Jessica Bakeman, writing in New York Magazine:
“Andrew Cuomo’s hands had been on my body — on my arms, my shoulders, the small of my back, my waist — often enough by late 2014 that I didn’t want to go to the holiday party he was hosting for the Albany press corps at the executive mansion.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he is planning on introducing a resolution to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from the House Intelligence Committee, arguing he is a national security threat due to his former ties with an alleged Chinese spy, The Hill reports.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) again said he would not resign from office in the face of mounting allegations of sexual misconduct, hours after most Democratic members of Congress from his home state urged him to quit, The Hill reports.
Meanwhile, dozens of current and former employees of Cuomo’s executive chamber described the office told the New York Times as “chaotic, unprofessional and toxic, especially for young women.”
Susan Glasser watched Donald Trump’s nine-minute address to the nation on the coronavirus pandemic from a year ago.
“In the awful hindsight created by the deaths of more than five hundred thousand Americans, it’s a true horror to again hear Trump promising the country that ‘the virus will not have a chance against us,’ and insisting, ‘I will never hesitate to take the necessary steps to protect the lives, health, and safety of the American people.’ Watching this risible B.S. a year later, it seemed to me that even Trump had had a hard time believing his own bluster. When he read off the teleprompter that he was ‘confident’ of victory over the pandemic, he appeared to be gasping for air.”
“The whole speech, in fact, had the feel of a hostage video. Trump seemed like a politician who knew he was in big, big trouble that he might not get out of… From today’s vantage point, it seems disastrous.”
Walter Shapiro: “Biden’s speech, delivered on the day he signed into law his $1.9 trillion stimulus package, differed from what almost any other Democrat would have said at a similar moment. Instead of trumpeting his achievement—instead of basking in passing what may be the most ambitious anti-poverty program since the 1960s—Biden devoted almost the entire speech to the pandemic.”
“This choice captured something close to the essence of the Biden presidency. Despite a lifetime in government, he will not take the easy road, mimicking standard political oratory. Listening to his internal drummer is a risk for any president, even one who, at age 78, may be beyond the raging pressures of ambition. But even though his words are often soft, and there is little obvious straining for eloquence, the self-confidence that undergirds Biden’s rhetoric is impressive.”
Federal prosecutors submitted a filing Friday morning requesting a 60-day delay in a series of cases related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, describing the massive undertaking as “likely the most complex investigation ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice,” Axios reports.
Geraldo Rivera explained on Fox & Friends why he passed on a Senate run from Ohio:
“The reaction, the initial vibe was great but it was also much more overwhelming than I ever expected. Fox freaked out, you know, said pick a lane, are you a journalist or a politician and I wasn’t ready to, you know, jump off my current turnstile, so, instead I had to kind of embarrass myself and say never mind.”
MSNBC: “It’s not often Congress passes a law on a Wednesday, and by Thursday afternoon, tens of thousands of American jobs have been saved.”
“It was just last month when American Airlines announced it was sending furlough notices to roughly 13,000 employees. Within a few hours of Congress passing the Democratic COVID relief package, the company reversed course, saying those workers can now stay on the job.”
Airline workers received a letter from management: “To those who had received notices warning of furloughs: those are happily canceled — you can tear them up!”
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign because he “has lost the confidence of the people of New York,” the Washington Post reports.
Politico says more than a dozen Democratic House members have “now mobilized against Cuomo, the latest sign of his crumbling support from one-time allies in Washington.”
“The list includes senior Democratic committee chairs — Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler and Nydia Velázquez — who have worked with the Cuomo family for decades, as well as high-profile progressives, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mondaire Jones and Jamaal Bowman.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) writes in USA Today:
“For decades, companies like Amazon have been allies of the left in the culture war, but when their bottom line is threatened they turn to conservatives to save them. Republicans have rightly understood the dangers posed by the unchecked influence of labor unions. Adversarial relations between labor and management are wrong. They are wrong for both workers and our nation’s economic competitiveness.”
“But the days of conservatives being taken for granted by the business community are over.”
“Here’s my standard: When the conflict is between working Americans and a company whose leadership has decided to wage culture war against working-class values, the choice is easy — I support the workers. And that’s why I stand with those at Amazon’s Bessemer warehouse today.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) emailed donors offering those who chip in $60 will get a copy of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs & Ham signed by the Texas senator, calling it a “cancel culture collectible” that will “be a great conversation piece.”
Washington Post: “The seven-week stretch is the longest a new president has gone without meeting the press in the past 100 years, dating back to when Calvin Coolidge, a man known as ‘Silent Cal,’ was president.”
“He has often taken a question or two from reporters at the end of speeches or statements, as he did Wednesday after remarks about an increase in the coronavirus vaccine supply. But his record as president so far mirrors his behavior as a candidate, when Biden gave several interviews but rarely interacted with a roomful of reporters.”
A new Saint Anselm College poll in New Hampshire finds Gov. Chris Sununu (R) leading Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) in a possible U.S. Senate match up, 47% to 41%.
A new Pew Research poll finds that 68% of Democrats think their party should be accepting of Democratic elected officials who openly criticize President Joe Biden.
In contrast, 56% of Republicans said their party should not be accepting of GOP elected officials who openly criticize former President Donald Trump.
First Read: “We’re reminded of how Ronald Reagan popularized the so-called ‘11th commandment,’ urging the GOP that ‘Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.'”
“That seems to have been superseded by a new commandment for Republicans: ‘Thou shalt not speak ill of Trump.'”
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) “is expected to announce Friday that she will not seek another term representing the Tucson area, a move that comes as the state’s political boundaries will be redrawn ahead of the 2022 elections,” the Arizona Republic reports.
“The Democratic National Committee, in cooperation with the Biden White House, will kick off a sweeping effort to sell the newly signed Covid-19 relief package to a politically divided American people on Friday, releasing a new national ad bragging about the bill along with a detailed guide on how Democrats across the country should tout the legislation,” CNN reports.
“The multi-prong effort is aimed at turning the bill into something Democrats can run on, not run away from, in the coming years, including in the politically critical 2022 midterms.”
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., told the New Yorker that he will not seek re-election this year.
But will he indict Donald Trump before his term expires? Sources say the investigation “has dramatically intensified” and “they mean business.”
CNN: Trump’s time in White House could end up benefiting New York prosecutors.
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.