“I don’t look at this as being a whistleblower. I think it’s an act of treason.”
— Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), quoted by The Hill, on the man who leaked information on National Security Agency surveillance programs.
Pro-Immigration Republicans Don’t Welcome Obama Re-Entry
“As a fragile bipartisan effort to pass sweeping immigration legislation through the Senate reaches the final stretch, President Obama, who has been deliberately absent from the debate until now, has reemerged, hoping to cross the finish line along with the lawmakers who have championed the bill,” BuzzFeed reports.
“But Republicans who favor reform are eyeing the president’s last-minute immigration push warily, worried that his presence in the process could threaten the delicate compromises Republicans and Democrats have made over the past several months.”
Spies for Hire
Wall Street Journal: “The National Security Agency leaks by Edward Snowden reveal a vulnerability in U.S. intelligence since 9/11, triggered by a surge of information collected on people around the world and the proliferation of private government contractors to store, sift and manage it.”
“Thousands of workers employed by government contractors sit side by side with federal workers and hold security clearances that provide access to intelligence databases. The result is a system so enmeshed that government and contract workers are often indistinguishable.”
Support for Affirmative Action Drops
First Read points out that support for affirmative action programs is at an all-time low,
according to the latest NBC/WSJ poll.
“Reasons for the trend range from
the idea of ‘diversity fatigue’ to what others believe is the effect of
an African-American being elected president, as well as 20 years of
anti-affirmative-action campaigns. there is a wide divide on the issue
along racial lines. Among whites polled, almost six in 10 (56 percent)
oppose affirmative action. But among minorities asked, eight in 10
blacks and six in 10 Hispanics favor it.”
“There is also an
ideological split, with 67 percent of Democrats saying the programs are
still needed, compared to 22 percent of Republicans and 17 percent of
Tea Party supporters. And just 39 percent of independents agree that
affirmative action should be continued.”
Booker Holds Huge Primary Lead
A new Rutgers poll in New Jersey finds Cory Booker (D) crushing possible Democratic U.S. Senate primary challengers with 55%, followed by Rep. Frank Pallone (D) at 9% and Rep. Rush Holt (D) at 8%.
Markey Maintains Lead in Massachusetts Senate Race
A new MassINC/WBUR poll in Massachusetts finds Rep. Ed Markey (D) leading Gabriel Gomez (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 39%.
Charlie Cook correctly notes Republicans must work to manage expectations in this race.
Senators to Watch on Immigration Debate
The New York Daily News notes the Senate starts a three-week floor fight on a sweeping immigration bill that is President Obama’s top legislative priority today.
Roll Call: “If there weren’t serious political skin in the immigration game, the Senate would not even be debating a framework to overhaul the system this week. But as it stands, senators are set to begin the formal deliberations Tuesday on a bipartisan framework.”
Business Not Pleased with Choices for Virginia Governor
Beth Reinhard:
“Business leaders in Virginia aren’t thrilled with their choices for
governor, but Democrat Terry McAuliffe is beginning to capitalize on
their dissatisfaction with the deeply conservative tenor of the
Republican ticket. McAuliffe has raised substantially more money than
Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli from nearly every business
sector except for the energy industry, according to an analysis by the
non-partisan Virginia Public Access Project. A handful of McDonnell’s
top donors in the business world are still on the sidelines or have
donated to McAuliffe.”
Note to Readers
Political Wire may be updated less frequently today. Please use the comments to discuss the latest news.
Dingell’s Many Colleagues
As Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) reaches the 21,000-day milestone of U.S. House service today, Smart Politics notes Dingell has served alongside 2,445 different U.S. Representatives thus far during his 57+ years in the House.
How the GOP Can Compete in Blue States
Dan Balz: “So much has been made of the demographic obstacles facing Republicans in their quest to win the White House that it has been easy to overlook the other huge hurdle in their path: geography. But two prospective GOP presidential candidates — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — seem determined to change that.”
Fate of the States
Just published: Fate of the States: The New Geography of American Prosperity by Meredith Whitney.
“Whitney points out that it wasn’t just consumers who binged on debt for the past twenty years but state and local governments too. She explains how the fiscal sins of the past are beginning to transform the U.S. economy along regional lines. And she shows how we are moving into a new era in which wealth, power, and opportunity flow away from the coasts and toward the central corridor.”
Waiting on the Supreme Court
Each Monday for the rest of the month, the Supreme Court will hand down rulings from this term on affirmative action, same-sex marriage, civil rights, and genetic patents. The Daily Beast looks at what’s at stake.
The GOP’s Growing Modernity Gap
Lloyd Greeen: “The modernity gap that haunted the Republican Party on Election Day 2012 has since worsened. Demographics, attitudes and technology continue to make the Republicans look like out-of-touch relics of a bygone era. A record-high 30 percent of Americans now identify as socially liberal, Democratic-leaning single mothers are a growing portion of the electorate, and more Americans than not have an unfavorable view of the GOP, notwithstanding the recent spate of negative news surrounding the administration.”
Our Nixon
This looks like a great documentary: Our Nixon.
“Throughout Richard Nixon’s presidency, three of his top White House aides obsessively documented their experiences with Super 8 home movie cameras. Young, idealistic and dedicated, they had no idea that a few years later they’d all be in prison.”
New Jersey Democratic Senate Field Gets Crowded
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) “plans to drive his Chevrolet Impala to the State Board of Elections building in Trenton to deliver petitions to get on the Aug. 16 Democratic primary ballot for the Senate seat vacated by the death last week of Sen. Frank Lautenberg,” the New York Times reports.
“The gesture has a clear intent: to draw a sharp contrast between Mr. Pallone’s working-Joe persona and the presumed front-runner in the Democratic primary contest, Cory Booker, the celebrity mayor of Newark, who declared his candidacy on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, New Jersey Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D) tonight became the fourth major Democrat to throw herself into the race for U.S. Senate, according to the Newark Star Ledger.
Lawmaker Called as McDonnell Investigation Expands
A GOP lawmaker in Virginia “has confirmed that he’s been called to appear next month as a witness before a federal grand jury as part of an investigation related to Gov. Robert F. McDonnell,” the Washington Post reports.
“Del. David Ramadan (R) declined to comment further, saying that the federal subpoena prohibits him from disclosing its details, which might reveal what authorities are seeking from the first-term legislator.”
Paul Key to Immigration Reform
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said he is open to voting for the immigration measure before the Senate but wants changes, including tougher border security requirements, Reuters reports.
Paul in March “backed the concept of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that is at the heart of a comprehensive immigration bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate.”
But he has “also criticized some elements of the bill, saying it should provide a mechanism for assuring that the U.S. border with Mexico is secure. Paul also wants to see an expansion of visa programs that allow companies to hire workers from abroad.”
