“In 2018 people stepped up and showed up like never before. Keep it up in 2019. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’ll be right there with you. Happy New Year, everybody!”
— Barack Obama, on Twitter.
Archives for 2019
Divided Government Begins
Playbook: “The new Congress begins tomorrow, and leaders are going to the White House this afternoon for a border security briefing with President Trump and DHS officials. This is now tied for the sixth-longest shutdown in U.S. history.”
“The House — which will be run by Nancy Pelosi as of tomorrow afternoon — will pass its stopgap spending bill by 7 p.m. tomorrow evening. It will fund most of the government through September, but kick DHS funding to February. Dems will make the argument that they’re governing while the White House is sowing chaos. Both of these items individually had support from the Senate.”
“The calculus by the president and many of his allies is that Pelosi is in a jam, and cannot sustain a no-money-for-a-border-wall position.”
“But Pelosi gains from this fight internally. The border security money in the stopgap — $1.3 billion — is plenty for most Democrats. Since most Democrats have ruled out a DACA-for-border-wall deal, we struggle to see what deal can be had at the moment.”
Trump’s Judicial Appointments Confirmed at Historic Pace
“The Trump administration more than doubled the number of judges it confirmed to federal appeals courts in 2018, exceeding the pace of the last five presidents and stocking the courts with lifetime appointees who could have profound consequences for civil rights, the environment and government regulations,” NPR reports.
“A new analysis by Lambda Legal, which advocates for the LGBT community, reports that five of the country’s 12 circuit courts are now composed of more than 25 percent of Trump-appointed judges.”
Trump Has Spared Pelosi from His Personal Vitriol
Politico: “His decision so far not to go after Pelosi personally, even as his top aides have blamed her for the shutdown, hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Capitol. Pelosi’s allies have viewed Trump’s restraint toward the incoming speaker as a sign that he’s looking beyond the shutdown in the hopes of notching some bipartisan wins this year — on infrastructure, perhaps, or prescription drug pricing.”
“Of course, Trump’s tone toward Pelosi could change on a dime given his penchant for pummeling adversaries and the likelihood Pelosi will refuse his demand for billions in border wall funding. But the relative peace between the chief lightning rods of their respective parties, at least to this point, is pretty remarkable.”
Ending the Shutdown Is Up to McConnell
Stan Collender: “First, in spite of the polls showing that he’s being held responsible for the government shutdown and his pre-shutdown bragging that he would be proud to be blamed for it happening, Donald Trump apparently believes that he’s winning the shutdown fight. He currently has little incentive to do any differently than he’s currently doing.”
“Second, after taking their oaths of office, the new House Democratic majority’s immediate effort this week will be to pass legislation that, if enacted, will reopen the federal government. Therefore, House Democrats also have no reason to do anything differently.”
“Third, the reopen-the-government effort will then fall directly into Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) lap. With the House likely to pass something that almost certainly doesn’t have the votes to pass the Senate, it will be up to McConnell to negotiate some kind of deal with either Trump or House Democrats, take the heat for not being able to do either or cause his Republican majority to take more of the blame for not being able to resolve the situation.”
Romney Says Trump Has Fallen Short
Mitt Romney, writing in the Washington Post:
“It is well known that Donald Trump was not my choice for the Republican presidential nomination. After he became the nominee, I hoped his campaign would refrain from resentment and name-calling. It did not. When he won the election, I hoped he would rise to the occasion. His early appointments of Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions, Nikki Haley, Gary Cohn, H.R. McMaster, Kelly and Mattis were encouraging. But, on balance, his conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions this month, is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office.”
White House Plans Court Fights Over Mueller Report
“A person familiar with the president’s legal team’s thinking told the Daily Beast that Trump’s lawyers expect a complex, multi-faceted process to ensue after Mueller’s team drops its report—potentially involving a legal battle over executive privilege.”
“This depends on what’s in the report, of course. Rudy Giuliani, the face of Trump’s personal legal team, told The Daily Beast he couldn’t speculate about any potential fights until he sees the report.”
Trump Suddenly Got Bad at Twitter
Politico: “The crisp, unpredictable tweets from the start of his presidency have largely become rambling and verbose. His account is weirdly turgid, loaded with ponderous attacks on his perceived enemies and obscure multi-part arguments about his legal situation.”
“Note the defensive posture, the multiple messages jumbled into one, the catchphrases breathlessly piled atop one another. This Trump sounds more like a kid trying to talk his way out of detention.”
How Biden Has Prepared for a Presidential Bid
New York Times: “He has done so while building a network of nonprofits and academic centers that are staffed by his closest strategists and advisers, many making six figures while working on the issues most closely identified with him. It has effectively become a campaign-in-waiting, poised to metamorphose if the 76-year-old Mr. Biden announces his third bid for the presidency.”
“Mr. Biden is expected to reveal his plans early this year, after consulting with his family over the holidays. Having skipped the 2016 race after the grueling death of his elder son, Beau, from brain cancer, he would enter the coming Democratic contest as an early front-runner. With his political self-branding as ‘Middle-Class Joe,’ he is seen by Democratic strategists as well equipped to make inroads into President Trump’s base of blue-collar white voters.”
Quote of the Day
“When Jesus said we’re all sinners, he really meant all of us, everybody. I don’t think you can choose a president based on their personal behavior,”
— Evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr., in an interview with the Washington Post.
Trump to Hold Border Security Briefing
“President Trump invited congressional leaders to the White House for a briefing on border security, the first face-to-face session involving Republicans and Democrats as the partial government shutdown entered its second week,” the Washington Post reports.
“The briefing will occur one day before Democrats take control of the House and Trump gets his first taste of divided government.”
“It was unclear whether the Wednesday session would break the budget impasse — in its 11th day Tuesday — as Trump has demanded billions of dollars for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, and Democrats have rejected his request. Trump had campaigned on a pledge to build the wall at Mexico’s expense, a proposition Mexican officials called ludicrous.”
Trump Attacks McChrystal
President Trump took on retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal today, saying he “got fired like a dog” and is known for his “big, dumb mouth” — comments that come on the heels of the general criticizing the president, ABC News reports.
Shutdown Reaches Breaking Point
Politico: “Many of the departments and agencies hit by the partial shutdown, which began Dec. 22, have reached a breaking point in their ability to go on with minimal disruption. They are running out of carryover cash and time to prep checks for the midmonth pay period. In a very visible sign of the growing impact of the shutdown showdown, 19 Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will close to the public on Wednesday, their temporary funds exhausted.”
“While paychecks for federal employees went out Friday after a pay period ended on Dec. 22, workers are left wondering whether they will get their next check on Jan. 11. The pay period for that next check ends on Jan. 5. Pay processing varies from agency to agency.”
Odd Timing on Warren’s Announcement
Playbook: “Minimal windup, on the last day of the year? After her DNA test stumble this fall, it shows some wariness of a press-pundit-industrial complex that is ready to pounce on any perceived mistake. Her team clearly sees a need to make her come across as warm and accessible — hence the video kicking back with the beer.”
“Warren generates a lot of excitement on the left, obviously, but many top Democrats fear she won’t be strong enough to take on the president. Last month, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told us that in attacking Warren over the DNA stuff, Trump is ‘picking his opponent.’ We’ll see. If there’s one thing we know about politics after 2016, it’s that nobody knows anything. After all, many on Team Hillary wanted Trump as their opponent — and look how that turned out.”
Barr Once Questioned Value of a Border Wall
President Trump’s pick for attorney general, William Barr, once questioned the value of a wall along the Mexican border similar to the one the president has advocated, the AP reports.
Said Barr in 1992: “I don’t think it’s necessary. I think that’s overkill to put a barrier from one side of the border to the other. In fact, the problem with illegal immigration across the border is really confined to major metropolitan areas. Illegal immigrants do not cross in the middle of the desert and walk hundreds of miles,” instead choosing more ‘certain specified routes.'”
Warren Battles the Ghosts of Hillary
“The anti-Elizabeth Warren narrative was written before the Massachusetts senator even announced she was exploring a presidential run… In interviews with Politico, advisers and allies project confidence that perceptions of her as cold or aloof will fade once people see her campaign.”
Happy New Year!
After one of the most interesting years in politics, it’s hard to imagine 2019 can top it — but that’s one prediction that seems safe to make.
Thanks so much for spending part of your day here. I wish you all love and happiness in the new year.
