Former Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R) has a new ad out for her new super PAC.
You have to watch it to believe it.
McConnell Says He Will Not Allow Another Shutdown
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told The Hill that he will not allow another government shutdown as part of a strategy to repeal Obamacare.
Said McConnell: “One of my favorite old Kentucky sayings is there’s no education in the second kick of a mule. The first kick of a mule was when we shut the government down in the mid 1990s and the second kick was over the last 16 days. There is no education in the second kick of a mule. There will not be a government shutdown.”
He added: “I think we have fully now acquainted our new members with what a losing strategy that is.”
On Wonk Wire
Alien Movie Quote or GOP Description of Obamacare?
This Huffington Post quiz is harder than you might think.
Weiner Says He’s a ‘Soulless Vessel’
GQ speaks to Anthony Weiner about his failed attempt at a political comeback and the stress it put on his marriage with Huma Abedin.
Said Weiner: “One thing I’m grateful for is that now I’m under no obligation to answer anything like this. But we’ve had a very rough time. It causes me a great deal of pain in the way she gets reported and the way she gets discussed. Her treatment in the press has been rough. It pains me because I deserve it. She doesn’t.”
“I duck it as best I can, but her reputation has become the Woman Who Married an Idiot and Stuck with Him. More of it rolls off my back, because that’s the way I am constitutionally. She’s more sensitive. I’m just an empty, soulless vessel, so it doesn’t hurt me as much.”
Don’t Underestimate Democrats in 2014
Harry Enten: “The indispensable Cook Political Report has only has 13 Democratic-held seats listed in the relatively competitive tossup or “lean” category. Of course, Democrats need to take 17 seats to win the House. The ratings reflect, among other things, a lack of strong challengers for the Democrats and lack of retirements by Republicans.”
“The thing is that expert ratings (like most polling) are not all that predictive a year out from an election. At this point in the 2006 cycle, there were 17 Republican seats in the lean or tossup categories. That’s well short of the 30 seats that Democrats would ultimately take from Republicans.”
McConnell Now Trails in Re-Election Race
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Kentucky finds Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) now trails challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), 45% to 43%.
Key finding: 48% of Kentucky voters say they’re less likely to support McConnell for reelection next year because he supported the government shutdown, compared to only 34% who say they’re now more likely to support him.
Obama Pushes Immigration Reform, Farm Bill
President Obama “urged his Republican adversaries to view the end of the government shutdown and debt ceiling battles of recent weeks as new opportunities for bipartisan compromise in the weeks ahead,” the New York Times reports.
“Obama declared that the ‘full faith and credit of the United States remains unquestioned.’ But he pleaded for a new spirit of cooperation in Washington that did not undermine government as an institution. He proposed working this year on developing a long-term budget, agreeing on an immigration overhaul and passing a new farm bill.”
The Sequester is Worse
Norm Ornstein: “Damaging as the shutdown is for governance, it is minor compared with the long-term damage of the sequester. The FBI has had to reduce its focus on white-collar and organized crime to deal with the higher, immediate priority of cybersecurity. The food-inspection infrastructure has been hit, reducing the number of inspectors in the U.S. and in foreign plants that ship food to the United States. This will undoubtedly lead to more outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli, with a weakened Centers for Disease Control less able to cope with the epidemics. Basic research, as I have written before, is taking devastating hits–starting with NIH but including DARPA and every other area done primarily by the federal government. Some of the damage will never be repaired. And the nation’s economy will grow more slowly, adding to our deficits and debt.”
6 Surprises in House Fundraising
Roll Call: “House campaigns reported their fundraising totals for July through September this week, revealing some surprising hauls from more than a handful of members and candidates.”
Cruz Left with Few Friends
Dallas Morning News:
“It might be time for Ted Cruz to get a dog. Because as the saying
goes, if you want a friend in Washington, that’s what you do. And by the
time Cruz’s crusade to defund Obamacare finally crashed to a halt
Wednesday, the Texas senator had precious few friends left. The
government shutdown alienated colleagues in both parties. It generated
fresh animosity toward the tea party and a flurry of recriminations
toward Cruz. Voter support for the Republican Party plunged. And the
health care law survived unscathed.”
Did Republicans Just Hand Clinton the White House?
Michael Hirsh: “In the innermost sanctum of Clintonland, it is difficult to imagine that Hillary and Bill, two of the savviest politicians in the country, are not pinching themselves to make sure that it’s all real. Perhaps they’re dancing a jig together, or knocking back shots and howling at the moon out of sheer, giddy joy at their good luck. (OK, Hillary’s not howling, but Bill might be.) Or maybe they are just quietly kvelling over the latest turn of events.”
“Because the trend lines are unmistakable, and they’re looking better all the time: If she wants to run in 2016, Hillary Rodham Clinton could have the easiest walk into the White House of any candidate in either party since, well, one has to go back a very long way. Maybe to Reagan in ’84. LBJ in ’64, or Eisenhower in ’52, or even FDR in 1932, 1936 and 1940. The presidency is looking like it’s hers to lose, more than ever.”
Boehner Did Manage to Keep His Job
Paul Kane:
“House Speaker John A. Boehner lost the shutdown showdown in
ignominious fashion, winning not a single concession of any value from
Democrats and exposing his majority as powerless to advance conservative
causes. The one thing the Ohio Republican did seem to manage to do was
hold onto his job. The always embattled speaker let his recalcitrant
conservatives effectively run the show for the past month, and even as
they lost badly, he won grudging respect from some who sought to take
his gavel away earlier this year.”
First Read: “Strikingly, House Republicans told us that the shutdown debate only
strengthened House Speaker John Boehner’s hand with his GOP conference.”
Doomed for Another Shutdown?
Benjy Sarlin: “Interviews with lawmakers, pundits, and activists across a wide ideological in the final hours of a shutdown Wednesday paint a pessimistic picture of what Congress has learned from the 16-day ordeal. While some argue that Republicans are dropping too sharply in the polls to take such a hard line on budget negotiations again, most believe that the fundamental dynamics haven’t shifted – meaning more shutdowns and possible defaults could be waiting in the wings. The next standoff could come as soon as January, when the new spending agreement ends or in February, when the new debt ceiling level is reached.”
Wonk Wire: We haven’t seen the last of budget brinksmanship.
Obama Won, Now What?
Ron Fournier: “Faced now with the choice between partisan politics and a risky high ground, the president has an opportunity to leverage this ‘victory’ for a long-term budget deal that raises taxes and tames entitlements. Obama won. Now can he lead? Does he have the guts to anger liberal backers with a budget deal on Social Security and Medicare? Is he willing to engage sincerely with Republicans? Does he want a legacy beyond winning two elections and enacting a health care law that, judging by its horrendous launch, may never live up to its promise? If the answer to those questions is ‘yes,’ Obama has hidden his intentions well.”
Shutdown Caused Real Economic Damage
New York Times: “Even with the shutdown of the United States government and the threat of a default coming to an end, the cost of Congress’s gridlock has already run well into the billions, economists estimate. And the total will continue to grow even after the shutdown ends, partly because of uncertainty about whether lawmakers might reach another deadlock early next year.”
“A complete accounting will take months once the government reopens and the Treasury resumes adding to the country’s debt. But economists said that the intransigence of House Republicans would take a bite out of fourth-quarter growth, which will affect employment, business earnings and borrowing costs. The ripple from Washington will be felt around the globe.”
GOP Lawmaker Pledges Another Showdown
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) told the New York Times he was opposed to the deal to reopen the federal government and raise the debt ceiling. He also suggest he’s ready for another showdown.
Said Fleming: “I’ll vote against it. But that will get us into Round 2. See, we’re going to start this all over again.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Anytime you fight for something you really believe in and something you think is important, then the fight is going to be worth it.”
— Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), interviewed on CNN, on the 16 day government shutdown.
