Study Proves Bias Of Voter ID Laws, Why NH Chose Trump, and Understanding Congress’ Snub of Obama’s Budget

By db

February 10, 2016 11:08 a.m.

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February 10, 2016

The Gist: Republicans will not even pretend to give President Obama’s last budget plan any serious consideration, a brushoff that upends decades of decorum on Capitol Hill.

‘Robot’ Activist On Tussle With Rubio Campaign Chair: He Put His Hands On My Neck!

The Gist: Rubio’s New Hampshire chairman wrestled a political organizer dressed as a robot to the ground before yesterday’s primary.

Study: Yup, Voter ID Laws Dampen Turnout For Minorities And Liberals

The Gist: A comprehensive UC-San Diego study backs up claims of a political motivation behind voter ID laws, which have been overwhelmingly championed by GOP legislators.

From The Reporter’s Notebook

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ran into Bill’s only opponent to be America’s first First Man on Tuesday: Frank Fiorina. TPM’s Sara Jerde notes that the meeting was all small talk and smiles and the two posed for a picture. But if Carly Fiorina is elected President, her husband has a name in mind: “First Frank,” he told CNN.

Agree or Disagree?

After his fifth place finish in New Hampshire, Josh Marshall thinks “we can say with a reasonably high level of confidence that Marco Rubio’s quest for the presidency is over. I don’t expect he realizes it yet. I don’t expect he’ll drop out any time soon. But a broad appraisal of the fundamentals should tell us fairly clearly that the end is only a matter of time.”

Say What?!

“I had to go scream at the top of my lungs about black dealers coming in and doing the things that they’re doing to our state…Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road.”

– Maine Gov. Paul LePage assured listeners that he really was talking about black drug dealers when he said people with names like “D-Money” were bringing drugs into his state.

BUZZING: Today in the Hive

From a TPM Prime member: “Okay, so Josh wrote a few times that he thinks Bernie is going to get eviscerated in the general, and reading that I started to worry about Bernie’s odds as the candidate. I know the socialism attacks will play well with the Fox crowd, but could Bernie’s earnest embrace of the term be more effective with the undecided that we think? I mean, people are seeing the toll of our unwillingness to even fund infrastructure repair in Flint. I just feel like there’s a large segment of the population that could be sold on the party of FDR if undertaken by someone skilled at selling the benefits of investing in our own country. And Bernie is the best advocate for the shared responsibility of citizenship. I don’t know, maybe I’m an idealist, but I feel like Bernie has a pretty good chance of beating any of the Parade of Horribles coming from Foxland. Am I the only one who thinks Bernie would make a formidable opponent come November?”

Related: Josh Marshall on Bernie Sanders during the last Dem debate.

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What We’re Reading

This is how Hillary’s campaign gets the coverage it wants. (Gawker)

Why New Hampshire likes Donald Trump. (Slate)

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Study Proves Bias Of Voter ID Laws, Why NH Chose Trump, and Understanding Congress’ Snub of Obama’s Budget

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