“I think she has to approach this campaign like a challenger, not like a front-runner — like an insurgent.”
— David Axelrod, quoted by USA Today, saying Hillary Clinton can’t rely on the Clinton name to win the presidency.
Top Alabama Judge Defies Gay Marriage Law
“In a dramatic show of defiance toward the federal judiciary, Chief Justice Roy S. Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court on Sunday night ordered the state’s probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to gay couples on Monday, the day same-sex marriages were expected to begin here,” the New York Times reports.
“It was not immediately clear how the state’s 68 probate judges, who, like Chief Justice Moore, are popularly elected, would respond to the order.”
Charles Dean: Where have we seen this before?
Oregon First Lady Directed Policy She Was Paid to Promote
“A new batch of emails released Friday show Cylvia Hayes directed state employees how to implement a new policy while she was being paid $25,000 by an advocacy group to promote it,” the Oregonian reports.
“The emails appear to erase any doubt that, as first lady, Hayes was taking money in her private role and pushing the same policy in her public one. The governor’s office has conceded only that Hayes’ roles as first lady and policy adviser to Gov. John Kitzhaber and as a private consultant put her in a gray area.”
Professor Rubio
Politico: “Beyond the face value of the twice-weekly talks, Rubio’s political-science classes at Florida International University double as a focus group for the campaign themes and rhetorical flourishes he might use in a 2016 White House campaign. In the fluorescent-lit classrooms of this sprawling suburban commuter school, Rubio frets about what demographic shifts mean for his party and explains how conservatives need to address the struggles of average workers.”
“At the same time, the classroom is a cocoon from the partisan warfare of Washington. There’s no sniping at rivals, Democratic or Republican, and Rubio is as likely to discuss Bill Clinton’s accomplishments as those of Ronald Reagan, whom the senator grew up idolizing.”
GOP Hopefuls Chase Top Romney Fundraiser
“Spencer Zwick may be the most sought after man in Republican politics,” the AP reports.
“A Boston-based venture capitalist who led the operation that raised almost half a billion dollars for Mitt Romney’s last presidential campaign, Zwick has spoken with five Republican presidential prospects — in person or by phone — in the week since Romney announced he would not make a third run for the White House.”
“Deeply disappointed by Romney’s decision, Zwick says he’s not in a rush to join another campaign. But he will, and soon, along with a small group of former Romney aides who are the subject of an intense chase among the crowded 2016 Republican field for some of the nation’s top political talent.”
A Very Political Pope
Bloomberg: “In less than two years in office, he’s nudged the conversation away from abusive priests and used the image makeover to wade into conflicts from helping to restore Cuban-U.S. ties to lobbying for a global climate accord. In September, he will become the first religious leader who serves as a head of state to address a joint session of Congress.”
“By sidestepping the debate on abortion, gay marriage and sex, Francis has positioned himself for a role in world affairs.”
Christie Not Target of Corruption Probe
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), “under scrutiny because of a 2013 traffic controversy, is not the target of a new inquiry into possible corruption,” ABC News reports.
“The probe, however, is examining the conduct of other current and former members of Christie’s gubernatorial administration, sources familiar with the investigation said.”
Another Circus Primary for Republicans in 2016?
Politico: “Welcome to 2016’s ‘Why not me?’ primary: a low-stakes, little-covered tussle among below-the-radar Republicans who say they could be president. After seeing other presumed has-beens like Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich become real factors in 2012, they see little downside in taking a shot.”
“But for the GOP, which is already wrestling with a large group of would-be contenders, the presence of these former governors and senators and prominent officials presents an extra complication. They’re trying to avoid the circus-like atmosphere, fueled by candidates desperate for attention, that tainted many of the 2012 primary debates.”
Obama Is the Most Polarizing President Ever
Gallup: “Throughout President Obama’s sixth full year in office, an average of 79% of Democrats, compared with 9% of Republicans, approved of the job he was doing. That 70-percentage-point party gap in approval ratings ties for the fifth-most-polarized year for a president in Gallup records dating back to 1953.”
“Each of Obama’s six years in office rank among the 10 most polarized in the last 60 years, with George W. Bush holding the other four spots.”
Another 2016 Push for Elizabeth Warren
Leaders of New York’s Working Families Party urged Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to seek the Democratic nomination for president next year, the New York Times reports.
“By voting to encourage a Warren candidacy, the Working Families Party became the latest liberal group to support her as a potential primary challenger to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton… Several organizations on the left, led by MoveOn.org and Democracy for America, have already organized a campaign designed to lure Ms. Warren, with her brand of economic populism, into making a bid for the presidency.”
Williams Cancels Letterman Appearance
Embattled NBC News anchor Brian Williams is backing out of scheduled appearance on David Letterman’s “Late Show” on Thursday, the AP reports.
“That news from NBC came Sunday, a day after Williams said he was stepping away from NBC’s ‘Nightly News’ as the network looks into the anchor’s admission that he had told a false story about being on helicopter hit by a grenade while reporting on the Iraq war.”
Mr. Media Training: Advice for NBC News
Cruz Says He’s Mulling White House Bid
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reiterated that he is looking at the possibility of a presidential campaign “very, very seriously” but declined to hit back against criticism recently lobbed at him by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the Washington Post reports.
“Perry jabbed at Cruz, noting that President Obama was also a young U.S. senator when he was elected as president.”
Said Cruz: “People occasionally throw rocks in politics. That’s his choice.”
Clinton Still Trying to Craft an Economic Message
“With advice from more than 200 policy experts, Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to answer what has emerged as a central question of her early presidential campaign strategy: how to address the anger about income inequality without overly vilifying the wealthy,” the New York Times reports.
“Although people close to Mrs. Clinton say she has not yet settled on a specific platform, she is expected to embrace several principles. They include standard Democratic initiatives like raising the minimum wage, investing in infrastructure, closing corporate tax loopholes and cutting taxes for the middle class. Other ideas are newer, such as providing incentives to corporations to increase profit-sharing with employees and changing labor laws to give workers more collective bargaining power.”
Bush Holds Narrow Lead in Wide Open New Hampshire
A new Bloomberg Politics/Saint Anselm New Hampshire poll finds Jeb Bush has taken a slight lead over other potential Republican presidential candidates.
Bush leads with 16%, followed by Rand Paul at 13%, Scott Walker at 12%, Chris Christie at 10%, Mike Huckabee at 6%, Ben Carson at 6% and Marco Rubio at 5%.
Is Brian Williams Finished?
Sources tell FTVLive that NBC News President Deborah Turness is strongly considering having Brian Williams step down, maybe as early as next week.
However, Howard Kurtz reports Williams plans to use an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman next week “to try to clear the air and address the lingering questions.”
Jack Shafer: “Nobody can say Williams doesn’t deserve the scrutiny he’s now facing. If a politician, corporate leader, university professor or prominent clergyman made similarly inaccurate claims, the press would be digging their professional graves with backhoes… Now the once respected anchor has become a national punching-bag, as Twitter nation, comedians and wise guys have taken to mocking him. How long Williams can take the abuse depends on how much more his critics dig up on him.”
Chris Christie’s Horrible Week
Politico: “The Republican governor started a trip to London by bobbling a question about whether measles vaccinations should be mandatory. The next day he snapped at a reporter who tried to ask him about foreign policy. He faced questions about a new federal investigation into his administration and came under scrutiny for his taste in luxurious travel. And back at home in New Jersey, for the first time in his tenure, fellow Republicans in the statehouse threatened to buck him.”
“It was a week that brought back to the surface the nagging question about Christie that he’s spent months trying to put to rest: Whether he has the discipline to survive the glare of the national stage.”
Can Rand Paul Break Out?
As Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “moves closer to a 2016 bid, he is betting that in a field of big personalities, his low-key style and atypical pitch — mixing snarky asides, dovish takes on foreign policy and a compassionate plea for criminal-justice reform — will set his candidacy apart,” the Washington Post reports.
“The challenge for Paul is whether his approach, which has echoes of his father, former Texas congressman Ron Paul, will enable him to do better than the elder Paul’s third-place finish in the 2012 GOP presidential caucuses in Iowa.”
Republicans Wonder What Obama Is Up To
“As the president travels across the country promoting a bold and expensive domestic agenda for his last two years in office — including a trip on Friday to Indiana to push his community college proposal — his strategy on Capitol Hill is raising questions about what he hopes to accomplish,” the New York Times reports.
“Is he trying to pass legislation in cooperation with an often hostile Republican-controlled Congress? Or is he mainly trying to bring attention to issues that he sees as burnishing his legacy and that will set the table for the 2016 presidential campaign?”
