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Cruz Denied Attempt at Protest Vote

September 29, 2015 at 7:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) colleagues “ignored his attempt to disrupt Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s efforts to fund the government without attacking Planned Parenthood. In an unusual rebuke, even fellow Republicans denied him a ‘sufficient second’ that would have allowed him a roll call vote,” Politico reports.

“Then, his Republican colleagues loudly bellowed “no” when Cruz sought a voice vote, a second repudiation that showed how little support Cruz has: Just one other GOP senator — Utah’s Mike Lee — joined with Cruz as he was overruled by McConnell and his deputies.”

Rick Klein: “Now, deep into the presidential campaign, the suspicion is that Cruz is trying to use the Senate and its procedures to separate himself from the loathed institution he occupies a seat in. The message back from his colleagues is that they’re not going to help. Anyone can take a shot at the establishment. But the establishment is more than capable of fighting back.”

Schumer and Ryan Discussing Infrastructure Deal

September 29, 2015 at 7:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is in talks with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) “to deliver a major infrastructure bill that’s eluded Congress for a decade,” Politico reports.

“The discussions to marry international tax reform with transportation investment are not close to yielding a deal yet and already face serious skepticism from Republicans and Democrats, for policy and political reasons. But Schumer and Ryan are forging ahead, meeting twice in the Capitol this month to advance a blueprint that Schumer floated this summer alongside Portman. The Schumer-Portman team-up is notable because the Ohio senator faces a tough reelection next year, one of several races that will determine whether Schumer becomes majority leader in 2017.”

McConnell Faces New Challenge Without Boehner

September 29, 2015 at 7:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

“The departure of John Boehner as House speaker leaves Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on uncertain ground, without a battle-tested House partner from the Republican establishment and facing newly emboldened conservatives,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. McConnell has publicly shown no signs of being rattled as the new guard of House Republicans have asserted themselves—sometimes even criticizing him directly from across the Capitol. But the terrain he must negotiate on issues like government spending is about to change abruptly, with new House leaders who could create complications.”

Trump Will Appear on Fox Despite Boycott

September 29, 2015 at 6:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

Donald Trump will appear on The O’Reilly Factor today, Politico reports.

“The booking comes just days after Trump announced he was boycotting the network for what he said was unfair treatment, though Fox News said the boycott came after they canceled a planned appearance by Trump on The O’Reilly Factor last Thursday.”

Majority Backs Planned Parenthood Funding

September 28, 2015 at 7:26 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 53 Comments

A new Pew Research survey finds the public by a wide margin says that any congressional budget agreement must maintain funding for Planned Parenthood.

Currently, 60% say that any budget deal must maintain funding for the organization, while 32% say that any agreement must eliminate its funding.

Limbaugh Doesn’t Believe There Is Water on Mars

September 28, 2015 at 7:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 96 Comments

Rush Limbaugh doesn’t believe the news that there’s water on Mars and says it’s just part of “the liberal agenda,” Politico reports.

Said Limbaugh: “OK so there’s flowing water on Mars. Yip yip yip yahoo. Hey, you know me, I’m science 101, big time guy, tech advance it, you know it, I’m all in. But, NASA has been corrupted by the current regime. Don’t know how long it’s going to take, but this news that there is flowing water on Mars is somehow going to find its way into a technique to advance the leftist agenda.”

Limbaugh admitted that he wasn’t entirely sure what the agenda was but was going to “assume it would be something to do with global warming.”

Wrigley Passes on Run for Governor

September 28, 2015 at 7:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

North Dakota Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley (R), “who recently admitted to an extramarital affair, announced today that he will not run for governor in 2016,” the Fargo Forum reports.

Said Wrigley: “While Kathleen and I have been heartened by the many expressions and promises of support for a 2016 campaign for governor, we have concluded that the onset of a campaign is not consistent with the current needs of our family.”

Both Parties Head Into 2016 with Big Risks

September 28, 2015 at 7:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 30 Comments

“The Republican Party heads into the 2016 White House race with a negative image and policy stances out of step with those of the broader public, while Democrats are backing a front-runner who continues to lose steam with all parts of the electorate,” a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.

“Election Day is still more than a year away, but the latest survey illustrates the sizable hurdles confronting both parties in a campaign that already has brought continual surprises and defied predictions.”

Are Republicans Giving Up in Kentucky?

September 28, 2015 at 3:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 59 Comments

The Republican Governor’s Association has stopped running television ads for Matt Bevin (R) in Kentucky with a little more than a month to go until Election Day, the AP reports.

“The association has spent $3 million on six ads for Bevin, mostly attacking his Democratic opponent, Jack Conway, for supporting the policies of Democratic President Barack Obama… The move is a blow for Bevin, who has aired just one TV ad after spending more than $1 million of his own money to win a four-way Republican primary in May.”

Hastert Negotiating a Plea Deal

September 28, 2015 at 3:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) “is negotiating a possible guilty plea to charges he agreed to make $3.5 million in hush-money payments to cover up wrongdoing from decades ago,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

“The plea negotiations, revealed Monday during a hearing in federal court, are the first indication that the bombshell charges brought against the Republican powerhouse might never be fully aired at trial… Though the indictment only hints at the alleged wrongdoing, federal law enforcement sources have told the Tribune that Hastert was paying to cover up sexual abuse of a Yorkville High School student years ago.”

Benghazi Probe Is Now Longest In Congressional History

September 28, 2015 at 3:08 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 58 Comments

The House committee investigating the Benghazi attacks “is now the longest congressional investigation in history,” ABC News reports.

“As of Monday, the House Select Committee on Benghazi, has been active for 72 weeks — surpassing the record previously held by the Watergate Committee in the 1970’s.”

Gillespie for Virginia Governor?

September 28, 2015 at 2:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

Former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie (R) will run for Virginia governor in 2017, Bearing Drift reports.

Rubio Calls Race with Trump a ‘Freak Show’

September 28, 2015 at 12:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 59 Comments

Sen. Marco Rubio told NPR that he’s “interested in the back and forth” with Donald Trump, referring to the billionaire’s presence in the presidential race as a “freak show.”

Said Rubio: “He doesn’t like to be criticized. He responds to criticism very poorly. His poll numbers have taken a beating, and he was embarrassed on national television at the debate by Carly Fiorina and others.”

He added: “But this election is not going to be about Donald Trump. He thinks it is, but it’s not about him. It has to be about the issues confronting our country. And my sense of it is that every time issues become prominent, he will say something outrageous or do something outrageous so that he doesn’t have to talk about the issues.”

Biden Would Qualify for Democratic Debates

September 28, 2015 at 11:58 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 57 Comments

Vice President Joe Biden “could qualify to participate in the first Democratic debate even if he did not decide to enter the race until debate day, according to participation criteria released by host organization CNN,” the Washington Post reports.

“The news organization’s apparent message to Biden: despite the fact that he remains publicly uncommitted to launching a 2016 presidential run, they’ll keep a spot open for him.”

Quote of the Day

September 28, 2015 at 11:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

“He’s a master brander. And when you’ve got a lot of people running, and people are trying, you’ve got to make distinctions. Being able to put a personal stamp on it so people identify who you are certainly counts for something, at least in the beginning.”

— Bill Clinton, in an interview on CNN, saying that he thinks Donald Trump could win the GOP presidential nomination.

The Latest on Wonk Wire

September 28, 2015 at 11:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Here’s what’s trending on Wonk Wire today:

The Age of Clinton

September 28, 2015 at 10:36 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

Coming next week: The Age of Clinton: America in the 1990s by Gil Troy.

Control of the Supreme Court at Stake in 2016

September 28, 2015 at 10:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 62 Comments

Rick Hasen: “The future composition of the Supreme Court is the most important civil rights cause of our time. It is more important than racial justice, marriage equality, voting rights, money in politics, abortion rights, gun rights, or managing climate change. It matters more because the ability to move forward in these other civil rights struggles depends first and foremost upon control of the Court. And control for the next generation is about to be up for grabs, likely in the next presidential election, a point many on the right but few on the left seem to have recognized.”