Political Wire

Members should sign in for the full experience.

Trump Says He Handled Question Better Than McCain

By 25 Comments

“In front of several hundred evangelical Christians on Saturday, Trump took a dig at Senator McCain for a well-known incident in which Mr. McCain took away a microphone from a woman to correct her after she said that Barack Obama was an Arab,” the Washington Post reports.

“Mr. Trump compared that episode to his own response on Thursday, when a man accused Mr. Obama of being a Muslim and not an American. Mr. Trump was widely criticized for not correcting the man, but he told the Iowa crowd that if he had, he would have been attacked for violating the man’s right to free speech.”

Trump Reaps What He Has Sown

By 4 Comments

Janelle Ross: “When a businessman-turned-entertainer finances an extended effort to prove that the president of the United States is not an American-born, U.S. citizen and is therefore constitutionally ineligible for his job — and when those claims are regurgitated uncritically and to the contradiction of all documentary evidence by television networks, blogs and professional bloviators — that question asked at Trump’s New Hampshire rally is precisely what you can expect to get.”

“The misinformation campaign around Obama, his place of birth, his citizenship, his loyalties, his faith and the crimes and threats to national security that Obama is supposedly unwilling to tamp out — it all began years ago. Donald Trump has been one of its leading voices, and no part of that question at his New Hampshire event — heard or unheard — should have come as a true surprise. And despite it all, we engage in another meaningless exercise in mass outrage — that will likely lead to another bump in the polls for Trump.”

Undercard Debate Highlighted GOP Divisions

By 8 Comments

Dan Balz: “If you only watched the three-hour, 11-candidate Republican debate on CNN last week, you missed something valuable. In some ways, the preliminary forum proved to be, if not better television, a more enlightening window into the state of the GOP.”

“The main debate was as much about personalities and personal attacks, though it included substantive disagreements about religious liberty vs. the rule of law, immigration and Russian aggression. The undercard forum, after some inevitable talk about Trump, evolved into a spirited and sometimes bluntly argued conversation that highlighted different shades of conservatism and competing ideas about how Republicans should govern and campaign.”


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.




Bonus Quote of the Day

By 101 Comments

“I know how to do this because, yes, I am a Bush. I happened to see two really good presidents develop relationships with other countries.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by CNN, on why he’d be a good leader on foreign policy.

Biden Edges Closer to the Presidential Race

By 90 Comments

“Vice President Joe Biden’s aides in recent days called Democratic donors and supporters to suggest he is more likely than not to enter the 2016 race, and their discussions have shifted toward the timing of an announcement,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“While the Biden team is still debating the best time to jump in, the vice president met Monday with his political advisers and talked about the merits of an early entry that would assure him a place in the Democratic debate scheduled for Oct. 13. They also are honing his campaign message and moving ahead with plans to raise money and hire staff.”

Trump Calls for Expanded Gun Rights

By 33 Comments

“Donald Trump — who said he has a concealed carry permit — called for the expansion of gun rights Friday, including making those permits applicable nationwide,” the Washington Post reports.

Trump also called for the elimination of gun and magazine bans, labeling them a “total failure.”

“It’s not a departure from what he’s said on the trail this year, though it does mark a shift from a position he took in his 2000 book The America We Deserve, where Trump stated that he generally opposes gun control but that he supported a ban on assault weapons and a longer waiting period to get a gun.”

Quote of the Day

By 46 Comments

“Barack Obama is a talented man — and by the way he’s an American, he’s a Christian — his problem isn’t the fact that he was born here or what his faith is. His problem is that he’s a progressive liberal who tears down anybody that disagrees with him.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by the Washington Post, in response to Donald Trump’s decision not to correct a questioner who said President Obama is a Muslim who is “not even an American.”

Trump Tried and Failed to Open Casino in Florida

By 9 Comments

Washington Post: “Documents and interviews show Trump did seek to open the door to casino gambling in Florida during Bush’s time. Trump had donated to the state GOP, and, according to Thrasher and another former state official who held meetings on the issue on Bush’s behalf, made his views known in the state capital.”

“In Florida, Bush remained a steadfast opponent of expanded gambling. That outcome has given Bush, who has dropped in the polls amid withering attacks from Trump, a chance to try and turn the tables. And it highlights Trump’s tendency to obscure his business failures as he portrays himself as a perpetual winner.”

Clinton Prepares for Longer Nomination Fight

By 4 Comments

Washington Post: “Clinton’s decision to leave the nation’s first presidential primary state for a few hours to attend a ‘grass-roots organizing’ meeting here underscored her dual tasks in coming months: She needs to shore up support in Iowa and New Hampshire, early nominating states where Bernie Sanders has become a real threat, but also be prepared for a nomination fight that could lost longer than Democrats initially expected.”

“Maine Democrats have a scheduled March 6 caucuses, by which time nearly 20 other states are expected to have weighed in on who should be the party’s nominee. Clinton is also planning to campaign Monday in Arkansas and Louisiana, both of which have early March nominating primaries.”

Are the 2016 Hopefuls Talking to the Same Country?

By 19 Comments

Washington Post: “To the Democratic candidates, the 2016 presidential campaign is about shrinking the gap between rich and poor; combating climate change; and expanding voting rights, gay rights and workplace equality for women.”

“To listen to the Republican candidates is to hear an entirely different campaign — one that centers on defeating Islamic State terrorists, deterring a nuclear Iran, restricting abortion, and debating whether to deport illegal immigrants and construct a wall to keep them out.”

Conservatives Balk at House GOP Leadership Plan

By 9 Comments

“Republican leaders who are eyeing a rarely-deployed, fast-track budget procedure as a way to defund Planned Parenthood and stave off a government shutdown appear to be in for a rude awakening,” Politico reports.

“The idea is aimed at placating conservatives by giving them a way to pass legislation to strip Planned Parenthood of its funding and decouple the issue from the entire federal budget. But conservatives are balking at the proposal to use the majority-vote reconciliation process, calling it a ‘ruse’ that, in the end, would leave Planned Parenthood’s federal funding intact and amount to little more than a feel-good exercise.”

Obama Nominates Gay Man to Lead Army

By 38 Comments

“President Obama, in a historic first for the Pentagon, has chosen to nominate Eric Fanning to lead the Army, a move that would make him the first openly gay civilian secretary of one of the military services,” the Washington Post reports.

“Fanning, who must be confirmed by the Senate, has been a specialist on defense and national security issues for more than 25 years in Congress and the Pentagon. As Army secretary, he would be partnered with Gen. Mark Milley, who took over as the Army’s top general in August. Together the two men would assume responsibility for the Pentagon’s largest and most troubled service.

Trump Says He’ll Spend $100 Million to Win Presidency

By 30 Comments

“Expressing confidence that American voters do not care if he lacks specifics, Donald J. Trump says he has yet to fully exploit his personal advantages over his Republican presidential rivals — chiefly his enormous wealth and celebrity — and that both will matter more to his political fate than debate performances like his shaky one this week,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Trump said in an interview that he was prepared to spend $100 million or more to become the Republican nominee and that most of it would go to galvanizing voter support in states with early nominating contests.”

“He also predicted that the extensive media coverage of his campaign would help him win caucuses and primaries in every region of the country, noting that he had planned to spend $15 million on campaign commercials this summer but did not because of the ‘free nationwide publicity’ that the cable news networks provided.”

Smith’s Ties to Schock Questioned

By 13 Comments

Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) “joined his close friend Aaron Schock on campaign and government trips and exotic vacations in 2014 that are being scrutinized by federal investigators looking into alleged spending abuses by the former congressman, who resigned in March,” The Hill reports.

“There’s no indication that federal prosecutors have questioned or sought records from Smith, but his participation on trips now under criminal investigation could drag one of Schock’s closest friends in Congress into his legal mess and undermine Smith’s political image as a humble, salt-of-the-earth fiscal conservative.”

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.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.