A lot of pols have been making some pretty awkward requests lately. A small but growing number of House Democrats are suggesting that Nancy Pelosi not be reelected as their party leader. Some Florida Dems want Kendrick Meek to drop his Senate bid so Charlie Crist can have a fighting chance against Marco Rubio. And Newt Gingrich is spamming people so he can rescue the deposed king of Nigeria, or something. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, October 12th, 2010:
REJOICE! THE WORLD JUST GOT A LITTLE MORE GRIM - We are very happy to announce that our colleague and fellow HuffPost Hill-er Ryan Grim is now a dad! Ryan and his wife Elizan Garcia welcomed Iris Garcia Grim into the world early this morning. No word on whether Iris has received her complimentary Transitions sunglasses or Phillies cap but we're sure that dad is already on the case. Iris with dad: http://bit.ly/a0uXlY
@IrisGrim: Sorry to keep everybody in suspense. The Cuban of my Irish-German-Cuban self didn't wanna be born on a day and in a town named for Columbus
JUDGE ORDERS MILITARY TO IMMEDIATELY HALT DADT ENFORCEMENT - A federal judge today ruled that the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy barring gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military is unconstitutional. WaPo: "U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ruled Tuesday that the policy 'infringes the fundamental rights' of military service members and prospective service members, violates their due process rights and the rights to freedom of speech. Her ruling bars the Pentagon from enforcing or applying the policy and orders the military to immediately suspend and discontinue any investigations, discharges or other proceedings related to potential violations of the law. To overturn the injunction, government lawyers would have to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and ask that the current policy be allowed to continue while judges there consider the case. The Pentagon and Justice Department had no immediate comment, but the Obama administration is expected to appeal the decision." http://wapo.st/9o1k25
@SpeakerPelosi: Today's order barring enforcement of #DADT is welcome & further affirmation constitutional rights are being denied.
WHITE HOUSE LIFTS DEEP WATER DRILLING MORATORIUM - Much to the chagrin of people who prefer their ocean basins not resemble Bicentennial Man's bedpan, the Obama administration announced today that it would, earlier than expected, lift its freeze on deep water drilling. AP: "The administration has been under heavy pressure from the industry and others in the region to lift the six-month ban on grounds it has cost jobs and damaged the economy. A federal report said the moratorium likely caused a temporary loss of 8,000 to 12,000 jobs in the Gulf region. While the temporary ban on exploratory oil and gas drilling is lifted immediately, drilling is unlikely to resume immediately. Drilling companies must meet a host of new safety regulations before they can resume operations, officials said." http://apne.ws/9q0BbK
Mary Landrieu, whose tactics are increasingly reminiscent of Jim Bunning in one of his extra-foul moods, won't lift her hold of OMB nominee Jack Lew despite promising to do so if the ban was ended. The Atlantic: "Yet now, with the moratorium lifted a month earlier than expected, Landrieu is continuing to block Lew's nomination. Why? Her office issued a press release urging the administration to develop 'an action plan to get the entire industry in the Gulf of Mexico back to work' and to 'continue to accelerate the granting of permits in shallow and deep water, and provide greater certainty about the rules and regulations industry must meet.' Today's Salazar announcement heralded the completion of new regulations for offshore oil and gas operations; Landrieu's office did not respond to questions about where the uncertainty lay within these regulations. Landrieu intends to continue her hold until the lame duck session, giving her 'several weeks to evaluate if today's lifting of the moratorium is actually putting people back to work.'" http://bit.ly/bhObMi
TRUMKA FLIPS: NOW SUPPORTS DISCLOSE ACT - Maybe it's the 25-to-1 ratio of business to union and public interest lobbyists or maybe it's just his sweet, creamy filling, but AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka has come out in favor of the bill that would mitigate some of the effects of the Citizens United ruling. Brian Beutler in TPM: "'That'd be good for the system, I think,' Trumka said at a breakfast meeting with reporters, in response to a question from TPM. 'Because the system is awash -- there's more money in the system than there was oil in the Gulf, quite frankly. It's from people that you don't know. You eventually find out I guess, but it's this mysterious money coming in and targeting at three, four, five times what either of the candidates are doing.' Trumka claimed that the AFL has never in principle opposed disclosure as an objective: 'What we did was say if you're going to do it, make sure it applies to everybody -- that we were being totally disadvantaged while other people weren't being disadvantaged.'" http://bit.ly/amqTG7
COURT RULES ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAWSUIT CAN PROCEED - "A federal judge has denied motions by Gov. Jan Brewer, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the tough Arizona immigration law referred to as Senate Bill 1070. U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton issued a detailed ruling Friday allowing the lawsuit to go forward. In her ruling, Bolton found that the plaintiffs, led by the Phoenix advocacy group Friendly House and the American Civil Liberties Union, had standing to bring the lawsuit and that the moment was 'ripe' to do so." Arizona Republic: http://bit.ly/c9EoD7
SHOW ME THE NOTE! - From Arthur Delaney: "The SEIU is launching a campaign to help homeowners capitalize on a growing foreclosure fraud scandal that has forced banks to halt foreclosures across the country. The campaign suggests a question for borrowers to ask when fighting foreclosure in court: 'Where's the note? Did the big banks lose your mortgage?'" http://huff.to/98kMTD
DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - From Arthur Delaney: "This year's Nobel Prize-winning economists examined 'the ways in which unemployment, job vacancies, and wages are affected by regulation and economic policy' according to the Nobel Prize people. 'This may refer to benefit levels in unemployment insurance or rules in regard to hiring and firing. One conclusion is that more generous unemployment benefits give rise to higher unemployment and longer search times.'" [sad face] http://bit.ly/csfxfG
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BLUE DOGS TRIMMING THE BUDGET, MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS - Whatever the result of November's election, the conservative wing of the Democratic Party will likely be much leaner. Roll Call: "The fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition is headed for a major transition after the November elections, with the retirement of key founding member Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) and many of the group's remaining members under siege. We don't know what the leadership positions will be like, because we don't know the outcome of the election," said Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), a senior Blue Dog who said the group could conceivably lose half of its 54 members in a Republican wave." http://bit.ly/cRh1UK
GUN CONTROL ADVOCATES FRUSTRATED WITH OBAMA - Ryan J Reilly in TPM: "You'd expect a President so opposed by many gun rights groups to get high praise from gun control advocates since he took office. But advocates like those from the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence are far from satisfied with the progress on gun control being made in this administration. 'I think the Obama administration has been loathe to act on anything -- or say anything -- related to guns,' Chad Ramsey of the Brady Campaign told TPMMuckraker. 'The administration has said almost nothing about the gun issue since Obama took office.'" As a service to political reporters, someone should really assemble a "Progressive Interest Group Upset With The President" Mad Lib ("Representatives from the _________ (Political issue) lobby are growing increasingly _______ (Adjective) with what they perceive as President Obama's inaction on ________ (Political Issue) reform. They insist the president is not fulfilling his campaign ______ (Noun) to address the matter.") http://bit.ly/9lErvu
NEWT GINGRICH BUYING DOCTORS' SUPPORT WITH FAUX HONOR - Sam Stein on how the former House speaker is one step away from soliciting donations with promises of discounted Cialis: "Physicians across the country were greeted these past few weeks with a mysterious fax purporting to be authored by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. There was some remarkably good news to share. Recipients had 'made the cut' as a "2010 Champions of Medicine" -- an honor bestowed to less than 100 people. As such, Gingrich's conservative group, American Solutions, was inviting them to Washington D.C. to take in election returns and toast the beginnings of the end of the President's health care law. 'I am having a party in Washington at the historic Ronald Reagan Building on Election Night, November 2 to honor you and a few of the others who have been selected to receive this prestigious honor,' the letter from the 'Desk of: Speaker Newt Gingrich' reads. 'I decided to have this ceremony on Election Night for two reasons. First, I wanted you to meet a few of my close friends who will be in attendance. But most importantly, I wanted to surround myself with the best and brightest this country has to offer on the night that we set the wheels in motion to repeal Obamacare and replace it with real, meaningful reform.'" http://huff.to/9osIbH
NEW JERSEY DEM REP: PELOSI IS 'DIVISIVE' - In a debate against his Republican challenger Jon Runyan last night, Rep. John Adler took the Democrats' ideological Stockholm syndrome to new heights by turning on his own leader. "[Adler] also criticized Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as dogmatic and 'divisive' -- the first highly public indication he has given that he might not vote for her to be Speaker again if Democrats retain the House." Courier Post: http://bit.ly/d5yv1r
Politico notes that three Democratic candidates have voiced opposition to Pelosi retaining her leadership position. http://politi.co/cL0RF8
SHARRON ANGLE HAULS IN MAD FUNDRAISING $$$$ - The most profitable form of crazy since that Gnarls Barkley single blew up on iTunes. WaPo: "Former Nevada state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle (R) raised an eye-popping $14 million between July 1 and Sept. 30 for her challenge to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D), a stunning number that far eclipses the cash-collection totals of other prominent candidates seeking Senate seats next month...Reid has yet to release his third quarter fundraising totals but as of mid-summer he had collected just short of $14 million so far in 2010. For the election cycle to date, Reid has raised $18 million. Angle's fundraising over the last three months represent an exponential gain over what she collected during her underdog primary bid in which she was heavily outspent by two Republican opponents but managed to win the race thanks to strong support from the tea party movement." http://wapo.st/clpVjb
Howard Fineman's inaugural article for the Huffington Post examines Bill Clinton's affect on the Kentucky Senate race: "Clinton is beloved In Kentucky. He won the state twice. He speaks the local dialect, which contains Appalachian notes of working-class pride, suspicion of big shots and Baptist revivalism. But more than that -- and more than just in Kentucky --Clinton's economic record (22.7 million jobs created, and he tends not to forget to mention the .7) looks spectacularly good in the context of what has followed. These days there is almost an Old Testament, milk-and-honey reverence for that economic record, at least as expressed by former Kentucky Sen. Wendell Ford. An old-school podium pounder, Ford -- stooped but still strong voiced at 86 -- talked of the former president in messianic terms. 'Bill Clinton found us the path to gold!' he shouted. The crowd of 2,000, most of them students, didn't laugh. They seemed to think he was right." http://huff.to/bB4qzv
LEADING FLORIDA DEMS WANT MEEK TO DROP OUT - "Members of the People's Choice of Palm Beach County PAC voted Monday to send County Commissioner Burt Aaronson a letter, asking him to relay their concerns to Meek, said Jay Weitz, president of the PAC that he says represents 80 to 85 percent of the Democratic clubs in the county...County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Alan Siegel downplayed the significance of the vote. 'It's Burt writing a letter to himself,' he said. Aaronson, he said, controls the PAC. Further, he said, the 12 or so people who voted to send the letter only represent a fraction of the roughly 30 voting members of the PAC. The vote, he said, doesn't represent dissension in the ranks. Rather, he said, it represents fear on the part of some Democrats. 'There are always people who will break and run at the first sniff of (trouble),' he said." Palm Beach Post: http://bit.ly/9iA4kF
A new survey from Public Policy Polling indicates that Charlie Crist would be running neck and neck with Maro Rubio in a two-way race. "Crist and Rubio would tie at 46% each. Crist would have an overwhelming 66-31 lead with independents, but would win the Democratic vote by only a 69-20 margin. That 20% of Democrats for Rubio suggests that some segment of Meek's supporters would be none too pleased about him being forced out of the race and would not gravitate toward Crist. In a head to head between Rubio and Meek, Rubio would lead 48-41. Meek performs weaker than Crist because although he would lead with independents by an 11 point margin that's nothing compared to the 35 point advantage that Crist has with that group." http://bit.ly/9UTE2a
Luis Gutierrez will decide by Thursday whether he will run for mayor of Chicago. The Hill: http://bit.ly/9bkyuG
RUN AND TELL THAT, HOMEBOY: NEW O'DONNELL AD RECALLS 'BED INTRUDER' DUDE - The new web video from Christine O'Donnell's campaign, while intended to be a Don LaFontaine-style movie trailer send up of Chris Coons, instead echoes the now famous, Auto-Tuned statement from Antoine Dodson that his neighbors better "hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband, 'cause they're raping everybody out here." At the end of the mock trailer/political web video, the narrator warns Delawareans to "hide your will, hide your lights, 'cause he's taxing everything out here." CBS News: http://bit.ly/c8zY0W
@justinelliott: Antoine Dodson's manager to me on O'Donnell ad: "He's not into politics and he wants to stay out of that arena."
CARL PALADINO ON ERIC HOLDER: F*CK HIM - Sounding like Dick Cheney and looking, as always, like Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Arthur Avenue, Carl Paladino earlier this year answered a town hall attendee's question about Eric Holder's plan to hold terror trials in New York City by saying "F*ck him. F*ck him." Hotline: "The video was captured at a town hall meeting on March 26 in Tappan, NY. Paladino's remarks came after the the White House abandoned a plan to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City at the end of January. The plan sparked protests and eventually the White House decided against it." http://bit.ly/buqZbv
Months after her inflammatory comments about Israel led to her resignation, Helen Thomas is still going for the jugular. In an interview with WMRN-AM, the outspoken journalist touched on issues ranging from Sarah Palin's presidential ambitions to criticism of Israel. "[Hillary Clinton is] a hawk...I thought women in politics would have more compassion, be more liberal," Thomas said about the secretary of state. On President Sarah Palin: "That would be a tragedy, a national tragedy... [she is] very conservative, reactionary, unbelievable." And criticizing Israel: "I hit the third rail. You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive." GOP 12: http://bit.ly/aibaii
JEREMY THE INTERN'S WEATHER REPORT - JB called this one in: Tonight: Nice, mid-60s. Tomorrow: Mid-to-high 70s. Two great days! Thanks, JB!
COMFORT FOOD
- A Boston terrier and a kitten just plain being adorable. http://bit.ly/bzQQCJ
- OK someone had to do it: Double Rabbit, All The Way: http://bzfd.it/bZynzs
- Three dogs playing dead. http://bit.ly/doYyFb
- Never click on "Free Public WiFi." You know what we mean. http://bit.ly/axyXy2
- A short documentary about the dwindling world of building advertisement painters. http://bit.ly/bO2nQ8
- Cat long jump FAIL. http://bit.ly/aK6MPu
- We're not sure who smuggled this video of a HuffPost Politics staff meeting out of the office but they're fired. http://bit.ly/cwkOKj
- The ten greatest moments in yearbook history. http://bit.ly/dD7fI2
- Nightlights make you fat. True story. http://bit.ly/csNn3d
TWITTERAMA
@pwgavin: Separated at birth: Washington Examiner http://yfrog.com/631dxj and Albany Times-Union http://yfrog.com/ne5wfzj
@borowitzreport: If Carl Paladino is elected governor, that will cut short his promising career as an insult comic
@mikemadden: Press release: "New fiction thriller exposes White House plan to punish press." Uh, would that be... fictional plan?
@brianbeutler: I guess the water defluoridation industry has deep pockets?
@jaketapper: US Chamber of Commerce refusing to do on camera or even on-phone interview with ABC News. Courageous!
THE TUBE
TONIGHT: Jason Chaffetz was on The Dylan Ratigan Show. Keith Ellison says hi to Ed Schultz. Barney Frank discusses Carl Paladino on Countdown. Sam Stein takes a break from his new iPad to appear on The Rachel Maddow Show.
ON TAP
TONIGHT
9:00 am - 7:30 pm: FedScoop's FedTalks 2010 features a litany of leading technologists including our very own Arianna Huffington. The day-long gathering "focuses on how technology can support and improve our government's key goals and initiatives" [Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW].
8:00 pm: The Washington Psychotronic Film Society screens 1971's The Incredible 2 Headed Transplant ("This head wants to love, this head wants to kill") [The Passenger, 1021 7th Street NW].
TOMORROW
10:00 pm: GET YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE ON. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony performs at 9:30 Club [9:30 Club, 815 V Street NW].
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