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What’s Really Behind the Hagel Fight

January 15, 2013 at 2:03 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Aaron David Miller points out that the bumpy nomination and confirmation process for Chuck Hagel to be the next defense secretary isn’t really about Hagel himself.

“This is really a fight about Barack Obama. It is being driven by three somewhat overlapping constituencies — a pro-Israel community that doesn’t trust the president, a Republican party and a neoconservative elite struggling unsuccessfully to define its own foreign policy identity, and finally, a party in opposition that is determined to remind Obama that, reelected or not, he doesn’t have a free hand.”

Lawmaker’s Wife Thought Top Aide Was a Stripper

January 15, 2013 at 1:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

When freshman Rep. Ted Yoho’s (R-FL) wife, Carolyn, first looked at his 24-year-old chief of staff’s Facebook page, she “was led to believe the young lady was a stripper,” National Journal reports.

Obama Did Fewer Press Conferences Than Bush or Clinton

January 15, 2013 at 1:12 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Obama had fewer press conferences during his first term than any other president since Ronald Reagan, Politico reports.

With Monday’s event, Obama has done a total of 79 over four years. That’s 10 fewer than George W. Bush, 54 fewer than Bill Clinton and 63 fewer than George H.W. Bush.

Reagan had only 27 press conferences during his first term.

Unknown number calling? It’s not random

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking.

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.

Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why I recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code POLITICALWIRE.

Note to readers: I use Incogni myself and highly recommend it.

NRA Puts Out New Shooting Game

January 15, 2013 at 12:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The National Rifle Association just launched a new game for the iPhone called NRA: Practice Range. It features a shooting range and is geared towards children as young as four.

Just last month, the NRA blamed violent video games for gun violence.

Bill Keller: Is it a hoax?

Obama Close to Picking Another Chief of Staff

January 15, 2013 at 12:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Obama is close to naming Denis McDonough as his fifth chief of staff, with an announcement coming as soon as this week, Bloomberg reports.

McDonough would succeed Jack Lew, Obama’s choice as the next Treasury secretary.

Media Tip: Four Great Ways to Use Statistics

January 15, 2013 at 12:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A guest post from Brad Phillips, author of The Media Training Bible.

If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember those old television commercials for the Christian Children’s Fund. In them, actress Sally Struthers sold viewers on the promise of saving a child for “the price of a cup of coffee.”

A quarter-century later, those ads are still memorable. And the way Ms. Struthers used numbers in those commercials is a big reason why. The ads succeeded by reducing numbers down to a manageable price tag for most viewers: “For about 70 cents, you can buy a can of soda….In Ethiopia, for just 70 cents a day, you can feed a child like Jamal nourishing meals.”

[Read more…]

Lawmaker Threatens to Impeach Obama Over Guns

January 15, 2013 at 11:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) says he’s willing to impeach President Obama should he implement new gun regulations through executive action, the Washington Post reports.

Said Stockman: “The White House’s recent announcement they will use executive orders and executive actions to infringe on our constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms is an unconstitutional and unconscionable attack on the very founding principles of this republic. I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary, including but not limited to eliminating funding for implementation, defunding the White House, and even filing articles of impeachment.”

The Cloakroom: Why new gun controls are inevitable.

Weiner Maintains Office But Few Signs He’s Running

January 15, 2013 at 11:01 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

National Journal: “Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) continues to maintain an office for his dormant campaign for New York City mayor, according to campaign-finance disclosure forms filed Tuesday. But his disclosure shows no signs of fundraising or spending to suggest that he is preparing for a political comeback in 2013.”

RNC Chair Backs Electoral Vote Gambit

January 15, 2013 at 10:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

RNC Chairman Reince Preibus told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel over the weekend that he thinks Wisconsin and other battleground states “should change the way they allocate their Electoral College votes, but he said he is not inserting himself into how states decide to proceed.”

The Fix: “Basically, Republicans who have control of states that went for President Obama in the 2012 election are pushing for their states to change how they award electoral votes. While almost every state awards electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis, Republicans want these states to instead award one vote to the winner of each congressional district.”

“The new system would allow Republicans to consistently win electoral
votes (and quite possibly a majority of electoral votes) from states
like Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Virginia, regardless of
whether they win the statewide vote. All five of these states went for Obama in 2012.”

McDaniel Pledges to Continue Bid Despite Sex Scandal

January 15, 2013 at 10:37 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Apologizing for an extramarital relationship and fighting for a political future that once seemed bright, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel (D) tried to reassure voters that there won’t be any similar revelations as he seeks the state’s top office,” Arkansas Business News reports.

Said McDaniel: “There is no other shoe to drop.”

McDaniel “came out of political hiding last week as he faced reporters
and eased back into public life following his Dec. 18 revelation that he
had an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with a Hot Springs attorney.”

Romanoff Weighs House Bid in Colorado

January 15, 2013 at 10:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D), “who helped lead a Democratic resurgence in the state before mounting an unsuccessful 2010 Senate campaign,” is considering challenging Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) in the upcoming midterm elections, Politico reports.

Said Romanoff: “I haven’t made much secret of the fact that I’d like to return to
public service and that’s one path I’ve looked at. I haven’t
made any decision.”

Schumer Will Back Hagel for Defense

January 15, 2013 at 10:11 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is seen as a key to Chuck Hagel’s becoming Defense secretary, is backing the former Nebraska Republican senator — despite past controversial statements on Israel, Iran, and the “Jewish lobby,” NBC News reports.

Said Schumer: “Based on several key assurances provided by Senator Hagel, I am currently prepared to vote for his confirmation. I encourage my Senate colleagues who have shared my previous concerns to also support him.”

Republicans are Frequent No-Shows at White House

January 15, 2013 at 9:52 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.” He might also have said a house that cannot watch a movie together also might not stand.

Glenn Thrush reports that House Speaker John Boehner “has been by the White House for most holiday parties — and he played that legendary round of golf with POTUS a couple of years back — but he declined Obama’s invitation to screen ‘Lincoln.’ So did McConnell, along with Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME).”

“House Republicans have routinely turned down White House invites (as Democrats did under Obama’s predecessor), with the high point of bipartisan schmoozing being a sparsely attended 2011 BBQ Obama threw for newly-elected Republicans after the 2010 midterms.”

Even the newer lawmakers are taking part: “One Republican freshman who didn’t go was Rep. Renee Ellmers whose flack said, with admirable candor, ‘She declined because she chose not to go.'”

Thomas Breaks His Silence

January 15, 2013 at 9:38 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas broke his seven-year silence on the Supreme Court yesterday but the official transcript shows he said just four words.

Tom Goldstein: “Wow, slow news day. On the Supreme Court front, the chatter has been over the sentence Justice Thomas interjected during today’s oral argument in Boyer v. Louisiana. Some of the commentary has devolved into psychoanalysis of the Justice’s supposed hostility towards Yale Law School. The real question to be asked is: can you take a joke?”

Why New Gun Controls are Inevitable

January 15, 2013 at 9:27 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Cloakroom: President Obama has the public overwhelmingly on his side.

The Cabinet Shuffle

January 15, 2013 at 9:24 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read recaps the changes to President Obama’s cabinet.

Here are the cabinet secretaries who are remaining: Napolitano (DHS), Duncan (Education), Vilsack (Agriculture), Holder (Justice), Sebelius (HHS), and Shinseki (Veterans Affairs).

Here are the cabinet members leaving, plus their nominated replacements: Clinton at State (John Kerry nominated), Panetta at Defense (Chuck Hagel nominated), Geithner at Treasury (Jack Lew nominated), Solis at Labor and Jackson at EPA.

Are Democrats Just as Unrealistic About Spending Cuts?

January 15, 2013 at 9:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Charlie Cook:
“For all of the focus and talk about the cleavages within the GOP and
how unrealistic Republicans’ approach to taxes has been, we will now see
a mirror-image debate over spending that will show Democrats to be
equally culpable for the fiscal crisis that we find ourselves in.”

Quote of the Day

January 15, 2013 at 8:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I’m just honored to even have a voice that matters a little bit. A lot of people dream to be part of the policy mix.”

— Former Utah Gov. Jon Hunstman (R), in an interview with BuzzFeed, claiming he takes only 2% of interview requests.