Here’s what’s trending on Wonk Wire today:
Archives for August 2015
Why Bush Is Making a Mistake Attacking Trump
David Frum says Jeb Bush’s decision to attack Donald Trump “may be unavoidable, a necessary error to avert the even-worse calamity of having his fundraisers go on strike. Yet attack-Trump remains an error all the same for Jeb Bush—and for two big reasons.”
“First, Trump certainly hurts Bush, but he hurts other candidates more. Bush’s most immediate problem is not that the base doesn’t trust him—it didn’t trust John McCain either, yet he nevertheless won the nomination—but that his donors enjoy too many plausible alternative choices… The second reason Bush shouldn’t fight Trump: Even if Bush wins, he’ll lose… Trump is not playing by the usual rules. Show Trump a line, and he’ll cross it. He has crossed it. And Jeb Bush is a candidate who needs lines respected almost more than any other.”
Digging Up Dirt on Hillary
The Daily Beast gets an inside look at the opposition research effort underway to take down Hillary Clinton.
“He is a staffer for the Republican National Committee—the only one dispatched to Arkansas to wade through the Clinton archives. He spends his days looking for contradictions, embarrassments, and outright hypocrisy nestled within the hundreds of boxes stored there. It’s all part of an unprecedented research operation undertaken by the RNC to stop Clinton in her tracks.”
Trump Holds Big Lead in South Carolina
A new Monmouth poll in South Carolina finds Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential field with 30%, followed by Ben Carson at 15%.
The next tier of candidates includes Jeb Bush at 9%, Marco Rubio at 6%, Carly Fiorina at 6%, Ted Cruz at 5%, Scott Walker at 4% and Lindsey Graham at 4%.
How McConnell Rescued Paul’s Presidential Campaign
Sam Youngman: “Sunday’s headlines about Kentucky’s Republican presidential caucus almost looked very different. And, the truth is, were it not for the efforts of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his allies, Sunday’s conversation probably would have been about the rebuke Rand Paul received from in-state Republicans and the death blow they dealt to his struggling presidential campaign. Because Paul was going to lose Saturday’s vote.”
Obama Gives Biden the OK
Vice President Joe Biden received President Obama’s “blessing” to make a 2016 bid for the White House, CNN reports.
“But that’s if Biden chooses to run — the decision is his. While he doesn’t need the President’s permission, of course, a potential presidential candidacy was among the topics of their lunch Monday at the White House. The President made clear he would not stand in his way or counsel him against a run, the senior Democrat said.”
Bush Takes Steps to Rein in Spending
Jeb Bush’s “campaign has asked various divisions to be mindful of their spending… Campaign officials asked workers to tighten their belts a few weeks ago… In some cases, staff members’ paychecks shrank,” the New York Times reports.
“The cuts were not a result of fundraising shortfalls… but were intended to correct needless spending before the campaign gets into the heat of the election season.”
State GOP Leaders Seek to Derail Trump
“Amid mounting concerns about Donald Trump’s candidacy from the GOP establishment, Republican leaders in at least two states have found a way to make life a lot harder for him,” Politico reports.
“The Virginia and North Carolina parties are in discussions about implementing a new requirement for candidates to qualify for their primary ballots: that they pledge to support the Republican presidential nominee — and not run as a third-party candidate — in the general election. The procedural moves are clearly aimed at Trump, who pointedly refused to rule out a third-party run during the first GOP debate.”
Biden vs. Clinton Could Get Ugly
Michael Tomasky: “Biden would have no choice but to build a run around the idea that she’s too risky. He or his surrogates will need to press the idea that the party could nominate Clinton and then next fall, Trey Gowdy finds that Holy Grail email that brings the whole thing crashing down. In other words, his candidacy is going to have to be built around what is in essence a Republican Party talking point.”
“And if he goes for the jugular, the Clinton team will surely respond in kind. They’re not wallflowers, those folks. They know how to fight. And they’d be fighting on behalf of the millions of Democratic women out there for whom it’s Clinton’s time.”
Kasich Approval Soars in Ohio
A new Quinnipiac poll in Ohio finds John Kasich’s standing continues to rise to an all-time high among voters as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination. Voters approved of Kasich’s job performance 61% to 28%, with even stronger numbers among Republicans at 84% to 10%.
Jeb Bush Starts Hitting Back
New York Times: “The change in Mr. Bush’s tone is a calculated strategy, interviews show, with two different but crucial aims now that Mr. Trump is proving to be a long-term obstacle, not a passing nuisance: to dilute Mr. Trump’s right-wing support by proving that he is not a genuine conservative and to show a wary Republican Party that Mr. Bush is enough of a street fighter to survive a nasty nomination contest.”
“The new approach, which began with Mr. Bush’s remarks last week in New Hampshire and then on Monday, may soon expand, drawing in surrogates who can broaden the critique beyond Mr. Trump’s policies — much the way that Mitt Romney sought to undermine rivals like Newt Gingrich in 2012, said people familiar with the discussions, who insisted on anonymity to discuss plans that were not set in stone.”
Biden Leans Towards Run But Family Issues Remain
“As Vice President Biden weighs a possible run for president, personal issues stand as the biggest unresolved obstacle, with Biden trying to gauge whether his family is emotionally prepared for a grueling campaign while still grieving the recent death of his son Beau,” the Washington Post reports.
“Biden is now leaning more toward running than he was earlier in the summer, though he is still weeks from a decision. He thinks his White House experience over the past 6 1/2 years, coupled with his grounding in middle-class issues during a long career in the Senate, makes him well equipped to serve as President Obama’s successor.”
Wall Street Journal: Biden decision creates dilemma for President Obama
Top Walker Fundraiser Discussed Defecting to Trump
“One of Scott Walker’s top fundraisers met with Donald Trump Monday and discussed the possibility of his leaving the Walker camp to work for the New York developer’s presidential campaign,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Trump: “He wants to drop Walker and go with me. He wants to endorse me. He said, ‘I want to drop Walker and endorse you.’”
Biden Calls Meeting of Top Fundraisers
“Major Democratic fundraisers have been invited to meet with Vice President Joe Biden at his residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory after Labor Day, part of a series of conversations he is having with senior party players as he contemplates jumping into the 2016 race,” the Washington Post reports.
“Among the guests invited to the gathering are top bundlers who raised large sums for the Obama-Biden campaigns in 2008 and 2012, according to people familiar with the outreach. The sitdown is scheduled to take place during the week following Labor Day.”
Odds of Trump Winning Nomination Jump
“The odds of Donald Trump winning the Republican nomination are up from 1% in late July to 19% now on Pivit, an interactive prediction marketplace that combines public opinion, news and data to predict the live odds of election outcomes,” CNN reports.
The Hill: “Howard Stern is predicting that Donald Trump will be the 2016 GOP presidential nominee.”
Perry’s Iowa Chairman Quits
“The Iowa chairman for Rick Perry’s faltering Republican presidential bid says he is no longer part of the campaign as Perry seeks to keep his longshot effort alive on limited funds,” the AP reports.
Dalrymple Won’t Run Again in North Dakota
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R) “announced Monday that he will not run for re-election next year, blowing the gubernatorial race wide open and intensifying speculation over whether Democratic U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp will seek the state’s highest office,” the Fargo Forum reports.
Pat Robertson Says Market Turmoil Is God’s Punishment
Pat Robertson says he believes the stock market’s massive sell-off this morning was God’s way of punishing the Obama administration for supporting abortion rights, Politico reports.
Said Robertson: “We will pay dearly as a nation for this thing going on. And possibly if we were to stop all this slaughter the judgment of God might be lifted from us. But it’s coming, ladies and gentlemen.”
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