Daily Archives

June 19, 2017

28 posts · Monday

Time to Say the Election Administrator’s Prayer

June 19, 2017 at 11:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rick Hasen notes the latest polls in Georgia’s 6th congressional district are extremely close.

“Add into that concerns over the election security of Georgia’s voter registration system… and an electronic voting system with no paper trail, making a recount not much of a recount. Add in all the talk of voter fraud and voter suppression going around these days.”

“All of it is a recipe for crazy conspiracy theories and claims of foul play and chicanery should the election be very close. It may get very, very ugly.”

“That’s why the Election Administrator’s prayer may be the best chance to avoid disaster.”

Senate Prepares for Health Care Vote Next Week

June 19, 2017 at 11:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Republicans are preparing to vote on Obamacare repeal next week… potentially leaving rank-and-file lawmakers with no more than a week to review legislation that would affect millions of Americans and one-sixth of the U.S. economy.” Politico reports.

“Senators are expected to see the text of the bill as soon as the end of this week, those sources said, provided this week’s work goes smoothly. The timeline could change based on the response from individual senators toward the proposal at party meetings, but Republicans are increasingly optimistic they can hold a vote next week if this week’s lunch talks go well.”

Exchange of the Day

June 19, 2017 at 11:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The HuffPost notes President Trump greeted Panama President Juan Carlos Varela at the White House:

TRUMP: “The Panama Canal is doing quite well; I think we did a good job building it, right?”

VARELA: “Yes, one hundred years ago.”

“The two leaders then shook hands like two normal human beings, which isn’t always the case when Trump is involved.”

Ex-Trump Aides Close to Book Deal

June 19, 2017 at 10:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump’s former campaign aides Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie together are closing in on a high six-figure book deal with Hachette Book Group’s conservative imprint Center Street, Politico reports.

Americans Say U.S. Political Debate is Increasingly Uncivil

June 19, 2017 at 10:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new CBS News poll finds 73% of Americans say the tone of the political debate is encouraging political violence.

“Democrats are especially likely to say so. About a third of Americans consider the recent shooting of a Congressman and others a terrorist attack.”

Heller Gets a Challenger

June 19, 2017 at 7:35 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) plans to run against Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) for his Senate seat in Nevada, Politico reports.

“Heller is widely considered the most vulnerable Republican up for re-election in 2018 and is the only GOP senator this cycle who represents a state won by Hillary Clinton in 2016. A Public Policy Polling survey released Monday had Heller receiving just 39% of the vote if the match-up were held today against a generic Democrat, who earned 46% of support among Nevada voters.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

June 19, 2017 at 4:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“It’s a nightmare. Get away from my car if you see my car. I had to buy a car. Someone hit me in the first week… I am learning how to drive again. I hadn’t driven in four years. I’m a horrible driver. But I like the independence a lot.”

— Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R), quoted by the Charlotte Observer, on having to drive himself again.

Trump Weighs New Role for Spicer

June 19, 2017 at 3:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House is weighing whether to move Press Secretary Sean Spicer into a more senior role focused on strategy and bring in a new spokesman for the president,” Bloomberg reports.

“Spicer has served as President Trump’s press secretary since the beginning of the administration in January. He’s been the subject of speculation for months that he was on the verge of being fired.”

Politico reports Spicer “is leading a search for his own replacement at the briefing room podium.”

GOP Health Bill Polls Poorly In Key States

June 19, 2017 at 3:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Public Policy Polling released surveys in three states where a GOP senator will have a key swing vote on the GOP health care plan: Nevada, West Virginia and Alaska.

The approval rates for the plan were generally dismal but Trump voters continue to support it:

Nevada: 31% of all voters, 61% of Trump voters approve
Alaska: 29% of all voters, 59% of Trump voters approve
West Virginia: 35% of all voters, 50% of Trump voters approve

In all three states, the survey found a majority had either “very serious” or “somewhat serious” concerns about the lack of public hearings on the Senate plan.

Bonus Quote of the Day

June 19, 2017 at 3:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“So the White House press secretary is getting to a point… where he’s just kind of useless.”

— CNN’s Jim Acosta, quoted by The Hill, complaining that Sean Spicer won’t answer questions on camera.

Gianforte as Jesus Christ

June 19, 2017 at 3:21 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Peter Linzmaier of Thompson Falls, MT writes to the Missoulian in response to a letter to the editor which asked if it was acceptable with Christians that Rep.-elect Greg Gianforte (R) assaulted a reporter the day before the election:

Jesus assaulted and bodily threw the money changers out of the temple who were trespassing in Gods’ house.

Greg Gianforte emulated Jesus by assaulting Ben Jacobs, who was trespassing and invading his privacy. He also proved to be a real Montanan to his supporters who are not self-proclaimed Christians but abide by the teachings and actions of Jesus.

Jared Kushner Actually Has a Voice

June 19, 2017 at 3:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jared Kushner spoke for the first time publicly at an event about the need to modernize technology and data used by the federal government.

Noted MSNBC anchor Chris Jansing after Kushner’s remarks: “We had never heard him speak before.”

Perry Says CO2 Doesn’t Impact Climate Change

June 19, 2017 at 2:26 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Energy Secretary Rick Perry told CNBC that he does not believe CO2 emissions from human activity are a main driver of climate change, comments at odds with top government scientists.

Perry added that being a skeptic about climate change issues is “quite all right” and suggests a sign of a “wise, intellectually engaged person.”

Megyn Kelly’s Alex Jones Interview Bombs In Ratings

June 19, 2017 at 2:06 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This week’s episode of “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly,” which featured a controversial interview with InfoWars founder Alex Jones, came in last place among the four major broadcast networks, Variety reports.

“With 3.5 million total viewers, Kelly’s program not only came in behind Fox’s U.S. Golf Open Championship coverage (6.1 million) but also reruns of CBS’ 60 Minutes (5.3 million) and ABC’s America’s Funniest Home Videos (3.7 million).”

Democrats Will Halt Senate Business Over Health Bill

June 19, 2017 at 12:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats will grind Senate business to a halt in a protest against Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare,” Politico reports.

“Beginning Monday night, Democrats will start objecting to all unanimous consent requests in the Senate, according to a Democratic aide. They plan to control the floor of the chamber Monday night and try to force the House-passed health care bill to committee in a bid to further delay it.”

“Without the votes to block Obamacare repeal, Democrats are turning to procedural moves they believe will underscore their most powerful argument: Republicans are hiding their repeal plan from the public and using Senate procedures to keep it a secret.”

Why Republicans Will Probably Never Bail on Trump

June 19, 2017 at 10:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Despite President Trump’s repeated attacks on our democratic system and possible abuse of power, it’s increasingly clear that Republicans on Capitol Hill, unlike in the Watergate era, will defend the president at all costs.

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The Most Expensive House Race In History

June 19, 2017 at 10:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “When he ran for president in 1976, Jimmy Carter raised about $33 million and made it to all the way to the White House. In special congressional election Tuesday near Carter’s Atlanta home, the candidates and outside groups have already spent $40 million and counting. The race, which pits Democrat Jon Ossoff against Republican Karen Handel, is easily the most expensive House race in American history, captivating both officials in Washington and grassroots activists across the country in the first pitched electoral battle of the Donald Trump presidency.”

Supreme Court Will Rule on Gerrymandering

June 19, 2017 at 9:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a potential landmark case that addresses how far lawmakers can go in choosing their voters, rather than the other way around,” USA Today reports.

“Venturing into what one justice recently called the ‘always unsavory’ process of drawing election districts for partisan advantage, the court will try to set a standard — something it has failed to do in the past.”

Washington Post: “The justices regularly are called to invalidate state electoral maps that have been illegally drawn to reduce the influence of racial minorities by depressing the impact of their votes. But the Supreme Court has never found a plan unconstitutional because of partisan gerrymandering. If it does, it would have a revolutionary impact on the reapportionment that comes after the 2020 election, and could come at the expense of Republicans, who control the process in the majority of states.”

Rick Hasen: “This case represents the last best chance for a Court to rein in excesses of partisan gerrymandering, while Justice Kennedy, who has been the swing vote on this issue, remains on the Court.”