Political Wire

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

Obama Readies Immigration Action

November 13, 2014 at 10:13 am EST By Taegan Goddard 39 Comments

President Obama “is planning to unveil a 10-part plan for overhauling U.S. immigration policy via executive action — including suspending deportations for millions — as early as next Friday,” Fox News reports.

First Read: “Politically, the question is whether such action would be a smart move — or a dumb one… The pros: It’s the best chance for Obama to reform the system in the short term (especially since House Republicans are unwilling to pass their own legislation), and it will fire up Latino voters, who will be a critical bloc to Democrats’ success in 2016. The cons: It would spark a policy fight with Republicans (the outcome of which is impossible to predict), and it could alienate the white voters Democrats lost in 2014.”

“But maybe the biggest political reason to undertake executive action is that it would ensure the action becomes a key part of the 2016 race. Every Republican running for president would have to denounce the move. And then the GOP contest then would turn into who’s tougher against the action: Do they promise to deport the undocumented immigrants (if Obama’s ultimate executive action entails allowing them to stay in the country)? Like we saw in 2008 and 2012, that would push the eventual GOP nominee farther to the right than he or she might want to go — and make it harder for the nominee to return to the middle in the general election. Politically speaking, Obama taking the action could be the biggest favor he does for Hillary Clinton (if she ends up running).”

God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy

November 13, 2014 at 10:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Coming in January: God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy by Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee, who appears to be ramping up a 2016 presidential campaign, opens the book with a question, “Have I been taken to a different planet than the one on which I grew up?”

Obama Veers Left to Rally Democrats

November 13, 2014 at 9:57 am EST By Taegan Goddard 27 Comments

President Obama “has taken significant steps to the left since his party’s devastating losses in the midterm elections,” The Hill reports.

“In a surprise, he announced a major deal on climate change with China during a trip to Beijing Tuesday. That followed another unanticipated move — a Monday statement pressuring the Federal Communications Commission to adopt new net neutrality rules for the Internet. The moves are helping to rally a dispirited Democratic base while re-establishing Obama’s political leadership after he was sidelined during the midterms.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

November 13, 2014 at 9:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

“Bill and I are going to have to have some interesting things to talk about. Look, I’ll still like him when Jeb beats Hillary.”

— Former President George W. Bush, quoted by Business Insider, on his brother’s potential 2016 presidential campaign.

Republicans Bury Landrieu in Runoff

November 13, 2014 at 9:18 am EST By Taegan Goddard 67 Comments

Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) re-election race “is truly running out of air: She’s responsible for a mere 4 percent of all TV spots in the week-old Louisiana runoff. Republican challenger Bill Cassidy and his friends paid for 96 percent of the spots that have run so far,” Bloomberg reports.

One Democrat tells TPM: “She just can’t win. It’s just not mathematically possible. The way you win statewide in Louisiana is you get 95 percent of the black vote, a good African-American turnout, and 30 to 33 percent of the white vote. And she’s at 20! … Where does she gain? If you put her at 23 percent now, how does she gain 10 points with white voters in a month?”

Reich Won’t Run for President

November 13, 2014 at 9:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich told MSNBC that he’s not running for president despite some liberals urging him on.

Said Reich: “I’m too short and too outspoken to run. I hear it from people, but I don’t take it seriously.”

What if he were drafted? “I don’t know what it means to be ‘drafted.’ I really don’t think there’s any serious possibility.”

Internal Memos Show Dysfunction in Davis Campaign

November 13, 2014 at 8:38 am EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

Internal memos obtained by the Texas Tribune finds that consultants for Wendy Davis (D) warned her campaign months ago that she “was headed for a humiliating defeat in the Texas governor’s race unless she adopted a more centrist message and put a stop to staggering internal dysfunction.”

From the January memo: “The campaign is in disarray and is in danger of being embarrassed. The level of dysfunction was understandable in July and August, when we had no infrastructure in place — but it doesn’t seem to be getting better.”

Arkansas Governor Will Pardon His Own Son

November 13, 2014 at 8:24 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

Outgoing Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe’s (D) office says he plans to pardon his son over a 2003 felony marijuana conviction, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

Beebe is leaving office in January due to term limits.

Quote of the Day

November 13, 2014 at 8:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

“No, I haven’t seen any discussion about the complete lack of message. I think they need to figure out what they stand for and then talk about it.”

— Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean, quoted by The Hill, on the Democratic losses in the 2014 midterm elections.

Used Car Salesman Who Raised No Money Wins

November 13, 2014 at 5:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Mark Maynard (R) “owns a used car lot, runs a towing business and spends his spare time on a professional drag racing pit crew. And despite not raising a dime for his Republican campaign and agreeing with his Democratic opponent on almost all the issues, he defeated West Virginia’s longest-sitting state senator,” the AP reports.

“That was the kind of election it was for West Virginia Democrats. As voters took out their disgust with President Obama, Maynard defeated Sen. Truman Chafin (D), a lawmaker Republicans previously had bothered to challenge only once in three decades.”

Conservatives Push Showdown Over Immigration

November 13, 2014 at 5:26 am EST By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

“A bloc of Republican lawmakers is seeking to use must-pass spending legislation in the final weeks of the year to place limits on President Obama ’s ability to loosen immigration rules, threatening to split the party in Congress,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The result is that barely a week after their broad election victories, party leaders will have to decide whether to override conservatives’ demands in favor of a more pragmatic approach. Party leaders also will have to decide when and how hard to fight the president over immigration, an issue that is important to the growing bloc of Hispanic voters who are expected to carry more sway in the 2016 elections than they did this fall.”

Video Sparks New Outrage Over Obamacare

November 13, 2014 at 5:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

“The Republican Party’s ardent campaign against President Obama’s health-care law gained new momentum Wednesday as lawmakers reacted angrily to assertions by an architect of the policy that it was crafted in a deliberately deceptive way in order to pass Congress,” the Washington Post reports.

“On both sides of the Capitol, leading conservatives said they may call economist Jonathan Gruber to testify about his remarks, which were made last year and surfaced this week in a video on social media. In the video, Gruber suggests that the administration’s signature health-care legislation passed in part because of the ‘stupidity of the American voter’ and a ‘lack of transparency’ over its funding mechanisms.”

Wonk Wire: Will the GOP’s anti-Obamacare alternative “kill people.”

Obama May Set Climate Change as 2016 Campaign Theme

November 13, 2014 at 5:19 am EST By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

“President Obama’s landmark agreement with China to cut greenhouse gas pollution is a bet by the president and Democrats that on the issue of climate change, American voters are far ahead of Washington’s warring factions and that the environment will be a winning cause in the 2016 presidential campaign,” the New York Times reports.

“A variety of polls show that a majority of American voters now believe that climate change is occurring, are worried about it, and support candidates who back policies to stop it… But Republicans are betting that despite the polls, they can make the case that regulations to cut greenhouse pollution will result in the loss of jobs and hurt the economy.”

Senate Democrats Want Warren in Leadership

November 12, 2014 at 9:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

Politico reports that Senate Democrats want to enlist Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as a member of their leadership.

“The incoming Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, is engaged in private talks with the Massachusetts freshman to create a special leadership post for the former Harvard professor, according to several people familiar with the matter. It’s unclear exactly what the new job would entail — but luring the populist liberal into leadership could inject fresh blood into a team reeling from significant midterm election losses.”

“Adding Warren, Democrats say, would bring in a nationally known name who could help sharpen the Democratic message as it goes toe-to-toe with the new Senate Republican majority. The move would likely be viewed favorably by an increasingly liberal caucus. But elevating Warren could also be seen as an indication that the new Senate Democratic minority is less interested in bipartisan compromises than the White House or Senate Republicans.”

Stockman Subpoenaed in Criminal Investigation

November 12, 2014 at 6:32 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 1 Comment

Outgoing Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) and three staffers “have been served with grand jury subpoenas for testimony and documents in a criminal investigation in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia,” Roll Call reports.

“The Texas Republican — who has been under scrutiny for campaign contributions from his staff — hasn’t decided whether to cooperate.”

Eric Cantor on Joe Biden

November 12, 2014 at 6:12 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) had some very interesting things to say to Time about dealing with Vice President Biden.

Said Cantor: “I just think that the President obviously doesn’t have the tenure in Washington in negotiating deals that the Vice President’s had. Just in terms of pure time. And I think that the President is very rooted in what he wants. The President also, in my view, is very rooted in what he thinks the other side wants. And that’s where the difficulty in my opinion has been with the President over the last six years. If one does not agree with the President’s view of what you want, there’s very little prospect for a result. Joe Biden has a real sensitivity, not only to human reaction, but also partisan and political sensitivities. He understands how far you can push before you just blow up the prospects for a deal.”

He added: “Joe Biden is what you see. You know, he’s genuine. Yes, he’s prone to gaffes publicly, and he’ll admit that. He’s very self-deprecating like that. And I’m certainly not one who agrees with Joe Biden on all things—we probably disagree more than we agree—but from a human and relationship standpoint, the guy’s awesome.”

DeMaio Accuser Is Arrested

November 12, 2014 at 5:21 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 1 Comment

Todd Bosnich, the former campaign aide to Carl DeMaio (R) who accused him of sexual harassment, was arrested on accusations he assaulted his mother, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

“Bosnich’s sexual harassment allegations added controversy to the heated campaign between DeMaio and Democratic incumbent Scott Peters, who ended up holding on to his congressional seat in votes counted in the days following the election… Bosnich alleged in early October that DeMaio had exposed himself and sexually harassed him over a period of weeks, and said he was fired from his job as a campaign aide when he confronted DeMaio, then offered $50,000 and a job in the Republican Party to keep quiet.”

Reid Slaps McConnell as He Pledges to Work With Him

November 12, 2014 at 4:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 18 Comments

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) pledged “to work with Republicans when they are in the majority and eschew the strategy of obstruction he has accused them of using against Democrats,” The Hill reports.

Said Reid: “I am ready… to work with him in good faith to make this institution function again for the American people. I saw firsthand how a strategy of destruction was debilitating to our system. I have no desire to engage in that manner.”