Stu Rothenberg: “Democrats won’t allow themselves to be surprised the way they were when Scott P. Brown beat Martha Coakley in the last Senate special election, in early 2010, and the national party’s image can’t do anything but hurt Gomez’s already uphill chances. But there is no reason to rush to judgment on this race, at least for a couple of weeks, and it’s worth watching to see how it unfolds. Obviously, Markey begins as the clear favorite.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“One of the things that concerns my constituents — the majority of my constituents — is the appointments that are now being made in Washington by our President and the way he is handling the illegal immigrants, nationalizing them and giving them the opportunity to vote, and wanting to keep track of our guns. They are worried that they are going to have to use these guns because of our own government. Now is there anything in Washington that says — any telltale signs that maybe we might be headed for an internal revolution given the fact that these kinds of things are going on?”
— New Hampshire State Rep. Edmond Gionet (R), quoted by Think Progress, warning immigration reform could spark a revolution.
RNC Hits Obama for Failure on Gun Control
The RNC put out a new ad which criticizes President Obama on the failure of his legislative agenda — including gun control — and uses a black and white photo of the president reaching to embrace the mother of a Sandy Hook shooting victim.
Americans More Concerned About Civil Liberties
A new Time/CNN poll finds that when given a choice, 61% of Americans say they are more concerned about the government enacting new anti-terrorism policies that restrict civil liberties, compared to 31% who say they are more concerned about the government failing to enact strong new anti-terrorism policies.
Larry Flynt Endorses Mark Sanford
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.”
Toomey Explains Why Background Checks Failed
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.”
Ad Wars Escalate Over Baucus’s Vote
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.”
Can Cruz Attract Big Donors?
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.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“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.
James Releases Greuel’s Texts After She Attacks Him
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.
Dirty Tricks Erupt in South Carolina Special Election
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.
Infighting Splits House Republicans
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.”
Battle Lines Drawn Over Obamacare Implementation
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.”
Kingston Seems to be Readying Senate Announcement
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.”
Lawmakers Caught Sleeping on House Floor
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.
Rubio Says His Immigration Bill Can’t Pass the House
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.”
GOP Proposal Would Eliminate Unemployment Numbers
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.”
Tea Party Activists Urge Palin to Run for Senate
“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.”
