Christian Schneider: “In the course of his young political career, Marco Rubio has been a Tea Partier, a Reformicon, and a neoconservative. Now he’s auditioning for the role of MAGA FAN #7 by trying to paint Anthony Fauci as the real villain of the pandemic. His strategy seems to be: Dazzle the Trumpenproletariat so completely that they adopt him as their new king.”
“It’s adorable. The political equivalent of leaving your husband in hopes of catching the eye of pharma bro Martin Shkreli.”
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received her first dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine in D.C. Tuesday morning, Axios reports.
“The vice chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee is battling COVID-19 after attending what he described as a largely maskless holiday party at the White House earlier this month,” the Boston Globe reports.
Said Tom Mountain: “I didn’t listen to the warnings of my own family, and now I’m paying the price.”
He told WJAR: “Lets put it this way: When I went down to Washington, D.C., for the White House Hanukkah event, I was perfectly fine. And three days later after that event, I was in the hospital… ready to be put on a lifesaving ventilator.”
Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) on Tuesday both came out in favor of increasing direct payments in the coronavirus relief package from $600 to $2,000 per person, Axios reports.
Related for members: McConnell Doesn’t Appear Worried About Georgia
“Congress’ attending physician informed lawmakers Monday night that two staffers in every House member and senator’s personal offices are now eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine,” Politico reports.
“In addition, the Office of the Attending Physician is offering the vaccine to four staffers of every committee chair and every ranking committee member.”
“On the afternoon of October 21, seven Phoenix police officers gathered for a briefing in a Cave Creek station when the meeting diverged into a discussion about the defund-the-police movement,” the Arizona Republic reports.
When Officer Steven Poulos expressed his thoughts, the room went quiet: “If the mayor defunds the police, I’m going to shoot her.”
The sergeant broke the silence, saying: “You’re not going to shoot the mayor.”
Poulos doubled down: “That’s a promise.”
President Trump sharply criticized Republican leaders for allowing a vote to override his veto of a must-pass defense policy bill, calling them “weak” and “tired” and accusing them of a “disgraceful act of cowardice,” The Hill reports.
A new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds Democratic voters think President-elect Joe Biden should compromise to work with Republican lawmakers, 43% to 33%.
However, Republican voters think their party’s lawmakers should stick to their positions, 54% to 25%.
“San Diego County’s healthcare system reached a stark milestone over the weekend as dwindling hospital morgue capacity forced the county medical examiner to begin storing the deceased,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed will not reach its goal of having 20 million Americans receive the coronavirus vaccine by the end of December.
Axios: “Only 2.1 million people have received the first dose of the vaccine, with nearly 11.5 million doses distributed as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
“The United States sold the ambassador’s residence in Israel for more than $67 million in July, according to an official Israeli record of the sale that shines new light on a transaction that has been shrouded in secrecy,” the AP reports.
“The State Department confirmed the sale in September but refused to identify the buyer or disclose the sale price of the sprawling beachfront compound in the upscale Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya.”
Gallup: “Americans are most likely to name President Donald Trump and Michelle Obama as most admired man and woman in 2020.”
“Trump tied former President Barack Obama for the honor last year but edged out his predecessor this year. Trump’s first-place finish ends a 12-year run as most admired man for Obama, tied with Dwight Eisenhower for the most ever.”
A Wall Street Journal editorial accused President Trump of sabotaging Republicans’ chances of winning the Georgia Senate runoffs with his push for $2,000 stimulus checks, calling it an “in-kind contribution to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden.”
Axios: “It’s another sharp criticism from a newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch — co-chair of Fox Corp. and executive chair of News Corp — that comes one day after the New York Post said Trump is ‘cheering for an undemocratic coup’ with his efforts to overturn the election he lost.”
“What you have, I think, is a Democratic party driven by a cultural belief system that they’re now trying to drive through the school system so they can brainwash the entire next generation if they can get away with it.”
— Newt Gingrich, in an interview with The Guardian.
“President-elect Biden, who has vowed to be clear-eyed and straight about the pandemic, plans a renewed warning in remarks on COVID-19 in Wilmington today,” Axios reports.
“Echoing a CDC forecast from last week, Biden is expected to say that, tragically, the infection rates and the number of deaths are expected to increase in the coming weeks.”
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.