Archives for December 2014

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Brown Tries Again to Reshape Court

December 26, 2014 at 7:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

“When Jerry Brown first served as governor of California, he set out to reshape the powerful California Supreme Court by appointing its first female chief justice. But his pick, Rose Bird, had never served as a judge before and came to be perceived as a liberal ideologue,” the New York Times reports.

“Ms. Bird, along with two other judges Mr. Brown named to the court, was recalled by voters in an election in 1986.”

“Nearly 40 years after he made that selection, Mr. Brown is again seeking to remake a court that to this day is viewed by legal scholars as among the most influential in the nation, with one study proclaiming it the state court most followed by other appellate judges. And once more, the ever-unconventional Mr. Brown is roiling the waters with a series of head-snapping, if decidedly more applauded, choices for this tribunal.”

Huffington Post: Brown issues 105 pardons

2014 Moments Likely to Impact 2016

December 26, 2014 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

The Wall Street Journal lists 10 events from the last year which are likely to impact the 2016 presidential race.

Bush’s Business Record Brings Romney Comparisons

December 25, 2014 at 8:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

The Los Angeles Times says Jeb Bush’s business record, “enmeshed in international finance and some troubled former ventures in South Florida, could end up complicating his return to politics and his hopes to follow his father, George H.W. Bush, and his older brother, George W. Bush, into the Oval Office.”

“Last year, he took a step into the rarefied world of private equity and offshore investments, joining with former banking executives and a Chinese airline company to make bets on natural gas exploration and shipping. One of the funds was set up in the United Kingdom, a structure that allows the company to shield overseas investors from U.S. taxes.”

“During the 2012 race, Romney drew ceaseless attacks from Democrats for his lucrative work at Bain Capital, a pioneering venture capital company that bought scores of troubled companies, took over their management and sometimes laid off employees while garnering huge fees and payouts. But Bush and his aides argue that his investments and entrepreneurial ventures are different because he isn’t taking control of companies and restructuring them.”

Strong Economy Could Shake Up Political Strategy

December 25, 2014 at 8:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

“After years of muddling along, the U.S. economy appears to be breaking into a sprint that could alter the political landscape heading into 2015 and beyond,” Politico reports.

“The latest evidence of strength came in a report on Tuesday showing growth expanded at a robust 5 percent pace in the third quarter of 2014, the fastest speed in over a decade. The news helped drive the Dow Jones Industrial Average above 18,000 for the first time ever in a bull market charge that began six years ago and shows no signs of slowing.”

Clinton Works to Shore Up the Left

December 25, 2014 at 8:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 53 Comments

Hillary Clinton “is working hard to shore up support among liberals in hopes of tamping down a serious challenge from the left in the battle for the 2016 nomination,” the Washington Post reports.

“Clinton has aligned herself firmly with President Obama since the November midterms on a range of liberal-friendly issues, including immigration, climate change and opening diplomatic relations with Cuba. In an impassioned human rights speech this month, she also condemned the CIA’s use of harsh interrogation tactics and decried cases of apparent police brutality against minorities.”

“The recent statements suggest a concerted effort by Clinton to appeal to the Democratic Party’s most activist, liberal voters, who have often eyed her with suspicion and who would be crucial to her securing the party’s nomination.”

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2014 at 6:44 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

I wish everyone the best this holiday season.

Thank you so much for reading!

Quote of the Day

December 24, 2014 at 2:21 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 68 Comments

“And I have been very surprised, to answer your question, to see the president of the United States, at every turn, cut the legs off of our ally, Israel, and in fact embrace and lift up the agenda of Islamic jihad.”

— Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), quoted by BuzzFeed.

The Coming Wave of Political Books

December 24, 2014 at 12:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 38 Comments

A quick look at the book publishing calendar gives some hints at who might be running for higher office:

January 13: American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone by Sen. Marco Rubio

January 20: God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy by Mike Huckabee

February 3: You Have a Brain: A Teen’s Guide to T.H.I.N.K. B.I.G. by Ben Carson M.D.

May 5: Times of Challenge, Moments of Grace by Carly Fiorina

May 12: Untitled by Sen. Ted Cruz

June 2: Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America by Rand Paul

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Can anyone help Ted Cruz come up with a title for his book? Suggestions are welcome in the comments. [/speech_bubble]

Jeb Bush Loves Email

December 24, 2014 at 10:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

The Washington Post combs through the thousands of emails released from Jeb Bush’s tenure as Florida governor.

“The e-mails depict him both as terse chief executive and a sometimes-flip writer who sprinkled his messages with ‘awesome,’ ‘my bad’ and ‘chill out’ … The trove of Bush correspondence available to the public is voluminous, both because of Florida’s expansive public-records laws and because of Bush’s proclivity for e-mail. An early adopter of the technology, the former governor was known for constantly pecking out messages on his BlackBerry and reportedly spent as much as 30 hours a week reading and sending e-mail.”

CNN has the top five takeaways from Bush’s email archive.

A Strong Closer

December 24, 2014 at 10:27 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

Andrew Sullivan: “There has long been a pattern to Barack Obama’s political career on the national stage. There are moments of soaring moral clarity and inspiration; there are long periods of drift or laziness or passivity; and there are often very good fourth quarters. The 2008 campaign was an almost perfect coda: the sudden initial breakout, then a strange listlessness as he allowed the Clintons to come back in New Hampshire, turning the race into a long and grueling battle for delegates, then a final denouement when he made up with the Clintons and stormed into the White House. Or think of healthcare reform: a clear early gamble, followed by a truly languorous and protracted period of negotiation and posturing, and then a breakthrough. Or marriage equality: an excruciating period of ambivalence followed by a revolution. On climate: a failed cap and trade bill … followed by real tough fuel emissions standards, new carbon rules from the EPA and an agreement with China.”

“If you were to track this pattern – strong start, weak middle, winning final streak – throughout his entire presidency, you might have expected his worst year to be the one when he was just re-elected and had the wind at his back. And you would be right. 2013 was truly awful. But you’d also expect his final years to be strong.”

Time to Topple North Korea?

December 24, 2014 at 10:16 am EST By Taegan Goddard 27 Comments

Richard Haass: “A debate is under way about how best to respond to North Korea’s cyberattack on Sony, an attack designed to punish the firm for making a movie that humiliated Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Ideas range from a cyberattack to weaken North Korean political and military assets to relisting the country as a state sponsor of terrorism, presumably accompanied by new sanctions.”

“These ideas are fine as far as they go, but they don’t go far enough. The serious threat posed by North Korea far transcends cyberspace. Only one approach is commensurate with the challenge: ending North Korea’s existence as an independent entity and reunifying the Korean Peninsula.”

Your Republican Uncle

December 24, 2014 at 8:35 am EST By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

The Democratic National Committee has launched a new website featuring tips for talking with your Republican uncle over the holidays.

Obama Approval on the Rise

December 23, 2014 at 6:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 111 Comments

A new CNN/ORC poll finds President Obama’s approval rating has jumped to a 20-month high at 48%.

“The approval jump follows a late-quarter jolt in Obama’s governing agenda, which gained momentum after unilateral actions on immigration and relations with Cuba. Separate surveys have showed those moves popular among the American people. It all amounts to some welcome good news for Obama, whose unpopularity — despite consistently improving economic conditions — led to widespread losses for his party in November’s midterm elections.”

McDonnell Will Ask Judge for Community Service

December 23, 2014 at 6:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 23 Comments

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), “convicted in September on 11 federal corruption charges, will ask the court to consider several options for his sentencing other than prison time,” the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

One proposal would have him working two years in Haiti at a home for disabled children, handling clean water and disease prevention programs and operating a fish farm.

McDonnell’s sentencing is scheduled for January 6, 2015.

New PAC Worries Romney Supporters

December 23, 2014 at 5:12 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

“The new group has drawn consternation from longtime Romney advisers, who worry it could be a scam, designed to rip off vulnerable supporters of the 2012 Republican presidential nominee… Launched late last week, Ready for Romney appears to be, at best, political amateur hour,” the Daily Beast reports.

Said Romney fundraiser Spencer Zwick: “It would seem to me we would know something or at least one of the names connected to a legitimate organization. In this case, I don’t know any of the individuals. Nor do they appear to have been big Romney supporters. I likewise don’t know any Romney donors or former campaign leadership at all connected to this group.”

Grimm Won’t Step Down Despite Guilty Plea

December 23, 2014 at 5:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 18 Comments

Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) said he “won’t step down, despite pleading guilty Tuesday to one of the 20 felony tax fraud charges he’s been battling since April — immediately raising questions about whether the New York Republican will be forced to resign his seat in Congress,” Roll Call reports.

Said Grimm: “Absolutely not. It happened before I was in Congress, and for the past four years I’ve been a strong, effective member of Congress. As long as I am able to serve, I’m going to serve, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.”

House IRS Inquiry Shows No White House Ties

December 23, 2014 at 4:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

“An 18-month congressional investigation into the Internal Revenue Service’s mistreatment of conservative political groups seeking tax exemptions has failed to show coordination between agency officials and political operatives in the White House,” the New York Times reports.

U.S. Won’t Confirm Internet Attack in North Korea

December 23, 2014 at 12:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

The U.S. State Department declined to “speculate” about a reported Internet outage in North Korea after the U.S. promised a “proportionate response” to a hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment linked to the isolated nation, NBC News reports.

Said spokeswoman Marie Harf: “I don’t have anything new to share with you today about North Korea. The president has spoken to what our potential responses – separate and apart from what we’ve seen over the past 24 hours – might be. And I’d leave it to North Korea to talk about if their internet was up or if it wasn’t, and why.”