(swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)
REBRANDING THE HOUSE GOP ? POLITICO?s Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer report from the Republican retreat in Williamsburg, Va.: ?House Republicans heard it loud and clear Wednesday: They are unpopular and need to change their ways. Speaker John Boehner?s House Republican Conference is more disliked now than when it took the majority two years ago, lawmakers and aides here found out. After taking a bruising in the 2012 elections, the Republican Party needs an image makeover and the GOP must learn to relate better to voters. That was the message delivered by the party?s most trusted pollsters during the first day of the House GOP?s retreat at the posh Kingsmill Resort on the edge of this colonial town, where the lobbyist-funded Congressional Institute is putting on the annual confab. ?
-- ?David Winston, a top GOP pollster and close adviser to Boehner, unveiled the House Republicans? most recent favorable rating based on his own analysis: It came in at a barrel-scraping 37 percent. House Democrats? numbers are a full 9 points higher at 46 percent. Winston?s analysis: Neither party is popular, but the GOP is less so. The lawmakers heard that the way to turn things around is for the party to pivot squarely to the economy and jobs ? the chief concerns of most voters. ? At the tail end of a panel, Winston and fellow Republican pollsters Kellyanne Conway and Dave Sackett urged the GOP to work hard to relate better to voters. That?s why, the pollsters said in a question-and-answer session, Romney lost his bid for the White House ? because no one identified with the aloof-seeming wealthy former venture capitalist whom Democrats painted as way out of touch with the average voter. ?
--?Thursday will be the busiest day at the confab. Larry Arnn, the president of conservative Hillsdale College, will speak about Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and the Constitution at breakfast. Political analyst Charlie Cook will talk about how America is changing. Govs. Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Luis Fortu?o of Puerto Rico will speak at lunch.? http://politi.co/13FEwu6
HUDDLE FIRST LOOK: DCCC MOCKS GOP ?CHAOS? WITH ?KUMBAYA? VIDEO -- As House Republicans come together in Williamsburg today, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is releasing a new web video underscoring just how divided the party is. The video, ?Kumbaya,? ?makes the case of the dysfunction and extremism of the Tea Party House Republicans ? from the mouths of Republicans themselves,? the DCCC says in a news release out later this morning. ?According to news reports, a majority of House Republicans are pushing for default and a government shutdown. And that?s just the latest chronic chaos from this Tea Party House Republican majority.? Cameos from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Rep. Peter King, ?Morning Joe?s Joe Scarborough, National Review?s Robert Costa, Gen. Colin Powell and others. Watch here: http://youtu.be/u7s5nzTCxpg
? BUT DEMS HAVE A TOUGH ROAD TO HOUSE MAJORITY ? Alex Isenstadt reports for POLITICO: ?Democrats are promising an all-out blitz to win the House in 2014. There?s just one lingering question: Which Republicans can really be unseated? The problem: Republicans used the once-a-decade redistricting process to shore up many of their members, leaving Democrats with few ripe GOP targets. Only four Republican incumbents are in seats that tilt toward Democrats ? a fraction of the 17 seats Democrats need to net in order to seize the majority. In fact, there?s reason to believe that the 2014 playing field favors Republicans: There are 15 Democrats representing GOP-leaning districts, so Democrats will need to invest heavily just to maintain their current membership in the House. The daunting playing field is one of many challenges facing Democrats in 2014. Midterm elections are typically losers for the party in the White House. And outside conservative groups outspent Democratic ones 2 to 1 over the past two election cycles. Despite the numbers, Democrats say there are vulnerable Republicans who they are zeroing in on as the 2014 cycle gets under way. But playing on Republican turf makes the job harder.? http://politi.co/WK12uM
-- The NRCC said Wednesday it?s targeting seven Democrats it calls vulnerable: Reps. Ron Barber and Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, John Barrow of Georgia, Jim Matheson of Utah, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, and Nick Rahall of West Virginia. ?Each represents a district that has voted for the Republican nominee in the last three presidential elections,? National Journal reports. http://bit.ly/10BnyOH
20 HOSTAGES ESCAPE FROM ISLAMIST MILITANTS ? The Associated Press reports: An Algerian security official says at least 20 foreigners have escaped from the natural gas plant deep in the Sahara desert where Islamist militants are holding dozens of hostages. The official said those escaping included Americans and Europeans. He did not give any further details. Militants attacked the Ain Amenas gas complex 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) south of Algiers on Wednesday, taking dozens of foreign workers hostage. Those being held included Japanese, Britons, French, Americans, Malaysians and Norwegians, among others. The gas plant has been surrounded by the Algerian army and there's now a tense standoff with the militants. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.? http://bit.ly/Xc7gDU
Washington Post, A1, ?Gun agenda faces an uphill struggle,? By Philip Rucker and Ed O?Keefe: ?The gun-control agenda that President Obama unveiled with urgency on Wednesday now faces an uncertain fate in a bitterly divided Congress, where Republican opposition hardened and centrist Democrats remained noncommittal after a month of feverish public debate. By pursuing an expansive overhaul of the nation?s gun laws, Obama is wagering that public opinion has evolved enough after a string of mass shootings to force passage of politically contentious measures that Congress has long stymied. Yet there was no indication on Wednesday that the mood on Capitol Hill has changed much. Within hours of Obama?s formal policy rollout at the White House, Republicans who had previously said they were open to a discussion about gun violence condemned his agenda as violating the Second Amendment?s right to bear arms. ?I?m confident there will be bipartisan opposition to his proposal,? Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement.
-- ?The Senate plans to begin taking up Obama?s proposals next week, with the House waiting to see what the Democrat-controlled Senate passes first, congressional aides said. The Senate is likely to take a piecemeal approach, eventually holding up-or-down votes on the individual elements of Obama?s plan rather than trying to muscle through a single comprehensive bill, aides said. Obama, in an emotional White House ceremony, outlined four major legislative proposals aimed at curbing what he called ?the epidemic of gun violence in this country?: universal background checks for all gun buyers, a crackdown on gun trafficking, a ban on military-style assault weapons and a ban on ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets. Obama also signed paperwork initiating 23 executive actions that include steps to strengthen the existing background-check system, promote research on gun violence and provide training in ?active shooter situations.? He also nominated Todd Jones, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to become the agency?s permanent director.? http://wapo.st/10fVZti
NYT: ?Obama Tells Senate That It?s Time to Confirm A.T.F. Director?: http://nyti.ms/Xc0bTz
Here?s a full list of Obama?s 23 executive actions: http://politi.co/V6loQW
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) pledged that Republicans will ?nullify? some of Obama?s actions: http://politi.co/10BfkGu
RADEL, STOCKMAN FLOAT OBAMA IMPEACHMENT ? Nick Wing reports for the Huffington Post: ?Rep. Trey Radel (R-Fla.) became the second House Republican this week to suggest that President Barack Obama could be impeached over his executive actions on gun violence. In an interview with conservative blog ?The Shark Tank,? Radel, a Tea Party-backed freshman, argued that impeachment should be ?on the table? as a measure to combat what he characterized as an overreach by the president. ? In his comments, Radel joins fellow Republican congressman Steve Stockman of Texas, who on Monday made a threat to file articles of impeachment against Obama, calling the president's then-unknown actions an ?existential threat to this nation.?? http://huff.to/W8ADYh
DEMS HOLD EMOTIONAL HEARING ON GUN VIOLENCE ? Meredith Shiner reports for Roll Call: ?House Democratic leaders convened a hearing Wednesday showcasing the emotional scars left by gun violence on colleagues and countrymen in recent years, an event designed to dovetail with President Barack Obama?s decision to pursue government action on the issue. The nearly two-hour long session in the Rayburn House Office Building did not present specific policy demands as much as it tried to make the case for why such measures are necessary. The witnesses included Newtown, Conn., Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson; Emily Nottingham, the mother of Gabe Zimmerman, a staffer for former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who was killed in the 2011 Tucson, Ariz., shootings; Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Scott Knight, former chairman of the International Chiefs of Police?s Firearms Committee. Robinson?s passionate remarks about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took the lives of 20 children exposed the freshest wounds, but some of the most emotionally charged moments came in remembering the life of Zimmerman, a staffer many Democrats knew.? http://bit.ly/100XMO8
OBAMA TO NAME McDONOUGH CHIEF OF STAFF ? Josh Gerstein writes for POLITICO: ?President Barack Obama plans to name Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough as his next chief of staff, a Democratic source briefed on the plans tells POLITICO. McDonough would replace Jack Lew, whom Obama nominated to be his new Treasury secretary. By selecting McDonough, Obama is opting for the familiar: a trusted aide who?s been at his side since the 2008 campaign and is credited with keeping the administration?s internal wheels turning smoothly on foreign policy issues.
-- ?But McDonough brings less experience than his predecessors with another typical part of the job: fielding sometimes angry salvos from members of Congress with home-district concerns about aspects of the administration?s policy or budget decisions. McDonough has been involved in just about every major national security decision made by Obama since he took office, from the surge in U.S. troops in Afghanistan to the launching of the commando raid that killed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.? http://politi.co/V67cHV
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GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 17, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day?s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.
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TODAY IN CONGRESS ? The Senate is out this week. The House is also gone for the rest of the week with House Republicans attending their annual retreat in Williamsburg, Va.
BOEING 787 DREAMLINERS GROUNDED WORLDWIDE ? ?The Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday ordered a halt to flights of Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner, an unprecedented rebuke to the plane maker after two major battery malfunctions on its flagship jets,? Andy Pasztor, Jon Ostrower and Yoree Koh report on A1 of the Wall Street Journal.? ?It is the first time in four decades that U.S. regulators have taken such dramatic action to effectively ground a major airliner. The FAA called for Boeing and its airline customers ?to develop a corrective action plan.? As of Wednesday night, airlines in Japan, Chile, Poland and India had also grounded their Dreamliner fleets. The European Aviation Safety Agency ordered Dreamliners grounded Thursday, saying it was following the FAA's directive.? http://on.wsj.com/13HeZQb
SANDY?S LESSON: DON?T MESS WITH JERSEY ? David Rogers writes for POLITICO: ?New York will always be bigger. Connecticut?s richer. But if there?s one lesson from the Hurricane Sandy debate, it?s Don?t Mess With Jersey. A chippy Chris Christie set the tone early when the New Jersey governor warned fellow Republicans on Monday that they?d picked ?the wrong state? to begin changing the rules for disaster aid. By Tuesday on the House floor, it was the Garden State in full bloom: ?Sopranos?-style muscle, Princeton science, below-the-belt jabs, even old family debts dating to 19th-century Indian wars and Andrew Jackson.
--??Yes, I?m angry,? shouted the typically low-key Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J), who invited his out-of-state Republican opponents to join the ?hypocrisy caucus.? ?Florida, good luck with no more hurricanes. California, congratulations. Did you get rid of the San Andreas Fault? The Mississippi is in a drought. Do you think you?re not going to have a flood again? Who are you going to come to when you have these things?? By nightfall, the end product was a bipartisan coalition that held firm ? not just on the big votes to pass the $50 billion-plus aid package but on many of the smaller ones, as well.? http://politi.co/13FzKNd
TWITTER TRAFFIC: @politicalwire: Does anyone else see parallels between the Manti Te'o story and that of former Rep. Anthony Weiner?
KENTUCKY?S MASSIE IS MR. ?NO? ? Kate Nocera writes for the hometown paper: ?Thomas Massie is getting very good at saying ?no.? In less than three months on Capitol Hill, the Kentucky congressman has voted no on the fiscal cliff deal, no on the rule for Republicans? thwarted Plan B, voted no on the National Defense Authorization Act, voted no on all of the disaster relief for states affected by Hurricane Sandy and voted against John Boehner for speaker. And he?s not getting tired of it. The 42-year-old Republican with a deep libertarian streak says he?s here to be a ?consistent conservative voice.? And while that might mean more headaches for the Republican leadership, Massie says he?s just doing what his supporters want him to do. After all, he won his special election in November with the backing of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), tea party groups and the fiscally conservative Club for Growth. Those who are cheering Massie on are more than happy with the results they?ve seen from him so far, and already a few of them are hoping that he?ll be the guy to primary Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2014.? http://politi.co/13FHn6o
KUCINICH JOINS FOX NEWS ? Stephen Koff writes for the Cleveland Plain Dealer: ?Dennis Kucinich has years of experience speaking on the House of Representatives floor, on the stump and in political debates. He likes to mix it up.? So it's only natural that the Fox News Channel should announce him as its newest contributor.? That's right, the man every Clevelander knows simply as "Dennis" is launching a part-time career as a Fox News commentator. Kucinich, 66, a former Cleveland mayor, will debut in his new role on "The O'Reilly Factor" at 8 p.m. Thursday. He'll soon appear on a variety of other Fox programs as well, sometimes once a week, sometimes more often.? ?I'm really looking forward to it,? Kucinich told The Plain Dealer in a telephone interview. ?I've had a good relationship with Fox over the years. They've always been open to letting me express my point of view.? He said he signed a multi-year contract, but would not discuss the terms. ? The deal came together quickly, after Fox asked him to come to New York last week, he said.? http://bit.ly/S7E2JD
RAND?S EARLY JUMP ON 2016? ? Meredith Shiner reports for Roll Call: ?Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is taking a pass on next week?s crowded inaugural festivities in order to attend a much more intimate gathering: The Monday Meeting, a closed-door, off-the-record gathering of top conservatives in South Carolina. The Monday Meeting, called a ?cabal? by New York media outlets, moved from the Big Apple to Charleston, S.C., with its co-founder, conservative businessman and political activist Mallory Factor, in 2006. Paul?s office confirmed he will be in South Carolina on Jan. 21 for the meeting. So while the president, vice president, dignitaries and other senior senators convene in Statuary Hall for a lavish lunch, Paul will be schmoozing with conservatives in a state most GOP presidential hopefuls ? as Paul is rumored to be ? see as crucial. South Carolina hosts the first-in-the-South presidential primary and is viewed as key to those who want to win the GOP nomination.? http://bit.ly/SORyDx
WEDNESDAY?S TRIVIA WINNER ? Jon Deuser was first to correctly answer that the late Sen. John Tower (R-Texas) was last secretary of defense nominee to be rejected by the U.S. Senate. He was George H.W. Bush?s pick in 1989.
TODAY?S TRIVIA ? Deuser offers a related question: We all know the failure of the John Tower nomination led to then-Rep. Dick Cheney?s ascension to secretary of defense and opened the door to Newt Gingrich becoming House GOP Whip.? Gingrich won that race by one vote.? Who did he beat for the post? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day?s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.
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