Political Wire

GOP Lawmaker Toasted His Son’s Same-Sex Marriage

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Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), who voted against codifying same-sex marriage into federal law, three days later “toasted his son and new son-in-law, both of whom sat before him, wearing wedding white blazers,” BuzzFeed News reports, after obtaining audio of the congressman’s speech.

Said Thompson: “We’re just blessed, and we just want to say thank you to everyone here as part of the celebration.”

He added: “We love it when they find their one true love, especially when they become a part of our families then. That’s what we’re rooting for.”

Biden Considers New Pause on Paying Back Student Loans

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“President Joe Biden is considering extending a pause on student loan repayments for several more months, as well as forgiving $10,000 in student loan debt per borrower, as he seeks to appeal to young voters ahead of the November midterms,” Bloomberg reports.

“The current moratorium on student loan payments expires Aug. 31, and a fresh pause could extend either through the end of 2022 or until next summer.”

Sandy Hook Parents Testify Against Alex Jones

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“The far-right conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones spread lies for years about the Sandy Hook school shooting, saying it was staged by the government and that the families of the victims were complicit in the hoax,” the New York Times reports.

“Juries will now decide in three separate trials how much Mr. Jones must pay for the suffering he caused.”

Extreme Alienation In U.S. Politics

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A new University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics poll finds that more than one in four Americans are so alienated from their government that they believe it may “soon be necessary to take up arms” against it.

“That startling finding, which comes in the midst of congressional hearings into the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was just one of several reflections of the dangerous level of estrangement many Americans feel from each other and our democratic institutions.”

Democrats Should Think Before Meddling in GOP Primaries

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Jonathan Bernstein: “That doesn’t mean that Democrats shouldn’t contest the seat, which is in a western Michigan district where Democrats seem to be strong, and is therefore one of a small number of pickup opportunities for the party. Of course they should.”

“But the case for trying to take Meijer out in a primary by helping him to lose to an extremist is a lot weaker. Incentives matter in politics, and if Democrats treat those who stood up for democracy when it mattered the same way they treat those who didn’t, what kinds of incentives will that create? The more that those who stood up to Trump lose in primaries, the more Republican party actors will believe in Trump’s influence, which in turn will make him that much more influential within the party.”

Student Loan Servicers Told to Hold Off on Statements

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“The federal government’s student loan servicing contractors have been instructed to hold off on sending billing statements ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline for ending the pandemic freeze on loan payments, giving companies little time to start loan collection processes if payments resume.” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The future of the federal student loan portfolio is in limbo as President Biden considers whether to cancel a limited amount of debt for borrowers whose incomes fall under a certain threshold. The president and his advisers have been debating the issue for more than a year, frustrating activists and progressive Democrats, and putting borrowers, loan servicers and other stakeholders on edge about what happens next.”

The Fundamental Flaw in ‘Make America Great Again’

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Leonard Steinhorn: “When Donald Trump poached Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign catchphrase ‘Let’s Make America Great Again,’ it was not just the slogan but the meaning behind it that bonded the two Republican campaigns. What it embodies is less an ideology or even a conservative worldview than a deep yearning and determination to restore an idealized version of 1950s America that many Republicans believe has been lost. For the last half-century, that idea has informed much of what the GOP has come to represent.”

“In reality, however, the 1950s were great only for some Americans. Restoring that America — as many Republicans are attempting to do in places where they wield political power — would hurt almost everyone else.”

Warnock Accuses Herschel Walker of Dodging Debates

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Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) put out a new ad urging challenger Herschel Walker (R) to commit to debates in their Senate race.

Atlanta Journal Constitution: “The time and place have been named… Walker, however, still hasn’t confirmed any dates, and some GOP political observers don’t think he will. Instead, he has made a sport of moving the goalposts for the events, drawing attention away from other issues that have dogged his Senate bid.”

Trump Says Golf Circuit Improves Image of Saudi Arabia

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Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal that the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, which has upended the sport by luring players away from the PGA Tour with lavish paydays, has been “worth billions of dollars” in publicity for Saudi Arabia.

Said Trump: “I think LIV has been a great thing for Saudi Arabia, for the image of Saudi Arabia. I think it’s going to be an incredible investment from that standpoint, and that’s more valuable than lots of other things because you can’t buy that—even with billions of dollars.”

Trump also dismissed the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi: “I can say that from the standpoint of Khashoggi, that has died down so much. It really seems to have totally died down.”

Pence Says He and Trump Differ on ‘Focus’

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“Former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday acknowledged he and former President Trump may differ on their approach to advancing their agendas as he urged conservatives to focus on the future to win elections,” The Hill reports.

Said Pence: “I don’t know that the president and I differ on issues. But we may differ on focus.”

He added: “I truly do believe that elections are about the future, and that it’s absolutely essential at a time when so many Americans are hurting, so many families are struggling, that we don’t give way to the temptation to look back.”

How John Roberts Failed to Save Abortion Rights

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“Chief Justice John Roberts privately lobbied fellow conservatives to save the constitutional right to abortion down to the bitter end, but May’s unprecedented leak of a draft opinion reversing Roe v. Wade made the effort all but impossible,” CNN reports.

“It appears unlikely that Roberts’ best prospect — Justice Brett Kavanaugh — was ever close to switching his earlier vote, despite Roberts’ attempts that continued through the final weeks of the session.”

“New details… insight into the high-stakes internal abortion-rights drama that intensified in late April when justices first learned the draft opinion would soon be published. Serious conflicts over the fate of the 1973 Roe were then accompanied by tensions over an investigation into the source of the leak that included obtaining cell phone data from law clerks and some permanent court employees.”

Republicans Warm Up to Doug Mastriano

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Associated Press: “When he crushed a nine-person field to win the GOP nomination for Pennsylvania governor in May, some in the party warned that Mastriano’s far-right views on everything from abortion to the 2020 presidential election would squander an otherwise attainable seat in a critical battleground state.”

“But now, as the general election season intensifies, the GOP machinery is cranking up to back Mastriano’s campaign and attack his Democratic rival, Josh Shapiro.”

About Political Wire

Taegan 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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