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Cornyn Praises Trump Decision to Pull Troops from Syria

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“Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) lauded the president’s abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, arguing Wednesday that with Turkey intent on ethnic cleansing of the Kurds — longtime U.S. allies in the fight against the radical Islamic State — the move had merit,” the Dallas Morning News reports.

Said Cornyn: “If Turkey was planning on coming into northern Syria and trying to ethnically cleanse the Kurds, and U.S. troops were caught in the middle, I am not completely convinced that it was a bad idea to get them out of harm’s way.”

Democrats Mobilize to Unseat John Cornyn

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Texas Tribune: “Emboldened after their gains in 2018 — including the closer-than-expected Senate race — the state party is establishing a ‘Cornyn War Room’ to ‘define Cornyn before he defines himself,’ according to a memo. It is unlike anything the party has done in recent history surrounding a U.S. Senate race, and it reflects the urgency with which Texas Democrats are approaching a potentially pivotal election cycle.”

Cornyn responded to the initiative saying he hopes Democrats “spend every last penny they get from their out-of-state puppet masters.”

McConnell Vows to Block Any Bill Protecting Mueller

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Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “shut down the possibility that the Senate might take up legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by President Trump, even after Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the No. 2 Senate Republican, held open the possibility earlier Tuesday,” USA Today reports.

“Earlier in the day, Cornyn signaled a potential change in the position of Republican leaders who have previously rejected a push by outgoing Republican Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) to allow a vote on the Mueller legislation.”


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Cornyn Rejects Proposal to Raise Age on Gun Buying

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Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the number two Republican in the Senate, criticized President Trump’s proposal to raise the minimum age for gun purchases, saying it wouldn’t save lives, The Hill reports.

Said Cornyn: “I think what we want to focus on is things that will actually save lives. That’s why I think the focus should be on the Fix NICS bill, which is the only bipartisan piece of legislation that can be signed into law.”

He added that a bill increasing the age limit on gun purchases would be “difficult to enforce.”

Cornyn Insists Health Bill Vote Will Proceed

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Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) says a key vote to advance the GOP health care bill will likely occur on Wednesday, The Hill reports.

“Leaders currently do not have the support to win that procedural vote, known as a motion to proceed, to take up the bill for consideration.”

Axios: “That wouldn’t necessarily be the worst outcome for McConnell. As much as Republicans want to get rid of the health care law, McConnell’s allies have been saying for weeks that he’s ready to just put senators on the record and move on to tax reform. He doesn’t think a delay in the vote will make it more likely to pass.”

Do Senate Republicans Want This Bill to Pass?

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First Read: “Don’t miss what Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, tweeted last night: ‘FYI: The Byrd Rule is actually a law.’ Translation for those unfamiliar with Senate arcana: The legislation that House Republicans are trying to pass probably don’t meet the rules that can avoid a Senate filibuster.”

“Think about it, Cornyn is warning his House colleagues that this legislation can’t pass the Senate. And that’s precisely what Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) stated earlier this month: ‘I would say to my friends in the House of Representatives with whom I serve, ‘Do not walk the plank and vote for a bill that cannot pass the Senate and then have to face the consequences of that vote.'”

Cornyn Says Wall Not a Priority for Texans

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Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, believes that constructing a physical wall on the U.S.-Mexico border would not rate high among Texans, The Hill reports.

Said Cornyn: “I think people would say, if you are talking about a physical wall, it would rate very low. Because I think most people in Texas understand that our 1,200-mile border is not … the same at every point along the way.”

Trump Says GOP Leaders Need to be Tougher

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Donald Trump “singled out Republican leaders, explicitly telling them to get tougher, sharper, smarter and quiet,” Politico reports.

Said Trump: “You know, the Republicans, honestly, folks, our leaders — our leaders have to get tougher. This is too tough to do it alone. But you know what? I think I’m gonna be forced to. I think I’m going to be forced to.”

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) told reporters that he will no longer talk about Trump until after Nov. 8.

Cornyn Calls Trump an ‘Albatross’ to Republicans

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Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) “raised serious concerns about Donald Trump’s surging presidential bid, becoming the highest-ranking congressional Republican to express fears about the real estate mogul’s candidacy,” CNN reports.

Said Cornyn: “We can’t have a nominee be an albatross around the down-ballot races.”

Quote of the Day

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“I’ve evolved. Part of wisdom is to learn from your experiences, and I think we learned the hard way that shutdowns are not well received by the American people.”

— Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), quoted by Roll Call, on now having “the responsibility to govern.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

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“I just worry with a president who’s so detached and disengaged and apparently disinterested in doing the grind work that goes along with passing legislation that it would be hard to do anything, impossible to do anything really big and meaningful and a lot of those things we really need to do.”

— Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), quoted by the Texas Tribune.

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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