Like the communist that he is, President Obama appropriated some land for the state, designating three new national monuments. Democrats have started a 2020 redistricting super PAC called "Advantage 2020," while the GOP is readying it’s counterpart, "John Boehner, The 91-Year-Old Speaker." And Rudy Giuliani thinks Obama doesn’t love America like he does, though he might just be jealous of the time he went to America’s apartment and, standing on the sidewalk drenched in rain, saw the president through the window. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Thursday, February 19th, 2015:
RUDY GIULIANI NOUN/VERB/OBAMA'D SO HARD - You mean to tell us that Rudy GIuliani still isn't embracing his fate and appearing in home security system commercials? ("I'm former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, if ISIS knows one thing, it's that it hates America. If it knows another thing, it's that it never messes with the Slomin Shield.") Igor Bobic: "Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) sparked a firestorm on Wednesday, when he proclaimed that President Barack Obama 'doesn't love' America. The backlash keeps rolling in. 'I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,' Giuliani reportedly said at a private New York fundraiser for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. 'He doesn't love you. And he doesn't love me. He wasn't brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.' Asked about the matter during a flight aboard Air Force One to Chicago, a White House...'It was a horrible thing to say,' deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said, according to a pool report. Schultz further jabbed at the onetime presidential hopeful by noting that Giuliani had tested the line during his 'fleeting 2007 run for the presidency.' Democrats have also denounced Giuliani's comments as offensive and called on Walker and the rest of the potential 2016 GOP presidential field to do the same… Walker, who was in the room while Giuliani was speaking, responded Thursday morning. "The mayor can speak for himself. I'm not going to comment on what the president thinks or not," Walker said. "I'm in New York. I'm used to people saying things that are aggressive." [HuffPost]
Not that anyone asked, but Bobby Jindal released a statement refusing to condemn Giuliani's remarks. Thanks, Bobby!
GROUNDHOG SEES SHADOW - Every year we do this story. It's a tradition. Sam Stein: "The wave of progress on LGBT rights has yet to reach the halls of the unsuitably named Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. For yet another year, the Conservative Political Action Conference will exclude from its list of sponsors the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative group that advocates for gay rights." [HuffPost]
HuffPost Hill XTRA: The American Conservative Union claimed to Sam that the Log Cabin Republicans hadn't actually asked to sponsor CPAC. The Log Cabin Republicans then forwarded a December email saying they'd be "honored" to sponsor the event. Oopsie.
HuffPost Haircuts: Kate Sheppard.
DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - Woop woop, da sound of da food police. Oregon state senator Chris Edwards (D-Eugene) wants to stop people from buying "junk food" with food stamps. "Edwards says he personally doesn’t think it’s good policy to let people use SNAP to buy things like Cheetos. He says since many people on the program are also enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan, it would be beneficial to direct consumers towards whole foods with higher nutritional content. '
DOUBLE DOWNER - Why do people always want to control other people's food stamp purchases? Bryce Covert has the answer.
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BUSINESSMAN IS SHREWD - We're pretty sure "Ocean's 13" was the last time we watched this many famous men vie for the affection of an old Jewish dude in Las Vegas (Elliott Gould is a national treasure, BTW). Bloomberg: "Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson won't get involved in the presidential primary contest until 'well into 2016,' his top political adviser said in an interview Thursday. 'Any support of a presidential candidate is at least a year away,' the adviser, Andy Abboud, said. What Adelson does matters. The 81-year-old billionaire casino owner spent more money on the 2012 presidential race than anyone else in the country, and his every move is being closely watched for signs that he has a favorite this time around. In 2012, Adelson and his family invested more than $15 million in former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's presidential aspirations through a super-PAC, keeping him competitive far longer than he would have been otherwise. The Adelsons backed Mitt Romney after he won the nominating contest. All told, the family put about $93 million into super-PACs and campaigns during the cycle. Abboud's remarks came in response to questions about Sheldon and his wife Miriam Adelson's participation in a March 3 fundraiser in Washington for South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham's presidential exploratory group, Security Through Strength." [Bloomberg]
DEMOCRATS WOULD LIKE TO CONTROL THE HOUSE BEFORE 2030 - Is it just us or does "Advantage 2020" sound less like a super PAC and more like a vision supplemental program for your health insurance? Samantha Lachman: "Democrats launched a super PAC Thursday with the purpose of flipping state legislatures before the next round of redistricting, which will follow the 2020 elections. The PAC, called Advantage 2020, will be led by Mark Schauer, a former Democratic congressman and Michigan state Senate leader who lost the state's gubernatorial race to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder last year. Advantage 2020 plans to spend about $70 million over the next three elections in an attempt to chip away at GOP majorities in key battleground states where Republicans established legislative districts after the 2010 elections. 'The coming round of congressional redistricting will shape the political landscape for the next decade, and Mark’s leadership of Advantage 2020 is crucial to empowering us to win the state legislative seats critical to that process,' said Michael Sargeant, the executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which is funding the PAC, in a statement." [HuffPost]
Here is an incredibly uncomfortable video of Joe Biden touching women.
Our proposal -- "spot where balloon boy landed" -- remains unconsecrated: "President Barack Obama will designate three new national monuments on Thursday and announce a new initiative to increase the number of children who visit national parks. Obama will formally name the three monuments this afternoon in remarks near Chicago's Pullman neighborhood, an industrial community known for its historic role in labor and civil rights organizing. The Pullman neighborhood will be the first National Park Service-protected area in Chicago. Obama is also designating Honouliuli National Monument in Hawaii, which was the site of a Japanese internment camp during World War II, and Browns Canyon in Colorado. Under the Antiquities Act of 1906, presidents have the power to grant federal protection to certain areas due to their historic or natural significance. National monuments can be managed by several agencies, including the National Park Service." [HuffPost's Kate Sheppard]
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here's a cat who isn't intimidated by snow.
REALLY INTENSE CONGRESSMAN DIES - If ever there were a Tom Wolfe character roaming the halls of Congress, it was Cass Ballenger. Roll Call: "Ballenger [R-NC] announced his retirement from Congress in 2004, facing a defamation lawsuit from the nation’s largest Islamic civil liberties group. He was quoted calling the Council on American-Islamic Relations 'the fundraising arm for Hezbollah' and saying living near its Washington headquarters had contributed to the breakup of his marriage. The lawsuit was thrown out by a federal appeals court in 2006... [Ballenger and his wife, Donna] went on missions to Central and South America. After hitting it off with Chavez on a trip to Venezuela, Ballenger invited the leftist president to visit his home in Hickory, N.C., as an effort to press him closer to the political center. Ballenger liked to tell a story that Chavez, who spoke little English, once walked up to Donna Ballenger and said, 'I love you very much.' ... Ballenger’s tongue got him into trouble in 2002...Ballenger told a local paper he had 'segregationist feelings' himself after run-ins with black Georgia Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney. He quickly apologized and rescinded the comments, but some groups called for him to resign. Back home, Ballenger tried to counter further fallout by having his yard’s 3 1/2-foot tall black lawn jockey statue painted white. The cast iron statue had been a thorn in Ballenger’s side during re-election campaigns." [Roll Call]
COMFORT FOOD
- A man bought an unused 1950s prefab home that had a untouched kitchen in it.
- Website plots a graph of IMDB episode ratings of any TV show.
- Gossip about the hunks and babes of international politics with "Hottest Heads Of State." We see u, Stephen Harper.
TWITTERAMA
@SimonMaloy: why is this not more embarrassing MT @realDonaldTrump: Gov. Scott Walker just left my office--we had a really wonderful talk.
- @SabrinaSiddiqui: I have the same dress as RBG and I'm totally ok with that. pic.twitter.com/RnXtsLuIuk
@GrahamDavidA: Remember Andrew Sullivan?
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