“One of the White House’s goals as President Obama puts the final touches on his upcoming State of the Union address is shortening the speech, people familiar with the process say,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Romney’s case is different than Reagan’s. He lost the nomination decisively to John McCain in 2008, and in 2012 he defeated a historically weak field (well, aside from my dad) – and that was mainly thanks to his ability to raise more money and pound his competitors with negative ads.”
— Abby Huntsman, writing for MSNBC, on Mitt Romney thinking of running for president a third time.
Romney Leads the GOP Pack
A new Economist/YouGov poll shows Mitt Romney leading the GOP pack of presidential hopefuls with 28%, followed by Jeb Bush at 12%, Ben Carson at 10%, Ted Cruz at 9%, Mike Huckabee at 8%, Rand Paul at 8% and Scott Walker at 6%.
Feinstein’s Husband Stands to Profit from Deal
“Ever wonder how lowly paid lawmakers leave office filthy rich? Sen. Dianne Feinstein is showing how it’s done.,” the New York Post reports.
“The US Postal Service plans to sell 56 buildings — so it can lease space more expensively — and the real estate company of the California senator’s husband, Richard Blum, is set to pocket about $1 billion in commissions.”
Court Will Decide Gay Marriage on Its Own Terms
“The first page of a petition seeking Supreme Court review is the most important. It sets out the ‘question presented,’ the one the court will answer if it takes the case,” the New York Times reports.
“The justices do not ordinarily tinker with the wording of those questions. But on Friday something unusual happened: In agreeing to hear four same-sex marriage cases, the court framed for itself the issues it would address.”
Rick Hasen: “The framing of these questions apparently differ from the way the questions were presented in all of the petitions, which raises the question of why were they rewritten… This strikes me as the handiwork of the Chief Justice, perhaps looking for a way to have as narrow a win for same sex couples as it is possible to achieve.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Let me state unequivocally that I have no intention of running for U.S. Senator of Massachusetts.”
— Mitt Romney, quoted by CBS News.
Clinton Leads Both Romney and Bush
A new Democracy Corps (D) survey shows Hillary Clinton leading Mitt Romney in a race for president, 49% to 43%, and ahead of Jeb Bush by double-digits, 52% to 40%.
Quote of the Day
“The third time is not a charm. And as much respect and admiration as I have for Governor Romney I’m not one of those who is encouraging him to enter the race right now. Again, I just don’t think there’s much to be gained by a third kick here. I don’t think it’ll work out for him.”
— Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), quoted by TPM.
Invisible Primary in Full Swing
“The 2016 GOP primaries don’t start for another year, but potential presidential candidates are already furiously working to lock up support from lawmakers from early- and key-primary states,” The Hill reports.
Cuomo Plans Trade Trip to Cuba
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) “is expected to announce in his state-of-the- state address on Wednesday that he will lead a trade mission to Cuba in the coming months,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
The trip “would be among the first by a high-profile U.S. politician since the Obama administration loosened travel and trade rules for the country.”
Romney Outlines Theme for Possible Campaign
“Mitt Romney made it clear publicly on Friday night what he has spent the last week conveying in private to Republicans across the country: He is considering another presidential campaign,” the New York Times reports. “He said the 2016 campaign should center on making the world safer, offering opportunity for all Americans and lifting people out of poverty.”
Said Romney: “Under President Obama the rich have gotten richer, income inequality has gotten worse and there are more people in poverty in America than ever before.”
Associated Press: “Romney is offering a rare glimpse of his softer side as he marches toward an unlikely third presidential bid focused on poverty and the middle class.”
Carson Builds a War Chest
New York Times: “As a political outsider, Ben Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon, is given only a slight chance of winning the Republican presidential nomination. But people who want him to run for president have already donated $12 million to the cause. A look at whom those donors also backed suggests that his support isn’t relegated to the fringe of the Republican Party, although the donors have given more to Tea Party and insurgent Republican groups than to party committees.”
Brownback Proposes Tax Hike Despite Rhetoric
“During his State of the State address Thursday Gov. Sam Brownback declared the state would continue its ‘march to zero’ on income taxes, but the budget and tax plans he unveiled Friday morning showed it would not be marching so quickly. Brownback proposed increasing overall taxes by $211 million for the next fiscal year, which starts in July,” the Wichita Eagle reports.
“The governor offered a proposal strikingly similar to the one offered by his Democratic opponent, Paul Davis, during the election, which Brownback’s campaign had repeatedly attacked. Brownback’s plan would allow a very small reduction to tax rates for the lower income tax bracket to take place in 2016 and then freeze rates until state coffers are restored. He also proposes massive tax increases on liquor and tobacco products.”
Supreme Court Will Decide Gay Marriage
“The Supreme Court will tackle another landmark case on same-sex marriage, opening the door to a ruling that could bring marriage equality to all 50 states in just a matter of months,” National Journal reports.
Washington Post: “The court will answer a question left open when it last confronted the issue in 2013: whether individual states may define marriage as only between a man and a woman, or whether marriage is a fundamental right that cannot be denied to same-sex couples no matter where they live.”
A decision is expected in June.
Republicans Will Start Debates in August
“The Republican Party said on Friday it has approved nine primary debates in the months leading up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, starting in Ohio in August,” Reuters reports.
“The sanctioned debate schedule reflects about half the debates held during the lengthy 2012 presidential primaries. Many Republicans thought that heavy debate schedule was a strain on candidates and forced them into rigid policy positions that hurt them in the general election.”
Fishbowl DC has the schedule.
The Sadness of Mitt
Alex Massie: “The suggestion Mitt Romney might make another run for the Presidency of the United States made me think of a line from one of my father’s novels: ‘There’s nothing so sad as the memory of lost fucks.’ There’s a measure of wistful sadness but also some wry resignation.”
“The obvious reaction is that, hey Mittens, third time ain’t no charm. Because that’s the way it’s supposed to work these days. You’re supposed to accept being beaten, supposed to retire gracefully from the fray, supposed to recognise it’s someone else’s turn. This ain’t Richard Nixon’s America and it’s not Ronald Reagan’s either.”
“And yet, in one sense, why should Romney accept it is someone else’s turn? It is not as though the Republican party is over-freighted with stars likely to defeat Hillary Clinton. Who can blame Romney for thinking he’s got as good a shot as any of these other schlubs?”
The Curse of the State of the Union Response
First Read suggests having pity on Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) for being picked to give the GOP response to President Obama’s State of the Union address. Why? Because of the curse of the State of the Union responders. Here are the last eight:
2007: Jim Webb (out of politics, although he’s making a quixotic presidential bid)
2008: Kathleen Sebelius (Obamacare rollout!)
2009: Bobby Jindal (uncomfortably awkward intro, his star has fallen)
2010: Bob McDonnell (felony conviction)
2011: Paul Ryan (losing VP nominee, though he still a top GOP voice)
2012: Mitch Daniels (out of politics)
2013: Marco Rubio (the great water incident, maybe running for the White House)
2014: Cathy McMorris Rodgers (safe – so far)
Obama Plays Small Ball
First Read: “The details and proposals we’ve heard so far suggest that President Obama is set to go somewhat small in the upcoming State of the Union address, not dissimilar from his 2014 address. This, of course, shouldn’t be surprising given that Obama is entering the fourth quarter of his presidency, and that he now faces a Republican-controlled Congress — hardly the formula for getting big things done in the modern era. Some of his proposals so far: free community college for qualified students, paid sick leave, expanded broadband. In fairness, these things are hardly akin to the school-uniform proposals during the Bill Clinton Era, and some are big aspirational ideas. But they aren’t the big concrete proposals that come across as doable in this political environment.”
