A new Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey finds voters disapprove of the job Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is doing by 41% to 36%, a
15-point drop in less than a month, and by 44% to 28% say that he is not honest and trustworthy.
Clinton Will Charge $200K a Speech
Hillary Clinton will charge $200,000 for a two-hour speech when she hits the speaking circuit in a few months, the Washington Times reports.
Updating Reaganomics
Ramesh Ponnuru: “Today’s Republicans are very good at tending the fire of Ronald Reagan’s memory but not nearly as good at learning from his successes. They slavishly adhere to the economic program that Reagan developed to meet the challenges of the late 1970s and early 1980s, ignoring the fact that he largely overcame those challenges, and now we have new ones. It’s because Republicans have not moved on from that time that Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, in their responses to the State of the Union address last week, offered so few new ideas.”
Paula Broadwell Military Promotion Revoked
The U.S. Army “has revoked the promotion of Paula Broadwell, the one-time mistress of CIA Director David Petraeus,” CNN reports.
“Broadwell, a major in the Army reserves, had been approved last August for promotion to lieutenant colonel. The Army made the decision to revoke the promotion earlier this month.”
Obama Hits 3 Year High as Republicans Sink to New Low
A new Bloomberg National Poll finds President Obama enters the latest showdown with Congress with his highest job approval in three years and public support for his economic message, while his Republican opponents’ popularity stands at a record low.
Key findings: 55% of Americans approve of Obama’s in office, the strongest support since Sept 2009. Meanwhile, just 35% of the country has a favorable view of the GOP, the lowest since Sept 2009.
In addition, Americans by 43% to 34% say Republicans are more to blame than and Democrats for what’s wrong in Washington.
Flashback Quote of the Day
“I think when you’re — when you’re attacking the integrity of someone
who has been in public service for his entire lifetime, at great
sacrifice, supporting no fewer than eight children and with the many
sacrifices and the many contributions Senator Domenici has made, not
only to the country, but to New Mexico…”
— Michelle Laxalt, in a 2007 interview on Larry King Live, defending the senator who recently admitted to being the father of her son.
Is Marco Rubio Really Electable?
Nate Silver: “Among Republican presidential nominees since 1960, in fact, only the extraordinarily conservative Barry Goldwater, who had a score of 67, rates as being more conservative than Mr. Rubio.”
Nate Cohn: “In the best-case scenario, Rubio’s attractive candidacy and appeal among Latinos might allow the Republican nominee to match Romney’s historic performance among white voters and exceed 40 percent of the Latino vote. But while that would have given George W. Bush a clean win eight years ago, a similar performance might only allow Rubio to win by an extremely narrow margin. Demographic changes have shifted in the Democrats’ favor, and even exceptional performances by candidates attempting to reassemble the Bush coalition may no longer prove sufficient to win national elections. From this perspective, Rubio’s electoral appeal isn’t just limited, but dangerous to Republicans. It threatens to stifle the GOP’s incipient reckoning with the party’s appeal and its attempt to build a new and more viable electoral pathway for Republicans.”
The Republican Star You’ve Never Heard Of
Politico: “You haven’t seen a YouTube video of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam berating a constituent at a town hall meeting. You probably haven’t watched him on Fox News… But while attracting scant national attention and eschewing the camera-friendly approach of most up-and-coming Republican governors, Bill Haslam has amassed one of the most extensive conservative governing records in the country.”
Kelly Looks Headed to Victory in Illinois Special Election
Robin Kelly (D) is the frontrunner in the race to replace former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in Congress, Roll Call reports.
“The 2nd District special election remains unpredictable — mostly due to anticipated miniscule turnout in frigid Chicago winter. But it’s clear a combination of strategy, luck and super PAC spending broke in Kelly’s favor, allowing her campaign to control much of the narrative in the race.”
How Jackson Spent His Campaign Funds
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) pleaded guilty today “to a conspiracy to siphon about $750,000 in federal campaign funds for their personal use,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“About 3,100 personal purchases were made on campaign credit cards, totaling $582,772.58… Prosecutors said $60,000 was spent on restaurants, nightclubs and lounges; $31,700 on personal airfare; $16,000 on sports clubs and lounges; $17,000 on tobacco shops; $5,800 on alcohol; $14,500 on dry cleaning; $8,000 on grocery stores and $6,000 at drug stores.”
“In one of the more exotic purchases, Jackson used campaign funds in the spring of 2011 to pay a taxidermist in Montana $7,058 for two mounted elk heads to be shipped to his office in Washington. This was the beginning of an FBI sting, according to court documents.”
Georgia Lawmakers Seek to End Senate Elections
A group of Republican state representatives in Georgia would like to repeal the 17th
Amendment and return the election of U.S. Senators to the state legislatures, the Douglas County Sentinel reports.
The proposal requests that the U.S. Congress “begin action to repeal the 17th
Amendment. The process would require a two-thirds approval by both the
U.S. House and Senate, then ratification by at least three-quarters of
the states. Political pundits give the move little chance of success.”
Romney to Speak at CPAC
Mitt Romney will appear at the Conservative Political Action Conference next month, National Review reports.
“After he lost the presidential election, Romney decamped to his beachfront home in La Jolla, Calif. But friends say he has become somewhat restless, and he’s eager to contribute to the national debate. Sources say he’ll likely focus on economic and fiscal issues, and that his message will be optimistic.”
McConnell Fooled by Fake Report
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wrote late last year to the Pentagon with “an unusually credulous query” on behalf of a constituent who saw a news article on Guantanamo Bay prisoners receiving Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, Wired reports.
Wrote McConnell: “I would appreciate your review and response to my constituent’s concerns.”
The article was actually a not-so-subtle parody which even quotes a fake military spokesman: “By allowing the detainees to use the Department of Veterans Affairs, we hope to completely crush their souls with bureaucracy.”
Nagin Will Plead Not Guilty
Former New Orleans
Mayor Ray Nagin (D), “the brash spokesman for the city inundated by Hurricane
Katrina, is expected to plead not guilty in federal court on Wednesday
to charges that he accepted kickbacks in exchange for city contracts,” Reuters reports.
Senator Admits He Had a Secret Child
Former Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) told the Albuquerque Journal that he has a son born in secrecy 30 years ago.
Said Domenici: “More than 30 years ago, I fathered a child outside my marriage. I deeply regret this and am very sorry for my behavior. I hope New Mexicans will view that my accomplishments for my beloved state outweigh my personal transgression.”
Washington Post: “Domenici said that he kept the matter secret because the mother of the child, Michelle Laxalt, asked him to do so. Her father, Paul Laxalt, was himself a U.S. senator from Nevada from 1974 to 1987.”
Roll Call: “Eight evidently wasn’t enough for Domenici”
Fact of the Day
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson (D-IL), who will plead guilty today to taking more than $750,000 in campaign funds, once co-authored a book with his father titled, It’s About the Money!
Schweitzer Touts Poll Showing Him Crushing Baucus
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) with a 19 pt lead over Sen. Max Baucus (D) in a possible 2014 Democratic U.S. primary.
Even more interesting, however, is that Schweitzer posted the poll on his Facebook page.
GOP Blinded By Anger
Stu Rothenberg: “Ultimately, the Republican Party’s
problems go back to its base voters, who participate in primaries and
nominating conventions. Many of them are so blinded by their anger
toward President Barack Obama, the national news media and their own
party leaders that they are willing to nominate the most conservative
candidate in a primary, no matter how limited his or her appeal in a
general election. And for party strategists, there is no easy solution
to that problem.”
