A close aide to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) who co-wrote the senator’s 2011 book “spent years working as a pro-secessionist radio pundit and neo-Confederate activist, raising questions about whether Paul will be able to transcend the same fringe-figure associations that dogged his father’s political career,” the Washington Free Beacon reports.
The Copycat Rule
First Read: “But if we learned one thing after the Bork judicial fight in the 1980s, it’s that political parties copycat each other. And if Republicans are trying to stop Democratic laws from being implemented or preventing executive-branch appointees from being confirmed, then you can bet that Democrats will return the favor the next time there’s a GOP president. This is a slippery slope fraught with unintended consequences. In fact, we already saw Democrats in the minority on the state level trying to thwart laws that were being passed and signed into law by Republican governors and Republican-controlled legislatures. This “any means necessary” style of politicizing legislating and governing is only helping to add to the public’s distrust and cynicism toward government — on all levels.”
Perry Sets Sights on 2016 Bid
“Let the Texas-size political shake-up begin. With Rick Perry stepping
aside after more than a decade as governor, a host of statewide
candidates can finally try to move up. And the governor freed himself to
focus on another possible run for president.” the Dallas Morning-News reports.
Tom DeFrank:
“Rick Perry is stepping down as the longest-serving governor in Texas
history to clear the decks for a 2016 presidential campaign, according
to several well-placed Republican sources. They said Perry is stepping
down to make sure his declining popularity among Texas Republicans won’t
complicate his Oval Office ambitions.
Mark Barabak:
“Although leaving office in January 2015 could diminish his fundraising
capacity, it would also allow Perry more preparation time than he took
in the lead-up to his gaffe-filled 2012 campaign, the only election loss
of his more than three-decade-long political career.”
Quote of the Day
“Why are you late? Were you with a hooker?”
— An unidentified man, quoted by the New York Daily News, at Eliot Spitzer’s (D) first campaign appearance for New York City Comptroller.
Obamacare Implementation Not Working as Planned
National Journal reports the White House has known for months that it will not be able to implement the massive health care reform law as designed.
“The struggles with technology and administrative complexity have not come as a recent surprise to administration officials; they’ve been negotiating them for months already. By eliminating non-essential tasks, they may be violating the letter of the health reform law, with its rigorous timetables and multiple requirements, but they may be more likely to get the core functions right. And whatever the bad politics of the recent announcements, a failure of crucial systems next year would be much worse for the president and Democrats running in 2014.”
Wonk Wire: Is Obamacare unraveling?
Why Sex-Scarred Pols Keep Coming Back
Politico: “Another week and there goes another fallen officeholder trying to claw his way back from tabloid purgatory–another chance for some people to marvel about the power of forgiveness and redemption, and other people to marvel about the power of egomania and pure chutzpah.”
“It is one more occasion, in other words, for the vast majority of people who would stay crouched in a hole for years if they ever endured humiliation and disgrace of the sort Eliot Spitzer brought down on himself to wonder: What makes these guys tick?”
Haley Says She Was Abused as a Child
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) “said she was physically abused as a girl by a child-care provider, offering a rare, personal disclosure that she said was meant to underscore the challenge any community faces in protecting its children,” the Columbia State reports.
Said Haley: “It doesn’t matter your background, it doesn’t matter your education, it doesn’t matter the wealth of your family. Every child is subject to child abuse.”
Booker Cruising Ahead of Senate Special Election
A new Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey finds Cory Booker (D) tops the magic 50% mark in both the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and the general election.
In a Democratic primary, Booker has 52%, followed by Rep. Frank Pallone (D) at 10%, Rep. Rush Holt (D) at 8% and Sheila Oliver (D) at 3%.
In a possible general election matchup, Booker beats Steve Lonegan (R) 53% to 30%.
Branstad Staffs Up for Re-Election
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s (R) campaign committee announced it has hired four campaign staffers to strategize for his re-election in 2014, the Des Moines Register reports.
Said Branstad: “Over the coming weeks and months, you will hear from our campaign team as they begin voter contact, outreach and community recruitment in a way no other Republican in Iowa has done before.”
“The campaign committee said the staffers will begin work now even though the governor does not plan to announce his intentions until next year.”
Texas Republicans Push Ahead with Abortion Legislation
“As sweeping abortion regulations continued to speed toward passage in the Texas Legislature, thousands of people on both sides of the debate flooded the Capitol again Monday for competing rallies and for the second special session’s final public hearing on abortion-related legislation,” the Austin American Statesman reports.
“Long lines began forming hours before the 10 a.m. Senate committee hearing, with 475 people registering to speak — the equivalent of 16 hours of testimony at two minutes per speaker — with all due to be heard on Senate Bill 1, provided they remained late into the night.”
McDonnell Repays $2,400 for Mansion Supplies
“As legal and public pressure mounts over the use of Executive Mansion resources by Virginia’s first family, Gov. Bob McDonnell late last week reimbursed the state for nearly $2,400 in food and household supplies used by his children,” the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
McCrory Skeptical About Abortion Bill
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) “voiced reservations about the abortion bill before the legislature – just days after his administration shuttered its second abortion clinic in a three-month period for safety reasons,” the Charlotte Observer reports.
McCrory “said the abortion question was far more complicated than partisans on either side have portrayed it, and that the bill that passed the Senate last week would require more study.”
Establishment Tries to Stop Spitzer
The surprise decision by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) “to run for citywide office startled and galvanized the city’s political establishment, which worried aloud about handing the TV-savvy and self-financed candidate a new megaphone,” the New York Times reports.
“In candid conversations, some of the leaders expressed acute regret over their failure to swiftly undercut the mayoral campaign of former Rep. Anthony Weiner, another scandal-scarred candidate for citywide office, and said they would not make the same mistake twice.”
“Behind the scenes, they began to lay out a blueprint for undermining Mr. Spitzer’s bid for comptroller, the city’s third-highest elected office, and for propping up his lesser-known Democratic rival, Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president.”
Obama Mulls Pulling All Troops from Afghanistan
“Increasingly frustrated by his dealings with President Hamid Karzai, President Obama is giving serious consideration to speeding up the withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan and to a ‘zero option’ that would leave no American troops there after next year,” the New York Times reports.
Robertson Wants ‘Vomit’ Button on Facebook
Pat Robertson said on The 700 Club that Christians shouldn’t use the “Like” button on Facebook for anything the Bible condemns, especially for pictures of same-sex couples.
Said Robertson: “What you’re saying is, ‘Yes, I like this kind of thing.’ You’ve got a couple of same-sex guys kissing. You ‘Like’ that. Well, that makes me want to throw up… To me, I would punch ‘Vomit,’ not ‘Like’… They don’t give you that option on Facebook.”
Trump Parody Video Released
Donald Trump released the parody video he made but never aired at the Republican National Convention.
Washington Post: “Trump says it was killed by Mitt Romney aides for being ‘too controversial.’ Romney staffers say it was simply a scheduling issue related to the tropical storm that cut the convention short.”
Koch Brothers Spend $1 Million to Kill Obamacare
The Week: “More than three years after President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, the heated debate over whether the health-care reforms will do more harm than good is back in full swing.”
“The conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, bankrolled by the billionaire Koch brothers, is spending more than $1 million in an ad blitz aimed at undermining confidence in the law. In a new television spot that will first air in Ohio and Virginia before expanding to other states, the group suggests that ObamaCare will limit Americans’ health care choices while raising their insurance premiums.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“The question with both Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer is, what have they been doing to earn this second chance?”
— New York mayoral candidate Christine Quinn (D), quoted by the New York Times.
