Gawker: “Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, elected in 2010, kicked off his reelection campaign with a speech to supporters in Barranquilla this weekend. But footage of the president apparently wetting himself onstage… is raising questions about the 62-year-old’s health.”
Voters Not Watching TV
“Voters increasingly are ditching live television in favor of streaming shows and movies on their smartphones or tablets, according to new research commissioned by digital firms and shared with Politico — findings that suggest campaigns need to embrace new types of advertising to reach them.”
“The survey… indicates that reaching key voters — especially young people, independents and minorities — will require campaigns to think beyond the typical 30-second live TV ad.”
Rauner Will Face Quinn for Illinois Governor
Chicago Tribune: “The fall campaign for Illinois governor between Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner will feature dueling brands of populism, campaign bankrolls in the tens of millions of dollars and plenty of scorched-earth attacks from groups with a vested interest in the high-stakes race.”
“Indeed, even before Rauner had eked out a tougher-than-expected primary victory Tuesday, Quinn was up on TV with an ad attacking the wealthy Winnetka venture capitalist for his shifting positions on raising Illinois’ minimum wage.”
The Chicago Sun Times notes Rauner beat Kirk Dillard (R) “by a mere 3 percentage points, after dominating the polls for months, thanks to a barrage of TV ads bankrolled by his personal fortune and prodigious fund-raising ability.”
Strickland Not Running for Senate
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D), often mentioned as a potential Senate candidate, will instead become president of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a Democratic think tank, the Huffington Post reports.
GOP Convention Decision Due This Summer
The RNC wants its own “hand-picked moderators” for the 2016 GOP presidential primary debates and expects to announce in August which city will hold its convention that year, Politico reports.
Carville Hopes for Political Climate Change
James Carville: “if the election were held in the current climate, it wouldn’t be hard to argue that the Democrats might have a bad, perhaps even awful, election ahead of them. However, the one thing we know is that it is not going to be held now — it is going to be held in November. This is a case where we don’t know if there is going to be a political climate change or not. Suffice to say, I am pulling for some political climate change.”
Christie Bridge Scandal Widens
“Federal prosecutors in New Jersey issued a subpoena last week to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey seeking records relating to its chairman, David Samson, and contracts on two bridge projects worth $2.8 billion that he voted to award to construction companies tied to his law firm, according to people briefed on the matter,” the New York Times reports.
The subpoena “was issued by the United States attorney’s office in New Jersey, which along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal inquiry into the lane closings at the George Washington Bridge and other suspected wrongdoing by current and former aides, appointees and associates of Gov. Chris Christie.”
“The interest in Mr. Samson, a close political ally of Mr. Christie, represents a significant widening of the scandal that has grown out of the closing of two bridge access lanes in Fort Lee, N.J., in September.”
Clinton Inner Circle Not Sure She Should Run
“A Hillary Clinton presidential candidacy looks like a sure thing, with marquee Democratic donors and activists mobilizing for what they see as her inevitable entrance into the 2016 race,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Yet some of Mrs. Clinton’s closest confidants and allies aren’t sold on the idea that she should run. Their cautions add an unpredictable element as Mrs. Clinton weighs whether to seek the presidency again, a decision she says she plans to make later this year.”
Conversation with Robert Shrum
Democratic strategist Robert Shrum joined us on the Political Wire podcast for a discussion of how Democrats need to go on the offensive and defend Obamacare ahead of the midterm elections.
Listen here:
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS to get episodes automatically downloaded.
Special thanks to PillPack,
an innovative online pharmacy that makes it incredibly easy to take all your
medications at the right time, every time.
A Fighting Chance
Out next month: A Fighting Chance by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
“An unlikely political star tells the inspiring story of the two-decade journey that taught her how Washington really works–and really doesn’t.”
Lawmaker Says Equal Pay Makes Women Look Like Whiners
Minnesota state Rep. Andrea Kieffer (R) said that a package of bills that would provide paid family and sick leave and address the gender pay gap makes women “look like whiners,” the Huffington Post reports.
Said Kieffer: “We heard several bills last week about women’s issues and I kept thinking to myself, these bills are putting us backwards in time. We are losing the respect that we so dearly want in the workplace by bringing up all these special bills for women and almost making us look like whiners.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Men are better negotiators, and I would encourage women, instead of
pursuing the courts for action, to become better negotiators.”
– Texas Republican Party Executive Director Beth
Cubriel, quoted by Huffington Post, explaining the GOP’s position on fair pay legislation.
McConnelling
A new term for the political dictionary: “McConnelling”
More of the Same
Charlie Cook: “The bottom line is that if you have liked the last three years, you’ll love the next three. If you haven’t liked the last three years, you’ll just have to suck it up; it isn’t likely to change anytime soon.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think we’re in for a tsunami election.”
— RNC Chairman Reince Preibus, quoted by TPM.
Udall Holds Small Lead in Colorado
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Colorado finds Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) starts out with a 2 point lead over Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO) in the U.S. Senate race, 42% to 40%.
Key findings: “Gardner starts out the race with just under 50% name recognition, and voters with an opinion about him are pretty evenly divided. The close division mirrors how voters feel about Udall’s job performance- 41% approve and 40% disapprove of him, almost identical to where we found him in December.”
Romney Slaps Obama, Clinton
Mitt Romney: “Able leaders anticipate events, prepare for them, and act in time to shape them. My career in business and politics has exposed me to scores of people in leadership positions, only a few of whom actually have these qualities. Some simply cannot envision the future and are thus unpleasantly surprised when it arrives. Some simply hope for the best. Others succumb to analysis paralysis, weighing trends and forecasts and choices beyond the time of opportunity.”
“President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton traveled the world in pursuit of their promise to reset relations and to build friendships across the globe. Their failure has been painfully evident: It is hard to name even a single country that has more respect and admiration for America today than when President Obama took office, and now Russia is in Ukraine. Part of their failure, I submit, is due to their failure to act when action was possible, and needed.”
Ex-Christie Aide Lands at GOP Firm
Bill Stepien, who ran both of Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) campaigns and is a central figure in the George Washington Bridge scandal, “quietly accepted a job at a top Republican consulting firm late last month,” Politico reports.
The firm worked on Christie’s re-election campaign in 2013.
“It’s a soft landing for Stepien, who was rising quickly in GOP politics and had drawn comparisons to Karl Rove before becoming embroiled in the Bridgegate scandal.”
