Don’t miss Jessica Taylor’s look at the 10 Democratic and GOP House recruits to watch for 2014.
Rubio, who talked about how this process has been “a real trial” for him with his base, voted for the immigration bill he helped craft. Some – like Rick Santorum -- wonder how this might hurt him in 2016, but Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who voted against it, says it won’t likely hurt him in Iowa because winning will be everything. Rand Paul voted against it. Eyes will turn to Paul Ryan and his role in pushing immigration in the House. The interim New Jersey Sen. Jeff Chiesa, whom New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appointed, voted for it (which happened to be after senators lobbied Christie to urge Chiesa to vote in favor).
But Christie also slammed the DOMA ruling, calling it a “bad decision” and “another example of judicial supremacy.” So did Rubio, saying people opposed to same-sex marriage aren’t “bigots.” But Bill and Hillary Clinton put out a statement supporting it (after Bill Clinton originally signed it into law.) Vice President Biden presided over the immigration-reform vote. And his latest “Being Biden” recording was on gay marriage, citing a gay aide Carlos. “Americans are way ahead of their political leadership,” he said.
Rand Paul talked about how the DOMA ruling could lead to polygamy (and cited Muslims with multiple wives who could come to the U.S.). Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, running for governor, in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting Prop 8 also cited polygamy as a risk. Paul then took it a step further and asked, “Does it have to be humans?” His office said that was “Sarcasm.” But later, he struck a different tone with Jeff Zeleny, telling him that Justice Kennedy “tried to strike a balance” and that, “as a country we can agree to disagree.”
In other 2016 news… Santorum is now running a Christian film company. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) was featured in National Journal with this headline, “Is It Time to Take Martin O’Malley Seriously?” Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s troubles keep piling up with a Washington Post report that a donor bought him a $6,500 Rolex watch. He refused to comment on it.
And we missed this last week, but Bobby Jindal has changed his tone from, “We can’t be the stupid party,” to, “excessive navel gazing leads to paralysis.” Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval called for comprehensive immigration reform. … Elizabeth Warren continues to push her student-loan bill, which has picked up support ahead of Monday’s deadline, but nothing will pass before then.
USA Today: “House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday the Democratic Party was coalescing behind Hillary Rodham Clinton as its presidential nominee for 2016, and she urged the former secretary of State to get in the race.”
Said Pelosi: "If Secretary Clinton were to run — and we think if she ran, she would win — I believe that she would be the best-prepared person to enter the White House in decades, in decades," Pelosi said, "with all due respect to her husband, present company and other presidents."