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Second Time as Freshmen

November 20, 2014 at 10:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

National Journal: “Like other newly elected members of Congress, Reps. Frank Guinta of New Hampshire and Robert Dold of Illinois have come to Washington early this month for orientation. But the litany of instructions for setting up a new congressional office may be less dizzying for the pair of Republicans—they’re freshmen for the second time.”

“Both Guinta and Dold first came to Washington after the 2010 elections as part of the Republican class that took back the House of Representatives that year. But they lost their reelection attempts in 2012 before launching successful comebacks in 2014, effectively riding two Republican waves into office.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]And there’s a good chance they could lose again in 2016.[/speech_bubble]

Kasich Runs to the Middle

November 20, 2014 at 9:45 am EST By Taegan Goddard 22 Comments

If Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) “wants to run for president, he has to distinguish himself from colleagues who also have eyes on the White House,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

“He accomplished that Wednesday, about an hour after landing here for a Republican Governors Association meeting seen as an early audition for donors… On three policy issues important to the party’s conservative base Kasich tracked more moderate than his potential rivals for the GOP nomination. And while many were happy to bash President Barack Obama, particularly as he plans an executive action around immigration reform, Kasich called for ‘cooler heads.'”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Kasich’s tone is so different from most Republicans that he really stands out.[/speech_bubble]

Bonus Quote of the Day

November 20, 2014 at 9:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 61 Comments

“History will treat him unkindly on this if he thinks he can become king.”

— Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), in a Fox News interview, about President Obama’s use of executive authority.

GOP Leaders Warn About Talking Impeachment

November 20, 2014 at 8:52 am EST By Taegan Goddard 22 Comments

Politico: “Senior House and Senate Republicans don’t want their rank and file to even raise the specter of impeaching Obama, fearing it would give Democrats a message to rally around as the president’s party is split over the hugely controversial move. Ahead of the upcoming announcement, top congressional Republicans are trying to find the right balance between expressing outrage and overreaching, hoping that the battle doesn’t lead to either a government shutdown in December or calls among conservatives to impeach the president.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]No issue divides Republicans more than immigration.[/speech_bubble]

Why Networks Won’t Cover Immigration Speech

November 20, 2014 at 8:49 am EST By Taegan Goddard 42 Comments

A network insider tells Mike Allen: “There was agreement among the broadcast networks that this was overtly political. The White House has tried to make a comparison to a time that all the networks carried President Bush in prime time, also related to immigration [2006]. But that was a bipartisan announcement, and this is an overtly political move by the White House.”

Most Americans Think System Is Unfair

November 20, 2014 at 8:02 am EST By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds that 56% of Americans think the country’s economic and political systems are stacked against them.

“Most striking is how widely shared this sense of alienation now is. Among those saying the system is stacked against them are 58% of Democrats; 51% of Republicans; 55% of whites; 60% of blacks; 53% of Hispanics; as well as decent majorities of every age and professional cluster, including blue-collar workers, white-collar workers and retirees.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]This alienation has been building steadily since 2002. It’s not a coincidence we swing from one wave election to the next.[/speech_bubble]

Quote of the Day

November 20, 2014 at 8:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

“We are all friends but let’s be fair, if a group of us decided to run for president we’ll compete with each other. I don’t think any of us have spent any time here trying to come up with some secret handshake or, you know, blood oath to each other about what we’ll do or we won’t do.”

— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by Bloomberg, on his fellow Republican governors.

Obama Immigration Plan May Derail GOP Agenda

November 20, 2014 at 7:39 am EST By Taegan Goddard 39 Comments

“Rising Republican hostility toward President Obama’s impending immigration plan is as intense as has ever existed between the White House and the GOP,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“But the strong reaction by Republican leaders has less to do with opposition to the nuts and bolts of the president’s immigration policy and more to do with fear and anger that the issue will derail the agenda of the new Republican majority before the next Congress even convenes. Republican leaders who had hoped to focus on corporate tax reform, fast-track trade pacts, repealing the president’s healthcare law and loosening environmental restrictions on coal are instead being dragged into an immigration skirmish that they’ve tried studiously to avoid for most of the last year.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Democrats finally see an advantage to Obama waiting to do this after the midterm elections.[/speech_bubble]

Chris Christie Is Back

November 20, 2014 at 7:28 am EST By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

New York Times Magazine: “There are, in the public’s imagination, two competing notions of Chris Christie. In the first, he is a cravenly ambitious Everyman, a restless former lawyer and local officeholder who, through his law partner, became a major fund-raiser for George W. Bush and was named his campaign lawyer for New Jersey… In the other persona, Christie is a cartoonish bully and a classic embodiment of New Jersey’s brawny ethnic politics.”

“In person, Christie defies both of these caricatures. Obscured by the ambition, loose-cannon personality and, frankly, the girth, is the fact that he is an exceptionally gifted and nuanced politician. He has a preternatural talent for appearing blunt and insistent when he is being cute and obfuscating. He is also a savvy tactician. If Barack Obama were not a politician, you could imagine him being a law professor; Mitt Romney would be in business. If Christie were not a politician, he would be perfectly exhilarated to work as a political operative.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Christie loves politics as much as Bill Clinton.[/speech_bubble]

Warren Complicates Schumer’s Rise in Senate

November 20, 2014 at 7:12 am EST By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “has long been viewed as the heir apparent to Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, with such strong support among moderates that a group of them privately urged him to mount a coup for party leader after the midterm election meltdown,” Politico reports.

“Schumer didn’t take on Reid — he’s too loyal — but he is being forced to face a new power center inside the caucus, populists such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)… Warren’s rise in Senate leadership – and her popularity among grassroots liberals – represents an unexpected presence in Schumer’s leadership orbit, where he has spent years cultivating a reputation as one of the masterminds of Democratic messaging.”

Walker Plots a White House Bid

November 20, 2014 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), “pivoting from his bigger-than-expected reelection win this month, is taking active steps toward a presidential campaign that would launch next summer and contrast his record of conservative achievements in a swing state with paralysis in Washington,” Politico reports.

“In interviews this week, Walker and his top political advisers provided the fullest account yet of his plans for the likely rollout of a national campaign. The 47-year-old Republican intends to use an upcoming legislative session in Wisconsin to push an ambitious agenda that could, in combination with his triumphs over Big Labor, bolster his standing with Republican primary voters: Repealing unpopular Common Core standards, requiring drug tests for welfare beneficiaries and cutting property taxes.”

Webb Launches Exploratory Committee

November 20, 2014 at 6:59 am EST By Taegan Goddard 28 Comments

Former Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) “became the first well-known Democrat to launch an exploratory committee to run for president on Wednesday night, saying the nation is at a ‘serious crossroads,'” Politico reports.

Said Webb: “I have decided to launch an Exploratory Committee to examine whether I should run for President in 2016. I made this decision after reflecting on numerous political commentaries and listening to many knowledgeable people. I look forward to listening and talking with more people in the coming months as I decide whether or not to run.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]For someone who didn’t like the Senate and doesn’t like politics, a presidential campaign seems to be an odd career move. [/speech_bubble]

The 2016 GOP Primary Has Begun

November 19, 2014 at 8:08 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 24 Comments

Bloomberg notes that of the 25 governors at the Republican Governors Association meeting, almost a quarter of them are considering running for president.

Among those making apperances: Rick Perry, Chris Christie, John Kasich, Mike Pence, Bobby Jindal and Scott Walker.

Said former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R): “It’s going to be a big field. It’s going to be a much higher quality field than 2012, people with real records of accomplishment.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Unlike at the GOP debates in 2012, many of these candidates will have at least earned their way on the stage. [/speech_bubble]

Coburn Predicts ‘Instances of Anarchy’

November 19, 2014 at 7:12 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 79 Comments

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) “warns there could be not only a political firestorm but acts of civil disobedience and even violence in reaction to President Obama’s executive order on immigration,” USA Today reports.

Said Coburn: “The country’s going to go nuts, because they’re going to see it as a move outside the authority of the president, and it’s going to be a very serious situation. You’re going to see — hopefully not — but you could see instances of anarchy… You could see violence.”

Once Obama’s closest Republican friend in the U.S. Senate, Coburn now accuses the president of acting like “an autocratic leader that’s going to disregard what the Constitution says and make law anyway.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. [/speech_bubble]

Most Don’t Think Midterm Elections Will Change Much

November 19, 2014 at 6:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that 76% of Americans say the midterm election won’t substantially change the nation’s direction.

Also interesting: Americans are split almost evenly between positive (41%) and negative (39%) reactions to Republicans controlling both the House and Senate next year.

Said pollster Fred Yang: “While this wave election has changed the composition of Congress and added Republican governors, it has not changed the nation’s psyche or their expectations… It is almost like the election never happened.”

White House Times Announcement with Latin Grammys

November 19, 2014 at 5:22 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

President Obama’s announcement of his plans Thursday night “to overhaul the nation’s immigration system is scheduled to happen at an opportune time — at least if the White House is hoping to reach a captive audience of Hispanic television viewers,” the Washington Post reports.

“Obama’s 8 p.m. ET announcement will come at the start of the second hour of the 15th annual Latin Grammys, which begins at 7 p.m. Thursday on Spanish-language TV network Univision… Univision says it will postpone part of the awards show to air Obama’s speech, while the big four TV networks, ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, currently have no plans to air the address.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]The White House usually requests time from the broadcast networks but didn’t this time. [/speech_bubble]

Bachmann Says ‘Illiterate’ Immigrants Will Vote

November 19, 2014 at 5:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 45 Comments

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) told the Washington Post that the immigrants given new protections by President Obama could become “illiterate” Democratic voters.

Said Bachmann: “The social cost will be profound on the U.S. taxpayer — millions of unskilled, illiterate, foreign nationals coming into the United States who can’t speak the English language. Even though the president says they won’t be able to vote, we all know that many, in all likelihood, will vote… It’s a wink and a nod, we all know it’s going to happen.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]The House Republican leadership won’t be sad to see Bachmann fade away into retirement next year. [/speech_bubble]

Judge Overturns Gay Marriage Ban in Montana

November 19, 2014 at 4:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris ruled that Montana’s ban limiting marriage to between a man and a woman is unconstitutional, the Billings Gazette reports.

The Los Angeles Times notes Morris “did not stay his injunction, which means officials could decide to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples immediately.”

“In 2004, Montana voters passed an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. In his ruling, Morris said that violated the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and barred Montana from enforcing it.”