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With the Syrian crisis receding on Capitol Hill, Congress on Thursday plunged back into its bitter fiscal standoff as Speaker John A. Boehner appealed to the Obama administration and Democratic leaders to help him resolve divisions in the Republican ranks that could lead to a government shutdown by month’s end. In meetings with Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders on Thursday after a session with Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew on Wednesday, Mr. Boehner pleaded for a resumption of negotiations that could keep the government running and yield a deficit-reduction deal that would convince b>recalcitrant conservatives to raise the government’s borrowing...

JEFFERSON CITY • The Missouri House has failed to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of legislation that would cut state income taxes for the first time in nearly a century. The vote, which happened after more than an hour and a half of debate near the start of the state Legislature’s annual veto session today, signaled a key victory for Nixon, who has spent the summer advocating against the tax legislation, which he often characterized as poorly drafted. “This (legislation) is bad tax policy and bad public policy,” state Rep. Jill Schupp, a Creve Coeur Democrat who spoke out against...

The buzz in Washington continues over Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's assertion last week that if Congress stalls out on immigration reform, President Obama may legalize many of the 11 million illegal immigrants administratively. The Florida lawmaker told a radio station that Mr. Obama will be "tempted to issue an executive order like he did for the Dream Act kids a year ago, where he basically legalizes 11 million people by the sign of a pen." Then he added, "a year from now we could find ourselves with all 11 million people here legally under an executive order from the president."...

RACINE — On Thursday it was a panel discussion and before that it was a post-town hall rally. There were press conferences, forums in English and Spanish and demonstrations. On Saturday, the push for immigration reform manifested in a hot parking lot behind Lopez Bakery, 1667 Douglas Ave., where a handful of young activists gathered to spray-paint a poster. “Rep. Paul Ryan,” they wrote, “we want a vote on comprehensive immigration reform.” The city has become a hot spot for pro-immigration reform demonstrations, panels and more because Racine County is represented by Ryan, R-Wis., one of few congressional Republicans to...

Marco Rubio once looked like the Republican savior over immigration. Now, to some conservatives, he seems as trustworthy as a door-to-door salesman. From the right-wing talk-show hosts to local activists at town halls, many conservatives say they’re upset that Rubio’s talk and deeds conflict over comprehensive immigration reform. “The problem is he sold this based on talking points,” said Jason Hoyt, an Orlando tea party activist, summing up the discomfort many conservatives have with the Florida Republican senator. “He had four or five talking points, which sounded pretty good,” Hoyt said. “But then we saw the bill, and it was...

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) faced hecklers angry with his leadership on immigration reform at a Friday Tea Party summit in his home state. According to reports, Rubio was met with cries of "No amnesty!" as he gave an address during the opening session of the Americans for Prosperity's Defending the American Dream Summit in Orlando.

McCain has condemned threats by the likes of Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) Rand Paul (R-KY) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) to block any continuing resolution that funds Obamacare and risk a government shutdown. The senior Arizona senator said that many of the Republicans and conservatives who back the defunding effort weren't in Washington in the early 1990s when the GOP suffered a political backlash for a government shutdown. "It is a battle that's going to go on in the Republican Party and we're going to have to have a struggle and a conversation and an open and honest debate about the...

As recently as six months ago, Florida, a state with a poor record for producing presidential candidates, appeared to be striking gold at last. Former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio were among the top three or four candidates, sometimes at the very top, in nearly every poll of Republicans on the 2016 presidential nomination. They had starring roles at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa one year ago this week, with Rubio introducing nominee Mitt Romney. Today, things look different. -snip- Called a traitor and a “RINO,” or “Republican in name only,” over immigration reform by some...

Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown told the Herald he is exploring a possible 2016 presidential bid today as he hit a well-worn stomping ground for Oval Office hopefuls – the Iowa State Fair. “I want to get an indication of whether there’s even an interest, in Massachusetts and throughout the country, if there’s room for a bi-partisan problem solver,” said Brown, who has been meeting with top republicans nationally and last week hosted a Fenway event for Republican National Committee members. Brown indicated he isn't close to deciding whether he will run. “It’s 2013 I think it’s premature, but I...

Against all logic, some prominent conservatives continue to promote the absurd proposition that right-wing candidates who fail to win over GOP voters in Republican primaries would magically succeed on November ballots. This assumption enables them to retain a naive faith in the claim that "true conservatives" who can't mobilize their own base to win nominations will somehow triumph in general elections by drawing support from moderates and liberals. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has most recently voiced this idea. "You know, if you look at the last 40 years, a consistent pattern emerges," Mr. Cruz observed in a July interview with...

Mitt Romney on Tuesday warned congressional Republicans against shutting down the government in an attempt to defund ObamaCare. “I badly want ObamaCare to go away, and stripping it of funds has appeal,” Romney said at a fundraiser in New Hampshire for the state’s Republican Party, according to prepared remarks. “But we need to exercise great care about any talk of shutting down government. What would come next when soldiers aren't paid, when seniors fear for their Medicare and Social Security, and when the FBI is off duty?” Speaking at the event in Wolfeboro, just miles from his summer vacation home,...

Shutting down the federal government would not stop the Obama administration from implementing its signature healthcare law, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Tuesday. Coburn has been sharply critical of the effort to force a government shutdown over ObamaCare funding. He released a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report Tuesday that said such a move would not actually stop the administration from implementing the healthcare law."The memo reveals that if government were shut down, funding for Obamacare would still continue," Coburn's office said in a summary. "In other words, shutting down the federal government does not shut down Obamacare." The CRS report...

Senator Lindsey Graham, who already has one announced challenger in the 2014 South Carolina Republican primary for the United States Senate in businessman Richard Cash, may soon face two more challengers. Both State Senator Lee Bright and Nancy Mace, the first female graduate of the Citadel, are preparing to enter the race soon, according to The Daily Beast. Graham's allies recently publicly stated they expect he will face multiple challengers. On July 23, former South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson, who runs a Super PAC that supports Graham, the West Main Street Values Fund, told the Washington Examiner that...

The Mitch McConnell team originally seemed rather dismissive of Matt Bevin as a primary opponent. Content, publicly, to focus on the Democrat, behind the scenes McConnell and the Kentucky GOP are aggressively pushing local Republicans to unite quickly. They want to shut down Bevin early. Taylor Bumgardner, the Regional Field Director for the Republican Party of Kentucky, sent out a “Team Mitch” endorsement form on Saturday as an attachment to this email: I am contacting you because I am asking all County Chairs and Vice Chairs to fill out an endorsement form for Senator McConnell’s reelection campaign. We are looking...

Blocking a government funding bill over ObamaCare is "the dumbest idea I've ever heard," Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said Thursday. Burr argued stopping ObamaCare's funding is not going to be achievable as long as President Obama is in the White House, and that Republicans risked taking the blame if they forced the goverment to shut down over the issue. "I think it's the dumbest idea I've ever heard," Burr told journalist Todd Zwilich Thursday. "Listen, as long as Barack Obama is president the Affordable Care Act is gonna be law. "I think some of these guys need to understand that...

When Lamar Alexander joined 13 other Senate Republicans to vote for the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill last month, he was waving a red flag in front of the tea party. Attending a rally in Smyrna, Tenn., last weekend, Alexander was greeted by a crowd of about 300 conservative activists — organizers said — wearing bright red T-shirts that read “Beat Lamar” in big bold letters. They held signs that blared: “You betrayed us” and “No more RINOs. Conservatives only.” Continue Reading Text Size -+resetAdvertisementLatest on POLITICO POLITICO Playbook: Is your city next? Grassley: Abedin stonewalling Benghazi mom: Son's death...

The contenders looking to primary the controversial South Carolina senator in 2014 are starting to come forward. Watch out, Lindsey Graham: the Tea Party says that you are next. Tea Party members demonstrate outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 19. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty) According to sources in South Carolina and within the Tea Party, at least two serious challenges to Graham are expected to emerge in the next few weeks. Dustin Stockton, a leading conservative activist and head of Western PAC, told The Daily Beast that he is headed to South Carolina next month to help build a ground...

Matt Bevin is getting a Mitch McConnell welcome in Kentucky: A slashing TV ad seizing on the political newcomer’s problems with his Connecticut-based bell manufacturing business. Bevin, a wealthy Louisville businessman, is slated to announce a primary challenge against McConnell on Wednesday, hoping to tap into tea party anger to pull off a major upset against the wily 28-year Senate veteran in 2014. Continue Reading Text Size -+resetAdvertisement Latest on POLITICO Poll: Obama nears all-time low New Filner accuser goes public Trump: Weiner 'sick puppy' House panel approves deep EPA cuts Tech lobby reports barely touch NSA FDA eyes menthol...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will have a challenger from the right in Matt Bevin, a local businessman and Tea Party candidate who plans to announce his run for Senate this week. Bevin, who has been exploring the race since February, is reportedly already buying airtime and has met with multiple conservative groups about his run. He'll launch a 3-day, 8-stop tour of the state after he formally announces his intentions on Wednesday. Bevin is a partner at a Kentucky investment firm and the owner of Bevin Brothers Manufacturing, a Connecticut bell-making company founded 160 years ago. He previously...

For the last few months, rumors have been swirling the GOP Rep. Peter King (NY) had his eye on the White House. Yesterday, he confirmed that he was considering a 2016 run. Speaking to CBS News, he said “I’m looking at it. I have no committee or anything formed yet.” hen, his pseudo-announcement turned ugly as Peter King proceeded to remind conservatives of everything they can’t stand about Peter King. Essentially, King said there are no potential candidates out there who are hawkish enough for him. Indeed, it appears to King that people are far more concerned about their civil...