TheDC Morning: Occupy the GOP?

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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1.) Republican adopting the language of Occupy Wall Street?  — In a campaign strategy she really ought to take a moment to reconsider, the Republican opponent of California Sen. Diane Feinstein, Elizabeth Emken, is adopting the language of Occupy Wall Street. TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:

“Emken previewed some of her attacks on Feinstein in her interview with TheDC, for one, taking on Feinstein for her wealth, which Emken suggests makes her unable to empathize with the plight of the many Californians who are suffering financially. ‘Ironically, if you look at Dianne Feinstein’s profile and you look at my profile, I’m the 99 percent,’ Emken said. ‘Dianne Feinstein’s the one percent. She appeals to one percent. I appeal to everyone who understands what it is to have kids in school, have a mortgage, to work for a living; to have someone in their family or in their life who is less-abled and who is going to need help from the government.’”

The strategy seems a bit bizarre for a Republican, but if Emken is right about the percentages, she is headed for a landslide victory of Saddam Hussein proportions.

2.) Bill Ayers likes Obama … and Nixon? — During a surreal dinner TheDC had with former Weather Underground terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn Sunday evening, Ayers suggested that Richard Nixon, whose foreign policy so enraged him that he launched an underground terrorist campaign against U.S. targets, might have been a nice guy after all. TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein (ME!) reports:

“In a September 2011 interview, Ayers called President Obama a ‘decent, compassionate, lovely person.’ These comments came after President Obama had drastically increased drone attacks in Pakistan, ordered a dramatic increase of troops to Afghanistan, launched a war to overthrow Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi and authorized the extrajudicial killing of an American citizen abroad. Given Ayers’political history, TheDC asked how he could speak so approvingly of the current president when he, Ayers, had personally launched a terrorist bombing campaign to protest Richard Nixon’s foreign interventions. ‘Nixon probably was a nice guy,’ Ayers replied, pointing out that the Nixon administration instituted many policies that in retrospect seem far more liberal than conservative.”The acid test is whether Ayers thinks Nixon may have been as swell as even Ho Chi Minh.

3.) Americans put Iran on notice  — Americans believe the United States should be willing to use military force to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and that the U.S. should stand by Israel should it launch an operation to protect itself from potentially being wiped off the map. TheDC’s Steven Nelson reports:

“In a Rasmussen poll released Monday, 48 percent of respondents said they would want the United States to assist Israel if it choses to unilaterally attack Iran. A poll conducted by The Hill found that 49 percent believe the U.S. should be willing to use military force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Only 31 percent disagreed.”
4.) Machine gun Romney sets sights on Santorum — With polls showing that Rick Santorum poses stiffer competition to Mitt Romney than Newt Gingrich in Tuesday’s primaries in Minnesota and Missouri, the Romney campaign is changing their focus from the former House speaker to the former Pennsylvania senator. TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:”The Romney campaign seems aware of the challenge and blasted out three emails Monday morning going after Santorum’s record. One attacks Santorum for ‘false attacks on Massachusetts health care;’ a second is a statement from former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, a Romney endorser, calling Santorum ‘an ardent defender of pork-barrel spending;’ and a third announces a press conference that Pawlenty is holding to talk about Santorum’s ‘long history of pork-barrel spending.'”

In a fourth ad to run if Santorum wins the states, Romney will portray Santorum as a puppy-kicking Satan worshiper who, most alarmingly, hates Seinfeld.

5.) Poll of the Day!  — Washington Post/ABC News poll on popularity of the tea party: Strongly Support 12%, Somewhat Support 31%, Somewhat Oppose 20%, Strongly Oppose 25%, No Opinion 12%.

6.) BIRTHDAYS!  — Man of All Seasons Thomas More turns 534 (h/t his head); Plow king John Deere turns 208; John McCain’s mother Roberta McCain turns 100; funny man Chris Rock turns 47.