In a video, Larry Flynt called Mark Sanford a “sex pioneer” and endorsed his congressional bid in South Carolina.
Flynt said “no one has done more to expose the sexual hypocrisy of traditional values in America today.”
He added: “His open embrace of his mistress in the name of love, breaking his sacred marriage vows, was an act of bravery that has drawn my support.”
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) told the Times Herald that some Republicans opposed his amendment to expand gun background checks because they didn’t want to “be seen helping the president.”
Said Toomey: “In the end it didn’t pass because we’re so politicized. There were some on my side who did not want to be seen helping the president do something he wanted to get done, just because the president wanted to do it.”
“In subsequent comments, he tried to walk that remark part-way back by
noting he meant to say Republicans across the nation in general, not
just those in the Senate.”
Ruby Cramer points out that after Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) announced last week “that he would not seek reelection in 2014, advocates on both sides of the gun control battle have flooded Montana with ads — a sign that they believe the Democrat, now free from the weight of reelection, could switch his vote on the bill that Sen. Joe Manchin has promised to somehow revive on the floor of the Senate.”
The latest ad “features a Claire Kelly, a gun-owning Montana voter, who urges Baucus to change his vote, citing a poll by the Michael Bloomberg-headed gun control group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, that shows 79 percent of Montanans support background checks for gun sales.”
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A report that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is seriously considering a presidential run in 2016 has David Frum wondering if he can mount a serious bid.
“Texas is home to the biggest lode of GOP donor money in the country. If Cruz can successfully woo this money, he becomes a serious presidential candidate: not necessarily a winner in the general election (see Romney, Mitt), but at least somebody who can be nominated. If he fails to secure substantial contributions from the Texas Big Donors, then he’s Rick Santorum: a candidate with base appeal, but no hope for the prize.”
The Week: What it would mean for the GOP.
“J.L.’s job is to make the trains run on time. My job is to get some trains.”
— Nebraska Democratic Party Chairman Vince Powers, quoted by the Lincoln Journal-Star, referring to his Republican counterpart J.L. Spray.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel “sought the endorsement of Republican Kevin James after he was eliminated from the race in the March primary. Now she’s out with an attack mailer blasting James’ backing of Eric Garcetti, her rival in the May 21 runoff,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
James quickly responded releasing fawning text messages sent by Gruel while she was still seeking his endorsement.
A mysterious group has been using a “push poll” in an attempt to dissuade South Carolina voters from voting for Elizabeth Colbert Busch in an upcoming congressional special election by alleging that she had an abortion and spent time in jail, Think Progress reports.
Politico: “The GOP leadership is dealing with an unprecedented level of frustration in running the House, according to conversations with more than a dozen aides and lawmakers in and around leadership. Leadership is talking past each other. The conference is split by warring factions. And influential outside groups are fighting them. The chaos has led to a sense of stalemate for House Republicans, who have been in the majority since 2011.”
First Read notes that Republicans “have done a very good job of arguing that implementing the new health-care law is so big, so complicated.”
But President Obama knocked that down yesterday: “For the 85% to 90% of Americans who already have health insurance, this thing has already happened. And their only impact is that their insurance is stronger, better, more secure than it was before — full stop. That’s it. They don’t have to worry about anything else.”
He added, “So all the implementation issues that are coming up are implementation issues related to that small group of people, 10 to 15 percent of Americans — now, it’s still 30 million Americans, but a relatively narrow group — who don’t have health insurance right now.”
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) “has political events planned across Georgia this week after months of speculation about whether the Savannah Republican will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“Kingston told an Associated Press reporter to “stay tuned” when asked about the Senate race in mid-April. Soon afterward Kingston reported raising $843,000 in campaign contributions during the first three months of the year, roughly 10 times his fundraising total for the same period two years ago.”
The Denver Post notes a photo of Colorado state Reps. Rhonda Fields (D) and Jeanne Labuda (D) “slumped in their chairs on the House floor with their eyes closed” is making the rounds.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) acknowledged that the bipartisan immigration reform bill he helped develop won’t likely pass the Republican-led House, Politico reports.
Said Rubio: “The bill that’s in place right now probably can’t pass the House. It will have to be adjusted, because people are very suspicious about the willingness of the government to enforce the laws now.”
The Huffington Post reports that a group of Republicans are proposing legislation that could give President Obama “an unintentional assist with disagreeable unemployment numbers — by eliminating the key economic statistic altogether.”
“The bill, introduced last week by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), would bar the U.S. Census Bureau from conducting nearly all surveys except for a decennial population count. Such a step that would end the government’s ability to provide reliable estimates of the employment rate. Indeed, the government would not be able to produce any of the major economic indices that move markets every month, said multiple statistics experts, who were aghast at the proposal.”
“Sarah Palin’s last elective position in Alaska ended early when in 2009 she abandoned the governorship midway through her first term,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“But tea party activists appear eager for a comeback, urging supporters to contribute money toward recruiting Palin to run for the U.S. Senate in her home state, where, according to an email sent out this week, she has a “clear path” to defeat incumbent Democrat Mark Begich.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “is considering a presidential run, according to his friends and confidants,” National Review reports.
“Cruz won’t talk about it publicly, and even privately he’s cagey about revealing too much of his thought process or intentions. But his interest is undeniable.”
Said one GOP insider: “If you don’t think this is real, then you’re not paying attention. Cruz already has grassroots on his side, and in this climate, that’s all he may need.”
“Let me use an indelicate word. Bullshit. That’s what that is… That’s the excuse they use.”
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by the Newark Star Ledger, after telling any kids to “cover your ears” at a packed town hall meeting.
A new Quinnipiac poll finds American voters, by a slim margin, say they are more likely to vote Democratic than Republican for Congress in 2014 — 41% to 37% — “which would violate the historical model of the president’s party losing ground in the sixth year of a presidency.”
President Obama “is preparing to send lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition and has taken steps to assert more aggressive U.S. leadership among allies and partners seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad,” the Washington Post reports.
“The officials said they are moving toward the shipment of arms but emphasized that they are still pursuing political negotiation. To that end, the administration has launched an effort to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that the probable use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government — and the more direct outside intervention that could provoke — should lead him to reconsider his support of Assad.”
Major Garrett: “President Obama did not start the Syrian crisis, and the blood-soaked
civil war has never lent itself to easy choices. In fact, the choices
have always been among the hardest any U.S. president has faced in the
region.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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