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The Secret to a Great Inaugural Address

January 20, 2021 at 9:08 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

John Avlon: “Not all inaugural addresses are created equal — many are too long and consequently forgettable. Others make the mistake of laying out a specific policy agenda, rather than setting a broad direction toward a new horizon.”

“But an inaugural is preeminently a speech about the new president’s values — about how he sees the world and America’s role in it. At best it offers a unifying vision and the promise of new beginnings.”

“Most are remembered — if at all — for a single phrase that becomes shorthand for the entire speech. And if you listen closely, these lines often share a similar structure. This is the one of the secrets to what makes a great inaugural address.”

Quote of the Day

January 20, 2021 at 8:47 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Have a good life, we will see you soon.”

— President Trump, in remarks before leaving Washington, D.C.

Trump Departs the White House

January 20, 2021 at 8:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump departed the White House on Wednesday morning for the last time as the commander in chief after four tumultuous years that shook the nation, choosing to leave town rather than face the reality that he lost re-election to President-elect Joe Biden,” the New York Times reports.

“The Marine One helicopter took off from the South Lawn of the White House at about 8:18 a.m. for the short flight to Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland, where the president planned to hold a farewell event with administration veterans and other supporters. After that, he and Melania Trump were to board Air Force One for the journey to Florida, where they will reside.”

Trump Pardons Steve Bannon

January 20, 2021 at 12:48 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has pardoned Stephen K. Bannon, the firebrand architect of his 2016 campaign who was charged last year with defrauding donors to a private fundraising effort for construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border,” the Washington Post reports.

“Trump approved Bannon’s pardon late Tuesday, after days of frantic deliberations. Some aides said as recently as Monday night that the move appeared unlikely. Trump vacillated throughout the day Tuesday, and even after he said he was going to sign off on the pardon, it remained unclear for some time that he would actually do so.”

New York Times: “Mr. Trump also was set to grant clemency to Elliott Broidy, a fund-raiser for the president who pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to violate foreign lobbying laws as part of a covert campaign to influence the administration on behalf of Chinese and Malaysian interests.”

Trump Has Discussed Starting a New Political Party

January 19, 2021 at 9:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has talked in recent days with associates about forming a new political party, an effort to exert continued influence after he leaves the White House,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Trump discussed the matter with several aides and other people close to him last week… The president said he would want to call the new party the ‘Patriot Party.'”

Burr Won’t Face Insider Trading Charges

January 19, 2021 at 8:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Justice Department informed Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) on Tuesday that it would not pursue insider trading charges against him, quietly ending a monthslong investigation into his dumping of hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock in the turbulent early days of the coronavirus pandemic,” the New York Times reports.

Trump Releases Video Farewell Address

January 19, 2021 at 4:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump gave a farewell video address on Tuesday, saying that his administration “did what we came here to do — and so much more.”

Axios notes Trump condemned the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, but added, “As I prepare to hand power over to a new administration… I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning.”

Plans to Storm Capitol Were Made Days In Advance

January 19, 2021 at 4:24 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Self-styled militia members from Virginia, Ohio and other states made plans to storm the U.S. Capitol days in advance of the Jan. 6 attack, communicating in real time as they breached the building on opposite sides and led dozens in a hunt for lawmakers to make ‘citizen’s arrests,'” the Washington Post reports.

“The extraordinary real-time narration of parts of the assault on the Capitol came as investigators made public new details of events in unsealed conspiracy charges in which thousands of pro-Trump supporters forced the evacuation of lawmakers and triggered violence that left five people dead.”

More Than 400,000 Have Died In U.S. During Pandemic

January 19, 2021 at 4:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The John’s Hopkins tracker shows more than 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

Stores Drop MyPillow

January 19, 2021 at 2:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The founder of MyPillow, a vocal and in the past few weeks very visible supporter of President Trump, says a backlash against the company has begun after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol this month,” the AP reports.

“Mike Lindell, the company CEO and also the face of the brand, said major retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s have dropped his products recently.”

Olivia Nuzzi reviews the product: “If Trump doesn’t keep you up all night, MyPillow will.”

Trump Talked Out of Pardoning His Kids

January 19, 2021 at 2:51 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

CNN: “Huddled for a lengthy meeting with his legal advisers, Trump was warned the pardons he once hoped to bestow upon his family and even himself would place him in a legally perilous position, convey the appearance of guilt and potentially make him more vulnerable to reprisals.”

“So, too, was Trump warned that pardons for Republican lawmakers who had sought them for their role in the Capitol insurrection would anger the very Senate Republicans who will determine his fate in an upcoming impeachment trial.”

“White House counsel Pat Cipollone and another attorney who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial, Eric Herschmann, offered the grave warnings as Trump, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner listened. Other lawyers joined by telephone. They all told Trump he should not pardon himself, his family or any GOP lawmakers in a prospective manner unless he was prepared to list specific crimes.”

McCarthy Warned Not to Call Out Colleagues by Name

January 19, 2021 at 2:25 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) warned Republicans last week not to talk badly about their colleagues publicly because it could incite violence.

Punchbowl News has audio: “Later after this call, I’m going to get another briefing from the FBI. and it doesn’t matter which side of the position you were — I respect it, I respect why you did what you did. But what we’re saying on television when we say a member’s name… everybody has done something. This is not the moment in time to do it. The briefings that I’m getting, you can incite something else. I get these reports on a weekly basis, I’ve seen something I haven’t seen before. Do not raise another members’ name on television, even if they are in a different position or not.”

He added: “What you say matters. Let’s not put other people in danger. Let’s watch what words we’re using and let’s definitely not be using other members’ names in any media.”

History Will Crush Trump

January 19, 2021 at 2:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Last: “So how will Donald Trump’s presidency be remembered by history? We already know the answer: He oversaw a disastrous response to a global pandemic, because of which more than 400,000 Americans died on his watch.”

“That’s it. That’s his legacy. And if he gets a second line in the history books it will be this: He incited an insurrection on the U.S. Capitol which led to a second impeachment.”

“Anyone who tells you that Trump will be remembered for the economic expansion of the first three years of his term is a fool. History has nothing to say about the economic performance during Clinton’s eight years. The Reagan economic boom is only a footnote to his tenure. Look: Barack Obama gets almost no recognition for the economy of his final seven years and that took place the day before yesterday.”

Georgia Certifies Ossoff and Warnock Victories

January 19, 2021 at 1:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Georgia election officials on Tuesday certified the victories of two Democrats who won in the state’s hard-fought U.S. Senate runoff elections earlier this month, paving the way for them to take office as early as Wednesday,” the Washington Post reports.

Bonus Quote of the Day

January 19, 2021 at 1:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“There is a myth around that Jared and Ivanka will be rejected socially. The rich are never rejected — until they go to prison or lose their money.”

— Tina Brown, quoted by Town & Country.

Trump Leaves Behind His Own ‘Deep State’ for Biden

January 19, 2021 at 1:32 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “A higher-than-usual number of Trump administration political appointees — some with highly partisan backgrounds — are currently ‘burrowing’ into career positions throughout the federal government, moving from appointed positions into powerful career civil service roles, which come with job protections that will make it difficult for Biden to fire them.”

“While this happens to some degree in every presidential transition, and some political appointees make for perfectly capable public servants, Biden aides, lawmakers, labor groups and watchdog organizations are sounding the alarm — warning that in addition to standard burrowing, the Trump administration is leaning on a recent executive order to rush through dozens if not hundreds of these so-called ‘conversions.’ … Thanks to weak transparency laws, the full impact of both changes may not be known for months.”

Trump Rules Easing Emissions Limits Vacated by Court

January 19, 2021 at 1:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “A federal appeals court on Tuesday vacated the Trump administration’s rules that eased restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants, potentially making it easier for the incoming Biden administration to reset the nation’s signature rules addressing climate change.”

Arizona GOP Sticks with Trumpism

January 19, 2021 at 1:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “When the party leadership meets this weekend, the most pressing items on the agenda will be censuring three moderate Republicans who remain widely popular in Arizona. The all-but-certain state party scolding will not have any practical impact, but the symbolism is stark: a slap on the wrist for Cindy McCain, the widow of the Senator John McCain; former Senator Jeff Flake and Gov. Doug Ducey.”

“While some Republicans nationwide are beginning to edge away from Trumpism, Arizona is a case of loyalists doubling down, potentially dividing the party in fundamental and irreparable ways. The consequences could be particularly acute in a state that had long been a safe Republican bet.”

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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.

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