A new New York Times/CBS News poll finds Ben Carson leading the GOP presidential race nationally with 26%, followed by Donald Trump at 22%, Marco Rubio at 8%, Jeb Bush at 7%, Carly Fiorina at 7%, Rand Paul at 4%, Ted Cruz at 4%, Mike Huckabee at 4% and John Kasich at 4%.
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White House and GOP Agree on Budget Deal
“House Republican leaders introduced legislation just before midnight on Monday, finalizing a two-year budget agreement between Congressional leaders and the White House,” the Washington Post reports.
“The introduction sets up a vote as early as Wednesday on the bipartisan budget deal which would increase military and domestic spending and avert a potentially catastrophic default in exchange for long-term spending cuts.”
Wall Street Journal: “For it to pass the House, the pact will need to quickly win backing from most Democrats and at least a few dozen Republicans who have frequently balked at spending and debt-ceiling bills they say don’t do enough to shrink the budget deficit.”
New York Times: “The agreement, negotiated in secret by top congressional and White House aides, is a recognition by Mr. Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, that they were staring into a fiscal and political abyss.”
How Ted Cruz Plans to Rise to the Top
Politico: “From the start, Cruz and his political brain trust have divided the 2016 primary into four clear lanes: a moderate-establishment lane, in which he would not compete; a tea party lane, which he needed to dominate; an evangelical lane, where he had strong potential but little initial traction; and a libertarian lane, which began as the turf of Rand Paul.”
Said Cruz: “The players that were expected to be formidable in those lanes have not got the traction they had hoped. The most encouraging thing I would say is that I think three of the lanes are collapsing into one, which is the evangelical lane, the conservative tea party lane, and the libertarian lane are all collapsing into the conservative lane and we’re seeing those lanes unify behind our campaign.”
TV Debates are the New Hit Series
“The surprise breakout hit of this television season isn’t some Kardashian spinoff or another cheesy competition among aspiring songsters,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“It’s the prime-time presidential debates, which have attracted huge national audiences and shaped and reshaped the 2016 race long before the calendar turns, or any real votes have been cast.”
Bush Sees Rubio as His Biggest Threat
In a closed-door strategy briefing, Jeb Bush campaign officials detailed numerous contrasts they are seeking to draw with Sen. Marco Rubio and branded him disparagingly as a “GOP Obama,” the Washington Post reports.
“An official with a pro-Bush super PAC mentioned Rubio’s name twice in a chat with reporters, despite not being asked about him. And a Bush ally suggested that Rubio should think about resigning from the Senate given his focus on the presidency.”
“While Donald Trump has seriously altered the course of Bush’s campaign, it is clearer than ever that Bush ultimately sees Rubio, who is rising in the polls, as the biggest obstacle in the lane he is trying to take to the GOP nomination.”
DeLay Says Obama Should Be Impeached
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) told Newsmax that Congress should impeach President Obama if he uses executive action to expand gun background checks.
Said DeLay: “Well, I think it’s an impeachable offense, but are you going to get enough votes to impeach him?”
He added: “The very fact that you might bring it before the Judiciary Committee and investigate it and determine whether it’s an impeachable offense is a very healthy thing to do. The House needs to use its power of hearings to start letting the American people know that this is a lawless President. We have a lawless Supreme Court. The judiciary needs to step up and show the American people what this President is doing, which will support any other efforts to defund the President.”
Inside Ted Cruz’s Secret Fundraising Strength
Washington Post: “Cruz’s unorthodox campaign has hit on a fundraising formula that no other candidate has been able to match: raising millions from a robust base of grassroots supporters while also building a substantial network of rich backers.”
“The senator’s quiet fundraising prowess could help give him staying power in what is sure to be a hard-fought battle for the GOP nomination. The structure of his donor base closely resembles that of President Obama, whose vaunted fundraising operation intensely focused on both low-dollar givers and major bundlers, bringing in record $783 million for his 2012 reelection.”
Trump Will Help Raise Money for RNC
“Donald Trump, who has turned the GOP establishment into a punching bag in his quest for the presidential nomination, is taking a major step to smooth out the relationship with party brass: In December, he will be attending a Republican National Committee fundraiser,” Politico reports.
GOP Candidates Not Viewed Favorably by Hispanics
A new AP-GfK poll finds Donald Trump is viewed unfavorably by 72% of Hispanics in the United States, with only 11% viewing him favorably.
“Among Trump’s rivals, Bush, who speaks fluent Spanish and married a Mexican-born woman, is viewed most favorably by Hispanics, with 26% giving the former Florida governor a positive rating. Rubio, a Florida senator and Cuban-American, comes in second, with 23% viewing him favorably. Still, both Bush and Rubio are viewed unfavorably by more than one-third of Hispanics polled.”
Trump Maintains National Lead in New Poll
A new Morning Consult poll finds Donald Trump leading the GOP president field nationally with 35%m, followed by Ben Carson at 20%, Jeb Bush at 8%, Marco Rubio at 6% and Mike Huckabee at 4%.
Trump Defends Requiring Women to Wear Burkas
Donald Trump said the United States should not challenge countries that require women to wear burkas as he unleashed a full-throttle criticism of America’s current foreign policy, the Boston Globe reports.
Said Trump: “Why are we fighting that?”
“Trump, waving a hand across his face, also said women might prefer wearing burkas because it obviates the need for make-up.”
White House and GOP Near Budget Deal
“Senior White House officials and congressional leaders are nearing a deal to raise the debt limit and set the budget for the next two years, say sources familiar with the talks,” The Hill reports.
“The agreement is not yet final as negotiators still need to settle a dispute over controversial policy riders, but congressional leaders hope to announce something Monday evening.”
Politico: “If a deal comes together, it would have to pass the House with overwhelmingly Democratic support, as conservative Republicans are unlikely to support an agreement. It would also be difficult for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to marshal a majority of GOP senators to support such an accord.”
New York Times: “The accord would avert a potentially cataclysmic default on the government’s debt and dispense with perhaps the most divisive issue in Washington.”
Three Reasons It’s Hard to Attack Ben Carson
Byron York: “The first is likability. Carson’s personal favorability ratings with Republican voters are through the roof, easily the best in the field. Whoever attacks him would by definition have a lower favorability rating than Carson, and the fear is that such an attack would just drive the attacker’s rating lower and Carson’s higher.”
“The second is fairness. Carson hasn’t gone after his fellow candidates. Indeed, part of his appeal is that he has specifically eschewed Republican-on-Republican violence… So far, at least, Carson has particularly impressed those voters who want to see Republicans attack Democrats, and not each other.”
“The third reason is race, and it is by far the most complicated. Carson is the only black candidate in the contest. Republican voters admire his rise-from-poverty life story, and Carson represents a chance for the GOP to connect with black voters in a way the party hasn’t done in generations.”
Carson Holds Big Lead in Iowa
A new Loras College survey in Iowa finds Ben Carson leading the GOP presidential field with 31%, followed by Donald Trump at 19%, Marco Rubio at 10%, Jeb Bush at 7%, Ted Cruz at 6% and Bobby Jindal at 5%.
A new Monmouth poll finds Carson leading with 32%, followed by Trump at 18%, Cruz at 10%, Rubio at 10% and Bush at 8%.
Race for Louisiana Governor Is a Toss Up
The Cook Political Report gives the runoff for Louisiana governor between John Bel Edwards and David Vitter a rating of “toss up.”
“The fact that Vitter isn’t currently part of state government or an ally of GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is very unpopular even among Republicans, was also thought to be an asset. Instead, being a member of a more unpopular U.S. Congress could very well be a bigger liability. Finally, despite the well-publicized rift between Vitter and Jindal, the argument that electing Vitter would simply be a continuation of Jindal’s polices seemed to stick.”
Conway Leads for Kentucky Governor
A new Big Red Poll in Kentucky finds Jack Conway (D) leading Matt Bevin (R) in the race for governor by five points, 45% to 40%.
Drew Curtis (I) trails in third place with 7%.
The Latest on Wonk Wire
Rubio Really Hates Being a U.S. Senator
The Washington Post concludes that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) really doesn’t like being a senator. A longtime friend confirms this and tells the newspaper paper, “He hates it.”
First Read: “The worst part of this story here for Rubio: It underscores foes’ implication that Rubio, like onetime Sen. Barack Obama, is too ambitious and impatient to build the resume necessary for the White House. (Remember, Obama had a similar reputation for rolling his eyes at the pace of Capitol Hill.) On the plus side for the Florida senator, GOP voters certainly aren’t rewarding legislative experience right now, and perhaps the dirtiest words in politics at the moment are ‘career politician.'”
“The question is: Do voters punish him if they think he’s not doing a job he’s elected to do, or do they give him a pass because he’s upset with the same institution that’s fueling their anger at Washington?”
