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The NRA fights back -- with mixed success so far… How the Newtown tragedy changed politics (at least inside one party)… Will the Arkansas pipeline spill affect the Keystone decision?... Mark Sanford on the comeback trail… Will the DCCC get involved if he wins today’s GOP run-off?... Polls close at 7:00 pm ET… And the second round of SENATE MADNESS continues!!!

Michelle Mcloughlin / Reuters

Residents protest outside the National Shooting Sports Foundation in Newtown, Conn., March 28, 2013 after receiving robocalls from the NRA, trying to enlist them in efforts to defeat new statewide gun control proposals.

*** The NRA fights back – with mixed success: At 11:00 am ET, the National Rifle Association will unveil its details to arm school guards across the country. This comes as the NRA -- after the Newtown school shooting tragedy --- has decided to fight all the gun-control legislation as aggressively as possible, despite early indications that it might look the other way on the trafficking or background-check bills. And while it has enjoyed plenty of success so far at the federal level (the assault-weapons ban has no chance for passage, and even universal background checks appear to be on the ropes), the state level has been a different story. First, Colorado recently passed gun-control laws that places limits on ammunition clips and institutes a universal background check, and President Obama will travel to the state this Wednesday to highlight those new laws. And now Connecticut is on the cusp on passing gun-control measures. The Hartford Courant: “Easy passage of the legislative response to the Dec. 14 [Newtown] killings is expected in House and Senate votes scheduled for Wednesday, leaders of both the Democratic majority and Republican minority said after completing weeks of negotiations on the bill.” The measures include strengthening the state’s existing ban on semi-automatic weapons, restricting high-capacity magazines, and requiring background checks for all gun purchasers.

*** How Newtown did change politics (inside one party): While both Colorado and Connecticut are states that have recently witnessed high-profile gun tragedies, they have this other similarity: They’re controlled by Democratic governors and Democratic state legislatures. Some observers have noted that the Newtown shootings -- and the NRA’s response to them (like invoking the president’s daughters in a video) -- haven’t changed the politics of guns. But that’s not true where Democrats have control of the government. As the NRA seems headed toward victory this on the federal level, the question becomes: Has it permanently damaged its reputation with Democrats? After all, what made the NRA powerful was its bipartisan reach. If that disappears, will the organization have problems the next time there’s a Democratic House speaker and a supermajority in the Senate?

*** Will the Arkansas pipeline spill affect the Keystone decision? We’re most likely just a few weeks from the Obama administration’s final decision on whether to give the Keystone XL pipeline a thumbs up or a thumbs down. And if you were placing bets on which direction the White House will go, most would say the smart money would be on Obama reluctantly approving the pipeline. But don’t underestimate the impact that this story might have on the approval process. “Exxon Mobil Corp continued efforts on Monday to clean up thousands of barrels of heavy Canadian crude oil spilled from a near 65-year-old pipeline in Arkansas, as a debate raged about the safety of transporting rising volumes of the fuel into the United States,” Reuters reports. Don’t forget: Just as the Obama administration opened up drilling along the Gulf Coast, the BP spill occurred. And as it was on the cusp of expanding nuclear energy, Japan happened. These events can have an impact. Timing is everything.

*** Sanford on the comeback trail: Following American politics can be fascinating. The latest example:  Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s political comeback. One minute, he’s the conservative darling standing up to the Obama administration and a possible 2012 presidential candidate. The next, he’s embarrassed and out of office after having an affair with an Argentine mistress when he’s supposed to be hiking the Appalachian Trail. Then he launches a political comeback by running for his old congressional seat, and the Conventional Wisdom maintains that he can’t break 50% in a run-off. But with the special congressional Republican run-off taking place today, the C.W. has turned due to a variety of reasons -- and Sanford appears poised to win the GOP nomination. And now the latest twist: The Democratic nominee for the May 7 general election, who just happens to be comedian Stephen Colbert’s sister, has released a poll showing her leading both Sanford and his run-off opponent, Curtis Bostic, in this conservative-leaning district. You can’t make this up.

*** Does the DCCC get involved? If Sanford wins today’s run-off in South Carolina -- the polls close at 7:00 pm ET -- the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee faces this question: Does it spend money (say $500,000) to help put Elizabeth Colbert Busch over the top? The DCCC tells us it’s evaluating the race. Make no mistake, Colbert Busch has this opportunity because of Sanford’s personal issues. And if she wins on May 7, it’s very likely she’ll have a difficult time holding onto the seat come Nov. 2014. So Democrats face this choice: Do they spend money to help win a temporary P.R. victory, knowing full well that it probably can’t hold onto the seat a year from now? Or do they sit back and consider the race a win-win, regardless of what happens next month? Colbert Busch needs the financial help, and that’s probably why her campaign released the poll yesterday -- to force the DCCC’s hand. Speaking of financial help, Stephen Colbert is hosting a fundraiser in DC for his sister on April 15.

*** Senate Madness -- yesterday’s results: In the 19^th Century bracket, Daniel Webster easily beat William Seward, Sam Houston edged Stephen Douglas, Charles Sumner blew out James Buchanan, and John C. Calhoun defeated Thomas Hart Benton. In the Mixed Era, Henry Clay beat Sam Ervin, Robert La Follette defeated George Norris, #14 seed Scoop Jackson upset #6 seed William Borah, and Henry Cabot Lodge prevailed over Arthur Vandenberg.

*** Senate Madness -- the 2^nd round continues: Today, the second-round contests take place in the 20^th Century bracket: LBJ vs. Robert Wagner, Richard Russell vs. John Sherman Cooper, Mike Mansfield vs. John Stennis, and Everett Dirsken vs. William Fulbright…. And they also take place in the Modern Era: Ted Kennedy vs. Robert Byrd, Hubert Humphrey vs. Ed Brooke, Jesse Helms vs. Joe Biden, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan vs. Bob Dole.

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*** Tuesday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up: Former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R-MD) on the Capitol culture clash over guns, same-sex marriage and more… MSNBC’s new “Up” host Steve Kornacki takes a Deep Dive into whether New Jersey Democrats are trying their hardest to beat Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) in one of the bluest states in the country… Plus more on Sanford with The Hill’s A.B. Stoddard, Democratic strategist Doug Thornell and National Review’s Robert Costa in the Gaggle.

*** Tuesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews USA Today’s Susan Page and the Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe on gun debate, Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL) on immigration reform, South Carolina GOP Chairman Chad Connelly and South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian on Mark Sanford-Curtis Bostic runoff election today.  and Kelly Wallace and Dr. Sudeepta Varma on a new study on best and worst places in the country for women’s health

*** Tuesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Republican strategist Chip Saltsman, the Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson, Democratic strategist Margie Omero, former SC GOP Chair Katon Dawson, NARAL’s Ilyse Hogue, Randi Weingarten from The American Federation of Teachers, and Seth Bringman from Ready for Hillary PAC.

*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, former Romney campaign chief strategist Stuart Stevens, Ambassador-at Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer, Autism Speaks Founders Bob and Suzanne Wright, The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Politico’s Mike Allen.

*** Tuesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Stop Handgun Violence Director John Rosenthal, the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart, Republican strategist and former Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Kevin Riley and the Dallas Morning’s News’ Tanya Eiserer.

“President Obama on Tuesday will announce a broad new research initiative, starting with $100 million in 2014, to invent and refine new technologies to understand the human brain, senior administration officials said Monday,” the New York Times says. “A senior administration scientist compared the new initiative to the Human Genome Project, in that it is directed at a problem that has seemed insoluble up to now: the recording and mapping of brain circuits in action in an effort to ‘show how millions of brain cells interact.’”

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may have backed off of an assault weapons ban, but a video released Monday morning shows that the Nevada Democrat hopes to pressure Republicans into supporting a background check bill in the coming weeks,” Roll Call reports. “The video, released on Senate Democrats’ YouTube channel, is titled, ‘Did Republicans Mean What They Said on Background Checks?’”

The major Menendez donor Salomon Melgen maintains that though he and Bob Menendez are like “brothers,” “I don’t have any business interests at all that have been helped by any politicians,” Bloomberg writes.

“Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said Monday he does not plan to filibuster any compromise agreement on immigration reform that emerges from the Senate's bipartisan Gang of Eight negotiators, despite continued concerns a ‘pathway to citizenship’ would be included in the deal,” The Hill writes of Inhofe’s appearance on CNN.

AP: “The city council in a small north Georgia town voted Monday night to make gun ownership mandatory - sort of. Council members in Nelson, a city of about 1,300 residents that’s located 50 miles north of Atlanta, voted unanimously to approve the Family Protection Ordinance. The measure requires every head of household to own a gun and ammunition to ‘provide for the emergency management of the city’ and to ‘provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants.’ Not that every household must go out and purchase a firearm.”

The State’s Adam Beam: “U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will be the keynote speaker at the South Carolina Republican Party’s Silver Elephant Celebration on May 3, according to a source close to the state party. Cruz, a Republican from Texas, is widely considered to be a presidential candidate in 2016. His speech in South Carolina -- which holds the crucial first in the South presidential primaries -- will only intensify that speculation.”

The Dallas Primary: “Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) will speak at a luncheon hosted by the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth on April 24, the Council announced Monday. Bush's speech coincides with a speech former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to give at the National Multi Housing Council at the Four Seasons Resort and Club, also in Dallas, on April 24. Both Bush and Clinton have been mentioned as possible presidential candidates in 2016,” The Hill writes.

The next day, April 25, is the dedication of the Bush Presidential Library.

Stu Rothenberg: “If the question is whether there is any evidence right now that Democrats can retake the House next year (especially considering historical trends and the number of swing districts), the answer has to be no. This conclusion is based on the evidence now, and if the evidence changes, so could my conclusion. Perhaps the best answer to the question, from my point of view, is one that some will find unsatisfactory: I don’t know. Ask me again in a year, and then a few months after that, and then again in October 2014.”

Former GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman co-authors a Harvard Institute of Politics blog post on the U.S.-China relationship. “The Chinese warily see our announced pivot to Asia as purely military in nature, and an attempt to encircle China and contain its inevitable rise. We likewise view China’s assertiveness in the East and South China Seas as a kind of belligerence, born from China’s new economic clout and perhaps a perception from Beijing that the U.S. is now financially weakened and military drained.”

More: “None of this means that conflict is inevitable or even likely. The U.S. and China are likely to remain competitors but not necessarily antagonists.  But it does require careful and sustained management of this complex relationship.  That means, among other things, identifying strategic areas where we our two countries can cooperate, while recognizing frankly and openly the areas where we will continue to differ.”

MINNESOTA: Peter “Waldron, 65, is now the man behind a pair of inquiries by the Federal Election Commission and the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, raising allegations of campaign finance violations that have given the four-term congresswoman more bad publicity than anything lobbed her way by the political left,” the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes. “Close Bachmann associates write Waldron off as a loose cannon and disgruntled employee. But for Waldron, a former radio evangelist, his actions are consistent with his decades-long mission to spread the word of God and follow his Christian precepts. It’s a quest that has taken him to hot spots around the globe and left even his best friends and family often wondering what he’s up to. If his 2006 arrest in Uganda on weapons charges sounds like it could have been a movie, it nearly was. A movie trailer for a planned film on the 37-day episode poses the same questions that have dogged Waldron for the past seven years: ‘Was he a spy? Was he a missionary? A businessman? A mercenary? A bounty hunter? Who was Peter Waldron? What did he know that risked the lives of his own family and friends?’”

NEW YORK: “The FBI busted Democratic state Sen. Malcolm Smith of Queens Tuesday and was set to haul in City Councilman Dan Halloran on charges they conspired to rig the 2013 mayoral election by buying Smith a spot on the Republican ballot, sources said,” the New York Daily News reports. “Agents were also rounding up four others, including two GOP party leaders who were to receive bribes in exchange for backing Smith when he switched sides last year in a never-realized run for City Hall.”

SOUTH CAROLINA: Mark Sanford’s the favorite in today’s special election primary runoff between him and Curtis Bostic, a former Charleston County councilman. Roll Call: “For a candidate known for one of the past decade’s most colossal political mistakes, former Gov. Mark Sanford has run a nearly flawless campaign for the 1st District. As a result, Sanford is on track to win the Republican runoff and maintains a solid position in the special election for the coastal, GOP-leaning district.”

Sanford and Curtis Bostic debated one last time last night on Hilton Head Island. Bostic: “I am the ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.’ I’m the amateur, like those people who founded this nation of ours. I am not looking for a career. I am not looking for somewhere to go. I want to serve you.”

Sanford: “If I was to be dubbed a career politician, I must have had a death wish.”

By the way, The State also notes that Sanford made about $300,000 last year -- $200,000 from FOX News and corporate boards, plus income property and rent.

Comedian Stephen Colbert’s hosting a fundraiser in DC for his sister Elizabeth Colbert Busch April 15.

The Hill thinks she has a chance.

Colbert Busch, by the way, deleted hundreds of tweets from her Twitter account. “The campaign portrayed the move, which was caught by the Sunlight Foundation, as an attempt to make it easier for supporters to follow her event schedule,” The Hill writes. Many of the tweets deleted were retweets from other sources. But a few removed retweets of jokes making fun of the Republican Party — she needs to win over independents and some Republicans to win — as well as one saying she is ‘both pro-choice and in favor of marriage equality,’ positions that could be tricky in the Republican-leaning district.”

Polls are open today from 7:00 am ET to 7:00 pm ET. Look for results here.

WEST VIRGINIA: “The National Republican Congressional Committee will begin airing advertisements Wednesday targeting Democratic Rep. Nick J. Rahall II,” Roll Call writes. “The small buy is intended to show that the committee is readying to take on Rahall’s district — regardless of whether he seeks re-election in 2014. Rahall is considering a bid for retiring Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s seat. The NRCC will spend $12,000 to air the spot from April 3 to 9.”

But like last cycle, the ad is seemingly more to do with Obama than Rahall.

TEXAS: Rick Perry still doesn’t like the Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare. And neither does Ted Cruz or John Cornyn, who held a press conference about it yesterday. But Texas is last in the country in covering the uninsured, a large number of them Hispanics. Despite that, Ted Cruz had this to say to protestors: “Our friends who are saying they want health care do not realize that expanding Medicaid will worsen health care options for the most vulnerable among us in Texas.”

Wait, it would be honest to say that expanding Medicaid, to make more people eligible for health care the state would have to pay for, would likely cost the state more money and impact the budget. But to say it would “worsen health-care options for the most vulnerable” when they have few other options, if any, is something else.

The Dallas Morning News: “Under President Barack Obama’s signature health law, Medicaid would be expanded to cover working age adults who earn about $15,400 or less each year, which is 138 percent of the federal poverty line for a single person. Current income limits in Texas depend on several factors, but can be as low as about $1,340 a year.”

20^th Century Era

The winner of the following two contests will face off in the regional final for a chance to go to the Final Four.

1. Lyndon B. Johnson vs. 12. Richard Russell

1. Lyndon Johnson, D - Texas, 1908-73
Lyndon Johnson was dubbed the “Master of the Senate” by author Robert Caro, and he drew the blueprint for what we think of as the modern majority leader. LBJ understood the rules and what made senators tick. Ironically, his greatest accomplishments – passing the Great Society measures and the Civil Rights Act – came when he was president, earning him the nickname "Super Majority Leader." As a young majority leader, Johnson helped usher through President Eisenhower’s civil rights bill that only passed by weakening key enforcement provisions to pacify Southern Democrats.

12. Richard Russell, D-Ga., 1897-1971: He served in the U.S. Senate for nearly 40 years, becoming the dean of southern conservative Democrats during the 1950s and 1960s. Russell chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee during the Korean and Vietnam wars, and he staunchly opposed the civil-rights legislation of that era. Due to his legislative acumen and skill, one of the Senate office buildings is named after him. 

2. Everett Dirksen vs. 11. Mike Mansfield

2. Everett Dirksen (20^th), R-Illinois, 1896-1969: When you have a building named after you, you did something. The 37-year member of Congress believed in governance, in compromise, and was a pivotal figure in getting the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts passed. He voted as minority leader for cloture to end the filibuster of the Civil Rights Act. He held the position as Republican leader until the day he died. Dirksen’s also responsible for the modern-day televised response to the president’s State of the Union. (By the way, Dirksen is also 10-seed Howard Baker’s father-in-law.)

11. Mike Mansfield, D-Mont., 1903-2001: Succeeding Lyndon Johnson as Senate majority leader after LBJ was elected vice president, Mansfield helped deliver many of the Great Society’s legislative accomplishments -- like Medicare and Medicaid. He also played a key role in breaking the filibuster against the civil-rights legislation.

Modern Era

The winner of the following two contests will face off in the regional final for a chance to go to the Final Four.

1. Ted Kennedy vs. 5. Hubert Humphrey

1. Ted Kennedy, D - Massachusetts, 1932-2009
Regarded as the last lion to serve in the Senate, Ted Kennedy worked across the aisle to achieve major legislative accomplishments -- on health care, education, civil rights, and raising the minimum wage. He also was instrumental in Barack Obama’s presidential quest, delivering him key support in the middle of the heated 2008 campaign between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton.

5. Hubert Humphrey, D- Minn., 1911-78: A strong debater, parliamentarian, and liberal, the "Happy Warrior” Humphrey merged Minnesota's Democratic and Farmer-Labor parties, and he fought for civil rights, farmers, and small businesses.  His biggest legislative achievements were helping get through the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As vice president to LBJ, he helped to pass the Voting Rights Act and Medicare. 

11. Joe Biden vs. 2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan

11. Joe Biden, D-Del., 1942-present: Biden is currently vice president, but before that, he was a well-known fixture in the U.S. Senate for 36 years. First elected at the age of 29, Biden authored the 1994 crime bill, as well as the Violence Against Women Act (which Congress just reauthorized). Biden, who ran for president twice unsuccessfully, also served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Foreign Relations Committee.

2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Modern), D-New York, 1927-2003: He was known for his intellect (he wrote 19 books), his forward thinking (he foresaw the Soviet decline), connections to history, and his ideas to come up with solutions to big problems -- from auto safety to cities to racism. He could work across the aisle and had a hand in the 1980s Social Security fix as well as working with Bob Dole on a health-insurance fix (not what the White House wanted) in the 1990s that never came to fruition. He also was one of the only Democrats to speak out against late-term abortion, calling it "infanticide." The New York Times called him an “often brilliant synthesizer whose works compelled furious debate and further research.”

1. LBJ vs. 9. Robert Wagner

1. Lyndon Johnson, D - Texas, 1908-73
Lyndon Johnson was dubbed the “Master of the Senate” by author Robert Caro, and he drew the blueprint for what we think of as the modern majority leader. LBJ understood the rules and what made senators tick. Ironically, his greatest accomplishments – passing the Great Society measures and the Civil Rights Act – came when he was president, earning him the nickname "Super Majority Leader." As a young majority leader, Johnson helped usher through President Eisenhower’s civil rights bill that only passed by weakening key enforcement provisions to pacify Southern Democrats.

9.Robert F. Wagner, D - New York, 1877-1953
Robert F. Wagner, the Depression-era, German-born New Yorker and Banking committee chairman, is responsible for some of the most sweeping social and economic legislation in history, such as Social Security and the National Labor Relations Act. He also introduced legislation urging the creation of Israel in 1945 (Taft-Wagner). After leaving the Senate, he devoted himself even more to that cause. He was on the cover of Time in 1934 and his portrait hangs in the Senate Reception Room, along with Arthur Vandenberg, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and Robert A. Taft, Sr.

12. Richard Russell vs. 13. John Sherman Cooper

12. Richard Russell, D-Ga., 1897-1971: He served in the U.S. Senate for nearly 40 years, becoming the dean of southern conservative Democrats during the 1950s and 1960s. Russell chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee during the Korean and Vietnam wars, and he staunchly opposed the civil-rights legislation of that era. Due to his legislative acumen and skill, one of the Senate office buildings is named after him. 

13. John Sherman Cooper, R-Ky., 1901-1991: Cooper was a notable post-World War II senator, who backed the early civil-rights legislation, supported Joseph McCarthy’s censure, and later opposed the Vietnam War. He also was the first U.S. ambassador to East Germany. 

11. Mike Mansfield vs. 14. John Stennis

11. Mike Mansfield, D-Mont., 1903-2001: Succeeding Lyndon Johnson as Senate majority leader after LBJ was elected vice president, Mansfield helped deliver many of the Great Society’s legislative accomplishments -- like Medicare and Medicaid. He also played a key role in breaking the filibuster against the civil-rights legislation.

14. John Stennis, D-Miss., 1901-95: Nicknamed the “Father of America’s Modern Navy” (he has an aircraft carrier named after him) and his era’s “Conscience of the Senate” (he wrote the first ethics code), Stennis served in the Senate for 41 years, the fourth-longest tenure in history. No senator had greater influence over military matters in the 1960s and 70s than Stennis  did, and he was put in charge of touchy political investigations – ranging from charges against Joseph McCarthy to the Pentagon not allowing rank-and-file to speak out against communism. In a political world in which winning is everything, Stennis told a roundtable of political advisers working on his last campaign in 1982, which he won: "There is one thing you really need to understand before we go any further. We don't have to win." He was the first Democrat to publicly oppose Joseph McCarthy, but being from Mississippi, he opposed integration -- though in his later years, he backed civil-rights measures. He also was a believer in supporting a president, regardless of party, on foreign policy and military matters, even if he disagreed.

2. Everett Dirsken vs. 10. William Fulbright

2. Everett Dirksen (20^th), R-Illinois, 1896-1969: When you have a building named after you, you did something. The 37-year member of Congress believed in governance, in compromise, and was a pivotal figure in getting the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts passed. He voted as minority leader for cloture to end the filibuster of the Civil Rights Act. He held the position as Republican leader until the day he died. Dirksen’s also responsible for the modern-day televised response to the president’s State of the Union. (By the way, Dirksen is also 10-seed Howard Baker’s father-in-law.)

10. William J. Fulbright (20^th), D-Arkansas, 1905-95: The longest-serving chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Fulbright played a key role in turning the tide of public opinion against the Vietnam War. Though he supported the initial action, he held televised hearings on the country’s escalation of the war and unchecked presidential power. Fulbright became close to Lyndon Johnson, who helped engineer his ascendance to head of Foreign Relations. Johnson lobbied Kennedy to make Fulbright his secretary of state, but -- because of Fulbright’s complicated Southern politics being from Arkansas and signing onto the Southern Manifesto opposing the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Ed decision – Kennedy refused, labeling him a segregationist. Ironically, had Johnson’s lobbying of Kennedy won out, those Vietnam hearings, which fueled the anti-war movement may have never happened. Fulbright was also the only senator to vote against funding Joseph McCarthy’s subcommittee on investigations. His namesake legacy, of course, is the Fulbright Scholarship, established in 1946, which has become a highly competitive exchange program of American and international scholars to foster deeper understanding between countries. He supported a national center for the arts and his legislation led to the creation of the Kennedy Center.

1. Ted Kennedy vs. 8. Robert Byrd

1. Ted Kennedy, D - Massachusetts, 1932-2009
Regarded as the last lion to serve in the Senate, Ted Kennedy worked across the aisle to achieve major legislative accomplishments -- on health care, education, civil rights, and raising the minimum wage. He also was instrumental in Barack Obama’s presidential quest, delivering him key support in the middle of the heated 2008 campaign between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton.

8. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., 1917-2010
Robert Byrd grew up poor in the Appalachian coalfields of West Virginia to become the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate (51 years, from 1959-2010). A defender of the Senate and legislative branch, Byrd was majority leader, minority leader, president pro tempore, and Appropriations chairman, helping to dole out federal dollars to West Virginia. In his early years, he belonged to the Ku Klux Klan and filibustered the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But later in his career, he was an ardent supporter of President Barack Obama, the nation's first African-American president. Byrd died in office at the age of 92.

5. Hubert Humphrey vs. 13. Ed Brooke

5. Hubert Humphrey, D- Minn., 1911-78: A strong debater, parliamentarian, and liberal, the "Happy Warrior” Humphrey merged Minnesota's Democratic and Farmer-Labor parties, and he fought for civil rights, farmers, and small businesses.  His biggest legislative achievements were helping get through the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As vice president to LBJ, he helped to pass the Voting Rights Act and Medicare. 

13. Ed Brooke, R-Mass., 1919-current: Brooke was the first and longest-serving (1967-1979) African American elected to the Senate by popular vote. Elected just three years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, Brooke was an advocate for civil rights, racial equality in the South, affordable housing, increasing the minimum wage, commuter rail and mass transit. The Washington, D.C., native and Howard University grad is a World War II vet and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, as well as the Congressional Gold Medal in 2008. There have been just eight black senators in U.S. history and just two before Brooke – 86 years earlier.

3. Jesse Helms vs. 11. Joe Biden

3. Jesse Helms, R- N.C., 1921-2003: Helms was the combative conservative senator who served in the Senate for 30 years. Legislatively, he was best known for sponsoring measures tightening trade with Cuba and for preventing U.S. funds for being sent to international family planning organizations that provide abortions. “I didn’t come to Washington to be a ‘yes man’ for any president, Democrat or Republican,” Helms said, per the New York Times. “I didn’t come to Washington to get along and win any popularity contests.”

11. Joe Biden, D-Del., 1942-present: Biden is currently vice president, but before that, he was a well-known fixture in the U.S. Senate for 36 years. First elected at the age of 29, Biden authored the 1994 crime bill, as well as the Violence Against Women Act (which Congress just reauthorized). Biden, who ran for president twice unsuccessfully, also served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Foreign Relations Committee.

2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan vs. 10. Bob Dole

2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Modern), D-New York, 1927-2003: He was known for his intellect (he wrote 19 books), his forward thinking (he foresaw the Soviet decline), connections to history, and his ideas to come up with solutions to big problems -- from auto safety to cities to racism. He could work across the aisle and had a hand in the 1980s Social Security fix as well as working with Bob Dole on a health-insurance fix (not what the White House wanted) in the 1990s that never came to fruition. He also was one of the only Democrats to speak out against late-term abortion, calling it "infanticide." The New York Times called him an “often brilliant synthesizer whose works compelled furious debate and further research.”

10. Bob Dole (Modern), R-Kansas, 1923-current: The conservative Kansan war veteran is the self-proclaimed “Master of Political Compromise.” Dole served 27 years in the Senate and was longest-serving top Republican in the chamber (from 1985 until 1995 when he ran for president). The Medal of Freedom honoree believed in bipartisanship, governance, civility, and keeping his word. He also fought for social welfare items like food stamps (he lived through the Depression) and benefits for the disabled (he lost full use of his arm in WWII; he was also pivotal in the creation of the WWII Memorial), as well as civil rights.  things the GOP of today sees as anathema. Many of those are things that are anathemas to today’s GOP (see: the fact that his presence – in a wheelchair -- wasn’t enough to get the disabilities treaty passed.)

Brace yourselves for April’s shower of activity on Capitol Hill… Waiting on Marco Rubio on immigration reform… Two paths for Obama’s upcoming budget… Will SCOTUS gay-marriage cases unleash chaos?...  Boehner, RNC blast Young, forcing him to apologize for slur… But as the GOP tries to improve its standing with Latinos, is it the tone or the policy?... SC-1 GOP run-off takes place tomorrow… And our second round of SENATE MADNESS begins!!!

*** April’s shower of activity on Capitol Hill: This month is shaping up to be a busy -- and consequential -- month in Washington. When Congress returns from its Easter/Passover break next week, the Senate is expected to consider the Democrat-backed gun legislation that a handful of GOP senators have threatened to filibuster (and that’s still missing Republican support). Also around the same time, the eight bipartisan senators working on immigration reform are on track to announce an agreement on the bill they’re drafting.  “I am very, very optimistic that we will have an agreement among the eight of us next week,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on “Meet the Press” yesterday. Added Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ): “We've still got a ways to go in terms of looking at the language and making sure that it's everything we thought it would be. But we're closer, certainly.” And on April 10, President Obama is scheduled to finally send his budget to Congress. Yet of these three different moving parts, the one we bet we’re still talking about come May and the summer is immigration reform. How April goes could very well determine if Obama signs that reform into law in the next few months.

*** Waiting on Marco Rubio: And that brings us to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), another member of the bipartisan group of senators working on immigration reform. As Schumer and Flake expressed optimism about its prospects, especially after organized labor and the Chamber of Commerce reached an important agreement on guest workers as part of the package, Rubio tapped the brakes. “I’m encouraged by reports of an agreement between business groups and unions on the issue of guest workers. However, reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature,” he said in a statement issued yesterday. “We will need a healthy public debate that includes committee hearings and the opportunity for other senators to improve our legislation with their own amendments... In order to succeed, this process cannot be rushed or done in secret.” It’s a legitimate question to ask: What is Rubio up to here? If his role is to sell the legislation to conservatives, he can’t afford to be seen as rushing it through, so his tapping of the brakes is smart. On the other hand, if you’re an immigration-reform advocate, you have to be a bit concerned about the totality of the statements coming from him and office. (Remember, Rubio is a recent convert on comprehensive immigration reform.) Make no mistake: Rubio is the difference between the Senate bill getting 60 votes or 75 votes. And if it gets 75 votes, it has a MUCH better chance of clearing the House with a path to citizenship.

*** Two paths for Obama’s upcoming budget: As Obama is set to unveil his budget next week, it raises these two questions: Will it simply reaffirm what Senate Democrats recently passed? Or will it lay out a potential path to compromise with House Republicans? After all, White House budgets typically come BEFORE the Senate and House act on theirs. But Obama’s budget is coming AFTER the two chambers already passed their respective budgets. And it puts the White House in a bind. If it lays out a potential path to compromise (offering “chained CPI” on Social Security, for example), then that could tick off Senate Democrats who could wonder why they had to take the vote they did. But if it simply reaffirms what Senate Democrats produced, then that would open up the White House to criticism that it’s not trying to find a way forward in resolving Washington’s budget impasse. We’ll find out what message the White House is trying to send on April 10.

*** Supreme Chaos? On Sunday, LA Times columnist Doyle McManus made a smart point analyzing last week’s Supreme Court oral arguments on gay marriage. “If the Supreme Court decides the two gay marriage cases it heard last week the way most court watchers believe it will, expect legal and political chaos,” he writes assuming that the court essentially punts Prop. 8 back to California. McManus then asks, “What happens to two gay men who marry in New York and then move to Salt Lake City? Will they still be married? If they have children, will the kids have two parents under Utah law? And will their federal benefits, such as survivors' Social Security benefits, travel with them, even though they've moved to a state where their marriage isn't valid? Will they file their federal tax returns jointly but state returns separately? And don't even think about the issue of divorce. This kind of legal patchwork virtually guarantees that politicians in states that don't recognize gay marriage will be debating and legislating the issue for years, making for an even more confusing situation. The ensuing chaos could harm more than just gay couples; the Republican Party stands to lose too.”

Larry Downing / Reuters

The Capitol Dome is seen on Capitol Hill, Nov. 9, 2012. To the left is the U.S. House of Representatives.

*** Boehner, RNC blast Young, forcing him to apologize: After Rep. Don Young (R-AK) referred to immigrant laborers as “wetbacks” and after his non-apology for those remarks (“I meant no disrespect”), Republican leaders denounced Young on Friday. “Congressman Young’s remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the office he holds,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement. “I don’t care why he said it – there’s no excuse and it warrants an immediate apology.” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus added, “The words used by Representative Young emphatically do not represent the beliefs of the Republican Party… Offensive language and ethnic slurs have no place in our public discourse.” Those statements prompted Young to offer an apology. "I apologize for the insensitive term I used during an interview in Ketchikan, Alaska.  There was no malice in my heart or intent to offend; it was a poor choice of words,” he said. The GOP criticism of Young, especially from the RNC, deserves a lot credit for a party trying to improve its standing with Latinos and minority voters. The rebuke was swift, and Young took a while to get the message. Perhaps he realized if he hadn’t issued the second -- and more complete -- apology there would have been calls for resignation?  

*** But is it the tone or the policy? Yet as Republicans try to improve their standing with Latinos, this LA Times piece is a sobering reminder for them. “Latinos, who have the lowest rates of health coverage in the country, are among the strongest backers of President Obama's healthcare law. In a recent national poll, supporters outnumbered detractors by more than 2 to 1. Latinos also overwhelmingly see guaranteeing healthcare as a core government responsibility, surveys show. Yet congressional Republicans continue to make repeal of the 2010 Affordable Care Act a top agenda item and have renewed calls for deep cuts in health programs such as Medicaid, which are very popular with Latinos.” And that raises this important question to consider: What’s more important for Republicans as they try to win over minority voters -- tone or policy?

*** SC-1 run-off takes place tomorrow: Tomorrow brings us the special GOP congressional primary run-off in South Carolina featuring former Gov. Mark Sanford vs. Curtis Bostic. And more and more, it looks like Sanford is well on his way toward winning the run-off. But does Sanford winning give Democrats a better-than-expected chance in the May 7 general? That’s a question that both Democrats and Republicans are asking themselves.

*** Senate Madness -- the 2^nd round begins: Our Senate Madness contest continues, this time with second-round match-ups from our 19^th Century and Mixed Era brackets. In the 19^th Century, it’s #1 Daniel Webster vs. #8 William Seward, #4 Stephen Douglas vs. #5 Sam Houston, #3 Charles Sumner vs. #11 James Buchanan, and #2 John C. Calhoun vs. #7 Thomas Hart Benton… In the Mixed Era, it’s #1 Henry Clay vs. #9 Sam Ervin, #4 Robert La Follette vs. #12 George Norris, #6 William Borah vs. #14 Scoop Jackson, and #2 Henry Cabot Lodge vs. #7 Arthur Vandenberg. Tomorrow, we’ll feature the 2^nd-round match-ups from the 20^th Century and Modern Era brackets.

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*** Friday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up: Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) on immigration efforts... A Deep Dive into SCOTUS considering the role of affirmative action in higher education with American Univ. Prof. Stephen Wermiel... Plus NBC's Kasie Hunt, Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons and former RNC Chair Michael Steele join the Gaggle.

*** Monday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews DCCC Chairman Steve Israel, the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank and Slate’s David Weigel (on immigration reform), former Gov. Bill Richardson (on North Korea), and Amy Holmes and Daniella Gibbs Leger on Hillary/2016 and David Leonhardt/The New York Times on effort to get more low-income students into prestigious colleges and universities

*** Monday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Newsweek’s Justine Rosenthal, the Washington Post’s Craig Timberg, NBC Latino’s Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, GOP strategist Robert Traynham, Dem strategist Chris Kofinis, and Gary Lozow – who was the lawyer for Columbine shooter Dylan Klebold’s family.

*** Monday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), The State Department’s Ben Chang, Newsweek/The Daily Beast Editor-in-Chief  Tina Brown, The New York Times’ Elisabeth Bumiller, Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson,  NBC News/MSNBC Analyst Charlayne Hunter-Gault and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza.

*** Monday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Politico’s Lois Romano, USA Today columnist Raul Reyes, Dallas Morning News reporter Tanya Eiserer, and Investigative crime reporter Michele Sigona.

“President Obama’s pick to run the Department of Energy has been a highly paid consultant for a private equity firm heavily invested in the oil and gas sector while running MIT’s premier energy research center, according to financial disclosure documents,” the Boston Globe reports. “Ernest Moniz, who has directed the MIT Energy Initiative since it was established in 2006, has earned at least $75,000 since 2008 advising Riverstone Equity Holdings LP, which according to government filings has $2.5 billion invested in a variety of fossil fuel production and storage companies in the United States and abroad. Moniz, a world renowned physicist whose selection to chart America’s energy future has been hailed by both energy companies and environmentalists, has come under scrutiny in recent days over his personal financial ties to some of the same oil and gas companies that have funded much of the MIT research — and over which he would have considerable regulatory authority if confirmed for the new energy post.”

The Easter Egg Roll is today. “No April Fool's joke -- President Obama gets to meet the Easter Bunny on Monday,” USA Today writes, noting also that “Kid President” will be there as will Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, NASCAR’s Danica Patrick and John Wall of the Washington Wizards.

“Key senators trying to negotiate an agreement on immigration disagreed Sunday about how close they were to reaching a consensus,” McClatchy writes. Chuck Schumer says they’re close, Marco Rubio says talk of a deal is “premature.”

USA Today’s Alan Gomez: “Key senators welcomed an agreement Sunday by business and labor that would remove a large hurdle to a major immigration overhaul, but they cautioned that much work remains to be done and that no final deal has been reached. The compromise between officials at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO would create a ‘W-Visa’ program that would bring in up to 200,000 foreign workers a year to do janitorial, hospitality and construction work.”

USA Today goes to the Cincinnati suburbs to a district that was close enough that one might expect a Republican congressman, who might consider some compromise. But not Steve Chabot. In fact, on gun legislation: “One woman said she supports ‘responsible gun ownership’ and ‘sensible gun laws.’ She said she supports background checks on all gun buyers, and restrictions on military-style weapons. Chabot offered the same reply he gave later to a woman who said the only difference between a free person and a slave ‘is a gun.’ He's unlikely to support any new gun laws, Chabot said, because criminals would ignore them, and there are already enough laws on the books.”

Republicans, independents, and Democrats all say the biggest problem with the GOP is that it’s inflexible, per Gallup.