Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) has a new website and it sure looks like he’s running for something.
A new Public Policy Polling survey shows Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) leading Brown in a U.S. Senate match up, 46% to 43%.
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We’re Still at War with Iraq
Topic A: Defense points out that the United States is still at war in Iraq — at least on paper.
All the Presidents’ Bankers
Coming soon: All the Presidents’ Bankers: The Hidden Alliances that Drive American Power by Nomi Prins.
Gohmert Says Judges Need ‘Plumbing Lessons’
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said federal judges ruling on same sex-marriage cases “need some basic plumbing lessons,” according to Roll Call.
He summed up the recent decisions of judges as saying, “Basically, we haven’t seen any biological evidence to support marriage being between a man and a woman.”
Clinton May Face No Challengers
First Read: “Here’s something for political reporters and pundits to chew on: It’s more likely that Hillary Clinton would face only gadfly opposition in a 2016 Democratic primary… rather than a competitive challenger. California Gov. Jerry Brown has become the latest Democrat to rule out a presidential bid… Already, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has said no. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has said he won’t run if Hillary does. And while former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is certainly dipping his toes into the presidential waters, he did the same thing regarding the state’s vacant Senate seat — and remember how that turned out.”
“American politics is full of surprises. But right now, the smart money is on Hillary facing little to no opposition if she runs in 2016.”
Candidate Said Spousal Rape Shouldn’t be a Crime
Dick Black (R), running in the GOP primary to replace longtime Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), opposed making spousal rape a crime, Mother Jones reports.
He cited the impossibility of convicting a husband accused of raping his wife “when they’re living together, sleeping in the same bed, she’s in a nightie, and so forth.”
Ultra Conservatives Form Their Own Caucus
“Increasingly frustrated with the size and direction of the Republican Study Committee, a handful of House Republicans have recently found respite in a smaller, private club founded by one of Congress’s leading young conservatives,” National Journal reports.
“The House Liberty Caucus, chaired by Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, quietly launched last year with five or six lawmakers attending a hastily choreographed meeting. Now the group holds a biweekly, invite-only luncheon that draws some two dozen lawmakers and is rapidly becoming an ideological home base for those “core” House conservatives who say the RSC’s swelling membership is diluting its ideological intensity.”
Obama’s Plan to Keep Senate Control
Politico says President Obama “has a plan to save the Senate’s tenuous Democratic majority: Sell a populist message, try to make Obamacare work better and raise lots of cash.”
“And unlike previous years when Senate Democrats were mostly left to fight on their own, the White House is wasting no time coordinating its political and policy agenda with congressional leaders and vulnerable lawmakers.”
One Party States Ease Up After Flurry of Activity
New York Times: “Across the country, in many, though not all, of the states under single-party Democratic or Republican control, lawmakers are stepping back this election year, steering away from the divisive battles on abortion, gun control, collective bargaining and large tax cuts that have marked recent sessions in state capitols.”
“This is a striking change from the past few years, when 36 states — more than at any other time in the past 60 years — came under single-party control: 23 Republican and 13 Democratic. Far from being gripped by the partisan gridlock that has paralyzed Washington, these states have been humming legislative laboratories, trying out their party agendas and pulling the nation on two quite different policy paths.”
“The lowered ambition amounts, in some cases, to a declaration of victory, as is the case with abortion restrictions in Ohio and providing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants in California. But it also reflects political concerns among some legislators and governors up for election that they at times claimed an unfounded mandate with this aggressive period of legislating, according to analysts and elected officials.”
Brown Rules Out Presidential Bid
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said that “he will not run for president in 2016, dashing political speculation that he might make a fourth bid for the White House,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Said Brown: “No, that’s not in the cards. Unfortunately. Actually, California is a lot more governable.”
Quote of the Day
“When you choose your next national leader, ask them how they’re going to be different than Bush. Ask them how they’re going to be different than Obama.”
— Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D), quoted by MSNBC.
Angle Seeks to Outlaw Health Insurance Exchanges
Failed U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R) filed an initiative petition to outlaw health insurance exchanges in Nevada, the AP reports.
“Angle, a crusader of conservative causes, filed the petition with the secretary of state’s office in Carson City. The proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit state or local government entities from creating or maintaining a health exchange allowed for by the federal health care reform law.”
Moran Won’t Seek Reelection
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) will not seek another term in Congress, The Hill reports.
“The 12-term congressman represents the heavily Democratic Washington, D.C., suburbs of Arlington and Alexandria, and his seat is sure to remain in Democratic hands.”
All About Obama for House Republicans
“It’s just two weeks into 2014, but House Republicans are already convinced that the key to winning November’s elections is to talk about President Obama as much as possible,” Politico reports.
“In public and private discussions, Obama remains the single-minded obsession of all top House Republicans. They can’t get through a sentence without mentioning Obama or Obamacare. When top Republican leaders gathered last weekend at a boutique inn outside Washington for their annual planning retreat, the bulk of the conversation centered on Obamacare and presenting alternatives to what they consider Democrats’ failed economic policies.”
Springsteen on Christie’s Traffic Jam
This is hilarious: Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen sing an ode to Gov. Chris Christie.
What Were Christie’s Aides Trying to Do?
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) struggled “to regain his footing, giving an address in which he called upon the state to refocus on his agenda. But his inability to explain the actions of top aides and allies in causing a massive days-long traffic jam has spawned a storm of conjecture about what their real motives may have been,” the Washington Post reports.
“The explanation — that it was a move to punish a Democratic mayor who had refused to endorse Christie’s reelection bid — is being met with skepticism, both in the halls of the state capitol in Trenton and in Fort Lee, where the tie-up occurred for several days in September.”
Democrats Worry About Unanswered Ads
“Democrats are increasingly anxious about an onslaught of television ads hitting vulnerable Senate and House candidates for their support of the new health law, since many lack the resources to fight back in the early stages of the midterm campaign,” the New York Times reports.
“The unusually aggressive early run of television ads, which has been supplemented by other conservative initiatives, has gone largely unanswered, and strategists in both parties agree it is taking a toll on its targets.”
Who Will Hollande Bring to the White House?
“The French president’s burgeoning sex scandal is emerging as a diplomatic headache for the White House amid uncertainty as to whom exactly François Hollande plans to bring to next month’s state dinner,” The Hill reports.
