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U.S. Offer to Help Find ‘El Chapo’ Ignored by Mexico

July 14, 2015 at 1:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 38 Comments

“Hours after the world’s most infamous drug lord, Joaquín ‘Chapo’ Guzmán Loera, escaped Mexico’s highest security prison over the weekend, the United States offered everything it has — Marshals, drones, even a binational task force — to help find and recapture the kingpin,” the New York Times reports.

“But the Mexicans have kept the Americans at bay, without giving an answer on the extra help, according to Mexican and American officials, confounding law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border and undermining efforts to recapture Mr. Guzmán, the billionaire head of the Sinaloa Cartel, before his wealth and global connections help him disappear.”

Ted Cruz Has the Money to Compete

July 14, 2015 at 12:59 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Chris Cillizza points out that Jeb Bush’s $114 million fundraising haul during the last six months was impressive, but that Sen. Ted Cruz’s fundraising totals we’re more important.

“Cruz raised $14 million through his campaign committee and another $37 million through a constellation of super PACs set up to aid his campaign. That total of $51 million raised put him second behind Bush in total fundraising.”

“Cruz’s ability to raise large amounts of money — through both a campaign account and super PACS — not only differentiates him from other ideological warrior candidates of the past but also gives him a real chance at breaking into the top tier of candidates as the race continues.”

Trump Quote of the Day

July 14, 2015 at 11:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 52 Comments

“The last person she wants to face is Donald Trump.”

— Donald Trump, quoted by the Washington Times, saying that Hillary Clinton’s criticism of him is “desperate” and “sad.”

On Feeding the Animals

July 14, 2015 at 11:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 72 Comments

In a Facebook post, the Oklahoma Republican Party says it’s ironic that the federal government distributes food stamps to 46 million people while at the same time discourages national park visitors from feeding the animals.

Do Voters Need to Trust Hillary Clinton?

July 14, 2015 at 11:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

“One topic that often comes up in serious conversations about 2016 presidential politics is whether questions about Hillary Clinton’s trustworthiness will be her undoing. Not surprisingly, many of her fiercest critics passionately want this to be the case, but even some of her closest advisers are known to be very concerned about it,” National Journal reports.

“There is no doubt that voters want to be able to trust a president, but it should be remembered that Bill Clinton won an election in 1992 with large deficits in the honesty department…. Four years later, when Clinton was seeking reelection, he was underwater on the ABC/Post honesty question… In October—before his reelection by a margin of more than 8 percentage points and 200 electoral votes—22 percent of respondents said the president was more honest, and 52 percent said he was less. People had doubts—but elected and reelected him anyway.”

A new Morning Consult poll shows just 19% of voters say Clinton is honest and trustworthy.

Bush Picks James Polk as a Favorite President

July 14, 2015 at 10:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 73 Comments

After his father and his brother, Jeb Bush said his favorite president was James K. Polk (D), the Des Moines Register reports.

Said Bush: “One of the presidents that I really admire, and he’s not — I think people rank him pretty good, the historians who look at this — is James K. Polk… He said what he was going to do and he did what he said he was going to do, and then he left.”

“Although Bush didn’t mention it, Polk is perhaps best known for presiding over the Mexican-American War, in which U.S. forces battled all the way to Mexico City and won control of what is now New Mexico and California. The territorial expansion seen under Polk is now seen as fueling the fight over slavery of the mid-1800s. Polk himself was a slaveowner.”

Republicans Vow to Kill Iran Nuclear Deal

July 14, 2015 at 9:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 58 Comments

It will be days before Congress receives the full nuclear agreement with Iran and all of its classified annexes for review, but hawkish GOP lawmakers instantaneously began picking apart the final deal reached early Tuesday as “dangerous” and a “possible death sentence for Israel,” Politico reports.

“The GOP-led Congress plans to review the deal for two months before voting on whether to lift sanctions sometime in September.”

First Read: “If Congress passes a joint resolution of disapproval (from both the House and Senate), and sends it to President Obama’s desk for his signature, it would start another 12-day clock which gives Obama the ability to veto the resolution. After President Obama presumably vetoes the resolution, Congress would have 10 days to attempt to override the veto, which would require a two-thirds vote from both chambers.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

July 14, 2015 at 9:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

“I don’t see any real opportunities for us over the next six months to break out.”

— Rick Santorum, quoted by the Washington Post, suggesting he’s “the tortoise-and-the-hare kind” of presidential candidate.

Rubio Keeps Burn Rate Low

July 14, 2015 at 8:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

National Review: “The rate at which a candidate spends the money he raises — the burn rate — is important too. One top Republican strategist and pollster tells me that the burn rate is an indicator of the kind of campaign a candidate is running. A candidate with a low burn rate is spending little money, say, on personnel and, essentially, anything that’s not directed toward message delivery.”

“With the exception of Marco Rubio, none of the other candidates, that I’m aware of, have released cash-on-hand figures that would allow a burn-rate calculation. Others, like Scott Walker, haven’t been in the race long enough to make a calculation. But Rubio’s burn rate is around 19 percent, which is low, and suggests he’s running a streamlined campaign that’s not bleeding money on consultants and staffers. His campaign released a cash-on-hand figure, which suggests they’re proud of this.”

Maine Democrats Say 51 More Bills Became Law

July 14, 2015 at 8:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

Maine Democratic lawmakers said that another 51 bills have become law after Gov. Paul LePage (R) missed his deadline to act on them by midnight Saturday, the Portland Press Herald reports.

“But LePage has said he won’t enforce the laws and is expected to take the issue to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He said that because lawmakers adjourned last month, the requirement that he must act on a bill within 10 days doesn’t apply. Democratic leaders insist the Legislature did not adjourn, but instead ‘recessed’ until Thursday to take up more vetoes expected from the governor and finish other work for the session. A recess would keep the 10-day deadline in place.”

Graham Says Obama Essentially Declared War on Israel

July 14, 2015 at 7:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 71 Comments

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Bloomberg that the newly announced deal between Iran and six world powers is “akin to declaring war on Israel and the Sunni Arabs,” and will be a huge problem for Hillary Clinton.

Said Graham: “My initial impression is that this deal is far worse than I ever dreamed it could be and will be a nightmare for the region, our national security and eventually the world at large.”

Obama Vows to Veto Legislation to Block Iran Deal

July 14, 2015 at 7:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 11 Comments

President Obama, “in an early morning appearance at the White House that was broadcast live in Iran, began what promised to be an arduous effort to sell the deal to Congress and the American public, saying the agreement was ‘not built on trust. It is built on verification,'” the New York Times reports.

But Obama made it abundantly clear that he would fight to preserve the deal in its entirety: “I will veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of this deal.”

Historic Nuclear Deal Reached with Iran

July 14, 2015 at 6:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 41 Comments

“Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States reached a historic accord on Tuesday to significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions,” the New York Times reports.

“The deal culminates 20 months of negotiations on an agreement that President Obama had long sought as the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency. Whether it portends a new relationship between the United States and Iran — after decades of coups, hostage-taking, terrorism and sanctions — remains a bigger question.”

Bloomberg: “Under legislation passed in May, Congress will have 60 days for public debate and hearings by as many as eight Senate and House committees. Lawmakers then could vote on a joint resolution to approve or reject the nuclear deal, though they also may not act at all.”

Politico: “If it succeeds, the agreement could upgrade President Obama’s checkered foreign policy legacy, as well provide a crowning achievement for Kerry’s 30-year political career.”

Missouri County Lowers Flags to Mourn Gay Marriage

July 14, 2015 at 6:45 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 36 Comments

A Missouri country voted unanimously to observe one year of “mourning” over the Supreme Court’s June 26 decision that gay couples have the constitutional right to marriage, the Salem News reports.

The observance will come in the form of lowering the flags at the county courthouse and judicial building to below half-staff for the next year.

Kasich Picks Woman as Campaign Manager

July 14, 2015 at 6:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

Beth Hansen, a top adviser in Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s (R) administration “is poised to become his campaign manager for his soon-to-launch presidential campaign,” the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Said Kasich: “I have total confidence in Beth. We’re close… Forget everything else, I love the fact that she’s a woman. What a fantastic thing that is. I like to have women in high places in organizations.”

Quote of the Day

July 14, 2015 at 6:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 41 Comments

“The left claims they’re for American workers, and they’ve got lame ideas, things like minimum wage. We need to talk about how we get people skills and qualifications they need to get jobs that go beyond minimum wage.”

— Gov. Scott Walker, quoted by Politico.

Does the Primary Campaign Really Matter?

July 13, 2015 at 9:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

Jeff Greenfield: “The key lesson we forget every four years is that the nominating process stands in sharp contrast to the general election, where ‘fundamentals’ often hold sway. While I’m skeptical about the predictive ability of academics and experts to call an election a year or two out, there’s good evidence that a combination of variables—mostly, but not exclusively economic—can provide a useful, if sometimes blunt instrument for gauging the outcome of an election.”

“The history of primary elections, by contrast, suggests that they might as well take place on a different planet. The presidential nominating process usually involves a number of contestants. It moves by fits and starts; candidacies can rise, fall, revive and collapse with breathtaking speed. Again and again, months, even years of assumptions are thrown into a cocked hat by a sudden surge or implosion of a campaign.”

“It’s a history that should lead any political journalist to question just how much the ever-increasing tonnage of pre-primary coverage really adds anything useful to our understanding of the process.”

Clinton Blames Republicans for Inequality

July 13, 2015 at 8:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 30 Comments

Hillary Clinton blamed Republicans for “35 years” of policies that have exacerbated income inequality by giving “more wealth to those at the top” through tax cuts and corporate loopholes, the New York Times reports.

Said Clinton: “Twice now in the past 20 years a Democratic president has had to come in and clean up the mess.”