Tag: Michael Catalini

When news broke that the Internal Revenue Service was targeting conservative groups, Republicans pounced on the revelations. House Speaker John Boehner memorably suggested that someone face prison time over it.

“My question isn’t about who’s going to resign,” he said last month. “My question is about who’s going to jail over this scandal.”

But not all controversial government programs are created equal. The recent reports, for example, that showed the breadth of the government’s secret data collection have congressional Republicans divided.

via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/why-the-gop-isn-t-attacking-obama-over-data-collection-20130610

If Congress operated according to public opinion, Republican Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee would be a pariah in the halls of the House.

A self-proclaimed social conservative, DesJarlais has been in political trouble since news reports revealed he pressured a former patient of his to get an abortion after they had an affair, details that emerged during divorce proceedings. Later, after he won reelection, reports showed he and his wife had agreed to have two abortions before their divorce.

But unlike some other scandal-wracked politicians like Anthony Weiner, Eric Massa, or Eliot Spitzer, DesJarlais hasn’t become an outcast at all. Republican leaders haven’t punished him. He still holds positions on the Agriculture and, yes, the Oversight and Government Reform committees. Even more glaring: He’s getting fundraising assistance on Tuesday from six influential colleagues, including three committee chairmen (GOP Reps. Darrell Issa of California, John Kline of Minnesota, and Frank Lucas of Oklahoma) and two potential Senate candidates (Kline and Rep. Tom Price of Georgia).

via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/why-are-republicans-raising-money-for-a-scandal-plagued-congressman-20130318

President Obama’s second term just got under way, but it’s outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton who is far more popular, according to a new Quinnipiac poll testing politicians’ favorability ratings. Need evidence that House Republicans are unpopular? House Speaker John Boehner sits at the bottom of the list, by far, in terms of net favorability. The poll, which surveyed 1,772 registered voters nationally, was conducted between Jan. 30 and Feb. 4. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

Here’s how all the nine politicians fared, from most popular to least.

+27 net favorability Clinton is flying high after leaving Foggy Bottom and returning to private life. As she decides whether run for president in 2016, she’ll have political capital to spend. 

via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/new-poll-shows-hillary-clinton-marco-rubio-more-popular-than-obama-20130208

Lawmakers suggest a partial fix, not a sweeping deal, is likely to address expiring tax cuts and automatic budget cuts–the so-called fiscal cliff, National Journal Daily reports.

Subscribers can read more here.

via Homepage http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/10/lawmakers-suggest-a-partial-fi.php

Joe Lockhart, Facebook‘s vice president for global communications, is leaving the social media company, AllThingsD reports.

Lockhart served as President Bill Clinton‘s spokesman and was a founding member of the Glover Park Group. Here’s AllThingsD’s Mike Isaac with more details:

His departure comes nearly 15 months after he first joined the company in July of last year, where he worked alongside of Marne Levine, another beltway insider who has served Facebook as VP of global public policy since 2010.

[snip]

The decision comes in part because of Lockhart’s desire not to move to California full-time and stay on the east coast, where he has continued to reside throughout his employment at Facebook, a source

via Homepage http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/10/joe-lockhart-leaving-facebookr.php

Congress will punt sequestration for a few months when lawmakers return after the election, say a large majority of National Journal Security Insiders.

Seventy-nine percent say they think Congress will come up with a short-term solution, while 13 percent say lawmakers will compromise and avoid the cuts. Eight percent think Congress will fail to compromise and sequestration will take effect.

Here’s Sara Sorcher with some analysis:

Several Insiders said the outcome of the presidential election could be decisive when it comes to compromise on Capitol Hill. Defense hawks pushing for a compromise that spares defense are sure to be shot down,

via Homepage http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/10/congress-likely-to-punt-on-seq.php

The House spent a total of two full work weeks, or 80 hours, and $50 million on trying to repeal the 2010 health care law, CBS news reports.

And while yesterday’s repeal vote–the 33rd try to undo the law wholly or partly–might seem insane, as many Democratic members put it, there are a few reasons that make the gambit a smart move for the GOP.

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via Homepage http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/07/how-much-time-money-did-the-ho.php