Houston Chronicle: “George Prescott Bush, a political newcomer who is the grandson and nephew of U.S. presidents, filed to run for Texas land commissioner on Tuesday — a move that officially begins the continuation of his family’s political dynasty with a young, Hispanic, Spanish-speaking candidate.
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Congressman Busted in Cocaine Sting
Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL) “was caught buying drugs as part of a federal investigation into a Washington, D.C., drug ring last month and is being charged with cocaine possession,” USA Today reports.
If found guilty, Radel faces a maximum of 180 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
Bush Ramps Up Travel Schedule
The Week notes that even though former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) “has insisted that he’s not going to think about running for president until the middle of next year, but his busy travel schedule and his anti-ObamaCare talking points suggest that he is already laying the groundwork for the primaries.”
“All in all, it certainly looks like Jeb is intent on keeping his name in the mix, and is going through the necessary steps to establish a coherent platform. Whether he can find a position on the ideological spectrum between the Tea Party and Christie — and overcome suspicions about his position on immigration reform — remains to be seen.”
The Republican Party is the Tea Party
The Fix notes that “views of the Republican Party’s ideological leaning are essentially the same as the tea party… Views of the GOP and the tea party are virtually the same across all demographics.”
“In other words, if the tea party has moved the GOP to the right — and it has — it has done so to such an extent they are now viewed as ideologically very similar.”
Quote of the Day
“I did the best I could do. I’m also
very comfortable with the fact that it’s going take a while for history
to judge whether the decisions I made are consequential or not. And
therefore, I’m not too worried about it.”
— George W. Bush, quoted by The Wrap, reflecting on his presidency on “The Tonight Show.“
Obama Approval Plunges to New Low
A new CBS News poll finds President Obama’s job approval rating has plunged to the lowest of his presidency with just 37% percent approving of the job he is doing as president, down from 46% in October — a nine point drop in just a month.
National Journal: “This year, no one in Washington is doing a good job. That’s
according to favorability polls, which in the last few months have
steadily churned out record low after record low of the American
public’s confidence in its leaders.”
San Diego Picks Mayoral Candidates
San Diego Union Tribune:
“Republican City Councilman Kevin Faulconer easily won a spot Tuesday
in the runoff to be San Diego’s next mayor while Councilman David
Alvarez appeared likely to join him as the Democratic challenger.”
Hopes Grow for Budget Deal
“They’ve been written off as a doomed-to-fail duo: Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray, the congressional budget leaders who are on an uphill quest to reach any kind of fiscal deal. But an agreement may not be so elusive after all,” Politico reports.
“Hopes are growing that Ryan and Murray could reach a narrow deal to replace a portion of the automatic spending cuts known as sequestration, according to lawmakers and senior aides involved in the discussions. The changing dynamics are the result of several factors: The fears among GOP defense hawks of deep Pentagon cuts in the new fiscal year; the desire of Republican leaders to avoid another disastrous shutdown fight; and the willingness of Democrats to consider other revenue raisers besides tax increases.”
Obama Backs Piecemeal Immigration Overhaul
President Obama said he “would accept a piecemeal approach to overhauling the immigration system, a move aimed at jump-starting a moribund process that reflects the realities of a divided Congress,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Mr. Obama has long favored the sweeping immigration bill that passed the Senate in June, but the House has made clear it wouldn’t consider that measure.”
Said Obama: “If they want to chop that thing up into five pieces, as long as all five pieces get done, I don’t care what it looks like. What we don’t want to do is simply carve out one piece of it…but leave behind some of the tougher stuff that still needs to get done.”
Bachmann Says Liberalism is Crumbling
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) told Roll Call that she “is absolutely delighted by the troubled rollout of HealthCare.gov and President Obama’s recent mea culpas.”
Bachmann said that the rollout presented conservatives with the “opportunity of a lifetime” because “liberalism is crumbling in front of our eyes.”
Hickenlooper Leads GOP Rivals
A new Quinnipiac poll in Colorado finds that voters say that Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) does not deserve re-election by a 49% to 42% margin.
Nonetheless, Hickenlooper edges four possible GOP challengers: 46% to 41% over Tom Tancredo (R), 45% to 40% over Scott Gessler (R), 44% to 38% over Greg Brophy (R), and 44% to 40% over Mike Kopp (R)/
Give Obamacare a Chance
Wonk Wire: Stop hyperventilating about Obamacare
Daines Looks Strong in Montana
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Montana shows Rep. Steve Daines (R-MT) with pretty substantial leads over both possible Democratic challengers.
Daines leads John Bohlinger (D), 51% to 36%, and tops John Walsh (D), 52% to 35%.
Key findings: “But the number that may be most important to the US Senate race at this point is 34. That’s Barack Obama’s approval rating in the state, with 63% of voters disapproving of him. Only 31% of voters in the state support the Affordable Care Act to 58% opposed, and just 14% think the rollout of the ACA has been a success to 82% who think it’s been unsuccessful. 63% rate it as being ‘very unsuccessful.’ All of that is making it a tough start to the race for Democrats.”
The Party of Zilch
Ron Fournier: “The Republican Party stands for nothing. As Barack Obama threatens to fumble away his presidency along with the Democratic Party’s reasons for existence — championing an active, efficient government — the GOP lurches into the leadership breach with … zilch.”
“Rather than be the party of solutions in a gridlocked capital, appealing to a leadership-starved public, the GOP is the party of obstruction, ensuring that its putrid approval ratings nose-dive apace with Obama’s.”
Deeds Critically Wounded
Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D), a former gubernatorial candidate, “is in critical condition after being stabbed in his home and his son Gus is dead from a gunshot wound,” the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
“Authorities said they are trying to determine the sequence of events at the Deeds home.”
Will Liz Cheney Do Anything to Win?
Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY) weighs in about the war of words between Wyoming U.S. Senate candidate Liz Cheney (R) and sister Mary over same sex marriage, First Read reports.
Said Simpson: “You’re not even destroying friendships — you’re destroying family relationships just because of this race. It’s hard for all of us who know the Cheneys to see the things she’s doing to win this race. It’s almost like she’ll do anything to win this race, because I cannot ever believe that there would be a breach between she and Mary.”
The Week: Why the Cheney family feud may hurt the GOP.
Can Obama Recover?
First Read: “Another day, another poll… As NBC/WSJ co-pollster Bill McInturff (R) has emailed clients, history shows that it’s difficult for presidents to recover from nosedives like this. And if that’s true, Obama will be a liability in 2014, period.”
“But it will be important to see where Obama’s approval rating is come Spring 2014, assuming the health-care website gets fixed and the Affordable Care Act rollout becomes a distant memory. Barring something unforeseen, these next two months are perhaps the president’s last shot at getting right before the midterms. He needs a working website and a State of the Union that somehow instills some hope that he’s up to the job as a leader. How the public responds will tell us if Obama will be able to recover in time for the midterms.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“We’re three years away from the presidential election. In this sense, I feel bad for President Obama. He just won a year ago, and everybody’s like, ‘Who’s next?’ There is work to be done in this country. As we shove him out the door, we minimize his ability to be an effective executive. We shouldn’t do that.”
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
