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Cotton Explains Why the Electoral Vote Must Stand

January 5, 2021 at 12:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) explained in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette his decision to ratify the Electoral College vote tomorrow.

“First, Congress would take away the power to choose the president from the people and place it in the hands of whichever party controls Congress. This action essentially would end our tradition of democratic presidential elections, empowering politicians and party bosses in Washington.”

“Second, Congress would imperil the electoral college, which gives small states like Arkansas a voice in presidential elections. Democrats have long complained about Republican candidates winning the electoral college and thus the presidency without a majority of the popular vote. If Congress becomes a new battleground for determining the results of the electoral college, a future Democratic majority could deny the presidency to a Republican president-elect who didn’t receive a majority of the popular vote.”

GOP Senator Calls Decision on Electoral Vote ‘Brutal’

January 5, 2021 at 12:22 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said that his decision to back the Electoral College when Congress counts the vote was “brutal,” The Hill reports.

Said Cramer: “It was brutal, to be honest. But at the end of the day, there are two things. One is my conscience is captive to God, and my oath is to the Constitution of the United States.”

The Beleaguered Chroniclers of the Trump White House

January 5, 2021 at 12:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Olivia Nuzzi has an excellent piece on covering the White House during the Trump era:

“Under ordinary circumstances, a press corps is a team of rivals; however, the chaos of the Trump era, and the president’s predictably unpredictable nature, leveled the playing field for the wider cohort in many ways. The process was essentially more democratic than ever before, since leaks came from everywhere and came to anyone skilled or lucky enough to find them, their status in the news hierarchy often secondary to their ability to actually understand how the place operated.”

“As familiar as we all are with Trump’s contempt for the media, only a select few have shared the experience of being in the room or in the Air Force One cabin or of shouting over the helicopter in the Rose Garden to see the circus up close. It creates a bond.”


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Biden Taps Obama Vets for National Security Roles

January 5, 2021 at 12:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President-elect Joe Biden and his transition team have begun to fill out top positions on the incoming National Security Council and at the State Department, with key roles like deputy national security adviser and Deputy Secretary of State going to veterans of the Obama administration,” Politico reports.

Trump Steps Up Pressure on Pence

January 5, 2021 at 11:19 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump tweets: “The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.”

Trump Won’t Be Allowed Into Scotland

January 5, 2021 at 11:05 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, said President Trump will not be allowed to visit the country to play golf during Joe Biden’s inauguration, as reports indicated he was planning, the Independent reports.

Given the global pandemic, Sturgeon stressed it is currently illegal to travel in or out of the country without a valid reason: “Coming to play golf is not what I would consider to be an essential purpose.”

President Trump’s Schedule

January 5, 2021 at 10:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

CNN notes President Trump’s official schedule has no events listed, but adds this blurb: “President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings.”

The Devil Goes Back to Georgia

January 5, 2021 at 10:47 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Tim Miller: “Trump’s rambling, incoherent performance was marked by what seemed to be a case of TDS—Testosterone Deficiency Syndrome—so bad that it caused even the maskless cult members who packed into the Dalton, Georgia event site to become bored by the show.”

“But Trump’s unintelligibility and TDS do not take away from the gravity of the undertaking. The rally was ostensibly in support of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue’s Senate run-off campaigns, but in reality it was an opportunity for the president to ensure that said senators—and any others who dare cross him, like Mike Lee, whom he name-checked more than once—see that their only path forward is by participating in his effort to overturn the election.”

Pence’s Office Denies Report He Won’t Preside Tomorrow

January 5, 2021 at 10:34 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vice President Mike Pence’s office told NBC News that he is still expected to preside tomorrow over the certification of the Electoral College vote, contrary to what Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) told reporters.

Video of Arizona Governor’s Son at Indoor Party Goes Viral

January 5, 2021 at 10:31 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A video showing Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R) adult son interacting with a packed crowd of maskless people at a party has gone viral.

GOP Pollster Sounds Alarms for Republicans

January 5, 2021 at 10:18 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

GOP pollster and strategist Frank Luntz told CNBC that he believes Democrats hold the upper hand in Tuesday’s Georgia Senate runoff elections, warning of disappointment for Republicans in those pivotal races and in Wednesday’s upcoming Electoral College presidential confirmation vote on Capitol Hill.

Said Luntz: “There is a greater divide in the Republican party than there is in the Democratic party. The party is in the process of tearing itself apart and you don’t do that now, when you’re this close to the most important Senate election, literally, in a lifetime. Democrats are unified, Republicans are not and that’s what gives them the advantage.”

He added: “I think the next 48 hours are going to be among the worst for the GOP.”

Grassley Says Pence Will Skip Electoral Vote Certification

January 5, 2021 at 10:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), the Senate president pro tempore, says he and not Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the certification of Electoral College votes, since “we don’t expect him to be there,” Roll Call reports.

Grassley also said he will listen to debate and that “it would be really wrong for me to say I have my mind made up.”

A Grassley spokesman later clarified to the New York Times that the senator does not “have any indication Pence won’t be present,” although that’s exactly what he said.

Lawmakers Call for Criminal Probe Into Trump’s Phone Call

January 5, 2021 at 10:11 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Kathleen Rice (D-NY) called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to open a criminal probe into President Trump after the release of a recording of his Saturday call demanding Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) “find” additional votes for him, The Hill reports.

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Experts say Trump may have broken law trying to overturn Georgia election.

Facebook’s Changes Brought Back a Partisan News Feed

January 5, 2021 at 10:07 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Markup monitored what happened when Facebook reversed its political ad ban ahead of the Georgia Senate runoffs.

“While Facebook’s controls were in place, we found that links to traditional news sites were present in almost all election-related posts that appeared on our Georgia panelists’ feeds. After Dec. 16, however, when Facebook flipped the switch to turn on political advertising for the Georgia election, we noticed that partisan content quickly elbowed out news sites, replacing a significant proportion of mentions of the election in our users’ feeds.”

Let Them Reveal Themselves

January 5, 2021 at 9:59 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michael Gerson: “We are witnessing what happens when treacherous politicians run in packs. A solitary betrayal of the constitutional order by a member of Congress is a source of shame and, perhaps, a cause for expulsion. When 100 and more Republicans join hands and betray the constitutional order, it is a populist cause. They gain the confidence, even the thrill, of shared disloyalty. But their oath of office — in every single case — has been dishonored. They have demonstrated their unfitness for office and called their own patriotism into question.”

“So maybe it is for the best that they stand up and be counted. Maybe it is best for Americans to know who will ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic’ — and who will not. By all means, let’s engrave their names into a marble slab — a roll call of those who failed the most important test of self-government in our lifetimes. There are a lot of monuments honoring bravery. Let’s have one dedicated to abject cowardice.”

George Will: “On Wednesday, the members of the Hawley-Cruz cohort will violate the oath of office in which they swore to defend the Constitution from enemies ‘foreign and domestic.’ They are its most dangerous domestic enemies.”

Exchange of the Day

January 5, 2021 at 9:40 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) was asked by Sandra Smith on Fox News whether he’s worried “about the precedent” set by releasing the recording of his call with President Trump over the weekend:

SMITH: Why put into jeopardy our country by leaking a phone call of that nature?

RAFFENSPERGER: I don’t understand how truth would ever jeopardize the country.

Hawley Claims Protesters Threatened His Family

January 5, 2021 at 9:32 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) claimed that “Antifa scumbags” threatened his wife and newborn daughter while demonstrating outside the family’s Washington, D.C., residence.

He said protesters “screamed threats, vandalized, and tried to pound open our door.”

The Hill: “Video of the event shared on Twitter showed a handful of protesters holding what was billed as a ‘candlelight vigil’ outside the residence, while largely remaining on the street. At one point, several protesters are seen carrying a sign to the front door of the residence and ringing the doorbell while an activist speaks over a megaphone. A woman is seen inside looking out the window, but not answering the door.”

Quote of the Day

January 5, 2021 at 9:27 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I don’t do rallies for other people. I do them for me.”

— President Trump, quoted by the Associated Press, at a rally supposedly for the two Republican Senate candidates in Georgia.

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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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