I’ve got a day of meetings and assorted time vortexes, so blogging might be lighter than usual.
The best story you’ll read all day: Haley Edwards on the Dodd-Frank rulemaking process.
Jonathan Martin talks to local Republican machers about a Paul Ryan 2016 candidacy. (Only two years and nine months until the Iowa caucuses!) An Iowa radio host and a former South Carolina party chairman say his buzz is gone, but this seems more pertinent.
Ryan admirers say it’s unfair to suggest he’s merely a green eye shade Republican. After all, his political mentor was supply-sider and congenital optimist Jack Kemp and when Ryan bumped up against Romney’s high command during the campaign it was over the congressman’s desire to speak more to poor voters about how conservative policies could impact their lives. But Ryan has become so identified with his budget plan it could be hard for him to shed the austerity label.
John Roberts’ lesbian cousin Jean Podrasky will be at the Prop 8 hearing.
Podrasky lives in San Francisco and usually sees Roberts only on family occasions. His mother is her godmother, whom she adores. She said Roberts knows she is gay and introduced her along with other relatives during his Senate confirmation hearing. She hopes he will meet her partner of four years, Grace Fasano, during their Washington visit.
Alex Seitz-Wald profiles Ed Blum, the non-lawyer who keeps getting cases in front of SCOTUS.
Tom Tancredo turns on Rand Paul for some entirely predictable reasons.
Rand Paul said that Hispanics were “natural” Republicans who the GOP should be able to attract through “Defense of the unborn and defense of traditional marriage.” In reality, according to exit polls after the 2012 election, whites opposed gay marriage 50-47%, while Hispanics supported gay marriage 59-32%. Moreover, Hispanics are twice as likely as whites to have abortions. This, along with the fact that Hispanics are more likely to support big government and describe themselves as politically liberal than whites is a major factor for why they vote Democratic.
Craig Robinson predicts a battle royale over libertarianism vs. WWJDism in the Iowa caucuses.
And these conservative reasons for boycotting Fox News all sound reasonable. Put yourself in these viewers’ shoes. Two years ago, the network gave you daily doses of Glenn Beck.
