Wake Up To Politics - December 17, 2015
There will be no edition of Wake Up To Politics sent today, but I'm still planning to send out a Wake Up tomorrow - as the last edition before I go on Winter Break. WUTP will be back on Monday, January 4...and around that time, I'm hoping to publish the Wake Up To Politics Event of the Year Magazine. But, first - I need you to tell me what the WUTP readership believes was the event with the greatest impact on American politics in 2015. You can cast your vote now (if you haven't already) by emailing me (wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com) with your choice (from the list below) and why you made it OR you can just click on your preferred event below:
- *|SURVEY:March 2: Hillary Clinton private server revealed by The New York Times|*
- *|SURVEY:April 19: Freddie Gray dies in Baltimore policy custody|*
- *|SURVEY:June 16: Donald Trump announces presidential bid|*
- *|SURVEY:June 17: Pastor, state senator, and seven others killed in Charleston|*
- *|SURVEY:June 26: U.S. Supreme Court decides on same-sex marriage|*
- *|SURVEY:July 14: Iran, the U.S., and five other nations sign nuclear deal|*
- *|SURVEY:July 20: United States and Cuba restore diplomatic relations|*
- *|SURVEY:September 24: Pope Francis addresses a joint session of Congress|*
- *|SURVEY:September 25: John Boehner announces his resignation|*
- *|SURVEY:December 2: Fourteen killed in San Bernardino|*
- *|SURVEY:December 13: 196 nations seal historic climate accord|*
Thank you! Voting lasts until Friday night...
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Forward *|FACEBOOK:LIKE|* To change the email address Wake Up To Politics is sent to you: *|UPDATE_PROFILE|*
For more on Wake Up To Politics, listen to Gabe on NPR's "Talk of the Nation, the Political Junkie podcast, and St. Louis Public Radio; watch Gabe on MSNBC's "Up with Steve Kornacki, and read about Gabe in Politico, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Globe, and the St. Louis Jewish Light
- *|SURVEY:March 2: Hillary Clinton private server revealed by The New York Times|*
- *|SURVEY:April 19: Freddie Gray dies in Baltimore policy custody|*
- *|SURVEY:June 16: Donald Trump announces presidential bid|*
- *|SURVEY:June 17: Pastor, state senator, and seven others killed in Charleston|*
- *|SURVEY:June 26: U.S. Supreme Court decides on same-sex marriage|*
- *|SURVEY:July 14: Iran, the U.S., and five other nations sign nuclear deal|*
- *|SURVEY:July 20: United States and Cuba restore diplomatic relations|*
- *|SURVEY:September 24: Pope Francis addresses a joint session of Congress|*
- *|SURVEY:September 25: John Boehner announces his resignation|*
- *|SURVEY:December 2: Fourteen killed in San Bernardino|*
- *|SURVEY:December 13: 196 nations seal historic climate accord|*
And now - to the news:
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!
Monday, December 14, 2015
49 Days until the Iowa Caucuses
330 Days Until Election Day 2016 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 and subscribe, visit the site: wakeuptopolitics.com, or like me on Twitter and Facebook. More ways to engage with WUTP at the bottom. White House Watch
- The President’s Schedule At 10:40am, President Barack Obama will convene a National Security Council (NSC) meeting to receive an update on the “campaign to degrade and destroy” ISIS at the Defense Department headquarters, the Pentagon.
- The NSC is a forum of the President’s national security advisors. Chaired by the President, Council meetings are also attended by the Vice President, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Advisor, the White House Chief of Staff, the Director of Central Intelligence, Homeland Security Advisor, and the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Homeland Security, among others.
- At 12:35pm, the President will deliver a statement on the counter-ISIS campaign from the Pentagon Briefing Room.
- The NSC briefing will mark President Obama’s first Pentagon meeting since July.
- First Lady’s Schedule At 2pm, First Lady Michelle Obama will tour the Children National Health System, the “premier provider of pediatric services throughout the Washington, DC, metropolitan area,” to visit patients and the hospital’s staff. In the hospital’s atrium, the First Lady will read to the children and take their questions – a tradition performed by the First Lady every December since Bess Truman’s tenure.
Capitol Hill News
- Senate: Today With the Senate scheduled to leave for Winter break Friday, the chamber is in a mad dash to confirm a number of Obama nominees.
- Today, the chamber will hold a roll call vote to confirm Alissa Starzak to be General Counsel of the Army, the chief legal officer of the U.S. Department of the Army. Starzak, currently Defense Department deputy general counsel, was first nominated to the post in July 2014, but has been held up due to her involvement in the CIA torture report.
- The Senate will also hold three voice vote:
- One, to confirm John Conger as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. Presently, Conger concurrently serves as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment and as Assistant Secretary of Defense of Energy, Installations and Environment. He was nominated to be Principal Deputy Under Secretary, chief deputy to the Defense Department CFO, in March 2015.
- Another, to confirm Stephen Welby as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (the Defense Department CTO). Welby currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering; he was nominated for this promotion in March.
- And finally, one to confirm Franklin Parker as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (making him responsible for recruiting all Navy and Marine Corps personnel). Parker, presently the Transportation Department Chief Counsel of the Maritime Administration, was nominated for the Navy Department post in March.
- Coming Up: Shutdown Deadline – Wednesday With both houses of Congress planning to skip town at the end of this week, it is now crunch time to pass an omnibus spending bill. The continuing resolution (CR) passed last week extended the deadline for a spending measure to be passed to Wednesday – when the government will shut down if funding is not appropriated.
- Congressional leaders had hoped to unveil a $1.1 trillion omnibus package today, but negotiations seem to be stuck over a number of policy riders either party wants included in the spending bill. Democrats want to lift the ban on CDC gun violence research, and an extension for 9/11 first responders health insurance; Republicans want to block a number of EPA regulations and lift the ban on exporting crude oil. Issues such as blocking Syrian refugees and reforming Visa Waiver Program to stop terrorists entering the U.S. are also on the table.
- Lawmakers are also hoping to link the omnibus to a package extending expired tax breaks, although that has not been immune to debate as well.
- If the omnibus is filed today, the House can pass the bill Tuesday and the Senate can vote Wednesday – but if no deal is reached today, there might not be enough time, forcing Congress to pass another stopgap CR.2016 Central
- Today on the Trail Where are the 2016 presidential candidates today?
- Arizona Rand Paul
- California Carly Fiorina (fundraiser) and Rand Paul
- Nevada Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum (summit), Donald Trump (rally)
- Spotlight: the National Security Action Summit, hosted by the Center for Security Policy. Although a number of candidates were invited, only Rick Santorum is speaking (Carson, Cruz, and Fiorina sent in video messages). Why such low turnout? The Center for Security Policy is headed by Frank Gaffney, the anti-Muslim activist who Donald Trump cited last week in his statement calling for a ban on Muslim immigration.
- New Hampshire Bernie Sanders (town hall)
- New York Hillary Clinton (National Immigrant Integration Conference address)
Question of the Day
- Today’s Question Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad becomes the longest-serving governor in American history today. Whose record is he beating?
- Send me your answer for the current longest-serving American governor (until Branstad) by emailing me (wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com). Correct respondents will get their name in tomorrow’s Wake Up!
Email WUTP Subscribe to WUTP WUTP Archives
Forward *|FACEBOOK:LIKE|* To change the email address Wake Up To Politics is sent to you: *|UPDATE_PROFILE|*
For more on Wake Up To Politics, listen to Gabe on NPR's "Talk of the Nation, the Political Junkie podcast, and St. Louis Public Radio; watch Gabe on MSNBC's "Up with Steve Kornacki, and read about Gabe in Politico, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Globe, and the St. Louis Jewish Light
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!
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
48 Days until the Iowa Caucuses
229 Days Until Election Day 2016 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 and subscribe, visit the site: wakeuptopolitics.com, or like me on Twitter and Facebook. More ways to engage with WUTP at the bottom.Cast your vote for Event of the Year at the botttom 2016 Central
- Debate Night: Round Five For the fifth and final time in 2015, the Republican candidates for President will meet to debate tonight. Here’s the details:
- WHERE is it? Tonight’s debate will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada (the third state to vote in the presidential primary process), at The Venetian, the second-largest hotel in the world. The hotel’s owner? Casino mogul and Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson, who poured over $100 million into the 2012 elections, but has not yet endorsed a GOP presidential candidate this cycle.
- WHEN is it? The field is once again split into two debates: the undercard will begin at 6pm ET (5pm CT, 4pm MT, 3pm PT) and the main event will begin at 8:30pm ET (7:30pm CT, 6:30pm MT, 5:30pm PT).
- WHO is moderating? This is the second of three GOP debates this cycle co-sponsored by CNN and Salem Radio. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer will be the principal moderator, with CNN’s Dana Bash and Salem’s Hugh Hewitt contributing questions (just as they did at the last CNN/Salem debate). Blitzer, a seasoned presidential primary debate moderator (this is his ninth), shared tonight’s focus Sunday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources: “We’re going to focus on the #1 issue facing the American people right now, and all the polls suggest that it is the fear of terrorism, ISIS,” he said.
- HOW will the stage be set up? The criteria for dividing the 14-candidate field into two events was different for this debate than the cycle’s past four. While the other debates have taken just national polling into consideration, for this debate, there were three ways to qualify for the primetime stage: averaging 3.5% in national polling OR average 4% in Iowa polling OR average 4% in New Hampshire polling.
- For this criteria, CNN only used liver interview surveys conducted between October 29 and December 13 by 21 specific polling organizations (ABC, Fox, Gallup, NBC, The New York Times, etc.)
- The only problem? Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul didn’t really meet the criteria. But, it’s OK: just like they did for Carly Fiorina in September, CNN made a little tweak to let Paul on the main stage. The difference? In Fiorina’s case, the network made a formal change, altering the dates of polling they considered. For Paul, however, it was more of an exception, with no real reason given.
- Including Paul, nine candidates made the primetime stage. As befitting his frontrunner status, Donald Trump will stand center stage. Flanking him will be Ben Carson (to his right) and Ted Cruz (to his left), the 2nd and 3rd place contenders by national average, respectively. The next tier is Marco Rubio (on Carson’s right) and Jeb Bush (on Cruz’s left); then Carly Fiorina (to Rubio’s right) and Chris Christie (to Bush’s left). Finally, John Kasich will stand on the right end of the stage, with Rand Paul on the left end.
- Meanwhile, just four candidates will make up the undercard stage: Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham, and George Pataki.
- WHAT are the stakes? As the GOP contenders meet for the last time this year, tonight’s debate has the real potential to shake things up going into Iowa, with just two more debate before the first-in-the-nation caucuses – and the next one a month away.
- Donald Trump In the past debates, Trump has tried different methods of sinking back into the shadows or roaring back and attacking those who go after him. The questions tonight: have Trump’s Republican rivals given up attacking him? Even as many put out statements condemning his proposed ban on Muslim immigration last week, will any call him out on it in primetime? And how will Trump respond? As with any thing Donald J. Trump is involved with, there’s certainly an air of unpredictability in tonight’s debate.
- Ted Cruz Unlike Trump, Cruz will certainly be Target #1 tonight. With his poll numbers nationally and in Iowa rocketing him to the top tier of the race, Cruz has momentum on his side going into the debate. The downside of being the big dog? Everyone goes after you. All eyes will be on Cruz defends himself and whether he can maintain his newfound success.
- Marco Rubio The Florida senator has also gone up in polling recently, but not at the rate his Texas colleague has – setting up the most-awaited fight of the night: Cruz vs. Rubio. As he has campaigned around the country, Rubio has been sharpening his attacks on Cruz, and going after Cruz is likely the strategy Rubio will employ in attempting to steal the Texan’s momentum going into the new year.
- Ben Carson With tonight’s debate expected to focus on national security, that spells BAD news for Ben Carson. The political outsider has been seriously slipping in recent days, a byproduct of the race’s change in emphasis to national security and foreign policy, an area of weakness for him. If Carson can’t turn around the narrative that he is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief, his embarrassing downturn will only continue.
- Jeb Bush The debate format has not been good to Jeb Bush the past few months. He has repeatedly walked away from these debates battered and bruised, and taken a hit in the polls as a result. Will tonight be any different? Probably not, but if Bush wants to become relevant in Iowa or New Hampshire – and have any momentum in the next few months of the race, he better bring a side of him to tonight’s debate that we haven’t seen at any of the previous four.
- Carly Fiorina/Chris Christie/John Kasich All three have impressed at previous debates, and been successful attacking Trump and other candidates. Yet, they barely make it onto the primetime stage tonight, failing to meet the required national average, instead requiring on their New Hampshire strength. This is a do-or-die time for this trio, and they will all be fighting to emerge as the tough, but commonsense, alternative to Donald Trump. If tonight’s performance can’t turn around worrying poll numbers and fundraising, their campaigns might be nearing the end.
- Rand Paul This is doubly crucial for the Kentucky senator, who barely made it into tonight’s debate – and shouldn’t have, some say. There was rampant speculation that if he had been blocked from the primetime stage, Paul would have dropped out of the presidential race. Now that he was able to stay in the main debate, Paul has to take advantage of his last opportunity to reshape his bid before the New Year. If Paul doesn’t see a breakout moment tonight, the likelihood of him every breaking out is rapidly dwindling.
- A Changing Field As the 2015 debate season comes to a close, a Wake Up To Politics chart explores the changes in the Republican primary field since August:
- Above, you can see where each candidate ranked in polling on the eve of the GOP debates and which debate they participated in: the main debate, undercard, or if they were not invited to either.
- Takeaways:
- BUSH has taken a sharp turn, from #2 in August to #5 now
- CARSON, who started at #5 and then stayed at #2 for a number of months, is falling back to earth (he’s back down to #4 now)
- HUCKABEE’s had, perhaps, the worst drop, from #4 in August, and then quickly down to #8 to #7 in the second and third debates, before dipping to the undercard event the past two debates.
- CRUZ’s and RUBIO’s meteoric increases have mirrored each other, with Cruz starting at #6 in August and Rubio starting at #7. They’re now #2 and #3.
- Finally – TRUMP has consistently stayed on top since August.
Capitol Hill News
- “Omnibender” Package Expected to be Unveiled Today With government funding set to run out at midnight Wednesday, House and Senate leaders are entering crunch time to arrive at a deal for the $1.1 trillion omnibus and package to extend a number of expiring tax breaks for individuals and business that are being negotiated together.
- Over the weekend, many lawmakers pointed to Monday as the date for a deal to be unveiled: another deadline that came and went. Since no “omnibender" (omnibus + tax extender) package was introduced Monday, meaning even if the measure is filed today, the House will not vote on the package until Thursday – if House Speaker Paul Ryan follows the internal House GOP three-day rule between a bill's introduction and final vote, which he has pledged to do.
- These logistics make it increasingly likely that another stopgap CR will have to be passed to fund the government for a few more days and avoid a shutdown. President Obama has signaled that he would sign a short-term funding measure into law, but only if there is a framework agreed to for an omnibus.
- How far off is that framework from reality? The omnibus package remains mired in negotiations over a number of policy riders both parties want to add to the appropriations bill, covering Wall Street reform, environmental policy, labor regulations, refugees, gun violence, health care for 9/11 first responders, and many other issues.
- “Members and staff in both parties are continuing their work on appropriations and on the tax relief measure. As we all know, they made a lot of progress in recent days,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday. “We will continue to consult and engage with colleagues as we make further progress on these last two significant items we must complete this year.”
- Some compromises have been made. For example, Democrats have accepted a GOP proposal lifting the embargo on exporting U.S. oil, but Democratic proposals for tax credits to wind and solar energy, as well as child care, will likely make it into the tax extender package.
- Meanwhile, Republicans riders on abortion and unions are not expected to be in the final omnibus package; and a proposal making it harder for Syrians and Iraqis to obtain visas for travel in the United States has been put aside.
- These losses on the riders may cause many congressional Republicans to vote against the omnibus measure, although large majorities of Democrats are expected to pick up the slack. Meanwhile, Democrats angry over the tax breaks may force Republicans to pull their weight in passing that package.
- When asked about their progress on the budget negotiations, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), the Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member, answered “we’re almost 95% there”.
- But “nothing is done until everything is done,” Mikulski noted.
White House Watch
- The President’s Schedule At 11:25am, President Barack Obama will head to the National Archives in Washington to speak at a Naturalization Ceremony, where 31 individuals from 25 countries (including Iran) will become American citizens. The President’s remarks are expected to center around his efforts to allow Iraqi and Syrian refugees to enter the United States.
- At 12:30pm, President Obama will sit down for lunch with Vice President Joe Biden.
Question of the Day
- Monday’s Answer When Terry Branstad came to work Monday, it was his 7,642nd day on the job as Iowa Governor – thereby making him the longest-serving governor in American history.
- In honor of Branstad’s record-setting day, the WUTP trivia question Monday asked whose record he broke – who the longest-serving governor was until yesterday.
- The answer? George Clinton, who served as Governor of New York from 1777 to 1795 and from 1801 to 1804, a total of 10 years, 11 months, and 26 days, or 7,641 days.
- CONGRATULATIONS: Jordan “JBurg” Burger, Carol Lister, Steve Gitnik, Andrew Arkills, and @JaredParker – who all answered correctly!
- Other answers: South Dakota’s Bill Janklow (Janice Goodman and @ChrisDevineMA), the 2nd longest-serving governor under the U.S. Constitution (most of Clinton’s gubernatorial service predated the Constitution ). While this mistake is understandable, the reason Janklow does not qualify for my answer is the record Branstad eclipsed Monday was Clinton’s, having already surpassed Janklow almost five years ago.
- More: Texas’ Rick Perry (Christopher Darken), who is the 10th longest-serving governor under the Constitution, and New York’s Mario Cuomo (William Laverty) who places a respectable #26 on the list of longest-serving governors.
- Thanks to everyone for answering! Nice job all!
Event of the year 2015
- As I explained Monday, the Wake Up To Politics Event of the Year Magazine is coming soon – but first, you have to tell me what event deserves that honor.
- There are two ways to vote for Event of the Year – choose your preference from the list of 12 below and email me (wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com) OR if you are reading the Wake Up in the body of the email, simply click your choice below (please don’t vote again if you already did yesterday).
- Which event do you believe had the greatest impact on American politics in 2015? All you have to do to cast your vote is click your choice below. Please vote, since I work really hard on the magazine, and want to make sure the Event of the Year reflects the opinion of my readership.
- The 12 choices (pick one) follows:
- March 2: Hillary Clinton private server revealed by The New York Times
- April 19: Freddie Gray dies in Baltimore policy custody
- June 16: Donald Trump announces presidential bid
- June 17: Pastor, state senator, and seven others killed in Charleston
- June 26: U.S. Supreme Court decides on same-sex marriage
- July 14: Iran, the U.S., and five other nations sign nuclear deal
- July 20: United States and Cuba restore diplomatic relations
- September 24: Pope Francis addresses a joint session of Congress
- September 25: John Boehner announces his resignation
- December 2: Fourteen killed in San Bernardino
- December 13: 196 nations seal historic climate accord
Email WUTP Subscribe to WUTP WUTP Archives
Forward *|FACEBOOK:LIKE|* To change the email address Wake Up To Politics is sent to you: *|UPDATE_PROFILE|*
For more on Wake Up To Politics, listen to Gabe on NPR's "Talk of the Nation, the Political Junkie podcast, and St. Louis Public Radio; watch Gabe on MSNBC's "Up with Steve Kornacki, and read about Gabe in Politico, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Globe, and the St. Louis Jewish Light
