“Probably the most popular vote I’ve made, in this district.”
— Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM), quoted by Salon, for his vote against John Boehner for Speaker. He adds that it’s received well: “Always applause, sometimes standing applause.”
Two Takes on McConnell’s Odds for Re-election
Cook Political Report: “McConnell can take on Grimes, though, he must contend with a primary challenge to his right from businessman and political newcomer Matt Bevin. It is worth remembering that McConnell runs textbook perfect campaigns and is an aggressive fundraiser. His opponents underestimate him at their peril. Polling shows McConnell well ahead of Bevin in the primary, but that the general election is in single digits. The contest is in the Toss Up column.”
Rothenberg Political Report: “Suggesting that this race is close to a toss up dramatically over-weights early polling and ignores the Republican advantage in the state in federal races. After all, McConnell won in 2008 — a horrible year for Republicans. We reiterate our ‘Republican favored’ rating but definitely agree that this race is worth watching and that Republicans could find themselves in trouble here thirteen months from now.”
De Blasio and Quinn Battle for Top Spot
A new NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll in New York City finds Christine Quinn leading the Democratic race for mayor with 24%, followed by Bill de Blasio at 21%, Bill Thompson at 16% and Anthony Weiner at 12%.
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Michigan GOP Still Looking for a Candidate
National Journal:
“The brain trust of the Michigan Republican Party, energized earlier
this year by the surprise retirement of Democratic Sen. Carl Levin,
quickly set out to accomplish twin objectives: Recruit an electable,
well-financed Republican candidate, and do it quickly so that Rep. Gary
Peters, the de facto Democratic nominee, was not afforded a free pass to
campaign uncontested. With Labor Day around the corner, Republicans in
Lansing are failing on both fronts.”
Second Term is Tougher
Norm Ornstein:
“In many ways, Obama faces the same kinds of challenges that hit every
second-term president. His opportunities to excel are there–but the
combination of the typical and the added complication of rampant and
intense tribalism make break-the-mold success an uphill battle.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think we have some folks who believe that our job is to be college
professors. Now college professors are fine I guess. Being a college
professor, they basically spout out ideas that nobody does anything
about. For our ideas to
matter we have to win. And if we don’t govern all we do is shout to the
wind, and so I am going to do anything I need to do to win.”
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by NBC News, at a closed-door meeting of the Republican National
Committee.
Proposition 8 is Dead
Wonk Wire notes the effort to revive California’s ban on same-sex marriage was denied.
Why Boehner Keeps Making Crazy Threats
Salon points out Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) biggest problem:
“He’s trying to ease his members into the real world, where defunding Obamacare is impossible as long as Obama is in the White House, and where attempts to do so via incredibly unconventional means could have disastrous consequences. What makes his job more difficult is that this reality isn’t acknowledged by most of the conservative organizations his members, and his party’s voters, exclusively follow.”
Quote of the Day
“The interesting thing about voting patterns now is in this last election African-Americans voted at a higher percentage than whites in almost every one of the states that were under the special provisions of the federal government. So really, I don’t think there is objective evidence that we’re precluding African-Americans from voting any longer.”
— Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by WFPL.
Democratic Field Could be Huge if Clinton Doesn’t Run
Politico: “Democrats close to several of the politicians trekking out to the early states caution that these activities aren’t entirely, if at all, about furthering quietly held presidential ambitions. There are significant down-ballot races that party leaders care about, including an open-seat Senate race in Iowa. On a purely practical level, there are many, many state dinner speaking slots to fill, and somebody has to fill them.”
“Still, the small group of newer names and faces showing up on the campaign trail points to a developing dynamic within the Democratic Party: If Clinton doesn’t run, the group of contenders who rush in to fill the void could be as numerous as they are (relatively) obscure.”
Alexander Urged to Retire
“A group of tea-party and conservative organizations urged Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to retire rather than seek a third term next year, signaling that tea-party activists have zeroed in on a new target as they try to pressure incumbent Republicans from the right,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
However, the Knoxville News Sentinel notes there are no obvious candidates willing to challenge Alexander in a primary.
Kasich Pushes a Softer Republican Party
The Wall Street Journal profiles Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) who “is using his perch to promote a blend of conservative orthodoxy leavened with liberal policies meant to help the poor, the mentally ill and the uninsured.”
“To hear him tell it, the 61-year-old onetime Lehman Brothers executive wants to rebrand the Republican Party by refashioning what it means to be a conservative in the 21st century.”
“On the one hand, he tamed a deficit by slashing funding to local governments and overhauling the state’s Medicaid rules, among things. He has eliminated the state’s estate tax and wants to phase out all state income taxes, a step aimed at stimulating growth… At the same time, Mr. Kasich has stirred strong opposition from tea-party leaders–and won surprised approval from liberals–by pushing to expand Medicaid coverage to nearly 300,000 additional Ohioans, adopting a provision of the Obama health-care overhaul that he has taken to defending with an openly religious fervor.”
Three Kinds of Republicans in the Mix for 2016
Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “Our most recent rating of Republican presidential contenders features a top tier of three notably different candidates: A Midwestern governor (Scott Walker) who is known best by the activists who will help decide the nomination; a leading national figure (Chris Christie) who has irked conservatives; and a firebrand senator (Rand Paul) with devoted supporters who would shake up the party’s platform and, perhaps, identity.”
Labrador Will Not Run for Governor
Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) announced that he’ll seek a third term in Congress, not run for governor, the Idaho Spokesman-Review reports.
Said Labrador: “I’ve decided to end all the speculation and announce that I have no plans at this time to run for Governor. I do not feel that I have yet completed the mission you sent me to Congress to do. There is still much work to be done. Whether at the state or the national level, I will always be an advocate for Idaho.”
Clinton Considering Academic Options
Hillary Clinton “is fielding offers from colleges and universities — including Harvard and her law school alma mater, Yale — to give her a formal academic role, a move that would give her a platform outside her family’s foundation,” Politico reports.
“The advantage to Clinton of an academic platform, beyond the scope of her policy interests, could be huge for someone considering a presidential run. It would provide her with a credible backdrop for speeches and events that would take her outside of a hotel ballroom or something sponsored by her family’s foundation or another outside group.”
The Aging of America
The Wonk Wire “chart of the day” shows how the U.S. population distribution has changed over time.
Very cool animation.
Who is Ready for Hillary?
We previously noted the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC “Ready for Hillary” had raised more than $1 million so far.
Political Moneyline has the names of the donors.
Gingrich Says GOP Has No Ideas on Health Care
Newt Gingrich reprimanded his fellow Republicans in unusually harsh terms, blaming GOP lawmakers for developing “zero” alternatives to President Obama’s health care reform law, CNN reports.
Said Gingrich: “I will bet you, for most of you, you go home in the next two weeks when your members of Congress are home, and you look them in the eye and you say, ‘What is your positive replacement for Obamacare?’ They will have zero answer.”
He added: “We are caught up right now in a culture, and you see it every single day, where as long as we are negative and as long as we are vicious and as long as we can tear down our opponent, we don’t have to learn anything. We have to do the homework.”
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