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By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, aburns@politico.com)


POPPING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE - CHARACTER WITNESS: Vice President Joe Biden predicted last night that the 2012 campaign will be about "strength and leadership," and declared that the killing of Osama bin Laden had caused the American people to take a "second look" at the Obama administration. "We have a leader with a backbone like a ramrod and now - now - the real Barack Obama, the president who inherited the most god-awful circumstance any president has inherited, is coming into sharp focus," Biden told New Hampshire Democrats, calling the Bin Laden operation "the boldest decision ... any president has undertaken on a single event in modern history." MORE - Biden argued that the death of the terrorist leader had caused Americans to see even unpopular decisions, such as bailing out the banks, with "a longer lens, more perspective ... People are now beginning to take a second look at those incredibly difficult, but absolutely necessary decisions the president had to make the day we walked into the West Wing." Video from C-SPAN: http://cs.pn/m4nuOM


AND - KISS OF DEATH - From the AP: "Biden said plans like a proposal by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to overhaul Medicare will do nothing but gut services and programs to people who need them, while offering tax incentives to corporations. 'They pay for all of this eviscerating and eliminating all the initiatives middle class needs to grow,' he said. 'Even Newt (Gingrich) has seen the Lord.'" http://bit.ly/kBPrEr


LIFE AFTER NY-26 - "GOP moves to reset debate" - The Wall Street Journal: "House Republicans will seek to reset the economic-policy debate Thursday, offering a broad plan to boost jobs and growth by easing tax and regulatory burdens. The plan includes a 25% top tax rate on corporations and individuals, compared with the current 35%, as well as higher domestic-energy production, new curbs on government regulations and overhauls of U.S. patent and visa systems to help entrepreneurs and high-tech firms ... It could help the GOP change the political conversation after a stretch when Democrats scored points by highlighting the House GOP's controversial budget ... Democrats on Wednesday cheered a victory in a House special election in New York, where they believe the proposed GOP Medicare cuts were central." http://on.wsj.com/mthWxZ


THEY CALL THIS 'SPIKING THE FOOTBALL': DCCC Chairman Steve Israel and DSCC Chairwoman Patty Murray will hold a joint briefing with reporters today to talk about the New York special election and keep pressing their advantage on Medicare. Democrats have a confident new messenger in Rep.-elect Kathy Hochul, who took her successful campaign message to national television last night. "I can only speak for the people that voted for me yesterday," Hochul said on "John King, USA. "And I'll tell you, loud and clear, they're sending a message is they don't support a plan that would decimate Medicare as we know it, end it as we know it."


ABOUT THAT RYAN PLAN ... The Senate voted 57-40 to reject the House GOP's budget proposal, with a set of Republican defections signaling the trend in this debate. POLITICO's David Rogers: "In a tell-tale sign of trouble ahead, there were significantly more defections among GOP moderates than in a similar partisan show vote in March on an earlier House Republican budget initiative focused on discretionary spending cuts ... Maine's two Republicans, Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski-all of whom had been loyal in March. At the same time, the Medicare controversy made it impossible to win over any Democratic moderates." http://politi.co/itwDmu


As Mike Huckabee keeps endorsing, that Tiffany's story keeps unwinding and Sharron Angle advances in a different direction, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.


THE 2012 SCORE - TPAW WOOS D.C. - Former Minnesota Rep. Vin Weber and Pawlenty campaign manager Nick Ayers are ramping up their courtship of Beltway Republicans who are still uncommitted in the presidential race. The two Pawlenty boosters invited a group of DC influentials to a meeting earlier this week, in the wake of Pawlenty's campaign kickoff (it was originally set for last night, but is being rescheduled.) The invitation, via Jmart: "With Gov Tim Pawlenty, announcing his candidacy for President today, Vin Weber and Pawlenty Campaign Manager Nick Ayers would like to host a small dinner to bring you up to date on the campaign ... [W]e thought with today's announcement this would be a good time to get folks together."


WILD CARD - PALIN STIRS: Sarah Palin has purchased property in Arizona and rehired a pair of political advisers, and her aides say there's a fresh opening in the 2012 race for her possible entry. The New York Times: "Two people familiar with the details of the real estate transaction said that Ms. Palin and her husband, Todd, had bought a $1.7 million house in Scottsdale ... After dismissing two aides, Jason Recher and Doug McMarlin, who worked in the White House for President George W. Bush, she has recently rehired them." POLITICO'S Andy Barr: "The former governor's aides declined to speak to POLITICO about her thinking, but have acknowledged in discussions about the 2012 race that there is an opening for her and have said repeatedly that no other candidate's decision would affect her own. Palin's camp has ignored outside pressure to commit to running and is privately eying July as the last month they could enter the race, if the former governor wanted to throw the switch." http://nyti.ms/kH9Xu6 and http://politi.co/mpr0a6


BUT - ABOUT THAT MOVIE - BANG OR BUST? If Palin supporters are hoping to kick off a presidential run with the release of a documentary about her, locals in Iowa say they'll be disappointed. The Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs: "A flattering two-hour film about Sarah Palin will reportedly debut in Iowa ... But two owners of Iowa movie theaters said today they doubt it will be popular with movie-goers here. 'Typical political movies don't do two cents at the box office,' said Brian Fridley, a co-owner of R.L Fridley Theatres Inc., which has 22 locations and 89 screens in Iowa. 'No one cares but the Kool-Aid drinkers, whether they're on the right or the left.'" http://bit.ly/lcRQgO


IT KEEPS GOING AND GOING - "Gingrich wife worked for committee heavily lobbied by Tiffany" - The next shoe drops, courtesy of Jeff Stein: "At the same time Tiffany & Co. was extending Callista (Bisek) Gingrich a virtual interest-free loan of tens of thousands of dollars, the diamond and silverware firm was spending big bucks to influence mining policy in Congress and in agencies over which the House Agriculture Committee--where she worked--had jurisdiction, official records show ...Tiffany's annual lobbying expenditures rose from about $100,000 to $360,000 between 2005 and 2009 ... The Forest Service, which comes under the committee's jurisdiction, oversees mining, including silver mining, in federal forests. Silver, of course, is a big part of Tiffany & Co.'s business." http://bit.ly/m8mHZ0


ROMNEY RECRUITS IN ILLINOIS: Mitt Romney has chosen a campaign chairman in President Obama's home state, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Lynn Sweet reported that Illinois state Treasurer Dan Rutherford will take point on Romney's efforts there, just as the former Massachusetts governor heads to Chicago: "Mitt Romney--a 2012 GOP presidential hopeful-- hits Chicago on Thursday for a fund-raiser and an event at Gino's East ... Romney is making his first Chicago public splash since the Obama campaign opened its 2012 re-election headquarters in the Prudential Building, a few blocks from Gino's East." http://bit.ly/jfytys


DANIELS WON'T LOOK BACK: Despite entreaties from some of his supporters, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels will not reconsider his decision to skip the 2012 presidential campaign. ABC News: "Daniels told reporters after a financial summit in Washington, D.C., that he and his family have had no second thoughts about his decision to not enter the presidential race. 'Well they're not going to, and I know I haven't had any second thoughts,' Daniels said. Daniels viewed the current Republican field as adequate but said additional candidates could elevate the debate. 'The more the merrier, and if others get in, I think that's good,' he said ... 'If the field doesn't get any better, there are plenty of people there I think who could be quite excellent spokesmen for what needs doing.'" http://abcn.ws/iISXWm


HUCK FOR BRUNING: Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, aiming to stave off a Senate primary challenge from the right, got a boost Wednesday in the form of an endorsement from Mike Huckabee. The Lincoln Journal-Star: "'I know he has the conservative record and proven leadership that Nebraskans need in the United States Senate,' the former Arkansas governor and 2008 GOP presidential candidate said ... Meanwhile, RedState.com, a national conservative blog, announced its endorsement of state Treasurer Don Stenberg for the GOP Senate nomination." http://bit.ly/kF4D4s


RELATED - DRESNER WICKERS EXPANDS - The Republican consulting firm with close ties to both Huckabee and Bruning announced that it's adding two new partners: Carolyn Barber and Bryan Sanders. From the announcement: "Carolyn placed all of the television advertising for Governor Mike Huckabee's campaign for US President, including both national cable and local spot advertising in dozens of key states. Most recently she placed statewide media for Governor Robert Bentley of Alabama [and] Lt. Governor David Dewhurst of Texas ... Bryan Sanders ... was campaign manager for Governor Robert Bentley's successful campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor of Alabama. After the runoff, Bryan returned to his role with Bob Wickers as general consultant, media consultant and pollster for the Bentley Campaign."


ANGLE OUT - EXIT, STAGE RIGHT: Former Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle has dropped her bid for Congress, denouncing the 2nd District special election as an "illegitimate process that disenfranchises the electorate." The Review-Journal: "Her bowing out clears the way for two leading establishment Republicans -- state Sen. Greg Brower and former Nevada GOP chairman Mark Amodei ... Angle wasn't clear in her statement what her next move would be ... The former Reno assemblywoman suggested she was not done with pursuing political office, however. 'Although I do not intend to participate as a candidate in the special election, I am not ruling out a future run for office,' she said." http://bit.ly/lSNr3Y


CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Step by step, we're proving the value of the party." - New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox, defending his performance during the NY-26 election http://politi.co/mxfLrT

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