VIDEO: Speaker Tillis, The Divider

Yesterday, it came to light that Speaker Tillis believes that state and federal governments, driven by Democrats, have effectively paid "de facto reparations" by redistributing "trillions of dollars over the years." This is just the latest in a string of offensive comments and comes on the heels of offering this lovely advice to minimum wage workers in last week's debate: "Get educated, as I did."

The Company You Keep… Allen West Endorses Joni Ernst

You can tell a lot about a person by the people they associate themselves with. For Joni Ernst, her cavalry just got even more extreme. Ernst has already credited the Koch brothers with starting her trajectory, said she was "flattered' to be compared to Sarah Palin, trumpeted Glenn Beck's conspiracy theory, and now she's earned the adoration of Allen West, who just cut this spot endorsing her. In case you're not familiar with Allen West, here are a couple of lovely quotes that highlight his worldview, though this is just the tip of the iceberg:

• "When I see anyone with an Obama bumper sticker, I recognize them as a threat to the gene pool."

• "So I’m here as the modern-day Harriet Tubman to kind of lead people on the Underground Railroad away from that plantation [of the Democratic Party]"

• On Social Security benefits: "So once again we are creating the sense of economic dependence which, to me is a form of modern, 21st-century slavery."

Allen West. Sarah Palin. The Koch Brothers. Glenn Beck. Joni Ernst. #TeamExtreme

Joni Ernst and the Kochs want to dismantle the Clean Water Act

Joni Ernst is preparing for a big debate, but before she takes the stage, let's take a look at who she would really represent in the Senate. According to audio released from the Kochs' secretive donor summit, Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst gushed that the Koch brothers' donor network is to thank for her political "trajectory." Ernst went on to attribute the Kochs' backing to her support for "rolling back... rules and regulations." It's an apt observation from Koch Crony Joni, who has gone so far as to oppose the Clean Water Act, a critical environmental protection that Koch Industries and its subsidiaries have run afoul of no less than 18 times in the Hawkeye State alone. Earlier this year, while campaigning for the Republican party nomination for Iowa's open Senate seat, Ernst said that she considers the Clean Water Act to be "damaging" to business and that she supports replacing it with "voluntary measures." The extreme remark even rankled members of her own party, with Republican operatives citing her opposition to the longstanding, successful environmental protection as proof positive that she had tacked too hard to the far right. Despite the push back it received from some establishment Republicans, Ernst's rant against the Clean Water Act is a perfect example of the type of anti-regulation rhetoric that, as she herself speculated, likely piqued the Kochs' attention.

ICYMI — Thom Tillis’s Advice To Minimum Wage Workers: Get Educated

In last night's North Carolina senate debate, Thom Tillis continued his condescending campaign, talking down not only to Senator Hagan, but to minimum wage workers in North Carolina. Already, Tillis has said that we should consider getting rid of the minimum wage altogether, called it  "a dangerous idea," and argued that workers in the Western North Carolina don't deserve the same pay as workers in Massachusetts. Last night, he went one step further when he offered this advice to minimum wage workers: "Get educated as I did."

Rand Paul on student-teacher ratios: “I think we should go a million to one! Ten million to one!"

The "Rand Paul as 2016 frontrunner" storyline continues to get more and more fun for Democrats. Whether he's getting caught blatantly flip-flopping on a variety of topics (aid to Israel, birth control, civil rights, etc.), or claiming he'll repeal every executive order ever (never a good sign when a presidential candidate has to clarify that they don't support repealing the Emancipation Proclamation), every day brings new excitement to Stand With Rand fever.   And now he's really outdone himself. Yesterday, Rand Paul took the stage at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit to discuss education, and he offered an interesting take on class sizes. Here's a direct quote from Paul on student-to-teacher ratios:  "I think we should go a million to one! Ten million to one!" Maybe it's not terribly surprising -- after all, this is coming from a guy who wanted to abolish the Department of Education before the Tea Party made abolishing the Department of Education cool. But surprising or not, Rand Paul can add 10,000,000-1 student-to-teacher ratios to the long list of positions he'll have trouble selling to the American public.    Godspeed, Senator. We hope you're looking forward to 2016 as much as we are.

VIDEO: So Many Questions Remain For Rick Scott As He Readies For Debate

It's debate time. Perhaps that means that for the first time in his life, Rick Scott will answer a question. In case you haven't noticed, Rick Scott is really good at not answering questions. It pretty much doesn't matter what you ask him -- he's going to spit out his robotic talking points over and over. Whether you want to know why he won't expand Medicaid, who he went to King Ranch with, or why he won't disclose tens of millions in assets, Rick Scott will tell you "it's an exciting time to be in Florida!" Excited as he may be, tomorrow, he'll have to answer questions. Here are just a handful of the many that Floridians are still awaiting answers on:

NEW VIDEO: Fact Check: Scott Brown On Women’s Health

Scott Brown just released a new ad expressing his outrage with Senator Shaheen for highlighting his terrible record on women's health. Unfortunately for Scott Brown, facts are facts. For example:

• Scott Brown is from Massachusetts.
• Scott Brown sits on the Board of Directors at a company that outsources American jobs.
• Scott Brown lavished praise on the Koch brothers for helping him in his 2010 campaign and asked them for more money.

Scott Walker's Sad Attempt at Spin

In 2011, when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asked Walker to confirm that he "oppose[s] abortion even in cases of rape and incest," Walker replied with a resounding "that's correct." Then Walker was asked: "As governor you will push hard for laws to curb abortion, how hard will you work on that issue?" Walker's response: "Well I'm pro-life... I'm pro-life across the board." Followed by a litany of examples of anti-women's health legislation he has supported throughout his career.

Mitch McConnell Joined Kentucky Sports Radio. It Didn't Go Well (AUDIO)

Mitch McConnell has long been ducking Kentucky Sports Radio. They interviewed his opponent in-studio weeks ago, and have since been begging McConnell to offer the same opportunity. But per usual, McConnell was nowhere to be found. Well suddenly, with polls showing McConnell trailing in the political fight of his life, he's eager to have his voice heard. So today, Mitch dialed into the show out of nowhere and told them he wanted to go on the air -- a move of seeming desperation, and one that frustrated host Matt Jones. Mitch came out swinging, and not at his opponent. He came out combative -- for no apparent reason -- toward the Jones and Kentucky Sports Radio, leaving a bad taste in their mouth. If ever there were an indicator that a guy has been in Washington too long, it's that he can't even appear on sports radio without launching immediately into negative attacks. No need to take our word for it -- just listen to this supercut of the station's own analysis:

Research: Tillis Skipped Important Legislative Sessions For Fundraisers

Tillis Skipped House Sessions Where Important Issues Were Discussed To Attend Washington, D.C. Fundraisers For His Senate Campaign

Tillis Missed Monday June 30^th Legislative Session, He Was Spotted In D.C. Airport Flying First Class Back To Raleigh Monday Evening. According to the News & Observer, “Tillis missed Monday’s legislative session, his third day in a row of skipping all or some of the session. Twitter user @gregflynn found him on a flight from Reagan Airport in Washington to Raleigh and posted two photos just before 10 p.m. He flew first class.” [News & Observer, 6/1/14] Tillis Was At Off-Site Business Meetings And A Fundraiser During Two Legislative Sessions. According to the News & Observer, “Friday, Morning Memo questioned where Speaker Thom Tillis was last week when he missed sessionsWednesday and part of Thursday. The answer: Tillis said he was at off-site business meetings and a fundraiser.” [News & Observer, 6/30/14] Tillis Skipped House Session, Including Debates Over Tax Reform And Gun Policy, To Attend Two Campaign Fundraisers In Washington D.C. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, “As the N.C. House debated a sweeping tax bill and a contentious gun resolution Wednesday, Speaker Thom Tillis spent the day raising money in Washington for his U.S. Senate bid. The Cornelius Republican attended at fundraiser at 11 a.m., the same time session started, hosted by two lobbyists at the offices of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, according to an invite. The meet-and-greet invite included information about donations up to the maximum limit of $2,600. Jade West, the association’s top lobbyist and leader of the NAW political action committee, and Kirk Blalock, a lobbyist at Fierce, Isakowitz and Blalock, are the hosts. Later in the day, Tillis is expected to attend another event hosted by the America’s Health Insurance Plans, an industry lobbying group. The 2 p.m. meet-and-greet is at the Capital Hill Club. Kelly Vgoel, the group’s vice president for federal affairs, sent an email pitching the event. ‘Speaker Tillis has received national attention as the NRSC has identified North Carolina as key race in 2014,’ she wrote. ‘He is considered to be a leader in the North Carolina primary and has strong support from North Carolina Republicans.’ A Tillis spokesman declined to comment on the speaker’s schedule and referred questions to the campaign. Tillis didn’t preside over some of the session Tuesday and was absent Wednesday. The speaker is paid a $38,151 annual salary with an additional $17,000 expense allowance as a part-time lawmaker.” [Raleigh News & Observer, 7/17/13]