Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA)
- Bob McDonnell has served as the governor of Virginia since 2010 and is currently chairman of the Republican Governors Association and chair of the Republican Party's platform committee. He previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates and as the state's Attorney General.
- McDonnell will be one of six headliners who will speak at the Republican National Convention next week in Tampa, Fla. He was also one of the names mentioned as a potentional running mate for Mitt Romney.
- McDonnell is now campaiging for the Romney-Ryan ticket. In a USA TODAY editorial this week, McDonnell wrote that President Obama has used television advertisements for the character assassination of Romney. "There is a world of difference between ads that are sheer character assassination and those that passionately engage differences on the issues."
Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-MD)
- Martin O'Malley has been in office as the governor of Maryland since 2007 and is in his second term as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. O'Malley has been in the news recently in his state where he recently signed legislation expanding gambling in Maryland.
- O'Malley is been an active surrogate for President Obama this election season travelling the country campaigning for the president and questioning Mitt Romney's policies and record as he did when addressing Louisiana Democrats this month.
- There is speculation that O'Malley is planning to run for national office in 2016 stemming from his launch of a federal political action committee, the O Say Can You See PAC.
Roundtable: Todd, Reed, Cruz, Dionne, Noonan
- Chuck Todd is NBC's Political Director anad Chief White House Corresprondent. In Friday's First Read NBC's Political Unit wrote that the Ryan pick has has "given the Romney campaign a shot of energy," but the pick has also "marked the most negative turn in the campaign so far" with language from both campaigns and with President Obama's TV ad on Medicare. political fight dominated by one thing medicare
- Democratic Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has been in office since 2010 and serves as the Chairman of the Transportation and Communications Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Reed was named as one of the top state and local government officials in 2011 by Governing Magazine.
- Ted Cruz is the Tea Party-backed Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Texas. Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, recently won a runoff election for the GOP nomination and is a favorite to win the seat. Cruz's Senate run is his first political run for office; he was previously the Texas solicitor general.
- This week, Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne wrote about what the reality of having Paul Ryan on the ticket means for the GOP, from owning Ryan's Medicare proposal to fears that Democrats will "Ryanize" the entire party. The debate over the role of government is usually abstract, but with Ryan as Romney's running mate "this year’s debate will be anything but abstract."
- Peggy Noonan, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, focused her column this week on the circumstances of this election and why Republicans have to focus the campaign with that in mind. With people fearful of cuts Republicans have to convince voters "they're trying to save Medicare, not kill it, that they're the lifeguard, not the shark."
Follow these guests on Twitter:
- Bob McDonnell: @bobmcdonnell
- Martin O'Malley: @GovernorOMalley
- Chuck Todd: @chucktodd
- Kasim Reed: @KasimReed
- Ted Cruz: @tedcruz
- EJ Dionne: @EJDionne
- Peggy Noonan: @Peggynoonannyc
Leave a Comment:
What about Nursing Home Care? We have all heard a great deal about Medicare but not much about the proposed changes to Medicaid which covers the cost of Nursing Home Care. Block Grants will not work, what happens when the block grant money run out? No one is talking about that yet!
Ask: Governor Mc Donnell, Does he beliveve in Freedom for all, or the Freedoms that the Republicans want you to have?
David Gregory you are gaining the reputation of the lightweight for the simple reason you do not ever hold a guest to actually answer the question you are asking. Do not let your show be the place for people to come and tell you what the talking point is. Everyone already knows the talking points. Be a reporter and get an answer to your question. Please provide your viewers with new information. Demand an answer to simple questions. Sometimes the answer is yes or no. In the heat of a campaign please don't be the softball field. We all need real answers and we're not getting them here.
Grossed out with Noonan's condescending "fleshy" remark about our esteemed Vice President, Joe Biden. I am offended ! Joe Biden runs circles around every Republican's empty, repetitive talking points. He certainly does not appear to be "fleshy" from this citizen's perspecive.
That Ted Cruz doesn't know what leadership is, he spreads lies about medicare and does not give credit to the Democrates for anything, he will only spread more bipartisanship and hurt the poor, so he is in the right party. The party that gave Obama the worst economy ever and now want to be trusted with our medicare and social security and yet do not want to raise taxes on the super rich. I love Joe Biden if there is someone that has a right to say that they will out us back in chains it is Joe he is vice president to the first African american president, whose ancestors probably helped build the white house. They don't care about slavery and just want to divide the minority vote, but it won't work. Give Obama another four years so he can continue to clean up the Republican mess!
Peggy Noonan needs a regal diamond and ruby encrusted Royal Velvet Crown ...
The right wing and the tea party are very selfish people who care only about themselves-period. It always surprises me how uninformed they really are-or they know the truth but lie anyways because it works for them. It is disgusting. I believe Biden's comments were true-the republicans want everyone in shackles so they can rule the world, stomp on the poor and get richer. Do you think Paul Ryan really cares about medicare?
I am a Republican and I fearfully admit that Mr. Cruz seems way out of his league for national office. His spin to Biden rather than answer the question at hand, twice, was cowardly and made him appear to be a fool. Even Ms. Noonan appeared to be cringing, no doubt, as she faced in person the stark reality of the type of substance-less, slogan brandishing, Palin-Koch, candidates that continue to go far right and quell the voices of traditional republicans like she and I both. When will conservative voices begin to challenge this sort of, bomb throwing, idealogical zealots that are hijacking the party. How can I respect these voices and representatives who won't even stand up to radicals on their own side of the aisle. If radical leftists, on the fringe, threatened to abduct the democratic platform in an election year, I have no doubt, the president would have to publicly disavow such nonsense publicly or die politically and loose the election. Why does my party cower from an energized and misinformed fraction of their base? Miss Noonan, where is your courage? Why is my party afraid to take the truth to it's own constituancy?
I can understand why voters are disillusioned with our politics when the media in which we depend to be the arbiter of truth allows politicians to come on shows such as Meet the Press and avoid answering questions. David Gregory asked a specific question for Gov. McDonnell and he shifted his response to start talking about other issues not related to the question. After the Gov's response, David pivoted to the next topic. When we as voters get at least the answers to the questions you ask we might be able to vote based on information not based on a masquerade. One definition of a politician:One who seeks personal or partisan gain, often by scheming and maneuvering. If we can't get you to hold these guys accountable based on what you know they are up to, the general public will continue to be ignorant.