“I usually tell a bunch of jokes at these events, but with the Patriots in town, I was worried that 11 out of 12 of them would fall flat.”
— President Obama, quoted by the Washington Post, welcoming the Super Bowl winners to the White House.
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Will Clinton’s Post-Presidency Derail a Future One?
Jonathan Chait: “The qualities of an effective presidency do not seem to transfer onto a post-presidency. Jimmy Carter was an ineffective president who became an exemplary post-president. Bill Clinton appears to be the reverse. All sorts of unproven worst-case-scenario questions float around the web of connections between Bill’s private work, Hillary Clinton’s public role as secretary of State, the Clintons’ quasi-public charity, and Hillary’s noncompliant email system. But the best-case scenario is bad enough: The Clintons have been disorganized and greedy.”
“The Clintons’ charitable initiatives were a kind of quasi-government run by themselves, which was staffed by their own loyalists and made up the rules as it went along. Their experience running the actual government, with its formal accountability and disclosure, went reasonably well. Their experience running their own privatized mini-state has been a fiasco.”
Lynch Finally Confirmed as Attorney General
Loretta Lynch’s long wait to become U.S. attorney general “ended, with the Senate voting to confirm the veteran New York prosecutor’s nomination five months after President Obama submitted it to Congress,” the Washington Post reports.
“Ten Republicans joined the Senate’s 44 Democrats and two independents in supporting Lynch’s confirmation, a margin slightly wider than expected ahead of the vote. But getting the Senate to this point has been a slow and rancorous affair, one Obama deemed ’embarrassing’ last week.”
Pataki Insists He’s Serious This Time
Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) “says he’s serious this time, and has in fact shown signs that this time his flirtation with a presidential run is real,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“A super PAC, ‘We the People, Not Washington,’ was formed in January to support a potential bid by Mr. Pataki, and a paid ad is now running on local television in New Hampshire. During the 30-second spot, the Republican criticizes his own party for focusing on social issues, instead of the economy and terrorism… Mr. Pataki has twice explored running for president since stepping down as New York’s governor in 2007 and he barely factors into polls on the early 2016 race.”
Clinton Foundation Stories Undermine Hillary’s Campaign
First Read looks at the wave of negative stories about the Clinton Foundation and concludes:
- The Clintons became wealthy due to paid speeches, and the Clinton Foundation raked in millions due to celebrity/access reasons.
- They didn’t seem concerned about appearances. If they believed they weren’t being bought off then they didn’t see a problem with an appearance. The problem: Can the same be said for the folks who spent the money either lavishing the foundation or paying for a speech/appearance?
- These stories do undermine – politically — Hillary’s attempt to refashion herself as an economic populist. The Clintons made it because of power and access. And now they want to argue for fairness. Do these stories make them more or less credible?
- We are an electorate burned out on the polarizing political wars. These new stories are a reminder that the war isn’t going anywhere.
On Wonk Wire
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Trump To Open New Hampshire Office
Donald Trump “returns to New Hampshire with a presidential campaign-like schedule Monday, and the Union Leader has learned he has signed a lease for an office in Manchester that will open May 1.”
“The visit is Trump’s third to New Hampshire since he announced an exploratory committee.”
McCain Prefers Ted Cruz to Rand Paul
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told Fox News that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the worst Republican presidential candidate on security issues.
Said McCain: “Sen. Paul is the worst possible candidate of the 20 or so that are running on the most important issue, which is national security. The record is very clear that he simply does not have an understanding about the needs and the threats of United States national security.”
And even though McCain relentlessly mocked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) earlier this week, he said he’d prefer Cruz over Paul: “Ted Cruz has a much better handle on our national security issues.”
GOP Lawmaker Says Rape Is Too Hard to Verify
Tennessee state Rep. Sheila Butt (R) “blocked an amendment that would have created an exemption for victims of rape and incest to an anti-abortion bill by arguing that such cases are too difficult to confirm,” the Huffington Post reports.
The Senate Is Suddenly Working
Wall Street Journal: “The Senate, which spent recent months mired in gridlock, is suddenly showing signs of bipartisanship. A trade deal is in the works, an Iran nuclear oversight bill advanced and other bills are on the move. But will it last as the presidential election nears?”
What Will Patty Murray Do?
Sen. Patty Murray’s (D-WA) two decades in office “have been marked by her knack for turning her vanilla-ness into an asset to pass big bills and accrue power. Lawmakers in both parties say she has a high trustworthiness quotient… Now, in a measure of Murray’s prominence and influence, she’s managed to roil the Senate Democratic Caucus just by remaining silent about her ambitions,” Politico reports.
“Murray refused to rule out the possibility of running against Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, currently No. 2 in her party’s Senate leadership, who’s been busy lining up support to keep his job.”
Rubio Winning Over Sheldon Adelson
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has emerged as the clear frontrunner in the Sheldon Adelson primary, Politico reports.
“In recent weeks, Adelson, who spent $100 million on the 2012 campaign and could easily match that figure in 2016, has told friends that he views Rubio, whose hawkish pro-defense views and unwavering support for Israel align with his own, as a fresh face who is ‘the future of the Republican Party.’ He has also said that Rubio’s Cuban heritage and youth would give the party a strong opportunity to expand its brand and win the White House.”
Huffington Post: Wealthy donors are throwing more money at the GOP this year
Kennedy Townsend Running for U.S. Senate
Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) told Howard Fineman that she’s running for U.S. Senate in Maryland.
However, the Washington Post reports Townsend “says that she has not yet decided to launch a campaign.”
Support for Gay Marriage at New High
“A week before a closely watched U.S. Supreme Court hearing on the issue, public support for gay marriage reached a new high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, with 61 percent of Americans – more than six in 10 for the first time – saying gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry legally.”
“Identical or similar majorities favor gay marriage on two key issues before the court: Sixty-one percent oppose allowing individual states to prohibit same-sex marriages. And 62 percent support requiring states to recognize gay marriages performed legally in other states.”
Meanwhile, the Huffington Post reports Rep. Steve King (R-IA) introduced legislation to bar federal courts from hearing any cases related to the definition of marriage.
Clinton Cash Author Is Targeting Bush Next
Peter Schweizer, author of Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich, tells Businessweek he’s turning his focus to Jeb Bush.
Said Schweizer: “What we’re doing is a drill-down investigation of Jeb’s finances similar to what we did with the Clintons in terms of looking at financial dealings, cronyism, who he’s been involved with. We’ve found some interesting things.”
Quote of the Day
“There’s only one Chris Christie. This is it. I’m not gonna be someone else if I run for president.”
— Gov. Chris Christie, on the Tonight Show.
Clinton Wealth Intertwined with Foundation
Washington Post: “Bill Clinton was paid at least $26 million in speaking fees by companies and organizations that are also major donors to the foundation he created after leaving the White House, according to a Washington Post analysis of public records and foundation data. The amount, about one-quarter of Clinton’s overall speaking income between 2001 and 2013, demonstrates how closely intertwined Bill and Hillary Clinton’s charitable work has become with their growing personal wealth.”
“The multiple avenues through which the Clintons and their causes have accepted financial support have provided a variety of ways for wealthy interests in the United States and abroad to build friendly relations with a potential future president. The flow of money also gives political opponents an opportunity to argue that Hillary Clinton would face potential conflicts of interest should she win the White House.”
Meanwhile, the Clinton Foundation is refiling “at least five annual tax returns after a Reuters review found errors in how they reported donations from governments.”
Obama Picks Up Pace of Executive Actions
“President Obama never used the words ‘executive action’ until nearly three years into his presidency. Now announcements of executive actions have become a routine, almost daily occurrence,” USA Today reports.
“Indeed, the actions have a political component, part of a White House strategy to work around Congress and force Republicans to respond to the president’s agenda.”
