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Why the 25th Amendment Won’t Be Invoked

January 8, 2018 at 8:38 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vanity Fair: “This is the palace-coup amendment of the Constitution. Chances of it being deployed against Donald Trump in his present state are close to zero, for two reasons. The first is that it’s almost impossible to execute, and it will destroy those who get behind it, even if they succeed (to say nothing of if they fail). The second is that an official palace coup against Trump is barely necessary, at this point. In many ways, it has already happened.”

“What can be easy for people to forget, because the White House is always a big deal, is this: Trump is a weak president. He has low approval ratings. He has little control over his own party. He has almost as little control over his own White House… Trump also spends less and less time in the office, according to Axios, often clocking in at 11 A.M. and out about five hours later. The rest of his day—what aides call ‘executive time’—is supposedly spent at home making calls and watching TV, which suggests that a lot of Americans are better prepared for the presidency than we’d known.

“In this sense, a palace coup may already be an episode in the rearview mirror—something that happened slowly and unofficially as Trump squandered his capital and aggravated every problem he faced. Today, with Robert Mueller investigating the White House, most Republicans, less by design than by accident, may have Trump where they want him.”

Does Trump Know the National Anthem?

January 8, 2018 at 8:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump was on the field before the college football national championship game and the video suggests he did not know the words to the national anthem.

The Destruction of Hillary Clinton

January 8, 2018 at 8:24 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New this week: The Destruction of Hillary Clinton: Untangling the Political Forces, Media Culture, and Assault on Fact That Decided the 2016 Election by Susan Bordo.


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Pence Plans Active Role in 2018 Midterms

January 8, 2018 at 8:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vice President Mike Pence “is jumping into the midterm elections, planning visits soon to Nevada and Pennsylvania and helping recruit a candidate in Ohio amid an aggressive push to retain Republican control of Congress,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Pence, in an interview at his White House office Monday, conceded that history shows it is difficult for the president’s party to stave off midterm election losses, but said that economic gains could help Republicans strengthen their grip on the Senate.”

Fusion GPS Still Digging Into Trump’s Russia Ties

January 8, 2018 at 7:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “But the work has not stopped. Fusion continues to look into ties between Mr. Trump and Russia, according to several people briefed on the research. Mr. Simpson’s specific areas of focus, and information about any current benefactors, are closely guarded.”

Trump Renominates ‘Not Qualified’ Court Picks

January 8, 2018 at 7:36 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump “resubmitted 21 judicial nominees to the Senate whose nominations expired in 2017 ― including two rated ‘not qualified’ to be federal judges by the American Bar Association,” the HuffPost reports.

Trump Weighs Limited Strike on North Korea

January 8, 2018 at 7:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As one sign of how fraught the confrontation with North Korea remains despite the tentative onset of diplomatic activity, consider this: U.S. officials are debating whether it’s possible to mount a limited military strike against North Korean sites without igniting an all-out war on the Korean Peninsula,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The idea is known as the ‘bloody nose’ strategy: React to some nuclear or missile test with a targeted strike against a North Korean facility to bloody Pyongyang’s nose and illustrate the high price the regime could pay for its behavior. The hope would be to make that point without inciting a full-bore reprisal by North Korea.”

“It’s an enormously risky idea, and there is a debate among Trump administration officials about whether it’s feasible. North Koreans have a vast array of artillery tubes pointed across the Demilitarized Zone at Seoul, the capital of South Korea, with which they could inflict thousands of casualties within minutes if they choose to unleash all-out barrage.”

Romney Was Treated for Prostate Cancer

January 8, 2018 at 7:26 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Mitt Romney — who is said to be eyeing a bid for U.S. Senate from Utah — was treated last summer for prostate cancer,” NBC News reports.

“Romney’s treatment, which involved surgery at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center, was successful, and he has a good prognosis.”

White House Considers Puzder for Another Job

January 8, 2018 at 7:25 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Spotted at the White House recently: Andrew Puzder, President Trump’s first pick for labor secretary, who dropped out of the confirmation process in February amid allegations of domestic abuse.”

Now, the White House is considering Puzder for a yet-to-be-determined slot in the administration… t’s not clear what role Puzder might take, these people said, though it would have to be a non-Senate-confirmed slot given his withdrawal as labor secretary.”

Royce Will Not Run Again

January 8, 2018 at 5:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) announced he would not run for re-election in November, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Royce, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is the eighth panel chairman to announce his retirement or run for another office ahead of the 2018 midterms.

[alert type=”general” dismiss=”no”]It’s hard to imagine a more helpful retirement for Democrats. Hillary Clinton won Royce’s district by nine points in 2016.[/alert]

Top Kentucky Lawmaker Steps Aside

January 8, 2018 at 5:16 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover (R) resigned from his leadership position, “more than two months after acknowledging he secretly settled a sexual harassment claim and paid to keep it quiet,” the AP reports.

In a blistering speech on the House floor, before stepping down, Hoover denounced his critics — including Gov. Matt Bevin (R) — for telling what he called lies from the “deepest pit of Hell.”

Brownback Will Get Another Shot at Trump Job

January 8, 2018 at 4:59 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) is going to get another chance to join the Trump administration, the Kansas City Star reports.

“President Trump will formally renominate the Kansas Republican late Monday to become ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom… Brownback was first nominated last July but failed to receive a confirmation vote in the Senate after resistance from Democrats over his record on LGBT rights.”

Mueller Signals He Wants Interview with Trump

January 8, 2018 at 3:41 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Special counsel Robert Mueller “has raised the likelihood with President Trump’s legal team that his office will seek an interview with the president, triggering a discussion among his attorneys about how to avoid a sit-down encounter or set limits on such a session,” the Washington Post reports.

Said one source: “This is moving faster than anyone really realizes.”

“However, the president’s attorneys are reluctant to allow him to sit down for open-ended, face-to-face questioning without clear parameters.”

Bannon Was Against Trump Before He Was For Him

January 8, 2018 at 3:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Before Donald Trump and Steve Bannon were enemies, they were allies. And not long before that, Bannon was part of an effort to sink Trump’s presidential hopes — even if Trump didn’t know it,” CNN reports.

“A conservative watchdog group led by Bannon tried to discredit Trump in the early stages of the 2016 Republican presidential primary by shopping a document alleging that Trump had ties to mobsters.”

The Case Against an Oprah Run

January 8, 2018 at 2:23 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ben Smith: “So the case against Oprah is just that: She may, in fact, be what Trump pretends to be — a self-made business success story whose words resonate across the country. But Democrats don’t want to improve on Trump. They want to reverse him. And that’s where governors and senators with deep experience, proven political chops, and an unglamorous sense of normalcy come in.”

“Trump has also made a strong case to Oprah on why she shouldn’t run. To run for president is to ensure, demand even, that at least 40% of Americans hate you. The one recent political poll on Oprah hints at this: She had a surprisingly high, 33%, unfavorable rating. Who dislikes Oprah? When you put her in a political context, Republicans do, it turns out. And Oprah has had her ups and downs, and would be signing on for the sort of hostile examination of her own career that nobody would welcome.”

CNN: Six times Oprah stoked — or shot down — 2020 speculation.

Start Your Political Job Hunt

January 8, 2018 at 2:07 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Check out the dozens of new listings on the job board.

Corker Makes Nice with Trump

January 8, 2018 at 12:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN),” who is traveling Monday on Air Force One with President Trump, has repaired his relationship with the commander in chief after the two men exchanged fierce words in the fall,” CNN reports.

“The two have spoken several times since late last year, particularly as Corker was weighing whether to support the sweeping tax overhaul… Corker’s moves to make amends with Trump reflect a calculation among many Senate Republicans: While they may complain about what they view as his erratic behavior, they will soothe over tense relations and look past previous disputes to get on his good side in order to influence him over key decisions.”

Even a Strong Economy Isn’t Lifting Trump

January 8, 2018 at 12:08 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Nate Cohn: “The stock market has surged. Unemployment is at 4.1 percent. ISIS has largely been vanquished from Iraq and Syria.”

“But despite it all, Donald J. Trump’s approval ratings are mired in the upper 30s. No president has had worse ratings at this stage of his term since modern polling began more than three-quarters of a century ago.”

“Setting aside the question of how much credit first-year presidents deserve for a strong economy — they have less influence than you might think — President Trump’s ratings should be much better. A 4.1 percent unemployment rate, the lowest in 17 years, is more typically associated with a 60-plus-percent approval rating for a first-term president.”

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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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