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House Democrats Have the Slimmest Majority

December 9, 2020 at 9:38 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “With the news that President-elect Biden has selected Rep. Marcia Fudge to be his HUD secretary, it’s worth noting that House Democrats will have the barest of majorities next year when the new Congress convenes.”

“As of right now, the 2020 elections have reduced the Democratic majority to 222 seats. And with Fudge and Rep. Cedric Richmond departing for jobs in the Biden administration, that number will decline to 220 – just two more seats than a majority of a full Congress (218). Now there will be special elections for the Fudge and Richmond seats, but they could take months before there’s a winner in these heavily Democratic districts.”

“And here’s what could be worrisome for Democrats: If Biden picks more House Dems to serve in his administration, or if other Democrats in the House resign or pass away, the party could potentially lose its majority.”

Giuliani Witness Who Went Viral Won’t Quarantine

December 9, 2020 at 9:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A witness who attracted national attention after testifying at the side of Rudy Giuliani about alleged voter fraud in Michigan says she is not self-quarantining and has not been tested for the coronavirus in the wake of Giuliani’s positive test and hospitalization,” the Washington Post reports.

No, Trump Won’t Be a Shadow President

December 9, 2020 at 9:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told The Atlantic that Donald Trump will be “a shadow president” once he leaves office:

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The Deadliest Days In American History

December 9, 2020 at 8:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Here are some of the deadliest days in American history:

  1. Galveston Hurricane – 8,000
  2. Battle of Antietam – 3,675
  3. Battle of Gettysburg – 3,155
  4. September 11 – 2,977
  5. Last Thursday – 2,879
  6. Last Wednesday – 2,804
  7. Last Friday – 2,607
  8. Last Tuesday – 2,597
  9. Pearl Harbor – 2,403

Former FDA Commission Scott Gottleib told CBS News the U.S. could reach nearly 4,000 deaths per day from the pandemic in January.

Thanks to CBS News for a few corrections.

27 GOP Lawmakers Seek Special Counsel to Probe Election

December 9, 2020 at 8:43 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Twenty-seven GOP representatives are urging President Trump to direct Attorney General William Barr to appoint a special counsel to investigate election irregularities, The Hill reports.

Top Nevada Court Affirms Biden’s Win

December 9, 2020 at 8:11 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court of Nevada rejected an appeal late Tuesday from President Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the election results in the state, affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s win in one of the battleground states that gave him overall victory,” Reuters reports.

Democrats Blast White House Relief Proposal

December 9, 2020 at 8:08 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Chuck Schumer late Tuesday rejected a Trump-backed $916 billion coronavirus relief proposal that was offered by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin,” NBC News reports.

“In a joint statement, Schumer and Pelosi described it as progress that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed the cost of the package, but they signaled that the proposal was obstructing bipartisan negotiations already underway among lawmakers. The Democratic leaders also made clear that the reduction in unemployment benefits from what’s on the table is something they could never support.”

Playbook: There are just 9 days until Dec. 18 — when Congress wants to leave for the year. Isn’t it time to wrap up the bipartisan talks — which have not produced legislative text yet! — use what they’ve done as a menu from which the leadership can choose and put Pelosi and McConnell at the table to negotiate? Time is running out. People need help.”

Boris Johnson Offers the E.U. an Olive Branch

December 9, 2020 at 8:02 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“For weeks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain has played an extreme version of hardball over Brexit, threatening to break international law and renege on a treaty he signed with the European Union if it fails to strike a new trade agreement with him soon,” the New York Times reports.

“On Tuesday, though, Mr. Johnson dropped that threat, raising hopes that a more diplomatic approach could yield a breakthrough in cliff-edge trade talks planned for Wednesday with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the bloc’s executive body.”

Quote of the Day

December 9, 2020 at 7:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“If I would say to you, ‘I don’t want to do it,’ I’d get my house bombed tonight.”

— Kim Ward, the Republican majority leader of the Pennsylvania Senate, quoted by the New York Times, on being asked to sign a letter calling for the state’s electoral votes to be thrown out.

Countries Spend More on Economic Relief, But Not U.S.

December 9, 2020 at 7:49 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The U.S. is facing a new wave of Covid-19 outbreaks straining hospitals, workers, businesses, and schools,” NBC News reports.

“In this, the country is not alone: Wealthy nations across Europe are facing a major surge in new infections too, as is Canada. But unlike their economic peers, elected leaders in the U.S. have left citizens to face the current crisis without any additional financial cushion from their government.”

Elon Musk Leaves California

December 9, 2020 at 7:45 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said he has moved to Texas, taking aim at Silicon Valley and becoming one of the highest-profile executives yet to leave California during the coronavirus pandemic,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“He said relocating made sense with Tesla’s new factory being built in Texas. He lamented that California, in his view, had become complacent with its innovators.”

Bloomberg: Musk, Bezos space race gets boost from anti-poverty tax break.

CNN Getting Higher Ratings Than Fox News

December 9, 2020 at 7:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

After years of dominance in cable ratings by Fox News, CNN in the past few weeks has pulled ahead consistently for the first time since 9/11, the AP reports.

Axios: “President Trump’s election loss has upended America’s news landscape, cementing a parallel universe on the right where even Fox News isn’t Trumpy enough for millions of his diehards.”

“The coming diffusion of news across many easily-accessible streaming channels will likely cause Americans to become even further entrenched in their own, partisan filter bubbles. This could lead to the most profound change in news consumption that America has seen in decades.”

Jeh Johnson Won’t Join Biden Administration

December 9, 2020 at 6:49 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told Reuters that he will not join the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Johnson was in the running for several Cabinet positions, including secretary of defense and attorney general.

U.S. Virus Deaths Hit Record Levels

December 9, 2020 at 6:37 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to more than 2,200 a day on average, matching the frightening peak reached last April, and cases per day have eclipsed 200,000 on average for the first time on record, with the crisis all but certain to get worse because of the fallout from Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.”

“Virtually every state is reporting surges just as a vaccine appears days away from getting the go-ahead in the U.S.”

Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index: “Growing dread and acceptance of the winter ahead is weighing on Americans’ physical and mental health and raising fears about debt and job security.”

U.S. Could Face Months of Vaccine Shortages

December 9, 2020 at 6:35 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The United States could be heading for a vaccine cliff this spring, with shortages forcing hundreds of millions of Americans to wait for shots amid intense global competition for limited doses.”

“The Trump administration has bought 100 million doses each of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, but the U.S. is unlikely to get additional doses anytime soon because of strong international demand. And both vaccines require two doses per person, effectively halving the already scarce supply.”

ITV News: Two people who had Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday had allergic reactions.

GOP Plots Their First and Last Trump Rebellion

December 9, 2020 at 6:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Trump’s grip over his party has never been seriously challenged in the Congress, despite four years of hand-wringing over his erratic foreign policy, hard-line tariff regime and scattershot approach to legislation. Trump hasn’t had a single veto overridden, with Republicans loath to directly confront such a wildly popular figure among the GOP base, though they have tanked some of his nominees and tried to influence him behind the scenes.”

“But now at the ebb of his power and in the waning days of his presidency, Trump has met his match in defense hawks and the annual defense bill. It has passed 59 years in a row, and even loyal Trump supporters are looking past his Twitter attacks and plotting a rebellion against a president who often seeks vengeance against those who break with him. And they’re acting like it’s no big deal.”

Flournoy Finds Shot at Top Pentagon Job Elusive

December 9, 2020 at 6:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Michèle A. Flournoy, an experienced military policymaker and mentor to scores of women in national security, may now be remembered as the first female secretary of defense who wasn’t. Three times.”

Two Presidents, Two Messages

December 9, 2020 at 6:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “One president all but declared victory over the pandemic, hailing new vaccines as a ‘medical miracle’ and congratulating himself for doing what ‘nobody has ever seen before.’ The next president declared the pandemic deadlier than ever, calling it a ‘mass casualty’ event that is leaving ‘a gaping hole’ in America with more misery to come.”

“Rarely has there been a single hour on a single day that saw such discordant messages emanating from Washington in a time of national crisis. In the middle of a transition of power that has already proved more unsettling than any in more than a century, the departing and incoming presidents on Tuesday offered the American people vastly divergent assessments of the state of their union.”

Axios: Trump’s departing pandemic failure.

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King of the Hill: The “king of the hill” is a special rule in the House of Representatives for sequencing different amendments.

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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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