Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

Ford Denies Smoking Crack

Sat, 18 May 2013 19:11:01 -0500

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford "turned down three chances on Friday to address the specifics of media reports about a video in which he appears to smoke crack cocaine and utter an anti-gay slur," the Toronto Star reports.

The mayor later told reporters that the allegations were "absolutely not true" and "ridiculous." At city hall later, he emerged from his office to offer only a brief statement.

Said Ford: "Anyways, like I said this morning, these allegations are ridiculous, another story with respect to the Toronto Star going after me, and that's all I have to say."

Very Close Race for Senate Nomination in Georgia

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:52:40 -0500

A new GaPundit poll in Georgia finds an extremely tight race for the GOP Senate nomination with Rep. Jack Kingston (R) at 18%, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R) at 16%, Karen Handel (R) at 16%, Rep. Paul Broun (R) at 14% and David Perdue (R) at 6%.

Welcoming 100 Sandy Hook Moms

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:40:35 -0500

Annabel Monaghan: "The fact that they came to this event at all is truly extraordinary. As the day unfolded, we learned that many of the mothers had struggled with whether they were comfortable being so far away from their children for the day. For some, it was the first time since December. One mother told me that she keeps the private cell phone number of the school security guard with her so that she can check in during the day if she feels anxious. After all they have faced, it was truly a leap of faith to come spend the day with strangers."

Bonus Quote of the Day

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:33:30 -0500

"I'm not a fan of the president, in case you didn't know that."

-- Mitt Romney, on the Tonight Show.

Gingrich Warns Republicans About Overreach

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:30:24 -0500

Newt Gingrich told NPR his GOP colleagues should worry "about the risk of appearing to be too eager as they dig into the scandals now dogging the Obama administration."

Said Gingrich: "I think we overreached in '98 -- how's that for a quote you can use?"

He added: "They need to be calm and factual. For example, a [House] subcommittee ... should invite every single tea party, conservative, patriot group that was messed over by the IRS -- every single one of them -- to come in and testify, so that they build this deadening record of how many different people were having their rights abused by this administration."

Father Hopes to Follow Son as Mayor

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:26:55 -0500

"Some parents hope their children follow in their footsteps. One mayoral candidate in Michigan, however, is seeking to follow the path once walked by his own teenage son," the Huffington Post reports.

"Scott Sessions is city councilman and a candidate for mayor of Hillsdale, Mich. He's running for an office his son, Michael, won in 2005 as an 18-year-old high school senior, catapulting him, and the city of 8,000, to international attention."

Democrats Pleased by Obama Response

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:21:33 -0500

"House Democrats left Washington on Friday insisting they're not worried about political fallout after one of the most difficult weeks the Obama administration has endured," The Hill reports.

"Democrats know their fate in the 2014 elections hinges to a large degree on Obama's popularity, and they say the president has responded appropriately to a trio of controversies involving the IRS, the Justice Department and the terrorist attack last year in Benghazi, Libya."

"The Democrats are also cheering the aggressive approach Obama used in the latter half of the week, saying the feistiness has quelled criticisms that the president is steering from the back seat of his own administration."

Quote of the Day

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:52:09 -0500

"You cannot take the freedom of law-abiding Americans, whether you disagree with them or not, and keep your own freedom. When you do that, you go to jail."

-- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), quoted by Politico, on the IRS officials who targeted conservative groups.

Obama Sharpens Focus After Troubles

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:37:01 -0500

President Obama, "struggling to find his footing after one of his most turbulent weeks in office, will try to push past the moment's political furor with a focus on the few pieces of legislation he believes have a chance in Congress and on executive actions that do not require Republican approval," the New York Times reports.

"The president's aides, wary of what they say are Republican attempts to seize on woes as a way of thwarting Mr. Obama's agenda, have ordered the White House staff not to be distracted by approaching hearings on Capitol Hill. Denis R. McDonough, the White House chief of staff, has told those in the West Wing that he expects them to spend no more than 10 percent of their time on the controversies."

Christie Says It Would Have Been Political Not to Appear in Ads

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:50:40 -0500

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) "defended his starring role in publicly funded tourism ads that Democrats say gives him an unfair advantage in the race for governor," the Newark Star Ledger reports.

Said Christie: "I don't see any advantage due or undue to me. I'm doing my job and if I was unwilling to appear in those ads in my view that would be me putting politics and concern for criticism ahead of doing my job the right way and I'm not going to do that."

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:46:35 -0500

"For me personally, it has been a good week."

-- White House press secretary Jay Carney, quoted by the New York Times, on being in the hot seat over the controversies swirling around the administration.

UNC-Chapel Hill Offers MPA Program Online

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:35:05 -0500

The online Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at the top-ranked School of Government at the University for North Carolina at Chapel Hill aims to shape leaders in public service, a field that is expected to grow in visibility and importance over the next decade and beyond. The MPA@UNC program is designed with working professionals in mind, offering the accessibility and flexibility of online education with the best of UNC's on-campus experience, including a virtual classroom setting, to effectively teach tomorrow's public service leaders.

To request more information, visit http://requestinfo.onlinempa.unc.edu. (Sponsored Post)

Gawker Crackstarter

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:34:18 -0500

Gawker is trying to raise $200,000 to buy the video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine so they can publish it online.

FEC Fines Ensign Family

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:30:11 -0500

The Federal Election Commission has fined former Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) and his parents $54,000 for improper severance payments to Cindy Hampton, a former campaign aide who had an extramarital affair with the Nevada Republican, Politico reports.

"Doug Hampton, Cindy Hampton's husband, was deputy chief of staff in Ensign's Senate office at that time, as well as being the senator's best friend. The resulting scandal, which exploded into public view in June 2009, led to a lengthy Senate Ethics Committee investigation and criminal probe by the Justice Department, and destroyed Ensign's once-promising political career. Ensign resigned from the Senate in May 2011."

Poll Shows Cuccinelli Ahead in Virginia

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:30:34 -0500

A new Wenzel Strategies (R) poll in Virginia finds Ken Cuccinelli (R) leading Terry McAuliffe (D) by eight points, 44% to 36%.

A Quinnipiac poll released earlier this week gave McAuliffe a five point lead.

Rand PAC Launches

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:25:31 -0500

A new super PAC, Rand PAC 2016, registered at the Federal Election Commission as an independent-expenditure-only committee, Roll Call reports.

The super PAC website provides no names of sponsors or officers though it's presumably set up to support Sen. Rand Paul and his possible presidential aspirations.

Lawmaker Faced with Expulsion Will Run For Other Office

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:13:50 -0500

New York Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D), who was facing possible expulsion from the Legislature for allegedly sexually harassing women employees, said that he would resign and instead run for election to the New York City Council, the New York Times reports.

Booker Raked in $1.3 Million from Speeches

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:36:26 -0500

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) made a total of $1.3 million from 96 paid speeches from 2008 to April of 2013, BuzzFeed reports.

"Booker paid roughly $467,000 in taxes on the speeches during the five year period... he gave nearly $620,000 -- or just under 75 percent of the earnings after taxes -- to charities and non-profits. That leaves an income of about $232,000 from the speeches over the last five years."

"Booker has come under fire for traveling outside the city of Newark to deliver speeches and make public appearances. But earlier this year, he told The New York Times his travels help promote the city and his speaking fees go to charity."

Bonus Quote of the Day

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:25:36 -0500

"If we present ourselves to the American people as intelligent, we're going to be in a great place as far as showing that this administration is not transparent, is obsessed with power and hates dissent. But you don't call for impeachment until you have evidence."

-- RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, quoted by Politico.

Exchange of the Day

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 -0500

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was interviewed on Marketplace about his new book, Rumsfeld's Rules:

Marketplace: "I do wonder whether you read Robert McNamara's memoirs when it came out"

Rumsfeld: "I have not"

Marketplace: "That book was widely seen as an apology for his role in Vietnam. I looked in this book pretty hard for any rule you might have about apologizing and I couldn't find one"

Rumsfeld: "And? What is your question?"

Marketplace: "Did you ever think about apologizing?"

Baucus Predicts IRS Scandal Will Grow

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:27:43 -0500

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) predicted to Bloomberg that there will be much more to the IRS scandal than we currently know.

Said Baucus: "I have a hunch that a lot more is going to come out, frankly. It's broader than the current focus."

Peggy Noonan: "We are in the midst of the worst Washington scandal since Watergate."

Quote of the Day

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:53:06 -0500

"I find the comparison -- that whoever is making the analysis is challenged in their understanding of history."

-- Former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean, quoted by the Boston Globe, on comparing the current Obama scandals to Watergate.

Handel Announces Senate Bid in Georgia

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:14:03 -0500

Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel (R) announced her campaign for U.S. Senate, Roll Call reports.

"Handel is the fourth Republican to enter the race for the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Notably, she is also the first woman and first candidate who is not a member of Congress. GOP Reps. Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston are running. David Perdue, the cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue, announced an exploratory committee this week."

Politician Sorry for "Liking" Photo of Teenager's Genitals

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:56:43 -0500

Australian Minister of Education Peter Collier "says he has learned a valuable lesson in social networking after he 'liked' a Facebook photo without realizing that it showed a teenage prankster exposing himself," the Guardian reports.

Collier apologized and said he "had no idea that the teenager, who was otherwise fully clothed and posing alongside an older man, was playing a prank commonly known as 'sneaky nuts.'"

Lawmaker Blames Rock in Shoe for DUI Arrest

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:16:03 -0500

The lawyer for South Carolina State Rep. Ted Vick (D) said a rock in the lawmaker's shoe explains why his client "was walking funny, catching the attention of an officer who eventually arrested him for DUI, his second such charge in less than a year," the AP reports.