Former Speaker Thomas Foley (D-WA), who spent
30 years in Congress as a kingpin on agriculture, ultimately leading the
chamber as the ‘Speaker from Spokane,’ has died, Roll Call reports.
He was 84.
Kennedy’s Best Moments
This is kind of amazing: JFK 50 Year Commemorative Collection.
The most important moments of Kennedy’s 1,000 days as president as compiled by the National Archives.
Walker’s Book Leaks
The Associated Press obtained an early copy of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s forthcoming book, Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge.
The book, due out in November, “provides a detailed account of his 2011 battle against public unions, the campaign he won against their efforts to recall him, and his unhappiness with Romney and other Republicans he says didn’t learn the lessons from his political victories.”
Trust in Government Nears Record Low
A new Pew Research survey finds just 19% of Americans say that they trust the government in Washington to do what is right just about always or most of the time, down seven points since January.
Key findings: “The share of the public saying they are angry at the federal government, which equaled an all-time high in late September (26%), has ticked up to 30%. Another 55% say they are frustrated with the government. Just 12% say they are basically content with the federal government.”
How to Sweet Talk a Shark
Great book just published: How to Sweet-Talk a Shark: Strategies and Stories from a Master Negotiator by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Richardson talked about his book with Julie Mason on Sirius XM.
Palin Might Campaign Against McConnell
Sarah Palin suggested she might get involved in Kentucky’s Republican Senate race between Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Matt Bevin (R), the Lexington Herald Leader reports.
“Bevin said a number of national high-profile people had contacted him about helping his campaign, but he declined to say whether Palin was one of them.”
Do Republicans Need an Intervention?
Charlie Cook:
“Here’s a question for conservatives and Republicans: Going into the
2012 Election Day, or even in the last few days before Election Day, did
you think Mitt Romney was going to win? A couple of months ago, did you
think the strategy of threatening to shut down the government or
prevent raising the debt ceiling, to force the outright repeal or
defunding of Obamacare, would really work?”
“So the question is whether conservatives and
Republicans should begin to worry if their instincts–specifically, their
judgment on matters of politics and policy–are a bit off. Maybe ‘spectacularly wrong’ would be more accurate.”
“It
may be time for the GOP’s Non-delusional Caucus to stage an
intervention. Otherwise the party may be headed for some
voter-administered therapy.”
Conservatives Say No Chance for Immigration Reform
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) “has said he is committed to advancing immigration legislation in this Congress but there is virtually no interest among GOP lawmakers to vote for the kind of sweeping bill that Democrats are seeking,” USA Today reports.
Said Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID): “It’s not going to happen this year. After the way the president acted over the last two or three weeks where he would refuse to talk to the speaker of the House… they’re not going to get immigration reform. That’s done.”
Added Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS): “That would really melt down the conference.”
Red Sox Run Overshadows Boston Mayoral Race
“In a city obsessed with baseball and politics, baseball almost always wins — at least when it comes to voters’ attention,” the Boston Globe reports.
“The race to succeed Mayor Thomas M. Menino has already been overshadowed by a run of unrelated events, from the Marathon bombings to the trial of gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. Now, in the final stretch, mayoral finalists John R. Connolly and Martin J. Walsh find themselves fighting for the spotlight. In October, it’s tough to compete with the bat of David Ortiz or the glove of Dustin Pedroia.”
Shunning Cruz Only Increases His Power
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-AZ) told ABC News that he doesn’t need “99 new friends” in the Senate.
Rick Klein: “That’s just as well, but the problem for Republicans who see Cruz’s actions these past few weeks as problematic is that he doesn’t need any friends in Washington to do it all over again. Cruz is deriving his power – and the power of his convictions – well outside of Washington. Like Sarah Palin before him, efforts to shun and sideline him figure to only make him stronger, at least in the near future. Cruz’s reaction to the series of events he helped trigger speaks to the split inside the Republican Party: He sees victory in the process and defeat in the outcome. Most of his erstwhile friends see a disastrous process and the only hopeful signs in the way it came to an end.”
Donor Frustration with GOP Mounts
“Republican donors were horrified in November after pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into losing campaigns for president and Congress with nothing to show for it,” Politico reports.
“A year later they’re appalled by how little has changed, angered by the behavior of Republican lawmakers during a string of legislative battles this year capped by the shutdown, and searching for answers.”
Cruz Failed to Disclose Ties to Company
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “potentially violated ethics rules by failing to publicly disclose his financial relationship with a Caribbean-based holding company during the 2012 campaign,” Time reports.
“When Cruz later reported the financial relationship in 2013, he failed to comply with Senate rules requiring full identification of the holding company and its location, triggering an inquiry by Senate Select Committee on Ethics staff and a second amended disclosure.”
What Did Obama Actually Win?
New York Times: “By nearly all accounts, Mr. Obama emerged the winner of the showdown, having stared down attempts to undercut his health care program or force other concessions, but it is not clear what he actually won. Did he change the dynamic of his tumultuous presidency and break the cycle of Washington gridlock, opening the way to more meaningful legislation in months to come? Or did he merely kick the can down the road three months so he and Congress will be in the same place again, repeating a pattern that will define his remaining three years in office?”
“The president and his team hope that Congressional Republicans, stung by this week’s defeat, re-evaluate their scorched-earth strategy and seek agreement with Mr. Obama on issues like immigration and long-term spending to demonstrate that they can govern. But they fear the opposition may instead double down and become even more determined to prevent the White House from getting the upper hand in future legislative battles.”
Politico: The shutdown winner’s club
Jackson’s Childhood Story Challenged
E.W. Jackson (R) “is facing new challenges as his campaign for lieutenant governor of Virginia enters its final weeks,” the Washington Post reports.
“According to interviews and campaign finance reports, Jackson’s campaign has struggled with basic management issues, including financial accounting. And more recently, vivid details of his escape from deprivation in a Chester, Pa., foster home — the emotional core of his stump speech — have been challenged by two women who were there.”
Schweitzer Says He’s Considering a Presidential Bid
Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) told Real Clear Politics that he may launch a White House bid, even if Hillary Clinton also enters the race.
Said Schweitzer: “I still hold the people of Iowa and New Hampshire in high regard. The people of Iowa are a whole lot like the people of Montana. And, of course, New Hampshire’s a lot like Montana. We don’t have a sales tax. ‘Live Free or Die’ — we understand that notion in Montana.”
Quote of the Day
“He still thinks he’s smarter than everybody else. He might be able to
work a calculus problem better than I can. But he can’t legislate better
than I can.”
— Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), in a Huffington Post interview, about Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Can the GOP Establishment Take Back Control?
Washington Post: “The GOP establishment has embarked, once again, on a round of soul-searching. But this time, the question is: What will it take to save the Republicans from the self-destructive impulses of the tea party movement?”
“That the government shutdown was a political disaster for the party that engineered it is widely acknowledged, except by the most ardent tea partyers. And that near-unanimity presents an opportunity for the establishment to strike back — and maybe regain some control from the insurgent wing.”
Lawmakers Begin Budget Talks to Avoid New Crisis
“With the government reopened and a debt default averted for now, Congressional negotiators on Thursday plunged into difficult budget talks to avoid a repeat crisis within months, and quickly agreed to lower their sights from the sort of grand bargain that has eluded the two parties for three years,” the New York Times reports.
“The question of what a new House-Senate budget conference can deliver by its Dec. 13 deadline — in time for Congress to act by Jan. 15 on funding to keep the government open — remained the subject of deep skepticism, well earned by past failures at reaching so-called grand bargains for deficit reduction and spending investments in the past three years.”
The Wall Street Journal says the “differences between the two sides remain stark, and a number of
congressional aides said the chances of devising a budget that both
parties can live with are low.”
