CNN: “There are an estimated 270 million guns in the hands of civilians in the United States, making Americans the most heavily armed people in the world per capita. Yemen, a tribal nation with no history of strong central government or the rule of law, comes in a distant second.”
The End of the Line
A must-read out today for the Kindle: The End of the Line: The 34 days That Decided the Election by Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin.
A couple highlights:
“Romney instituted a point system that assigned a specific numerical value to each event — rallies, speeches, fundraisers and so on. The more labor-intensive the event, the more points it was assigned. Romney’s instructions to his assistant were that he was not to exceed 900 points on a given day, the better to manage his time.”
“Obama’s unshakeable confidence was deeply shaken by his own failure in Denver — far more than anyone on the outside could have known at the time. Obama and his top advisers quietly waged a campaign-within-a-campaign to buck up their bummed-out candidate and, even more quietly, to purge distractions and negativity from his midst.”
GOP Plans Attempt to Change Electoral Vote System
“Republicans alarmed at the apparent challenges they face in winning the White House are preparing an all-out assault on the Electoral College system in critical states, an initiative that would significantly ease the party’s path to the Oval Office,” National Journal reports.
“Senior Republicans say they will try to leverage their party’s majorities in Democratic-leaning states in an effort to end the winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes. Instead, bills that will be introduced in several Democratic states would award electoral votes on a proportional basis.”
“Already, two states — Maine and Nebraska — award an electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district… But if more reliably blue states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin were to award their electoral votes proportionally, Republicans would be able to eat into what has become a deep Democratic advantage.”
How Obama Can Win on Gun Control
Unlike his past remarks after other tragic shootings, President Obama last night made an explicit call to action to stem gun violence. His speech could end up being the most memorable of his presidency.
The Wall Street Journal notes the White House “is looking at various options, and the scope and
details of the president’s approach aren’t clear. One possibility likely
to be considered is a ban on high-capacity magazines, the devices
attached to firearms that store large numbers of bullets and reload them
rapidly.”
First Read: “To pull this off in the gun area, the president is going to have to tackle every issue associated with these heinous crimes: gun laws, our gun culture, mental health, the de-sensitization of violence thanks to Hollywood and video game makers, and of course parental responsibility. If it’s a LARGER policy discussion, it’s much harder for the most ardent NRA-supporting lawmaker to walk away.”
Kerry Announcement Likely Delayed
President Obama is likely to pick Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) as the next secretary of state but the New York Times reports that the announcement will be delayed, at least until later this week and maybe beyond, because of the Connecticut school shooting and what one official called ‘some discomfort’ with the idea of Mr. Obama’s announcing a national security team in which the top posts are almost exclusively held by white men.”
The Boston Globe adds that the possibility of picking Kerry for state and former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) for defense “could also create pressure on the White House to add gender or racial diversity to the team with its selection of a permanent replacement for David Petraeus as CIA director.”
Among the possible candidates in that case would be Michele Flournoy or former Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA).
Lieberman Says Senators Need Term Limits
Retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told WFSB-TV that it is time for sweeping changes in the way the United States chooses its leaders and said he supports the elimination of the electoral college and supports term limits for his colleagues in the Senate.
Said Lieberman: “My position on this has changed. Some say there are term limits for senators every six years and it is up to voters to decide. When I started here (24 years ago) I was 99th in seniority, and now I am 20th, so it does change, but needs to change more often… I think it would make the senate less partisan and healthier if it turned over more often.”
He also said he was surprised there wasn’t a movement after the 2000 election to eliminate the electoral college.
Chafee May Run for Re-Election as a Democrat
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) told the AP that he’s considering joining the Democratic Party to help his chances of winning a second term.
Chafee said that “he shares many views with Democrats and that joining a major party might make it easier to raise money for the 2014 campaign. He said there’s no timetable for his decision but he is actively raising money to run for re-election, which he said is a ‘good indication’ of his plans.”
Dukakis Seen as Possible Replacement for Kerry
Michael Dukakis (D) “may be headed back to the political spotlight as he’s considered a likely interim replacement for Sen. John Kerry (D-MA),” The Hill reports.
If Kerry is named Secretary of State as expected, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) “needs to find someone to fill Kerry’s seat until a special election can be held in the late spring or early summer… The Democratic primary for Kerry’s seat will be intense and Patrick is expected to tap someone as an interim replacement who would promise not to run in the special election.”
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), “who just lost an expensive, hard-fought re-election campaign, may soon get a shot at redemption.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“No single law or set of laws can eliminate evil from the world… but that can’t be an excuse for inaction.”
— President Obama, speaking at a memorial service for victims of the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
Boehner Offers to Lift Debt Limit for One Year
House Speaker John Boehner “has offered to push any fight over the federal debt limit off for a year, a concession that would deprive Republicans of leverage in the budget battle but is breathing new life into stalled talks over the year-end fiscal cliff,” the Washington Post reports.
“Boehner’s offer signals that he expects a big deal with sufficient savings to meet his demand that any debt limit increase be paired dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts. That would permit him to keep a key vow to his party — and head off a potentially nasty debt-limit fight — at least until the end of next year.”
Gun Control Lessons from LBJ
Joseph Califano: “If ever there were a moment for President Obama to learn from history, it is now, in the wake of Friday’s shootings at the elementary school at Newtown, Conn. The timely lesson for Obama, drawn from the experience of Lyndon B. Johnson — the last president to aggressively fight for comprehensive gun control — is this: Demand action on comprehensive gun control immediately from this Congress or lose the opportunity during your presidency.”
Berlusconi Announces His Engagement
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, 76 years old and still married to his second wife, announced he was engaged to Francesca Pascale, his 27-year old girlfriend, the Telegraph reports.
Said Berlusconi: “Finally I feel less lonely.”
Berlusconi plans to launch his fourth bid to be prime minister in elections expected to be held in February next year unless current Prime Minister Mario Monti decides to run.
Crist Heavily Favored in a Democratic Primary
A new ClearView Research poll in Florida finds former Gov. Charlie Crist (D) is the clear favorite for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2014 over Alex Sink (D), 55% to 34%.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I wish to God the principal had had an M4 in her office, locked up, so when she heard gunfire she pulls it out … and takes him out, takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids.”
— Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), quoted by CNN, arguing the deadly Connecticut school shooting could have been halted sooner if staff at the school had been equipped with guns.
Final Tally Shows Election Wasn’t Even Close
Los Angeles Times: “More than five weeks after election day, almost all the presidential votes have been counted. Here’s what the near-final tally reveals: The election really wasn’t close.”
“In the weeks since the election, as states have completed their counts, Obama’s margin has grown steadily. From just over 2 percentage points, it now stands at nearly 4. Rather than worry about the Bush-Kerry precedent, White House aides now brag that Obama seems all but certain to achieve a mark hit by only five others in U.S. history – winning the presidency twice with 51% or more of the popular vote.”
Feinstein Will Seek New Gun Law
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) told Meet the Press that she intended to introduce a gun control bill on the first day of the next Congress would “take aim at limiting the sale, transfer and possession of assault weapons, along with the capacity of high-capacity magazines.”
Said Feinstein: “It can be done.”
She said her bill would be paired with a similar bill in the House and she expects President Obama will publicly support the proposal.
Wonk Wire: Arming people doesn’t stop mass murders.
Quote of the Day
“If Congress wasn’t so afraid of the NRA — and I can show you that they
have no reason to be — but if they were to stand up and do what was
right for the American public, we’d all be a lot better off.”
— New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in an interview on Meet the Press.
Boehner Proposes Millionaire Tax Hike
House Speaker John Boehner has proposed allowing tax rates to rise for the wealthiest Americans if President Obama agrees to major entitlement cuts, Politico reports.
“It is the first time Boehner has offered any boost in marginal tax rates for any income group, and it would represent a major concession for the Ohio Republican. Boehner suggested hiking the Bush-era tax rates for top wage earners, including those with annual incomes of $1 million or more annually, beginning Jan. 1.”
