Political Wire

Biden Delays Offshore Oil Leasing Plan

March 8, 2023 at 2:12 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In his latest clash with the White House, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) sharply criticized the Biden administration Wednesday for delays on a new federal offshore drilling plan that the Interior Department says it needs until December to put into effect,” the Washington Post reports.

“Manchin, who remains a key swing vote in the Senate, has recently pushed back against the administration for its appointments and its implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, including on how it affects oil and natural gas leasing in Alaska.”

How to Fight a Vulnerable Fox News

March 8, 2023 at 2:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Dan Pfeiffer: “In some ways, my career in political communications has been defined by the rise of Fox News and the rest of the Right Wing media. For the entirety of the twenty-first century, Fox News has been the most powerful weapon in the Right’s arsenal. From Capitol Hill, the campaign trail, the White House, and now from my perch in progressive media, I watched Fox start wars, beat Democrats into submission, drive reams of mainstream press coverage, and make Donald Trump President.”

“But they have never been more vulnerable. Here’s how Democrats should adjust their approach to Fox News.”

GOP Operative Comes Forward as Accuser

March 8, 2023 at 1:52 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The man who has accused Matt Schlapp, the influential leader of the Conservative Political Action Conference, of sexual misconduct came forward publicly Wednesday after a judge said he must use his real name to proceed with a lawsuit,” the Washington Post reports.

“Carlton Huffman, 39, a longtime aide to Republican campaigns who lives in Raleigh, N.C., said he plans to amend the previously anonymous lawsuit, which seeks $9.4 million in damages for alleged sexual battery and defamation.”

Arkansas Loosens Child Labor Protections

March 8, 2023 at 1:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed into law this week legislation that rolls back significant portions of the state’s child labor protections,” the Washington Post reports.

“The law eliminates requirements for the state to verify the age of children younger than 16 before they can take a job.”

Biden’s Approval Ticks Back Up

March 8, 2023 at 1:47 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Biden’s public approval rating edged up to 42%, its highest level since June, as inflation has eased in the United States and job growth has stayed strong, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

Glenn Youngkin Doesn’t Sound Like a Candidate

March 8, 2023 at 1:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Glenn Youngkin, who rose to prominence after defeating Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021, has done just enough to keep the embers of a potential 2024 bid glowing. Yet the Republicans closest to the Virginia governor aren’t sure he intends to run—or wants to,” The Dispatch reports.

“Republican donors who attended a meet-and-greet with Youngkin in New York last week exited the event believing the governor is inclined to stand down. Youngkin did not rule out running. But the governor left the impression that any possible campaign was months away—that he is hyper-focused on running Virginia and wants time to assess the 2024 primary field.”

Said one: “He did not sound like an all-in candidate. He’s sort of testing the waters.”

My Promise to You

March 8, 2023 at 12:57 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Everything you read on Political Wire — or listen to on Trial Balloon — is the same thing I say in private.

It’s the same thing I say to my friends and family.

And if you read my emails or text messages, it’s the same thing you would find there.

I truly respect my audience. You challenge my thinking. You correct my mistakes. I’ve learned so much from you.

I hope you’ve learned a lot by being here.

If this means anything to you, become a member and support this community. And share the site with your friends.

Thanks so much for reading!

Trump Aides Clutch Their Wallets

March 8, 2023 at 12:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “While other recent presidents routinely drew financial support from key campaign aides and West Wing advisers, contributions to Mr. Trump from his team have been the exception rather than the norm.”

“The lack of contributions from the Trump team is surprising, given the former president’s penchant for testing his top staff members’ allegiances and his tendency to view loyalty through a starkly transactional lens. Mr. Trump is also known to harbor deep resentment over the manner in which aides — in real or perceived ways — have leveraged their connections to him for their own financial gain.”

The Boogaloo Bois Plot a Bloody Comeback

March 8, 2023 at 12:34 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vice News: “The sudden disappearance of the Boogaloos fueled speculation that the slew of DOJ investigations and arrests had literally taken them off the board—perhaps destroying the movement forever…”

“While it’s true that the threat of prosecution caused the Boogaloo Bois to lower their profile, the fierce anti-government ideology underpinning the movement never went anywhere. And now, the Boogaloo Bois appear to be regrouping, plotting their public comeback to coincide with what many fear could be a tense, even violent, presidential election season.”

McCarthy Gives Marjorie Taylor Greene the Gavel

March 8, 2023 at 12:02 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) took the Speaker’s chair for the first time during a House session on Wednesday.

House GOP Plots New Probe Into January 6

March 8, 2023 at 12:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Speaker Kevin McCarthy often spent the last two years avoiding much discussion about the January 6, 2021, attack,” CNN reports.

“Now, he’s effectively put the issue back in the spotlight and on the investigative agenda – a gambit that has divided House and Senate Republicans and reopened ugly wounds inside the GOP.”

“Republicans in the House are beginning to plot multiple probes into the 2021 Capitol attack, including looking into the Democratic-led select committee’s actions from the last Congress, the security failures from that day and potentially even the treatment of January 6 defendants… The move comes as McCarthy green-lit the release of January 6 security footage to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sought to whitewash the severity of the attack and caused a major uproar among Senate Republicans on Tuesday.”

Louisville Police Engaged in Pattern of Misconduct

March 8, 2023 at 11:54 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A federal investigation found the Louisville Metro Police Department “engaged in systemic civil rights abuses and excessive-force misconduct in the years leading up to the 2020 police killing of Breonna Taylor,” the Washington Post reports.

White House Rebukes Tucker Carlson by Name

March 8, 2023 at 11:52 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House joined in widespread condemnation of Fox News star Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, singling out the prime-time ratings king for his misleading portrayal of the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021,” Politico reports.

Said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates: “We agree with the chief of the Capitol Police and the wide range of bipartisan lawmakers who have condemned this false depiction of the unprecedented, violent attack on our Constitution and the rule of law — which cost police officers their lives.”

He added: “We also agree with what Fox News’s own attorneys and executives have now repeatedly stressed in multiple courts of law: that Tucker Carlson is not credible.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

March 8, 2023 at 11:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The idea of Tucker Carlson being in that mob that day and not wetting his pants is hard to imagine.”

— Anderson Cooper, on CNN, criticizing the Fox News host’s attempt to re-write what happened on January 6.

Oklahoma Republicans Censure Nonbinary Lawmaker

March 8, 2023 at 11:29 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Oklahoma Republicans formally censured their nonbinary Democratic colleague Tuesday after state troopers said the lawmaker blocked them from questioning a transgender rights activist accused of assaulting a police officer during a protest over anti-trans legislation,” the AP reports.

“The party-line vote means Rep. Mauree Turner, who uses they/them pronouns, will be removed from all committee assignments unless the second-term lawmaker issues a formal apology, including to the Highway Patrol, which provides security at the Capitol complex.”

Trump Privately Proposes Pardoning Allies

March 8, 2023 at 11:24 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Donald Trump has privately told confidants that, should he be re-elected president, he could pardon any of his allies if they face charges from the Biden-era Justice Department in two major probes,” Rolling Stone reports.

“The former president has told some of those close to him that the pardons would be for higher-level people and could come early in his time in office, effectively wiping away a multi-year effort to hold powerful people and their cohorts legally accountable for their actions during and after Trump’s first term.”

Tucker Carlson and the New Narrative of January 6

March 8, 2023 at 11:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

David Graham: “That Tucker Carlson thinks his viewers are stupid is not new, though his first swing at spinning unseen footage of the January 6 insurrection provides a fresh test of just how credulous they are.”

“The notable news from Carlson’s show yesterday is not the video itself, which is similarly stale, but the crystallization of a Trumpist narrative about the assault on the Capitol that portrays it not as a disaster, nor as an unfortunate but minor event, but as a triumph to be celebrated.”

What Tucker Carlson Left Out

March 8, 2023 at 10:59 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “Video that Carlson didn’t air shows police and rioters engaged in hours of violent combat. Nearly 1,000 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol attack. About 140 officers were assaulted that day, and about 326 people have been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees, including 106 assaults that happened with deadly or dangerous weapons. About 60 people pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement. Two pipe bombs were also planted nearby but were not detonated.”

CBS News: “The narrative last night ignores the tens of thousands of pages of court filings we’ve read and the tonnage of footage already released by the Justice Department and shown in open court… And it ignores the powerful and at times tearful accounts of injured officers who are testifying under oath.”