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Plouffe’s Big Gamble

June 5, 2013 at 6:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Obama adviser David Plouffe brought up decades-old allegations that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) stole cars and burned down his own business because “he had no choice,” Politico reports. “There was simply no other Obama aide with the stature or street cred with the Democratic base to confront Issa — even though he was a key player in the administration during the period covered by Issa’s inquiry.”

“His decision to trash Issa in such a personal way stunned Plouffe admirers who privately fret about poking such an ambitious and unpredictable adversary in the eye, fearing it will only reinforce the California Republican’s determination to prove that the orders to scrutinize conservative groups came from high-ranking administration officials.”

Said Plouffe: “If he behaves himself I am happy to never think about him again. I do think it’s highly relevant for the media to examine Congress’s top cop both in terms of how he is handling the current situation but also his background. He is a man in the spotlight — the American people should and will be eager for more info on who the inquisitor is.”

McDonnell Aides Expressed Concern About Donor Event

June 5, 2013 at 6:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Emails show that top aides to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) expressed concerns about the governor’s participation in a 2011 event at the governor’s mansion that marked the launch of a dietary supplement made by a major McDonnell campaign donor, the Washington Post reports.

The messages “provide new information about the circumstances that led the governor and his wife to open the mansion to Star, whose chief executive had paid $15,000 for the catering at the wedding of McDonnell’s daughter three months earlier.”

Smith Wins Special Election in Missouri

June 5, 2013 at 5:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Missouri state Rep. Jason Smith (R) easily won Tuesday’s special election for the vacant 8th Congressional district seat in southeastern Missouri, beating fellow state Rep. Steve Hodges (D) by a more than 2-to-1 ratio, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Smith said in an election night interview that he planned to fly to Washington today with the hope of quickly taking the oath of office: “We’ve been without representation in the 8th District the last 134 days, and I’m going to stay up there until the speaker of the House will swear me in.”

Pallone Will Run for Senate

June 4, 2013 at 8:15 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) intends to run for the U.S. Senate seat opened by the death of Frank Lautenberg, three sources with knowledge of the congressman’s thinking told the Newark Star-Ledger.

“Pallone has long harbored interest in running for the U.S. Senate and said as much this year, even though Newark Mayor Cory Booker has led in polls of potential candidates and is the favorite of many top Democrats. One drawback would have been Pallone having to give up his House seat that he’s held for 25 years. But since Christie has bumped the election up to 2013, Pallone can run for Senate without having to worry about giving up that seat.”

Video Showing Mayor Smoking Crack is ‘Gone’

June 4, 2013 at 8:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Despite raising $200,000 to buy a video reportedly showing Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack, Gawker reports that “after a long silence, the video’s owner reached out to the intermediary we have been dealing with. He told him the video is ‘gone.'”

“‘It’s gone’ could mean many things. It might mean that the video has been destroyed. It might mean that it has been handed over to Ford or his allies. It might mean that he intends to sell or give it to a Canadian media outlet. It might mean that the Toronto Police Department has seized it and plans to use it as evidence in a criminal investigation. It might mean that it has been transferred to the custody of Somali community leaders for safekeeping. It might be a lie. The intermediary doesn’t know.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

June 4, 2013 at 3:49 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I don’t know the cost for the special election and I don’t care.”

— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), announcing a special U.S. Senate election that falls just weeks ahead of the November gubernatorial election.

[Read more…]

Lawmaker’s Wife Tells Women to Leave Her Husband Alone

June 4, 2013 at 3:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The wife of Alabama state Sen. Shadrack McGill (R) “is claiming that women are sending unsolicited images to her husband in an attempt to break up their marriage,” WAAY-TV reports.

Said Mrs. McGill on Facebook: “This is the ‘behind the scenes’ garbage that political life brings. I will not turn a blind eye to it any longer!”

Republicans Upset with Christie’s Decision

June 4, 2013 at 2:58 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

National Journal: “Republicans are fuming over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to hold an early special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, with several Washington-based operatives suggesting he’s looking out for his own interests over helping the GOP regain a Senate majority. The decision to hold a separate special election in October 2013 — just two weeks before his own election — would give any interested Republican candidates little time to announce, organize a campaign, and raise the necessary money to take on a top-tier Democrat, likely Newark Mayor Cory Booker.”

“The governor’s decision, along with growing GOP expectations that his
appointee will be a placeholder, means that what could have been an
outside chance at a GOP pickup now looks like a long-shot.”

Said one senior GOP official: “I think this ends his 2016 chances. It’s year after year with this guy.”

Markey Way Ahead in Massachusetts

June 4, 2013 at 2:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new New England College poll in Massachusetts shows Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) with a double-digit lead over Gabriel Gomez (R) in this month’s special U.S. Senate election, 52% to 40%.

Christie Calls for Special Election in October

June 4, 2013 at 1:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he would call for a special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) on October 16, 2013.

He will make an interim appointment to fill the seat soon.

What Will Christie Do?

June 4, 2013 at 1:37 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

I joined Thomas Roberts, Judd Kegum and Kate Sheppard on MSNBC to discuss what Gov. Chris Christie will do regarding the appointment of someone to fill Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s seat in New Jersey after the senator’s passing earlier this week.

[Read more…]

Schauer Leads for Michigan Governor

June 4, 2013 at 1:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Michigan finds Mark Schauer (D) leading Gov. Rick Snyder (R) by four points, 42% to 38%.

Key finding: “Schauer’s initial lead has a lot more to do with Snyder than it does with himself. Even after his official candidacy announcement, he has just 38% statewide name recognition. But Snyder continues to be one of the most unpopular Governors in the country with only 40% of voters approving of him to 52% who disapprove.”

Gallup Begins Sweeping Review of Polling Methods

June 4, 2013 at 12:47 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Gallup report details the reasons why the polling firm believes that its polls failed to predict President Obama’s victory in the November election, National Journal reports.

The Hill: “Gallup has partnered with the University of Michigan for a top-to-bottom review of its operations. In a written post-mortem, the pollster said it’s not averse to making “major revisions or even a replacement model” if needed to produce more accurate data.”

[Read more…]

McCain’s Surprising Toast of Kissinger

June 4, 2013 at 12:37 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) toast at former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s 90th birthday party “had the room buzzing,” the Daily Beast reports.

“McCain, shot down as a bomber pilot over North Vietnam on October 26, 1967, was brutally treated by his captors. He was tortured, beaten incessantly, his arms rebroken in the notorious Hanoi Hilton. Part of the McCain legend has always been how he declined an offer of early release rather than jump ahead of his fellow prisoners on account of his father’s impending promotion to admiral in charge of the U.S. Pacific fleet. On Monday night, for the first time, he told of a role played by Henry Kissinger.”

Some State Legislatures Have Super Minorities

June 4, 2013 at 12:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Bloomberg points out that in a few state legislators, “those that are deeply Republican-red or Democratic-blue, the partisan hue is so one-sided that it’s creating super-minorities in some Senate chambers.”

“Members of these tiny caucuses say they still can influence debate, are included in bipartisan legislative deliberations and can attract attention while being outnumbered. The upshot: state legislatures often aren’t the partisan combat zone that Congress has become, and their lawmakers find ways to work cooperatively on issues, an environment presidents can only envy.”

Governor Blames Educational Mediocrity on Women Working

June 4, 2013 at 10:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) said that America’s educational troubles began when women began working outside the home in large numbers, the Washington Post reports.

In response to a question about how America became “so mediocre” in regard to educational outcomes, he said: “I think both parents started working. The mom got in the work place.”

Obama Begins Aggressive Push for Judicial Picks

June 4, 2013 at 10:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Obama on will nominate a slate of judges today to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, “an aggressive move that is likely to spark swift resistance from Senate Republicans who say the court is underworked and does not need additional judges,” Roll Call reports.

The move “sends a strong message that he intends to push for the nominees in a way that he has not lobbied for his other lower-court choices. Obama has never appeared alongside a judicial nominee other than for the Supreme Court, according to advocates.”

Booker vs. Pallone Primary More Likely

June 4, 2013 at 10:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “What’s interesting about the likely quick special election is that it doesn’t preclude the 2014 race — that is, you’ll have a special Senate election this year and then another race for the seat in 2014. But this also means that Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who’s widely assumed to jump into this special election, would probably face a primary fight now from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ).Why? Well, Pallone can run for the Senate seat in 2013 without risking his House seat. So it’s a free shot for the Democratic congressman.”

“Of course, the state party could decide against holding a party primary and choose the nominee at a convention of sorts. There will be national pressure on New Jersey Democrats to rally around Booker, whether Pallone likes that or not.”

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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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