Curtis Morrisson: “Earlier this year, I secretly made an audio recording of Sen. Mitch McConnell, the most powerful Republican on the planet, at his campaign headquarters in Kentucky. The released portion of the recording clocks in at less than 12 minutes, but those few minutes changed my life.”
Bernanke Wants Geithner to Replace Him
Al Hunt: “Ben Bernanke’s term expires in January and he has told associates that the eight challenging years he will have served would be enough. Some people close to the president say his top personal choice to succeed Bernanke would be former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. They established a close bond over four years.”
“Geithner, however, publicly and privately insists that he doesn’t want the job, and needs, for personal and financial reasons, more time in New York after years of government service. Even if he’s the president’s preferred pick, it’s uncertain that he would be pressured to take the job; that isn’t usually Obama’s style.”
Lawmaker Quits Amid Allegations of Stealing Funds
South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford (D) resigned “effective immediately” as a hearing began on alleged ethics violations against him, The State reports.
Ford “is accused of depositing campaign donations into personal bank accounts, and spending campaign money on personal medical expenses, gym memberships and purchases from adult stores.”
But he denied the charges just yesterday: “I don’t take no money from my campaign for me. Every penny went for projects.”
The 2014 Political Environment
Will the factors which dominated the 2012 elections continue to play a major role in 2014? Will Republicans’ issues with minority, female, young, and moderate voters persist? Or will the historical pattern of second-term presidents running into problems push the outcome in the opposite direction? Finally, will the Affordable Care Act (otherwise known as “Obamacare”) become a liability for Democrats once again, in the way it did in 2010? The Cook Political Report has identified and graphed five key metrics to watch over the next 17 months.
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Revolutionary Summer
A must-read out next week: Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence by Joseph J. Ellis.
Graves Suspends Campaign with Bachmann Out
Jim Graves (D) is going to “indefinitely suspend his campaign” for Congress from Minnesota’s 6th congressional district now that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) announced she’s not running for re-election, MinnPost reports.
“Translation: He is not running. He is dropping out of politics to concentrate on his family and his business.”
Said Graves: “Basically, after all that’s gone on, and with Michele Bachmann now stepping down, I’ve been talking to my friends and family and frankly, the feeling is, ‘Mission Accomplished.'”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Frankly, if you don’t have a thick skin — and I’ve developed an almost rhinocerosly thick skin going through this process — then you probably shouldn’t put yourself up for office, particularly if you want to be mayor. I certainly understand completely … that people have some pretty tough things to say to me, and I’ve certainly seen them all.”
— New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner (D), quoted by Politicker.
Rising Economy May Shift Landscape for Midterm Elections
“The 2014 midterm election is shaping up as something the United States has not seen in nearly a decade: a campaign run in a strengthening economy with deficits on the decline,” Politico reports.
“No one is popping champagne corks yet, and risks remain. But the altered terrain, if it holds, could benefit Democrats and challenge Republicans whose rise to power in the House in 2010 came via a tea party movement that blasted President Barack Obama and his party for ignoring a stagnant economy and piling up an endless run of trillion dollar deficits.”
“Times have changed since 2010. Barring a fresh crisis — and there are certainly a few that could arise — many economists expect growth to return to a fairly healthy level by next year as house prices and the stock market continue to rise and the jobless rate falls closer to its historic average of 5.8 percent.”
Republicans Fear Another Bachmann-Style Candidate
“Republicans exhaled this week when vulnerable Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) announced her retirement from the otherwise reliable GOP district,” Roll Call reports.
“Their relief might not last long. In Minnesota, some Republican strategists fret that the state party’s quirky endorsement process could yield a ‘Bachmann 2.0’ candidate — and put the seat in play again.”
Stu Rothenberg disagrees: “Districts like this one don’t go Democratic in federal races (except, possibly, during Democratic waves) unless they are already represented by a longtime Democrat who has personalized the district by proving to voters that he or she is both independent and moderate.”
Democratic Senator Blasts Obama in First Ad
National Journal: “For a sign of the challenges Southern Democrats will face on the ballot next year, look no further than Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, who went up with his first campaign ad today. The spot blasts President Obama for his gun control legislation and takes aim at New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been airing ads in the state criticizing Pryor for his vote against the Toomey-Manchin bill.”
Did McAuliffe Blame Bush for His Father’s Death?
Buzzfeed finds a C-SPAN interview with Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe in which he appears to blame George W. Bush for his father’s
death.
Said McAuliffe: “There are many reasons why people thought Jack had died. He was
83 years old. And I said the main reason is that he could not go into a
new year knowing that a Republican was actually moving into the White
House. I just don’t think he could’ve handled that. He had eight great
years. President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton were so
nice to my mother and father, they’d come down all the time. So he had a
great eight years when President Clinton and Vice President Gore were
in office, and he just wasn’t going into a new year with a Democrat not
being in the White House Steve, he just couldn’t handle it.”
Is Immigration Reform a No-Brainer for the GOP?
Carrie Dann:
“If you ask around Washington D.C., the Republican Party could have a
no-brainer opportunity to claw its way back toward a triumphant and
diverse majority — or it could be on the verge of legislating itself
out of existence. Since the 2012 election, when Latino voters selected
Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by nearly a 3-1 margin, proponents of
comprehensive immigration reform have pointed to the passage of the
legislation as a political imperative for the survival of the GOP.
Opponents of the legislation, on the other hand, have questioned whether
the embrace of a bill that contains a path to citizenship for
undocumented immigrants would have any long-term political benefit for
Republicans.”
Meanwhile, a new Quinnipiac poll
finds 54% of Americans want immigration reform passed, but by
a whopping 71% to 24% margin, they are doubtful it will get done.
Clinton Remains Very Tough to Beat
A new Quinnipiac poll
finds Hillary Clinton to be a very strong potential candidate against several named GOP competitors in a 2016 presidential race. Clinton
leads Jeb Bush, 48% to 40%, and Sen. Rand Paul, 49% to 41%, by eight points.
First Read points out that her number has fallen slightly in recent week but she’s still formidable: “She’s running ahead of both Bush and Paul among women by 20-plus points, and she trails among men in the single digits. If she runs and if that gender gaps persists, she’d be VERY DIFFICULT to beat.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I guarantee my name will be on the ballot, I will be registering the
first day I can. I can’t wait to get on the campaign trail.”
— Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, quoted by the Toronto Star, dismissing accusations he’s on video smoking crack cocaine.
Ex-Obama Aides Cash In
Washington Post: “Obama came into office promising that his administration would hew to higher standards than his predecessors did. He implemented rules barring former aides from directly lobbying the government for two years and frequently decries the influence of ‘special interests’ in Washington.”
“But the efforts have done little to slow a tide of groups hiring former top aides as highly paid consultants, speakers and media advisers in an effort to influence the administration — part of a longtime Washington practice in which interest groups seek access to the White House by hiring people who used to work there.”
GOP Sizes Up Obama as a Midterm Target
New York Times: “His name won’t be on any ballot in 2014. Or ever again, for that matter. But plenty of Republicans are still eager to wage a midterm campaign against President Obama, convinced that the spate of recent troubles dogging his second term will drive voters into their arms next year.”
“Not everyone in the party, however, is so sure that they can expand their ranks in Congress or improve their standing among voters by personally attacking the president, whose likability ratings stand near 80 percent even if only half of Americans approve of his job performance. And they are cautioning their fellow party members to avoid building their campaigns around the same kinds of messages that have fallen flat before.”
Rutherford Will Run for Illinois Governor
Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford (R) told the Chicago Sun Times that he will formally announce Sunday that he is running for the Republican nomination for governor.
Tillis Will Run for U.S. Senate in North Carolina
North Carolina state House Speaker Thom Tillis (R) said he plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) next year, making him the first high-profile Republican to announce a bid, the AP reports.
Raleigh News and Observer:
“Tillis could face a crowded primary. Others named as possible
contenders include U.S. Reps. Virginia Foxx of Banner Elk and Renee
Ellmers of Dunn; state Sen. Phil Berger; and former ambassador Jim Cain.
So far, however, Dr. Greg Bannon, a Cary OB-GYN, is the only Republican
Senate candidate who has announced.”
