News Nuggets 1383

DAYLEE PICTURE: A herd of reindeer in Murmansk, Russia.  From National Geographic.

The Post Office Banks on the Poor (Mehrsa Baradaran) from the New York Times
"... these lenders charge much more for their services than traditional banks. The average annual income for an “unbanked” family is $25,500, and about 10 percent of that income, or $2,412, goes to fees and interest for gaining access to credit or other financial services. But a possible solution has appeared, in the unlikely guise of the United States Postal Service."

A Brutal Translation of the 'Disincentive to Work': If Obamacare isn't the biggest drag on the workforce (and it isn't), what is? (Ron Fournier) from National Journal
"The Affordability Care Act is far from perfect. It needs to evolve with bipartisan thinking. But it's at least a step toward recognizing that the employee-based insurance system built for the 20th century is inadequate for this one. Rather than an honest debate about the future of the U.S. health care system, the conversation in Washington has been derailed by the Republican Party's cynical interpretation of a Congressional Budget Office analysis."
This right-leaning, no-friend-to-Obama columnist/reporter finally gets the hammer near the nail with this unusually (for him) blunt critique of Republicans.

Gabrielle Giffords Takes the Wheel from Politico
"Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords drove a car for the first time since she was shot three years ago, saying 2014 “will be a year of many wins” and sharing the news on Facebook on Friday. “2014 will be a year of many wins for me—moments when I do something I thought I might never be able to do again,” Giffords wrote."

Justice Department To Launch Push For Full Recognition Of Same-Sex Marriage from Talking Points Memo
"In an assertion of same-sex marriage rights, Attorney General Eric Holder is applying a landmark Supreme Court ruling to the Justice Department, announcing Saturday that same-sex spouses cannot be compelled to testify against each other, should be eligible to file for bankruptcy jointly and are entitled to the same rights and privileges as federal prison inmates in opposite-sex marriages."


Conservatives Shocked Obamacare Is Working Like It's Designed To from Talking Points Memo
"... the point is: Obamacare can still be working even if Humana receives a payout because it underperformed. That's part of the law's design. Using one's company experience as evidence that health care reform as a whole is failing ignores the rest of the story."

A Coke ad Crystallizes GOP’s Immigration Problems (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post
"For this reason, effective ethnic politics (and not just ethnic politics) is actually a form of hospitality: Please make yourself at home. “People don’t care how much you know,” said my old boss, the late Jack Kemp, “until they know how much you care.” Sometimes politics really is this simple."
Very perceptive observation -- and one of the reasons why the GOP is such trouble right now.  For virtually all of America's minorities, the Republican Party can't fake it that they care about anyone except older white men. Period.

Pete Sessions and the GOP’s ‘Immoral’ Conservatism (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"Limbaugh and his congressional apostles are justifying indifference to the unemployed much the way one denies a panhandler under the rationale that he would use the money only to buy more booze. But these are not panhandlers; these are, by definition, people who had been working and are trying to work again. The Sessions/Inhofe/Limbaugh definition of morality is based in the ideal world of universal productivity they’d like to see, but it offers little help for human misery in the real world."

Why the Christian Right’s Persecution Fantasies are so Dangerous (Amanda Marcotte) from Salon
"Religious conservative groups invest an insane amount of energy in the myth that they're an oppressed minority."

2016 Presidential Ratings Update: Nothing but Questions on the Republican Side (Larry Sabato et al.,) from the University of Virginia Center for Politics
"We bumped Christie down a peg in our Republican presidential ratings, but we still are putting him in our top tier. Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) leads our list, as he has since we introduced it last year. In reality, though, this is a completely wide-open field with no one even approaching
frontrunner status."

Hillary’s No Slam Dunk in 2016: Why She’s More Vulnerable than Everyone Thinks (Larry Sabato) from Politico
"NBC News’s First Read called it “a reminder that Hillary Clinton will probably face little to no serious competition if she runs.” Possible? Sure. But history’s guide tells us otherwise. A consensus choice for a major-party presidential nomination is exceedingly rare—and this is where the Nixon comparison comes in."
I completely agree with Sabato's assessment here.  

Chris Christie’s Loss is [Someone’s] Gain from Politico
"We asked leading conservatives from Newt Gingrich to Mary Matalin to fill in the blank."

Evidence Mounting that Walker Campaign Is at Center of Criminal Probe from PR Watch
"Newly-unsealed court documents and media leaks add to a growing body of evidence that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s campaign is at the center of a wide-ranging secret probe into campaign finance violations during the state's contentious 2011 and 2012 recall elections."
Boy -- his moment on someone's 2016 topi tier lasted about two seconds!

GOP Base Would Rather Take Out Incumbent Republicans Than Beat Democrats (Ron Christie) from the Daily Beast
"Interviews with those on Capitol Hill and in the conservative movement reveal antipathy toward each other that could cost the party the midterms."

Todd Akin 2.0? Georgia’s Senate Race Is GOP’s Worst Nightmare from Talking Points Memo
"Republicans have struggled to try and avoid campaign-crippling remarks that could snatch away an otherwise easy win in 2014 -- but that may be impossible in the Georgia Senate race. With eight candidates vying for the nomination, you'd think Republicans would have their pick for the next Georgia senator. Instead the field is filled with a mess of candidates who drudge up the worst stereotypes of an anti-science, anti-woman, anti-Obama, anti-immigrant Mr. Moneybags candidate -- a reputation the party has desperately been trying to shed. ... "I mean, the runoff is going to be a shitshow," a Democratic campaign official told TPM. "In the past six weeks we've seen 'sweep the floor,' we've seen 'impeach Obama,' we've seen Paul Broun raffle off a rifle.""
Oh happy day!

Another GOP senator in trouble:
Senator Races to Renew Ties, if Not Make a Home, in Kansas from the New York Times
"Mr. Roberts is now desperate to re-establish ties to Kansas and to adjust his politics to fit the rise of the right in the state. But his efforts underscore the awkward reality of Republicans who, after coming of age in an era of comity and esteem for long-term service, are trying to remake themselves to be warriors for a Tea Party age."

And another one:
Not a Good Day for Mitch McConnell: Yet Another Poll Shows him Trailing (Laura Clawson) from Daily Kos
"Mitch McConnell has got to be sweating bullets about now. Yet another poll shows the Kentucky senator and Republican leader trailing in a close race for reelection: ... If you're keeping count, this makes 11 polls showing the race tied or McConnell trailing slightly."


Tea Party Brings The Knives Out For Mitch McConnell from Talking Points Memo
"Conservatives are bringing out the torches and pitchforks for Mitch McConnell. Long-simmering tension between the tea party and Senate minority leader has again risen to the surface as a swath of conservative activists redouble their efforts to help Kentucky businessman Matt Bevin oust McConnell in the Republican primary on May 20, before he even makes it to the general election."


Some other good news for the Dems on the Senate front:
Montana Lt. Gov. John Walsh Appointed to Replace Baucus (Kyle Trygstad) from Roll Call
"Gov. Steve Bullock appointed his former running mate to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, who is leaving the Senate early after being confirmed Thursday as ambassador to China. Walsh was already running for the seat, but he’ll now run as the incumbent senator. That change could provide some inherent advantages in his quest to hold one of the party’s most vulnerable seats."