Speaker of the House John Boehner announced he would retire from Congress on Friday.
Facing increasing pressure from the more conservative pieces of his party to toe a more conservative line the Speaker is getting out before he is forced out. He has gradually become more disliked as his party views him as too willing to compromise with Congressional Democrats and the White House.
"Last night I started thinking about this," he said in a press conference on his resignation. "I woke up, I said my prayers, and decided today was the day I'll do that. Simple as that."
Boehner and his allies have known the Speaker was vulnerable ever since January when tea party conservatives were just a few votes shy of electing an alternative leader of the party. Earlier this month North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows introduced an motion to "vacate the chair", a motion that would have removed Boehner as speaker had it been allowed to be put up for a vote and passed.
Boehner had originally intended to step down last year and allow his number two, House Majority Leader at the time Eric Cantor to take the gavel. Those plans were upended when Cantor was defeated in a primary challenge in his Virginia district by a little known economics professor.
So far it appears the most obvious successor to Boehner is Cantor's replacement, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Conservative hardliners may rally around a candidate involved in tea party circles such as Daniel Webster (R-FL) or Raul Labrador (R-ID) both of whom have challenged Boehner for the speakership in the past.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) the highest ranking Republican woman in the chamber and Steve Scalise (R-LA) the House Majority Whip are also possible candidates. However political pundits from CNN and Politico cite them as having more interest in the Majority Leader position.
A vote to elect the new speaker has yet to be announced but is widely expected to take place in early to mid October.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Who North Carolinians like in the Presidential Race
A new poll by Public Policy Polling shows that like much of the nation, Donald Trump is leading in North Carolina.
Trump leads his Republican opponents at 24% while Dr. Ben Carson takes second place at 14%. He is followed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at 13%, Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 10%, Florida Senator Marco Rubio at 9%, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (who has since dropped out) at 6%. No one else registered above 5%.
Trump is winning just about every section of the Republican party possible in the state. He leads with moderates, conservatives, young voters, middle aged voters, and senior citizens.
The poll is good news for Carson. He has risen from an obscure candidate to the second choice of Republicans both in North Carolina as well as nationally. His poll numbers in the state have gone from 9% to 14% and he is the second choice candidate of 21% of Republican North Carolinians. Cruz has also seen his poll numbers rise in the state since earlier this summer.
With the Democrats Hillary Clinton is the overwhelming frontrunner with 55% of North Carolina Democrats backing the former Secretary of State, New York Senator, and First Lady. Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders gets 19%, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb is at 5%, former Maryland Governor and former Rhode Island Governor and Senator Lincoln Chafee tie at 2%, and Harvard economics professor Lawrence Lessig gets 1%.
Clinton leads in every demographic of Democratic primary voters in the state. She wins both men and women, young and old, and moderates and liberals. She also has increased her support in the African American community.
In hypothetical match ups Clinton falters against some of her potential Republican opponents. She loses North Carolina to Carson (47% Carson, 40% Clinton) and Marco Rubio (45% Rubio, 41% Clinton) as well as narrow losses to Fiorina, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Cruz, Huckabee and Trump.
The poll was conducted August 12-16 and interviewed 957 North Carolina voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percent.
Trump leads his Republican opponents at 24% while Dr. Ben Carson takes second place at 14%. He is followed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at 13%, Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 10%, Florida Senator Marco Rubio at 9%, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (who has since dropped out) at 6%. No one else registered above 5%.
Trump is winning just about every section of the Republican party possible in the state. He leads with moderates, conservatives, young voters, middle aged voters, and senior citizens.
The poll is good news for Carson. He has risen from an obscure candidate to the second choice of Republicans both in North Carolina as well as nationally. His poll numbers in the state have gone from 9% to 14% and he is the second choice candidate of 21% of Republican North Carolinians. Cruz has also seen his poll numbers rise in the state since earlier this summer.
With the Democrats Hillary Clinton is the overwhelming frontrunner with 55% of North Carolina Democrats backing the former Secretary of State, New York Senator, and First Lady. Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders gets 19%, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb is at 5%, former Maryland Governor and former Rhode Island Governor and Senator Lincoln Chafee tie at 2%, and Harvard economics professor Lawrence Lessig gets 1%.
Clinton leads in every demographic of Democratic primary voters in the state. She wins both men and women, young and old, and moderates and liberals. She also has increased her support in the African American community.
In hypothetical match ups Clinton falters against some of her potential Republican opponents. She loses North Carolina to Carson (47% Carson, 40% Clinton) and Marco Rubio (45% Rubio, 41% Clinton) as well as narrow losses to Fiorina, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Cruz, Huckabee and Trump.
The poll was conducted August 12-16 and interviewed 957 North Carolina voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percent.
Government Shutdown Imminent?
Thats right, it's about to happen again.
Senate Republicans are tripping over themselves to get enough votes to prevent the government from running out of money by midnight on October 1.
The problem? Conservative hardliners are refusing to support government funding as long as it includes funding for Planned Parenthood. Ever since the anti-abortion organization Center for Medical Progress released a series of videos that they claim show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal body parts there have been claims to remove their funding.
Democrats refuse to give an inch on this issue. Both House and Senate Democrats are unified in refusing to vote for a bill that strips Planned Parenthood of funding. Even if it were to get passed them President Barack Obama has threatened a veto.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has attempted a compromise by offering a short term bill that would fund the government until December (with funding for Planned Parenthood included) and the decision on funding could be taken up later. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) is attempting a similar tactic.
Democrats won't go for it. Democratic leadership in the House from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D- California) and Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) indicate they won't go for the short gap funding.
It makes political sense for the Democrats to stand back and let the government shut down. McConnell's inability to bridge a compromise between Democrats and the far right will make him appear weak and unable to lead the Senate. This gives them the opportunity to bring up an example of McConnell's "failed leadership" on the campaign trail as Democrats seek to retake control of the Senate after losing it in the Republican wave election of 2014.
In the House John Boehner is already negotiating from a position of weakness. The conservative wing of his party has been seeking to boot him from leadership since the beginning of the year. Conservatives can use the government shutdown to bolster others in the House to oppose him.
Whatever the outcome of this approach there will be winners and losers. We will see which side will budge as Capitol Hill once again plays a game of chess where they use federal workers as pawns.
Senate Republicans are tripping over themselves to get enough votes to prevent the government from running out of money by midnight on October 1.
The problem? Conservative hardliners are refusing to support government funding as long as it includes funding for Planned Parenthood. Ever since the anti-abortion organization Center for Medical Progress released a series of videos that they claim show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal body parts there have been claims to remove their funding.
Democrats refuse to give an inch on this issue. Both House and Senate Democrats are unified in refusing to vote for a bill that strips Planned Parenthood of funding. Even if it were to get passed them President Barack Obama has threatened a veto.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has attempted a compromise by offering a short term bill that would fund the government until December (with funding for Planned Parenthood included) and the decision on funding could be taken up later. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) is attempting a similar tactic.
Democrats won't go for it. Democratic leadership in the House from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D- California) and Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) indicate they won't go for the short gap funding.
It makes political sense for the Democrats to stand back and let the government shut down. McConnell's inability to bridge a compromise between Democrats and the far right will make him appear weak and unable to lead the Senate. This gives them the opportunity to bring up an example of McConnell's "failed leadership" on the campaign trail as Democrats seek to retake control of the Senate after losing it in the Republican wave election of 2014.
In the House John Boehner is already negotiating from a position of weakness. The conservative wing of his party has been seeking to boot him from leadership since the beginning of the year. Conservatives can use the government shutdown to bolster others in the House to oppose him.
Whatever the outcome of this approach there will be winners and losers. We will see which side will budge as Capitol Hill once again plays a game of chess where they use federal workers as pawns.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
News Profile on Kevin McCarthy
This news profile on House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is a very detailed and well written news profile.
While this profile was actually written when he was the House Majority Whip it is still a good read. It covers every aspect of his daily life from when he wakes up to when he goes to bed. It also covers his relationships with various congressmen. It gives a very in-depth look at the world of being a House whip and the challenges that he must go through to successfully get enough votes.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
NC Legislature Gets A Little More Unpopular
A new public poll shows the North Carolina General Assembly is unpopular- very unpopular.
The poll finds that the NC legislature has a dismal approval rating of 15% and a disapproval rating of 60%. The dominant party in the capitol, the Republicans, get a thumbs up from 28% of the people polled while the Democrats did a little better by achieving 33%.
When North Carolinians are asked if the election for the General Assembly were held today and they had the choice for voting for a Democrat or a Republican without the candidates being identified, 43% would vote Democrat, 42% would vote Republican.
The poll cites this is having an effect on Governor Pat McCrory's approval ratings as well. "McCrory and the General Assembly are often at odds, the average voter just sees one big unpopular Republican state government without differentiating too much between the legislators and the Governor. The good news for McCrory is that usually when the legislature goes home his numbers get better, so we'll see if that pattern repeats itself again this year."the poll states.
North Carolinians will vote for their state senators next November and will determine if Governor McCrory will receive a second term.
The poll finds that the NC legislature has a dismal approval rating of 15% and a disapproval rating of 60%. The dominant party in the capitol, the Republicans, get a thumbs up from 28% of the people polled while the Democrats did a little better by achieving 33%.
When North Carolinians are asked if the election for the General Assembly were held today and they had the choice for voting for a Democrat or a Republican without the candidates being identified, 43% would vote Democrat, 42% would vote Republican.
The poll cites this is having an effect on Governor Pat McCrory's approval ratings as well. "McCrory and the General Assembly are often at odds, the average voter just sees one big unpopular Republican state government without differentiating too much between the legislators and the Governor. The good news for McCrory is that usually when the legislature goes home his numbers get better, so we'll see if that pattern repeats itself again this year."the poll states.
North Carolinians will vote for their state senators next November and will determine if Governor McCrory will receive a second term.
Perry Drops Out
The GOP field got a little smaller this weekend when former Texas Governor Rick Perry announced he was suspending his campaign for the presidential nomination.
Perry had been struggling in both fundraising and polling. His troubles were further underlined when he failed to make it into Fox and CNNs top tier debates. Perry had attempted to rebrand himself as an older and wiser candidate than when he ran in 2012. In the end he just wasn't able to make himself stand out in the crowded Republican presidential roster.
There may have been several reasons why there wasn't much appetite for a Perry run. The disaster of his run four years ago may have been the biggest factor. His notorious "oops" moment that sunk his campaign may have loomed over his head. This is when he was unable to remember the name of a department that he planned to cut should he become president. His campaign was further plagued by a rambling and confusing speech he gave after being medicated on pain killers for his recent back surgery.
Perry tried to overcome this by claiming that he had studied up on the issues this time and labeling his campaign as "a second chance". However problems persisted when he was indicted this summer on criminal charges of abuse of power as governor. Shortly after that his campaign faced competition when fellow Texan Ted Cruz and Texas connected Jeb Bush declared their candidacies. This effectively made it harder for him to lock up support in the Lone Star State.
Whether it was memory of his last campaign or whether he had more competition this time is up for debate as to why his campaign failed. The reason could be as simple as he reminds too many people of George W. Bush with his similar accent and mannerisms. Either way he is the first man out in the 2016 race so far and is one step closer to determining which candidate will emerge at the nominating convention in June.
Perry had been struggling in both fundraising and polling. His troubles were further underlined when he failed to make it into Fox and CNNs top tier debates. Perry had attempted to rebrand himself as an older and wiser candidate than when he ran in 2012. In the end he just wasn't able to make himself stand out in the crowded Republican presidential roster.
There may have been several reasons why there wasn't much appetite for a Perry run. The disaster of his run four years ago may have been the biggest factor. His notorious "oops" moment that sunk his campaign may have loomed over his head. This is when he was unable to remember the name of a department that he planned to cut should he become president. His campaign was further plagued by a rambling and confusing speech he gave after being medicated on pain killers for his recent back surgery.
Perry tried to overcome this by claiming that he had studied up on the issues this time and labeling his campaign as "a second chance". However problems persisted when he was indicted this summer on criminal charges of abuse of power as governor. Shortly after that his campaign faced competition when fellow Texan Ted Cruz and Texas connected Jeb Bush declared their candidacies. This effectively made it harder for him to lock up support in the Lone Star State.
Whether it was memory of his last campaign or whether he had more competition this time is up for debate as to why his campaign failed. The reason could be as simple as he reminds too many people of George W. Bush with his similar accent and mannerisms. Either way he is the first man out in the 2016 race so far and is one step closer to determining which candidate will emerge at the nominating convention in June.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
The State of the 2016 Race (Why Political Analysts Say Anger is a Key Theme)
As the Iowa caucuses are now just six months away the presidential race has heated up. The Republican field (with a record number of 17 candidates) is currently dominated by political outsiders such as billionaire real estate businessman Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson. The rise of these tea party backed candidates appear to have robbed Jeb Bush, the expected frontrunner, of the title as party leader. It seems that no establishment candidate has the ability to slow their rise. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was knocked from his throne of Iowa's preferred candidate by the controversial businessman and neurosurgeon. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is losing in his own home state to Trump despite saying he'll "beat his brains out" in the South Carolina primary. Even former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is getting more air time after her performance in the 5 P.M. Fox News debate as another anti-establishment conservative.
The Democratic race meanwhile is seeing a similar phenomenon. While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expected an easy path to her party's nomination, she is seeing her poll numbers slip as Independent socialist Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Senator, is running a strong campaign to her left. While originally polling in single digits when he briefly announced his intention to run in front of a few reporters earlier this year, he has seen his notoriety rise as he uses a similar strategy as Trump: Anger.
Anger has become a potent campaign tool over the summer. Donald Trump has rallied the far right with anger over illegal immigration while Bernie Sanders rallied the far left with issues such as economic inequality. With claims that the establishment candidates (Bush and Clinton) will only maintain the status quo, angry voters see the opportunity for change in these outsiders. Supporters of these unorthodox candidates gush over how different they are, how they are willing to challenge the norm. Trump supporters love how Trump is rich enough to not be bought by special interests while Sanders supporters love how he refuses to create a super PAC or accept multimillion dollar checks. Carson has risen in the polls with his angry statements over political correctness and his controversial statements comparing Obamacare to slavery. Fiorina has used anger in her rise as well as she attacks Hillary Clinton every chance she gets. It's anger at the establishment that is fueling their rise.
The race thus far has taken an interesting turn. Anger has become a candidates main weapon. Outlandish statements help, not hurt a campaign. Whether it's about accusing Mexicans of being rapists, calling homosexuality a choice, or comparing the Republican party to terrorist groups, it is a struggle to be the one to make the most noticeable statement. We will see in the coming months if this support will translate into votes as we continue to observe this "election of rage".
The Democratic race meanwhile is seeing a similar phenomenon. While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expected an easy path to her party's nomination, she is seeing her poll numbers slip as Independent socialist Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Senator, is running a strong campaign to her left. While originally polling in single digits when he briefly announced his intention to run in front of a few reporters earlier this year, he has seen his notoriety rise as he uses a similar strategy as Trump: Anger.
Anger has become a potent campaign tool over the summer. Donald Trump has rallied the far right with anger over illegal immigration while Bernie Sanders rallied the far left with issues such as economic inequality. With claims that the establishment candidates (Bush and Clinton) will only maintain the status quo, angry voters see the opportunity for change in these outsiders. Supporters of these unorthodox candidates gush over how different they are, how they are willing to challenge the norm. Trump supporters love how Trump is rich enough to not be bought by special interests while Sanders supporters love how he refuses to create a super PAC or accept multimillion dollar checks. Carson has risen in the polls with his angry statements over political correctness and his controversial statements comparing Obamacare to slavery. Fiorina has used anger in her rise as well as she attacks Hillary Clinton every chance she gets. It's anger at the establishment that is fueling their rise.
The race thus far has taken an interesting turn. Anger has become a candidates main weapon. Outlandish statements help, not hurt a campaign. Whether it's about accusing Mexicans of being rapists, calling homosexuality a choice, or comparing the Republican party to terrorist groups, it is a struggle to be the one to make the most noticeable statement. We will see in the coming months if this support will translate into votes as we continue to observe this "election of rage".
Monday, September 7, 2015
Reliable Sources for Political Coverage
One website that is an absolute haven for political junkies is "Politico". The website is completely devoted to political coverage and features specific categories within the political world such as the 2016 race, the latest updates with the Iran Nuclear Deal, or bills being voted on the House floor. It features news, in-depth analysis articles, and opinion articles. The website features just about any area of politics that you could want to read about.
Link: Politico
While there are fewer choices than Politico, CNN is a little less intimidating and overwhelming when it comes to its political coverage. Its main focus is getting political news on the website as quickly as possible rather than a deep focus on the subject. The articles are much shorter and not as detail oriented as Politico but you still get the important details.
Link: CNN Politics
RealClearPolitics is another great website to skim when checking out the political headlines of the day. It collects major news headlines from major media sites such as "The New York Times", "The Daily Beast", "The Huffington Post", etc. It also broadcasts the latest poll numbers from major national surveys along with the average of them. The site links you to almost every major news website in the country.
Link: RealClearPolitics
USA Today has a great political website. It has a standard political coverage page with its top articles and allows for people not invested in politics to simply skim the page for the top headlines. If you are very interested in politics you have the choice to see more in-depth by going to the link "OnPolitics". This gives you a wide range of subjects and articles to read with more details and longer articles than the "skim" portion of the website.
Link: (skim for just the top headlines): USA Today Politics (more detailed version): USA Today Politics (OnPolitics)
CBS News is another great site to get your political news fix. The site features a lot of interviews with politicians and has articles that appeal to the reader. For example it may have a list that allows you to see where your Senator or Congressman stands on certain issues like the Iran Nuclear Deal. It
has many categories to choose from and features a lot of videos for people who may prefer to watch the news rather than read it.
Link: CBS News Politics
Link: Politico
While there are fewer choices than Politico, CNN is a little less intimidating and overwhelming when it comes to its political coverage. Its main focus is getting political news on the website as quickly as possible rather than a deep focus on the subject. The articles are much shorter and not as detail oriented as Politico but you still get the important details.
Link: CNN Politics
RealClearPolitics is another great website to skim when checking out the political headlines of the day. It collects major news headlines from major media sites such as "The New York Times", "The Daily Beast", "The Huffington Post", etc. It also broadcasts the latest poll numbers from major national surveys along with the average of them. The site links you to almost every major news website in the country.
Link: RealClearPolitics
USA Today has a great political website. It has a standard political coverage page with its top articles and allows for people not invested in politics to simply skim the page for the top headlines. If you are very interested in politics you have the choice to see more in-depth by going to the link "OnPolitics". This gives you a wide range of subjects and articles to read with more details and longer articles than the "skim" portion of the website.
Link: (skim for just the top headlines): USA Today Politics (more detailed version): USA Today Politics (OnPolitics)
CBS News is another great site to get your political news fix. The site features a lot of interviews with politicians and has articles that appeal to the reader. For example it may have a list that allows you to see where your Senator or Congressman stands on certain issues like the Iran Nuclear Deal. It
has many categories to choose from and features a lot of videos for people who may prefer to watch the news rather than read it.
Link: CBS News Politics
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
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