Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson sued a Wall Street Journal reporter for libel over an article from December in which the Republican mega-donor was described as “foul-mouthed,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Special Election in Chicago Today
Chicago-area voters head to the primary polls to select former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s successor, Roll Call reports.
Among the Democrats in the race, Robin Kelly is the candidate most political observers expect to win, but special elections are unpredictable. There are narrower paths to victory for former Rep. Debbie Halvorson and Anthony Beale.
“Adding to the uncertainty in the 2nd District special election is a crowded lower tier of candidates.”
The Chicago Tribune notes another big unknowns: “Voter turnout, already anticipated to
be very low, could be exacerbated by nasty weather.”
15 Things You Need to Know About the Sequester
Roll Call has the must-read list.
GOP Lawmaker Says Cheney Will Go to Hell
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) told a Libertarian conference over the weekend that former Vice President Dick Cheney would probably end up in hell for the Iraq War, the Huffington Post reports.
Said Jones: “Congress will not hold anyone to blame. Lyndon Johnson’s probably rotting in hell right now because of the Vietnam War, and he probably needs to move over for Dick Cheney.”
Boehner’s Big Bet
If the “let-the-cuts-happen” approach on the sequester seems risky, Politico notes the alternative for Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is worse.
“Jump-start negotiations with Obama, and he would be slammed for engaging in out-of-sight, secret talks with a president his party doesn’t trust. Raise taxes, and Boehner’s courting trouble in his conference and endangering his speakership. Both are simply nonstarters.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Fox News that Boehner would lose his speakership if he agreed to a deal with the president that included new tax revenues.
Quote of the Day
“This is not time for a road-show president.”
— Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), quoted by the Washington Post, criticizing President Obama for his planned trips this week to highlight the damage that will be caused by the sequester.
Prominent Republicans Back Gay Marriage
“Dozens of prominent Republicans — including top advisers to former President George W. Bush, four former governors and two members of Congress — have signed a legal brief arguing that gay people have a constitutional right to marry, a position that amounts to a direct challenge to Speaker John A. Boehner and reflects the civil war in the party since the November election,” the New York Times reports.
The Supreme Court next month will hear back-to-back arguments in a suit seeking to strike down Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative barring same-sex marriage, and another case that challenges the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act.”
“Legal analysts said the brief had the potential to sway conservative justices as much for the prominent names attached to it as for its legal arguments.”
More Find Republicans to Blame for Sequester
A new Pew Research/Wasington Post poll finds 45% of Americans say Republicans in Congress are to blame for the upcoming automatic budget cuts, while 32% say it’s President Obama’s fault.
Hutchinson Leads for Arkansas Governor
A new Hendrix College poll finds Asa Hutchinson (R) well ahead of two Democratic challengers in the 2014 gubernatorial race.
Hutchinson leads Bill Halter (D), 47% to 31%, and tops Mike Ross (D), 43% to 38%.
Bork Says Nixon Offered Him Supreme Court Appointment
“Robert Bork says President Richard Nixon promised him the next Supreme Court vacancy after Bork complied with Nixon’s order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox in 1973,” the AP reports.
“Bork’s recollection of his role in the Saturday Night Massacre that culminated in Cox’s firing is at the center of his slim memoir, Saving Justice, that is being published posthumously by Encounter Books. Bork died in December at age 85.”
Hagel Battle Points to Future Fights
Roll Call: “The Senate is expected this week to confirm Chuck Hagel to be the
next Pentagon chief, but the weeks-long partisan battle over the former
Republican senator from Nebraska has provided a taste of some of the
biggest national security fights that lay ahead.”
Italian Vote Points to an Impasse
“Early results from Italy’s election suggest the houses of parliament may split between left and right, causing new anxiety in the eurozone,” the BBC reports.
“Projections suggest Pier Luigi Bersani’s centre-left bloc has a narrow lead in the lower house while Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right is ahead in the powerful Senate. A protest movement led by comedian Beppe Grillo surged into third place.”
Obama Warns Sequester Won’t Be Felt Immediately
President Obama told the National Governors Association that the impacts of the fast-approaching sequestration “will not all be felt on day one,” but added, “the longer these cuts are in place, the bigger the impact will become,” CBS News reports.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m a
Reagan Republican, which makes me left of center in my party.”
— Former Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), quoted by the New Yorker.
Report Says Cuts Would Impact Agency That Doesn’t Exist
Reason reports that a Office of Management and Budget report warning of the cuts mandated by sequestration would affect an agency that no longer exists.
“The first line item on page 121 of the OMB’s September 2012 report says that under sequestration the National Drug Intelligence Center would lose $2 million of its $20 million budget. While that’s slightly more than 8.2 percent (rounding error or scare tactic?), the bigger problem is that the National Drug Intelligence Center shuttered its doors on June 15, 2012–three months before the OMB issued its report to Congress.”
Judd Acting Like a Senate Candidate
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) told ABC News that he “would be surprised” if Ashley Judd doesn’t run for U.S. Senate against Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in 2014.
Said Yarmuth: “My impression is this is something she wants to do, and she is now taking the time to make the contacts she needs to make throughout the state to try and generate commitments of support and in some cases fundraising. She is certainly acting like a candidate, a potential candidate.”
He added: “I think in her own mind… she has made a decision to run and she’s doing the right thing and not ruffling any feathers along the way.”
The End of Big
Coming soon: The End of Big: How the Internet Makes David the New Goliath by Nicco Mele.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“If I was the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I’d probably be freaked out.”
— Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), quoted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, on the impact of sequestration on states with a large defense presence.
