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Klobuchar Jumps Into Presidential Race

February 10, 2019 at 4:13 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) “leapt into the 2020 presidential race Sunday, becoming the first Midwestern state official to join the field taking on President Trump,” Politico reports.

Washington Post: “Klobuchar took pains to portray herself as someone who, with experience at the local and federal levels, would bring competence to the White House, contrasting that with the current environment of chaos and shutdowns in Washington.”

Nate Silver: “As compared to candidates such as Harris and O’Rourke, who might hope to blitz their way to victory on the basis of strong fundraising and early delegate accumulation in California and Texas, Klobuchar is probably playing a long game. But doing so requires hitting two important mile markers. First, success in the debates. And then a strong performance in the Iowa caucuses.”

Mulvaney Says Wall Will Be Built Regardless of Congress

February 10, 2019 at 2:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said that, whatever Congress may or may not propose in a border security compromise, President Trump will get his wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, USA Today reports.

Said Mulvaney: “The president is going to build the wall… this is going to get built with or without Congress.”

The congressional negotiations on border security are currently stalled as another government shutdown looms.

Warren Suggests Trump Might Be In Prison Before Election

February 10, 2019 at 2:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told voters that President Trump might be unable to finish his term, firing back at him for the first time since his reelection campaign attacked her rollout, the Washington Post reports.

Said Warren: “By the time we get to 2020, Donald Trump may not be president. In fact, he may not even be a free person.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

February 10, 2019 at 2:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I think he’s clinging to a rhetorical strategy that was very powerful when he was coming of age 50 years ago, but it’s just a little bit different right now,”

— South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, on CNN, dismissing President Trump’s efforts to portray Democratic policies as “socialist.”

Trump Says He Works More than Past Presidents

February 10, 2019 at 2:25 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump defended his use of “Executive Time,” arguing that it’s “a positive” and he works “very long hours.”

Said Trump: “When the term Executive Time is used, I am generally working, not relaxing. In fact, I probably work more hours than almost any past President.”

Bennet Hints He’ll Join Presidential Race

February 10, 2019 at 12:50 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) “had a message for fellow Democrats this weekend as two more White House contenders formally jumped into the 2020 presidential race: Don’t forget about me,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Bennet: “We’ve got a million people that are going to run, which I think is great. I think having one more voice in that conversation that’s focused on America’s future, I don’t think would hurt.”

Trump Says Democrats Want a Shutdown

February 10, 2019 at 12:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump blamed Democrats for what lawmakers described as stalled negotiations on border security funding.

Said Trump: “I don’t think the Dems on the Border Committee are being allowed by their leaders to make a deal. They are offering very little money for the desperately needed Border Wall & now, out of the blue, want a cap on convicted violent felons to be held in detention!”

Trump added that Democrats “want a shutdown” to change the subject after “a very bad week.”

Democratic Dirt Comes Early

February 10, 2019 at 11:55 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mike Allen: “Democratic campaigns are secretly shopping dirt on their primary rivals much earlier than usual, reflecting the high stakes of surging or sinking quickly with so many people running so early.”

“One reason this underground game has begun so quickly is that most of the announced Democratic candidates serve in the Senate together. So the open attacks may come later.”

“That leaves an opening for the campaign staffs to quietly stir mischief in the media about the records, foibles and biographies of their opponents.”

Michael Cohen Had His Own Political Aspirations

February 10, 2019 at 11:45 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “No one in the billionaire’s coterie was more enthusiastic than Cohen about the prospect of a Governor Trump. Albany, Cohen believed, was a great opportunity not only for his boss but also, as it happened, for himself.”

“After the meetings, Cohen would adjourn to his office at Trump Towerto plan next steps with Michael Caputo, the Republican strategist plotting Trump’s gubernatorial campaign. But Cohen surprised Caputo by talking about his own political aspirations.”

“He told Caputo he had always wanted to run for mayor of New York City, a race he said he could win if Trump was governor. At one point, Cohen floated the idea of a Trump-Cohen statewide ticket, an idea Caputo considered as absurd as Cohen running for mayor.”

Wall Street Freaks Out About 2020

February 10, 2019 at 11:39 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Top Wall Street executives would love to be rid of President Trump. But they are getting panicked about the prospect of an ultraliberal Democratic nominee bent on raising taxes and slapping regulations on their firms,” Politico reports.

“The result is a kind of nervous paralysis of executives pining for a centrist nominee like Michael Bloomberg while realizing such an outcome is unlikely from a party veering sharply to the left.”

Billionaires Flooded GOP Coffers Just Before Tax Cuts

February 10, 2019 at 11:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mother Jones: “From the time the tax bill was first introduced on Nov. 2, 2017, until the end of the year, a 60-day period, dozens of billionaires and millionaires dramatically boosted their political contributions unlike they had in past years, giving a total of $31.1 million in that two months, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of data from the Center for Responsive Politics found.”

“The Center’s analysis found that 144 wealthy donors, some household names and some behind-the-scenes, contributed at least $50,000 to Republicans and conservative groups in that time frame. For 87 of those, three out of five, the surge of giving at year’s end reflected a marked change in their giving behavior.”

“Most telling, say campaign finance experts, is that 25 wealthy donors gave all their 2017 money in the final two months of the year, the first time they did so during the previous four off-election years—2009, 2011, 2013, 2015.”

Border Talks at Impasse as Shutdown Looms

February 10, 2019 at 11:26 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Bipartisan talks aimed at resolving the border wall dispute and averting a government shutdown Friday have broken down and are at an impasse,” the Washington Post reports.

“Lawmakers had been trading offers, trying to finalize how much money could go to barriers along the border as President Trump demands money for his wall. Trump has called for $5.7 billion, but lawmakers were trying to find a number between $1.3 billion and $2 billion that would be acceptable to both sides.”

“At the same time, Democrats were trying to limit the number of detention beds that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency would have access to. Democrats want to cap detention beds as a way to limit aggressive detention activities by ICE.”

Politico: “Although lawmakers were optimistic going into the weekend about reaching a border security deal and funding the government past Feb. 15, negotiators are now discussing a stopgap Homeland Security bill.”

Quote of the Day

February 10, 2019 at 11:21 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Proud of you for stepping forward in such a difficult situation. Very gutsy and definitely right. This period reminds me of 1972-1974, perhaps Watergate Redux. So many assaults on constitutional government, common sense and privacy. Let’s hope we all get it right — aggressive but careful and fair.”

— Bob Woodward, quoted by Axios, in an email to Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos.

Fairfax Puts Virginia Democrats in Bind

February 10, 2019 at 8:11 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Justin Fairfax’s refusal to resign as lieutenant governor of Virginia in the face of two allegations of sexual assault has presented Democrats with an excruciating choice: whether to impeach an African-American leader at a moment when the state’s other two top leaders, both white, are resisting calls to quit after admitting to racist conduct.”

“The political turmoil for Democratic leaders this weekend is unfolding at the intersection of race and gender, and risks pitting the party’s most pivotal constituencies against one another.”

Republicans Can’t Wait to Debate Medicare for All

February 10, 2019 at 8:03 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “GOP lawmakers, fresh off an electoral shellacking fueled in large part by health care concerns, are now trolling Democrats with demands for hearings on the sweeping single-payer bill set to be introduced this month. They’re confident that revelations about its potential cost andelimination of most private insurance will give them potent lines of attack heading into 2020 — an election that President Trump is already framing as a debate about ‘socialism.'”

Klobuchar’s Launch Sidetracked by Staff Horror Stories

February 10, 2019 at 8:01 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The run-up to Klobuchar’s expected presidential campaign launch on Sunday has been sidetracked by former aides, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution, who described a toxic office environment including demeaning emails, thrown office supplies and requests for staff to perform personal chores for the senator. It’s a sharp departure from the public brand that Klobuchar has built to get to this moment: a pragmatic, aw-shucks Minnesotan who gets things done and wins her state by landslide margins.”

“Klobuchar defenders, including some former staffers, have gone on the record to push back against the reports, suggesting that the critique is grounded in sexism against a woman who demands excellence from her employees.”

“But Klobuchar’s campaign has not denied any of the specific allegations detailed in recent news stories, and Democrats in the critical first caucus state of Iowa — where Klobuchar hopes to make a splash in a crowded 2020 field — say the senator’s treatment of staff has the potential to sideswipe her campaign.”

Trump Mocks Trail of Tears

February 9, 2019 at 11:23 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Sen. Elizabeth Warren formally announced her candidacy for the White House on Saturday, and hours later President Trump weighed in on his newest campaign opponent, appearing to make a joke with reference to the Trail of Tears,” USA Today reports.

Tweeted Trump: “Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President. Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!”

“The president’s use of the word trail in all caps is a potential reference to the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation of Native Americans from their homelands in the Southern United States to reservations in Oklahoma in the 1800s.”

Virginians Split on Northam

February 9, 2019 at 10:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Washington Post poll finds Virginians split over Gov. Ralph Northam’s fate, with 47% wanting him to step down and 47% saying he should stay on.

“Northam counts higher support among black residents — who say he should remain in office by a margin of 58% to 37% — than among whites, who are more evenly divided on whether he should resign.”