Political Wire

Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!

Moore Proposed Eliminating All Amendments After 10th

December 10, 2017 at 8:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (R) “appeared on a conspiracy-driven radio show twice in 2011, where he told the hosts in an interview that getting rid of constitutional amendments after the Tenth Amendment would ‘eliminate many problems’ in the way the US government is structured,” CNN reports.

“Moore cited the 17th Amendment, which calls for the direct election of senators by voters rather than state legislatures… The host agreed with Moore, before turning his attention to the 14th Amendment, which was passed during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War and guaranteed citizenship and equal rights and protection to former slaves.”

Said Moore: “People also don’t understand, and being from the South I bet you get it, the 14th Amendment was only approved at the point of the gun.”

Roy Moore Spent Final Campaign Weekend In Philly

December 10, 2017 at 8:24 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Confronting accusations that he harassed or molested teenage girls, Moore hasn’t held a public event since Tuesday, a decision that has perplexed some Republicans given the closeness of the race. Two Republicans briefed on Moore’s schedule before this weekend said he intended to spend Saturday in Philadelphia at the Army-Navy football game — a long-planned trip that the West Point grad had insisted he would still take this year despite the election.”

“One of those Republicans, who expressed concern about Moore’s absence, said that the planned trip was discussed with Moore’s campaign within the last few weeks and the candidate determined to go — case closed.”

Diplomat Writes Scathing Resignation Letter

December 10, 2017 at 8:23 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Elizabeth Shackelford, who was seen as a rising star at the State Department, wrote a scathing resignation letter, “accusing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the Trump administration of undercutting the State Department and damaging America’s influence in the world,” Foreign Policy reports.

Shackelford “wrote to Tillerson that she reluctantly had decided to quit because the administration had abandoned human rights as a priority and shown disdain for the State Department’s diplomatic work.”

“Her former colleagues said her departure — and the sentiments expressed in her letter — reflect a wider exodus of midcareer diplomats who have lost confidence in Tillerson’s management and the Trump administration’s approach toward diplomacy.”

Most Doubt GOP Bill Will Cut Their Taxes

December 10, 2017 at 8:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new USA Today/Suffolk University Poll finds just 32% support the GOP tax plan while 48% oppose it.

Key finding: “That’s the lowest level of public support for any major piece of legislation enacted in the past three decades, including the Affordable Care Act in 2009.”

“Americans are skeptical of the fundamental arguments Republicans have made in selling the bill: A 53% majority of those surveyed predict their own families won’t pay lower taxes as a result of the measure, and an equal 53% say it won’t help the economy in a major way.”

Collins Is Undecided on Final Tax Bill Vote

December 10, 2017 at 3:39 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she “has not yet decided whether she will back the final measure negotiated by House and Senate leaders,” Reuters reports.

“Collins’ vote was important since the Senate approved the bill by 51-49 vote after an 11th-hour scramble. With Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) voting against the bill, there is little margin for losing support.”

“If Collins and Corker vote against the final tax bill, leading to a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence would cast the winning vote. But if more than two Republican senators vote no, it would fail.”

Roy Moore Disappears from the Campaign Trail

December 10, 2017 at 3:34 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Montgomery Advertiser: “In the last few days before the Dec. 12 election for Alabama’s junior U.S. Senate seat, the Republican candidate has all but vanished from the public, continuing a pattern of absence that took hold after allegations of abuse, assault, harassment and misconduct with nine women surfaced against Moore in early November.”

“Moore has a rally scheduled Monday night in Dale County in the Wiregrass – a region key to his chances – with former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX). But the Republican candidate has held no public events since a rally in Fairhope on Tuesday, leaving appearances to staff and surrogates. Moore has made fewer than 10 public appearances in the past month.”

Republicans Step Up Defense of ‘Not Qualified’ Judges

December 10, 2017 at 2:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Republicans have declared war on the American Bar Association,” Politico reports.

“Since 1953, the venerable legal organization has played a critical, behind-the-scenes role in assessing judicial nominees and their fitness to serve on the bench. But with the ABA emerging as a major stumbling block in President Trump’s effort to transform the courts, the GOP is accusing the nonpartisan group of holding a liberal slant and is seeking to sideline it.”

“The ABA has deemed at least four of Trump’s judicial nominees ‘not qualified’ — a high number, although other administrations had the ABA evaluate candidates privately before they were nominated. Democrats warn of dire consequences of ignoring the group’s evaluations. But Republicans are intent on a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that could last for decades and so far, haven’t been persuaded by the ABA’s ratings.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

December 10, 2017 at 2:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“There is a deliberate, very well-organised, sophisticated assault on facts and reason and evidence. In our country, it’s driven originally by a cabal of billionaires and religious fundamentalists, and their view is that it doesn’t matter what they say. If they say it often enough and they put enough money behind it, they’ll convince a significant number of people.”

— Hillary Clinton, quoted by The Guardian.

Two New Polls Show Moore Ahead In Alabama

December 10, 2017 at 2:08 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Trafalgar Group (R) poll in Alabama finds Roy Moore (R) leading Doug Jones (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 51% to 46%.

A new Gravis poll finds Moore leading Jones, 49% to 45%.

Quote of the Day

December 10, 2017 at 2:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I did not date under aged women. I did not molest anyone. And so these allegations are false.”

— Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore (R), in an interview with Voice of Alabama Politics.

Schiff Says Evidence of Collusion is ‘Pretty Damning’

December 10, 2017 at 1:59 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN that there is considerable evidence the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

Said Schiff: “We have all of these facts in chronology, you’d have to believe that these were all isolated incidents, not connected to each other — just doesn’t make rational sense… We do know this: the Russians offered help, the campaign accepted help, the Russians gave help and the president made full use of that help. That is pretty damning, whether it is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of conspiracy or not.”

Haley Says Trump’s Accusers ‘Should Be Heard’

December 10, 2017 at 1:46 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley told CBS News that the women who have accused President Trump of groping them without their consent “should be heard.”

Asked whether she considered the allegations a “settled issue” given last year’s election results, Haley responded: “You know, that’s for the people to decide. I know that he was elected. But, you know, women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them.”

Big Drop In Voters Identifying as Republicans

December 10, 2017 at 11:54 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “From November 2016 to November 2017 there was a 5-point drop in the number of people who call themselves Republicans, from 42% to 37%, according to Gallup. In that same time, the number of people identifying as Democrats stayed flat at 44%.”

“Do the math and a 2-point edge for the Democrats in party identification, 44% to 42%, has been pushed to 7 points, 44% to 37%, in just one year. That’s getting up into the area that may be a concern for Republicans in the 2018 midterms, where a big swing in party allegiance could lead to a swing in House and Senate seats. “

Trump’s EPA Slows Enforcement Actions

December 10, 2017 at 11:52 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator, has said the Trump administration’s high-profile regulatory rollback does not mean a free pass for violators of environmental laws. But as the Trump administration moves from one attention-grabbing headline to the next, it has taken a significant but less-noticed turn in the enforcement of federal pollution laws.”

“An analysis of enforcement data by The New York Times shows that the administration has adopted a more lenient approach than the previous two administrations — Democratic and Republican — toward polluters like those in East Liverpool.”

Headline of the Day

December 10, 2017 at 10:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

(From Fox News)

Shelby Says Alabama ‘Deserves Better’ than Moore

December 10, 2017 at 10:13 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) said that his home state “deserves better” than to be represented by Senate candidate Roy Moore (R), Politico reports.

Said Shelby: “I’d rather see the Republican win, but I would hope that Republican would be a write-in. I couldn’t vote for Roy Moore. I didn’t vote for Roy Moore. But I wrote in a distinguished Republican name. I’d rather see another Republican in there and I’m going to stay with that story. I’m not going to vote for the Democrat, I didn’t vote for the Democrat or advocate for the Democrat. But I couldn’t vote for Roy Moore.”

A Wild Race In Alabama Finally Comes to an End

December 10, 2017 at 9:54 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The special Senate election here, to be decided Tuesday, has made for one wild and ugly campaign season. It was never going to be afternoon tea, but with the airing of allegations in November that Roy Moore, the Republican nominee, had hounded and molested teenage girls when he was in his 30s, the race tightened — and the dialogue went south.”

“Mr. Moore has gone about creating a real-life political science experiment, testing whether last year’s presidential campaign was an anomaly or whether voters remain just as willing to shrug off truth-stretching, multiple charges of sexual misconduct and incendiary speech.”

Politico: Roy Moore’s horror show.

GOP Tax Plan Diverges Wildly from Trump’s Promises

December 10, 2017 at 9:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The GOP tax plan on the cusp of becoming law diverges wildly from the promises President Trump and top advisers said they would deliver for the middle class — an evolution that shows how traditional Republican orthodoxy swamped Trump’s distinctive brand of economic populism as it moved through Washington,” the Washington Post reports.

“The bill was supposed to deliver benefits predominantly to average working families, not corporations, with a 35 percent tax cut Trump proposed on the campaign trail as part of the ‘Middle Class Tax Relief and Simplification Act.’… But the final product is looking much different, the result of a partisan policymaking process that largely took place behind closed doors, faced intense pressure from corporate lobbyists and ultimately fell in line with GOP wish lists.”