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Strategists Unsure How Weiner Will Shake Up Race

April 16, 2013 at 9:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Anthony Weiner “has not declared his candidacy, hired a staff or even held a news conference. But already, New York City’s mayoral contenders are strategizing about what they have to do to prevent the former Queens congressman from making it to City Hall,” the New York Times reports.

“There is no consensus about how Mr. Weiner would perform in the race, but he would almost certainly face intense scrutiny from the press — and attacks from his political opponents — over the sexually explicit online communications that prompted his resignation from Congress in 2011.”

Presidential Lessons in Talking About Terror

April 16, 2013 at 8:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Obama’s decision “to step before cameras despite sketchy information about what happened in Boston just over three hours earlier, clearly reflected lessons learned from the series of terrorist attacks early in his administration: the potential cost of keeping a low profile and waiting is greater than the risk of speaking too soon,” Politico reports.

“However, the content of his three-and-a-half-minute speech Monday–in particular his notable aversion to labeling the incident as ‘terror’ or ‘terrorism’–seemed to reflect a continuing desire not to stoke fears or make premature public judgments even as he made sure to offer the public presence that he’d initially avoided during his first experiences managing terrorist attacks as president.”

Most Americans Support New Gun Restrictions

April 16, 2013 at 7:58 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds most Americans, including half of all gun owners, “say it is possible to enact new laws without infringing on gun rights, and overwhelming majorities support expanded background checks at gun shows and for online gun sales.”

“The findings come as the Senate prepares for its first votes on new
gun legislation this week, in what will provide an early test of
strength between the influence of the gun lobby vs. the power of public
opinion, at least when it comes to background checks.”


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Musharraf Barred from Running in Pakistan

April 16, 2013 at 7:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Judges have disqualified Pakistan’s former military ruler, Pervez
Musharraf, from running in the upcoming parliamentary election, the AP reports.

Gun Bill Still Lacks Votes in Senate

April 16, 2013 at 5:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Debate on a major overhaul of the of the nation’s gun-control laws is scheduled to begin Tuesday in the U.S. Senate, but there were still not enough votes late Monday to assure expansion of the national gun background check program for gun sales, which is the centerpiece of the proposal,” the Washington Post reports.

First Read: “The compromise’s authors were fighting for every vote on Monday, but
they still appear short of the 60 vote they would need. Hunt’s whip
count shows just seven undecided senators – two of whom (Begich, Pryor)
opposed cloture and are expected to oppose the compromise, though their
offices say they are still deciding. Democratic leaders would need ALL
FIVE of the others to reach 60 votes: Ayotte, Baucus, Heitkamp, Heller,
and Landrieu.”

Deal Reached on Immigration Bill

April 16, 2013 at 5:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The bipartisan plan to overhaul the nation’s immigration law would drastically rewrite the system for awarding visas to live in the U.S., giving preference based on skills and economic needs and putting less emphasis on family ties,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The sweeping immigration legislation, which a group of eight senators is expected to unveil this week, creates a pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, increases border security and overhauls a bevy of visa programs, many tied to employment opportunities.”

New York Times: “The biggest test will come for those Republicans who support the bill and will have to convince their skeptical Senate colleagues, constituents and grass-roots conservative base — not to mention Republicans in the House — that the legislation is not a reward for people who broke the law by entering the country illegally.”

Let’s Just Wait

April 15, 2013 at 9:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

I’ve turned off the television and will patiently wait for the facts around the Boston bombings to come out. There’s little point in following this story right now and watching endless, uninformed speculation will only drive you crazy.

Weiner Inches Towards Bid with Television Interview

April 15, 2013 at 9:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In his first television appearance since a social media-induced scandal
torpedoed his political career two years ago, a contrite Anthony Weiner
began to describe what life may be like under a theoretical Weiner
Administration,” the New York Observer reports.

GOP Embraces Obama Offer to Trim Social Security

April 15, 2013 at 8:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Obama’s “offer to trim Social Security benefits has perplexed and angered Democrats, but GOP leaders are embracing the proposal and rushing to jump-start a debate that will delve even more deeply into the touchy topic of federal spending on the elderly,” the Washington Post reports.

“The developments signal an important shift in the budget battle as party leaders nervously prepare once again to raise the federal debt limit. After more than two years of talking about taxes and ‘wasteful’ government spending, policymakers appear ready to move into the more serious and sensitive realm of entitlement programs.”

The Cloakroom: Is “entitlement” a dirty word?

Obama Promises Justice After Boston Blasts

April 15, 2013 at 8:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Obama called Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) and Boston Mayor Tom Menino (D) “and pledged any and all support needed in responding to the explosions,” Roll Call reports.

In a brief appearance at the White House, Obama vowed to bring “the full weight of justice” to whoever perpetrated the bombings in Boston.

Said Obama: “We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable.”

The Week has the latest developments on the Boston bombings.

Rodman Says FBI Wants Him to be an Informant

April 15, 2013 at 3:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Retried basketball star Dennis Rodman tells the Miami Herald that he’s been approached by the FBI to be informant on issues related to North Korea after his highly publicized trip there last month.

Said Rodman: “I have been contacted by the FBI and I met with them. They wanted to know what went on and who’s really in charge in North Korea.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

April 15, 2013 at 2:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I just think that’s unacceptable. If this passed I would have to reevaluate if I belong in the Democratic Party. If this were passed with Democratic votes, I think it would be impossible to be Democrat.”

— Howard Dean, quoted by BuzzFeed, excoriating the White House over the increased in defense spending in President Obama’s budget proposal.

Did Hugo Chavez’s Handpicked Successor Steal the Election?

April 15, 2013 at 12:52 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Week looks at a final tally that was much closer than anticipated.

The Gamble

April 15, 2013 at 12:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Free download: The Gamble: High Rollers by John Sides and Lynn Vavreck.

The authors provide a data-driven analysis of the impacts of the Obama re-election campaign’s early ad blitz.

Too Soon to Call the Iraq War a Failure?

April 15, 2013 at 12:21 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Paul Wolfowitz: “It may be a long time before we really know the outcome of the Iraq war.
To put that in perspective, consider that the Korean armistice was
signed 60 years ago, but South Korea struggled for decades after that.
Even after 30 years, only an extreme optimist would have predicted that
South Korea today would not only have one of the world’s most successful
economies but also a democratic political system that has successfully
conducted six free and fair presidential elections over the last 25
years.”

Rubio Has Big Fundraising Quarter

April 15, 2013 at 12:03 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) raised $2.28 million during the first quarter across three affiliated political committees, Roll Call reports.

“Adopting a fundraising strategy usually employed by national party committees and major presidential nominees, the Florida Republican set up a joint fundraising committee with his personal campaign account and his political action committee, Reclaim America.”

For the latest on campaign finance reports — due today — check Political Moneyline.

On God’s Side

April 15, 2013 at 11:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Just published: On God’s Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned about Serving the Common Good by Jim Wallis.

Paul Begala: “If political participants want to be encouraged to selfishly screw their
neighbor, they should read Ayn Rand; on the other hand, if they are
looking to be challenged–to be better political combatants, better
Americans, perhaps even better Christians–they will find that challenge
in the works of the Rev. Jim Wallis.”

How to Get Rich After Leaving the Obama White House

April 15, 2013 at 11:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Noam Scheiber: “Within Obamaworld, there are a few unwritten rules about how to parlay one’s experience into a handsome payday. There is, for example, a loose taboo against joining a K Street lobbying shop and explicitly trading on administration connections. And while joining a consulting firm is acceptable, those who do are reluctant to work for clients reviled by liberals: gun makers, tobacco companies, Big Oil, union busters. Above all, there is a simple prohibition against excessive tackiness.”

Said one insider: “It’s like: Don’t embarrass yourself. You were part of something special. I think if [Obama] were to send an all-staff e-mail, it would be along the lines of Ron Burgundy–‘Stay classy, San Diego.'”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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