A new CBS News poll finds support for stricter gun control laws overall “has dropped since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School from 57% then to 47% now.”
Perry Says Texans Oppose Gay Marriage
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) reiterated his stance against same-sex unions, the Dallas Morning News reports.
Said Perry: “In Texas, it is fairly clear about where this state stands on that issue. As recently as a constitutional amendment that passed – I believe, with 76% of the vote. The people of the state of Texas, myself included, believe marriage is between one man and one woman.”
Quote of the Day
“Needless to say, I join you keenly aware that I am regarded in a different light now than I was a year ago. I am also keenly aware that the reason for my recent journey was my own doing.”
— Former CIA Director David Petraeus, quoted by the Washington Post, apologizing publicly for the extramarital affair that forced him to resign.
Retirements Shape Senate Landscape
Roll Call: “With the latest Senate Democrat’s retirement announcement, there are now three open Democratic seats in highly competitive states. That’s half the total number of seats Senate Republicans must net to win the majority.”
Democratic Holdouts Against Gay Marriage Dwindling Fast
David Freedlander notes that potential Democratic 2016 contenders may be shifting on same-sex marriage at breathtaking speed — Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine, and Gov. Brian Schweitzer this week alone — but he’s found a few last opponents.
Marc Ambinder: How gay rights tipped so quickly.
New Jersey Voters Split on Menendez
A new Quinnipiac University poll in New Jersey finds voters are divided on scandal-plagued Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) with 40% approving and 41% disapproving.
Markey Keeps Lead Over Lynch
A new WBUR poll in Massachusetts finds Rep. Ed Markey leading Rep. Stephen Lynch by double-digits in the Democratic Senate primary, 35% to 24% but 30% are still undecided or don’t know the candidates.
On the Republican side, Michael Sullivan (R) leads Daniel Winslow (R), 28% to 10%, with Gabriel Gomez at 8%.
Justices Hear Second Gay Marriage Case
The Supreme Court “returns to the subject of same-sex marriage for a second day on Wednesday, when the justices hear arguments about the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996,” the New York Times reports.
“The 1996 law defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman for purposes of more than 1,000 federal laws and programs, and it thus excludes married same-sex couples from benefits to which their opposite-sex counterparts are entitled.”
Washington Post: “The Obama administration has said that it will not defend the law, known as DOMA, and lower courts have said it is unconstitutional to deny federal benefits to same-sex couples who are legally married in the states where they live while offering the same benefits to opposite-sex married couples.”
Wonk Wire has an overview of the case.
Who Really Killed bin Laden?
10 Political Words We Should Use More Often
The Cloakroom: From snollygoster to mugwump.
Politicians Scramble on Gay Marriage
Dan Balz: “If justices on the Supreme Court sounded cautious and tentative as they addressed the issue of same-sex marriage Tuesday, it’s little wonder. Like everyone else in public life, they are operating in the middle of a political whirlwind.”
“The political and legal systems are caught between past and future. Public opinion has shifted rapidly, and a majority of Americans now back legalizing same-sex marriage. Among those younger than 40, support is overwhelming. The question is when and in what form the future arrives.”
Roll Call: The 12 best moments at the Supreme Court today.
Gun Control Faces Uphill Fight in the Senate
Roll Call: “A little-noticed Senate vote just before 4 in the morning on March 23 — amid the chamber’s 13-hour vote-a-rama on a fiscal 2014 budget resolution — suggests trouble for President Barack Obama’s gun control agenda.”
Obama Names Female Secret Service Director
President Obama will appoint Julia Pierson, a veteran U.S. Secret Service agent, as the first female director of the agency, the Washington Post reports.
“Obama’s selection of Pierson comes after an extraordinarily difficult year at the service, and amid calls that the next director make internal changes at the agency whose masculine culture was exposed during an overseas trip last year.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I kept my mouth shut for two years because, hey, I’m a party guy. But you know what, at the end of the day, you say to yourself, they’re dumping on you, they’re crapping on your legacy, they’re giving you crap for stuff that they didn’t want to do in the first place — coalitions, expanding media, social media networks.”
— Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele, quoted by The Hill, continuing his feud with current RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.
Governor Signs Strictest Anti-Abortion Law in Nation
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R) “has signed three abortion-limiting bills passed by the North Dakota Legislature, giving the state the most anti-abortion laws of any U.S. state and setting up possible legal challenges over provisions critics say are unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade,” the Fargo Forum reports.
“Dalrymple acknowledged the likelihood of an ensuing court battle and recommended that lawmakers set aside money for litigation.”
Dean Vows to Flip State Legislatures
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) announced that his political action committee would launch a campaign to flip state legislatures around the country, the Huffington Post reports.
“In a conference call, Dean said that Democracy for America’s ‘Purple to Blue Project’ would work to swing state legislatures from Republican to Democrat, starting in Virginia, then adding three states in 2014.”
Gingrey Will Announce Senate Bid in Georgia
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) will formally announce he’ll run for the Republican nomination to replace retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Georgia Tip Sheet reports.
“Gingrey will be only the second candidate to enter the Republican contest, still 16 months out, and square off with outspoken conservative Rep. Paul Broun. Other possible GOP recruits include Reps. Jack Kingston and Tom Price.”
Too Soon for Court to Rule on Gay Marriage?
“As the Supreme Court on Tuesday weighed the very meaning of marriage, several justices seemed to have developed a case of buyer’s remorse about the case before them,” the New York Times reports. “Some wondered aloud if the court had moved too fast to address whether gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marry.”
The Washington Post notes the justices “wondered openly about whether it was time for the court to render a judgment.”
Tom Goldstein sees two possible scenarios with the upshot being “a modest step forward for gay rights advocates, but not a dramatic one. The Court would stay its hand for some time for society to develop its views further. But combined with a potentially significant ruling in the DOMA case being argued tomorrow, the Term will likely nonetheless end up as very significant to gay rights.”
Adam Winkler: Beware of early predictions on what the court will do.
