Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said that he supports civil unions for same-sex couples but a spokesman later said that the Republican governor “misspoke when he expressed support for the legal partnerships,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“We own talk radio, and Fox News for the most part.”
— Rush Limbaugh, on his radio show, on the influence of conservatives.
12 New Paintings by George W. Bush
Gawker “has obtained more photographs of George W. Bush’s paintings,
originally taken from the former president and his family’s email
accounts by a hacker using the name ‘Guccifer,’ and this may be the most
interesting batch yet.”
Democrats Plot Strategy for Vote-a-Rama
“Political warfare over the budget in Congress took a new twist Thursday as Senate Democrats openly schemed ahead of the blizzard of votes expected this week,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Democrats want to make sure that Senate Republicans are forced to put their support or opposition for Mr. Ryan’s budget on the record. Budget votes can carry political ramifications: Last week, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign said it would target 14 House Republicans who might run for Senate seats in 2014 by trying to tie the lawmakers directly to Mr. Ryan’s budget proposal.”
Roll Call: 10 Senate amendments to watch for.
How to Handle a Heckler
President Obama smoothly dealt with a heckler at a speech in Israel today.
Romney Campaign Chief to Head GOP Oppo Group
Former Mitt Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades will lead a new GOP research outfit called “America Rising” dedicated to improving the party’s opposition research efforts, CNN reports.
Said Rhoades: “We plan to start this enterprise because so many Republicans seem to agree that there is a need on our side of the aisle for an entity that is focused on solely holding Democrats accountable for their actions and records using research, candidate tracking, rapid response and digital tools.”
Obama Approval Slips as Pessimism Rises
A new Pew Research survey finds President Obama’s job approval rating has tumbled since shortly after his re-election, from 55% to 47%, “as the public’s economic expectations for the coming year have soured”
Nonetheless, Obama “retains greater public confidence than congressional Republicans in
dealing with the budget deficit: 53% express at least a fair amount of
confidence in him to handle the budget, compared with 39% who express
the same confidence in GOP leaders.”
Warner Says Debt Deal is Possible
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) “placed the odds for a bipartisan debt-reduction deal at better than 50-50, and outlined plans to roll out fresh ideas in the coming weeks on where to find the revenue to finance it,” Bloomberg reports.
Bloomberg Will Be Watching Gun Vote
In a joint appearance with Vice President Biden, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has spent millions of dollars to defeat pro-gun congressional candidates, says he’ll be paying careful attention to the vote on an amendment to put an assault weapons ban back into gun control legislation, Ruby Cramer reports.
Said Bloomberg: “Everyone’s gonna have to stand up and say, ‘yea’ or ‘nay,’ and then the rest of us have to decide just how we feel about people and their stances.”
David Hawkings: “In electoral terms, Biden’s trip wasn’t about winning over swing voters; it was about bucking up the base. In other words, it’s not about pushing as hard as possible to eke out a majority in a vote that can’t be postponed. It’s about keeping core supporters hopeful and generous for a campaign that’s now going to last as long as the rest of this presidency.”
Bachmann Says Obamacare Will Literally Kill You
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) said that Obamacare will “kill” vulnerable women and children during a speech on the House floor.
Said Bachmann: “That’s why we’re here because we’re saying let’s repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens. Let’s not do that. Let’s love people, let’s care about people. Let’s repeal it now while we can.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m not gay. So I’m not going to marry one.”
— Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), quoted by Politico, when asked if his views on gay marriage were changing.
House Republicans Will Deal on Taxes
Ron Fournier: “House Speaker John Boehner has stubbornly insisted he will not bargain with Obama one-on-one. He also says the House, after increasing taxes by $600 billion last year, will not raise new revenue.”
“Don’t believe him. Don’t mistake a negotiating position for reality. House Republicans tell me they are open to exchanging entitlement reform for new taxes — $250 billion to $300 billion, or approximately the amount that Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania proposed raising over 10 years under the guise of ‘tax reform.'”
Meanwhile, Roll Call breaks down the 10 Republicans who voted against the Ryan budget plan.
Quote of the Day
“My campaign headquarters last summer we shared with a dispensary. You could see the sign, it was like: ‘Marijuana, Jared Polis.’ Marijuana outperformed me by 10 points, so it was a great association for me.”
— Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), quoted by National Journal, on a medical marijuana dispensary in his home state of Colorado which legalized recreational use of marijuana in last year’s elections.
Why Obama Should Cave on Taxes
Michael Grunwald argues that President Obama should cave to Republicans and agree not to seek additional tax revenue — “not to appease the chattering classes, unify Washington or show the country he’s open to compromise. He should cave to ease pain, advance his agenda and improve the country in tangible ways.”
“Forget the dopey spats over White House tours and Easter-egg rolls. The sequester will cause real harm, so the President ought to at least try to replace it. And the pursuit of new revenue, while a reasonable goal, is not as important as his other goals–like avoiding short-term austerity that could derail the recovery, promoting long-term prosperity through targeted investments and tax reform, moving the budget in a fairer direction and preventing the GOP from taking more hostages in the future. He can’t possibly get a deal with everything he wants. But Republicans are so eager to avoid new taxes–and to make Obama look weak–that he might get a lot of what he wants if he gives them their top priority.”
Greg Sargent: “Which is worse, indefinite sequestration or a grand bargain that includes serious entitlement cuts?”
Georgia Delegation Faces High Turnover
Roll Call: “As the end of the first quarter approaches, Georgia is shaping up to
be ground zero for the most congressional turnover in the 2014 cycle. No
other open Senate seat so far this cycle has produced as much jockeying
among the House delegation as in the Peach State, where as many as five
members could be poised to run statewide.”
The GOP Disconnect on the Budget
Nancy Cook:
“The Republican National Committee may want to send a few extra copies
of the election postmortem it released this week over to Capitol Hill.
Judging by the budget blueprints put forth by congressional Republicans,
they didn’t get the memo.”
No Americans on Kill List
National Journal:
“No Americans are currently marked for death on the U.S. government’s
terrorist strike list, according to the chairman of the House
Intelligence Committee. The White House has wrapped its kill list in
secrecy and already the United States has killed four Americans in drone
strikes. Only one of them, senior al-Qaida operative Anwar al-Awlaki,
was the intended target, according to U.S. officials. The
others–including Awlaki’s teenage son–were collateral damage, killed
because they were too near a person being targeted.”
No Shutdown Showdown This Time
The New York Times reports the Senate “by a vote of 73-26 passed a spending measure that caps spending for programs within Congress’s annual discretion at $984 billion. The House is expected to pass the measure as soon as Thursday, eliminating any current threat of a government shutdown. The final Senate bill did ease the hit of the automatic cuts known as sequestration somewhat, especially those that could hurt vulnerable Democrats.”
