SCOTUS Moving Rightward Under Roberts
The Washington Post reports that this past Supreme Court session shows the Roberts Court to have moved definitely to the right, through a cautious and incremental — but definitely conservative — approach. “One thing I think is going on is that the Chief Justice has a devotion to the institution of the Supreme Court, and not wanting to get it out on a limb in front of public opinion,” said Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute. “But Roberts is, after all, a conservative.” The New York Times says the same thing, pointing to the key role played by Justice Anthony Kennedy as the swing vote.
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will hold an online town hall discussion on health care at 1:15 p.m. ET, hosted at Northern Virginia Community College. At 4:45 p.m. ET, he will sign a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will travel to Seneca High School in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he will highlight stimulus investments in broadband, joined by Sec. of Commerce Gary Locke, Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA) and other local officials. Afterwards, he will head to Pittsburgh for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser.
Franken Holding Victory Rally Today
Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) will hold a victory rally at 1 p.m. ET at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul, celebrating with his supporters the end of a very long and tumultuous legal process that finally ended yesterday with his election to the United States Senate.
Gates: Pentagon Looking At “More Humane” Enforcement Of Ban On Gays In The Military
Sec. of Defense Robert Gates said that the Pentagon is looking at a “more humane” way to comply with the ban on gays serving openly in the military, such as making the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy more flexible until it might be eventually changed. “What we have is a law, not a policy or regulation,” said Gates. “And as I discovered when I got into it, it is a very prescriptive law. It doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination or a lot of flexibility.”
Club For Growth Polling In Florida Senate Race
Roll Call reports that the Club For Growth has undertaken polling of the Florida Republican Senate primary, as they mull whether to actively support conservative insurgent Marco Rubio against moderate Gov. Charlie Crist. “It’s clearly a winnable race, it’s not going to be an easy race,” said Club executive director David Keating, who added: “Rubio’s going to have to be able to communicate his message and his position on issues,”
Palin Says She Could Beat Obama — In A Foot Race
In an interview with Runner’s World, Sarah Palin was asked whether she would be able to defeat President Obama in a foot race — and she said she could: “I betcha I’d have more endurance.” Considering that Obama is a recovering smoker and Palin is an avid runner, you have to figure she’s probably right on this one.
