First Read: “If he runs for the White House, Jeb Bush will have considerable name ID, a deep roster of party honchos he can count on, and tons of money… But he’s also going to have one major problem: his last name. That was the conclusion after one of us observed a focus group NBC/WSJ pollster Peter Hart (D) conducted in battleground Colorado for the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. The 12 focus-group participants — a combination of Democrats, Republicans, and independents — appeared to have two beefs with Bush. One, they were down on dynastic candidates… Two, they clearly associated Jeb Bush with his brother.”
Huckabee Jokes About Rape in New Book
U.S. News & World Report reports that Chapter 10 of Mike Huckabee’s new book is titled “Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!”
What Color is John Boehner?
The New York Times uploaded a high-resolution, tightly cropped picture of the perpetually-tanned Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) into the Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer.
“Unfortunately, none of the colors we were able to identify using Photoshop’s eyedropper tool were a direct match in the Sherwin-Williams database of paint colors. But the Color Visualizer found us the closest matches: Spicy Hue and Husky Orange.”
Sanders Plans a ‘Class-Based’ Presidential Campaign
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tells Time he would run a “class-based” presidential campaign that could “unfurl as early as March.”
His biggest regret about President Obama is that he never stood up like Franklin Delano Roosevelt did in 1936 to denounce the “economic royalists” of finance and industry, to “welcome their hatred.”
Said Sanders: “Point the finger at the billionaire class to say, ‘You know what, they hate my guts, the Koch brothers hate me, it’s all right. But I’m with you, and this is what we’re going to do.'”
Unemployment Rate Falls to 5.6%
The U.S. economy added 252,000 jobs last month while the unemployment rate dipped to 5.6%, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Wonk Wire: Standard of living index reaches new high
Poor People Much Less Likely to Vote
A new Pew Research analysis finds that financial security is strongly correlated with nearly every measure of political engagement.
“For example, in 2014, almost all of the most financially secure Americans (94%) said they were registered to vote, while only about half (54%) of the least financially secure were registered. And although 2014 voting records are not yet available, pre-election estimates suggest that 63% of the most financially secure were ‘likely voters’ last year, compared with just 20% of the least financially secure.”
Steyer Considering Senate Bid in California
“Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer is mulling a run for Barbara Boxer’s Senate seat, according to a person close to the former hedge fund trader,” Politico reports. “The person added that Steyer has been approached by some in the liberal community to run for Boxer’s seat, while others have urged him to run for governor of California in 2018. Another option: running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat if she retires in 2018.”
Washington Post: “Political insiders took note, for instance, when Steyer showed up in Sacramento this week to celebrate Brown’s inauguration.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“They’re ostrich. Probably some endangered species; I have a reputation to maintain.”
— Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), quoted by the Washington Post, commenting on his boots.
Manchin Mulls Another Bid for West Virginia Governor
Still frustrated by gridlock in Washington, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told the Associated Press that he will decide by this summer whether he will return to West Virginia to run for a possible third term as governor in 2016.
Growing Number of Americans Identify as Liberal
Gallup: “Conservatives continued to outnumber moderates and liberals in the U.S. population in 2014, as they have since 2009. However, their 14-percentage-point edge over liberals last year, 38% vs. 24%, is the smallest in Gallup’s trends since 1992.”
Quote of the Day
“I kind of like the direction he has signaled he is going in. He knows he has nothing to lose.”
— Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO), quoted by the Washington Examiner, on President Obama.
Bush Sets Ambitious Fundraising Goal
“Jeb Bush’s allies are setting a fundraising goal of $100 million in the first three months of this year—including a whopping $25 million haul in Florida—in an effort to winnow the potential Republican presidential primary field with an audacious display of financial strength,” Bloomberg reports.
“The targets were confirmed by multiple Republican sources involved in finance meetings with Bush’s team. They requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. One said the point is to persuade some establishment candidates to stay on the sidelines in the 2016 race.”
How Not to Topple the Speaker
“A group of House conservatives spent almost a year dreaming big about toppling Speaker John Boehner, but less than a day before the vote they still hadn’t found someone to replace him,” Politico reports.
“One promising candidate finally jumped in — but only at the last minute, not even telling his closest friend in Congress he was running.”
“The result was a vote Tuesday that ultimately yielded an ugly, controversial win for Boehner, with the most defections from his own party that any speaker had seen in decades. The Ohio Republican’s allies were left howling for revenge, and hopes of a big tea party victory once again went unfulfilled.”
Axelrod Says Clinton Was Too Cautious
David Axelrod jabbed at Hillary Clinton”saying that she wasn’t a very strong candidate during the first part of her campaign for the 2008 presidential nomination,” Politico reports.
Said Axelrod: “When you play not to lose, you often lose. And my perception of Secretary Clinton was that she wasn’t a very good candidate in 2007.”
Who Will Replace Barbara Boxer in the Senate?
Los Angeles Times: “Focus immediately turned to state Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire activist Tom Steyer.”
“Harris and Newsom have statewide profiles and Bay Area support. Villaraigosa, a former Assembly speaker, has name recognition in the state’s largest media market. Steyer has wealth.”
Scott Walker Is a Big Threat to Jeb Bush
Washington Post: “Right now, Walker is the candidate who can most realistically unite the base and the establishment wings of the party. One only needs to glance at conservative media to see that the Republican base has little time for Jeb Bush… Walker, by contrast, is a hero to the grassroots after winning multiple battles with Wisconsin Democrats and unions. And he also has shown the ability to bring in the money from big donors — facing a recall election in 2012, Walker outraised his Democratic opponent eight to one, with contributions from 13 billionaires outside of the state… And his Wisconsin base should give him plenty of chances to woo Iowa Republicans over the next year. If Jeb Bush and his team are starting up their opposition research unit, Walker is the first one they should target.”
Another Way a Clinton Win Would Make History
Amy Walter: “When it comes to making predictions about 2016, there are lots of important numbers to follow. The unemployment rate. Consumer confidence. The president’s approval rating. The horse race polls. But, in my mind, the most important data point to follow is the one which measures Americans’ desire to stay the current course or try a different one in 2016.”
“History tells us that the odds of a Clinton presidency are long. In the modern era (well, really since Andrew Jackson in 1836), no Democrat has succeeded a 2-term Democratic president.”
Grand Jury Investigating Brownback Campaign
A subpoena obtained by the Associated Press shows a federal grand jury is looking into loans made to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) re-election campaign.
The Wichita Eagle has more on the suspicious loans.
