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Speaking in Ohio, legendary journalist Bob Woodward “told an unflattering, but amusing story about sitting next to former Vice President Al Gore at a dinner, saying being with him was taxing,” the Youngstown Vindicator reports.
He added: ‘To be really honest, it’s unpleasant.”
The reporter said Gore “pressed him on why the journalist didn’t go after Bush, who beat Gore in the 2000 presidential election, over the war in Iraq.”
Tod Lindberg: “An early Clinton decision would bring swift clarity to the 2016 contest, and a late one would cause considerable Democratic anxiety. But it’s not within a front-runner’s power to claim the nomination by mere declaration–not when so many others have such tempting reasons to run, too. What, after all, might Vice President Joe Biden have to say about Hillary’s purported ability to clear the field? Come to think of it, a reporter will probably ask him any day now.”
James Carville told MSNBC that Clinton won’t decide whether to run or not until 2014.
Amy Walter: “Washington is currently consumed with guns and immigration, but come 2014 it’s possible that health care will be the more all-consuming issue, and that has lots of Democrats very worried.”
“After five years of demagoguery, political spin and hyperbole on both sides of the debate, the Affordable Care Act is finally set to go into effect January 1, 2014. Open enrollment begins this October.”
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House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) “immediately dismissed” President Obama’s package “of significant new entitlement cuts tied to new tax revenues, calling them ‘no way to lead and move the country forward,'” Politico reports.
“The White House had portrayed the proposal, part of the budget it will release next week, as a compromise with Congressional Republicans that could have put them on track for another run at a grand bargain.”
The Week: Will Obama regret offering to cut Social Security?
Debbie Dingell (D), the wife of Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), “has taken concrete steps toward a possible Senate run, including meeting in recent weeks with top Democratic interest groups to gauge their support for a 2014 campaign,” Politico reports.
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) both announced their support for same-sex
marriage in statements this morning.
The two announcements leave just four Senate Democrats who have
not yet indicated support for marriage equality.
Former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll (R) claimed she “had no idea law enforcement was investigating a veterans charity accused of running illegal slot machine-style casinos until two agents walked into her office last month,” the AP reports.
“She was taking photos with people in her office on March 12 when she was told the agents wanted to speak to her. When the agents walked out about 20 minutes later, Gov. Rick Scott’s chief of staff was waiting outside her office. He told her Scott wanted her to resign. She immediately said yes and called her husband to let him know.”
First Lady Michelle Obama mistakenly referred to herself as a “single mother” during an interview with WCAX-TV.
Said Mrs. Obama: “Believe me, as a busy single mother — or I shouldn’t say single — as a busy mother, sometimes when you’ve got a husband who is president it can feel a little single. But he’s there.”
The U.S. economy generated just 88,000 jobs last month, the smallest gain in 10 months, adding to fresh evidence that the pace of hiring has slowed, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The unemployment rate fell to 7.6% because of an unanticipated high number of people dropping out of the job market.
First Read: “Don’t be surprised if this lower-than-expected number puts pressure on Congress to alleviate the sequester cuts.”
The Week: Headed for a slowdown?
“Today, more people than ever before — 69.5 million Americans, from college students to retirees to welfare beneficiaries — depend on the federal government for housing, food, income, student aid, or other assistance once considered to be the responsibility of individuals, families, neighborhoods, churches, and other civil society institutions.”
— Former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), quoted by the Huffington Post, in a letter to staff upon taking over as head of the Heritage Foundation.
Daily Beast: “Looking at some of the biggest sex scandals of the last decade or so, we have tried to parse the factors that allow some pols to skate by and others to live out their days as little more than punchlines. Consider the following guidelines, then, a free, nonexpert, historically grounded What It Takes to keep your name out of the mud. A study, if you will, in what separates the Sanfords from the Weiners.”
President Obama “will offer cuts to Social Security and other entitlement programs in a budget proposal aimed at swaying Republicans to compromise on a deficit-reduction deal,” Reuters reports.
“Under a proposal that would cut the deficit by $1.8 trillion over 10 years, the president will offer to apply a less generous measure of inflation to calculate cost-of-living increases… That change would result in lower payments to some beneficiaries of the Social Security program for retirees and is staunchly opposed by many congressional Democrats as well as labor and retiree groups.”
“However, the president will only accept these spending cuts if congressional Republicans, for their part, agree to higher taxes… The president’s budget proposal is due to be laid out in full on Wednesday.”
New York Times: “The administration’s hope is to create cracks
in Republicans’ antitax resistance, especially in the Senate, as
constituents complain about the across-the-board cuts in military and
domestic programs that took effect March 1.”
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has become the latest member of President Obama’s Cabinet to give back a portion of his salary, the AP reports.
“The Treasury Department said that Lew would contribute a portion of his salary to non-profit organizations that are supporting people and programs adversely affected by automatic government spending cuts. The amount of Lew’s contribution and the organizations receiving the money are still being worked out.”
The New York Times notes Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also agreed to a pay cut.
“When you bring that up you get people who get crazy on us. And they’ll start saying, ‘Oh there you go comparing to the Nazis.’ And I understand the reaction, but it’s the truth.”
— Mike Huckabee, on his radio show, defending comparisons of the Obama administration to Nazi Germany.
“Declaring that he’s likely not done with politics,” former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) refused to rule out a run for office in New Hampshire, while describing the Granite State as ”almost a second home,” the AP reports.
Asked if he might challenge Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in 2014, Brown said: “I’m not going to rule out anything right now.”
ABC News: “A New Hampshire run would be feasible for him. The state’s
eligibility requirements to run for Senate are loose, and the Granite
State tends to be a friendlier territory for Republicans than
Massachusetts, offering greater political appeal for the former senator.”
Just as French President François Hollande is trying to impose budgetary discipline on his countrymen, his chief tax enforcer has admitted to hiding $770,000 in an offshore bank account, Businessweek reports.
“Budget Minister Jérôme Cahuzac, who resigned as budget minister two weeks ago, acknowledged this week that he lied to Hollande and others who questioned him after allegations about his secret overseas accounts surfaced several months ago.”
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) “has endorsed gay marriage, the latest in a string of lawmakers to change his position on the issue,” the Washington Post reports.
He becomes the 51st senator to announce his support for same-sex marriage.
“She’s brilliant and she’s dedicated, she’s tough. She also happens to be, by far, the best looking attorney general.”
— President Obama, quoted by the Washington Post, praising the appearance of California attorney general Kamala Harris (D).
BuzzFeed compiles a list of the 12 hottest attorney generals.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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