Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - October 19, 2015
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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential Briefing was sponsored by the Leadership Project for America. | ||||
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Monday's Leading Stories
- After receiving threats that were described as "off the charts" by one source, Ben Carson will receive the protection of two dozen Secret Service agents. Trump will also receive protection from the Secret Service, and Hillary Clinton’s existing protection will be upgraded as early as this week. According to Newsmax, “The agency's decision was primarily triggered by a significant number of threats to Carson, including death threats and terrorist chatter.” (Newsmax) (The Hill)
- On Friday, CNBC announced that the next Republican debate will be limited to two hours. The change occurred after Ben Carson and Donald Trump threatened to skip the event if the length was not shortened, but Mike Huckabee said it wasn’t just Carson and Trump who were responsible for the change. He said, “Every one of the candidates and their representatives were in a conference call. In fact, several of them. I understand some of them got very heated. There was an extraordinary push back to keep this at two hours. Number one, the insufferable three hour debate that we went through the last time should never happen again. The Gilligan and the Skipper only took out the Minnow for a three hour tour. The CNN debate was longer than that." (The Washington Examiner)
- On Sunday, Bernie Sanders discussed his plan to raise taxes. He said, “Let me be very clear, if we are going to make public colleges and universities to tuition-free, as I believe we have to do in the 21st century, yes, we are going to have a tax on Wall Street speculation. ...Yes, we are going to ask Trump and his billionaire friends to pay more in taxes. We'll come up with that rate. But it will be a damned lot higher than it is right now. ...We're going to end the loophole that allows large corporations to stash their money in the Cayman Islands and in some cases, avoid paying all federal income taxes. We are going to raise the estate tax so that Trump and his billionaire friends will -- and their families -- will end up paying more in taxes.” Sanders also acknowledged that people in other tax brackets would see tax increases under a Sanders administration. He said, “I think if you're looking about guaranteeing paid family and medical leave, which virtually every other major country has, so that when a mom gives birth, she doesn't have to go back to work in two weeks, or there's an illness in a family, dad or mom can stay home with the kids. That will require a small increase in the payroll tax.” (The Hill)
- Poll: According to a CNN/ ORC poll conducted October 14 - 17, 49 percent of registered Democrats polled said they would support Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016. Bernie Sanders received 29 percent, followed by Joe Biden with 18 percent and Jim Webb with 1 percent. In a general election match-up, those polled chose Clinton (50 percent) over Donald Trump (45 percent). Sanders (53 percent) also topped Trump (44 percent). Ben Carson topped Clinton in a general election match-up by 1 percent and Sanders by 2 percent. (CNN/ ORC)
Democrats
Joe Biden
- On Friday, Joe Biden spoke with Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. A source said, “Schaitberger was left with the impression that Biden likely would run, and that the vice president is confident he can raise the funds needed for a campaign,” according to NBC News. (NBC News)
Lincoln Chafee
- During an interview with Providence Journal on Saturday, Lincoln Chafee explained that the media is not interested in covering an “anti-war” candidate. He said, "Not one person has asked me about stopping drone strikes. The establishment doesn't want to hear my voice, obviously." Chafee also discussed his plan to improve relations in the Middle East. He said, "Our brand isn't working, so we have to change that. Make it more positive. Start talking about peace. Let's resolve our differences without armed conflict. Let's be the ones to get to the peace table." (Providence Journal)
- Chafee has not set up campaign offices in Iowa or New Hampshire due to budget constraints. Chafee said, “Yes, I have a small budget, but that's what intended. I knew Secretary Clinton was going to get all of the donations as the inevitable coronation and she did. But the surprise has been Senator Sanders." (WBT.com)
Hillary Clinton
- On Sunday, Hillary Clinton discussed her upcoming testimony before the House Select Committee on Benghazi. She said, “I think it’s pretty clear that whatever they might’ve thought they were doing, they ended up becoming a partisan arm of the Republican National Committee with an overwhelming focus on trying to — as they admitted — drive down my poll numbers. I’ve already testified about Benghazi. I testified to the best of my ability before the Senate and the House. I don’t know that I have very much to add.” (Yahoo News)
- Since the first Democratic debate, Clinton, who is in favor of creating stronger gun control legislation, has been focused on showing voters how she and Bernie Sanders differ on the issue. Dante Scala, an associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire, said, “[Clinton] will use gun control as a wedge issue in the primary, especially among college-educated, professional women.” (ABC News)
Lawrence Lessig
- On HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Friday, Lawrence Lessig said that he “ will no longer resign after passing a law that would expand voting access, end partisan gerrymandering and reform the country's campaign finance system,” according to The Huffington Post. Lessig said that his initial campaign “was totally stupid. I withdraw that promise. I am not going to resign. I am running for president with the commitment to pass legislation that gets our democracy back.” (The Huffington Post)
Martin O’Malley
- On Friday, Martin O’Malley expressed his support for investigating ExxonMobil “for concealing research on fossil fuels’ contribution to climate change,” according to The Huffington Post. O’Malley posted the following tweet: “We held tobacco companies responsible for lying about cancer. Let’s do the same for oil companies & climate change.” (The Huffington Post)
Bernie Sanders
- On Friday night on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Bernie Sanders explained what he and other “democratic socialists” hope to achieve. He said, “We want to deal with grotesque level of income inequality in America. On every one of the major issues I am talking about, the American people agree.” Sanders also discussed his push for universal healthcare, saying, “The United States is the only major country on Earth that allows private insurance companies to make huge profits in the health care system. The function of health care should be to provide quality care to all people, not to make huge profits for the drug companies and insurance companies.” After Maher questioned Sanders’ proposal to pay for universal healthcare by raising taxes on the “one percent,” Sanders said, “We may have to go down a little bit lower than that, but not much lower.” (Salon)
Jim Webb
- Jim Webb has not set up campaign offices in Iowa or New Hampshire. A representatives from Webb’s campaign said, "We're not running a Fortune 500 campaign counting offices and paid staff. This is an insurgent campaign mostly run by volunteers.” (WBT.com)
Republicans
- On Sunday, Republican candidates Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee spoke to conservative voters at Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas Texas. They discussed a variety of issues, including abortion, gay marriage, support for Israel, the fight against the Islamic State and the role of faith in political life. (USA Today)
Jeb Bush
- On Saturday, Jeb Bush released an ad titled "Judgment," which questions Donald Trump’s ability to be commander-in chief. (Washington Examiner)
- On Sunday, Bush questioned Trump’s ability to handle nuclear weapons. He said, "I have grave doubts, to be honest with you. He's not taking the responsibility, the possibility of being president of the United States really seriously. For him, it looks as though he's an actor playing a role of the candidate for president. Not boning up on the issues, not having a broad sense of the responsibilities of what it is to be a president. Across the spectrum of foreign policy, Mr. Trump talks about things as though he's still on ‘The Apprentice.’" (CNN)
- On Sunday, Bush, once again, responded to Trump’s “suggestion that George W. Bush was responsible for 9/11 because it occurred during his presidency,” according to CNN. Bush said, "My brother responded to a crisis, and he did it as you would hope a president would do. He united the country, he organized our country and he kept us safe. And there's no denying that. The great majority of Americans believe that. And I don't know why he keeps bringing this up. It doesn't show that he's a serious person as it relates to being commander in chief and being the architect of a foreign policy.” (CNN) (The Hill)
- Bush’s super PAC, Right to Rise, “is preparing a nearly $17 million television ad buy in eight states with March primaries...$2.1 million of that will be used to reserve airtime in Michigan,” according to MLive.com (MLive.com)
- On Sunday, Bush’s campaign “announced that it is the first to organize a full slate of Tennessee delegates to represent the former Florida governor at the Republican National Convention,” according to The Daily News. (The Daily News)
Ben Carson
- During an interview with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Ben Carson argued that George W. Bush could have created a different strategy for capturing Osama bin Laden. He said, "I think they would have been extremely concerned if we had declared -- and we were serious about it -- that we were going to become petroleum independent, because it would have had a major impact on their finances. And I think that probably would have trumped any loyalty that they had to people like Osama bin Laden." He also argued against the decision to invade Iraq. He said, “I personally don't believe that invading Iraq was an existential threat to us. I don't think Saddam Hussein was an existential threat to us. It's a very different situation right now. Now, we have global jihadists who want to destroy us and our way of life.” (CNN)
- On Sunday, Carson discussed a wide range of issues during a break from his book tour. He criticized President Barack Obama’s use of executive orders. He said, “Executive orders are supposed to be temporary measures reserved for situations when Congress is not available to legislate.” He also criticized Obama’s handling of the military budget. He said, trimming the military budget is “cutting the heart out of our personnel numbers at the same time jihadists are growing. Morale is low, recruitment is down 14 percent, and 22 veterans commit suicide every day. It’s a dismal situation, and with what’s going on in the world today, (it’s) the wrong time for our military to be going down.” Carson also criticized the media for mischaracterizing his comments about a Muslim being elected president. He clarified his previous statements, saying, “Anyone from any religion or religious background must be willing to subjugate his or her religious views to the Constitution, and anyone not willing to do that would not be acceptable to me as the leader of this nation.” (WacoTrib.com)
Chris Christie
- On Friday, Chris Christie’s super PAC, America Leads, announced that it will release a television ad that will air in New Hampshire. (NJ.com)
Ted Cruz
- During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Ted Cruz discussed the impact of Donald Trump on his campaign. He said, “I'm very encouraged where we are right now because I think what we're seeing happening every day is conservatives coalescing behind our campaign. And, you know, one of the reasons I'm very optimistic is … look at the impact of Donald Trump. Others have gone out of their way to smack him. I haven't. I think Donald's campaign has been immensely beneficial for our campaign.” Cruz also criticized Republican leadership. He said, "The truth of the matter is Republican leadership are the most effective Democrat leaders we've ever seen. They've passed more Democratic priorities than Harry Reid ever could.” (The Hill, NBC News)
Carly Fiorina
- Carly Fiorina criticized Hillary Clinton’s actions as secretary of state. She also criticized Clinton for characterizing herself as an outsider and for changing her positions on a variety of issues. Fiorina said, "What has Mrs. Clinton ever been held accountable for? I wish for once Mrs. Clinton would be prepared to stand and be held accountable for the murder of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya. ...Mrs. Clinton is the personification of the professional political class. No, Mrs. Clinton, you are not an outsider because you are a woman. But it gave us a glimpse of things to come because Mrs. Clinton is going to play that gender card all day long. It is the rationale for her candidacy. ...She is a 'new' progressive. She loved TPP -- described it as the gold standard -- now suddenly she is against it. Most of the positions that she is running on today are very recently acquired positions ... the one constant in all of this has been that she is going to be the first woman president. So I think she believes that's a very strong rationale for her candidacy, I think that's why she brings it up over and over and over and over." (CBS News)
Lindsey Graham
- On Sunday, Lindsey Graham criticized President Obama’s foreign policy decisions as politically motivated. While discussing the number of troops in Afghanistan Graham said, “Here’s the one thing, this is typical Obama: 9,800 is what we have, and that’s what we need. And he said, ‘Well, OK, I’m gonna leave ‘em there, but by the end of 2016, we’re going to 5,500’ – he just made up a number. He cut the base in half, so to speak. Typical Obama: doing the right thing, but then withdrawing at the end ‘cause you’re worried about politics. ...Our foreign policy is in free fall. Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing. Radical Islam is running wild, and somebody needs to stop this.” (The Hill)
Mike Huckabee
- On Saturday, Mike Huckabee discussed the violence in Israel during an interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” He said, “the two-state solution is no solution at all, because what you have, is a Palestinian government that refuses to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, and continues to even place in their textbooks, for their children, that Jews should die. Well, you can’t create a peaceful environment when you raise a generation of people believing the other side shouldn’t even exist. If you go into the Old City and get a Palestinian map of the area, you won’t find Israel on the map, because they don’t believe it exists. So, you know, I’ve heard this from both Democrat and Republican administrations. We’re going to have to, at some point, accept the fact, that for Israel to have security, it’s not about allowing people sworn to their destruction to get closer to them. It’s about allowing them to have secure, safe borders, and giving them the power to protect themselves in Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the country.” (Breitbart)
Bobby Jindal
- On Saturday, Bobby Jindal criticized Hillary Clinton’s proposal to create a gun buyback program to curb gun violence. Jindal said, “Calling it gun control doesn't even do this justice — this is gun seizure. Secretary Clinton's comment is an example of the nanny state on display. She won't stop with just taking away our guns and our Second Amendment rights, she will come for everything else that she and her big government elitist colleagues think is bad for us dim-witted Americans.” After Jindal criticized Clinton’s proposal, Reuters noted that Jindal approved a gun buyback program in Louisiana. In response, Jindal’s press secretary Shannon Dirmann said, “Hillary Clinton was referring to confiscation at the federal level, which is why it is so concerning. The Louisiana buyback program is a voluntary, state level program and the NRA supports it. It lets gun collectors and people buy guns who legally can, rather than the police destroying them. It is important to note that Governor Jindal passed legislation to prohibit gun confiscation after Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana — and he wouldn't allow it at the federal level." (NOLA.com) (Reuters)
John Kasich
- Former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker praised John Kasich’s plan to balance the federal budget. He wrote, "Gov. Kasich should be commended for offering a budget framework that is designed to restore fiscal responsibility and reduce debt/GDP over time. His framework includes both tax and spending reforms. It proposes to transfer important responsibilities to the states in areas that are very fiscally challenging (e.g. Medicaid, transportation). It also uses optimistic economic growth assumptions and lacks important details on how he would achieve the proposed spending reductions, especially in connection with Medicare. Hopefully additional details will provided over time.” (The Columbus Dispatch)
George Pataki
- While touring Green Leads marketing firm in New Hampshire on Friday, George Pataki “called geothermal technology the wave of the future, saying more contractors should embrace its use in the design and construction of commercial and residential buildings,” according to The Eagle Tribune. (Eagle Tribune)
Rand Paul
- On Friday, Rand Paul introduced The Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2015. The bill “aims to slice $207 billion in cuts for the year, while protecting Medicare, Social Security, military pay and veterans benefits from losing any funds,” according to The Washington Examiner. (The Washington Examiner)
- After a series of weak poll numbers and fundraising, some donors and Republicans in Kentucky are urging Paul to abandon his bid for president and focus more on his Senate campaign. Patricia Vincent, chairwoman of the Graves County Republican Party, said, “He could lose both positions. He just needs to work a little bit more to make sure he still has a seat in the Senate.” (Fox News)
Marco Rubio
- According to ABC News, the battle for the Republican nomination between Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush is starting to get tense but remains civilized. Bush questioned Rubio’s voting record, saying, "I just think you have a responsibility to serve. And some of these votes actually matter, defense appropriations bills matter, committee hearings dealing with real challenges that our country faces. Marco's got great ideas on these things, but he got elected to serve.” In response, Rubio said, “When candidates are running, I think they’re going to say things that they think will make them stronger in the race. They’re going to attack people. ...I have great admiration and respect for [Bush] as a person. I’m not running against Jeb Bush. I’m running for president.” (ABC News)
Rick Santorum
- While speaking at the North Texas Presidential Forum in Texas on Sunday, Rick Santorum noted that he appeared in an Islamic State propaganda magazine and said, “‘ISIS knows who I am. Iran knows who I am. And when I’m sworn in in January,’ they will know exactly what they have to deal with,” according to The Blaze. (The Blaze)
Donald Trump
- During an interview on Fox News’ "Fox News Sunday," Donald Trump said that his immigration policy would have prevented the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He said, “I am extremely, extremely tough on illegal immigration. I am extremely tough on people coming into this country. I believe that if I were running things, I doubt that those people would have been in the country. ...I’m not blaming George Bush. But I don’t want Jeb to say 'my brother kept us safe.'” (The Hill)
- According to CBS News, “Trump has taken in 73,942 contributions, a total that surpasses several of GOP rivals. ...Financial reports filed last week show that more than 70 percent of the $3.9 million he raised from July through September came from people giving $200 or less. That rate of small-donor contributions is second only to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who's in the Democratic race.” (CBS News)
See also
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Important dates in the 2016 presidential race
- Polls and Straw polls
- 2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards