Echelon Insights finds that there were only 17 days in 2017 where Donald Trump was not the top topic of conversation on social media, and he was the number one story every week for every audience.
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Trump Very Unpopular In New Hampshire
A new American Research Group poll in New Hampshire finds just 27% of adults approve of the way President Trump is handling his job, while 66% disapprove, and 7% are undecided.
Ivanka Trump Is a Walking Billboard
“The Wall Street Journal reviewed Ivanka Trump’s outfits in her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram postings about official appearances between March 29, when she became a White House adviser, and the end of October. Star Style, a celebrity-fashion website, identified the products. The analysis showed that Ivanka Trump dresses, shoes, bags or jewelry appeared in 46 of the 68 outfits reviewed, or 68%.”
44% of Republicans Say Trump Repealed Obamacare
A new Economist/YouGov poll finds that 31% of American adults believe that President Trump has successfully repealed Obamacare.
Of those who identify as Republican voters, 44% say that Trump has repealed Obamacare.
Quote of the Day
“Mueller has demonstrated he is incapable of leading a focused, unbiased review of his initial assignment. His witch hunt must end.”
— Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), writing in USA Today.
Trump Saw Record Number of First-Year Staff Departures
Wall Street Journal: “According to Kathryn Dunn-Tenpas, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has tracked White House turnover rates over three decades, the Trump administration’s 34% turnover rate—21 of the 61 senior officials she has tracked have resigned, been fired or reassigned—is much higher than that of any other administration in the last 40 years, which is as far back as Ms. Dunn-Tenpas’s analysis goes. The presidency with the next-highest first-year turnover rate was Ronald Reagan’s , with 17% of senior aides leaving the administration in 1981.”
Trump Rebrands Obama’s Economic Legacy
“The White House hopes to boost President Trump’s low approval ratings by using the economy as a centerpiece of its political message in 2018, according to three White House officials, even if many of the president’s successes so far are squarely built on the legacy of former President Barack Obama,” Politico reports.
“The trends of declining unemployment, coupled with healthy gains in the stock market, began during Obama’s first term, a welcome uptick following the global economic downturn Obama inherited in 2009.”
Roy Moore Sues to Block Election Result
Roy Moore, the first Republican to lose a U.S. Senate race in Alabama in 25 years, moved to block state officials from certifying the victory of his Democratic rival on Thursday afternoon because of “systematic voter fraud,” the New York Times reports.
Politico notes that Moore has continued to fundraise by asking donors to contribute to his “election integrity fund,” pledging to pursue “voter fraud and other irregularities at polling locations throughout the state.”
Meanwhile, The Hill reports Moore “says he completed a lie detector test after the Alabama Senate election concluded to prove the allegations of sexual misconduct are untrue.”
Minnesotans Don’t Want Franken to Resign
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Minnesota finds that a majority of voters don’t think Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) should resign, 50% to 42%.
Franken’s continued popularity is being driven especially by women. 57% of them like the job he’s doing to 37% who don’t.
Trump Rarely Ventures Outside White House While In D.C.
“After living in Washington for nearly a year, President Trump has yet to enjoy a single non-working meal at a restaurant that doesn’t pay him rent. He hasn’t taken in a performance at the Kennedy Center; hasn’t been to a sporting event; hasn’t toured most of the sights,” the AP reports.
“It’s one of the peculiarities of the Trump presidency and one of a long list of ways in which he’s changing the office, as well as its relationship with Washington.”
Two Different Paths for Democrats
CNN: “One congressman is a low-key member of a political dynasty who is strategically inserting himself into policy debates and laying out what he thinks Democrats still need to learn. The other is a retired Marine and combat veteran who has tangled with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and has already logged a high-profile trip to Iowa more than three years ahead of the next presidential caucus.”
“Massachusetts Reps. Joe Kennedy III and Seth Moulton take different approaches to their work in Washington. But as Democrats focus on retaking the House next year, these lawmakers in their late 30s are getting a fresh look as potential future leaders in a party where many in the senior ranks are well into their 70s.”
Christmas in Guatemala and Belize
I’ve been traveling in Guatemala and Belize with my family over the last week and discovered there are still places in the world with spotty Internet access. My apologies for the sporadic updates.
It was a fantastic trip. We biked through Guatemalan towns, hiked through the rain forest and ate great food. We saw the Mayan ruins at Tikal, explored a cave still filled with ancient artifacts, visited the Belize Zoo and snorkeled on the coral reefs of Placencia. Most importantly, I had a great time with my family.
After the last year of near constant political news, I really needed a break. Thanks for your patience.
Obama and Clinton Retain ‘Most Admired’ Titles
Gallup: “Americans once again are most likely to name Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as the man and woman living anywhere in the world they admire most, as they have for the past 10 years. The pair retain their titles this year, although by much narrower margins than in the past. Obama edges out Donald Trump, 17% to 14%, while Clinton edges out Michelle Obama, 9% to 7%.”
Mueller Could Indict Paul Manafort Again
Daily Beast: “A superseding indictment would essentially replace the current indictment of Manafort. And in that current indictment, Mueller’s team hinted there was more to come. In particular, they hinted at potential tax charges for Manafort’s foreign financial transactions. Federal prosecutors can bring charges against any American who has money in a foreign bank account and doesn’t check a box on their tax forms disclosing it. The Manafort/Gates indictment describes financial behavior that may be liable for that kind of prosecution. And that’s an indicator that Mueller’s team may be preparing to formally charge both men with violating tax laws.”
Impeachment Drive Builds Digital Army to Oppose Trump
“When billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer launched a digital petition drive to impeach President Trump two months ago, some Democratic Party leaders dismissed it as an unhelpful vanity project — and even Steyer thought he’d top out at a million signatures,” Politico reports.
“But nearly 4 million digital signatures later, the philanthropist and environmental activist’s unlikely campaign has seized on an issue — impeaching Trump — that could become part of the Democratic mainstream in 2018. It’s placed at his fingertips a potentially powerful tool: an email list of millions of motivated activists whom he can reach instantly for organizing and fundraising and that could become the hottest trove of data in Democratic politics since the email list that Bernie Sanders’ insurgent campaign against Hillary Clinton collected in 2016.”
Trump Plans to Cast Flynn as a Liar
“President Trump’s legal team plans to attack the credibility of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and cast him as seeking to protect himself if he accuses the president or his senior aides of any wrongdoing,” the Washington Post reports.
“The approach would mark a sharp break from Trump’s previously sympathetic posture toward Flynn, who is cooperating with the special counsel’s Russia investigation.”
“Flynn is the most senior former Trump adviser known to be providing information to Mueller’s team. The lenient terms of his plea agreement suggest he has promised significant information to investigators, legal experts said.”
Mississippi Could Be Next Battleground In GOP Civil War
“Mississippi’s 2018 U.S. Senate race is poised as the next possible front in the fight between rival wings of the Republican Party, a campaign that could test how the GOP’s populist and establishment forces engage in the aftermath of this month’s bitter Alabama contest,” the Washington Post reports.
“If state Sen. Chris McDaniel, the hard right’s top recruit for the seat, decides to challenge U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, he will be up against the incumbent’s well-funded allies and President Trump, who has pledged Wicker his support. Those dynamics could trigger a broad intraparty clash such as the one that played out in Alabama, where the GOP lost a Senate seat for the first time in a quarter-century.”
Bannon Cuts Ties with Ryan Challenger
“Steve Bannon has cut ties with Paul Nehlen, the far-right activist who is challenging Paul Ryan for his congressional seat and who has received extremely favorable coverage from Breitbart in the past,” CNN reports.
Said one Bannon adviser: “Nehlen is dead to us.”
“Nehlen, who became a lightning rod for his anti-immigrant views, has escalated his rhetoric in recent days with a number of incendiary tweets.”
