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Wisconsin Was the Incubator for Tribal Politics

October 8, 2021 at 6:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Dan Balz: “For the past decade the state has been an incubator for the kind of tribal politics and deep divisions that characterize civic life in Washington and much of the rest of the nation. While Wisconsin has been closely divided for a long time — four of the last six presidential elections were decided by less than a percentage point — the widening gulf between the two parties exposed in 2011 foreshadowed the extent to which American politics would come to focus more on the extremes rather than the middle of the political spectrum.”

“This has made Wisconsin not a purple state, as many people suggest, but two states in one — the first comprising a few heavily populated blue enclaves and the second a red sea of rural, small-town and suburban geography that surrounds those blue pockets.”

The New Budget Deficit

October 8, 2021 at 6:15 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The federal government’s budget deficit for FY 2021 was nearly $2.8 trillion, according to a new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.

Punchbowl News: “While still enormous, that’s actually better than FY 2020’s record budget deficit by $362 billion, CBO noted. That’s because revenue was up significantly from the year before — by more than $620 billion — while spending stayed consistent with estimates. This shows just how far the U.S. economy has recovered from its pandemic lows — and how far it still has to go.”

Virginia Redistricting Commission Implodes

October 8, 2021 at 4:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Virginia Redistricting Commission’s first-ever attempt to draw fair political maps collapsed in spectacular fashion Friday, when frustrated Democrats walked out of a meeting after Republicans rebuffed their suggestions for reaching a compromise,” the Virginia Mercury reports.


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Kyrsten Sinema Is Teaching a Course on Fundraising

October 8, 2021 at 2:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“All students hope to learn from the top experts in their field. Graduate students at Arizona State University have an unusual opportunity this fall to do just that, where Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) is teaching a course on getting rich people to give you money,” The Intercept reports.

“The course, titled ‘Developing Grants and Fundraising,’ is one of two classes Sinema is teaching this fall at Arizona State University’s School of Social Work. The syllabus, which was obtained by The Intercept, says students will ‘learn diverse fundraising strategies’ for nonprofits as well as ‘how to cultivate donors,’ including ‘large individual donors,’ by leveraging resources like ‘opportunistic fundraising,’ ‘finding supporters for major fundraising events’ — and, well, ‘asking for money.'”

Biden Declines Trump Request to Withhold Records

October 8, 2021 at 2:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House on Friday formally blocked an attempt by former President Donald Trump to withhold documents from Congress related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, setting up a legal showdown between the current and former president over executive privilege,” NBC News reports.

2022 Senate Overview: Firewall on Fire

October 8, 2021 at 2:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Just for members: The latest edition of Inside Elections.

This issue is a 2022 Senate overview including updated analysis and any recent public polling in all 34 races around the country. Considering Republicans need a net gain of just one Senate seat for control, literally every seat counts in the fight for the majority.

Join now to continue reading.

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

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Ryan Zinke Mostly Absent from Montana

October 8, 2021 at 2:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “It’s long been known that Zinke splits his time between Whitefish and Santa Barbara, California, where his wife owns property and a yacht.”

“But when I visited the state over the summer, a half-dozen residents of Whitefish and the closest city, Kalispell, told me that, until Zinke launched his most recent campaign, they hadn’t seen him around much since he left Washington in late 2018.”

Quote of the Day

October 8, 2021 at 2:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Right now things in Washington, as you all know, are awfully noisy. Turn on the news and every conversation is a confrontation. Every disagreement is a crisis. But when you take a step back and look at what’s happening, we’re actually making real progress.”

— President Biden, quoted by Politico.

China Warns U.S. Over Troops In Taiwan

October 8, 2021 at 1:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

China told the U.S. to cut off military ties in Taiwan “in a cautious response to reports that U.S. Marines have been stationed on the self-ruled island for more than a year to strengthen its defenses against intensifying Chinese aggression,” the Washington Post reports.

Biden Nixes Letting Manchin and Sanders Negotiate

October 8, 2021 at 1:37 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

CNN: “Rep. Ro Khanna had a suggestion for President Biden on a private conference call earlier this week: Have Sens. Joe Manchin and Bernie Sanders sit in the same room and try to cut a deal on the Democratic Party’s massive social safety net expansion. Because once they do, the California Democrat suggested, it would almost certainly satisfy the moderate and liberal wings of the Democratic caucus, which have been battling over the size, scope and details of the plan for months.”

“But Biden, according to multiple sources in the virtual meeting, told the progressive House Democrats that he’s been in politics a long time — and getting them together in the same room would almost be like ‘homicide.’ The group laughed, as Biden then made a joke about getting into the boxing ring with Khanna himself.”

When asked about sitting down with Manchin, Sanders said: “This is not a movie.”

Democrats Pare Back Tax Hikes on Wealthy

October 8, 2021 at 1:34 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats will likely drop hundreds of billions of dollars in proposed tax increases on the rich as they scramble to shrink the size of their ‘reconciliation’ package,” Politico reports.

“That’s good news for moderates who are less enthusiastic about raising rates. But it’s potentially terrible news for progressives hoping to stick it to the rich. Many see this as their best chance in years to push through major changes in how wealthy people are taxed — such as a proposal to begin taxing, for the first time, billionaires’ unrealized capital gains.”

The Economy Has a Long Way to Go

October 8, 2021 at 1:31 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “September was supposed to be a big month for the labor market, with widespread coronavirus vaccinations, falling caseloads and the return of normal functions like in-person schooling allowing the economy to rev back up. The country is still about 5 million jobs below where it was before the pandemic, and needs to gain back an even bigger number to stage a full recovery.”

California Makes ‘Stealthing’ Illegal

October 8, 2021 at 12:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“California became the first state to make stealthing, the act of removing a condom without consent during intercourse, illegal after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Thursday,” the New York Times reports.

“The bill amends the state’s civil definition of sexual battery, making stealthing a civil offense and giving victims the grounds to sue their assailants for damages.”

Lightfoot Complained to Biden How She Was Treated

October 8, 2021 at 12:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) was scheduled to shake hands with President Biden on Thursday “at the airport and head out to his speaking event,” Politico reports.

“Instead, she told Biden that she was unhappy with how his staff had treated her.”

Cuomo Intended to Push Kathy Hochul Off Ticket

October 8, 2021 at 12:08 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Top aides to then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) sought a job in the Biden administration for then-Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) “so they could remove her from the gubernatorial ticket ahead of his planned bid for a fourth term in 2022,” the Washington Post reports.

“Cuomo’s office told Hochul early this year that they wanted… someone with a deeper political pull with minority communities.”

The Last Days

October 8, 2021 at 12:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Right-wing pastor Perry Stone claimed that he’s spent 175,000 hours studying the Bible — which equals 8 hours a day for every single day of his life — and declared that he’s 100% certain “that we literally have entered the last of the Last Days.”

Steve Bannon Defies House Subpoena

October 8, 2021 at 11:49 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Steve Bannon rebuffed a congressional subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, citing Donald Trump’s claims of executive privilege.

It’s curious since Bannon was not working for the executive branch then.

Biden Signs Bill to Help ‘Havana Syndrome’ Victims

October 8, 2021 at 11:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Biden signed legislation Friday to provide financial aid to U.S. government personnel believed to be suffering from ‘Havana Syndrome,’ the mysterious illness that began afflicting diplomats and intelligence officers in Cuba’s capital in 2016,” the Washington Post reports.

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan 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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