Political Wire

Trump Admits Personal Grievances Factor in Decisions

March 27, 2020 at 8:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump is a commander in chief dealing with a coronavirus outbreak in which many difficult decisions have to be made. And on Friday, he seemed to suggest some of those decisions could be made according to who has run afoul of him personally,” the Washington Post reports.

“Trump disclosed that he has told Vice President Pence, who is leading the coronavirus task force, not to call the governors of Michigan and Washington state because those governors had been critical of Trump and the federal response.”

Said Trump: “When they’re not appreciative to me, they’re not appreciative to the Army Corps, they’re not appreciative to FEMA, it’s not right.”

Biden Leads Trump Nationally

March 27, 2020 at 7:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Fox News poll finds Joe Biden is up by 49% to 40% over President Trump, a lead that is outside the poll’s margin of sampling error.

Another 11% would vote for someone else or are undecided.

Interesting: Biden’s advantage grows to 25 points, 57% to 32%, in close counties (where Hillary Clinton and Trump were within 10 points in 2016).

U.S. to Stop Collecting Import Tariffs for 3 Months

March 27, 2020 at 7:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Trump administration is preparing to suspend collection of import tariffs for three months to give U.S. companies financial relief amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Companies would still be liable for the tariffs at a later date, which hadn’t been determined, another official said. Officials said there would be no formal changes to tariff policy.”

The Stories Missing From Your Feed

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It’s an app and website that brings together global news from across the political spectrum, showing each source’s bias, factuality, and ownership.

What I find especially useful is the Blindspot Feed. It highlights stories getting heavy coverage on one side but little on the other — a quick way to see what your usual news diet may be missing.

For a limited time, get 40% off a Ground News Vantage subscription at www.groundnews.com/political.

The Next Financial Crisis

March 27, 2020 at 5:31 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The U.S. mortgage finance system could collapse if the Federal Reserve doesn’t step in with emergency loans to offset a coming wave of missed payments from borrowers crippled by the coronavirus pandemic,” Politico reports.

“Congress did not include relief for the mortgage industry in its $2 trillion rescue package — even as lawmakers required mortgage companies to allow homeowners up to a year’s delay in making payments on federally backed loans.”

The People, No

March 27, 2020 at 5:27 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Out in June: The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism by Thomas Frank.

“The real story of populism is an account of enlightenment and liberation; it is the story of American democracy itself, of its ever-widening promise of a decent life for all. Taking us from the tumultuous 1890s, when the radical left-wing Populist Party—the biggest mass movement in American history—fought Gilded Age plutocrats to the reformers’ great triumphs under Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, Frank reminds us how much we owe to the populist ethos. Frank also shows that elitist groups have reliably detested populism, lashing out at working-class concerns.”

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The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism

Jimmy Carter’s Approval Jumped at Start of Crisis Too

March 27, 2020 at 5:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

If you’re curious why President Trump’s approval rating has jumped recently — FiveThirtyEight pegs it at 45.8% today, the highest of his presidency — it’s important to remember how presidential approval surges during the early stages of a national crisis.

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Longest Serving Lawmaker Calls It Quits After 64 Years

March 27, 2020 at 4:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wisconsin state Sen. Fred Risser (D), the longest-serving lawmaker in the nation’s history, announced he will retire after the end of his term, the Madison State Journal reports.

“Risser, 92, is also the last World War II veteran remaining in either the state or nation’s legislatures. His time in the Legislature since being elected to the Assembly in 1956 and the Senate in 1962 has spanned 13 different governors, and he says he never missed a legislative roll call.”

Another Lawmaker Tests Positive

March 27, 2020 at 4:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) announced that he tested positive for COVID-19, the fifth member of Congress to do so.

“My symptoms are mild, and I will continue serving Pennsylvania’s 16th District from home until I fully recover.”

COVID-19 Projections for Each State

March 27, 2020 at 4:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new tool from the University of Washington projects when the coronavirus outbreak will peak in each of the 50 states and how bad it’ll get.

Of course, these are all projections and things could change dramatically, such as when modifications to social distancing measures are made.

Whitmer Suggests Trump Is Blocking Medical Supplies

March 27, 2020 at 4:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) suggested Friday that a growing rift with the White House is affecting shipments of medical supplies to Michigan amid exponential growth in confirmed coronavirus cases,” Crain’s Detroit Business reports.

Said Whitmer: “When the federal government told us that we needed to go it ourselves, we started procuring every item we could get our hands on. What I’ve gotten back is that vendors with whom we had contracts are now being told not to send stuff here to Michigan.”

“Whitmer didn’t say who has told vendors to stop sending medical supplies to the state, but strongly implied the order came from President Trump’s administration.”

Greg Sargent has the backstory.

Pelosi Not Invited to White House Signing of Relief Package

March 27, 2020 at 4:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Speaker Nancy Pelosi not invited to today’s White House signing ceremony for the $2.2 trillion economic relief package, CNN reports.

President Trump and Pelosi have not spoken in more than five months.

No other Democrat was invited either.

New Trump Ad Uses Misleading Quotes

March 27, 2020 at 3:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump’s campaign released a new ad that uses sound bytes from various public figures that make it appear they are praising the president for his efforts combating the coronavirus.

Pennsylvania Pushes Back Primary

March 27, 2020 at 3:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Philadelphia Inquirer: “June 2 is shaping up to be the Super Tuesday of postponed primaries. Pennsylvania will join 11 states and the District of Columbia in voting that day, after rescheduling its primary due to the coronavirus.”

“Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday signed a bill moving the primary back five weeks to allow enough time for people to register to vote by mail, for polling locations to shift and to give election officials time to prepare for an election in unprecedented circumstances.”

Democratic Super PAC Plans Massive Digital Ad Blitz

March 27, 2020 at 2:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A leading Democratic super PAC is reserving $17 million worth of digital ads in key battleground states to start after the Democratic National Convention in July and run through Election Day in November,” McClatchy reports.

“The online ad blitz from Priorities USA is slated for Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — a quintet of swing states that strategists in both parties expect to be at the center of the general election.”

Not surprisingly, those are the five Toss Up states on the consensus electoral map.

Democratic Lawmaker Tests Positive

March 27, 2020 at 2:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC) has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the fourth member of Congress to contract the virus, WCBD reports.

U.S. Cities Have Acute Shortages of Medical Supplies

March 27, 2020 at 2:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Nearly 90 percent of U.S. mayors who responded to a national survey on coronavirus preparedness said they lack sufficient tests kits, face masks and other protective equipment for their emergency responders and medical workers, while 85 percent said they do not have enough ventilators for their hospitals — critical shortages that could lead cities and towns to be quickly overwhelmed should the virus spread through their communities.”

House Approves $2 Trillion Relief Package

March 27, 2020 at 1:34 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Congress gave final approval on Friday to the largest economic stimulus package in modern American history, a $2 trillion measure designed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and deliver direct payments and jobless benefits for individuals, money for states and a huge bailout fund for businesses battered by the crisis,” the New York Times reports.

“The House approved the measure by voice vote, after leaders in both parties deflected an effort by Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican with a penchant for using procedural maneuvers to try to block legislation, to force recorded vote requiring lawmakers to register their positions individually. It now heads to President Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign it.”

Trump Missed a Big Political Opportunity

March 27, 2020 at 1:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Andrew Sullivan: “Of course, there was another way available from the get-go. He could have immediately adopted a wartime presidential posture and announced an emergency response to the threat from China. From January on, he could have deployed the government’s ultimate power to get American manufacturers to produce ventilators, masks, and tests on demand, gotten the military to set up field hospitals, and announced — and even obeyed — a partisan cease-fire because of the severity of the crisis. And he could have added another layer to this by giving a speech on the danger of over-relying on China to produce basic goods, especially those essential for Americans’ health. Then a stark and clear and unwavering stance on social distancing, to buy time. If he needed a photo op, he could have donned a hazmat suit and visited patients, like his crush, Vladimir Putin, just did.”

“Yes, I know this is Captain Hindsight speaking. But a man like Steve Bannon understood what this crisis could do for a populist political movement. Trump didn’t. Because, as is now apparent, he was only interested in the movement in as much as it helped him gain fame and power — or jibed with his prejudices.”

“Trump’s failure to grasp the politics of coronavirus is, I’d argue, a microcosm of his entire administration. As with COVID-19, Trump had so many potential advantages at the beginning, after his surprise victory. Imagine if he’d started his presidency with a massive infrastructure spending bill, followed by an immigration compromise that would have funded his wall, beefed up enforcement, but also gave security to the Dreamers. Imagine if his tax bill had been geared to help working families, rather than the superrich, or that he promised to change Obamacare by expanding it. He would have had a chance to be a transformative president.”

“But to do that, he would have had to have been someone other than himself.”

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