Politics
Will Boehner's decision to support Scalise after white supremacist speech backfire?
Washington (CNN) - House Republican leadership is standing by Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 3-ranking House Republican, in the wake of a firestorm of criticism surrounding his 2002 speech to a white supremacist group.
Scalise's position as House majority whip has been thrown into doubt by the revelation, and the congressman had been calling members to gauge the level of support he had from his party, according to a senior House Republican source.
But House Speaker John Boehner, in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, said Scalise has his "full confidence" as whip.
"More than a decade ago, Representative Scalise made an error in judgment, and he was right to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate. Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our Whip, and he will continue to do great and important work for all Americans," he said.
His message came shortly before a similar message of support from House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
The Lame Duck is Loose
The lame duck is loose. Little more than two years before the moment he stands next to his successor at the presidential inauguration of 2017, President Barack Obama is feeling unshackled from the constraints of eyeing the next election cycle after last month's disastrous midterms for Democrats.
Simply put, top White House officials say, the President is on a mission to get stuff done.
From his dramatic decision to open up diplomatic relations with Cuba to his executive actions on immigration, Obama no longer has to worry about the hand-wringing of endangered Senate Democrats concerned with reelection.
"I think it's absolutely true," former White House press secretary and CNN political contributor Jay Carney said. "Having lost (the Senate), it does provide some liberation to him."
7 Things That Will Almost Definitely Happen on Election Night
Happy Election Day, America. Things have changed since the last time everyone went to the polls. Then, Barack Obama was re-elected to a second four-year term. Now, he's been largely benched by his party, spending less time on the campaign trail than his much more popular wife, first lady Michelle Obama, former president Bill Clinton and potential future presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Midterm elections are more local affairs and the issues vary from contest to contest.
But midterms have national consequences, and what happens Tuesday will help determine what President Obama can get done in his final two years in office. It will tee up the coming 2016 presidential contest and give Americans the chance to try on a more powerful GOP as they start to think about who should be the next president.
Check out CNN's Election Day Magic Wall
But first comes Tuesday and here is what's going to happen:
#1 – There will be a surprise - Something we're listing below won't end up happening. This is an election and it isn't over yet. Voters are fickle and polls aren't perfect and predictions are even less so. So tune in to CNN Politics all day and night Tuesday. We will be here and it will be exciting.
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