Sunday, April 21, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Lawmaker Tries to Force Commissar to Lie Repeatedly!
US Media: Can Pope Francis possibly clear up Vatican bureaucracy and banking without blaming the previous administration?
Michelle Obama praises weekend rampage by Chicago teens as good way to burn calories and stay healthy
White House to American children: Sequester causes layoffs among hens that lay Easter eggs; union-wage Easter Bunnies to be replaced by Mexican Chupacabras
Time Mag names Hugo Chavez world’s sexiest corpse
Boy, 8, pretends banana is gun, makes daring escape from school
Oscars 2013: Michelle Obama announces long-awaited merger of Hollywood and the State
Joe Salazar defends the right of women to be raped in gun-free environment: ‘rapists and rapees should work together to prevent gun violence for the common good’
Dept. of Health and Human Services eliminates rape by reclassifying assailants as ‘undocumented sex partners’
Deeming football too violent, Obama moves to introduce Super Drone Sundays instead
Japan offers to extend nuclear umbrella to cover U.S. should America suffer devastating attack on its own defense spending
Feminists organize one billion women to protest male oppression with one billion lap dances
Urban community protests Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on extra-large pop singers owning assault weapons
Concerned with mounting death toll, Taliban offers to send peacekeeping advisers to Chicago
Karl Rove puts an end to Tea Party with new ‘Republicans For Democrats’ strategy aimed at losing elections
Answering public skepticism, President Obama authorizes unlimited drone attacks on all skeet targets throughout the country
Skeet Ulrich denies claims he had been shot by President but considers changing his name to ‘Traps’
New York Times hacked by Chinese government, Paul Krugman’s economic policies stolen
White House: when President shoots skeet, he donates the meat to food banks that feed the middle class
To prove he is serious, Obama eliminates armed guard protection for President, Vice-President, and their families; establishes Gun-Free Zones around them instead
State Dept to send 100,000 American college students to China as security for US debt obligations
Jay Carney: Al Qaeda is on the run, they’re just running forward
Fearing the worst, Obama Administration outlaws the fan to prevent it from being hit by certain objects
World ends; S&P soars
Riddle of universe solved; answer not understood
Greece abandons Euro; accountants find Greece has no Euros anyway
Wheel finally reinvented; axles to be gradually reinvented in 3rd quarter of 2013
As Santa’s workshop files for bankruptcy, Fed offers bailout in exchange for control of ‘naughty and nice’ list
Freak flying pig accident causes bacon to fly off shelves
Report: President Obama to visit the United States in the near future
Obama promises to create thousands more economically neutral jobs
Imam Rauf’s peaceful solution: ‘Move Ground Zero a few blocks away from the mosque and no one gets hurt’
Study: Obama’s threat to burn tax money in Washington ‘recruitment bonanza’ for Tea Parties
Study: no Social Security reform will be needed if gov’t raises retirement age to at least 814 years
Vice President Biden: criticizing Egypt is un-pharaoh
Israelis to Egyptian rioters: “don’t damage the pyramids, we will not rebuild”
Lake Superior renamed Lake Inferior in spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness
Michael Moore: As long as there is anyone with money to shake down, this country is not broke
Obama’s teleprompters unionize, demand collective bargaining rights
Obama calls new taxes ‘spending reductions in tax code.’ Elsewhere rapists tout ‘consent reductions in sexual intercourse’
Obama’s Regulation Reduction committee finds US Constitution to be expensive outdated framework inefficiently regulating federal gov’t
Taking a page from the Reagan years, Obama announces new era of Perestroika and Glasnost
White House to impose Chimney tax on Santa Claus
Obama decrees the economy is not soaring as much as previously decreeed
Conservative think tank introduces children to capitalism with pop-up picture book “The Road to Smurfdom”
Obama refutes charges of him being unresponsive to people’s suffering: “When you pray to God, do you always hear a response?”
Fluke to Congress: drill, baby, drill!
Planned Parenthood introduces Frequent Flucker reward card: ‘Come again soon!’
Obama to tornado victims: ‘We inherited this weather from the previous administration’
People’s Cube gives itself Hero of Socialist Labor medal in recognition of continued expert advice provided to the Obama Administration helping to shape its foreign and domestic policies
Hamas: Israeli air defense unfair to 99% of our missiles, “only 1% allowed to reach Israel”
Voters Without Borders oppose Texas new voter ID law
Enraged by accusation that they are doing Obama’s bidding, media leaders demand instructions from White House on how to respond
Official: China plans to land on Moon or at least on cheap knockoff thereof
Koran-Contra: Obama secretly arms Syrian rebels
Poll: Progressive slogan ‘We should be more like Europe’ most popular with members of American Nazi Party
May Day: Anarchists plan, schedule, synchronize, and execute a coordinated campaign against all of the above
Midwestern farmers hooked on new erotic novel “50 Shades of Hay”
Study: 99% of Liberals give the rest a bad name
Obama meets with Jewish leaders, proposes deeper circumcisions for the rich
Cancer once again fails to cure Venezuela of its “President for Life”
Tragic spelling error causes Muslim protesters to burn local boob-tube factory
White House: “Let them eat statistics”
Special Ops: if Benedict Arnold had a son, he would look like Barack Obama
I Own The World
Supercommissar Maksim
It’s Big Fur Hat
Blur-Brain
Terry Colon
The Fine Report
The Looking Spoon
Sad Hill News
Professor Kurgman
kathy blog
FAQster
AWOL Civilization
BestObamaFacts.com
Looking at the Left
Red Planet Cartoons
Julia Gorin
Brain Terminal
Death By 1000 Papercuts
Zombietime
Lawmaker Tries to Force Commissar to Lie Repeatedly!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
OBAMA TRIES TO WOO GOP WITH BUDGET, Coburn: Is gun filibuster about Rand Paul?, The gay marriage backer"s playbook, A mixed homecoming for Portman, USA Today front: Airport cutbacks on the radar
(swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)
OBAMA BUDGET CALLS FOR CUTS TO ENTITLEMENTS, FEWER TAX HIKES – Zachary Goldfarb reports this morning for the Washington Post: “President Obama will release a budget next week that proposes significant cuts to Medicare and Social Security and fewer tax hikes than in the past, a conciliatory approach that he hopes will convince Republicans to sign onto a grand bargain that would curb government borrowing and replace deep spending cuts that took effect March 1. When he unveils the budget on Wednesday, Obama will break with the tradition of providing a sweeping vision of his ideal spending priorities, untethered from political realities. Instead, the document will incorporate the compromise offer Obama made to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) last December in the discussions over the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ – which included $ 1.8 trillion in deficit reduction through spending cuts and tax increases. …
– “While Republicans are certain to be skeptical of Obama’s call for more taxes, the president also is likely to face immediate heat over his budget proposal from some Democrats and liberal supporters. Obama proposes, for instance, to change the cost-of-living calculation for Social Security in a way that will reduce benefits for most beneficiaries, a key Republican request that he had earlier embraced only as part of a compromise. Many Democrats say they are opposed to any Social Security cuts and are likely to be furious that such cuts are now being proposed as official administration policy.” http://wapo.st/XhtokK
88,000 JOBS ADDED IN MARCH – Seung Min Kim reports for POLITICO: “The economy added 88,000 jobs in March while unemployment dropped to 7.6 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday. The number was far below the expectations of analysts who predicted the economy added about 190,000 jobs last month. Friday’s jobs report is the first to reflect the post-sequester world. With a divided Washington unable to reach a deal, a series of automatic budget cuts to nearly all government programs kicked in March 1, and economists have warned that the sequester could take a hammer to the still-recovering economy. In particular, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has projected the sequester could cost the economy 750,000 jobs this year and scale back economic growth by 0.6 percent.” http://politi.co/16Bl5Do
COBURN: IS GUN FILIBUSTER ABOUT 2ND AMENDMENT ‘OR IS THAT ABOUT RAND PAUL?’ – Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a conservative and gun-rights advocate, has come under enormous pressure during recess to back away from any bipartisan talks about gun-control measures, The Wall Street Journal’s Janet Hook and Kristina Peterson: “After Mr. Coburn was asked multiple times an identically worded question about whether he would join Mr. Paul’s effort to block gun legislation as he traveled around Oklahoma in recent days, Mr. Coburn bristled at the idea that Mr. Paul would threaten to filibuster a bill before its contents were made final. ‘Is that about filibustering a bill to protect the Second Amendment, or is that about Rand Paul?’ Mr. Coburn said at a town-hall meeting at the Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie, Okla., on Wednesday. ‘I’ve done more filibusters than Rand Paul is old,’ Mr. Coburn said, but he added that he doesn’t announce such moves before he understands the bill. http://on.wsj.com/10EaIcH
COMING MONDAY: POLITICO Pro will unveil Pro Report, an end of the day newsletter designed just for Pros. This is something many of you have been asking for: The most essential policy news that broke since the morning cycle – all in one place. The roundup will also offer a sneak peek into the next day’s biggest storylines. Pro Report will be sent to all Pro readers by 6 p.m. every weekday and published later that evening on POLITICO’s home page. An excerpt of the newsletter will also appear in the next morning’s print edition.
THE GAY-MARRIAGE BACKER’S PLAYBOOK – Lois Romano and Katie Glueck write for the hometown paper: “There’s clearly a new playbook for senators just now coming out for gay marriage: quietly post something on Facebook, slip it into your Tumblr feed or release a statement to friendly media outlets. What most lawmakers are not doing is talking for the cameras. In the past month, 11 senators have endorsed gay marriage, providing a nearly daily storyline of increased support for marriage equality. Lawmakers say they’ve ‘prayed,’ ‘evolved,’ discovered gay children to stand behind or had epiphanies following an illness. ‘It’s sort of been like flower-of-the-month club,’ said LGBT activist David Mixner.
– “Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is the latest, sending a statement Thursday to the Tampa Bay Times. ‘Simply put, if The Lord made homosexuals as well as heterosexuals, why should I discriminate against their civil marriage? I shouldn’t, and I won’t,’ Nelson said. But for all the hoopla over their announcements, combined with media coverage of last month’s Supreme Court arguments on the issue, these moments are scripted to be public — but not too public. There’s little footage available for opponents to use in the next campaign or live interviews with reporters who might ask difficult or inconvenient questions. The fact that so many of these announcements are coming from lawmakers who are retiring or just reelected helps make it even safer for them to take a stand. … Sticking with Facebook posts or issuing a simple statement can also help avoid freelancing on live television and going beyond the language they previously wrote or approved.” http://politi.co/10CADS1
NELSON BECAME THE 51ST SENATOR TO BACK GAY MARRIAGE, notes Roll Call’s Emily Pierce. There are now just six Senate Democrats who oppose it: Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Tim Johnson of South Dakota. http://bit.ly/10EdYEQ
A MIXED HOMECOMING FOR PORTMAN – The New York Times’ Trip Gabriel reports from Cincinnati: “No one heckled Senator Rob Portman during his first appearance before thousands of Ohioans since becoming the most prominent elected Republican in the country to endorse same-sex marriage. ‘Wouldn’t you say,’ he said, turning to his wife, Jane, after marching in an opening day parade for the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, ‘that most of the comments were thank yous and thumbs up and ‘You did the right thing’?’ True, but for some of the Ohioans who acknowledged Mr. Portman, doubts flickered below the surface. ‘Senator!’ said one spectator, Pete Kidnocker, reaching out to shake Mr. Portman’s hand. But after Mr. Portman passed, Mr. Kidnocker said he would vote for an alternative in a Republican primary and accused the senator of ‘betraying his principles.’ ‘If you’re a Christian and you believe in those principles, whether your son or daughter is a homosexual, you can’t change your principles,’ he said.
– “Mr. Portman’s reversal of his long-held opposition to same-sex marriage — he said it was spurred by a son’s disclosure that he is gay — has intensified and quickened debate over the issue here in his home state. Though his shift has been welcomed by gay rights advocates as an example of how a family’s love can change minds, social conservatives have denounced Mr. Portman and vowed to block his re-election. … One impact of Mr. Portman’s change of heart has been to fuel a movement seeking the repeal of a constitutional amendment in Ohio that bans same-sex marriage, according to the group leading the effort, FreedomOhio. Requests to download petitions from the group’s Web site more than doubled overnight, to 50 a day, after Mr. Portman’s announcement, said Ian James, a co-founder of FreedomOhio. ‘His endorsement of freedom to marry, I would submit, has done more than any politician other than Barack Obama,’ Mr. James said.” http://nyti.ms/Xtixql
New York Times, A1, “Schumer’s new brief: Turning foes into friends,” By Jeremy W. Peters: “For much of the last decade, Senator Charles E. Schumer’s job was to bury Republicans, as one of his party’s most ruthless strategists and tireless fund-raisers. It was a job he did so effectively that he was asked to do it twice. But to watch Mr. Schumer operate these days, it would seem he has managed to get some Republicans to forget. There are now regular early-morning chats on immigration reform with Marco Rubio in the Senate gym. There was the excursion last week to the Mexican border with John McCain, who after learning that their visit would fall during Passover offered, ‘I’ll bring the latkes.’ Just this week, Mr. Schumer spent a good deal of time on the phone with Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, one of the Senate’s most unyielding conservatives, trying to keep the door open to a deal that would expand background checks for all gun sales.
– “No one in the Senate right now has a legislative portfolio thicker than Mr. Schumer’s, and no one’s political fortunes are as closely linked to the outcome of the major public policy fights now consuming Congress. He is not only a whisperer to Republicans but also an envoy to the White House and a trusted confidant to the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, who having handpicked Mr. Schumer to keep Republicans in the minority is now counting on him as his most important bipartisan bridge builder. … If Congress passes comprehensive legislation on either of these issues, few lawmakers will be able to claim more credit than Mr. Schumer. He would add to his résumé a significant achievement that could make it easier to attain what colleagues believe is his ultimate goal after Mr. Reid steps aside: the majority leader’s post. But if these efforts fail, few will shoulder more of the blame.” http://nyti.ms/YzYaqe Schumer Slideshow: http://nyti.ms/ZDsR9i
POLITICO FLASHBACK: “Schumer plays role of deal maker,” Feb. 25: http://politi.co/WnQwKY
GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 5, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.
My new followers include @DreenaWhitfield and @jehred00.
TODAY IN CONGRESS – The House and Senate are in recess this week.
AIRPORT CUTBACKS ON THE RADAR – In two front-page stories on the sequester cuts, USA Today warns about longer lines for international travelers and pilots turning to ‘see-and-avoid’ as airport towers around the country go dark: “Starting Sunday, tens of thousands of pilots flying each day will have to rely increasingly on ‘see-and-avoid’ as the Federal Aviation Administration begins to close nearly a third of its air-traffic control towers to cut costs,” writes Thomas Frank. “The 149 affected airports — small facilities in 38 states catering to private and commuter flights — will remain open but without controllers to keep airplanes a safe distance apart and to warn pilots about runway hazards they may not see. The tower closures are among thousands of steps federal officials are taking to cut $ 85 billion in spending this year as a 2011 law requires. But unlike furloughs, removing 871 controllers who guide 8 million planes a year around airports raises fears that pilots, passengers and bystanders will be killed. ‘You’re putting people’s lives at risk,’ said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who is trying to restore funding for the control towers, including five in his state. ‘It’s like taking down the stop signs in your town.’ …
– “U.S. airplane collisions have killed an average of 30 people a year since 1982 — a total of 910 deaths, according to a USA TODAY review of federal records. Another 167 people have been seriously injured, and 729 airplanes have been destroyed or substantially damaged in the collisions, the records show.” Check out the interactive map of where these tower closures are located: http://usat.ly/11w5IdV PDF of front page: http://bit.ly/14Jbr36
– And international travelers are facing longer waits at customs checkpoints, Bart Jansen reports: “Travelers taking off from the nation’s biggest airports aren’t facing longer security lines from federal spending cuts yet, but many of those arriving from overseas are. A USA TODAY survey of airport officials and travelers at Atlanta, Chicago’s O’Hare, Los Angeles, Miami, New York’s JFK and Washington Dulles this week finds that lines at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints aren’t noticeably longer for most departing passengers a month after federal spending cuts were imposed. However, customs lines for many people arriving on international flights are growing — prompting Los Angeles airport officials to hold passengers on planes for up to an hour at busy times before letting them into terminals.” http://usat.ly/Y2gN25
CONSERVATIVE GROUPS BACK IMMIGRATION REFORM – Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman report for POLITICO: “High-profile conservative groups are taking on an unexpected cause: passing immigration reform. A diverse mix of the Washington consultant class is cutting TV ads, revving up the grassroots and advising lawmakers on messaging and strategy in hopes of getting a bill across the finish line this year. The surprising effort is a new element to the immigration debate — and one that could influence Republican lawmakers reluctant to support the cause. The next few weeks will be a critical phase for the immigration fight, as lawmakers return to Washington from a two-week recess to face mounting pressure from advocates on both sides.
–“‘We’re doing it to make sure…that Republican congressman and senators feel comfortable,” said American for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist in an interview. “They look out and hear the guys on talk radio, and they go ‘Oh my goodness, everybody out there thinks this. That’s not necessarily where I was, but I guess if everybody thinks that way, I’ll either be quiet or go along, or I’ll listen to them so they can convince me.’ They’re now hearing the other side of the issue.’ Conservatives say the strongest case in favor of immigration reform is an economic one, not values-based, arguing that an expanded pool of legal workers will boost the economy — the message that tests best in focus groups.” http://politi.co/16vyYky
– One of the next fights for the Gang of Eight will be what to name the immigration bill, The Hill’s Molly Hooper writes: http://bit.ly/Xtonbd
– Mark Zuckerberg’s new immigration group is stumbling out of the gates, POLITICO’s Reid Epstein reports: http://politi.co/YzkMXF
A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP has been confusing to Americans, writes NYT’s Julia Preston: “In six nationwide nonpartisan polls released since January, at least 70 percent of Americans said they supported options allowing those immigrants to remain in the country with some form of legal status. Generally only about one-quarter of those polled said the immigrants should not be allowed to stay. But results vary widely when Americans are asked whether legal status should include the possibility of citizenship. In a large national poll released on March 21 by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution, 63 percent of Americans said immigrants here illegally should be allowed to become citizens if they met certain requirements. In a poll published a week later by the Pew Research Center, which asked about citizenship in a slightly different way, only 43 percent said they would give citizenship to the immigrants, while 24 percent said the immigrants should be allowed to stay as permanent residents but not citizens. The 20-point gap points to a difficulty facing lawmakers as they sell their proposals to revamp the immigration system: its procedures are unfamiliar and puzzling to many Americans.” http://nyti.ms/13X4WdG
SPRING TRAINING OVER FOR COLBERT BUSCH – Alex Isenstadt reports for POLITICO: “For months, rookie South Carolina congressional candidate Elizabeth Colbert Busch has had the luxury of kicking back and watching Republicans fight among themselves. With a big hand from her famous brother, comedian Stephen Colbert, she’s drawn money and publicity that other first-time office seekers could only dream of. Spring training is over now. With former Gov. Mark Sanford’s GOP primary battle behind him, Republicans say they’re laying the groundwork for a scorched-earth general election, branding Colbert Busch as a down-the-line liberal who’s out of step with the 1st District’s conservative electorate. She will have to show she can go toe-to-toe with a seasoned, though obviously flawed opponent who was once regarded as potential presidential material. Sanford’s general election strategy is straightforward: divert attention from his own personal baggage, and make the race about Colbert Busch’s support for the policies of the national Democratic Party — in a district where those policies are not popular.” http://politi.co/16vzaAj
THURSDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – We have a tie: Both James McCaghren and Tom Flanagin correctly answered just seconds apart that Thomas Hart Benton, who would go on to become a senator from Missouri, shot Andrew Jackson, the future president, in a street brawl in 1813.
TODAY’S TRIVIA – Jerry Skurnik has today’s question: Who is the only U.S. Senator to graduate from a branch of City University of New York? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.
GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/
POLITICO – Top 10 – The Huddle
OBAMA TRIES TO WOO GOP WITH BUDGET, Coburn: Is gun filibuster about Rand Paul?, The gay marriage backer"s playbook, A mixed homecoming for Portman, USA Today front: Airport cutbacks on the radar
Friday, April 5, 2013
OBAMA TRIES TO WOO GOP WITH BUDGET, Coburn: Is gun filibuster about Rand Paul?, The gay marriage backer"s playbook, A mixed homecoming for Portman, USA Today front: Airport cutbacks on the radar
(swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)
OBAMA BUDGET CALLS FOR CUTS TO ENTITLEMENTS, FEWER TAX HIKES – Zachary Goldfarb reports this morning for the Washington Post: “President Obama will release a budget next week that proposes significant cuts to Medicare and Social Security and fewer tax hikes than in the past, a conciliatory approach that he hopes will convince Republicans to sign onto a grand bargain that would curb government borrowing and replace deep spending cuts that took effect March 1. When he unveils the budget on Wednesday, Obama will break with the tradition of providing a sweeping vision of his ideal spending priorities, untethered from political realities. Instead, the document will incorporate the compromise offer Obama made to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) last December in the discussions over the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ – which included $ 1.8 trillion in deficit reduction through spending cuts and tax increases. …
– “While Republicans are certain to be skeptical of Obama’s call for more taxes, the president also is likely to face immediate heat over his budget proposal from some Democrats and liberal supporters. Obama proposes, for instance, to change the cost-of-living calculation for Social Security in a way that will reduce benefits for most beneficiaries, a key Republican request that he had earlier embraced only as part of a compromise. Many Democrats say they are opposed to any Social Security cuts and are likely to be furious that such cuts are now being proposed as official administration policy.” http://wapo.st/XhtokK
88,000 JOBS ADDED IN MARCH – Seung Min Kim reports for POLITICO: “The economy added 88,000 jobs in March while unemployment dropped to 7.6 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday. The number was far below the expectations of analysts who predicted the economy added about 190,000 jobs last month. Friday’s jobs report is the first to reflect the post-sequester world. With a divided Washington unable to reach a deal, a series of automatic budget cuts to nearly all government programs kicked in March 1, and economists have warned that the sequester could take a hammer to the still-recovering economy. In particular, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has projected the sequester could cost the economy 750,000 jobs this year and scale back economic growth by 0.6 percent.” http://politi.co/16Bl5Do
COBURN: IS GUN FILIBUSTER ABOUT 2ND AMENDMENT ‘OR IS THAT ABOUT RAND PAUL?’ – Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a conservative and gun-rights advocate, has come under enormous pressure during recess to back away from any bipartisan talks about gun-control measures, The Wall Street Journal’s Janet Hook and Kristina Peterson: “After Mr. Coburn was asked multiple times an identically worded question about whether he would join Mr. Paul’s effort to block gun legislation as he traveled around Oklahoma in recent days, Mr. Coburn bristled at the idea that Mr. Paul would threaten to filibuster a bill before its contents were made final. ‘Is that about filibustering a bill to protect the Second Amendment, or is that about Rand Paul?’ Mr. Coburn said at a town-hall meeting at the Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie, Okla., on Wednesday. ‘I’ve done more filibusters than Rand Paul is old,’ Mr. Coburn said, but he added that he doesn’t announce such moves before he understands the bill. http://on.wsj.com/10EaIcH
COMING MONDAY: POLITICO Pro will unveil Pro Report, an end of the day newsletter designed just for Pros. This is something many of you have been asking for: The most essential policy news that broke since the morning cycle – all in one place. The roundup will also offer a sneak peek into the next day’s biggest storylines. Pro Report will be sent to all Pro readers by 6 p.m. every weekday and published later that evening on POLITICO’s home page. An excerpt of the newsletter will also appear in the next morning’s print edition.
THE GAY-MARRIAGE BACKER’S PLAYBOOK – Lois Romano and Katie Glueck write for the hometown paper: “There’s clearly a new playbook for senators just now coming out for gay marriage: quietly post something on Facebook, slip it into your Tumblr feed or release a statement to friendly media outlets. What most lawmakers are not doing is talking for the cameras. In the past month, 11 senators have endorsed gay marriage, providing a nearly daily storyline of increased support for marriage equality. Lawmakers say they’ve ‘prayed,’ ‘evolved,’ discovered gay children to stand behind or had epiphanies following an illness. ‘It’s sort of been like flower-of-the-month club,’ said LGBT activist David Mixner.
– “Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is the latest, sending a statement Thursday to the Tampa Bay Times. ‘Simply put, if The Lord made homosexuals as well as heterosexuals, why should I discriminate against their civil marriage? I shouldn’t, and I won’t,’ Nelson said. But for all the hoopla over their announcements, combined with media coverage of last month’s Supreme Court arguments on the issue, these moments are scripted to be public — but not too public. There’s little footage available for opponents to use in the next campaign or live interviews with reporters who might ask difficult or inconvenient questions. The fact that so many of these announcements are coming from lawmakers who are retiring or just reelected helps make it even safer for them to take a stand. … Sticking with Facebook posts or issuing a simple statement can also help avoid freelancing on live television and going beyond the language they previously wrote or approved.” http://politi.co/10CADS1
NELSON BECAME THE 51ST SENATOR TO BACK GAY MARRIAGE, notes Roll Call’s Emily Pierce. There are now just six Senate Democrats who oppose it: Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Tim Johnson of South Dakota. http://bit.ly/10EdYEQ
A MIXED HOMECOMING FOR PORTMAN – The New York Times’ Trip Gabriel reports from Cincinnati: “No one heckled Senator Rob Portman during his first appearance before thousands of Ohioans since becoming the most prominent elected Republican in the country to endorse same-sex marriage. ‘Wouldn’t you say,’ he said, turning to his wife, Jane, after marching in an opening day parade for the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, ‘that most of the comments were thank yous and thumbs up and ‘You did the right thing’?’ True, but for some of the Ohioans who acknowledged Mr. Portman, doubts flickered below the surface. ‘Senator!’ said one spectator, Pete Kidnocker, reaching out to shake Mr. Portman’s hand. But after Mr. Portman passed, Mr. Kidnocker said he would vote for an alternative in a Republican primary and accused the senator of ‘betraying his principles.’ ‘If you’re a Christian and you believe in those principles, whether your son or daughter is a homosexual, you can’t change your principles,’ he said.
– “Mr. Portman’s reversal of his long-held opposition to same-sex marriage — he said it was spurred by a son’s disclosure that he is gay — has intensified and quickened debate over the issue here in his home state. Though his shift has been welcomed by gay rights advocates as an example of how a family’s love can change minds, social conservatives have denounced Mr. Portman and vowed to block his re-election. … One impact of Mr. Portman’s change of heart has been to fuel a movement seeking the repeal of a constitutional amendment in Ohio that bans same-sex marriage, according to the group leading the effort, FreedomOhio. Requests to download petitions from the group’s Web site more than doubled overnight, to 50 a day, after Mr. Portman’s announcement, said Ian James, a co-founder of FreedomOhio. ‘His endorsement of freedom to marry, I would submit, has done more than any politician other than Barack Obama,’ Mr. James said.” http://nyti.ms/Xtixql
New York Times, A1, “Schumer’s new brief: Turning foes into friends,” By Jeremy W. Peters: “For much of the last decade, Senator Charles E. Schumer’s job was to bury Republicans, as one of his party’s most ruthless strategists and tireless fund-raisers. It was a job he did so effectively that he was asked to do it twice. But to watch Mr. Schumer operate these days, it would seem he has managed to get some Republicans to forget. There are now regular early-morning chats on immigration reform with Marco Rubio in the Senate gym. There was the excursion last week to the Mexican border with John McCain, who after learning that their visit would fall during Passover offered, ‘I’ll bring the latkes.’ Just this week, Mr. Schumer spent a good deal of time on the phone with Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, one of the Senate’s most unyielding conservatives, trying to keep the door open to a deal that would expand background checks for all gun sales.
– “No one in the Senate right now has a legislative portfolio thicker than Mr. Schumer’s, and no one’s political fortunes are as closely linked to the outcome of the major public policy fights now consuming Congress. He is not only a whisperer to Republicans but also an envoy to the White House and a trusted confidant to the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, who having handpicked Mr. Schumer to keep Republicans in the minority is now counting on him as his most important bipartisan bridge builder. … If Congress passes comprehensive legislation on either of these issues, few lawmakers will be able to claim more credit than Mr. Schumer. He would add to his résumé a significant achievement that could make it easier to attain what colleagues believe is his ultimate goal after Mr. Reid steps aside: the majority leader’s post. But if these efforts fail, few will shoulder more of the blame.” http://nyti.ms/YzYaqe Schumer Slideshow: http://nyti.ms/ZDsR9i
POLITICO FLASHBACK: “Schumer plays role of deal maker,” Feb. 25: http://politi.co/WnQwKY
GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 5, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.
My new followers include @DreenaWhitfield and @jehred00.
TODAY IN CONGRESS – The House and Senate are in recess this week.
AIRPORT CUTBACKS ON THE RADAR – In two front-page stories on the sequester cuts, USA Today warns about longer lines for international travelers and pilots turning to ‘see-and-avoid’ as airport towers around the country go dark: “Starting Sunday, tens of thousands of pilots flying each day will have to rely increasingly on ‘see-and-avoid’ as the Federal Aviation Administration begins to close nearly a third of its air-traffic control towers to cut costs,” writes Thomas Frank. “The 149 affected airports — small facilities in 38 states catering to private and commuter flights — will remain open but without controllers to keep airplanes a safe distance apart and to warn pilots about runway hazards they may not see. The tower closures are among thousands of steps federal officials are taking to cut $ 85 billion in spending this year as a 2011 law requires. But unlike furloughs, removing 871 controllers who guide 8 million planes a year around airports raises fears that pilots, passengers and bystanders will be killed. ‘You’re putting people’s lives at risk,’ said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who is trying to restore funding for the control towers, including five in his state. ‘It’s like taking down the stop signs in your town.’ …
– “U.S. airplane collisions have killed an average of 30 people a year since 1982 — a total of 910 deaths, according to a USA TODAY review of federal records. Another 167 people have been seriously injured, and 729 airplanes have been destroyed or substantially damaged in the collisions, the records show.” Check out the interactive map of where these tower closures are located: http://usat.ly/11w5IdV PDF of front page: http://bit.ly/14Jbr36
– And international travelers are facing longer waits at customs checkpoints, Bart Jansen reports: “Travelers taking off from the nation’s biggest airports aren’t facing longer security lines from federal spending cuts yet, but many of those arriving from overseas are. A USA TODAY survey of airport officials and travelers at Atlanta, Chicago’s O’Hare, Los Angeles, Miami, New York’s JFK and Washington Dulles this week finds that lines at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints aren’t noticeably longer for most departing passengers a month after federal spending cuts were imposed. However, customs lines for many people arriving on international flights are growing — prompting Los Angeles airport officials to hold passengers on planes for up to an hour at busy times before letting them into terminals.” http://usat.ly/Y2gN25
CONSERVATIVE GROUPS BACK IMMIGRATION REFORM – Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman report for POLITICO: “High-profile conservative groups are taking on an unexpected cause: passing immigration reform. A diverse mix of the Washington consultant class is cutting TV ads, revving up the grassroots and advising lawmakers on messaging and strategy in hopes of getting a bill across the finish line this year. The surprising effort is a new element to the immigration debate — and one that could influence Republican lawmakers reluctant to support the cause. The next few weeks will be a critical phase for the immigration fight, as lawmakers return to Washington from a two-week recess to face mounting pressure from advocates on both sides.
–“‘We’re doing it to make sure…that Republican congressman and senators feel comfortable,” said American for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist in an interview. “They look out and hear the guys on talk radio, and they go ‘Oh my goodness, everybody out there thinks this. That’s not necessarily where I was, but I guess if everybody thinks that way, I’ll either be quiet or go along, or I’ll listen to them so they can convince me.’ They’re now hearing the other side of the issue.’ Conservatives say the strongest case in favor of immigration reform is an economic one, not values-based, arguing that an expanded pool of legal workers will boost the economy — the message that tests best in focus groups.” http://politi.co/16vyYky
– One of the next fights for the Gang of Eight will be what to name the immigration bill, The Hill’s Molly Hooper writes: http://bit.ly/Xtonbd
– Mark Zuckerberg’s new immigration group is stumbling out of the gates, POLITICO’s Reid Epstein reports: http://politi.co/YzkMXF
A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP has been confusing to Americans, writes NYT’s Julia Preston: “In six nationwide nonpartisan polls released since January, at least 70 percent of Americans said they supported options allowing those immigrants to remain in the country with some form of legal status. Generally only about one-quarter of those polled said the immigrants should not be allowed to stay. But results vary widely when Americans are asked whether legal status should include the possibility of citizenship. In a large national poll released on March 21 by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution, 63 percent of Americans said immigrants here illegally should be allowed to become citizens if they met certain requirements. In a poll published a week later by the Pew Research Center, which asked about citizenship in a slightly different way, only 43 percent said they would give citizenship to the immigrants, while 24 percent said the immigrants should be allowed to stay as permanent residents but not citizens. The 20-point gap points to a difficulty facing lawmakers as they sell their proposals to revamp the immigration system: its procedures are unfamiliar and puzzling to many Americans.” http://nyti.ms/13X4WdG
SPRING TRAINING OVER FOR COLBERT BUSCH – Alex Isenstadt reports for POLITICO: “For months, rookie South Carolina congressional candidate Elizabeth Colbert Busch has had the luxury of kicking back and watching Republicans fight among themselves. With a big hand from her famous brother, comedian Stephen Colbert, she’s drawn money and publicity that other first-time office seekers could only dream of. Spring training is over now. With former Gov. Mark Sanford’s GOP primary battle behind him, Republicans say they’re laying the groundwork for a scorched-earth general election, branding Colbert Busch as a down-the-line liberal who’s out of step with the 1st District’s conservative electorate. She will have to show she can go toe-to-toe with a seasoned, though obviously flawed opponent who was once regarded as potential presidential material. Sanford’s general election strategy is straightforward: divert attention from his own personal baggage, and make the race about Colbert Busch’s support for the policies of the national Democratic Party — in a district where those policies are not popular.” http://politi.co/16vzaAj
THURSDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – We have a tie: Both James McCaghren and Tom Flanagin correctly answered just seconds apart that Thomas Hart Benton, who would go on to become a senator from Missouri, shot Andrew Jackson, the future president, in a street brawl in 1813.
TODAY’S TRIVIA – Jerry Skurnik has today’s question: Who is the only U.S. Senator to graduate from a branch of City University of New York? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.
GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/
POLITICO – Top 10 – The Huddle
OBAMA TRIES TO WOO GOP WITH BUDGET, Coburn: Is gun filibuster about Rand Paul?, The gay marriage backer"s playbook, A mixed homecoming for Portman, USA Today front: Airport cutbacks on the radar
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Lawsuit Tries to Ban Dark Money Groups From Funding Political Ads
This story first appeared on the ProPublica website.
A former Illinois congressional candidate and a government watchdog organization have teamed up to sue the Internal Revenue Service, claiming the agency should bar dark money groups from funding political ads.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday by David Gill, his campaign committee and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, is the first to challenge how the IRS regulates political spending by social welfare nonprofits, campaign-finance experts say.
As ProPublica has reported, these nonprofits, often called dark money groups because they don’t have to identify their donors, have increasingly become major players in politics since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in early 2010.
Lawsuit Tries to Ban Dark Money Groups From Funding Political Ads