BuzzChatter Wednesday: Lewinsky speaks
She’s baaaack. Monica, that is.
• “I, myself, deeply regret what happened between me and President Clinton. Let me say it again: I. Myself. Deeply. Regret. What. Happened.” — Monica Lewinsky, now 40, in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair.
Writing for the first time about her affair with the president, Lewinsky again insisted that the affair was consensual, although she also said, “Sure, my boss took advantage of me.”• “He would rather spend his time searching for technical issues than to constructively engage with lawmakers on how to provide tax relief to thousands of Missourians.” — Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, a Republican, on Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s decision to oppose a broad-based tax cut. The General Assembly on Tuesday overrode the governor’s veto of the bill.
“It will also act as an economic driver for the state of Missouri.” — state Sen. Will Kraus, a Lee’s Summit Republican who sponsored the tax-cut bill.
“While its authors may have delayed its impact, Senate Bill 509 remains a very real threat to the principles of fiscal discipline that have helped us maintain our spotless AAA rating for decades.” — Nixon explaining his opposition.
“The service cuts that will be required as a result of SB 509 will devastate Missourians’ quality of life and ability to compete.” — Amy Blouin, executive director, the Missouri Budget Project.
“Today, we showed Missourians why they elected a Republican supermajority to the Missouri Legislature: We pass important, conservative policies.” — House Speaker Tim Jones, a Republican.
• “I ask the secretary to submit his resignation, and I ask President Obama to accept that resignation.” — Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican, calling for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to step down.
Moran and Texas Sen. John Cornyn are unhappy with the VA because of several issues involving the treatment of service members. Moran said the agency lacks accountability.• “By eliminating weekends and shortening the early voting period, the Legislature has shown Missourians that this bill is simply a political strategy to counteract the citizen-driven early voting initiative petition.” — Secretary of State Jason Kander on an early voting measure.
Missouri lacks early voting, and Kander, a Democrat, said he had hopes for a better bill from Republicans who control the General Assembly. No weekend voting? That’s the POINT of early voting — to make voting easier. Kander now says the GOP bill is really a smokescreen aimed at undermining support for an initiative petition effort now underway that would go farther in expanding early voting.This story was originally published May 7, 2014 at 7:00 AM with the headline "BuzzChatter Wednesday: Lewinsky speaks."