Archives for April 23, 2015 at 6:53 pm EDT

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House May Subpoena Clinton’s Email Server

April 23, 2015 at 6:53 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 34 Comments

Speaker John Boehner told Bloomberg that the House of Representatives might subpoena Hillary Clinton’s personal e-mail server if she doesn’t voluntarily turn it over for examination by an independent party.

Said Boehner: “She violated the law, and the idea that she was going to use her own server and do official business on it goes against every transparency issue that the President likes to tout. At some point, they just can’t ignore the fact that there are a lot of public documents on this server that the American people have a right to see.”

Cruz Softens Tone on Gay Marriage for One Night

April 23, 2015 at 5:49 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 43 Comments

Sen. Ted Cruz has positioned himself as a strong opponent to same-sex marriage but “at a reception for him at the Manhattan apartment of two prominent gay hoteliers, the Texas senator struck quite a different tone,” the New York Times reports.

“During the gathering, according to two attendees, Mr. Cruz said he would have no problem if one of his daughters was gay. He did not mention his opposition to same-sex marriage, saying only that marriage is an issue that should be left to the states.”

Just Three Republicans Really Have a Chance

April 23, 2015 at 4:52 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 124 Comments

Amy Walter: “At the end of the day, when you put all the assets and liabilities on the table, it’s hard to see anyone but Rubio, Bush or Walker as the ultimate nominee. Sure, one of them could stumble or come up short in a key early state. It’s also highly likely that someone like Huckabee, Paul, Cruz and even Perry could win in Iowa. But, when you look at the candidate vulnerabilities instead of just their assets, these are the three who are the most likely to win over the largest share of the GOP electorate. Winning the ‘Evangelical’ or the ‘Establishment’ or the ‘Tea Party’ lane isn’t how you win the nomination. Cobbling together the broadest coalition is the key.”

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Bonus Quote of the Day

April 23, 2015 at 4:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

“I usually tell a bunch of jokes at these events, but with the Patriots in town, I was worried that 11 out of 12 of them would fall flat.”

— President Obama, quoted by the Washington Post, welcoming the Super Bowl winners to the White House.

Will Clinton’s Post-Presidency Derail a Future One?

April 23, 2015 at 4:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 70 Comments

Jonathan Chait: “The qualities of an effective presidency do not seem to transfer onto a post-presidency. Jimmy Carter was an ineffective president who became an exemplary post-president. Bill Clinton appears to be the reverse. All sorts of unproven worst-case-scenario questions float around the web of connections between Bill’s private work, Hillary Clinton’s public role as secretary of State, the Clintons’ quasi-public charity, and Hillary’s noncompliant email system. But the best-case scenario is bad enough: The Clintons have been disorganized and greedy.”

“The Clintons’ charitable initiatives were a kind of quasi-government run by themselves, which was staffed by their own loyalists and made up the rules as it went along. Their experience running the actual government, with its formal accountability and disclosure, went reasonably well. Their experience running their own privatized mini-state has been a fiasco.”

Lynch Finally Confirmed as Attorney General

April 23, 2015 at 2:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 42 Comments

Loretta Lynch’s long wait to become U.S. attorney general “ended, with the Senate voting to confirm the veteran New York prosecutor’s nomination five months after President Obama submitted it to Congress,” the Washington Post reports.

“Ten Republicans joined the Senate’s 44 Democrats and two independents in supporting Lynch’s confirmation, a margin slightly wider than expected ahead of the vote. But getting the Senate to this point has been a slow and rancorous affair, one Obama deemed ’embarrassing’ last week.”

Pataki Insists He’s Serious This Time

April 23, 2015 at 2:04 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 24 Comments

Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) “says he’s serious this time, and has in fact shown signs that this time his flirtation with a presidential run is real,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“A super PAC, ‘We the People, Not Washington,’ was formed in January to support a potential bid by Mr. Pataki, and a paid ad is now running on local television in New Hampshire. During the 30-second spot, the Republican criticizes his own party for focusing on social issues, instead of the economy and terrorism… Mr. Pataki has twice explored running for president since stepping down as New York’s governor in 2007 and he barely factors into polls on the early 2016 race.”

Clinton Foundation Stories Undermine Hillary’s Campaign

April 23, 2015 at 1:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 85 Comments

First Read looks at the wave of negative stories about the Clinton Foundation and concludes:

The Clintons became wealthy due to paid speeches, and the Clinton Foundation raked in millions due to celebrity/access reasons.
They didn’t seem concerned about appearances. If they believed they weren’t being bought off then they didn’t see a problem with an appearance. The problem: Can the same be said for the folks who spent the money either lavishing the foundation or paying for a speech/appearance?
These stories do undermine – politically — Hillary’s attempt to refashion herself as an economic populist. The Clintons made it because of power and access. And now they want to argue for fairness. Do these stories make them more or less credible?
We are an electorate burned out on the polarizing political wars. These new stories are a reminder that the war isn’t going anywhere.

On Wonk Wire

April 23, 2015 at 10:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Have you been reading Wonk Wire? Here are some good suggestions:

Trump To Open New Hampshire Office

April 23, 2015 at 9:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 44 Comments

Donald Trump “returns to New Hampshire with a presidential campaign-like schedule Monday, and the Union Leader has learned he has signed a lease for an office in Manchester that will open May 1.”

“The visit is Trump’s third to New Hampshire since he announced an exploratory committee.”

McCain Prefers Ted Cruz to Rand Paul

April 23, 2015 at 8:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 40 Comments

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told Fox News that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the worst Republican presidential candidate on security issues.

Said McCain: “Sen. Paul is the worst possible candidate of the 20 or so that are running on the most important issue, which is national security. The record is very clear that he simply does not have an understanding about the needs and the threats of United States national security.”

And even though McCain relentlessly mocked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) earlier this week, he said he’d prefer Cruz over Paul: “Ted Cruz has a much better handle on our national security issues.”

GOP Lawmaker Says Rape Is Too Hard to Verify

April 23, 2015 at 8:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 70 Comments

Tennessee state Rep. Sheila Butt (R) “blocked an amendment that would have created an exemption for victims of rape and incest to an anti-abortion bill by arguing that such cases are too difficult to confirm,” the Huffington Post reports.

The Senate Is Suddenly Working

April 23, 2015 at 8:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 22 Comments

Wall Street Journal: “The Senate, which spent recent months mired in gridlock, is suddenly showing signs of bipartisanship. A trade deal is in the works, an Iran nuclear oversight bill advanced and other bills are on the move. But will it last as the presidential election nears?”

What Will Patty Murray Do?

April 23, 2015 at 7:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

Sen. Patty Murray’s (D-WA) two decades in office “have been marked by her knack for turning her vanilla-ness into an asset to pass big bills and accrue power. Lawmakers in both parties say she has a high trustworthiness quotient… Now, in a measure of Murray’s prominence and influence, she’s managed to roil the Senate Democratic Caucus just by remaining silent about her ambitions,” Politico reports.

“Murray refused to rule out the possibility of running against Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, currently No. 2 in her party’s Senate leadership, who’s been busy lining up support to keep his job.”

Rubio Winning Over Sheldon Adelson

April 23, 2015 at 7:37 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has emerged as the clear frontrunner in the Sheldon Adelson primary, Politico reports.

“In recent weeks, Adelson, who spent $100 million on the 2012 campaign and could easily match that figure in 2016, has told friends that he views Rubio, whose hawkish pro-defense views and unwavering support for Israel align with his own, as a fresh face who is ‘the future of the Republican Party.’ He has also said that Rubio’s Cuban heritage and youth would give the party a strong opportunity to expand its brand and win the White House.”

Huffington Post: Wealthy donors are throwing more money at the GOP this year

Kennedy Townsend Running for U.S. Senate

April 23, 2015 at 7:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 22 Comments

Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) told Howard Fineman that she’s running for U.S. Senate in Maryland.

However, the Washington Post reports Townsend “says that she has not yet decided to launch a campaign.”

Support for Gay Marriage at New High

April 23, 2015 at 7:11 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 102 Comments

“A week before a closely watched U.S. Supreme Court hearing on the issue, public support for gay marriage reached a new high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, with 61 percent of Americans – more than six in 10 for the first time – saying gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry legally.”

“Identical or similar majorities favor gay marriage on two key issues before the court: Sixty-one percent oppose allowing individual states to prohibit same-sex marriages. And 62 percent support requiring states to recognize gay marriages performed legally in other states.”

Meanwhile, the Huffington Post reports Rep. Steve King (R-IA) introduced legislation to bar federal courts from hearing any cases related to the definition of marriage.

Clinton Cash Author Is Targeting Bush Next

April 23, 2015 at 7:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

Peter Schweizer, author of Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich, tells Businessweek he’s turning his focus to Jeb Bush.

Said Schweizer: “What we’re doing is a drill-down investigation of Jeb’s finances similar to what we did with the Clintons in terms of looking at financial dealings, cronyism, who he’s been involved with. We’ve found some interesting things.”