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Pelosi Condemns Weiner and Filner

July 25, 2013 at 2:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) condemned her former Democratic colleagues, New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner (D) and San Diego Mayor Bob Filner (D), “who have both come under a firestorm of criticism for their behavior toward women,” ABC News reports.

Said Pelosi: “The conduct of some of these people that we’re talking about here is reprehensible. It is so disrespectful of women, and what’s really stunning about it is they don’t even realize it. You know, they don’t have a clue.”

She added: “If they’re clueless, get a clue. If they need therapy, do it in private.”

Weiner Says There are More Women

July 25, 2013 at 2:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Anthony Weiner (D) “admitted this afternoon to engaging in lewd sexual exchanges with as many as three women after he resigned from Congress, now putting his total number of online sexual exploits at between six and 10,” Politicker reports.

“Mr. Weiner was once again mobbed by reporters as he attempted to regain his mayoral campaign’s precipitous footing in the wake of new revelations that his sexting continued well over a year after his resignation–and after he and his wife told People magazine he’d become a new man.”

Reid Says Clinton Will Be ‘Even Better’ Than Her Husband

July 25, 2013 at 12:58 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told the Newshour Hillary Clinton would probably make a better president than her husband, Bill Clinton.

Said Reid: “Hillary Clinton may have a bigger fan than Harry Reid; I just don’t know who it would be. I think that what she did as a senator, what she did as secretary of state will go down in history books as a remarkable, remarkable job that she did. I, of course, have such admiration for the president. Remember, the last three or four years he was here we reduced the debt and created 22 million jobs – pretty good deal. And I think that they’re a pretty good team, but she’ll handle things probably even better than he did.”

McDonnell Shifts Strategy in Dealing with Scandal

July 25, 2013 at 12:40 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell (R), “who for months has said very little about gifts and loans received from a campaign donor, has launched an aggressive drive to improve his reputation,” the Washington Post reports.

“Over the past two weeks, he has switched lawyers, hired a private spokesman, apologized to the commonwealth, given back $124,000 to the wealthy benefactor and, on Wednesday, traveled to Afghanistan, looking very much like a governor immersed in something other than his own political and legal troubles. The activity, culminating in McDonnell’s surprise visit to Virginia troops overseas, represents a clear shift in strategy for the governor.”

Quinn Retakes Lead in New York City

July 25, 2013 at 12:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new NBC 4/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll in New York City finds Christine Quinn (D) has retaken the lead in the Democratic mayoral race with 25%, followed by Anthony Weiner (D) at 16%, Bill de Blasio (D) at 14%, Bill Thompson at 14% and John Liu at 7%.

The poll also showed 43% of New York City Democrats want Weinder to drop out of the race.

Said pollster Lee Miringoff: “For many Democrats the latest revelations about Anthony Weiner are more of the same, only more so. Weiner has lost his lead and his negatives are at an all-time high.”

Spitzer Holds Small Lead for NYC Comptroller

July 25, 2013 at 12:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Quinnipiac poll in New York City finds Eliot Spitzer (D) with a small lead over Scott Stringer (D) in a tight race for
New York City comptroller among Democratic likely primary voters, 49% to 45%.

Summers vs. Yellin for Fed Chair

July 25, 2013 at 11:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ezra Klein says President Obama wants Larry Summers as the next Fed chair but the White House is weighing the choice:

“On the merits, they think the preference many on the left have for Janet Yellen is a bit puzzling. Yellen and Summers are both strongly committed to reducing unemployment. They’re both committed to implementing Dodd-Frank — as much as the left mistrusts Summers on financial regulation for his actions in the 1990s, the White House believes that he, like many others, is strongly committed to regulating Wall Street now. They see a lot of the opposition to Summers is based on bad or outdated information.”

“But they’re not unaware that Summers is a polarizing choice. So some of what’s happening right now, I think, is that they’re figuring out whether opposition to Summers is soft or hard.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

July 25, 2013 at 10:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“There are some collateral consequences that aren’t purely negative. I’d never say, ‘Gee, this is an affirmatively good thing,’ but if it tempers and changes public attitude because it softens someone who is now more empathetic and now more conscious of emotional dynamics with others, the public senses that.”

— Eliot Spitzer (D), quoted by Time, on the positive aspects of the prostitution scandal that forced him from office.

The Unprecedented Attempt to Sabotage a Law

July 25, 2013 at 10:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Norm Ornstein: “When a law is enacted, representatives who opposed it have some choices (which are not mutually exclusive). They can try to repeal it, which is perfectly acceptable–unless it becomes an effort at grandstanding so overdone that it detracts from other basic responsibilities of governing. They can try to amend it to make it work better–not just perfectly acceptable but desirable, if the goal is to improve a cumbersome law to work better for the betterment of the society and its people. They can strive to make sure that the law does the most for Americans it is intended to serve, including their own constituents, while doing the least damage to the society and the economy. Or they can step aside and leave the burden of implementation to those who supported the law and got it enacted in the first place.”

“But to do everything possible to undercut and destroy its implementation–which in this case means finding ways to deny coverage to many who lack any health insurance; to keep millions who might be able to get better and cheaper coverage in the dark about their new options; to create disruption for the health providers who are trying to implement the law, including insurers, hospitals, and physicians; to threaten the even greater disruption via a government shutdown or breach of the debt limit in order to blackmail the president into abandoning the law; and to hope to benefit politically from all the resulting turmoil–is simply unacceptable, even contemptible.”

Republicans are Defending Earmarks

July 25, 2013 at 10:16 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are starting to quietly defend earmarks, three years after Congress banned the practice because members said it wasted taxpayer dollars during a time of trillion-dollar deficits.” National Journal reports.

Georgia Candidate Pledges to be His Biggest Investor

July 25, 2013 at 10:11 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Businessman David Perdue (R) entered the Georgia U.S. Senate race yesterday and told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that he doesn’t like the term “self-funder.”

He prefers “investor,” though he declined to specify the size of his investment.

Said Perdue: “I’ll see how it plays out. I will be the largest investor. I’m very confident it’s going to be well-funded. We will have the necessary resources. And our research shows if we get the message out we can win this thing…. I’ll have more skin in the game than any other person who invests with us. But I also ask of other four candidates: Where’s their skin in the game?”

Paul’s Tough Balancing Act

July 25, 2013 at 9:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Since declaring himself the tea party candidate in the 2010 elections,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “has methodically tried to broaden his appeal beyond the conservative grass-roots movement. And nowhere has that been more apparent than in his increasingly close ties to McConnell, the Senate veteran who could be a critical asset in selling a Paul White House candidacy to the party establishment,” Politico reports.

“So as McConnell descends into a GOP civil war with tea party-backed candidate Bevin to defend his Senate seat in 2014, Paul must perform a careful balancing act: Show complete support for McConnell, all the while avoiding alienating the same tea party supporters who helped him in 2010 and whom he’ll need in 2016.”

First Read: “Any political junkie has to LOVE this year’s Kentucky Senate race — now that there’s a GOP primary in addition to a competitive general election.”

State Republican Parties Mired in Dysfunction

July 25, 2013 at 9:38 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Plagued by infighting and deep ideological divisions, state Republican parties from Alaska to Maine are mired in dysfunction. Several state Republican leaders have been forced out or resigned in recent months, and many state GOP parties face financial problems and skeptical national leaders,” the AP reports.

Quote of the Day

July 25, 2013 at 8:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As a person and as a woman and as a wife, I’ve been through the painful
reality of marriage with a troubled individual and having it in the
press. My heart goes out to her.”

— Jenny Sanford, quoted by the Washington Post, on Anthony Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin.

Republicans Prepare for Obamacare Showdown

July 25, 2013 at 7:49 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“With the Obama administration poised for a huge public education campaign on healthcare reform, Republicans and their allies are mobilizing a counter-offensive including town hall meetings, protests and media promotions to dissuade uninsured Americans from obtaining health coverage,” Reuters reports.

“Party officials, political analysts and lobbyists say the coming showdown will mark a new phase in the years-old battle over healthcare reform by shifting the focus from political ideology to specific examples of how ‘Obamacare’ allegedly falls short, just as the administration presses the public on its benefits.”

Majority Supports Abortion Ban After 20 Weeks

July 25, 2013 at 7:47 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“By a margin of 56% to 27%, more Americans say they’d prefer to impose limits on abortions after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy rather than the 24-week mark established under current law,” according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

“Another 10% surveyed in the poll volunteered they would prefer to outlaw abortion in the United States altogether or limit it earlier than 20 weeks after fertilization. At the same time, however, 54% say they oppose state laws that make it more difficult for abortion clinics to operate; compared to 45% who support such legislation.”

McCain Makes McConnell Look Weak

July 25, 2013 at 7:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The relationship between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) “is going to be awkward in the coming months,” The Hill reports.

“McConnell finds himself increasingly constrained by both his new primary challenger and McCain’s expanded deal-making role with Democrats… McCain is interested in being a major player in the talks later this year when Congress must pass legislation to continue government funding and raise the national debt limit.”

GOP senators say that McConnell “is in danger of looking weak” if McCain again seizes the leadership reins as he did to broker a deal to avert the “nuclear option” on President Obama’s executive nominees.

Third Woman Comes Forward In Filner Harassment Scandal

July 25, 2013 at 7:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Morgan Rose told KPBS that San Diego Mayor Bob Filner (D) “repeatedly tried to kiss her in a public restaurant” in 2009.

She is the third woman to step forward this week to publicly make allegations against the embattled mayor.