Coming soon: Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America by Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney.
The book “contends that Obama has abandoned a decades-long tradition of American global leadership,” according to the AP.
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A Deep Dive Into Party Affiliation
Pew Research: “Democrats hold advantages in party identification among blacks, Asians, Hispanics, well-educated adults and Millennials. Republicans have leads among whites – particularly white men, those with less education and evangelical Protestants – as well as members of the Silent Generation.”
Paul Promises to Break the Washington Machine
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “officially declared himself a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday, promising a crowd of cheering supporters that he is ready to shake up Washington and disprove those in his own party who doubt that a fiercely libertarian conservative can be a serious contender,” the New York Times reports.
Said Paul: “The Washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives must be stopped. I want to be part of a return to prosperity.”
Politico: “Paul took aim at his fellow Republicans as he formally launched his presidential bid on Tuesday in Louisville, railing against his party for succumbing to special interests and framing himself as a fiercely anti-establishment figure who would appeal to a broad swath of the electorate.”
Washington Post: “Paul’s announcement makes him the second major Republican candidate to officially jump into the 2016 race, just the first of a string of campaign debuts slated for this month.”
Hillary Kept Everyone Guessing
Politico: “In the last year, at least 20 journalists from as many news organizations have tried to put a date, rough or specific, on when the former secretary of state would announce her highly anticipated presidential bid. That guessing game came to an end last week when the Clinton team signed a lease on campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, all but guaranteeing an announcement within the next two weeks, in compliance with federal law.”
“The shifting timeline, which ranged at times from January to October, was almost certainly the result of changing plans within the nascent Clinton campaign, as well as the conflicting interests of various Clinton confidants and sources. Nevertheless, the changes likely left readers doing a doubletake.”
Paul Accepts Bitcoin Donations
Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) newly-announced presidential campaign is accepting bitcoin donations, National Journal reports.
“The decision to accept bitcoin — a decentralized form of online payment that is quick and avoids common fees — was likely an easy one for Paul, who is hoping to court Silicon Valley’s interests as well as youth voters during his presidential bid. Paul, whose website includes a flashy online store that includes merchandise like an “NSA spy cam blocker,” has long envisioned himself as a more tech-friendly member of the GOP—a perception he’ll need to keep as more traditional Republican backers remain leery of his candidacy.”
Deciphering the Campaign Finance Maze
Wonk Wire highlights a really useful chart to make sense of it all.
Libertarians Are a Small Minority of GOP Voters
Nate Cohn: “The libertarians remain too young and too few to present Senator Paul with a realistic path to the nomination. He has to win over a much larger share of more reliable Republican primary voters, who will have considerable reservations about Mr. Paul’s policies. The other problem he faces: Many of the voters most receptive to libertarian views tend not to vote.”
“In one sense, you could argue that the libertarian wing of the Republican Party barely exists at all. According to a large Pew Research survey in 2014 of 10,000 respondents, 11 percent of Americans and 12 percent of self-identified Republicans considered themselves libertarian. They met a basic threshold for knowing what the term meant. But there wasn’t much ‘libertarian’ about these voters; over all, their views were startlingly similar to those of the public as a whole.”
Jindal Backs ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill in Louisiana
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) announced he will support a controversial religious freedom bill filed by a Louisiana legislator, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
“The Louisiana legislation is not exactly the same as the laws introduced in Indiana and Arkansas, but it deals with many of the same issues related to same-sex marriage and religious protections.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“It’s hard for any party to hang on to the White House for 12 years, and it’s a long road. A thousand things could happen.”
— Bill Clinton, in an interview with Town & Country magazine.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“If you can control the most important thing a person has – their health and their health care – then you’re well on your way to controlling every aspect of their life.”
— Ben Carson, quoted by the Concord Monitor, explaining his opposition to the Affordable Care Act.
Quote of the Day
“Chalk one up for Brokaw.”
— NBC News anchor Brian Williams, quoted by Vanity Fair, talking to a friend about why he was suspended from his anchor chair.
Paul to Kick Off White House Bid
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), “the maverick first-term Senator who rode a Tea Party wave from a Kentucky ophthalmology practice to Congress, is just hours away from his Tuesday morning launch of a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination,” the Washington Post reports.
“Paul’s expected announcement in Louisville, which will make him the second major Republican candidate to formally jump into the 2016 race, is just the first of a string of campaign debuts currently slated for this month.”
Politico: “His challenge in the GOP nominating fight is to claim the anti-establishment mantle while capturing a broader swath of the electorate than his father, who had a devoted national following but fell far short of contending in his unsuccessful 2008 and 2012 GOP bids and in his 1988 presidential run as Libertarian party nominee.”
McCain Will Run for Re-Election
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told NBC News that he will run for re-election even though he is currently 78 years old but will be 80 by Election Day in 2016.
Said McCain: “I say watch me. Take a look. Take a look at my 18 hour days. Take a look at the hearings we have. Take a look at my legislative accomplishments.”
The End of the Big Tent
Reuters: “Republicans and Democrats used to take pride in calling their respective parties ‘big tents‘ with room for a diversity of views. That tradition has ended for Republicans. It may be on its way out for Democrats as well.”
“The main reason the tents are shrinking is that the number of swing states is diminishing. Congressional Republicans increasingly represent red states and congressional Democrats blue states. Thirty percent of Democrats in the House of Representatives now come from just two states — New York and California.”
Obama Chastises Walker on Iran
President Obama scoffed at Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) suggestion that he would, on Day 1, revoke any nuclear agreement with Iran if he is elected president, NPR reports.
Said Obama: “It would be a foolish approach to take and perhaps Mr. Walker — after he’s taken some time to bone up on foreign policy — will feel the same way.”
Chicago Voters Head to the Polls
“Chicago voters head to the polls Tuesday in the city’s first mayoral runoff as Rahm Emanuel seeks a second term over Cook County Commissioner Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia,” the AP reports.
Getting the Campaign Launch Right
“If a presidential run were a movie, the campaign announcement would be the red-carpet premiere — a highly orchestrated, old-school ritual infused with ego and bathed in Klieg lights,” the Washington Post reports.
“More than a dozen other likely candidates, including Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, are brainstorming how to create their own vivid and memorable kickoffs in coming weeks. The act of an announcement is rarely a surprise, but what a candidate says — and where and how they choose to say it — offer important clues to who they are, what kind of president they aspire to be and how they think they can win.”
“More than perhaps any other occasion, launch events are under the complete control of the campaign, and a strong start can do wonders in propelling a candidate in a positive direction.”
One Question for Frank Rich
As the Executive Producer of a political drama, what do you think of House of Cards?
Frank Rich: “Needless to say I am not objective and I feel that VEEP more accurately captures the DC I know. House of Cards can be quite entertaining and of course is very well acted. And for all the nastiness of its characters and events, it actually suggests things can get done in Washington, even if in a malevolent way. There’s something heroic about that. In VEEP, no one gets anything done, there’s no grandeur, and no competence, and no concern for the voters whatsoever. To me that’s the farce of Washington today.”
