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How Republicans Could Stop Obama’s Cuba Move

December 18, 2014 at 6:27 am EST By Taegan Goddard 24 Comments

“Just hours after Obama announced that a prisoner swap with the Cuban government for two Americans was the start of a new relationship with the communist country, Republicans began informally kicking around ideas to stop any changes to the U.S.-Cuba relationship,” Politico reports.

“On the list: deny Obama funds to reopen an embassy in Havana, stall the nomination of a potential ambassador, vote down a bill to open up travel more widely and ignore requests from the White House to lift a decades-old embargo.”

Roll Call: Rubio threatens to block Cuba deal

Another Bush vs. Clinton Race?

December 18, 2014 at 6:11 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

Washington Post: “So entrenched are these two families in presidential politics that Americans under the age of 38 have experienced only one national election — 2012 — in which there has been no Bush or Clinton running for president or vice president.”

Grimes Says Paul Can’t Run for Two Offices

December 17, 2014 at 11:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 21 Comments

Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) told WHAS-TV that she might take Sen. Rand Paul (R) to court to block him from running both for president and reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2016.

Said Grimes: “The law is clear. You can’t be on the ballot twice for two offices.”

She added: “We’ll look to the court for any guidance that is needed. And at the end of the day, we’re not going to be bullied.”

Unknown number calling? It’s not random

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking.

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.

Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why I recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code POLITICALWIRE.

Note to readers: I use Incogni myself and highly recommend it.

White House Won’t Rule Out Obama Cuba Visit

December 17, 2014 at 6:47 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 36 Comments

President Obama said that a high-level U.S. delegation will be heading to Cuba soon and his spokesman today said that a presidential visit to the island nation is a possibility in the future, Bloomberg reports.

U.S. Links North Korea to Hacking

December 17, 2014 at 6:43 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 33 Comments

“American intelligence officials have concluded that the North Korean government was ‘centrally involved’ in the recent attacks on Sony Pictures’s computers, a determination reached just as Sony on Wednesday canceled its release of the comedy, which is based on a plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader,” the New York Times reports.

“Senior administration officials, who would not speak on the record about the intelligence findings, said the White House was still debating whether to publicly accuse North Korea of what amounts to a cyberterrorism campaign… Some within the Obama administration argue that the government of Mr. Kim must be directly confronted, but that raises the question of what consequences the administration would threaten — or how much of its evidence it could make public without revealing details of how the United States was able to penetrate North Korean computer networks to trace the source of the hacking.”

Another Bonus Quote of the Day

December 17, 2014 at 6:41 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

“He’s going down a checklist of thorny, longstanding problems, and he’s doing whatever he can to tackle them. These are things that have been tearing at us for decades and generations. My sense is his feeling is, I’m not going to leave office without doing everything I can to stop them.”

— David Axelrod, quoted by the New York Times, on President Obama’s recent actions.

No Lame Duck Yet

December 17, 2014 at 2:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

“President Obama, as he has shown all year, isn’t about to go quietly into the lame-duck night, even with Republicans ready to take full power down the street. With the stunning announcement Wednesday that the U.S. is set to normalize relations with Cuba, the president is closing his self-termed ‘Year of Action’ with a thunderclap,” National Journal reports.

“In doing so, Obama is serving notice to the new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that a sitting president trumps a Congress divided both along party lines and within them. The shift comes about a month after the last time the president thrust his stick into the GOP’s eye, when Obama announced he was unilaterally providing widespread deportation relief to as many as 5 million illegal immigrants.”

“On both occasions, the president signaled that he’s willing to bet his view of history will prevail and that Republicans continue to occupy the wrong side of it.”

Republicans Blast Obama Change in Cuba Policy

December 17, 2014 at 1:34 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 72 Comments

“Republicans reacted with outrage Wednesday over the Obama administration’s move to normalize relations with Cuba, with some lawmakers casting it as appeasement and the product of extortion by the communist Castro government,” Politico reports.

Said Sen. Marco Rubio: “It’s part of a long record of coddling dictators and tyrants that this administration has established.”

New York Times: “For more than a generation, Republicans have taken a hard line against the communist nation, endearing themselves to the politically potent bloc of Cuban-Americans who have been a crucial force in deciding elections in the state. But those animosities have given way to generational shift, and younger voters who have family ties to Cuba — but no direct memories of the island under Fidel Castro — have been willing to support Democrats.”

Obama Restores Full Diplomatic Relations with Cuba

December 17, 2014 at 12:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 71 Comments

President Obama said the United States “will restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba and open an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century,” the New York Times reports.

“In a deal negotiated during 18 months of secret talks hosted largely by Canada and encouraged by Pope Francis, who hosted a final meeting at the Vatican, Mr. Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba agreed in a telephone call to put aside decades of hostility to find a new relationship between the United States and the island nation just 90 miles off the American coast.”

Said Obama: “We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries.” He added that the deal will “begin a new chapter among the nations of the Americas” and move beyond a “rigid policy that’s rooted in events that took place before most of us were born.”

Washington Post: “The Vatican hosted talks between the two nations that started last year with a meeting in Canada. The Vatican also sent representatives to the talks, a step the Canadians did not.”

Wonk Wire: So can you buy a Cuban cigar now?

Republicans Win Another Seat in Arizona

December 17, 2014 at 12:47 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 2 Comments

Martha McSally (R) has officially defeated Rep. Ron Barber (D-AZ) after a protracted recount in Arizona’s 2nd congressional district reaffirmed her lead, Roll Call reports.

“MsSally won the seat by 167 votes, picking up six votes after the recount, according to a source with knowledge of the final count. Democratic operatives said Barber plans to concede and will not file a challenge to the results.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

December 17, 2014 at 12:04 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

“If you want a government that’s gonna intrude on your life, enforce their personal views on you, then I guess Jeb Bush is your man.”

— Michael Schiavo, quoted by Think Progress, on being overruled by Bush for his decision to remove his wife Terri’s feeding tube after cardiac arrest had left her in a vegetative state.

Bonus Quote of the Day

December 17, 2014 at 11:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 71 Comments

“At a minimum Barack Obama is the worst negotiator we’ve had as president since at least Jimmy Carter, and maybe in the modern history of this country.”

— Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), quoted by National Journal, on the news that led to talks with Cuba about normalizing diplomatic relations.

U.S. Will Start Talks with Cuba on Normalized Relations

December 17, 2014 at 10:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard 59 Comments

“The United States will open talks with Cuba aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations and opening an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half century after the release of an American contractor held in prison for five years,” the New York Times reports.

“President Obama plans to make a televised statement from the White House at noon about the breakthrough, which opens the door to a major international initiative that could help shape his legacy heading into his final two years in office.”

Democratic Allegiance Hits New Low

December 17, 2014 at 8:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

“The number of Americans identifying themselves as Democrats has dropped to a record low in nearly 34 years of ABC News/Washington Post polls, marking the party’s challenges after its poor showing in the 2014 midterm elections. The Republican Party, by contrast, has gained sharply in popularity, if not allegiance.”

“Just 26% of Americans now identify themselves as Democrats, down from 32% six weeks ago to the fewest since ABC/Post polling began in 1981.”

‘The Bill Cosby of Legislation’

December 17, 2014 at 8:41 am EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

Jon Stewart looks at what Congress slipped into the cromnibus spending bill while you weren’t looking.

Losses Have Depleted Democratic Senate Recruits

December 17, 2014 at 8:25 am EST By Taegan Goddard 75 Comments

“Sweeping House losses have not only pushed Democrats into a historic minority, they’ve depleted the bench of potential Senate recruits for the 2016 elections,” Roll Call reports.

“After losing the majority in the midterms, Senate Democrats are seeking strong recruits for 2016 in hopes of netting the five seats necessary to ensure they win control again. Party officials argue the majority is within reach because many Senate Republicans elected in 2010 are seeking re-election in a presidential cycle in competitive states such as Florida, Illinois, Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But brutal losses in 2010 and 2014 have decimated the ranks of House Democrats in many of those states — and also shrunk the pool of potential Senate candidates.”

Congressional Perks Live On for Ex-Lawmakers

December 17, 2014 at 8:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard 1 Comment

“Even though lawmakers who will not be returning to Congress in January might feel downtrodden, they can find solace in the fact that they retain some congressional perks,” Roll Call reports.

“These privileges include access to the floor of the chamber where they served, though senators who have not served in the House are traditionally granted House access as well… If those lawmakers are visiting the floor, they can also park in House and Senate parking lots.”

Paul Suggests Bush Needs to Practice

December 17, 2014 at 7:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) offered an explanation for why Jeb Bush announced his likely presidential bid so early, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Said Paul: “Maybe he has more ground he needs to gain. He’s been out of this a while so maybe he needs to get back in and practice up a bit.”