Rasmussen:

Fifty-three percent (53%) approve of Pawlenty’s job performance, including 28% who Strongly Approve, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Minnesota voters. Forty-six percent (46%) don’t approve of the Republican governor, with 26% who Strongly Disapprove.

The governor’s approval ratings are largely unchanged from two months ago.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates also available on Twitter.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of the state’s voters now say it is at least somewhat likely that Pawlenty will run for president, including 17% who say it’s Very Likely he will do so. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say the governor is not very or not at all likely to seek the White House.

But just 37% say Pawlenty is even somewhat likely to win the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. Only seven percent (7%) say it’s Very Likely. For 55%, it’s not likely that their governor will be the party’s standard-bearer.

Minnesota Republicans are more hopeful. Fifty-three percent (53%) say the governor is at least somewhat likely to be the party’s presidential nominee.

In March, 61% of Minnesota voters said Pawlenty should not run for the presidency.

CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has rolled out a succession of endorsements from national Republicans since announcing his entrance into the 2010 Senate race.

Now his Republican primary rival, former Florida House speaker Marco Rubio, has a national endorsement of his own from a conservative heavyweight: Mike Huckabee.

The former Arkansas governor will formally endorse Rubio in about two weeks, according to a Florida Republican familiar with the plans. The details of where the endorsement will take place have not been decided.

Rubio endorsed Huckabee’s presidential bid in late 2007.

Benjamin Hodge at Race42012.com:

Remember how a good number of Americans were/are convinced that Barack Obama would be a more fiscally-responsible president, and a lower-taxing president, than John McCain?

If Democrats appear to the right of Republicans on basic GOP issues (national defense, taxes, the courts), Republicans don’t have a chance.  And you can bet that Gov. Charlie Crist just peeled off at least 2-3% from his margin of victory in a general election, by doing two things for which he will be attacked by the Democratic Party:  raising taxes and going against his no-new-tax pledge.

If there are details or intracacies here that I’m missing, please let me know.  From what I understand at this moment, this is not a difficult situation that Crist is in, with regard to whether or not he should sign or veto the tax increase.  This was not good policy, nor was it a good political move; if Crist is expecting Democrats to reward him for his pragmatism, then he will be disappointed.

From Club for Growth:

Charlie Crist: As Good as His Word

Washington - Times are tough in Florida, but not for Governor Charlie Crist. Rather than clamping down on government spending, he broke his no-new-taxes pledge today by balancing the state’s budget with over $2 billion in new taxes and fees (”Crist signs budget,” Miami Herald, 5/27/09).

“It’s one thing to change your position, and quite another to flat-out break your word,” said Club President Chris Chocola. “Charlie Crist sent a strong message to Florida voters today that he’s just another politician.”

Crist had firmly committed to oppose new taxes as Governor, signing a pledge that reads, “I, Charlie Crist, pledge to the taxpayers of the State of Florida, that I will oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes” (ATR Taxpayer Protection Pledge). Crist has signed a similar pledge for federal candidates.

Audio at RCP.

Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 34% of the nation’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Twenty-nine percent (29%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +5 (see trends). Democrats now have a three-point advantage on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

As the Senate considers the President’s first Supreme Court nominee, 45% of the nation’s voters say a nominees legal competence is more important than concerns about diversity or their position on issues. Voters are fairly closely divided over the political makeup of the current high court. Thirty-three percent (33%) say the court is too liberal, while 23% believe it’s too conservative. Thirty-seven percent (37%) say the political balance is about right.

From K-State:

News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu

K-STATE STUDENT WINS FIRST PRIZE IN COMPETITION FOR HOSPICE CARE DESIGN

MANHATTAN - Kansas State University’s Nicholas Turner, a fifth-year architecture student, Jefferson City, Mo., took first place in the recent 2009 Environmental Design Research Association’s Student Design Award Competition. (more…)

From Jerry Moran:

Friends,

In the coming months, I will be hosting town hall meetings all across the state of Kansas.  I look forward to taking your questions and having a spirited discussion on the issues currently facing our nation.

On Saturday morning, June 6th, I will be in Johnson County at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park.  I encourage you, your family, and friends to join.

If you cannot join us in Overland Park, I do hope you will share this opportunity with your friends in the area and I will continue to keep you updated on our upcoming events in Kansas.

I look forward to visiting with you soon.

Very Truly Yours,

Jerry

The HIll:

Half of Nevada voters view Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) unfavorably, according to a new poll, but he’s still without a serious challenger.

The poll, conducted for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, also showed just 38 percent see him in a positive light. A full 45 percent say they will definitely vote to replace Reid, with just a third saying they will vote to reelect him. Seventeen percent will consider another candidate.

AP:

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is prepared to leave fighting forces in Iraq for as long as a decade despite an agreement between the United States and Iraq that would bring all American troops home by 2012, the top U.S. Army officer said Tuesday.

Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, said the world remains dangerous and unpredictable, and the Pentagon must plan for extended U.S. combat and stability operations in two wars. “Global trends are pushing in the wrong direction,” Casey said. “They fundamentally will change how the Army works.”

Audio of McCain’s comments.

AFP:

In the United States, where driving while using telephones without hands-free adaptor kits and texting at the wheel are not widely illegal, one in four people confesses to texting and driving, a survey found Wednesday.

“We often like to say 26 percent of people admit to driving while texting. We are sure that underestimates the problem,” said Dave Grannan, of Vlingo, a mobile voice application company that polled 4,800 people.

Ben Cunningham:

Link
These rust and scratch stickers are designed to make your beautiful bike/car look rusted and scratched so that passing thieves assume it’s not worth stealing due to its apparent shabbyness.

The Star:

Another place with “pizza” in its name, Rosati’s Pizza at 103rd Street and Wornall Road, has Vienna hot dogs as well as several enthusiastic fans. Rosati’s has other locations in the area, too.

There’s a joint called River Dogs in the East Bottoms that sounds promising, and in the Northland, on Barry Road off Interstate 29, is a place called Cirque d’Alex.

A couple of carts outside of Lowe’s stores supposedly have good Chicago-style dogs. One’s at 133rd Street and State Line Road, and another in Lee’s Summit. And there are a couple of custard stands - that’s right, custard stands - that might be worth a look: Custard’s Last Stand in Blue Springs (and other locales) and Twisters at 135th Street and Antioch Road.

Charlie Hooper’s in Brookside has a Saturday hot dog special, and don’t forget Werner’s smoking-Saturday event on Johnson Drive in Mission.

KC Biz Journal:

Mediware Information Systems Inc. bought SciHealth Inc., a software company with a product that tracks clinical and financial performance data for health care providers.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed in a release late Wednesday.

Lenexa-based Mediware (Nasdaq: MEDW), which makes software to manage blood and medication, said in the release that more than 100 hospitals nationwide use Atlanta-based SciHealth’s Insight software.