Daily Kos

Howls of outrage, predictably, have ensued from Republicans over the recess appointment of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

House Speaker John Boehner:

“This is an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab by President Obama that defies centuries of practice and the legal advice of his own Justice Department," Boehner said. "The precedent that would be set by this cavalier action would have a devastating effect on the checks and balances that are enshrined in our Constitution."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has led his caucus an unprecedented scheme of obstruction whines:

"This recess appointment represents a sharp departure from a long-standing precedent that has limited the President to recess appointments only when the Senate is in a recess of 10 days or longer. Breaking from this precedent lands this appointee in uncertain legal territory, threatens the confirmation process and fundamentally endangers the Congress's role in providing a check on the excesses of the executive branch," McConnell said.

He's joined by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) who wants to pretend this move was worse than what his caucus has been up to for the past two years:

"This is a very grave decision by this heavy-handed, autocratic White House. Circumventing the Senate and tossing out decades of precedent to appoint an unaccountable czar to appease its liberal base is beneath the office of the president," Hatch said in a statement. "The legislative branch exists as a check and a balance on the executive. By opening this door, the White House is saying it can appoint any person at any time to any position it chooses without the advice and consent of the Senate. This is not how our republic was designed to function."

All of which ignores what the Senate has been doing with this, and numerous other, nominations: nullification. Because they can't repeal Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform, they've been attempting to rewrite the law—passed and signed law—by extortion. If President Obama agreed to completely gut the agency and make it unable to challenge the power of Wall Street, they'd give him his nominee.

Furthermore, as Greg Sargent notes, the "pro forma" sessions tactic has been blasted by President Bush's former legal counsel.

In an Op ed published in the Post in 2010, former Bush legal counsel Steven Bradbury excoriated Senate Dems for using the “pro forma” tactic as part of a complex deal with Senate Republicans. Senate GOPers agreed to approve a raft of Obama nominees in exchange for Senate Dems agreeing to hold the pro forma sessions to block an Obama nominee Republicans opposed.

Bradbury sharply denounced the sessions as “phony,” arguing: “They serve but one purpose: to prevent the president from exercising his constitutional authority to make recess appointments.” He urged the President to call the Senate’s bluff in order to avoid more “gridlock.”

This recess appointment is precedent setting. Instead of making the appointment yesterday, in the brief break when the last congressional session ended and the new one began, the White House is directly challenging the Republicans over their tactics. And his picking a very smart target, forcing them to declare their allegiance to Wall Street over America's working families.

You can thank President Obama for standing on the side of America families against the Republicans with a quick e-mail.

So John McCain has swallowed his pride and endorsed Mitt Romney—and he did it moments after President Obama announced the recess appointment of Richard Cordray to be the nation's consumer watchdog.

Here's a screenshot from MSNBC showing how the timing played out:

And now you know Mitt Romney's answer to the question: "Where were you when President Obama was appointing the nation's first consumer watchdog?" The answer: getting the endorsement of the guy who Obama beat the last time around.

President Obama has flown to Cleveland with his appointee to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Richard Cordray. He will speak on the economy, and his decision to use his authority to appoint Cordray during this recess.

You can watch the livestream of the remarks at the White House Web site.

Here's an excerpt of his remarks, as prepared for delivery. You can read the entirety below the fold.

The only reason Republicans in the Senate have blocked Richard is because they don't agree with the law setting up the consumer watchdog. They want to weaken it. Well that makes no sense at all. Does anyone think the reason we got in such a financial mess was because of too much oversight? Of course not. We shouldn't be weakening oversight and accountability. We should be strengthening it—especially when it comes to looking out for families like yours. Financial firms have armies of lobbyists in Washington looking out for their interests. It's time someone fought for you, too.

10:18 AM PT: While we wait for President Obama to speak, you can thank him for this appointment with a quick e-mail.

10:30 AM PT: Starting out in solid, campaign style mode, upbeat and energetic, and making the commitment to get out of Washington and out into the nation more. Now we're getting to the meat.

10:32 AM PT: He's talking about the "America you deserve," where hard work and playing by the rules pays off. Reminding us that he worked with Congress to extend the payroll tax cut extension to give workers "the break that they need." He will demand an extension thru 2012 with "no drama." (Good luck.)

10:33 AM PT: Announcing the Cordray appointment: Cordr4ay is a "son of Ohio," and America's new "consumer watchdog" in charge of "one thing . . . looking out for you."

10:34 AM PT: He's doing a good job of explaining the basics of what the CFPB would do, and making it clear that the only job of the bureau is to help American families. It's a good segue into the politics and GOP obstruction.

10:36 AM PT: "What's the problem you might ask." The GOP doesn't agree with the law that set up the CFPB in the first place, and wants to water it down and the financial sector has poured in millions in that effort. The financial sector has lobbyists, Cordray will be "looking out for you."

10:38 AM PT: As Ohio's AG, Cordray helped consumers from dishonest lending practices, protecting pensions, "had a great reputation across the board for doing the right thing." "Every day that Richard waited to be confirmed, and we were pretty patient . . . was another day that consumers weren't being protected." He's making a strong populist case for making this appointment, and calling out Republicans for their delaying tactics.

10:39 AM PT: Now he's moving into the larger "we can't wait" economic message.

10:41 AM PT: "But when Congress refuses to act and as a result hurts our economy and puts people at risk, I have an obligation as President to do what I can without them.... I will not stand by while a minority in the Senate puts party ideology ahead of the people they were elected to serve."

10:45 AM PT: He's looped back into the importance of having a consumer watchdog to the whole economy, to avoid the kind of fraudulent practices that led to the housing bubble and collapse. He's making a good case and basing it on populist themes of helping out the people most vulnerable to these practices.

10:47 AM PT: He's hitting the GOP harder than in his prepared remarks for the "hostage taking" that's meant the rules weren't being followed,

10:49 AM PT: He's making his pitch to the 99%, "not just those at the very top or those who know how to work the system." A good, populist message that took on the Republicans. Expect this to be the message he keeps coming back to for the next 11 months.

Did you see Mittens' latest?

Hours before the caucuses, [Mitt Romney] made his final pitch to Iowa voters in an ornate ballroom at the Temple for the Performing Arts in Des Moines.
Democrats will "poison the American spirit by pitting one American against another and engaging in class warfare," Romney said. "I believe in an America that is one nation under God, and I will keep it that way."

As always, Republicans only hyperventilate about "unity" when protecting the privileges of the wealthiest. They certainly don't seem so concerned about "pitting one American against another" when demonizing gay Americans, or brown Americans, or Americans who live in Chicago, Massachusetts, or San Francisco, or Americans who aren't Christians, or Americans who vote Democratic, or Americans who exercise their reproductive freedoms, or Americans who value Social Security and Medicare, or Americans who prefer to breathe clean air and drink clean water, or Americans who don't want to see Miami below sea level, or poor Americans who are taking your money, or ... you get the point.

Their entire schtick is predicated on pitting Americans against Americans. Without such demonization, they would be unable to function as an ongoing concern. But if someone points out that perhaps the wealthy should pay a few percentage points more in taxes to balance the nation's finances, or that Wall Street should be reformed to keep them from destroying the world economy again? Pass the smelling salts!

Mitt, get this right—this isn't pitting one American against another. It's pitting the over 99 percent of Americans (including a healthy chunk of the one percenters) who still believe in an America in which everyone can have a chance at success against a tiny selfish greedy fringe that wants to hoard all wealth for themselves.

Send President Obama a thank you email for appointing Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Make no mistake: President Obama's move will provoke a huge fight from Republicans. Most will declare this use of a recess appointment to be unconstitutional, while talk of impeaching Obama will likely spread throughout the right-wing media.

President Obama knew this would happen, but moved forward anyway. In so doing, he stood up to Wall Street and prevented Republicans from nullifying the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Best of all, Americans will now have a watchdog working to stop the fraudulent practices of mortgage companies, payday lenders, debt collectors and other financial companies that continue to cause so much economic pain throughout our country.

Send President Obama a thank you email for making this bold move.

If there was any question whether or not Newt Gingrich was serious last night when he hinted at waging a scorched earth campaign against Mitt Romney, he erased it this morning. Just watch the clip above if you had any doubts: in it, Gingrich not only slams Mitt Romney, but he praises Rick Santorum and says that he and Santorum together will make it clear to Republican voters that Mitt Romney isn't really a true conservative.

Gingrich said that Santorum had "a great night" by essentially tying Romney, but that Romney's finish showed that "three out of four Republicans once again repudiated him." Given Romney's money advantage—and the fact that he's been running for five years—Gingrich said Romney's showing underscored the fact that there is a ceiling to his support.

Gingrich acknowledged that Romney would do better in New Hampshire than in Iowa, but said that by the time South Carolina and Florida come around, it would be clear that Mitt Romney is "not going to be the nominee." He predicted that "phase one" of the rest of the campaign would be a team effort between his campaign and Santorum's to make it clear that Romney is not a real conservative, though he added that both Santorum and he would continue to make the case for their individual candidacies in addition to bashing Romney.

Whether or not Santorum is as eager as Newt Gingrich to tear down Mitt Romney, this has to be pleasant for him to hear. Hell hath no fury like a Newt Gingrich scorned, and if Newt is more interested in taking down Mitt Romney than he is in winning the presidency, Rick Santorum is in the best position to reap the rewards.

Reposted from Comics by Tom Tomorrow

Click for larger image.

Three years ago around this time, I was asked to draw a comic for my local alt-weekly about events in the year ahead. At first it felt like I'd been asked to predict the future, and I thought it would be difficult. But after a bit of mulling, I found I could write an entire two-page comic addressing many of the "big" news stories of 2009 -- Obama's inauguration! The Star Trek reboot! The First Puppy! -- before the year even happened. It made me realize just how much news is formulaic. Not to diminish the importance of good journalism; on the contrary! It is the antidote to normalizing fluff.

So I decided to do a mini-version of my "predictive" comic, in a sense. Just remember it in November when you hear some pundit waxing triumphant about the American electoral process, which will most assuredly have sucked in a thousand ways, no matter who won.

Get a signed print of this cartoon from the artist.

We can't wait ... and he isn't:

In a defiant display of executive power, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will buck GOP opposition and name Richard Cordray as the nation's chief consumer watchdog even though the Senate contends the move is inappropriate, senior administration officials told The Associated Press.

With a director in place, the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be able to start overseeing the mortgage companies, payday lenders, debt collectors and other financial companies often blamed for practices that helped tank the economy.

Obama's decision to make a recess appointment is certain to cause an uproar from Capitol Hill to Wall Street. He is essentially declaring the Senate's short off-and-on legislative sessions a sham intended to block his appointments.

Reposted from Daily Kos Elections by David Nir Leading Off:

• WV Redistricting: This is unexpected but not, to my mind, hugely surprising: A three-judge federal panel hearing a suit over West Virginia's new congressional map just ruled the plan invalid on the grounds that the population differences between districts was too great. Contrary to popular belief, the court held that the state constitution does not require map-makers to avoid splitting counties, but even so, the legislature considered (and rejected) six alternative plans that would have resulted in lower variances without dividing counties. (I say this decision is unsurprising because Democratic state Senate Majority Leader John Unger, who dissented from his party, predicted this outcome in August.)

In any event, the court is giving the legislature until Jan. 17 to come up with a remedial plan; if not, elections will go forward this year under a court-drawn interim map. The judges even went so far as to say which they will likely choose: either one called the "Perfect Plan" (originally put forth by Unger) or another one known as "Cooper Plan 4," both of which had virtually no population variance. (Hat-tips to Charleston Daily Mail reporter Ry Rivard for flagging the court ruling and to reader AK for the link to the Unger map.)

4Q Fundraising:

• IL-08: The first fourth-quarter fundraising numbers are trickling in. Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi says he's raised "at least $274K." No word yet on cash-on-hand.

• PA-Sen: Steve Welch (R): ~$125K raised (plus $1 mil self-loan); $1 mil cash-on-hand; Sam Rohrer (R): >$116K raised

• RI-01: Brendan Doherty (R): >$150K raised

Senate:

• IN-Sen: What a phony. Wealthy auto dealer Bob Thomas said just last month that, in terms of the GOP Senate primary, he "will be a yes, based on everything I know." Now, of course, he's bowing out. When Thomas's name first came up in November, we noted that he claimed he was going to run for Senate in 2010 as well but bailed just two weeks later. At the time, we said "maybe he's not serious about a statewide contest this time either," and it looks like we were right. Anyhow, this is obviously good news (for real) for Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who will now very likely face incumbent Sen. Dick Lugar one-on-one for the Republican nomination.

• ME-Sen: Even though two Democrats are already running, and even though prospects for beating Sen. Olympia Snowe look very tough, a third Dem is considering the race: state Sen. Cynthia Dill. If you have an especially good memory, you may recall that Dill, a former member of the state House, just won a special election last year to replace ex-state Sen. Larry Bliss (who in a rather poignant story, resigned his post to move out-of-state because he couldn't find full-time employment in Maine). In any event, if Dill gets in, she'd join former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap and state Rep. Jon Hinck in the primary.

• MO-Sen: Yow. GOP Rep. Todd Akin's campaign manager, finance director, and general consultant all jumped ship in December, which can't be a good sign. Sometimes when a campaign bring in new blood, that's a good thing, especially when there's an orderly transition. But that doesn't seem to be the case here, given the number of people departing and the fact that the Akin camp doesn't appear to have announced replacements yet.

• TX-Sen: I guess Rick Perry more-or-less just endorsed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the GOP primary without actually uttering those words. Here's what the Texas governor (and presidential hopeful) said on Monday:

The boost came while Dewhurst and a handful of politicians from around the state appeared with Perry during an evening speech. When introducing two members of the U.S. House that support him, Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina and Sam Graves of Missouri, Perry said, "They’re on the leading edge and there’s more of those members of the United States Congress and the United States Senate — which David soon will be a member of, Lord willing — that understand how important, when we’re talking about making America more competitive, when we’re talking about what this country needs is a president of the United States and a Congress who will work with that president to pass a balanced-budget amendment to the United States Constitution."

Later in the speech, when talking about repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law, Perry said, "You can be the cosponsor in the Senate, David."

• VA-Sen: Sheesh, I didn't realize Bob Marshall was still out there teasing us. The loonocrat state delegate says he's still considering a bid for Senate—something he first suggested last February—which would put him up against George Allen's rather intimidating candidacy in the GOP primary. As I noted back then: "Marshall almost stole the GOP nomination for VA-Sen in 2008 from the super-sad Jim Gilmore, but that near-upset took place at a Republican convention—this time, the party's nominee will be selected in a primary." So even if he gets in, I doubt he'll be as successful as he was four years ago. Plus, Allen's nowhere near the pushover Gilmore was.

House:

• AZ-09: As expected, state Sen. Kyrsten Sinema launched her campaign for Arizona's swingy new 9th Congressional District on Tuesday. Sinema's been talking about a run since June, well before the first draft maps were published, and she becomes the first Democrat to formally enter the race. One of Sinema's fellow state senators, Minority Leader David Schapira, has formed an exploratory committee but hasn't yet pulled the trigger. There's a reason to hold off, too: Under Arizona law, Sinema had to resign her current post in order to run for Congress, something Schapira hasn't been willing to do just yet. In any event, a couple of other Democratic names are still floating out there as possibilities: 2010 state Treasurer candidate Andrei Cherny and ex-Rep. Harry Mitchell, who represented the 5th CD for two terms until getting swept out last cycle.

• HI-02: When EMILY's List endorsed Democratic Honolulu City Councilmember (and former state Rep.) Tulsi Gabbard, it raised a lot of eyebrows—and concern. Gabbard didn't have much of a public track record on EMILY's signature issue, abortion rights, but she did have an ugly history of opposing gay rights, along with other prominent members of her family, including her father, a notoriously anti-gay one-time Republican state senator. For instance, when Gabbard served in the House, she led the opposition to a civil unions bill and spoke out against a resolution requiring the state Department of Education to study the effects of a rule prohibiting harassment of gay students.

Facing public pressure over these issues, she recently posted an essay on her campaign website in which she admits she was once anti-choice (and also acknowledges, as we knew, that she supported an anti-same sex marriage amendment to the state constitution). She says now, though, that her positions have "evolved" and that she now will "fight any efforts to undermine our reproductive freedom" and "fight for the repeal of DOMA." However, she pointedly does not say she supports gay marriage but rather favors civil unions. Instead, she prefers the radical libertarian (and therefore pointless) construct of getting government "out of the marriage business." Since that's never going to happen, I find that to be a very weak dodge indeed. And if you really mean it, then you have to support ending marriage for heterosexual couples, too, if you're going to be consistent.

• KY-04: Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Dusing says he won't run in the GOP primary for the open 4th CD. While a ton of Republicans are still considering the race, only two have actually launched bids: state Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington and Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore.

• MD-02: Republican state Sen. Nancy Jacobs, who only last month said she was forming an exploratory committee, has pulled the trigger on a challenge to veteran Dem Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger. She's going to need a lot of luck, seeing as Barack Obama took 61% of the vote in this district.

• NJ-05: Former New York Giants hall-of-fame linebacker Harry Carson, whose name popped up as a possible Democratic challenger right after Rep. Steve Rothman said he wouldn't run against GOPer Scott Garrett, says he's looking at the race. Carson, who spent his entire playing career with the Giants (from 1976 to 1988), has since worked as a broadcaster and has personal wealth he could bring to bear. According to the article, he's also spoken with the DCCC, though the D-Trip of course is declining to comment on that.

• NJ-09: A piece in PolitickerNJ notes that Dem Rep. Bill Pascrell has been slow to announce endorsements, in contrast to his primary opponent, Steve Rothman, who has already rolled out a ton. Pascrell did, however, just secure the backing of Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco, who is popular with the city's large Hispanic population. (Blanco himself is Dominican.) And another supporter, Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie, says Pascrell will soon launch his own list of endorsers.

Rothman, meanwhile, picked up his first Passaic County endorsement from another local heavyweight, Assemblyman Gary Schaer. (Rothman's home base is in Bergen County, which makes up about two-thirds of the new district.) Schaer is well-connected with many Orthodox Jews, also an important voting bloc here.

• MA-04: This is quite thin, but Scott MacKay of Rhode Island Public Radio says that unnamed "sources close to" Joseph P. Kennedy III's family are lining up support for him, and that Kennedy is "likely to run" for retiring Rep. Barney Frank's 4th CD seat. MacKay adds that Kennedy "will have something more to say about his plans within a week or so."

• MI-06, PA-18, TX-Sen: Now this is the Club for Growth I remember! I'm talking about the one which used to spend money savaging Republicans for insufficient conservative purity—and it looks like they're back. The CfG is forking out half a mil on ads targeting Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy, and Texas LG David Dewhurst (who is running for Senate), calling Upton and Murphy "liberals" and Dewhurst a "moderate." (Oh noes!) Unfortunately, there's little hope that any of this internecine warfare will directly redound to Democrats' benefit, though Barack Obama did carry Upton's district. But the more the NRCC has to spend defending incumbents, the better.

• OH-16: Ordinarily Libertarian Some Dudes (is there any other kind?) who qualify for the ballot don't merit our attention, but some eagle-eyed commenters noted that in 2010, Jeff Blevins managed to pull almost 7% of the vote in the high-profile fight between then-Rep. John Boccieri and his Republican opponent (and eventual victor) Jim Renacci. I mention this because Blevins has filed to run in the 16th yet again, the site of an incumbent-vs.-incumbent matchup between Renacci and Dem Rep. Betty Sutton. While Blevins' unusual showing last cycle might be an artifact of what was an unusual year, conventional wisdom suggests that a Libertarian Party candidate ought to draw more votes away from the GOP than from the Democratic side, so if Blevins has any kind of impact this time, it ought to be good news for Sutton.

• OR-01: As Nathan Gonzales reports, Republican Rob Cornilles is going up with his first attack ad of the special election, a spot hitting Democrat Suzanne Bonamici for allegedly voting to raise taxes. Props to Nathan for scoring details on the size of the buy: It's for roughly $100K (or 645 gross ratings points), on Portland broadcast TV. You can watch the ad here or below. (By the way, is it just me, or does the announcer's voice sound funny, almost like it's quavering?)

Meanwhile, before Christmas, we mentioned that EMILY's List was reserving airtime for the first week of January. Now their spot is up, an ad attacking Cornilles for his anti-choice views. (Dave Catanese calls it a "low six-figure cable TV ad buy," so about double what the Smart Media Group initially reported.) My two cents: They really need to include subtitles for the segment which features a video clip of Cornilles talking, but anyhow, you can watch the ad here or below: • RI-01: WPRI's Ted Nesi reports that former AG (and 2010 gubernatorial hopeful) Patrick Lynch is considering a challenge to Rep. David Cicilline in the Democratic primary, but adds that he's "unlikely" to do so, according to unnamed sources. Lynch himself has refused to comment, but he'd be a formidable candidate if he got in, thanks to name recognition and access to money. If the name sounds familiar in the context of this race, that's because Lynch's brother Bill, the former chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, ran for this seat when it was open last cycle, finishing last in a four-way primary.

Grab Bag:

• Campaign Finance: Rick Hasen has an excellent piece explaining the tension between a new Montana Supreme Court ruling that "upholds Montana’s ban on independent corporate spending on state elections" and "seems to run headlong into the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Citizens United." Hasen continues:

How did the Montana Supreme Court try to get around the holding of Citizens United? It took SCOTUS’s statement that independent spending cannot corrupt and pointed to evidence that such spending has in fact corrupted in Montana.

But SCOTUS is likely to conclude that this kind of evidence is foreclosed by CU. Why? Brad Smith explains: "In fact, Citizens United’s holding that independent expenditures are not "corrupting" is not a statement of fact, but a statement of law. In this respect, it is similar to contractual doctrines that imply consent where consent is truly a fiction; or criminal doctrines that throw out confessions that were freely given, on the grounds that they were not probative because the accused was not properly ‘Mirandized.’"

Hasen thinks that this legal fiction was cover for what the SCOTUS truly believed but didn't have the guts to say: "We don’t care whether or not independent spending can or cannot corrupt; the First Amendment trumps this risk of corruption." He also thinks, as do several other commentators, that the Supreme Court will reverse the Montana ruling, and that in doing so, "the disingenuousness of this aspect of CU will be on full display for all."

• Ohio: Benawu has a roundup of all the congressional filings in Ohio—a huge task, since candidates file with local boards of election rather than the Secretary of State. Democrats have candidates running everywhere except in the 8th (John Boehner's super-red district), while Republicans are leaving the heavily black (and solidly blue) 11th CD uncontested.

• WATN?: Ex-Rep. Brian Baird's, nobody's favorite Democrat, is now working as a lobbyist for Vigor Industrial, a shipbuilding company and government contractor. Baird, as has been the case for a while, wouldn't rule out a return to office despite retiring last year, but his hometown of Edmonds was just placed into Jim McDermott's super-liberal 7th CD, a district Baird would never have a hope of winning even if McDermott retired.

Redistricting Roundup:

• CT Redistricting: The Connecticut Supreme Court has appointed Columbia poli sci Prof. Nathan Persily, whom both sides agreed upon, as its special master in the state's redistricting litigation. Persily has to submit a proposed map by Jan. 27, and under the state constitution, the court must approve a final plan by Feb. 15.

• FL Redistricting: The newest Congressional map from Florida's GOP-controlled state Senate makes a few nips and tucks beyond the existing proposals, but there's one that's particularly worth a mention: Vern Buchanan's FL-13 picked up some additional turf to its south in Charlotte County which seems to push it a little closer to swing territory. The GOP still has the numeric edge here, but remember that Buchanan has a big ethical/legal cloud hanging over him and could be a potential retiree. Click here for our Google Doc doing a side-by-side comparison of the 2008 presidential results by district under the old and new Senate maps. You'll see that the Sarasota-based 13th has the biggest blue shift of any district, from 47.3% Obama to 48.3% Obama; St. Petersburg's 10th and Tampa's 11th also improve, while the 8th and 12th get a bit redder. (David Jarman)

• MS Redistricting: On Friday, Dec. 30, the three-judge panel which drafted a revised congressional map for Mississippi entered a final order (PDF) confirming the new plan and explaining its rationales. Since there were no objections to the map, it seems very doubtful any appeals will be filed. And because the plan was drawn by a court rather than the legislature, it doesn't need to be precleared by the Dept. of Justice under the Voting Rights Act. So this should be it.

• NY Redistricting: I've certainly spitballed this idea before, but  I believe Shira Toeplitz is the first reporter to suggest in print that anyone is actually concerned about the possibility. Says Shira: "Congressional Republicans are increasingly worried their state Senate colleagues will cut a deal to save their own seats on the legislative map, meanwhile throwing their Congressional colleagues to the wind." If this were to happen, the question is whether the legislature can convince Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign such an obvious incumbent-protection gerrymander, seeing as he's threatened to veto any maps that were not "independently" drawn. Alternately, the lege could try to over-ride a veto, which would likely be easy in the Assembly but very challenging in the Senate, where Republicans don't have a lot to offer their Democratic colleagues (whose votes they'd need to oppose Cuomo).

And speaking of which, the legislature's redistricting panel (known as LATFOR) will reportedly release its first maps next week, but it sounds like we're only talking about legislative plans, not congressional ones. Still, it'll be very interesting to see what they do with the Senate.

And on a related note, Democratic state Senate Minority Leader John Sampson filed a brief in support of a lawsuit asking a federal court to take over redistricting and appoint a special master, claiming there's an "impasse" on account of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's firm-yet-vague veto threats. That certainly seems a bit premature, and what's more, Democratic Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver and Republican Senate Leader Dean Skelos both oppose the suit. So it's hard to know what to make of this move, but it could just be a way for Sampson, who is basically irrelevant to this whole process, to insert himself into the mix.

• WA Redistricting: Things wrapped up over the holiday weekend in Washington, with the independent redistricting commission finishing up business at 10 p.m. on December 31, about two hours before their efforts would have been junked and it would have gone to the courts. (The legislature can make minor changes by a two-thirds vote, but since the Dems don't have a supermajority, these maps are basically a done deal.) The major hangup wasn't the Congressional map unveiled a week ago, but rather the last set of legislative districts, where there was a standoff over creation of a Hispanic-majority seat in the Yakima area. (David Jarman)

• Hungary Redistricting: If you're a regular reader of Paul Krugman's blog at the New York Times, you've probably encountered a series of guest posts by Prof. Kim Lane Scheppele about the chilling anti-democratic developments in Hungary, where a right-wing party, Fidesz, recently came to power and forced through a new constitution and other legal changes that all but lock it into permanent power. As Scheppele explains, one thing Fidesz did that will be of particular interest to Daily Kos Elections readers was radically gerrymander the districts used to elect the parliament and change the law so that a two-thirds vote is required to alter district lines in the future. The new districts would have meant Fidesz victories in 2002 and 2006 (PDF), even though they lost both elections. Much more here—all worth reading.

If it weren't for Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry running in Iowa, Mitt Romney's eight point "victory" over Rick Santorum would have been a double-digit defeat, so he can't be happy to learn that both candidates are apparently planning to end their bids. Last night, Perry announced he wouldn't be heading to South Carolina and would instead reassess his campaign at home in Texas. And today at 10AM CT, Michele Bachmann plans a press conference to discuss her plans going forward. A big hint: she's also canceled her upcoming South Carolina trip.

As Maggie Haberman speculates, Bachmann (assuming she's quitting) might endorse Romney, but if she does, it would be a fairly transparent play on her part to win favor with an establishment Republican and I doubt her endorsement would provide Romney with much of a boost. Whatever she does, Perry had more support than Bachmann, and it's very hard imagining him rushing to endorse Romney.

Assuming we end up with a five-candidate field going forward (Newt Gingrich, John Huntsman, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum), it's probably a mixed blessing for Mitt Romney. On the one hand, to win the nomination, you need the other candidates to drop out or be defeated. On the other hand, Romney's path to the nomination is dependent on a divide-and-conquer strategy ... and that's harder to pull off with a smaller field, especially if Newt Gingrich decides to go on a suicide revenge mission against Romney.

7:29 AM PT: National Journal says Bachmann will bow out.

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…

My 2012 Resolutions

Stretching my limits this year…

>> I shall find nice things to say about Congress. So far I've got, "Cool dome."

>> I shall make myself available as a strongman in any nation with plunderable resources.

>> I shall think more about world peace, economic justice and environmental health. Or sex, whichever comes first.

>> I shall open a C&J branch office at the other end of the couch.

>> I shall test the president's new authority to arrest and detain American citizens indefinitely without cause so I can enjoy some free chow and 'me' time.

>> I shall prepare for the End of the World (Dec. 21) by thoroughly cleaning our apartment so we don’t lose our security deposit.

>> I shall reduce the number of distractions in my life by

>> I shall try to see the world from Karl Rove's point of view by careening down the sidewalk while swinging a ball-peen hammer attached to a ten-foot rope.

>> I shall do more good deeds. Starting with deprogramming the old lady across the street from drooling whenever I ring her doorbell.

>> I shall watch my waistline. Specifically, I shall watch my waistline expand.

>> I shall be the first in the nation to call the winner of the 2012 presidential election.

[Looks at watch]  Okay, I'm calling it.  [Writes down winner's name and seals in mayonnaise jar until November 6]  Suck on it, networks.

Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

Visual source: Newseum

Dan Balz/ WaPo:

But Romney’s lackluster percentage underscored the absence of enthusiasm among many Republicans for the candidate long seen as the party’s likeliest nominee. Despite being the nominal front-runner for the past year and judged overwhelmingly by Iowa Republicans as having the best chance of defeating President Obama in November, Romney did no better Tuesday than he did four years ago.

The results did little to damage Romney’s prospects of winning the nomination, though. He is well-funded, and he has a strong campaign team, a sharp focus on Obama and the economy, and a willingness to go after anyone he sees as a threat.

Philip Rucker/ WaPo:

Romney leaves Iowa with same problems he had in 2008

There was a dark side to Mitt Romney’s close finish in the Iowa caucuses.

After first approaching Iowa with reservation and then scrambling hard in the final weeks to win, he leaves here with about the same share of votes he snagged four years ago in the Republican presidential caucuses.

“It’s been a great victory for us here,” Romney told supporters , adding: “We’ve got some work ahead.”

But his Iowa showing — finishing just eight votes ahead of former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) — highlighted the big problems that still dog Romney: suspicions about his avowed conservatism, struggles to connect with voters and an inability to rally more Republicans around his candidacy.

TPM:

Santorum’s performance in Iowa gave him a boost with New Hampshire voters, according to a poll conducted by CNN on Tuesday night. The network found that the number of New Hampshire Republican voters who said they’d support Santorum went from 5 percent in late December to 10 percent last night.

WaPo's: Behind the Numbers:

The three candidates at the top of the Iowa Republican caucus results have distinct constituencies, ones that echo broader divisions within the GOP.

Romney’s single best group in a caucus-night poll of voters consisted of those who prioritize beating President Obama over other candidate qualities. In the preliminary numbers, he won nearly half of all such voters, more than double the number selecting any other candidate. Romney also fared relatively well among moderates and liberals, even as he slipped among the most conservative caucus-goers compared with his performance four years ago in the state. The former Massachusetts governor also topped his competitors among those saying the economy was their top voting issue.

(In case you missed it, check out how Romney and Paul performed compared to 2008)

“Very conservative” caucus-goers broke for Santorum, according to the poll. The former senator is the newest darling of the tea party political movement, picking up 30 percent of strong tea party backers, with four other candidates in the teens. Santorum does best among those voters prioritizing abortion as an issue and “strong moral character” as a candidate attribute. The senator surged in the closing days of the campaign, and won a plurality of those saying they made their final decision Tuesday.

ABC:

While scoring heavily among caucus-goers most concerned with electability, Romney failed to improve on his 2008 showing in Iowa, did poorly with very conservative and evangelical voters, and flagged among those focused on the “true conservative” or the candidate with the strongest “moral character.” He won Republican pragmatists, but not conservative true believers. Rick Santorum took advantage of Romney’s weak spots, winning evangelical and very conservative voters, and those focused on moral character, as well as late-deciders. One question is how well Santorum plays in states with fewer evangelicals participating; they accounted for a broad 58 percent in Iowa. Another is how well he withstands the new found scrutiny his showing is sure to bring.

Garry South (before the final tally) at Politico's Arena:

It's just another striking example of how intrinsically weak a candidate Mitt Romney is. He spent $10 million in Iowa in 2008 but finished second to a flash-in-the-pan Mike Huckabee, who spent barely anything. Now, after four straight years of non-stop campaigning and parading around like the frontrunner, he finishes second in Iowa again to another Cinderella candidate, who spent almost nothing. It's also likely that Romney will actually finish with fewer actual votes in the Iowa caucuses this time than he did in 2008. And in the process, now he's also incurred the undying wrath of wrathful Newt Gingrich, who the same as endorsed Santorum tonight and said he was going to on the attack to kill Romney. Mitt, do you get the drift? People just don't like you! Meantime, sleep tight, Obama.

Joshua A. Tucker/The Arena:

Yes it is a disappointing showing, but yes he is still the front runner. No Santorum can not win a protracted fight.

But the most interesting question still remains when Mitt Romney is going to break out of the 20s in a state that is not one of his “home” states. Despite the self-destruction of all of his rivals to date, three-quarters of Republicans still refuse to endorse him. It is very difficult to see anyone else getting the Republican nomination at this point, but it is also difficult to see someone who three-quarters of his party time after time rejects being a successful candidate for president.

A bit of pundit satire from Jonathan Bines:

Top 20 David Brooks False Equivalencies of 2011

#3 The Democrats talk and look like a conventional liberal party (some liberals, who represent, at most, 30 percent of the country, are disappointed because President Obama hasn't ushered in a Huffington Post paradise). Meanwhile, many Republicans flock to Herman Cain or Newt Gingrich because they are more interested in having a leader who can take on the mainstream news media than in having one who can plausibly govern. (The Two Moons: 11/21)

Republicans vote based on their perception of the candidate's ability to propound Republican dogma. Therefore, the Democrats must be in thrall to an equal and opposite dogma, represented here by the image of a "Huffington Post paradise." Exactly what kind of paradise that might be is immaterial, although it is an interesting topic of speculation.

Ummmm... :

CNN has become famous (or infamous) for hauling out a bevy of touchscreens, magic walls, computer simulations and -- in its most notorious move -- even holograms of its own reporters. On Tuesday night, Wolf Blitzer proudly unveiled the network's newest way to explain how a caucus actually works: a group of small, faceless CGI blobs that Cooper called "Weebles" in a reference to the egg-shaped children's toys.

Cooper seemed two seconds away from rolling his eyes at any moment. As Blitzer finished up his tour of the blobs and their movements, he said, "If you miss any of this you can see it later on 'The Daily Show' with Jon Stewart when he ruthlessly mocks you."

"Pretty cool, don't you think?" Blitzer said.

"Uh...yes!" Cooper said hesitatingly. "I hope the Weebles are going to show up throughout the evening."