Axios: “We’ve seen Pelosi cut opponents off at the knees, like she did with President Trump, or pretend to forget their names, as she did to Sen. Ron Johnson. Now she’s feeding oppo research against her House counterpart, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, so others can use the same harsh rhetoric to frame the Republicans as the party of dysfunction.”
“The spectrum of her tactical range will be on full display this week.”
Time: “How did she go from saying that one particular Republican candidate was ‘disqualifying themselves with untruthful statements’ in 2015 to feeding vague conspiracy theories about Hunter Biden on Steve Bannon’s podcast in 2021? Her evolution mirrors the transformation of her party, while her rise within its ranks is a fall from the modern, millennial conservatism she once was on track to define.”
Said Firing Line host Margaret Hoover: “Elise could have been the face of a new generation of Republicans that could represent a real big-tent party, that could build beyond the base, that could lay the foundation for a coalition that could win elections nationally. It shows that she was never motivated by principles, and that’s deeply disappointing.”
Philip Bump: Can we stop pretending that Elise Stefanik’s ascent is somehow mysterious?
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy sent his caucus a letter about removing Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership post:
Having heard from so many of you in recent days, it’s clear that we need to make a change. As such, you should anticipate a vote on recalling the Conference Chair this Wednesday.
Mitt Romney: “Expelling Liz Cheney from leadership won’t gain the GOP one additional voter, but it will cost us quite a few.“
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Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) on Twitter:
“A few days before Jan 6, our GOP members had a conference call. I told Kevin that his words and our party’s actions would lead to violence on January 6th. Kevin dismissively responded with ‘OK, Adam, operator next question.’ And we got violence.”
“When 10 Republicans voted to impeach President Donald Trump on Jan. 13, it marked a historic milestone: It was the most House members from a president’s party to vote to remove him from office,” the Washington Post reports.
“But since that vote, the 10 lawmakers have cut different paths in grappling with the fallout as they consider their political futures in a party still beholden to Trump.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed that he backs Rep. Elise Stefanik for the role of House Republican conference chair, as Rep. Liz Cheney faces a vote to oust her from the influential GOP leadership post, CNN reports.
Associated Press: “House Republicans could vote as early as Wednesday to remove Cheney, the highest-ranking woman in the Republican leadership and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, and replace her with Stefanik, whose ascension has received Trump’s backing.”
Wall Street Journal: “On Wednesday, Mr. Biden will hold his first formal meeting since taking office with top congressional leaders: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The meeting will touch on several topics, but is expected to focus in part on the president’s spending proposals.”
San Francisco Chronicle: “On Willie Mays’ 90th birthday Thursday, the Twitter account for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posted a picture of … Willie McCovey.”
“The tweet, which showed the San Francisco Democrat with McCovey, was removed quickly and replaced with an image of Pelosi with the correct Willie, though the caption remained the same.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who’s poised to replace Rep. Liz Cheney as the No. 3 House Republican, has signaled to some of her colleagues that she plans to stay in leadership and as chair of the House GOP Conference for just this Congress, CNN reports.
She plans to pursue the top GOP job on the House Education and Labor Committee next Congress.
CNN: “In 2015, 2016 and the early days of Trump’s first term in office, Stefanik criticized Trump over everything from his incendiary comments about Muslims and women to his signature policy positions, such as reforming NATO, building a U.S.-Mexico border wall and having stronger cooperation with Russia.”
Washington Post: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is declining to say whether she will abide by an agreement she struck with a group of Democratic rebels three years ago to step down by the end of the 2022 cycle.”
Said Pelosi: “Well, let’s take it one step at a time. I myself had thought I was leaving in 2016, when Hillary Clinton would be the president of the United States. But I don’t have any intention of declaring myself a lame duck.”
Insider: “They are pointing out how House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) fell short when he first tried to win the job in 2015 before withdrawing… And they routinely note Trump doesn’t like to associate himself with losers.”
“One former House GOP leadership aide said McCarthy enjoys front-runner status to succeed Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should Republicans win the majority. But this person added that any flash of weakness from McCarthy between now and 2022 could prompt frenemies to pounce.”
The Ohio Republican Party passed resolutions censuring Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) and calling on him to resign for voting in January to impeach ex-President Donald Trump, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Susan Glasser: “Eric Edelman revealed that Cheney herself secretly orchestrated an unprecedented op-ed in the Washington Post by all ten living former Defense Secretaries, including her father, warning against Trump’s efforts to politicize the military. The congresswoman not only recruited her father but personally asked others, including Trump’s first Defense Secretary, Jim Mattis, to participate.”
“Republicans are firing back at Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) over a compilation she created of their social media posts related to the 2020 election and Jan. 6 insurrection, filing a complaint against her that was made public Thursday,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
“Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) alleges that Lofgren abused official House communications to disparage colleagues and to link to political websites, which were contained within the public social media messages, including his, that she published.”
Said Lofgren: “It is ironic that the complainant has accused me of somehow violating standards of civility and decorum by simply publishing other members’ own words.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), campaigning to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) as the Republican Party’s No. 3 leader in the House for calling out President Donald Trump’s election lies, pitched herself as an unshakable ally of the former president on Thursday, calling him the “strongest supporter of any president when it comes to standing up for the Constitution,” the New York Times reports.
Washington Post: Stefanik defends election falsehoods told on January 6.
A new Punchbowl News survey of senior Democratic Capitol Hill aides finds 64% of them see Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as the next Democratic speaker of the House, followed by just 14% who say it will be House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
On the GOP side, 81% of Republican staffers say it’ll be House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), while just 8% say it’ll be House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA).
Taegan 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.