Fox News erroneously reported that Santa's making a list and checking it twice and going to find out who's naughty or WHO HASN'T FORKED OVER THEIR CHRISTMAS TREE TAX TO UNCLE SAM. Given the damage done by Congressman Steven Palazzo's staff to their vacation house, we're looking into whether Zombie Keith Moon is a legislative correspondent for the lawmaker. And using the "Washington as high school" analogy, it looks like popular kid Grover Norquist might soon have to sit with the flag team in the cafeteria. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Wednesday, November 9th, 2011:
LINDSEY GRAHAM HAS SECOND AMENDMENT REMEDIES FOR THE NLRB - Dave Jamieson: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) threatened a "nasty" spat with the National Labor Relations Board and vowed to go 'full guns a-blazing' if the independent agency went ahead and filed its controversial complaint against the Boeing Company, according to notes recently obtained by the House oversight committee. NLRB acting general counsel Lafe Solomon accused Boeing in an April complaint of breaking labor law when it established a production line for its 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina. Documents obtained this week, which appear to be Solomon's internal notes, detail a series of tense phone calls Solomon had with Graham and Boeing officials in the runup to the complaint he issued. In a letter Wednesday to committee chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) said that the documents raise questions about whether Boeing tried to use political influence to scuttle the complaint before it was filed." [HuffPost]
That European sky everybody keeps saying is gonna fall started dropping today.
FIRST 2012 AD BUY IN MASS. - Sources in Mass. tell us that a Karl Rove-backed group has made the first major TV ad buy in the Elizabeth Warren-Scott Brown race. We're gonna go out on a limb here and say it's gonna be unfriendly toward one of them.
GOP DEBATE TONIGHT IN DETROIT - Jon Ward, with a preview: "The Republican primary debate in Motor City Wednesday night is the first one after a break of more than three weeks for the GOP candidates. The last debate was on Oct. 18 in Las Vegas. You remember. "Anderson!"...The last cluster of five debates -- from Sept. 7 to Oct. 18 -- was Rick Perry's coming out party. That didn't go so well. And tonight will be a big test for him. He needs to show vast improvement if he wants to start turning around the highly negative opinions of him that have been formed by voters, according to polls...The other big storyline tonight is Mitt Romney's homecoming to his birthplace and childhood home. And, of course, this is the same city that Romney said should be allowed to go bankrupt in 2008, when the Big Three auto makers were asking for a federal bailout, which they ultimately received. Democrats are hammering Romney for his stance then...Lastly, there's Herman Cain. The controversy over sexual harassment allegations against him continues to dominate the airwaves, and it's a good bet he'll be asked about the issue tonight. But the debate is being hosted by CNBC, and is intended to focus on the economy. So the moderators will probably move on quickly from the question of whether Cain groped Sharon Bialek or not. They will likely focus on whether he is still a viable candidate." [HuffPost]
We'll be live-tweeting the thing because we hate ourselves. @HuffPostHill
ICE MIGHT FINALLY START ARRESTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE - Thanks to congressional incompetence, this weekend's America's Cup might actually be worth watching. Under current law, foreign boats face huge fines for entering U.S. waters without the right type of clearance. The House passed a bill allowing boats connected to the race to enter U.S. waters, but the Senate hasn't passed the same version. That means there is a slim possibility the American public will be graced with a most beautiful scene: Customs officers arresting obscenely rich boaters for no real reason at all, not that a good reason is needed. Nobody seems to know what's going on. White House guy Dan Pfeiffer taunted the GOP with a tweet recently: "On the day the jobs report shows the need for more action on jobs, the House GOP passes the Americas Cup Act so US can host a sailing race." Eric Cantor's office shot back like a RedState commenter in a flame war, noting that the bill was passed "at the request of DEMOCRATIC LEADER NANCY PELOSI and other Members whose districts are impacted by the upcoming races. San Francisco is one of three areas hosting the America's Cup." Would ICE be the ones dispatched here with the plastic cuffs? Or would that be CBP or the Coast Guard? We don't care, as long as some boaters get cuffed, really.
PARANOID SELF-LOATHING GOP LOBBYIST ODs ON JON CORZINE HATE - Our favorite Paranoid Self-Loathing GOP Lobbyist sent us a Letterman-style top ten list of things he'd like to ask Jon Corzine. However, because PSLGOPL's fear of double-digit numbers is almost equal to his fear of right turn signals, he only sent nine questions. Also, he kind of lost track of the "Jon Corzine" question thing pretty quickly: "1. Will Chairman Corzine be able to use his $12 million golden parachute to pay for protection inside? 2. Will Chairman Corzine's cellmates call him Governor while initiating him to prison life. 3. Didn't Citizen (Elizabeth) Warren endorse the Governor? Would love her thoughts... 4. How can I join the class action? 5. What's taking Melanie Sloane so long to issue a press release condemning the fmr. Senator/Chairman/Governor? 6. Question: who is happier than Bernie Madoff right now? Answer: PSLGOPL. 7. What did Tim Geithner know and when did he know it? 8. Will Saint Buffett be allowed to save the investors, or... do what he's really great at... and just buy the preferred shares at a severe discount. 9. Hey Occupiers, they're laughing at you. not with you..." Thanks, PSLGOPL?
MARYLAND PRIMARY CAUSING DEMOCRATS TO ACT LIKE DEMOCRATS - Roll Call's Abby Livingston: "The Democratic primary for Maryland's 4th Congressional district is putting the Congressional Black Caucus in a difficult position and prompting liberal activists to prepare for battle. Rep. Donna Edwards is up against Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn Ivey, and both have strong ties to the CBC that could make the April 3 primary the intraparty clash to watch in 2012. Edwards, meanwhile, will tap the progressive netroots support that helped propel her into the seat in 2008. Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas told Roll Call in an email the netroots would "absolutely do everything we can to help her retain her seat."
DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - From the annual profile of shameless lobbyists Tony and Heather Podesta, this year courtesy The Hill: "The couple have an extensive art collection and are currently sharing part of it with the Katzen Arts Center at American University. 'Inner Piece: The works from the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection' will be on display through early December. 'Jack Rasmussen [Katzen Center curator and director] approached us a year ago about turning the space over and asking what we wanted to do with it,' Heather said. 'We've been longtime supporters of the Katzen Center and of Jack in particular.' Heather enjoys the museum's unusual rounded walls and unique nature. 'It can really intimidate a curator, artist and collector,' she said. The Podestas chose '365' by Laurel Nakadate. The works are a series of 365 large format photos, one for every day of the year, portraying moments of sadness in the artist's life. 'Only 220 of them could fit in,' Heather said." :( [The Hill]
Don't be bashful: Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill
REPUBLICANS RETURNING THEIR HALF OF GROVER NORQUIST'S FRIENDSHIP PENDANT - "Grover Norquist's grip on the House Republican Conference is loosening. A growing number of GOP lawmakers have disavowed Norquist's pledge against supporting tax increases in recent days, telling The Hill they no longer feel bound to uphold a document that they signed, in some cases, more than a decade ago. Norquist's advocacy group, Americans for Tax Reform, lists 238 House signers of its Taxpayer Protection Pledge, but several House Republicans, and at least one Democrat, now say the anti-tax group is being deceptive and want their names taken off the list." [The Hill]
So Mississippi voters voted down that "personhood" amendment yesterday. Asked what it would mean if Initiative 26 were voted down, Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryan responded thusly: "Satan wins." Do you think Bryant had some kind of lighthearted political wager with Satan? Like, does Bryant now have to send the lord of all evil some kind of Magnolia State delicacy? Also, Mr. Bryant, if you ever want to make it in politics on the national level, you need to learn that "Satan is driving the day" the correct way to say it. Noob. [NEMS Daily Journal]
IN STUNNING DEVELOPMENT, LATINO VOTERS STILL LIKE THE GUY WHO DOESN'T WANT THEM TO PULL OVER AND SHOW DOCUMENTS - Politics is a simple game: Tell the voters what they want to hear while campaigning and then, when you get into office, don't undertake a fear-based public campaign to have them explain themselves whenever they're spotted walking under a highway overpass or in a Home Depot parking lot. See? Simple. Plus we just saved you A TON in consulting fees. You're welcome. Elise Foley on a Univision poll that seems to bear this out: "The Republican candidates have little name recognition among Latino voters, with a majority of those voters saying they had never heard of frontrunner Herman Cain. (Granted, this poll was taken between Oct. 21 and Nov. 1 -- and the first story reporting sexual harassment claims against Cain came out Oct. 31.) Rick Perry has the highest name recognition but also the highest negative ratings, despite being hammered for some pro-immigrant policies that he pursued as governor of Texas. The poll found that about 22 percent of likely Latino voters hold low opinions of Perry." [HuffPost]
Benjy Sarlin has a list of Herman Cain defenses that absolutely do not affect whether the former Godfather's Pizza CEO assaulted/harassed National Restaurant Association employees in the 1990s. "Whether President Obama Has Ties To Bill Ayers.. Whether President Obama's Grades Are Publicly Available.. Whether Rahm Emanuel Was Somehow Involved.. Whether You Think Sexual Harassment Is A 'Thing'" [TPM]
RICK PERRY HAS A NEW, VALUES-LICIOUS AD IN IOWA - "As the son of tenant farmers from the West Texas town of Paint Creek, I learned the values of hard work, faith, and family," Perry says in the start of the ad, running today in the Hawkeye State. While the ad begins with Perry standing in front of the same white backdrop of his previous ads, this time he's sporting a real son of tenant farmers-y work jacket and no-fuss blue shirt. "I returned home to farm and ranch with my father and married my high school sweetheart," he says as a Vaseline-lensed clip of him and his family gathered around an upright piano flashes on the screen. In that clip, they're all dressed in some real old school prairie outfits, suggesting that Perry met his high school sweetheart in 1892. Anyway, the ad is called "Values." Rick Perry has them. [Houston Chronicle]
If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all... unless you're calling the president . Ron Paul: ""It is flaunting the Constitution and the whole principle of how we're supposed to operate. The idea they can just do this and take over the legislative function and brag about it -- and Congress does nothing and the courts do nothing about it, it's very, very bad...He's dictatorial, is what he is." [Political Wire]
LABOR THUGGERYMENTUM! OBAMA WAY AHEAD IN OHIO - PPP: "On our weekend poll, which got the final result of Issue 2 correct to within a point, Obama led all of his Republican opponents in the state by margins ranging from 9-17 points...The biggest thing Obama has going for him right now is an extremely unified Democratic base. Obama gets 88-92% of his party's vote against the six Republican candidates. What makes that particularly notable is that his approval rating with Democratic voters is actually only 73%. But these numbers suggest that when election time comes around the party base will get around Obama whether they're totally thrilled with him or not, and that's a very good sign for his reelection prospects." [PPP]
"What's to-day, my fine fellow?" said Scrooge. "To-day?" replied the boy. "Why, Christmas Day, and BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA WON'T END HIS WAR ON IT"
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Probably the most honest campaign ad we've ever seen.
So just how much does Mitch McConnell look like a turtle? The Daily Caller is on it.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: THE PEOPLE WHO RUN OUR COUNTRY - "But the real blowout happened at a waterfront home rented for [Congressman Steven Palazzo] by his scheduler, Whitney Donald, an event that morphed into a two-night party attended by a host of unruly House aides. The scene became festive enough that local police were called on the second night. Sources close to the Congressman insist Palazzo and his family never stayed at the rental property in question, nor asked staffers to reserve the house. 'The Congressman at no time asked someone on staff to book a house for him,' Palazzo's chief of staff, Jamie Miller, tells HOH. But multiple members of his office staff did stay at the house that weekend. And the ensuing shenanigans guaranteed that the security deposit, which was put on a credit card with a Cannon House Office Building billing address, was forfeited." [Roll Call]
COMFORT FOOD
- Dogway Melody (A Dogville Comedy) is a 1930 film featuring talking dogs playing some of that hot Jazz music. It's available online. It is the ur-meme.[http://huff.to/v77UfR]
- Your latest "weird camera angle supercut" is "Keep on Walking," which features shots of movie characters walking and running from behind. It's oddly compelling. Really. [http://huff.to/twDpCq]
- As if riding New York subways weren't already a giant pain, these douchebags had to start skateboarding in it. [http://huff.to/ryjEjf]
- Batman has a hard time figuring out The Riddler's questions ("That is a stumper"). [http://bit.ly/s27ekK]
- Today would have been Carl Sagan's 77th birthday. He's one of our heroes and here's a great video of him reading from (what we think) is his book "Pale Blue Dot." [http://bit.ly/tAVUOk]
- Whatever, it's an increasingly dated thing to meme riff on, but "Inception Cat" is great. [http://bit.ly/uhbJMh]
- "White House Declares No Extraterrestrial Encounters -- Yet" [http://huff.to/sJNlx8]
- This t-shirt contains a fabric that is the same as the cloth eyeglasses. So you can, you know, clean your glasses. There you have it. [http://huff.to/u8NACS]
TWITTERAMA
@ljanem: @HuffPostHill The zygote I'm representing wont go on record. Does not want to be another Eggnita Hill.
@chrisgeidner: Reality: "In the event of a real emergency, Rumsfeld's chief of staff would have told us 30 minutes ago on Twitter."
@delrayser: Mississippi "personhood amendment" supporters blaming fetuses for their loss, but I think that's just a scapegote.
ON TAP
TONIGHT
6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.: John Thune will do what he can to keep young people not in as good of shape as him, by taking young professionals out for burgers at Good Stuff Eatery for the Heartland Values PAC. [303 Pennsylvania Ave SE]
6:30 p.m.: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joins Verizon PAC, American Dental PAC and Truck PAC for cocktails and dinner at the American Trucking Association. [American Trucking Association, 430 First Street SE]
TOMORROW
11:30 a.m.: Sen. Kelly Ayotte will have lunch at Johnny's Half Shell. For as little as $500, you too can dine with her on the $6.50 soup of the day. [Johnny's Half Shell, 400 North Capitol Street NW #175]
12:00 p.m.: Head to the Monocle Restaurant to have lunch with Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas. [Moncole Restaurant, 107 D Street NE]
12:00 p.m.: Sen. John Barrasso will have lunch at Bistro Bis with US Bank, Securities Industry and FInancial Markets Association, Michael Moran, Zurich PAC and David Landers. [Bistro Bis, 15 E Street NW]
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