Looking to
transform the
GOP from a
regional party into a
national one, and prevent
another 9/11-
type electoral
disaster, RNC Chairman
Reince Priebus is applying the
lessons learned in 2012.
He now knows that—aside from a good Hillary Clinton biopic—there's nothing the liberal media loves more than Republicans saying offensive things about women, blacks, hispanics, gays, and the rest of the 47 percenters.
So, with that in mind, Priebus is threatening to withhold presidential primary debates from any network that doesn't demonstrate sufficient interest in the party's future.
This gambit has won him some unlikely allies on the left—but they're probably holding their noses, hoping that it benefits Rand Paul in the long run.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX); Barton Gellman (Washington Post); Ted Koppel (NBC News); Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO); Anu Bhagwati (Service Women’s Action Network); Rep. Steve King (R-IA); Roundtable: David Ignatius (Washington Post), Republican Strategist Ana Navarro, David Brooks (New York Times) and Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D).
Face the Nation: Rep. Pete King (R-NY); Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD); Former NSA Director Gen. Michael Hayden; Foreign Policy Roundtable: Eric Schmitt (New York Times), Rajiv Chandrasekeran (Washington Post) and Margaret Brennan (CBS News); Media Roundtable: Bill Keller (New York Times), John Harris (Politico) and Len Downie (Formerly of the Washington Post).
This Week: Edward Snowden's Father Lon Snowden & Attorney Bruce Fein; Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ); Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA); Egomaniac Donald Trump; Politics Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX); Media Roundtable: George Will, Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post), Cory Johnson (Bloomberg News) and David Remnick (The New Yorker).
Fox News Sunday: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ); Republican Strategist Chip Saltsman; Democratic Strategist Joe Trippi; Roundtable: Bill Kristol (Weekly Standard), Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina and Julie Pace (Associated Press).
State of the Union: RNC Chairman Reince Priebus; Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC); Retired MLB Hall of Famer Ernie Banks; Bob Nightengale (USA Today); Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns; Democratic Strategist Stephanie Cutter; Republican Strategist Kevin Madden; Conservative Radio Host Ben Ferguson; Errol Louis (NY1).
Reliable Sources: American University Prof. Jane Hall; Paul Farhi (Washington Post); Jenna Wortham (New York Times); Henry Blodget (Business Insider); Jeb Boone (Formerly of the Yemen Times); Freelance Reporters Adam Baron & Iona Craig; John Skipper (ESPN).
Note: "Reliable Sources" will be guest-hosted by Brian Stelter (New York Times).
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a report on NECC, the pharmacy behind a tainted steroid that caused a deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis (preview); and, a two-part report on the rapid growth of China's economy, which may have created the largest housing bubble in history (preview).
On Comedy Central...
John Oliver surveyed the GOP's 2016 presidential field.
The Daily Show
Monday: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Tuesday: Documentary Filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer
Wednesday: TV Personality Regis Philbin
Thursday: Actor/Comedian Simon Pegg
And after Viacom prevented Daft Punk from appearing on his show, Stephen Colbert held a star-studded dance party.
The Colbert Report
Monday: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Tuesday: Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)
Wednesday: Actor Kevin Spacey
Thursday: President of Duke University Richard Brodhead
Elsewhere...
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) shined a light on the inherent racism of a tanning tax.
"I had a little fun with [John] Boehner and told him about the sun tanning tax [in Obamacare]. He goes, 'I didn't know it was in there,' and I said, 'Yes, it's a ten percent tax.' He goes, 'Well, that's not that big of a deal.' I said, 'It's a racist tax.' He goes, 'You know what, it is.' I had an Indian doctor in our office the other day, very dark skin, with two non-dark skin people, and I asked this to him, I said, 'Have you ever been to a tanning booth?' and he goes, 'No, no need.'
So therefore it's a racist tax and I thought I might need to get to a sun tanning booth so I can come out and say I've been disenfranchised because I got taxed because of the color of my skin. As crazy as that sounds, that's what the left does right. By God, if it works for them, it'll work for us [inaudible]."
Meanwhile...
Once and future presidential candidate Rick Santorum spouted some nonsense about showering at a YMCA.
"What the pro-choice movement does is they don't just focus on their little issue. They focus on everything they do and every aspect of their lives. They make it uncomfortable for students who come to Austin to shower at a Young Men's Christian Association, YMCA, gym, because they live it," he said. "Because they live it. They're passionate, they're willing to do and say uncomfortable things in mixed company. They're willing to make the sacrifice at their business because they care enough."
And, speaking of gibberish...
Sarah Palin served up a word salad in support of Rand Paul.
"I'm on team Rand. Rand Paul understands. He gets the whole notion of don't tread on me government. Whereas Chris Christie is for big government and trying to go-along-to-get along in so many respects," Palin said.
Palin added that many of the New Jersey governor's classic moments were in fact set-up with what the former governor called a "YouTube videographer."
"And ya' know, some people look at him as 'ah man, he's a governor who goes rogue.' No, ya' know he's got a shtick going there where he's got a YouTube videographer following him around, kind of these set up situations sometimes so he can be seen as perhaps going rogue," said Palin. "But Chris Christie's for more government and his record proves that, whereas Rand Paul with that healthy libertarian streak that we need more of, in our politicians, team Rand Paul."
The irony is delicious.
- Trix