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Bonus Quote of the Day
“I will learn things from this. I know I will. I don’t know exactly what it is yet that I’ll learn from it. But when I get the whole story and really try to understand what’s going on here, I know I’m going to learn things.”
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), in an interview with Yahoo News, on the scandals he’s facing.
Christie Rival Called Him a ‘Bully’ in Unaired Ad
Time has obtained an unaired television ad from Barbara Buono’s (D) gubernatorial campaign last year that accuses Gov. Chris Christie (R) of being a bully.
The tagline: “Some say this bully can’t be beaten. I’m Barbara Buono and I say that’s up to you.”
Lawmaker Suggests Snowden was Helped by Russia
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) told ABC News that he believed a foreign power — possibly Russia — cultivated former NSA contractor Edward Snowden as a mole.
Said McCaul: “I don’t think Mr. Snowden woke up one day and had the wherewithal to do this all by himself. I think he was helped by others.”
He added: “I personally believe
that he was cultivated by a foreign power to do what he did. Again, I
can’t give a definitive statement on that, but I think given all the
evidence I know Mike Rogers has access to, that I’ve seen, that I don’t
think he was acting alone.”
Republicans Voted to Fund Obamacare
National Journal: “Congress approved its first regular spending bill in years this past week, in a move hailed by many as a return to fiscal sanity. But there’s a potential danger for Republicans lurking in the depths of the $1.1 trillion omnibus appropriation package that sailed through both houses: Obamacare.”
“While the GOP managed to win some concessions on the Affordable Care Act, conservatives see the spending bill as ‘funding Obamacare,’ as RedState wrote. It’s basically the same thing that Ted Cruz and other conservatives blocked a few months ago, forcing a government shutdown, and Cruz tried again to rally support for blocking the spending bill.”
Loophole Allows Lawmakers to Take Fundraising Trips
The New York Times looks at “the world of destination fund-raisers, where business interests blend with pleasure in exclusive vacation venues. Lobbyists go to build relationships with lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans alike, seeking action — and often inaction — in Washington for their clients and companies, with millions of dollars at stake. While approval ratings are at historic lows for members of Congress, their allure to those seeking influence in the nation’s capital is as strong as ever.”
“Neither the lawmakers nor the lobbyists attending the events want to talk about them, even though such trips are permitted under the law. They allow members of Congress to hit hot spots like the Napa Valley wine country, famed golf courses and hunting preserves, as well as five-star hotels in Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, South Florida and even Bermuda.”
Grimm Used ‘Donor Swapping’ to Skirt Fundraising Limits
The New York Daily News says Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) engaged in “donor swapping” in his 2010 campaign, “a controversial practice that allows candidates to sidestep fundraising limits.”
“The swapping works like this: A donor who gives the maximum to Candidate A then donates to Candidate B. In return, a donor or friend of Candidate B gives an identical amount to Candidate A.”
“A Daily News review of 2010 fundraising records found more than 20 transactions suggesting supporters of Grimm and candidates in California, South Dakota, Illinois and Virginia swapped donations totaling more than $75,000.”
Guadagno Will Deny Allegations
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R) is expected to “categorically deny” allegations that she gave Hoboken’s Mayor an ultimatum to support a redevelopment plan backed by Gov. Chris Christie (R) in order to receive Hurricane Sandy recovery aid, CNN reports.
Guadagno’s remarks will be the first time a senior Christie official has addressed the charges Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer first made Saturday.
Zimmer met with the U.S. Attorney’s office yesterday.
Quote of the Day
“Remember all politics is local. Talk about local issues, talk about your identification with the district, don’t get tied to the Obama administration.”
— Former Rep. Martin Frost (D-TX), quoted by ABC News, giving advice to Democrats running in 2014.
Race to Define Clinton’s Legacy
Hillary Clinton “is rushing to finish a memoir of her time as secretary of state, something friends see as an urgent mission to frame a key part of her legacy as she readies for a possible presidential campaign,” the Washington Post reports.
“But her Republican critics are racing to define Clinton’s record first — preparing a massive opposition-research effort designed to challenge her recounting of events and undermine the book’s credibility.”
“The war over Clinton’s tenure as the nation’s top diplomat will play out in coming months as a proxy skirmish for a potential 2016 campaign. For Clinton, the political imperative is clear: to lay claim to key accomplishments in foreign policy and short-circuit persistent attacks on her judgment from the right.”
Majority Would Re-Elect Cuomo
A new Siena poll in New York finds Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) remains popular, with two-thirds saying they viewed him favorably and a solid majority — 57% — said they were ready to re-elect him.
“Mr. Cuomo also had a much better reputation among voters than two of his possible Republican opponents. The poll found that Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive, is largely unknown by state voters and would be handily defeated in a head-to-head matchup with Mr. Cuomo. And Donald Trump, the real estate developer and reality television star, is very well known — but largely disliked; the poll found 57% had an unfavorable impression of him. Mr. Cuomo would best Mr. Trump with 70% of the vote, the poll said.”
Christie Lied in His First Political Ad
“In Chris Christie’s first successful campaign for public office, he sat down next to his wife and baby, looked into a camera and told voters something that wasn’t true,” the Washington Post reports.
“That 1994 race was New Jersey’s introduction to the brash and confident Christie, whose hardball tactics have repeatedly surprised people — even in a state that thinks it invented hardball. But in Morris County back then, people thought Christie had learned the downside of playing so rough: That ad helped get him into his first elected office but then helped get him out of it. He was sued for defamation, required to apologize and then defeated at the polls after just one term.”
Hoboken Mayor Meets with U.S. Attorney
Hoboken, NJ Mayor Dawn Zimmer “said she met with federal prosecutors today, a day after she alleged members of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration threatened to withhold Hurricane Sandy aid from her city if she did not approve a real estate project,” the Newark Star Ledger reports.
“Zimmer said she met for hours this afternoon with staff from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, providing a copy of her daily journal and other documents. Zimmer, who leveled the bombshell allegation on Saturday, said the meeting was requested by prosecutors.”
Lankford Will Run for Coburn’s Seat
Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) “has decided to run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and may announce his intentions as early as Monday,” the Oklahoman reports.
Quote of the Day
“I have no desire to be one of those presidents who are just on the list
– you see their pictures lined up on the wall. I really want to be a
president who makes a difference.”
— President Obama, in an interview with The New Yorker.
Bush Vets Eye Public Office
“As George W. Bush’s public image improves, more former Bush officials are running for office — and are starting to tout their connections to the former president rather than running from them,” The Hill reports.
“Bush veterans privately admit the president, who left office in 2009 with an approval rating that dipped as low as 25 percent, was an albatross for many years in both primaries and the general election. The Wall Street bailout and other expensive Bush-era programs infuriated the Tea Party base, while Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War tarnished him with independents. But five years later, they say things have changed and that he’s no longer toxic. The former president’s personal approval ratings reached positive territory last year for the first time since early in his second term.”
Holes Poked in Wendy Davis Bio
Dallas Morning News: “Wendy Davis has made her personal story of struggle and success a centerpiece of her campaign to become the first Democrat elected governor of Texas in almost a quarter-century. While her state Senate filibuster last year captured national attention, it is her biography — a divorced teenage mother living in a trailer who earned her way to Harvard and political achievement — that her team is using to attract voters and boost fundraising.”
“The basic elements of the narrative are true, but the full story of Davis’ life is more complicated, as often happens when public figures aim to define themselves. In the shorthand version that has developed, some facts have been blurred.”
On the Road with Obama
David Remnick has a must-read profile of President Obama:
“When Obama leaves the White House, on January 20, 2017, he will write a memoir. ‘Now, that’s a slam dunk,’ the former Obama adviser David Axelrod told me. Andrew Wylie, a leading literary agent, said he thought that publishers would pay between seventeen and twenty million dollars for the book–the most ever for a work of nonfiction–and around twelve million for Michelle Obama’s memoirs. (The First Lady has already started work on hers.)…”
“Yet no post-Presidential project–even one as worthy as Ulysses S. Grant’s memoirs or Jimmy Carter’s efforts to eradicate the Guinea worm in Africa–can overshadow what can be accomplished in the White House with the stroke of a pen or a phone call. And, after a miserable year, Obama’s Presidency is on the clock. Hard as it has been to pass legislation since the Republicans took the House, in 2010, the coming year is a marker, the final interval before the fight for succession becomes politically all-consuming.”
