Andrew Sullivan: “Just because a drunk driver hasn’t crashed for a quarter of his journey home carries no assurance that catastrophe isn’t still eminently possible. But it seems possible, after a year of this insanity, to entertain some measure of hope that it will some day be over, and the country and the world not irrevocably damaged in the process. There may even be hope that the confirmation of everyone’s darkest fears about this president’s functionality may at some point break through, and perhaps after a drubbing in the fall elections, the GOP might even begin to reassess its reckless gamble. No, I’m not optimistic about this, but hope flickers in the distance. Reality at some point could finally intrude upon the reality show.”
Daily Archives
January 5, 2018
32 posts · Friday
Quote of the Day
“Where do I send the box of chocolates?… Not only is he helping sell books, but he’s helping me prove the point of the book.”
— Michael Wolff, on the Today Show, on President Trump’s attempt to stop publication of Fire and Fury.
‘Like Two Rats In a Bag’
Rick Wilson: “Steve Bannon’s spectacular fall from grace in Trump World is a big, salty, delicious bowl of schadenfreude from the political gods in celebration of the new year.”
“Bannon wasn’t just one of Trump’s most senior aides and an architect of the destruction of the Republican Party; he was the multi-shirted, red-eyed White House troll, leaking tales of his brilliance to a constellation of reporters in the ostensibly hated mainstream media. His house organ Breitbart and a host of Trump-right websites and news outlets sang praises to his dank genius. Bannon, they proclaimed, was Trumpism in its distilled essence: revanchist, ahistorical, racially inflected, and consumed with an imaginary war on the media and America’s broader society.”
“Now, like two rats in a bag, Trump and Bannon are tearing at one another in a delicious public spat that has every possible bit of drama, except Bannon drunkenly bellowing for a round of fisticuffs with all comers and Trump offering to compare the length of their relative manhoods on live television. They deserve one another in so many ways.”
Trump Creates Big Problem for Vulnerable Republicans
James Hohmann: “With the proposed expansion of offshore drilling and a crackdown on marijuana, the Trump administration created huge political headaches Thursday for scores of Republicans who were already facing a tough environment in 2018.”
“Both moves are unpopular with voters, especially key people in places that are likely to determine whether the GOP holds the House. In practice, these two stories probably pose bigger challenges for the president’s party in the midterms than any book about White House dysfunction.”
Republicans Plan Aggressive Ground Game In PA-18
“Republicans are launching an aggressive ground game in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District more than three months before voters head to the polls for the special election,” WPXI reports.
“This is a race to replace Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), who resigned after revelations that he asked his mistress to have an abortion during a pregnancy scare.”
“Republicans, though publicly supporting state Rep. Rick Saccone, have fears about their candidate’s chances against Democratic nominee Conor Lamb. A Republican campaign strategist described the race as a ‘D-candidate’ versus an ‘A-candidate,’ indicating he did not see the Republican as the strongest candidate in the race.”
Trump Fails to Block Publication of Book
President Trump’s attempt to block publication of Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury failed. It’s available for purchase and immediate download at 9 a.m. ET.
The book was originally scheduled for release next week.
The Trump-Fox Feedback Loop
Matthew Gertz: “Everyone has a theory about Trump’s hyper-aggressive early morning tweetstorms. Some think they are a deliberate ploy the president uses to distract the press from his administration’s potential weaknesses, or to frame the public debate to his liking. Others warn his rapid shifts from one topic to another indicate mental instability.”
“But my many hours following the president’s tweets for Media Matters for America, the progressive media watchdog organization, have convinced me the truth is often much simpler: The president is just live-tweeting Fox, particularly the network’s Trump-loving morning show, Fox & Friends.”
For members: Rupert Murdoch Controls What Trump Thinks
What Wolff Got Right
Mike Allen and Jim Vande Hei: “There are definitely parts of Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury that are wrong, sloppy, or betray off-the-record confidence. But there are two things he gets absolutely right, even in the eyes of White House officials who think some of the book’s scenes are fiction: his spot-on portrait of Trump as an emotionally erratic president, and the low opinion of him among some of those serving him.”
“In the past year, we have had many of the same conversations with the same sources Wolff used. We won’t betray them, or put on the record what was off.”
Democrats Now Want to Keep Sessions as Attorney General
“Last year, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was blunt in his assessment of Jeff Sessions: ‘For the good of the country, Attorney General Sessions should resign,'” CNN reports.
“Now, Schumer and other Democrats have changed their tune, suggesting Sessions should stay in the job as long as special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.”
Said Schumer: “I voted against Jeff Sessions and said he never should be there in the first place, given his record on civil rights, on immigration, on so many other issues. My view now is very simple: nothing, nothing should ever interfere with the Mueller investigation.”
Ryan Backs Nunes In Dispute with FBI
“Speaker Paul Ryan backed his fellow congressional Republican, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), during a meeting over the Russia investigation Wednesday, capping off a months-long dispute between the committee and the Justice Department, CNN reports.
“Over the summer Nunes served subpoenas seeking a broad range of documents connected to the dossier of compromising allegations about President Trump’s connections to the Kremlin… While Ryan had already been in contact with Rosenstein for months about the dispute over documents, Rosenstein and Wray wanted to make one last effort to persuade him to support their position… During the meeting, however, it became clear that Ryan wasn’t moved and the officials wouldn’t have his support if they proceeded to resist Nunes’ remaining highly classified requests.”
Trump Talks to Romney About Senate Bid
“President Trump spoke by phone with Mitt Romney on Thursday evening, a conversation that comes amid mounting speculation that Romney — a fierce Trump critic — is preparing to run for Senate in Utah,” Politico reports.
“The brief call, which was described by two sources who were briefed on it, lasted less than 10 minutes… The two men also spoke about 83-year-old Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who announced his retirement earlier this week, opening the seat for Romney to run. Trump had aggressively pressured Hatch to run for reelection in an effort to block Romney from taking the seat.”
Trump Wants $18 Billion for Border Wall
Wall Street Journal: “The Trump administration is asking Congress for nearly $18 billion to construct more than 700 miles of new and replacement barriers along the southwest border, offering its most detailed description yet of the president’s vision for a border wall with Mexico.”
GOP Leaders Will Brief Trump on Midterm Outlook
“Congressional leaders are slated to brief President Trump on the perilous midterm landscape on Friday afternoon at Camp David,” Politico reports.
“Amid rising concern that Republicans could lose their majorities in November, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will lead separate presentations on 2018.”
“The briefing will be part of a broader slate of meetings between the president and Republican congressional leadership to take place at Camp David through the weekend, when they are scheduled to discuss the legislative agenda for this year. Also attending will be House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX).”
New Book Consumes White House
Politico: “White House staffers are poring over copies of Michael Wolff’s forthcoming book, scanning the index for their names and crossing their fingers that they aren’t mentioned… The book is also reviving frustration with other former aides whom the president’s close advisers have long suspected of leaking to the press. Former White House deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh, who was quoted in the book saying that managing the president was ‘like trying to figure out what a child wants,’ is under fire from some in the administration for her apparent role in the book.”
