Just published: On God’s Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned about Serving the Common Good by Jim Wallis.
Paul Begala: “If political participants want to be encouraged to selfishly screw their
neighbor, they should read Ayn Rand; on the other hand, if they are
looking to be challenged–to be better political combatants, better
Americans, perhaps even better Christians–they will find that challenge
in the works of the Rev. Jim Wallis.”
Noam Scheiber: “Within Obamaworld, there are a few unwritten rules about how to parlay one’s experience into a handsome payday. There is, for example, a loose taboo against joining a K Street lobbying shop and explicitly trading on administration connections. And while joining a consulting firm is acceptable, those who do are reluctant to work for clients reviled by liberals: gun makers, tobacco companies, Big Oil, union busters. Above all, there is a simple prohibition against excessive tackiness.”
Said one insider: “It’s like: Don’t embarrass yourself. You were part of something special. I think if [Obama] were to send an all-staff e-mail, it would be along the lines of Ron Burgundy–‘Stay classy, San Diego.'”
McKay Coppins: “The enduring notion that the ‘Republican savior’ may have feet of clay has followed him since his arrival on the national stage three years ago. It’s been a subject of gossip among the chattering Miami politicos at The Biltmore, a talking point pushed by bloodthirsty Democrats eager to stop his ascent, and a constant source of frustration in the Senator’s orbit.”
“Rubio is just 41, but he has already served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. And his quick rise to national stardom, along with his long, varied career in state politics, well-known financial troubles, and ties to an embattled former congressman have combined to prompt many in the political class — including some of his most enthusiastic boosters — to speculate that the Senator’s pristine political brand will collapse under the weight of national scrutiny.”
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“People are surprised. Of course, some people are surprised I can even read.”
— George W. Bush, talking to the Dallas Morning News about his painting.
George Gov. Nathan Deal (R) won’t take sides in the controversy over efforts by some Georgia teens to finally integrate their high school prom, WMAZ-TV reports.
Said a spokesman: “This is a leftist front group for the state Democratic party and we’re not going to lend a hand to their silly publicity stunt.”
The Cloakroom: As difficult as it may seem to gun control advocates, rounding up votes in the Senate this week is the easy part.
The House of Representatives will mark April 15, the day federal taxes are due, by passing a bill that would require the government to fire federal workers with “seriously delinquent” tax debts, The Hill reports.
Liz Sidoti: “He wants to slash funding for the Democratic sacred cows of Social Security and Medicare. He doesn’t agree with a judge and women’s rights groups that girls of any age should have easy access to emergency contraception. He has hinted that he may disappoint environmentalists by letting the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline be built.”
“And, to varying degrees, President Barack Obama seems to be going middle-of-the-road on everything from gun control to immigration reform to drone policy, much to the annoyance of many Democratic activists and liberal lawmakers.”
New York: “For all his speechifying about the ‘us’ of government, he runs a
government of one, controlling decisions large and small. And the way
Cuomo wins his battles–strong-arming and horse-trading; a mastery of
talking past inconvenient questions and facts–tends to antagonize
enemies and allies, as in the most recent round of budget
wrangling, in which he managed to chafe both liberals and business fat
cats. People are afraid of him; David Paterson, as governor, once
described feeling like Cuomo was lurking under the floorboards of the
executive mansion, holding a saw. In politics, fear can be a highly
useful tool, but it is a risky one. The governor doesn’t have many
friends.”
Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN that students in other countries assessing where to study abroad are increasingly scared of coming to the United States because of gun violence.
Said Kerry: “We had an interesting discussion about why fewer students are coming to, particularly from Japan, to study in the United States, and one of the responses I got from our officials from conversations with parents here is that they’re actually scared. They think they’re not safe in the United States and so they don’t come.”
“As he seeks to extend the discussion about a possible candidacy for mayor — and shift attention away from the online sex-messaging scandal that cost him his Congressional seat — Anthony D. Weiner released a 21-page policy booklet on Sunday that he described as a blueprint for keeping New York City ‘the capital of the middle class,'” the New York Times reports.
“I don’t know. You’ll have to call all the people who’ve written these books about me, who claim they know me, the psycho-babblers.”
— George W. Bush, in an interview with the Dallas Morning News, when asked why he’s taken up painting since his retirement from politics.
Joe Miller (R), the tea-party-backed Alaska Republican who lost a 2010 Senate race, announced that he is launching an exploratory committee as he considers another Senate campaign, Roll Call reports.
Peter Beinhart: “Every now and then I encounter some random piece of historical trivia and I remember: the Republican Party used to be sane. The last such epiphany occurred when I was researching the assault-weapons ban, which first passed the Senate in 1993. Scanning the roll call, I noticed an odd letter–‘R’–next to some of the senators who had voted yes. Overall, 10 Republicans voted for the assault-weapons ban back then, almost a quarter of the GOP caucus. Today, by contrast, not a single Republican senator supports such a ban. Even the Obama administration’s less controversial proposal for background checks faces overwhelming GOP opposition. Today, in fact, most Senate Republicans don’t merely oppose new gun-control legislation; they oppose even holding a vote.”
On Tuesday, the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” is set to unveil a proposal that would represent the most far-reaching overhaul of immigration laws since 1986, the Washington Post reports.
“But in many ways, the senators’ negotiations, behind the scenes and in public, have hinged on a party of one.” Sen. Marco Rubio “has been considered the most crucial player all along… By joining the cause, the potential 2016 presidential candidate has set himself down a politically risky path — one that could pay big dividends but is likely to become even more treacherous after details of the bill become public.”
The Cloakroom: Rubio launches his campaign.
“In an unexpectedly close race, Venezuelans narrowly voted to continue Hugo Chávez’s revolution, electing his handpicked political heir, Nicolás Maduro, to serve the remainder of his six-year term as president,” the New York Times reports.
“But the thin margin of victory could complicate the task of governing for Mr. Maduro, emboldening the political opposition and possibly undermining Mr. Maduro’s stature within Mr. Chávez’s movement.”
The Washington Post notes that polls conducted days before the vote showed Maduro with a
double-digit lead.
Illinois Republican party chairman Pat Brady “emerged from another ouster attempt” and said his party “must be more welcoming of diversity and inclusive of people who disagree if it’s going to grow and win future elections,” the AP reports.
More conservative members have been trying to oust Brady for months, “largely because he took a position in favor of gay marriage when a bill to legalize it was before the Legislature earlier this year.”
“Deep divisions within both parties over a bipartisan measure to extend background checks for gun buyers are threatening its chances as the Senate this week begins debating the first broad gun control legislation in nearly 20 years,” the New York Times reports.
Some Democrats “who are facing re-election next year in conservative states have already said they will not vote for the background check measure… Republicans, in the meantime, are bitterly torn between moderates who feel pressure to respond to polls showing a majority of Americans in support of some new gun regulations and conservatives who are deeply opposed to them.”
However, the Washington Post reports that the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms — which calls
itself the second-largest gun rights organization in the country — broke with the NRA to endorse the background check bill.
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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