Political Wire

Daily Archives

August 7, 2017

31 posts · Monday

‘May You Die In Pain’

By Leave a Comment

The Los Angeles Times reports that a constituent at a town hall meeting had harsh words for Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s (R-CA) vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act: “May you die in pain.”

“LaMalfa stood his ground on stage at the Chico Elks Lodge as person after person ripped into him for his votes and positions on healthcare and climate change as well as for his unyielding support for President Trump.”

Axios: “Many Republicans viewed this as the worst case scenario — they have to deal with the wrath of constituents upset over their position on the unpopular health care plan, and still have nothing to show for it.”

Manchin Says He’s Not Scared of the Election

By Leave a Comment

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told the Charleston Gazette that getting re-elected doesn’t influence his votes.

Said Manchin: “I don’t give a shit, you understand? I just don’t give a shit. Don’t care if I get elected, don’t care if I get defeated, how about that. If they think because I’m up for election, that I can be wrangled into voting for shit that I don’t like and can’t explain, they’re all crazy.”

He added: “I’m not scared of an election, let’s put it that way. Elections do not bother me or scare me.”

How the Trump Hotel Changed the Influence Industry

By Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Since Trump’s election, the Trump International Hotel has emerged as a Republican Party power center where on a good day — such as July 28 around 8 p.m. — excited visitors can watch the president share intimate dinner conversation with his just-named chief of staff, John F. Kelly, and be the first to brag about it on social media.”

“This is nothing Washington has ever seen. For the first time in presidential history, a profit-making venture touts the name of a U.S. president in its gold signage. And every cup of coffee served, every fundraiser scheduled, every filet mignon ordered feeds the revenue of the Trump family’s private business.”

Trump TV Launches

By Leave a Comment

President’s daughter-in-law is “running the show” at his Trump TV project funded by his reelection campaign, multiple sources tell the Daily Beast.

“When the Trump campaign unveiled a new Trump-friendly news product on social media last week, viewers weren’t just seeing a novel political strategy in the form of Trump TV. They were watching a new power center in the president’s orbit and the political apparatus pursuing his reelection.”

Hatch Gives Lesson on ‘Shooting Wads’

By Leave a Comment

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) used an interesting phrase in Politico to illustrate how Republicans were moving away from their failed health care bill.

Said Hatch: “We’re not going back to health care. We’re in tax now. As far as I’m concerned, they shot their wad on health care and that’s the way it is. I’m sick of it.”

After an uproar on social media, Hatch tweeted out “a valuable jargon lesson on ‘wads’ and the shooting of them.” He claims that “to shoot one’s wad” means “to do all that one can do,” and is a reference to the material used to plug old guns.

3 Nightmare Scenarios for the Debt Ceiling

By Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Just before lawmakers left town for the August recess, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that Democrats should provide the votes needed to pass the increase in the federal debt ceiling required by the end of September.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

Peter Thiel Turns on Trump

By Leave a Comment

President Trump’s most prominent Silicon Valley supporter has distanced himself from the president in private conversations, describing his “incompetent” administration, and one that may well end in “disaster,” according to BuzzFeed News.

“Peter Thiel’s unguarded remarks have surprised associates, some of whom are still reeling from his full-throated endorsement of Trump at the Republican National Convention. And while the investor stands by the president in public… his private doubts underscore the fragility of the president’s backing from even his most public allies… Thiel’s views remain private — but various disparaging comments were recounted to BuzzFeed News by three separate sources, and others who subsequently confirmed those accounts. These people requested anonymity for fear of damaging personal relationships and possible retribution.”

Lynch Used an Email Alias as Attorney General

By Leave a Comment

Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch used an email alias to conduct government business, the Daily Caller reports.

“Several of Lynch’s emails were included in 413 pages of DOJ documents provided to the conservative groups Judicial Watch and the American Center for Law and Justice. Both groups had filed lawsuits for records regarding Lynch’s controversial meeting with President Bill Clinton at the Phoenix airport last June 27.”

“Using the pseudonym ‘Elizabeth Carlisle,’ Lynch corresponded with DOJ press officials to hammer out talking points in response to media requests about the meeting.”

Have Democrats Lost the White Working Class Forever?

By Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

A new survey from Expedition Strategies finds that among white voters over age 24 without college educations, Democrats currently trail Republicans on the generic congressional ballot by 10 points, 43% to 33%.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

Chaffetz, Who Left Early, Blames Congress for Early Exit

By Leave a Comment

Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who resigned from Congress during the middle of his term, blamed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Fox News for allowing the Senate to go home early for August recess.

Said Chaffetz: “It’s infuriating. Mitch McConnell went out in July and touted that the Senate was going to stay in session through the end of next week. And yet, they adjourned early.”

South Carolina AG Tried to Sideline Special Prosecutor

By Leave a Comment

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) “enlisted the help of a central figure in the Statehouse corruption probe in an attempt to sideline the case’s special prosecutor just as the investigation was about to zero in on Wilson’s close allies,” according to emails obtained by the Charleston Post and Courier.

“It’s a highly unusual move that legal observers say raises serious questions about the allegiances of the state’s chief law enforcement official and his willingness to meddle in matters in which he had already revealed a potential conflict.”

About Political Wire

Taegan 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.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.