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Jackson Wants to Serve Prison Time Before His Wife

June 18, 2013 at 5:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) “wants to serve his time first if he and wife Sandi are sent to prison,” Lynn Sweet reports.

In asking to go to prison first, lawyers said, “Mr. Jackson’s health issues preclude him from working at this time. If he serves his period of incarceration first, Mrs. Jackson would be able to work and could stabilize the family’s finances. By the time Mr. Jackson completes his sentence, the family would not be in the significant financial peril it is in today. ….the strain of waiting to begin serving his sentence would not be beneficial to Mr. Jackson’s state of mind or mental health.”

Whistleblower Says State Department Trying to Bully Her

June 17, 2013 at 8:49 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The State Department investigator who accused colleagues last week of using drugs, soliciting prostitutes, and having sex with minors says that Foggy Bottom is now engaged in an ‘intimidation’ campaign to stop her,” Foreign Policy reports.

Both Parties Face Recruiting Problems

June 17, 2013 at 8:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “Both political parties are encountering a surprising problem as they prepare for next year’s battle to control the U.S. Senate: Some of their top choices are turning down invitations to run for seats in a body with a reputation that has been tarnished by bickering and gridlock.”

Republicans Embrace Anti-Abortion Agenda

June 17, 2013 at 7:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“After Republicans lost the presidential election and seats in both the House and the Senate last year, many in the party offered a stern admonishment: if we want to broaden our appeal, steer clear of divisive social and cultural issues,” the New York Times reports.

“Yet House Republicans seem eager to reopen the emotional fight over abortion by bringing to the floor on Tuesday a measure that would prohibit the procedure after 22 weeks of pregnancy — the most restrictive abortion bill to come to a vote in either chamber in a decade.”

New Iranian Leader Seeks to Ease Tensions

June 17, 2013 at 7:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President-elect Hassan Rowhani of Iran, speaking for the first time since his election victory, said he wanted to reduce tensions with the United States but ruled out direct talks between the two estranged nations, the New York Times reports.

Rowhani called the issue of nonexistent relations between Iran and the United States “an old wound, which must be healed.”

Democrats May Need Biden for ‘Nuclear Option’

June 17, 2013 at 2:50 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Greg Sargent: “It’s being privately discussed at the highest levels of the Democratic Party: The passing of Senator Frank Lautenberg has cast doubt on the ability of Senate Democrats to exercise the so-called ‘nuclear option‘ and change the Senate rules via a simple majority.”

“Here’s what this means: A very plausible scenario being mulled by top Dems is that the prospects for changing the rules may rest on a tie-breaking Senate vote from Vice President (and Senate president) Joe Biden.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

June 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I don’t think becoming a senator is about being in a popularity contest.”

— New Jersey Senate candidate Sheila Oliver (D), in an interview with Brian Lehrer, in which she’s running way behind Cory Booker (D).

Large Majority Oppose Intervention in Syria

June 17, 2013 at 2:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Pew Research poll finds 70% of Americans oppose the U.S. sending arms and military supplies to rebels in Syria while 27% favor the move.

The poll also found that 68% of Americans say the country is too
overcommitted in other issues to get involved in another conflict.

Gore Questions Capitalism’s Short-Term Focus

June 17, 2013 at 2:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Al Gore said capitalism “is coming under increased scrutiny and needs to change as short-term thinking has driven a wedge between investing and the creation of value for corporations,” Bloomberg reports.

Said Gore: “There is a continuing focus on short-term decision making in markets and that is distorting the allocation of resources. It’s hurting the quality of decisions that are made by companies.”

Obama’s Credibility Crisis

June 17, 2013 at 12:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ron Fournier: “There is a common element to the so-called Obama scandals–the IRS targeting of conservatives, the fatal attack in Benghazi, and widespread spying on U.S. journalists and ordinary Americans. It is a lack of credibility.”

“In each case, the Obama administration has helped make controversies worse by changing its stories, distorting facts, and lying. The abuse of trust may be taking a toll on President Obama’s reputation.”

Aide Saves Choking Congressman

June 17, 2013 at 11:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) “had a scary choking incident and was thankfully aided by a doctor-turned-GOP-aide, Nick Muzin, who may have saved his life,” National Review reports.

Christie Snubs GOP Candidate for Senate

June 17, 2013 at 11:49 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) isn’t in a hurry to endorse former rival Steve Lonegan (R) for U.S. Senate, the Newark Star Ledger reports.

Said Christie: “I’ve got my own campaign to run, first off. And so to the extent that I can be helpful to the Republican nominee, whoever that turns out to be, I’m sure that I’ll find some time to be helpful, but I have my own campaign to run at the same time and so my focus will be on my campaign.”

McDonnell Used Taxpayer Money for Personal Expenses

June 17, 2013 at 11:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his wife, Maureen, “have used taxpayer money for a range of small personal items they should have paid for themselves under state policy,” the Washington Post reports.

“The McDonnells have billed the state for body wash, sunscreen, dog vitamins and a digestive system “detox cleanse,” the records show. They also have used state employees to run personal errands for their adult children.”

Christian Nation

June 17, 2013 at 11:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

In the mail: Christian Nation: A Novel by Frederic C. Rich.

“When President McCain dies and Sarah Palin becomes president, the reader, along with the nation, stumbles down a terrifyingly credible path toward theocracy, realizing too late that the Christian right meant precisely what it said.”

Romney Adviser Defends the 1 Percent

June 17, 2013 at 10:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Mitt Romney economic adviser Greg Mankiw has a new paper that tries to “defend the 1 percent” and the current state of income equality in the United States.

Writes Mankiw: “In the end, the left’s arguments for increased redistribution are valid in principle but dubious in practice… If the current tax system were regressive, or if the incomes of the top 1 percent were much greater than their economic contributions, or if the rich enjoyed government services in excess of what they pay in taxes, then the case for increasing the top tax rate would indeed be strong. But there is no compelling reason to believe that any of these premises holds true.”

Supreme Court Strikes Down Arizona Voting Law

June 17, 2013 at 10:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Supreme Court says states “cannot require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier,” CBS News reports.

“The justices voted 7-2 to throw out Arizona’s voter-approved requirement that prospective voters document their U.S. citizenship in order to use a registration form produced under the federal ‘Motor Voter’ voter registration law.”

Meanwhile, the AP notes the Arizona legislature is looking at attempts to curtail early voting eligibility.

Sink Still Mulling Another Run for Governor

June 17, 2013 at 10:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Alex Sink (D) “said she hasn’t ruled out taking another shot” at Flordia Gov. Rick Scott (R) but “said one of the largest factors in her decision right now is whether she could see herself taking on the race without” her late husband Bill McBride (D), the News-Press reports.

Quinn Prepares to Hit Back

June 17, 2013 at 10:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Christine Quinn, “whose lead in the New York mayoral race appears to have narrowed after weeks of attacks from her rivals, plans to push back on Monday, arguing in what her campaign is billing as a major speech that she is more qualified and more gutsy than the other Democratic contenders,” the New York Times reports.

“The speech appears to signify a shift in Ms. Quinn’s approach after a period in which the race has been altered by the entrance of former Representative Anthony D. Weiner, who rivals Ms. Quinn for name recognition, although some of his notoriety comes from his sending sexually explicit messages and images to women he did not know.”