Political Wire

Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!

Jeb Bush Winning the Money Race

February 13, 2015 at 4:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 49 Comments

“Jeb Bush’s money juggernaut is far eclipsing the efforts of his would-be rivals for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, putting his two political committees on pace to amass an unprecedented sum of tens of millions of dollars by early spring,” the Washington Post reports.

“The former Florida governor’s overwhelming dominance in the race to line up financial backers has come at a speed that has impressed longtime Republican money players, who say wealthy party backers have rapidly migrated to Bush since 2012 nominee Mitt Romney decided against another White House run two weeks ago.”

Bloomberg: “Only five weeks after its founding, Bush’s Right to Rise is spreading its wealth in early primary states. As Jeb Bush stockpiles a political war chest for his presidential campaign-in-waiting, his finance committee has donated $122,800 to Republican officials and state parties in the first five weeks of its existence, an indication of the tactical focus and tenacity with which the former Florida governor is approaching both giving and receiving in the early days of the 2016 fundraising season.”

Ryan Will Not Run for Senate in Ohio

February 13, 2015 at 3:58 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

Although a reversal on his abortion stance last month prompted speculation that Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) would challenge Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) in next year’s election, the lawmaker said today he will not run for the seat, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

“He indicated he would seek another term in Congress.”

Oregon Will Have First Openly Bisexual Governor

February 13, 2015 at 3:24 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 28 Comments

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown (D) will become the first openly bisexual governor when Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) resigns from office next week, the Washington Post reports.

“It would be a milestone for LGBT elected officials. An LGBT governor has never been elected, although New Jersey did have an openly gay governor briefly in 2004, after Gov. Jim McGreevey (D) came out as gay and admitted an affair with a man he had appointed to a key job. He resigned three months later.”

“Brown is married to husband Dan Little; she has publicly discussed her bisexuality in past campaigns. She is already arguably the highest-ranking bisexual elected official in America; Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ.) became the first bisexual member of Congress in 2013. There are about 525 openly LGBT public officials in office at all levels of government, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.”

Political Job Hunting Tips

February 13, 2015 at 3:22 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

We will never send spam. You can unsubscribe at any time.

If you prefer, you can instantly download our new ebook filled with 100+ job hunting tips: Political Job Hunt: An Insider’s Guide to Finding a Job That Makes a Difference. Use discount code “filibuster” to get 20% off.

Lawmaker Tries to Ban Porn from Federal Offices

February 13, 2015 at 2:26 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 25 Comments

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) introduced legislation to prevent federal employees from accessing pornographic or explicit materials at work, the Huffington Post reports.

Said Meadows: “It’s appalling that it requires an act of Congress to ensure that federal agencies block access to these sites.”

“While most federal employers already have rules outlawing such behavior, it appears some employees have still managed to get their fix while on the clock. A 2005 report from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General disclosed that two EPA employees were suspended for viewing pornographic websites at work. And in 2014, the inspector general cited an EPA employee for downloading more than 7,000 pornographic images and spending up to six hours a day watching porn on his government-issued computer.”

Kitzhaber Expected to Resign Today

February 13, 2015 at 1:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 30 Comments

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) “is expected to resign Friday, perhaps in the early afternoon,” multiple sources told KOIN 6 News.

“The decision came after intense debate among the governor and those close to him. These sources say Kitzhaber has wanted to pursue that course since the weekend but had been dissuaded by his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, and his legal team.”

Update: The Oregonian reports Kitzhaber resigned effective next Wednesday, Feb. 18, in a letter submitted to Secretary of State Kate Brown.

10 Best Political Skits from Saturday Night Live

February 13, 2015 at 1:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

As Saturday Night Live celebrates its 40th anniversary this week, Jonathan Cohn offers his top 10 political skits of all time.

This is my favorite:

Arkansas Passes Bill to Allow LGBT Discrimination

February 13, 2015 at 1:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 56 Comments

“The Arkansas legislature gave its final thumbs up Friday to a bill that would block cities and counties from enacting anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT people,” BuzzFeed reports.

“Having already cleared the state senate Monday, the bill now heads to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is not expected to veto the legislation.”

Grimm Took Illegal Payments After Election to Congress

February 13, 2015 at 12:13 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

Former Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) “received $100,000 in under-the-table payments from a secret ownership stake he maintained in a health eatery after his election to Congress, federal prosecutors alleged in an affidavit unsealed Wednesday,” the New York Daily News reports.

“The Staten Island Republican pleaded guilty late last year to a felony count of filing false tax returns while part-owner of the Upper East Side restaurant, Healthalicious. Grimm resigned his seat last month.”

Majority in Oregon Want Kitzhaber Out

February 13, 2015 at 11:29 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

A new SurveyUSA poll in Oregon finds a majority of voters want Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) to resign amid a scandal that has consumed him, his office and his fiancée, 58% to 36%.

An Honest Way to Dodge a Question

February 13, 2015 at 9:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) “said something out loud that reporters who cover him regularly have known for a long time – he occasionally mangles his language badly, speaking in sentence fragments and run-on sentences as he makes his point,” the Columbia Daily Tribune reports.

Said Nixon in response to a reporter: “That’s a good question. I can do one of two things. I can tell you I don’t have a good answer to that and then I can talk for about a minute, or I can say I don’t have a good answer to that and then we can go to the next question. It is your guys’ choice. Pick a subject. I can talk for a minute on basically anything and be stunningly unquotable.”

Christie Approval Sinks to New Low

February 13, 2015 at 8:38 am EST By Taegan Goddard 38 Comments

A new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll in New Jersey finds just 37% of registered voters give Gov. Chris Christie (R) a favorable job rating, down 7 points in the last two months.

Bonus Quote of the Day

February 13, 2015 at 8:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

“The audience for the most part is awake because they’re bobbing up and down all the time. And we sit there, stone faced, the sober judges. But we’re not, at least I was not, 100 percent sober.”

— Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, quoted by CNN, explaining that she may have had too much wine before President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Quote of the Day

February 13, 2015 at 8:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 82 Comments

“Well, you know God created man first. Then he took the rib out of man to make woman. And you know, a rib is a lesser cut of meat.”

— South Carolina state Sen. Thomas Corbin (R), quoted by FITSNews, making fun of state Sen. Katrina Shealy (R), the only female member of the 46-person state Senate.

Ground Crumbles Under Kitzhaber

February 13, 2015 at 7:54 am EST By Taegan Goddard 27 Comments

“In one of the most surreal days in Oregon political history, the state’s top Democratic leaders called for Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) to resign, and the governor vanished from public view,” the Oregonian reports.

“With support of even allies evaporating, the ability of Kitzhaber to remain in office appeared less viable by the hour… By day’s end, Kitzhaber had suffered a legal blow, too, when Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum declared that the emails of his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, are public records and must be released.”

Biden’s Butt Buddy

February 13, 2015 at 7:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard 18 Comments

In a visit to Iowa, Vice President Joe Biden referred to former Rep. Neal Smith (D-IA) as his “old butt buddy,” the Des Moines Register reports.

Rubio Once Thought Early States Had Too Much Power

February 13, 2015 at 7:48 am EST By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

Sen. Marco Rubio wrote in a 2006 book that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire “have a disproportionate impact on the nomination of presidential candidates,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“Today, Rubio hits the road with a new book and his first stop is here in Iowa, a sure sign he wants to compete for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. We wonder if, given the benefit of time, he’d frame things as he did in 2006.”

Congress Lukewarm About War Powers for Obama

February 13, 2015 at 7:16 am EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

New York Times: “Now, six months after he sent the military back into combat to take on the terror group calling itself the Islamic State, Mr. Obama has acquiesced and sent a measure to Congress asking it to formally authorize what he has been doing all along. And now that they have gotten what they asked for, few in Congress seem all that enthusiastic about the prospect.”

“One side thinks the president’s request for war-making powers is too brazen and even reckless. The other side thinks it is too spineless and probably ineffectual.”

A new NBC News/Marist poll finds 54% to 32% support for Obama’s measure.