HUFFPOST HILL - Mitch McConnell's Wile E. Coyote-Style Legislative Traps.. Tufts Alum Recalls Hardscrabble College Days.. Sarah Palin Gives Us One Last 'HUH?' Before We Stop Caring
By Eliot Nelson, Ryan Grim & Arthur Delaney
SENATE GETTING ALL AWKWARD OVER JOBS BILL - Mitch McConnell will force a vote on the original version of the American Jobs Act (sort of) in an attempt to highlight Democratic infighting over the bill's original iteration. In order to accomplish this, McConnell will force the vote by suspending Senate rules (which right now is cloture on the China currency bill) and asking for a vote on the original American Jobs Act. We're told this maneuver hasn't been employed since 1941 so the Republican leadership is really reaching on this one (if McConnell is pulling a retro '40s move like this, at least he could have done it while wearing a zoot suit, no?). Democrats will vote against the rule suspension and Republicans will insist their opposition is a vote against the president. Or it's a vote to not completely suspend the rules that govern their place of business. Or the other thing! Whatever! Voting starts soon.
Heh. Mitch McConnell in a zoot suit.
HuffPost DC has been tracking the occupation. In slideshow form, naturally.
NEIN-NEIN-NEIN - "THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, October 6, 2011, Attached is a proclamation signed by the President today regarding German-American Day, 2011."
BLOOD DRAWN: ENERGY DEPT. LOAN CHIEF STEPS DOWN - Jonathan Silver, the head of the Department of Energy office that oversaw the loan guarantee to Solyndra, the solar manufacturing firm that went under, is stepping down. With an over 90 percent success rate, Silver was, of course, a miserable failure. Silver, a disgustingly rich investor, will head to Third Way -- no, seriously, he's going to Third Way -- where he'll keep a low profile for a bit before returning to getting even richer in the private sector where he won't have to put up with any of your D.C. bullshit anymore. "Under his leadership, the loan program has demonstrated considerable success, with a broad portfolio of investments that will help American companies compete in the global clean energy market," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. "Because of my absolute confidence in Jonathan and the outstanding work he has done, I would welcome his continued service at the department, but I completely understand the decision he has made." [National Journal]
DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - The Obama administration's proposal to let job creators create jobs for the unemployed without paying them is "a no-go proposition" for at least one big creator of jobs. "From a straight business standpoint we like employing people. We want to hire them. We want to pay them. We want them to be accountable to us as employees," Chris McConnell, a recruiter for AlliedBarton Security Services, said in an interview with HuffPost. "Generally speaking, it also can be a tricky human resources dynamic to have people doing similar types of work and some are paid, some are unpaid, some are still on unemployment. That's not a clean recipe for a happy workforce." [HuffPost]
DOUBLE DOWNER - Remember last week when new claims for unemployment insurance dipped below 400,000 and everybody was happy? Claims rose to 401,000 in today's announcement. Resume wailing, rending garments. [Labor Department]
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John Boehner's office released a graphic declaring "all roads lead to nowhere for the president's job bill.". It's basically a professional-looking graphic of White House stationary with with crossed-out political strategies overlaid with far less professional-looking MS Paint-y quote bubbles, each describing how the strategies have failed. You shouldn't bring a knife to a gun fight and you DEFINITELY shouldn't bring rudimentary PowerPoint graphics to an Adobe fight. [HuffPost's Elise Foley]
Thought "Bridge to Work" led to Boehner's heart :(
@RepErikPaulsen: It was great to talk with Gabby! lockerz.com/s/144895862
NEVADA ANNOUNCES EARLIER PRIMARY DATE, POSSIBLY MOVING IOWA CAUCUSES TO 2011 - As its residents often do, the Keystone state today stuffed political journalists' New Year's plans into a car trunk, drove out to the desert and unceremoniously BURIED THEM. Nevada's Republican Party announced that the state's caucuses will be held on January 14, increasing the likelihood that Iowa's caucuses will be held this December so the New Hampshire primary can have some breathing room. In fairness to Nevada's Republicans, their decision is a response to the Florida GOP, who initiated this electoral Mexican standoff when it moved up its primary date to January 31, forcing South Carolina to move up its date. We encourage our Republican readers to begin reading up on the 2024 candidates, seeing as how that year's primary will probably be held in a few days. [CBS News]
The Review-Journal reports that Mitt Romney's campaign lobbied the Nevada GOP to move up their date. The campaign apparently hoped to have the Romney-friendly state primary right after New Hampshire, thereby creating political momentum. "We moved the date for the good of Nevada, not the Romney campaign," former Gov. Robert List, who is a GOP committeeman and on the on the board who made the scheduling decision. "But Romney's people were pushing for us to move into January so that he could get some momentum and have a rising tide going into Florida." [Review-Journal]
SCOTT BROWN: ELIZABETH WARREN'S BIRTHDAY SUIT IS HISTORY'S GREATEST MONSTER - Telegenic part-time model Scott Brown responded today to human being Elizabeth Warren's assertion that she didn't pay for college by posing nude. "Thank God!" Brown said in response to the question from a Boston-area radio host. "That's what I said!" the man-crushing host responded. "I said, 'Look, can you blame a good-looking guy for wanting to, you know...'" The two then stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, their lips quivering, their hearts pounding before they violently and passionately embraced each other * Brown replied that he "didn't go to Harvard, you know, I went to the school of hard knocks, and I did whatever I had to do to pay for school." Warren didn't attend Harvard either. Warren went to the University of Houston which, to be fair, is kind of the Harvard of Houston-area schools that aren't Rice. PS School of Hard Knocks = Tufts? [HuffPost]
* That little bit of strikethrough Scott Brown gay erotica made us realize that he'd be a great dime store novel cover model. Think about it: Brown with Fabio hair standing atop a rock clutching a scared-looking woman as dark storm clouds loom in the background. SWOON. Also, "School of Hard Knocks" would be the title.
HOUSE VOTES DOWN PERRY 'NIGGERHEAD' APOLOGY RESOLUTION - Today in "Things that didn't happen in 1962 but are actually happening now": The lower chamber voted against consideration of a resolution introduced by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. calling on Rick Perry to apologize for the racist name of his family's hunting camp. The measure denounces the camp's name as "morally offensive" and specifically mentions Herman Cain as "the only Republican presidential candidate to criticize Governor Rick Perry for being 'insensitive' when the word was not immediately condemned;" but "remind(s) Herman Cain that the word is not only 'insensitive,' but is also 'offensive.'" The rock on which the name had been painted couldn't be reached for comment. [WaPo]
Today on FoxNews.com: "Will Our Military Soon Be Unable to Prevent World War III?"
HARVARD-HATING ROMNEY HIRES A BUNCH OF HARVARD GUYS - Mitt Romney today unveiled a flashy new team of foreign policy advisers. The group is made up mostly of former Bush 43 aides, counter-terrorism types, and some other people who think America's interests would be best served abroad if we forcibly install KFC/Taco Bell hybrid restaurants in Kandahar. The thing is, a sizable chunk -- over a third, actually -- of Romney's new foreign policy team either attended Harvard or worked for the institution.. This flies in the face of Romney's previous criticism that President Obama takes too much advice from the "Harvard faculty lounge." In other breaking news, Mitt Romney often says one thing and then does the exact opposite thing not long thereafter. [TPM]
@benpolitico: @thefix Look, I need the clicks. Also had an item today about dwarf-tossing.
We filed that dwarf-tossing thing, too, Ben. Feeling your pain.
PALIN SUPPORTERS SEARCHING FOR MEANING - Remember earlier this year when that guy predicted the rapture would come and all his followers gave away their money, quit their jobs and readied their families for the coming Apocalypse? Remember how that didn't happen? Remember how stunned and confused those followers were when life as they knew it continued? Well the not insignificant number of people who gave up everything to campaign for Sarah Palin's putative campaign are feeling a bit of that now. One such supporter, Peter Singleton, relocated to Iowa to champion the gospel of Palin. "Seven AM until one AM every day except for church on Sunday, but it's what you do if you really believe the country is facing great challenges," he said of his daily Palin-centric routine to ABC News. Somewhere, in an alternate universe, Sarah Palin is a televangelist being indicted for tax fraud. [ABC News]
THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO MISS - "Steve Jobs was certainly not a singular man. He was not an -- he was an island that touched so many people." - Sarah Palin. Or was it Dan Zak?
The way we mourn now: "A rep for the St. Croix clothing brand tells TMZ, as soon as news broke that Jobs had passed, their mock turtlenecks flew off the shelves -- adding, St. Croix has experienced an 'almost 100% increase in sales' since yesterday."
The way we hate now: "Westboro Baptist Church announced plans Wednesday night to protest Steve Jobs's funeral, sending the message out. . .wait for it. . . via Twitter for iPhone."
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Dog is terrified by Julia Roberts.
JEREMY'S WEATHER REPORT - Are you enjoying the nice weather? I'd describe it as a nice stretch of crisp fall weather. Tonight: In true fall fashion, you can expect temperatures in the 50s, with clear skies. Clear enough to watch the leaves begin to change color. Tomorrow: Sunny, with temperatures in the 70s. It's better if you're, let's say, teaching political journalism in Chicago. They can expect nearly 80! Thanks, JB!
COMFORT FOOD
- Thumb sucking kitty. [http://huff.to/oCluHH]
- There are a lot of Steve Jobs videos, photos and remembrances circulating around, but we're particularly fond of this clip of him debuting the Macintosh in 1984 and the crowd going nuts. [http://huff.to/rkYmX9]
- A supercut of Judy Jetson fussing over her cosmically-named crushes ("Rocky Retro! He's a hunk!"). Even in the future, gender dynamics were/will not be...not enlightened. [http://huff.to/pXgmoB]
- Terribly confused killer whale swims up to a motor boat and imitates the sound the motor makes. Simultaneously adorable and devastating. [http://huff.to/pp6rOu]
- A guy narrates the plot of Buffalo Rider through song. There's a lot of buffalo riding. [http://huff.to/ppJ0l9]
- A list of sports centered around pumpkins. Isn't Fall your favorite time of year? [http://huff.to/r3979f]
- "House" reimagined in eight bits. [http://i.imgur.com/t8VLf.gif]
- Soccer players bring Angry Birds to life with some pinpoint accurate kicks. [http://huff.to/redqJ6]
TWITTERAMA
@MarieSDiamond: Says the guy with the motorcycle commercials and Vogue cover? MT @evanmc_s: Huntsman: "There's too much drama and theater in politics."
@FakeAPStyleBook: Don't get the "America loses Jobs" story mixed up with the "America loses jobs" story on the same page.
@thinkprogress: You mean reporters? RT @daveweigel: New @Slate: What happens to the people who hitched their careers to Palin? slate.me/qxVA3s
ON TAP
TONIGHT
6:00 pm - 9:30 pm: Fresh off of his California Agrobusiness Shakedown Tour '11, Frank Lucas comes back for a (adopted) hometown show. [Capitol Hill Club, 300 First Street SE]
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm: RealClearPolitics, which is what happens when HuffPost and Rasmussen have a baby and then make it exceedingly red, marks the 2012 campaign with an "Election 2012 Launch Party." [Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar, 223 Penn Ave SE]
TOMORROW
Tomorrow - Sunday: John Barrasso, Richard Burr and Richard Shelby drew the short straw and now are FORCED to do a fundraising weekend for the NRSC. UGH. And where is it at? A FREAKING GOLF COURSE.....Life is hard. [Pebble Beach, CA]
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