A new Minnesota Poll finds Sen. Al Franken (D) with a 55% approval rate, a double-digit increase from the 44% who thought so in September.
Schumer Predicts Mass Protests if GOP Blocks Immigration Bill
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) predicted “there could be massive demonstrations in Washington if House Republicans try to block a bill to grant legal status to millions of immigrants,” The Hill reports.
Said Schumer: “This has the potential of becoming the next major civil rights movement. I could envision in the late summer or early fall if Boehner tries to bottle the bill up or put something in without a path to citizenship — if there’s no path to citizenship, there’s not a bill — but if he tries to bottle it up or do things like that, I could see a million people on the Mall in Washington.”
Graham Says GOP Will Lose Hispanics if Bill Fails
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that Republicans “will forfeit a chance to win Hispanics to their party if Congress can’t agree on a measure to overhaul U.S. immigration laws,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Graham: “If it fails and we are blamed for its failure, our party is in trouble with Hispanics. The Hispanic community is very close to our values but we’ve driven them away over this issue.”
Quote of the Day
“What’s infuriating here is… Putin of Russia aiding and abetting Snowden’s escape. The bottom line is very simple. Allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States.”
— Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), quoted by CNN, on reports that NSA leaker Edward Snowden traveled to Moscow.
Snowden on the Run
Hong Kong announced that it had allowed the departure from its territory of Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor “who has acknowledged disclosing classified documents about United States government surveillance of Internet and telephone communications around the world,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Snowden’s final destination was unclear, but there were signs that
it might be beyond Moscow. The Russian foreign ministry said that Mr.
Snowden appeared to be making a connection in Moscow to another
destination, but did not say where.”
The Guardian has the latest updates.
Conservatives Skeptical About Super PACs
Washington Post: “Seven months after the 2012 election, a lingering hangover among conservative donors has stalled efforts by right-leaning independent groups to fill their coffers. Wealthy contributors who dashed off six- and seven-figure checks last year are eyeing super PACs and other politically active groups more skeptically, frustrated that the hundreds of millions of dollars spent to elect Romney went for naught. ”
Markey Holds Solid Lead in Massachusetts
A new Western New England University poll finds Rep. Ed Markey (D) leading Gabriel Gomez (R) by eight points in the special U.S. Senate election, 49% to 41%, with 9% undecided.
“The poll also found what political observers have noted all along – that voters are simply not engaged in this race in the way they were with the 2012 U.S. Senate race between Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Elizabeth Warren.”
Biden Says 5 Senators Now Want to Vote for on Gun Checks
Vice President Joe Biden claimed that “at least five senators” have called him looking for a way to change their votes to support expanded gun sale background checks, Politico reports.
He said the 45 senators who voted to block the background checks deal have seen “the bottom fall out” of their approval ratings.
A Big Week at the Supreme Court
Lloyd Green: “With Monday the last day left on its calendar, the Supreme Court is expected to signal this coming week where it stands in the scrum over tradition versus modernity, civil rights, and the ’60s, as it is poised to rule on the constitutionality of the University of Texas’s affirmative action program, the Defense of Marriage Act, gay marriage in California, and the pre-clearance requirements of the Voting Rights Act. The status quo may take a big hit.”
SCOTUSblog: “At least one additional decision day is inevitable next week, and the
Court may issue additional orders as well.”
Obama’s War on Leaks
“President Barack Obama’s unprecedented initiative, known as the Insider Threat Program, is sweeping in its reach. It has received scant public attention even though it extends beyond the U.S. national security bureaucracies to most federal departments and agencies nationwide, including the Peace Corps, the Social Security Administration and the Education and Agriculture departments. It emphasizes leaks of classified material, but catchall definitions of ‘insider threat’ give agencies latitude to pursue and penalize a range of other conduct.”
“Government documents reviewed by McClatchy illustrate how some agencies are using that latitude to pursue unauthorized disclosures of any information, not just classified material. They also show how millions of federal employees and contractors must watch for ‘high-risk persons or behaviors’ among co-workers and could face penalties, including criminal charges, for failing to report them. Leaks to the media are equated with espionage.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Schumer’s been incredible. He’s a worthy successor to Ted Kennedy, and that’s saying a lot.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), in a Wall Street Journal interview, on Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) work on the immigration bill.
Republicans Reject Key Lessons from 2012
The Republican Party’s “road map for winning presidential elections looks hazier than ever as GOP lawmakers and others reject what many considered obvious lessons from Mitt Romney’s loss last year,” the AP reports.
“House Republicans are rebelling against the key recommendation of a party-sanctioned post-mortem: embrace ‘comprehensive immigration reform’ or suffer crippling losses among Hispanic voters in 2016 and beyond.”
“Widespread rejection of warnings from establishment Republicans goes beyond that, however. Many activists say the party simply needs to articulate its conservative principles more skillfully, without modifying any policies, even after losing the popular vote in five of the past six presidential elections.”
How Franken Made Himself a Favorite for Re-Election
The AP looks at how Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), who won election by just 312 votes, has positioned himself for re-election.
“To solidify his then-shaky standing, Franken employed a disciplined strategy that started in 2009 when he was declared the victor of a three-way race in which he won less than 42 percent of the vote. Back then, he spoke of not wanting to ‘waste this chance’ and made repeated promises to keep his head down and do the work. He has largely stuck to that vow, avoiding the national spotlight. He rarely talks to the Washington press corps, has shed his comedic persona and focused on policy, working to be taken seriously.”
Quote of the Day
“If I lose, I lose. I don’t want to stop being a senator to be senator.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, on not making politically calculated votes prior to his 2014 re-election bid.
McDonnell Probe Widens
Federal authorities are asking Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell’s (R) associates “about previously undisclosed gifts given by a campaign donor to McDonnell’s wife that total tens of thousands of dollars and include money and expensive designer clothing,” the Washington Post reports.
“The questions are part of broad federal and state investigations into gifts to the governor and his family and whether McDonnell took official action on behalf of anyone who gave gifts.”
Another Poll Shows Markey Way Ahead
A new Emerson College poll in Massachusetts finds Rep. Ed Markey (D) leading Gabriel Gomez (R) by ten points in next week’s special U.S. Senate election, 51% to 41%.
U.S. Charges Snowden with Espionage
“Federal prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint against Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked a trove of documents about top-secret surveillance programs,” the Washington Post reports.
“There was never any doubt that the Justice Department would seek to prosecute Snowden for one of the most significant national security leaks in the country’s history. The Obama administration has shown a particular propensity to go after leakers and has launched more investigations than any previous administration. This White House is responsible for bringing six of the nine total indictments ever brought under the 1917 Espionage Act. Snowden will be the seventh individual when he is formally indicted.”
An Insider’s History of the U.S. Senate
Just published: The American Senate: An Insider’s History by Neil MacNeil and Richard A. Baker.
Roll Call notes “There’s unlikely to be another single volume quite as comprehensive anytime soon, a fact that can probably be attributed to the authors.”
