President Obama and his party had a bad case of the Mondays.  Senate Democrats lost their prized recruit in South Dakota, despite intense effort to clear the path for her.  Worse, a new poll showed Gabriel Gomez neck and neck with Ed Markey - who appears to be in danger of letting the Massachusetts Special Election slip away from Democrats.

And that was the good news.

It was scandal Monday for the party in control of Washington. First, President Obama angrily took to the microphones to denounce accusations of a cover-up on Benghazi (you know it’s bad when even the New York Times Editorial Board calls the Administration’s answers about talking points “inept”).

From there, attention shifted to the IRS targeting conservative groups scandal. More and more continues to drip out, but it remains unknown who decided to target conservatives and why. Republicans and Democrats in Congress are determined to investigate, according to NBC.  “I just don’t buy that this was a couple of rogue IRS employees,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Sunday on the CNN program “State of the Union.”

Then things got really ugly and journalists became outraged that the Justice Department had secretly obtained months of phone records of Associated Press journalists.  This Huffington Post story includes a sampling of the reaction: Reporters and commentators outside the AP professed themselves to be equally angered. “The Nixon comparisons write themselves,” BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith tweeted. Margaret Sullivan, the public editor for the New York Times, called the story “disturbing.” Washington Post editor Martin Baron called it “shocking.” CNN’s John King described it as “very chilling.” Speaking to the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple, a lawyer for the AP called the DOJ’s actions “outrageous,” saying they were “a dagger to the heart of AP’s newsgathering activity.”
BuzzFeed’s Kate Nocera was perhaps more pithy, writing simply, “what in the f–k.”

That had to be it… right? Nope, there was still more.  HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has a scandal of her own after asking private health care companies to contribute funds to a nonprofit to help implement the Affordable Care Act.  Senator Lamar Alexander compared it to an “Iran-Contra style health care scandal” that “may be illegal, should cease immediately and should be fully investigated by Congress.”

This has to be a record for most simultaneous Administration scandals at one time, making the 6th year itch election even itchier for Democrats. National Journal notes the 2014 implications: “Imagine you’re a red-state Democrat contemplating a run for Senate.”  Read this email from start to finish again, then put yourself in those shoes. “It certainly gives Democrats looking to run in Republican states pause about taking on very difficult challenge,” said Glen Bolger, a Republican pollster. “It’s hard enough when you’re running uphill. But when the wind is in your face, it makes it even more difficult.”

Seize the day,

Brad Dayspring
@BDayspring

Brook Hougesen
@Brook_H

2014 BATTLEGROUND SONAR

(AK, AR) Reid protecting Pryor, Begich on guns
Aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid huddled recently with Mr. Bloomberg to dissuade him from broadcasting attack ads against two of the most endangered 2014 Democratic incumbents, Mark L. Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska. Mr. Reid must keep these otherwise-loyal lieutenants in the Senate because they usually provide critical votes for such Democratic causes as Obamacare, even though they represent states that are red, Republican and growing more that way. If Mr. Pryor and Mr. Begich lose next year, the Republicans would be just four races short of a majority.

(MASSACHUSETTS) GOP group hits Markey for ’90s House bank scandal
A new web video from the National Republican Senatorial Committee hits Senate hopeful Edward J. Markey for his involvement along with more than 300 other members in a check-bouncing scandal more than 20 years ago. Although the video is currently not backed by any money online or on TV, the fifty-second video gives a window into a potential line of attack Republicans may use against the longtime congressman in paid advertisements in the run-up to the June 25 special election.

• A Gomez Surge in Mass. Senate Race?
• Poor marks for Senate candidate Markey’s energy record

(SOUTH DAKOTA) DSCC recruit Herseth Sandlin’s decision not to run surprises Democratic insiders
Political observers and Democratic insiders alike said they were surprised by former congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s decision not to run for office again next year. Herseth Sandlin announced Monday that she will not run for the open U.S. Senate seat, for which she was highly recruited by national Democrats. She also passed on a run for governor or her old U.S. House seat, and will instead spend the coming years with her family and at her job as general counsel for Raven Industries in Sioux Falls.

• Democratic primary brewing?
• South Dakota unwinnable for Dems, and DSCC holds much of the blame.

(NEW HAMPSHIRE) Sen. Ayotte is doing the right thing on gun violence
As current and former New Hampshire police chiefs, we’ve been following the national debate on how to prevent mass shootings. All of us in law enforcement want to stop violence and keep our cities and towns safe. And we’re glad that Sen. Kelly Ayotte is at the table, putting her experience as a prosecutor and attorney general to good use.

ON THE TWITTERS

@AFPMichigan- Economic News… Democrat Congressman Gary Peters Praises Michigan’s GOP-Led Recovery: http://ow.ly/kY3Cq  @MichCapCon #MITCOT

@kakukowski- VIDEO: NBC’s Lisa Myers: Obama Admin has History of Intimidating Reporters & Sources http://bit.ly/19neE6n

@thehill- Business groups fear being blindsided by new regulations http://j.mp/13uRStp  by @misswilson @ben_goad

@JohnCornyn- IRS targeting of conservative groups began in 2010 http://fb.me/1hN9CTsGj

@politico- Carl Bernstein rips White House over AP subpoena: http://politi.co/10vKLeW

NATIONAL RADAR

(BUZZFEED) The Panopticon President - A new critique emerges. Fear of a narrow new government power at a scary moment.

(NATIONAL JOURNAL) Obama’s Struggles Hampering Democratic Recruitment
Imagine you’re a red-state Democrat contemplating a run for Senate. Here’s what you’ve seen during the opening months of President Obama’s second term: A still-tepid economic recovery, a culturally polarizing agenda on immigration and guns, and fears of the health care law’s possibly haphazard implementation.The White House’s uneven start to the second term shows little sign of improving. Questions about what administration and State Department officials knew about the origins of last year’s deadly attack on a consulate in Benghazi have hounded them since last week’s congressional hearing. The explosive revelation Friday that the IRS targeted conservative nonprofit groups seems certain to put Obama officials on the defensive for the foreseeable future.

(POLITICO) Scandal politics sweep Capitol Hill
Just days after news broke that the IRS targeted conservative nonprofits, Speaker John Boehner’s House committees will morph into mock courtrooms where the White House will be the defendant in what amounts to a number of high-stakes political trials.

(WASHINGTON POST) Obama’s second-term blues set in
Well, that didn’t take long. Four months into a fresh four years, President Obama is already assuming the familiar crouch of a scandal-struck second-termer.

(REUTERS) U.S. proposes rule on Medicaid payment cuts for hospitals
The U.S. government on Monday issued a proposed rule for cutting payments to hospitals that treat a disproportionate share of the poor, including a $500 million reduction in fiscal 2014, as part of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law.

• Health insurance tax ‘scares the daylights’ out of some small-business owners

SCOOBY SNACKS

Angelina Jolie Undergoes Preventative double mastectomy to avoid possible breast cancer

’24′ Returning To Fox With Kiefer Sutherland On Board

Hypochondriac’s Guide to Which New Killer Disease Will Kill You

Bill Hader Leaving ‘SNL’

Beefy Crunch Burrito Becomes the McRib of Taco Bell

In dispute over IHOP bill, parolee accused of running over man twice with car

Man finds 40,000 bees in his wall

Road-builder bulldozes one of biggest Maya pyramids in Belize; police open criminal probe

Witches In Swaziland Banned From Flying Broomsticks Higher Than 150 Meters


LONGING FOR THE DAY S OF EMPTY CAMPAIGN PROMISES


November 2008: “Obama Vows Line-By-Line Budget Review”:  President Obama: “This isn’t about big government or small government. It’s about building a smarter government that focuses on what works. That is why I will ask my new team to think anew and act anew to meet our new challenges…. We will go through our federal budget – page by page, line by line – eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those we do operate in a sensible cost-effective way.” (Foon Rhee, “Obama vows line-by-line budget review,” The Boston Globe, 11/25/08)

BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE WHITE HOUSE MAY BE REGRETTING THAT PROMISE

“Line-By-Line” Turns Into “Piecemeal”:

POLITICO: “W.H. Warns Against Piecemeal Sequester Fixes”(Donavan Slack, “W.H. Warns Against Piecemeal Sequester Fixes,” POLITICO, 4/26/13)

White House Spokesman Says “Piecemeal Is Not The Way To Fix The Sequester”: BILL PLANTE, CBS NEWS: “By accepting the FAA, haven’t you now opened the door to a bunch of folks coming along asking for a piece-by-piece fix on the flexibility in a particular agency or budget line, but taken the pressure off for the very grand bargain, balanced compromise that you say you want?” JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY:  “No, because as I pointed out, piecemeal is not the way to fix the sequester.  It would tax not just this Congress, but any Congress in history to go about the business of trying to fix this in a piecemeal fashion.  It’s not the way to do it.” (White House Press Briefing, 4/29/13)

Carney: “The Sequester Itself Cannot Be Finessed.” “President Obama plans to sign legislation eliminating FAA furloughs causing flight delays, but the administration is firmly against piecemeal fixes to other impacts of sequester cuts, press secretary Jay Carney said Friday. ‘This is a one-off case, if you will,’ he said, adding ‘the sequester itself cannot be finessed. It is having negative consequences around the country.’” (Donavan Slack, “W.H. Warns Against Piecemeal Sequester Fixes,” POLITICO, 4/26/13)

The White House Previously Threatened To Veto Any Bill Giving Them Discretion:
White House Threatened To Veto A Bill Intended To Give Them Discretion: “The White House threatened to veto the Senate GOP’s bill aimed at giving the president flexibility to target spending cuts — ripping the idea for protecting corporate tax exemptions.” (Steven Dennis, “White House Threatens To Veto GOP Sequester Bill,” Roll Call, 2/28/13)

Carney: Bill With “Enough Flexibility To Do Away With All The Bad Things Doesn’t Exist.” “A bill that ‘introduced enough flexibility to do away with all the bad things doesn’t exist,’ [White House Press Secretary Jay Carney] said.” (Anith Kumar and William Douglas, “Republicans Propose Flexible Cuts as Sequestration Option,” The Sacramento Bee, 3/20/13)

Carney: No Amount Of Discretion Would Help. “Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, dismissed the Republican plan, saying that no amount of flexibility could mitigate the damage of the automatic cuts. He said such changes could help only ‘on the margins.’”(Jonathan Weisman and Michael D. Shear, “G.O.P Drafts Plan to Give Obama Discretion on Cuts,” The New York Times, 2/26/13)

MEANWHILE, MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS ACKNOWLEDGE SMART CUTS DO EXIST

CBS This Morning: Spending Cuts Can Be Done “Wisely And Better.” CHARLIE ROSE: “So, does that mean Republicans have a point when they say spending cuts can be done wisely and better?” JOHN DICKERSON: “Well, yes they do.  And this is what irritates a lot of Democrats and the White House, because Republicans say ‘Yes, we can just be smart about these cuts and we can shrink the budget.’ What the White House was hoping is that the pain from sequestration – these across the board cuts – would hit and people would say, ‘ we need a big fix to this cockeyed budget we’ve got.’ ” (CBS This Morning, 4/26/13)

BUT SOME LAWMAKERS WANT TO USE THEM AS LEVERAGE

Many Democrats Fear The President Is Giving Away His Leverage. “The Obama administration’s strategy for replacing the sequester has always been to rely on public pressure when the automatic spending cuts start to sting. But with the White House’s recent willingness to create special workarounds for programs such as the Federal Aviation Administration and meat inspectors, many Democrats fear the president is giving away all his leverage on the issue.” (Meredith Shiner, “Has Obama Given Away His Sequester Leverage?” Roll Call, 4/29/13)

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) Hopes The Pain Of The Sequester Will Give Democrats Leverage: “Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, is calling on his party to stop voting for bills that fix painful sequestration cuts. He warns that if Democrats keep fixing parts of the sequester, they’ll run out of leverage to force Republicans to the bargaining table to hash out a permanent fix.” (Evan McMorris-Santoro, “White House Leaves Door Open To More Piecemeal Sequester Fixes,” Buzzfeed, 4/29/13)

Good morning folks,

On this cloudy Tuesday in the Bay State, voters will head to the polls in the Special Election primary battle.  As even the liberal National Memo notes, “As Massachusetts voters have recently seen, regardless of how conservative a Republican candidate may be, he or she should never be discounted. Prior to the 2010 general election, the thought of a Tea Party-endorsed candidate filling the late Ted Kennedy’s seat seemed entirely implausible, yet Scott Brown became the first Republican to win a Massachusetts Senate seat in over 30 years.” The general election will be on June 25.

Things have gotten ugly in the Democratic primary. Politico’s James Hohmann writes, “Lynch came out swinging during a debate with Markey one week after the Boston Marathon bombings, accusing his fellow congressman of being soft on homeland security. He also ran an ad praising first responders. Markey’s campaign called the attacks false and desperate.”

Regardless of who wins tonight’s Massachusetts GOP Senate Primary, one thing is clear – Bay Staters will have a strong contrast on June 25th between a fiscally-responsible, pro-jobs candidate and an out-of-touch Washington insider (one of whom has been in Washington longer than the writers of this email have been alive).

Congressman Lynch is at odds with his party and has risks alienating voters as the Boston Globe’s Michael Levinson reported. “The approach could produce a backlash. Lynch’s aggressive criticism of Markey’s national security record in two debates this week could turn off some voters, especially at a time when candidates traditionally focus on purely positive messages to motivate their supporters. Lynch also runs the risk of appear­ing to politicize a tragedy,”  he wrote.

And Congressman Markey? To give you an idea of how long Markey has been in Washington, during the month when he was first elected, Wild Cherry’s “Play that Funky Music” topped the billboard charts, Playboy released Jimmy Carter’s infamous ‘lusts for women’ interview, and Muhammad Ali beat Ken Norton in 15 rounds to win the heavyweight boxing title.

Elections are about the future. No matter the outcome, both Democratic candidates are creatures of the past (one, admittedly, a far more distant past). It’s just a matter of which one will be playing the funky, out of touch music.

Seize the day,

Brad Dayspring
@BDayspring

2014 BATTLEGROUND SONAR

(NC, AR, LA) Democrats on Defense in the South: For decades, Republicans have been unrelenting in taking congressional seats away from Democrats in the South. And in 2014, three of the six Senate seats in the South still in Democratic hands in North Carolina, Arkansas and Louisiana will be on the line, political analysts say, with all signs suggesting those incumbents will be buffeted by significant political headwinds. …A troubling sign for Hagan was Republicans taking control of the North Carolina Legislature in 2010. Republicans have also continued to make gains in Louisiana since Landrieu’s last re-election, he added “Both are in very difficult situations,” Wyman said. But while Pryor pleased many of his constituents by opposing the recent bill on gun background checks, Landrieu and Hagan supported it. …it should be a warning to Hagan, he added, that North Carolina has a well-established tradition of letting many of its senators serve only one term.

(MASSACHUSETTS) Democrats Angrily Clash Over Homeland security clashes define final week of Mass. Senate race: “I think one of the stark differences between myself and Mr. Markey is our voting record on homeland security,” Lynch said in his response to the question. Lynch went on to slam Markey for voting against a joint terrorism task force, a group he said “enabled our response” to the Boston bombings. He touted his own support for the measure. “You can say you wrote this and wrote that. I understand policy,” Lynch said. “But when the issue came up to create that joint task force, I voted yes, you voted no. I don’t know how you spin that.” …Markey’s campaign says Lynch “shamefully” questioned Markey’s commitment to the nation’s security in the wake of the bombings. …Lynch’s strategy has been to elevate the issue of national security during the final week of the race. He also ran a TV ad thanking authorities and first responders for their reaction to the marathon bombings.

(MONTANA) Schweitzer Weak: Montanans prefer to fill Baucus’ seat with a Republican as opposed to a Democrat by a margin of 42% to 34%.  Republicans fair better among at women at +10% than among men at +4%.  The national issue environment being driven by Washington opens up several fronts of vulnerability for Schweitzer. The debate over budget priorities between the two political parties spells trouble for Schweitzer. The Republicans’ priority of a balanced budget beats the Democrats’ priority of stopping Medicare cuts by a wide margin of 53% to 31%.  Even Montana seniors pick balancing the budget over stopping cuts to Medicare by a 50% to 32% spread.

• Schweitzer-led bid for Stillwater Mining Co. turning nastier: The struggle over Montana’s largest publicly traded company has turned increasingly bitter ahead of a May 2 shareholders’ vote, as former Gov. Brian Schweitzer and a team of dissident investors spar with Stillwater Mining executives for control of the $1.3 billion enterprise. The stakes for Schweitzer are high – and complicated by his consideration of a run to replace fellow Democrat U.S. Sen. Max Baucus. Baucus announced Tuesday that he will step down in 2014 after six terms. Political analysts count Schweitzer as an early front-runner should he jump into the race.

(MICHIGAN) Gary Peters To Run For Senate…. Yawn: “Gary Peters already lost a statewide campaign and that was before supporting a cap and trade energy tax policy that would effectively put Michigan out of business and Obamacare which will raise health care costs,” NRSC Communications Director Brad Dayspring said. “It takes a special kind of guy like Peters to ask for a promotion from the very same people that his policies would put out of work.”

(KENTUCKY) Mitch McConnell Wants to Be the Republican Party’s Chief Tech Innovator: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has set an ambitious goal for his reelection campaign: to build the most sophisticated Republican digital and data operation to date. The Kentucky Republican, known more as tactician than technologist, is making a major investment in technology infrastructure in hopes that a treasure trove of real-time data about the electorate will help guide him to a sixth term. “We’re making a commitment that we’re going to be on the cutting edge of both digital outreach and data collection and analysis,” said Jesse Benton, McConnell’s campaign manager. “We’re committed to setting the gold standard.”

• McConnell orders a drink for Obama
• Alison Lundergan Grimes – Pledge Breaker? 

(LOUISIANA) Reid To Overlook Landrieu for Energy Chair?
But even if Landrieu wins reelection (and that’s a big if), several other dynamics would influence how much she is able to lead on that committee…When it comes to energy issues, Landrieu is one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate. She, along with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., vote more reliably with Republicans on most energy and environmental issues than with the Democratic Party led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. This dynamic has led to rumors that Reid could seek to maneuver around Landrieu to ensure that a more moderate Democrat—such as fourth-in-line Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state–gets the Energy gavel in 2015 instead.

ON THE TWITTERS

@GlennThrush - The reason the WH waits til last minute to announce a presser is cos reporters who get questions have already been tipped off. Rigged game.

@GOP - WSJ on the coming #ObamaCare shock. Millions just starting to feel the “price (and other) shocks” of trainwreck law. http://on.wsj.com/12VZXHp

@ppppolls - Mark Begich’s net approval down 6 points after gun vote. Numbers are worse with Dems, indys, no improvement with GOP. http://ow.ly/kyWB7

@QuadCityDN –  Governor Says GOP Can Defeat Braley In Senate Race: Governor Branstad believes the record of Congressman Bruce… http://tinyurl.com/d6ovqvs

@usnews - Will Max Baucus’s retirement halt any chance of passing tax reform? bit.ly/ZZsE0R

NATIONAL RADAR

(USA TODAY/KRISTEN POWERS): Gosnell’s abortion atrocities no ‘aberration’: “If I talk, maybe people will make sure it won’t happen again.” That’s what 20-year-old Desiree Hawkins told me last week as she recounted the horror of visiting abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell in December 2009. The jury in Gosnell’s trial for the alleged murders of multiple babies and one woman heard closing arguments Monday afternoon, but they won’t hear from Hawkins. Hawkins was forced to relive the nightmare of Gosnell’s house of horrors when she was contacted by a Drug Enforcement Administration agent this year. The agent told her that one of the severed feet found in jars at the clinic belonged to her aborted baby. She was set to testify as a rebuttal witness against Gosnell until he chose to not take the stand.

(RARE/BLOOMBERG) Obamanomics: Consumer spending falls as taxes rise: Spending by U.S. consumers cooled in March after the strongest gain in five months, showing the biggest part of the economy lost momentum as the first quarter drew to a close. Purchases advanced 0.2 percent, more than projected and reflecting a surge in outlays for utilities and other services that is unlikely to be repeated, after a 0.7 percent increase the prior month, Commerce Department figures showed. Another report showed more Americans than forecast signed contracts to purchase previously owned homes in March. Higher payroll taxes that took effect in January may be starting to take a bigger toll on the American worker, chipping away at the consumer spending that accounts for about 70 percent of the economy.

(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) Millions in stimulus spending violated Buy America Act, inspector general says: Environmental Protection Agency officials overseeing a stimulus-funded wastewater treatment plant bought $3.8 million in foreign-made parts and won’t return the money or  change the rules for using foreign parts in Recovery Act projects, according to the EPA Office of the Inspector General.  A two-year dispute between the EPA and the OIG has left the question unresolved long after the money was spent.

(PEW RESEARCH) The 22 Percent: The share of Democrats who believe that use of marijuana should be legal is 22 percentage points higher than that of Republicans.

SCOOBY SNACKS

NO WAY: Friends Predicted Facebook in 2003

Science: Graphs Mislead People 

What the Internet Shares About You 

In case you were shopping: Kim Kardashian Refusing Baby Gifts, Seeking Donations Instead

Reunion No One Sought: 98 Degrees’ New Track, Premieres Off Of Upcoming Album

Indiana Woman Finds Frog in Can of Green Beans 

A Midlife Crisis is so 20th Century: 21st Century – Quarter Life Crisis

New Hampshire Man Loses Life Savings On Carnival Game

Pilot had passenger detained for not flushing toilet

Iran’s Supreme Leader is also supreme BMW dealer

“On the anti-gun legislation before the Senate, we are making good progress on the effort to schedule a series of votes on amendments to the anti-gun violence legislation before the Senate.”

Some, however, are questioning whether the Senate minority leader accidentally revealted his true feelings. GOP sentaor Ted Cruz, a leading opponent of the bill, questioned whether Reid’s statement was in fact a “Freudian slip.” He said in a Tweet:

Freudian slip? Sen. Harry Reid calls bill “anti-gun legislation” youtube.com/watch?v=pHj6KA…

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 16, 2013

Senate Democrats are struggling to corral votes for the bill, which faces an uphill battle. A cloture vote on the compromise amendment proposed by GOP senator Pat Toomey and Democrat Joe Manchin could come as early as Thursday.

]]> http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/2013/04/16/freudian-slip-sen-reid-calls-bill-anti-gun-legislation/feed/ 6 http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/2013/04/12/masen-new-sullivan-attack-ad-calls-gomez-obama-republican/ http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/2013/04/12/masen-new-sullivan-attack-ad-calls-gomez-obama-republican/#comments Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:46:38 +0000 Steve Foley http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/?p=57918 The Massachusetts U.S. Senate GOP primary just got a bit more interesting.  Mike Sullivan just released a new ad slamming Gabriel Gomez for a letter he wrote to Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick (D). In the letter, Gomez sings Obama’s praises in vying to be named temporarily to fill the Senate seat vacated by now Secretary of State John Kerry.  That’s normally a long, long shot to begin with, as governors of one party usually pick seat-fillers from their own party, not the other.  (And Patrick followed form.)  But Gomez clearly tried to disabuse Patrick of any notion that, even as a Republican, he’d be any less supportive of Obama than a Democrat – especially on the hot button issues of guns and immigration.  Not sure why he’d think that wouldn’t surface in a GOP primary.

In the letter to Patrick seeking the temporary Senate post, Gomez wrote that the “two main issues that will dominate the political discussion during this appointment will be immigration reform and gun control.”

“I support the positions that President Obama has taken on these issues, and you can be assured that I will keep my word and work on these issues as I have promised,” he added.

Gomez has since said that he does not agree with Obama on all of the issues, including Obama’s push for an assault weapons ban. He said the letter could have been worded better and that he was simply offering to serve his country.

Never let a crisis or military accident go to waste.
Majority Leader Harry Reid used the Hawthorne Army Depot accident today that killed 7 Marines to whine about the sequester cuts. Of course there is no link between the two events

Spending Daily | March 15, 2013

Washington Post: Senate Budget Disappoints On Entitlements
The Washington Post editorializes, “Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) has now weighed in with a budget plan to counter the HouseRepublican tax-and-spending blueprint. We’ll get to that Democratic document in a moment. First, here’s a quick fiscal reality check, based on an analysis published Feb. 28 by economists William G. Gale and Alan J. Auerbach of theBrookings Institution. There has been halting but real deficit reduction progress in recent months. The United States faces no imminent budget ‘crisis.’ … Except for the part about no imminent crisis, the Senate Democratic budget recognizes none of this. Partisan in tone and complacent in substance, it scores points against the Republicans and reassures the party’s liberal base — but deepens these senators’ commitment to an unsustainable policy agenda. … It is on the issue of entitlements that the Democrats’ document really disappoints. There is literally nothing — not a word — suggestive of trimming Social Security, whether through greater means-testing, a more realistic inflation adjustment or reforming disability benefits. The document’s fuzzy call for $275 billion in ‘health savings’ is $125 billion less than the number President Obama has floated.”

“Binder Full Of Gimmicks”
The Washington Free Beacon reports, “The top Republican on the Budget Committee said Thursday that the Senate Democratic budget proposal is based on accounting gimmicks, double-counts spending cuts, and raises taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars more than advertised. Republicans claim an accurate accounting of the budget proposal shows that it achieves all of its deficit reduction through tax hikes and in fact increases spending rather than cuts it. Democrats say thebudget resolution unveiled yesterday by Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.), who chairs the Budget Committee, trims the deficit by $1.85 trillion over ten years through spending cuts and tax hikes. … On the spending side, the budget assumes in its baseline that cuts mandated by the sequester  that went into effect this month will be repealed, but fails to account for the resulting $1.1 trillion increase in federal outlays. Murray’s budget actually contains a net spending increase after that is taken into account, even though Democrats claim the proposal will reduce spending by $975 billion over ten years. … Murray included Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) spending in her budget’s baseline then eliminated that spending, allowing Democrats to claim an additional $240 billion in savings for operations that are already scheduled to be drawn down. She also included spending on Sandyrelief in the baseline, even though that spending will not be a part of the federal budget in future years. The Murray budget then counts a reduction in Sandy-related outlays towards its overall reduction in spending.”

“Stop Stealing From Our Kids”
Steven Rattner editorializes in The New York Times, ‘The sequester’s arrival on March 1 has set off a raging debate over not only whether those immediate forced budget cuts are the right fiscal medicine, but also whether we should be trying to accomplish longer-term deficit reduction while the economy remains weak. Of course we should. Our budget outlook is so grim and the policy changes that are required will be so painful — politically as well as financially — that putting efforts to get our fiscal house in order on hold would be the height of irresponsibility. … Thanks to decades of accumulated federal budget deficits and, more significantly, imprudent Medicare and Social Security policies, we’ve stolen almost $60 trillion from our children. That’s the amount that would be required to both pay off our national debt (a comparatively modest $11 trillion) and provide for benefits that we awarded ourselves without paying for them.”

Senate Budget Panel Approves First Fiscal Blueprint in Years
The Hill reports, “The Senate Budget Committee on Thursday evening approved its first budget in four years and, as expected, the 12-10 vote came down rightalong party lines.  The fiscal blueprint produced by Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) makes modest cuts to the federal deficit over the next decade and contains $975 billion in tax increases by ending tax breaks for corporations and wealthier individuals.  Murray explained that she is asking wealthier taxpayers and bigger businesses to chip in a little more to ‘make critical investments to get economy going again.’ The budget also proposes $100 billion in stimulus spending for road and bridge construction and repairs, school repairs and worker training. It is headed for Senate floor next week — thefirst time the full Senate will consider a budget since 2009.  The budget blueprint reflects $1.85 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years. But when the sequester cuts are turned off, Murray’s budget appears to reduce deficits by about $800 billion, using the Congressional Budget Office’s baseline.”

Senators Try to Keep Cuts From Affecting Constituents  
POLITICO reports, “As the clock runs down, the stopgap spending bill before the Senate is looking more and more like a life raft for senators trying to protect home-state interests from the automatic spending cuts ordered under sequestration. Alarmed by the rush, the leadership stalled action on the continuing resolution, or CR, Thursday, while it assessed the political situation. And there is a fear that if too many accommodations are made by the Senate, it risks a blowup with the House and exactly the sort of shutdown fight both parties want to avoid on March 27 when funding runs out. … About $30 million would come from deferring maintenance on Agriculture Department buildings. But $25 million is taken from a new grant program favored by the White House tohelp schools buy equipment for school breakfast programs. In House testimony this week, Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, undersecretary for food safety at the Agriculture Department, warned that sequestration will force one-day-a-week furloughs for FSIS inspectors mid-July through September. The beef and poultry industry is alarmed by the situation since packing houses can’t operate without an inspector on site. And consumers could see an increase in meat prices as supplies are reduced because of the disruption.”

2,000 Illegal Immigrants Released from Jails “Due to Budget Concerns”
The Associated Press reports, “After weeks of denials, the Obama administration acknowledged Thursday that it had, in fact, released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants from immigration jails due to budget concerns during three weeks in February. Four of the most serious offenders have been put back in detention. The administration had insisted that only a ‘few hundred’ immigrants were released for budgetary reasons, challenging as inaccurate a March 1 report by The Associated Press that the agency had released more than 2,000 immigrants in February and planned to release more than 3,000 others this month. Intense criticism led to a temporary shutdown of the plan.”

“Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Fall as Labor Market Improves”
According to Bloomberg, “A strengthening job market is helping lift Americans’ spirits, raising the odds the economy will pick up this year as consumers sustain a surprise spending streak. The number of people filing claims for jobless benefits averaged 346,750 over the past four weeks, the lowest level since March 2008, according to data today from the Labor Department in Washington.”

Reid: Let’s Pass Budget Every Two Years
The Hill reports, “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Congress should consider passing a budget once every two years instead of once a year, as the law now requires. The Nevada Democrat suggested Thursday the time has come to consider passing budgets with less frequency, which advocates say would improve the chances of debating appropriations bills on the Senate floor and give lawmakers more time to oversee government programs.”

“Pelosi open to looking at Obama proposal to cut Social Security”
According to The Hill, “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she’ll consider Social Security cuts as part of a sweeping deficit-reduction package. Ahead of a meeting between President Obama and House Democrats, Pelosi said moving to a less generous formula for adjusting Social Security benefits to inflation — if it protects the most vulnerable Social Security beneficiaries — might be preferable to other entitlement cuts Republicans are urging, like raising Medicare’s eligibility age.”

“The Silence Was More Responsible”
Michael Gerson writes in The Washington Post, “Ryan’s budget proposal is similar to his previous two in both strengths and failures. It deserves everlasting fiduciary fame for proposing a plausible Medicare reform plan, essential to the future of the program and the long-term stability of the federal budget. And yet . . . the refusal to consider additional revenue and the delayed implementation of proposed Medicare reform result in impossible reductions in Medicaid and discretionary spending. … Congressional Democrats, in turn, have emerged from nearly four years of budgetary silence with their own ideological caricature — a proposal combining heavy taxes, budgetary gimmicks, a net increase in spending and a strident refusal to consider meaningful entitlement reform. The silence was more responsible.  … The Republican argument: Given demographic and fiscal trends, if you want to provide income and health-insurance support to the elderly and poor, and preserve a meaningful American role in the world, government will need to become less of an all-purpose service provider and to refocus key programs, such as Medicare, on helping those in the greatest need. The Democratic argument: We can do it all — as long as you don’t look beyond the 10-year budget window.”

Obama: Bring on the Green
The Hill reports, “President Obama will revive his green energy sales pitch Friday with a proposal to divert offshore oil-and-gas revenues to fund research into alternative fuel and vehicle technologies. The president will highlight the plan during a visit to a clean-energy research lab in Chicago, arguing the investment is vital to reduce dependence on foreign oil and spur high-tech jobs for the United States. … It follows on his announcement of a $2 billion ‘Energy Security Trust’ in his State of the Union address last month.  White House officials framed the trust as a way to wean the U.S. off oil and to reduce carbon emissions.“

Bankruptcy Lawyer Appointed to Manage Detroit’s Intervention 
The New York Times reports, “A veteran lawyer who once worked on Chrysler’s bankruptcy has been handed what may prove to be his toughest case yet: to bring Detroit back from the edge of financial collapse.Michigan officials on Thursday appointed the lawyer, Kevyn Orr, a partner in the Jones Day law firm, as an emergency manager to oversee operations in Detroit, one of the largest cities to ever receive such intervention. ‘This is the Olympics of restructuring,’ Mr. Orr said during a news conference in Detroit as he stood near Gov. Rick Snyder, who chose him, and Mayor Dave Bing, who, like all city officials in such situations, will be forced to cede significant powers to Mr. Orr under the state’s plan to save the city. … Mr. Orr described Detroit’s problems, which include annual cash shortages, about $14 billion in long-term liabilities, and complaints by residents that broken streetlights are not replaced and that the police do not respond to calls — as ‘very challenging.’ But he also struck an upbeat tone, saying that he hopes to someday reflect back on having participated in one of the nation’s ‘greatest turnarounds.’”

Spending Daily | March 14, 2013

“GOP Leaders Spent Tens of Thousands on Coffee, Doughnuts and Catering”
The Washington Guardian reports, “As the country hurtled toward the fiscal cliff and sequestration, House Republican leaders apparently couldn’t live without their catering, coffee and cars. In the last quarter of 2012, they spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to bring in food and drink from upscale restaurants, trendy coffee shops and grocery stores even though Congress was only in session about a third of the time, according to congressional expenditure documents reviewed by the Washington Guardian. A congressional audit report for October, November and December showed the top three Republican House leaders’ offices spent almost $30,000 in ‘supplies and materials’ - of which almost $24,000, or 80.4 percent, was for food and beverages. Some of their favorites were Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Joe Ragan’s coffee supplies, Dunkin Donuts, PF Chang’s, Qdobi Mexican Grill and Taylor Gourmet, the records show.  In addition, Democrats and Republicans were spending tens of thousands on rental cars and almost $10,000 to attend an emergency management convention. And some representatives – of both parties – gave their aides cash bonuses last year, a taxpayer tab totaling more than $2.5 million, according to a CNN analysis.”

Murray Budget Won’t be Balanced
POLITICO reports, “Sen. Patty Murray’s new budget plan would cut annual deficits but still leaves the country with a $566 billion shortfall after 10 years, as Senate Democrats and House Republicans continue to debate whether balancing the budget in a decade is the best approach to bolster the tepid economy. Murray unveiled the plan to the Senate Budget Committee, which Wednesday afternoon started debate on the bill. The panel is expected to approve it on a party-line basis Thursday, and the full Senate could vote on it by the end of next week. Democrats are unlikely to win GOP support on the floor, which means Murray, the Budget Committee chairwoman, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have to ensure they lose no more than five of their colleagues in order to win approval from the body. … In the committee, the 12 Democrats appeared united when they delivered their opening statements Wednesday. Assuming Murray succeeds in keeping her caucus largely in line and ushering the measure through the Senate, she will have an enormously challenging task of reconciling the plan with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s approach, who proposes no tax increases and calls for a dramatic overhaul of Medicare and Medicaid, as well as a repeal of the president’s health care law. Ryan’s plan also projects the U.S. would carry a $7 billion budget surplus by 2023.”

Dems Hesitate to Back Obama on Entitlement Cuts
The Washington Post reports, “On one side of the Capitol, President Obama sought to convince House Republicans on Wednesday that he is serious about reining in the rising cost of federal health and retirement programs. But on the other side of the Capitol, Senate Democrats rolled out a 10-year spending plan that sent a different message: Not so fast. While Democratic leaders are offering quiet support for Obama’s renewed campaign to strike a grand bargain with Republicans that would include cuts to Social Security and Medicare, a significant number of Democratic lawmakers are digging in their heels and vowing to protest any reduction in promised benefits. That sentiment was on display Wednesday, as Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced a budget blueprint that proposes only minor trims to Medicare and Medicaid — the biggest drivers of government spending — and vows to make the cuts ‘without harming beneficiaries.’ Meanwhile, a growing number of Democrats have declared their opposition to a proposal that has emerged as Obama’s biggest selling point to Republicans: his offer to apply a less-generous measure of inflation to Social Security, resulting in slightly smaller annual cost-of-living increases.”

“Senate Democrats’ budget plan has $400-600 billion deficits”
Reuters reports, “Annual deficits under a new plan from Senate Democrats would be in the $400-600 billion range for much of the next decade, a level they say would allow stronger near-term job growth than Republicans’ balanced-budget vision. The plan unveiled by Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray on Wednesday offers up some modest spending cuts and seeks nearly $1 trillion in new tax revenue, but leaves major government programs largely unchanged – a stark contrast to Republican Paul Ryan’s radical revamp of healthcare benefits in an effort to slash deficits to zero by 2023.”

“Escape From Spending Hell”
Daniel Henninger editorializes in The Wall Street Journal, “So it looks like we’ve all been sentenced to spending at least two more years in budget hell with Barack Obama. Under the rules of budget hell set the past four years by the prince of Pennsylvania Avenue, you’re not allowed to do anything real about federal spending. You can only fight over federal spending. Forever. … All hope is not lost. Amid the sequester smackdown with the White House, Republicans did something off-script: They called the Obama bluff. They let the sequester’s spending cuts occur, and the apocalypse didn’t descend. The only thing that cracked was the president’s approval rating. The sequester’s big discovery was that spending reduction isn’t a political third rail. But if the winds are starting to shift, Republicans are going to need all the help they can get to convince the American people that more cuts in spending will preserve and protect their economy.”

“Reopen The White House Doors To Tourists”
The Washington Post editorializes, “The decision to drop White House tours always had a whiff of what’s known as Washington Monument syndrome. The ham-handed tactic is employed when government is faced with budget cuts and officials go after the services that are most visible and appreciated by the public. It’s a kind of bureaucratic hostage-taking, so the pushback that the Obama administration has encountered is a proper comeuppance. The popular tours have been suspended indefinitely as part of the response to the so-called sequester that went into effect March 1, mandating across-the-board spending cuts of $85 billion. … Disappointed tourists took to Facebook and the airwaves to register their displeasure, while congressional Republicans and conservative commentators pounced. They suggested the move was an attempt to dramatize the effects of the sequester and to put pressure on GOP lawmakers, whose congressional offices incidentally field constituent requests for the free tour tickets. Administration officials, The Post’s David Nakamura reported, said the decision was made by the Secret Service, which estimated that ending the tours would save $74,000 in weekly overtime costs. Why overtime is needed for the self-guided tours that are plotted out with plenty of advance notice is anybody’s guess. But even accepting the explanation by a Secret Service spokesman that the decision involved a broader reassignment of officers to minimize furloughs, is the $2 million that’s estimated to be saved through September really worth the price of shutting Americans out of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.?”

Poll: Dissatisfaction with Government Biggest Problem, Followed by Economy
POLITICO reports, “More Americans cite dissatisfaction with government as the biggest problem facing the country than at any other time since the months leading up to the Watergate scandal, a new poll finds. Twenty percent of those surveyed call dissatisfaction with government the country’s biggest problem, according to a Gallup survey on Thursday – up from 16 percent the month before. … The issue of dissatisfaction is named second only to ‘the economy in general,’ which was cited by 24 percent of those surveyed as the biggest challenge facing the nation.”

Budget Compromise in Doubt
According to The New York Times, “President Obama’s meeting with a restive and resistant House Republican majority on Wednesday underscored their deep divisions over fiscal policy as both sides acknowledged that an overarching budget compromise was in doubt despite a new push by the White House. One day after Republicans rolled out a detailed proposal aimed at eliminating the federal deficit through steep cuts and repealing many of the president’s accomplishments, Mr. Obama told them pointedly in a rare visit that their highest fiscal priority was not his. ‘Our biggest problems in the next 10 years are not deficits,’ the president said, according to accounts from the meeting, bluntly rejecting an idea that has become Republican fiscal dogma.”

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