February 4, 2014

De Blasio Fumbles the Furball

February 4, 2014 Buck Banks

But obviously I know how Peyton Manning feels at this point.

— New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), quoted by Politicker, on dropping his city’s Groundhog Day groundhog yesterday.

It’s All About the Base, Baby

February 4, 2014 Buck Banks

No way it happens. I just don’t see it going anywhere. I think 2014 is a slam dunk to us otherwise and this would really piss off the base.

— A House Republican aide, quoted by Talking Points Memo, on the prospects for immigration reform.

Brutus of Kabul

February 4, 2014 Buck Banks

We’ve been waaay too long in Afghanistan.
And even though Karzai says he’s still our man,
It’s long past time to go,
Because now for sure we know
He’s been in secret peace talks with the Taliban.

This Do-Nothing Congress Is Junketing Like Mad

February 4, 2014 Buck Banks

$6 million

Amount spent in 2013 by members of Congress and their staff for nearly 1900 trips, breaking the record for the most privately sponsored travel since rules were tightened in 2007. By comparison the previous post-reform high was 2011, when privately financed travel cost $5.8 million for 1600 trips, according to Legistorm.

Boehner Is Pragmatic — In Secret

February 4, 2014 Buck Banks

Day: February 4, 2014

De Blasio Fumbles the Furball

But obviously I know how Peyton Manning feels at this point.

— New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), quoted by Politicker, on dropping his city’s Groundhog Day groundhog yesterday.

It’s All About the Base, Baby

No way it happens. I just don’t see it going anywhere. I think 2014 is a slam dunk to us otherwise and this would really piss off the base.

— A House Republican aide, quoted by Talking Points Memo, on the prospects for immigration reform.

Brutus of Kabul

This Do-Nothing Congress Is Junketing Like Mad

$6 million

Boehner Is Pragmatic — In Secret

There’s no sense picking a fight we can’t win.

— Speaker John Boehner, quoted by Roll Call, in a private GOP conference meeting on raising the debt ceiling.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“We are done, Americans are done with endless conflict in the Middle East, spending trillions of dollars, American lives… this is insane and we have to call it for what it is.”

— Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), on CNN.

44%

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by Deadline, in his July 4th message.

Numerati

$4,600

11

30%

A new American Research Group poll finds just 30% of Americans say they approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president and 67% say they disapprove.

61% to 35%

81

A Reuters analysis of Trump’s public comments from June 23 through July 6 (13 days) — when a string of left-wing Democratic candidates won their party’s primaries in New York — found he invoked communism 81 times.