Political Wire

Archives for September 2015

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Clinton Blames GOP for Wife’s Email Problems

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Bill Clinton “blamed Republicans who hope to undercut his wife’s presidential chances and a voracious political news media uninterested in substance for the furor surrounding Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account and server while she was secretary of state,” the New York Times reports.

Said Clinton: “I have never seen so much expended on so little.”

“Mr. Clinton likened the current inquiries into Mrs. Clinton’s emails to scandals as far back as the Whitewater land deal that plagued his 1992 campaign and his administration.”

Will Boehner Resignation Open Short Term Window?

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Washington Post: “By defusing a conservative revolt that threatened to end his speakership, Boehner’s announcement effectively ended the immediate threat of a government shutdown. And because he is not leaving Congress until Oct. 30, some Republicans and many Democrats are hoping the speaker finds the resolve to push through legislation that enjoys bipartisan support but has been stalled by conservative objections.”

“Measures that could advance in October include a long-term budget deal, a reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, a multiyear highway bill and an extension of the federal debt ceiling. Some Democrats have made the unlikely suggestion that Boehner could move forward with the immigration reform package he has kept off the House floor for nearly two years because of a conservative outcry.”

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Thousands More Join ISIS In Syria

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New York Times: “Nearly 30,000 foreign recruits have now poured into Syria, many to join the Islamic State, a doubling of volunteers in just the past 12 months and stark evidence that an international effort to tighten borders, share intelligence and enforce antiterrorism laws is not diminishing the ranks of new militant fighters.”

“Among those who have entered or tried to enter the conflict in Iraq or Syria are more than 250 Americans, up from about 100 a year ago, according to intelligence and law enforcement officials.”

Washington Braces for More Bitter Partisanship

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Speaker John Boehner’s “sudden announcement on Friday that he will step down from the speakership and leave the House on Oct. 30 has thrown Washington into deep uncertainty. His resignation is likely to herald an even more combative stretch in the nation’s capital, emboldening conservatives to defy Mr. Obama on looming decisions regarding spending, debt and taxes,” the New York Times reports.

“Some in Congress and the White House hold out hope that Mr. Boehner’s departure and the election of a new speaker will break the fever among conservatives, who have been plotting his downfall for over a year, and grant his replacement a grace period. Mr. Obama promised Friday to ‘reach out immediately’ to the next speaker to begin working on the nation’s problems.”

“But more prevalent is a sense of dread that an already bitter and divisive political atmosphere is about to get even worse.”

GOP Establishment Losing Its Grip

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“That sound you hear around Washington right now is the sound of the Republican establishment shaking,” the Gerald Seib notes.

“House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation under duress—a move that was both a shock and years in the making at the same time—means tea-party-styled forces have further ratcheted up their power within the party. With each such move, the grip of what people think of as the Republican party establishment—big business donors, official party leaders, congressional leaders whose tenure dates back more than a decade or so—is loosened a bit more.”

Quote of the Day

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“Let’s stop fighting with each other. Let’s sit down together and work out our differences with a common agenda to elect the next president of the United States, keep our majorities in the House and Senate, and put the brakes on this internecine strife.”

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by Politico, on the GOP civil war that led to Speaker John Boehner’s resignation.

Boehner’s Resignation Likely Averts a Shutdown

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House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) “sacrificed his job on Friday — a wrenching decision that he determined was the only way to spare the country the trauma of yet another government shutdown,” the Washington Post reports.

“While the shutdown crisis may be averted for now, the forces of dysfunction that drove Boehner to quit remain and will likely bedevil the next speaker in similar ways.”

Has Trump Met His Match in Rubio?

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After training his fire for much of the summer on former Gov. Jeb Bush, Donald Trump has found a new favorite Republican rival to taunt: Sen. Marco Rubio, the New York Times reports.

“But Mr. Rubio is proving capable of giving it back. And Mr. Trump also discovered on Friday that some conservatives do not respond as kindly when the insults are directed toward Mr. Rubio, who is not viewed with the sort of suspicion that Mr. Bush engenders among hard-line activists.”

McCarthy’s Remarkable Ascent

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Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “is expected to complete what can only be described as one of the most historic climbs to power in U.S. political history,” Politico reports.

“The former deli owner turned Capitol Hill aide turned lawmaker will be third in line to the presidency, behind Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He is only 15 years removed from his first run for public office: a trustee for the Kern Community College District.”

Clinton Foundation Snubbed Because of Scandals

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“The Clinton Foundation invited everyone from Pope Francis and Leonardo DiCaprio to Bill de Blasio and Janet Yellen to its showcase gathering starting Saturday in New York City, according to multiple sources familiar with the planning,” Politico reports.

“But those invitations were among the dozens turned down by all manner of celebrities, dignitaries and donors, according to the sources, who said the controversies swirling around the foundation and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign have made some bold-faced names and donors wary of the foundation.”

Clinton May Not Have Turned Over All Her Emails

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“Obama administration officials made new revelations about Hillary Clinton’s emails on Friday, as the ongoing controversy continues to spin against the Democratic presidential front-runner,” The Hill reports.

“In one announcement, a senior State Department official said that the department was handing over ‘a small number’ of new emails related to the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, to a House committee investigating the incident.”

Separately, the AP reports that the administration “had discovered a new chain of emails that Clinton had declined to turn over, despite her claims to have provided the government with all work-related messages.”

Biden Backers Hiring Staff in 11 States

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Reuters reports that a group of Joe Biden supporters trying to build momentum for a White House run by the vice president is hiring paid staff in about a dozen crucial primary states.

“The political action committee backing the vice president, Draft Biden, has begun building operations in 11 states holding primary elections on ‘Super Tuesday’ in March 2016, an important series of votes for any candidate seeking their party’s nomination. Draft Biden doesn’t have a firm number for how many staff in total it will hire in those states but the recruitment process is under way.”

Boehner Resignation Sets Off Leadership Scramble

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Speaker John Boehner’s surprise resignation “has set off an intense round of jockeying for all four House leadership slots, setting up what’s expected to be an hyper-competitive internal party election,” Politico reports.

“House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is expected to run for speaker, and no one has yet said they will challenge him.”

“Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) is expected to run for House majority leader, according to several sources familiar with his plans. Price’s office declined to comment. Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Republican Conference Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) are also expected to vie for the No. 2 slot in GOP leadership. Texas Rep. Pete Sessions also is considering a run.”

Boehner Will Resign

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Speaker John Boehner, “under intense pressure from conservatives in his party, will resign one of the most powerful positions in government and give up his House seat at the end of October, throwing Congress into chaos as it tries to avert a government shutdown,” the New York Times reports.

Last night as he left the Capitol, Boehner told Politico that he had “nothing left to accomplish after he brought Pope Francis to the Capitol. When asked if he was resigning, Boehner laughed before exiting into an awaiting SUV with his Capitol Police detail.”

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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