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GOP Pollster Says Cruz Would Hurt Party Most

January 13, 2016 at 7:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

“A leading Republican pollster privately told Speaker Paul Ryan and his leadership team Sen. Ted Cruz would be the biggest drag on House Republicans should he win his party’s nomination,” Politico reports.

“Republicans have their biggest House majority in 80 years and have a virtual lock on the chamber. But Democrats are expected to pick up some seats in November; they typically perform better in higher-turnout presidential elections. The GOP nominee could mean the difference between losing a handful of seats and perhaps many more.”

New York Times: “Some in the old guard have started signaling to their reluctant right-of-center brethren that it is time to face the possibility that the hard-line Mr. Cruz could be their standard-bearer.”

‘I’m With Him’

January 13, 2016 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

In a new ad, Hillary Clinton made clear she’s not running away from President Obama after his State of the Union address.

Haley Issues Warning to Republican Party

January 13, 2016 at 6:17 am EST By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) accused President Obama of falling “far short of his soaring words” while also cautioning her own party not to fall for its own populist rhetoric, the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Those twin themes dominated Mrs. Haley’s rebuttal to Mr. Obama’s final State of the Union address, with the Republican governor faulting the president for ‘the squeeze of an economy too weak to raise income levels’ and warning her own party against following the anti-immigration rhetoric that has propelled Donald Trump to the lead in GOP presidential election polls.”

Cruz Leads In Final Sprint to Iowa Caucuses

January 13, 2016 at 6:04 am EST By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

A new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll in Iowa finds Ted Cruz leading the GOP presidential race with 25%, followed by Donald Trump at 22%, Marco Rubio at 12%, Ben Carson at 11% and Rand Paul at 5%.

“Over the last month, Cruz’s poll numbers have taken a 6-point hit as he confronts the crucible of being Iowa’s GOP front-runner, under attack from the Trump bazooka and the ethanol industry… Cruz has thus far decided not to attack his chief rival. That sets up the possibility that he’ll be fighting to the end with an arm tied behind his back, while Trump, the flame-throwing New York businessman, swings away.”

2016 State of the Union Address

January 12, 2016 at 9:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 163 Comments

President Obama gave his final State of the Union address, an ode to unfinished business rather than a typical laundry list of policy initiatives.

The speech was almost a rebuttal to the Republican presidential campaign thus far. Expect reaction to be divided along party lines.

Clinton’s Lead Over Sanders Dwindles

January 12, 2016 at 6:39 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 122 Comments

A new New York Times/CBS News poll finds Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Bernie Sanders by seven points in the Democratic presidential race nationally, 48% to 41%. Just a month ago, Clinton lead by 20 points.

Key finding: “The tightened race is revealing a sharp generational divide within the Democratic Party, with primary voters under 45 favoring Sanders by a roughly 2-to-1 ratio.”

In the GOP race, Donald Trump leads with 36%, followed by Ted Cruz at 19%, Marco Rubio at 12%, Jeb Bush at 6% and Ben Carson at 6%.

Marco’s Flip Flop Dance

January 12, 2016 at 5:23 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

The Right to Rise PAC supporting Jeb Bush apparently thinks hitting Sen. Marco Rubio on flip-flopping is the key to improving Bush’s fortunes.

Political Wire Notebook

January 12, 2016 at 4:20 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

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Trump’s Playbook?

January 12, 2016 at 3:57 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 11 Comments

Washington Post: “Now, I’m not going to come right out and accuse Rick Shenkman of slipping an early draft of his latest book to Donald Trump last summer. But I will say that Political Animals at times reads like a playbook for the Trump presidential campaign — or, even more, a devastating explainer for why the Donald has dominated the Republican race so far.”

“Shenkman, editor of the History News Network, delves into evolutionary psychology to illuminate why American voters so often misread their leaders, resist politicians who offer hard truths and succumb to facile arguments. It’s not that voters are stupid or ignorant, though certainly some of us are one or the other, or both. Rather, he contends, it’s that we’re hard-wired for a different world and different politics.”

His Mind Is Made Up About Trump

January 12, 2016 at 3:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 23 Comments

Mark Salter: “I’ve always distrusted people who never question their assumptions or test their opinions against their critics’ arguments. I believe empathy is the starting point of wisdom, and imagining things from an opponent’s point of view is essential to solving problems in a closely divided polity.”

“Yet on the subject of Donald Trump, my mind is closed. Slammed shut. Triple-bolted. Sealed like a tomb.”

“Nothing anyone could reveal about Trump could get me to change my opinion that he’s an asshole. And not a ‘yeah, but he’s our asshole’ kind but rather a cartoon villain, a fake, a cheat, a liar, a creep, a bullying, bragging, bullshitting, blowhard kind of asshole.”

Town Votes to Keep Controversial Seal

January 12, 2016 at 3:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 22 Comments

The residents of Whitesboro, NY voted to keep the village’s controversial seal, rather than replace it with a new image, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports.

“The controversial village seal, which dates back to 1883, shows a white settler with his hands apparently choking a Native American man. Although village officials said the seal depicts a friendly wrestling match between Hugh White, the town’s founder, and a member of the local Oneida tribe; it’s caused controversy for years. Many called it racist and offensive.”

Trump Taunts Cruz by Playing ‘Born in the USA’

January 12, 2016 at 3:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

Donald Trump has added Born in the U.S.A. to his rally playlist, mocking his Canadian-born rival Sen. Ted Cruz, and borrowing again from Ronald Reagan’s campaign, the Dallas Morning News reports.

“Trump has recently sharpen attacks on Cruz, calling him a risk for the Republican Party if nominated. Trump has said Democrats could hold up the election in court, litigating whether or not Cruz is considered a natural born citizen.”

Clinton’s Lead Shrinks in New National Poll

January 12, 2016 at 3:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 25 Comments

A new IBD/TIPP poll finds Hillary Clinton’s support among Democrats nationally has taken a serious tumble, falling eight points to 43% while Bernie Sanders rose six points to 39%.

One Chart That Should Worry Hillary Clinton

January 12, 2016 at 2:26 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 107 Comments

Philip Bump: “So what happened to Clinton? Well, part of it is that her favorability slipped. Among all voters, she dropped seven points in the head-to-head matchup (Sanders gained nine), but the percentage of people viewing her favorably fell from 81 to 74.”

Nearly 70% of Ads Coming from Outside Groups

January 12, 2016 at 2:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 1 Comment

NBC News: “Out of the approximately $150 million spent on advertisements in the 2016 presidential race, nearly 70% of it has come from outside groups… But there is a significant difference by party: 83% of the Republican ad dollars, especially in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire, have come from Super PACs and other outside groups, versus just a mere 2% from Democrats.”

Bevin Will Take Down Obamacare Exchange

January 12, 2016 at 12:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 88 Comments

“Following through on a campaign pledge,” Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) “has notified federal authorities he plans to dismantle kynect, Kentucky’s health insurance exchange created under the Affordable Care Act,” the Louisville Courier-Journal reports.

Sanders Surging In Iowa

January 12, 2016 at 12:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 110 Comments

A new Quinnipiac poll in Iowa finds Sen. Bernie Sanders now leading Hillary Clinton, 49% to 44%.

Said pollster Peter Brown: “After three months of Secretary Hillary Clinton holding an average 10-point lead among Iowa Democrats, the playing field has changed. Sen. Sanders’ surge seems based on the perception by Iowa Democrats that he is a better fit for Iowans. They see him, by solid double digit margins as more sharing their values, more honest and trustworthy and viewed more favorably overall than is Secretary Clinton.”

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Clinton now leads Sanders by just six points, 46% to 40%. Clinton held an 18-point lead last month.

Trump Leads in Iowa

January 12, 2016 at 11:59 am EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Iowa finds Donald Trump leading with 28%, followed by Ted Cruz at 26%, Marco Rubio at 13%, Ben Carson at 8% and Jeb Bush at 6%.

Key finding: “The poll finds that the ‘birther issue’ has the potential to really hurt Ted Cruz. Only 32% of Iowa Republicans think someone born in another country should be allowed to serve as President, to 47% who think such a person shouldn’t be allowed to serve as President.”