Mike Huckabee was asked by Newsmax if he thinks the Republican party will eventually support same-sex marriage.
Said Huckabee: “They might. And if they do, they’re going to lose a large part of their base because evangelicals will take a walk.”
Gohmert Tried to Get Out of Parking Ticket
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) “got into a late-night verbal altercation with U.S. Park Police officers earlier this month, pulling rank in an attempt to get out of a parking ticket near the Lincoln Memorial,” Politico reports.
“He told the Park Police that his congressional parking placard allows him to park in that spot, and he’s on the committee that oversees the agency.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I am going to spend the entire day with Prince Harry. Believe me, no one is going to be getting naked.”
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, in a radio interview on Prince Harry’s visit to New Jersey.
Nevada May Expel Troubled Lawmaker
Troubled Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks (D) “was recommended for expulsion from the Legislature by a panel of his colleagues Tuesday, the culmination of more than three hours of closed-door debate about his fitness to serve,” the Las Vegas Review Journal reports.
The panel voted 6-1 to oust Brooks from his seat “following weeks of erratic behavior, including a domestic violence arrest and alleged threats of violence toward Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D)… The full Assembly will now decide Brooks’ fate, a decision that could come as early as Wednesday. An action to expel Brooks will require a two-thirds vote, and would be unprecedented in Nevada history.”
The Tax Hike No One Noticed
Wonk Wire: Nearly half of Americans surveyed have no idea their taxes went up this year.
Why the Sequester Happened
Charlie Cook: “It has long been true in Washington
that it is harder to stop something than to do something. The late House
Speaker Sam Rayburn was fond of saying, ‘Any jackass can kick down a
barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.’ Today, even the best
carpenters in this process are rendered ineffective and are
outnumbered.”
King Leaning Towards Senate Bid in Iowa
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) hinted that he is leaning toward a run next
year for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom
Harkin (D-IA), saying the odds are “a little more than 50-50” that he will
launch a campaign, the Des Moines Register reports.
Said King: “I have never wanted to be the guy who looked back
and said, ‘Woulda, coulda, shoulda…’ So that is part of the
consideration.”
Race for Virginia Governor Still a Toss Up
A new Quinnipiac poll in Virginia finds Ken Cuccinelli (R) edging Terry McAuliffe (D) in the race for governor, 40% to 38%, but neither is well-known to voters.
The decision by Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling that he would not run for governor as an independent has had no effect on matchup as the current dead heat is the same as two previous surveys this year.
Said pollster Peter Brown: “Neither candidate for governor is that well known to voters although Cuccinelli has a small edge in that department. Because of their relatively low profiles at this point, the horse race numbers pretty much reflect a generic Democratic-Republican race.”
Congressional Approval Improves Among Hispanics
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds the popularity of the U.S. Congress, while weak overall, has gained sharply among Hispanics, likely reflecting its current efforts on immigration reform.
Key findings: “Strongly negative views of Congress haven’t changed compared with 2011 among Americans overall. But among Hispanics, strongly negative opinions have eased, shrinking what was a 27-point negative gap in intensity (6-33 percent) to an even split now (17-16 percent).”
Support Fades for Tougher Gun Laws
A new CBS News poll finds support for stricter gun control laws overall “has dropped since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School from 57% then to 47% now.”
Perry Says Texans Oppose Gay Marriage
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) reiterated his stance against same-sex unions, the Dallas Morning News reports.
Said Perry: “In Texas, it is fairly clear about where this state stands on that issue. As recently as a constitutional amendment that passed – I believe, with 76% of the vote. The people of the state of Texas, myself included, believe marriage is between one man and one woman.”
Quote of the Day
“Needless to say, I join you keenly aware that I am regarded in a different light now than I was a year ago. I am also keenly aware that the reason for my recent journey was my own doing.”
— Former CIA Director David Petraeus, quoted by the Washington Post, apologizing publicly for the extramarital affair that forced him to resign.
Retirements Shape Senate Landscape
Roll Call: “With the latest Senate Democrat’s retirement announcement, there are now three open Democratic seats in highly competitive states. That’s half the total number of seats Senate Republicans must net to win the majority.”
Democratic Holdouts Against Gay Marriage Dwindling Fast
David Freedlander notes that potential Democratic 2016 contenders may be shifting on same-sex marriage at breathtaking speed — Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine, and Gov. Brian Schweitzer this week alone — but he’s found a few last opponents.
Marc Ambinder: How gay rights tipped so quickly.
New Jersey Voters Split on Menendez
A new Quinnipiac University poll in New Jersey finds voters are divided on scandal-plagued Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) with 40% approving and 41% disapproving.
Markey Keeps Lead Over Lynch
A new WBUR poll in Massachusetts finds Rep. Ed Markey leading Rep. Stephen Lynch by double-digits in the Democratic Senate primary, 35% to 24% but 30% are still undecided or don’t know the candidates.
On the Republican side, Michael Sullivan (R) leads Daniel Winslow (R), 28% to 10%, with Gabriel Gomez at 8%.
Justices Hear Second Gay Marriage Case
The Supreme Court “returns to the subject of same-sex marriage for a second day on Wednesday, when the justices hear arguments about the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996,” the New York Times reports.
“The 1996 law defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman for purposes of more than 1,000 federal laws and programs, and it thus excludes married same-sex couples from benefits to which their opposite-sex counterparts are entitled.”
Washington Post: “The Obama administration has said that it will not defend the law, known as DOMA, and lower courts have said it is unconstitutional to deny federal benefits to same-sex couples who are legally married in the states where they live while offering the same benefits to opposite-sex married couples.”
Wonk Wire has an overview of the case.
