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Bonus Quote of the Day
“Insult me to my face.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz, in an interview with NBC News, challenging President Obama to a debate over Syrian refugees.
Christie Tells Kerry to ‘Shut Up’
Gov. Chris Christie lashed out at Secretary of State John Kerry for suggesting the terrorists who attacked a French satirical newspaper this year had “rationale,” the Newark Star Ledger reports.
Kerry told diplomats “there was a sort of particularized focus and perhaps even a legitimacy in terms of — not a legitimacy, but a rationale that you could attach yourself to somehow and say, ‘okay, they’re really angry because of this and that.'”
Responded Christie: “He needs to get some sleep and shut up. That’s disgraceful.”
Bobby Jindal Never Had a Chance
The Fix: “Look, even if Jindal ran as the wonky, fresh-faced guy I met 12 years ago, I’m not sure he would have ever broken through in this race. Trump’s presence complicated (and complicates) the calculus for every other candidate. But, at least he could have run a race that had the potential to break through, which was never a real possibility after he chose to become the I-will-say-anything candidate.”
“Here are Jindal’s two saving graces: 1) He’s only 44 years old and 2) people have very short memories. Add it up and it’s uniquely possible that in four or eight years — Jindal will only be in his early 50s in 2024 — he could run again for president.”
Trump Holds Commanding Lead in Florida
A new Florida Atlantic University poll finds Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential race in Florida with 36%, followed by Marco Rubio at 18%, Ben Carson at 15%, Ted Cruz at 10% and Jeb Bush at 9%.
Said pollster Kevin Wagner: “Despite conjecture that Donald Trump has plateaued, his support in Florida remains very strong and could be growing.”
Quote of the Day
“These are the same folks who suggested they’re so tough that just talk to Putin or staring down ISIL [will work]… but they’re scared of widows and orphans… First they were worried the press was too tough on them in the debates, now they’re worried about 3-year old orphans. That doesn’t sound very tough to me.”
— President Obama, quoted by NBC News, blasting GOP presidential candidates for rhetoric about Syrian refugees.
Trump Quote of the Day
“Well, he was, you know, a little nasty with me. But I think ultimately was very nice. And he tried… You know, I’m not unhappy to see one by one they go.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by Politico, on Gov. Bobby Jindal dropping his presidential bid.
Koch ‘Spy Agency’ Keeps an Eye on Liberals
“The political network helmed by Charles and David Koch has quietly built a secretive operation that conducts surveillance and intelligence gathering on its liberal opponents, viewing it as a key strategic tool in its efforts to reshape American public life,” Politico reports.
“The operation, which is little-known even within the Koch network, gathers what Koch insiders refer to as ‘competitive intelligence’ that is used to try to thwart liberal groups and activists, and to identify potential threats to the expansive network.”
GOP Candidates Want Equal Time from NBC
After Donald Trump hosted “Saturday Night Live” this month — appearing on screen for 12 minutes and 5 seconds — several other presidential campaigns have sent letters to NBC requesting “equal opportunities” on the network, the New York Times reports.
“Federal Communications Commission regulations state that other candidates for president are entitled to ‘equal time’ on the network… By law, NBC is not required to give them exactly the same treatment as that received by Mr. Trump, meaning that there will probably not be a Mike Huckabee-hosted ‘S.N.L.’ anytime in the near future. The network is just required to give equal time for the candidates to reach a relatively equal audience.”
Ryan Sees Confrontation with White House Over Budget
House Speaker Paul Ryan “struck a confrontational stance with the Obama administration Tuesday, setting the stage for showdowns over domestic spending and national security matters as Congress works to wrap up business for the year,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Ryan’s stance injects suspense into the passage of spending legislation, which already includes agreed upon overall funding levels. Congress late last month reached a deal with the White House boosting spending by $80 billion during the next two years and increasing the federal government’s borrowing limit until mid-March 2017.”
Trump Says U.S. May Have to Shut Down Mosques
Donald Trump says the United States will have “absolutely no choice” but to close down some mosques where “some bad things are happening,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “Nobody wants to say this and nobody wants to shut down religious institutions or anything, but you know, you understand it. A lot of people understand it. We’re going to have no choice.”
Trump Expands Lead in New Hampshire
A new WBUR poll in New Hampshire finds Donald Trump leading the GOP field with 23%, followed by Ben Carson at 13%, Marco Rubio at 13%, Ted Cruz at 8%, John Kasich at 7%, Jeb Bush at 7%, Chris Christie at 6% and Rand Paul at 5%.
Trump was in a near tie with Carson in September, but he’s 10 points ahead now.
Bush Calls for Large Military Build Up
Jeb Bush “is calling for a broad military buildup and says the U.S. armed forces have been left ill-prepared to defeat the Islamic state militants whose attack on Paris killed at least 129 and wounded hundreds more,” the AP reports.
“The former Florida governor is projecting himself as a potential commander in chief able to handle such challenges, as his presidential bid tries to gain traction in a primary campaign likely to be shaken up after the Paris attacks.”
De Blasio Loses Support of White Voters
A new New York Times/Siena College poll finds just 28% of white New Yorkers approve of the Democratic mayor’s performance, and 59% now disapprove, up sharply from the start of his term.
“Nearly half say that the city is a worse place to live under his watch — only 9% say it is better — and 51% say New York is now less safe, even as crime statistics reach historic lows.”
Kasich Proposes Government Agency to Promote Values
“As part of a broad national security plan to defeat ISIS, Republican Presidential candidate John Kasich proposed creating a new government agency to push Judeo-Christian values around the world,” NBC News reports.
“The new agency, which he hasn’t yet named, would promote a Jewish- and Christian-based belief system to four regions of the world: China, Iran, Russia and the Middle East.”
Bobby Jindal Drops Presidential Bid
Gov. Bobby Jindal ended his nearly five-month-old presidential bid, noting that “it is not my time,” the New Orleans Times Picayune reports.
“The campaign chalked Jindal’s failure to gain traction on a bizarre political environment in which no one could have expected outsider candidates like Donald Trump and Ben Carson would be leading the race.”
He declined to discuss whether he’ll make an endorsement in the presidential race, saying, “I don’t think people care.”
Donald Trump Likes Ted Cruz
Donald Trump declined to name a potential running mate from among his GOP rivals in an interview with Laura Ingraham, but he did note his affection for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Said Trump: “Well, I like like him. He’s backed everything I’ve said … Ted Cruz is now agreeing with me 100 percent.”
Carson’s Advisers Say He Has Little Foreign Policy Grasp
“Ben Carson’s remarks on foreign policy have repeatedly raised questions about his grasp of the subject, but never more seriously than in the past week, when he wrongly asserted that China had intervened militarily in Syria and then failed, on national television, to name the countries he would call on to form a coalition to fight the Islamic State,” the New York Times reports.
“Faced with increasing scrutiny about whether Mr. Carson — who leads in some Republican presidential polls — was capable of leading American foreign policy, two of his top advisers said… that he had struggled to master the intricacies of the Middle East and national security and that intense tutoring was having little effect.”
Said one: “Nobody has been able to sit down with him and have him get one iota of intelligent information about the Middle East.”
Jonathan Chait: “The candidate’s advisers are saying on the record he doesn’t know anything, has trouble learning anything, and cannot seem to recall even what little information he has managed to assimilate. I don’t see how a Carson presidency could go wrong.”
