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Biden’s Firewall Showing Cracks

October 18, 2019 at 9:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Joe Biden’s advisers have repeatedly downplayed the need for him to win in predominantly white Iowa and New Hampshire — while boasting of his strength in Southern states where black voters often dominate. And the polls, to date, back up their theory that that’s his path to the nomination.”

“But if Biden’s firewall ever cracks — and there are some signs it’s softening in recent surveys — it will likely start with young black women, according to interviews with a dozen African American female organizers, lawmakers and activists who are heavily involved in the Democratic primary election or closely tracking the mood of black voters.”

The Guardrails Are Off the Trump Presidency

October 18, 2019 at 9:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Stephen Collinson: “That apt mission doctrine for a presidency blazing with abuses of power, conflicts of interest and unhinged behavior is the work of White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, whose barn burner of a briefing on a day of political train wrecks, staggering misdirection and reality bending sent a clear message.”

“Democrats can impeach President Donald Trump, Republicans can bemoan his betrayal of the Kurds and the media can fact-check him till the cows come home — but nothing is going to restrain or moderate him. In fact, he’s becoming ever more incorrigible.”

“The President’s brazen willingness to do exactly what he wants — key to his appeal to voters angry with the political establishment in 2016 — shone through a wild few hours that briefly stole the spotlight from the Democratic impeachment inquiry.”

Diplomat Raised Alarms In 2015 About Hunter Biden

October 18, 2019 at 8:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A career State Department official overseeing Ukraine policy told congressional investigators this week that he had raised concerns in early 2015 about then-Vice President Joe Biden’s son serving on the board of a Ukrainian energy company but was turned away by a Biden staffer,” the Washington Post reports.

“George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state, testified Tuesday that he worried that Hunter Biden’s position at the firm Burisma Holdings would complicate efforts by U.S. diplomats to convey to Ukrainian officials the importance of avoiding conflicts of interest.”


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Inquiry Shows Trump At Center of Ukraine Scandal

October 18, 2019 at 8:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Two Cabinet secretaries. The acting White House chief of staff. A bevy of career diplomats. President Trump’s personal attorney. And at the center of the impeachment inquiry, the president himself.”

“Over two weeks of closed-door testimony, a clear portrait has emerged of a president personally orchestrating the effort to pressure a foreign government to dig up dirt on a potential 2020 political rival — and marshaling the full resources of the federal bureaucracy to help in that endeavor.”

CNN: What House investigators have learned after two weeks of Ukraine interviews.

Romney Raises Troubling Theory About Trump

October 18, 2019 at 7:37 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) suggested that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might have given President Trump an ultimatum — and that Trump caved, the Washington Post reports.

“Here is a U.S. senator — and a Republican one — suggesting not just that Trump got out-negotiated, but that he basically got told what was going to happen and ran away. Romney is entertaining the idea that a relatively small country forced the hand of the United States and also dictated to the supposed dealmaker in chief.”

Trump’s Shout-It-Out-Loud Strategy

October 18, 2019 at 6:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mike Allen: “The Trump administration is testing a novel strategy for dealing with controversy and possible illegalities: Pretend you have nothing to hide by blurting it out loud.”

“President Trump and his aides and allies seem to think that by being unapologetic and admitting things that would have touched off blazing scandals just a few years ago, they can move the goalposts of what’s acceptable to Republicans and the public.”

‘Without Precedent In Modern American History’

October 18, 2019 at 6:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has awarded the 2020 Group of Seven summit of world leaders to his private company, scheduling the summit for June at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in Florida,” the Washington Post reports.

“That decision is without precedent in modern American history: The president used his public office to direct a huge contract to himself.”

Quote of the Day

October 18, 2019 at 6:13 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I earned my spurs on the battlefield; Donald Trump earned his spurs in a letter from a doctor.”

— Former Defense Secretary James Mattis, quoted by ABC News.

Trump Justifies Letting Turkey Attack Kurds

October 18, 2019 at 6:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Aa rally in Dallas, President Trump “justified the idea of removing American troops from Syria by saying he did not want to deplete the U.S. military anymore or continue to entangle the U.S. in what he called ‘the endless wars,'” Politico reports.

“It was good to let Turkey attack the Kurds, longtime U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS, Trump said, because ‘sometimes you have to let them fight like two kids. Then you pull them apart.’”

Cease Fire Already Broken

October 18, 2019 at 6:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Fighting continued Friday morning in a northeast Syrian border town at the center of the fight between Turkey and Kurdish forces, despite a U.S.-brokered cease-fire that went into effect overnight,” the AP reports.

“Shelling and gunfire could be heard in and around Ras al-Ayn as smoke billowed from locations near the border with Turkey and the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar. The fighting died down by mid-morning while smoke continued to rise.”

Democrats Build Financial Fortress Around Majority

October 18, 2019 at 6:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Democrats are building a financial bulwark around their House majority that’s going to be tough for Republicans to breach in 2020. Thirty-three of the 44 most vulnerable House Democrats have stashed an impressive $1 million or more in the bank well before the election year even begins. And their fundraising pace is not slowing down as they gear up to defend the chamber.”

“Federal Election Commission reports filed this week illustrate Democrats’ formidable advantage: The 44 Democrats in the most competitive seats banked a collective $59 million so far. Nearly 30 raised $500,000 or more in the third quarter… And all but six of the so-called ‘frontliners’ have at least half a million more banked than their challengers, if they have any challenger at all.”

‘Get Over It’

October 18, 2019 at 5:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “First came the lengthy infomercial touting President Trump’s private golf resort in Florida as ‘far and away the best’ site in the country to host next year’s Group of Seven summit of world leaders. Then, an admission: Trump did, in fact, withhold aid to Ukraine because he wanted the government there to investigate Democrats.”

“For 39 minutes Thursday, White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney turned the press briefing room into a sort of confession chamber, openly admitting to several acts that could deepen the legal predicament for the president. Trump is facing an impeachment inquiry into whether he has abused his office for personal and political gain.”

“Mulvaney’s retort to those charges came in a three-word mantra that now forms the central theme of the White House impeachment response: ‘Get over it.’”

Will Rick Perry Testify?

October 18, 2019 at 5:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Energy Department Secretary Rick Perry’s departure from the Trump administration doesn’t resolve the most pressing question about his role in the Ukraine scandal — whether he will cooperate with House Democrats’ impeachment probe.”

“Perry, who told President Donald Trump on Thursday he intends to resign, faces a Friday deadline to comply with a House subpoena for information about outreach to Ukraine, which came as the president’s emissaries were pushing Kiev to launch a corruption investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. House investigators also appear to be edging toward issuing a subpoena for Perry to testify — something he could be freer to do once he’s no longer in the administration.”

Trump Caves Completely to Erdogan

October 17, 2019 at 10:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The cease-fire agreement reached with Turkey by Vice President Mike Pence amounts to a near-total victory for Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who gains territory, pays little in penalties and appears to have outmaneuvered President Trump,” the New York Times reports.

“The best that can be said for the agreement is that it may stop the killing in the Kurdish enclave in northern Syria. But the cost for Kurds, longtime American allies in the fight against the Islamic State, is severe: Even Pentagon officials were mystified about where tens of thousands of displaced Kurds would go, as they moved south from the Turkey-Syria border as required by the deal — if they agree to go at all.”

“And the cost to American influence, while hard to quantify, could be frightfully high.”

Eli Lake: Trump’s capitulation to Erdogan is complete.

Trump Unhappy with Mulvaney

October 17, 2019 at 10:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A source close to President Trump tells CNN the president was not pleased with acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s press briefing and his acknowledgment on Thursday of a quid pro quo.

Said the source: “He was not happy.”

Mattis Responds to Trump’s Jabs

October 17, 2019 at 10:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Defense secretary James Mattis responded to the President Trump calling him “the world’s most overrated general” during a meeting with congressional leaders, NBC News reports.

Said Mattis: “I’m not just an overrated general. I’m the greatest, the world’s most overrated”

He added: “I’m honored to be considered that by Donald Trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress. So I guess I’m the Meryl Streep of generals, and frankly that sounds pretty good to me And you do have to admit that between me and Meryl, at least we’ve had some victories.”

Murkowski Slams White House on Ukraine Aid

October 17, 2019 at 10:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) pushed back against acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s justification for withholding Ukraine aid in exchange for political help, CNN reports.

Said Murkowski: “You don’t hold up foreign aid that we had previously appropriated for a political initiative. Period.”

Hickenlooper Holds Wide Lead In Senate Race

October 17, 2019 at 8:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Keating Research-OnSight Public Affairs-Martin Campaigns Poll in Colorado finds John Hickenlooper (D) leads Sen. Cory Gardner (R) in a theoretical Senate matchup next year by 11 points, 53% to 42%.

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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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