Tuesday Reads: State of the Union and Campaign News
Posted: January 12, 2016 Filed under: morning reads, U.S. Politics 49 Comments
Good Morning!!
Tonight at 9:00 President Obama will give his final State of the Union Address. We’ll have a live blog to discuss what he says. Here’s what ABC News thinks we should expect from tonight’s speech.
Experts predict that rather than trying to cajole a Republican-controlled Congress to cooperate with him in 2016, the president will be asking viewers around the country to remember his legacy items and consider the future in an attempt to set the tone for the next (he hopes, Democratic) president.
“It’s not going to be a laundry list of things on the agenda” like most State of the Union addresses, said Norm Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
That’s how the president himself framed it in a video message sent to supporters
we’ve made, not just what I want to get done in the year ahead, but what we all need to do together in the years to come,” he said.
Read more projections about the speech at the link.
The LA Times says Obama’s speech will be about “staying relevant.”
Speaking to Democratic donors recently in his hometown of Chicago, President Obama took some delight in recalling how long it had been since someone reminded him he was a “lame duck” president.
“We’ve been flapping our wings a lot,” he said, noting a Pacific Rim trade agreement, a deal to rein in Iran’s nuclear program, positive economic trends and new actions on climate change.
In that spirit, White House officials have said for weeks that Obama’s final State of the Union address Tuesday will be a “non-traditional speech.” That’s a well-worn line from second-term administrations entering their final year as they try to stay relevant in the national debate.
The relatively early date for the president’s annual address to Congress is indicative of the need to avoid being overshadowed by the campaign to succeed Obama, with the Iowa caucuses less than three weeks away. But Obama and his team nonetheless see a rare opportunity for the president to not just be part of the 2016 debate, but to set its terms.
“This one moment where the country sort of acknowledges that the president gets an hour to assess the condition of the country and to offer up a prescription for confronting the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities is as important as ever,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday.
The article goes on to discuss how the White House will use social media, YouTube, and other digital methods to engage the home audience.
This week we’re also going to have two debates–a GOP debate on Thursday and a Democratic one on Sunday. Of course we’ll have live blogs each both nights. On the Republican side, Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina have been excluded from the main stage.
We’re approaching the dates of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, so things are heating up on the campaign trail. Last night ABC News and Univision held a Democratic Forum and the three Democratic Candidates were there.
The annual Black and Brown Forum, hosted by Fusion, a joint venture between ABC News andUnivision, touched on issues ranging from the Obama administration’s deportation policy to sexuality in America and the White House as “public housing.” ….
During a rapid-fire question round, Sanders was asked if it would be “off-brand” for a DemocraticSocialistto live “in a mansion like the White House?” The Vermont Senator, who lives modestly on the campaign trail and jokes about how few suits he owns, outwitted the questioner, drawing laughs as he retorted: “I would think of it more like public housing.” ….
With new polls showing them neck-and-neck in Iowa, Clinton and Sanders both agreed the race was up in the air. “Anyone can win!” Clinton said. “Who would have thought Donald Trump would be leading in national polls? I mean for those who ever thought about running for president, take heart.”
Hillary got in a couple more good digs at Trump:
ABC News: Hillary Clinton Says She Got Donald Trump ‘Nothing’ For His Wedding.
During the Fusion network’s Brown & Black Democratic forum on Monday night in Des Moines, Clinton was asked what she got the Republican frontrunner when she attended his 2005 wedding to model Melania Knauss.
“Nothing, nothing,” she said.
“He was basically a Democrat before he was a Republican,” Clinton explained. “He was, you know, somebody we all knew in New York, and he was supportive of Democrats and supportive of a lot of causes I care about and people I knew cared about.”
“Now he seems to have taken another road,” she added.
Hahahahahahahahahaha!!
Bernie Sanders has been going around claiming that he is the most electable Democratic candidate. At the Washington Post, Philip Bump points out some points out some problems with that argument.
On Sunday, Bernie Sanders’s campaign put out a press release titled, “Electability Matters.”
“A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll,” it read, “found that Sanders does better than Clinton against the leading Republican candidates by an average of 6 points in Iowa and a stunning 21 points in New Hampshire. Specifically, the poll put Sanders 13 points ahead of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump here in Iowa.”
A fine point was put on it: “Bernie’s substantial advantage over Republicans in the general election versus Secretary Clinton is another important reason that Democratic primary voters should choose him as our nominee,” the campaign’s Jeff Weaver wrote….
The only problem is that the argument isn’t a great one.
We can start with those numbers from Iowa and New Hampshire. When it comes to state match-ups, the extent to which the Democrat wins New Hampshire — a state that’s gone for the Democrats in five of the last six elections and which is worth less than 1 percent of the country’s electoral votes — doesn’t amount to a whole lot. Iowa is slightly different, with a few more electoral votes and somewhat closer recent elections (although still a tilt toward the Dems). Sanders does do better against the leading Republicans in those states, but Clinton still beats Trump in both.
Iowa and New Hampshire both have a distinction which has been to Sanders’s benefit in the primaries there, too: They’re very white. Clinton has much more support among non-white voters than Sanders, which is why she’s up big in South Carolina. Once we start talking about states like Missouri or Georgia, we can expect the calculus to shift.
Read much more at the WaPo link.
I’m going to have to add more links in the comment thread, because WordPress is behaving badly this morning. What stories are you following today? See you down below, and have a great Tuesday!
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Joe Biden is trying to undermine Hillary.
CNN: Biden praises Sanders on income inequality, calls Clinton ‘relatively new’ to the fight.
This from the man who supported making bankruptcy much harder and voted to allow 30% and higher credit card interest rates.
Joe Biden is a piece of shit.
A creepy old has been plagiarizing second banana piece of shit. .
Agreed
Ditto
Biden is full of shit. “Bernie speaks to people’s burning passion about income inequality…” Well then why are the majority of his supporters affluent white men? I just read the other day that Trump appeals to poor white men and Bernie appeals to affluent white men so what the fuck is Biden even blubbering about? He shouldn’t be talking about either one of them unless he wants to come out and endorse Bernie right now. I dare him to do it.
Well, what did you expect, Biden IS an affluent white man. 🙂
Biden must be talking while drunk again. He’s been obviously jealous of Hillary’s achievements and stamina from many comments he’s made in the past, and he’s blathering on in the same line again. What would you know about the topic anyway, Creepy Uncle Joe?
Eric Boelert at Media Matters:
The Media And Trump’s Rally Thugs.
Boelert says the media is “unsure of how to deal with” the violence and racism at Trump rallies.
Much more at Media Matters–an important post.
Very interesting link. It is amazing that the media is almost downplaying the thuggery going on at the Trump rallies. Watch how they swoon over him if it comes down to Trump vs. Clinton.
“unsure”? WTF! They are cowards.
This from The Hill makes me sick:
Kim Davis to attend State of the Union
Huckabee’s baby girl.
So I guess that’s not a violation of her parole then? 😀
Jenna Johnson on how Donald Trump has been targeting working class cities and towns with high unemployment and other economic problems.
These are the towns that love Donald Trump
WaPo:
Obama says Americans will reject Donald Trump’s message.
Lol. You just have to imagine a kindergarten bully.
Thank you BB. Read the article on Trumps rally thugs. It truly is hard to believe that the media has allowed this, and refused to confront him. Instead they are turning it up, and they know damn well what’s coming down the pike.
Joe Biden is so damn jealous of Hillary. And Bernie is out saying Hillary’s campaign is in serious trouble. Two jerks in the same tree.
See you later this evening.
Thanks Fannie. I’m looking forward to the speech tonight. Obama has finally decided to let it all hang out.
Is This the End of The New Republic?
Chris Hughes destroyed an iconic magazine and now he’s selling it.
Jamelle Bouie at Slate:
Why Hillary Would Make a Better President Than Bernie.
“Clinton’s skill as a bureaucratic infighter makes her the right pick for an era of political gridlock.”
Oops, that’s from October. Still true though.
Very true. Hillary knows how it’s done, and that’s how she gets things done.
Obama never really did much as a Senator, which is one reason why he was so accommodating to Republicans, especially in those crucial early two years as POTUS when there were more Dems in Congress.
Donald Trump May Be Gambling His Business for the Presidency
“The demagogic message that’s made Trump a political phenomenon is also undermining the luxury brand that made him rich.”
Pro-gun control Brady Campaign to endorse Hillary Clinton
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/politics/hillary-clinton-brady-campaign-endorsement-guns/
Apparently Joe Biden, the banker’s best friend, thought he should be nominated. He is out of touch with reality – which we saw earlier in his attempt to get backing. I watched today’s interview – he is a pos. He had said he would not “be silent” after someone convinced him to not run. Did I say he is a pos even mentioning unequalty. He has also spent his whole political life playing the sympathy card. Blah, blah,blah gas bag.
He probably won’t get much attention out of this. I’m sure Obama isn’t thrilled.
A $7,000 fine for Amazon, for “amputation risks”? Workers’ lives sure come cheap these days.
Wow.
Whoa, that’s nothing.
If these terrorists had more melanin they’d be in jail or dead by now.
This is getting ridiculous. Why don’t they arrest people as they come in or out?
Exactly. The cops were on tanks and suited up in battle armor for unarmed black protesters. The double standard stinks.
I don’t know if I should cry or throw up, but this ashol in Virginia, Rep. Mark Cole wants to have strip searches in schools!
https://crooksandliars.com/2016/01/va-gop-rep-wants-examine-students
What a creep. No surprise though.
You just fuck can’t make this up when it comes to republicans:
https://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2016/hb663/fulltext/
Here’s another ruling on free speech: You might remember the guy from Idaho:
http://wwlp.com/2016/01/12/court-wearing-unearned-military-medals-is-free-speech
I forgot to post this today. Kevin Drum on assisted suicide, in which he reveals that he has a terminal illness.
My Right to Die: Assisted Suicide, My Family, and Me.
Bernie Sanders plan to reduce income inequality doesn’t make sense.
The big mystery around Bernie Sanders’ plan to reduce income inequality.
Don’t know whether y’all picked up on this today, but MoveOn.org member voted to endorse Bernie. Isn’t this the same path that led to Hillary’s downward slide in 2008?
And the he proposed bill is only targeting gay men as women, according to the lawmakers, are more “reasonable” and can “manage their emotions.” The Berners are getting uglier by the second. They’re Hillary hating at orgasm rate.
Yes – this entire Bernie thing has reminded me of 2008 and the Obots – MoveOn lost me back then and I never looked back. The amount of hate that is directed towards Hillary makes me ill. It does worry me a bit, though…I can’t get the image of her surrounded by Democratic men like Schumer chanting, “Hillary, Hillary, Hillary” right before she acceded. It’s a nightmare again.
Me too. These Berniebro-dudes will do anything to keep a woman from the White House.
This was sure to come full circle. When I saw that they put a petition for Debbie Wasserman Schultz to step down, I was really pissed. She is not the enemy, but if your read the blogs, most of the men, are saying she’s ugly, and bots are saying she needs a new do. They believe she has rigged the election in favor of Hillary. On, and on it goes. I called several friends and family on this bull. Bernie’s new word: Rigged..
Is Nicki Haley giving the republican response tonight? Listen to Matthews, on the sailors being held, and he’s on to the republicans!
At this minute the republicans are hoping once again that the President fails in regards to Iranian holding US sailors.
Hi guys, am I the only one happy to see the last of Joe Biden?
Noooooooo