National Journal: “Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) continues to maintain an office for his dormant campaign for New York City mayor, according to campaign-finance disclosure forms filed Tuesday. But his disclosure shows no signs of fundraising or spending to suggest that he is preparing for a political comeback in 2013.”
RNC Chair Backs Electoral Vote Gambit
RNC Chairman Reince Preibus told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel over the weekend that he thinks Wisconsin and other battleground states “should change the way they allocate their Electoral College votes, but he said he is not inserting himself into how states decide to proceed.”
The Fix: “Basically, Republicans who have control of states that went for President Obama in the 2012 election are pushing for their states to change how they award electoral votes. While almost every state awards electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis, Republicans want these states to instead award one vote to the winner of each congressional district.”
“The new system would allow Republicans to consistently win electoral
votes (and quite possibly a majority of electoral votes) from states
like Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Virginia, regardless of
whether they win the statewide vote. All five of these states went for Obama in 2012.”
McDaniel Pledges to Continue Bid Despite Sex Scandal
“Apologizing for an extramarital relationship and fighting for a political future that once seemed bright, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel (D) tried to reassure voters that there won’t be any similar revelations as he seeks the state’s top office,” Arkansas Business News reports.
Said McDaniel: “There is no other shoe to drop.”
McDaniel “came out of political hiding last week as he faced reporters
and eased back into public life following his Dec. 18 revelation that he
had an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with a Hot Springs attorney.”
Romanoff Weighs House Bid in Colorado
Former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D), “who helped lead a Democratic resurgence in the state before mounting an unsuccessful 2010 Senate campaign,” is considering challenging Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) in the upcoming midterm elections, Politico reports.
Said Romanoff: “I haven’t made much secret of the fact that I’d like to return to
public service and that’s one path I’ve looked at. I haven’t
made any decision.”
Schumer Will Back Hagel for Defense
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is seen as a key to Chuck Hagel’s becoming Defense secretary, is backing the former Nebraska Republican senator — despite past controversial statements on Israel, Iran, and the “Jewish lobby,” NBC News reports.
Said Schumer: “Based on several key assurances provided by Senator Hagel, I am currently prepared to vote for his confirmation. I encourage my Senate colleagues who have shared my previous concerns to also support him.”
Republicans are Frequent No-Shows at White House
Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.” He might also have said a house that cannot watch a movie together also might not stand.
Glenn Thrush reports that House Speaker John Boehner “has been by the White House for most holiday parties — and he played that legendary round of golf with POTUS a couple of years back — but he declined Obama’s invitation to screen ‘Lincoln.’ So did McConnell, along with Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME).”
“House Republicans have routinely turned down White House invites (as Democrats did under Obama’s predecessor), with the high point of bipartisan schmoozing being a sparsely attended 2011 BBQ Obama threw for newly-elected Republicans after the 2010 midterms.”
Even the newer lawmakers are taking part: “One Republican freshman who didn’t go was Rep. Renee Ellmers whose flack said, with admirable candor, ‘She declined because she chose not to go.'”
Thomas Breaks His Silence
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas broke his seven-year silence on the Supreme Court yesterday but the official transcript shows he said just four words.
Tom Goldstein: “Wow, slow news day. On the Supreme Court front, the chatter has been over the sentence Justice Thomas interjected during today’s oral argument in Boyer v. Louisiana. Some of the commentary has devolved into psychoanalysis of the Justice’s supposed hostility towards Yale Law School. The real question to be asked is: can you take a joke?”
Why New Gun Controls are Inevitable
The Cloakroom: President Obama has the public overwhelmingly on his side.
The Cabinet Shuffle
First Read recaps the changes to President Obama’s cabinet.
Here are the cabinet secretaries who are remaining: Napolitano (DHS), Duncan (Education), Vilsack (Agriculture), Holder (Justice), Sebelius (HHS), and Shinseki (Veterans Affairs).
Here are the cabinet members leaving, plus their nominated replacements: Clinton at State (John Kerry nominated), Panetta at Defense (Chuck Hagel nominated), Geithner at Treasury (Jack Lew nominated), Solis at Labor and Jackson at EPA.
Are Democrats Just as Unrealistic About Spending Cuts?
Charlie Cook:
“For all of the focus and talk about the cleavages within the GOP and
how unrealistic Republicans’ approach to taxes has been, we will now see
a mirror-image debate over spending that will show Democrats to be
equally culpable for the fiscal crisis that we find ourselves in.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m just honored to even have a voice that matters a little bit. A lot of people dream to be part of the policy mix.”
— Former Utah Gov. Jon Hunstman (R), in an interview with BuzzFeed, claiming he takes only 2% of interview requests.
Obama Staffers Shut Out of Inaugural Events
In a “sour footnote” to President Obama’s re-election last November, many of his campaign staffers tell BuzzFeed they have been shut out of the inaugural festivities.
Said one: “We worked our butts off, and I’m going to watch it on TV instead of being there. It’s a huge bummer.”
“Former staffers — who spoke to BuzzFeed on the condition of anonymity to preserve their relationships, and possible jobs, in Obama’s second term — say they have grown frustrated by what they see as inadequate communication from the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the group responsible for the inaugural balls, and in particular by its restrictions on access to the official events.”
House GOP Considers Four Year Debt Limit Deal
House Republicans are weighing an increase in the national debt limit for four years in exchange for big spending and entitlement cuts, Roll Call reports.
“The plan would, however, come at no easy price for Obama, who pledged as recently as Monday morning not to negotiate with Republicans on a debt ceiling hike. Republicans would demand major tax and entitlement reforms — the latter of which has been anathema to many Democrats — and they could also ask for movement on the sequester and an expiring continuing resolution that must be dealt with in the next three months.”
Three Fiscal Cliffs Approach
Politico: “The White House and Congress are facing three critical deadlines — the country hits its debt limit as early as mid-February, $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts take effect March 2, and the government runs out of money to fund operations later that month.”
“There is no real optimism among Republicans and Democrats that the standoff will end quickly, or painlessly. The strategy of each party rests largely on the other one folding.”
Marc Ambinder: Why the White House really rejected the trillion dollar coin to avoid the debt ceiling fight.
Obama Plans Big Gun Control Package
President Obama “will embrace a comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence that will call for major legislation to expand background checks for gun purchases and lay out 19 separate actions the president could take by invoking the power of his office,” the New York Times reports.
“Lawmakers and other officials said that the president could use a public event as soon as Wednesday to signal his intention to engage in the biggest Congressional fight over guns in nearly two decades, focusing on the heightened background checks and including efforts to ban assault weapons and their high-capacity clips. But given the difficulty of pushing new rules through a bitterly divided Congress, Mr. Obama will also promise to act on his own to reduce gun violence wherever possible.”
Roger Simon: “The gun lobby has weathered this before. It has faced public outrage over gun massacres many times. And it has its playbook ready.”
New York Reaches Quick Deal on New Gun Control
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers agreed to “a broad package of changes to gun laws that would expand the state’s ban on assault weapons and would include new measures to keep guns away from the mentally ill,” the New York Times reports.
“Approval of the legislation would make New York the first state to act in response to the mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., last month.”
Scott Gave Back His Dog
Shortly after winning the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2010, Rick Scott (R) announced that his family had rescued a Labrador Retriever and gave it a name: Reagan.
But when the Tampa Bay Times “asked last week what had happened to the dog, Scott’s current and former communications directors refused to answer… At one point an exasperated reporter asked Burgess if he had killed the dog, and Burgess denied ever killing a dog, but still wouldn’t say where Reagan was.”
Later a spokeswoman called to say Reagan had been returned about a year ago.
Ann Romney Turns Down Dance Show
Ann Romney rejected an invitation to appear on the “Dancing with the Stars” television show, TMZ reports.
“You may recall, Ann showed up at last season’s finale and gushed that she was a big, big fan. Our sources say Ann and producers had several meetings to try to hash out the details, but Ann ultimately decided against it.”