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Biden vs. Clinton Could Get Ugly

August 25, 2015 at 8:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 23 Comments

Michael Tomasky: “Biden would have no choice but to build a run around the idea that she’s too risky. He or his surrogates will need to press the idea that the party could nominate Clinton and then next fall, Trey Gowdy finds that Holy Grail email that brings the whole thing crashing down. In other words, his candidacy is going to have to be built around what is in essence a Republican Party talking point.”

“And if he goes for the jugular, the Clinton team will surely respond in kind. They’re not wallflowers, those folks. They know how to fight. And they’d be fighting on behalf of the millions of Democratic women out there for whom it’s Clinton’s time.”

Kasich Approval Soars in Ohio

August 25, 2015 at 7:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

A new Quinnipiac poll in Ohio finds John Kasich’s standing continues to rise to an all-time high among voters as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination. Voters approved of Kasich’s job performance 61% to 28%, with even stronger numbers among Republicans at 84% to 10%.

Jeb Bush Starts Hitting Back

August 25, 2015 at 6:49 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 44 Comments

New York Times: “The change in Mr. Bush’s tone is a calculated strategy, interviews show, with two different but crucial aims now that Mr. Trump is proving to be a long-term obstacle, not a passing nuisance: to dilute Mr. Trump’s right-wing support by proving that he is not a genuine conservative and to show a wary Republican Party that Mr. Bush is enough of a street fighter to survive a nasty nomination contest.”

“The new approach, which began with Mr. Bush’s remarks last week in New Hampshire and then on Monday, may soon expand, drawing in surrogates who can broaden the critique beyond Mr. Trump’s policies — much the way that Mitt Romney sought to undermine rivals like Newt Gingrich in 2012, said people familiar with the discussions, who insisted on anonymity to discuss plans that were not set in stone.”

Biden Leans Towards Run But Family Issues Remain

August 25, 2015 at 6:46 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

“As Vice President Biden weighs a possible run for president, personal issues stand as the biggest unresolved obstacle, with Biden trying to gauge whether his family is emotionally prepared for a grueling campaign while still grieving the recent death of his son Beau,” the Washington Post reports.

“Biden is now leaning more toward running than he was earlier in the summer, though he is still weeks from a decision. He thinks his White House experience over the past 6 1/2 years, coupled with his grounding in middle-class issues during a long career in the Senate, makes him well equipped to serve as President Obama’s successor.”

Wall Street Journal: Biden decision creates dilemma for President Obama

Top Walker Fundraiser Discussed Defecting to Trump

August 24, 2015 at 5:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 60 Comments

“One of Scott Walker’s top fundraisers met with Donald Trump Monday and discussed the possibility of his leaving the Walker camp to work for the New York developer’s presidential campaign,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Trump: “He wants to drop Walker and go with me. He wants to endorse me. He said, ‘I want to drop Walker and endorse you.’”

Biden Calls Meeting of Top Fundraisers

August 24, 2015 at 4:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 34 Comments

“Major Democratic fundraisers have been invited to meet with Vice President Joe Biden at his residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory after Labor Day, part of a series of conversations he is having with senior party players as he contemplates jumping into the 2016 race,” the Washington Post reports.

“Among the guests invited to the gathering are top bundlers who raised large sums for the Obama-Biden campaigns in 2008 and 2012, according to people familiar with the outreach. The sitdown is scheduled to take place during the week following Labor Day.”

Odds of Trump Winning Nomination Jump

August 24, 2015 at 4:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 35 Comments

“The odds of Donald Trump winning the Republican nomination are up from 1% in late July to 19% now on Pivit, an interactive prediction marketplace that combines public opinion, news and data to predict the live odds of election outcomes,” CNN reports.

The Hill: “Howard Stern is predicting that Donald Trump will be the 2016 GOP presidential nominee.”

Perry’s Iowa Chairman Quits

August 24, 2015 at 4:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 23 Comments

“The Iowa chairman for Rick Perry’s faltering Republican presidential bid says he is no longer part of the campaign as Perry seeks to keep his longshot effort alive on limited funds,” the AP reports.

Dalrymple Won’t Run Again in North Dakota

August 24, 2015 at 3:54 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 23 Comments

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R) “announced Monday that he will not run for re-election next year, blowing the gubernatorial race wide open and intensifying speculation over whether Democratic U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp will seek the state’s highest office,” the Fargo Forum reports.

Pat Robertson Says Market Turmoil Is God’s Punishment

August 24, 2015 at 3:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 98 Comments

Pat Robertson says he believes the stock market’s massive sell-off this morning was God’s way of punishing the Obama administration for supporting abortion rights, Politico reports.

Said Robertson: “We will pay dearly as a nation for this thing going on. And possibly if we were to stop all this slaughter the judgment of God might be lifted from us. But it’s coming, ladies and gentlemen.”

Quote of the Day

August 24, 2015 at 2:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 79 Comments

“I think it is a positive for our party. When you have 30 million people watching, not to mention the fact that we have 16 other incredible candidates out there I think we are showing America that we are the young, diverse party, offering a whole slew of options for people and that’s a good thing.”

— RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, in an interview on WISN, on whether Donald Trump is a positive force for Republicans.

The Latest on Wonk Wire

August 24, 2015 at 12:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

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

Bevin Declines to Endorse Paul

August 24, 2015 at 12:26 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) endorsed Matt Bevin (R) for Kentucky governor, but when asked later if he was backing Paul in his bid for the presidency, Bevin refused to say, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

Said Bevin: “At this point, I’m running for governor and that’s what my focus is on. I am delighted that Rand is running, I have made very clear that I’m a supporter of that idea. I’m running for governor, I have made no endorsement whatsoever.”

Why Biden Running Could Actually Help Clinton

August 24, 2015 at 11:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 54 Comments

First Read: “Yet despite how a Biden bid could initially hurt Hillary Clinton (make no mistake, it would be a clear rebuke to her), there are two reasons why Biden running could actually help her. First, it would force Clinton and her campaign to step up their game… In other words, give her a real Democratic race — a la what she experienced in the spring of 2008 when Clinton trailed Barack Obama — and it’ll force her to be a stronger candidate. Two, Biden jumping in would swap the scandal-focused coverage of Clinton and replace it with horserace-focused coverage. It has become increasingly apparent that Hillary Clinton might not be able to beat a unified political press corps on constant scandal patrol. But she could beat Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.”

Does Joe Biden Really Have a Chance?

August 24, 2015 at 9:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 49 Comments

Rick Klein: “Agita does not necessarily mean an opening. That’s an important distinction to Vice President Joe Biden, as he considers a run that would inject high drama and countless new storylines into what was supposed to be a march dictated by inevitability for Hillary Clinton. We know Biden would bring name recognition, deep experience, and a zeal for running that couldn’t be matched. We also know that he’s 0-2 in presidential races already, and that his own worst enemy tends to speak for himself – literally. There may be no moment that’s more favorable to a potential Biden candidacy than this one, with Clinton’s email controversy interrupting the summer only by the utterings of Donald Trump.”

“That’s different, though, than a grassroots yearning for Biden. When it comes down to it, he’s neither generationally nor ideologically all that distinct from Clinton. That means the differences would have to come in tone (check) and, pretty quickly, where he seeks out divisions. Biden is not a natural intra-party attacker, and that could very well be what it takes to defeat the frontrunner.”

Why Donald Trump Wears a Hat

August 24, 2015 at 9:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

New Yorker: “Once he emerged as the early front-runner for the Republican Presidential nomination, this summer, his airport comings and goings posed a delicate staging issue: a rogue wind off the tarmac could render his comb-over fully erect in front of the campaign paparazzi. So, in Laredo, Trump débuted a protective innovation: a baseball hat adorned with a campaign slogan that he recycled from Ronald Reagan’s 1980 run for the White House — ‘Make America Great Again!’ The headwear, which had the rigid façade and the braided rope of a cruise-ship giveaway, added an expeditionary element to the day’s outfit, of blazer, pale slacks, golf shoes—well suited for a mission that he was describing as one of great personal risk.”

Is It Time for Another GOP Candidate?

August 24, 2015 at 8:11 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 105 Comments

Bill Kristol says it may be time to encourage another candidate to enter the Republican presidential race.

“It may seem odd to suggest that the solution to an already unprecedentedly large field is to expand it further. But politics is full of oddities. And what would be truly odd would be to go into battle in 2016 with a candidate we settle on rather than a nominee the country can rally behind.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Examiner reports that former Trump advisor Roger Stone thinks Mitt Romney is thinking once again about getting back in the presidential race.

Biden Leans Toward Run

August 24, 2015 at 7:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 46 Comments

Vice President Joe Biden “is increasingly leaning toward entering the 2016 race, illustrating how, with just six months before the first presidential nominating contests, both major parties’ campaigns are in a state of flux,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Biden would enter as a clear underdog. Polling shows Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton running far ahead of the vice president, who would be building a campaign team largely from scratch. Mrs. Clinton, who declared her candidacy four months ago, has a robust campaign operation and an outside super PAC raising money on her behalf.”

Politico: “Hearts are breaking in the White House and in the Obama alumni network just thinking about a Joe Biden presidential run. They don’t know what to root for.”