Daily Briefing: ‘Josh Bolten’s Josh Bolten’

• Tony Snow will “likely” replace Scott McClellan. [CNN, NYT]
• Bush and Republican lawmakers face blame for high gas prices yet have “few if any” available short-term solutions; president will call today for the strict enforcement of price gouging laws. [WP, W$J]
• Attorney for fired CIA officer denies his client leaked classified information to the Washington Post. [WP]
• Bush presses for bipartisan agreement on immigration, though he is not backing a specific proposal. Bush: “I know this is an emotional debate, and I can understand it’s emotional, but one thing we cannot lose sight of is that we’re talking about human beings, decent human beings.” [WP, NYT, W$J, USAT]
• Many Republican candidates are plotting how to distance themselves from Bush and the war; approval of the president dips to 32% in CNN poll. [NYT, CNN]
• Excessive supplemental provisions to emergency spending bill receive renewed criticisms. [NYT]

• Sen. Arlen Specter secured $200,000 grant for foundation represented by the son of his top aide; senator says he’s changed his ways. [USAT]
• Republicans seek business-friendly tax credits for research and development. [W$J]
• Joel Kaplan, the recently named deputy chief of staff for policy, “has been thrust into a high-profile White House job in which he will play a crucial role in the effort to salvage Mr. Bush’s second-term agenda.” Strategist: “Kaplan is Josh Bolten’s Josh Bolten.” [NYT]
• Negroponte’s attempts at humor “provoke thoughts mostly of nap time.” [WP]
• Clintons attend unveiling of their portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. [WP]

READ MORE: 2006, 2008, CIA, Democrats, Republicans, arlen specter, bill clinton, gas prices, george w. bush, hillary clinton, immigration, joel kaplan, john negroponte, josh bolten, leaking, polls, scott mcclellan, spending, tax cuts, tony snow, washington post

Joel Kaplan: Karl Rove’s Replacement, Recovering Ex-Democrat

Considering that yesterday we posted an old resume of his and analyzed the Google results for his name, you might think that we’re a bit obsessed with Joel D. Kaplan, who’s replacing Karl Rove as deputy White House chief of staff for policy.

But we’re not the only ones these days scrutinizing Joel Kaplan — who, given the high-profile shoes he’s filling, can expect to be placed under the microscope. Last night Jon Stewart had a riff about Kaplan on the Daily Show, discussing Kaplan’s participation in the “Brooks Brothers riot” that contributed to halting the Miami recount in 2000. In today’s Post, Al Kamen chimes in, noting that Sen. Frank Lautenberg is not a Kaplan fan (but that’s not a problem for Kaplan’s promotion, since his new gig doesn’t require Senate confirmation).

The most interesting info about Kaplan is that he used to be a Democrat, in his college days. Back in 1990, he was elected as an alternate delegate to the Massachusetts State Democratic Convention. Who’d have thunk that a Brooks Brothers rioter and successor to Karl Rove was a Democrat in his youth? A college classmate of Kaplan has this to say:

I vaguely remember that he was an active Democrat, albeit a somewhat conservative one. He was a total politico: he represented Eliot House in the Undergraduate Council, and IIRC, he agitated for bringing ROTC back onto campus. I’ll bet my last dollar he voted against Bush 41 in ‘88.

And there’s much more to say about the White House’s new policy guru. After the jump, an extremely detailed, “Single White Male”-style email from a law school classmate of Kaplan’s, who has some highly specific recollections.

Here’s the email:

From: [redacted]
To: tips@wonkette.com
Date: Apr 20, 2006 11:36 PM
Subject: Joel Kaplan’s Law School Days

For what it’s worth, I went to law school (HLS 1998) with Joel Kaplan. First-year law students are divided into “sections” which share most of their classes; Joel and I were in the same section of about 150 people. Joel won the “Sears Prize,” which means he was one of two people in the whole first-year class with the highest grades. Ask any HLS person and they’ll tell you that the Sears Prize winners are freaks of nature, never seen outside their rooms and without any social skills. That was certainly not true of Joel. He was an outgoing, friendly guy whom pretty much everyone liked. He was a regular attendee at the first-year tradition of Thursday night “Bar Review” (get it? hardee har har) and an all-around good guy.

Fun Joel Kaplan Law School facts:
* Watched “NYPD Blue” even when it wasn’t cool any more
* Liked Egg Bagels with Lox Spread and Raw Onion
* Favorite movie: The Godfather
* Lived in the basement of student housing during his second and third years
* Parodied as “Joel Captain” in the school show his third year

Here’s my favorite Joel Kaplan story: a bunch of law-school people were at a party in some dude’s apartment, drinking crappy keg beer out of plastic cups. One of the women there was, um, vertically challenged. Joel (who, like all of us, was a little buzzed) bumped into her by accident, spilled a little beer on her, and said, “I’m sorry, little one.” He meant it funny but she got pissed. Another dude said: Joel, to atone for that comment, you have to pour a beer over your head. And he did.

In all seriousness, though, most of the time Joel was an extremely substantive guy, deeply interested in good (if conservative) policy. The Bush White House is (in my view rightly) criticized for having no domestic policy vision. If they’re as craven as I think they are, either Joel will have to change a lot, or there will be some shakin’ goin’ on in the years ahead. I guess we’ll see.

P.S. Rachel Brand was also in our section. I keep meaning to check those White House financial-disclosure thingies to see who’s getting paid more.

********************
Seven Elected State Delegates [The Harvard Crimson]
In the Loop: Walking the Talk [WP]

Earlier: We Don’t Have Joel Kaplan’s Friendster Profile, But Here’s A Really Old Resume
Joel Kaplan: Google Is Unimpressed

READ MORE: White House, al kamen, ex-democrats, frank lautenberg, joel kaplan, jon stewart, karl rove, rachel brand

Joel Kaplan: Google Is Unimpressed

Please note, as reflected in the purple-versus-blue colors for the hyperlinks, that we have not visited the sites for “LoveHoney UK Sex Toys” and “Dr Joel Kaplan (The Original) Penis Pump.”

Joel Kaplan search results [Google]

Earlier: We Don’t Have Joel Kaplan’s Friendster Profile, But Here’s A Really Old Resume

READ MORE: White House, funny screen caps, google, joel kaplan, penis jokes, penis pumps, screengrabs, sex, sex toys

We Don’t Have Joel Kaplan’s Friendster Profile, But Here’s A Really Old Resume

Sometimes it pays to be a pack rat. A reader just sent this our way:

This is a very random thing to possess, but I happen to have a copy of the resume of Joel Kaplan, Karl Rove’s replacement as deputy chief of staff for policy. I think it’s from fall 1995 or spring 1996. When he was a law student at Harvard, Joel applied to be a resident tutor in my dorm. He didn’t get the job — probably the first and last time this overachiever didn’t get something that he applied for.

Anyway, here it is (attached). It’s not terribly interesting in and of itself; it’s a pretty typical resume for a high-powered law student, which is what Joel was back then. But I’m totally holding on to it. If Joel becomes president or a Supreme Court justice someday, I can sell it on eBay to feed myself in my old age, after Social Security goes belly up.

Check out the goods, after the jump.

We agree with our reader’s assessment; Joel’s resume isn’t particularly exciting. Aside from his time in the Marines (1992-95), it looks a lot like the resume of a standard HLS student: research assistant job, summer internship on the Hill, and interests that include squash, politics, and the Red Sox.

But other evidence shows that Joel’s a fun guy, with a sense of humor. It should serve him well in the often tense environment of the White House.

Joel, we wish you the best of luck in filling Karl’s shoes. Just try not to get indicted!

Karl’s Out, Joel’s In And He’s a Jokester [Muckraked]
Joel Kaplan Hosts Ask the White House [White House]
Joel D. Kaplan Bio [White House]
Rove Gives Up Policy Post in Shake-Up [WP]

Update: Joel Kaplan: Google Is Unimpressed

READ MORE: White House, joel kaplan, karl rove, resumes