Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) put out an amusing video on the Democratic search for a candidate to run against him.
Markey Leads in Massachusetts Primary
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Massachusetts shows Rep. Ed Markey (D) well ahead of Rep. Stephen Lynch (D) in the special Democratic Senate primary, 43% to 28%
Blame Game Begins Over Sequester
“The fight between President Obama and congressional Republicans over the automatic spending cuts that start next week is shifting from one about stopping them to one about assigning blame if they happen,” the Washington Post reports.
“The escalating efforts are a reflection of how crucial the sequester has become in the long-running debate over the size and scope of the federal government. No matter how the idea came about, the $1.2 trillion in cuts to defense and domestic spending will nevertheless serve as a high-profile test of the deep reductions in federal spending that have been a hallmark of Republican economic thinking for years.”
Wall Street Journal: “Tuesday signaled that the next week or more of debate will be aimed
at scoring political points if the cuts take effect, even temporarily,
as now seems likely.”
Miller’s Return Gives GOP Establishment Heartburn
Joe Miller, “the tea party favorite who was backed by Sarah Palin when he roiled GOP politics in the 2010 midterm elections, is seriously considering another bid at an Alaska Senate seat, a campaign that could prompt a bare-knuckled effort against a candidate pushed by the party establishment,” Politico reports.
“The Miller situation provides an early test for Republicans in Washington, who are trying to avoid the internecine battles of the past two elections that damaged GOP chances of taking back the Senate.”
Said Miller: “I think if the Republican Party is going to win, they really need to kick the likes of Karl Rove out. They are the ones that are pulling the party away from the foundation, which has a winning message.”
Fahrenkopf Rips Republicans and Romney
In Las Vegas, former RNC Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf delivered “a wide-ranging talk, complete with slides, to assail the GOP as ‘idiotic’ for its stances on immigration and contraception, which caused hemorrhaging among Hispanic and young, female voters” in last year’s presidential election, Jon Ralston reports.
Said Fahrenkopf: “And I thought McCain’s campaign was the worst I’d seen in modern history.”
He also couldn’t resist criticizing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s embrace
of Obama during Hurricane Sandy: “He kissed him. He didn’t have to French-kiss him. I think
he went overboard.”
Goodwin Will Not Run in West Virginia
Former Sen. Carte Goodwin (D-WV) tells West Virginia Metro News that he will not run for U.S. Senate in West Virginia in 2014.
Goodwin said that his decision to stay out of the race was driven by family concerns. He and his wife have two young children.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Like most men, I’m more opposed to violence against women than even violence against men. Because most men can handle it a little better than a lot of women can.”
— Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-TN), quoted by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Heck Agrees with Radio Host that Gabby Giffords is a “Prop”
Jon Ralston reports that Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) appeared to agree with right-wing talk show host Alan Stock when he said that Gabby Giffords, “who can’t even clap her hands,” is being used as “a prop” by gun control advocates.
Stock: “I found that to be nauseating and you know what else is nauseating too… putting Gabby Giffords up there…who can’t even clap her hands… as a figure.. of somebody being.. having shot her. I think it’s a shameful act putting her up there as a prop… I’m sorry. I really do.”
Heck: “Yeah, no I agree. I think again in the cloud of emotion surrounding Connecticut those who are anti-gun want to use that to limit their Second Amendment rights.”
Kerrey Not Interested in Another Senate Bid
Former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-NE) tells the Associated Press that he “has no plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat Mike Johanns (R) will vacate in 2015, and that’s extremely unlikely to change.”
Lawmaker Proposes Bill Making Gun Control Bills Illegal
Missouri state Rep. Mike Leara (R) proposed legislation which would make it illegal to propose gun control legislation, the AP reports.
“The legislation filed Monday would make members of the Legislature guilty of a felony if they introduce legislation restricting gun rights. If convicted, lawmakers could serve prison terms of up to four years.”
Emanuel Tries to Shape Special Election Field
Sources tell NBC Chicago that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) has called some candidates asking them to consider stepping aside in the special election to replace former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL).
It’s not clear who he called, but Toi Hutchinson (D) withdrew over the weekend and Patrick Brutus (D) bowed out today.
Political Malpractice
The Cloakroom: By refusing to negotiate, Republicans are hurting themselves more than Democrats.
Cleland Could Win in Georgia
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that if former Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA) could be coaxed into running for his old seat, Democrats might have a real shot at making the race competitive next year.
Of those named in the poll, Cleland “is the only person in the whole bunch who has more than 50% statewide name recognition, with 48% of voters rating him favorably to 29% with an unfavorable view… he would start out with a lead over every Republican we tested him against. He’s up 1 against Price, 3 against Kingston, 5 against Gingrey, and 7 against Broun and Handel.”
Republican Party Makeover Hits a Snag
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) confirmed to ABC News that Republicans would not agree to any new revenues in order to avert the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts which will hit on March 1.
Greg Sargent: “What keeps getting lost here is that if Republicans did agree to new revenues, they’d likely get more in new spending cuts than they’d have to concede in new loophole closings.”
Jonathan Chait: “Obama has been offering to reduce spending on Social Security and Medicare for two years now, in return for Republican agreement to spread the burden of the fiscal adjustment. They won’t take the deal… if Republicans want to reform their party’s identity and make it into something other than absolutist advocacy of low taxes for the rich, they need to come up with some negotiating position on fiscal issues other than ‘no tax hikes for the rich of any kind no matter what we get in return.'”
Brown Insists He Wasn’t Drunk Tweeting
Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) insisted to Fox 25 Boston that he wasn’t drunk when he tweeted a series of late night messages last month.
Said Brown: “Anyone ever hear of pocket tweet, pocket dial? I mean it was pretty simple, you know. I have an iPhone 5. If anyone has an iPhone 5, the keys are small. It’s very, very sensitive.”
But Gizmodo and Blue Mass Group debunk Brown’s claim and find it couldn’t have been a “pocket tweet.”
USA Today Joins Forces with Pew Research
After dumping Gallup after the election, USA Today announced a new collaboration with the Pew Research Center to survey public opinion on the biggest issues facing the nation.
The new USA Today/Pew Research Center Poll will debut later this week.
Sarah Palin as Walking Advertisement
Alaska Dispatch: “Free of concerns about pesky ethics problems related to remote
possibilities of engaging in crony capitalism, former Alaska Gov. Sarah
Palin was decked out on Sunday as a walking advertisement for husband
Todd’s new Iron Dog sponsors — among them the Canadian company Ski-Doo.”
Has GOP Fallen Into Obama’s Trap on Budget Cuts?
Andrew Sullivan says Republicans will suffer politically if the sequestration cuts go into effect on March 1.
“I believe that is indeed Obama’s long game here. The precedent is the Gingrich government shutdown, which stopped his revolution in its tracks and gave Bill Clinton new political life. When cops are furloughed, when scientists complain about research cuts, when the military-industrial complex revs up its lobbying engines, I just don’t see how the sequester works politically for the GOP. It exists entirely because of their fixation on immediate austerity – despite the awful consequences that policy option has spawned in Europe.”
The Fix: “When people start paying attention to the sequester, President Obama
wants to make sure that he has the political high ground in the blame
game.”
