Archives for 2019

Impeachment Supercharges Battle for Senate

December 28, 2019 at 1:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The battle for the Senate majority in 2020 was always going to be heated. And now here comes impeachment. The Senate’s impeachment trial of President Donald Trump is still stuck in limbo, but the looming verdict represents the most consequential vote senators will take before next year’s elections — and a weighty position for challengers seeking to join the chamber.”

“Impeachment also threatens to yoke the 35 separate races for Senate seats even closer to the presidential contest. The politics around impeachment have calcified for both parties, with public opinion rigidly consistent and senators and candidates mostly falling along party lines ahead of a prospective vote to acquit Trump or remove him from office.”

“Democrats — who need to net three seats in next year’s elections to win back control of the chamber if they also win the presidency — have attempted to squeeze vulnerable GOP senators, calling for a fair trial to include administration witnesses who refused to testify before the House and criticizing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for saying he did not consider himself an impartial juror.”

World’s Richest Got Even Richer In 2019

December 28, 2019 at 6:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The world’s richest 500 people increased their collective wealth by 25% in 2019 ― a stark reminder of worsening income inequality, particularly in the U.S., the HuffPost reports.

Biden Would Not Comply with Senate Subpoena

December 27, 2019 at 10:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Joe Biden told the Des Moines Register that he would not comply with a subpoena to testify at President Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate.

Biden argued that complying with a subpoena and testifying would essentially allow Trump to shift attention away from the president’s own actions.

Said Biden: “The reason I wouldn’t is because it’s all designed to deal with Trump doing what he’s done his whole life: trying to take the focus off him. The issue is not what I did.”

He added: “This is all about a diversion. And we play his game all the time. He’s done it his whole career.”

Biden Discloses His Bundlers

December 27, 2019 at 10:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Joe Biden released a list of his campaign bundlers at 9:30 p.m. on a Friday night during the dead period between Christmas and New Years.

Trump Tariffs Backfired

December 27, 2019 at 10:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Federal Reserve study finds President Trump’s tariffs on imports — intended to boost the economy and protect jobs — ultimately led to job losses and higher prices for consumers.

What We Already Know About the 2020 Election

December 27, 2019 at 4:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ron Brownstein: “The 2020 presidential election remains very much up for grabs, but one thing already seems clear: It will end with about half of America triumphant, and the other half furious and fearful.”

“Whichever side ultimately prevails in November, red and blue America are diverging along both demographic and geographic lines as sharply as at any other point in modern American history. The biggest lesson of the coming year may be that for all the divisiveness that President Trump has stoked, the political divide may still continue to grow wider.”

Schumer Said In 1999 Senate Couldn’t Be Like Jury

December 27, 2019 at 3:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has blasted his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell in recent days after he described himself as ‘not an impartial juror’ ahead of President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, but Schumer himself repeatedly expressed similar sentiments in the late 1990s when senators weighed the removal of President Bill Clinton,” CNN reports.

“Schumer’s past comments are the latest example of how lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are having to confront their prior positions on impeachment that appear to conflict with their present-day statements.”

Why Are Democrats Ignoring Hispanic Voters?

December 27, 2019 at 2:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Hispanics are increasingly influential in the Democratic Party and in general election contests, but leaders and activists say they feel ignored and misunderstood by candidates who have spent much of their time focusing on Iowa and New Hampshire, predominantly white states at the top of the nominating calendar. They are bluntly calling on party leaders to reconsider the voting order of the states in four years.”

Blumenthal Says GOP Senators Upset with McConnell

December 27, 2019 at 2:02 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) claimed that several of his Republican colleagues in the Senate have “severe misgivings” about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) impeachment strategy to coordinate with the White House, The Hill reports.

Said Blumenthal: “I’ve talked to anywhere from five to 10 of my colleagues who have very severe misgivings about the direction that Mitch McConnell is going in denying a full, fair proceeding with witnesses and documents. My hope is that they will say publicly what Senator Murkowski did, and really hold Mitch McConnell accountable.”

Warren’s Fundraising Takes a Big Drop

December 27, 2019 at 1:39 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign sent an email to supporters saying her fundraising was “a good chunk behind where we were at this time last quarter,” The Week reports.

Her campaign had so far raised $17 million ahead of next week’s fourth-quarter fundraising deadline, the email said — at least a 30% drop from the $24.6 million it had ended up with last time.

Will Iowa Turn Blue Again?

December 27, 2019 at 12:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “As Democrats turn their focus to Iowa’s kickoff caucuses that begin the process of selecting Trump’s challenger, could the state be showing furtive signs of swinging back? Caucus turnout will provide some early measures of Democratic enthusiasm, and of what kind of candidate Iowa’s Democratic voters — who have a good record of picking the Democratic nominee — believe has the best chance against Trump.”

“If Iowa’s rightward swing has stalled, it could be a foreboding sign for Trump in other upper Midwestern states he carried by much smaller margins and would need to win again.”

Iowa is still red on the consensus Electoral Vote Map.

Russia Commissions Intercontinental Hypersonic Weapon

December 27, 2019 at 11:55 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Russia’s defense minister reported to President Vladimir Putin that a new hypersonic weapon of intercontinental range became operational Friday following years of tests. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Putin that the first missile unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle entered combat duty, the Defense Ministry said.”

Pelosi’s Rolling Impeachment

December 27, 2019 at 11:18 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Kimberley Strassel: “Republicans dismiss Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to transmit the impeachment articles to the Senate as a weak stunt. They do so at the peril of both the Constitution and President Trump. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may be a master tactician, but Mrs. Pelosi is no slouch.”

Trump Obsesses Over Sting of Impeachment

December 27, 2019 at 11:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

CNN: “President Trump can’t seem to get Nancy Pelosi out of his head, even as most of the rest of the nation enjoys a holiday halftime break from the impeachment drama.”

“His anger is boiling as the politics of impeachment evolve in a slow burn over the Christmas and New Year break, with pressure rising on senators of both parties over his coming Senate trial.”

“Trump, between rounds of golf and greeting guests at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, keeps returning to vent fury at the House speaker who led his impeachment a week ago.”

Quote of the Day

December 27, 2019 at 10:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The future of the Democratic Party is not Pete Buttigieg. It’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”

— Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, president of the California Young Democrats, quoted by Politico.

Why Trump’s Second Term Will Be Worse

December 27, 2019 at 10:42 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Yoscha Mounk: “Many observers of india have been surprised that Modi has grown so much more extreme in his second term in office. But a comparison of populist governments around the world suggests that India is following a predictable pattern of what would-be authoritarians do when they win reelection.”

“As we’ve seen in countries including Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, populist leaders are at first hamstrung in their ability to concentrate power in their own hands. Many key institutions, including courts and electoral commissions, are still dominated by independent-minded professionals who do not owe their appointment to the new regime. Media outlets are still able and willing to report on scandals, forcing the government to tread somewhat carefully.”

“Once these governments win reelection, these constraints begin to fall away. As the independent-minded judges and civil servants depart, populist leaders feel emboldened to pursue their illiberal dreams.”

Why Bernie Sanders Is Tough to Beat

December 27, 2019 at 9:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “With less than six weeks until voting begins, the loyalty Mr. Sanders commands has turned him into a formidable contender in the 2020 race. Despite having a heart attack in October that threatened to derail his second quest for the Democratic nomination, he remains at or near the top of polls in Iowa and other early states, lifted by his near ubiquitous name recognition and an enviable bank account.”

Trump Already Searching for Next Secretary of State

December 27, 2019 at 9:47 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Josh Rogin: “The person most often mentioned to succeed Pompeo is national security adviser Robert O’Brien. Trump really likes O’Brien, several officials told me, and has given him increased diplomatic responsibilities since he became the president’s fourth national security adviser in September. O’Brien stood in for Trump at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Thailand in October. He accompanied Vice President Pence and Pompeo to Turkey to negotiate a Syria cease-fire.”

“The other main contender at this point is Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Some officials believe Mnuchin is angling for the job, and some say he is simply in contention but not actively lobbying. Either way, he’s on the list. Mnuchin is very close to Trump personally and has been treasury secretary for almost three years.”