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Sanders Plans a ‘Class-Based’ Presidential Campaign

January 9, 2015 at 8:48 am EST By Taegan Goddard 33 Comments

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tells Time he would run a “class-based” presidential campaign that could “unfurl as early as March.”

His biggest regret about President Obama is that he never stood up like Franklin Delano Roosevelt did in 1936 to denounce the “economic royalists” of finance and industry, to “welcome their hatred.”

Said Sanders: “Point the finger at the billionaire class to say, ‘You know what, they hate my guts, the Koch brothers hate me, it’s all right. But I’m with you, and this is what we’re going to do.'”

Unemployment Rate Falls to 5.6%

January 9, 2015 at 8:34 am EST By Taegan Goddard 56 Comments

The U.S. economy added 252,000 jobs last month while the unemployment rate dipped to 5.6%, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Wonk Wire: Standard of living index reaches new high

Poor People Much Less Likely to Vote

January 9, 2015 at 8:27 am EST By Taegan Goddard 11 Comments

A new Pew Research analysis finds that financial security is strongly correlated with nearly every measure of political engagement.

“For example, in 2014, almost all of the most financially secure Americans (94%) said they were registered to vote, while only about half (54%) of the least financially secure were registered. And although 2014 voting records are not yet available, pre-election estimates suggest that 63% of the most financially secure were ‘likely voters’ last year, compared with just 20% of the least financially secure.”

Steyer Considering Senate Bid in California

January 9, 2015 at 8:20 am EST By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

“Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer is mulling a run for Barbara Boxer’s Senate seat, according to a person close to the former hedge fund trader,” Politico reports. “The person added that Steyer has been approached by some in the liberal community to run for Boxer’s seat, while others have urged him to run for governor of California in 2018. Another option: running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat if she retires in 2018.”

Washington Post: “Political insiders took note, for instance, when Steyer showed up in Sacramento this week to celebrate Brown’s inauguration.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

January 9, 2015 at 8:18 am EST By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

“They’re ostrich. Probably some endangered species; I have a reputation to maintain.”

— Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), quoted by the Washington Post, commenting on his boots.

Manchin Mulls Another Bid for West Virginia Governor

January 9, 2015 at 8:16 am EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

Still frustrated by gridlock in Washington, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told the Associated Press that he will decide by this summer whether he will return to West Virginia to run for a possible third term as governor in 2016.

Growing Number of Americans Identify as Liberal

January 9, 2015 at 8:12 am EST By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

Gallup: “Conservatives continued to outnumber moderates and liberals in the U.S. population in 2014, as they have since 2009. However, their 14-percentage-point edge over liberals last year, 38% vs. 24%, is the smallest in Gallup’s trends since 1992.”

Quote of the Day

January 9, 2015 at 7:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I kind of like the direction he has signaled he is going in. He knows he has nothing to lose.”

— Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO), quoted by the Washington Examiner, on President Obama.

Bush Sets Ambitious Fundraising Goal

January 9, 2015 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 1 Comment

“Jeb Bush’s allies are setting a fundraising goal of $100 million in the first three months of this year—including a whopping $25 million haul in Florida—in an effort to winnow the potential Republican presidential primary field with an audacious display of financial strength,” Bloomberg reports.

“The targets were confirmed by multiple Republican sources involved in finance meetings with Bush’s team. They requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. One said the point is to persuade some establishment candidates to stay on the sidelines in the 2016 race.”

How Not to Topple the Speaker

January 9, 2015 at 6:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

“A group of House conservatives spent almost a year dreaming big about toppling Speaker John Boehner, but less than a day before the vote they still hadn’t found someone to replace him,” Politico reports.

“One promising candidate finally jumped in — but only at the last minute, not even telling his closest friend in Congress he was running.”

“The result was a vote Tuesday that ultimately yielded an ugly, controversial win for Boehner, with the most defections from his own party that any speaker had seen in decades. The Ohio Republican’s allies were left howling for revenge, and hopes of a big tea party victory once again went unfulfilled.”

Axelrod Says Clinton Was Too Cautious

January 8, 2015 at 8:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

David Axelrod jabbed at Hillary Clinton”saying that she wasn’t a very strong candidate during the first part of her campaign for the 2008 presidential nomination,” Politico reports.

Said Axelrod: “When you play not to lose, you often lose. And my perception of Secretary Clinton was that she wasn’t a very good candidate in 2007.”

Who Will Replace Barbara Boxer in the Senate?

January 8, 2015 at 8:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

Los Angeles Times: “Focus immediately turned to state Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire activist Tom Steyer.”

“Harris and Newsom have statewide profiles and Bay Area support. Villaraigosa, a former Assembly speaker, has name recognition in the state’s largest media market. Steyer has wealth.”

Scott Walker Is a Big Threat to Jeb Bush

January 8, 2015 at 8:16 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 40 Comments

Washington Post: “Right now, Walker is the candidate who can most realistically unite the base and the establishment wings of the party. One only needs to glance at conservative media to see that the Republican base has little time for Jeb Bush… Walker, by contrast, is a hero to the grassroots after winning multiple battles with Wisconsin Democrats and unions. And he also has shown the ability to bring in the money from big donors — facing a recall election in 2012, Walker outraised his Democratic opponent eight to one, with contributions from 13 billionaires outside of the state… And his Wisconsin base should give him plenty of chances to woo Iowa Republicans over the next year. If Jeb Bush and his team are starting up their opposition research unit, Walker is the first one they should target.”

Another Way a Clinton Win Would Make History

January 8, 2015 at 8:12 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 65 Comments

Amy Walter: “When it comes to making predictions about 2016, there are lots of important numbers to follow. The unemployment rate. Consumer confidence. The president’s approval rating. The horse race polls. But, in my mind, the most important data point to follow is the one which measures Americans’ desire to stay the current course or try a different one in 2016.”

“History tells us that the odds of a Clinton presidency are long. In the modern era (well, really since Andrew Jackson in 1836), no Democrat has succeeded a 2-term Democratic president.”

Grand Jury Investigating Brownback Campaign

January 8, 2015 at 3:48 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

A subpoena obtained by the Associated Press shows a federal grand jury is looking into loans made to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) re-election campaign.

The Wichita Eagle has more on the suspicious loans.

Criminal Charges Recommended Against Pennsylvania Attorney General

January 8, 2015 at 3:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

The special prosecutor and grand jury investigating allegations that Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D) “leaked secret information to a newspaper have found evidence of wrongdoing and recommended that she be criminally charged,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“The panel concluded that Kane violated grand-jury secrecy rules by leaking investigative material in a bid to embarrass political enemies… Some of those familiar with the grand jury presentment say it recommended charges that included perjury and contempt of court.”

Iowa Straw Poll Will Survive

January 8, 2015 at 3:16 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

“The Republican Party of Iowa says it has gotten positive signals from the Republican National Committee that it can hold its traditional straw poll without violating the party’s new rules governing the primary season calendar, meaning one of the more colorful events of the nomination season is likely to continue this August,” Bloomberg reports.

Unexpected Quote of the Day

January 8, 2015 at 2:33 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 43 Comments

“Marriage as an institution is not so much threatened by same-sex couples as it is by heterosexuals’ increasing indifference to it.”

— Mike Huckabee, in his new book, God, Guns, Grits and Gravy.