Political Wire

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

Egyptian Court Is Said to Order That Mubarak Be Released

August 19, 2013 at 10:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A court in Egypt has ordered that former President Hosni Mubarak, who has been detained on a variety of charges since his ouster in 2011, should be set free, according to state media and security officials on Monday, but it remained possible that the authorities would find a way to keep him in detention and his release did not appear imminent,” the New York Times reports.

“The development threatened to inject a volatile new element into the standoff between the country’s military and the Islamist supporters of the deposed President Mohamed Morsi, as Egypt entered the sixth day of a state of emergency following a bloody crackdown by the military in which hundreds of people have been killed.”

Kennedy Discloses Financial Information

August 19, 2013 at 10:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Post: “Five years after Caroline Kennedy refused to release financial information during her bid to take over Hillary Clinton’s US Senate seat, newly filed documents reveal a personal fortune that could be as high as $500 million.”

Kennedy had to file disclosure documents for her nominated role as Ambassador to Japan.

What’s Behind Hillary Clinton’s Early Start?

August 19, 2013 at 9:48 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “What’s interesting is that in talks with strategists on both sides of the aisle, there is universal head-scratching over her decision to engage this early. The long campaign didn’t help Clinton in 2007-2008. Short campaigns are always more helpful to well-known front-runners. (See: Booker, Cory.) But if you’re Clinton, you may be thinking that you need to make sure there is no room on your left for another Obama, and it could be why she’s willing to risk her bipartisan political standing so early. Then again, that’s fighting the last war.”

No Vacation for the President

August 19, 2013 at 8:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Billy Kenber: “As a Times of London journalist who is on loan to The Post for a few months, I find the extent of the cult of celebrity surrounding the Obamas striking. Throughout last week, the president looked like a man who, on a rare
excursion from the intensity of living in one of the most famous
buildings in the world, wanted nothing more than to be left alone for a
few days. And yet the crowds and the media were determined to ensure he
wasn’t.

“This summer scrutiny stands in contrast to the treatment of
politicians in Britain. Although the sex lives and private indiscretions
of MPs are considered fair game — for both the tabloid and broadsheet
press — vacations have remained more sacred territory.”

Quote of the Day

August 19, 2013 at 6:48 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As a woman, initially I was interested in Quinn. It became clear to me that, you know as a woman, you can’t just vote your vagina.”

— Actress Susan Sarandon, quoted by Politicker, endorsing Bill de Blasio (D) over Christine Quinn (D) in the New York mayoral race.

Biden Readies Push for 2016

August 19, 2013 at 6:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Political allies of Vice President Joe Biden have concluded that he can win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination–even if Hillary Clinton enters the contest–and are considering steps he could take to prepare for a potential candidacy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“While Mr. Biden has made no decision about his future, people familiar with his thinking say, he hasn’t ruled out a bid for the White House. If he runs, that could set up a titanic battle between two of the party’s most prominent figures.”

“One step under discussion by Biden backers is to form a political action committee he would use to funnel money to other Democratic candidates, which could build goodwill for a possible White House bid.”

McDonnell Lawyers Meet with Prosecutors

August 19, 2013 at 6:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Attorneys for Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell (R) and his wife, Maureen, “will spend Monday locked in separate hours-long meetings trying to convince federal prosecutors that the first couple should not be charged in the gifts scandal that has dominated state politics,” the Washington Post reports.

“The meetings open a new, critical phase of the investigation, timed to help prosecutors decide over the next few weeks whether to file charges.”

The defense: “McDonnell’s side has conveyed to authorities that his wife often
purposely kept him in the dark about the largess she was accepting.”

Summer Not Kind to Obama

August 19, 2013 at 6:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Gallup: “President Obama’s job approval rating has shown a pattern of decline over the course of the summer months during his presidency. From June through August, his approval rating shows a noticeable dip each month, resulting in an average approval rating below 46% in August, the worst he has averaged in any month of the year.”

Clinton Hype Poses Risks for Potential Candidacy

August 19, 2013 at 6:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Hillary Clinton’s lofty status as the apparent 2016 Democratic nominee-in-waiting has some allies concerned that the hype might be too much, too soon,” NBC News reports.

‘This seeming inevitability makes her more sensitive to attacks and risks amplifying any stumble, no matter how minor. And voters may react poorly to a candidate who appears to be waltzing to the nomination with minimal effort.”

Said one Democrat: “I think people close to her are more acutely aware than anybody else in the country that there’s no such thing as inevitability.”

Abbott Supporter Calls Davis a ‘Retard Barbie’

August 18, 2013 at 8:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A Twitter poster who called Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) an “idiot” and “retard Barbie” — and said Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) would demolish her in the governor’s election — got a thank-you from Abbott, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Smith Mulls Comeback Senate Bid

August 18, 2013 at 7:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH) said he is seriously considering another run for the U.S. Senate, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports.

He lives in Florida but has a summer home in New Hampshire.

Said Smith: “I am giving it serious consideration, but I have not made a final decision. I have not.”

A Surveillance State with Few Checks

August 18, 2013 at 7:45 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Andrew Sullivan: “I have been grappling for a while with the vexing question of the balance between the surveillance state and the threat of Jihadist terrorism. When the NSA leaks burst onto the scene, I was skeptical of many of the large claims made by civil libertarians and queasily sympathetic to a program that relied on meta-data alone, as long as it was transparent, had Congressional buy-in, did not accidentally expose innocent civilians to grotesque privacy loss, and was watched by a strong FISA court.”

“Since then, I’ve watched the debate closely and almost all the checks I supported have been proven illusory. The spying is vastly more extensive than anyone fully comprehended before; the FISA court has been revealed as toothless and crippled; and many civilians have had their privacy accidentally violated over 3000 times. The president, in defending the indefensible, has damaged himself and his core reputation for honesty and candor. These cumulative revelations have exposed this program as, at a minimum, dangerous to core liberties and vulnerable to rank abuse.”

Move to Defund Obamacare Loses Momentum

August 18, 2013 at 7:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The GOP drive to defund Obamacare is leaking oil,” National Journal reports.

“From the leaders of the GOP establishment to usual tea-party allies, a growing number of Republicans are splitting with movement conservatives who are pushing to shut down the federal government if funding is not cut off for President Obama’s health care law at the end of September.”

“The growing concern is that the tea-party activists and a handful of senators, led by the troika of Mike Lee (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are marching into battle without a plan for victory short of Obama reversing himself on his signature domestic achievement–an almost unimaginable outcome.”

Brown Will Make Decision on Governor’s Race Soon

August 18, 2013 at 5:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

As he toured Iowa, former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) told the Des Moines Register that he’ll reveal his intentions for the Massachusetts governor’s race “in a week to 10 days.”

He added that “it’s courteous to let others interested in the race know.”

Drones for Everyone

August 18, 2013 at 5:09 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

You can now buy a drone on Amazon.

The Inside Story of Washington DC’s Political Class

August 18, 2013 at 5:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mark McKinnon reviews This Town by Mark Leibovich which he says “exposes Washington, DC, for the scandal that it really is. The conventional wisdom is that the nation’s capitol is dysfunctional. And for the American taxpayers, that is certainly true.”

“But, for the people who actually live and work there, it is functioning better than they could have ever imagined, thank you very much.”

Journalist’s Partner Detained at Airport

August 18, 2013 at 2:37 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Guardian: “The partner of the Guardian journalist who has written a series of stories revealing mass surveillance programmes by the US National Security Agency was held for almost nine hours on Sunday by UK authorities as he passed through London’s Heathrow airport on his way home to Rio de Janeiro.”

“David Miranda, who lives with Glenn Greenwald, was returning from a trip to Berlin when he was stopped by officers at 8.30am and informed that he was to be questioned under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The controversial law, which applies only at airports, ports and border areas, allows officers to stop, search, question and detain individuals.”

Greenwald calls the action a “failed attempt at intimidation.”

How Much Did Republican Convention Help Tampa?

August 18, 2013 at 2:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Tampa Bay Times: “Look for an economic impact report this week on the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa. A prediction: The study funded by the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee will conclude that their convention, which did little to help Mitt Romney win the presidency, pumped many gazillions of dollars into the Tampa Bay economy.”