Political Wire

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James Dobson Laid the Path for Trump

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Philip Elliot: “Dobson’s passing comes as the current Republican Party has shifted away from its faith-grounded conservative impulses to one that is fighting culture wars based on grievance more than Gospel. Gone are the days when someone like Dwight D. Eisenhower, who did not join a church until after his election as President, could capture the GOP nomination.”

“Now, Republican candidates trip over themselves in displays of public faith to kowtow to the hardcore base that sees the show as a substitute for substance. Dobson’s feverish crusades against pornography, gambling, divorce, and even SpongeBob SquarePants now seem almost quaint in a party that has fully embraced Trumpism.”

White House Lists Objectionable Smithsonian Exhibits

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“The White House published a list of Smithsonian exhibits, programming and artwork it considered objectionable on Thursday, one week after announcing that eight of the institution’s museums must submit their current wall text and future exhibition plans for a comprehensive review,” the New York Times reports.

“The list borrows heavily from a recent article in The Federalist that objected to portrayals at several museums. It argued that the Museum of American History promoted homosexuality by hanging a pride flag; overemphasized Benjamin Franklin’s relationship to slavery in its programming; and promoted open borders by depicting migrants watching fireworks ‘through an opening in the U.S.-Mexico border wall.'”


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Deputy Treasury Secretary Already Leaving

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“Michael Faulkender, the second-highest official at the Treasury Department, is leaving the administration less than five months after being confirmed by the Senate,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“As deputy Treasury secretary, Faulkender ran the department’s day-to-day operations and did a stint as acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service during the leadership turmoil at the tax agency. He is the second Senate-confirmed official to leave the Treasury Department this month, following the departure of IRS Commissioner Billy Long. “

More Support Early Redistricting in California

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A new UC Berkeley poll in California finds asked about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push for mid-cycle redistricting: 46% said it was a good idea, while 36% said it was a bad idea.

Slightly more, 48%, said they would vote in favor of the temporary gerrymandering efforts if it appeared on the statewide special election ballot in November. Nearly a third said they would vote no, while 20% said they were undecided.

Republicans Poised to Lock In Seats Before Voting Begins

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The redistricting wars are officially underway, and the outcome could determine whether Republicans keep control of the House after next year’s midterms.

Because of reforms in many blue states meant to make the process more “fair,” Republican-controlled legislatures generally have far more leeway to redraw maps mid-cycle.

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Senate Democrats’ Funding Fight Takes Shape

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Punchbowl News: “Senate Democrats have laid the groundwork throughout August to make this fall’s government-funding fight all about health care.”

“Yet Democrats still need to decide how far to take this clash — and whether they’re willing to force a government shutdown…”

“This funding deadline is Democrats’ first real leverage point since March. As you’ll recall, that March funding fight didn’t go well for Schumer and the Democratic Caucus.”

Immigration Raids Backfiring in California

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Nearly three-quarters of registered voters in the state — including roughly half of Republicans — said removing millions of undocumented immigrants from the workforce would hurt California’s economy, the latest Politico-Citrin Center poll found.

And roughly 80 percent of voters, including a majority of Republicans, said undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. illegally should remain in some fashion.

Trump Says He’ll Send Troops to Other Cities

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“President Donald Trump said Thursday he would expand the law enforcement and National Guard crackdown he ordered in Washington, DC, this month to other jurisdictions as he appeared at a US Park Police facility to promote the initiative,” CNN reports.

Said Trump: “We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places, but we’re going to stay here for a while.”

Words Democrats Shouldn’t Say Anymore

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Playbook: “In a new memo, the center-left think tank Third Way is circulating a list of 45 words and phrases they want Democrats to avoid using, alleging the terms put ‘a wall between us and everyday people of all races, religions, and ethnicities.’”

“It’s a set of words that Third Way suggests ‘people simply do not say, yet they hear them from Democrats.’”

“Third Way argues that to ‘please the few, we have alienated the many — especially on culture issues, where our language sounds superior, haughty and arrogant,’ according to the memo.”

Key takeaway: “The Democratic Party brand is toxic across the country at this point with way too many people — enough that there’s no way for us to win a governing majority without changing that. Part of the problem was that we were using words that literally no normal people used — that we were sticking to messages that were so overly scripted that they basically sounded like nothing.”

Trump Could Put Tariffs on Wind Turbines

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“Since taking office, President Trump has railed against wind power and the turbines that are needed to generate that energy. He has called the turbines ugly and inefficient, and criticized them for ruining landscapes as well as endangering whales and birds,” the New York Times reports.

“So it was curious when, on Thursday, the administration announced a trade investigation that could result in tariffs on imported wind turbines. The Trump administration has typically imposed tariffs to protect American companies against foreign competition and spur domestic production of critical products.”

“This time, laying out a path to impose tariffs could be an attempt to stymie an industry.”

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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