“I think there’s an increased level of people wanting an alternative to the Republican-Democrat thing.”
— Former Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD), quoted by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, announcing he’ll run for Senate as an independent.
Why Voters May Keep-the-Bums-In
“After a highly contentious, hugely unproductive session, members of the most unpopular Congress in history will face voters this year and, very likely, win reelection in overwhelming numbers,” notes the Los Angeles Times.
“It is a paradox of these discontented times… Public opinion surveys show contempt for Congress reaching unprecedented levels. But as much as they dislike their own representatives, Democrats and Republicans hold members of the opposite party in even lower regard.”
“That selective outrage works against the sort of throw-the-bums-out election that would produce wholesale, across-the-board upheaval in the House.”
Is de Blasio Pushing Clinton to the Left?
Dan Balz: “The former president was clearly mindful that the Democratic Party of 2014 and of Barack Obama is not quite the same as the one he led in the 1990s — and that one potential obstacle in the path of Hillary Clinton’s possible presidential ambitions is a primary challenge from the left. His embrace of de Blasio’s message was a deliberate step in the positioning of the Clintons as they look to a possible campaign.”
Meanwhile, TPM notes Obama adviser David Axelrod suggested ” that Clinton’s participation in the inauguration ceremony may provide
reassurances to the left ahead of the 2016 presidential race and ‘signal
to elite’ that de Blasio’s ‘agenda is not ‘radical.'”
Boehner May Back Immigration Reform
Speaker John Boehner “has signaled he may embrace a series of limited changes to the nation’s immigration laws in the coming months, giving advocates for change new hope that 2014 might be the year that a bitterly divided Congress reaches a political compromise to overhaul the sprawling system,” the New York Times reports.
“Although the legislation would fall far short of the demands being made by immigration activists, it could provide the beginnings of a deal.”
NYT Says Snowden a Whistleblower
A New York Times editorial on NSA leaker Edward Snowden:
“Considering the enormous value of the information he has revealed, and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. He may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service. It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home, face at least substantially reduced punishment in light of his role as a whistle-blower, and have the hope of a life advocating for greater privacy and far stronger oversight of the runaway intelligence community.”
Sessions Was Top Talker in Senate
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) earned the distinction of logging the most speaking time on the Senate floor in 2013, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Sessions spoke for more than 33 hours last year year, “just a few more hours than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who clocked in at roughly 30 hours in 2013.”
“That’s an impressive distinction considering that Reid opens and closes the Senate most days that it is in session, often making extended opening remarks, while Sessions is a member of the minority party without a formal leadership position.”
Renzi Seeks to Delay Prison Sentence
Former Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) “has asked a judge to let him wait until Jan. 13 to report to prison to begin serving a sentence for his convictions on public corruption, money laundering and other charges,” the AP reports.
“The former Arizona congressman has been ordered to report to prison Monday, but his lawyers have asked for a one-week extension to give the judge a chance to rule on Renzi’s pending request to remain free on bail while he appeals his convictions.”
Hawaii Primary Divides Democrats
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) “had a deathbed wish: that Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) would appoint his protegee, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D), to replace him in the Senate. But Abercrombie upended this island state’s political order by tapping the younger Brian Schatz, then the lieutenant governor,” the Washington Post reports.
“Now, a year after Inouye’s death, the former senator’s ghost lingers large over a bitter feud that is dividing Democrats along ethnic and generational lines here in President Obama’s birthplace. With the outspoken support of Inouye’s widow, Hanabusa is giving up her House seat to challenge Schatz in the 2014 primary.”
Marijuana Sales Now Legal in Colorado
“In a historic swirl of commerce and cannabis, the world’s first licensed stores able to sell marijuana legally to anyone over 21 opened in Colorado on Wednesday,” the Denver Post reports.
“Thousands of people from Telluride to Denver cheerfully stood in lines that took hours to navigate for the chance to buy legal marijuana after presenting nothing more than an I.D. Marijuana activists hailed the day as a watershed in their effort to overturn anti-cannabis laws. Store owners — several of whom said the turnout exceeded even their own ambitious expectations — feared running out of supply.”
New York Times: “While about 20 states allow medical marijuana, voters in Colorado and Washington State decided last year to go one step further, becoming the first in the nation to legalize small amounts of the plant for recreational use and regulate it like alcohol.”
De Blasio Pledges to Tackle Inequality
“Bill de Blasio, whose fiery populism propelled his rise from obscure neighborhood official to the 109th mayor of New York, was sworn into office on Wednesday, pledging that his ambition for a more humane and equal metropolis would remain undimmed,” the New York Times reports.
“In his inaugural address, Mayor de Blasio described social inequality as a ‘quiet crisis’ on a par with the other urban cataclysms of the city’s last half-century, from fiscal collapse to crime waves to terrorist attacks, and said income disparity was a struggle no less urgent to confront.”
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Quote of the Day
“It’s going to be a rough one, but, you know, it’s like shooting crap. Either you win or you lose; you just can’t stay even with the first shot.”
— Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), quoted by Politico, on his re-election bid in 2014.
Obama Approval Rises While on Vacation
President Obama “has picked up five points in public approval since he’s gone away to Hawaii for a year-end family vacation,” Bloomberg reports.
“The president’s public approval rating was hanging at 39% in the days before Christmas, by the Gallup Poll’s average of daily tracking surveys. Today… his approval has risen to 44%. His disapproval rating, 54% pre-Christmas, is down to 49%.”
The Red State Coverage Gap
Wonk Wire notes that 5 million Americans will have no health care insurance next year simply because they live in a state that declined expanded Medicaid coverage.
Schweitzer Ignored Inspector General’s Report
As Montana governor, Brian Schweitzer (D) said “he threw away the 2010 U.S. Army inspector general’s report concluding that Adj. Gen. and now Lt. Gov. John Walsh had improperly used his position in the Montana National Guard for personal gain,” the Helena Independent Record reports.
Said Schweitzer: “I treated it with the respect it deserved. I put it in the round file.”
Walsh is one of three Democrats running for the U.S. Senate in 2014 and the disclosure of the investigative report is being used by his opponents.
Fewer Recalls in 2013
Joshua Spivak notes a steep drop off in elected officials who were recalled by voters this year.
“In 2011, we had 151. In 2012, we had 168, with 509 attempts. In 2013, we have 107, with 478 attempts. Of those 107 recalls, 73 were ousted; 51 officials lost a race, and another 22 resigned — a 68% removal rate. As in the past, these number probably understate the amount of recalls that took place.”
Illinois Tax Refunds Come with Spending Info
Chicago Tribune: “Illinois taxpayers will get a little something extra with their tax refunds in 2014: a one-page sheet from Republican Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka that offers a broad overview of how state government spends money.”
“The flier will be sent to those who receive their refunds via a check in the mail. It features a chart showing how the state’s $35.2 billion budget is divided among various programs including education, health care and retirement funds for state workers. It will also detail the state’s backlog of unpaid bills, currently estimated at $7.6 billion.”
GOP Retaliation Could Jam Senate in 2014
“Senate Republicans still smarting from a Democratic rules change that diminished their power to block President Obama’s appointees are vowing retribution against the majority when lawmakers return to work in January,” the Washington Examiner reports.
“The GOP in the final weeks of the 2013 session provided a glimpse into what that might mean in 2014. Unable to block most presidential nominees because of the Democratic rule change, Republicans are using their remaining authority to slow the Senate to a crawl, delaying action on routine matters that typically pass uncontested.”
