Chris Christie is out of the presidential race, but his true campaign will never really die, a noble and selfless mission echoed in his speeches, “Chris Christie Chris Christie Chris Christie Chris Christie Chris Christie Chris Christie Chris Christie Chris Christie Chris Christie.” Carly Fiorina is out, too, giving her more time to pursue her passion: rooting for the Hawkeyes. And John Kasich loved going to Grateful Dead concerts when he was a member of Congress, in case you were wondering if he wears pleated khaki pants on his soul. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Wednesday, January 10th, 2016:
OBAMA SPEECHIFIES IN FAVOR OF COMPROMISE, PRAGMATISM - Hint hint, Democratic primary voters! [wink, elbow nudge.] The State Journal-Register: "President Barack Obama urged a spirit of cooperation across party lines in his speech Wednesday to the Illinois General Assembly, a return to Springfield during a state budget impasse that has dragged on for months. Obama's return on Wednesday came nine years to the day after announcing his candidacy for president on lawn of the Old State Capitol. In a speech that lasted an hour, he pushed for 'building a better politics,' and acknowledged it's often noted that the tone of American politics has worsened, rather than improved, during his presidency. 'In a big, complicated democracy like ours, if we can't compromise, by definition, we can't govern ourselves,' Obama said." We repeat: HINT HINT. [SJR.com]
To all the people who noticed our bad grammar yesterday: your welcome.
FIORINA OUT - Her statement: "I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them." Okay. Bye.
CHRISTIE OUT - Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman: "Mr. Christie has told allies that he plans to suspend his campaign, according to two people briefed on his intentions, and is meeting with his staff on Wednesday to discuss the decision. The decision comes a day after Mr. Christie came in sixth in the New Hampshire primary, an embarrassing showing after he had focused the bulk of his campaign’s efforts on the state. He was also facing the prospect of being left off the stage at the Republican debate on Saturday because of his poor showings in the Iowa caucuses last week and in New Hampshire on Tuesday." [NYT]
And robots are following Marco Rubio to South Carolina, which is the kind of thing robots can do now thanks to GPS.
DELANEY DOWNER - Tyler Tynes reports: "Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who helped blow the whistle last year on the toxic water in Flint, Michigan, told members of Congress on Wednesday that the crisis has put fear in the eyes of the city's parents. 'We have an entire population potentially exposed to one of the most well known neurotoxins to man. We have a population traumatized,' Hanna-Attisha said. 'I was in clinic yesterday and I see a mom, and you see that fear, that trauma in that mom’s eyes,' she added. 'And that’s trauma for two reasons: it is because of two years of governmental betrayal. You expect to turn on your tap and you expect that water to be safe. And it’s also the fear of the unknown. What is going to happen to my child? What is going to happen because of the lead exposure?'" [HuffPost]
DOUBLE DOWNER - Hanna-Attisha also said it's unclear if Flint's water is safe for bathing, contrary to assurances. "Nobody knows what is going on with bathing," she said. "Lead by and large doesn't go through your skin but this water has so many other things in it." And Flint mayor Karen Weaver said even people's pets are suffering and that "pet owners are instructed to give their pets bottled water only." Sorry, Fido, failure of government at all levels.
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Your moment of zen: Draft Biden's Joshua Alcorn accusing people of stealing things that Joe Biden stole (click on image for bigger version).
PLURALITIES ARE FANTASTIC, CLASSY - Mike McAuliff: " Donald Trump won New Hampshire with 35 percent of the vote on Tuesday, solidifying his place as the front-runner for the Republican 2016 presidential nomination when the party meets for its national convention in Ohio this summer. But Cleveland, we have a problem. Hitting 35 percent is terrific, in baseball. In politics, it’a still 15 points shy of a victory, and neither Trump nor any other Republican has shown any signs of doing any better than 40 percent in any individual contest. If the pattern continues -- Trump is polling in the mid-30s in the next two nominating states, Nevada and South Carolina -- The Grand Old Party could wind up with Trump as the top choice at its convention without the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination... It all adds up to something of a nightmare for the Republican Party. In order to topple Trump, they need one candidate to rally around. Iowa and New Hampshire have left them with at least three, none of whom has a reason to drop out before March 15, when the contests start getting much larger and more mainstream." [HuffPost]
THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET VERY REAL - Everytime someone says there will be prolonged nomination fight, we can't help but picture Bernie Sanders in full wrestling getup: spandex body suit, ear and chin helmet, everything. It makes us smile. Sam Stein: "Sen. Bernie Sanders' victory over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary all but guarantees the party what it wanted to avoid: a long, costly, and potentially damaging primary fight to determine the nominee. Both campaigns on Tuesday night pledged their readiness for the prolonged election. But there was a fresh jubilance in the voices of Sanders' aides, speaking more confidently than before about the prospects that they could end up winning the nomination...Overconfident as that may sound, the Sanders campaign is now actively gaming out the next major opportunities on the electoral map. A robust advertising blitz is in the works, with the campaign going on the air in Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma and the Massachusetts markets, where it hasn’t yet used television advertising. Sanders will meet Wednesday morning with Al Sharpton in Harlem in attempt to shore up one of his chief vulnerabilities: his deficit with minority voters." [HuffPost]
Michelle Alexander says Hillary Clinton doesn't deserve the black vote. Ta-Nehisi Coates says he's voting for Sanders.
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* THIS JUST IN FROM THE 'NOTHING MATTERS BULLETIN' *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* - Hard to say no to someone who just gave you a plaque and threw a surf and turf dinner in your honor. Jake Sherman: "The conservative Heritage Foundation is throwing a 'reception' to honor Speaker Paul Ryan's chief of staff David Hoppe, even as its lobbying arm tries to derail the House Republican leadership's 2017 budget. Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint and former president Ed Feulner are listed as the hosts of the Thursday evening event, which is scheduled to be held at the Heritage Foundation's Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters, according to a source familiar with the event. Hoppe, who joined Ryan's (R-Wis.) staff when he became speaker, is a longtime Capitol Hill hand. He worked for former Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) -- Ryan's political mentor -- former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). He also worked as a lobbyist for many years and he was a staffer at the Heritage Foundation." [Politico]
THAT TIME JOHN KASICH FAILED AT BEING AN UNCOOL WHITE GUY - And we don't mean that in a double negative kind of way. Dan Zak: "June 1991. Kasich, then 39, was in his fourth term representing his Columbus district. Unmarried and energetic, he loved going to concerts in Washington after wrapping up business on the Hill. 'He was an avid rock ’n’ roller,' says former Ohio congressman Dennis Eckart, who entered the House with Kasich in the class of ’82…The Grateful Dead was playing RFK Stadium. Kasich had a backstage pass through Dwight Yoakam, the opener, and was onstage during Yoakam’s set. When Kasich tried to use his credentials to rejoin the spectating entourage on stage as the Dead played, he was blocked by the tour manager. " [WaPo]
Yeah but Ted Cruz refuses to try our "Ted Cruz Conservative Crusader Puddin Pops": "A thick layer of solid chocolate atop a creamy hunk of mint ice cream is the stuff that dreams are made of. It's also the deliciousness that sits inside a pint of Ben & Jerry's "Bernie's Yearning" flavor, a very limited edition ice cream crafted by Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen. While Cohen has made only 40 pints of the specialty frozen concoction, the ladies at ABC's 'The View' were able to get their hands on one, and offered the Democratic presidential hopeful his first taste of it on Wednesday." [HuffPost's Kate Bratskeir]
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here are some baby rhinos.
ICYMI: A TRIBUTE TO THE BARN JACKET - When it comes to politicians, you want a barn jacket in the streets but a power tie in the bed… that makes no sense. Sorry. Anyhoo… Nathan Gonzalez: "For years, the barn jacket has become the go-to fashion accessory for candidates trying to appeal to the common folk. Last cycle, Illinois Republican Bruce Rauner wore the coat in a pair of ads in his challenge to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in Illinois. In 'Back to Work,' the wealthy venture capitalist declared, 'I’m a citizen, not a politician.' … As candidates budget their multimillion dollar campaigns this year, spending $124.99 on a Duck Traditional Coat/Arctic Quilt-Lined by Carhartt may be the best investment they will ever make." [Roll Call]
COMFORT FOOD
- Kids give good advice on bae strategies.
- Watch Funny or Die's Donald Trump biopic starring Johnny Depp.
TWITTERAMA
@dliebelson: I just wrote: "Republican frontrunner, reality TV star Donald Trump." Then I read it 28 times because is this real life.
@Mobute: What's next for Carly Fiorina? First, she will rebuild the Sixth Fleet. Next, she will make a call to her good friend Bibi Netanyahu. Third,
@JimPethokoukis: One time I would like to hear a candidate quit a race and say, "No I won't keep fighting for you. I'm done. You're on your own, ingrates!"
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