Maine state Rep. Don Marean told the Bangor Daily News that he was quitting the Republican party to become an independent but did not offer an explanation for his choice to leave the GOP.
Archives for 2019
Warren Heads to Iowa This Weekend
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “will make her first trip to Iowa as a potential 2020 presidential candidate just days after formally launching a committee to explore a White House bid,” the Des Moines Register reports.
Sinema Sworn In Using Constitution, Not Bible
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) “took her ceremonial oath of office using a copy of the Constitution rather than a religious book, as most members usually do,” the Arizona Republic reports.
“Sinema’s move, while legally irrelevant, may only heighten speculation that she is an atheist… Officially, Sinema identifies herself as religiously unaffiliated, and is the only member of the House or Senate to do so.”
Trump Defends Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
President Trump argued that the Soviet Union “was right” to invade Afghanistan in 1979 because “terrorists were going into Russia,” a head-scratching aside that was widely criticized as historically inaccurate, CNN reports.
Said Trump: “The reason Russia was in, in Afghanistan was because terrorists were going into Russia. They were right to be there.”
Lawmakers Hail a New ‘Sisterhood’ In Congress
“Women lawmakers had to wait until 2011 to get a restroom off the floor of the House. On Thursday for the first time, there was a line to get in,” the Washington Post reports.
“The opening day of the 116th Congress was heavy with symbolism underscoring women’s historic gains in power as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) retook the speaker’s gavel and more than 100 women were sworn in on the floor of the House. Beneath the portraits of male speakers past, history seemed to be changing.”
“The day served as a powerful reminder of the shifting gender dynamics of the House as Democrats ascend to power. When Pelosi arrived on Capitol Hill in 1987, there were 23 female members. As of Thursday, there are 102, nearly 90 percent of whom are Democrats.”
Conway Says Trump No Longer Owns the Shutdown
White House adviser Kellyanne Conway argued that President Trump “no longer bears responsibility for the shutdown that’s resulted in the closure of approximately a quarter of the federal government, impacting 800,000 federal workers,” ABC News reports.
Said Conway: “He doesn’t own the shutdown any longer.”
“She argued that because the House of Representatives passed a package last month that included the president’s requested $5.6 billion in funding, the buck now passes to the Senate. That measure expired with the end of the 115th Congress earlier Thursday.”
The Shutdown Isn’t Ending Anytime Soon
“The House of Representatives passed legislation to fully fund the government Thursday evening, but it is heading nowhere, and Congress is bracing for a potentially long shutdown,” BuzzFeed News reports.
“Both bills passed Thursday with the support of all Democrats and just a handful of Republicans (seven Republicans voted in favor of reopening most of the government through September, while five Republicans voted in favor of the DHS spending bill).”
“But it will do no good. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already said he will not bring the bills forward for a vote in the Senate, despite senators unanimously agreeing to a similar plan last month. And President Trump has said he will refuse to sign off on the House package because it does not include border wall funding. Trump has dug in on demanding $5 billion in wall funding be added to any spending bill.”
McConnell Faces Pressure From Republicans on Shutdown
“For weeks, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, has remained conspicuously on the sidelines, insisting that it was up to President Trump and Democrats to negotiate an end to the partial shutdown of the federal government,” the New York Times reports.
“But with the shutdown soon to enter its third week, and Mr. Trump dug in on his demand for $5 billion to build a border wall, Mr. McConnell for the first time is facing pressure from members of his own party to step in to resolve the stalemate that has left 800,000 federal workers either furloughed or working without pay.”
Quote of the Day
“I think he is without question the worst president we’ve ever had. We’ve had some bad ones, and there’s not even a close second to him.”
— Former Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), quoted by the New York Times, on President Trump.
Trump Is Well Versed In Russian Talking Points
Worth watching: Rachel Maddow reviews instances of when President Trump parrots Russian narratives on international affairs in a way that seems oddly out of character from how Trump seems to understand the world.
Pelosi Sends a Message to Trump
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Pelosi Says Trump’s Wall Is ‘Immoral’
Newly elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized President Trump’s proposed border wall as “a waste of money” and “an immorality” during a news conference hours after reclaiming the gavel in the new Congress, CNN reports.
Said Pelosi: “We’re not doing a wall. Does anybody have any doubt? We are not doing a wall.”
Postcard from Vietnam
Our final stop in Southeast Asia was Saigon — or Ho Chi Minh City, depending on which side of Vietnam’s civil war you were on. Although Vietnam’s government portrays the country as “reunified,” there are still many in the southern part of the country who feel like they were invaded and occupied. Continuing to call the city Saigon is one small way of showing resistance.
The photo below is the rooftop where CIA operatives helped evacuees up a ladder onto the last helicopter in April 29, 1975, shortly before Saigon fell. It was just one of many sightings that brought back so many memories from the Vietnam War era.
It will take months to process all I’ve learned, but we’re finally headed home. Political Wire will return to full speed this weekend.
The Most Dangerous Company In Politics
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Don’t Underestimate Elizabeth Warren
John Cassidy: “The rap on Warren is that she missed her best chance in 2016, allowing Bernie Sanders to seize the mantle of populist tribune, and blundered last fall by rekindling the controversy over her ancestry. These are backward-looking critiques, the force of which is yet to be determined. What we know for sure is that, with at least a dozen Democrats thinking seriously about entering the primary, it will take someone resolute, resilient, and well organized to prevail. The successful candidate will need a message that distinguishes her or his campaign from the pack and resonates with Democratic voters. Since the prize is a head-to-head contest with Donald Trump, the winner will have to be someone who doesn’t shy away from confrontation.”
“On all of these grounds, an argument can be made for Warren, who has been in the Senate since 2012. Ever since Trump launched his 2016 Presidential bid, she has been mocking him.”
Why No One Can Negotiate for Trump
Washington Post: “In Trump, congressional Democrats and Republicans have found a principal who often changes his mind on a whim, whose messages to Capitol Hill can be mixed and who undercuts his own vice president and advisers in high-stakes negotiations with little hesitation.”
“But despite Trump’s unpredictability, lawmakers are wary of negotiating with any of his aides because they believe only Trump speaks for Trump — a lesson that has been reinforced in recent weeks.”
O’Malley Endorses O’Rourke for President
Martin O’Malley: “I will not be running for president in 2020, but I hope Beto O’Rourke does. And this is why.”
“In his courageous run for U.S. Senate in Texas, O’Rourke ran a disciplined and principled campaign that also managed to be raw, authentic, and real. He spoke to the American values of honesty, compassion for one another, and courage in the face of a rapidly changing future. These are the American values alive and well in the hearts of our young people. These are the values which tell us where America is headed. And with these values, O’Rourke very nearly defeated the incumbent senator and Republican runner-up for president — in Texas.”
Little-Noticed Change Could Hurt Sanders In 2020
“Several states that caucused in 2016 will hold primaries instead in 2020, potentially dealing a blow to Sanders and other Democratic hopefuls with zealous followings,” Politico reports.
“Four of the caucus states that Sanders won — Nebraska, Idaho, Minnesota, and Colorado — will use primaries to determine how many pledged delegates were allocated to each Democratic candidates. More could soon follow… That dramatic shift could affect not only Sanders if he runs, Democrats said, but progressives in general.”