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Obama Faces Pressure on Gay Rights

June 14, 2013 at 1:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“With the Supreme Court only days away from major rulings on same-sex marriage, President Obama faces the prospect of having to make his own difficult decisions about the definition of wedlock,” the Washington Post reports.

“Gay rights advocates are already pressing Obama to immediately broaden the federal government’s recognition of legally married same-sex couples if the court strikes down a ban on providing federal benefits to them. The question for Obama turns on whether the federal government should extend full benefits to gay couples living in states that don’t recognize their marriages.”

“Obama would face rare, concrete decisions on the politically combustible question of same-sex marriage — an area he has largely left to the purview of courts and state legislatures.”

Obama Will Unveil Climate Measures

June 14, 2013 at 1:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Obama has been telling Democratic party donors that he will unveil new climate proposals in July, Bloomberg reports.

While Obama has not detailed the specifics of his plan to the donors, Keystone XL pipeline opponents anticipate the package will include a plan from the Environmental Protection Agency to issue final rules to limit greenhouse-gas emissions from new power plants.

U.S. Will Send Arms to Syrian Rebels

June 14, 2013 at 1:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Obama administration, “concluding that the troops of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria have used chemical weapons against rebel forces in his country’s civil war, has decided to begin supplying the rebels for the first time with small arms and ammunition,” the New York Times reports.

“But even with the decision to supply lethal aid, the Obama
administration remains deeply divided about whether to take more
forceful action to try to quell the fighting, which has killed more than
90,000 people over more than two years. Many in the American government
believe that the military balance has tilted so far against the rebels
in recent months that American shipments of arms to select groups may be
too little, too late.”

The Week: A new American war?

Obama Cancels Safari Due to Security Cost

June 13, 2013 at 5:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Extraordinary security provisions for President Obama trip to sub-Saharan Africa this month — “which will cost the government tens of millions of dollars” — are outlined in a confidential document obtained by the Washington Post.

“Any journey by the president, such as one scheduled next week for Northern Ireland and Germany, is an immense and costly logistical challenge. But the trip to Africa is complicated by a confluence of factors that could make it one of the most expensive of Obama’s tenure, according to people familiar with the planning.”

“The president and first lady had also planned to take a Tanzanian safari as part of the trip, which would have required the president’s special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles with high-caliber rounds that could neutralize cheetahs, lions or other animals if they became a threat… But the White House canceled the safari Wednesday after inquiries from The Post about the trip’s purpose and expense.”

Palin Signs Up with Fox News Again

June 13, 2013 at 5:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sarah Palin is rejoining Fox News, the Washington Post reports.

“The network said Thursday that the former Republican vice presidential candidate has signed on as a contributor to Fox and the Fox Business Network. Her first appearance is scheduled for Monday on the ‘Fox & Friends’ morning show — on the same day CNN is premiering a morning show to great fanfare.”

Akinize

June 13, 2013 at 4:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Thanks to Bill Lambrecht of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for the latest addition to the political dictionary: Akinize.

Small Movement Towards GOP in 2014 House Races

June 13, 2013 at 2:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball tweaks its 2014 House ratings and finds “small Republican gains — as in, less than five seats — look likelier than a similarly small gain for Democrats. That’s because the Republican targets just look a little better than the Democratic ones.”

“While it would be foolish to rule out any outcome, there is no indication at this point that the Republican House majority is in jeopardy.”

Christie Slow Jams the News

June 13, 2013 at 1:58 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) slow jams the news with Jimmy Fallon. Just hilarious.

[Read more…]

Flashback Quote of the Day

June 13, 2013 at 1:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“It is the principle of sin, rebellion against God and His truth which has brought about birth defects and other destructive natural occurrences.”

— Virginia Lt. Gov. candidate E.W. Jackson (R), quoted by BuzzFeed in his 2008 book, Ten Commandments to an Extraordinary Life.

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

June 13, 2013 at 1:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I think that there’s a group of people, younger people who are not fighting the war, who are libertarians mostly, who feel like the government is the problem.”

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by Time, on the NSA surveillance programs he helped write into law.

GOP Still Following 2012 Playbook

June 13, 2013 at 12:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

National Journal: “To much acclaim, the Republican National Committee released its road map for reform in March, emphasizing that the path to success called for moderating the party’s position on immigration, courting a more diverse set of officeholders, and building the GOP around pragmatic governors rather than polarizing members of Congress.”

“Three months later, those recommendations seem to have already been forgotten. Party leaders in Washington anonymously rebuked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for his self-interested scheduling of a Senate special election, treating a rare blue-state conservative governor like a pariah. As the debate on immigration heats up in Congress, the majority of House Republicans cast a symbolic vote rejecting President Obama’s executive order to end deportations of young people brought to this country illegally as children. In Massachusetts, the party nominated a Hispanic military veteran who is within striking distance of winning a Senate seat, but few major donors are giving money to his campaign.”

Supreme Court Rules Human Genes May Not Be Patented

June 13, 2013 at 10:47 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled “that human genes extracted from the body can’t be patented, a victory for doctors and patients who argued that such patents interfere with scientific research and the practice of medicine,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The court was handing down one of its most significant rulings in the age of molecular medicine, deciding who may own the fundamental building blocks of life.”

Conservative Lawmaker Mistakenly Attends LBGT Reception

June 13, 2013 at 9:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) surprisingly showed up at an LGBT event on Capitol Hill, the Houston Chronicle reports.

“Of course, that was before the he realized he was at the wrong event. As it turns out, Hall and his staffers were under the impression that they were attending an event for a fellow congressman, an event scheduled for that same day. After being welcomed into the event and offered refreshments, Hall inquired about the congressman whom he was there to support. After being told that he was indeed in the wrong place, the longtime conservative quickly left the premises — that is, as quickly as a 90-year-old can physically leave a premises.”

After Roll Call noted his presence by suggesting he might be “letting his hair down” by attending the event, Hall responded: “I would just say that while I do have a good head of hair for a 90-year-old, I do not have the quantity of hair, nor the inclination, to let it down.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

June 13, 2013 at 9:45 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I do not believe that yoga leads to Satanism.”

— Virginia Lt. Gov. candidate E.W. Jackson (R), in a must-read Richmond Times-Dispatch article.

Many See Little Difference Between Bush and Obama on Privacy

June 13, 2013 at 9:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Time poll finds that 42% of Americans say there is little difference between President Obama and former President George W. Bush in being careful about protecting Americans’ privacy.

Hillary Steps Out of Bill’s Shadow

June 13, 2013 at 9:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read point out that if you’ve followed Hillary Clinton’s career “since she became a national figure in 1992, something pretty remarkable has happened over the past four years: She now, more than ever before, has a political brand and identity that’s separate from her husband’s. And that’s a pretty powerful development when thinking about 2016, because it means she’s not as associated with any potential baggage (Lewinsky, Marc Rich, etc.) as she was when she ran for president in 2008.”

Said one Democratic strategist: “In ’08, she was coming out of Bill’s shadow. Now there is no shadow in the world big enough to cover her.”

Important point: “The reasons for this separate and distinct brand come from her holding
one of the biggest jobs in the world as secretary of state; from her
stepping away from domestic politics; and from her quick embrace of —
and loyal work for — President Obama since losing the Democratic
nominating fight.”

Booker Way Ahead in Democratic Primary

June 13, 2013 at 9:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Monmouth poll in New Jersey finds that among potential voters in the August Democratic primary, Cory Booker (D) holds a commanding lead over his challengers, garnering 63% support, compared to 10% for Rush Holt (D), 8% for Frank Pallone, and 6% for Sheila Oliver (D).

Democrats Stomp on GOP Outreach to Women

June 13, 2013 at 9:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Democrats are seizing on recent GOP comments that many feel are unfriendly to women voters as the American Bridge Super PAC has re-launched its “It’s Not Just Akin” website.

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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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