May 15, 2015 4 min read

Wake Up To Politics - May 15, 2015

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!

Friday, May 15, 2015
543 Days Until Election Day 2016It's Friday, May 15, 2015, 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 or read stories on Wake Up To Politics by clicking the media logos at the bottom.
Waking Up To Politics

A column where I review how people are waking up in the world of politics today:
Women on 20’s activists are waking up to politics happily today because…they finally have their candidate to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. After more than 600,000 people voted in their online poll, Harriet Tubman was chosen as their pick for the new $20 bill. The next step: the group is planning to deliver a petition stating its demands of placing a woman on the bill (hopefully Tubman) to the White House.
Jeb Bush is waking up to politics unhappily because…he’s just had a pretty tough week. It all started on Monday when Fox News’ Megyn Kelly asked Bush, “Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the [Iraq] invasion?”
His politically toxic answer: “I would have”. This response, bad for any presidential candidate, was even worse because it underscores the fact that Jeb is the brother of the President who started the war in the first place. The media jumped on his fumble, and Bush was asked the question three more times. The next day, Sean Hannity asked him whether, “In20/20 hindsight, you would make a different decision.”
And his answer was not the right one, again: “Yeah, I don't know what that decision would have been, that's a hypothetical. The simple fact is that mistakes were made. As they always are in life and foreign policy. So we need to learn from the past to make sure that we're strong and secure moving forward,” the former Florida governor said.
Bush was asked once again Wednesday at a town hall, but instead of ending the controversy once and for all, went on a tirade against hypotheticals. Finally, at a Thursday town hall, Bush answered another question about the Iraq hypothetical and finally gave the answer he probably should have given Megyn Kelly in the first place: “If we're all supposed to answer hypothetical questions: Knowing what we now know, what would you have done? I would not have engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq.”
In the time between Bush’s fumble Monday and correcting it Thursday, every single one of his potential rivals for the White House was asked the question…and every single one gave a better answer.

2016 Central

WI Senate: Russ Feingold Announces Bid for His Old Seat Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) announced plans Thursday to run for his old Senate seat, against the man who unseated him in 2010.
Feingold will be facing Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI); even though Johnson beat Feingold six years ago, Feingold poses a tough challenge to the incumbent. A poll conducted last month by Marquette Law School found Feingold leading Johnson, winning 54% to the incumbent’s 38%.
Can Feingold do it? Veteran Wisconsin reporter JR Ross writes for Politico Magazine: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/05/russ-feingold-ghosts-117974.html?ml=tl_7#.VVXbuSFVikp
Weekend of the Cattle Calls Nearly every single GOP presidential candidate will descend on Iowa this weekend, to attend one (or both) of two cattle calls being held Saturday.
The first is the FAMiLY LEADER Foundation’s Iowa National Security Action Summit, to be held in Waukee. Four presidential candidates will address the summit: former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), businessman Donald Trump, and Dr. Ben Carson, who has already announces his White House bid.
The summit starts at 8 AM, and ends at 5 PM, giving the foursome enough time to head to the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner at 5:30 PM. Jindal, Trump, Santorum, and Carson will all be there, joined by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, South Carolin Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Gov. George Pataki, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul – potential/announced presidential candidates all.

Today's Tidbit

Mitt Romney: presidential candidate, governor, CEO, and now…boxer? The 2012 presidential nominee will face professional boxer Evander Holyfield in a charity match today. More on the match, from the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/03/16/the-match-up-youve-been-waiting-for-evander-holyfield-vs-mitt-romney/
And the trailer for the fight, a must-watch: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/05/13/the-video-previewing-the-mitt-romney-evander-holyfield-fight-is-amazing/

Question of the Day

Thursday’s Answer As President Obama convened talks with Gulf leaders at Camp David yesterday, the WUTP trivia question was: who was Camp David named for?
The answer…David Eisenhower, the 34^th President’s grandson.
GREAT JOB…Marlee Millman, Gail Smith, Joe Bookman, Barbara Finch, Janice Goodman, Leslie Caplan, Brad Chotiner, Marilyn Schapiro, Jim Wilbat, and those who answered on Twitter: @kevindgunn and @fsm1234!