| | January 28, 2015 | |
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If the goal of House Speaker John Boehner asking Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress in early March was to undermine the Obama administration's nuclear negotiations with Iran, well, that backfired -- at least in the short term. On Tuesday, a key group of Senate Democrats, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Bob Menendez "told the White House they will hold their fire on Iran sanctions until March 24, taking pressure off the Obama administration as it seeks to complete negotiations about the country's nuclear program," NBC's Frank Thorp reports. The reason why it backfired: By scheduling the speech without the White House's blessing -- plus two weeks before Israel's own elections -- it came across as entirely political. And it ultimately turned into Democratic-vs.-Republican fight. "Israel has been, for several decades, a bipartisan cause in Washington," theAtlantic's Jeffery Goldberg writes. But he adds that Netanyahu's poor relationship with Obama -- including this most recent end-run around the White House -- alienates Democratic lawmakers ("One Jewish member of Congress told me that he felt humiliated and angered by Netanyahu's ploy to address Congress 'behind the president's back'") and American Jews (who overwhelmingly voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012).
Bibi is now getting blowback at home
And the New York Times writes that Netanyahu is now getting some serious blowback at home with the elections coming up. "Yehuda Ben Meir, an expert on public opinion at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said surveys had consistently shown that Israelis see a decrease in American support and a nuclear-armed Iran 'as the two most serious threats, almost equal in severity.' Israelis are highly critical of Mr. Obama, and may appreciate Mr. Netanyahu's standing up to him, but losing congressional Democrats, Mr. Ben Meir said, would play differently. 'Most people in Israel feel or think or believe that mainly this was done for internal political reasons,' Mr. Ben Meir said. 'His base may say he went because of the Iranian issue, but those swing voters - and what's important is always the swing vote - it could among certain parts of the electorate harm him. It might be that he didn't properly estimate the fallout.'"
White House yanks plan to roll back 529 accounts
Backfiring and blowback also applied to President Obama's proposed elimination of 529 college-saving plans. Indeed, the White House quickly reversed course on Tuesday and dropped the proposal. "We proposed it because we thought it was a sensible approach, part of consolidating six programs to two and expanding and better targeting education tax relief for the middle class," an administration official toldNBC News. "Given it has become such a distraction, we're not going to ask Congress to pass the 529 provision." There are two big lessons here: One, it shows why tax reform is SO HARD; you touch one popular tax break (even if it makes ton of economic/efficiency sense), and folks will scream bloody murder. Two, it's a story about the political/journalist class. Raise your hand if you have one of these 529 accounts for your children or grandchildren. As one observer tweeted, "You can see the major class bias of many journalists when they act as though *everyone* benefited from the 529 program." In fact, the benefits under the program are disproportionately skewed to Americans earning six figures or above -- who represent just a sliver of the population. Still, we're surprised the White House didn't see this blowback coming when it first proposed the plan.
And that yanking came very quickly
Yet there's another story here, too: That the White House yanked it SO QUICKLY -- especially while the president was overseas -- suggests it's still holding out hope to strike some sort of tax deal with congressional Republicans. If you want to see tax reform happen in the 114th Congress, the speed of the Obama White House's retraction might give you hope.
The Democrats' danger of focusing so much on the middle class
A final related point to this 529 story: We get why the White House centered President Obama's State of the Union speech on "middle class economics" -- especially considering that the economic recovery hasn't trickled down to the middle and lower classes. But there is a danger here for Obama's team and the Democratic Party. You don't want to be seen as the folks who are trying to keep Americans IN the middle class. Yes, many Americans are either in the middle class or think they're in the middle class. But not everyone WANTS to be in the middle class forever; they might have their sights higher.
Senate Judiciary Committee holds confirmation hearing for AG nominee Loretta Lynch
Finally, Obama's nominee to be his next U.S. attorney general, Loretta Lynch, today has her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The New York Times sets the stage. "If she is confirmed, Ms. Lynch would be the nation's first African-American woman to serve as attorney general. Her allies have sought to differentiate her from Mr. Holder, an outspoken liberal voice in the administration who clashed frequently with Republicans who accused him of politicizing the office. In particular, Ms. Lynch is expected to face tough questioning about her opinion of the president's decision to unilaterally ease the threat of deportation for millions of unauthorized immigrants. Mr. Holder approved the legal justification for that action, enraging some Republicans. Ms. Lynch, the United States attorney in Brooklyn, will say that while she had no role in compiling the justification for the president's action, the legal underpinning was reasonable, according to officials involved in her preparation." The hearing begins at 10:00 am ET.
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OBAMA AGENDA: Drop it like it's hot
Under pressure from some fellow Democrats, Obama is dropping a controversial proposal to tax 529 college savings plans, NBC News reports.
Reuters reports that federal budget cuts have been felt the most acutely in red states.
From the Wall Street Journal: "Janet Yellen 's job is about to get harder after a relatively easy first year as Federal Reserve chairwoman. She and her Fed colleagues on Wednesday are likely to repeat after a two-day policy meeting that they 'can be patient' in deciding when to start raising short-term interest rates later this year-meaning no rate increases at their next gatherings in March or April. But in the weeks ahead, she'll face the challenge of forging consensus on whether to formally open the door to rates increases in June."
The AP wraps Obama's stop in Saudi Arabia: "Obama's presence here underscored the key role Saudi Arabia plays in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and highlighted Washington's willingness to put national security priorities ahead of concerns about human rights issues. Hours before arriving in Riyadh, Obama spoke at length about the importance of women's rights during an address in India, setting up a jarring contrast with his warm embrace of Saudi Arabia, a country where there are strict limits on women's freedom."
Breaking overnight, from the BBC: "Four Israeli soldiers have been injured in an attack on an army patrol near the border with Lebanon, the Israeli military says. A military vehicle was hit by an anti-tank missile in the disputed Shebaa Farms area. Hezbollah said it carried out the attack. The Israeli army responded by firing shells into southern Lebanon."
Lots of people had lots of things to say about Michelle Obama's decision not to wear a headscarf in Saudi Arabia: for example, here, here and here.
CONGRESS: Lynch appears before Senate Judiciary Committee
Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch faces the Senate Judiciary Committee today, and she'll try to differentiate herself from Eric Holder, writes the New York Times.
NBC's Alex Moe reports that House Speaker John Boehner is mulling another lawsuit against Obama on immigration executive action.
OFF TO THE RACES: Scott Walker ramps up
Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina will speak at the February conference of Lincoln Labs, a conservative and libertarian technology group.
CLINTON: Hillary Clinton will testify before the House committee investigating Benghazi, Rep. Elijah Cummings told CNN.
HUCKABEE: Mike Huckabee is not happy about "trashy" women cursing in professional settings in New York.
The Washington Post's take on Huckabee in Iowa: "When former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee walked into Walnut Creek Church here on Sunday night, fresh off his gleaming navy-blue bus, he was greeted by the crowd of suburban evangelicals as a visiting celebrity rather than a 2016 presidential candidate."
PALIN: Kathleen Parker writes that Palin was used and then tossed aside by her party.
PERRY: "A judge refused to dismiss a case against former Texas Governor Rick Perry Tuesday, which means that a case over abuse of power will move forward against the potential presidential candidate."
The Texas Tribune delves into what might be some legal silver linings for Team Perry.
ROMNEY: The Boston Globe looks at the pricey real estate Romney built after his 2012 loss.
The New York Times looks at how Romney can't get no love from Rupert Murdoch, who's voicing surprising early support for Jeb Bush.
RUBIO: An informal straw poll of donors at the Koch summit puts Marco Rubio at the top.
WALKER: He's started a 527 organization as he ramps up for a possible presidential bid.
From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "Calling his plan a "common-sense, fiscally conservative approach," Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday said new growth in income tax revenue from Milwaukee Bucks players, employees and visiting teams will generate enough money to cover debt payments on $220 million in state-issued bonds for a new arena." MORE: "In a statement, David Fladeboe, director of Americans for Prosperity's Wisconsin chapter, said the group feels Walker's plan "would put the state and taxpayers on the hook for future obligations. Funding for sports arenas should not be the responsibility of the state and the hard-working taxpayers of Wisconsin.'"
And around the country...
INDIANA: "Indiana on Tuesday announced plans to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act after securing concessions from the Obama administration that could pave the way for other Republican-led states to widen health coverage for low-income residents."
KENTUCKY: Matt Bevin is back, and he's running for governor.
NEW YORK: Sheldon Silver will be replaced as speaker of the New York State Assembly next week as he faces federal corruption charges.
PROGRAMMING NOTES.
*** Tuesday's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" line-up: NBC's Andrea Mitchell interviews Rep. Joaquin Castro, Nantucket Police Chief William Pittman, the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, the New York Times' Jackie Calmes, NBC's Pete Williams and Ayman Mohyeldin and MSNBC's Chris Pollone.
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Hillary Clinton is "willing" to testify before the House select committee on Benghazi, according to Democrats on the panel.
No formal invitation has been sent for Clinton's testimony, according to an aide, but ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings - at Republican chairman Trey Gowdy's request -- started discussions with Clinton about a public appearance last year.
Clinton was prepared to appear as early as last December, said Democrats, but Gowdy delayed the testimony, citing the need to obtain additional documents.
Gowdy has not yet scheduled a public hearing.
"Chairman Gowdy has always said we look forward to the Secretary¹s appearance as soon as practical after State produces documents responsive to Committee requests," Amanda Duvall, a spokeswoman for Gowdy, told NBC.
Clinton has previously testified about the Benghazi attacks before both Senate and House committees. The House Select Committee on Benghazi was formed in May 2014.
While the panel's work started with promises of bipartisan cooperation, disagreements about access to witnesses and document preparation have flared in recent weeks.
- Frank Thorp and Carrie Dann
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A key group of Senate Democrats has told the White House they will hold their fire on Iran sanctions until March 24th, taking pressure off the Obama administration as it seeks to complete negotiations about the country's nuclear program.
"In acknowledgment of your concern regarding congressional action on legislation at this moment, we will not vote for this legislation on the Senate floor before March 24," the letter sent from 10 Senate Democrats to the president read. "After March 24, we will only vote for this legislation on the Senate floor if Iran fails to reach agreement on a political framework that addresses all parameters of a comprehensive agreement."
During his State of the Union address last week, Obama strongly opposed any potential move by Congress to pass additional sanctions on Iran before negotiations were complete, threatening to veto any sanctions if they reached his desk.
"New sanctions passed by this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that diplomacy fails -- alienating America from its allies; making it harder to maintain sanctions; and ensuring that Iran starts up its nuclear program again," Obama said. "It doesn't make sense."
The letter from Democrats means it's unclear what Congress will be able to pass in relation to additional sanctions on Iran in the interim, and may simply stall any talks of Congressional action until after March 24th.
Sen Bob Corker (R-TN), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says it may send the wrong message to Iran if the Senate acts with clear divisions on a strategy.
"On an issue this important to our nation I would think we would want to speak as strongly as we can," Corker told reporters today, "What you don't want Iran to see is a divide here, I mean that would be the worst message your could send." |
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Republicans and Democrats on the House Select Committee on Benghazi are at odds about how the panel is handling the investigation into the 2012 terrorist attacks -- and the conflict was on full display at a hearing Tuesday.
The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, charged at the group's third public hearing that Republicans, led by Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC), have been withholding key information from Democrats.
"I am saddened to report today that there are major, major problems with this Committee and its work," Cummings said in his opening statement Tuesday morning.
Cummings has released previously private emails from the five Democrats on the select committee to Gowdy in order to air their concerns.
"[O]ver the past eight months, Democrats have repeatedly been excluded from core components of the investigation, and we have been proceeding with no rules to prevent this from occurring in the future," Cummings wrote in a letter on January 23.
Republicans argue that there's no precedent for a requirement that sources meet with both parties on a congressional select committee.
"Chairman Gowdy will talk to Benghazi sources with or without the Democrats present just as they are welcome to talk to sources with or without Republicans present," Jamal D. Ware, the committee's Communications Director, said in a statement. "As [the Congressional Research Service] has noted, no congressional select committee has ever had a requirement that sources meet with both sides at the same time, and the Benghazi Committee is no exception."
Both sides voiced frustrations Tuesday with the slow pace of the committee's investigation. While Republicans criticized the State Department for lingering witness and document requests, Democrats accused their GOP counterparts of drawing out the investigation.
"This is not a political exercise for us," Gowdy shot back. "We're going to ratchet it up because I need access to the documents and the witnesses and we need to be able to conclude our work."
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