UP-FRONT TEA PARTY NUGGET!!
Three New Facts About the Tea Party (Abby Rapoport) from the American Prospect
"The results of the first political science survey of Tea Party activists show that the constituency isn’t going away any time soon—and Republicans hoping the activists will begin to moderate their stances should prepare for disappointment. ... For the first time, we can now look at what a huge sample of Tea Party activists believe, as well as examine how those who identify with the Tea Party differ from their establishment GOP counterparts. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the study:"
Obama Moving Toward Sending Lethal Arms to Syrian Rebels, Officials say from the Washington Post
"President Obama is preparing to send lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition and has taken steps to assert more aggressive U.S. leadership among allies and partners seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, according to senior administration officials."
What China and Russia Don't Get About Soft Power (Joseph Nye) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Beijing and Moscow are trying their hands at attraction, and failing -- miserably."
Why the Green Lantern Theory of Presidential Power Persists (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"This theory — which seems to hold broad sway over many in the press — holds that presidents should be able to bend Congress to their will, and any failure to do so proves their weakness and perhaps even their irrelevance. What accounts for the persistence of this theory? The answer, I think, lies in the tendency of reporters and analysts who are trying to remain a neutral, nonpartisan posture to feel comfortable making process judgments, but not ideological ones."
Sequestration Empowered President Obama (David Frum) from the Daily Beast
"Some of us have been warning from the start that forced defaults, sequestrations, and similar devices only end up empowering the executive branch. If Congress wants to determine the shape of spending cuts, it must write a budget. If it simply tells the executive, "spend less in every category," it grants the executive enormous discretion. And guess what? The executive will use this discretion for its own political purposes."
Joe Manchin’s Crusade to Get Gun Bill a Second Shot (Eleanor Clift) from the Daily Beast
As the public turns on Republican senators who opposed the legislation, supporters aim to line up a second shot for it, and a new result. Eleanor Clift reports."
Why Do Conservatives Like to Waste Energy? (Tim McDonnell) from Grist
"...one recent study found that giving Republican households feedback on their power use actually encourages them to use more energy. Why do conservatives, who should have a natural inclination toward conservation, have a beef with energy efficiency? It could be tied to the political polarization of the climate change debate."
A House in Chaos from Politico
"The GOP leadership is dealing with an unprecedented level of frustration in running the House, according to conversations with more than a dozen aides and lawmakers in and around leadership. Leadership is talking past each other. The conference is split by warring factions. And influential outside groups are fighting them."
The Last, Best Hope for GOP Hawks? from Politico
"... for a generation of hawkish Republican elites and executive-branch alumni, he has quickly been embraced if not as their last hope, then at least as their best hope for bringing the party back toward its post-Sept. 11 consensus on foreign policy."
Cruz 2016 : The Freshman Senator is Considering a Run for President (Robert Costa) from Politico
"They didn’t plan on having these presidential conversations so early in his first term. Yet Cruz’s rapid ascent and a flurry of entreaties from conservative leaders have stoked their interest — and Cruz’s."
Oh GOOD! Rand Paul, Ted Cruz -- who else? The libertarian nuts are covered. Cruz should get the Tea Party nod. Who will cater to the Herman Cain/Donald Trump rich wingnut block of the GOP? Wisconsin governor Scott Walker? How about Florida's Ric Scott? Jeb Bush is the only candidate who has a snowball's chance of getting both the GOP nomination AND winning the general election in 2016. My bet: Bush is waiting to see what Hillary is going to do. He is five years younger than Hillary and conceivably he could wait one more cycle. Without Bush in the ring, just look for the GOP presidential clown cars to become more crowded.
Can Ted Cruz Attract Big Money Donors? (David Frum) from the Daily Beast
"If Cruz imagines that he can power his way to the nomination with the support of only one big donor - his supporters mention Peter Thiel - he should remember how far, i.e. how short, Sheldon Adelson's money carried Newt Gingrich in 2012. Donor consensus matters, because it denies equal or greater big money to others."
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