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What If the Supreme Court Guts Obamacare?

February 26, 2015 at 8:08 am EST By Taegan Goddard 66 Comments

Joshua Green: “The possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will soon eliminate federal subsidies for people buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is the biggest story in politics and economics that no one wants to talk about. But the stakes in King v. Burwell, which the court will hear on March 4, could scarcely be higher: If the plaintiffs prevail, millions of people in 34 states who bought insurance on federal exchanges would suddenly lose the subsidies that make it affordable. Consequently, most would lose their coverage.”

“The immediate effect of a ruling against the ACA would be to hurl the political system, and no small part of the economy, into chaos. Yet there’s little sign that Washington is preparing for that scenario. Democrats won’t talk about what they would do because they don’t want the court to believe they could contain the fallout. Republicans don’t want to talk because they’re loath to admit that, even after voting 67 times to repeal or defund the ACA, they have no plan to help the millions who would be affected.”

Wonk Wire: Indifference to the Obamacare ruling from many governors

Conservatives Seek to Prevent Enforcement of Gun Laws

February 26, 2015 at 8:04 am EST By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

“Conservative lawmakers in at least 11 states are pushing legislation that would prevent state law enforcement from enforcing some or all federal gun restrictions. Proponents of these bills are emboldened by the success of marijuana legalization at the state level and claim that federal law enforcement is stretched too thin to stop them,” the Huffington Post reports.

For example, the Montana House “passed legislation earlier this month that would prohibit the enforcement of any potential federal ban or restriction on firearms and magazines. If a Montana cop did enforce such a federal law, it would be considered theft of public money.”

Federal Corruption Probe Expands In Oregon

February 26, 2015 at 7:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

“The IRS has partnered with the FBI in the broad-ranging federal investigation of former Gov. John Kitzhaber and his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes,” the Oregonian reports.

Bush Hopes to Change Minds at CPAC

February 26, 2015 at 7:17 am EST By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

Jeb Bush will return to the Conservative Political Action Conference this week “as one of his party’s leading presidential candidates — but one who still needs to find the right way to connect with the conservatives activists who have not joined establishment donors in an early rush to back him,” the Washington Post reports.

“At CPAC, conservatives will be looking for Bush to ease their concerns about his stances on education, immigration and taxes. They will want to be reassured that he won’t be like his father or brother, whose presidencies disappointed them. And they are eager to see whether he is comfortable being a champion of their cause.”

Politico: 8 things to watch at CPAC

Jindal and Vitter Can’t Stand Each Other

February 26, 2015 at 7:14 am EST By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

National Journal: “Bobby Jindal and David Vitter have every reason to be friends. Jindal would love to have Vitter praise him as he looks to make the leap from Louisiana governor’s mansion to the White House. Vitter, meanwhile, would benefit from Jindal’s support as he campaigns to take the outgoing governor’s job. But none of that is happening. Instead, years’ worth of bad blood between the two is spilling out, hurting both Republicans as they attempt to leap to higher office.”

“The pair’s poor relationship dates back to 2007, when Jindal was in the midst of his second run for governor and Vitter was caught up in the D.C. Madam prostitution scandal. Jindal made no effort to defend Vitter then, and three years later, the rift was cemented when Jindal declined to endorse Vitter during his 2010 bid to keep his Senate seat.”

Quote of the Day

February 26, 2015 at 7:11 am EST By Taegan Goddard 35 Comments

“I don’t think there’s anything that relates to what my dad did or what my brother did that would compel me to think one way or the other.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by the Washington Examiner, on whether he would be overly cautious in starting a “third Bush war.”

Three GOP Hopefuls Face Budget Problems at Home

February 26, 2015 at 7:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard 11 Comments

Wall Street Journal: “Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal must respond to falling tax revenues as lower oil prices hit his energy-dependent state. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is trying to stabilize state finances amid ballooning pension costs and credit downgrades. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is navigating a less-severe revenue shortfall after cutting taxes in recent years.”

“How the governors handle budget problems could bolster their reputations among Republican voters in early primary states, who tend to favor spending curbs and smaller government. But the opportunity comes with the risk of pitched battles at home as the race for the GOP nomination picks up.”

Donation to Clinton Foundation Violated Agreement

February 26, 2015 at 6:18 am EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

“The Clinton Foundation accepted millions of dollars from seven foreign governments during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, including one donation that violated its ethics agreement with the Obama administration, foundation officials disclosed Wednesday,” the Washington Post reports.

A $500,000 donation from the Algerian government was “given to assist with earthquake relief in Haiti, the foundation said. At the time, Algeria, which has sought a closer relationship with Washington, was spending heavily to lobby the State Department on human rights issues.”

Politco: Foreign donation slipped through Clinton vetting process

Akin Eyes Possible Comeback Bid

February 25, 2015 at 5:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

Former Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), a conservative who lost to Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), in 2012, after he made controversial comments about rape that became national news, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he is still exploring his future and that he has not ruled out challenging Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) in a primary.

Said Akin: “Roy has burned a lot of bridges with a lot of conservatives in the state. Anything is a possibility.”

Mayor Called Slow Kids ‘Dummies’

February 25, 2015 at 4:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 35 Comments

A video of West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio (D) referring to slower learning kids as “dummies” is the basis of a new attack ad, WPBF-TV reports.

Muoio admitted she regretted using the term: “You have the script there and the context. Of course, if I hadn’t said it, it would be better.”

Trump Insists He’s Serious This Time

February 25, 2015 at 3:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 64 Comments

Donald Trump, “who has long toyed with presidential ambitions, said Wednesday he is serious about pursuing a run for the White House — moving ahead with a spate of political hires and delaying his television commitments for 2016,” the Washington Post reports.

“In recent days, Trump has enlisted several strategists to advise him in three key states, retained an attorney to help him navigate federal election law and alerted GOP officials about his desire to seek the Republican nomination. Trump said he has also declined to sign on for another season with the entertainment division of NBC, where he hosts Celebrity Apprentice, because of his political projects.”

Said Trump: “NBC has said they want to renew. But I can’t do it right now because I may be doing something else.”

Why is Fox News No Longer Defending Bill O’Reilly?

February 25, 2015 at 3:16 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 52 Comments

Gawker: “Over the past week, Fox News has aggressively rebutted accusations that its star host Bill O’Reilly lied about his whereabouts during the Falklands War in 1982. But after a new report challenged O’Reilly’s recent claim that he was present at the violent suicide of a Lee Harvey Oswald acquaintance in 1977, the network declined to defend him. Is Fox blinking?”

Bonus Quote of the Day

February 25, 2015 at 2:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 103 Comments

“The prime minister was profoundly forward-leaning and outspoken about the importance of invading Iraq under George W. Bush. We all know what happened with that decision.”

— Secretary of State John Kerry, quoted by TPM, on Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of a hypothetical deal with Iran as a threat to Israel.

Clinton Leads All Possible GOP Rivals

February 25, 2015 at 1:52 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 50 Comments

A new Public Policy Polling national poll finds Hillary Clinton leading all of her potential Republican candidates by between 7 and 10 points.

“What’s really striking about Clinton’s numbers against the Republicans is how steady they are no matter who she’s pitted against. Clinton is between 47-50% against all 9 of the GOP hopefuls, and each of the GOP hopefuls is polling at either 40 or 41%.”

Different Views of Obama’s Power

February 25, 2015 at 11:35 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

New York Times: “For President Obama, this has been a week to guard his power. He went to court to defend his executive action on immigration while fighting an effort by lawmakers to reverse it. And he vetoed legislation that would have stripped him of his authority to decide the fate of the much-debated Keystone XL pipeline. Yet this is also a week when Mr. Obama is seeking to circumscribe his own power as lawmakers take up his request for retroactive endorsement of his war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.”

“The disconnect between muscular assertion of power one minute and voluntary sacrifice of it the next is mirrored on the other side of the political spectrum. Republicans have accused Mr. Obama of presiding over a new imperial presidency by exercising his executive powers on immigration, health care and other matters. At the same time, they have complained bitterly that he wants to limit his power when it comes to making war against the nation’s enemies.”

Bill Would Make It Criminal to Enforce Obamacare

February 25, 2015 at 11:25 am EST By Taegan Goddard 65 Comments

“In another salvo against the federal Affordable Care Act, some Republicans in West Virginia’s House of Delegates want to make it a crime for state and federal officials to enforce the health-care law,” the Charleston Gazette reports.

Very Few Republicans Think Obama Is Christian

February 25, 2015 at 11:19 am EST By Taegan Goddard 86 Comments

Alex Theodoridis reports on a poll that found 54% of Republicans said that “Muslim” best described what President Obama “believes deep down.” Thirty percent of Republicans answered the way Gov. Scott Walker did, by selecting “I don’t know.” Only 9% selected “Christian” to describe what Obama likely believes.

Interestingly, only 45% of Democrats chose “Christian,” while 17% said “spiritual,” 10% said “Muslim,” and 26% said they didn’t know.

Boehner Says He’s Waiting for Senate to Act on Funding

February 25, 2015 at 11:07 am EST By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told the Washington Post that he is “waiting for the Senate to act” to fund the Department of Homeland Security, declining to say whether he will embrace a plan put forth Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Said Boehner: “Until the Senate does something, we’re in a wait-and-see mode.”