Political Wire

Which Coffman Will Run in Colorado?

January 5, 2015 at 11:13 am EST By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

Roll Call: “This Senate race could make for interesting dinner conversation in one Colorado household. Republicans say battle-tested Rep. Mike Coffman and his wife, Cynthia Coffman, the state’s newly elected attorney general, are two of the party’s top prospects to challenge Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in 2016.”

“Colorado marks one of the few states where Republicans have the opportunity to go on offense in 2016, a year when the GOP must defend 24 seats — the vast majority of the map. And after incoming GOP Sen. Cory Gardner’s victory last year, Republicans are newly emboldened about their statewide prospects — and potential candidates.”

Bush Sets the Pace for GOP Hopefuls

January 5, 2015 at 10:05 am EST By Taegan Goddard 39 Comments

First Read: “Huckabee’s announcement on Saturday is also a story about Jeb Bush, because we’re pretty sure that Huckabee wouldn’t have departed his Fox job as soon as he did if Bush hadn’t been making his own moves. We’re cautious to call Jeb the GOP frontrunner right now, but fellow Republicans sure are reacting to him like he’s the frontrunner — he’s dictating the rules and pace.”

Boehner Begins New Congress with Drama

January 5, 2015 at 9:59 am EST By Taegan Goddard 24 Comments

Rick Klein: “This was supposed to be the week that was about results, not process. But a rough holiday break removed that possibility from what was supposed to be a triumphal week for House Speaker John Boehner. Before he gets settled into a third term as speaker, he has one Republican member resigning after a felony conviction, and a top member of his leadership team under intense scrutiny for a not-really-that-long-ago speech in front of a white supremacist group. Then there’s the leadership challenge – a personal affront to Boehner, since the real time to run for House speaker would have been in GOP leadership elections shortly after Republicans expanded their majority to its new historic level. Ted Yoho/Louie Gohmert/Steve King won’t stop Boehner from continuing to serve as House speaker. But Boehner will once again have to tame the impulses of his own fractious conference, before his expanded House majority even votes on a bill. What’s that say about the year ahead?”

Chickenhawk Nation

January 5, 2015 at 9:54 am EST By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

James Fallows: “The American public and its political leadership will do anything for the military except take it seriously. The result is a chickenhawk nation in which careless spending and strategic folly combine to lure America into endless wars it can’t win.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

January 5, 2015 at 9:04 am EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

“Well, I don’t think they’re very serious. And frankly, they’re pretty disappointing in the sense that anyone who wanted to run could have run in the conference elections and none of them did. So by going out and not voting for the conference choice, you’re not attacking John Boehner, you’re really attacking the Republican conference that you say you’re part of.”

— Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), quoted by The Hill, on the GOP challenges to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH).

America’s Bitter Pill

January 5, 2015 at 8:13 am EST By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

Just published: America’s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Back-Room Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System by Steven Brill.

Malcolm Gladwell: “America’s Bitter Pill is Brill’s attempt at a Woodward. The book is wrapped in the presumption of controversy: reviewers who received early copies had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. The reporting is exhaustive… Brill wants to take us behind the locked door.”

Wonk Wire: How Obamacare fell short of its ambitious goal

Christie Plans a Victory Lap

January 5, 2015 at 7:47 am EST By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), “looking to build off his work as chairman of the Republican Governors Association last year, will attend a string of governors’ inaugurations this month — including in key early states like Iowa and South Carolina,” Politico reports.

“The trips are part of an effort by Christie to maintain relationships he developed last cycle, when he was at the helm of the GOP governors’ committee. But it also allows him to visit critical early states at a time when he’s seen as likely to announce a 2016 presidential campaign.”

Paul Could Legally Tap Big Donors Twice

January 5, 2015 at 7:45 am EST By Taegan Goddard 2 Comments

National Journal: “Rand Paul could have a financial edge over many of his prospective presidential rivals… due to a quirk in timing and election law that allows him to tap his biggest donors for campaign cash twice. Paul has said he plans to seek Senate reelection and, if he runs, the Republican presidential nomination simultaneously. And because he would be campaigning for two federal offices, he would be eligible to have two open federal campaign committees.”

“While federal rules do limit how he could spend the money, veteran election lawyers say diligent accounting could allow for legal cost-sharing between the two committees.”

Paul’s Wife Plans Book

January 5, 2015 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

Kelley Paul, wife of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), will begin a tour for her forthcoming book, True and Constant Friends: Love and Inspiration from Our Grandmothers, Mothers, Sisters, and Friends, the Bowling Green Daily News reports.

Quote of the Day

January 5, 2015 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

“Yes, he sometimes calls me ‘bro.'”

— British Prime Minister David Cameron, in an interview with the Daily Mail, on his relationship with President Obama.

Proposal Would Close Utah Primaries

January 5, 2015 at 6:48 am EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

Salt Lake City Tribune: “It’s a big deal because 43.6 percent of Utah voters are now unaffiliated, compared to 45.5 percent who are registered as Republicans and 9.4 percent registered as Democrats. If the nearly half of Utahns who are independents can’t vote in primaries, they have no say about who appears on the general-election ballot.”

Republicans Say They’ll Act Fast

January 5, 2015 at 6:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

“In taking control of Congress on Tuesday, Republicans say they will quickly advance energy and health care legislation that stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate as they try to make good on claims, and address doubts, that they can govern effectively,” the New York Times reports.

“Republicans hope to strike early with measures that are known to have bipartisan support. The House is set to pass legislation this week expediting the Keystone XL pipeline; the Senate is making it the first order of business as well. The House will also take up a measure that would change the new health care law’s definition of full-time workers to those working 40 hours rather than the current 30 hours — another proposal that has drawn backing from Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate.”

David Drucker: “Are they a governing party, or are they a brake on President Obama? Can they be both?”

Huckabee Needs to Raise $50 Million to be Viable

January 5, 2015 at 6:02 am EST By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

“If Mike Huckabee is going to make a serious run for the Republican presidential nomination, he will have to do something he was unable to do in 2008: raise millions of dollars and build a sprawling national campaign to complement the well of support he has among evangelicals and grass-roots activists in early primary states,” the Washington Post reports.

A senioraide said Huckabee’s team “anticipates the need to raise about $50 million by the time of the Iowa caucuses in early 2016, with the money divided between the campaign’s budget and a super PAC, and said Huckabee has done much work to make that a reachable goal.”

What Donors Want from Lawmakers

January 5, 2015 at 5:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard 2 Comments

“When the 114th Congress convenes on Tuesday, lawmakers won’t merely be thinking of the voters who put them in office. They’ll also be mindful of the donors who helped them reach those voters in the first place,” Bloomberg reports.

“The 2014 midterm elections cost some $3.7 billion, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. That’s a lot of moneyed interests to consider, and sometimes they aren’t pulling lawmakers in the same direction.”

Top Iowa Democrats Not Warm to Clinton

January 5, 2015 at 5:43 am EST By Taegan Goddard 20 Comments

“Iowa Democratic leaders say they are troubled by the prospect that Hillary Clinton could win the state’s 2016 presidential caucuses without a serious challenge, a view primarily rooted in a desire for a more liberal candidate or at least a robust debate about the party’s policies and direction,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Hawaii’s Favorite Son?

January 5, 2015 at 5:38 am EST By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

Los Angeles Times: “Obama left Hawaii over the weekend after two weeks of what has become the first family’s traditional end-of-the-year vacation here, but such visits increasingly appear less like homecomings. Obama attends luaus and plays golf with old friends, but he and his family stay at a rented home. He hasn’t lived here since he left for college and few expect him to return full time when he leaves the White House. He only occasionally interacts with the public, and doesn’t return to the sites of childhood exploits.”

“In turn, residents mostly leave him alone, acknowledging his desire to use his yearly visits to recharge, yet still seeing him as one of their own.”

GOP Presidential Race Kicks Off

January 4, 2015 at 3:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 38 Comments

“Boy, that escalated quickly. Less than two months after the 2014 elections, the 2016 Republican presidential race is taking clear shape — with several major players moving quickly to carve out their own space (and maybe keep others from carving it up) in the contest,” Chris Cillizza writes.

“All of the sudden movement — particularly from Bush and Huckabee — has the potential to dramatically alter the face of the just-beginning race to be the next Republican presidential nominee.”

Obama Will Preview State of the Union in Weeks Ahead

January 4, 2015 at 12:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

President Obama “will spend the days before his Jan. 20 State of the Union address pitching Americans on the economic policies he intends to propose,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Obama plans to roll out legislative proposals and executive actions over the week on issues including housing, manufacturing and higher education… He will do so while traveling the country highlighting progress in the economy.”

“The strategy is a shift from previous years when the White House has kept a tight lid on proposals Mr. Obama would announce in his State of the Union address. Mr. Obama’s aides hope the approach builds on momentum from the lame-duck congressional session, which resulted in an agreement to fund the government through September.”