Archives for November 2017
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Mr. President, you’re on your own.”
— House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), quoted by Politico, after President Trump said he didn’t see a possible spending deal with Democrats.
Republicans Urge Barton Not to Run Again
“One day after a group of local Republicans met privately with Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) about a nude photo of him that ended up online — and his political future — a number of Tarrant County Republicans are calling on the longtime congressman to not seek re-election,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
“Barton told the crowd that he’s gathering feedback and that a consulting firm is polling many party faithful to see if his behavior and the nude photos would make a difference in whether they would support him in the primary election next year.”
Trumpocracy
Coming in January: Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic by David Frum.
“Quietly, steadily, Trump and his administration are damaging the tenets and accepted practices of American democracy, perhaps irrevocably. As he and his family enrich themselves, the presidency itself falls into the hands of the generals and financiers who surround him.”
Top Democrats Pull Out of White House Meeting
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer abruptly pulled out of a White House meeting after President Trump’s Twitter attack this morning the AP reports.
They said they’d skip a “show meeting” at the White House and instead ask for a meeting with their Republican counterparts, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Three Groups of Wavering Senators
The Wall Street Journal identifies three blocs of Republican senators who have not yet committed to supporting their party’s tax bill.
“One group, including Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Steve Daines (R-MT), wants deeper tax cuts for so-called pass-through businesses such as partnerships and S corporations that pay taxes on individual rather than corporate tax returns…. Another group, including Bob Corker (R-TN), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and James Lankford (R-OK), is concerned about the $1.4 trillion addition to budget deficits the bill would cause… A third group, including Susan Collins (R-ME) and John McCain (R-AZ), helped kill the Republican health-care bill earlier this year and could pose resistance over a variety of provisions, including plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s health-insurance mandate as part of the tax bill.”
Axios: What Lankford, Flake and Corker want before voting on tax bill.
Trump Doesn’t See Deal to Avoid Shutdown
President Trump cast doubt on avoiding a government shutdown, tweeting that he didn’t believe a deal could be reached with Democrats:
Meeting with “Chuck and Nancy” today about keeping government open and working. Problem is they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes. I don’t see a deal!
First Read: “The smart money is that Congress will pass a short funding bill that will set up a government-spending showdown right before Christmas. Unlike the tax bill, this measure needs 60 votes in the Senate – and thus votes from Democrats. And here’s where we can expect big fights over funding for Trump’s border wall, over DACA (with Senate Democrats saying they won’t fund the government without protecting the DREAMers) and maybe over raising the debt limit, too.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think she does the best of her ability to tell the truth but also to protect the President, and so I think that there’s a fine line to draw between those two things.”
— Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, quoted by CNN, on White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Moore Regains Lead In Alabama
A new Change Research survey in Alabama finds Roy Moore (R) has regained his lead over Doug Jones (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 44%.
“What has changed? The largest difference is turnout: many Republicans who ten days ago said they might not vote, now say they plan to show up on Election Day and vote for Moore.”
Also important: “Compared to ten days ago, fewer Republicans believe the allegations against Moore. While all voters believed the allegations by a 46–30 margin ten days ago, they now believe them by only 42–38. Among Trump voters, the split was 16–51 (believe-don’t believe) in the middle of the month, and it’s 9–63 now.”
Alabama’s Next Senator Could Determine Fate of Tax Bill
First Read: “Complicating all of these stories is the December 12 race in Alabama between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones. If the Senate doesn’t pass its tax plan before then – or if it enters conference negotiations to reconcile its version with the House’s – a Jones victory would mean Senate Republicans could only afford one defection instead of two. Bottom line: Democrats winning here COULD imperil the tax bill as well as the rest of the GOP’s legislative agenda.”
“And then there’s the story of how quickly Jones could get seated if he wins. (For perspective, Scott Brown won his Massachusetts Senate race on Jan. 19, 2010 and he was sworn in on Feb. 4 – so two weeks later.)”
Franken’s Apology Fails the Candor Test
A blistering editorial from the Minnesota Star Tribune :
Franken’s apology is less a statement of accountability and more akin to “I’m sorry for what you think I did.” Franken may just be trying to ride out the storm, as is the case too often these days…
Franken is right — he has much to do to regain Minnesotans’ trust. It may not be possible. As he continues his reflection, we urge the senator to consider what is best for Minnesota and to weigh that more heavily than what might be best for his political career.
Quote of the Day
“What he told people was a fraud. It’s in keeping with his bankruptcies and his Trump University. He is a con artist, and that’s what Mike Bloomberg called him at our convention and every day that goes by seems to prove that.”
— Hillary Clinton, in an interview with the Washington Post, on President Trump.
Trump Is Giving Elizabeth Warren the Perfect Platform
James Hohmann: “Trump campaigned like a populist but governs like a plutocrat. Warren finds herself increasingly well positioned to prosecute that case for Democrats. The effort to dismantle the agency she dreamed up personally pains her, and she pledges to fight tirelessly to protect it, but Mulvaney’s takeover also offers a compelling political rationale to build a 2020 campaign around — if she chooses.”
“Many of the white working-class folks who turned out for Trump across the industrial Midwest did so because they believed he was so wealthy that he could thumb his nose at fat-cat bankers. They took him at his word that he’d be tougher on the big banks and the billionaire class than Hillary Clinton because he didn’t need to give paid speeches or raise money from them for his foundation. With a White House full of Goldman Sachs alumni, the reality has not matched the rhetoric. The GOP tax plan offers additional data points.”
Also worth mentioning: “Trump seems fixated, even obsessed, with Warren. He mentions her all the time.”
Even Conservatives Don’t Like the GOP Tax Bill
Ezra Klein: “Over the past week, I’ve been speaking with conservative tax experts to try to better understand their case for the Senate’s tax bill, which Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is rushing to pass this week. What I’ve found is jarring.”
“Plenty of right-leaning wonks will make the case for cutting corporate taxes and reforming how they’re collected. But it’s harder to find those who think the way this bill goes about it, or finances it, makes much sense.”
“What’s worse: There’s wide agreement that pretty much everything else in the bill — and there’s a lot of other stuff in the bill — is done badly, in ways that are going to create unnecessary problems down the road.”
Republicans Still Don’t Have Votes for Tax Bill
Mike Allen: “With administration and leadership aides frantically negotiating with holdout senators, the Senate’s tax vote scheduled for late this week could lapse into next week.”
“That would raise everyone’s blood pressure: Everything is fragile.”
“The bill is in the ugly sausage-making phase, with senators taking advantage of their leverage to make demands. At least six GOP senators are holding out (John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona, Bob Corker of Tennessee, Susan Collins of Maine, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Steve Daines of Montana). Lose three of those, and the bill is dead.”
Another Woman Accuses Conyers of Harassment
Deanna Maher, a former staffer of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) “said the veteran lawmaker made unwanted sexual advances toward her, including inappropriate touching, adding to allegations by other unnamed former employees that have prompted a congressional investigation,” the Detroit News reports.
Gutiérrez Will Not Run for Re-Election
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), a leading national voice on immigration reform, will not seek reelection, Politico reports.
“Gutierrez, who has held his seat since 1993, is expected to announce Tuesday afternoon he’s withdrawing the nominating petitions he just filed on Monday and will formally endorse Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia. Garcia, a Cook County commissioner, had forced Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff election in 2015. His bid for Gutierrez’s seat means Garcia will not challenge Emanuel again in 2019 as he had previously planned.”
Corker Signals He Could Vote Against Tax Bill
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said that “he could oppose his party’s tax bill over deficit concerns in an expected Senate Budget Committee vote this week, but added that Republicans were working to resolve his concerns,” Reuters reports.
Said Corker: “I’m not threatening anything. I’m just saying it’s very important for me to know that we’ve got this resolved.”
Asked if he could vote “no” on the tax bill at a committee hearing slated for Tuesday, he replied: “Very possible. Yeah. Sure.”
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