Sen. Marco Rubio visits Saturday Night Live and attempts to give his rebuttal to the State of the Union again, but runs into the same water issues.
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Hutchinson Drops Out After Withering Attacks from Bloomberg
Illinois state Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D) is expected to drop out of the 2nd congressional district special Democratic primary and back former state Rep. Robin Kelly (D) in the contest to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. in Congress, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The move shakes up
the Democratic field just nine days before the Feb. 26 primary election.
Capitol Fax: “The reasons are many, including Mayor Bloomberg’s decision to point his massive super PAC right at Hutchinson while backing rival Robin Kelly.”
Bloomberg has attacked Hutchinson for her support for the National Rifle Association.
Jindal Governing with an Eye on 2016
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) “is laying the groundwork for a likely presidential run — and using his state as a testing ground for policies that play well with national conservatives,” Politico reports.
“He’s passed a sweeping school voucher plan, rejected the Medicaid expansion in Obamacare and proposed scrapping the state income tax.”
“But political observers who’ve watched Jindal up close for years say it’s become increasingly fuzzy where his governing ends and his presidential ambitions begin — whether the 41-year-old policy wonk’s plans are aimed at Louisiana’s problems or future GOP voters in Iowa and New Hampshire.”
Doing the Opposite
The Cloakroom: Maybe President Obama should use reverse psychology to get his agenda past Republicans.
Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Nipple Exposure
North Carolina state Rep. Rayne Brown (R) is defending her proposed legislation which define women’s nipples as indecent, WRAL-TV reports.
Said Brown: “We’ve had the most fun with this bill for about the past week and a half, and that’s OK. You need to laugh sometimes. But there are communities across this state, there’s local governments across this state, and also local law enforcement for whom this issue is really not a laughing matter.”
The bill was prompted by annual topless protest and women’s rally in Asheville, NC.
Iowa Governor Blasts Karl Rove
“Turmoil deepened among leading Republicans over efforts to ward off controversial candidates in the next election, as Iowa Republican Gov. Terry Branstad blasted a new candidate-steering plan by Karl Rove and warned him to stay out of state and congressional races,” the AP reports.
Said Branstad: “I basically told Karl Rove that what he was doing is counter-productive and he needs to stay out of it.”
“In the aftermath of last fall’s disappointing election outcome for the GOP, party leaders have been focusing on fielding more candidates with broad appeal – and fewer unpredictable ones – but have split bitterly over how to do it, worsening party tensions.”
Holt Interested in Running for Senate
Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) told Politicker NJ that he is interested in running for U.S. Senate.
Said Holt: “There’s no point in being coy. I’ve made no secret in previous years that I would consider the Senate at the right time. But an expression of interest should not be taken as a campaign announcement.”
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) have also indicated they’re looking at possible bids.
Hagel Filibuster Hinges on McCain
Byron York: “Members of the Senate have left Washington for the President’s Day break, scheduled to return February 25. That means Republicans who voted to filibuster the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Defense Secretary have ten days to search for new evidence against him and lobby colleagues to keep up the opposition.”
“With 41 votes needed to uphold a filibuster — exactly the number Republicans mustered against Hagel on Thursday — the GOP has no votes to lose. And the most critical of those votes appears to belong to Sen. John McCain.”
Washington’s New Bad Boy
In just two months, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “has made his presence felt in an institution where new arrivals are usually not heard from for months, if not years,” the New York Times reports.
“Besides suggesting that Mr. Hagel might have received compensation from foreign enemies, he has tangled with the mayor of Chicago, challenged the Senate’s third-ranking Democrat on national television, voted against virtually everything before him — including the confirmation of John Kerry as secretary of state — and raised the hackles of colleagues from both parties.”
Lobbyists Use Campaign-Style Opposition Research
Roll Call: “If a lobbying campaign is war, then opposition research is the equivalent of elite special forces. K Street deploys all sorts of quiet, behind-the-scenes tactics and troops to influence legislation and policy. The most clandestine and high-risk is the use of political-style operatives to dig up dirt on foes.”
Another Bad Week in Washington
The Cloakroom: Why Americans hate Congress.
FBI Investigates Menendez Prostitution Claims
Washington Post: “A team of FBI agents has been conducting interviews in recent weeks in the Dominican Republic and the United States, looking into allegations that Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) patronized prostitutes in the Caribbean nation, but has found no evidence to support the claim.”
“One person said agents have asked about whether a Florida eye doctor — a close friend and major campaign donor to Menendez — provided the senator with prostitutes on vacations there. Another person said investigators are looking into allegations involving underage prostitutes and sex parties.”
Dissecting the Rubio Debacle
James Carville and Stan Greenberg talk on the phone about the State of the Union response delivered by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), touted as a top contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
They were not impressed.
Separate Vacations
Weekly Standard: “The White House confirms today that President Barack Obama will be vacationing in Florida this weekend. His wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, will be in Colorado. The two daughters will be with Michelle.”
“While the rest of his family will be skiing, Obama is expected to be hitting the links with golf pros and buddies in Florida.”
Democrats Urge Sales of Cuccinelli Book
Ken Cuccinelli (R) has a new book out and the Washington Post notes Democrats are promoting it with the hope that it will help sink his Virginia gubernatorial campaign.
What’s Really Wrong with Congress
Just out: Dangerous Convictions: What’s Really Wrong with the U.S. Congress by former Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME).
GOP Leaders Plot Their Way Back
Politico reports that for the last few days GOP leaders “have met behind closed doors to both craft an agenda that confronts the ghosts of Congresses past and figure out a way to sell it to the American people.”
There is agreement on sanding down “the party’s rough edges” and to stop talking “like the world is going to end.”
But the GOP leadership “has become
increasingly alarmed at how many lawmakers in the meeting think the
party has a messaging problem, not a policy problem.
Jackson Implicates Wife in Plea Deal
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) implicated his wife, Sandi, in his plea agreement with federal prosecutors, CBS Chicago reports.
“Jackson will plead guilty to one felony count of misuse of campaign funds and then let a federal judge determine his punishment… Jackson’s deal calls for him to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars spent for things like travel and meals with a mistress and a $40,000 men’s Rolex watch he bought for himself. Jackson’s resignation from Congress was also part of the deal.”
“But Jackson’s pleading guilty to using campaign funds for personal expenses could expose Sandi, his campaign manager, to tax-fraud charges. The congressman’s guilty plea says Sandi knew about improper purchases that apparently include breakfast snacks, cosmetic services, even beds purchased for campaign workers.”
