Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said “he’ll announce whether he’s formally jumping into the crowded Republican presidential race after he completes work on the state budget in June,” Politico reports.
Patriot Act on Life Support
“A stalemate in the Senate would leave the FBI and National Security Agency (NSA) without powers they have used to track terrorists for years, say supporters of the Patriot Act,” The Hill reports.
“Without action by the end of the month, key provisions of the Patriot Act will expire, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argues would put the United States at a pre September 11, 2001-footing… Observers say it’s increasingly looking like the standoff could result in no action by Congress, which would mean the Patriot Act provisions would lapse.”
Sanchez Appears to Disparage American Indians
Two days after entering the race for the U.S. Senate, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) met with an Indian American group on Saturday and mimicked a racial stereotype of American Indians, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Said Sanchez: “I am going to his office, thinking that I am going to meet with a,” she said, holding her hand in front of her mouth and making an echo sound. “Right? … because he said Indian American.”
Responded primary rival Kamala Harris: “I don’t know what to say to that.”
Bush Donor Network Springs to Life
The Wall Street Journal “identified 326 donors who hosted fundraisers this year for Mr. Bush’s super PAC, based on invitations and news reports compiled by the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan government watchdog.”
“One in five were either members of the ‘Team 100,’ those who raised at least $100,000 for the Republican National Committee during George H.W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign—or ‘Pioneers’ or ‘Rangers,’ who collected at least $100,000 or $200,000 for George W. Bush’s national campaigns.”
“Nearly a quarter worked in at least one of the Bush White Houses or received a presidential appointment; 24 were tapped by Mr. Bush’s father or brother to serve as ambassadors; 46 worked in Mr. Bush’s administration in Florida or were appointed to advisory boards. A number of donors belong to more than one of these categories.”
Republicans Fear Another Circus Primary
Washington Post: “Party officials are growing worried about a wide-open nominating contest likely to feature a historically large and diverse field. At best, they say, the Republican primaries will be a lively showcase of political talent — especially compared with the relative coronation taking shape on the Democratic side. But officials also acknowledge just how risky their circumstance is for a party that hasn’t put on a good show in a long time.”
“With no clear front-runner and Bush so far unable to consolidate his path to the nomination — his fumbles over the Iraq war and his brother’s legacy further exposed his vulnerabilities — the GOP’s internecine battle could stretch well into the spring of 2016.”
Boston Unsettled by Death Penalty Verdict
New York Times: “To the amazement of people elsewhere, Bostonians overwhelmingly opposed condemning the bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, to death. The most recent poll, conducted last month for The Boston Globe, found that just 15 percent of city residents wanted him executed. Statewide, 19 percent did. By contrast, 60 percent of Americans wanted Mr. Tsarnaev to get the death penalty, according to a CBS News poll last month.”
“No one here felt sympathy for him. Rather, many thought life in prison would be a fate worse than death, especially for someone as young as Mr. Tsarnaev, who is 21. Others feared that putting him to death would make him a martyr. Still others, interviewed around the city Friday night and Saturday, reflected the region’s historical aversion to the death penalty.”
11 Candidates Speak to Iowa Republicans
New York Times: “More than 1,300 Republican stalwarts at the Iowa state party’s Lincoln Dinner listened to the biggest field of 2016 presidential hopefuls to visit the state so far. In tightly paced speeches of 10 minutes each, 11 contenders displayed the broad spectrum of ideologies and personal styles in the party’s unsettled, chaotic race.”
“The formally dressed crowd was more subdued than the audiences at gatherings of specialized interests such as evangelical Christians. The crowd never came to its feet during the evening. Red-meat lines that draw whoops in other rooms fell flat in a cavernous convention center ballroom in downtown Des Moines.”
The Washington Post had a live blog of their remarks.
Media Companies Donated to Clinton Foundation
“NBC Universal, News Corporation, Turner Broadcasting and Thomson Reuters are among more than a dozen media organizations that have made charitable contributions to the Clinton Foundation in recent years,” Politico reports.
“The donations, which range from the low-thousands to the millions, provide a picture of the media industry’s ties to the Clinton Foundation at a time when one of its most notable personalities, George Stephanopoulos, is under scrutiny for his previously undisclosed $75,000 contribution.”
Romney’s Big Right Hook
Personally, I think Evander Holyfield took a dive in their charity boxing match last night.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“The Pope is the head of his religion, and he makes those calls for himself, but I represent 700,000 people from East Texas and a vast majority agree with me.”
— Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), quoted by Politico, after Pope Francis moved to recognize a Palestinian state.
Clintons Earned $25 Million for Speeches in 18 Months
Hillary and Bill Clinton “earned more than $25 million in the past year and a half from delivering more than 100 paid speeches, and Mrs. Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, collected more than $5 million from her book Hard Choices, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The Clinton campaign released the figures Friday on the same day it filed a personal financial-disclosure statement required by the Federal Election Commission. That level of income would place the Clintons in at least the top 0.1% of the population.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“On this device in five years will be applications that will allow me to manage my healthcare in ways that five years ago were not even possible.”
— Jeb Bush, quoted by Bloomberg, on how his Apple Watch could help with replacing Obamacare.
Perry Will Announce on June 4
Rick Perry (R) “has chosen Dallas to officially declare his second run for the Republican presidential nomination in three weeks,” the Dallas Morning News reports.
“For months Perry has said that he would announce his decision in May or June. But his constant travel to the early contest states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida has left little doubt of his intentions.”
Get a Political Job!
One of the national 2016 campaigns is looking for a Fundraising Director.
More job listings over at Political Job Hunt.
Are Drones a Threat to 2016 Candidates?
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he is concerned about drones threatening 2016 presidential candidates, The Hill reports.
Said Johnson: “It is definitely an issue. This is something that U.S. NORTHCOM, me, Secret Service, Capitol Police, Metro police here in the Washington, D.C. area, we need to refine our protocols for airborne stuff in the national capital region to deal with what we’re referring to as the low and slow stuff.”
Clinton Backs Litmus Test for Supreme Court Justices
Hillary Clinton told a group of her top fundraisers “that if she is elected president, her nominees to the Supreme Court will have to share her belief that the court’s 2010 Citizens United decision must be overturned,” the Washington Post reports.
“Clinton’s emphatic opposition to the ruling, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums on independent political activity, garnered the strongest applause of the afternoon from the more than 200 party financiers gathered in Brooklyn for a closed-door briefing from the Democratic candidate and her senior aides, according to some of those present.”
Some Lawmakers Won’t Meet Alone with Female Staffers
“It’s no secret that Congress is dominated by men, but as women work to make inroads in the congressional boys club, some female staffers face a huge impediment to moving up: They’re not allowed to spend one-on-one time with their male bosses.”
“In an anonymous survey of female staffers conducted by National Journal in order to gather information on the difficulties they face in a male-dominated industry, several female aides reported that they have been barred from staffing their male bosses at evening events, driving alone with their congressman or senator, or even sitting down one-on-one in his office for fear that others would get the wrong impression.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m not going to go out of my way to say that, you know, my brother did this wrong or my dad did this wrong. It’s just not gonna happen. I have a hard time with that. I love my family a lot.”
— Jeb Bush, quoted by ABC News, on disagreeing with his family.
