“Public opinion on same-sex marriage has shifted so dramatically in recent years that Democratic groups now see the issue as a critical way to mobilize voters in a slew of races up and down the ballot,” the Washington Post reports.
“Just a decade ago, widespread opposition to gay marriage did just the opposite, allowing Karl Rove to mobilize conservatives in 13 states and help reelect George W. Bush as president.”
“Recent signals from House Republican leaders that they will pursue their own vision of immigration reform have presented the White House with an opening to achieve a major legislative deal this year that has eluded lawmakers for decades,” the Washington Post reports.
“Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is expected to release a brief outline of immigration principles to his caucus as soon as its annual retreat next week. The goals would include strengthening border security and creating new visas for foreign workers, while providing a path toward legalizing the status of the nation’s 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants, according to people briefed on the deliberations.”
Wonk Wire has details of the GOP effort.
The Hill reports that the White House announced senior adviser David Simas will head up a new post at the White House: Office of Political Strategy and Outreach.
“The White House created the role on the heels of an outcry from Democrats in recent months that there was no political point of contact at the White House, especially as midterm elections draw nearer. It also comes amid restructuring in the West Wing after a lackluster year for Obama with very few legislative wins, a disastrous healthcare rollout and controversy with the National Security Agency’s surveillance program.”
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Speaker John Boehner “will seek to emerge from a three-day House Republican retreat next week with a diminished opposition inside his party to avoid a showdown in the 11 legislative days that remain before the federal government exhausts its borrowing authority,” the New York Times reports.
House Republicans will begin their retreat “still divided over how to raise the federal debt limit, overhaul immigration laws, challenge President Obama’s health care law, and address privacy issues highlighted by National Security Agency surveillance. But with the passage of a budget in December and a detailed spending bill this month, Mr. Boehner and other Republican leaders have the upper hand in the simmering disputes.”
With $3.3 million in the bank, Michelle Nunn (D) is her party’s “best hope in an open race to replace Senator Saxby Chambliss, a Republican, who is retiring,” the New York Times reports.
“Her campaign will test whether the rapidly changing demographics of Georgia — where state elections data show that the white vote dropped to 61 percent of the total in 2012 from 75 percent in 2000 — have shifted enough to return a Democrat to Washington. And it will reveal how much legacy still matters in politics.”
Marc Ambinder: “The Republican Party has over-learned the lessons of the outrageously damaging 2012 presidential nomination calendar, and today, it passed a raft of new rules designed to, as Zeke Miller writes, tighten control over the process.”
“The end result is that the party has conspired to nominate the most electable conservative candidate and quickly. Challengers must prove themselves much earlier. Deep pockets and good field organizations will become more important relative to free media generated by tactical maneuvers and conservative radio hosts.”
“A series of changes aimed at tightening the GOP presidential primary calendar sailed through a vote at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting, giving the party new tools to control its nomination process,” The Hill reports.
“The new 2016 rules will make it much harder for states to cut in line in the nomination process and will help Republicans avoid a repeat of a drawn out, bloody primary many believe damaged Mitt Romney’s chances in 2012 of defeating President Obama.”
CNN: “The changes dovetail with the party’s desire to move the convention from late summer to a June window, which would make the next Republican National Convention the earliest convention in either party since 1948. The RNC has announced its support for the June move but will formally vote on the change at a later date.”
The Fix sees 10 competitive rematches taking place for congressional seats this year.
“Several incumbents will be facing the person they unseated or a challenger who tried, but failed, in previous cycles to defeat them. In some instances, a displaced former lawmaker is vying again for their old seat, but in other situations the same challenger is showing up to challenge the incumbent.”
Former Senate staffer Jesse Ryan Loskarn was found dead in an apparent suicide, Roll Call reports.
“Loskarn, the former chief of staff for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) was residing with his parents after being released into their custody following an arrest on child pornography charges. The deadline to bring an indictment against Loskarn, originally scheduled for this month, was delayed until Feb. 10.”
In the latest indication of a growing libertarian wing of the Republican party, the RNC “passed a resolution Friday calling for an investigation into the “gross infringement” of Americans’ rights by National Security Agency programs that were revealed by Edward Snowden,” Time reports.
The measure passed by an “overwhelming majority” by voice vote and declares “the mass collection and retention of personal data is in itself contrary to the right of privacy protected by the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
Gallup: “The enduring unpopularity of Congress appears to have seeped into the nation’s 435 congressional districts, as a record-low percentage of registered voters, 46%, now say the U.S. representative in their own congressional district deserves re-election. Equally historic, the share of voters saying most members of Congress deserve re-election has fallen to 17%, a new nadir.”
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) “is striking back against new corruption allegations regarding his ties to two Ecuadorian bankers who are accused of defrauding account holders in Ecuador to the tune of $100 million,” the Daily Beast reports.
A Menendez spokeswoman denied the senator had been involved in any quid pro quo: “A year after a false smear campaign was launched against Sen. Menendez, once again we see anonymous sources making outlandish allegations.”
Adam Smith: “It may not be readily apparent if you follow the Florida media that constantly notes Charlie Crist’s campaign for governor or the Washington pundits who describe Charlie Crist vs. Rick Scott as THE race to watch in 2014. But here’s the reality: There is no real Crist campaign for governor.”
“Sure, he announced a couple days ago that Barack Obama campaign manager Jim Messina is on board, and Obama’s digital director, Teddy Goff, has signed on too. Obamaworld has opened up a bunch of Democratic fundraising doors from Hollywood and beyond.”
“But it’s been nearly three months since Crist officially announced his candidacy and at least 10 since everyone knew he was preparing to do just that. Where the rubber meets the road: there is for all purposes no Charlie Crist campaign except for a fundraising operation that so far appears fine but hardly daunting.”
First Read comments on Mike Huckabee’s strange statement on women and contraception:
“Yes, he was referring to Democrats. And yes, the quote — taken as a whole — doesn’t make a lot of sense. But if Republicans should have learned anything from the 2012 election cycle, it should be that GOP politicians, especially male ones, should tread very carefully when talking about birth control and women’s rights. Indeed, here is the recommendation from the RNC’s post-election autopsy last year: ‘When it comes to social issues, the party must in fact and deed be inclusive and welcoming. If we are not, we will limit our ability to attract young people and others, including many women, who agree with us on some but not all issues.’ And yet, the same RNC invited Huckabee to talk about this issue…”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) “surprised some members of the audience” at a Hollywood fundraiser this week by “trash talking” Eliot Spitzer (D), saying his predecessor created a mess at the statehouse, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“I have no more questions for this incredibly highly qualified group of nominees.”
— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by Yahoo News, after U.S. Ambassador-designate George Tsunis displayed a total lack of knowledge of Norway at his confirmation hearing.
Josh Rogin: “Dennis Rodman was already having a rotten month, between the trip to rehab and the global condemnation for cozying up to a dictator. Now things may be about to get much worse. The U.S. Treasury Department is investigating whether he violated the law that prohibits the importing of luxury goods into North Korea.”
“On his third and most recent trip to Pyongyang this month, Rodman reportedly brought several gifts for the young Kim’s 31st birthday. They allegedly included hundreds of dollars’ worth of Irish Jameson whiskey, European crystal, an Italian suit, a fur coat, and an English Mulberry handbag for Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju.”
The New York Times has a must-read look at the people surrounding Hillary Clinton, with a special focus on confidant Phillip Reines.
“The job of keeping out the claqueurs now falls partly on Reines, who is known in the Clinton world as slightly paranoid, often hilarious and somewhat quirky. He is 44 and lives in a Dupont Circle apartment with his cats Uday and Qusay, named after the thuggish sons of Saddam Hussein. He once accidentally stuck his fingers in my water glass over breakfast to clear a stain from his dress shirt. At lunch, he orders an Arnold Palmer and a Diet Coke, seemingly just because. He also instills a healthy dose of terror in the extended Clinton family that his boss is said to appreciate. Almost everyone I talked to dutifully emailed Reines to ask for permission before they spoke to me.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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