Daily Archives

October 2, 2017

18 posts · Monday

Can Democrats Beat Roy Moore In Alabama?

October 2, 2017 at 9:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Republican primary victory last week by Roy Moore initially delighted Democrats who saw the inflammatory Alabamian’s humiliation of the Republican establishment as prime evidence that the Trump era had intensified the right’s unremitting internecine wars,” the New York Times reports.

“But now Democrats are grappling with an all-too-familiar question of their own: how and even whether to confront a Republican Senate candidate whose views they find repugnant but who may be unbeatable in a deeply conservative state — no matter how much money liberal donors pour in to defeat him.”

Said Democratic strategist James Carville: “If you can’t run against Roy Moore, then what kind of party you got?”

10 Million Saw Russian Ads on Facebook

October 2, 2017 at 9:29 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Facebook said it estimates 10 million people saw ads it has discovered on its platform paid for by Russian entities, but warned that it may not have uncovered all malicious activity that attempted to interfere in the American political process,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The revelation from Facebook quantifies for the first time the spread of the known Russian activity since the social network said last month it had identified 470 ‘inauthentic’ Russian-backed accounts responsible for $100,000 in advertising spending. Facebook presented congressional investigators with data on 3,000 ads bought by the Russian actors before and after the U.S. presidential election.”

Paul Says He Doesn’t Like the GOP Tax Plan

October 2, 2017 at 5:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tweeted his disapproval of the Republican tax reform plan.

Said Paul: “This is a GOP tax plan? Possibly 30% of middle class gets a tax hike? I hope the final details are better than this.”

Axios: “Republicans can only afford to lose three votes on tax reform, and retiring Sen. Bob Corker has made it clear that he won’t vote for a bill that increases the deficit. Now, Paul’s tweet only complicates the matter further — and puts the pressure on Mitch McConnell to deliver a final bill that’s acceptable to his members.”

Documents Reveal New Trump Contacts with Russia

October 2, 2017 at 3:21 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associates of President Trump “have turned over documents to federal investigators that reveal two previously unreported contacts from Russia during the 2016 campaign,” the Washington Post reports.

“In one case, Trump’s personal attorney and a business associate exchanged emails weeks before the Republican National Convention about traveling to an economic conference in Russia that would be attended by top Russian financial and government leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.”

“In the other case, the same Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, received a proposal in late 2015 for a Moscow residential project from a company founded by a billionaire who once served in the Russian Senate… The previously unreported inquiry marks the second proposal for a Trump-branded Moscow project that was delivered to the company during the presidential campaign.”

White House Says Now Is Not Time for Gun Debate

October 2, 2017 at 2:53 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the day after the deadliest mass shooting in the nation’s history is not the time to renew a debate over gun control,” the AP reports.

Sanders said there is a “time and place” for a debate but that is “not the place we’re in at this moment.”

She added that President Trump was focused on the victims and stressed that it was a “time to unite the country.”

Manafort Used Trump to Curry Favor With Putin Ally

October 2, 2017 at 1:21 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Atlantic has obtained the full email exchanges between Paul Manafort and a former associate in Russia which show Manafort — at a time when he was deeply in debt and not earning a salary — attempting to use his role as Trump’s campaign manager to gain favor with Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin.

“They are part of a trove of documents turned over by lawyers for Trump’s presidential campaign to investigators looking into the Kremlin’s interference in the 2016 election. A source close to Manafort confirmed their authenticity.”

Obamas Eye New York City Apartment

October 2, 2017 at 1:14 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Post: “The Obamas have been looking at 10 Gracie Square on the Upper East Side, situated between East End Avenue and East River Drive and near the mayor’s residence Gracie Mansion, according to sources who have seen the couple arriving at the building for viewings.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

October 2, 2017 at 12:50 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“To all those political opportunists who are seizing on the tragedy in Las Vegas to call for more gun regulations… You can’t regulate evil.”

— Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R), on Twitter.

Trump Has Lost Control of His Base

October 2, 2017 at 11:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

A new Firehouse Strategies memo concludes that President Trump’s endorsement and active campaigning for Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) in the Republican special election primary had absolutely no impact on the final results.

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.

Bonus Quote of the Day

October 2, 2017 at 11:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“He’s learning. I know his heart’s in the right place.”

— Speaker Paul Ryan, quoted by The Hill, on President Trump and racial issues.

Gun Stocks Rally After Mass Shooting

October 2, 2017 at 11:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Gun stocks rose Monday following the deadliest mass shooting in American history late Sunday night. A gunman in a hotel room at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas killed at least 58 people attending an outdoor concert and wounded over 500 more,” CNN reports.

“Shares of Sturm Ruger were up 6%, while American Outdoor Brands, the company formerly known as Smith & Wesson, gained nearly 7%. Both stocks have tended to rally in the immediate aftermath of mass killings, which sadly have become more routine.”

Most Americans Say Trump Is Wrong on NFL Protests

October 2, 2017 at 11:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new USA Today/Suffolk University Poll finds that 68% of Americans believe President Trump’s call for NFL owners to fire the players and fans to boycott their games is inappropriate. That includes a third of Republicans as well as nine of 10 Democrats.

By 51% to 42%, those surveyed say the players’ protests are appropriate.

Quote of the Day

October 2, 2017 at 9:49 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren’t public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with legislative indifference. It’s time for Congress to get off its ass and do something.”

— Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), on Twitter, in response to the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Trump Only Hurts Himself When He Tweets

October 2, 2017 at 8:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Nate Silver finds that when President Trump stays away from Twitter, his approval rate ticks upward.

“If Trump never tweeted again, his approval rating would gradually rise to about 43 percent, the simulation estimates. Conversely, if he went on a Twitter bender and constantly tweeted at his maximum outrage level … it would eventually fall to 33 percent. Again, I wouldn’t take any of this too seriously. But Trump’s tweets often dictate news cycles and amplify controversies — and they can even help to spark diplomatic crises and put the president in legal jeopardy. It’s not crazy to think the tweets have had consequences — mostly negative ones — for Trump’s popularity.”

Trump’s Foreign Policy Splits the Republican Party

October 2, 2017 at 8:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll finds that President Trump’s “most fervent supporters solidly support his foreign policy views, but Republicans with less favorable impressions of the president are far less enthusiastic and are more closely aligned in their attitudes with the overall population.”

“The survey also underscores the degree to which Trump, despite the bully pulpit of the White House, has been unable to shift public opinion in his direction on foreign policy issues. In fact, the opposite has occurred. Public attitudes have moved away from a number of the positions he espoused during his campaign and since.”

The U.S. Faces Yet Another Mass Shooting

October 2, 2017 at 7:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rick Klein: “This weekend would suggest that there is little or nothing exempt from the politics of division, as practiced by President Trump. Now comes a fresh test – the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, not to mention the Trump presidency, at a country-music festival in Las Vegas overnight. The ensuing days will test the president’s tone, and – depending on what’s learned about the shooter and his motivations – is very likely to involve the president’s name in some way. Can he resist the urge to punch – or counter-punch – in a time of national tragedy, compounded by an unfolding crisis in Puerto Rico?”

“These types of stories always wind up being political, whether it’s about gun control or the sources of the dark forces in a gunman’s life. There’s a numbing familiarity to it all. What’s new to the equation is Trump, whose instincts have rarely taken him in the direction of unity. The president spent the weekend being defiantly Trump, even down to his golf-course routine. This week will challenge him to recognize what this moment calls for.”

Attacks Hit U.S. Spy Network In Cuba

October 2, 2017 at 7:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “It wasn’t until U.S. spies, posted to the embassy under diplomatic cover, reported hearing bizarre sounds and experiencing even stranger physical effects that the United States realized something was wrong, individuals familiar with the situation said.”

“To date, the Trump administration largely has described the 21 victims as U.S. embassy personnel or ‘members of the diplomatic community.’ That description suggested only bona fide diplomats and their family members were struck, with no logical motivation beyond disrupting U.S.-Cuban relations.”

“Behind the scenes, though, investigators immediately started searching for explanations in the darker, rougher world of spycraft and counterespionage, given that so many of the first reported cases involved intelligence workers posted to the U.S. embassy.”

Jared and Ivanka Shrink Roles to Shield Themselves

October 2, 2017 at 7:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mike Allen: “With increasing legal and practical questions about their presence in the West Wing, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are trying to remain viable by shrinking their purview and making more of an effort to ‘stay in their lane,’ associates tell us.”

“Both see themselves as under constant attack, as a way to get at the president.”

“In the chaotic early days of the administration, ‘Javanka’ — as Steve Bannon derisively called them — were involved in almost everything, from personnel to presidential statements. But now — with the departures of Bannon and Reince Priebus, and the stricter processes put in place by the new chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly — colleagues say they are sticking more closely to their formal portfolios.”