Last Call: Obama Reflects on Garner Case

Today in Obama:

Not Again: The president said a New York City grand jury’s decision not to indict a Staten Island police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner “speaks to the larger issues we’ve been talking about for the last week, the last month, the last year and, sadly, for the last decade,” specifically police mistrust of law enforcement in minority communities.

So Sue Me: Led by Texas Governor-Elect Greg Abbott, governors of 17 states – including political battlegrounds Wisconsin and North Carolina – sued the White House for President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration last month. They say Obama violated his oath to protect the constitution, but more importantly, contradicted his own assessment that he couldn’t act on his own.

How ‘Bout a Raise: In a frank talk at the Business Roundtable, the president told the assembled corporate CEOs that stagnant wages have created “an undertow of pessimism” that’s dragging down the good news of the economic recovery.  

Just Kidding...: The president seemed relaxed during the Business Roundtable trading questions with the industry titans, even though there were reporters in the room. The famously press-suspicious president chalked it up to a form of short-timer’s disease: “You get a little looser in your last two years in office,” he said.

...Or Not: The White House communications apparatus was on the defensive today after the Senate confirmed Colleen Bell, a soap opera producer, to be the next ambassador to Hungary, continuing the long tradition of rewarding big-dollar campaign fundraisers with diplomatic gigs. John McCain was not pleased, citing Hungary’s proximity to Russia and other U.S. strategic interests, and lamenting that “we're going to send the producer of 'The Bold and the Beautiful' as our ambassador."

Reach the Kids: If Obama can’t convince some congressional Republicans that global warming is real, he may as well go after the kids. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is going to start pushing climate education and literacy in the nation’s classrooms, including distribution of science-based materials on the subject.

Today in 2016:

On the Record: In the crowded Republican presidential field, known around Whispers as “Undeclared,” the speculation is hard to separate from the reality of who’s actually going to run for president and who’s merely flirting with the idea. Fortunately, Time Magazine sorts out who’s said what about running for president and compiled it into a handy clip-and-save chart.

Wither Marco: Remember Sen. Marco Rubio? The Florida Republican used to be a hot commodity among the undeclared, but RealClearPolitics reports that he’s got a lot to consider before throwing his hat into the 2016 ring, and the longer he waits the harder his decision will be.

Today in Hillary:

By 2016, Maybe: The best estimates say Hillary Clinton will formally announce her candidacy sometime in January, but Politico believes it will come even later than that. They report top advisers say Clinton’s entry into the 2016 field isn’t a lock despite her commanding lead in most polls, and there’s a lot of parsing to be done before she throws her hat into the ring.

Good Seats Available: But if today’s turnout for a policy speech at Georgetown University is any indication, Clinton might want to lower her profile – or her speaking fees – just a bit. As Clinton talked about women and leadership around the world, the Twittersphere buzzed about the dozens of empty seats in the auditorium, perhaps evidence that negative press about her six-figure honoraria and green room demands are having an effect on her popularity.

Today in Everything Else:

That Was Then: House Speaker John Boehner insists his party has come up with a plan to avoid a government shutdown – something he and incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have promised publicly – and register the GOP’s displeasure with President Obama’s actions on immigration reform. But Bloomberg Politics helpfully reminds us talk is cheap, and we’ve been down this no-shutdown road before.  

Second Opinion: Just a week after Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democrats’ message man, suggested passing Obamacare was a mistake, Sen. Tom Harkin said the Dems should have held out for universal care, written a simpler healthcare reform bill or done nothing – even though Harken’s committee, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, wrote the bill. That sound you hear is liberals, who lobbied hard for single-payer healthcare, bashing their heads against the wall.