“Vice President Joe Biden will set up shop at the University of Pennsylvania after he leaves the White House. Biden has hinted that he’s in search of a university to house his staff and his post-government work,” Playbook reports.
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Schumer Ready to Support Big Infrastructure Plan
Incoming Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told ABC News that he likes the sound of President-elect Trump’s proposal of a major infrastructure plan as long as it meets certain Democratic criteria.
Said Schumer: “We think it should be large. He’s mentioned a trillion dollars, I told him that sounded good to me.”
Trump Team Considers ‘Half-Blind’ Trust
“Donald Trump’s aides are considering a business arrangement that critics say would allow him or his appointees to sidestep conflict-of-interest laws governing the incoming administration and large investments in private-sector business,” Politico reports.
“Such an arrangement could allow Trump or his family members to reap some of the legal benefits of a blind trust, but could also give them some insight into how the Trump businesses are faring while also allowing Trump and his family to continue to make money from those investments.”
“The sources said it was unclear whether Trump’s aides were exploring the arrangements for the president-elect, for Trump family members or for a series of wealthy individuals nominated for his Cabinet.”
Gingrich Suggests Trump Backing Off ‘Drain the Swamp’
Newt Gingrich told NPR that Donald Trump had taken a different tone as president-elect and may be leaving behind his “cute” campaign promise to “drain the swamp.”
Said Gingrich: “I’m told he now just disclaims that. He now says it was cute, but he doesn’t want to use it anymore… Maybe he feels that as president, as the next president of the United States, that he should be marginally more dignified than talking about alligators in swamps.”
Researchers Race to Copy Obamacare Data
“The White House is encouraging researchers to copy government data on Obamacare out of concern that President-elect Donald Trump might hit the delete key … Several dozen independent researchers are racing to download key health care data and documents before Jan. 20. They say they began the effort on their own, and then got a boost from Jeanne Lambrew, the White House’s top health reform official, who also sounded alarms,” Politico reports.
“But Republican policy wonks dismissed researchers’ concerns as paranoia.”
New Trump Group Could Weaken RNC
Washington Examiner: “Trump’s lieutenants are comparing the new group, still under development, to Organizing For Action, the political nonprofit formed by President Obama to harness the grassroots energy that propelled his campaigns and promote his legislative agenda.”
“Democrats blame OFA for steering resources and activism that is the lifeblood of any party organization away from the Democratic National Committee, leaving it atrophied and ineffective as it prepares for an uncertain, post-Obama future.”
“Republicans fret that Trump’s 501(c)4 could similarly undercut the Republican National Committee. The fear is that it would weaken the RNC financially and organizationally, damaging the party down ballot even as it possibly boosts the president-elect’s 2020 re-election bid, as OFA did for Obama in 2012.”
Schumer Cleans House In Video Unit
“Incoming Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer cleaned house last week in the Senate Democrats’ internal video department, firing nearly all its employees amid plans to revamp the unit with a new digital operation aimed at creating viral social media content,” Politico reports.
“Historically, the media center has been used by senators to craft videos for their constituents in their home states. But with the Democratic National Committee in some turmoil until a new chairman is selected and the party losing the White House, the 48-member Democratic minority views itself as the party’s chief messaging arm next year, according to a Democratic leadership aide.”
Will Obama Keep Up Trump Battle?
“Democrats anxious over the future of their party and despondent over Donald Trump’s victory are pushing for President Obama to more actively wield his status as the liberal standard-bearer to counter Trump’s presidency,” Politico reports.
“Obama’s remarks since the election have given his political base hope that he’s planning to abandon the George W. Bush model of receding completely from politics after Inauguration Day.”
Search Warrant in Clinton Probe Reveals Little New
“A newly unsealed search-warrant application confirms the Federal Bureau of Investigation found thousands of emails potentially linked to Hillary Clinton on a laptop used by former congressman Anthony Weiner, who was then married to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The search warrant application doesn’t offer any new revelations or insight—if anything, it repeats and reaffirms past assertions by officials about the case regarding how and why they decided to search the laptop in the final days of a heated presidential campaign.”
Trump Voters Think Blacks Deserve Much Less
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Bonus Quote of the Day
“I didn’t think President Trump had a chance at winning. It never occurred to me that he might be able to win.”
— Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), in an interview on Kentucky television.
Obama Blacklists 15 Russian Entities
President Obama “blacklisted 15 Russian individuals and companies for their dealings in Crimea and Ukraine, creating an early test for the new administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump, who is widely expected to roll back the pressure campaign against Russia,” the New York Times reports.
“The Treasury Department designated seven individuals and eight corporate entities involved in a range of projects, including the construction of a bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula. It also targeted businesspeople who are associates of President Vladimir V. Putin or are involved in activities that aid in Russia’s destabilization of Ukraine.”
Tom Arnold Claims He Has Explosive Trump Tape
Actor Tom Arnold claims to have video of Donald Trump “using racist language, obscenities and denigrating his own son in outtakes of The Apprentice,” The Guardian reports.
Said Arnold: “I have the outtakes to The Apprentice where he says every bad thing ever, every offensive, racist thing ever. It was him sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word, calling his son a retard, just being so mean to his own children.”
Arnold said “he did not release it because of a confidentiality clause and the expectation that Trump would lose.”
Republicans Much More Optimistic About Their Party
Pew Research: “Today, 79% of Republicans say they are very or somewhat optimistic about the future of the Republican Party. In early November, on the eve of the election, 61% of Republicans expressed optimism about their party’s future.”
“Democrats’ optimism about their party’s future has declined by a comparable margin over the same period – though a majority (61%) continues to be optimistic. Before the election, 77% of Democrats were optimistic about the party’s future, which is almost identical to the share of Republicans who are upbeat about their party’s now.”
Did the Iraq War Lead to Trump?
John Cassidy: “While the connection between the war to depose Saddam and the election of 2016 is indirect, it is etched in history. Without the invasion of Iraq, and the disillusionment with the U.S. political establishment that its terrible aftermath created, it is hard to see how a demagogue like Trump could ever have gained traction in national politics.”
“Yes, many factors played into his rise to power: deindustrialization, stagnant wages, racial resentments, class resentments, sexism, a craven broadcast media that gave him huge amounts of free airtime, strategic blunders by his opponent and her campaign, and the last-minute intervention of James Comey, the director of the F.B.I. Indeed, the problem with trying to explain Hillary Clinton’s defeat is that it was overdetermined: all sorts of arguments can seem persuasive. But the popular perception of a world gone haywire, a perception that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan helped to create, was also an important factor.”
The Final Vote Tally
With voting results now certified in all 50 states, the Cook Political Report finds Hillary Clinton had 2,864,974 more votes than Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
Democratic Super PAC Will Stick Around
“The super PAC that poured nearly $200 million into trying elect Hillary Clinton president is remaking itself as a permanent center of opposition to the impending Trump administration, with the long-term aim of helping the Democratic Party claw back voters it lost in the November election,” the Washington Post reports.
“Priorities USA Action is merging with a nonprofit voting rights group called Every Citizen Counts to form an expanded organization with an ambitious agenda… The group — which already has the backing of allies such as Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the American Federation of Teachers, the Human Rights Campaign and the Latino Victory Project — could serve as a major center of gravity on the left as Democrats seek to regain their footing in the Donald Trump era.”
White House Staff Appointments Coming
Politico: “Among the key appointments that are expected to be announced in the coming days are political director (a post for which sources say former Chris Christie aide Bill Stepien is considered the favorite) and communications director (sources say senior communications adviser Jason Miller is the leading option). Other appointments expected soon include advance director (campaign advance chief George Gigicos is seen as a lock) and body man (sources say campaign trip director John McEntee is likely to get the post).”
“Republican National Committee chief strategist Sean Spicer is the heavy favorite for the press secretary post.”
Also interesting: “One of Trump’s earliest and most loyal staffers — former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski — is not expected to be included in the first wave of prime White House jobs, and the fate of another top campaign aide, David Bossie, also is unclear.”
