American Prospect: “Unlike citizens in every other advanced democracy–and many other developing ones–Americans don’t have a right to vote. Popular perception notwithstanding, the Constitution provides no explicit guarantee of voting rights. Instead, it outlines a few broad parameters.”
Why Things Catch On
Coming soon: Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger.
“Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos.”
Broun’s Wife Announces He’ll Run for Senate
Niki Broun, the wife of Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) told a Georgia crowd last night that her husband had her permission to run for U.S. Senate and that “he was openly announcing his candidacy” right there, The Hill reports.
Viral Read has more details of the event.
Menendez Denies Using Prostitutes
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) “denied any wrongdoing in the wake of allegations that a major campaign donor now under investigation by the FBI provided him with prostitutes and plane flights to the Dominican Republic,” the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Said a spokesman: “Any allegations of engaging with prostitutes are manufactured by a politically-motivated right-wing blog and are false.”
Brown Holds Early Lead in Special Election
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Massachusetts finds Scott Brown (R) edging Ed Markey (D) in a possible special election match up to fill the seat of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), 48% to 45%.
Caveat: “69% of the voters currently undecided voted for
Elizabeth Warren in November, while only 17% of them voted for Brown. If
those folks ended up voting for the same party that they did in
November, Markey would lead Brown by a point. Brown may be starting out
at 48%, but it’s a very hard path to 50 for him given who the undecideds
are.”
GOP Electoral Vote Changes Hit Roadblocks
“Republican proposals in swing states to change how electoral votes are allocated have set off alarms that the party is trying to rig future presidential elections. But the plans are going nowhere fast,” Politico reports.
“In the majority of states where such measures are being considered – Virginia, Florida, Ohio and Michigan, all states that voted for President Obama in 2012 but have Republican-controlled legislatures – proposals to split Electoral College votes proportionally have either been defeated or are strongly opposed by officials in those states.”
Rick Hasen: “Think about it: The last thing Republican legislators want is national
Democratic campaigns scrounging for every vote in conservative-leaning
districts. Fewer Republicans will win legislative and Congressional
seats because Republican districts will become more competitive by
design. Why would Republican legislators vote for a plan that will make
it harder for them to keep their jobs?”
The Week: The long past and perilous future of gaming the Electoral College.
Pritzker for Commerce Secretary?
“Chicago hotel and real estate heiress and Obama mega-bundler Penny Pritzker, is said to be in the mix once more — in fact, there’s chatter here that she’s already the pick — to be Secretary of Commerce,” the Washington Post reports.
Clinton Freezes the Field
Chris Cillizza notes the race for president in 2016 won’t start until Hillary Clinton “makes clear what she’s doing.”
“Clinton knows that she is currently freezing the field with the-door-remains-slightly-open statements like ‘I have no intention’ to run for president. Having no intention to run is not even close to the same thing as ruling out the race. Words matter in politics and no one understands just how much better than Clinton.”
“She also knows that her ability to keep the race frozen in place has a shelf life and if she waits too long to decide she will lose a fair amount of the political goodwill she has built up in the party.”
Lawmaker Seeks Corporal Punishment Bill
Montana state Rep. Jerry O’Neil (R) has introduced a bill that would allow criminal defendants to bargain with a judge for corporal punishment in lieu of time behind bars, the Great Falls Tribune reports.
“The measure is already raising eyebrows and is sure to catch the attention of those on the lookout for ‘bat crap crazy‘
legislation this session. Republican leadership has been doing its best
to tamp down any potential bills the other side might use to embarrass
the GOP as they work to craft a budget. This one apparently didn’t get
tamped.”
Pantyless Interviewer Pranks Serbian Prime Minister
Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic “was caught unawares by the cheeky prank during an interview for Croatian television,” The Sun reports.
“He thought he was in the studio to answer questions on Balkan politics — but instead was treated to a full-frontal from the show’s sexy presenter.”
Gawker: “The prank worked like a charm, with the randy Dacic unable to help
sneak a peek at the femme fatale’s drawers (or, rather, her lack
thereof).”
Fox News Ratings Plummet
Fox News “had its worst ratings since 2001 in January,” Politico reports.
“The network had a 12-year low in the coveted 25-54 demographic in primetime and fell to its lowest total day ratings since 2008.”
Corzine Seeking Rehabilitation of His Image
The New York Times reports that former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) “was close to cooperating with Richard Ben Cramer, an author and a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, on a biography. Mr. Corzine’s lawyers were in the final stages of negotiating with Mr. Cramer this month when the author died from complications of lung cancer.”
Cowan Picked as Interim Senator
William “Mo” Cowan, a senior adviser to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D), will be
named by the governor to serve as the interim U.S. senator until a
successor to John Kerry is chosen by the voters, the Boston Globe reports.
named by the governor to serve as the interim U.S. senator until a
successor to John Kerry is chosen by the voters, the Boston Globe reports.
FBI Raids Office of Doctor Tied to Menendez
Miami Herald: “FBI agents late Tuesday night raided the
West Palm Beach business of an eye doctor suspected of providing free
trips and even underage Dominican Republic prostitutes to Sen. Bob
Menendez (D-NJ) — who has denied what he calls the ‘fallacious
allegations.'”
U.S. Economy Shrank in 4th Quarter
Wall Street Journal: “U.S. economic momentum screeched to a halt in the final months of
2012, as businesses pared back inventories and government spending fell
sharply, while lawmakers struggled to reach a deal on tax increases and
budget cuts. The nation’s gross domestic product shrank for the first time in
three and a half years during the fourth quarter, declining at an annual
rate of 0.1% between October and December.”
Brown Leaning Towards Senate Bid
Republicans officials close to former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) tell the AP that he’s ”leaning strongly toward running” in the special election to replace Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).
“They report that Brown is likely to enter the race early next week. The officials spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to share internal discussions.”
Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is expected to announce his temporary
replacement for Sen. John Kerry at 11:00 am ET this morning.
Two Pressure Points on Immigration Reform
First Read: “It’s been quite a revealing past 48 hours in the still-evolving debate over immigration, with Monday’s bipartisan Senate framework and Tuesday’s speech by President Obama. So what have we learned? There are two pressure points that either could create enough force to ensure legislation gets through Congress, or that could scuttle any chance for a deal. One, Marco Rubio and Republicans considering any comprehensive immigration reform want a ‘trigger’ to make sure that border enforcement comes before legalization… Two, Obama yesterday vowed to bring his own legislation if Congress doesn’t quickly act. Translation: He’ll blame Republicans for this failure.”
“But here’s something this debate IS NOT about: whether Obama wants to use immigration as a way to club Republicans. It’s not even a question. The idea that anyone outside of political partisans — or those looking for a reason to be against reform (but don’t want to look anti-Hispanic) — believes that Obama doesn’t want to sign historic immigration legislation to fulfill a campaign promise is a bit naïve.”
Torture Likely to Dominate Brennan’s Hearing
Reuters:
“John Brennan, President Obama’s nominee to head the CIA, had
detailed, contemporaneous knowledge of the use of ‘enhanced
interrogation techniques’ on captured terrorism suspects during an
earlier stint as a top spy agency official… Those records, the sources said,
show that Brennan was a regular recipient of CIA message traffic about
controversial aspects of the agency’s counter-terrorism program after
September 2001, including the use of waterboarding. How deeply
involved Brennan was in the program, and whether he vigorously objected
to it at the time, as he has said he did, are likely to be central
questions lawmakers raise at his Senate Intelligence Committee
confirmation hearing, scheduled for February 7.”
