“OK, Trump voters are not idiots. We don’t need to give America a moral education; they know that he’s an asshole. They get it. They’ve just baked that in,”
— Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), quoted by Politico.
Archives for July 11, 2019 at 11:49 pm EDT
Trump Slams Paul Ryan’s ‘Atrocious’ Record
“President Trump went on a tear against former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) late Thursday night, lambasting his “atrocious” record after excerpts from a forthcoming book described the former GOP leader as exasperated with the president,” The Hill reports.
“In a trio of tweets, Trump blasted Ryan over his 2012 failed vice presidential bid on a ticket with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), ripped him over his inability to secure funding for a border wall and blamed the former Speaker for losing the Republican majority in the House last year.”
Potential Senate Showdown Looms In Wyoming
Former Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) announced a bid for Senate in Wyoming Thursday, becoming the first Republican to jump into the race and setting up a potential clash with her successor in the House, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Politico reports..
Pelosi Seeks Budget, Debt Limit Deal Before Recess
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she will attempt to finalize a deal that would raise the debt ceiling in the next few weeks instead of delaying until autumn, heeding dire warnings from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that the government could fall behind on its bills by early September,” the Washington Post reports.
“Pelosi told reporters she wants to raise the debt ceiling as part of a deal that would set spending levels for the next two years. Many lawmakers on Capitol Hill had expected a vote on a spending and debt package wouldn’t occur until September, but Pelosi indicated for the first time Thursday they needed to act more swiftly.”
Biden Way Ahead In South Carolina
A new Fox News poll in South Carolina finds Joe Biden way ahead of the Democratic field with 35% support, followed by Bernie Sanders at 14%, Kamala Harris at 12%, Elizabeth Warren at 5%, Cory Booker at 3% and Pete Buttigieg at 2%.
Biden and Warren Lead the Democratic Field
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds Joe Biden leads the Democratic field nationally with 26% support, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 19%, Kamala Harris at 13%, Bernie Sanders at 13% and Pete Buttigieg at 7%.
Beto O’Rourke and Andrew Yang follow at 2%. No other candidate gets more than 1%.
Key takeaway: “Biden performs best among African Americans, older Democrats and those who are moderate or conservative in their political views, while Warren runs strongest with self-described liberals and those ages 18 to 49.”
Trump Accuses Social Media Firms of ‘Terrible Bias’
“President Trump assailed Facebook, Google and Twitter on Thursday for exhibiting ‘terrible bias’ and silencing his supporters at a White House ‘social media summit’ that critics chastised for giving a prominent stage to some of the internet’s most controversial, incendiary voices,” the Washington Post reports.
“For Trump, the conference represented his highest profile broadside yet against Silicon Valley after months of accusations that tech giants censor conservative users and websites.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I kept my underwear on during the massage. I don’t like massages particularly.”
— Alan Dershowitz, quoted by Crooks and Liars, admitting to getting a massage at Jeffrey Epstein’s residence from a very “old, old Russian woman.”
Why a Climate Debate Is a Bad Idea
Jonathan Chait: “A singular climate debate only serves its purpose if every faction within the Democratic Party agrees that climate change uniquely merits a dedicated debate. But progressive activists are unlikely to accept this. The nature of the party is that it is divided into activist nodes organized around singular issues or groups. What happens when activists request a debate on racism? Inequality? Health care? Gun violence? Voting rights? Abortion rights? Immigration?”
“Once Democrats have broken the seal, the pressure to expand the number of single-issue debates would be intense and continuous. Saying no to any particular cause after having already agreed to elevating another cause would be untenable. Can you really imagine the party standing behind the position that racism is not important enough to merit its own debate, but climate change is? I cannot. The endpoint would be a proliferation of single-issue debates that negates the entire point of elevating climate change to begin with.”
Trump Won’t Pursue Citizenship Question After All
“President Trump is expected to announce on Thursday that he will not pursue efforts to get a citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. census… after the administration spent weeks seeking a legal rationale for doing so,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In a news conference at the White House Thursday afternoon, the president is expected to address next steps for obtaining that information through other means.”
Rick Hasen predicted this last week: “As I understand it from people who have been following this more closely than I am, the Census Department is still going to create citizenship data which can then be used for redistricting. Ross ordered the Census Bureau to compile citizenship data through existing administrative records, something bureau experts had told him would be cheaper and more accurate than a question anyway.”
Steyer Proposes National Referendum
Tom Steyer said in a video that as president he would let voters make laws directly through regular national referenda, NBC News reports.
“It’s part of Steyer’s new structural reform plan, which also proposes fairly novel ideas like 12-year term limits on members of Congress, a national vote-by-mail system, public campaign financing, giving the Federal Elections Commission more teeth and different composition, and imposing independent redistricting commissions to tackle gerrymandering.”
Said Steyer: “Here’s the difference between me and the other candidates: I don’t think we can fix our democracy from the inside. I trust the people.”
Trump Doesn’t Want Sessions to Run for Senate
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) told The Hill that President Trump is not on board with a potential Senate bid by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Said Shelby: “I talked to the president about it too… about if Sessions ran, he was not encouraging. How do I say it? He was not on board, OK?”
Warren Proposes Immigration Overhaul
“Elizabeth Warren on Thursday unveiled her plan to reform the nation’s immigration system amid a deepening crisis over detention at the southern border and a fraught debate across the country and within the Democratic Party on the way forward,” Politico reports.
“Among other things, the proposal calls for allowing more immigrants to come into the country legally, lifting the refugee cap from 30,000 under the Trump administration to 125,000 and then 175,000; a revamp of the immigration court system to establish independence from Justice Department leaders; and the creation of an ‘Office of New Americans’ tasked with facilitating integration, including teaching English.”
Five Democrats Are Pulling Away from the Field
Politico: “Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren raised about $100 million in the last three months combined. Together, they share a large majority of the public support.”
“They were already spending millions of dollars more than many lower-polling contenders have even raised. Now, in a powerful compounding effect for their campaigns, these top tier candidates are poised to plow that new money back into their field and digital operations — further reinforcing their fundraising and organizing advantages in the 23-candidate field. It’s too early to be an inflection point, but late enough that the rest of the field needs to start worrying.”
How QAnon Makes People Miserable
Vice: “One of the most disheartening signs of our advancing hellworld are the thousands of people who wholeheartedly believe in the deranged conspiracy known as QAnon.”
“It’s near impossible to summarize the entire QAnon conspiracy theory, as it’s fluid and ever-changing. The nuts and bolts are that a secret government insider, the titular Q, has taken to the internet forum 8chan of all places to drop clues (known in the community as Q Drops breadcrumbs) about how President Trump is taking down the deep state. The conspiracy takes some twists and turns into the occult, an ever-present cabal of pedophiles, possible executions, and the idea JFK Jr. may have faked his own death and is cosplaying as an old guy who goes to Trump rallies.”
“While the QAnon conspiracy often feels like an elaborate troll, an online community of real, actual people has built up around it.”
House Panel Votes to Subpoena Kushner and Sessions
The House Judiciary Committee “voted to subpoena 12 people with connections to President Trump, including his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and former attorney general Jeff Sessions, as part of an ongoing investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice or otherwise abused his office,” the Washington Post reports.
Why Trump Didn’t Pick Christie as Attorney General
According to the new book American Carnage, President Trump told Paul Manafort why he would never pick then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as his attorney general, the Washington Post reports.
Said Trump: “Because that guy would prosecute my own kids and not think twice about it.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Some of you are here to make a beautiful pâté but we’re making sausage most of the time.”
— Speaker Nancy Pelosi, quoted by CNN, addressing the House Democrats.
