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GOP Braces for Daily Blasts from ‘Orange Jesus’

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“Congressional Republicans are steeling themselves for a return to daily life with Donald Trump — which means constant, uncomfortable questions about his erratic policy whims and political attacks,” Politico reports.

“With Trump far ahead of the GOP primary pack and leading President Joe Biden in some polls, Republicans are getting a preview of future shellshock akin to their experiences in 2016 and his presidency. It’s likely to continue for the next 11 months. And perhaps four more years after that.”

“Trump’s recent call to replace the Affordable Care Act is triggering a particularly unwelcome sense of deja vu within the GOP. Even as many Senate Republicans steered away from Trump over the past couple years, now they’re increasingly resigned to another general election that could inundate them with the former president’s often fact-averse and hyperbolic statements.”

House GOP Moves to Formalize Impeachment Probe

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“House Republican leaders are moving toward a vote on formalizing an impeachment probe into President Biden, aiming to bolster an investigation that some in the party are still wary of pushing forward too quickly,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and committee chairmen made a case to rank-and-file lawmakers on Friday, with a vote possible as soon as this week.”

Senate Border Talks Break Down

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“Senate Democrats walked away Friday from negotiations with Republicans on border policy changes, citing what they describe as intractable GOP demands on asylum and parole reform, according to two sources involved in the talks,” Punchbowl News reports.

“This is a big development that casts further doubt on the Senate’s ability to pass a huge $105 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Ukraine stands to be the biggest potential loser here as future funding for the embattled U.S. ally is in serious jeopardy. It’s a critical moment for President Joe Biden and congressional leaders who have backed Ukraine, especially Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.”

“The breakdown in the bipartisan Senate talks, according to these sources, stems from Republicans’ continued insistence on including elements of H.R. 2, the House GOP border-security bill that’s a non-starter for Democrats.”

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Goods Deflation Is Back

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“After a historic run-up in inflation, Americans are now starting to see something they haven’t in three years: deflation,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“To be sure, deflation—that is, falling prices—is largely confined to appliances, furniture, used cars and other goods. Economywide deflation, when prices of most goods and services continuously fall, isn’t in the cards.”

“But economists say goods prices likely have further to fall, which will ease inflation’s return to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, perhaps as early as the second half of next year.”

Swalwell Predicts McCarthy Will Be Next to Be Expelled

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Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is predicting Republicans will move to expel Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) after George Santos got the boot from Congress, The Messenger reports.

Said Swalwell: “With Santos gone, you’re hearing it here first: the next GOP member to leave Congress will be Kevin McCarthy.”

He added: “No way he stays. A guy who kidney punches his colleagues from behind is too afraid to serve out a full term with them. I bet he’s gone by end of year. What say you?”

Ex-U.S. Ambassador Arrested as Agent of Cuba

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“A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been arrested in a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation, accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba’s government,“ the AP reports.

“Manuel Rocha, 73, was arrested in Miami on Friday on a criminal complaint and more details about the case are expected to be made public at a court appearance Monday.”

House Democrats Ditch ‘Bidenomics’ Messenging

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House Democrats have rejected the White House’s months-long campaign to sell the term “Bidenomics,” Axios reports.

“House Democratic leadership stopped pushing the term months ago. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC, two key fundraising arms, are also avoiding it on social media and press releases, as polling indicates the tagline is ineffective.”

Israel Widens Evacuation Orders in Southern Gaza

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“Confusion and fear gripped much of southern Gaza on Sunday as Israel’s military ordered more residents to clear out, sending people into the streets in search of anything that might serve as shelter two days after a cease-fire deal fell apart,” the New York Times reports.

“The Israeli military’s latest evacuation orders appeared to be setting the stage for a ground invasion in the south after the resumption of hostilities following the collapse of a weeklong truce with Hamas. They evoked similar orders given by the Israeli military before it invaded northern Gaza in late October, and Israeli officials said they were intended to move civilians out of harm’s way.”

Newsmax Feuds with RNC Over Debates

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“Newsmax is clashing with the Republican National Committee after the conservative, Trump-friendly channel wasn’t able to co-sponsor one of the first four GOP presidential primary debates,” Axios reports.

“The dispute is a view into the delicate and at times fraught negotiations over the debates, which can propel or depress a candidacy — and add prestige and viewers to networks that sponsor them.”

Supreme Court Case Could Jumble the Tax Code

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Wall Street Journal: “The court will hear arguments in Moore v. U.S., which challenges a piece of the 2017 tax law that imposed a one-time levy on profits that companies had accumulated outside the U.S.”

“But its implications could reach much further, providing the justices an opportunity to define what Congress can tax under the Constitution — and what it can’t. The case, brought by a Washington state couple seeking a $14,729 refund, raises a seemingly simple question: Must income be “realized,” or received, before it can be taxed?”

Global Temperature Goal Is Mostly Gone

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Politico: “Leading scientists worldwide delivered a striking dose of reality to the United Nations on Sunday: it’s ‘becoming inevitable’ that countries will miss the ambitious target they set eight years ago for limiting the warming of the Earth.”

“The ominous estimate points to the growing likelihood that global warming will shoot past 1.5 degrees Celsius before the end of this century, inflicting what scientists describe as an overwhelming toll from intensifying storms, drought and heat on people and the economy. It also injects an urgent message into global climate talks in Dubai, where the debate over ramping down fossil fuels is set to flare over the next two weeks.”

Trump’s Pardonees Now Help Him Return to Power

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“As president, Donald Trump used his constitutional clemency powers to free or forgive many people who could be useful to his future political efforts,” the Washington Post reports.

“Now, a Washington Post review of Trump’s 238 clemency orders finds that dozens of recipients have gone on to plug his 2024 candidacy through social media and national interviews, contribute money to his campaign or disseminate his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.”

The Next Big Mideast Showdown

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Alon Pinkus: “In a few weeks’ time, U.S. President Joe Biden will find out that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t ignoring U.S. advice, defying U.S. requests or bragging that ‘he stood up to America’ because he has an alternative and better war policy and is merely exercising Israel’s decision-making sovereignty.”

“The Biden administration will discover instead that Netanyahu is deliberately confronting them, so he can blame the American president for ‘holding him back’ and denying Israel the opportunity to eradicate Hamas.”

“He is doing so for purely political reasons, as part of his fabricated narrative that ignores his culpability and responsibility for October 7, and instead focuses on the war and how he was on the precipice of a major victory until Biden prevented him from completing the mission.”

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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