I just saw Jordan Sekulow, who seems to be right-wing legal commentator Jay Sekulow’s son, claiming that the president was wrong in pointing out that the new Supreme Court decision opens the flood gates to foreign money in American campaigns. That’s wrong. The president is clearly correct. And it’s only a highly tendentious argument that claims otherwise. But what stands out to me is how sensitive Republicans seem on this point — Alito included. This is an important tell.
Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office is dismissing claims by a lawyer for one of the New Orleans plumbers that the whole scheme was just a prank to embarrass Landrieu. In a statement to TPMmuckraker, Landrieu’s press secretary calls the explanation “feeble”:
The fact remains that they perpetrated a false identity scheme on building security by posing as telephone workers and attempted to manipulate the phones in her office. The only people these four individuals have embarrassed are themselves and their families.
Justin Elliott has more.
David Axelrod concedes the White House didn’t have a plan for what to do about health care reform if Democrats lost the Massachusetts election.
“The truth is the flares went up about 10 days before that election,” Axelrod told reporters this afternoon. “There wasn’t much discussion about the implications if the thing went the other way.”
Christina Bellantoni has more.
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), on health care reform:
The opponents of reform have found their bumper sticker, their slogan, their rallying cry, it’s one word: No. You can read that on a bumper.
Our bumper sticker has — it’s just way too many words. And it says, “Continued on next bumper sticker.”
Dude has not lost the funny.
Sen. Landrieu’s office was swept for bugs and other electronic surveillance devices following Monday’s alleged phone tampering incident, TPMmuckraker has learned.
Disgraced ex-FEMA Director Michael Brown just got his own primetime talk radio show in Denver.
Paragons of fiscal discipline, every Senate Republican today voted against reestablishing “pay-as-you-go” budgeting rules that mandate that any new spending must be paid for. The rule passed on a 60-40 party line vote.
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR): “It’s very possible that health care is just a stalemate and you can’t solve it this year.” That and the day’s other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.
Among political professionals, including some Democratic operatives, we’ve detected a contrarian take on the true impact of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision on corporate contributions. According to this view, political campaigns are already so saturated with corporate cash that any new money flowing in as a result of Citizens United will be like adding a thimble of water to the ocean. Zack Roth has been talking to the pros and has our report.