I gotta give credit where credit is due. The freshman Republican Congressman from Michigan, Rep. Justin Amash, said the following true statement (a rarity for a Republican):
“I think it’s a mistake on the part of Republicans to try to pin the sequester on Obama. It’s totally disingenuous. […] [Y]ou can’t vote for something and, with a straight face, go blame the other guy for its existence in law.”
This is on top of Amash’s denouncing John McCain for making a racist joke earlier this year. Good job Amash.
“[The 2014 election] is setting up as a crucial moment in the renewed battle for gun control. There may well be enough momentum for Obama to push through some new laws this year. They won’t be sufficient, but doing so will make gun control a major issue in the ’14 midterms. If those who support the news laws pay a price at the polls, the issue will again recede. But if they survive – and, especially, if those who vote against any of the laws Obama is calling for are defeated – it should create new momentum for further, more far-reaching reforms.”
“Obama made a passionate, convincing case on Tuesday night that his gun agenda deserves a vote in Congress. It may even be enough for him to get his way. But he won’t get everything he wants. For that, he and his allies are going to have to be patient and persistent. For real gun control, the fight won’t take months; it will take years.”
Chris Cillizza credits the President with unprecedented seriousness on curbing gun violence and climate change:
“Obama’s comments on guns will be the lasting legacy of this speech and a sign that his past pledges to use all of his political power to bring about measures he believes will curb gun violence was not simply rhetoric. [… and Obama’s comments on climate change are] as direct a call for action by Congress on climate change as you will hear from a president.”
“The proposals Obama laid out yesterday are likely to continue cementing the degree to which core growing constituencies — Latinos; young voters; college educated whites, especially women; and even to some extent non-college white women — identify with the Democratic Party. Reflexive GOP opposition to all these things could exacerbate the party’s estrangement from these groups.”
The Miami Herald reports that Jeb Bush made an offer to buy the Miami Marlins during this past offseason. Chuck Todd notes that this might “signal he’s not all that interested in running for president? Trying to buy a baseball team doesn’t exactly say your focus is prepping for a presidential run.” Um, Chuck… remember Junior and the Texas Rangers.