David Remnick: “Vladimir Putin, the Russian President and autocrat, had a plan for the winter of 2014: to reassert his country’s power a generation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He thought that he would achieve this by building an Olympic wonderland on the Black Sea for fifty-one billion dollars and putting on a dazzling television show. It turns out that he will finish the season in a more ruthless fashion, by invading a peninsula on the Black Sea and putting on quite a different show–a demonstration war that could splinter a sovereign country and turn very bloody, very quickly.”
Big Donors Want a Say in Strategy
“The Republican donors who have financed the party’s vast outside-spending machine are turning against the consultants and political strategists they once lavished with hundreds of millions of dollars,” the New York Times reports.
“The quiet revolt signals a broader shift in the world of big money. Clubs of elite donors in both parties are taking a more central role in shaping policy and campaigns, displacing party leaders and the outside-spending organizations they helped create after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010. And the sheer scale of their spending is almost certain to rewrite the playbook for political campaigns this year, as candidates reckon with the strongly held views of some of the world’s wealthiest people.”
Quote of the Day
“Yes, I could see this one from Alaska.”
— Sarah Palin, on Facebook, in a reference to her assertion during the 2008 campaign that Alaska’s proximity to Russia afforded her unique insight into U.S.-Russian relations.
Putin Defies Obama Over Ukraine
“As Russian armed forces effectively seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula on Saturday, the Russian Parliament granted President Vladimir V. Putin the authority he sought to use military force in response to the deepening instability in Ukraine,” the New York Times reports.
“The authorization cited a threat to the lives of Russian citizens and soldiers stationed in Crimea and other parts of Ukraine, and provided a blunt answer to President Obama, who on Friday pointedly warned Russia to respect Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.”
Washington Post: “After approving the troop request, the Federation Council said it planned to ask Putin to consider recalling Russia’s ambassador to the United States, to show displeasure over what it described as threats by President Obama over Ukraine.”
Politico: “Obama’s handling of the Western response to the Ukraine crisis is now arguably the biggest test of his presidency. It is a crisis that no one anticipated and that the West has been frustratingly divided over since the European Union’s original, misguided attempt to force Ukraine to make an either-or choice about going east or west.”
GOP Lawmaker Regrets Past Statements About Rape
Maine State Rep. Lawrence Lockman (R) told the Portland Press Herald that he apologizes for past statements he made about rape.
Wrote Lockman in 1995: “If a woman has (the right to an abortion), why shouldn’t a man be free to use his superior strength to force himself on a woman? At least the rapist’s pursuit of sexual freedom doesn’t (in most cases) result in anyone’s death.”
The Sixth Extinction
In the mail: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert.
“Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us.”
How Washington Lost Its Appeal
Former Washington Post managing editor Robert Kaiser writes that he isn’t going to miss Washington.
“Why? Because for me, the fun has drained out of the game. So has the substance. I used to get excited about the big issues we covered — civil rights, women’s liberation, the fate of the country’s great cities, the end of the Cold War. I loved the politicians who brought those issues to life, from Everett McKinley Dirksen and Howard Baker (Dirksen’s son-in-law, curiously) to Russell B. Long and Edmund Muskie, from Bob Dole to George Mitchell — all people who knew and cared a great deal about governing. Watching them at work was exhilarating. Watching their successors, today’s senators and representatives, is just depressing.”
Memos Show Efforts to Shape Hillary Clinton’s Image
The Washington Post reports on the “cache of confidential communications” between Hillary Clinton and her political image-makers “detailing the strategic machinations behind her evolution from a political spouse to a political leader in her own right. The secret memos open a rare window into the meticulous and intense efforts to manage Clinton’s public image during her and President Bill Clinton’s tumultuous eight years in office.”
“They describe attempts to cultivate influential journalists who could become ‘fans’ or ‘Clinton surrogates.’ They also detail a push to leverage the first lady’s official travel and agenda to generate positive news media coverage, softening her image in the run-up to Bill Clinton’s 1996 reelection campaign.”
Politico: “Yet anyone hoping to divine insight into the true Hillary Clinton from the latest cache of documents is bound to be disappointed yet again.”
Christie Tries to Shift Attention from Scandal
The New York Times looks at Gov. Chris Christie’s in the wake of scandal, “singed by an unyielding controversy and adapting to a seemingly indefinite state of political purgatory. As he teeters on the edge of damning revelation or exculpatory relief, Mr. Christie is forging his own playbook for slogging through a slow-moving scandal.”
Said Christie: “Let’s be myself and see what happens.”
“But this version is not exactly improvised: It is put on display in carefully chosen venues, showcasing deliberate messages and revealing the determination of a gifted politician to regain control of his battered image after 53 days of limbo.”
Huffington Post: New Christie scandal tapes released
De Blasio Chooses Activists Over Managers for City Posts
“In Bill de Blasio’s City Hall, it seems more and more, there is only a left wing,” the New York Times reports.
“The mayor, who advanced in politics by grass-roots organizing, has built a team filled with former activists — figures more accustomed to picketing administrations or taking potshots from the outside than working from within. His administration is heavily populated with appointees best known for the fights they have fought.”
“In any case, Mr. de Blasio’s mayor’s personnel choices are just one means by which he appears to be easing the mayoralty from the practical details of governing into a platform for the kind of social change usually achieved on the streets and in the courts. It is a far different approach from that of his predecessor, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who favored agency heads and staff members with button-down business backgrounds.”
Top Wisconsin Lawmaker Accused of Sexual Harassment
Wisconsin Assembly Majority Leader Bill Kramer (R) “may resign from his leadership post as soon as Saturday after being accused of sexually harassing at least two women while in Washington, D.C., for a GOP fundraiser,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Pelosi Ignites Battle Over Ranking Member Post
“House Democrats could soon be at war,” Roll Call reports.
“The internal drama over who will take the top Democratic slot on the Energy and Commerce Committee next year has spilled into public view, with some lawmakers unhappy with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for taking sides so early — or at all.”
“Pelosi stunned colleagues on Thursday with a letter outlining support for her fellow Californian and close friend Anna G. Eshoo against Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, and now some Democrats find themselves in a difficult position. House Democrats put significant stock in years of service when doling out plum committee assignments, and the simple choice of picking the Energy and Commerce Committee’s current No. 3 — Pallone — now has been complicated by Pelosi’s endorsement of Eshoo, who is No. 5 in seniority.”
How Clinton Bungled Health Care Reform in 1993
Politico notes that for years after Bill and Hillary Clinton’s health care reform effort failed, “the generally accepted storyline was that they cooked up the health care plan in secret, didn’t work with Congress enough and that’s why it stalled.”
“Not true, according to the documents released Friday, which include transcripts of briefings Hillary Clinton gave to members of Congress and memos from White House advisers. They show that she was constantly being urged to hold more meetings with key members of Congress, including Democrats and Republicans, in early 1993 when the plan was being put together — and she was being advised on how to stroke the egos of individual lawmakers.”
“And yet, the Clinton White House didn’t put the pieces together to see the coming collapse, with Democrats unable to get on the same page and Republicans under pressure to say no to the whole thing.”
Conversation with Tom Jensen
Tom Jensen from Public Policy Polling joins us on the Political Wire podcast with an in depth look at the battle for control of the U.S. Senate.
It’s an excellent look at all of the key races along with some exclusive new polling data for our listeners.
Listen here:
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS to get episodes automatically downloaded.
Car Stolen After Candidate Leaves Keys Inside
“Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan’s car was stolen after her husband, Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate Clay Pell (D), left the keys inside,” the AP reports.
“Pell was running late for an event when he dropped the keys to the Toyota Prius between the seats of the car, which was parked in front of the couple’s East Side Providence home. Pell could not easily reach the keys. He closed the car door and left with Kwan for the event.”
Democrats Land Top Recruit In Mississippi
Former Rep. Travis Childers (D-MS) “will be announcing he’s running for the Senate, according to two sources familiar with his decision, giving Democrats a chance to capitalize on the Republican division within the state,” National Journal reports.
“Childers, a Blue Dog Democrat, held a solidly-Republican House seat from 2008 to 2010, proving his ability to win over conservative voters despite his Democratic affiliation. Democrats are hoping that conservative state senator Chris McDaniel topples longtime Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) in a June primary – a development they believe will make the race highly competitive.”
Brady Will Challenge Ryan for Ways and Means Gavel
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) said that he will challenge House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) for the Ways and Means Committee gavel next year, Roll Call reports.
Reigning Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) must relinquish his title next year due to term limits.
Said Brady: “He’s a terrific leader, a good friend. But the point is, I’m qualified and prepared to lead this committee. At the right time, I’m going to make that case to my colleagues. This is all about the ideas and how we can move tax reform, trade, entitlement reform forward, so it’s good to have a healthy competition.”
Rounds Way Ahead in South Dakota
A new Rasmussen Reports survey in South Dakota finds former Gov. Mike Rounds (R) has a commanding lead over Rick Weiland (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 51% to 31%.
