​Correct The Record Friday January 16, 2015 Afternoon Roundup

podesta-emails 4,144 words email

D6 P17 P22 V11 V9

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- mQQBBGBjDtIBH6DJa80zDBgR+VqlYGaXu5bEJg9HEgAtJeCLuThdhXfl5Zs32RyB I1QjIlttvngepHQozmglBDmi2FZ4S+wWhZv10bZCoyXPIPwwq6TylwPv8+buxuff B6tYil3VAB9XKGPyPjKrlXn1fz76VMpuTOs7OGYR8xDidw9EHfBvmb+sQyrU1FOW aPHxba5lK6hAo/KYFpTnimsmsz0Cvo1sZAV/EFIkfagiGTL2J/NhINfGPScpj8LB bYelVN/NU4c6Ws1ivWbfcGvqU4lymoJgJo/l9HiV6X2bdVyuB24O3xeyhTnD7laf epykwxODVfAt4qLC3J478MSSmTXS8zMumaQMNR1tUUYtHCJC0xAKbsFukzbfoRDv m2zFCCVxeYHvByxstuzg0SurlPyuiFiy2cENek5+W8Sjt95nEiQ4suBldswpz1Kv n71t7vd7zst49xxExB+tD+vmY7GXIds43Rb05dqksQuo2yCeuCbY5RBiMHX3d4nU 041jHBsv5wY24j0N6bpAsm/s0T0Mt7IO6UaN33I712oPlclTweYTAesW3jDpeQ7A ioi0CMjWZnRpUxorcFmzL/Cc/fPqgAtnAL5GIUuEOqUf8AlKmzsKcnKZ7L2d8mxG QqN16nlAiUuUpchQNMr+tAa1L5S1uK/fu6thVlSSk7KMQyJfVpwLy6068a1WmNj4 yxo9HaSeQNXh3cui+61qb9wlrkwlaiouw9+bpCmR0V8+XpWma/D/TEz9tg5vkfNo eG4t+FUQ7QgrrvIkDNFcRyTUO9cJHB+kcp2NgCcpCwan3wnuzKka9AWFAitpoAwx L6BX0L8kg/LzRPhkQnMOrj/tuu9hZrui4woqURhWLiYi2aZe7WCkuoqR/qMGP6qP EQRcvndTWkQo6K9BdCH4ZjRqcGbY1wFt/qgAxhi+uSo2IWiM1fRI4eRCGifpBtYK Dw44W9uPAu4cgVnAUzESEeW0bft5XXxAqpvyMBIdv3YqfVfOElZdKbteEu4YuOao FLpbk4ajCxO4Fzc9AugJ8iQOAoaekJWA7TjWJ6CbJe8w3thpznP0w6jNG8ZleZ6a jHckyGlx5wzQTRLVT5+wK6edFlxKmSd93jkLWWCbrc0Dsa39OkSTDmZPoZgKGRhp Yc0C4jePYreTGI6p7/H3AFv84o0fjHt5fn4GpT1Xgfg+1X/wmIv7iNQtljCjAqhD 6XN+QiOAYAloAym8lOm9zOoCDv1TSDpmeyeP0rNV95OozsmFAUaKSUcUFBUfq9FL uyr+rJZQw2DPfq2wE75PtOyJiZH7zljCh12fp5yrNx6L7HSqwwuG7vGO4f0ltYOZ dPKzaEhCOO7o108RexdNABEBAAG0Rldpa2lMZWFrcyBFZGl0b3JpYWwgT2ZmaWNl IEhpZ2ggU2VjdXJpdHkgQ29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbiBLZXkgKDIwMjEtMjAyNCmJBDEE EwEKACcFAmBjDtICGwMFCQWjmoAFCwkIBwMFFQoJCAsFFgIDAQACHgECF4AACgkQ nG3NFyg+RUzRbh+eMSKgMYOdoz70u4RKTvev4KyqCAlwji+1RomnW7qsAK+l1s6b ugOhOs8zYv2ZSy6lv5JgWITRZogvB69JP94+Juphol6LIImC9X3P/bcBLw7VCdNA mP0XQ4OlleLZWXUEW9EqR4QyM0RkPMoxXObfRgtGHKIkjZYXyGhUOd7MxRM8DBzN yieFf3CjZNADQnNBk/ZWRdJrpq8J1W0dNKI7IUW2yCyfdgnPAkX/lyIqw4ht5UxF VGrva3PoepPir0TeKP3M0BMxpsxYSVOdwcsnkMzMlQ7TOJlsEdtKQwxjV6a1vH+t k4TpR4aG8fS7ZtGzxcxPylhndiiRVwdYitr5nKeBP69aWH9uLcpIzplXm4DcusUc Bo8KHz+qlIjs03k8hRfqYhUGB96nK6TJ0xS7tN83WUFQXk29fWkXjQSp1Z5dNCcT sWQBTxWxwYyEI8iGErH2xnok3HTyMItdCGEVBBhGOs1uCHX3W3yW2CooWLC/8Pia qgss3V7m4SHSfl4pDeZJcAPiH3Fm00wlGUslVSziatXW3499f2QdSyNDw6Qc+chK hUFflmAaavtpTqXPk+Lzvtw5SSW+iRGmEQICKzD2chpy05mW5v6QUy+G29nchGDD rrfpId2Gy1VoyBx8FAto4+6BOWVijrOj9Boz7098huotDQgNoEnidvVdsqP+P1RR QJekr97idAV28i7iEOLd99d6qI5xRqc3/QsV+y2ZnnyKB10uQNVPLgUkQljqN0wP XmdVer+0X+aeTHUd1d64fcc6M0cpYefNNRCsTsgbnWD+x0rjS9RMo+Uosy41+IxJ 6qIBhNrMK6fEmQoZG3qTRPYYrDoaJdDJERN2E5yLxP2SPI0rWNjMSoPEA/gk5L91 m6bToM/0VkEJNJkpxU5fq5834s3PleW39ZdpI0HpBDGeEypo/t9oGDY3Pd7JrMOF zOTohxTyu4w2Ql7jgs+7KbO9PH0Fx5dTDmDq66jKIkkC7DI0QtMQclnmWWtn14BS KTSZoZekWESVYhORwmPEf32EPiC9t8zDRglXzPGmJAPISSQz+Cc9o1ipoSIkoCCh 2MWoSbn3KFA53vgsYd0vS/+Nw5aUksSleorFns2yFgp/w5Ygv0D007k6u3DqyRLB W5y6tJLvbC1ME7jCBoLW6nFEVxgDo727pqOpMVjGGx5zcEokPIRDMkW/lXjw+fTy c6misESDCAWbgzniG/iyt77Kz711unpOhw5aemI9LpOq17AiIbjzSZYt6b1Aq7Wr aB+C1yws2ivIl9ZYK911A1m69yuUg0DPK+uyL7Z86XC7hI8B0IY1MM/MbmFiDo6H dkfwUckE74sxxeJrFZKkBbkEAQRgYw7SAR+gvktRnaUrj/84Pu0oYVe49nPEcy/7 5Fs6LvAwAj+JcAQPW3uy7D7fuGFEQguasfRrhWY5R87+g5ria6qQT2/Sf19Tpngs d0Dd9DJ1MMTaA1pc5F7PQgoOVKo68fDXfjr76n1NchfCzQbozS1HoM8ys3WnKAw+ Neae9oymp2t9FB3B+To4nsvsOM9KM06ZfBILO9NtzbWhzaAyWwSrMOFFJfpyxZAQ 8VbucNDHkPJjhxuafreC9q2f316RlwdS+XjDggRY6xD77fHtzYea04UWuZidc5zL VpsuZR1nObXOgE+4s8LU5p6fo7jL0CRxvfFnDhSQg2Z617flsdjYAJ2JR4apg3Es G46xWl8xf7t227/0nXaCIMJI7g09FeOOsfCmBaf/ebfiXXnQbK2zCbbDYXbrYgw6 ESkSTt940lHtynnVmQBvZqSXY93MeKjSaQk1VKyobngqaDAIIzHxNCR941McGD7F qHHM2YMTgi6XXaDThNC6u5msI1l/24PPvrxkJxjPSGsNlCbXL2wqaDgrP6LvCP9O uooR9dVRxaZXcKQjeVGxrcRtoTSSyZimfjEercwi9RKHt42O5akPsXaOzeVjmvD9 EB5jrKBe/aAOHgHJEIgJhUNARJ9+dXm7GofpvtN/5RE6qlx11QGvoENHIgawGjGX Jy5oyRBS+e+KHcgVqbmV9bvIXdwiC4BDGxkXtjc75hTaGhnDpu69+Cq016cfsh+0 XaRnHRdh0SZfcYdEqqjn9CTILfNuiEpZm6hYOlrfgYQe1I13rgrnSV+EfVCOLF4L P9ejcf3eCvNhIhEjsBNEUDOFAA6J5+YqZvFYtjk3efpM2jCg6XTLZWaI8kCuADMu yrQxGrM8yIGvBndrlmmljUqlc8/Nq9rcLVFDsVqb9wOZjrCIJ7GEUD6bRuolmRPE SLrpP5mDS+wetdhLn5ME1e9JeVkiSVSFIGsumZTNUaT0a90L4yNj5gBE40dvFplW 7TLeNE/ewDQk5LiIrfWuTUn3CqpjIOXxsZFLjieNgofX1nSeLjy3tnJwuTYQlVJO 3CbqH1k6cOIvE9XShnnuxmiSoav4uZIXnLZFQRT9v8UPIuedp7TO8Vjl0xRTajCL PdTk21e7fYriax62IssYcsbbo5G5auEdPO04H/+v/hxmRsGIr3XYvSi4ZWXKASxy a/jHFu9zEqmy0EBzFzpmSx+FrzpMKPkoU7RbxzMgZwIYEBk66Hh6gxllL0JmWjV0 iqmJMtOERE4NgYgumQT3dTxKuFtywmFxBTe80BhGlfUbjBtiSrULq59np4ztwlRT wDEAVDoZbN57aEXhQ8jjF2RlHtqGXhFMrg9fALHaRQARAQABiQQZBBgBCgAPBQJg Yw7SAhsMBQkFo5qAAAoJEJxtzRcoPkVMdigfoK4oBYoxVoWUBCUekCg/alVGyEHa ekvFmd3LYSKX/WklAY7cAgL/1UlLIFXbq9jpGXJUmLZBkzXkOylF9FIXNNTFAmBM 3TRjfPv91D8EhrHJW0SlECN+riBLtfIQV9Y1BUlQthxFPtB1G1fGrv4XR9Y4TsRj VSo78cNMQY6/89Kc00ip7tdLeFUHtKcJs+5EfDQgagf8pSfF/TWnYZOMN2mAPRRf fh3SkFXeuM7PU/X0B6FJNXefGJbmfJBOXFbaSRnkacTOE9caftRKN1LHBAr8/RPk pc9p6y9RBc/+6rLuLRZpn2W3m3kwzb4scDtHHFXXQBNC1ytrqdwxU7kcaJEPOFfC XIdKfXw9AQll620qPFmVIPH5qfoZzjk4iTH06Yiq7PI4OgDis6bZKHKyyzFisOkh DXiTuuDnzgcu0U4gzL+bkxJ2QRdiyZdKJJMswbm5JDpX6PLsrzPmN314lKIHQx3t NNXkbfHL/PxuoUtWLKg7/I3PNnOgNnDqCgqpHJuhU1AZeIkvewHsYu+urT67tnpJ AK1Z4CgRxpgbYA4YEV1rWVAPHX1u1okcg85rc5FHK8zh46zQY1wzUTWubAcxqp9K 1IqjXDDkMgIX2Z2fOA1plJSwugUCbFjn4sbT0t0YuiEFMPMB42ZCjcCyA1yysfAd DYAmSer1bq47tyTFQwP+2ZnvW/9p3yJ4oYWzwMzadR3T0K4sgXRC2Us9nPL9k2K5 TRwZ07wE2CyMpUv+hZ4ja13A/1ynJZDZGKys+pmBNrO6abxTGohM8LIWjS+YBPIq trxh8jxzgLazKvMGmaA6KaOGwS8vhfPfxZsu2TJaRPrZMa/HpZ2aEHwxXRy4nm9G Kx1eFNJO6Ues5T7KlRtl8gflI5wZCCD/4T5rto3SfG0s0jr3iAVb3NCn9Q73kiph PSwHuRxcm+hWNszjJg3/W+Fr8fdXAh5i0JzMNscuFAQNHgfhLigenq+BpCnZzXya 01kqX24AdoSIbH++vvgE0Bjj6mzuRrH5VJ1Qg9nQ+yMjBWZADljtp3CARUbNkiIg tUJ8IJHCGVwXZBqY4qeJc3h/RiwWM2UIFfBZ+E06QPznmVLSkwvvop3zkr4eYNez cIKUju8vRdW6sxaaxC/GECDlP0Wo6lH0uChpE3NJ1daoXIeymajmYxNt+drz7+pd jMqjDtNA2rgUrjptUgJK8ZLdOQ4WCrPY5pP9ZXAO7+mK7S3u9CTywSJmQpypd8hv 8Bu8jKZdoxOJXxj8CphK951eNOLYxTOxBUNB8J2lgKbmLIyPvBvbS1l1lCM5oHlw WXGlp70pspj3kaX4mOiFaWMKHhOLb+er8yh8jspM184= =5a6T -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- *​**Correct The Record Friday January 16, 2015 Afternoon Roundup:* *Tweets:* *Sec. Hillary Rodham Clinton* @HillaryClinton: Attacking financial reform is risky and wrong. Better for Congress to focus on jobs and wages for middle class families. [1/16/15, 1:57 p.m. EST <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/556163273738166272>] *Correct The Record *@CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> fought for religious freedom globally #ReligiousFreedomDay <https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReligiousFreedomDay?src=hash> #HRC365 <https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRC365?src=hash> http://www.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2012/07/195782.htm … <http://t.co/U9IUTAdC5Q> [1/16/15, 11:56 a.m. EST <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/556132823975743488>] *Correct The Record *@CorrectRecord: Hey @ScottWalker <https://twitter.com/ScottWalker> if folks dislike what @HillaryClinton <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> embodies, why have they voted her Most Admired Woman 17/18yrs? [1/16/15, 11:37 a.m. EST <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/556128087134728194>] *Headlines:* *Vox: “America just got its first glimpse at Hillarynomics — here's what it looks like” <http://www.vox.com/2015/1/16/7557803/inclusive-prosperity-hillarynomics>* “A 160-page white paper from [Center for American Progress] ‘Report of the Commission on Inclusive Prosperity’ is not exactly designed to set the world ablaze. But the timing and circumstance of its authorship make it the best guide to what Hillarynomics is likely to look like.” *Bloomberg: Exclusive: Priebus Says GOP Already Digging in Arkansas <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/videos/2015-01-15/exclusive-preibus-says-gop-already-digging-in-little-rock>* “When asked about preparing for a Hillary Clinton presidential run, RNC Chair Reince Priebus told Bloomberg Politics' Mark Halperin, ‘We're writing a Hillary Clinton book now, we have a research team in Little Rock, so we're not going to be shy about it.’” *Wall Street Journal blog: Washington Wire: “New Hampshire Liberals: We Still Want Elizabeth Warren” <http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/01/16/new-hampshire-liberals-we-still-want-elizabeth-warren/>* "Indeed, in an interview published earlier this week in Fortune magazine, Ms. Warren was asked flatly: 'Are you going to run for president.' Her answer was unambiguous and left no wiggle room. 'No,' she said." *Washington Post blog: The Fix: “Here’s how Democrats win back the Senate in 2016. And it’s surprisingly simple.” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/16/heres-how-democrats-win-back-the-senate-in-2016-and-its-surprisingly-simple/>* “To win the majority back, Democrats need to win five of those seven seats in November 2016. (If Hillary Clinton, or some other Democrat, wins the White House in 2016, then Senate Democrats need to win only four of those seven.)” *Johns Hopkins University: “Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to join Johns Hopkins as visiting professor” <http://hub.jhu.edu/2015/01/16/omalley-hopkins-visiting-professor>* “Outgoing Maryland governor Martin O'Malley will join the Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School as a visiting professor focusing on government, business and urban issues.” *Articles:* *Vox: “America just got its first glimpse at Hillarynomics — here's what it looks like” <http://www.vox.com/2015/1/16/7557803/inclusive-prosperity-hillarynomics>* By Matthew Yglesias January 16, 2015, 1:51 p.m. EST Hillary Clinton's years-long 2016 presidential un-campaign has created a curious informational void. Over her several decades in the public eye, she's become perhaps the most-covered figure in the political scene. But her lack of meaningful opposition for the 2016 Democratic nomination combined, with the general exhaustion of the party's agenda in the waning days of the Obama administration, leaves us with little idea of how should we actually govern as president. Until now, that is. A 160-page white paper from a think tank titled "Report of the Commission on Inclusive Prosperity" is not exactly designed to set the world ablaze. But the timing and circumstance of its authorship make it the best guide to what Hillarynomics is likely to look like. In some ways, it defies stereotypes of the Clintons as standard-bearers for neoliberal centrism — endorsing fiscal stimulus and a strong pro-labor union agenda, while downplaying the strong education-reform streak of the Obama administration. But it's also notable for the Obama-era liberal ambitions it pushes aside. There's no cap-and-trade or carbon tax in here, no public option for health care, and no effort to break up or shrink the largest banks. Nor is there an ambitious agenda to tackle poverty. Instead, you get a multi-pronged push to boost middle-class incomes. After an extended period in which Democratic Party politics has been dominated by health care for the poor, environmental regulation, and internecine fights about Wall Street, Hillarynomics looks like back-to-basics middle-class populism. It should in many ways further infuriate Clinton's left-wing intellectual critics — and then further infuriate them by turning out to be an agenda that makes the party's voting base perfectly happy. Why the Commission on Inclusive Prosperity matters White papers are released in Washington all the time. But this one came out under the aegis of the Center for American Progress (where, full disclosure, I once worked), a think tank that has a unique relationship to Hillaryland. Its founder, John Podesta, has already been announced as the chair of her not-yet-extant campaign. Its president, Neera Tanden, was policy director of Clinton's previous presidential campaign. One of the co-chairs of the Commission is Lawrence Summers. Summers ran the Treasury Department at the end of the Clinton administration, and ran the National Economic Council at the beginning of the Obama administration; only liberal opposition stopped him from chairing the Federal Reserve. He is, in other words, Democrats' go-to guy for economic policy. The other co-chair is even more telling — Ed Balls, the UK Labour Party's Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. In other words, Labour is the opposition party now, but Balls is the guy who'll be running UK economic policy if Labour wins the next election. The report offers separate sections for US and UK policy recommendations, but Balls' involvement is a sure sign of how seriously the overall document is meant as a real policy blueprint. The central challenge of Hillarynomics [CHART] The chart above exemplifies the report's framing of the central economic challenge of the era. Across a variety of wealthy countries, incomes for the bottom 90 percent of the population have not kept up with productivity or per capita GDP growth. But there is also considerable variation. The experiences of Canada, Australia, and Sweden show that there is nothing inevitable about income stagnation. The list of proposed solutions for the US is long, ranging from more infrastructure spending (with new measures to improve project management on federal infrastructure deals), more preschool, closing corporate tax and inheritance tax loopholes, curbing the deductibility of executive pay, a tax cut for middle class workers, more FHA subsidies for riskier loans, and a reiteration of the merits of comprehensive immigration reform. But the report is especially striking for its endorsement of labor market regulations not normally associated with the Summers wing of Democratic thinking. As David Leonhardt put it, "one theme is that the countries where the middle class has fared better are countries where workers have more power." The document endorses a variety of regulatory changes that would make union organizing easier, and calls for the creation of German-style works councils outside the context of traditional union organizing. It also endorses more favorable tax treatment for worker-owned firms, and proposing "estate tax relief" for corporate founders who convert their companies to worker-owned enterprises when they retire or die. On the non-wage front, inclusive growth calls for paid (gender-neutral) parental leave, expanded Family and Medical Leave Act eligibility, and universal paid sick days and paid vacation days — all loosely under the banner of increasing women's labor force participation. Clinton has, in the past, field-tested feminist frames as a means of selling big government. Put it all together, and you see the sketch of a Clinton economic agenda. It has a lot to offer Americans who are employed and not impoverished, but nonetheless struggling with stagnant incomes and a sense of pervasive economic insecurity. Yet many thinkers on the left will find a great deal missing. On the cutting board What Hillarynomics does not include is anything like an Elizabeth Warren-style effort to dethrone giant banks from the commanding heights of the American economic system. The authors suggest that the practice of settling bank misconduct claims without an admission of guilt should be "severely curtailed," and offers support for requiring banks to borrow less. But there's no talk of breaking up or shrinking the biggest banks, and no support for the Financial Transaction Tax that House Democrats are lining up behind. Nor is there much of an anti-poverty agenda here — low-income Americans would be helped by some of these proposals, but they are very much not front and center. Conversely, though the report speaks at length about the value of education, it does so primarily in the frame of liberal-friendly proposals for subsidizing preschool and college. The Obama administration's focus on improving K-12 teacher quality, through moves that are often hostile to the interests of teachers' unions, is nowhere to be found. Two important leftover items from the Obama-era progressive agenda — charging fees for carbon dioxide emissions and adding a "public option" to the Affordable Care Act — are absent. One could simply plead political realism on these points. But there's frankly no indication that Congress is poised to enact a paid parental leave bill, or a sweeping array of changes to the union organizing process, either. The practical realities of the modern Congress and the contemporary House map mean that almost anything liberals get done for the foreseeable future will have to come through executive action. You can't get there from here Clinton is going to have major difficulty engaging her supporters on an emotional level over economic issues. This is in some respects an exciting plan, but lacks a realistic path for enacting it. So who is actually going to feel excited about it? The Hillarynomics blueprint offers none of the Obama administration's recent emphasis on creative uses of executive power. The text hews very much to a path of policy literalism, and offers no real political theory about how to achieve any of this. Some of that is a matter of focus, but some follows naturally from the heavy emphasis on labor market policy and the de-emphasis on financial and environmental regulation. The core of the agenda is a laser focus on middle-class income, a subject that simply doesn't seem amenable to redress through executive unilateralism. Figuring out how to craft an economic message that's largely built out of politically unrealistic proposals is outside the scope of this commission's work. But it's a big, difficult question the Clinton camp is going to have to address. Clinton is already more accepted than loved by liberal activists, and there's nothing in this economic plan to change this. So while a crowded Republican primary field gets ready to entertain America and deliver a winner who manages to find a way to stand out from the pack, Clinton is counting more on her iconic status than her agenda to power her forward. *Bloomberg: Exclusive: Priebus Says GOP Already Digging in Arkansas <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/videos/2015-01-15/exclusive-preibus-says-gop-already-digging-in-little-rock>* By Mark Halperin January 15, 2015 5:03 p.m. EST When asked about preparing for a Hillary Clinton presidential run, RNC Chair Reince Priebus told Bloomberg Politics' Mark Halperin, "We're writing a Hillary Clinton book now, we have a research team in Little Rock, so we're not going to be shy about it." He added that they have "two or three" people in Arkansas, saying, "We're going to get whatever we have to share with the American people the truth about Hillary and Bill Clinton." *Wall Street Journal blog: Washington Wire: “New Hampshire Liberals: We Still Want Elizabeth Warren” <http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/01/16/new-hampshire-liberals-we-still-want-elizabeth-warren/>* By Peter Nicholas January 16, 2015, 11:39 a.m. EST The Elizabeth Warren-for-President movement rolls on – even though it’s by no means clear Ms. Warren is along for the ride. Liberal supporters of the Massachusetts senator took out full page ads today in two New Hampshire newspapers urging her to jump in the 2016 presidential race. “Elizabeth Warren, New Hampshire wants you in our primary,” reads the ads, which appear in the Union Leader and Concord Monitor. The ads — underwritten by the group Democracy for America — invite people to a rally Saturday in Manchester, N.H. Last month, the Draft Warren movement staged a similar event in Iowa, the state that holds the first contest of the 2016 presidential campaign season. MoveOn.Org, the liberal advocacy group, is hiring staff in Iowa and New Hampshire in an attempt to showcase broad support for Ms. Warren and lure her into the race. But the clock is ticking and Ms. Warren doesn’t seem to be making the moves one would expect of an insurgent preparing to take on the colossus of the Democratic field: Hillary Clinton. Indeed, in an interview published earlier this week in Fortune magazine, Ms. Warren was asked flatly: “Are you going to run for president.” Her answer was unambiguous and left no wiggle room. “No,” she said. Politicians often change their minds about such things — See Romney, Mitt. But Ms. Warren can’t afford to be coy forever. The Iowa caucuses are a year away and Mrs. Clinton has a huge head start. *Washington Post blog: The Fix: “Here’s how Democrats win back the Senate in 2016. And it’s surprisingly simple.” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/16/heres-how-democrats-win-back-the-senate-in-2016-and-its-surprisingly-simple/>* By Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake January 16, 2015, 1:09 p.m. EST The Senate map is Democrats' friend in the 2016 cycle. They are defending only 10 seats while Republicans have two dozen of their own seats to hold. But wait, it gets better. Seven of those 24 Republican seats are in states that President Obama won not once but twice: Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. To win the majority back, Democrats need to win five of those seven seats in November 2016. (If Hillary Clinton, or some other Democrat, wins the White House in 2016, then Senate Democrats need to win only four of those seven. That's the exact path Republicans took to the Senate majority in 2014 when, needing a six-seat gain, they won all six of the states — Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia — that Mitt Romney carried in 2012 and were represented by Democrats. (Republicans also won two states — Iowa and Colorado — that Obama carried twice and one, North Carolina, that Obama won in 2008 and Romney won in 2012.) Of course, 2014 was a historically good year for Senate Republicans. The last time the party won more than nine seats in a midterm election was 1994 when they won 10. Prior to 1994, you have to go all the way back to 1946 when Republicans netted 12 seats. And, while the map looks great for Democrats on paper, several of those seven races look less rosy in reality. Iowa is a very tough Democratic pickup unless Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) decides to retire, which he insists he isn't going to do. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman is a gifted politician and fundraiser while the Democratic bench in the state is decidedly thin. The Democratic fields in New Hampshire, Florida and Illinois are still quite muddled. And neither Sens. Pat Toomey (Pa.) nor Ron Johnson (Wis.) are political dead men walking. Not yet, at least. There are also two genuinely vulnerable Democrats — Sens. Harry Reid (Nev.) and Michael Bennet (Colo.) — on the ballot in 2016. Still, as the 2014 election revealed, the map and the math are huge factors in the battle for the Senate. Both are on Democrats' side this time around. Below are the 10 most competitive Senate contests on the ballot in 2016. The number-one-ranked race is the most likely to switch parties in 2016. 10. Kentucky (Republican-controlled): Sen. Rand Paul (R) is staffing up, as expected, for a presidential run next year, landing incoming Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's (R) campaign manager, Chip Englander, as his campaign manager and installing Doug Stafford as a top adviser, among other well-known GOP consultants. Paul still has to figure out how he's going to run for president and hold his Senate seat if that former race doesn't work out. His opponent in that effort could be none other than Alison Lundergan Grimes, given her role as Kentucky's chief elections officer. (Previous ranking: 10) 9. Ohio (R): Ohio is a swing state. But Portman isn't seen as particularly vulnerable in 2016. A lot of that is because he banked $5.8 million by the end of 2014. Another big reason is Democrats have a very slim bench in Ohio. Among the names mentioned are Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, former governor Ted Strickland, former congresswoman Betty Sutton and Rep. Tim Ryan. A Strickland comeback would be particularly interesting, but he passed on a rematch with Gov. John Kasich (R) in 2014. (Previous ranking: 8) 8. Florida (R): Whither Marco Rubio? The Florida senator could be the odd man out in the presidential race, with fellow Floridian Jeb Bush and other establishment-friendly candidates like Mitt Romney and Chris Christie in the mix. Consider this: Rubio is just 43 years old, and he's got his 2016 reelection campaign to worry about. Perhaps it's better to focus on staying in the Senate and waiting for the next opportunity. If he runs, he'll be favored. And Republicans would be happy to see him stay focused on the Senate. (Previous ranking: 9) 7. New Hampshire (R): The massive question here is what Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) does. Democrats think there's a pretty decent chance she'll run against Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R), but a New England College poll showed Ayotte leading that matchup by five points. Hassan, for what it's worth, would have to give up her job to run for the Senate; New Hampshire governors serve two-year terms. (Previous ranking: 7) 6. Colorado (Democratic controlled): No one though Bennet would even be in the Senate in 2016. After being appointed as a total unknown in 2009, Bennet ran a perfect campaign in 2010 and benefited from the fact that his Republican opponent was not very good. Given Colorado's swinginess, Bennet will be a major Republican target again. But who will Republicans put forward? Rep. Mike Coffman and newly elected state Attorney General Cynthia Coffman are mentioned — they're married — as is Rep. Scott Tipton. None of that trio has the political skills of newly elected Sen. Cory Gardner (R). )(Previous ranking: 5) 5. North Carolina (R): Sen. Richard Burr (R) isn't doing much to inspire confidence in Republicans about his future plans. His fundraising is weak — $720,000 on hand as of the end of September 2014 — and rumors continue to swirl about him not running again in 2016. (Burr has said he plans to run.) If Democrats can convince former senator Kay Hagan (D) to run, this race moves up on the Line. But even if they don't, it's hard to see this not being a very competitive race in a presidential year. (Previous ranking: 6) 4. Pennsylvania (R): Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D) was once the Democrats' heir apparent opponent for Toomey. She now faces potential criminal charges for allegedly violating the secrecy of a grand jury. This isn't huge news, given these problems have been going on for a while now and her name wasn't really being floated for Senate anymore, but it does reinforce that Democrats have a recruiting question here. The establishment does not want 2010 nominee and former congressman Joe Sestak as its nominee, but Sestak is pretty gung-ho about running again. (Previous ranking: 4) 3. Illinois (R): State Attorney General Lisa Madigan is Democrats' first choice to take on Sen. Mark Kirk (R). But, she has passed up so many winnable races for higher office that it's hard to see why she runs this time. If not Madigan, then Democrats will turn to Rep. Tammy Duckworth or Rep. Bill Foster. Kirk is an excellent fundraiser and knows the seriousness of the challenge he faces. Much depends on the top of the ticket; if the Democratic presidential nominee wins Illinois by 15 points (Obama carried it by 17 points) then it's hard to see a path to victory for Kirk. (Previous ranking: 3) 2. Nevada (D): Reid got knocked down — hard — while working out at his home in Nevada. He got so banged up that he missed the first days of Congress and might not regain vision in his right eye. He said it won't affect his reelection decision. The bigger question is what Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) does. Does he wait for Reid to decide whether to seek reelection? Force his hand? This is a big question in a race Republicans would love to win to stem possible losses elsewhere. Meanwhile, former lieutenant governor Brian Krolicki, who blamed Reid for a 2008 indictment that Krolicki later beat, is considering running. (Previous ranking: 2) 1. Wisconsin (R): Johnson seems entirely unaware of the fact that he won a Democratic-leaning (at the federal level) state in 2010. He had the ninth most conservative record in the Senate, according to National Journal's 2013 vote ratings. Democrats are banking on former Sen. Russ Feingold, who lost to Johnson in 2010, running for his old seat. If Feingold does run, he'll have to run a much better campaign that he did five years ago. If he doesn't run, expect Rep. Ron Kind, who has been itching to run statewide for as long as we can remember, to leap into the race. (Previous ranking: 1) *Johns Hopkins University: “Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to join Johns Hopkins as visiting professor” <http://hub.jhu.edu/2015/01/16/omalley-hopkins-visiting-professor>* By Dennis O’Shea January 16, 2015 Outgoing Maryland governor Martin O'Malley will join the Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School as a visiting professor focusing on government, business and urban issues. O'Malley, who on Jan. 21 concludes two terms as the state's chief executive, will participate in classes on such topics as leadership, infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and ethics. He also will work with other faculty members and students on their studies of management in the government sector. The former Baltimore mayor and city council member will also be a part of Johns Hopkins' 21st century cities initiative, involving faculty members from disciplines across the university to study and propose approaches to issues affecting cities, including economic growth, urban education, violence, urban health, and support for arts and culture. "The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School is training students to be both business leaders and exemplary citizens who will improve society and increase value for all stakeholders," Dean Bernie Ferrari said. "Gov. O'Malley's wealth of experience and leadership will be a welcome addition to our faculty and in the classroom. We are delighted to have him." Added Ronald J. Daniels, president of the university: "Gov. O'Malley has devoted his career to bringing data-driven decision-making to tackling our city and state's most complex challenges. His insights and experience will be of enormous benefit to our students and faculty." O'Malley, who will begin at Johns Hopkins on Feb. 2, is known as an innovator in management for the public sector. He developed a data-driven management system as Baltimore's mayor starting in 1999. The program, called CitiStat, provided leaders with frequent statistical performance updates department-by-department throughout city government, allowing the mayor and his appointees to identify problem areas and fix them. When he became governor in 2007, O'Malley transferred the concept to the state level, creating StateStat and putting data online so that taxpayers, lawmakers, and researchers could track performance along with the governor, his cabinet, and staff. O'Malley also incorporated his data-based management philosophy in his BayStat program, monitoring progress in restoring the Chesapeake Bay, and in the Genuine Progress Indicator, an index of economic, social, and environmental indicators measuring quality of life in Maryland. The index advanced 3.27 percent in 2013, the latest year for which full data is available. "I am honored to join Johns Hopkins University, a world-class institution that has done so much for Baltimore and Maryland," O'Malley said. "As both a mayor and governor, I've worked to make government work better for all of our citizens through a relentless focus on data and transparency. Our efforts got results—driving violent crime down to record lows, recovering 100 percent of the jobs lost during the recession, and restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay for generations to come. I look forward to sharing management insights from these past two decades with the next generation of leaders at Johns Hopkins." O'Malley managed Maryland during the recession of 2008 and the subsequent recovery, cutting projected state spending while making strategic investments in education and infrastructure and maintaining the state's AAA bond ratings. He worked to raise the state's minimum wage to $10.10 by 2018; has promoted renewable energy, the restoration of the bay, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and signed into law same-sex marriage equality in Maryland and a state-level version of the Dream Act providing access to public higher education for immigrants.