Wake Up To Politics - December 17, 2014
To read today's edition of Wake Up To Politics in a PDF format, click here. Continue reading to find the text of the Wake Up in the body of the email!
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
692 Days Until Election Day 2016It's Wednesday, December 17, 2014, I'm Gabe Fleisher for Wake Up To Politics, and reporting from WUTP world HQ in my bedroom - Good morning: THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL!!!
To send me questions, comments, tips, new subscribers, and more: email me at wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com. To learn more about WUTP or subscribe, visit the site: wakeuptopolitics.com, or read my tweets and follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/Wakeup2Politics.
Event of the Year
- Voting Continues Instead of a Person of the Year this year, we are choosing an Event of the Year. As always, the choice of what will be featured in the year-end Magazine belongs with you…and here are your choices for Wake Up To Politics 2014 Event of the Year:
- Crimea annexation
- Ebola outbreak
- Ferguson protests
- Flight 370 disappearance
- Gaza conflict
- Immigration debate
- ISIS executions
- Midterm voting
- NFL sexual assault
- Nigeria kidnapping
- Same-sex marriages recognized
- You can vote in three easy ways:
1) Email me your choice to wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com. All you need to do is respond to this email, and type one word in: the name of your choice (although if you so choose, you can also include an explanation that will featured in the Magazine).
2) Fill out the survey at wakeuptopolitics.com. Click the box next to your choice and record your decision (and an optional explanation) in two easy clicks.
3) Tweet with #WakeUpEvent If you include #WakeUpEvent and the name of your choice (and an explanation if you can write it in 140 characters), a tweet can also be counted.
- Voting lasts until Friday, and EVERY SINGLE PERSON reading this right now should go and vote – it’s so easy…and then come back and finish the Wake Up, of course.White House Watch
- The President’s Schedule At 4:15 PM and 8 PM, President Obama will host two Hanukkah receptions to celebrate the Jewish “Festival of Lights,” which began last night.
- The White House Hanukkah Party is a tradition began by President George W. Bush in 2001, and has been held every year since. For the party, the White House kitchen is “kasherized,” and Jewish Supreme Court Justices, lawmakers, and religious leaders will attend. This year, the Wake Up To Politics resident Rabbi, Susan Talve, was invited to attend the reception (!)
- Obama Signs Spending Bill President Barack Obama signed the $1.1 trillion spending bill Wednesday night, just hours before the government was set to shut down.
- While the bill was passed by Congress late Saturday, it took a full three days for the 1,600-page document to be printed and sent to the President – the reason he had to wait to affix his signature.
- With that, the threat of a shutdown is protracted until September, when the majority of the federal government is funded through – but another fiscal fight is set for February, when the spending bill funds the Department of Homeland Security to.
- Alaskan Coast Drilling Banned by Obama President Barack Obama signed a presidential memorandum Tuesday – an executive order by another name – to permanently ban oil and gas drilling off the Alaskan coast.
- “It is a beautiful natural wonder, and it’s something that’s too precious to us to just be putting out to the highest bidder,” President Obama said of the picturesque Bristol Bay protected by the action, in a one-minute video announcing his decision.
- The whales, seals, and sea lions of the Bering Sea were already protected by the President in 2010, in a temporary ban; this one will be permanent.
- The President’s memorandum Tuesday is just the latest in a string of executive actions on the environment coming from Obama, as he enters his two final years in office.
Election Central
- 2016 Central: Jeb Bush Explores White House Campaign Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL), a favorite of the establishment and leading potential candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, announced Tuesday he has decided to “actively explore the possibility” of running for President.
- “As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States,” Bush said, saying he discussed the possibility at length with family over Thanksgiving.
- As he inches towards running, Bush also announced the creation of a leadership PAC, which he will launch next month, allowing him to travel, promote candidates, and meet voters across the country.
- Bush, 61, is the son and brother of two former U.S. Presidents: George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, respectively. His announcement Tuesday is his clearest indication that he will run for President, indeed, the clearest indication from any potential Republican candidate. These steps taken by Bush reshape the GOP 2016 field, as more pressure is put on other prospective candidates to at least announce their intentions – whether they are “exploring,” “actively exploring,” or “lazily exploring”.
- McSally-Barber Race Decision Coming Today A local judge will announce Wednesday the results of a recount in Arizona’s 2nd district House race.
- The race between Republican Martha McSally and Democrat Ron Barber, the incumbent, is the last U.S. House race of the 2014 cycle to be decided.
