A new Garin-Hart and Yang poll in Massachusetts finds Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) with a double-digit lead over Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) in the special Democratic U.S. Senate primary, 42% to 28%.
Boehner Pledges to Stick to Hastert Rule
Speaker John Boehner sought to assure his conference that the “Hastert rule” is still regular practice, Roll Call reports.
“Republicans breached the rule — under which the speaker only brings forward bills that enjoy support from the ‘majority of the majority’ — last week when a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act passed with a majority of Democratic votes. Of three major bills passed this session, two have passed in violation of the rule. The House passed the fiscal-cliff deal Jan. 1 despite the rule as well.”
Congress Starts Work on a Budget
“After two years of chaotic fiscal clashes, Congress on Wednesday will begin a more orderly process to get the nation’s finances in order – or at least to keep the government open,” the New York Times reports.
“The so-called regular order on the federal budget still holds little promise of resolving the long-term federal debt or partisan divide. But it will look more like a typical bit of Congressional business and less like a deadline-driven manufactured crisis.”
L.A. Mayor’s Race Headed to a Runoff
With all precincts reporting in the Los Angeles mayoral race, City Councilman Eric Garcetti and Controller Wendy Greuel will face off in what is expected to be a bruising May 21 runoff, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Only 16% of the city’s 1.8 million registered voters cast ballots in the election.
Jon Stewart to Direct Serious Film
Jon Stewart announced that he would direct his first movie — called Rosewater, from a screenplay that he wrote — and take a 12 week leave from The Daily Show, the New York Times reports.
The movie is an adaptation of the 2011 book Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity and Survival, by Maziar Bahari and Aimee Molloy.
Former GOP Lawmaker Slams Boehner
National Journal reports that disgraced former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) makes dramatic accusations against Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in his new memoir, Sideswiped.
Writes Ney: “If the Justice Department were ever to make John produce receipts for his addiction to golf just for the years from 1995 to 2004, he would be hard-pressed to comply. John got away with more than any other Member on the Hill.”
Hugo Chavez is Dead
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has died, CNN reports.
The announcement came hours after Vice President Nicolas Maduro met with the country’s top political and military leaders about Chavez’s worsening health condition and suggested someone may have deliberately infected Chavez with cancer.
Wall Street Journal: “Chavez led the country virtually as a one-man show for 14 years. Just months into his fourth term, his death plunges Venezuela into political uncertainty.”
Dealing with Bush
Samuel Goldman: “It takes a long time for political parties to recover from defeat. Since winning suggests that they’re doing something right, it takes even longer to recover from victory. Because it reassured Republicans that aggressive war, fiscal policies that favor the rich, and the ideologically-inspired transformation of beloved domestic programs were fundamentally popular, the re-election of George W. Bush in 2004 was like a drug that relieves symptoms without treating the underlying disease. Conservative intellectuals must help the GOP break its dependence on these dangerous nostrums — and its continuing allegiance to the doctor who prescribed them.”
White House Cancels Tours
“The White House announced that it will cancel all tours of
the building because of budget cutbacks caused by the sequester, Roll Call reports.
Bush Quietly Lays Groundwork for Campaign
BuzzFeed: “If Jeb Bush decides to convert his media tour into a presidential bid in a couple years, he won’t have to look far for a campaign staff: The well-funded education foundation he runs out his office in a Miami hotel is stacked with former political operatives, a large communications team, and a rapidly growing staff whose work stretches into 40 states.”
“It is common practice for undeclared presidential candidates to build a campaign infrastructure under the guise of a political action committee, but Bush appears to be laying the groundwork for a potential campaign through his foundation.”
Grassley Suggests Ending Iowa Straw Poll
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told BuzzFeed that it may be time for Iowa Republicans to end the legendary Ames Straw Poll, but insisted the state’s much derided caucus system is still sound.
Brennan Clears Hurdle After White House Concession
The Senate Intelligence Committee voted 12 to 3 to confirm John Brennan as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, “hours after the White House agreed to provide more information on the legal basis for targeted killings of Americans believed to pose a terrorist threat,” the New York Times reports.
“The vote, in a closed committee meeting, clears the way for Mr. Brennan, a 25-year C.I.A. veteran who has been President Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, to be confirmed by the full Senate later this week.”
Lawmakers Think Voters are More Conservative
A fascinating new study finds that politicians significantly overestimate the conservatism of their constituents on several key issues, including universal health care and same-sex marriage, the Huffington Post reports.
For example, a survey of voters found they supported gay marriage and universal health care by 10 percentage points more than their own politicians had estimated in a separate survey. For conservative politicians, the spread was near 20 percentage points.
The authors conclude: “Most politicians appear to believe they are representing constituents who are considerably different than their actual constituents.”
Lobbyist Faces Ethics Complaint After Tangle with Lawmaker
The Denver Post reports Coloardo state Rep. Cheri Gerou (R) filed an ethics complaint against gun lobbyist Joe Neville “after an encounter in which she admits telling Neville to “fuck off” and he responded by saying: “You just earned yourself another round of mailers in your district.”
Lawmaker Worries Divorce Makes Girls Promiscuous
Seven Republicans in the Iowa House are pushing a bill to prohibit parents of minor children from getting a “no fault” divorce, Radio Iowa reports.
Rep. Tedd Gassman (R) explained the issue is “near and dear” to his heart because his daughter and son-in-law recently divorced, putting his granddaughter at risk.
Said Gassman: “There’s a 16-year-old girl in this whole mix now. Guess what? What are the possibilities of her being more promiscuous? What are the possibilities of all these other things surrounding her life that a 16-year-old girl, with hormones raging, can get herself into?”
Booker Has Earned $1 Million in Speaking Fees
Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) has earned about $1 million from public speaking engagements during his seven years in office, the New York Times reports.
Said Booker: “Even though I am entitled to keep it, after Uncle Sam takes his share and after I’ve given away hundreds and hundreds of thousands, I’ve kept very little of it, if any.”
Meanwhile, BuzzFeed reports Booker will defend his legacy in major address today.
Bush Defends His Son in New Book
Out today: All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings.
CNN notes that many of the letters written by George H.W. Bush are in defense of his son, George W. Bush: “Now I see some of his most nasty critics trying to shoot down my beloved son – shoot him down by mean spirited attacks. I was a scared kid back then. Now I am just an angry old man hurting for my son.”
Charges Filed in Death of Openly Gay Mayoral Candidate
A man has been charged in the death of a mayoral candidate in the Mississippi Delta, KLTV reports.
Family members revealed in a statement that 34-year-old Marco McMillan (D) — whose campaign was noteworthy because he may have been the first openly gay man to be a viable candidate for public office in Mississippi — was beaten, dragged and burned.
