There are only two salient pieces of information necessary to evaluate the deal that Hillary Clinton now supports. First, the deal was almost scuttled at the last minute by Iran’s demand that it include a removal of a decades-long arms embargo on the rogue nation. This arms embargo had nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear program but was instituted in response to the country’s continuing support of terrorism around the world.
Trump’s rise is injecting drama into the nomination fight, which hitherto had been a rather dreary slog of new candidates entering the race. Every new entrant into the race followed a traditional script and media rollout, while Trump, perhaps unsurprisingly, has exerted a near-mythical gravitational pull on the nation’s media and political conversation. Would Trump have scripted it any differently?
Breitbart News has talked with more than a dozen Republican and conservative activists over the past two days about the Trump phenomenon. While few expected to eventually vote for Trump, they unanimously gave positive reviews for what they described as his “blunt” and “honest” talk. Whatever Trump’s feature in this Presidential contest, he is already making a deep and likely lasting impact.
“The Iowa Democratic Party is thrilled to welcome Secretary Clinton, Governor O’Malley, Senator Sanders and Senator Webb to our Hall of Fame Celebration,” state Democrat Party Chair Dr. Andy McGuire said. “With the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses ahead of us, the Hall of Fame is a premier opportunity for Iowa Democrats to hear from our current and prospective presidential candidates about issues that matter to our families and communities.”
A recent Bernie Sanders event in Alabama was organized by three volunteers on Facebook. The organizers said they had expected about 30 people to attend. Instead, some 300 Sanders supporters turned out to see the iconoclast politician from the Northeast. “He’s got me excited in politics again,” said supporter Peter Stuart said. “He’s not just in it for the money or his own career. To me, he’s what politicians should be.”
A new poll from Monmouth University finds Christie losing support among Republican voters since formally announcing his entry into the race. While the drop is within the margin of error, it would mark the first time a candidate lost ground since announcing. It wasn’t that long ago that Christie was considered a frontrunner for the nomination. Just a year ago, Robert Costa, with The Washington Post said the Governor was “poised to reclaim” the top spot among Republican contenders.
Only one other candidate, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, scores in double-digits. The rest of the candidates poll in the single digits. Factoring in the margin of error in most polls–generally at least 5 percent in partisan samples–every potential candidate has a similar level of support. Statistically, there is no real difference between a candidate receiving 9 percent support and one receiving 1 percent.
The abortion ban passed the Wisconsin legislature earlier this week. The measure, which would ban most abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy is the latest in a string of conservative victories Walker has secured in the Midwestern swing state.
Inexplicably, Republican leaders are striving to grant Obama additional executive powers. More baffling is the fact that the public has no idea how these additional powers will be used or to what end. The details of this specific deal matter. The public is witnessing Republican leaders ignoring their past complaints about President Obama and striving to award him sweeping new executive powers.
Polls show that just 18 percent of Americans say they are very excited about Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for President. Almost twice that number, 34 percent, say they are angry or disappointed that she’s running.
The long detente between President Obama and the Clintons is coming to an end. Obama’s policies are far more unpopular than he is. A recent Pew Poll found that two-thirds of Americans want the next President to reverse Obama’s agenda. Any Democrat even tacitly acknowledging this fact will spark sniping responses from the Obama world. This is perhaps even more true for Clinton.
The Senate Democrats were able to escape an extreme abortion position with a tactical victory, and now will get a vote on Loretta Lynch as well. Thus, Senate Republicans will definitely oppose Obama and his policies. Just as long as Harry Reid and the Democrats allow them to.
As the Republican presidential candidates gather this weekend in New Hampshire, they’re all chasing a midwestern governor. The latest survey of New Hampshire Republicans, by liberal-leaning Public Policy Polling, finds Wisconsin’s Scott Walker with a strong lead at 24 percent, followed by a rising Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
The Senate rulebook is a notorious alchemy of parliamentary procedures, precedents and the whims of individual Senators. That said, Sen. Harry Reid could only “force” a vote if enough Republicans joined with him to give him majority votes.
The professional left is planning a tag-team hunger strike to agitate for a confirmation vote on Loretta Lynch’s nomination for U.S. Attorney General. The Senate is currently considering legislation to further crack down on human sex trafficking. Senate Democrats, unbelievably, have blocked action on the bill because it prohibits federal money from paying for abortion.
Sen. Chuck Schumer’s long rise to be Democrat leader could spell trouble for other members of his caucus over the next two years.
The Independent block of voters is likely to grow over the coming years. The race to capture their hearts, and votes, will decide electoral victory in a host of political contests. For now, they seem to be mostly dissatisfied Republicans. Whether they go back to the party or disappear forever is the political $64,000 question.
As Rand Paul gets set to announce his presidential bid, a new Super PAC is already targeting the Kentucky Senator with a $1 million ad buy.
The previously unknown group, the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America, plans to attack Paul as weak on Iran and will try to tie the Senator to Obama’s nuclear talks with the pariah nation, the New York Times reports. Republicans, after all, are very adept at using the mainstream media to attack other Republicans.
In Washington, Rahm Emanuel won national political acclaim for his tenacious fights to tear down the Republican party. In Chicago, Republican votes may what saves him.
Republican voters simply don’t like Chris Christie. The long dark nightmare of America’ fascination with the Jersey Shore may finally be coming to its end.
Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) says Hillary Clinton “must” testify before the special select committee examining the tragedy in Benghazi. Duckworth added she would hold former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton “accountable” for erasing emails from her personal server.
Perhaps there have been reasons Republicans backed down from previous budget battles. Whatever their validity in the past, as the FY 2016 budget moves through the process, one ting is clear: If the GOP leadership pulls its punches during reconciliation, then it too is part of the problem in Washington.
Across the Obama Administration, hundreds of proposed regulatory changes are winding their way through an alphabet-soup of bureaucracies. Each of these will affect the economy is some way. The Job Creators Network campaign shows it is possible to fight back against these regulatory actions. Its a good lesson as the clock winds down on the Obama presidency.
Medicare is still unsustainable in the current budget blueprint. This current permanent “doc fix” proposal may more accurately align with budget reality, but the myth that Congress can keep funding all its promises without significant reforms remains.
A new CNN poll, asking Americans about their “perfect” candidate in 2016, is a bitter prelude to Obama’s presidential legacy. By strong majorities, Americans want a political leader with lots of experience who will reverse Obama’s policies.
