The Senate will vote on the Blunt amendment shortly. You can follow the debate and the vote at TPMLiveWire.
I was … I am stunned to hear of the death of Andrew Breitbart. I don’t think there’s much of anything I agreed with him about, which is an understatement. My interactions with him were first friendly, then later heated and vexed, though maybe not unfriendly even then. He tweeted something at me yesterday, which I ignored. There are some people who live for the fight. It’s something I try not to be part of. Yet it’s a big, punchy, vivid and outrageously honorable tradition in the American public square. I cannot think of many people who lived more out loud than he did, more in primary colors. I remember thinking at some points even the name — the way it rolls off your tongue — has this rough, brickbat, unsmoothable sound: Breit / Bart. Read More
We’ve now confirmed Andrew Brietbart’s death with the Los Angeles coroner’s office.
How far are Republicans willing to run under the banner of “defending” religious liberty?
Today will tell.
Our Congressional reporters Brian Beutler and Sahil Kapur explain just what’s at stake in the upcoming vote on Roy Blunt’s amendment, which seeks to provide all employers the sort of conscience objections to health care benefits that forced the standoff between the Catholic Church and the White House.
Must read piece.
Lest anyone be fooled by Joe Arpaio’s latest stunt — a fun-filled paean to birtherism coming later today — let us recount some of our previous favorites from the man from Maricopa.
Federal judge forwards to pals racist ‘joke’ email suggesting President Obama was the product of a union between his white mother and a dog.
If you listen to the on-going political conversation in Washington, Israelis hate President Obama and are pining for a Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney to take the White House, destroy Iran and generally make the world a happy place again. But a new poll paints a very different picture. Read More
The Romney campaign thinks it’s found the silver bullet for taking Rick Santorum down on Super Tuesday: Santorum’s the turncoat robocaller.
About an hour ago, a reporter for a cable-only TV news station in Ohio tweeted that Mitt Romney has told him in a yet-to-air interview that he opposed the Blunt amendment, which would allow employers to refuse to provide health insurance policies that cover contraception and other matters of conscience. Opposition to the Blunt amendment by Romney would mark a sharp break from the current orthodoxy of national Republicans, but it’s not entirely clear yet what Romney said.
The Ohio reporter, Jim Heath of the Ohio News Network, let Greg Sargent of the Washington Post listen to the audio of the interview. Greg’s account suggests Romney did voice opposition of some kind to the bill.
The Romney campaign has been quiet for the last hour despite reporters scrambling to ascertain Mitt’s position. Just now, there are reports that the campaign is saying ONN’s reporting is wrong (the tape will resolve that), and the campaign is saying Romney in fact supports the Blunt amendment.
Our full report shortly.
Update: Sahil Kapur and Benjy Sarlin with the full report.