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Polis Trolls Republicans on Debt Limit Bill

October 22, 2015 at 1:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 18 Comments

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) “introduced his personal debt limit wish list on Thursday, poking fun at moves by House Republicans who, not in jest, may attempt to tie an increase in the debt ceiling to a host of GOP policy proposals,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“It would tie a $1.5 trillion debt limit increase to such demands as immediate enactment of any bill he sponsors without so much as a word of debate and a shifting of the House’s working hours to between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. ‘because Representative Jared Polis is an evening person and does his best work at night.’ The proposal also would also require all Republicans to drop their efforts to repeal the 2010 health-care law and instead ‘personally endorse the law’ by signing their names to it in the U.S. code.”

“And it would impose silence on conservative Rep. Steve King (R-IA) on topics ranging from same-sex marriage to cantaloupes.”

Clinton Moves to Win Over Biden Supporters

October 22, 2015 at 1:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign “is moving swiftly but delicately to try to win over Democrats who wanted Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. to challenge her for the party’s nomination, assuring them that she shares his devotion to hard-working Americans and that the darkest days of her campaign are now behind her,” the New York Times reports.

What Does Joe Biden Do Now?

October 22, 2015 at 11:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 60 Comments

Holly Bailey: “The vice president, who will turn 73 in November, is facing the potential twilight of the only career he has ever really known, one he has inhabited in a way few other politicians have. He was just 27 when he was first elected to political office — a seat on the New Castle County Council in Delaware. Three years later, he ran for U.S. Senate and won. Just 30 at the time, he was the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history. All told, he’s spent nearly 46 years in office — more than half of his life — and Biden seems to have enjoyed nearly every minute of it.”

“Perhaps no politician since Lyndon B. Johnson has thrived on and loved public office more than Biden. Like LBJ, a creature of the Senate who also ascended to the White House, Biden has delighted in the nitty-gritty details of lawmaking and the art of making a deal and forging compromise even among political enemies.”

The Latest on Wonk Wire

October 22, 2015 at 10:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

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

Watch the House Benghazi Hearing

October 22, 2015 at 9:45 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 233 Comments

Political Wire has a live feed of Hillary Clinton’s testimony at the House Benghazi hearing starting at 10 a.m. ET. The hearing will likely run into the evening.

Clinton Has Clear Command of Democratic Race

October 22, 2015 at 9:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 34 Comments

First Read sees “three immediate impacts” to Joe Biden’s decision to forgo a presidential bid:

The Democratic race all but becomes a two-person contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Hillary Clinton likely will see a bump in the polls: In our NBC/WSJ poll, Hillary’s lead over Sanders is 20 points with Biden in the race (49%-29%); 25 points without him (58%-33%).
It frees up President Obama (and other on-the-fence Democrats) to possibly endorse Hillary Clinton before the Iowa and New Hampshire contests.

“While this has been an incredibly unpredictable campaign season so far, those developments will give Hillary Clinton clear command of the Democratic presidential race.”

Kyle Kondik: “The decision by Vice President Joe Biden to pass on the presidential race confirms what would have been true even if he had entered the contest: This is Hillary Clinton’s race to lose.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

October 22, 2015 at 9:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 74 Comments

“Super Girl is on TV. I saw it when I was working out this morning. There’s an ad promoting Super Girl. She looked pretty hot.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by the Tampa Bay Times.

Behind the Rapid Rise of Trey Gowdy

October 22, 2015 at 9:16 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 27 Comments

Jason Zengerle: “For all the recent evidence that careers can unspiral pretty quickly in Washington—see the soon-to-retire House Speaker John Boehner or his would-be replacement, Kevin McCarthy—you might consider as the converse the bright and rising star that is Trey Gowdy.”

“It wasn’t so long ago that the third-term Republican congressman from South Carolina was a virtual nonentity on Capitol Hill, a point he concedes himself… To the extent he was known at all, it was for his golf handicap (a 1.7, he says, the lowest in the House) and for his bewildering haircut—an ever-changing coiffure that has rotated between a faux-hawk, a slick-back, and a modiﬁed mullet. And yet, in the last several weeks, Gowdy has been pestered—at times outright begged—by his congressional Republican colleagues to take McCarthy’s place as Majority Leader and Boehner’s as Speaker of the House.”

Quote of the Day

October 22, 2015 at 8:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 52 Comments

“As soon as I think I’m getting lazier and I just can’t do the job as well, I’m going to get off there. I want to preserve whatever reputation I have. If you’ve lost your smarts, yeah, you should get off. But that hasn’t been the case.”

— Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, quoted by the Associated Press, on when he might retire.

GOP Outsider Candidates Are Actually Very Different

October 22, 2015 at 8:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Nate Cohn: “Mr. Trump, Mr. Carson and Mrs. Fiorina are actually very different candidates who seem to have very different kinds of early supporters. Understanding those differences is crucial to understanding how each one might, or might not, have staying power — and where their supporters would probably go if they faded.”

Americans Lose Patience With Both Sides on Benghazi

October 22, 2015 at 7:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 75 Comments

“Majorities in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll disapprove of the way Hillary Clinton has handled questions about the attacks and her conduct using a personal e-mail server while secretary of state.”

“But a nearly equal majority identify the Republican-led investigation into the events as a politically motivated attempt to damage the former secretary of state rather than an effort to raise legitimate concerns.”

A new CNN/ORC poll finds that 75% of Americans believe the House committee investigating the Benghazi attacks is using that investigation for political gain.

Trump Quote of the Day

October 22, 2015 at 7:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

“Some of these guys are at zero. They say they do it for their ‘brand.’ How can that be good for your brand?”

— Donald Trump, quoted by the Des Moines Register, on the GOP presidential field.

Clinton Remains Ahead in Iowa

October 22, 2015 at 7:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 2 Comments

A new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll in Iowa finds Hillary Clinton leading Bernie Sanders by seven points in the Democratic race for president, 48% to 41%.

Carson Grabs Lead in Iowa

October 22, 2015 at 7:11 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 53 Comments

A new Quinnipiac poll in Iowa finds Ben Carson leading the GOP field with 28%, followed by Donald Trump at 20%, Marco Rubio at 13%, Ted Cruz at 10%, Rand Paul at 6%, Carly Fiorina at 5%, and Jeb Bush at 5%.

Clinton Has Prepared for Benghazi Hearing

October 22, 2015 at 7:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

New York Times: “Her preparations for the hearing on Thursday before the House of Representatives’ Benghazi committee have included reviewing broad themes, operational details and the innumerable emails related to the September 2012 attack on the United States Mission in Libya.”

“But for all of Mrs. Clinton’s mastery over the substance related to Benghazi, the hearing in many ways will amount to a test of patience and will: To succeed politically, she must remain calm, take every question seriously and avoid outbursts during what is expected to be a daylong appearance, even amid her private frustration over what she sees as a Republican-led effort to hurt her presidential prospects.”

Democrats Snub South Carolina

October 22, 2015 at 7:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

When Martin O’Malley visits South Carolina today it will be the first time in 40 days that a Democratic presidential candidate visited the state, National Journal reports.

“South Carolina is used to playing second-fiddle to the first two states on the nominating calendar, Iowa and New Hampshire, where presidential candidates have flocked repeatedly this cycle. Still, the lack of time and resources Democratic contenders have invested in South Carolina so far this cycle has some locals scratching their heads.”

House Freedom Caucus Supports Ryan for Speaker

October 21, 2015 at 8:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 94 Comments

“Hard-line conservatives cleared a path late Wednesday for Rep. Paul Ryan to become House speaker, heralding a possible end to weeks of Republican leadership turmoil,” the Washington Post reports.

“The decision to support Ryan by the 40-member House Freedom Caucus, which has risen in power and stature since its founding earlier this year, came after the Ways and Means chairman spent much of his day courting its support.”

“However, it was not immediately clear whether that support — which fell short of a formal endorsement — would meet the most challenging condition Ryan set out Tuesday for serving as speaker: unity among all of the House Republican Conference’s warring factions.”

How Clinton Boxed Out Biden

October 21, 2015 at 8:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

Politico: “The directive to do nothing publicly to challenge Biden, multiple sources said, came directly from the top — Hillary Clinton herself was described as ‘aggressive’ and ‘demanding’ that donors and outside surrogates refrain from launching attacks against Biden, or even commenting publicly about his support or his chances.”

“The campaign was so sensitive about the appearance of going after Biden that even talking points for surrogates on how to discuss Biden, usually delivered by email, were only delivered by private phone calls… Part of that stance was out of respect, sources close to the campaign said, and part was an effort not to give Biden any reason to feel he should get in the race.”