“Rehab is amazing.”
— Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, in an interview with the Toronto Sun.
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Key Obama Advisers Set to Spill Insider Details
“Over the next month, two of President Obama’s closest first-term advisers will spill insider details on the administration’s handling of the early days of the Great Recession, the White House’s cautious response to the Syrian civil war and the genesis of clandestine talks with Iran,” the AP reports.
The back-to-back memoirs from Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner “will be the latest installments in what has become an often awkward Washington ritual: one-time confidants signing big book contracts to examine a presidency that is still ongoing and policy decisions that are still being implemented.”
Lynne Cheney Wants Daughter to Run Again
Lynne Cheney told USA Today that she hopes her daughter Liz makes another bid for public office.
Said Cheney: “I sure hope so. She is a great candidate and, you know, the family was going through some crises. It’s now evened out. She did exactly the right thing to turn her attention to some difficult situations, and she’ll do exactly the right thing, in my opinion, if she runs for office again. She’d be a terrific candidate and a terrific representative or senator for us.”
Another New York Lawmaker Arrested
New York City Councilman Ruben Wills (D) was arrested early this morning by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s (D) office, the New York Observer reports.
“The source declined to discuss the charges against the the men, but the Daily News reported in 2012 that Mr. Schneiderman’s office was investigating a $33,000 state grant that allegedly went missing after being doled out to a nonprofit linked to Mr. Wills, who will be arraigned in Queens criminal court later today.”
Clinton Attacks Gun Culture
Hillary Clinton delivered harsh criticism of gun culture in America and denounced the idea that “anybody can have a gun, anywhere, at any time,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
She noted that access to guns in the U.S. had grown “way out of balance.”
Said Clinton: “We’ve got to rein in what has become an almost article of faith that anybody can have a gun anywhere, anytime. And I don’t believe that is in the best interest of the vast majority of people.”
Shaheen Leads in New Hampshire
A new Hickman Analytics poll in New Hampshire finds Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) leading Scott Brown (R) in their U.S. Senate race among likely voters, 49% to 43%.
Quote of the Day
Tillis Wants to ‘Divide and Conquer’ Those on Public Assistance
Just as Thom Tillis (R) was cruising to the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in North Carolina, Greg Sargent notes a video was uncovered which shows Tillis “appears to be a diehard 47 percenter.”
In the video, Tillis said we have to “divide and conquer” those on public assistance, by getting those who really need it — the sick — to turn on and look down at those who “choose to get into a condition that makes them dependent on the government.”
He added: “At some point, you’re on your own. We may end up taking care of those babies, but we’re not going to take care of you.”
Crist Says Racism Drove His Party Switch
Charlie Crist (D) told Fusion that a “big reason” why he left the Republican Party was because many in the GOP were hostile to President Obama due to his race.
Said Crist: “I couldn’t be consistent with myself and my core beliefs, and stay with a party that was so unfriendly toward the African-American president, I’ll just go there. I was a Republican and I saw the activists and what they were doing, it was intolerable to me.”
He added: “I am liberated as a Democrat, my true soul is able to be seen, and I couldn’t be happier about it.”
For really great insight into Crist as a politician, see our conversation with Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Quirky Republican Survives Primary
Ben Jacobs: “Perhaps the quirkiest Republican in Congress won re-election Tuesday night. Incumbent Rep. Walter Jones fended off a primary challenge from a Taylor Griffin, a longtime GOP apparatchik, who worked for Jesse Helms and in the George W. Bush administration in his deep red district along North Carolina’s coast.”
White House Seeks New Way to Penetrate the Media
Washington Post: “When most Americans turn on their televisions at night, they expect their meteorologists to get the forecast right, or at least try. That level of trust is one reason President Obama and his staff spent hours Tuesday giving top weather forecasters the royal treatment — a briefing in the Roosevelt Room with multiple Cabinet secretaries and senior officials on a major new report on climate change, plus Rose Garden interviews with the president. It was the White House’s latest attempt to penetrate a polarized media climate where Americans increasingly read and view — consciously and unconsciously — material that matches their political beliefs.”
Aiken Holds Small Lead in North Carolina Primary
“The battle between Keith Crisco, a moderate, business-friendly Democrat, and former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken came down to a very slim margin Tuesday night: As the vote-count neared completion, Aiken led by fewer than 400 votes,” the Raleigh News & Observer reports.
The winner will face U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC).
Thai Court Ousts Prime Minister
A Thai court ordered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra “removed from office, a highly divisive move and a victory for the powerful antigovernment movement that has sought to overthrow the government in Bangkok for the last six months,” the New York Times reports.
“The court ruled that Ms. Yingluck abused her power when she transferred a civil servant more than three years ago. The court ordered her to step down immediately along with all members of Ms. Yingluck’s cabinet who were in office at the time of the civil servant’s transfer.”
Judge Halts Investigation Into Walker
A federal judge ordered a halt “to the John Doe investigation into campaign spending and fundraising by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) campaign and conservative groups, saying the effort appeared to violate one of the group’s free speech rights,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Tillis Will Face Hagan in North Carolina
Thom Tillis (R) “scored a major victory on Tuesday night, when he won the GOP primary outright to become his party’s nominee to challenge Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), Roll Call reports.
“Tillis had 46% of the vote when the Associated Press called the race for him… He defeated Greg Brannon, an obstetrician aligned with the tea party who had support from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) who had 27% of the vote, and Mark Harris, a pastor, who had focused his appeal on social conservatism and was backed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who had 17% of the vote.”
Ex-Christie Aide Testifies in Bridge Scandal
A former top aide in New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) office testified that she “had no knowledge or involvement” in the plan to close New Jersey toll lanes to the George Washington Bridge, the Newark Star Ledger reports.
Christina Genovese Renna, who worked for Bridget Anne Kelly at the time of the lane closures, described her former boss as erratic and unstable, “enormously overwhelmed and enormously stressed with day-to-day life.”
“Renna also gave an inside look into the workings of Christie’s administration. Staffers routinely used personal email accounts to handle government business; it was hard to get clear orders or explanations from Kelly; and one member of the staff, Evan Ridley, could not be trusted when he said he was meeting mayors.”
Conversation with Adam Smith
Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times joins us to discuss Florida politics, from an unusual governor’s race in 2014 to two favorite sons possibly making White House bids in 2016.
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Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Instead of people talking about problems all the time, I think the better exercise is: If you don’t like it, what would you propose instead?”
— Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), quoted by the Wall Street Journal, on the GOP opposition to Obamacare.
