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1.) How about blame yourself, America — Americans are upset with the government they just voted to keep. TheDC’s Caroline May reports:
“Eighty percent of Americans are dissatisfied with Washington — including 30 percent who are angry, the highest level of anger recorded since polling on that question began in 2010. A new CBS News poll shows rapidly slipping approval of President Barack Obama and very low ratings for the Republican Party. Anger at Washington has increased nine percentage points since December, and while the overall unhappy sentiment cut across party lines, Republicans and independents are more likely to say they were angry. Additionally, 61 percent said that they believe the country is on the ‘wrong track,’ up from 54 percent since February, according to CBS. Nearly nine in 10 Republicans say the country is on the wrong track.”
Well, isn’t that sweet? Look, America. There was a national election just over a few months ago. In that election, you basically voted for everything to stay exactly the same in Washington. You re-elected President Obama. You voted for Republicans to maintain the House. You voted for Democrats to maintain the Senate. Now you’re upset that things haven’t changed for the better? Don’t take this the wrong way, America. I really like you. I am one of you. But I’m afraid it’s getting hard to take you seriously.
2.) The Bluegrass lass is gonna pass — Oh rhyming, how we lean on you as a substitute for wit. TheDC’s Alex Pappas reports:
“Despite indications that she was readying to launch a well-funded campaign against Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, Ashley Judd announced Wednesday afternoon that she will not run for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky as a Democrat. In a series of messages on her Twitter account, Judd explained her decision. ‘After serious and thorough contemplation, I realize that my responsibilities & energy at this time need to be focused on my family,’ she wrote.”
Now that Judd is out, there are still some liberal celebrity options to take on McConnell. Of course, you’ve got the Clooneys — both George and his newscaster father Nick. But TheDC’s Morning’s favorite liberal prospect is Helen Thomas. Sure, the 92-year-old reporter hasn’t lived in Kentucky for a long time. But she was born there, even if she didn’t grow up there. And given some of her recent comments, she would surely be a reporter’s dream. Run, Helen, run. But here’s a bit of advice. Just like Republican candidates should avoid mentioning rape, you probably should avoid mentioning anything about Jewish people.
3.) Rand to Stand with McConnell — Mitch McConnell got a big endorsement in his Senate race — at least his campaign manager says he got a big endorsement. TheDC’s Patrick Howley reports:
“The Daily Caller has learned that Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul is endorsing Sen. Mitch McConnell for re-election in 2014, ending speculation that Paul would back a tea party challenge to the Senate minority leader. ‘Rand Paul has endorsed McConnell,’ Jesse Benton, McConnell’s 2014 campaign manager, told The Daily Caller. Benton, who has worked for both Rand Paul and his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, is credited by insiders with brokering Paul’s support for McConnell.”
4.) Coburn common sense — Tom Coburn states what should be obvious. TheDC’s Caroline May reports:
“Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, says that federal employees who don’t do their jobs should be laid off before critical employees like food inspectors and air traffic controllers are furloughed due to sequestration. In the most recent installment of his letter writing campaign to government agencies offering suggestions for managing the sequester, Coburn pointed out the man-hours the government loses to employees who do not show up to work, who are paid to perform work unrelated to their agency’s mission, who are paid while on ‘stand by,’ and those who are not working at all. ‘Targeting these four areas where federal employees are being paid to do nothing could result in billions of dollars in annual savings, enough to maintain those employees performing the truly essential missions of the federal government,’ Coburn said in a statement.”
5.) Poll of the Day: Americans support gay marriage — CBS poll asks American adults, “Do you think it should be legal or not legal for same-sex couples to marry?”: 53% said legal, 39% said not legal, while 8% said unsure.
6.) Today in North Korean News — BREAKING: “Those Who Hurt Dignity of DPRK’s Supreme Leadership Will Not Survive”