“Iran and world powers expect to announce an initial deal as early as Friday to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions, a step that would mark the first breakthrough in a decade to blunt the threat of Tehran developing nuclear weapons,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Obama Says He Would Never Have Dumped Biden
President Obama dismissed a report in Double Down that his campaign poll-tested dumping Joe Biden in favor of “as would-be leakers trying to ‘seem important.’ But he said he would have flatly rejected the suggestion of removing Biden from his team,” NBC News reports.
Said Obama: “If they had asked me, I would have said there is no way that I am not running again with Joe Biden.”
Do Political Campaigns Even Matter?
Ezra Klein: “Game Change 2 has just been published, and horse-race junkies currently feeling the aches and fevers of election withdrawal… are rejoicing. As well they should. ‘Game Change 2’ — the actual title is Double Down: Game Change 2012 — is a joyous romp through the seedy underbelly of presidential campaigning. It’s a cure for the off-year shakes.”
“But when you buy ‘Game Change 2,’ you should also buy its opposite — The Gamble, by political scientists John Sides and Lynn Vavreck. It, too, is an account of the 2012 election. But it signals its contrasting point of view in its first sentence: ’68,’ the authors wrote. ‘That is how many moments were described as ‘game-changers’ in the 2012 presidential election.’ The rest of the book is dedicated to proving that almost none truly were.”
Obama Apologizes for Misleading Americans
President Obama told NBC News that he is “sorry” that some Americans are losing their current health insurance plans as a result of the Affordable Care Act, despite his promise that no one would have to give up a health plan they liked.
Said Obama: “I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me.”
Conversation with Norm Ornstein
The latest episode of the Political Wire podcast features Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute on our new age of political extremism.
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Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“We need to challenge the tea party representatives who like the Taliban shut our country down.”
— Former Montana Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger (D), quoted by the Helena Montana Record, on why he’s running for U.S. Senate.
Senate Passes Gay-Rights Bill Banning Discrimination
The Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act “in a tempered win for gay rights advocates who still need a reluctant, GOP-controlled House to take up and pass the bill,” Roll Call reports.
“The bill, if it were to become law, would set a federal non-discrimination standard to ensure that private employers cannot fire employees based on their sexual orientation or identity.”
“Ten Republicans joined all Democrats to pass the gay rights bill, while 32 Republicans voted against the measure.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I have not had the opportunity yet to speak to the attorney general.”
— Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe (D), quoted by Politico, saying Ken Cuccinelli (R) never called to concede the election while adding, “I stopped being surprised at politics a long time ago.”
New Rob Ford Video Surfaces
A new video has surfaced showing Toronto Mayor Rob Ford “acting wildly and belligerent and using threatening words including ‘kill’ and ‘murder’ with reference to an unidentified person,” the Toronto Sun reports.
Some choice quotes from Ford:
“I need fucking 10 minutes to make sure he’s dead.”
“I’m going to kill that fucking guy. I’m telling you it’s first-degree murder … He dies or I die, brother.”
“When he’s down, I’ll rip his fucking throat out” and “I’ll poke his eyes out” and “I’ll make sure that motherfucker’s dead.”
Quote of the Day
“I am pro-life. I care about the life of every child: every child that goes
to bed hungry, every child that goes to bed without a proper education,
every child that goes to bed without being able to be a part of the
Texas dream, every woman and man who worry about their children’s future
and their ability to provide for that future. I care about life and I
have a record of fighting for people above all else.”
— Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis (D), quoted by the Dallas Morning News, borrowing a phrase from anti-abortion
activists.
Democrats Get Big Recruit for West Virginia House Race
West Virginia state auditor Glen Gainer (D) will run for congress against Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) next year, WAJR reports.
“The 21 year Auditor and popular Democratic politician has been looking at a possible run for Congress in 2014 since March. Gainer says he’s gotten hundreds of phone calls, emails and texts and some days it’s been overwhelming.”
Did GOP Take Wrong Lesson from Cuccinelli Defeat?
Jessica Taylor: “A
loss by Ken Cuccinelli was supposed to have been a wake-up call to the
tea party that deeply conservative candidates couldn’t win in swing
states like Virginia. Instead, the GOP nominee’s near-miss in Tuesday’s
race for governor has only deepened the party’s ideological
divide….when the results came in, and the margin was only three
points, many were left wondering whether a win had been within reach.
They blamed the GOP cavalry for failing to ride in, believing that
Cuccinelli’s framing of the race as a referendum against Obamacare had
been a winning message.”
Washington Post: “McAuliffe’s unexpectedly slim victory in Virginia set off an
explosion of recriminations among Republicans on Wednesday, and rather
than settling the battle between the GOP’s tea party and business
factions, the election appears to have deepened the internal divide.””
Can Rand Paul Stand the Heat?
Louisville Courier-Journal:
“Sen. Rand Paul’s handling of recent plagiarism charges adds doubts
about his readiness for a presidential campaign.”
Said Larry Sabato: “If he were at my school, he would have been expelled
because of the honor code. It’s a lot more serious than the ‘Aqua
Buddha.'”
What Does GOP Do Once Website is Fixed?
National Journal: “Beating up on Obamacare is the easy part. But eventually, many
Republicans acknowledge, the website will be fixed, new enrollees will
spike, cancellation letters will cease, and the sting of the Affordable
Care Act’s ugly implementation will fade. At some point, Republicans
will have to address the one Democratic rebuttal that cuts deepest: What
is the Republican alternative?”
Daines Launches Senate Bid in Montana
Rep. Steve Daines (R-MT), “ending months of speculation about when and if he would jump into Montana’s potentially pivotal U.S. Senate race, officially launched his campaign Wednesday, saying it’s time for Republicans to take control of the Senate,” the Billings Gazette reports.
Immigration Reform Advocates Target 9 Republicans
“With a year to go until the midterm elections, immigration reform advocates hoping to jump-start debate on Capitol Hill are planning to target a handful of Republican lawmakers most likely to suffer political consequences next year if Congress fails to act on immigration reform,” the Washington Post reports.
“The campaign will target Reps. Jeff Denham (R-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), Gary Miller (R-CA), Scott Tipton (R-CO), Mike Coffman (R-CO), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Steve Pearce (R-NM) and Joe Heck (R-NV). They represent districts with sizable Latino voting populations where President Obama won or performed well last year. They also have publicly voiced support for revamping the nation’s immigration laws.”
Stopping the Filibuster Madness
Norm Ornstein:
“If the other two D.C. Circuit nominees are filibustered and blocked, I
would support Harry Reid’s move to change the rules now, to move from a
60-vote requirement to stop debate and vote to a 40-vote requirement to
continue debate. The argument that if he does so, Republicans will do
the same thing when they take the White House and Senate is a bad one:
Can anyone doubt that McConnell would blow up the filibuster rule in a
nanosecond if he had the ability to fill all courts with radical
conservatives like Janice Rogers Brown for decades to come? I hope it
does not come to this–and that the problem solvers in the Senate keep
their titles, preserve their institution, and stop the filibuster
madness.”
Carter Will Challenge Deal for Georgia Governor
Georgia state Sen. Jason Carter (D) will challenge Gov. Nathan Deal (R)
next year “in a move that catapults the gubernatorial contest into the
national spotlight and tests whether Georgia’s changing
demographics can loosen the Republican Party’s 12-year grip on the
state’s highest office,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“Carter’s decision…is another step along the
trail forged by his famous grandfather Jimmy Carter, who was elected to
the state Senate and then the Governor’s Mansion before winning the
presidency.”
