Washington Post: “Just a few weeks after 98 senators gathered for an unprecedented meeting in the Old Senate Chamber to settle a long-simmering dispute about the rules of the U.S. Senate, all 100 senators are scheduled to meet again Thursday for a ‘bipartisan caucus meeting.'”
Filner Says He Never Received Sexual Harassment Training
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner’s (D) legal strategy “appears to be to shift blame on the city for his alleged inappropriate behavior toward women because he didn’t receive sexual harassment training as required under the municipal code,” the San Diego Union Tribune reports.
Filner’s attorney said the city “has a legal obligation to provide such training to all management-level employees within six months of being hired. Berger said Filner was scheduled to receive the training, but it was canceled by the coordinator and never rescheduled.”
Grimes Edges McConnell in New Poll
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Kentucky finds that Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) leads Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) in the race for U.S. Senate, 45% to 44%.
Brown Has $10 Million Banked
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) “has more than $10 million in the bank to aid his 2014 reelection bid, and an additional $3 million left over from the effort to pass Proposition 30 last fall,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Brown filed his fundraising reports for the first half of 2013 with the secretary of state’s office on Tuesday. It shows the governor in a strong position to finance a reelection campaign. Brown has not declared his intention to seek an unprecedented fourth term as governor, but would be a strong favorite to win reelection if he decides to run.”
Simon Won’t Say if She Backs Quinn for Re-election
Chicago Tribune: “More than five months after saying she wouldn’t return as Gov. Pat Quinn’s (D) running mate, Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (D) announced Wednesday she would seek the Democratic comptroller nomination but wouldn’t say if she backs her boss for re-election.”
Edwards Has a Baby at Age 85
Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards (D), who is 85 years old, is the father of a baby boy, the AP reports.
“Edwin Edwards served four terms, ending in 1996. He married Trina shortly after his release from federal prison for his role in a bribery and extortion scheme.”
Paul Suggests ‘Beer Summit’ with Christie
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “is ready to bury the hatchet” with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “over the oldest of summits — a beer at the local pub,” the AP reports.
Said Paul: “Anytime he would like to come down and sit at a pub right around the corner from the Senate. We’ll have a beer.”
“When asked on his monthly call-in show Wednesday if he would be willing to have a drink with Paul, Christie said he is too busy to make it a priority but will ‘look him up’ if he is ever in Washington.”
Politico: “But the battle lines between the two men have been drawn in a more lasting way. More than anything else, what the firefight revealed was the extent to which Paul and Christie – two pols who have thrived on the appeal of their raw authenticity – have placed drastically different bets on the future of the Republican Party.”
Palin Fundraising Slows Considerably
Sarah Palin’s political action committee “brought in just over $460,000 during the first half of 2013, well short of its fundraising totals for the same period in previous years,” the Anchorage Daily News reports.
Palin’s SarahPAC ended June with about $1.1 million in cash available.
However, National Journal reports that of the $496,505.68 spent by SarahPAC in the first six months of the year, just $5,000 actually went to political candidates.
Snyder Holds Lead in Michigan
A new Denno Research poll in Michigan finds Gov. Rick Snyder (R) leading challenger Mark Schauer (D) in the race for governor, 43% to 37%.
Cuccinelli Will Not Return Gifts
Ken Cuccinelli (R) says he’s glad Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) “is returning all the gifts he received from a major political donor. But he has no plans to repay the more than $18,000 in gifts he received from the same benefactor,” NBC Washington reports.
Cuccinelli said that Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams “didn’t give him the kind of gifts that can be returned. Among the gifts from Williams listed in Cuccinelli’s financial disclosure statements are a $1,500 catered Thanksgiving dinner, private jet trips and vacation lodging.”
Said Cuccinelli: “There are some bells you can’t unring.”
Obama Gets Testy with Freshman Democrat
During a Q&A session with Democrats on Capitol Hill, President Obama offered what Democratic sources said was a testy response to a question about a federal loan guarantee program, with one source in the room telling CNN it “rude and dismissive.”
Freshman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) began his question “by recognizing it was an issue that may be better discussed on the staff level, rather than with the president.”
Responded Obama: “You’re right. You should have talked to staff about this.”
Obama “then said in a testy way to Maloney that at least now he can go back and tell his constituents he stood up to the president for them.”
The Humility of Ted Cruz
Stephen Colbert takes a hilarious look at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court at age 32..
Americans Skeptical of Obama Focus on Middle Class
A new Monmouth poll finds the American public is split on the veracity of President Obama’s announcement that he wants to refocus the remainder of his term on helping the middle class.
Key finding: Just 46% believe the president when he says this, while 50% do not believe him.
McDonnell Gift Giveback Continues
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) said that his daughter, Cailin, has returned the $15,000 gift given to her by a political donor to pay for catering at her June 2011 wedding, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
McDonnell faces federal and state probes relating to gifts received while in office.
White Riot
Gawker has the priceless video of Chris Hayes and Cord Jefferson talking about “white-on-white violence” and the “problems of white culture.”
Ryan Wants Immigration Vote Despite Hastert Rule
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) made a little-noticed pronouncement at a town hall meeting last week “that could have major implications for the prospects of immigration reform passing the House of Representatives,” reports Think Progress.
He said he wanted a vote on the legislation regardless of the “Hastert rule” which says that the GOP leadership should only bring bills up for a vote which are supported by the majority of Republicans.
Said Ryan: “We don’t know if we have a majority until we vote on it.”
Cruz Taunts Fellow Republicans
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his senior aides “are unleashing a barrage of attacks on their fellow Republicans for refusing to support their plan to choke off Obamacare as a condition for funding the government,” Politico reports.
“The results have sparked something of a GOP civil war over an issue that, ironically, the GOP is united behind — repealing Obamacare. Cruz’s strategy is a departure from the usually clubby chamber, as he’s grown increasingly alienated from his caucus.”
Republicans Agree on Problems But Not Direction for Party
A new Pew Research poll finds 67% of Republican voters believe that their party must address major problems to be more competitive in the future. And 59% say improved messaging alone will not be enough – the GOP also needs to reconsider some of its positions.
Yet while Republicans may agree on the scope of the problem, there is little consensus over the party’s future course on either policy or strategy.
Key finding: 35% say the party has compromised too much with Democrats, 27% say not enough, while 32% say party leaders have handled this about right.
