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Netanyahu Apologizes to Israeli Arabs

March 23, 2015 at 5:15 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized “for warning last week that Arab citizens were voting in “droves,” comments that have been denounced by President Obama, other world leaders, American Jewish leaders and many Israelis as anti-democratic, race-baiting and fear-mongering,” the New York Times reports.

“The apology came hours after Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, announced that Mr. Netanyahu had secured the backing of 67 of the 120 Parliament members elected last week and officially designated him to form the next government.”

Quote of the Day

March 23, 2015 at 4:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

“People want folks who they believe in what they say and don’t change depending on what state they’re in.”

— Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by Time, taking a shot at Gov. Scott Walker (R).

Murphy Will Run for Senate In Florida

March 23, 2015 at 1:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 37 Comments

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-FL) said he will run for the U.S. Senate in 2016 Marco Rubio is expected to vacate, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Murphy defeated Rep. Allen West (R-FL) in 2012 “and was considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country. But a strong competitor never emerged in 2014 and Murphy did a good job of navigating the politically mixed nature of the district. He’s the first candidate to officially declare but will likely be joined by others in pursuit of what should be an open seat.”

National Security Becomes Top Issue

March 23, 2015 at 1:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Gerald Seib notes “two factors — the rapid rise of Islamic State as a broad threat to the international order and the likelihood of a highly controversial nuclear deal with Iran — are driving national security higher on the agenda than seemed likely just a few months ago. And that, in turn, scrambles the political calculus in both parties.”

“This change doesn’t mean foreign policy will trump economic concerns as a 2016 area of emphasis, merely that it won’t take the back seat that seemed likely not long ago. The broadest issue atop the agenda still figures to be the widespread sense of middle-class stagnation: the sense that even as the economy improves on a macro level, on the micro level many families aren’t seeing commensurate improvement in wages, job security or economic confidence.”

“But that sense of domestic unease now will share more of the stage with a sense of global uncertainty.”

Stevens Prosecution Looms Over Menendez Case

March 23, 2015 at 6:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

“In 2008, the Justice Department took the unusual step of indicting a sitting United States senator. Prosecutors described the senator, Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, as a crafty politician who concealed the expensive gifts that had been lavished upon him by one of his friends, a millionaire oil contractor. The case ultimately collapsed, becoming an embarrassing cautionary tale about overzealous prosecuting,” the New York Times reports.

“Now, federal corruption prosecutors are close to once again bringing charges against a senator, Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. The Justice Department’s public corruption unit, which was overhauled after the Stevens case, is running the investigation. Once again, the case involves a lawmaker and gifts from a wealthy friend.”

House Nears ‘Doc Fix’ Breakthrough

March 23, 2015 at 6:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

“The House is inching closer to a major deal on Medicare payments that could help cement a legacy for Speaker John Boehner,” The Hill reports.

“Boehner has spent two months quietly working with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to finally solve a Medicare payment problem that has eluded congressional leaders for more than 20 years.  ”

Cruz Beat the GOP Establishment Before

March 23, 2015 at 5:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 64 Comments

As Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “launches his presidential campaign Monday, he will draw heavily upon his experience in 2012, when he shocked the GOP establishment and toppled a better known and better-funded opponent in a tea-party fueled primary win,” National Journal reports.

“Then, as now, Cruz began as a blip in the polls. Then, as now, he planned to run as an unbending conservative champion. Then, as now, the establishment was against him. Then, as now, he knew he would be outspent.”

“Then, he won. Now, he’s trying to do it again, this time on an even bigger stage.”

Can Cruz Raise Large Amounts from Small Donors?

March 23, 2015 at 4:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

Mark Halperin: “What is not known: what kind of grassroots email and mailing lists does Cruz have and how potent will they be to raise small donations (such as those from donors who can give again and again all cycle)? With the exception of Rand Paul and his father, no one in the Republican Party has shown an Obama-like capacity to raise money this way in a nomination fight. Cruz just might.”

New York Times: “By becoming the first candidate to declare himself officially in the race, Republicans briefed on his strategy said, Mr. Cruz hopes to reclaim the affection and attention of those on the party’s right wing who have begun eyeing other contenders, particularly Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.”

Ready for Hillary Ready to Step Aside

March 23, 2015 at 3:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 1 Comment

Ready for Hillary “is planning to dissolve as soon as possible after Clinton formally announces,” The Hill reports.

“Their parting gift to her: A list of more than 3.6 million supporters they’ll push to sign on with Clinton’s official campaign, leaving her with a huge pool of potential donors and volunteers as she enters the race.”

Tweet of the Day

March 23, 2015 at 3:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

I’m running for President and I hope to earn your support! pic.twitter.com/0UTqaIoytP

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 23, 2015

Gawker notes Cruz uses stock video footage in his announcement: “Look at the emerald cornfields. A new dawn rising over a city, a field, and a desert. It’s even got a little league team! Ted Cruz’s duly licensed America looks lovely this time of year.”

Clinton Benghazi Emails Provide Rare Glimpse

March 23, 2015 at 3:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

New York Times: “The roughly 300 emails from Mrs. Clinton’s private account that were turned over last month to a House committee investigating the attack showed the secretary and her aides closely monitoring the fallout from the tragedy, which threatened to damage her image and reflect poorly on the State Department.”

“They provided no evidence that Mrs. Clinton, as the most incendiary Republican attacks have suggested, issued a ‘stand down’ order to halt American forces responding to the violence in Benghazi, or took part in a broad cover-up of the administration’s response, according to senior American officials.”

“But they did show that Mrs. Clinton’s top aides at times corresponded with her about State Department matters from their personal email accounts, raising questions about her recent assertions that she made it her practice to email aides at their government addresses so the messages would be preserved, in compliance with federal record-keeping regulations.”

History Stacked Against Third Democratic Term

March 23, 2015 at 3:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 93 Comments

Rhodes Cook: “The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee–whomever it turns out to be–will face resistance from recent history. Since the end of the 20-year Democratic run in the White House that began with Franklin D. Roosevelt and ended with Harry Truman, there have been six occasions when either major party could have extended its control of the White House to three terms. But this has happened only once: when Republican George H.W. Bush in 1988 won what some have called Ronald Reagan’s third term.”

Warren Urged to Run for President

March 23, 2015 at 2:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 18 Comments

The Boston Globe editorial page urged Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to run for president.

“Democrats would be making a big mistake if they let Hillary Clinton coast to the presidential nomination without opposition, and, as a national leader, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren can make sure that doesn’t happen. If she puts her causes and goals front and center, as Democrats gather their forces for the crucial 2016 campaign, Warren could enrich the political process for years to come.”

Wisconsin Abortion Law Struck Down

March 23, 2015 at 2:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

“A federal judge has struck down a Wisconsin law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, dealing a fresh blow to such requirements, which face legal challenges in several states,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why Scandal Is Unlikely to Sink Clinton

March 23, 2015 at 2:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

Larry Sabato says “there is good reason to think that scandal has a much less pronounced effect at the presidential level. For one thing, most elections for the White House revolve around macro-issues such as the economy and war, and voters instinctively realize that personal peccadilloes fade in importance. For another, most top-tier contenders are reasonably well known and have been vetted to some degree by the press and opponents in prior elections. When voters already have a clearly formed view of a candidate and his or her strengths and weaknesses, it naturally becomes more difficult to alter impressions.”

“For no one is this more true than Hillary Clinton, who has been in the national spotlight, center stage, for 23 years. HuffPost Pollster data show over 90 percent of the public has already formed an opinion of Clinton, the most of any potential 2016 candidate. Other than the very youngest voters, is there really anyone left who doesn’t have a mostly fixed view of her?”

Obama Publicly Rebukes Netanyahu

March 22, 2015 at 5:45 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 65 Comments

President Obama said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “had hampered the Mideast peace process by saying in the closing days of his re-election campaign that there would be no Palestinian state during his tenure as Israel’s leader,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Obama: “We take him at his word when he said that it wouldn’t happen during his prime ministership, and so that’s why we’ve got to evaluate what other options are available to make sure that we don’t see a chaotic situation in the region.”

Frank Says More Closeted Gays In Congress

March 22, 2015 at 5:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said that he believes there are still closeted gay members of Congress, the Jersey Journal reports.

“Frank, who is openly gay, has no qualms with these members staying in the closet as long as they are ‘supportive of legal protections’ for homosexuals.”

Said Frank: “The issue where they lose me is hypocrisy. What I think is unacceptable is to vote a certain set of rules as an elected official and then to violate them yourself. But if you are a Democrat, Republican, whatever, and you vote to allow people to do what you do, then I have no demand that you become public.”

Cruz Breaks the Rules of Presidential Announcements

March 22, 2015 at 5:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 47 Comments

Time: “Presidential hopefuls tend to kick off the quest for the White House on home turf, after forming an exploratory committee and at the beginning of a new fundraising period, which allows them to maximize the amount of time they can spend raising money before filing their first report. In contrast, the Texas Senator will declare his intentions during a convocation speech at Liberty University in Virginia, forgoing an exploratory committee to formally jump into the race in the final weeks of the first quarter.”