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Democrats Want to Abolish the Electoral College

April 7, 2019 at 3:12 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The majority of 2020 Democratic hopefuls are sponsoring or considering plans to dismantle the electoral college. Their pledges follow a growing movement for change at the state level and represent frustration over twice losing to Republican candidates in the past 20 years — Donald Trump in 2016 and George W. Bush in 2000 — despite winning the popular vote,” Axios reports.

“Eight Democratic 2020 candidates support eliminating the electoral college in favor of the popular vote… Four Democrats are open to the idea, and only 3 want to keep it.”

Still Waiting on Book Five

April 7, 2019 at 3:06 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The New York Times interviews Robert Caro about writing his incredible books on Lyndon Johnson:

NYT: Do you have a title for the last book?

CARO: I do.

NYT: Will you tell me what it is?

CARO: No.

If you haven’t yet read the Caro books, you really need to.

House Democratic Campaign Nears War With Liberals

April 7, 2019 at 3:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The House Democratic campaign arm is on the verge of open warfare with the party’s rising liberal wing as political operatives close to Speaker Nancy Pelosi try to shut down primary challenges before what is likely to be a hard-fought campaign next year to preserve the party’s shaky majority,” the New York Times reports.

“Progressive Democrats were infuriated last month when Representative Cheri Bustos of Illinois, the chairwoman of the campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, moved to protect centrist incumbents by formally breaking committee business ties with political consultants and pollsters who go to work for primary challengers.”

Booker Raised $5.1 Million In First Quarter

April 7, 2019 at 12:58 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) has raised $5.1 million in the two months since he announced his 2020 plans, the Washington Post reports.

“Booker’s haul, while competitive, puts him behind other Democratic White House aspirants, including former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

April 7, 2019 at 12:09 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I can’t believe that somebody who was caught writing hush money checks to adult film actresses is somebody they should be lifting up as the kind of person they want to be leading this nation.”

—Mayor Pete Buttigieg, on Meet the Press, lambasting Trump supporters for their “hypocrisy” on morality.

How GOP Pushed for Increase In Risky Loans

April 7, 2019 at 11:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Actions by federal regulators and Republicans in Congress over the past two years have paved the way for banks and other financial companies to issue more than $1 trillion in risky corporate loans, sparking fears that Washington and Wall Street are repeating the mistakes made before the financial crisis. The moves undercut policies put in place by banking regulators six years ago that aimed to prevent high-risk lending from once again damaging the economy.”

“Now, regulators and even White House officials are struggling to comprehend the scope and potential dangers of the massive pool of credits, known as leveraged loans, they helped create.”

Senate GOP Focusing Only on Nominees

April 7, 2019 at 11:46 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Mitch McConnell says the Senate will be in the ‘personnel business’ this year. But the majority leader’s focus on confirming President Donald Trump’s nominees is coming at the expense of any big legislative priorities.”

“Nearly 100 days into the new Congress, the drive to confirm is adding more conservatives to the courts and putting more Trump appointees in government offices. But Trump’s promises to replace the Affordable Care Act, invest in infrastructure or cut middle class taxes have been essentially shelved.”

“The result is that the GOP-controlled Senate is on a very different path heading into the 2020 election than is the House, where the Democratic majority is churning out a long list of bills on ethics, gun violence and other topics that, while unlikely to become law, show voters their priorities.”

Quote of the Day

April 7, 2019 at 11:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I would stack up my experience against anybody. I know it’s not as traditional. I haven’t been marinating in Washington here for a very long time and I know I’m not part of that establishment … I think you can also see pretty clearly that I’m about as different from this president as it gets.”

— Mayor Pete Buttigieg, on Meet the Press.

Mulvaney Says Democrats Will ‘Never’ See Trump’s Taxes

April 7, 2019 at 9:38 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said that Democrats will “never” see President Trump’s tax returns, The Hill reports.

Said Mulvaney: “Nor should they. That’s an issue that was already litigated during the election. Voters knew the president could have given his tax returns. They knew that he didn’t and they elected him anyway.”

Trump personal attorney Jay Sekulow also pushed back on ABC News: “This idea that you can use the IRS as a political weapon … is incorrect both as a matter of statutory law and constitutionally.”

Trump Says Asylum Seekers Look Like UFC Fighters

April 7, 2019 at 9:36 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump said some asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border are “the roughest people you’ve ever seen, people that look like they should be fighting for the UFC,” referring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a company that promotes martial arts combat matches, The Hill reports.

Said Trump: “They read a little page given by lawyers that are all over the place — you know lawyers, they tell them what to say. I am very fearful for my life, I am very worried that I will be accosted if I’m sent back home.”

He added: “No, no, he’ll do the accosting.”

Priebus Says Trump’s 2020 Path Is Same as 2016

April 7, 2019 at 9:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus warned in an interview that aired Sunday that President Trump needs to repeat his success in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 2020 to win re-election,” The Hill reports.

Said Priebus: “He has to win Wisconsin and Michigan. We have to win Pennsylvania.”

He added: “We’re likely to have a battle in Arizona, which is new for the Republican Party. I think we have to be very careful in Georgia.”

Use the interactive Electoral Vote Map to test various paths to 270 electoral votes.

Biden Undergoes Sensitivity Training on SNL

April 7, 2019 at 9:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“You guys know that I’m a tactile politician, right? I’m a hugger, I’m a kisser, and I’m a little bit of a sniffer. The last thing I ever want to do is offend anyone.”

GOP Group Makes Play for Jewish Vote

April 7, 2019 at 9:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans are planning a multimillion-dollar offensive aimed at fracturing the Democratic Party’s decades-long stranglehold on the Jewish vote,” Politico reports.

“Spearheading the push is the Republican Jewish Coalition, which receives substantial funding from casino mogul and GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. On Friday morning, the group’s board members — many of them prominent Republican Party donors — gathered in a conference room at Adelson’s Venetian resort, where they were briefed on plans for a $10 million-plus blitz geared toward attracting Jewish support for President Trump. The investment, people familiar with the early discussions say, will far surpass what the group has spent in past presidential elections.”

U.S. Could Take 2 Years to Reunite Migrant Children

April 6, 2019 at 10:12 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“It may take federal officials two years to identify what could be thousands of immigrant children who were separated from their families at the southern United States border,” the New York Times reports.

“A federal judge had asked for a plan to identify these children and their families after a report from government inspectors in January revealed that the Trump administration most likely separated thousands more children from their parents than was previously believed.”

Cain Braces for Tough Vetting Process

April 6, 2019 at 10:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Herman Cain said he will face a “cumbersome” process as he is vetted for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board, Reuters reports.

Said Cain: “Whether or not I make it through this process – Time will tell. Would I be disappointed if I don’t make it through this process? No. Would I be thrilled and honored if I make it through this process? Yes. That’s the bottom line.”

Trump Lashes Out at Mueller Report Again

April 6, 2019 at 4:27 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump took to Twitter Saturday to attack the latest barrage of investigations and subpoena threats from his political opponents on Capitol Hill,” Politico reports.

In his Saturday tweets, the president repeated claims that the Mueller investigation was run by “13 Angry Trump hating Dems” who found no wrongdoing by him after spending “$30 million.”

He added that the 22-month long probe was a “total waste of time.”

Netanyahu Pledges to Annex West Bank

April 6, 2019 at 4:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he will start extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank if re-elected prime minister in the election on April 9, Haaretz reports.

Said Netanyahu: “A Palestinian state will endanger our existence and I withstood huge pressure over the past eight years, no prime minister has withstood such pressure. We must control our destiny.”

Ex-Auburn Football Coach Will Run for Senate

April 6, 2019 at 4:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville announced on Twitter that he is joining the Republican race to win back the Alabama Senate seat from Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) in 2020.