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Archives for 2020

Extend an Olive Branch?

December 27, 2020 at 8:08 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Frank Bruni: “Like President-elect Biden, I believe in common ground, in comity, in identifying where we intersect rather than where we diverge. I was drawn to him, as were a critical mass of other Americans, because he represented the calm after the storm, the sense after the sensation.”

“But is calm a mirage? Is normalcy obsolete? In the many weeks since it became clear that he lost the election, Donald Trump has successfully marketed an outrageous alternate reality, so that 70 percent of registered Republican voters, according to a Quinnipiac poll this month, believe that Biden’s victory was illegitimate. Trump has taken his refusal to concede to historic, previously unthinkable lengths. And an overwhelming majority of Republican members of Congress have played along, actively or passively, many of them knowing better, all of them traitors to democracy and profiles in cowardice.”

“To this crew Biden is supposed to extend an olive branch?”

Filed Under: Republicans

Ossoff Is Best Funded Senate Candidate In History

December 26, 2020 at 4:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jon Ossoff (D) just became the best-funded Senate candidate in history, after he pulled in $106.7 million in his race against Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), the New York Times reports.

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign

Trump Shreds Mnuchin’s Relief Deal

December 26, 2020 at 4:53 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “The president’s denunciation of the agreement represented a stunning public broadside against his own treasury secretary, who for four years loyally shielded the president’s tax returns, endured repeated presidential tirades in private, and defended even Trump’s most incendiary and contradictory remarks. Through it all, Mnuchin had emerged with the unique ability to walk a tightrope between Trump and congressional leaders, serving as an emissary in difficult negotiations. That all ended on Tuesday, when Trump posted a video on Twitter ridiculing the agreement.”

“In addition to a possible government shutdown on Tuesday, the entire emergency relief package is in jeopardy. The $600 stimulus checks Mnuchin had promised would be sent later this week cannot be sent if the bill isn’t signed into law. And a range of other emergency relief programs that were part of the package, from rental protections to small-business aid, airline assistance and vaccine distribution money, are also now frozen.

Filed Under: White House

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Trump’s Pardons Must Not Obstruct Justice

December 26, 2020 at 4:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Laurence Tribe: “If, as Alexander Pope reflected in 1711, ‘to err is human, to forgive, divine,’ then the US Constitution’s pardon power — the prerogative of forgiveness — should be beyond reproach.”

“Instead, a godless US president who appears incapable of forgiveness has seemingly perverted this instrument of mercy into another grave threat to the rule of law. Donald Trump’s recent twisting of the pardon power risks leaving a damaging legacy: a blueprint for manipulating this vestige of royal prerogative to place presidents and their cronies above the law. But a remedy exists: investigation and potential prosecution. We must treat any obstructions of justice we uncover as the crimes they are.”

Filed Under: White House

More Election Drama Expected After Georgia Runoffs

December 26, 2020 at 2:25 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Georgia’s extraordinarily thin partisan divide set the stage for rampant misinformation, lawsuits and fights over election integrity after the presidential election.”

“With control of the Senate on the line Jan. 5, elections officials are bracing for a new round of drama — especially if the races are as close as polls, analysts and the campaigns suggest they will be.”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: GA-Sen

Biden Pushes Trump to Sign Relief Bill

December 26, 2020 at 1:53 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President-elect Joe Biden pressed President Trump to immediately sign a COVID-19 relief bill that is stuck in limbo, blasting what he deemed Trump’s “abdication of responsibility,” The Hill reports.

Said Biden: “It is the day after Christmas, and millions of families don’t know if they’ll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority. This abdication of responsibility has devastating consequences.” 

Filed Under: Economy

The 10 Dumbest Things Donald Trump Did

December 26, 2020 at 12:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Amanda Marcotte compiles a list of the ten dumbest things Donald Trump did while in office.

Filed Under: White House

Trump Hits Magazines for Not Giving Melania Cover Shot

December 26, 2020 at 11:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump criticized glossy US magazines for not offering his wife Melania Trump a single cover shoot while he has been in office, Business Insider reports.

Trump retweeted a Breitbart post that said “elitist snobs in the fashion press” were snubbing the “most elegant First Lady in American history.”

Filed Under: Media Buzz

Trump Slams Justice Department, Supreme Court

December 26, 2020 at 11:47 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

In a tweetstorm beginning early Saturday morning, President Trump railed against the the Department of Justice and U.S. attorney John Durham for failing to produce a report that exposed wrongdoing in the FBI’s Russia probe, Politico reports.

Said Trump: “Where the hell is the Durham Report? They spied on my campaign, colluded with Russia (and others), and got caught.”

Trump also took aim at the Supreme Court, calling it “totally incompetent and weak” and again questioning why it wouldn’t hear a suit filed by Texas claiming election fraud, effectively ending legal challenges to the electoral process.

Filed Under: Judiciary, White House

Stinging Setback In California Is Warning for Democrats

December 26, 2020 at 10:31 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Two years ago, Democrats celebrated a sweep of seven Republican-held congressional seats in California as evidence of the party’s growing ability to compete in swing districts here and across the nation. ut this year, Republicans snatched back four of those seats even as Joe Biden swamped President Trump in California. The losses stunned Democrats and contributed to the razor-thin margin the party will hold in the House of Representatives this January,” the New York Times reports.

“The turnaround is testimony to how competitive the seats are, particularly in Orange County, once a bastion of conservative Republicanism that has been moving steadily Democratic over the past 20 years. But by any measure, the results were a setback for Democrats in this state and nationally, signaling the steep obstacles they will face in 2022 competing in the predominantly suburban swing districts that fueled their takeover of the House in 2018.

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign, 2022 Campaign

Struggling Renters Face Avalanche of Evictions

December 26, 2020 at 10:28 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Apartment tenants who have fallen behind on their rent face catastrophe at the end of the year, as Congress and President Trump have yet to approve emergency aid for renters or extend an eviction moratorium beyond Dec. 31, when it is set to expire.”

“An estimated 11.3 million households in the country are behind on rent or won’t be able to pay next month according to the Census Bureau, creating a backlog in unpaid rent estimated at $70 billion by Moody’s Analytics. Landlords have responded by filing hundreds of thousands of eviction notices at local courthouses around the country, cases that are ready to advance once moratoriums are no longer in place.”

Filed Under: Economy

New House Will Start With Narrow Margins

December 26, 2020 at 10:21 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The House will begin the new session of Congress with an important to-do list: swearing in new members, electing a speaker in the House, defining the rules of the new Congress and certifying the results of the presidential election,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Democrats will have little wiggle room, with a margin of just a few votes as Republicans push to stop the majority’s plans.”

“Underscoring the sense of urgency, the House and Senate will start the session on a Sunday, for the first time on record. The Constitution dictates that Congress starts on Jan. 3, but in the past when the day has fallen on the weekend, lawmakers have come to an agreement to move the date to start during the workweek. But this year, Democrats wanted to start as early as possible, with the certification of Joe Biden’s election win set for Jan. 6 and Democrats wanting to avoid any recess appointments by President Trump, which could occur if there is any gap between sessions.”

Filed Under: House of Representatives

Facebook Will Face Greater Scrutiny Under Biden

December 26, 2020 at 10:20 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Facebook endured a deluge of political scrutiny in Donald Trump’s Washington. It’s poised to face even worse in the Joe Biden era,” Politico reports.

“From lawmakers on Capitol Hill to antitrust enforcers at the Federal Trade Commission, Washington is training its sights on the world’s largest social network like never before. Biden’s antitrust enforcers will take ownership of a lawsuit the FTC filed this month threatening to dismantle the sprawling company. And his staff will negotiate legislative proposals with congressional leaders who have hammered Facebook for mishandling its users’ personal data and spreading hate speech and dangerous falsehoods.”

Filed Under: Technology

Expanded Unemployment Benefits Set to Lapse

December 26, 2020 at 10:17 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Expanded unemployment benefits were set to lapse for millions of struggling Americans on Saturday, a day after President Trump expressed more criticism of a $900 billion pandemic relief bill that was awaiting his signature and would extend them,” the New York Times reports.

CBS News: COVID relief bill flown to Florida, as Trump went golfing.

New York Times: “If Mr. Trump signs the bill on Saturday, states will still need time to reprogram their computer systems to account for the new law, according to Michele Evermore of the National Employment Law Project, but unemployed workers would still be able to claim the benefits.”

Filed Under: Economy

Los Angeles Hospitals Low on Oxygen

December 26, 2020 at 10:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Los Angeles Times: “Christmas arrived in Los Angeles County with hospitals in a full-blown coronavirus crisis. There are now so many patients that some hospitals are running dangerously low on oxygen and other supplies critical to treating those with COVID-19.”

Filed Under: Health Care

Graham Backs Trump’s Posturing on Bills

December 26, 2020 at 10:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) tweeted last night:

“After spending some time with President Trump today, I am convinced he is more determined than ever to increase stimulus payments to $2000 per person and challenge Section 230 big tech liability protection. Both are reasonable demands, and I hope Congress is listening. The biggest winner would be the American people.”

Filed Under: Senate

Trump Slams Senate Republicans Again

December 26, 2020 at 10:14 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump ramped up his criticism of Senate Republicans over their unwillingness to aid his efforts to overturn the election.

Said Trump: “If a Democrat Presidential Candidate had an Election Rigged & Stolen, with proof of such acts at a level never seen before, the Democrat Senators would consider it an act of war, and fight to the death. Mitch & the Republicans do NOTHING, just want to let it pass. NO FIGHT!”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign, Senate

DeSantis Aide Deletes Twitter Account

December 26, 2020 at 10:12 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The spokesman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) deactivated his Twitter account after he tweeted in the middle of night that photos of each dead COVID-19 victim should be balanced with 99 photos of people who survive the disease, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Said Fred Piccolo: “I’m wondering since 99% of Covid patients survive shouldn’t you have 99 photos of survivors for every one fatality? Otherwise you’re just trying to create a narrative that is not reality.”

Filed Under: State House

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About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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