A new CNN/ORC poll finds a large majority of Americans believe that Republican congressional leaders should not have invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress without consulting the White House, 63% to 33%.
Quote of the Day
“Wimps. Snowing in DC and they close the government. Imagine if the rest of the country closed when it snowed.”
— Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), quoted by The Hill.
Not Much Room to Clinton’s Left
Derek Willis: “The field of potential Democratic presidential candidates is ideologically cohesive. While there is room to the left of Mrs. Clinton’s Crowdpac score of -6.4, there is not a lot. The lack of distance between the Democratic hopefuls suggests that creating a wedge between someone like Ms. Warren and Mrs. Clinton would be harder among Democratic donors, and perhaps among the broader primary electorate.”
“The situation is different for Republicans, with considerable space available to the right of Jeb Bush (4.2) — and a lot of candidates to vie for it.”
Hillary Clinton Privately Courts Elizabeth Warren
Hillary Clinton held a private, one-on-one meeting with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in December at Mrs. Clinton’s Washington home, “a move by the Democrats’ leading contender in 2016 to cultivate the increasingly influential senator and leader of the party’s economic populist movement,” the New York Times reports.
“The get-together represented a step toward relationship-building for two women who do not know each other well. And for Mrs. Clinton, it was a signal that she would prefer Ms. Warren’s counsel delivered in person, as a friendly insider, rather than on national television or in opinion articles. And for Ms. Warren, the meeting offered the opportunity to make clear what she believes are the most pressing national issues.”
McDaniel Considers Bid for Mississippi Lt. Governor
Failed Mississippi U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel (R) is “absolutely thinking about it” on challenging incumbent Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) in the GOP primary, the Clarion Ledger reports.
The deadline for qualifying for state races is Feb. 27.
Half of GOP Voters No Longer Opposed to Gay Marriage
The latest NBC News/Marist polls show that about half of likely GOP caucus and primary voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina said they find opposition to gay marriage either “mostly” or “totally” unacceptable in a candidate.
“Voters in all three states find a candidate who supports gay marriage to be about as amenable as one who doesn’t toe the party line on any of these issues.”
Wonk Wire: Opposition to gay marriage hurts Republican candidates
Did Republicans Just Get a Lifeline to Avoid a Shutdown?
Rick Klein: “A federal judge in Texas may or may not have delivered Republicans the policy result they wanted in blocking President Obama’s immigration executive order. But Judge Andrew Hanen’s decision could alter the roadmap sufficiently to provide GOP leaders the exit ramp they need so urgently in the current Capitol Hill showdown. Mixing the immigration order with funding for the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t produced the desired results. But in making the case among Republicans for a new strategy, the (at least temporary) success of a legal challenge just might be persuasive. The latest development won’t be the final word on the never-ending wars over immigration policy. Republicans, though, needed a new script – and just might have gotten one, just in time.”
Morning Line: “Quick summary of where we are: At the moment only two options seem politically feasible — (1) a short-term funding bill that keeps the issue (and DHS) alive or (2) a partial shutdown of DHS starting a week from Saturday. (“Partial” because a majority of DHS staff is considered “essential” and could be required to work without pay in a budget impasse.) “
Control of Senate May Hinge on Presidential Race
First Read: “Indeed, in the 40 Senate contests since 2004 rated by the Cook Political Report as either a Tossup or a Lean race, 32 times (or 80%) the Senate contest went the same way as the presidential contest did in the same state. And that’s particularly important when you consider that the 2016 Senate battlegrounds will be in Colorado (Bennet -D), Illinois (Kirk -R), Nevada (Reid – D), New Hampshire (Ayotte – R), North Carolina (Burr – R), Pennsylvania (Toomey – R), Wisconsin (Johnson – R), Florida (Rubio – R), and Ohio (Portman – R).”
Clinton Crushes Christie in New Jersey
A new Rutgers-Eagleton poll in New Jersey finds Hillary Clinton leads Gov. Chris Christie in a possible presidential match up by 23 points, 58% to 35%.
How a Fight at Home Helps Walker Nationally
The Washington Post says Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to cut the University of Wisconsin’s funding by 13% is mostly about presidential politics.
“It is unusual for a governor pondering a presidential run to take on what could be an all-consuming political brawl at home — and a distraction from the coast-to-coast travel and fundraising required to build a national campaign.”
“But the university budget debate has a clear upside for Walker, who is shaping his political brand around the idea that he does not shy away from a fight. Whether or not he succeeds in transforming the universities, the battle itself, coming in the midst of Walker’s effort to rise above a crowded field of prospective Republican presidential candidates, is likely to play well with conservative voters who see universities as elite institutions and hotbeds of left-leaning activism.”
Perry Says He Learned from Failed 2012 Bid
Rick Perry was in Iowa yesterday and said he’d learned his lesson from his failed 2012 presidential campaign, the Des Moines Register reports.
Said Perry: “I parachuted in here and I didn’t give Iowans an opportunity to get to know who I was and talk to them about the issues. I will not make that mistake again.”
The Houston Chronicle reports Perry “has brought on board four longtime Republican operatives to help him assemble a likely 2016 presidential campaign in Iowa.”
Can Emanuel Avoid Runoff in Chicago?
A new Chicago Tribune poll finds Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) “is closing in on the majority he needs to win re-election and avoid a runoff, but nearly 1 in 5 Chicago voters remain undecided a week before Election Day.”
“The survey found that Emanuel has boosted his favorability and job approval ratings among voters after millions of dollars in TV ads, while support for top challenger Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia may be stalling as he starts to air his own ads in the closing days of the campaign.”
Blame Would Fall on GOP for Shutdown
A new CNN/ORC poll finds Republicans in Congress would shoulder the blame for a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security more than President Obama if they are unable to enact a new spending bill to keep the agency running, 53% to 30%. Another 13% say both deserve the blame.
Strickland Begins Raising Money for Senate Bid
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) has started raising money for a 2016 U.S. Senate bid, the Youngstown Vindicator reports.
“Strickland hasn’t formed a campaign committee yet… Those running for the Senate must form a committee and file the proper paperwork with the Federal Election Commission within 15 days of raising or spending $5,000.”
Christie Plans New Hampshire Push
Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) aides “plan to arrange a series of town-hall meetings for him this year in New Hampshire, anticipating that his direct and sometimes combative style will play well in the state that analysts say is his best chance at victory among the early battlegrounds for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Such town-hall meetings could help his team use Mr. Christie’s strength in a state that has long favored such question-and-answer sessions to take the temperature of presidential candidates. While the Christie team is setting up campaign machinery in all early-voting states, Republican voters in the two others—Iowa and South Carolina—often reward candidates with more conservative profiles.”
The Newark Star Ledger says Christie “gave the first glimpse of what he’d do if Americans elected him to the White House while speaking to New Hampshire Republicans in the presidential battleground state tonight.”
Michael Schiavo Pledges to Campaign Against Bush
Jeb Bush’s “effort to stop Michael Schiavo from removing his brain-damaged wife’s feeding tube was a defining moment of Bush’s time in office,” the AP reports. “Bush, a devout Catholic, sided with Terri Schiavo’s parents in the end-of-life dispute and reached for unprecedented authority to intervene. Michael Schiavo said his wife did not want to be kept alive artificially.”
“As Bush moves toward a run for president in 2016, Michael Schiavo has re-emerged, promising to campaign against Bush and remind voters about the ex-governor’s role in the matter.”
Wall Street Worried About Paul Candidacy
Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) “bash-the-Fed routine” “is political gold with libertarian voters suspicious of all federal authority, especially a central bank with a $4.5 trillion balance sheet,” Politico reports.
“But Paul could face a significant challenge if he emerges from Iowa with a legitimate shot at the Republican nomination. Because experts say he gets many of his arguments about the Fed flat wrong. And the establishment wing of the GOP — backed by piles of Wall Street money — views Paul’s approach to the Fed as dangerous and irresponsible.”
Judge Blocks Obama Immigration Orders
“A federal judge in Texas last night temporarily blocked the Obama administration’s executive actions on immigration. The judge, responding to a suit filed by 26 Republican-run states, did not rule on the legality of immigration orders but said there was sufficient merit to the challenge to warrant a suspension while the case goes forward,” the Washington Post reports.
