HUFFPOST HILL - Depressed Obama Finding Comfort In Syntax.. Gingrich Backs Double Border Fence, Pit Of Fire To Follow?.. Michele Bachmann Tries To Introduce Gay America To That Nice Girl From Church
By Eliot Nelson, Ryan Grim & Arthur Delaney
Newt Gingrich is America's rotten boyfriend who we keep inviting back in: he berates journalists, he takes advantage of voters and now he is in first place. Michele Bachmann's creative "join or die" plan to enfranchise gays and lesbians has a lot of precedent... like the Inquisition. And Dianne Feinstein asked the Senate to vote a *second* time on a controversial detainee bill, in case the Senate -- we don't know -- pressed the wrong button or something. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Thursday, December 1st, 2011:
PRESIDENT DEVELOPS CRUSH ON NOUN AND VERB - Sam Stein: "At a fundraiser Wednesday night in New York City, the new line was on display, with the president deploying the phrase "Change is" on a dozen occasions...The formulation actually debuted at a Nov. 14 Obama campaign event at the Aulani Disney Resort in Hawaii, where he declared 'Change is' on 10 occasions. Prior to that, Obama hadn't used the rhetorical device at all...the revised frame is a bit different, giving more than a subtle nod to supporters that their investment in the 2008 campaign paid off. It was hardly coincidental that on Wednesday evening, the president prefaced the rift by declaring: 'Three years later, because of what you did in 2008, we have already started to see what change looks like.'" [HuffPost]
DIANNE FEINSTEIN: HEY SENATE, ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DETAIN AMERICANS INDEFINITELY? SENATE: YES. - Remember when you were little and your mom or dad would try to get you to do something by counting down from ten? Remember how, the closer they got to zero, the more they'd splice the numbers ("two...one-and-a-half...one-and-one-quarter")? That's kind of what Dianne Feinstein is doing. Except this time the matter at hand is slightly more grave than whether you'll leave your pillow fort. Mike McAuliff: "The Senate on Thursday blocked a second attempt to spare U.S. citizens from potential indefinite military detentions and was set to vote on a third effort to do the same later in the day. Under a provision of the mammoth defense authorization bill, the military would be granted the authority to detain and hold anyone indefinitely if that individual is suspected of having ties to al Qaeda, including any American arrested in the United States. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, offered an amendment to curb the measure by specifying that it applied to suspects captured 'abroad.' The amendment failed on a vote of 45 to 55. Feinstein was expected to get a vote later in the day on another amendment that would explicitly exclude U.S. citizens from military detention." [HuffPost]
DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - Congress is meandering toward a renewal of extended jobless benefits, but the great state of Maine's not taking chances. "State labor officials are planning additional job-search workshops for unemployed Mainers in anticipation of federally funded unemployment programs expiring at the end of the year," the Associated Press reports. "Commissioner Robert Winglass says more than 17,000 jobless Mainers are expected to be lose benefits in the coming months as the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits programs come to an end." Everybody thinks you suck, Congress. [AP]
TODAY IN CLASS WARFARE - In the latest step on the long, potholed, possibly hopeless path toward a day of reckoning for the financial crisis that wrecked the economy, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is suing five of the nation's biggest banks for deceptive foreclosure and mortgage modification practices, her office announced Thursday. Coakley's suit signals her formal departure from ongoing settlement negotiations between those banks, the Obama administration and a coalition of other state AGs over faulty foreclosure procedures. [HuffPost]
WELLS FARGO IS SAD - Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf is sad, so maybe Coakley's lawsuit is a step in the right direction. "I've not seen the complaint but I am disappointed," Stumpf said on CNBC. "We've worked hard to come to an agreement, which I think would be good for the country and good for housing." [CNBC]
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HERE'S AN ITEM ABOUT MIKE LEE'S FAILED ATTEMPT TO FREE DEMOCRACY FROM THE UNDUE INFLUENCE OF PEOPLE WHO VOTE - Paul Blumenthal: "The Federal Election Commission drew a line Thursday on how far campaign finance laws will unravel in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling. The FEC ruled unanimously against a controversial proposal from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to open an independent expenditure-only account, commonly known as a super PAC, within his leadership PAC. Lee asked the commission to approve the creation of a separate segregated fund within his Constitutional Conservatives Fund that could receive unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and individuals to be spent on independent expenditures benefiting other candidates for office. Lee would have been the first member of Congress to directly control his own super PAC." [HuffPost]
@CorbinHiar: The Senate has held 56 secret sessions since 1929. The House met behind closed doors four times during that period. ow.ly/7LoGy
GINGRICH TAKES COMMANDING LEAD IN AMERICA, WHERE HE HAS CAMPAIGNED ONCE OR TWICE - Rasmussen: "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has surged to the largest national lead held by any candidate so far in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary Voters finds Gingrich on top with 38% of the vote. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is a distant second at 17%. No other candidate reaches double-digits. (To see survey question wording, click here.)" [Rasmussen]
Double immigrant prevention, all the way, via Elise Foley: "Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich signed a pledge on Thursday to build a double fence along the entirety of the southern border of the United States. The former Speaker of the House promised in the Americans for Border Security pledge to construct a complete double border fence between the United States and Mexico by the end of 2013, should he become president. Only one other GOP presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), has signed the pledge so far. Gingrich promises on his campaign website to 'control the border' by Jan. 1, 2014, implying that President Barack Obama lacks the 'will' to stop unauthorized immigration from Mexico." [HuffPost]
GINGRICH: NOT A FAVORITE AT THE OFFICE - Is it possible for a graduating senior to be voted "Most Likely To Move Away (We Hope)" because Newt Gingrich is certainly a viable candidate. Sam Stein: "A Huffington Post tally of endorsements from governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives shows that Gingrich enjoys the backing of just eight lawmakers. Romney has 46 endorsements; Texas Governor Rick Perry has 13. (Far fewer endorsements have been made across the board than they had been at this point in previous election cycles.) On Thursday, Roll Call ran a story about one of Romney's endorsers --- Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) --- titled 'Thune's Choice a Sign of Worry over Gingrich.' This isn't necessarily a bad thing for Gingrich. It's easier to proclaim that you are anti-Washington when those in Washington don't like you." [HuffPost]
GINGRICH: A FAVORITE AT SUNNY ACRES RETIREMENT VILLAGE - Because if there's one group of people who appreciates someone who indiscriminately yells at young people and goes on for hours about their glory days... TPM: "His attention to older white voters, who were central the GOP's 2010 wave, seems to be paying off. So far, Gingrich is attracting a disproportionate share of the senior vote across the board. And given that Iowa and Florida are two of the five oldest states, there's plenty to recommend the strategy. Indeed, the most dramatic movement for Gingrich so far is in Florida, where one PPP poll showed him with a 47-17 lead over Romney. PPP flagged his senior surge nationally with the chart below..." [TPM]
OHHHH, WE SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE - "GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann says gay people do have the right to get married -- so long as they're planning on tying the knot with a member of the opposite sex. The Minnesota congresswoman was campaigning in Iowa Wednesday addressing a group of high school students when Jane Schmidt, president of Waverly High School's Gay-Straight Alliance, confronted her on same-sex marriage rights...'We all have the same civil rights,' Bachmann said, according to the Des Moines Register, providing an opportunity for Schmidt to press her. 'Then, why can't same-sex couples get married?' Schmidt asked. 'They can get married,' Bachmann responded. 'But they abide by the same law as everyone else. They can marry a man if they're a woman. Or they can marry a woman if they're a man.'" [HuffPost]
Good for her! "Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) announced that Rep. Trent Franks(R-Ariz.) will serve as Congressional co-chairman for her struggling presidential campaign...Franks' support marks Bachmann's first public endorsement from one of her Congressional colleagues. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) leads the Congressional endorsement tally with the support of 48 Members." [Roll Call]
WARREN TAKES THE LEAD - Elizabeth Warren, liberal America's post-Obama-hope methadone, has taken the lead in the Massachusetts Senate race according to a survey out from UMass Amherst. "Warren leads Brown by 4 points among registered voters in the UMass Amherst Poll, 43 percent to 39 percent, the difference being within the 4.4 percent margin of error, say UMass Amherst political scientists Brian Schaffner and Ray La Raja. The poll finds Warren is drawing strong support from women, middle-to-low income residents and younger voters. Brown maintains a large lead among Independent voters while Warren is getting overwhelming support from Democratic voters in Massachusetts." [UMass]
Change we can spend $35,000 on and then suffer a massive case of buyer's remorse over. MoJo: "Sixty-nine fundraisers this year by December 1. That's an average of more than one fundraiser every five days. (Though, as Obama's latest New York trip shows, these events are often clustered together on a single day.) This is a blistering pace of rainmaking for the 44th president in 2011. Obama's fundraising activity surpasses that of predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. According to Brendan Doherty, a political scientist at the US Naval Academy, Bush attended 41 fundraisers between January 1, 2003 and November 30, 2003. Clinton attended 23 fundraisers from January 1 1995 and November 30, 1995." [MoJo]
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Doggy wuvs his bath! And kind of looks like a polar bear.
JEREMY'S WEATHER REPORT - We have a few days like today coming up, with arctic-like chill at night, and not all that bad days. Thanks, JB!
COMFORT FOOD
By @bradjshannon!
- Stop-motion "arts and crafts history of the world" music video. [http://bit.ly/thQjAh]
- How to Lose $2400 in 24 Seconds. Let us know if it works for you. [http://bit.ly/vrxKw9]
- Want a tour of the HuffPost DC office? Well, too bad. But it's something like this. [http://bit.ly/twQ73X]
- @Wesingyourtweet provides an invaluable service, but you'll NEVER GUESS what it is. [http://huff.to/rD6vOx]
- Best of 2011 lists, because the last 8.49% of the year doesn't matter: [TIME: 50 websites].. [WCP: Best of DC].. [Adweek: 10 best commercials].. [Paste: 50 best albums].. [NYT: 10 best books].. [Devour: news bloopers]
- The only thing worse than working in retail during the holidays is dealing with (funny) jerks like these guys. [http://bit.ly/tOmmoI]
- Experts: "We found no evidence of systematic links between media piracy and more serious forms of organized crime, much less terrorism, in any of our country studies." Think about that while you watch this ad from the National Crime Prevention Council. [http://bit.ly/sIbnSh]
TWITTERAMA
@radleybalko: Two fences. The first covered in razor blades. The second with stationery prone to cause paper cuts. Then, a moat of orange juice. #topnewt
@pwgavin: The good news is that there will be no beer summits in a potential Romney White House.
@delrayser: Michele Bachmann wants to close our embassy in Iran, but maybe she should start by recalling Ambassador Snuffleupagus.
ON TAP
By @tylerkingkade
TONIGHT
5:00pm - 6:30pm: December means holiday party time, and the Democrats can't wait to cash in. Steve Israel, Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi, Allyson Schwartz, Jim Clyburn and Jim Himes will host a DCCC holiday fundraiser tonight. Scheduled to attend: Gabrielle Giffords, Leonard Boswell, Timothy Bishop, Kurt Schrader, Jim Matheson, Mike McIntyre, Ben Chandler, Jerry McNerney, Larry Kissell, Gerry Connolly, Tim Walz, Bill Owens, Mark Critz and Kathy Hochul. Occupy DC plans to be outside protesting it. [727 15th St NW]
5:30pm - 7:00pm: North Carolina Dem Heath Schuler says 'Screw the DCCC, I'm raising my own money tonight.' [38 Ivy St. SE]
6:00pm: Jack Kingston helps fellow Republican Tom Reed fundraise. (By the way, Reed sure has had a lot of fundraisers lately) [1015 15th St. NW]
6:00pm: Rick Berg will be having dinner at Acqua Al. [212 7th Street SE]
7:00pm: Florida Republican Tom Rooney goes to out to buy $10 Bud Lights at the Capitals vs. Penguins game. [601 F Street NW]
TOMORROW
8:00am - 9:00am: Southern boys Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) will be at the Capitol Club for breakfast.
12:00pm: Pete Sessions of Texas will be raking in cash at the Capitol Club for lunch. [300 First Street SE]
The weekend: 'Honorable Tom Reynold's 19th Annual Pebble Beach Golf Weekend' will be devoted this year to raising money for Bob Corker's senate run. [Pebble Beach, Calif.]
Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com), Ryan Grim (ryan@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e
