The Cloakroom: Three reasons the next round of budget talks might be easier.
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Not All New Jersey Democrats Like Cory Booker
Cory Booker may be “America’s favorite mayor,” but Ruby Cramer finds that “in New Jersey, his fast rise and transparent ambition has rankled many establishment Democrats, who suggest he’s putting himself above his state party.”
“The Newark Mayor’s December announcement that he’d ‘consider’ a Senate bid in 2014 — a decision that followed a long, public deliberation played out on Sunday shows and cable news — may have served to raise his national profile. But Democratic insiders complain that it upended the state’s political landscape, making Republican Governor Chris Christie, without Booker challenging him, a virtual lock to win re-election, and setting in motion an intra-party war that has the state choosing sides between Booker and the 88-year-old incumbent Senator Frank Lautenberg.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“It’s a little bit like being the head caretaker of the cemetery. There are a lot of people under you, but nobody listens.”
— Rep. Hal Rodgers (R-KY), quoted by the New York Times, describing House Speaker John Boehner’s grip on power.
Paying for a Tea Party
Mother Jones obtained internal documents used at a recent board meeting of Freedom Works that sheds light on how the powerful Tea Party group finances its operations.
House Republicans Move Quickly on Hurricane Relief
Politico:
“Chastened by the debacle over Hurricane Sandy aid, House Republicans
are moving quickly to win approval this week of a $9.7 billion increase
in financing to pay flood insurance claims arising from the October
storm… The Senate approved the same flood insurance increase last week
as part of a larger $60.4 billion disaster aid package backed by the
White House.”
“Friday’s vote is a first step to try to begin to
reconstruct it now in the 113th Congress. And Boehner has promised
Northeast lawmakers a second series of votes on Jan. 15 on additional
aid, but more immediate action was needed on the flood insurance
request.”
Foley Will Run Again for Connecticut Governor
In an interview set to air this weekend, Tom Foley (R) tells Dennis House that he is planning to seek a rematch against Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) in 2014.
Job Growth Slows a Little
U.S. job growth dropped slightly in December, “showing that the economy muddled along as Congress fought over tax increases and spending cuts,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“U.S. nonfarm payrolls increased by a seasonally adjusted 155,000 jobs last month… The unemployment rate, obtained by a separate survey of U.S. households, was 7.8%, the same as the prior month, after an upward revision to the November figure.”
Wonk Wire has reaction to the jobs report.
Frank Wants Senate Appointment
Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told Morning Joe that he wants to be named interim senator if Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) is confirmed as the next Secretary of State.
Said Frank: “A month ago, or a few weeks ago, I said I wasn’t interested. It was kind of like you’re about to graduate, and they said: ‘You gotta go to summer school.’ But (the fiscal cliff deal) now means that February, March and April are going to be among the most important months in American financial history.”
The GOP’s Geographical Divide
John Judis notes “there is a regional division in
the party between the deep South, which contains many of the diehard
House Republicans, and the Republicans from the Northeast, industrial
Midwest, and the Far West. In the House vote on the fiscal cliff, Republican House members from
the deep South opposed it by 83 to 10, while Republicans from the
Northeast favored it by 24 to one, and those from the Far West by 17 to
eight.”
Women Strip and Beat Indian Politician Accused of Rape
“As India awaits sentencing of the men who gang-raped a young woman in Delhi, a politician was arrested on rape charges in the northeastern state of Assam, then stripped and beaten by a crowd,” the New York Times reports.
Bolling Testing Waters for Independent Bid
Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) confirmed that he has been “polling voters and meeting with business leaders to gauge the viability of an independent bid for governor,” the Washington Post reports.
“Bolling said he was considering a run as an independent candidate when he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination in November. But some political observers doubted his seriousness, even as he went on over the next month to become uncharacteristically vocal on a number issues, including uranium mining and arming school teachers.”
Quote of the Day
“Intimidating is going up to a growling Rottweiler and having to squeeze his anal glands, or going up to a stallion that weighs 1,200 pounds and telling him you’re going to take his testicles off. That’s intimidating. I think I can handle Congress.”
— Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), quoted by National Journal, saying his days as a large animal veterinarian prepared him for his new job,
Failed Coup Shows Divisions in House GOP
A group of dissident Republicans failed to push Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) to a second ballot in his election as Speaker and potentially replace him as leader of the House, The Hill reports.
“Twelve House Republicans broke from Boehner in a tense public roll-call vote, either by voting for someone else or deliberately not voting at all — five short of what would have been needed to force a second ballot.”
Obama First Since Eisenhower to Win 51% of Vote Twice
A revised vote count eight weeks after the presidential election finds President Obama nationally won 65.9 million votes — or 51.1% of the vote — against challenger Mitt Romney, who took 60.9 million votes and 47.2% of the total, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Obama is the first president to achieve that level of support in two elections since President Dwight D. Eisenhower was re-elected in 1956.
Geithner to Leave Before Debt Ceiling Deal
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner “plans to leave the administration at the end of January, even if President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans haven’t reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling,” Bloomberg reports.
“After giving in to Obama’s previous entreaties to stay as long as needed, Geithner has indicated to White House officials and Wall Street executives that he is unlikely to change his departure plans this time, increasing pressure on the president to name his successor at Treasury.”
Boehner Wins Re-Election as Speaker
Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) was re-elected Speaker of the House after a week of rumors of a possible Republican revolt, The Hill reports.
Boehner won a bare majority in a vote that saw eight Republicans vote for other GOP members, and several others who abstained from voting or voted “present.” Two years ago, Boehner won all available 241 GOP votes.
Why the GOP Has Less Leverage Than They Think
David Brooks echoes the point I made over at The Cloakroom about why Republicans don’t have as much leverage as they think they do in the next round of budget negotiations.
“The core thing it says about them is that they want to reform entitlements and cut spending, but they can’t actually propose any plans to do these things because it would be politically unpopular. This is a terrible problem for them.”
First Openly-Bisexual Member of Congress Takes Office
The Washington Post profiles Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
“Sinema is a bracingly unfiltered talker, a precocious achiever, a high-energy persuader, an adjunct professor, a lawyer, a marathon runner, a lover of designer clothes. She is a holder of many, many degrees — this she’s happy to tell you in a humble-braggy sort of way. And she can be a lot of fun to hang out with, a rambling, kind of kooky monologist who can pivot from whimsical and wacky to substantive and earnest without a pause.”
“Krysten Sinema is also — and it irks her to no end that this is such an object of fascination — an openly bisexual woman. And not just any openly bisexual woman, but the first openly bisexual person to be elected to Congress, an undoubtedly historic figure whose very presence on Capitol Hill could serve as an inspiration when she is sworn in Thursday and joins six openly gay and lesbian members in the most demographically diverse Congress in U.S. history.”
