“I think he’s hijacked the debate. I think he’s a wrecking ball for the future of the Republican Party with the Hispanic community and we need to push back. This is a defining moment for the Republican Party. We need to reject this.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by CNN, on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
“Negotiators at the Iran nuclear talks are expected to reach a provisional agreement Sunday on a historic deal that would curb the country’s atomic program in return for sanctions relief,” diplomats told the Associated Press.
New York Times: “While Mr. Walker is ahead in some opinion polls, including for Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, a series of early gaffes alarmed party leaders and donors and led Mr. Walker to begin several months of policy tutorials. The collective hope is that Mr. Walker can avoid what Mr. Goeas and other advisers describe as Sarah Palin’s problem — becoming a candidate who is initially popular among Republicans, like the 2008 vice-presidential nominee, but loses luster because of missteps as the campaign goes on.”
“Mr. Walker is now emerging from his crash course with the aim of reassuring activists and contributors, who have given relatively modest amounts to his political operation so far, that he will no longer sow doubts about himself with comments like comparing pro-union protesters to Islamic State terrorists, refusing to answer a question about evolution or saying he does not know if President Obama is a Christian or if he loves America.”
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Donald Trump “delivered a rambling monologue on Saturday, dismissing a long list of critics — including Jeb Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Macy’s — while rallying what he termed a new silent majority of voters,” the New York Times reports.
“It also demonstrated what his party fears most about him: that he is an orator without regard for decorum who is willing to mock other Republicans.”
Politico: “Most other candidates would have folded. Some might have doubled down. On Saturday, Donald Trump tripled down.”
“Hillary Clinton is preparing to lay out an economic plan that seeks to chart a center-left ideological course, rejecting ideas put forth by Republican presidential contenders but also striking a contrast with the liberal wing of her own party,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Jeb Bush, let’s say he’s president — Oy, yoy, yoy. How can I be tied with this guy? He’s terrible. Terrible.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by the Washington Post.
A new Reuters-Ipsos poll finds that Donald Trump “has vaulted into a virtual dead heat” with Jeb Bush atop the GOP presidential field.
Trump had the support of 15.8% compared to 16.1% for Bush. They were followed by Gov. Chris Christie at 9.5%, Sen. Rand Paul at 8.1%, Ben Carson at 7.2% and Gov. Scott Walker at 5.8%.
New York Times: “In rooms like this one around the country, an expensive and sophisticated effort is underway to test and refine the most potent lines of attack against Mrs. Clinton, and, ultimately, to persuade Americans that she does not deserve their votes. While the general election is 16 months away, Republican groups are eager to begin building a powerful case against the woman they believe will be the Democratic nominee, and to infuse the public consciousness with those messages.”
“The effort to vilify Mrs. Clinton could ultimately cost several hundred million dollars, given the variety and volume of political organizations involved.”
“After weeks of criticism — and rising poll numbers — in the wake of controversial remarks on immigration, Donald Trump brings his spotlight to Arizona, a longtime hotbed of border security debate,” The Hill reports.
Trump will be “joining forces at a rally Saturday afternoon with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an immigration hardliner who has said illegal aliens in his jurisdiction can expect a ‘free ride to jail.’ The event shows Trump has no intent of softening his rhetoric, which is unnerving Republicans even as the outspoken billionaire has gone sky-high in the polls.”
The Arizona Republic notes Trump repeated his vow to construct a border wall: “I build the best walls, believe me, for the lowest cost, but Mexico is going to pay for it. And you’re going to start treating us with respect.”
Frank Bruni: “I keep reading that Donald Trump is wrecking the Republican Party. I keep hearing that he’s a threat to the fortunes of every other Republican presidential candidate, because he sullies the brand and puts them in an impossible position.”
“What bunk… The brand was plenty sullied before he lent his huff and his hair to the task. And by giving his Republican rivals a perfect foil, he also gives them a perfect chance to rehabilitate and redeem the party.”
“As it stands now, he’s using them. If they had any guts, they could use him.”
“Scott Walker is running for president, he announced in what appeared to be an unintentional tweet on Friday,” Politico reports.
“The Wisconsin governor isn’t expected to formally announce until Monday, but on Friday afternoon, the Republican appeared to tweet a black-and-white image of himself waving onstage that read, ‘Scott Walker is running for president.’ The tweet was still viewable under his account later Friday afternoon, but had been taken down by Friday night.”
“I think that this is a dumb way to weed out the field. Brad Pitt would be in the debate in August. Anybody with any celebrity would be in the debate. I don’t mind weeding out the field over time. It’s July for God’s sakes. So a national poll is a lousy way, in my view, to determine who should be on the stage. And I quite frankly resent it.”
– Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by Yahoo News, furious about Fox News’ rules for the first GOP primary debate.
“I’m confident Jeb and Hillary will elevate the discourse. I can’t speak for their surrogates. Except for this surrogate (pointing at himself). But I’m not a surrogate.”
— George W. Bush, quoted by KMBZ.
“Katherine Archuleta, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, will resign effective Friday, according to a White House official, one day after it was revealed that sweeping cyberintrusions at the agency resulted in the theft of the personal information of more than 25 million people,” the New York Times reports.
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) “is strongly considering a political comeback in 2016 now that a new state Supreme Court ruling nearly guarantees that a swing congressional seat will be redrawn to rope in his home along with a gaggle of Democrats,” Politico reports.
“The court ruling could also force Rep. David Jolly, the incumbent Republican of the district in question, to forgo a reelection bid and instead try his luck with an open Senate seat.”
First Read: “Jeb’s model — with a whopping $103 million via his Super PAC and $11.4 million by his campaign (in just 16 days) — is one where you will have possibly two competing organizations (the campaign and the Super PAC), and where most of the resources (at least early on) will be housed in the Super PAC.”
“Meanwhile, Hillary’s model — $45 million raised by the campaign, $23 million by two Super PACs — is the structure we’ve seen from the last two successful presidential candidates, Barack Obama and George W. Bush. This model keeps most of the resources and almost all of the decision-making inside the campaign. What’s more, campaigns get discounted ad rates versus what outside groups and Super PACs get.”
The New Republic: “Who will incur The Donald’s wrath next? Here’s a guide for those seeking to annoy the famously thin-skinned Trump.”
Jeb Bush wants President Obama “to fire the head of the Office of Personnel Management amid a cascade of revelations about the size and scope of an enormous hack of federal employee data from the agency,” National Journal reports.
Said Bush: “You have a political hack — you have the national political director of the Obama reelection campaign as the head of this. And just as has been the case across the board when we have this sheer incompetence or scandalous behavior, there’s no accountability. No one ever seems—no one seems to be fired. If I was president of the United States, that person would be fired.”
Taegan 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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