HUFFPOST HILL - GOP Proposes Optional Law (And Is There Any Other Kind?).. Steve King Asks Panel Witness For His iPapeles, Por Favor!.. BREAKING: In 2006 Mitt Romney Was Mitt Romney
By Eliot Nelson, Ryan Grim & Arthur Delaney
According to a new Kaiser Family Foundation report, a few of us think "The Affordable Care Act" is some kind of indie band and/or friendly, low-admission improv group. Steve King asked an immigrant about their status with all the finesse of a parent broaching the subject of their kid's drug use. And the Gingrich campaign finally opened up an Iowa office, so expect it to develop a solid ground game right around the time Newt delivers his second state of the union address. Fired up and in desperate need of a nap! This is HUFFPOST HILL for Wednesday November 30th, 2011:
GOP BILL INSTITUTES 'TAKE A MILLION/LEAVE A MILLION' TAX SYSTEM - Sadly, the proposal doesn't include plans for a giant blue plastic tray that Republicans would place in front of the IRS. We would support that proposal. Mike McAuliff: "Senate Republicans unveiled a plan Wednesday to cut payroll taxes that asks the rich to pay more tax if they feel like it, freezes and cuts the federal workforce, and means tests for government benefits. The measure, introduced by Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), is the GOP answer to a Democratic plan to extend and expand a payroll tax holiday through 2012 by slapping a 3.25 percent surtax on incomes above $1 million. Many Republicans oppose such a tax as 'punishing job creators.' But they are not above requesting alms from the wealthy in a part of their proposal that sounds like a plea to millionaires. A fact sheet the Senate GOP leadership released says the plan: 'Gives Millionaires & Billionaires Another Opportunity To Help With The Deficit' and 'Includes Sen. John Thune's 'Buffet Rule Act of 2011' which makes it easy for millionaires like Warren Buffet who want to pay more taxes to reduce the federal deficit with a voluntary contribution via their tax returns.'" [HuffPost]
JON CORZINE IS IN TROUBLE - From an MF Global Trustee's report obtained by HuffPost Hill: "The Trustee has determined that even if he could recover everything that is at US depositories, there will be a shortfall in what MF Global management should have segregated at US depositories." Might wanna try the Erik Prince strategy, Jon.
Occupy DC is targeting the DCCC tomorrow by crashing a "Frontline Member Holiday Reception."
STEVE KING TO LEGAL IMMIGRANT: YOU SURE? YOU SURE? YOU SURE? YOU SURE??? - Elise Foley: "Steve King got all Steve King-y at an immigration subcommittee hearing when he asked a witness, a law enforcement expert, for information on how he immigrated to the United States. 'You said you're likely the only immigrant on the panel,' King said. 'I wonder if you could tell us how was it you were inspired to come to the United States.' Arturo Venegas, a former Sacramento police chief, responded by telling King his U.S.-born mother brought him to the states after he was born in Mexico. 'Can you just tell us what year and what visa, then, Mr. Venegas?' Venegas answered that he came in 1958, although he was unsure of the visa type. "But I am a U.S. citizen," he added. King: 'I congratulate you on that.' King then moved onto the next question."
HERE'S YOUR LATEST OLD ROMNEY QUOTE THAT DOESN'T JIBE WITH THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION - Romney in 2006, via Sam Stein: "Let me just note, there are a lot of people who say, 'you know Governor, I don't like this idea that people are going to be required to buy insurance. This is America. They should be free.' Well, they are going to get free health care if they don't buy insurance. I don't think it is appropriate to say individuals have a choice of saying I don't want to buy insurance even though I can afford it and I want to make somebody else pay for it. That's not American. And that is not the right way, in my view, for us to go." In other news, Newt Gingrich is existing somewhere, being happy.
Newt Gingrich's latest campaign email blast is gloat-tastic (and it came out before news of Romney's 2006 health care pronouncement): "The people who are standing with this campaign have rejected reality TV politics, and they hunger for the kind of nuanced debate worthy of our national history."
Tonight is that annual thing where a bunch of unfunny people perform stand-up and are called funny because Washington is the most humor-challenged place in the universe ...aside from San Francisco, of course. (There's no other explanation for the success of this objectively terrible newsletter). It's the Funniest Celebrity in Washington DC Contest!!! Invite: "Congressman Rick Larsen, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Congressman Alan West (R-FL, Tea Party), Senator Scott Brown, American Idol Finalist Ayla Brown, Americans for Tax Reform's President Grover Norquist, Chicago Tribune's Pullitzer Prize winning Journalist, Clarence Page, Comedian Alabama, John Hendren, formerly with Good Morning America, now with Al Jazeera English, Jamie Weinstein, Senior Editor of the Daily Caller." Catch a rising star! Or force laugh at your friends! Sorry, that's mean. [Man, Why Is It That Democrats Drive Their Cars Like *This* But Republicans Drive Their Cars Like *This*?... And Airline Food, What's The Deal With That??? Etc.]
REPUBLICANS FEEL OK ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS - For the second year in a row, Congress must decide during the holiday season whether to renew federal jobless benefits for people out of work six months or longer. While Democrats have been making a huge fuss, with a press conference Wednesday featuring hundreds of unemployed workers, Republicans have been relatively quiet -- but that doesn't mean they're against reauthorizing the benefits. Republican leaders in both Houses of Congress have expressed support for continuing the benefits, saying the holdup is just a matter of how the legislation is put together. John Boehner, choking back tears, explained why: "Because we Republicans do care about people that out -- that are out of work." [HuffPost]
DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - Vincent Brandon of Pittsburgh lost his job as part of a mass layoff in March. He'd been driving a bus for the Port Authority of Allegheny County for two years. He's had no luck finding work since then but he's paying his rent, keeping the lights on, and buying food with roughly $400 a week in unemployment insurance. Last month, as his layoff entered its seventh month, he moved from state benefits to the first tier of federal benefits, which lasts 20 weeks. For the past three years, the full regimen of federal benefits has run 73 weeks, but if he's still jobless Brandon won't be able to advance past the first tier if Congress fails to preserve the benefits this month. "If that happens, I don't know what I could do," Brandon said during a Capitol Hill press conference with congressional Democrats on Wednesday. "I would have to give up my apartment and would no longer be able to keep up with the bills or even food. This is truly a scary situation. It would be harmful and cruel for Congress to just walk away and turn its back on millions of hardworking unemployed Americans like me."
IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING - @POLITICOBooking: @jonallendc @mkraju @mkady @jakesherman @marincogan avail: "Republican Freshmen Get Reality Check" politi.co/sJagyX [Fun part: Guess who actually wrote the story...hint: not the first four people listed.]
Don't be bashful: Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill
MOST AMERICANS STILL DON'T *GET* THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT - Ahh "most Americans," you never cease to amaze. You might recall "most Americans" from their previous work, including "not knowing who the vice president is," "thinking Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9-11" and "Valentine's Day's $52.4 million opening weekend gross." They're a terrific bunch and we don't thank them enough for all the ways they make us smile / get us embroiled in intractable conflicts abroad. Thank you, "most Americans." Here's their latest: "More than 18 months after passing health reform, Democrats are struggling to educate the country on what's actually in it. A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll out this morning finds most Americans think it includes a government-run health plan (it doesn't, but should), that it won't eliminate co-pays for preventive care (it will) and that, for many, the actual content of the law may not even matter: Americans don't like health reform because they don't like Washington." [WaPo]
ERIC CANTOR GETS ALL DECAPITATED-HORSE-HEAD-IN-BED-Y ABOUT TAXES - The Hill: "During the closed-door meeting, Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) urged rank-and-file members to support the extension, saying it was necessary for a party that historically opposes tax increases, a leadership aide said. Cantor told members that 'taxes are a Republican issue and you aren't a Republican if you want to raise taxes on struggling families to fund bigger government,' according to a source in the room." [The Hill]
What do you get when you take a former Blackwater CEO, progressive hero Jan Schakowsky and the phrase "defamatory statements"? A damn good story! Amanda Terkel: "On Oct. 7, [former Blackwater USA CEO Erik] Prince's counsel Victoria Toensing sent a letter to Schakowsky accusing her of making "false and defamatory statements" about her client. 'Your malice cannot be questioned,' wrote Toensing. 'You have a multi-year history of making derogatory comments about Mr. Prince and his former company, Blackwater. You have abused your Congressional power to request that Mr. Prince be investigated.' Toensing referenced a Sept. 8 article in the UKIndependent about a new Blackwater video game that paraphrased Schakowsky: 'If Mr Prince had not emigrated to the United Arab Emirates, which does not have an extradition agreement with the US, he too would now be facing prosecution, the Congresswoman said.' Pointing out that Prince has 'never committed nor ever been charged with any crime,' Toensing brought up defamation laws, seeming to threaten the congresswoman with legal action if she does not comply." [HuffPost]
GINGRICH FINALLY OPENS UP AN IOWA OFFICE - To be fair, Newt Gingrich has been busy taking vacations, campaigning in far-flung locales and not registering for the Missouri primary in time. He's a hard-working guy with a schedule, y'know? TPM: "Newt Gingrich is opening a campaign office in Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports. Gingrich's campaign operation in Iowa is staffing up ahead of the January 3 caucus date, and furniture is being moved into the office today." [TPM]
AND YET, GINGRICH IS ABSOLUTELY DOMINATING IN FLORIDA - PPP: "In Florida Gingrich is at 47% to 17% for Romney, 15% for Herman Cain, 5% for Ron Paul, 4% for Michele Bachmann, 3% for Jon Huntsman, 2% for Rick Perry, 1% for Rick Santorum, and 0% for Gary Johnson. In Montana Gingrich is at 37% to 12% for Paul, 11% for Romney, 10% for Bachmann and Cain, 5% for Perry, 3% for Huntsman, and 1% for Johnson and Santorum. These two states really exemplify one of the key emerging trends in the Republican race- Gingrich isn't just rising, Romney's also falling. His 17% in Florida is down 13 points from 30% when we polled the state in late September. His 11% in Montana is down 11 points from 22% when we polled the state in June." [PPP]
Rep. Allen West thinks Herman Cain should end his presidential campaign. "Beyond reassessing his campaign, he probably needs to understand that he is a distracter for what's going on right now and we should move on," West said today during a morning appearance on WMAL radio. Man, the next time America's black Republicans convene in that Chilis, you know the one, it's going to be awkward. Get it?! 'Cause there aren't many black Republicans? So they can all probably fit in a single restaurant?! Whew! Jokes! We got 'em! Is there still a slot open at that improv thing tonight? Link: [The Hill]
The title of Robert Draper's latest New York Times Magazine feature article is "Building a Better Mitt Romney-Bot.". It's a great piece! And such a clever title! As the dates in this awkward Gmail screenshot we took clearly/maybe/don't-in-any-way demonstrate, it's not the first time Mitt's robotic comportment has been so HILARIOUSLY portrayed as such. Royalties please. Or at least a six-pack of canned macrobrew. Fork it over, Draper.
Who knew that high school Rick Santorum was the inspiration for Freaks and Geeks???
ISRAELIS OF AMERICA: DON'T LET AMERICANS TRICK YOU WITH THEIR 'CHRISTMAS' AND 'PONY-TAILED BOYFRIENDS' - News from the War on Christmas front! "The Netanyahu government's Ministry of Immigrant Absorption [Editor's note: Really] is sponsoring advertisements in at least five American communities that warn Israeli expatriates that they will lose their identities if they don't return home," reports Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg. One ad features an American-Israeli family video conferencing with relatives back home and ends with the family's child gushing about Christmas. Another ad depicts an Israeli-American woman ignoring the dude!/surfs-up! ramblings of her pony-tailed American boyfriend as she stares longingly at an Israeli website. HuffPost Hill, coming as it does from a mixed Jew/Goy family, knows full well how poisonous holiday cheer can quickly erode one's Tribe-ness and make one less... chosen. Mazel .... uh ... Christmas? Next year in... the Paramus Mall? No? D'oh! [Atlantic]
ENDORSE- "ThePuffingtonhost.com, The Internet Rolling Paper: News, Blog, Video and Cannmunity, is a sophisticated source for everything cannabis. Created as a one-stop provider of unique content, cannabis blogs, dispensary search engine, forum, fun and more. The site aggregates the most pertinent and influential news as well as provides unique content from the who's who in marijuana." [The Puffington Host]
The Puffington Host: Moving Beyond Left And....uh...ummmmm...Hey, Anyone Wanna Get Some Taquitos?
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Wax that turtle. [http://bit.ly/tWNOGQ]
JEREMY'S WEATHER REPORT - Tonight: C-c-c-c-cold! That's the cold front sweeping through. Not too nice, especially if you have any open windows. We stay just above freezing. Tomorrow: Some of the clouds burn off, but you'll still be hovering in the low 50s. Thanks, JB!
COMFORT FOOD
By @bradjshannon!
- Hate shopping? So do these gentlemen. [http://bit.ly/uerYwb]
- This is a terribly ineffective way to clean up dog hair. [http://chzb.gr/vXhLEE]
- We seem to recall a monologue on The West Wing about this, but it's worth revisiting. [http://bit.ly/vfDpjn]
- The hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs. [http://bit.ly/vGuXoI]
- Guy does stunts, parkour, gymnastics, card tricks, fan tricks, rubik's cube tricks, several varieties of juggling, and makes the rest of us look pretty lazy. [http://bit.ly/uE9bVv]
- A truly incredible time-lapse video of Oregon. You know, that big place outside Portland. [http://bit.ly/sGijVN]
- It's schadenfreude time again, folks! Here's the November Fail Compilation by that guy who makes good fail compilations. [http://bit.ly/v89SFS]
- Dog has surprisingly good table manners [http://bit.ly/rYbefA]
TWITTERAMA
@bradplumer: End the Well-Fed! RT @ezraklein: Ron Paul is releasing a cookbook: bit.ly/s6uYFF
@lucia_graves: Djibouti: No, DJOURbouti #OtherHermanCainCountries
@jonward11: what? RT @Chris_Moody: Frank Luntz notices that Haley Barbour isn't wearing socks at RGA meeting: "Wow you really are poor in Mississippi."
ON TAP
By @tylerkingkade
Looking for a good holiday party source? We hear Cloture Club knows what's up
TONIGHT
6:00pm: Mary Landrieu has people over to her house in D.C. to ask them to write her a check. [405 East Capitol Street, SE]
6:00pm - 7:00pm: John Cornyn hangs out with fellow Texan Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) at the Capitol Hill Club. [300 First Street SE]
7:00pm - 10:00pm: Join Google to celebrate the holidays by doing what you likely do all day at the office and watch the top YouTube videos of the year. Plus there's live music from YouTube stars, and you can play on Android gaming stations. [The rooftop of 101 Constitution Ave NW]
7:00pm: Have you been itching to get Chinese takeout with some lobbyists and Rep. Tom Reed? Well today you're in luck if you drop by The Lemunyon Group with a few hundred bucks, which is a bigger rip off than Thai Place's calamari appetizer. [419 Constitution Ave NE]
TOMORROW
Morning: Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) grab breakfast and raise some money. No location set, but it's a reschedule from October.
Morning: Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) will be at a round table breakfast for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. [525 New Jersey Ave NW]
8:15am: Hey, remember Trent Lott, the Democratic power-house Senator? He'll be helping Republican Rick Berg (R-N.D.) raise money with some lobbyists. [2550 M Street NW]
8:30am: Sen. Bob Mendendez and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) raise money with Big Real Estate at Bistro Bis. [15 E Street NW]
12:30pm: Cupcakes and cocktails at a reception to raise money for Rep. Terrycina Andrea Sewell (We knew people waiting in lines around the block for cupcakes were at least a little drunk). [324 Independence Ave SE]
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
