Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told TPM that if Republicans block immigration reform they’ll lose the presidency in 2016 no matter who they nominate.
Said McCain: “It doesn’t matter who we nominate. We’ll lose.”
Wehby Addresses Harassment Reports
Oregon U.S. Senate candidate Monica Wehby (R) said that disagreements with former partners that resulted in calls to the police show that she stands up for her beliefs and “will fight for Oregonians with very strong conviction,” the AP reports.
Said Wehby: “I think that the thing to learn from that is that I am a person who will stand up for what I believe in. I’m a person who doesn’t easily back down. I will fight for Oregonians with very strong conviction. I’m a very committed, determined person.”
The Rule of Nobody
In the mail: The Rule of Nobody: Saving America from Dead Laws and Broken Government by Philip K. Howard.
“There’s a fatal flaw in America’s governing system–trying to decree correctness through rigid laws will never work. Public paralysis is the inevitable result of the steady accretion of detailed rules. America is now run by dead people–by political leaders from the past who enacted mandatory programs that churn ahead regardless of waste, irrelevance, or new priorities.”
Howard talked about his book on The Daily Show.
McDaniel Leads in Mississippi Runoff
A new Strategic National (R) poll in Mississippi finds Chris McDaniel (R) leading Sen. Thad Cochran (R) in their GOP Senate runoff, 52% to 46%.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think because I really didn’t have a good strategy for my campaign. I didn’t plan it the right way… As a candidate who was already so well known… I don’t think I ever said, ‘Yes, you may have known me for eight years, but I don’t take anything for granted. I have to earn your support.'”
— Hillary Clinton, quoted by ABC News, on why she lost the presidential election in 2008.
Andrew Sullivan: “It’s a pretty clear admission that she expected to be coronated last time around. Which means she might not be so cocky this time around. Might.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I want to be mayor. I’ve always wanted to be mayor.”
— Washington, DC councilwoman Carol Schwartz, quoted by the Washington Post, on her late-breaking independent campaign for mayor.
Greer Dumps on Crist in New Book
Former Florida Republican Chairman Jim Greer “is telling where the bodies are buried in his book released Monday, including tales of destroyed hotel room by former Governor Charlie Crist and his wife Carole,” WTSP reports.
“Greer who is finishing a prison sentence for stealing money from the party says he did the same thing as all the political leaders in the state.”
Who Wrote Hillary Clinton’s Memoir?
Washington Post: “Clinton’s acknowledgment of her three-man team — Dan Schwerin, a former Senate and State Department aide to Clinton; Ethan Gelber, another State Department aide; and Ted Widmer, a Clinton adviser and Brown University historian — appears in just a few sentences on Page 597 of the 635-page book. Their exact contributions, however, aren’t spelled out.”
“Such is the lot of the ghostwriter. Actually, many ghostwriters get even less credit. The ghost behind Clinton’s 1996 bestseller, It Takes a Village, wasn’t credited at all. That prompted complaints from Barbara Feinman Todd, a Georgetown University lecturer and writer who reportedly labored for seven months on the book (she declined to comment).”
Will Legalized Pot Sink Denver’s Chances for GOP Convention?
Denver Post: “There’s no escaping Colorado’s status as the poster child for legal recreational marijuana when visitors come to town, even — or especially — when Denver is trying to sell itself as the perfect site for a national political convention.”
“Colorado’s marijuana reputation isn’t the kind of international exposure Republican officials are hyping as they seek the party’s convention in 2016. Also in the running are Cleveland and Kansas City, Mo., which RNC officials and the Site Selection Committee visited last week, and Dallas, where they’ll head Wednesday after Denver.”
Quote of the Day
“You see former quarterbacks and all-star baseball players just moving seamlessly into the media and they’re treated with reverence because they know the game. Why wouldn’t the same be true for people who know the political game?”
— Former Rep. Toby Moffett (D-CT), quoted by Roll Call, defending ex-lawmakers who become lobbyists.
Primary Races to Watch Tonight
Voters cast ballots today in primary races in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia, and decide a some runoff elections in Arkansas.
ABC News: “Today’s marquee race is a primary that was supposed to be a much tougher establishment vs. tea party brawl for a senator hated by the more conservative wing of the GOP, but whether he wins without a runoff is what we will be watching for. There is also a challenger hoping to knock down a leader in Virginia, and although there aren’t as many choices or potential surprises as last week, there are still plenty of races to watch, including a candidate backed by Oprah Winfrey.”
First Read: “Five additional states hold their primaries today, and there’s one major
storyline we’re following: Does Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) cross the
50% threshold he needs to avoid a runoff two weeks from now?”
Brown Way Ahead for Maryland Governor
A new Washington Post poll in Maryland finds Anthony Brown (D) holds a commanding lead over his Democratic rivals for governor and tops Larry Hogan (R) in a general election match up by double-digits, 51% to 33%.
Nixon Scuttled Vietnam Peace Talks
Politico: “Did Richard Nixon’s campaign conspire to scuttle the Vietnam War peace talks on the eve of the 1968 election to capture him the presidency?”
“Absolutely, says Tom Charles Huston, the author of a comprehensive, still-secret report he prepared as a White House aide to Nixon. In one of 10 oral histories conducted by the National Archives and opened last week, Huston says ‘there is no question’ that Nixon campaign aides sent a message to the South Vietnamese government, promising better terms if it obstructed the talks, and helped Nixon get elected.”
Christie Hits the Road to Revive His Presidential Hopes
Gov. Chris Christie (R) “is plunging into what amounts to a cross-country revival tour, looking to recover from a clumsy political scandal and reclaim his place as a promising Republican presidential prospect,” the AP reports.
“All the while, he’s raising a record-setting amount of money for other Republicans, and bolstering his political network in all the right places — Iowa and New Hampshire, in particular.”
“Christie’s aides note the first votes of the 2016 campaign won’t be cast for more than a year. They argue he’s already weathered the worst of a scandal that triggered widespread concern among key members of the Republican Party, including major donors and leaders eager for the party to regain the White House.”
Name Your Political Memoir
This is pretty great: The Political Memoir Title Generator.
Majority Say Price Was Too High for Prisoner Swap
A new CBS News poll finds that 45% of Americans disapprove of the deal that saw Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl released in exchange for five Taliban militants, while 37% approve of it.
“Most Americans — 56% — say the U.S. paid too high a price to secure Bergdahl’s release. Among veterans, that figure rises to 65%.”
Obama Accepts Challenge of ‘Dance Off’
President Obama “says UConn basketball star Stefanie Dolson has lived up to her end of the bargain for the two of them to hold a ‘dance off,’ and so will he,” The Hill reports.
“On Monday, Obama said that he ‘did not forget’ he told the center at a 2013 national championship ceremony that if Connecticut repeated the next year, he’d accept her dare of a dance competition, though the public might never see it.”
McAllister Admits to Casting Vote for Money
Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA) admitted to voting against legislation in the U.S. House anticipating he would get a political contribution for his vote, the Ouachita Citizen reports.
McAllister cited his vote as an example of how “money controls Washington” and how work on Capitol Hill is a “steady cycle of voting for fundraising and money instead of voting for what is right.”
“McAllister said he voted ‘no’ on legislation related to the Bureau of Land Management though he did not identify the bill. McAllister said a colleague on the House floor told him that he would receive a $1,200 contribution from Heritage Foundation if he voted against the bill.”
