Political strategist Roger Stone has a controversial book out this fall: The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ.
Money Raised to Buy Video of Mayor Smoking Crack
Gawker announced its “crackstarter” fundraising effort reached its goal of $200,000 to buy the video purportedly showing Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.
Weiner Running Strong in New York City Primary
A new Marist Poll in New York City finds Christine Quinn leading the Democratic mayoral race with 24%, followed by Anthony Weiner at 19%, Bill de Blasio at 12%, Bill Thomson at 11% and John Liu at 8%.
Said pollster Lee Miringoff: “The Democratic primary for mayor remains wide open. It is likely to come down to who can punch their ticket for the runoff.”
Politicker: “Indeed, in what may be a first this cycle, the firm polled the potential run-off election in the likely event that none of the candidates garner 40 percent of the vote in the primary. According to Marist, Ms. Quinn would win 48 to 33 percent against Mr. Weiner, with 18 percent undecided; she would defeat Mr. de Blasio 48 to 30 percent; she would win an outright majority against Mr. Liu with 53 percent; and she would top Bill Thompson 44 percent to 34 percent.”
Can Weiner Win?
Blake Zeff: “Anthony Weiner can ‘shake up’ the campaign for New York City mayor, the conventional wisdom tells us, but he definitely cannot win it. That may be the consensus among those following the race, but the fact is Weiner’s chances are better than many realize. The reason: his challenges are not as great as they’re being portrayed. And his strengths are more important than people think.”
Tip and the Gipper
Available for pre-order: Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked by Chris Matthews.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“The Republican Party is undergoing some, you know, significant and serious changes and they are going to have to rethink their approach as a political party and how they are going to regroup and become a governing majority party that appeals to a broader group of Americans than they do today.”
— Former Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), in an interview on MSNBC.
Grimes Would Give McConnell Strong Challenge
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Kentucky finds Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) is tied with Mitch McConnell (R) in a hypothetical 2014 Senate matchup, 45% to 45%.
Walker Gets Presidential Buzz in Iowa
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker “gave a well-received speech to the Iowa Republican Party
Thursday night, and many in the state say he would bring some strong
assets to a presidential run,” The Hill reports.
“While the beltway presidential buzz has
focused on Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ted Cruz
(R-TX), Walker’s admirers say his record as a conservative warrior,
folksy Midwestern demeanor and big fundraising connections could make
him a contender.”
Who Would Hillary Hire?
Politico: “Back in 2008, Hillary Clinton committed so many management sins it was hard to keep track of them all – yet none was worse than failing to establish a coherent, functional chain of command. … People around Clinton say the once-and-perhaps-future candidate will learn from those mistakes if she runs again. But that will be easier said than done – and the initial roster of possible Clinton ’16 staffers, culled from interviews with people in the Clinton and Obama orbits, reveal just how tough it will be to balance loyalty with the imperative of empowering young, talented newcomers.”
Obama and Christie Together Again
President Obama and Gov. Chris Christie “will reunite in a tour of the coastline today, seven months after a similar meeting resulted in the shunning of Christie by conservatives across the nation,” the Asbury Park Press reports.
Newark Star Ledger: “Trip to Jersey coast just what Obama needs.”
First Read: “Once again, the two men standing together helps both of them, at least in the short term. For Obama, the trip allows him to talk about the economy, the importance of government assistance after a disaster, and bipartisan cooperation. For Christie, the visit only benefits him as he seeks re-election in a state Obama won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2012; in fact, 42% of Obama voters are already supporting Christie’s re-election bid, per an NBC/Marist poll from earlier this month.”
Subject Changes for the White House
First Read: “The good news for any White House or campaign under siege is that, eventually, the attention always turns to something else. And that appears to be true for the two-week focus on the IRS/Benghazi/leak controversies that had been rocking President Obama and his administration.”
“Before the long Memorial Day weekend, the subject already turned to the president’s highly scrutinized national security speech and the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of the bipartisan immigration legislation. Then over the weekend, Obama traveled to Oklahoma to deliver remarks on the tornado that devastated the community there. And today, he heads to New Jersey to speak on the state’s recovery after Hurricane Sandy.”
Quote of the Day
“I have no idea how a struggling newspaper has nine reporters covering us.”
— New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner (D), quoted by BuzzFeed, ribbing a New York Post reporter.
Obama’s Next Big Campaign
NPR: “President Obama often tells audiences that he has waged his last campaign. But that’s not exactly true. The White House is gearing up for a massive campaign this summer that will cover all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. And the president’s legacy may hinge on whether it succeeds or fails. The Affordable Care Act, or ‘Obamacare,’ has been through more life-and-death cliffhangers than a season finale of Homeland. After squeaker votes in Congress and a 5-4 ruling upholding the law at the Supreme Court, now there’s another big hurdle: getting uninsured people to buy health care when it becomes available Oct. 1.”
Pryor Trying to Avoid 2010 Comparison
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) “has had a target on his back since November 2010,” Roll Call reports.
“That’s when his home-state colleague, Democrat Blanche Lincoln, lost her bid for a third term by 21 points to then-Rep. John Boozman, a Republican.”
“Today, it’s impossible to evaluate his re-election chances next year without drawing comparisons to Lincoln’s double-digit defeat. And it’s quite a turn of affairs for Pryor, who won re-election in 2008 by 60 points.”
Cunningham Set to be Released from Prison
“In about a week’s time, federal prison inmate 94405-198 will complete a 100-month sentence for taking bribes and no longer be in the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham will, once again, be a free man,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
“He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion in 2005 and was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns. Cunningham admitted taking at least $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and in return used his influence as a congressman to steer lucrative government contracts to the companies. He resigned his seat from Congress, which he had held since 1991, before being sentenced.”
Colorado Secretary of State Eyes Bid for Governor
Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler (R) “officially filed papers to consider a run for governor next year, following up on last week’s statement from his political director initially expressing interest in the race,” KDVR-TV reports.
The Bush-Obama Civil Liberty Threats
Ron Fournier: “George W. Bush in 2001 declared war on a tactic (terrorism), and empowered Big Brother to tap phones, launch drones and indefinitely imprison people without due process.”
“Barack Obama in 2008 declared those Bush policies an overreach, and pledged to curb drone strikes, protect media freedoms, and close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Instead, he escalated drone strikes and spied on the media. Gitmo is still open for its grim business.”
“These are facts. And yet, they are distorted by extreme and narrow-minded partisans, supporters of both Bush and Obama.”
Obama Plans 3 Nominations for Key Court
President Obama “will soon accelerate his efforts to put a lasting imprint on the country’s judiciary by simultaneously nominating three judges to an important federal court, a move that is certain to unleash fierce Republican opposition and could rekindle a broader partisan struggle over Senate rules,” the New York Times reports.
“In trying to fill the three vacancies on the 11-member United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit at once, Mr. Obama will be adopting a more aggressive nomination strategy. He will effectively be daring Republicans to find specific ground to filibuster all the nominees.”
