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Revisiting the ‘Kill Hillary’ Strategy

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Ryan Lizza: “The conventional wisdom is that Obama inspired voters with an uplifting message and out-organized Clinton in Iowa and elsewhere. And while it’s true that he had a superior organization and an optimistic message, the real beginning of the end for Hillary Clinton was when Obama attacked her greatest vulnerability: her character.”

“The kill-Hillary strategy began with an October memo that was written by several top Obama officials, including Axelrod, Grisolano, Pfeiffer, the campaign manager David Plouffe, and Joel Benenson, Obama’s pollster.”

Adelson Leaning Towards Endorsing Rubio

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Sheldon Adelson “is leaning increasingly toward supporting Marco Rubio — and the Florida senator is racing to win the backing of other uncommitted megadonors who have the potential to direct tens of millions of dollars his way and alter the contours of the Republican primary fight,” Politico reports.

“Last week, during a campaign swing through Las Vegas, Rubio held a meeting in Adelson’s offices… A formal endorsement, they said, could come as soon as the end of the month — and with it, the potential for a multimillion dollar contribution. With a net worth of $25.7 billion, according to Forbes, Adelson can afford to spend freely.”


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Paul Says It’s Impossible to Talk About Climate Change

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told the Concord Monitor that climate change is a discussion that’s impossible to have – in a logical way – in the United States right now.

Said Paul: “It has become sort of like you’re a Holocaust denier if you question any of the religious cult that says, ‘You have to believe as I do.’ I think we’re in an absurd situation.”

McConnell Wants Entitlement Changes to Raise Debt Limit

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Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “privately wants the White House to pay this price to enact a major budget deal: Significant changes to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for raising the debt ceiling and funding the government,” CNN reports.

“Several people familiar with the high-stakes fiscal negotiations said the Senate majority leader’s staff is trying to drive a hard bargain in the private talks with the White House and Democratic leaders.”

A Democratic Debate with Few Democrats

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“Perhaps the oddest feature of tonight’s first Democratic presidential debate is that most of the candidates participating are barely even Democrats,” Vox reports.

“One, Lincoln Chafee, is a former Republican senator who just became a Democrat in 2013. Another, Bernie Sanders, is a longtime independent who calls himself a ‘democratic socialist.’ And a third, Jim Webb, served as Ronald Reagan’s secretary of the Navy, only becoming a Democratic politician during George W. Bush’s presidency.”

The Debate Challenge for Bernie Sanders

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First Read: “He simply has to come across as electable. Sure, he’s faring well in many general-election polls right now. But make no mistake: His comment on Meet the Press Sunday that he’s not a capitalist isn’t a winning general-election message, especially when being a socialist running for president is more unpopular than being a Muslim or an atheist.”

“Another question we have: How does Sanders hold up over two hours of debate? One way to judge tonight’s debate is to gauge who does a better job shoring up his/her weakness — Clinton’s not-always progressive views vs. Sanders’ electability doubts.”

Can Another Democrat Grab the Spotlight?

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Rick Klein: “Hillary Clinton will be center stage. But that doesn’t mean the spotlight can’t find someone else. Democrats are coming in to their first debate of the election cycle with not one but two leading candidates, both with significant things to prove. In the expectation for combat that may not materialize, consider that it’s Bernie Sanders who is trailing in the race nationally; Sanders who will have to defend base-critical views on guns and immigration; Sanders who will see his temperament and agility tested like it hasn’t been before, with this kind of audience watching.”

“It’s also plausible strategy for a Martin O’Malley or a Jim Webb to target Sanders more than Clinton, based on the theory that the race will come down to Hillary vs. an anti-Hillary, and one of those slots is already taken for good. And from the other perspective, if Sanders’ goal is to win the nomination, not simply make the considerable statement he’s already made, he needs some fresh dynamics to come into play. He won’t get many better chances to put them there.”

Why Joe Biden Isn’t Running

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Daniel Drezner: “The only political reason for a Biden candidacy was an imploding Hillary Clinton, and she’s not imploding. Sure, Clinton trails Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire, but not nationally, not in Iowa, and not in South Carolina or Nevada either. Furthermore, the poll numbers in recent weeks contradict the narrative of Clinton only trending downward. She’s improved her position nationally and in Iowa over the past few weeks, and her favorability numbers have also gone up. Her big money supporters seem concerned about Biden, but ‘are feeling encouraged for the first time in months.'”

“The biggest problem Clinton has faced has been the e-mail scandal, but two GOP own-goals in the last two weeks have, at a minimum, cauterized that wound.”

New York Times: “The danger for Mr. Biden, as his advisers know all too well, is that intrigue can easily turn into fatigue. After 10 weeks of his being egged on by Democrats disenchanted with Mrs. Clinton and by a news media eager for a race to cover, Mr. Biden increasingly faces demands that he make up his mind.”

Democrats Have Become More Liberal

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Pew Research: “The share of Democrats who describe their political views as liberal has increased over the past 15 years. In surveys conducted this year, 41% of Democrats describe themselves as liberal, 35% say they are moderates and 21% say they’re conservative. In 2000, 43% were moderate, 27% liberal and 24% conservative.”

Also interesting: 61% of Democratic primary voters said they would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who offers programs similar to the Obama administration.

Letting Carson Be Carson

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“For a long time, Ben Carson’s campaign team feared that his habit of inflammatory remarks would sink his presidential hopes. They sent him to media training in Texas. The candidate pledged to police his words,” the New York Times reports.

“But ever since Mr. Carson said on Sept. 20 that he did not think a Muslim should be president, then refused to retract the statement amid a furious reaction, his campaign has watched grass-roots support grow and donations pour in — and advisers have backtracked, deciding, in the words of one, to ‘let Carson be Carson.'”

All Eyes on Bitter Chafee-Webb Rivalry

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Andy Borowitz: “When the curtain rises on the first Democratic debate of the 2016 campaign, all eyes will be on the bitter rivalry between the former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee and the former Virginia senator Jim Webb. While both camps are mum about the vicious hatred that has consumed the two men on the campaign trail, political insiders familiar with the Chafee-Webb blood feud are expecting fireworks in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.”

Clinton Holds Huge Lead in Democratic Race

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A new Morning Consult poll finds Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential race, 54% to 22%. If Vice President Joe Biden jumps in, Clinton would lead with 47%, followed by Sanders at 20% and Biden at 17%.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump leads with 34%, followed by Ben Carson at 20%, Jeb Bush at 9%, Ted Cruz at 5%, Marco Rubio at 5% and Carly Fiorina at 5%.

How Sanders Connects with Crowds

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The New York Times looks at six key moments in a recent Bernie Sanders speech.

“Something surprising happens when Bernie Sanders starts speaking at his presidential campaign rallies. He doesn’t ingratiate himself with audiences by praising their hometowns, or telling easy jokes, the way many candidates do. He gets right down to business, delivering a searing indictment of American politics, with crusty, to-the-barricades exhortations.”

Politico: Sanders plans fundraising push around debate

Ryan Freezes Contest for House Speaker

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“It’s the Paul Ryan paralysis syndrome and it’s gripping any House Republican who wants to be speaker,” Politico reports.

“The Wisconsin Republican has said he doesn’t want to be speaker of the House, but he is considering it. And until he flatly rules it out, the other potential candidates for the chamber’s top job — a list nearly two dozen names long and growing — are forced to proceed gingerly. With one breath they’re gauging support, with the next they’re letting would-be backers know their interest could be temporary if the Ways and Means Committee chairman gets in.”

Washington Post: “His reluctance to run for the House speaker job reflects some of the same dilemmas that many working parents face.”

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.

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