“I’ve never done twerking in my life and I don’t intend to take it up.”
— Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), quoted on a conference call, responding to the Miley Cyrus impersonation of her on Saturday Night Live last weekend.
Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
Will Crist Run for Congress Instead?
The Tampa Bay Times speculates that former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) might run for the seat being vacated by Rep. C.W. Young (R-FL) instead of for his old job.
“Absurd as it sounds – who would opt to one of 435 House members rather than governor? – Crist was willing to give up the governorship to run for U.S. Senate in order to gain long-term political job security, and winning a House seat would be a lot less risky than taking on Rick ‘$100-million’ Scott.”
Cuccinelli Denies Cruz is Hurting His Bid
Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli (R) told WJLA that he doesn’t think Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is having a negative impact on his campaign.
Said Cuccinelli: “I don’t think he’s dragging me down. He’s a Texas senator. . .(so) it doesn’t have a whole lot of resonance in my race.”
Cuccinelli avoided a photo op with Cruz last weekend.
Young Announces Retirement From Congress
Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), Florida’s “most influential and longest-serving member of Congress,” told the Tampa Bay Times that he has decided to retire when his term ends in 2014.
Asked if the congressional gridlock was a factor, Young said, “I’m a little disappointed. It seems there’s too much politics. It’s a different Congress.”
Roll Call: “Young’s retirement creates an opportunity for Democrats in Florida’s 13th District. President Barack Obama carried the district by 1 point in 2012.”
Independents Give Democrats the Lead on Generic Ballot
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot 46% to 41%, including a 42% to 33% lead with independents.
Key findings: “Independents have shifted 21 points on the generic ballot from July when Republicans had a 39% to 27% advantage with them. The lean toward Democrats for next year reflects who they blame for the shutdown. By a 51% to 37% margin they say Republicans are more at fault than Democrats, and by a 57% to 41% margin they think Congress is more to blame than the President.”
Court Hears Campaign Finance Case
Wonk Wire: Supreme Court gets a lesson in political campaigns
Martinez Used State Helicopter to Make Fundraiser
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R) used a State Police helicopter to fly to Albuquerque so she could catch a commercial flight to Houston for political fundraisers, the Albuquerque Journal reports.
“Under the state Governmental Conduct Act, public officers are required to ‘use the powers and resources of public office only to advance the public interest.’ The language is repeated in Martinez’s Code of Conduct for all employees under the Governor’s Office.”
Can Yellen Be Confirmed?
First Read notes that Janet Yellen’s confirmation as Federal Reserve chair “won’t be easy; if you’ve been paying attention to politics over the last two or three years, there isn’t a lot of love of the Fed from the right. (Of course, that also shows you how conservatives and Wall Street couldn’t be more far apart right now.) But also don’t lose sight of the nomination’s historic nature, given that Yellen would be the first woman to chair the Fed. While Obama and his West Wing team have gotten the reputation (fair or not) of being a Boy’s Club, it’s worth noting that some of Obama’s most consequential appointments who will live well beyond his terms in office have been women — Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, and Janet Yellen to the Fed (even if Yellen wasn’t his first choice).”
Wonk Wire: Yellen’s confirmation could take a while.
Raimondo Holds Early Lead in Rhode Island
A new Brown University poll in Rhode Island finds that Gina Raimondo (D) has the early advantage over Angel Taveras (D) in next year’s Democratic primary for governor, 42% to 34%.
However, Taveras is a stronger candidate against Allan Fung (R) in a general election race.
Who Owns the Shutdown?
Jon Stewart wants “the party of personal responsibility” to own the government shutdown.
Another Poll Shows McAuliffe Leading in Virginia
A new Roanoke College poll in Virgina shows Terry McAuliffe (D) with a six point lead over Ken Cuccinelli (R) among likely, 40% to 34%, with Libertarian Robert Sarvis at 9% and 16% still undecided.
Republicans Close to Violating the Constitution
National Journal asks: “Have Republicans forgotten that they too must abide by the Constitution?”
The 14th amendment is explicit in its instruction to America’s federally elected officials: “The validity of the public debt of the United States shall not be questioned.”
“This is not some arcane biblical reference that needs to be translated from scraps of parchment. In fact, its purpose and intent are fairly well documented. The amendment is the product of a post-Civil War Congress that wanted to be sure the country would not be saddled with Confederate debt, and that the debts of United States would be honored. Then, as now, this promise written into the Constitution offered creditors confidence that lending to America – indeed, investing in America – would be safe.”
Nunn Raises a Ton of Money
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Political
rookie Michelle Nunn is about to underline her status as the leading
Democratic candidate in Georgia’s race for U.S. Senate with an
eye-popping $1.7 million raised in the first three months of her
campaign….She’s on a path to outraise every Republican in the
contest.”
Is Ryan Seeking Common Ground?
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal:
“The president is giving Congress the silent treatment. He’s refusing to talk, even though the federal government is about to hit the debt ceiling. That’s a shame–because this doesn’t have to be another crisis. It could be a breakthrough. We have an opportunity here to pay down the national debt and jump-start the economy, if we start talking, and talking specifics, now. To break the deadlock, both sides should agree to common-sense reforms of the country’s entitlement programs and tax code.”
First Read: “What he called for were some of the very things that Obama and Democrats have already put on the table. Medicare means-testing? Check. Further long-term entitlement cuts (like Chained CPI?)? Check. Bipartisan tax reform? Check. Most important, however, was what Ryan DIDN’T MENTION in the op-ed: any changes to the president’s health-care law. So Ryan’s op-ed is a pretty big deal; it’s an olive branch (from its tone) and it lays a potential way out.”
GOP Lawmaker Says Republicans are Prepared to Lose House
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) told Roll Call that Republicans were “absolutely” prepared to lose the House to extract concessions from President Obama and he said the White House is “missing the determination of the Republican Party.”
Said Gingrey: “I mean, they seem to think that we will miss this opportunity for a ‘Braveheart‘ moment to do the right thing for the American people and that we’ll back down for fear of losing the House and not gaining control of the Senate.”
Romney Predicted a Shutdown
Mitt Romney appeared on Fox News to discuss his prediction last year that the government could shutdown if President Obama was re-elected.
Said Romney: “He’s ignored them; he’s attacked them; he’s blamed them. And of course the debt ceiling, it’s going to come up again, and then there’d be a threat of shutdown or default. And that of course chills the economy, puts more people out of work.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m more popular than I was when I went into jail.”
— Newark Mayor Sharpe James (D), quoted by the Wall Street Journal, promoting his new memoir, Political Prisoner.
GOP Walks the Plank
John Podhoretz: “If ObamaCare had been as unpopular as conservatives believed, their plan for the shutdown — that there would be a public uprising to force Democratic senators in close races in 2014 to defund it — would’ve worked. It didn’t. Not a single senator budged.”
“Their tactic failed, and now what they are left with is House Speaker John Boehner basically begging the president of the United States to negotiate with him.”
“One thing we know for sure is that it’s not an equal fight, this fight between a man who received 65 million votes nationwide and a man who received 246,000 votes in one congressional district in Ohio.”
