Hillary Clinton’s rivals in the Democratic primary “have been demanding for weeks that the party hold more presidential debates than the scant six that are planned, and on Friday they got a big boost when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco said she agrees with them,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
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Obama Nominates Gay Man to Lead Army
“President Obama, in a historic first for the Pentagon, has chosen to nominate Eric Fanning to lead the Army, a move that would make him the first openly gay civilian secretary of one of the military services,” the Washington Post reports.
“Fanning, who must be confirmed by the Senate, has been a specialist on defense and national security issues for more than 25 years in Congress and the Pentagon. As Army secretary, he would be partnered with Gen. Mark Milley, who took over as the Army’s top general in August. Together the two men would assume responsibility for the Pentagon’s largest and most troubled service.
Trump Says He’ll Spend $100 Million to Win Presidency
“Expressing confidence that American voters do not care if he lacks specifics, Donald J. Trump says he has yet to fully exploit his personal advantages over his Republican presidential rivals — chiefly his enormous wealth and celebrity — and that both will matter more to his political fate than debate performances like his shaky one this week,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Trump said in an interview that he was prepared to spend $100 million or more to become the Republican nominee and that most of it would go to galvanizing voter support in states with early nominating contests.”
“He also predicted that the extensive media coverage of his campaign would help him win caucuses and primaries in every region of the country, noting that he had planned to spend $15 million on campaign commercials this summer but did not because of the ‘free nationwide publicity’ that the cable news networks provided.”
Smith’s Ties to Schock Questioned
Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) “joined his close friend Aaron Schock on campaign and government trips and exotic vacations in 2014 that are being scrutinized by federal investigators looking into alleged spending abuses by the former congressman, who resigned in March,” The Hill reports.
“There’s no indication that federal prosecutors have questioned or sought records from Smith, but his participation on trips now under criminal investigation could drag one of Schock’s closest friends in Congress into his legal mess and undermine Smith’s political image as a humble, salt-of-the-earth fiscal conservative.”
The Latest on Wonk Wire
Kirk Gets Heat Over Use of Schock Decorator
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) “is the target of an ethics complaint over supposedly having his office redecorated for free by the same designer who worked on” disgraced former Rep. Aaron Schock’s (R-IL) “Downton Abbey”-themed office, WBGZ reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m actively talking to people as we speak.”
— Former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum (R), quoted by the Tampa Bay Times, on possibly running for U.S. Senate.
Walker Donors Spread Rumors About Campaign Manager
“As Scott Walker’s presidential bid founders, some in the candidate’s orbit are participating in a whisper campaign against his top strategist and campaign manager, Rick Wiley,” BuzzFeed News reports.
“A number of Walker’s donors and supporters have been circulating a rumor about Wiley in recent days, apparently aimed at discrediting him and bringing about a shakeup in the organization, according to two Republican sources. The sources, neither of whom is affiliated with a presidential campaign, said they heard the rumor from people in Walker’s camp. They also said an anonymous letter about Wiley is circulating in political and donor circles, though it is unclear where it originated.”
Experience May Not Matter in GOP Primary
First Read: “With two Republican debates now in the books, it’s hard to ignore that two of the biggest standouts have been the loudest and toughest talkers, while two who’ve received some of the toughest reviews are those with actual conservative accomplishments under their belts. Of course, the standouts we’re talking about are Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina, who have fired up conservatives with their unrelenting rhetoric but who have never actually governed in the political arena. And the two Republicans who haven’t graded out as well at the debates are Scott Walker and Jeb Bush, who as governors signed a conservative’s dream list into law (tax cuts, abortion restrictions, union restrictions).”
Does Trump Have a Second Act?
Ryan Lizza: “Trump realized all of this and he has had a great first act. But Wednesday night’s debate suggested that he has no plan for a second act. First acts are famously easy to pull off.”
“The struggle of the second act in a political campaign, as in any drama, is that the problem identified at the beginning—the one that seized our attention—must be translated into the more mundane tasks that propel the protagonist toward his or her goal. Won’t even the most committed Trump supporter start to wonder why this self-proclaimed savior hasn’t prepared himself to answer standard policy questions? Will Trump build a staff and campaign infrastructure in Iowa and New Hampshire to handle all the dull mechanics of finding voters and getting them to the polls? Again, Obama’s historic 2008 campaign is a good point of comparison: the vague promise of ‘hope and change’ was married to an enormously sophisticated national operation that tended to the mechanics of winning the delegates needed to capture his party’s nomination.”
Will Republicans ‘Keep Us Safe’?
Jonathan Chait: “Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate focused heavily on foreign policy, and the implicit — and at times explicit — question before the panel of hopefuls was ‘Are you comfortable with giving somebody like Donald Trump access to nuclear weapons?’ It’s a perfectly valid source of worry; I, for one, am not. And yet the focus on this scenario distracted from an equally worrisome problem: Should we feel comfortable giving the likes of Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio access to conventional weapons?”
Quote of the Day
“I look at our friends in the Latino community as people that ought to be voting Republican. I mean, they’re very strong family. We could all learn a little from them about the importance of family, couldn’t we? Because they are great, they are God-fearing, hard-working folks. And a lot of them do jobs that they’re willing to do. That’s why, in a hotel, you leave a little tip, you know?”
— Gov. John Kasich (R), quoted by the Columbus Dispatch.
Biden May Have Time to Decide
Joe Biden “may have more time to make up his mind about running for president than most people assume,” Politico reports.
“Various deadlines have been floated: End of summer, Oct. 1, the first Democratic debate on Oct. 13, the Iowa Jefferson-Jackson dinner Oct. 24. But none of these is looking like a hard deadline. Neither are any of the cutoff dates for getting his name on state ballots. … It turns out that instead of simply deciding yes or no on a presidential run, Biden may have a third option — make no announcement at all, wait until December (or longer) and hope Clinton gets out of the race or is pushed to the sidelines without him having to get in.”
Meanwhile, National Review quoted Draft Biden super PAC official Josh Alcorn: “I am 100 percent that Joe is in.”
Democrats Stand United on Shutdown Strategy
“While Republicans are splintering into factions and debating the merits of another shutdown fight and yet another coup attempt against Speaker John Boehner, Democratic leaders put forward a united front Thursday after huddling with President Obama for an hour and a half,” Roll Call reports.
Last Chance to Kill Iran Deal Blocked
Senate Democrats “blocked legislation meant to kill the Iran nuclear deal for a third time, securing perhaps the greatest foreign policy win of President Obama’s six years in office and clearing the way to implement the accord,” Reuters reports.
“By a 56-42 vote, the Republican-majority Senate fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance in the 100-member chamber. With no more Senate votes this week, the result ensured Congress will not pass a resolution of disapproval that would have crippled the deal by eliminating Obama’s ability to waive many sanctions. A resolution would have had to pass both the Senate and House of Representatives by midnight Thursday, and survive Obama’s veto, to be enacted.”
Expelled Michigan Lawmaker Will Run Again
Former Michigan state Rep. Cindy Gamrat (R), who was expelled from office six days ago after she and a fellow lawmaker were found to have covered up their extramarital affair, said she has filed to run in the November primary election to fill her own vacant seat, Reuters reports.
Police have began “a criminal investigation into the use of tax funds to cover up the affair she had with fellow lawmaker Todd Courser. Both are Republicans and members of the Tea Party movement.”
Clinton Open to More Debates
Hillary Clinton “is open to having more presidential debates amid protests from her Democratic rivals that the number has been capped to tilt the race in her favor,” The Hill reports.
Said Clinton: “I look forward to the debate next month, now just a month away. I will certainly show up anywhere the Democratic National Committee tells us to show up.”
Sanders Raises $1.2 Million After Attack
Washington Post: “The presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders said Thursday that it had raised more than $1.2 million online in 48 hours after research surfaced from a super PAC backing Hillary Clinton that linked the Vermont senator to the ‘extreme’ views of Jeremy Corbyn, the new leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party.”
“The burst of money Sanders received online was unprecedented, according to a statement Thursday by Erin Hill, executive director of ActBlue, an online fundraising service used by Sanders and scores of Democrats.”
