's (R) controversial graduate thesis. It's one of three new advertisements the campaign is running in markets across the state, including pivotal Northern Virginia.

"Virginians are asking lots of questions about Bob McDonnell's thesis," a narrator says in the ad. "How old was he when he wrote it? McDonnell was 34, married." It also refers to the school where McDonnell wrote the thesis, what is now known as Regent University, as "Pat Robertson's law school."

The ad continues, "And what did the thesis say about women? A lot ... abortion should be outlawed and birth control should be restricted -- even for married adults."

Another Deeds TV ad focuses more on his record (on abortion and birth control), with women speaking to the camera. One asks, "Why did you vote that way?"

In a conference call with reporters, Deeds senior adviser Mo Elleithee noted that more than half of Virginia voters -- 54% -- have heard little or nothing about McDonnell's thesis. "I think that puts us in a very strong position," he said. "There's still a lot of education to do. Among those who are educated on the issue, there's significant movement."

Elleithee added, “More and more people are finding Bob McDonnell too conservative,” and that McDonnell has “done everything in his power to hide… his conservative agenda. His efforts to appear moderate are falling flat.”

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DNC trying to fire up the up base

Posted: Friday, September 18, 2009 12:45 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Mark Murray
The Democratic National Committee is up with a new one-minute TV ad featuring President Obama firing up his audience -- "Fired up, ready to go" -- at yesterday's health-care rally in Maryland.

According to Salon's Mike Madden, who first reported on this TV advertisement, the ad will air on national cable and in the DC area, as well as on 40 liberal blogs.

The ad coincides with the DNC's new “Call’em Out” campaign, which is says is intended “to set the record straight on GOP lies, scare tactics and mistruths on health insurance reform and other issues.” The campaign's first target: Minnesota GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

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MoveOn TV ad targets Republicans

Posted: Thursday, September 17, 2009 2:45 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Mark Murray
MoveOn says it will begin airing TV ads -- at a sizable buy -- targeting two Republican congressmen, Pat Tiberi of Ohio and Dave Reichert of Washington state.

Here's one of the ads:

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Deeds airs TV ad in NOVA

Posted: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 11:01 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Mark Murray
Speaking of TV ads... In his first ad of the general election airing in the pricey Northern Virginia media market, Creigh Deeds (D) has a new spot on the issue of education.

Meanwhile, Bob McDonnell's (R) campaign is focusing on the economy, issuing this release...

McDonnell: Endorsed by Virginia's Small Business Owners; Voted for over $2billion in Tax Cuts; Carried Legislation to Kill Death Tax
Deeds: Endorsed by Teamsters, SEIU and AFL-CIO; Voted for over $3.5billion in Tax Hikes in last 5 Years; Richmond's Biggest Spender

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Here's another health care TV ad

Posted: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 10:20 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:

From NBC's Mark Murray
With Congress back in session and back working on health care, the strange-bedfellows group -- consisting of SEIU, the American Medical Association, PhRMA, Families USA, and the Federation of American hospitals -- has a new TV ad trying to debunk some of the misinformation in the health-care debate.

The one-minute ad by the group Americans for Stable Quality Care will air in Indiana, Maine, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Colorado, Florida, Alaska, Iowa, Montana Nevada and South Dakota, as well as on cable and DC broadcast.

The ad is part of Americans for Stable Quality Care's $12 million buy it announced last month.

 

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Deeds camp airs radio ad on thesis

Posted: Thursday, September 03, 2009 1:42 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Mark Murray
In the race for Virginia governor, Creigh Deeds (D) is now airing a tough radio ad in Virginia that seizes on Bob McDonnell's (R) 1989 graduate-student thesis at what is now Regent University.

Here's the script...
Female: You startin' to follow this Governor's race in Virginia?
Male: You mean Bob McDonnell and his plans to take us back to the dark ages?
F: That's McDonnell – he opposes a woman's right to choose even in cases of rape and incest.
M: And that Washington Post story about the thesis he wrote at CBN University…
F: …Pat Robertson’s Law School ?
M: Yep, it's Bob McDonnell’s “blueprint” to implement HIS OWN social agenda...
F: …and he wasn't just a kid when he wrote it -- McDonnell was 34 years old, married, and months away from serving in the legislature.
M: I know, and the really scary part, is the Post said McDonnell has aggressively pursued over 10 proposals from his thesis as a legislator.
F: He said day care is a bad idea because it encourages women to work...no birth control for married adults...and opposed equal pay for women...
M: Those are protections even Fortune 500 companies give their employees.
F: There’s just too much at stake...we can’t afford to let Bob McDonnell take us back.
CD: I’m Creigh Deeds, candidate for Governor, and my campaign sponsored this ad.

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Even more TV ads on health care

Posted: Friday, August 21, 2009 10:53 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:

From NBC's Mark Murray
Here's a new TV ad (airing on national and DC cable next week) from the left-leaning Americans United for Change that seizes on the "death panels" myth.

And here is a new ad the National Republican Congressional Committee is running against Democratic Reps. Michael Arcuri (NY) and Zack Space (OH). The ad refers to Obama's and Pelosi's "risky experiment" on health care, arguing that it will include "massive cuts" to Medicare.

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Opponents to greet Obama with ads

Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 3:42 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: , , ,

From NBC's Mark Murray
One group opposing President Obama's health-care plans, Conservatives for Patient Rights, says it will be running print and TV ads greeting him when he visits Montana tomorrow and Colorado on Saturday.

Here's the print ad. And below is the TV one. They criticize the public/government option to compete against private insurers.

Conservatives for Patient Rights is headed by Rick Scott, who was ousted as the head of Columbia/HCA over fraud charges. As the Washington Post reports, Columbia/HCA eventually pleaded guilty for overcharging state and federal health plans, paying $1.7 BILLION in fines.

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