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By Burgess Everett | 10/14/2015 08:10 AM EDT


Featuring Seung Min Kim

Debatable decision: This being a Congress newsletter, we're kicking off with Hill news. But we'll get to the debate after jump if you are really in need of more strong takes (also hot takes).

GOP MOUNT HISTORIC BLOCKADE OF NOMINEES: The GOP is fighting President Obama's nominees tooth and nail, and it's proving to be their most effective strategy to hit back at the White House given their limitations in Congress. "As of Tuesday, the current GOP Senate has moved 107 of Obama's picks, according to a Congressional Research Service report obtained by POLITICO. By comparison, the 2007 Democratic regime confirmed 192 of Bush's civilian nominees. Furthermore, Democrats say this Senate is on pace to confirm the fewest civilian nominees since the end of Ronald Reagan's presidency, the earliest records tracked on congressional databases ... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
has been quick to back his fellow Republicans, using his procedural power to force votes on just one nominee who faced a procedural 'hold' this Congress: Attorney General Loretta Lynch. By comparison, Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) overrode GOP holds nearly 100 times last year when he led the Senate."

But why? When Sen. Tom Cotton was mulling how to get the White House's attention over the Secret Service's smear campaign against Rep. Jason Chaffetz, he quickly settled on blocking two Obama bundlers and a former White House staffer from their ambassadorial posts. "These are the kind of people that can call - if not Barack Obama, [then] Valerie Jarrett, Denis McDonough - and ask what's wrong," Cotton told us in an interview. "The West Wing needs to know the gravity with which Congress treats this matter." He's joined in targeting the State Department by Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ted Cruz, while Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain bottles up nominees in his committee and McConnell
takes it nice and easy on judicial nominees. "It's never been worse. And that reflects a decision by the Republicans to deny to this president even the most critical appointments," said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois." SMK and I bring it all back home: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f78548f0dddb4df0b0ebbdd68870e8bae553818f1f296451c67e4c

JANESVILLE OR BUST: What happen if Rep. Paul Ryan doesn't want to be speaker? NO ONE KNOWS. Lauren French, ladies and gents: "If Kevin McCarthy was Plan A, and a very resistant Paul Ryan is Plan B, House Republicans don't currently have a viable Plan C to become their next speaker. The half-dozen or so Republicans seriously looking at running believe they can unite the warring GOP Conference. But most or all of them would face a serious challenge wooing the several dozen hard-line conservatives who don't have the numbers to get one of their own in the No. 1 spot but have demonstrated that, if they stick together, they can veto other candidates." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f78548089fa3bc34b3c3db18b20a51437b518d48396a6221c3697d

Right, and the Senate is going to work on Fridays: If Rep. Dan Webster becomes speaker, he's aiming to make it a 9-to-5 affair, per Kristina Peterson. "Webster ended frenzied, late-night legislating when he served as Florida House speaker from 1996 to 1998, a two-year reign central to his pitch to succeed departing Speaker John Boehner. 'I would like to do everything in the daylight,' Mr. Webster said in an interview Tuesday, though he noted starting the legislative day at 8:30 a.m. might have been easier in Florida. 'I don't know the Congress could get rolling that quick.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f785489ec4cdf23825eb161d52c39db81a3e346a5d944f9c866bf3

The case for Flores: Matt Mackowiak writes that "a current member of leadership might have a better chance than [Rep. Bill] Flores to be elected, or start from a stronger position. But the question is, who can peel off some votes within the House Freedom Caucus while holding the rest of the conference together? Flores can. I'm not sure Reps. Peter Roskam (Ill.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) or even Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.) can (he has his own problems)." The Hill: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f78548330479f8280be6e2ac766f9665056f39347326dff3a6c2f4

CRAZIEST STORY YOU WILL READ THIS WEEK: Last week in Baltimore, things got way out of hand (allegedly), per Roll Call's Hannah Hess. "Baltimore City Police arrested an aide to Rep. Sander M. Levin, D-Mich., at around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 8 for criminal domestic violence charges. Tim Foster, a native of Henderson, Ky., brutally beat his male lover with a small black and red shovel, according to a police report obtained by CQ Roll Call, leaving the victim hospitalized with abrasions and bruises on his upper back, neck and torso." Seriously, keep reading: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f78548bf6f4a2288a9581e2dc47d26d90b5dc19d17deb3383fbace

GUTIERREZ'S ADVICE TO HILLARY - Hill Democrats are always eager to pass off pearls of campaign wisdom, and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) - perhaps the most fervent immigration advocate in Congress - is no exception. In a lengthy chat with SMK as the House left for recess last Friday, Gutierrez disclosed a phone conversation he had with the Democratic presidential front runner a couple weeks ago where he encouraged her to make the contentious issue of immigration into a "clear tool of empowerment for our community." The way to do that, Gutierrez advised Clinton, is to embark on an aggressive campaign to ensure the estimated 8.8 million permanent U.S. residents who are eligible to naturalize
actually become citizens. The White House is already doing just that with a nationwide push to register green-card holders as citizens by next year's elections. Clinton's response? "She was delighted to hear it and encouraged that we continue," Gutierrez recalled. "I'm going to continue to talk to senators about this, to Hillary Clinton, to her campaign about this."

Good Wednesday. And welcome to the Huddle, your play-by-play guide to everything Capitol Hill, where you are already regretting staying up for the whole Democratic debate and drinking that last beer, aren't you? Please send tips to beverett@politico.com and follow along on Twitter @burgessev.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - A fly buzzes across the Senate floor as a disinterested police officer naps in his chair.

AROUND THE HILL - Former Rep. Gabbie Giffords, Valerie Jarrett and other women leaders announce a new coalition concentrating on the links between gun access and domestic violence. That's at 10 a.m. at the Washington Court Hotel.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Cruella McCaskill's Twitter picture is the most clicked link I've ever put in Huddle.

ANALYSIS OF THE DEBATE ANALYSIS: Hillary Clinton was solid but dodged several questions. Bernie Sanders struggled on guns. Martin O'Malley was competent but didn't break out. Lincoln Chafee was completely out of his element. Jim Webb is still complaining about not getting enough debate time.

A nice moment for the DMV: O'Malley name-checking the Eastern Shore is sure to propel him in the polls.

Puff, puff pass on that question: Clinton was not ready to answer marijuana legalization question but Sanders was, in the off-the-cuff manner befitting him. Nevada is considering the question of legalizing recreational weed, dude, and Sanders said he'd likely vote yes. "I would vote yes because I am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed for non-violent offenses." Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project: "This marks the first time a major-party presidential candidate has clearly expressed support for ending marijuana prohibition and regulating marijuana like alcohol." Congress is a long way from a vote on this, but Sanders is already laying
the progressive marker.

Worst defense of one's record: Chafee was asked about voting to deregulate banks and he acted like he'd never even thought about the Senate vote that he cast. "Glass-Steagall was my very first vote," Chafee said. "I'd just arrived." HuffPo: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f785483df6338cb6da25db15c2b2f4ff9840bed97209fbf4a39387

Moving on from the emails: Clinton's email quagmire is not going to get a lot of play in the Democratic debate; Sanders wants to move on and she refused to respond to attacks from the rest of the field. So circle Oct. 22 on your calendar, the day of Clinton's testimony before the House's Benghazi committee, which her surrogates are saying is looking easier and easier by the day. "This month is really important to us," [John] Podesta told POLITICO. "We still got the Benghazi hearing. I think that's been stepped on because of the reality of what it is - which is it's a partisan exercise. But we've still got to get through that." Karni and Debenedetti in Vegas:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f785489c9529952e7e4c6d5de8d3e7ca9a49b9fc577c229b6ff9f5

Now, back to your regularly scheduled Congress news.

DEMS LAND A COUPLE CANDIDATES: Democrats have been struggling to get any momentum down South, but lo and behold they landed two Senate candidates in the last 24 hours. Former U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge is running in Arkansas against Sen. John Boozman and former state lawmaker Deborah Ross is running against Sen. Richard Burr in North Carolina. Remains to be seen how these candidates compete, but the map just got a tiny bit bigger. Now the state we are watching is Kentucky. Can Ds get someone to run against Sen. Rand Paul? ABC 11: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f78548b6f77eab2fdfef1193bb559bb7bb2bdfdfabeedbca360781 | KARK: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f7854839eaa3326973e2e1af4f591c4e4069c8e531b70952e4777d

D leaders feelin' good: And those new candidates came after Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer expressed lots of confidence with how things are going, per Niels of Roll Call: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f785484ceaeccac7a8f794370ee33a0c4e7823d22bb5ae08445164

SPEAKING OF RAND: For some reason he decided to broadcast his day on the trail, and Daniel Strauss drew the short straw. "If you were looking for dramatic moments, the video feed wasn't for you. The Kentucky senator managed to crack a few corny jokes and provide a window into his musical tastes - Metallica and KT Tunstall, go figure - but otherwise the livestream was something less than must-see TV." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f78548863e013c6f666f644844172b04675b1a6ea2cce94bafc53b

Coming up next: Chafee livestreams laundry day.

REVOLVING DOOR: A nice pull from our new lobbying reporter Isaac Arnsdorf. "Former Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) has been busy this year promoting a plan now under consideration on Capitol Hill that would privatize air-traffic control. He says his role as co-chair of a think tank working group convinced him the change was needed. What he hasn't mentioned is that in June he signed on as a paid lobbyist for American Airlines, which is pushing the privatization plan. At least one member of Congress was surprised to find out about Dorgan's lobbying client after meeting with him on the issue as a think-tank representative, according to a person with direct knowledge of the meeting." Pro only for
now: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f785485d71d538ddbec047e473fe944760f64a24f6f2ebdcc1e825

THIS LETTER SHOULD BE IN A MUSEUM: Sen. Ted Cruz and a cadre of social conservatives are demanding the removal of a bust of Margaret Sanger from the National Portrait Gallery. "The fact that her bust has been included as a part of the Gallery's 'Struggle for Justice' exhibit is an affront both to basic human decency and the very meaning of justice. Ms. Sanger was an avowed advocate of eugenics and the extermination of groups of people she deemed as 'undesirables.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89e272ab41f78548ee6cdf9b2dd2244347d4a60db9d73cc10feee554ac53bdcd

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Shelby Boxenbaum was the first to answer that Sen. Mitch McConnell now occupies the old Ted Kennedy suite in 317 Russell. That's in addition, of course, to his OTHER incredible office on the second floor of the Senate that has a balcony looking out on the Mall. It's good to be leader.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Shelby has today's question, continuing our local trivia week: What year did women first hold a majority on the D.C. City Council? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at beverett@politico.com

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