Morning Read

FROM THE BLOGS

South Carolina voting rights come to Supreme Court
The New Republic’s Alec MacGillis dissects the issues behind South Carolina’s Voting Rights Act.

Another take on voting rights in South Carolina
The Cato Institute’s Illya Shapiro examines at the politics behind the Voting Right Act.

No more tears for Chris Christie
The Fix’s Chris Cillizza looks at what makes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie a Republican front-runner despite the snub from CPAC.

Everybody can’t move to the back of the bus
Read The Daily Beast’s John Avlon take on why Republican pundits like Ted Nugent and Glenn Beck can’t stop comparing themselves to civil rights icons.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
 
Release of illegal immigrants had no White House approval
The White House said the decision to release hundreds of illegal immigrants from their detention centers was made without its approval, The Hill's Jordy Yager reports.

Congress in a no-fly zone
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced that the use of military aircraft for House members will be suspended if sequestration sets in, according to The Hill's Jeremy Herb.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Proposals to make gun owners carry liability insurance
Walter Olson of the Cato Institute wonders whether a new federal gun restriction law would hold up in court.

Michelle Obama wasn't the first first lady to take part in the Oscars. So who was?
Slate.com's Josh Voorhees looks back at previous presidents and their wives who participated in the annual awards ceremony.

I don't understand the Republican position on the sequester
Wonkblog's Ezra Klein is confused about the GOP's motives in ongoing sequester negotiations.

The 52 who didn't make it into the Oscar winner last night
Ed Morrissey of Hot Air takes issue with the little screen time devoted to Iranian hostages in Best Picture winner Argo.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Vote on Hagel set for Tuesday
The Senate will vote to end debate on former Sen. Chuck Hagel's (R-Neb.) nomination for secretary of Defense on Tuesday, according to The Hill's Jeremy Herb.

GOP seeks Planned Parenthood study with hope to strip funding
A team of congressional Republicans is hoping to prove, through a new study, that Planned Parenthood is focusing more on abortions than other healthcare measures, The Hill's Pete Kasperowicz reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Dems to campaign on guns and minimum wage in 2014
DCCC chair Steve Israel revealed in an interview with Plum Line's Greg Sargent that House candidates will campaign aggressively on gun control and minimum wage in 2014.



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FROM THE BLOGS:

New Simpson-Bowles plan is uneven
The new Simpson-Bowles plan is at the "ideological midpoint" between President Obama and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), writes Greg Sargent at The Plumline.

His idea
RedState's Erick Erickson asks if sequestration is so bad, why did the president propose it?

Obama vs. Reporters
Matthew Cooper, writing at the The Atlantic, wonders whether President Obama is mean to reporters or are reporters just whiny?

Liberals' hypocrisy on drones
Salon's Joan Walsh writes about a new study that finds liberals are OK with targeted killings if it is Obama's policy.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

High Court to look at unlimited campaign contributions
The Supreme Court has decided to take on controversial case regarding campaign contributions, The Hill's Sam Baker reports.

Rubio, White House spar over immigration
White House press secretary Jay Carney disputed claims the White House has not contacted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to discuss immigration reform, The Hill's Justin Sink reports.

FROM THE BLOGS

Graham's Clear Path
National Review's Katrina Trinko notes that despite continually angering many members of the South Carolina Tea Party, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham will likely win reelection.

The right's war on renewable energy could doom red states
Salon's Brad Jacobson worries that the financial opportunities in the clean-energy sector won't be able to find a home in red states with prohibitive laws to alternative energy development.

Rand Paul's SOTU response: Key to the Tea Party's future?
Scott Conroy of Real Clear Politics details how Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) response comes at a pivotal moment in the future of the fledgling party.

Two roads diverge
William Galston predicts for the New Republic that the looming budget fight will determine the eventual evolution of the Republican Party.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES

Executive action is expected on climate
The president's second term is expected to include a major push for climate change legislation, The Hill's Ben Geman reports.

Panel to vote Thursday on Brennan
The Senate Select Intelligence Committee will make a decision Thursday on the approval of John Brennan as the nation's top spy, The Hill's Carlo Muñoz reports.

FROM THE BLOGS

Blasphemy! The unchurched in America are Democrats
Bill Schneider examines for the Huffington Post the rising numbers of Americans who consider themselves nonreligious, and the shift of the Republican Party as the home for religious citizens.

Gun control and the Constitution
WSJ's David Rivkin and Andrew Grossman bring in the Supreme Court's continued protection of the First Amendment as a sign of their supposed treatment of the Second.

If Republicans bend on the sequester, they don't deserve our support
Forbes's Paul Roderick Gregory challenges Republicans to take a hard line and promote important sequester cuts.

Don't worry, kids. ObamaCare is a good deal.
Ezra Klein of Wonkblog explains that, despite concerns that ObamaCare hurts young Americans, it actually provides widespread protection for younger citizens.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES

Lawmaker invites Ted Nugent to Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday
Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) has invited Ted Nugent, a musician and gun-rights supporter, to President Obama's annual speech, The Hill's Judy Kurtz reports.

Hill Poll: Voters: Obama no better than Bush on securities vs. civil liberties
In terms of balancing national security and individual liberties, a majority of poll respondents say President Obama has done a worse or similar job as the former president, The Hill's Lara Seligman reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Enough with stories about who's fat
Howard Kurtz writes for CNN about the problematic media trend of focusing more on a public figure's weight than their actual policies.

The pro-life advantage
Slate's William Saletan describes the political advantage of anti-abortion-rights groups nationwide, and what the opposition must do to mobilize its own base.

The second-term curse
Right Turn's Jennifer Rubin says President Obama's mistakes are just now catching up to him.

They all look the same!
Marin Cogan of The New Republic shares her trouble with telling members of Congress apart, and tricks she's learned along the way to make sorting through the faces a little easier.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Catholic Bishops oppose revisions to contraception mandate
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops remains opposed to the contraception mandate required by the Obama administration, The Hill's Sam Baker reports.

CIA nominee defends drones
Current counterterrorism chief John Brennan explained the pros of the administration's use of drones, The Hill's Carlo Muñoz reports.

FROM THE BLOGS

How not to fix immigration
The American Conservative's W. James Antle argues that with immigration legislation looming, the proposed fix might not work as well as what America already has going.

Main Street Partnership dropping 'Republican'... not Republicans
Evan McMorris-Santoro of TPM details how a popular group dedicated to supporting moderate Republicans is dropping the party from its title, but will not fund campaigns for Democrats.

The Super Bowl's journalism malfunction
Steve Coll of The New Yorker explains how CBS's handing of the Super Bowl casts a shadow on the world of journalism.

Exposed: The dark-money ATM of the conservative movement
Mother Jones's Andy Kroll delves into the world of Donors Trust, a little-known organization helping to funnel massive amounts of money to further a conservative agenda.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama asks for sequester delay
The president called on Congress today to pass a smaller package of spending cuts and tax changes to delay sequester, The Hill's Amie Parnes and Erik Wasson report.

Cantor calls for bipartisanship to help Americans make their lives 'work again'
In a speech focused on families, Majority Leader Eric Cantor outlined policy prescriptions aimed at bettering American lives, The Hill's Molly Hooper reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Cut spending. Start here.
David Boaz of Cato offers up some suggestions for places to cut federal spending.

The next Romney
Aaron Blake of The Fix examines potential future political aspirations for other members of the Romney family.

Online advertising's racism mess
Salon's Andrew Leonard looks into the tricky development of Google's ad algorithms and their potentially racist results.

Traditional families — who also happen to be gay
David Rosenberg examines for Slate one photographer's quest to change people's perceptions of traditional marriage through photos of everyday gay couples and their families.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

White House offers no date for delayed budget
Despite having a Monday deadline, the president's budget won't likely be released for weeks, The Hill's Erik Wasson reports.

McConnell not ruling out Hagel filibuster, says opposition to nominee "intensifying"
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his colleagues are keeping the threat of filibustering Defense nominee Chuck Hagel on the the table, The Hill's Jeremy Herb reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

A second GOP
David Brooks argues in The New York Times that the answer to the GOP’s approval problems is the creation of a new wing of the Republican Party.

Obama vs. Fox News – behind the White House strategy to delegitimize a news organization
Fox News’s Kirsten Powers looks into the president’s tendency to stay away from right-leaning media, and his potential relation to a group trying to eliminate Fox News entirely.

Democrats and Republicans reignite fight over VAWA
The Daily Beast’s Michelle Cottle examines the concept that Republicans aren’t working hard enough to move legislation that addresses new facets of violence against women.

Remember Obama’s tax hikes on the rich to pay debt? He’s already spent every penny
Andrew Malcolm of IBD Editorials details what he deems the president’s misuse of new taxes on disaster relief funds.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Rubio makes sales pitch on immigration to conservative media
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) makes the media rounds to sell the Senate’s proposed immigration plan, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports.

Villaraigosa, Granholm on long list of rumored successors to LaHood
Speculation begins as to who will replace the outgoing Transportation secretary, and the names of a few touted Democrats and Republicans are already cropping up, The Hill’s Keith Laing reports.