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Schock Sold Home to Donor for Big Profit

February 6, 2015 at 3:12 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 49 Comments

Blue Nation Review reports that a month before the 2012 election, Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) sold his home to one of his major campaign donors, Ali Bahaj, for more than three times the property’s assessed value.

Huffington Post: “According to Blue Nation Review, Bahaj and his wife, Gloria, were longtime GOP donors who each gave the legal maximum amount to Schock’s campaign in the 2008 election that first brought him to Congress. Once in office, Schock publicly defended Caterpillar Inc., the large manufacturing company where Bahaj served as vice president, when it came under criticism for tax evasion and mass layoffs.”

A New Look for Political Job Hunt

February 6, 2015 at 1:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

I’ve relaunched Political Job Hunt with a mobile responsive design that puts the latest job listings up front. You can also sign up for new email job alerts.

Special launch offer: If you’re looking to hire someone, use the coupon code “congress” and get 20% off your listing.

Follow @PolJobHunt

GOP Candidates Object to Obama Comparison

February 6, 2015 at 12:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 193 Comments

“Would be 2016 presidential hopefuls including Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal seized on President Obama’s comparison of Islamic extremism to the Christian Crusades and other violent excesses during Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast, decrying the comments as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘insulting to every person of faith,'” CNN reports.

Said Jindal: “We will be happy to keep an eye out for runaway Christians, but it would be nice if he would face the reality of the situation today. The Medieval Christian threat is under control, Mr. President. Please deal with the Radical Islamic threat today.”

Said Santorum: “Today’s remarks by the President were inappropriate and his choice of venue was insulting to every person of faith at a time when Christians are being crucified, beheaded, and persecuted across the Middle East.”

Wisconsin Treasurer Seeks to Cut His Own Job

February 6, 2015 at 12:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

Wisconsin Treasurer Matt Adamczyk (R) has proposed eliminating his own job as a cost-saving measure, the New York Times reports.

“In what may be the ultimate expression of many Republicans’ desire to whittle down government to the bone, Mr. Adamczyk ran for treasurer on the promise to eliminate the position during his one and only term in office. Despite its impressive name, the Office of the State Treasurer is virtually powerless. Most of its duties have gradually been transferred to other state agencies, like the Department of Revenue. One of the treasurer’s few remaining responsibilities is to help supervise a little-known agency called the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.”

Another Strong Jobs Report

February 6, 2015 at 9:49 am EST By Taegan Goddard 56 Comments

“In a sign the economic momentum evident late last year has carried into 2015, the Labor Department said Friday that American employers added 257,000 jobs in January, as wage growth rebounded and more people joined the work force,” the New York Times reports.

“The Labor Department said on Friday that the unemployment rate ticked up to 5.7 percent, from 5.6 percent. But that was mostly because the portion of Americans in the work force rose slightly last month, a positive sign.”

Israeli Official Suggests Boehner Misled Netanyahu

February 6, 2015 at 8:29 am EST By Taegan Goddard 70 Comments

“A senior Israeli official suggested on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been misled into thinking an invitation to address the U.S. Congress on Iran next month was fully supported by the Democrats,” Reuters reports.

“Netanyahu was invited by the Republican speaker of the house, John Boehner, to address Congress on March 3, an invitation Boehner originally described as bipartisan. The move angered the White House, which is upset about the event coming two weeks before Israeli elections and the fact that Netanyahu, who has a testy relationship with President Obama, is expected to be critical of U.S. policy on Iran.”

New Hampshire Voters Not Engaged Yet

February 6, 2015 at 7:49 am EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

A new WMUR poll in New Hampshire finds that only 6% of likely Republican presidential primary voters say they have definitely decided who they will support, 9% are leaning toward a candidate, and 85% are still trying to decide.

Christie Faces Federal Criminal Investigation

February 6, 2015 at 7:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard 44 Comments

“Federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation into New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, as well as members of his administration,” ABC News reports.

“The U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey has interviewed former Hunterdon County Assistant Prosecutor Bennett Barlyn, who claims he was fired because he objected to Christie officials dismissing indictments against political allies of the governor.”

Clinton Pulls Obama Loyalists Into Inner Circle

February 6, 2015 at 7:07 am EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

“Hillary Clinton is widenening her circle for her second White House bid, adding key staffers more associated with other Democratic heavyweights to her tight-knit camp,” The Hill reports.

“The new additions to Team Hillary suggest she is casting a wider net for help, and has become more open to relying on officials associated with President Obama who haven’t been members of Clinton Inc.”

Quote of the Day

February 6, 2015 at 7:07 am EST By Taegan Goddard 27 Comments

“If the whole point of this election was simply to give John Boehner and Mitch McConnell nicer offices, let’s give ‘em back.”

— Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), quoted by the Wall Street Journal, complaining that GOP leaders have lost interest in repealing Obamacare.

Tom Brokaw Wants Brian Williams Out

February 6, 2015 at 7:03 am EST By Taegan Goddard 34 Comments

Tom Brokaw “is furious that Brian Williams is still in the anchor chair after he sheepishly admitted he hadn’t traveled on a helicopter hit by enemy fire,” the New York Post reports.

Said a NBC source: “Brokaw wants Williams’ head on a platter. He is making a lot of noise at NBC that a lesser journalist or producer would have been immediately fired or suspended for a false report.”

The New Orleans Advocate reports Williams “is now facing scrutiny over his gripping accounts of Hurricane Katrina, the disaster that burnished his nightly news bona fides almost a decade ago.”

Jindal Faces Troubles at Home

February 6, 2015 at 6:58 am EST By Taegan Goddard 33 Comments

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) “has a plan: Do for the country what he’s done for Louisiana. Cut taxes and cut the government workforce and the economy will bloom, he promises. It’s a message he’s peddling as he lays the groundwork for a presidential run,” Politico reports.

“But here’s what Jindal doesn’t say: Louisiana’s budget is hemorrhaging red ink, and it’s getting worse. He inherited a $900 million surplus when he became governor seven years ago, and his administration’s own budget documents now show the state is facing deficits of more than $1 billion for as far as the eye can see.”

Walker Ramps Up Hiring for Campaign

February 6, 2015 at 6:54 am EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) “is adding staff in advance of a potential presidential run, as a new poll shows the Wisconsin Republican with a lead in a potential New Hampshire primary matchup,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Walker is assembling a team of veteran Republican operatives, bringing on more than a half-dozen new advisers and consultants this week.”

GOP Leaders at Impasse Over Funding Bill

February 6, 2015 at 6:42 am EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

“Three weeks before the Department of Homeland Security’s funding runs out, Congress is skipping town for a long weekend — and GOP leaders in both chambers are pointing fingers at each other on who must find a way out of the logjam,” Politico reports.

“Some on the Hill are predicting a ‘prolonged fight’ that may drag on even after the Feb. 27 funding deadline — a date that Republican leaders insisted on setting but have no clue how to meet.”

“The House has passed a DHS bill that would gut President Barack Obama’s immigration policies and wants Senate Republicans to muscle it through the upper chamber. But that’s impossible because of unanimous opposition from Democrats, who filibustered the House bill on Thursday for the third time this week. Now Senate Republicans argue they’ve done all they can. It’s time, they say, for the House to send something else over.”

Democrats Become the Party of ‘No’

February 6, 2015 at 6:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard 22 Comments

New York Times: “Now that they control both houses of Congress, Republicans are beginning to learn the limits of their newfound power. For the third day in a row, Senate Republicans called a vote on a bill to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded. And for the third time, it failed to clear a Democratic filibuster.”

“The problems were old and new: political divisions within the party, difficulties over managing the expectations of conservative lawmakers, and the simple arithmetic of getting to the filibuster-proof threshold of 60 votes when there are only 54 Republican senators. The tactics that had served them well when they were in the minority were now being effectively exploited against them.”

Virginia Moves Towards Secret Executions

February 6, 2015 at 6:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

Washington Post: “State-sponsored executions in Virginia would become shrouded in unprecedented secrecy under legislation that is advancing with bipartisan support, including that of Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The measure is intended to keep drugs used for lethal injections flowing into Virginia by shielding manufacturers from public scrutiny and political pressure.”

Villaraigosa Looks Likely to Run for Senate

February 5, 2015 at 5:47 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 20 Comments

“One of Antonio Villaraigosa’s closest friends and advisors said Thursday that all signs were pointing toward the former Los Angeles mayor declaring his candidacy for U.S. Senate within the next two weeks,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, also a Democrat, is the only major candidate in the contest so far. For more than three weeks, Harris has been raising money for the June 2016 primary – an arduous task, given California’s high campaign costs and the $2,700 federal limit on donations from individuals. Any top-tier candidate needs to raise several hundred thousand dollars a week, experts say.”

Exits Begin at the White House

February 5, 2015 at 4:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

“With the end of Barack Obama’s presidency looming on the horizon, the question buzzing inside the White House is who will be there to turn off the lights on the last day of his administration,” CNN reports.

“The departures of senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer, an Obama veteran from his first presidential campaign, and Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri, are expected as soon as early March, leaving White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough with some big shoes to fill. That’s on top of the recent news that Counselor to the President, John Podesta will step aside in mid-February for a senior role in Hillary Clinton’s expected race for the White House.”