January 22, 2015

U.S.'s Kerry, like Obama, will not meet with Israel's Netanyahu during visit

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will not meet with Israeli's Benjamin Netanyahu during the prime minister's upcoming visit to Washington, the State Department said on Thursday.

The White House earlier said U.S. President Barack Obama would not meet with Netanyahu when he addresses the U.S. Congress in March. Like the White House, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also cited a need to avoid the appearance of trying to influence Israeli elections later in March.

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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-2922202/U-S-s-Kerry-like-Obama-not-meet-Israels-Netanyahu-visit.html

January 22, 2015

Hatch Sees Warren as the New Kennedy

http://politicalwire.com/2015/01/22/hatch-sees-warren-new-kennedy/

January 22, 2015

Flashback Quote of the Day

http://politicalwire.com/2015/01/22/flashback-day/

January 22, 2015

Here’s The “Willie Horton” Ad Romney Almost Ran Against Mike Huckabee

“This is my daughter… she was murdered by a serial rapist released early from prison in Arkansas." Will we see a version of this unaired ad — obtained by BuzzFeed News — in 2016?

posted on Jan. 22, 2015, at 8:56 a.m.

McKay Coppins
BuzzFeed News Reporter

In the fall of 2007, as Mike Huckabee was surging in the Iowa polls, Mitt Romney’s foundering presidential campaign dispatched a camera crew to Arkansas with the charge to produce one of the most brutal ads of the election cycle.

The final product — a withering spot that tied Huckabee to a 2003 murder committed by a serial rapist who was paroled while he was governor of Arkansas — never saw the light of day. But the unaired ad, obtained this week by BuzzFeed News, highlights a potentially potent line of attack on Huckabee as he considers a 2016 bid for the presidency.

The ad’s existence was first reported in the 2012 book The Real Romney (and noted, then, by BuzzFeed News). The book’s authors report that Alex Castellanos, then the Romney campaign’s chief strategist, was aiming for an emotionally hard-hitting commercial that would have the same effect as the infamous “Willie Horton” attack ad on 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis.

Others in the campaign, including Stuart Stevens, believed going after Huckabee so harshly would backfire. The operatives ultimately deferred to Romney, who spiked the ad, believing it would make him look “desperate.”

more + the ad:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/heres-the-willie-horton-ad-romney-almost-ran-against-mike-hu?utm_term=4ldqpia#.mqvMlaxPJ

January 22, 2015

Americans aren’t ready for Mitt, new poll finds -- Or any other Republican, for that matter

LUKE BRINKER

Mitt Romney hopes that the third time will be the charm for his White House aspirations, but a new ABC News-Washington Post poll suggests that he’ll have a hard time convincing voters to hand him the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The 2012 Republican presidential nominee, who signaled to a group of GOP donors earlier this month that he’s considering another White House bid, starts out at a 15-point disadvantage to likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the poll finds. The former secretary of state leads Romney 55 to 40 percent among registered voters.

That’s a slightly larger lead than Clinton holds over three other potential GOP contenders. She leads Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul 54 to 41 percent, identical to her advantage over former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Meanwhile, Clinton leads New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie by a similar 53 to 40 percent margin. Only former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee performed worse than Romney, trailing Clinton 39 to 56 percent.

The poll underscores that despite the perception that voters have warmed to Romney since he lost to President Obama two years ago, he would face an electorate that’s hardly enamored of him. An NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday found Romney’s favorability rating underwater; only 27 percent of respondents viewed him favorably, while 40 percent viewed him negatively.

more
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/22/americans_arent_ready_for_mitt_new_poll_finds/

January 21, 2015

Justice Dept. to Recommend No Civil Rights Charges in Ferguson Shooting

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has begun work on a legal memo recommending no civil rights charges against a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., who killed an unarmed black teenager in August, law enforcement officials said.

That would close the politically charged case in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The investigation by the F.B.I., which is complete, found no evidence to support civil rights charges against the officer, Darren Wilson, the officials said.

A broader civil rights investigation into allegations of discriminatory traffic stops and excessive force by the Ferguson Police Department remains open, however. That investigation could lead to significant changes at the department, which is overwhelmingly white despite serving a city that is mostly black.

The state authorities concluded their investigation into Mr. Brown’s death in November and similarly recommended no charges.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/22/us/justice-department-ferguson-civil-rights-darren-wilson.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

January 21, 2015

Joni Ernst Wore Plastic Bags Over Her Shoes Because She Grew Up Under GOP Presidents

In the GOP response to the Senator Joni Ernst President's State of the Union address, Sen. Joni Ernst lamented wearing bread bags over her shoes as a child. Here's why she had to

Freshman U.S. Senator Joni Ernst delivered the Republican response to the President's State of the Union address Tuesday night. The key takeaway from her speech seemed to be that her parents put plastic bread bags on her shoes when it rained to protect them (video below).

“You see, growing up, I had only one good pair of shoes. So on rainy school days, my mom would slip plastic bread bags over them to keep them dry,” Ernst said. “But I was never embarrassed. Because the school bus would be filled with rows and rows of young Iowans with bread bags slipped over their feet.”

Senator Ernst, born in 1970, today is 44.

But growing up, she lived the vast majority of her life under Republican presidents, including Ronald Reagan, who raised taxes eleven times in seven of his eight years as president. Sen. Ernst was born during the Nixon administration, started school under the Ford administration, had four years under the Carter administration, and graduated high school under the Reagan administration.

more
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/joni_ernst_wore_plastic_bags_over_her_shoes_because_she_grew_up_under_gop_presidents

January 21, 2015

House GOP leaders try to quell female revolt on abortion bill

Up to two dozen Republicans — many of them women — might vote against the 20-week abortion ban, GOP sources say.

By Jake Sherman and Lauren French

1/21/15 2:22 PM EST
Updated 1/21/15 2:39 PM EST

House Republican leaders are struggling with a more-aggressive-than-expected revolt by female legislators against the anti-abortion bill scheduled for a floor vote Thursday.

Several GOP sources estimate that up to two dozen Republicans — many of them women — might vote against the 20-week abortion ban, whose critics call the measure politically wrongheaded and harsh. The optics of a large number of women opposing a piece of abortion legislation could be politically tricky for the party, which has had to counter Democratic accusations that it’s waging a “war on women.”

The bill’s scheduled vote is on the same day as the annual anti-abortion March for Life in Washington.

The women — led by North Carolina Rep. Renee Ellmers — have been meeting with GOP leadership Wednesday to see if they can tweak the bill to satisfy their concerns. They’re mostly worried that the bill allows abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy only in cases of rape and incest, and only if the victim has filed a police report. Many opponents believe the victim shouldn’t have to go to police.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/house-gop-abortion-vote-114454.html#ixzz3PUNHcpxX

January 21, 2015

Ted Cruz flubs, deletes YouTube response to Obama

By KENDALL BREITMAN 1/21/15 6:52 AM EST

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) learned the hard way on Tuesday why his fellow Republicans decided to pre-record their State of the Union responses.

In a video posted to YouTube shortly after President Barack Obama wrapped up his State of the Union address, Cruz offered his rebuttal, saying that it is “time to move on beyond” the president. But before he could move on, Cruz needed to start over.

Just shy of one minute into the video, Cruz is seen saying, “Let me start over.” The video then cuts to Cruz redelivering his response criticizing Obama’s claims of an American economy on the mend.

The video, which was quickly deleted, was recovered and made available by the blog Mediaite.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/ted-cruz-response-youtube-state-union-114434.html#ixzz3PULbQoeq

January 21, 2015

Huckabee: States Shouldn't Follow Supreme Court Gay Marriage Ruling

Former Arkansas governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on Tuesday said that if the Supreme Court rules in favor of same sex marriage, states don't necessarily need to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

Huckabee told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he was "angry" with the "notion of judicial supremacy. If the courts make a decision, I hear governors and even some aspirants to the presidency say well, that's settled, and it’s the law of the land," he said. "No, it isn't the law of the land. Constitutionally, the courts cannot make a law. They can interpret one. And then the legislature has to create enabling legislation, and the executive has to sign it, and has to enforce it."

According to Huckabee, the legislative branch would need to draw up legislation to legalize same sex marriage.

"This idea that a judge makes a ruling on Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning same sex marriage licenses are being given out, that’s utter nonsense, because there’s not been any agreement with the other two branches of government," he said.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/huckabee-states-ignore-supreme-court-gay-marriage