“What is this homophobic strain in our party?”
— Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY), in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, saying the GOP needed to “get over its hangup on gay rights.”
A Very White Republican Party Plans Minority Outreach
McKay Coppins: “As the Republican Party gears up to launch a concerted, well-funded outreach effort aimed at attracting elusive minority voters, it’s not just battling dismal poll numbers and tough demographic trends — it’s working to overcome its own overwhelming whiteness.”
“There is not a single racial minority among the 20 most senior officials who run the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, and National Republican Senatorial Committee — the three wings of the GOP apparatus charged with promoting candidates and winning elections. And a range of former Republican staffers told BuzzFeed that this lack of diversity has paralyzed the party’s ability to connect with minority communities…”
Anti-Gay Marriage Democrats Dig In
“After the sudden flip of several Senate Democrats from opposition to endorsement of gay marriage this week,” Alex Rogers notes “the stampede may have come to an end, leaving a handful of holdouts in states where opinion still lags the national trend.”
Just nine Senate Democrats remain in opposition, a core group that includes some of the party’s most socially conservative members: Joe Manchin (WV), Mark Pryor (AR), Bob Casey (PA), Bill Nelson (FL), Tom Carper (DE), Tim Johnson (SD), Mary Landrieu (LA), Heidi Heitkamp (ND) and Joe Donnelly (IN).
Boehner Quotes Lincoln in Memo to House GOP
House Speaker John Boehner told the Republican caucus that they have “forged a new tactical plan” that is forcing President Obama to recalibrate on issues of taxes, spending and job creation, the Washington Post reports.
Boehner also quotes at length from Congressman Lincoln, a book recapping the 16th president’s brief tenure in the House citing Lincoln’s warnings about government debt “growing with a rapidity fearful to contemplate.”
He concludes: “Republicans may be the minority party in Washington – but because we forged a plan together and have stuck to it, our actions as a team over the past couple of months have made a difference for all Americans.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I have to admit, being able to go back to our own life and going to the grocery store and shopping on my own is kind of nice to be by myself without a bunch of people hanging around with me. I like the life of being an American citizen. It’s good to live a normal life again.”
— Mitt Romney, interviewed on Dennis Miller’s radio show.
Murkowski Says She’s Evolving on Gay Marriage
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told the Chugiak-Eagle River Star that her views on gay marriage are “evolving” and that she’s reviewing her stance on the issue “very closely.”
Said Murkowski: “I think it’s important to acknowledge that there is a change afoot in this country in terms of how marriage is viewed.”
She added: “The term ‘evolving view’ has been perhaps overused, but I think it is an appropriate term for me to use.”
Barr Attempts Comeback
Former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) will run for Congress again in a district that overlaps part of his area he used to represent, Roll Call reports.
Barr was the Libertarian Party nominee for president last year but will run for Congress as a Republican.
Most Think Illegal Immigrants Should Be Able to Stay
A new Pew Research survey finds that 71% of Americans say there should be a way for people in the United States illegally to remain in this country if they meet certain requirements, while 27% say they should not be allowed to stay legally.
“Among those who favor providing legal status, the balance of opinion is in favor of allowing those here illegally who meet the requirements to apply for citizenship. However, no more than about half in any demographic group supports permitting illegal immigrants to apply for citizenship.”
The Culture War Was Never a Fair Fight
Matt Lewis: “Social conservatives are greatly outnumbered (a byproduct of having lost the culture war argument). We hear a lot about the supposed ‘three-legged-stool’ of the conservative movement, but in fighting the culture war, social conservatives are on their own. In fact, it’s wrong to think of this in terms of a left versus right paradigm. It would be better understood as part of the continuing struggle between virtue (as social conservatives define it) and liberty (defined by our modern secular society to mean the freedom to do whatever we want). In that light, liberty is murdering virtue.”
Obama to Dine with Republicans Again
President Obama “will dine with a dozen Republican senators on April 10 at a dinner organized by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA),” Roll Call reports.
“This will be the second such gathering over the course of about a month. Obama had dinner with a group of GOP senators on March 6 to talk about a wide array of issues.”
The Case for Fewer Primary Debates
Former Mitt Romney strategist Stuart Stevens backs the RNC’s call for fewer presidential primary debates.
“This debate escalation is somewhere between silly and dumb and serves no public good. We pick a president with three general-election debates but it takes 20 debates to understand that maybe Ron Paul wants to blow up the Federal Reserve? Other important national questions are decided more expediently: it only takes 12 shows for The Bachelorette and The Bachelor to pick a mate.”
“The RNC report recommends cutting the number of debates in half and shortening the debating season. That’s a good start. But I think we should go further. To improve the quality of the debates and eradicate the commercial toxicity tainting the events, news organizations should get out of the business of sponsoring debates. Let’s don’t kid ourselves. These ‘debates’ have become phony entertainment spectacles not serious news events.”
Gay Marriage Already Won
Rick Stengel: “Whatever the Supreme Court decides, it seems clear that the majority of Americans feel marriage is a civil right and that denying that right to people because of their sexual orientation is a violation of equal protection under the law…. We had a long debate in our offices about this week’s cover images of two same-sex couples. Some thought they were sensationalist and too in-your-face. Others felt the images were beautiful and symbolized the love that is at the heart of the idea of marriage. I agree with the latter, and I hope you do too.”
The Week: Why even red state Democrats are jumping on the gay marriage bandwagon.
Cate Edwards Talks About Her Father’s Affair
Cate Edwards, the eldest daughter of John and Elizabeth Edwards, spoke to NBC News about the extramarital affair that tore apart her family and destroyer her father’s political ambitions.
Said Edwards: “He told me. I guess he and my mom decided that that was, you know, how it needed to be done. So yeah, I was devastated. And I was disappointed. I mean, these are my parents. I had grown up with a lot of love in my family. And it was hard to see them go through this.”
The full interview will air on Friday.
Republicans Launch Technology Catch-Up Effort
“Republicans are moving aggressively to repair their technological shortcomings from the 2012 election, opening a new tech race to counter a glaring weakness against President Obama,” the AP reports.
“With the blessing of party leaders, a new crop of Republican-backed outside groups is developing tools to improve communication with voters, predict their behavior and track Democratic opponents. After watching Obama win re-election with the aid of an unprecedented technological machine, GOP officials concede an urgent need for major changes in the way they reach voters. They are turning to a younger generation of tech experts expected to play a bigger role in the 2014 midterm elections and beyond.”
Clinton Urged Kerry to Support Gay Marriage Ban
Robert Shrum says Bill Clinton advises John Kerry in 2004 that he should consider supporting a ban on same-sex marriage, something the former president now denies. However, Shrum stands by his story and wrote about it in his book No Excuses.
“I don’t even see the point of the denial. Attempting to rewrite the history–tortured rationalizations for Clinton’s signing of the Defense of Marriage Act in the first place, a reflex defensiveness about advice in 2004 that was wrong in principle and even politically–seems a futile effort to redeem a tarnished part of a presidential legacy. I applaud Bill Clinton’s change of position–and that change highlights where we are now and where our country should and will go.”
McConnell Plans Scorched Earth Campaign
Sen. Mitch McConnnell (R-KY) “is preparing to wage a ruthless campaign to hang on to his job,” Politico reports.
“He’s already on the air with nearly $200,000 in TV and radio ads, is assembling streams of data to target voters with tailor-made messages, and has quietly moved to lock down support from virtually every state GOP legislator. He says he’ll use ‘every penny’ of a war chest certain to exceed the $21 million he spent in 2008.”
Said McConnell: “My view is if you’re going to be a bigger target, you’re going to adopt different tactics. I think we’ve made it pretty clear … that we intend to be very aggressive from Day One. And we are. And that
involves not ignoring any potential opponent.”
The Week: Why no one wants to take on Mitch McConnell.
Quote of the Day
“We were prepared to do that had we had the votes to do it after the
election. Well, the election didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to. The monstrosity has … begun to be implemented and we’re not giving up the fight.”
— Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), in an interview with National Journal on the GOP’s “secret plan” to repeal Obamacare.
Why Republicans Should Want to Lose Gay Marriage Case
The Week: “Most members of the Republican Party hope that the Supreme Court will not use the two gay-marriage cases it heard this week to issue a broad ruling affirming the constitutional right of gays and lesbians to marry. However, top officials in the GOP are reportedly praying for precisely that outcome, calculating that it would be the most effective way to remove gay marriage as a political liability.”
