Political Wire

Members should sign in for the full experience.

Exchange of the Day

By Leave a Comment

David Axelrod interviewed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on CNN:

AXELROD: The question I’ve never understood is: Why? Why did you in 1986 fill out on your law license, or something, Native American? Why did you check those boxes? Because obviously that’s a very small part of your lineage, 1/32nd or something. So why did you do it?

WARREN: Based on what I learned growing up, and the fact that I love my family, decades ago I sometimes identified as Native American. Even so, I shouldn’t have done it. I’m not a person of color. I am not a citizen of a tribe.

Axelrod Says Clinton Puts Too Much Blame on Comey

By Leave a Comment

David Axelrod said that although Hillary Clinton has a “legitimate beef” with FBI Director James Comey, Comey is not responsible for the mistakes of her campaign, Politico reports.

Said Axelrod: “Jim Comey didn’t tell her not to campaign in Wisconsin after the convention. Jim Comey didn’t say ‘don’t put any resources into Michigan until the final week of the campaign.'”


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

Upgrade Now




We’re Witnessing the Implosion of the Republican Party

By 88 Comments

David Axelrod: “The normal pattern of GOP nominating contests for the past two decades is that the party endures heated primary fights between populist, evangelical and center-right candidates, only to settle on the leading establishment choice. No more.”

“Having stoked anti-Obama fever in order to score midterm victories at the polls and then failed to deliver on pledges to derail major elements of the President’s agenda, the party elite now finds itself overrun by a wave of outrage and discontent.”

Axelrod Gets Under Clinton’s Skin

By 119 Comments

Politico: “As a CNN senior political correspondent, host of his own podcast and Twitter junkie, David Axelrod has become Clinton’s backseat driver, quick to point out flaws and offer unsolicited advice.”

“In particular, Bill Clinton — often the easiest person to provoke when it comes to criticism of his wife—has been ‘very worked up about it,’ said a source close to the campaign.”

Quote of the Day

By 15 Comments

“Hillary has a very strong night. Bernie has a very strong night. They are running one-two in this race, and they are probably stronger now than they were entering the debate. It complicates the rationale for a late entry.”

— David Axelrod, quoted by Politico, on the prospects for Vice President Joe Biden entering the presidential race.

Axelrod Says Authenticity Is Clinton’s Biggest Challenge

By 26 Comments

Former Obama strategist David Axelrod told the Des Moines Register that Hillary Clinton’s greatest challenge in her presidential bid will be “demonstrating authenticity and an understanding of Americans’ concerns.”

Said Axelrod: “In 2007, her campaign was this juggernaut of inevitability and it was a top-down experience. Voters don’t like to be told that their decision is predetermined… After she lost the Iowa caucuses in 2008, she threw caution off and her vulnerabilities were more obvious and her sense of identification with people’s struggles was more obvious and I think she was a much more effective candidate.”

He added: “The candidate you see in Iowa today is much closer to that candidate, and I think that’s authentically who she is.”

Axelrod Says Obama Misled on Gay Marriage

By 97 Comments

“Barack Obama misled Americans for his own political benefit when he claimed in the 2008 election to oppose same sex marriage for religious reasons, his former political strategist David Axelrod writes in a new book, Believer: My Forty Years in Politics,” according to Time.

“Axelrod writes that he knew Obama was in favor of same-sex marriages during the first presidential campaign, even Obama publicly said he only supported civil unions, not full marriages. Axelrod also admits to counseling Obama to conceal that position for political reasons.”

Axelrod Says Clinton Was Too Cautious

By 31 Comments

David Axelrod jabbed at Hillary Clinton”saying that she wasn’t a very strong candidate during the first part of her campaign for the 2008 presidential nomination,” Politico reports.

Said Axelrod: “When you play not to lose, you often lose. And my perception of Secretary Clinton was that she wasn’t a very good candidate in 2007.”

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.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.