OBAMA, BIDEN AT HOUSE DEMS" RETREAT – Obama to vow millions in drought aid in CA – Members channel Frank Underwood – DOC HASTINGS TO RETIRE – Issa heads to N.H.

By Scott Wong (swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)

THE DAY AHEAD – Vice President Joe Biden is rallying the troops this morning at House Democrats’ annual issues conference at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Md. President Obama takes over the microphone at 10:40 a.m., then flies to Fresno, Calif., with Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Rep. Jim Costa to discuss his administration’s response to the drought.

OBAMA TO VOW MILLIONS IN AID FOR DROUGHT – Roger Runningen reports for Bloomberg: “U.S. President Barack Obama is offering millions of dollars in aid and other assistance to California farmers, ranchers and communities beset by one of the worst droughts in the state’s history. The federal help will be detailed today by Obama when he’s joined by California Governor Jerry Brown in Fresno, in the state’s fertile Central Valley. The drought is forcing farmers there to leave idle thousands of acres of fields in the state that supplies almost half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables. It has also left 17 rural towns so low on drinking water that the state may need to start trucking in supplies. …

– “The administration plans to accelerate distribution of as much as $ 100 million in aid to ranchers to help feed livestock and offer compensation for losses. The Agriculture Department is also making available $ 15 million in conservation aid for the worst drought regions in California and five other drought-stricken states to reduce wind erosion on damaged fields and improve livestock access to water. The White House said $ 60 million has been made available to California food banks for families affected by the drought, and plans are under way to establish 600 summer meal sites in hard-hit regions this summer.” http://bloom.bg/1iVnlf0

– The president will also ask Congress to create a $ 1 billion “Climate Resiliency Fund” in his budget request next month, reports our own Alex Guillen.  http://politi.co/1gfoEVC

FEDERAL OFFICES will open two hours late this morning as the Washington, D.C., region digs out from a second wave of snow in as many nights. OPM: http://1.usa.gov/1bw9GbZ

NOBODY DOES ALERTMAGEDDON LIKE D.C., writes the Wall Street Journal’s Elizabeth Williamson: “Finally, Washington had a blizzard worthy of seven days of storm tracking, closures, cancellations and widespread hoarding. Nobody does snow-related Alertmageddon like D.C. The capital city, with its legions of warm-weather transplants and a workforce largely inexperienced in manual labor, approaches every forecast of snow, no matter how sketchy, with an orgy of meteorological modeling, thousands of words of commentary and a run on the dairy section. Hurricanes, by comparison, don’t get much attention. …

– “The House moved up its vote on increasing the nation’s debt ceiling—legislation responsible for three years of controversy—from Wednesday to Tuesday because of the potential for snow. On Wednesday, the Senate quickly passed the debt ceiling bill, as legislators tweeted their intent to blow town. Also canceled: Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen’s appearance before the Senate Banking Committee, hearings on the minimum wage and Food and Drug Administration drug approvals … Finally, the whole federal government shut down, followed by the city government, followed by most of the White House.” http://on.wsj.com/1lNU4UP

PROGRAMMING NOTE – There will be no Huddle on Monday due to the Presidents’ Day holiday. My able colleagues Ginger Gibson and Seung Min Kim will be filling in for the remainder of the week. Send them your news tips and trivia questions at ggibson@politico.com and skim@politico.com.

MOVE OVER eHARMONY … The Democratic-aligned Americans United for Change is having some fun with Valentine’s Day this year. The group is out with a mock online dating site with a profile video for ‘Minny Mumwage,’ who says she would love nothing more than getting a date with Speaker Boehner on the House floor, as she depressingly hasn’t been on one since 2009. See it here at www.CongressMingle.com. Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/ACvigtaTevo

D.C.’S VALENTINE TO ITSELF: BELTWAY CELEBRATES ‘HOUSE OF CARDS’ – Andrea Drusch reports for POLITICO: “D.C. is in love this Valentine’s Day — with itself. Netflix released the second season of its original series House of Cards on Friday, and media and politicos can’t wait to settle into thirteen straight hours of a show that centers on the very industry in which they work and live every day. Whether they’re planning to power through the whole season in a single night or space it out over the coming weeks, the show’s loyal fans can’t stop talking about the next chapter for D.C.’s shadow cast. ‘It’s a fun escape from what day-to-day life on the Hill is actually like,’ said Alex Conant, press secretary for Sen. Marco Rubio, in an interview. He plans to dive into the show right away. ‘It makes politics in Washington appear even worse than it is, which is a feat.’

– “Conant was among many to take to Twitter on Wednesday night encouraging Netflix to release the series a day early when the federal government was closed for bad weather. While it might seem ironic for people working in politics and journalism to ‘escape’ to a show about, well, politics and journalism, Conant isn’t alone in the sentiment. … ‘I hope to be totally entertained, to completely dragged out of my world and into a fantasy of what goes on Capitol Hill,’ said Fox News host Greta Van Susteren in an interview, of her expectations for the new season.” http://politi.co/1jgkHQL

AND WATCH REAL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS do their best Frank Underwood impressions here in this video by NowThis News. Cameos by Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Rep. Jim Clyburn (R-S.C.), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). http://nowth.is/NFoUU0

**A message from POWERJobs: Jobs on our radar this week: Regional Political Director at AIPAC, Southeast Program Director at the Junior Statesmen Foundation and Associate Analyst at Height Analytics.  Interested? Apply to these jobs and more at www.POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU!**

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, FEB. 14, 2014, and welcome to The Huddle, your-play-play preview of all the action on Capitol Hill. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include @lizmargolis and @CesarConda.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – Both the House and Senate have adjourned through next week for the Presidents’ Day holiday. House Democrats wrap up their annual conference today in Cambridge, Md., with visits from Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama.

THE WSJ EDITORIAL BOARD is calling Sen. Ted Cruz “The Minority Maker” for forcing Republicans to break his filibuster on the debt-ceiling bill: “We’re all for holding politicians accountable with votes on substantive issues, but Mr. Cruz knew he couldn’t stop a debt increase the House had already passed. He also had no alternative strategy if the bill had failed, other than to shut down the government again, take public attention away from ObamaCare, and make Republicans even more unpopular. Democrats beat the odds and retained their Senate majority in 2010 and 2012 in part because they stuck together. If Republicans fail again this November, a big reason will be their rump kamikaze caucus.” http://on.wsj.com/LYTBSg

COMCAST READIES FOR WAR IN WASHINGTON – Tony Romm and Anna Palmer report for the hometown paper: “Cable giant Comcast started the day with a call to arms, hosting its lobbyists and consultants, along with Time Warner Cable’s, on a private conference call to begin building a strategy to beat back threats in Washington that could jeopardize its $ 45 billion merger. Comcast’s top congressional lobbyist Melissa Maxfield ran the call, laying out the company’s Washington outreach strategy for its in-house government affairs team and for its hired guns. Consultants for Comcast and Time Warner Cable were sent the press release announcing the merger and talking points to use on Capitol Hill and at federal agencies.

– “K-Streeters also began reaching out to Capitol Hill and agency staffers to report back on how the merger proposal was being received, according to sources familiar with the strategy. … The activity lays the groundwork for what’s shaping up to be an aggressive campaign by Comcast to sell the Time Warner Cable deal in Washington. Sources familiar with the company said they expect Comcast to try to sway lawmakers, community organizations, agencies and other groups in advance of public hearings most observers expect will be scheduled in the coming months.” http://politi.co/1buJy3W

HASTINGS NOT SEEKING REELECTION – Mike Faulk reports for the Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic: “In a decision that surprised some, longtime U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings said Thursday he’ll retire at the end of the year after 20 years in Congress representing the 4th Congressional District. ‘It’s been a great privilege,’ said Hastings, a Pasco Republican, in an interview with the Yakima Herald-Republic. Retirement has been on his mind for several years, said Hastings, 73, adding that his family — wife Claire, three adult children and eight grandchildren — influenced his decision. ‘It’s been 20 years. I have to say that my family played a big part of (the decision).’ … Hastings, a small businessman before he entered politics full time, was first elected in 1994 when he defeated then-Rep. Jay Inslee of Selah, now Washington’s governor. Over time, his seat became one of the safest in the country as he handily defeated Democratic challengers and never faced a serious threat from far-right elements of the Republican Party.” http://bit.ly/1kH2ejL

– SPEAKER BOEHNER: “For nearly two decades, Doc Hastings has served in the House with honor, humility and distinction.  In addition to being a skilled legislator and leader, he’s the epitome of grace and class, and he’s a very dear friend.  I’m grateful for Doc’s service to our institution and our nation, and for his friendship and support throughout our many years together in the House.”

FOR ISSA, RED MEAT = BIG MONEY – Paul Singer reports for USA Today: “As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Darrell Issa is discovering a powerful political equation: red meat = money.  At the close of 2013, the California Republican had raised more campaign money than nearly all of the other House committee chairmen, trailing only Budget Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who was the party’s vice presidential nominee in 2012. According to FEC records, Issa’s campaign brought in $ 2.15 million in 2013, while Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., brought in $ 2.05 million and Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., both brought in $ 2.08 million.  Not the biggest war chests in the House – for example, Majority Leader Eric Cantor posted a $ 3.93 million haul for the non-election year – but robust totals. (None of this counts receipts of the members’ leadership PACs or related fundraising entities.).” http://usat.ly/1lNY5Zp

– Issa makes two stops in New Hampshire next week before heading back to California for more events, aides said: The Concord/Merrimack County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner (2/17) and the Committee to elect House Republicans (New Hampshire State House) Breakfast in Manchester (2/18).

WARNER’S FLEETING ‘SNOWBAMACARE’ TWEET – Tal Kopan writes for POLITICO: “Call it a snow-pas. Sen. Mark Warner’s office blamed a staff snow day ‘#fail’ for a deleted tweet Thursday morning that made a joke about the Virginia GOP and the winter storm that shut down Washington. ‘Just a matter of time: waiting for the @VA_GOP to claim this winter storm was caused by The Affordable Care Act. #Snowbamacare,’ the account tweeted, deleting it 26 seconds later, according to an archive of deleted tweets kept by the Sunlight Foundation. … Warner’s Senate account bio says tweets come from both the senator and staff. Warner’s communications director took responsibility for the errant tweet. ‘It was my mistake. I acknowledged it as quickly as possible, and I apologize,’ Kevin Hall said in an email to POLITICO.” http://politi.co/1buKpS5

THURSDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Jim Brewer was first to correctly answer that the Marquis De Lafayette, the French military officer, was the first foreign dignitary to address the House of Representatives in its chamber. http://1.usa.gov/1eVuvAO

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Claude Marx sends us into the long weekend with a follow-up to this week’s orchestra question: Name the president whose wife was the main founder of a major symphony orchestra? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

**A message from POWERJobs: Tap into the power of POWERJobs for the newest job opportunities in the Washington area from the area’s top employers, including AARP, AIPAC and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Powered by names you trust – POLITICO, WTOP, WJLA/ABC-TV, NewsChannel 8 and Federal News Radio- POWERJOBS is the ultimate career site with more than 2 million job searches and nearly 17,000 applications submitted this year so far. Connect through Facebook or LinkedIn, search jobs by industry and set up job-specific email alerts using www.POWERJobs.com, the site for Washington’s top talent.**

POLITICO – Top 10 – Huddle

OBAMA, BIDEN AT HOUSE DEMS" RETREAT – Obama to vow millions in drought aid in CA – Members channel Frank Underwood – DOC HASTINGS TO RETIRE – Issa heads to N.H.

Paul, Christie Neck and Neck Among N.H. GOP

In the continuing war for the soul of the Republican Party, the 2016 New Hampshire primary is shaping up to be an intriguing battleground.

According to a new WMUR Granite State Poll, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie lead a crowded potential GOP primary field in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

While neither Paul (17 percent) nor Christie (16 percent) earned a high enough share of the support to be a true front-runner, the two likely candidates have for the time being gotten some separation from the rest of the field.

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the third-place finisher in the poll, was in single digits at 9 percent.

Meanwhile, the uphill climb faced by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio—who has fallen off in early state polling following his full-throated push for comprehensive immigration reform—was demonstrated by his 4 percent showing in the survey.

Rubio’s showing was only good enough for a tie with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who is not expected to be competitive in New Hampshire, if he runs again.

A head-to-head race between Paul and Christie in New Hampshire would showcase a clash between the GOP’s libertarian and establishment wings, both of which are well represented among the Granite State’s electorate. And the winner of that battle could emerge in prime position going forward.

After decades in which South Carolina GOP primary voters were able to boast of their record correctly picking the eventual Republican nominee, the Palmetto State slipped up in 2012 when Newt Gingrich won the first-in-the-South primary over eventual standard-bearer Mitt Romney.

New Hampshire Republican primary voters, by contrast, have voted for their party’s eventual nominee in each of the last two contests.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton remained the runaway New Hampshire favorite in the new poll, earning the support of 64 percent of likely Democratic primary voters.

Tied for a distant second place were Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, both of whom came in with just 6 percent of the vote.

The survey of 236 likely Republican primary voters and 252 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted Oct. 7-16. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 6.4 percentage points on the Republican side and plus or minus 6.2 points on the Democratic side. 

Scott Conroy is a national political reporter for RealClearPolitics. He can be reached at sconroy@realclearpolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter @RealClearScott.

RealClearPolitics – Articles

Paul, Christie Neck and Neck Among N.H. GOP

Frequent Rush Host Urged to Run Against Sen. Shaheen in N.H.

Would conservative writer and frequent Rush Limbaugh guest host Mark Steyn consider making a run for the U.S. Senate from New Hampshire?

The erudite political commentator and National Review columnist was rendered near speechless last week, laughing it off even as commentator Hugh Hewitt urged him to consider taking on Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the Daily Caller reported.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love this state,” Steyn, 53, said. “Certainly I regret that Jeanne Shaheen was able to defeat John Sununu.”

Shaheen, 66, has served in the Senate since 2009 after leading New Hampshire as governor from 1997-2003.

Even as the discussion  a lot of laughs, Hewitt is pushing a SteynForSenate.com website where those who’d like to see Steyn run can contribute to a possible campaign.

The Canadian-born Steyn, a father of three, did not rule it out, lamenting that the field of Shaheen opponents left much to be desired.

“[M]y heart sank somewhat when I read in the Union Leader, I think it was the other day, about those who were preparing to run against Jeanne Shaheen for U.S. Senate seat,” Steyn said. “And I wish this state was the way it was 20 years ago, but the New Hampshire Republican Party was too often was content to be in office rather than in power. That’s a problem with the Republican Party generally, I feel.”

Steyn joked that his years as a writer offering up his opinion left him vulnerable to scrutiny. “One of the great things about writers running is they have hostages to fortune,” he said. “They don’t just have one damaging quote . . . they’ve like half a century of quotes.”

© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Newsmax – Politics

Frequent Rush Host Urged to Run Against Sen. Shaheen in N.H.

N.H. City Wants a “Tank” to Use Against Occupiers and Libertarians

After the public release of a document in which he suggested that Occupiers and libertarians pose a domestic terror threat to Concord, New Hampshire, the city’s police chief has backed away from the claim.

In an application to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeking more than $ 250,000 to purchase an armored police vehicle, the capital city of New Hampshire specified the local branch of the Occupy movement and the Free State Project, an effort to recruit “liberty-loving people” to relocate to the Granite State, as potential sources of terrorist action.  

“The State of New Hampshire’s experience with terrorism slants primarily towards the domestic type,” the filing reads. “We are fortunate that our State has not been victimized from a mass casualty event from an international terrorism strike however on the domestic front, the threat is real and here. Groups such as the Sovereign Citizens, Free Staters and Occupy New Hampshire are active and present daily challenges.”

The application was obtained by the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union (NHCLU) through a public records request, and is one ofmore than 250 filed by the American Civil Liberties Union to trackwhat it sees as the increasing militarization of police departments throughout the country.

While the sovereign citizens movement has a history of racism and violence, Police Chief John Duval now says that he doesn’t actually believe the Free State Project or Occupy New Hampshire are domestic terror threats. “I wish I would have worded things different in retrospect,” he says. “I understand why their eyebrows are raised about that.” He chalks up the wording to the limitations of writing a detailed proposal in only three pages and says it was meant to refer to the “unpredictable nature of unpredictable people who attach themselves to otherwise lawful situations.

Duval has no plans to issue a formal apology, but he has exchanged emails with Carla Gericke, president of the Free State Project, to explain his position, which he has also attempted to clarify with local reporters.

The city’s application says the vehicle, a Lenco BearCat G3, could be used to respond to acts of terrorism involving “chemical, biological, and radiological materials as well as explosive gases” and smaller-scale crises such as “suicidal and hostage situations.” Duval says his department needs the vehicle to replace a 1981 Air Force Peacekeeper that’s fallen into disrepair. Concord’s population is just over 40,000, but as a capital city in the state that hosts the first-in-the-nation presidential primaries, Duval doesn’t want to rule out the possibility of an attack like the Boston Marathon bombing.

That explanation is unlikely to satisfy Gericke, who accuses the city of “acting in secrecy and making false allegations behind our backs.”

Her organization has referred to the vehicle, which is built atop a Ford F-550 frame and has armor that can sustain .50-caliber rifle fire, as a “tank.” She says the the Free State Project has received “overwhelmingly” positive feedback about its concerns. “I think that law enforcement doesn’t necessarily understand where we’re coming from,” she says. “I think they think we’re anti-police, but really what we are is pro-freedom and pro-accountability.” (Gericke does note that she is suing the Weare, New Hampshire, police department for arresting her in 2011 on a wiretapping charge, later dropped, for allegedly recording a police traffic stop.) On Monday, the Free State Project demanded an apology from city officials.

This Friday, Occupy New Hampshire plans to hold its first general assembly in more than a yearto discuss the application. Occupy demonstrations across the country have been met with police using armored vehicles. A May 2012 protest in Oakland, California, for example, drew outa $ 323,000 vehicle purchased by county officials from the private military company formerly known as Blackwater.

Duval rejects the idea that police departments have become overly militarized. The BearCat G3, he says, is an unarmed “box of armor on wheels,” not a tank. “Do I fear a .50-caliber offensive attack on my office?” he asks. “I do not. But boy, that makes me feel real comfortable when there are high-powered rifles out there.” Instead, he believes that criticism should be directed at individual departments that may have overstepped their authority: “All of these things, like the BearCat or like any other piece of equipment, are tools, and they all have their appropriate use.”

“The Free State movement and Occupy New Hampshire have no history of violence, so it’s very unclear why any police department would need to use an armored vehicle when addressing these groups,” says Devon Chaffee, executive director of the NHCLU. “But we all agree that we want the police and we want our communities to be safe, and what this conversation is about is really what type of equipment and tactics are most appropriate to achieve that goal. I think this application has sparked a very important conversation.”

While DHS has approved Concord’s request, the city council, which unanimously approved the application last September, plans to meet next Monday to first address lingering concerns.

—————–

Gavin Aronsen is a reporter at Mother Jones. For more of his stories, click here. Follow him on Twitter or send an email to garonsen [at] motherjones [dot] com. RSS | TWITTER

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/08/occupy-free-state-project-dhs-police-concord

N.H. City Wants a “Tank” to Use Against Occupiers and Libertarians