Political Wire

Archives for December 4, 2014 at 4:10 pm EST

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Buffett Bets Big on Hillary

By 24 Comments

Warren Buffett “gave the maximum donation allowed to Ready for Hillary last quarter, his first-ever check to the sort of independent political groups that he’s scorned in the past,” Bloomberg reports.

“Buffett, who is the third richest man in the world, gave $25,000, the most any individual can donate under the committee’s self-imposed cap, according to a person familiar with Ready for Hillary’s post-election financial disclosure report. The group has raised more than $11 million to finance its efforts to lay the groundwork for a Clinton presidential campaign. Their latest report is due to be filed with the Federal Election Commission by midnight Thursday.”

Boehner Says He’ll Need Democrats to Pass Funding Bill

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“As conservatives push back against a bill to fund the government past Dec. 11, Speaker John A. Boehner signaled Thursday that he didn’t expect to make any sizable changes to the so-called ‘cromnibus‘ in order to placate voices to the right,” Roll Call reports.

Said Boehner: “I expect that we’ll have bipartisan support to pass the omnibus.”

“Conservatives are bashing the cromnibus — which would fund all elements of government until October except the Department of Homeland Security, which would be funded until March or February — because it does not block President Obama’s executive action on immigration.”

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Bush Trying to Line Up Staff in New Hampshire

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“Two top New Hampshire Republican strategists have been contacted this week by a Jeb Bush confidant to discuss their interest in leading the former Florida governor’s prospective presidential campaign there,” according to RealClearPolitics.

“The new outreach from Bush’s camp was directed at a pair of experienced and well-respected New Hampshire GOP operatives, each of whom has previously helmed presidential campaigns in the state. Both were given the proverbial instruction to ‘keep your powder dry,’ suggesting that Bush is leaning toward entering the race early next year.”

Ayotte Holds Small Early Lead in New Hampshire

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A new New England College Polling Institute poll in New Hampshire finds Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has a small lead over Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) in a possible U.S. Senate match up for 2016, 48% to 43%.

“The poll gives an early indication of what many would expect from a match-up of these two major players on the New Hampshire political scene — it would be a close, hard-fought contest.”

Government Spending Flat During Obama Years

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Cato Institute: “Here are some specific numbers culled from the OMB data and CBO data. In fiscal year 2009, the federal government spent about $3.52 trillion. In fiscal year 2014 (which ended on September 30), the federal government spent about $3.50 trillion. In other words, there’s been no growth in nominal government spending over the past five years. It hasn’t received nearly as much attention as it deserves, but there’s been a spending freeze in Washington.”

Obama Sets Modern Record for Political Ambassadors

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David Hawkings: “By recent historic standards, Obama is starting to test the ceiling for putting friends and campaign supporters in U.S. diplomatic posts. Altogether, 35 percent of Obama’s assignments so far have gone to political people. But in his second term, the number has grown to 41 percent… Even assuming the GOP Senate won’t countenance confirming many more big-money bundlers in the next two years, Obama looks to have assembled the most political diplomatic corps since Ronald Reagan, whose grand total was 38 percent. Thirty percent of George W. Bush’s ambassadors were from outside the ranks of the foreign service, as were 28 percent of Bill Clinton’s, 31 percent for the elder George Bush and 27 percent for Jimmy Carter.”

Is It Better to Lose the White House?

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Larry Sabato: “The surest price the winning party will pay is defeat of hundreds of their most promising candidates and officeholders for Senate, House, governorships, and state legislative posts. Every eight-year presidency has emptied the benches for the triumphant party, and recently it has gotten even worse. (By the way, the two recent one-term presidents, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush, also cost their parties many lower-level offices, but in both cases this didn’t happen until they were defeated for reelection.)”

“Since World War II there have been eight two-term presidencies: Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, plus the reasonable succession combos of Franklin Roosevelt-Harry Truman, John Kennedy-Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon-Gerald Ford. Not a one has left his party in better shape that he found it, at least in terms of lower elected offices.”

Tony Blair Defends His Advisory Work

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Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended his government advisory work to Vanity Fair saying maintaining that “it’s not as lucrative as people think, and describing it not as work for hire but as work that can change the character of countries.”

Said Blair: “I’m a private individual, I’m not a government department! One of the things people are going to have to get used to is: you are going to get leaders leaving office in their early 50s. I have a lot of energy. I feel extremely fit. There’s no way I’m going to retire and play golf. You look at someone like Henry [Kissinger]. He’s 91 and he’s still going strong. I love that. Or Shimon Peres! These are my role models.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

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“It’d be shortsighted to deny funding to an agency that’s become one of the frontline defenders of the homeland.”

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by the Washington Post, on the House GOP’s plan to only temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security in retaliation for President Obama’s immigration actions.

Landrieu Slaps Senator Who’s Helping Her

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Beleaguered Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) warned Louisiana voters that her defeat would elevate an advocate of “windmills” to a powerful position on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

Said Landrieu: “If I don’t get back there as a senior member of the committee, we’re gonna have a woman who I like very much (but) I’m not sure Louisiana is going to think very much of a senator from Washington state who’s all for windmills and alternative energy, and doesn’t support the oil and gas industry.”

“She was speaking about Democratic colleague Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who just then was sending out an email appeal to raise money for Landrieu.”

Cruz’s Secret Weapon in Iowa

By 16 Comments

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA) “have quietly forged a personal friendship and powerful political alliance—one that helped derail immigration reform in the 113th Congress and that could give Cruz a critical boost in the 2016 presidential race,” National Journal reports.

“Recently elected to his seventh term, King is beloved by Iowa’s conservative community and wields considerable influence in the early nominating state. His endorsement, as in past presidential cycles, will be among the most sought-after in Iowa ahead of the state’s January 2016 caucuses.”

Why Do Democrats Refuse to Defend Government?

By 18 Comments

Michael Tomasky: “The Democrats are the party of government. It’s the basic reason a person is a Democrat in the first place—Democrats disagree about loads of things, but the one principle they all subscribe to is a belief that the federal government can and must intervene in the economic and social spheres to even things out. And the rejection of that belief is the basic reason a person is a Republican.”

“So government is the fundamental dividing line. And yet, for the past 30 years, what kind of debate about this have we had? We’ve had one side relentlessly attacking government as incompetent to evil, and the other side saying nothing, being too cowed to stand up and say that government is, and does, good. Elected officials don’t do it, and even the progressive political professionals don’t do it.”

O’Malley Hires Possible Campaign Manager

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Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) “has hired Bill Hyers, who managed New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign last year, as a senior adviser to the governor’s political action committee,” the Washington Post reports.

“The move comes as O’Malley continues to weigh a 2016 White House bid, which would likely pit him against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination.”

Begich Mulls Bid for Anchorage Mayor

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Alaska Dispatch News: “The field of candidates who will vie to become Anchorage mayor next year is expected to crystallize in the next few weeks, as one figure looms over the local political landscape: outgoing U.S. Sen. Mark Begich (D).”

“Begich, who served two terms as Anchorage mayor before his election to the Senate in 2008, is said to be considering another bid to be the city’s chief executive. And some prospective candidates say they’re waiting to decide whether to launch their own candidacies until Begich makes up his mind.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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