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Bernie’s Support Scatters In Big Field

March 12, 2019 at 10:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “Forty-six percent — that’s the percentage of Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders in 2016 who say that they’ll support him in 2020, according to a new Monmouth University poll.”

“And that’s compared with just 14 percent of Democrats who backed Hillary Clinton in the last election who say they’re getting behind Sanders for the upcoming nomination fight.”

“With about half of his previous coalition scattering between other candidates like Joe Biden (15 percent), Kamala Harris (8 percent) and Elizabeth Warren (6 percent), it’s not clear that Sanders will enjoy the same level of support from Democrats four years after his insurgent bid. But, the pollsters note, that assessment assumes that Biden is in the mix — and maintains his expected high levels of backing from Dems after he gets in.”

U.S. Withdraws Embassy Personnel from Venezuela

March 12, 2019 at 8:43 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The United States announced late Monday that it is pulling the remaining staff from its embassy in Venezuela, citing the deteriorating situation in the South American nation,” Politico reports.

“The U.S. has led an international effort to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro and replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who vows to hold a new presidential election. Guaido is backed by some 50 countries, while Maduro maintains support from countries such as China, Russia and Cuba.”

O’Rourke May Have Recruited Top Iowa Operative

March 12, 2019 at 8:41 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “Iowa Democratic political circles were also abuzz Monday with word that O’Rourke may have recruited a top Iowa political consultant and Hawkeye state native onto his potential campaign team.”

“Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price told NBC News that Norm Sterzenbach had left his role as a consultant with the party on Friday after launching its caucus operations for 2020, including the formation of virtual caucuses that will allow Iowans to participate if they are out of state on the day of the vote.”

“Sterzenbach, who formerly served as the state party’s executive director, left his position to join the efforts of a potential presidential candidate’s team.”

Pollsters Struggle with Huge 2020 Field

March 12, 2019 at 7:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The logjam of nearly two dozen declared or likely Democratic presidential candidates is overwhelming public pollsters trying to measure the 2020 primary. New surveys are cramming up to 23 Democrats into their questionnaires after the [DNC] set a low, 1 percent polling threshold to gain admittance into the party’s first primary debates.”

“The miles-long list of candidates has created an unusual set of methodological challenges for pollsters already battling declining engagement with their surveys. But pollsters say the criteria also put them in a no-win situation: A pollster’s decision about whether to include a candidate or not could be a make-or-break choice for that campaign, especially the lesser-known and first-time White House hopefuls hoping to make the debate stage.”

Pelosi Does House Democrats a Favor

March 12, 2019 at 7:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook says Speaker Nancy Pelosi did Democrats a favor by saying she did not support impeaching President Trump.

“This allows Pelosi to be the punching bag on the impeachment issue. Members are getting questions about removing Trump from office every single day, and they are backed up by activists who are pushing this as well. And, for now, Pelosi has taken a position, and that’s helpful for Democrats. Pelosi isn’t foreclosing the possibility of impeaching Trump if special counsel Robert Mueller drops a bomb. But this is a way to tamp down talk for the moment.”

Quote of the Day

March 12, 2019 at 7:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The person who defines that race is going to win the race. If this is about Donald Trump and his personality, he isn’t going to win it.”

— Former Speaker Paul Ryan, quoted by TC Palm. On the 2020 presidential race.

House Democrats Likely to Skip Budget Vote

March 12, 2019 at 7:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats are finally in charge of the House. But they’re likely to skip one of their most fundamental responsibilities: passing a budget. Eager to steer clear of another public intraparty battle, House Democrats are expected to avoid a vote on a budget this year,” Politico reports.

“House Democrats are still drafting a budget, which would offer their first chance as a new majority to formally outline their broader agenda. But the resolution — which is purely a political messaging document and is not signed into law — would also stoke major ideological clashes within the caucus over Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and defense spending.”

New York Attorney General Opens New Probe of Trump

March 11, 2019 at 11:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The New York attorney general’s office late on Monday issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Investors Bank for records relating to the financing of four major Trump Organization projects and a failed effort to buy the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League in 2014,” the New York Times reports.

“The inquiry opens a new front in the scrutiny of Deutsche Bank, one of the few lenders willing to do business with Donald Trump in recent years. The bank is already the subject of two congressional investigations and was examined last year by New York banking regulators, who took no action.”

Mueller Probe Is Funded Through September

March 11, 2019 at 9:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the team he assembled to investigate President Trump and his associates have been funded through the end of September 2019, an indication that the probe has funding to keep it going for months if need be,” Reuters reports.

Chief Enablers

March 11, 2019 at 9:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The New York Times reviews Kushner Inc. by Vicki Ward, a book about Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

“She portrays Ms. Trump and Mr. Kushner as two children forged by their domineering fathers — one overinvolved with his son, one disengaged from his daughter — who have climbed to positions of power by disregarding protocol and skirting the rules when they can. And Ms. Ward tries to unravel the narrative that the two serve as stabilizing voices inside an otherwise chaotic White House, depicting them instead as Mr. Trump’s chief enablers.”

Audio Shows Tucker Carlson Making Racist Remarks

March 11, 2019 at 8:50 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Media Matters published more audio of Tucker Carlson on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show.

In one clip, Carlson credited “white men” for “creating civilization” and made numerous racist remarks about the Obamas, including agreeing that Michelle Obama would “be a problem” because she “turns into a sister” and asking of Barack Obama, “How is he Black, for one thing? He has one white parent, one Black parent.”

Carlson also called Iraqis “semiliterate primitive monkeys” and said Afghanistan is “never going to be a civilized country because the people aren’t civilized.” He also said he had “zero sympathy” for Iraqis because they “don’t use toilet paper or forks” and that the war could turn around “if, somehow, the Iraqis decided to behave like human beings.”

LePage Says Democrats Get Most Money from Jews

March 11, 2019 at 8:45 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told WGAN that the Democratic Party’s money comes mostly from Jewish people.

Said LePage: “The Jewish people in America have been great supporters of the Democratic Party. In fact, that’s where their money comes from for the most part.”

We May Soon Know Mueller’s End Game

March 11, 2019 at 6:41 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Buckle up: The next five days could reveal how the Mueller probe will play out. Paul Manafort will know how long he’ll be serving in prison, closing the book on special counsel Robert Mueller’s most visible legal fight. Roger Stone will know his trial date, putting a timeline on when the public will get more details about his alleged contacts with WikiLeaks.”

“And status reports are due for two of Mueller’s biggest cooperators — Michael Flynn and Rick Gates — that will signal whether the special counsel has tapped them for all the information investigators need. This week could even include the ultimate exclamation point: Attorney General William Barr announcing that Mueller has completed his assignment and that a summary version of his findings is imminent.”

Cheney Challenges Pence At Private Retreat

March 11, 2019 at 6:35 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A chummy discussion between Vice President Pence and former vice president Richard B. Cheney quickly turned into a vigorous back-and-forth over President Trump’s foreign policy at a private gathering Saturday, with Cheney comparing the president’s instincts to those of his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama,” according to a transcript obtained by the Washington Post.

“At the closed-door retreat hosted by the American Enterprise Institute on March 9 in Sea Island, Ga., Cheney respectfully but repeatedly and firmly pressed Pence on a number of the president’s foreign policy moves — over which Cheney expressed concerns — from taking a harder line toward U.S. allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to deciding to withdraw troops from Syria during what Cheney fretted was ‘the middle of a phone call.'”

Facebook Takes Down Warren’s Ads

March 11, 2019 at 6:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Facebook has removed several ads placed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign that called for the breakup of Facebook and other tech giants, Politico reports.

Abrams Says She Could Run for President

March 11, 2019 at 6:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Stacey Abrams, a rising star in the Democratic Party, said Monday it was possible she could seek her party’s presidential nomination next year,” CNN reports.

“Abrams’ comment came after an interview at the South by Southwest conference in Texas, where Abrams reportedly said she previously thought 2028 would be the earliest she could run for president, but over Twitter, she clarified: ‘Now 2020 is definitely on the table.'”

O’Rourke Heads to Iowa

March 11, 2019 at 4:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Beto O’Rourke is headed to Iowa this weekend, fueling speculation that the former Texas congressman and fundraising wunderkind will soon officially enter the packed Democratic primary race, CNBC reports.

Trump Crushes Potential Primary Challengers

March 11, 2019 at 4:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Monmouth poll finds President Trump leads former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R), who is challenging him in the Republican presidential primaries, 74% to 8% among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents in a one-on-one matchup.

Trump leads Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who is toying with the idea of a run, 75% to 6%.