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Good Tuesday morning. Washington kicks back into gear today in a big way. Full Republican control is on its way, as the 115th Congress is sworn in. Vice President Joe Biden comes to the Hill at noon to swear in members of the Senate. And at the same time, Karen Haas, the clerk of the House, calls the House to order for the election for speaker. After Paul Ryan wins another term atop the chamber, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) -- the dean of the House -- swears him in. Ryan then swears everyone in together. New members of the House get their ceremonial photo with Ryan at 3 p.m.
TODAY WILL SHOW just how much political fortunes have flipped in D.C.. A few months ago, Republicans were beginning to openly wonder whether Ryan could survive as speaker with Hillary Clinton in the White House. There was talk of the Wisconsin Republican being forced into retirement. Today, he’ll be re-elected as the House’s top Republican with ease, and will be a top figure in navigating Donald Trump’s Washington (read John Bresnahan and Rachael Bade on his new political reality http://politi.co/2hN5yhF). Another storyline: how many Democrats vote against Nancy Pelosi on the House floor. Some congressional insiders predict that only a handful of Democrats will vote against Pelosi, and that many of those who led the charge against her last year during the internal caucus election will fall into line and back the powerful Democrat on the House floor.
TO FULLY UNDERSTAND how Trump’s drain-the-swamp rhetoric will get swamped in Washington, just look at what happened in the Capitol last night. With no warning, in a closed GOP meeting to vote on the House rules, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) -- the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee -- forced a vote on language to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent investigatory body set up in 2008. Lots of members have clashed with the OCE, and some are under investigation as we speak, so it’s no surprise many would want to cut it off at the knees. The Ethics Committee -- which now has power over the OCE -- is run by sitting members of Congress. Congress created OCE so lawmakers would be policed by people other than their colleagues. Goodlatte’s resolution passed -- it only needed 121 yes votes -- even though Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy opposed it. It will be lumped into a large rules package that will pass the House today on partisan lines. Take a look at the headlines House Republicans have earned: A1 of the NYT: “House G.O.P. Votes to Gut an Office Reviewing Ethics” … A4 of the WaPo: “House Republicans vote to limit separate ethics office.” (Also on front page of the Houston Chronicle and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and a lead USA Today story)
-- BRESNAHAN EXPLAINS: “GOP leaders will try to downplay the impact of what happened, but it’s a big deal. OCE - renamed the ‘Office of Congressional Complaint Review’ - will now come under the ‘oversight’ of the Ethics Committee.
“Ethics can stop an OCE investigation at any time with a written request; any referral of potential criminal issues will have to go through Ethics; and OCE won’t be allowed to say anything to the press. OCE has made a lot of enemies during its eight-year run -- some justifiable by overreach -- but similar efforts to hobble OCE under former Speaker John Boehner, Nancy Pelosi and Dennis Hastert all failed. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) opposed the amendment, but lost the vote. ‘This was really, really stupid,’ said a top House Republican. ‘Not the way we want to start the new Congress.’” Story by Bres and Rachael Bade on the OCE http://politi.co/2hKQ3Ub
ETHICS HONCHOS NORM EISEN AND RICHARD PAINTER REACT: “If the 115th Congress begins with rules amendments undermining OCE, it is setting itself up to be dogged by scandals and ethics issues for years and is returning the House to dark days when ethics violations were rampant and far too often tolerated.”
-- Boston Globe’s Matt Viser (@mviser): “The new Office of Congressional Ethics can’t release information to public. Or have a spokesperson. No communication. In any way. Got it?” http://bit.ly/2iZGNwd ... WaPo’s Steven Rich (@dataeditor): “This story would not have been possible without the Office of Congressional Ethics”: WaPo, May 13, 2015, “10 members of Congress took trip secretly funded by foreign government” http://wapo.st/2hMMRfq
-- ALTERNATIVE VIEW: @RepGoodlatte: “Rules amdt approved by House GOP strengthens Office of Cong Ethics & improves upon due process rights. Does nothing to impede OCE’s work.”
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FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH -- Congressional Republicans don’t expect President-elect Trump to visit them in D.C. before his inauguration. VP-elect Mike Pence is coming Wednesday to talk Obamacare -- the same day Obama talks to Dems. BUT...BUT...BUT…. Top Republicans now tell us Trump is likely to attend the joint Senate-House retreat in Philly later this month.
BRIAN STELTER -- “New [Monday night]: @KellyannePolls says Trump’s long-awaited press conference is currently scheduled for January 11” http://bit.ly/2j3NjGl
WHAT THE WEST COAST IS READING -- LA TIMES A1 LEAD STORY: “Congress to open with an ambitious GOP agenda” A1 PDF, with a Speaker Ryan photo http://politi.co/2iKmUKp … S.F. CHRONICLE: Kamala “Harris’ heavy political weight: Democrats, state pin ambitions for future on new U.S. senator” http://politi.co/2iDo8K2
SCENE SETTER -- CARL HULSE’s “On Washington” column: “Republicans Stonewalled Obama. Now the Ball Is in Their Court” -- STAT DU JOUR: “Nearly two-thirds of current House Republicans have never served with a Republican president and their entire time in Washington has been spent fighting the executive branch.” http://nyti.ms/2hN34Qc
SCHUMER’S FIRST FLOOR SPEECH AS MINORITY LEADER -- HAPPENING TODAY -- EXCERPTS (off embargo at 7 a.m.): “There are those who suggest that our baseline posture should be to work with the President-elect and help him pass his whole agenda. But it is not our job to be a rubber stamp. It is our job to do what’s best for the American people, the middle class and those struggling to get there. If the President elect proposes legislation that achieves that – on issues like infrastructure, trade, and closing the carried interest loophole, for instance – we will work in good faith to perfect and, potentially, enact it. When he doesn’t, we will resist. …
“This will be an Accountability Congress. And we will be a caucus that works to make sure the President-elect keeps his commitment to truly make America great, in its finest sense and tradition … We will hold Trump accountable to the values that truly make America great. But we’ll fight him tooth and nail when he appeals to the baser instincts that diminish America and its greatness – instincts that have too often plagued this country and his campaign. …
“These issues are too important for mere words; our challenges too entrenched for mere tweeting. ‘Making America Great Again’ requires more than 140 characters per issue. With all due respect, America cannot afford a Twitter Presidency. We have real challenges and we need to get real things done. Many Americans are afraid, Mr. President-elect, that instead of rolling up your sleeves and forging serious policies … that, for you, Twitter suffices. There’s nothing wrong with using Twitter to speak to the American people. It’s a good use of modern technology. But these issues are complex and demand both careful consideration and action. We cannot tweet them away.”
-- “Schumer regime promises a sharp break from Reid: Democrats opt for ‘big tent’ over bare knuckles,” by Burgess Everett and Seung Min Kim: “The most glaring display of the shift so far is the sprawling leadership team Schumer has appointed and promised to consult before making key decisions -- in contrast to Reid’s smaller, close-knit group of lieutenants and knack for taking hard lines on his own. ... The core group of 10 senators includes Manchin and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) at one end of the political spectrum, and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at the other, making the leadership table a potential hotbed of ideological tension. The 10 lawmakers will be involved in all crucial party meetings, senators said. Reid often limited such gatherings to his top four and occasionally would act unilaterally. ...
“Schumer configured a unique structure for his top deputy to head off a clash between Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who had refused to rule out challenging Durbin for the No. 2 post. The press-adept Durbin will count votes and serve as a rapid responder to Republicans on controversies of the day, while Murray will be more of a backroom operator and party strategist, paying special attention to Democrats up for reelection after shepherding them into office as DSCC chairman in 2012.” http://politi.co/2hN0Pw6
THE PLAYERS -- “Schumer’s inner circle,” by Seung Min Kim: “The wife: Iris Weinshall … When Schumer is in Washington, the first call of the day from his flip phone goes to Weinshall, his wife of 36 years and a prominent New York figure in her own right as chief operating officer of the New York Public Library. The senator relies on Weinshall throughout the day as a sounding board on policy and politics, and she is also Schumer’s de facto eyes and ears when Schumer is away from the city. ... The chief: Mike Lynch ... The New York brain: Martin Brennan ... The member conduit: Erin Sager Vaughn ... The legislative guru: Meghan Taira ... The floor and policy hands: Ryan McConaghy and Gerry Petrella ... The communicator: Matt House ... The legal experts: Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Anna Taylor ... The ally: Carol Kellermann.” http://politi.co/2iycyxm
TRUMP’S TOP LOBBYIST -- “Trump expected to name Marc Short as legislative affairs director,” by Shane Goldmacher: “President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Marc Short, a top adviser to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, to lead the legislative affairs shop for the White House, a key position helping guide Trump’s agenda through the Republican Congress, according to two people familiar with the matter. Rick Dearborn, the executive director of the presidential transition and a longtime chief of staff to Sen. Jeff Sessions, was originally in line for the legislative affairs post, but he is now expected to be named a deputy chief of staff ... Dearborn’s expected title is deputy chief of staff for legislative, intergovernmental and cabinet affairs … and Short would be part of Dearborn’s team. Short, who previously worked as a top operative running the expansive political network of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, is a longtime adviser to Pence and has previously worked in both the House and Senate.” http://politi.co/2j39ZGH
INBOX -- "President-Elect Donald J. Trump Nominates Robert Lighthizer as United States Trade Representative": "Ambassador Lighthizer served under President Ronald Reagan as Deputy United States Trade Representative, playing a major role in developing trade policy for the Reagan Administration and negotiating roughly two dozen bilateral international agreements on a variety of topics from steel to grain....In his new role, Ambassador Lighthizer will work in close coordination with Secretary of Commerce-designate Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro, head of the newly created White House National Trade Council, to develop and implement policies that shrink our trade deficit, expand economic growth, strengthen our manufacturing base and help stop the exodus of jobs from our shores." Lighthizer's Skadden bio http://bit.ly/2hMTZsk
FROM TRUMP TOWER -- @realDonaldTrump: “North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won’t happen!”
-- Bill Bishop (@niubi), who writes the Sinocism China newsletter: “There are no good options for dealing with North Korea. Bush and Obama both failed, in part because there were no good options.”
IMPORTANT STORY -- “Tensions Within GOP Rise Over How to Handle Russia,” by WSJ’s Paul Sonne: “Tensions within the Republican Party over how to handle Russia are becoming increasingly public as the Senate prepares for confirmation hearings on President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state and presses ahead with a review of alleged Russian cyberattacks during the 2016 election. At the heart of the intraparty split over Russia -- which pits GOP lawmakers like Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham against Mr. Trump and his national security adviser designate, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn -- is disagreement over a basic question: How much danger does President Vladimir Putin’s Russia pose to the U.S.?
“The camp led by Mr. McCain believes Mr. Putin presents a grave threat to the U.S. by undermining democratic values, flouting rules of the international order and countering American influence around the world. The Arizona senator has scheduled a Senate hearing Thursday on foreign cyberthreats to the U.S. and urged tougher sanctions on Russia. The opposing faction, represented most prominently by Gen. Flynn, sees Russia as a necessary ally in graver global conflict with Islamist extremism and a potential partner more broadly. This group is joined to some extent by Republicans who advocate cutting deals with Russia when they benefit the U.S. and who de-emphasize a foreign policy that prioritizes the promotion of democracy and human rights.” http://on.wsj.com/2hNaeEc
SCOTUS WATCH -- “Inside Trump’s strategy to remodel the Supreme Court,” by Shane Goldmacher and Josh Gerstein: “Donald Trump has narrowed his short list for his first Supreme Court pick down to roughly a half-dozen finalists but the president-elect and his top advisers are already thinking about a second selection, as they seek to quickly remodel the high court with a reliably conservative bent. Trump’s team wants to make filling the seat held by the late Justice Antonin Scalia one of the earliest acts of his presidency, according to multiple transition officials, in hopes of scoring an energizing and unifying victory for the conservative movement. …
“Two of the most-discussed names are Diane Sykes of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit federal appeals court and William Pryor of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit, in part because Trump himself name-dropped them at a primary debate last February. Both are on the public list of 21 judges that Trump pledged during the campaign that he will select from. Both also have state-level experience: Sykes on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Pryor as Alabama attorney general.” http://politi.co/2iDvD3N ... Gerstein's "closer look" at potential nominees http://politi.co/2hNb0kz
DEM STRATEGERY -- “To Stop Trump, Democrats Can Learn From the Tea Party,” by Ezra Levin, Leah Greenberg and Angel Padilla in the NYT: “The Tea Party’s success was a disaster for President Obama’s agenda and for our country, but that success should give us hope today. It proved the power that local, defensive organizing can have. With this in mind, we coordinated a group of former congressional staffers and advocates to develop ‘Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda.’ ... The guide is informed by a simple principle: Federal policy change in the next four years doesn’t depend on Mr. Trump but on whether our representatives support or oppose him.” http://nyti.ms/2hMSGYy ... www.indivisibleguide.com/
TRUMP INC. -- “AP Exclusive: Golf club shows pitfalls of Trump presidency,” by Jon Gambrell in Dubai: “The decorative clock bearing the name of America’s incoming 45th president has yet to start at the Trump International Golf Club in Dubai, but the developers behind the project already are counting the money they’ve made. The 18-hole course is likely to be the first Trump-connected property to open after his Jan. 20 inauguration as president, joining his organization's projects stretching from Bali to Panama.
“It also encapsulates the host of worries of possible conflicts of interest circulating around a president who is very different from America’s past leaders. While the Oval Office has always been home to the wealthy, Donald Trump represents the first franchise president. Could foreign governments pressure or please Trump through his international businesses? Should projects bearing his name receive additional security? And how close should his ties remain to business executives operating in areas with far different opinions about human rights and justice?” http://apne.ws/2iDy7PK
FOR YOUR RADAR -- “Israeli police question PM over corruption allegations,” by WaPo’s Griff Witte in Jerusalem: “Israeli police investigators questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for three hours Monday night as part of a criminal probe into whether he received bribes from wealthy businessmen. Although no charges have been filed, the questioning at the prime minister’s official residence marked an escalation in a long-running graft investigation. Afterward, the Israeli police released a short statement confirming that they had questioned Netanyahu over the allegations, but they provided no further details.” http://wapo.st/2hNhaRH
COMING ATTRACTIONS – OBAMA FAMILY REUNION -- OFA is hosting a "family reunion" immediately following President Barack Obama's farewell address Jan. 10. The event will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, and the host committee includes long-time Obama staffers and supporters including: Jen O’Malley Dillon, Alyssa Mastromonaco, David Axelrod, Amb. Patrick Gaspard, Robert Gibbs, Julianna Smoot, Dan Pfeiffer, Stephanie Cutter, David Plouffe, Reggie Love, Jon Carson, Jim Messina, Liz Jarvis-Shean, Kal Penn, Jeremy Bird, Ben Labolt, Joe Rospars, Scott Mulhauser, Buffy Wicks, Betsy Hoover, Mitch Stewart, Toby Fallsgraff, Teddy Goff, Ben Finkenbinder. See the invite http://bit.ly/2itvlfl
NYT’s ‘THE OBAMA ERA’ SERIES -- PART 4: “After Obama, Some Health Reforms May Prove Lasting: A transformation of the delivery of health care may be an enduring legacy for the president, even as Republicans plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act,” by Abby Goodnough and Robert Pear in Fishers, Indiana: “Expanding insurance coverage to more than 20 million Americans is among Mr. Obama’s proudest accomplishments, but the changes he has pushed go deeper. They have had an impact on every level of care — from what happens during checkups and surgery to how doctors and hospitals are paid, how their results are measured and how they work together. ...
“Changes in the delivery system already affect far more people than the law’s higher-profile coverage gains. To visit IU Health, the largest health care provider in Indiana, with 15 hospitals and 8,700 doctors, is to see those changes up close. Its leaders have started moving away from fee-for-service medicine, where every procedure, examination and prescription fetches a price. The emphasis now is on preventive care, on taking responsibility for the health of patients not only in the hospital, but also in the community. Social work has become a larger part of the medical mission. Collaboration between doctors is becoming a necessity. … ‘I don’t know who could be against it: higher quality and lower cost,’ said Ryan C. Kitchell, an executive vice president and the chief administrative officer of IU Health. And unlike Mr. Obama’s insurance coverage expansions, these changes are not in jeopardy, said Dennis M. Murphy, IU Health’s president and chief executive.” http://nyti.ms/2itJvxc
FOR BROOKLYN – “Hillary Clinton Is Not Done Making History Yet,” by Minyon Moore in The Daily Beast: “It was heartbreaking to watch Hillary concede—but still empowering to hear her speak with optimism about an American future she will continue to help shape.” http://thebea.st/2iKanXq
BUSINESS BURST – “Luxury Apartment Boom Looks Set to Fizzle in 2017,” by WSJ’s Laura Kusisto: “The slowdown ... is being driven not by a pullback in demand but rather a flood of new apartments. Demand for urban properties jumped after the housing bust as young, high-earning professionals eschewed homeownership and flocked to big cities. Developers responded by focusing most of their efforts on high-end properties. Now, though, the number of upscale apartments coming onto the market appear to be outpacing the number of renters able to move into them.” http://on.wsj.com/2hKy93D
--“The Champions of the 401(k) Lament the Revolution They Started,” by WSJ’s Timothy W. Martin: “Many early backers of the 401(k) now say they have regrets about how their creation turned out despite its emergence as the dominant way most Americans save. Some say it wasn’t designed to be a primary retirement tool and acknowledge they used forecasts that were too optimistic to sell the plan in its early days. Others say the proliferation of 401(k) plans has exposed workers to big drops in the stock market and high fees from Wall Street money managers while making it easier for companies to shed guaranteed retiree payouts.” http://on.wsj.com/2hMANe1
PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION – “After 67 years, the first dry cleaner to open in McLean, Va., just closed its doors,” by WaPo’s John Kelly: “Speaking of blood brought another Burns Brothers customer to mind: Edward Kennedy. [Co-owner Mark Burns] said the late Massachusetts senator was partial to dress shirts made of silk -- a demanding fabric -- the collars of which would often be blotted with blood from shaving cuts. ‘Then there was all the food,’ Mark said. ‘He was kind of a slob, which made him a great customer.’” http://wapo.st/2hMZ0zm
MEDIAWATCH -- “Joe Scarborough against the world,” by CNN’s Dylan Byers: “For generations, he says, journalists from Ben Bradlee to Andrea Mitchell have had friendships and social relationships with the politicians they cover, and many political reporters have drinks, dinners and other off-the-record meetings with politicians and political operatives. The only reason Scarborough has been targeted, he says, is because the politician in this case was Donald Trump.” http://cnnmon.ie/2hKw1c4
--Joe’s WaPo column, “The media’s hypocrisy and hyperventilating in the age of Trump”: “The groupthink that has overtaken national media outlets is embarrassing. There is an intellectual climate so suffocating that even stating that truth, or daring to line up a presidential interview, makes one be seen as a member of a suspect class. Reporters don’t have to like Trump. But they do need to stop hyperventilating long enough to approach the next four years with a balanced perspective and at least start pretending to once again be objective.” http://wapo.st/2hMGTev
-- Starting the new year with a new email address? Tell us where to reach you to continue receiving our content: http://politi.co/2hOOpSN
MEGATRENDS -- “Top Risks 2017: The Geopolitical Recession,” by The Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer and Cliff Kupchan: “This year marks the most volatile political risk environment in the postwar period, at least as important to global markets as the economic recession of 2008. The world’s sole superpower was once the international trump card, imposing order to force compromise and head off conflict. Now it’s a wildcard. Instead of creating policies designed to bolster global stability, President-elect Donald Trump will use US power overwhelmingly to advance US interests, with little concern for the broader impact ... Rivals like Russia and China will test. US-led institutions will lose more of their international clout.” http://politi.co/2iZolDU … The Economist’s “World in 2017” http://bit.ly/2hcNXgu
APPRENTICE 2.0 -- HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: “Arnold Schwarzenegger has finally unveiled his new secretive catchphrase on The New Celebrity Apprentice: ‘You’re terminated. Get to the chopper.’” http://bit.ly/2hKAVG3"
SPOTTED -- Texas Rep. Pete Olson (R) on the 9:30 a.m. flight from Houston Hobby to DCA. “Flight was delayed 2 hours thanks to weather (womp womp),” per our brave Southwest-flying tipster … Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) on the AA PVD to DCA flight last night, seated in main cabin extra … SPOTTED at the Sugar Bowl: Zac Moffatt, Chris Wilson, John Thompson and Ryan Meerstein. Pic http://bit.ly/2j3AvQx
TRANSITIONS - Former Facebook and Change.org comms manager Max Burns is joining the New York office of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights as comms Director. ... HHS alum Heather Purcell is joining Rep.-elect Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) team today from 270 Strategies as press secretary and legislative aide. ... Sean Savett is joining Sen.-elect Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) as her press secretary in DC. ... Brandt Anderson is joining Rep.-elect Jim Banks’ (R-Ind.) team as his legislative director; he previously was with Rep. Jackie Walorski’s office. ...
… Mark Sanford alum James Braid has been named deputy chief of staff for Rep.-elect Ted Budd (R-N.C.) while Heritage alum Alex Vargo will be legislative director. Melissa Brown starts today as Budd’s press secretary; she was previously deputy digital director at FP1 Strategies. http://politi.co/2iJv1a2 ... Pat Pelletier has been named legislative director for Rep.-elect Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.); he previously was LD for Rep. John Kline. http://bit.ly/2iZA1qs
ENGAGED – Matina Stevis, Africa correspondent at the WSJ, got engaged on Sunday to AP and Bloomberg alum Ilya Gridneff. Ilya was born and raised in Sydney and now works as a consultant and researcher in state-building in Somalia. “We met while reporting at a political rally in Nairobi, Kenya, in May 2014. We’ve been living here since, notably with our very charismatic yellow labrador Rupert. [Ilya] proposed just after the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2017, at Funky Gourmet, one of the two Athens two-star Michelin restaurants, going down on one knee as the rest of the customers were cheering in the new year.” Instapic http://bit.ly/2iZz8hl ... The ring http://bit.ly/2hMX6yS
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: WaPo star David Fahrenthold, who celebrated with an early birthday dinner last night with his wife Elizabeth Lewis and his sister-in-law, Annie Lewis, whose birthday was yesterday -- they ate at Rural Society, “across the street from the giant hole in the ground that used to be WaPo HQ” – read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2hKCdRD
BIRTHDAYS: “Chef” Geoff Tracy -- whose Facebook profile says, “I love bacon, my kids, and Norah O’Donnell. I dislike speed cameras and pretentious food” -- is 44 ... Betty Rollin, NBC News alumnus, is 81 ... Marcie Ridgway Kinzel, Sen. Daines’ comms director (hat tips: hubby Will, Sean Spicer and Katie Waldman) ... Rep. Marc Veasey (R-Tex.) is 45 ... David Margolick is 65 ... Noam Levey, health-care reporter for the LA Times/Tribune D.C. bureau ... Jenna Golden, head of political sales at Twitter D.C. and a TNR and NJ alum ... Multiplier Capital’s Thomas Walton-Cale ... L.D. Platt, VP for external affairs comms at UnitedHealth Group ... Neal Zuckerman, partner and managing director for Boston Consulting Group ... Politico's Maggie Chan ... Politico's Matt Woelfel, who celebrated with a sprint in the pouring rain to a morning workout (h/t Meghan Pianta) ... Michele Soresi ... No Labels Vice Chair and Jeb Bush consigliere Al Cardenas (h/t Dennis Craig) ... Chris DeBosier, former Steny Hoyer staffer and current VP of federal affairs for Verizon (h/t Jessica Perez) ...
… Burns Strider, the pride of Grenada, Mississippi, founding partner of Eleison and founder and president of American Values Network, is 51 ... Roger Kay (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Sarah Lenti, founder and CEO of political consulting firm SML Advisory Partners and an NSC, Condi and Mitt alum ... Carolyn Fiddler, national comms. director for the DLCC and an AFT, Atlas Project and Media Matters alum (h/t Jesse Ferguson) ... Igor Volsky, deputy director of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, is 31 ... McKinsey’s Jonathan Spaner ... Grant Gottesman ... Rob Darling ... Michelle Bollman ... Mary Fox ... Shane Montalban ... James Hunter, LD for Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) … Michele Soresi, marketing and comms coordinator for the National Association for Business Economics ... Tim Rieser of Senate Approps. … Dabney Coleman is 84 ... Victoria Principal is 66 ... Mel Gibson is 61 ... NFL QB Eli Manning is 36 (h/ts AP)