Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… Democrats and Republicans will gather in Nationals Park for the annual Congressional Baseball game tonight, because watching middle-aged white guys flailing to hit a baseball is what constitutes entertainment in Washington.
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’16 AT 30 THOUSAND
In a crowded Republican presidential field composed of candidates like Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush often gets painted as a moderate. After all, he’s the (expected) candidate who supports Common Core and has taken a softer stance on immigration than nearly any other Republican running in 2016. But recent reporting on passages in his 1995 book “Profiles in Character” -- and his response to questions about it today -- is a good reminder that the former Florida governor is very conservative when it comes to social issues.
Bush wrote in 1995 that single mothers are on the rise because there is "no longer a stigma attached to this behavior" and "parents and neighbors have become ineffective at attaching some sense of ridicule to this behavior." And in 2001, he declined to veto a bill that required unwed mothers who did not know the paternity of a child to publish their sexual histories in the newspaper before being able to put their child up for adoption.(He did sign the bill with the understanding that the publication provision would be changed, and he later signed a repeal of the law after it was challenged in court.) Asked about the issue while in Warsaw today, Bush said, "My views have evolved over time, but my views about the importance of dads being involved in the lives of children hasn't changed at all." Remember, this is the governor who intervened to keep Terri Schiavo alive on life support in the early 2000s. From a GOP primary perspective, Bush may look like a moderate for his views on education and support for a path to legal status for undocumented workers. But from a general election perspective, if Bush ever makes it that far, aspects of his record on social issues would put him squarely on the right.
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
- MSNBC’s Benjy Sarlin from Warsaw: “Facing scrutiny over his rhetoric and record regarding single mothers, former Florida Gov.Jeb Bush told reporters on Thursday that two-parent homes help children "live lives of purpose and meaning."
- Ohio Gov. John Kasich is a lot of things, but likeable may not be one of them, NBC’s Perry Bacon writes.
- The country’s politics have moved sharply over the course of the Obama administration, drawing parallels to the transformation that took place during Reagan’s presidency, NBC’s Dante Chinni writes.
- In Iowa on Thursday, Chris Christie said the price of higher education is on the rise because some colleges “are drunk on cash.”
- First Read previews how two major Supreme Court decisions expected later this month could impact the 2016 race.
CAMPAIGN QUICK READS
SANDERS: The Vermont senator, who has vowed not to run a negative campaign, challenged Hillary Clinton to be more open about where she stands on issues like trade and the Keystone XL Pipeline, the New York Times writes.
He also wants to take “family values” back from the GOP, but not the same ones conservatives frequently talk about, Yahoo! reports.
FIORINA: “I’ll be on the debate stage,” she told TIME.
PATAKI: The Republican presidential candidate left the campaign trail after his son-in-law suffered a life threatening stroke.
CHRISTIE: His long-time communications guru, Maria Comella, is moving to Christie’s political action committee in the latest sign the Garden State governor will run for president, the New York Times reports.
FOR THE RECORD…
“He’s a bro with no ho."
Sen. Mark Kirk caught on a hot mic talking about Lindsey Graham’s bachelor status.
TOMORROW’S SKED
Jeb Bush begins the third leg of his five-day European trip by traveling to Estonia.
Mitt Romney hosts several current and potential GOP candidates at his annual E2 summit in Park City, Utah.
Chris Christie holds a town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, while Bernie Sanders is in Des Moines.
