Bonus Quote of the Day
“People see me aggressively tackling challenges and always assume it must be some part of a bigger plan. And therefore question, well what’s his plan? What’s he trying to do? How about, I’m just doing the right thing, right now? It doesn’t have to be part of a larger plan.”
— Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), quoted by BuzzFeed News on being seen as a potential presidential contender in 2020.
Kasich Responds to Trump’s Tweet
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) August 13, 2018
Avenatti Has Spoken with Omarosa
Michael Avenatti told The Guardian that he has had conversations with former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, but would not comment any further.
Said Avenatti: “I’m not going to go into the details of what I said about that. She had reached out to me a number of months ago.”
Hitler’s Rise to Power
In the mail: The Death of Democracy: Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic by Benjamin Carter Hett.
“A riveting account of how the Nazi Party came to power and how the failures of the Weimar Republic and the shortsightedness of German politicians allowed it to happen.”
Presidential Results by Media Market
DailyKos has compiled a fantastic spreadsheet of presidential election results by media market over the last 10 elections.
“What’s very interesting about these presidential/media market numbers is that, unlike congressional districts or legislative districts, media market boundaries don’t change every decade… Media market boundaries follow county lines and stay stationary, so you can track those numbers longitudinally and watch how different parts of the country evolve politically, at a more detailed level than states but at a less granular level than individual counties.”
Former Aide to Ken Starr Will Vote for Democrat This Year
Paul Rosenzweig, a lifelong Republican and former aide during the Kenneth Starr investigation into President Clinton, told CNN that he will be voting for a Democrat in a federal election for the first time in his life.
Said Rosenzweig: “The Republican Party, seems to me, to no longer deserve my support or frankly the support of anybody who thinks that the legislative branch should act as a check and balance against executive authoritarianism.”
FBI Fires Peter Strzok
The FBI has fired Agent Peter Strzok, “who helped lead the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election until officials discovered he had been sending anti-Trump texts,” the Washington Post reports.
“The termination marks a remarkable downfall for Strzok, a 22-year veteran of the bureau who investigated Russian spies, defense officials accused of selling secrets to China and myriad other important cases. In the twilight of his career, Strzok was integral to two of the bureau’s most high-profile investigations: the Russia case, and the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state.”
New York Times: “Mr. Strzok became emblematic of Mr. Trump’s unfounded assertions that a so-called deep state of bureaucrats opposed to him was undermining his presidency.”
Democrats More Positive About Socialism Than Capitalism
Gallup: “Democrats have a more positive image of socialism than they do of capitalism. Attitudes toward socialism among Democrats have not changed materially since 2010, with 57% today having a positive view. The major change among Democrats has been a less upbeat attitude toward capitalism, dropping to 47% positive this year — lower than in any of the three previous measures.”
“Republicans remain much more positive about capitalism than about socialism, with little sustained change in their views of either since 2010.”
Trump Blasts ‘Wacky Omarosa’
President Trump responded to former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman on Twitter after she played a secret tape of their phone conversation:
Wacky Omarosa, who got fired 3 times on the Apprentice, now got fired for the last time. She never made it, never will. She begged me for a job, tears in her eyes, I said OK. People in the White House hated her. She was vicious, but not smart. I would rarely see her but heard really bad things. Nasty to people & would constantly miss meetings & work. When Gen. Kelly came on board he told me she was a loser & nothing but problems. I told him to try working it out, if possible, because she only said GREAT things about me – until she got fired!
Coalition Plans to Mobilize Puerto Rican Voters
CBS News: “Critics of the Trump administration’s response to the hurricanes that ravaged Puerto Rico last year are launching a seven-figure campaign to mobilize displaced Puerto Rican voters ahead of the midterm elections – and planning big demonstrations in New York and Florida to mark the anniversary of Hurricane Maria.”
GOP Strategy to Dislodge Senate Incumbents Emerges
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Giuliani Contradicts His Story on Comey Conversation
Rudy Giuliani said “that the president never had a conversation last year with James Comey, then the F.B.I. director, about ending the investigation into the fired national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, contradicting a memo Mr. Comey wrote at the time,” the New York Times reports.
However, Giuliani’s statement “appeared at odds with his own previous comments… Last month, when pressed on ABC News by George Stephanopoulos about whether Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey he hoped he could see his way to ending the Flynn case, Mr. Giuliani interrupted him to say that Mr. Trump did not say that. ‘What he said to him was, “Can you give him a break?”’ Mr. Giuliani said in that interview.”
Omarosa Releases Tape of Trump Phone Call
NBC News has obtained audio from Omarosa Manigault Newman, which she says is a recording of a phone call between her and President Trump one day after Chief of Staff John Kelly fired her from her senior White House position. The tape appears to show Trump having no idea that Newman had been dismissed by his Chief of Staff John Kelly.
TRUMP: “Omarosa, what’s going on? I just saw on the news that you’re thinking about leaving? What happened?
OMAROSA: General Kelly – General Kelly came to me and said that you guys wanted me to leave.
TRUMP: No… I, I – Nobody even told me about it.
OMAROSA: Wow.
TRUMP: You know they run a big operation, but I didn’t know it. I didn’t know that. Goddamn it. I don’t love you leaving at all.”
Quote of the Day
“In a normal Republican universe… a guy like Don Jr., with all that baggage, would be very problematical. But in the new Trump universe, with different laws of gravity, every campaign is seen as just a big Republican primary. So it’s all Trump all the time.”
— Republican strategist Mike Murphy, quoted by the Washington Post, on the impact of Donald Trump Jr. on the campaign trail.
Trump Told Not to Call Foreign Leaders at Odd Hours
White House aides must regularly tell President Trump not to call foreign leaders at odd hours due to time zone differences, Politico reports.
Said a former NSC official: “He wasn’t great with recognizing that the leader of a country might be 80 or 85 years old and isn’t going to be awake or in the right place at 10:30 or 11 p.m. their time. When he wants to call someone, he wants to call someone. He’s more impulsive that way. He doesn’t think about what time it is or who it is.”
Stephen Miller’s Uncle Speaks Out
Stephen Glosser, uncle of White House aide Stephen Miller, writes in Politico:
“I have watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, who is an educated man and well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family’s life in this country.“
“If my nephew’s ideas on immigration had been in force a century ago, our family would have been wiped out.”
Goodlatte’s Son Backs Democrat for Father’s Seat
Bobby Goodlatte, the son of Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), announced he had given the maximum allowed donation to Jennifer Lewis (D), who is running for his father’s congressional seat.
He tweets: “2018 is the year to flip districts — let’s do this!”