Political Wire

Fed Raises Rates for First Time in Three Years

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“The Federal Reserve raised interest rates Wednesday for the first time in three years, a sharp reversal that began taking back cuts it made last year and implicitly undercut the White House’s insistence that inflation isn’t a concern,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The increase, approved unanimously, will raise the benchmark federal-funds rate range by a quarter point to between 3.75% and 4%.”

CNBC: “Updated projections the committee released Wednesday showed that a strong majority of officials think another hike is possible later this year.”

Bloomberg: “With their decision to raise rates, policymakers also defied Trump, who recently threatened to escalate his trade wars if the Fed doesn’t lower interest rates.”

Fencing Erected in Front of Kennedy Center

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“Fencing was erected around the perimeter of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Wednesday, one day after President Donald Trump and his handpicked board announced its indefinite closure,” MS NOW reports.

“The center’s doors were locked, and security said it was closed to the public.”

Dan Osborn Made Blunt Remarks About Trump Supporters

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“Nebraska U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn (I), after weeks of leaked recordings, now faces what his critics call a potential ‘deplorables’ moment after a fresh recording surfaced of him talking about what motivates some supporters of President Donald Trump,” the Omaha World-Herald reports.

Said Osborne: “Billy Bob in fucking Red Cloud, Nebraska, who lives next to the fucking Trump store as you pull into town and is waving the flag, all he knows is that he’s on the winning team. It’s really that simple. And Trump… that’s why he’s been so effective.”

He added: “He’s been so effective at taking Billy Bob and his wife Mary Jane or Mary Jo and telling them … you’re on the winning team. And that’s all they care about, because their lives probably suck so fucking bad.”

CNN: Dan Osborn explains leaked audio of him saying some Trump voters’ lives probably suck: “We’re all angry right now.” 

Global Poll Finds Declining Comfort with the U.S.

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“A new global poll found declining comfort with either the United States and China taking a leading role in world affairs, even as support for international cooperation remained steady,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Just 39% of respondents said they were comfortable with the United States playing a leading role in global affairs, and 37% were comfortable with China, according to a Rockefeller Foundation survey.”

Bill Cassidy Is Fed Up with Trump Nominees on Vaccines

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“Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) lambasted the Trump administration for stoking vaccine doubts among Americans, after reports Tuesday that two unvaccinated Pennsylvanians had died of measles,” the Washington Sun reports.

Said Cassidy: “It is irresponsible, it damages our country, and we have four people in Pennsylvania reportedly dead because of that sort of activity.”

Farm Bill Still Faces Long Road Ahead

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“Sen. Mitch McConnell’s return to the Capitol this week gives Senate Republicans back the vote they were missing when their farm bill stalled in committee last month. It doesn’t give them a deal,” the Washington Sun reports.

“But the fate of the farm bill remains uncertain, along with the future of its programs and funding that are essential to the agricultural industry, as farmers are squeezed financially by tariffs, higher input prices — including major cost increases for diesel and fertilizer prices — and extreme weather and drought.”

Kiley Says He Won’t Caucus with Republicans if Re-Elected

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“Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) said Wednesday he does not plan to caucus with Republicans next year if he is reelected to the House as an independent,” Semafor reports.

Said Kiley: “I’m an independent member now, and yet the rules of the House force me to say, okay, as a formality, for the purposes of committee assignments, I’m in conference with one side or the other.”

There’s Still a Chance for Republicans

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The Economist: “In the age of Donald Trump, beware of sure things. Democrats are heavy favourites to take back control of the House of Representatives on November 3rd. Opposition parties have historically done well in midterms, and Mr Trump’s deep unpopularity, persistent inflation and the Iran war have created a particularly poisonous environment for his party. The Economist’s election forecast model rates Democrats’ chances at 92%, and prediction markets are nearly as confident.”

“Yet events predicted to occur only one time out of ten do nonetheless occur, and Mr Trump and his MAGA faithful have outperformed polls often enough since 2016 to give pause.”

Vulnerable GOP Iowa Incumbents Break with Trump

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“In the latest sign of the political weight of the war in Iran, two Iowa Republicans facing competitive House elections crossed the aisle to support a Democratic resolution to end the fighting, swelling the number of GOP defections,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“In a vote late Tuesday, Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who both face races rated as tossups by nonpartisan analysts, supported the resolution in a break from President Trump.”

Mike Rogers Defends Skipping Michigan Senate Event

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“Mike Rogers (R) is defending his decision not to attend a Sept. 15 televised event with Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed (D) in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, saying he never agreed to participate and accusing the moderator of favoritism,” CBS News reports.

Said Rogers: “Well, first of all, it’s not a debate. It’s a town hall. We never agreed to it.”

GOP Has No Choice But to Nationalize the Midterms

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One of the oldest tricks in a tough political race is to run against someone who isn’t actually on the ballot.

Republicans appear increasingly eager to do exactly that this year.

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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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