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Republicans Already Camping Out in Iowa

March 7, 2015 at 7:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard 2 Comments

“There are so many reasons for Republicans to ignore Iowa… And yet, despite predictions that Republicans would break the costly habit of campaigning in this unrepresentative state, they are trekking to Iowa like never before,” the New York Times reports.

“Nearly a dozen 2016 hopefuls are arriving here Saturday for what the political class indelicately terms a ‘cattle call.’ Appropriately, it will be at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, a fabled venue for politicians every August — but cold and barren in March.”

Obama Plans for Post-Presidency

March 6, 2015 at 10:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

President Obama “is laying out plans for a post-presidential period that his friends envision as a busy third act of his life, using his public prominence to try to address socioeconomic challenges in the world,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Economic empowerment for the disadvantaged, expanded opportunities for girls and the programs that help young men in the project that he calls ‘becoming a man’ all are likely to figure in the agenda of the last two years of his presidency and afterward, according to people close to him.”

Bush Criticizes Clinton Over Use of Private Email

March 6, 2015 at 10:13 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 32 Comments

Jeb Bush said that he found it “baffling” that Hillary Clinton used a private e-mail server while secretary of state, the Washington Post reports.

Said Bush: “For security purposes, you need to be behind a firewall that recognizes the world for what it is, and it’s a dangerous world, and security would mean that you couldn’t have a private server. It’s a little baffling, to be honest with you, that didn’t come up in Secretary Clinton’s thought process.”

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Aide Says Missouri Auditor Shot Himself After Call

March 6, 2015 at 10:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 20 Comments

An aide to former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO) said that she was on the phone with Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich (R) — “discussing his angst over perceived rumors about his religion — just moments before he killed himself,” the AP reports.

“Martha Fitz said in a written statement that Schweich threatened to kill himself during their conversation and then handed the phone to his wife, Kathy.”

Said Fitz: “Seconds later, I heard Kathy say, ‘He shot himself!'”

A New Conservative Caucus

March 6, 2015 at 9:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 20 Comments

“A familiar problem for House Speaker John Boehner has a new name: the House Freedom Caucus,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Little more than a month ago, nine House Republicans formed the latest group dedicated to pulling policy to the right. One funding fight with GOP leaders later, the Freedom Caucus is expanding, according to lawmakers.”

“As the group has grown, so, too, has frustration among fellow Republicans that the conservative faction’s strategy is undercutting GOP efforts to demonstrate it can govern competently, now that the party controls both chambers of Congress.”

Feds to Charge Menendez with Corruption

March 6, 2015 at 2:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 102 Comments

The Justice Department is preparing to bring criminal corruption charges against Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), “alleging he used his Senate office to push the business interests of a Democratic donor and friend in exchange for gifts,” CNN reports.

“People briefed on the case say Attorney General Eric Holder has signed off on prosecutors’ request to proceed with charges, CNN has learned exclusively. An announcement could come within weeks. Prosecutors are under pressure in part because of the statute of limitation on some of the allegations.”

Pelosi Still Very Much In Control

March 6, 2015 at 12:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) “maintains unwavering control over Democratic members of the House on legislation — in contrast to the House speaker, John A. Boehner, who continues to struggle with his cacophonous caucus — and she may be a surprisingly vital tool for the White House at the end of President Obama’s tenure,” the New York Times reports.

“Her lasting authority was demonstrated this week when she helped pass a measure from the Senate to avoid yet another government shutdown. That vote ‘strengthened our hand,’ Ms. Pelosi said, a sentiment that many Republicans, who are eager to show that they can effectively govern, agree with, teeth clenched.”

Early Betting for the GOP Presidential Nomination

March 6, 2015 at 9:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard 116 Comments

Charlie Cook: “Acknowledging that much will inevitably change, at this point Bush and Walker each seem to have about a 1-in-3 chance of winning the nomination—call it 35 percent for each. There’s maybe a 1-in-5, or 20 percent, chance that the nod will go to any tea-party candidate, so let’s give Cruz and Paul each a 10 percent chance. The rest of the field gets the remaining 10 percent; right now, that’s what I estimate is the likelihood that someone other than one of the aforementioned four will win the nomination.”

Give your own odds in the comments.

Why the Clinton Email Controversy Won’t Die

March 6, 2015 at 9:13 am EST By Taegan Goddard 79 Comments

First Read says Hillary Clinton’s email controversy doesn’t hurt her with Democrats but “has created two lasting issues for her all-but-certain presidential campaign.”

“One, it’s already led to a new congressional Republican investigation, which could last for months. And here’s the thing about fishing expeditions: You never know what you’re going to catch… Two, the episode has already revealed a pretty hostile relationship with the political press corps. Being a frontrunner means you get tough press, but there’s a difference between getting tough press and getting NO benefit of the doubt from the media. And right now on this story, Clinton doesn’t have the benefit of the doubt.”

D’Souza Complains About Clinton’s ‘Lawlessness’

March 6, 2015 at 9:04 am EST By Taegan Goddard 41 Comments

Conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza decried Hillary Clinton’s “lawlessness” in a Skype interview from San Diego, California, where he is currently serving his eight month sentence in a “community confinement center” for violating campaign finance laws, Mediaite reports.

Unemployment Rate Falls to 5.5%

March 6, 2015 at 8:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard 77 Comments

The U.S. economy added 295,000 workers to payrolls in February and the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 5.5%, Bloomberg reports.

“The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of 96 economists projected employment would rise by 235,000… The jobless rate was projected to drop to 5.6% from January’s 5.7%.”

Democrats Vow to Protect Boehner from Coup

March 6, 2015 at 7:56 am EST By Taegan Goddard 35 Comments

“Tea Party Republicans contemplating a bid to oust Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) shouldn’t count on Democrats to help them unseat the Speaker. And without their support, there is no chance to topple Boehner in this Congress,” The Hill reports.

“Democrats from across an ideological spectrum say they’d rather see Boehner remain atop the House than replace him with a more conservative Speaker who would almost certainly be less willing to reach across the aisle in search of compromise. Replacing him with a Tea Party Speaker, they say, would only bring the legislative process — already limping along — to a screeching halt.”

Quote of the Day

March 6, 2015 at 7:40 am EST By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

“We’re not going to pull resources from Christie, we want to kill him dead.”

— American Bridge president Brad Woodhouse, quoted by Bloomberg, on his opposition research effort against GOP presidential hopefuls.

Republicans See Clinton Imploding

March 6, 2015 at 7:17 am EST By Taegan Goddard 90 Comments

Rick Wilson: “A brief note to my Republican friends; go dark. Seriously. Stop talking.”

“The Clinton machine in all its arrogance and inertia is careening toward political disaster as the story of her illegal private email servers collides with a Washington and New York press corps that can’t, for once, easily look away. The story has a lot more stink in it than even what’s come to light so far. Only the GOP and conservatives can save her.”

“The press is possessed of a boundless desire to Change the Subject right now, and some intemperate remark would fit the bill perfectly. Don’t give them a shiny object… For God’s sake, take a deep breath and skip talking about your favorite social issue.”

The Hill reports Republican strategists “say that Clinton’s political abilities have long been exaggerated. They contend she displays an unusual capacity to make trouble for herself and, unlike her husband, no great degree of nimbleness in getting out of it.”

Why Clinton Isn’t Talking About Her Email

March 6, 2015 at 7:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

Hillary Clinton “won’t be presiding over a soul-searching press conference or sitting down for a come-clean interview about her use of a private email address any time soon — at least if everything goes according to her team’s plan,” Bloomberg reports.

“The former secretary of state and her advisers have decided to adopt a time-tested Clintonian approach: take a concrete step to ease the pressure, then wait out the storm… Their theory is that her late Wednesday tweet asking the State Department to release the 55,000 pages of emails she provided to the agency would start to calm the media and political tempest, while giving her spokesman an easy answer to many journalists’ questions: ask State.”

Politico: “Democrats continue to present a largely united front in their public support for Clinton and in their belief that the email issue isn’t one that will ultimately matter to voters.”

Bush Used Private Email for Public Business Too

March 6, 2015 at 6:57 am EST By Taegan Goddard 25 Comments

Jeb Bush was quick to criticize Hillary Clinton “amid reports that she’d never used a government email during her four years as secretary of state,” CNN reports.

“Like Clinton, though, Bush had set up his own home server with a private address during his time in office. He still uses it, giving it out at events and asking supporters to email him comments and concerns. And, like Clinton, several of his top aides had email addresses connected Bush’s server, too.”

GOP Leaders Skip Selma Anniversary

March 6, 2015 at 6:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard 28 Comments

“Scores of U.S. lawmakers are converging on tiny Selma, Alabama, for a large commemoration of a civil rights anniversary. But their ranks don’t include a single member of House Republican leadership — a point that isn’t lost on congressional black leaders,” Politico reports.

“None of the top leaders — House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy or Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was once thought likely to attend to atone for reports that he once spoke before a white supremacist group — will be in Selma for the three-day event that commemorates the 1965 march and the violence that protesters faced at the hands of white police officers. A number of rank-and-file Republicans have been aggressively lobbying their colleagues to attend, and several black lawmakers concurred.”

Chart of the Day

March 6, 2015 at 6:47 am EST By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

Pew Research: “Democrats control both legislative chambers in just 11 states, down from 34 states in 1982 and 27 as recently as 2010, though that number had fluctuated in the years in between. Meanwhile, Republicans have gained a total of 888 legislative seats since 2009, and control both chambers in a record-high 30 states. In eight other states, each party controls one chamber.”