A new Washington Post-ABC News poll “highlights just how badly the GOP hard-liners and the leaders who went along with them misjudged the public mood. In the aftermath, eight in 10 Americans say they disapprove of the shutdown. Two in three Republicans or independents who lean Republican share a negative view of the impasse. And even a majority of those who support the tea party movement disapprove.”
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Secret Probe Underway in Wisconsin
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “A former top-level assistant U.S. attorney has been appointed a special prosecutor in a burgeoning, secret investigation into a wide variety of state issues, including possible campaign violations during the recent recall elections.”
Nearly Half Want to Replace Everyone in Congress
A new USA Today/Princeton Survey Research poll finds that just 4% of those surveyed — equal to the margin of error — say Congress would be changed for the worse if nearly every member was replaced next year while 47% say it would work better.
Key takeaway: “Those findings are similar to the public’s views in previous years when voter dismay cost one side or the other control of the House. In 1994, when Democrats lost their majority, 40% said Congress would be better off if most members were replaced. In 2006, when Republicans lost control, 42% held that view.”
GOP Donors Quietly Celebrate Christie’s Marriage Surrender
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s base of supporters couldn’t have been happier than when he gave up his fight today against same-sex marriage, McKay Coppins reports.
“Indeed, amid all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth on the religious right, the GOP’s donor class quietly rejoiced that Christie — widely viewed as the golden boy of his party’s moderate, Northeastern, corporate establishment — had chosen to abandon this particular culture war battle. Though few of them are eager to acknowledge it on the record, the monied tri-state-dwelling donors who made up Mitt Romney’s core base of donors and are likely to fund Christie’s 2016 campaign generally support same-sex marriage. More importantly, they see it as a losing issue for their party.”
Americans Want to Keep Obamacare Despite Problems
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that only 41% approve of President Obama’s handling of the health care law’s implementation, versus 53% who disapprove.”
“But even despite this, only one third of Americans support repealing the law. A sizable bloc of those who oppose the law want it to continue, anyway.”
The Most Important Election of 2014
Stu Rothenberg: “The single most important election in the country next year won’t take place in Louisiana, Arkansas, North Carolina or Alaska. And it won’t occur next November, when voters across the country pick the next Congress. It will take place in Kentucky on May 20.”
“While the general election in the commonwealth — and in other states — could decide which party controls the Senate for President Barack Obama’s final two years in office, the GOP primary will go a long way in determining whether the Republican Party continues its evolution toward uncompromising utopian purity and, eventually, possible irrelevance.”
De Blasio Headed for Epic Win
A new Quinnipiac poll in New York City find Bill de Blasio (D) now leads Joseph Lhota (R) in the race for mayor by an incredible 44 points among likely voters, 68% to 24%.
Will ‘Obamacare’ Become a Linguistic Symbol of Failure?
Brad Phillips: “The words ‘Edsel,’ ‘Buckner,’ and ‘Ishtar’ stand as single-word reminders of spectacular failures. The question now facing the Obama administration is whether the term ‘Obamacare’ will join their ranks — not in reference to the policy itself, but rather to its botched rollout…”
DNC Hitting 2016 Hopefuls with Robocalls
The Democratic National Committee “launched three more robocalls hitting potential Republican presidential contenders for expressing openness to shutting down the government again in order to dismantle ObamaCare,” The Hill reports.
“The robocalls are targeting Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY), all of whom have indicated an interest in running for president in 2016.”
The Anti-Ted Cruz
The Week has my take on the newest member of the U.S. Senate.
Obama Notes Rocky Start on Health Law
President Obama acknowledged his frustration “with the technical problems that have hampered the online health-insurance marketplaces, but pledged that the issues would be resolved and the Affordable Care Act would prove successful,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Obama: “Nobody’s madder than me about the fact that the website isn’t working as well as it should, which means it’s going to get fixed… There’s no sugarcoating it.”
But the Washington Post notes Obama also admonished Republican critics saying that “it is time to stop rooting for the law’s failure.”
Wonk Wire: Obamacare exchanges were destined for failure
GOP Donors Push Party on Gay Rights
The Washington Post reports “a powerful group of Republican donors, who see the GOP’s staunch opposition to gay rights as a major problem, is trying to push the party toward a more welcoming middle ground — where candidates who oppose marriage rights can do so without seeming hateful.”
“The behind-the-scenes effort is being led largely by GOP mega-donor Paul Singer, a hedge fund executive whose son is gay, and former Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman, who revealed his homosexuality in 2010, long after he had left the GOP leadership.”
Witt Will Make Bid for Congress
Former FEMA Director James Lee Witt (D) will run for the seat currently held by Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who is running for the U.S. Senate, the Arkansas Times reports.
Taylor Ponders Comeback as a Republican
Former Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS) is considering a run for the congressional seat he held for two decades, but if he runs it probably will be as a Republican, the Biloxi Sun Herald reports.
Said Taylor: “I wrestle with it.”
A Smart Politics review finds it has been 129 years since the last time a Mississippi congressman came back to win a U.S. House contest after losing his seat at the ballot box.
How Much Did the Shutdown Cost?
Wonk Wire rounds up the estimates.
Maria Belen Chapur Speaks Out
“Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentine woman who former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) left his wife and derailed his career over, has finally spoken on camera about their relationship,” Politico reports.
Enough Bushes and Clintons?
Jeb Bush:
“Some guy told me that on the plane in — stuck on O’Hare Airport. He
said he was supporting Obama. This was early in the primary and I go,
‘Why?’ And he goes, ‘Well, we had a Bush, then we had a Clinton. Then we
had a Bush. And now we’re going to have a Clinton.’ And then he looked
at me and said, ‘And then we’re going to have a Bush.’ So he had an
interesting perspective. I think some people believe that. That won’t
be a motivating factor in my decision, though.”
House Back in Action
National Journal:
“The Senate is out on recess, but the House returns to session Tuesday
for the start of what could be a bellwether week to gauge the political
tone in Washington for the rest of the year. Much of the attention is
already shifting to focus on the formal start of negotiations in the
joint House-Senate budget conference. And the action will pick up in
committees and on the floor as well.”
