Political Wire

Republican Study Group Gets Trumpier

March 1, 2021 at 11:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The result, in the emerging version of the RSC under Rep. Jim Banks’ leadership, is a group that intends to remain true to its ideological roots but with an ever so Trumpian flare. They will keep one eye trained on social and fiscal policies that have long been hallmarks of the conservative movement — akin to those Pence fought for during his 2005-2007 tenure as RSC chair — and the other on a new set of cultural topics that Republicans have only just begun to tackle under Trump.”

Said Rep. Banks: “What I want to do with the RSC for the next couple of years is really make the Trump legacy and the Trump platform the platform of the Republican Party and the conservative movement of the future. And RSC is perfectly positioned to effectively do that.”

Trump Mostly Ignored Biden’s Pandemic Relief Bill

March 1, 2021 at 10:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former President Donald Trump spent almost no time addressing the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that the House passed this weekend, NBC News reports.

Said Trump: “The Democrats now say we have to pass their $1.9 trillion boondoggle to open schools, but a very small part of it has to do with that. You know where it’s going — it’s going to bailout badly-run Democrat cities, so much of it.”

“That’s it. In almost 90 minutes of remarks, Trump devoted just two sentences of criticism to Biden’s first legislative priority as president. And it says a lot about the state of GOP opposition to the Covid relief bill, which remains popular in polls: While House Republicans uniformly voted against it on Saturday, it hasn’t been an animating issue for Republicans.”

Member Briefing: A Conversation About H.R. 1

March 1, 2021 at 10:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

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Biden Backs Unionization Push at Amazon

March 1, 2021 at 10:07 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Biden released a video in support of workers in Alabama — an apparent message of support for a union organization effort happening at Amazon.

Ex-French President Sentenced to Prison

March 1, 2021 at 9:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of corruption and influence peddling,” Politico reports.

“Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, was accused of having offered a judge a plum job in exchange for confidential information related to another trial he was facing.”

Associated Press: “This is the first time in France’s modern history that a former president has been convicted of corruption.”

Elizabeth Warren Revives Wealth Tax

March 1, 2021 at 9:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “plans to introduce legislation on Monday that would tax the net worth of the wealthiest people in America, a proposal aimed at persuading President Biden and other Democrats to fund sweeping new federal spending programs by taxing the richest Americans,” the New York Times reports.

“Ms. Warren’s wealth tax would apply a 2 percent tax to individual net worth — including the value of stocks, houses, boats and anything else a person owns, after subtracting out any debts — above $50 million. It would add an additional 1 percent surcharge for net worth above $1 billion.”

Voting Bill Would Make Biggest Changes In Decades

March 1, 2021 at 9:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As Congress begins debate this week on sweeping voting and ethics legislation, Democrats and Republicans can agree on one thing: If signed into law, it would usher in the biggest overhaul of U.S. elections law in at least a generation,” the AP reports.

“House Resolution 1, Democrats’ 791-page bill, would touch virtually every aspect of the electoral process — striking down hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, curbing partisan gerrymandering and curtailing the influence of big money in politics.”

Ex-Tobacco Executive Bankrolls Third Party

March 1, 2021 at 8:45 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A new centrist political party is gaining steam, but records show it’s being largely financed by a single man: a former Philip Morris executive who helped steer the company through the tobacco wars of the 1990s,” Axios reports.

“The Serve America Movement is running candidates in a handful of states, banking on the appeal of a non-ideological party. The outsized financial influence of donor Charles W. Wall underscores the challenge of overcoming extreme partisan rancor with a process-focused political movement.”

Out-Parties No Longer Wait to Criticize

March 1, 2021 at 8:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Bernstein: “Once upon a time, out-parties used to wait to harshly criticize the new president, not necessarily out of respect for democratic norms, but because they didn’t want to immediately put themselves on the other side of the majority (or at least the plurality) of the electorate, which after all had just chosen the new president.”

“Democrats in 2001 and 2017 didn’t have that reason to withhold judgment, given the splits between the Electoral College and the popular vote in those elections. Republicans in 1993, 2009 (to a lesser extent) and 2021 have either convinced themselves that their electoral losses weren’t real or decided that they’re only interested in appealing to their own strongest supporters anyway. Or both. That certainly didn’t appear to hurt Republicans early in the Clinton and Obama presidencies; I guess we’ll see whether the same pattern holds this time.”

Hyatt Calls Design of CPAC Stage ‘Abhorrent’

March 1, 2021 at 7:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Hyatt Hotels called symbols of hate “abhorrent” after the design of a stage at the right-wing Conservative Political Action Conference at one of its hotels drew comparisons to a Norse rune used by Nazis during the Second World War, The Guardian reports.

The ceiling of the conference room featured a lighting display in the same shape as the stage.

Biden to Meet with Mexican President

March 1, 2021 at 7:28 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Joe Biden is planning a virtual meeting Monday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — a chance for the pair to talk more fully about migration, confronting the coronavirus and cooperating on economic and national security issues,” the AP reports.

Trump Calls Capitol Riots a ‘Lovefest’

March 1, 2021 at 6:42 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Asked in a Fox News interview if he regretted how he handled the Capitol riots, Donald Trump blamed Speaker Nancy Pelosi for poor security and then boasted about the size of the crowd that was there to support him.

Said Trump: “The press doesn’t like to talk about it, but the real number was much, much bigger… It was tremendous numbers of people, not the Capitol, I’m talking about the rally itself, and it was a lovefest, it was a beautiful thing.”

How Lie Took Off About Antifa at Capitol Riots

March 1, 2021 at 6:34 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Even as Americans watched live images of rioters wearing MAGA hats and carrying Trump flags breach the Capitol — egged on only minutes earlier by a president who falsely denounced a rigged election and exhorted his followers to fight for justice — history was being rewritten in real time.”

“Within hours, a narrative built on rumors and partisan conjecture had reached the Twitter megaphones of pro-Trump politicians. By day’s end, Laura Ingraham and Sarah Palin had shared it with millions of Fox News viewers, and Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida had stood on the ransacked House floor and claimed that many rioters ‘were members of the violent terrorist group antifa.’”

Kinzinger Allies Launch Anti-Trump Super PAC

March 1, 2021 at 6:31 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Kinzinger, who has already started a leadership PAC to directly support GOP candidates who have gone up against Trump, is expected to appear at fundraising events for the super PAC Americans Keeping Country First.”

“Founders of the group, which include Kinzinger advisers, are also launching a sister nonprofit to ‘build a grass roots army,’ according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. Unlike traditional PACs, both organizations can accept unlimited contributions. Nonprofit groups are not required to disclose the identity of their contributors.”

Census Data Snafu Upends 2022 Elections

March 1, 2021 at 6:29 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A six-month delay holding up the data that states use to draw their legislative districts is mangling plans for the 2022 elections, as states discuss postponing primaries and navigating legal deadlines for redistricting that some are now almost certain to miss,” Politico reports.

“At least nine states have constitutional or statutory deadlines to redraw their maps, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, that won’t mesh with such a profound delay in the data delivery. Election officials in some states, such as North Carolina, have recommended moving back early primary dates to make more time for drawing new districts. And both political parties will have to grapple with how to recruit candidates to run for districts that may not exist until just before election season begins.”

Iran Rejects Offer of Direct U.S. Nuclear Talks

March 1, 2021 at 6:25 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “Iran rejected a European Union offer to hold direct nuclear talks with the U.S. in the coming days, risking renewed tension between Tehran and Western capitals.”

Trump Vows Revenge on GOP Lawmakers

February 28, 2021 at 10:52 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Los Angeles Times: “Frustrated by GOP lawmakers who broke with him over his months-long, falsehood-filled campaign to overturn an election, he expressed particular contempt for the 17 Republican lawmakers who joined Democrats voting to impeach and convict him for his role in inciting a mob of supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop the counting of electoral votes. Five people, including a police officer, died in the insurrection.”

“Trump did not speak to the crowd of 1,400 activists about the riot or mention those who partook in it. He focused instead on punishing Republicans who he believes betrayed him in the aftermath, making it clear he would be supporting efforts by more pro-Trump candidates to oust them next year in primaries.”

Said Trump: “Get rid of them all.”

Ex-Trump Aide Plans Run for Congress

February 28, 2021 at 10:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Katrina Pierson (R), a Tea Party activist who served as a spokesperson for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and as top adviser on his failed re-election bid, is planning to file to run for the U.S. House seat left vacant by the late Rep. Ron Wright (R-TX), who succumbed to the coronavirus earlier this year, The Hill reports.

Pierson is expected to receive Trump’s backing when she enters the race.

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