Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) told CNN that Vice President Joe Biden’s had little chance in the Iowa caucuses if he runs for president in 2016.
Said Branstad: “Biden is dead meat out here. He is not going anywhere.”
Prosecutors Were Ready to Charge McDonnell
Federal prosecutors told Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell (R) “last week that he and his wife would be charged in connection with a gift scandal, but senior Justice Department officials delayed the decision after the McDonnells’ attorneys made a face-to-face appeal in Washington,” the Washington Post reports.
Quote of the Day
“I will look carefully at what I think I can do and make that decision sometime next year.”
— Hillary Clinton, in an ABC News interview, on whether she’ll run for president in 2016.
Reporter Drops Libel Suit After Ford Apology
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford “admitted repeated statements he has made about an incident involving Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale are inaccurate in a two-page written apology issued Wednesday evening,” the Toronto Star reports.
“In the apology, Ford confirms that many aspects of Dale’s account of that night are true, including that no pictures were taken of the mayor’s home or backyard and that Dale never set foot on the property, nor was he looking over the fence.”
Congressional Retirements Just Beginning
Roll Call: “Nine House members have announced retirements for reasons other than seeking higher office… An average of 23 House members retired in each of the past three cycles, and many of them announced their departures around the holiday season.”
“There are often clues as to which members are eyeing the exits. Without an incentive to bring in big bucks for re-election, they often report low fundraising numbers. Health problems or personal changes prompt some members to reconsider the long weekends and flights to Capitol Hill. And the comforts of home and family can strike a contrast to the brutal political environment in Congress.”
“These clues, plus interviews with dozens of congressional operatives from both parties, yielded the following names of members who — despite their public denials — might call it quits in 2014.”
The Hill: Who’s next?
Liz Cheney’s Husband Registered to Vote in Two States
“Liz Cheney’s husband has been registered to vote in both Virginia and Wyoming for the past nine months, even though he signed a document in Wyoming saying he was not registered elsewhere,” Politico reports.
Majority of Uninsured Skeptical of Obamacare
A new New York Times/CBS News poll finds that “Americans who lack medical coverage disapprove of President Obama’s health care law at roughly the same rate as the insured, even though most say they struggle to pay for basic care.”
Key findings: “53% of the uninsured disapprove of the law, the poll found, compared with 51% of those who have health coverage. A third of the uninsured say the law will help them personally, but about the same number think it will hurt them, with cost a leading concern.”
Baucus to be Named Ambassador to China
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) “is expected to be nominated by the White House to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to China,” Politico reports.
“It remains unclear when the appointment would take effect, but Baucus would have to win confirmation from his Senate colleagues. If he leaves before his term ends, Baucus would relinquish his gavel on the powerful Senate Finance Committee at a time when he is still aggressively pushing for a dramatic rewrite of the Tax Code, putting its chances in peril this Congress.”
Washington Post: “Assuming Baucus is confirmed sometime in 2014, it means there will be a vacancy in his seat. Gov. Steve Bullock (D) will get to make the appointment for the final year of Baucus’s term.”
The Fix: Three reasons the White House is sending Baucus to China.
Record High Say ‘Big Government’ is Biggest Threat
A new Gallup poll finds that 72% of Americans say big government is “a greater threat to the U.S. in the future than is big business or big labor, a record high in the nearly 50-year history of this question.”
Kingston Wants Poor Students to Sweep Floors for Lunch
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) proposed that “low-income children do some manual labor in exchange for their subsidized meals,” the Huffington Post reports.
Said Kingston: “Why don’t you have the kids pay a dime, pay a nickel to instill in them that there is, in fact, no such thing as a free lunch? Or maybe sweep the floor of the cafeteria — and yes, I understand that that would be an administrative problem, and I understand that it would probably lose you money. But think what we would gain as a society in getting people — getting the myth out of their head that there is such a thing as a free lunch.”
Obenshain Will Concede in Virginia
Virginia attorney general candidate Mark Obenshain (R) will concede the race to Mark Herring (D) this afternoon, the certified winner of the Nov. 5 election, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
“As Herring’s lead in the statewide tally had steadily widened since the recount began Monday, it became increasingly clear that Obenshain would not be able to swing the race in his favor.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m not the shadow chief of staff.”
— Valerie Jarrett, quoted by the Wall Street Journal, on her personal relationship with President Obama while working as his adviser.
On Wonk Wire
Some great clicks over at Wonk Wire:
- Americans Prefer Obamacare to a GOP Alternative
- Lobbyists Minting Money from Surge in Regulations
- Should Democrats Focus on Combating Inequality?
- Senate Demands CIA Report on Interrogation Practices
- Chart of the Day
- Ryan: Link Keystone Pipeline With Debt-Ceiling Negotiations
- Wind Power Catching Up to Fossil Fuels
Christie Leads Clinton in Early 2016 Match Up
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Chris Christie (R) leading Hillary Clinton — and all other Democratic candidates — in potential 2016 match ups.
Christie leads Clinton, 45% to 42%, “because he’s viewed favorably across party lines. He’s at 48/26 with Republicans, 46/28 with independents, and 38/36 with Democrats.”
Reid Wants 8 More Years as Senate Leader
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) “sounds like a man who intends to stay in his office into the next decade,” Roll Call reports.
Said Reid: “I don’t want to do it more than eight more years.”
“Reid is up for re-election in 2016 and has repeatedly said he intends to run again. He reiterated that intention again on Wednesday and indicated he’s looking at serving another full term running the Senate, if Democrats hold onto the majority the entire time. If he and Democrats are able to hold onto power that long, Reid would be the leader for 16 years, matching the current record set by the legendary Montana Democrat Mike Mansfield.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Honestly, it’s baffling what he’s doing. I don’t know what his end game
is. I think if he wants to run for the U.S. Senate he should get in the
race. New Hampshire voters are not interested in begging candidates to run for office.”
— GOP strategist Dave Carney, quoted by the Boston Globe, on former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) toying with the idea of running for U.S. Senate from New Hampshire.
Health Care Polling Has Been Consistent for Years
Greg Sargent: “Seriously, go look at the trends over times.
The current split is roughly where opinion was in August of 2009
(45-50), when the Post first polled on this. It’s marginally better now
for the law than it was after the 2010 midterm drubbing to Dems (43-52).
It’s almost exactly where it was in the summer of 2012, before Obama
won reelection decisively (47-47). Then it dropped, and now it’s back to
where it was before the rollout.”
Christie Appointees Who Resigned Retain Attorneys
Two appointees of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) “who recently resigned amid a controversy over lane closures at the George Washington Bridge have retained private attorneys,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Word of the hirings comes one day before a raft of correspondence and documents related to the bridge controversy — and any possible connection to the Christie administration — were due to be delivered to a legislative inquiry of the state Assembly.”
