Gawker: “On the campaign trail, absolutely everything you say is fair game—which is why both parties will send trackers to record the competition’s every move. And how do you swat these camera-toting pests? For Rand Paul’s camp, the answer is apparently a drawn-out, tender loving lick.”
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Kasich May Skip Iowa If He Runs
Gov. John Kasich (R), “who last week made his third trip in six weeks to New Hampshire and has been to South Carolina twice, has yet to make a public appearance in Iowa, which in January holds the first presidential nominating contest,” the Columbus Dispatch reports.
“It’s a sign that if Kasich enters the race, he is inclined to emulate the strategy employed by Republican John McCain in 2000 when he bypassed Iowa, focused his time and money in New Hampshire and scored an unexpected triumph there over George W. Bush.”
Naked Lawmaker Confronted Ex Before Shooting
Michigan State Sen. Virgil Smith (D) “told police his ex-wife stormed into his house and assaulted his girlfriend before he did ‘the most stupid thing in his life’ — opening fire at the ex-wife’s Mercedes Benz with an automatic rifle,” the Detroit News reports.
“He was naked when he met her at the front door, the senator’s ex-wife claims in a second police report, beat her with his fists, chased her outside and shot at her four or five times.”
On That Chipotle Visit
Washington Post: “One afternoon in April, Bill Clinton looked up at a television in his midtown Manhattan office and saw the grainy security-camera photo of his wife and her aide, Huma Abedin, at a Chipotle in Ohio, appearing incognito in dark sunglasses. He turned to aides and wondered, ‘What are she and Huma doing? Are they robbing that place?'”
Texas Bill Would Identify Those With Obamacare Subsidies
A bill introduced in the Texas legislature — and passed by the House — “would add a special label to the health insurance cards of people receiving financial assistance under the Affordable Care Act,” the Texas Tribune reports.
“Roughly a million Texans with government-subsidized health coverage could see a new label on their health insurance cards, and critics say the designation is akin to a ‘scarlet letter.'”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I have the biggest crowds, I get the biggest standing ovations, and then I read these sleaze-bag reporters. And they say, ‘Donald Trump had a smattering of applause.’ A smattering – and they’ll say about some guy that’s a loser politician that’s up and nobody’s even watching him, ‘He gave a brilliant speech!’ They’re very dishonest.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by the Daily Mail, on political journalists.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“What is under way is a transition to a new order, and that’s going to take a long time. What we now regard as extraordinary turbulence in the Middle East is going to be the norm over the next several decades.”
— Former Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME), in an interview with Bangor Daily News.
White House Account of Bin Laden Killing Questioned
Seymour Hersh: “It’s been four years since a group of US Navy Seals assassinated Osama bin Laden in a night raid on a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The killing was the high point of Obama’s first term, and a major factor in his re-election. The White House still maintains that the mission was an all-American affair, and that the senior generals of Pakistan’s army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) were not told of the raid in advance. This is false, as are many other elements of the Obama administration’s account.”
Clinton Foundation Funding Remains Elusive
The Clinton Foundation “has acknowledged that the government funding totals omitted from their tax returns cannot be found on their website either, despite the foundation’s acting chief executive officer earlier suggesting they were available there,” Reuters reports.
“The foundation’s acknowledgement means precise totals for government grants to the charity for the last three years of Clinton’s four-year tenure as secretary of state have still not been publicly disclosed. All U.S. charities have to separately disclose each year how much they get in government funding, both domestic and foreign.”
Is Bush Making a Mistake Not Announcing?
Rick Klein: “It’s too early to panic, of course, but… Jeb Bush’s quiet, no-rush non-campaign got a touch louder over the weekend, with a pair of moves that suggest a recalibration during this pre-announcement phase. He used a speech at the Falwell-controlled Liberty University to do what candidates speaking at Liberty University do these days: Blast the Obama administration for limiting religious freedom… Then, in an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, Bush said he would have invaded Iraq just like his brother did, saying it was a ‘news flash’ that there wouldn’t be ‘big space’ between them on the issue.”
“For context, Bush’s expected candidacy has scared exactly zero candidates out of the race. Two new New Hampshire polls showing a jumble at the top – a four-way tie in a state that’s pretty close to must-win for the former Florida governor. It might be time for Bush to send some signals to the party base, at least around the edges.”
Why the GOP Wants a Foreign Policy Election
First Read: “There are at least four reasons why the GOP candidates are focused so heavily on foreign affairs — more so than at this time in the 2012 presidential cycle. One, the economy has improved (223,000 jobs were created last month, and Obama’s economic handling is up to 49% in the latest NBC/WSJ poll), while the deficit has decreased. Two, there’s the rise of ISIS. Three, there’s the Iran deal that the Obama administration is racing to finalize by next month. And four, there’s the GOP recognition that focusing on foreign policy is maybe the best way to go after Hillary Clinton’s record as secretary of state.”
Still No GOP Alternative to Obamacare
“Republicans keep saying they’ll be ready to act if the Supreme Court upholds the big legal challenge to Obamacare, thereby wiping out financial assistance for millions of people in two-thirds of the states,” the Jonathan Cohn reports.
“With the clock ticking down to a ruling, it’s gotten awfully hard to take the GOP’s vows seriously.”
Wonk Wire: Most Americans doubt court will rule fairly on Obamacare
Quote of the Day
“I don’t have to defend everything that I’ve ever done.”
— Mike Huckabee, in an interview with CBS News, when asked about his role promoting a dietary supplement that claims to cure diabetes.
The Transformation of Hillary Clinton
My latest column in The Week: Is Hillary Clinton flip-flopping or just evolving?
Bill Won’t Campaign for Hillary This Year
Bill Clinton “does not plan to do any campaign activities for his wife in 2015, including fundraisers for her campaign or allied super PACs. He has said privately that she should lead the campaign on her own,” the Washington Post reports.
Candidates Stop Using ‘Middle Class’
New York Times: “The once ubiquitous term ‘middle class’ has gone conspicuously missing from the 2016 campaign trail, as candidates and their strategists grasp for new terms for an unsettled economic era. The phrase, long synonymous with the American dream, now evokes anxiety, an uncertain future and a lifestyle that is increasingly out of reach.”
“The move away from ‘middle class’ is the rhetorical result of a critical shift: After three decades of income gains favoring the highest earners and job growth being concentrated at the bottom of the pay scale, the middle has for millions of families become a precarious place to be.”
“A social stratum that once signified a secure, aspirational lifestyle, with a house in the suburbs, children set to attend college, retirement savings in the bank and, maybe, an occasional trip to Disneyland now connotes fears about falling behind, sociologists, economists and political scientists say.”
Clinton Campaigns in Home States of Rivals
Hillary Clinton “is leaving nothing to chance this time around,” the Boston Globe reports.
“The Clinton presidential operation may look like a juggernaut from the outside, but her attempts to marshal early support in the home states of long shots are evidence that she feels the need to protect every flank, no matter how weak the opposition appears.”
Christie Spent $82K on Food at Football Games
Gov. Chris Christie’s “most notable spending spree occurred during the 2010 and 2011 NFL football seasons at MetLife Stadium, where the New York’s Giants and Jets play their home games. New Jersey’s governor traditionally enjoys free use of luxury boxes for games and other events at the government-owned venue, but food and beverages cost extra,” according to New Jersey Watchdog.
“On 58 occasions, Christie used a debit card to pay a total of $82,594 to Delaware North Sportservice, which operates the concessions at MetLife. The governor’s office did not provide any receipts, business reasons or names of individuals entertained, but defended the expense.”
