Daily Archives

July 31, 2017

26 posts · Monday

Democrats See Path to Single-Payer Health Care

July 31, 2017 at 8:48 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “As Republicans learned last week, making grand promises to the base on health care is easy — following through on them is not. For now, single-payer is little more than a slogan. Despite that, one thing is for sure, the issue is moving in only one direction for Democrats and it’s gaining steam quickly, including with recent converts in billionaires Warren Buffett and Mark Cuban.”

“Support for single-payer has jumped 19 percentage points among Democrats since 2014 — and nine points since January alone — to 52%, according to a Pew survey in June. With 85% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents now saying the federal government has a responsibility to make sure every American has health care, two-thirds of liberals favor single-payer as the means.”

Quote of the Day

July 31, 2017 at 8:46 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Anybody who thinks they’re going to change Donald Trump doesn’t know Donald Trump.”

— Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, in an interview on NBC News.

Is It Possible for Trump to Reset?

July 31, 2017 at 7:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rick Klein: “This is one of those moments, in normal times, that would mark a strategic reset. These are not normal times. John Kelly assumes the role of White House chief of staff this morning, bringing his military and homeland security credentials to an institution that craves discipline and structure. This he might achieve. But while Kelly inherits the baggage of staff infighting and rivalries, mostly he inherits the man who still seems to relish the chaos.”

“President Trump has escalated his wars on, well, everybody – friends and foes, loyalists and lobbyists, Democrats and Republicans, Congress and his own executive branch. Trump finds himself at the low point of his influence, and raging even at those who continue to demonstrate loyalty. It would be a natural time to end the soap opera and concentrate on governing. But Trump, as always, appears to enjoy the show.”

Big Money Comes Out to Boost Tax Reform

July 31, 2017 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mike Allen: “Never mind President Trump’s weekend of after-the-whistle tweeting about health reform. The White House, Senate and House are all united in moving on full steam to tax reform this week.”

“They’re doing it with heightened urgency, since Republican lawmakers are more desperate than ever to pass something substantial ahead of midterms.”

McClatchy: “They’ll be getting a multi-million dollar boost from American Action Network, a major outside group aligned with House leadership. The organization expects to spend as much as $20 million on a pro-tax reform effort.”

McConnell Intervenes In Alabama Special Election

July 31, 2017 at 7:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The Republican leader is aiming to thwart Rep. Mo Brooks and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in a special election in Alabama next month. Both men are campaigning against McConnell as a despised symbol of the establishment — and both would exacerbate his already stiff challenge wrangling his GOP conference. McConnell is responding in kind.”

“His super PAC is set to spend much as $8 million to boost his favored candidate, recently-appointed Republican Sen. Luther Strange. McConnell has activated his sprawling donor network and pressed the White House for more resources. And the [NRSC], the Senate GOP campaign arm which McConnell controls, has warned consultants they’ll be cut off from future work if they assist Strange’s opponents.”

Putin’s Bet on Trump Backfires Spectacularly

July 31, 2017 at 7:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A little more than a year after the Russian effort to interfere in the American presidential election came to light, the diplomatic fallout — an unraveling of the relationship between Moscow and Washington on a scale not seen in decades — is taking its toll,” the New York Times reports.

“President Vladimir V. Putin bet that Donald J. Trump, who had spoken fondly of Russia and its authoritarian leader for years, would treat his nation as Mr. Putin has longed to have it treated by the West. That is, as the superpower it once was, or at least a major force to be reckoned with, from Syria to Europe, and boasting a military revived after two decades of neglect. That bet has now backfired, spectacularly. If the sanctions overwhelmingly passed by Congress last week sent any message to Moscow, it was that Mr. Trump’s hands are now tied in dealing with Moscow, probably for years to come.”

“It is unclear how much the announcement will affect day-to-day relations. While the Russian news media said 755 diplomats would be barred from working, and presumably expelled, there do not appear to be anything close to 755 American diplomats working in Russia.”

Baby Boomers Are No Longer the Largest Voting Bloc

July 31, 2017 at 7:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Baby Boomers and other older Americans are no longer the majority of voters in U.S. presidential elections,” according to Pew Research.

“Millennials and Generation Xers cast 69.6 million votes in the 2016 general election, a slight majority of the 137.5 million total votes cast, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. Meanwhile, Boomers and older voters represented fewer than half of all votes for the first time in decades.”

Trump Deepens the GOP Divide

July 31, 2017 at 7:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump’s “tumultuous past week has widened rifts in his party, between those who vocally support the president’s combative style and others who bridle at it,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Trump has long been a polarizing force among members of his party, but for the first several months of his tenure, the GOP was largely united by a shared desire to make the most of his election and the party’s total control of the government for the first time in a decade.”

“After a week that included the president attacking his attorney general, the collapse of a GOP health bill, a surprise effort to bar transgender people in the military and a White House staff shakeup, divisions that were largely set aside at the start of 2017 have emerged anew.”