Political Wire

Germany Drops Opposition to Embargo on Russian Oil

By Leave a Comment

“Germany is now ready to stop buying Russian oil, clearing the way for a European Union ban on crude imports from Russia,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The German shift increases the likelihood that EU countries will agree on a phased-in embargo on Russian oil, with a decision possible as soon as next week… However, how quickly the bloc ends its Russian oil purchases, and whether it also uses measures such as price caps or tariffs, is still being negotiated. The U.S. is pressing its European allies to avoid steps that could lead to a protracted increase in oil prices.”

Pelosi Nixes Gas Tax Holiday

By Leave a Comment

Speaker Nancy Pelosi threw cold water on the idea of a national gas tax holiday, which some vulnerable House Democrats have embraced, Politico reports.

Said Pelosi: “There has been some interest in the holiday. The pros of it are that it’s good PR — you’re asking about it. The cons are that there’s no guarantee that the reduction in the federal tax would be passed on to the consumer. We have no evidence to think that the oil companies would pass that on to the consumer.”

Is Elon Musk Really That Bad?

By Leave a Comment

Farhad Manjoo: “Elon Musk is hard to love. Elon Musk is hard to like. On his way to becoming the world’s wealthiest person, Musk has emitted so many metric tons of self-indulgent puerility he might have violated the Paris Accords.”

“But one need not find Musk personally or politically appealing to appreciate that his contributions to humanity could end up being profound.”

“Through his endeavors in solar power and electric cars, Musk might do more to combat climate change than just about any lefty environmental activist or politician you can name. Musk looks even better when judged against other globe-straddling billionaires in his orbit. His is not an empire built on inheritance, dumb luck, monopoly or, subsidies notwithstanding, insider access. Indeed, his businesses seek to undermine some of the most harmful and politically entrenched industries on the planet, among them defense contractors, utilities, oil companies and combustion-engine automakers.”

Earlier for members: Some Thoughts on Elon Musk

Can You Keep Candidates Off the Ballot for Insurrection?

By Leave a Comment

For members: The new issue of Ballot Access News.

This edition notes that three courts recently issued very different decisions about whether states can keep congressional candidates off the ballot for promoting insurrection.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

Oklahoma Passes Near-Total Abortion Ban

By Leave a Comment

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) “will get to decide on a Texas-style anti-abortion bill that would take effect immediately upon his signature,” the Oklahoman reports.

“The bill would effectively implement a near-total abortion ban by allowing private citizens to sue anyone who ‘aids or abets’ a woman seeking an abortion. Successful plaintiffs could be awarded at least $10,000.”

Alaska Begins Its First-Ever Mail Election

By Leave a Comment

Anchorage Daily News: “In the special primary election, voters will be asked to pick one of 48 candidates vying to temporarily fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat vacated by the March death of Congressman Don Young. The top four vote-getters will advance to the Aug. 16 special general election, which will use ranked-choice voting to determine who will serve out the rest of Young’s term.”

“Ballots for the primary will begin arriving in the mailboxes of Alaska voters this week.”

Trump Says He’d Still Be President If Not for McConnell

By Leave a Comment

Former President Donald Trump said that he would still be in the White House if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had bought into his false election claims, Punchbowl News reports.

Said Trump: “Had Mitch stuck with many members of the party who knew the election was rigged, I think we wouldn’t be at Mar-a-Lago. We would be at the White House having this conversation.”

Biden Seeks $33 Billion for Ukraine

By Leave a Comment

President Biden will ask Congress for $33 billion to help the Ukrainians fight Russia’s invasion, the Washington Post reports.

“Biden’s funding request includes $20 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, $8.5 billion in economic assistance and $3 billion in humanitarian aid, among other pots of money, such as $500 million to support production of U.S. crops to address the global food shock caused by the war.”

Why Senators Should Be Barred from the Presidency

By Leave a Comment

George Will argues the U.S. Constitution should be amended to prohibit senators from becoming president.

“Seventeen presidents were previously senators. Seven of them – Harding, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Obama, Biden — became senators after 1913, when the 17th Amendment took the selection of senators away from state legislatures. The federal government’s growth, and the national media’s focus on Washington, has increased the prominence of senators eager for prominence, although it often is the prominence of a ship’s figurehead — decorative, not functional.”

“As president-centric government has waxed, the Senate has waned, becoming increasingly a theater of performative behaviors by senators who are decreasingly interested in legislating, and are increasingly preoccupied with using social media for self-promotion.”

Herschel Walker Promoted Dubious Health Products

By Leave a Comment

Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker (R) “has spent years promoting and developing health-conscious products with dubious benefits and a skepticism from the medical community,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

“In many cases, the products were commercial failures, cost Walker and his business partners millions of dollars and put his companies into deep debt, for which creditors have repeatedly sued Walker and his associates to recover.”

Forgiving Student Loan Debt Could Backfire Badly

By Leave a Comment

President Biden is reportedly looking at different options to forgive most, if not all, of the federal student loan debt burden facing young Americans.

The move could affect more than 43 million borrowers who hold more than $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

U.S. Economy Shrank Unexpectedly In First Quarter

By Leave a Comment

“Gross domestic product unexpectedly declined 1.4% in the first quarter, marking an abrupt reversal for an economy coming off its best performance since 1984,” CNBC reports.

“The negative growth rate missed even the subdued Dow Jones estimate of a 1% gain for the quarter.”

“Rising omicron infections to start the year hampered activity across the board, while inflation surging at a level not seen since the early 1980s and the Russia invasion of Ukraine also contributed to the economic stasis.”

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.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.