Correct The Record Monday January 12, 2015 Morning Roundup

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*​**Correct The Record Monday January 12, 2015 Morning Roundup:* *Headlines:* *Wall Street Journal: “Seven Southern States Plan Their Own Super Tuesday for 2016 Race” <http://www.wsj.com/articles/seven-southern-states-plan-their-own-super-tuesday-for-2016-race-1421022371>* “The calendar could be less important on the Democratic side, where Hillary Clinton is an overwhelming favorite in the polls.” *PolitickerNJ: Smith jumps onto online petition favoring Warren for prez <http://politickernj.com/2015/01/smith-jumps-onto-online-petition-favoring-warren-for-prez/>* "PolitickerNJ has made numerous inquiries of Democrats around the state, trying to determine if there is any support for Warren or another alternative Clinton and so far among elected officials or former electeds, only Smith has stood forth to burnish the mantle of someone not named Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president." *Fox News: “Sean Penn honors President Bill Clinton at J/P Haitian Relief event” <http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2015/01/11/sean-penn-honors-president-bill-clinton-at-jp-haitian-relief-event/>* “‘I hope we'll be here next year, supporting Bill Clinton's wife running for President,’ historian/writer Douglas Brinkley, who stepped in last minute to MC the event in replace of Anderson Cooper, concluded to an applauding crowd.” *Washington Post blog: PostEverything: Daniel W. Drezner, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution: “The campaign reporting tic that I would like to kill with fire” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/12/the-campaign-reporting-tic-that-i-would-like-to-kill-with-fire/>* “Why are the opinions of 12 Denver residents worthy of so much news coverage? What utility does a focus group have at this point in the campaign?” *Bloomberg: “Romney Upends Bush's Play for Top Dog Status” <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-01-12/romney-upends-bushs-play-for-top-dog-status>* “Bush's push to win the front-runner title mirrors efforts by Hillary Clinton’s allies to clear the primary field—although on a far more compressed timeline.” *Reuters: “Christie may reach for reset button in New Jersey state of state” <http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/11/us-usa-new-jersey-christie-analysis-idUSKBN0KK0H020150111>* “Polls have consistently shown former Florida Governor Jeb Bush ahead of Christie in a potential Republican presidential primary. Voters would also elect Democrat Hillary Clinton over Christie in the general election, according to the most recent polls.” *Articles:* *Wall Street Journal: “Seven Southern States Plan Their Own Super Tuesday for 2016 Race” <http://www.wsj.com/articles/seven-southern-states-plan-their-own-super-tuesday-for-2016-race-1421022371>* By Beth Reinhard January 11, 2015, 7:26 p.m. EST A potential Southern Super Tuesday with as many seven states voting near the start of the presidential primary calendar could become a pivotal moment in the 2016 GOP nomination battle. Georgia’s secretary of state is leading an effort to hold a regional primary on March 1 next year that could include Texas and Florida, the nation’s second- and third-most-populous states. Non-Southern states also could hold elections that day. The timetable could boost candidates who can afford expensive media markets and who have ties to the region, among them former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio , both of Florida, and Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Mr. Bush and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul , another likely candidate, also have family ties in Texas that could prove advantageous. For their rivals, that could add to the importance of winning the earlier and less-costly contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada—states sanctioned by the national parties to lead off the nominating process. Texas’ likely vote on March 1 would be one of the biggest changes from 2012, when a court battle over redistricting pushed it to the tail end of the nominating process. “Texas will be the 800-pound gorilla in 2016,” said Texas Republican Chairman Steve Munisteri. “It’s a big, early prize, and it will put a premium on those that have name recognition in the state, money and a political base.” Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp said Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas are on board to join his state for a March 1 primary, “giving the South more bang for our buck.” States jostling over their place in line has become as much of a tradition as presidential candidates going on book tours. But unlike 2008 and 2012, few if any states so far are jumping ahead of the March 1 starting line, set by the two parties’ leaders, to boost their clout in the nominating process, according to Josh Putnam, who writes the FrontloadingHQ blog about the presidential election calendar. Florida was a notable scofflaw in both of the last two presidential elections. In 2012, after it scheduled its primary for Jan. 31, the RNC cut the state’s bounty of delegates in half and relegated them to subpar seats and a far-flung hotel at the party’s national convention—even though it was held on their home turf, in Tampa. “Our priority is making sure we have all of our delegates, and that all those delegates go to whomever our grass roots chooses,” said Florida Republican Party Chairwoman Leslie Dougher. “We are going to be a powerful force in choosing our party’s nominee in 2016.” The order of GOP primaries and caucuses could be particularly relevant because of the prospect of a crowded primary field. The calendar could be less important on the Democratic side, where Hillary Clinton is an overwhelming favorite in the polls. Reasserting Iowa’s traditional influence over the nominating process, the governing board of the Iowa GOP voted Saturday to continue the party’s August straw poll, a prelude to the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus. The poll could be a boon to two former caucus winners considering 2016 campaigns, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum , who may lack enough money to compete in bigger states. Some Iowa Republicans, including Gov. Terry Branstad, had called for ending the straw poll because of its spotty record of elevating strong candidates. The 2011 winner, former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann , came in a distant sixth place in the caucus. Only two straw poll winners, Bob Dole and George W. Bush , went on to win the caucuses and the nomination in the following year. The general counsel for the Republican National Committee said in a memo Thursday that the poll is essentially a party fundraiser that doesn’t violate party rules but “allows professional political operatives to charge substantial fees to help candidates win what is substantially a media beauty pageant.” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann defended the straw poll, however, as part of the state’s tradition of emphasizing retail politics over media-driven campaigns. Since 1979, Republican presidential contenders have tried to demonstrate their organizational strength and popular appeal at the straw poll, held at a state fair known for its abundance of fried food and livestock. “Protecting Iowa and a process that gives regular citizens a voice in choosing our presidential nominee is job one,” Mr. Kaufmann said. After the 2012 election, the RNC imposed new rules for the primary calendar aimed at averting the protracted nominating process that some say weakened nominee Mitt Romney going into the general election. The earliest sanctioned contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada are to be held this election cycle in February, rather than January. The party’s national convention will be held as early as June, rather than in August. The RNC also stiffened the penalties against states that schedule contests before March. The confluence of southern states voting early could give a leg up to Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Santorum, who won the Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee primaries in 2012. Mr. Huckabee and Ben Carson, another possible candidate, own homes in Florida. *PolitickerNJ: Smith jumps onto online petition favoring Warren for prez <http://politickernj.com/2015/01/smith-jumps-onto-online-petition-favoring-warren-for-prez/>* By Max Pizarro January 9, 2015, 2:43 p.m. EST Count Wayne Smith, former mayor of Irvington, is among those Democrats who want Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren in the presidential race. “Just testing to see if the progressive wing of the party is still alive,” Smith told PolitickerNJ this week, after signing an online petition urging Warren to challenge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “Why not?” said the mayor, who lost last year’s election to Mayor Tony Vauss. “People said the same thing about President Obama when I supported him in 2004.” PolitickerNJ has made numerous inquiries of Democrats around the state, trying to determine if there is any support for Warren or another alternative Clinton and so far among elected officials or former electeds, only Smith has stood forth to burnish the mantle of someone not named Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president. He’s convinced Warren won’t run, however. Meanwhile, a Democratic source expressed concern about Clinton lacking a true Democratic rival. “If i were Hillary Clinton, I’d be looking for an opponent,” said the source, who argued that most anyone would be a good test – with the exception of former Virginia Senator Jim Webb, who, the source add, would be a truly dangerous foe. *Fox News: “Sean Penn honors President Bill Clinton at J/P Haitian Relief event” <http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2015/01/11/sean-penn-honors-president-bill-clinton-at-jp-haitian-relief-event/>* By Hollie McKay January 11, 2015 While much of Hollywood lent their voices and wallets in the immediate aftermath of the tragic 7.0 magnitude Haiti earthquake 2010 that claimed the lives of at least 150,000 people five years ago, Sean Penn has stuck with it for the long haul. The Oscar-winning actor continues to spend more time on Haitian relief efforts than he does making movies, fronting the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. On Saturday evening, Penn rallied famous cohorts including Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Salma Hayek to honor former President Bill Clinton at the star-studded 4th Annual Help Haiti Home Gala, raising $6 million for the cause along the way. After thanking government officials, former intelligence officials (hint Valerie Plame), and United States military for their service took the country, Penn praised Clinton -- who took home J/P HRO's Louverture Medal of Commitment -- for his relief efforts on the ground. "(Clinton) sat on a log in the center of a community of 60,000 displaced Haitians for hours, asking questions…What did they need? How could he help?... He focused on, and learned about those in need," Penn told guests. "And he showed them respect, and acknowledged their dignity… As UN Special Envoy to Haiti, he shepherded more than six billion dollars in disbursements and debt-forgiveness following the earthquake. Haiti and J/P HRO are grateful for his commitment." Penn also pondered "how different" the world would be now if Clinton had been President during the September 11 attacks. "Only the U.S. constitution could sideline his presidency... As the administration that followed squandered the surplus with misguided wars," Penn said. "The devastation we face today would have been tempered today if he (Clinton) had continued as our commander in chief." The former President was the center of attention at the event, taking selfies and shaking hands with excited guests. "Everyone knows politics is just show business for ugly people," Clinton said with a smile, later stressing the importance for us all not to "patronize poor people." "Haitians need investments, education... They don't have the systems we have in place," he said. According to Haitian officials, five years after the disaster - which displaced 50 percent of residents - 95 percent of those left without a home now have a stable roof over their heads, with many back in their original neighborhoods. J/P HRO supports residents in the marginalized, high-density Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Delmas 32 and surrounding areas affected by the 2010 earthquake transition to resilient, sustainable and prosperous communities.​ "I hope we'll be here next year, supporting Bill Clinton's wife running for President," historian/writer Douglas Brinkley, who stepped in last minute to MC the event in replace of Anderson Cooper, concluded to an applauding crowd. *Washington Post blog: PostEverything: Daniel W. Drezner, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution: “The campaign reporting tic that I would like to kill with fire” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/12/the-campaign-reporting-tic-that-i-would-like-to-kill-with-fire/>* By Daniel W. Drezner January 12, 2015, 6:00 a.m. EST So I see that over the weekend, the mainstream media, including the New York Times, Slate and other “Gang of 500″ members, have stories about what Democratic pollster Peter Hart discovered in a focus group in Denver. For now, let me excerpt from The Washington Post’s Dan Balz, who does as good a job of reporting on it as anyone: “A dozen Denver-area residents spent two hours dissecting the state of the country and its politics. The 12 participants — Democrats, Republicans and independents — are weary of political dynasties. They were dismissive, sometimes harshly, in their assessments of [Jeb] Bush, the former Florida governor. They were also chilly toward former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton. “When the name of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was introduced into the conversation, however, many of those around the table, regardless of party affiliation, responded positively. To this group, who spoke in stark terms throughout the evening about the economic challenges of working Americans, Warren has struck a chord. “The two-hour session, moderated by Democratic pollster Peter Hart for the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, turned upside down much of the conversation about the coming presidential campaign, where Bush and Clinton occupy so much space.” The fact that this focus group got coverage across the entire political press corps suggests that it must have been newsworthy. As a political scientist, however, I have to ask the necessary follow-up question: Why are the opinions of 12 Denver residents worthy of so much news coverage? What utility does a focus group have at this point in the campaign? Balz, to his credit as a reporter, offers up a coherent answer: “It is important to emphasize that this was simply one group of 12 people. They are not necessarily a representative cross section of the entire population, any more than a dozen donors or a dozen strategists would be. But as with all recruited focus groups, the collective impressions and individual observations provide a valuable counterpoint to the conversation that is taking place among political insiders [emphasis added].” So what are some of these observations and impressions? Some highlights from Balz’s article: “When Charlie Loan, an IT program manager and Republican-leaning independent, said half-seriously that he would be happy if Congress would pass a law banning anyone named Bush or Clinton from running, half the people in the room agreed. . . . “Most of the prospective presidential candidates were only vague figures to these Coloradans. When names such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) or Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) or Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) or Mike Huckabee, the former Republican governor of Arkansas, were raised, many indicated they didn’t know enough to have even a superficial impression. “Of those in the Republican field, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) drew positive comments, not necessarily because the members of the group know that much about him, but because they find him new and intriguing. And from Dickerson’s article in Slate: “Charlie Loan, an IT manager, says he voted the straight conservative line most recent election but he’d listen to what Warren had to say. ‘The little I have seen and heard from her, she seems genuine.’ “Despite his ideological affiliations, [Democrat Andrew Regan] was happy to see Republicans in control of Congress. ‘I’m happy to see that Republicans took Congress. Instead of a ‘Do Nothing’ Congress we have a ‘Do Something’ Congress.’” So, to sum up: The members of this focus group knew exceedingly little about almost all of the 2016 potentials, and liked the possible candidates about whom they knew the least. They also don’t appear to know that much about what happens when different political parties control the legislative and executive branches. The overall impression one gets from this focus group is that these people are politically uninformed. Now, lest one think I’m mocking the knowledge of salt-of-the-Earth Americans, let me be clear in stating that they really shouldn’t be paying too much attention to the 2016 race at this point. The first primaries are a year away. The roster of possible candidates remains very much in flux. These people have busy lives. Why bother devoting any attention to possible 2016 candidates now? No, I’m not angry at the uninformed voters — as I’ve said before, they might be ignorant, but they’re rationally ignorant. No, my ire is directed at the political press that reports this stuff. The fact that this focus group got such wide play suggests that there’s a consensus that Hart’s findings are a big deal. But as Balz, Dickerson et al honestly report, it’s just 12 uninformed voters talking to one another. Sure, they have opinions, but they’re also uninformed enough for those opinions to be extremely malleable. There’s no way to generalize from them to the broader electorate, so any narrative that’s ginned up from such a focus group is a false one. These uninformed impressions will change as the 2016 campaign generates more news coverage, primary debates, candidate announcements, policy positions, and even gaffes and gaffe responses. Uninformed voters don’t become fully informed voters — but even small scraps of information can turn a politician with a blank slate into a politician with a distinct brand. At this point, about the only focus group that would interest me would be if Peter Hart or Frank Luntz gathered together diehard party activists in Iowa or New Hampshire to see what they thought about the possible candidates. Because, right now, it’s the activists who matter, not swing voters. By the time swing voters start to pay attention, the narrative about the major candidates could look very different. And if you think that’s not true, remember that, at this point in the 2008 cycle, Rudy Giuliani was the GOP front-runner. At this stage of the 2016 campaign, the invisible primary stage, I’m very interested to see if candidates are gearing up campaign staffs, boning up on foreign policy briefs, securing bundlers and wooing activists. Focus groups like these just remind us that most American voters aren’t paying attention just yet. Drawing any other conclusion from the opinions of 12 people strikes me as nuts. *Bloomberg: “Romney Upends Bush's Play for Top Dog Status” <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-01-12/romney-upends-bushs-play-for-top-dog-status>* By Lisa Lerer and Annie Linskey January 12, 2015, 5:45 a.m. EST [Subtitle:] The former Florida governor's plan was a long shot anyway, after shifts in fundraising and Republican Party coalitions. The former Florida governor's plan was a long shot anyway, after shifts in fundraising and Republican Party coalitions. Jeb Bush's shot at clearing, or substantially winnowing, the Republican presidential primary field was always going to be a hard play. Now, it seems to have backfired. Mitt Romney's surprising message on Friday to supporters that he's considering a third run was a direct response to Bush's moves to roll up the party's strongest aides, strategists, and fundraisers before other establishment candidates could even get into the campaign. Even if Romney doesn't get into the race, his comments send a powerful signal to such prospective candidates as Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Florida Senator Marco Rubio that the party's 2012 presidential nominee is convinced a Bush candidacy is flawed and there is room for other players in the primary. The former Massachusetts governor isn't the only would-be presidential contender unlikely to be intimidated by Bush. Sweeping changes in the way campaigns are financed, shifting coalitions within the Republican Party, and a palpable desire among activists to find a fresh-faced nominee who can inspire the party and the nation in their quest to beat the Democrats may conspire to upend his plan. “We're in an environment where lesser-known candidates have proven that it's not necessarily money, right away, that will put them at the finish line,” Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado said. Two Republican strategists all but dared Romney to join Bush in the race, calculating that more competition for the establishment mantel creates greater space for a challenger from the right. “The immediate beneficiaries from this new Romney revelation? Car elevator builders, Cadillac stocks and of course ... Rafalca,” said Hogan Gidley, referring to Ann Romney's Olympic horse. Gidley worked on the campaigns of conservative talk-show host and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in 2008 and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in 2012. Doug Stafford, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul's chief political adviser, rolled out the red carpet. “As Senator Paul has said previously, the more the merrier,” he said. Bush's push to win the front-runner title mirrors efforts by Hillary Clinton’s allies to clear the primary field—although on a far more compressed timeline. Within months of Clinton leaving the State Department in 2013, four outside groups declared themselves devoted to her potential candidacy and formed a sort of campaign-in-waiting. “A lot of people feel like this is Hillary Clinton's time,” said Jim Demers, a New Hampshire Democrat who backed President Barack Obama in 2008. “There's not a lot of oxygen left in the room.” But as Romney’s remarks showed, Bush, who last ran for office 13 years ago, doesn't have the same sway over the Republican Party as Clinton is wielding over Democrats. If anything, his announcement only encouraged a more aggressive response from potential opponents, who now feel intensified pressure to demonstrate their own strength. “I don't think [Bush] will run anybody out of the race but it does mean that they have to get started earlier to compete," said Charlie Black, a Republican lobbyist who advised the Bush family and Romney. Weeks before he announced publicly that he was thinking of a forming a presidential committee, Bush had already begun gently pressing donors—including some key backers of Romney's campaigns—for commitments. Romney, too, has kept in touch with his backers, dispatching long-time aide Spencer Zwick for meetings with donors last month, according to supporters who weren't authorized to talk publicly about the early organizing. They pushed Romney to make a decision about a run, a choice the former Massachusetts governor’s advisers say he’ll make in the next 60 days. A third presidential run would mark a striking reversal for a man who has twice lost bids for the White House. “My time on the stage is over, guys,” he said to family and close aides as he prepared his concession speech in 2012, according to footage in the documentary “Mitt.” “We're done,” added his wife, Ann. While Bush and Romney have always been cordial, they’ve never been close. Some Romney advisers are still grumbling about Bush’s role in the 2012 campaign. Despite calls, e-mails, and private meetings with Romney before the hard-fought Florida primary, Bush endorsed Romney in March—nearly two months after the state’s contest and when the nomination was already within the former governor's grasp. A few months later, in the midst of the general election, Bush criticized Romney's approach to the immigration issue, saying at a Bloomberg View event that he needed to “change the tone.” “He got off message,” said Bush of Romney's campaign in an interview last month with a Miami television station. “He got sucked into other people’s agenda.” In private conversations, Romney has questioned Bush’s ability to beat Clinton, arguing that voters would recall her husband’s administration in a far more positive light than that of former President George W. Bush. He’s also warned that Bush, who spent his post-office years working on a range of business ventures, could be open to the same type of private equity attacks that Democrats successfully leveraged against Romney in the 2012 race. On the other side of the ideological spectrum, Bush's decision to eschew party orthodoxy on immigration, gay marriage, and education leaves some possible challengers seeing an opportunity to run to the right of him. Santorum plans to spend at least five days in Iowa this month and will discuss his plans in a private briefing with aides, lobbyists, and strategists in Washington this week. He, along with other conservative candidates such as Huckabee and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, see an opening to paint Bush as a Republican willing to sell out the party's base for business interests. “I was an unknown,” Santorum told Bloomberg Politics' “With All Due Respect” last week of his 2012 bid for president. Now, “I don't think I have to spend the time and energy. Everybody knows where I am.” For these candidates, Bush's early moves give them little reason to get out of the race. Internet “money bombs,” a finance tactic pioneered by potential candidate Paul's father in his 2008 bid, enable candidates with a passionate base of support to raise millions from hundreds of small-dollar donors. And with campaign finance rules allowing freelance billionaires to prop up a candidate indefinitely, there's little reason to get out of the race if the wanna-be contender can woo a sugar daddy. “We were up against the candidates who had so many wealthy backers that [my funding] never became an issue,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose 2012 campaign was prolonged with millions in donations from casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, in an interview last month. “None of these guys are going to be lacking in resources. It's really a threshold effect.” *Reuters: “Christie may reach for reset button in New Jersey state of state” <http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/11/us-usa-new-jersey-christie-analysis-idUSKBN0KK0H020150111>* By Hilary Russ January 11, 2015, 8:34 a.m. EST New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, under pressure to decide whether to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2016, has a chance next week to reset his governorship after being stymied all year by national controversies and home-grown fiscal crises. On Tuesday, Christie will deliver his state of the state address, potentially the biggest speech he'll make before announcing his presidential intentions, a decision that could come by the end of the month. After a difficult year, Christie may "try to regain some momentum and frame his tenure, both for the New Jersey audience as well as the national audience," said Ben Dworkin, who heads a New Jersey politics institute at Rider University. Christie has been hounded by the so-called Bridgegate scandal and related ongoing federal criminal probes, as well as controversy over whether he should have gone to Texas for a Jan. 4 Dallas Cowboys game, the trip paid for by team owner Jerry Jones. The Cowboys are part owner of a company that does business with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the transportation agency Christie's former aides are accused of abusing in order to engineer a traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge as an alleged act of political retribution against a local mayor. The bridge scandal "effectively made 2014 a giant missed opportunity" for Christie, said Dworkin. "Christie has cultivated an image of being the atypical politician," Dworkin said. "He is a reformer, he is able to get things done with Democrats but still be a strong conservative. He doesn’t look like or sound like anybody else out there. "What issues like Bridgegate and the Jerry Jones gifts provide is an opportunity for Christie's opponents to paint him as the opposite, as a very typical politician.” Polls have consistently shown former Florida Governor Jeb Bush ahead of Christie in a potential Republican presidential primary. Voters would also elect Democrat Hillary Clinton over Christie in the general election, according to the most recent polls. Christie is likely to use his state address to recite his accomplishments last year, such as rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy. His constituents may also listen to hear his plans on how to improve an underfunded pension system, a transportation funding crisis, sluggish economic growth and the fiscal meltdown of Atlantic City, the once-strong East Coast gambling hub. New Jersey has recovered only about half of the jobs it lost during the recession, compared to well over 100 percent nationally and nearly 200 percent for neighboring New York. Matters got worse on Tuesday, when Mercedes-Benz announced that it would move its U.S. headquarters from northern New Jersey to Atlanta, affecting about 1,000 jobs. That loss comes after a year that saw roughly 8,000 jobs vanish with the closing of four casinos in Atlantic City, an economic engine of southern New Jersey. Also pressuring Christie will be the decision he made amid a revenue crisis last year to cancel nearly $2.5 billion of contributions to the state's already underfunded retirement system for public employees. New accounting methods in November showed the system funded at just 44 percent. In last year's state of the state, Christie said bipartisan pension changes he won in 2011 didn't go far enough, setting the stage for his call a month later in his budget address for additional reforms. Yet even now, he hasn't detailed or endorsed any specific new proposals, like moving employees to a 401(k)-style plan, for example. Christie formed a pension study commission last year, but so far it has produced one report without specific recommendations. Commission Chairman Thomas Healey did not return a call seeking comment. Competing for attention, and money, is the state's nearly insolvent transportation fund. Currently, all of the gasoline taxes collected in New Jersey goes to pay existing debt service costs instead of funding new projects. The fund, which has nearly gone broke several times, will run out of money on July 1 unless lawmakers find additional funding. One quick fix would be to raise the gas tax. At 14.5 cents a gallon, New Jersey's tax hasn't been raised since the late 1980s, making it one of the only low-tax bright spots for residents of a high-tax state. Long-term, raising the gas tax alone likely won't be enough to fix the problem. "We're at a turning point," said Gordon MacInnes, president of the left-leaning think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective. "Our greatest economic asset, which is our location, is under threat because the [fund] that pays for modernizing, expanding and rehabilitating our transportation networks goes broke." *Calendar:* *Sec. Clinton's upcoming appearances as reported online. Not an official schedule.* · January 21 – Saskatchewan, Canada: Sec. Clinton keynotes the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce’s “Global Perspectives” series (MarketWired <http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/former-us-secretary-state-hillary-rodham-clinton-deliver-keynote-address-saskatoon-1972651.htm> ) · January 21 – Winnipeg, Canada: Sec. Clinton keynotes the Global Perspectives series (Winnipeg Free Press <http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Clinton-coming-to-Winnipeg--284282491.html> ) · February 24 – Santa Clara, CA: Sec. Clinton to Keynote Address at Inaugural Watermark Conference for Women (PR Newswire <http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hillary-rodham-clinton-to-deliver-keynote-address-at-inaugural-watermark-conference-for-women-283200361.html> ) · March 19 – Atlantic City, NJ: Sec. Clinton keynotes American Camp Association conference (PR Newswire <http://www.sys-con.com/node/3254649>)