“Sexting king Weiner trolls for interns”
Ensign Blames Ex-Lover for Misreported Contributions
Former Sen. John Ensign’s (R-NV) campaign “acknowledged unreported contributions to his campaign from his parents. But, amazingly enough, the letter also takes a shot at his former treasurer and lover, Cindy Hampton, for not ‘previously reporting’ what the senator would later claim were ‘gifts,'” Jon Ralston reports.
Miller Files Papers in Alaska
Joe Miller (R), who lost a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate after besting incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in a GOP primary, has filed a form indicating he intends to run for Senate again in 2014, Politico reports.
Perry Vetoes GOP-Backed Disclosure Bill
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) vetoed a Republican bill “that would have required nonprofits that engage in politics to disclose their donors,” the Huffington Post reports.
The measure “would have required 501(c)4 social welfare groups that spend more than $25,000 in a calendar year on political expenditures to disclose contributions above $1,000.”
GOP Issues Subpoena for Benghazi Documents
“House Republicans accused the Obama administration of withholding information about its initial response to last year’s terror attack in Benghazi, Libya, and issued a subpoena on Tuesday seeking additional information,” NBC News reports.
“The subpoena is another step in Republicans’ long journey to unearth
more details about the Benghazi response, which they have used to
politically ding President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I like winning, I’m different. I definitely am a RINO in that respect, my dear howling friends. I like to win. In fact, I do win. That’s just what I do. I go out — I don’t know if you knew this or not — the idea in elections is to get more votes than the other side.”
— Joe Scarborough, quoted by the Huffington Post reports, asking Republicans if they “ever want to be in the White House again.”
Senators Report No Progress Since Obama Dinner
Senate Republicans “who shared laughs with President Obama over dinner at the Jefferson Hotel in March are grumbling there has since been little follow-through from him on deficit talks,” The Hill reports.
“They say the White House has not set up a process for negotiating controversial reforms to Social Security, healthcare programs and the tax code, and that absence of basic organization has stalled negotiations.”
Will Republicans Heed Bob Dole’s Advice?
Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) said over the weekend that Republicans should hang a “closed for repairs” sign on the door of their headquarters and regroup.
On MSNBC, Thomas Roberts, Joan Walsh and I discussed whether his advice would fall on deaf ears.
The Man Who Killed Kennedy
Political strategist Roger Stone has a controversial book out this fall: The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ.
Money Raised to Buy Video of Mayor Smoking Crack
Gawker announced its “crackstarter” fundraising effort reached its goal of $200,000 to buy the video purportedly showing Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.
Weiner Running Strong in New York City Primary
A new Marist Poll in New York City finds Christine Quinn leading the Democratic mayoral race with 24%, followed by Anthony Weiner at 19%, Bill de Blasio at 12%, Bill Thomson at 11% and John Liu at 8%.
Said pollster Lee Miringoff: “The Democratic primary for mayor remains wide open. It is likely to come down to who can punch their ticket for the runoff.”
Politicker: “Indeed, in what may be a first this cycle, the firm polled the potential run-off election in the likely event that none of the candidates garner 40 percent of the vote in the primary. According to Marist, Ms. Quinn would win 48 to 33 percent against Mr. Weiner, with 18 percent undecided; she would defeat Mr. de Blasio 48 to 30 percent; she would win an outright majority against Mr. Liu with 53 percent; and she would top Bill Thompson 44 percent to 34 percent.”
Can Weiner Win?
Blake Zeff: “Anthony Weiner can ‘shake up’ the campaign for New York City mayor, the conventional wisdom tells us, but he definitely cannot win it. That may be the consensus among those following the race, but the fact is Weiner’s chances are better than many realize. The reason: his challenges are not as great as they’re being portrayed. And his strengths are more important than people think.”
Tip and the Gipper
Available for pre-order: Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked by Chris Matthews.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“The Republican Party is undergoing some, you know, significant and serious changes and they are going to have to rethink their approach as a political party and how they are going to regroup and become a governing majority party that appeals to a broader group of Americans than they do today.”
— Former Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), in an interview on MSNBC.
Grimes Would Give McConnell Strong Challenge
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Kentucky finds Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) is tied with Mitch McConnell (R) in a hypothetical 2014 Senate matchup, 45% to 45%.
Walker Gets Presidential Buzz in Iowa
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker “gave a well-received speech to the Iowa Republican Party
Thursday night, and many in the state say he would bring some strong
assets to a presidential run,” The Hill reports.
“While the beltway presidential buzz has
focused on Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ted Cruz
(R-TX), Walker’s admirers say his record as a conservative warrior,
folksy Midwestern demeanor and big fundraising connections could make
him a contender.”
Who Would Hillary Hire?
Politico: “Back in 2008, Hillary Clinton committed so many management sins it was hard to keep track of them all – yet none was worse than failing to establish a coherent, functional chain of command. … People around Clinton say the once-and-perhaps-future candidate will learn from those mistakes if she runs again. But that will be easier said than done – and the initial roster of possible Clinton ’16 staffers, culled from interviews with people in the Clinton and Obama orbits, reveal just how tough it will be to balance loyalty with the imperative of empowering young, talented newcomers.”
Obama and Christie Together Again
President Obama and Gov. Chris Christie “will reunite in a tour of the coastline today, seven months after a similar meeting resulted in the shunning of Christie by conservatives across the nation,” the Asbury Park Press reports.
Newark Star Ledger: “Trip to Jersey coast just what Obama needs.”
First Read: “Once again, the two men standing together helps both of them, at least in the short term. For Obama, the trip allows him to talk about the economy, the importance of government assistance after a disaster, and bipartisan cooperation. For Christie, the visit only benefits him as he seeks re-election in a state Obama won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2012; in fact, 42% of Obama voters are already supporting Christie’s re-election bid, per an NBC/Marist poll from earlier this month.”
