Political Wire

Exchange of the Day

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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

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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.'”

We’re Witnessing the Implosion of the Republican Party

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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

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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

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“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

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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

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“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

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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.

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