Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - December 8, 2015
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Tuesday's Leading Stories
- Donald Trump said on Monday that all Muslims should be barred from entering the U.S. because “there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.” He said in a statement, “Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.” Trump’s Republican rivals responded to the proposal by calling it “downright dangerous” and “ridiculous,” and Jeb Bush said Trump was “unhinged.” (The New York Times, TIME)
- Morning Consult has launched Morning Consult Intelligence, a database of polling and public opinion data sets that can be searched by subject, question asked and demographics, and used to prepare graphs for export. “I think there’s a huge value of both media values and consumers of polling to be able to search and be able to do these types of presentations and slice and dice the data. It’s like a Bloomberg terminal for public opinion and polling data,” said Morning Consult CEO Michael Ramlet. (Politico)
- Poll: According to a Monmouth University poll released on Monday, Ted Cruz has overtaken Donald Trump in Iowa with 24 percent support to Trump’s 19 percent. Marco Rubio and Ben Carson followed with 17 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Cruz’s surge may be attributed to the 30 percent of evangelical voters who now support his candidacy. Director Patrick Murray suggested turnout would play a significant role in caucus results, saying, “Trump will need a huge organizational effort to get independent voters to show up in a contest where they have historically participated in small numbers. Without this dynamic, the underlying fundamentals appear to favor Cruz and Rubio.” (Monmouth University)
- Poll: A CNN/ORC poll released on Monday, however, suggests Trump has gained support in Iowa, rising from 25 percent to 33 percent in the state. Cruz came in second with 20 percent, increasing his support by 9 points since November. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads Sanders by 18 points with 54 percent to Sanders’ 36 percent. O’Malley registered 4 percent support. (CNN)
- Poll: On Monday, a new MSNBC/Telemundo/Marist showed Hillary Clinton defeating Donald Trump by 11 points, Ted Cruz by 7 points, Jeb Bush by 4 points, Marco Rubio by 3 points, and Ben Carson by 1 point. NBC News reported that “with just one exception, the margin of Clinton's lead among Latino voters determines just how competitive each match-up is.” (NBC News, MSNBC)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- Hillary Clinton released a 70-second online ad on Sunday to show her support for LGBT equality. Scenes from a 2011 speech where she said “gay rights and human rights...are one and the same” play over clips of same-sex couples. (Slate)
- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has yet to endorse any Democratic candidate, praised Clinton’s Monday op-ed in The New York Times on Wall Street reform. She released the following statement: “Secretary Clinton is right to fight back against Republicans trying to sneak Wall Street giveaways into the must-pass government funding bill. Whether it's attacking the CFPB, undermining new rules to rein in unscrupulous retirement advisers, or rolling back any part of the hard-fought progress we've made on financial reform, she and I agree: ‘President Obama and congressional Democrats should do everything they can to stop these efforts.’” (The Huffington Post)
- Clinton is expected to announce a corporate “exit tax” on Wednesday that would penalize mergers between U.S. companies and foreign corporations structured to reduce their taxes. (Associated Press)
- On Tuesday, Clinton’s campaign criticized Ted Cruz for holding a hearing on the credibility of climate change theory. “Cruz may be the latest candidate to use his office to stoke doubts about climate change, but virtually all the Republicans running for president share his commitment to denial and defeatists. After seven years of progress fighting climate change — and leading other nations to the table to agree to meaningful pollution cuts, energy reforms and real progress on protecting our planet — we can’t afford to put one of these deniers, one of these doubters, in the White House,” said Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta in a statement. (Politico)
- Billionaire investor Warren Buffett will fundraise for Clinton in Nebraska next week. (Bloomberg)
- Clinton met with President Obama “privately for an informal lunch” on Monday, according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest. (USA Today)
Martin O’Malley
- In response to Donald Trump’s proposal to block all Muslims from entering the U.S., Martin O’Malley tweeted on Monday afternoon, “@realdonaldtrump removes all doubt: he is running for President as a fascist demagogue.” (Business Insider)
- O’Malley hired Tyler Jones, a regional field director John Edwards’ 2008 presidential campaign, to direct his campaign in South Carolina. Jones is O’Malley’s first full-time employee in the state. (The State)
- On Tuesday, O’Malley wrote a brief op-ed for The Concord Monitor on climate change and clean energy. He said, “I’m the first candidate – and I hope not the last – to put forward a plan to power our country with 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2050, while ending our reliance on fossil fuels. … With so much at stake [at the U.N. Climate Change Conference], it is disappointing that the other Democratic candidates for president haven’t released similarly ambitious plans. Secretary Clinton’s clean energy plan appears to be based on the voluntary adoption of solar panels. And Sen. Sanders’s plan, which he finally released Monday, appears to include weak carbon pollution reduction targets,” he wrote. (The Concord Monitor)
Bernie Sanders
- Bernie Sanders released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s call to bar Muslims from entering the U.S.: “Demagogues throughout our history have attempted to divide us based on race, gender, sexual orientation or country of origin. Now, Trump and others want us to hate all Muslims. The United States is a great nation when we stand together. We are a weak nation when we allow racism and xenophobia to divide us.” (Bernie Sanders for President)
- In response to criticism that his campaign is fixated on the economy, Sanders told reporters on Monday, “I believe that in a great country we can crush ISIS, defend the American people against terrorism - at the same time as we rebuild the disappearing middle class.” He continued, “To say, ‘We’re not going to deal with your interests. We’re not going to deal with your issues. The only issue we can deal with is ISIS.’ I think would be a real disservice to many millions of people.” (ABC News)
- Sanders’ campaign manager Jeff Weaver told supporters in an email on Monday that the campaign was not interested in support from super PACs. “They should spend their money somewhere else. We do not want their help,” Weaver wrote. (ABC News)
Republicans
Jeb Bush
- Jeb Bush criticized Ted Cruz on Monday for opposing the National Security Agency’s broad collection of phone metadata. “I completely disagree with Ted Cruz on this. This is part of a comprehensive strategy to protect the homeland. Civil liberties are not being violated, and to have the NSA have this information is part of an essential tool for us to be kept safe,” he said during an interview on Fox News. (Politico)
- Politico reported last week that Mike Murphy of Right to Rise, a super PAC supporting Bush, is considering a $75 million scorched earth campaign against Bush’s primary Republican rivals except for Donald Trump. “The thinking: Making the race into a binary choice between Bush and Trump might be the only way a majority of primary voters go with Bush,” Politico explained. (Politico)
- Right to Rise released a new ad targeting Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio on Monday. As images of those candidates are inserted into the Oval Office, the narrator asks, “When the attacks come here, the person behind this desk will have to protect your family. Will he be impulsive and reckless like Donald Trump? Will he have voted to dramatically weaken counter-terrorism surveillance like Ted Cruz? Will he have skipped crucial national security hearings and votes just to campaign, like Marco Rubio?" (The Washington Post)
- The Daily Caller reported on Monday that the domain JebBush.com now redirects to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign website. (Daily Caller)
- Tom Ridge (R), the first secretary of homeland security, said on Monday that Jeb Bush was positioned best to reach out to minority voters. “For years and years – and I don’t mean to be ethnic or racial about it – but we have really relied heavily upon the turnout among white voters and we really haven’t done as good a job as we need to with minority voters around the country. Who’s got a pretty good record of outreach to them? I think Jeb probably has the best record there,” said Ridge. (Reno Gazette-Journal)
Ben Carson
- Ben Carson announced on Monday he would take a week-long trip to Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia at the end of December. “I want to get an ideal from the people what the effects of Boko Haram are, what people are thinking, to see what the economic situation is there, and also there’s a medical school there named after me which I want to visit,” Carson said of his planned trip to Nigeria. He also said on Sunday that he intends to visit Israel before the Iowa caucuses in February. (The Washington Post, Bloomberg)
- On Monday, Carson attributed his dip in the polls to voters’ perception of his foreign policy inexperience and “the narrative that only politicians can fix” issues in foreign affairs. He said, however, that “if you look at all the people who are running, how many of them have had foreign policy experience? The answer is no, not, not many. Maybe Hillary.” (ABC News)
- Doug Watts, Carson’s spokesman, said on Monday that the government should monitor all foreign visitors to the U.S. rather than summarily block Muslims from entering. “Everyone visiting our country should register and be monitored during their stay as is done in many countries. We do not and would not advocate being selective on one’s religion,” Watts said. (Reuters)
Chris Christie
- New Hampshire Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R) endorsed Chris Christie on Monday. "In these dangerous times for our nation, Gov. Chris Christie has the practical, real-world executive experience to lead the United States," Bradley said in a statement. (New Hampshire Union Leader)
- ABC News reported on Monday that Christie has been calling for reform of higher education costs by requiring colleges to “itemize and unbundle tuition bills, so that students and parents have greater insight and control over where and how their money is being spent.” He argued too much money is being spent on “an epidemic of rock-climbing walls.” He also questioned why every child is not given an iPad to replace “outdated” textbooks. (ABC News)
- While visiting a drug treatment center in Florida on Monday, Christie outlined his plan to combat substance abuse. He said, “First, you have to change the mindset of prosecutors. Sometimes justice means prosecuting and sometimes it doesn’t.” Second, Christie argued that money saved from sending more addicts to drug courts than prison could be used to fund drug treatment programs. He said ultimately people in the U.S. need “to think differently about this in our country. It’s also how we talk about it and treat each other.” (Palm Beach Post)
Ted Cruz
- Missouri Rep. Sam Graves (R) endorsed Ted Cruz on Monday. “I have personally seen Ted Cruz stand up and fight on the issues that matter the most to conservatives, even when it wasn’t popular in Congress. He has never wavered. He has always stood on principle. And he has always put the American people first,” Graves said. (The Kansas City Star)
- On Monday, Cruz challenged critics who said he was “insensitive” to hold events promoting the Second Amendment following the San Bernardino terrorist attack. Cruz said, “I don’t think it’s my job to be sensitive to radical Islamic terrorists. And you don’t stop the bad guys by taking away our guns. You stop the bad guys by using our guns, and a free and armed American citizenry is how we keep ourselves safe, and we need a president who can distinguish between law-abiding American citizens defending our families, and radical Islamic terrorism committing acts of jihad.” (Washington Times)
Carly Fiorina
- On Monday, Carly Fiorina said she would encourage a “warrior class” of generals to advise her if she were elected president. “These are generals that understand what is going down on the ground. … They’ve all been sidelined because they gave Obama messages he didn’t want to hear,” she said. (Breitbart)
- Fiorina announced 33 endorsements from party leaders in Georgia on Monday, including state Rep. Valerie Clark (R). (AJC.com)
- Touring the Cradle of Hope Pregnancy Resource Center in Iowa on Monday, Fiorina discussed her commitment to anti-abortion policies. She said her conviction was strengthened when she was 22 and her best friend had an abortion at a Planned Parenthood. “I remember they gave her no options. And I remember what it did to her physically and emotionally. It was devastating. She was never the same,” she said. “We need to protect the moral character of this nation and we do that by protecting life and protecting religious liberty. And you know, that the most effective advocate for life against Hillary [Clinton] is a woman,” Fiorina added. (The Des Moines Register)
- Speaking at the Iowa Presidential Tech Town Hall on Monday, Fiorina warned that the U.S. is “woefully unprepared for cyberterrorism.” She said, “ISIS is getting better and better at using encrypted communications to recruit and radicalize within our own country. ISIS knows how to make their recruits disappear online and they now have around-the-clock help desks to pass on technological information and training to other terrorist organizations.” In response, Fiorina would create a central cybersecurity command that works with private companies to improve the government’s data strategy. (The Des Moines Register, Breitbart)
Jim Gilmore
- Commenting on Donald Trump’s plan to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., Jim Gilmore tweeted on Monday, “Trump's fascist talk drives all minorities from GOP.” (Twitter)
Lindsey Graham
- In a radio interview, Lindsey Graham tried to distinguish himself from Donald Trump on foreign policy and how to combat the Islamic State. “I would just say, [Trump’s] been a very effective candidate, selling himself, marketing this image of a strongman at home and abroad. And here I am at one percent, and I’m just telling you, after 36 trips to the region, after dedicating my adult life to this issue, that I have a plan to destroy ISIL that is fundamentally different than Obama and Donald Trump, that what Mr. Trump is proposing is just inconsistent. He goes from one extreme to the other.” (BuzzFeed)
- Graham co-wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed on how to defeat the Islamic State with U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday. They said, “Iraq’s prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, has said that he does not want foreign ground combat forces to be introduced on a large scale. Neither do we. What we do want is additional U.S. troops to perform discrete tasks: improve and accelerate the training of Iraqi forces, especially Sunni tribal fighters; embed with and advise Iraqi units closer to the fight; call in airstrikes from forward positions; and conduct counterterrorism operations. This will likely require two to three times as many forces as the U.S. has in Iraq now.” (The Wall Street Journal)
- In Syria, however, Graham and McCain stated that “there is a role for U.S. ground combat forces.” They argued that “the U.S. should lead an effort to assemble a multinational force, including up to 10,000 American troops, to clear and hold Raqqa and destroy ISIS in Syria. Such a force could also help to keep the peace in a post-Assad Syria, as was done in Bosnia and Kosovo. Here, too, if the West wins the war and leaves, it should not be surprised if violence and extremism return.” (The Wall Street Journal)
Mike Huckabee
- On Monday, Mike Huckabee responded to Ben Carson’s general statement that most of his Republican rivals lacked foreign policy experience. Huckabee said, “I would suggest that he might do a little search on my biography. I’ve been going to Israel and the Middle East since I was 17. I’ve been to Syria, to Jordan, to Pakistan, to Iraq, Afghanistan, to Egypt, to Turkey probably 55 to 60 countries. When I was governor, I conducted trade missions, signed deals with international corporations and heads of state." (ABC News)
John Kasich
- The Columbus Dispatch reported on Monday that several political consultants have said John Kasich’s campaign is lacking “momentum and time.” Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said, “Kasich has got to show some progress very early in the new year or people are just going to write him off.” (The Columbus Dispatch)
Rand Paul
- Rand Paul called Chris Christie an “authoritarian” on Monday for his support of government data collection programs. Paul said, “There will always be people like Chris Christie, who are very willing to give up your liberty for a false sense of security. But I've studied this issue, and found that it didn't find any terrorists or stop any attacks. … There is a big question here: Are we willing to give up all of our privacy, willing to give up the idea that warrants should be individualized and allow data to be collected without anyone's name on the warrant?... I think it's actually made us less safe because I think the haystack is so large that we're getting lost in the haystack.” (RealClearPolitics)
- David T.S. Jonas of Salon wrote on Monday that Paul’s campaign has failed to thrive, in spite of libertarian activist support and a strong political structure, because of Donald Trump. “The 10 percent to 20 percent of the Republican primary base that might normally turn out for a Ron or Rand Paul has shifted to the populist, xenophobic camp of Donald Trump,” Jonas argued. (Salon)
- Paul’s bill to expand gun ownership rights in Washington, D.C., was fast-tracked in the Senate on Monday. A vote has not yet been scheduled. (The Hill)
- In a radio interview on Monday, Paul said Marco Rubio was the “weakest” presidential candidate on national security. “Rubio has never been very good with border security, he’s pretty much has been an open borders kind of guy, same is true with security,” Paul said. He continued, “Where he’s been supposedly strong on national defense, he’s actually been the opposite. Calling for regime change in Libya I think made us weaker and more vulnerable to attack. I think if you look at things across the board, Marco Rubio is actually the weakest of the candidates with regard to defending the country.” (Breitbart)
Marco Rubio
- According to an MSNBC/Telemundo/Marist poll released on Monday, Marco Rubio performed best in the Republican field among Latino voters when challenging Hillary Clinton, losing by 19 points. For reference, President Obama defeated John McCain among Latinos by 36 points in 2008 and Mitt Romney by 44 points in 2012. (NBC News, MSNBC)
- Following the defeat of Maduro’s regime in Venezuela’s election on Monday, Rubio called for the release of several political prisoners. He said in a statement, “Maduro and his followers should accept the will of the Venezuelan people, and accept accountability for mismanaging the economy, destroying the rule of law and violating the fundamental rights of countless Venezuelans. Acknowledging the will of the Venezuelan people by releasing all political prisoners, including...would be a positive start and should happen immediately.” (U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio)
Rick Santorum
- In a story published by The Washington Free Beacon last week, former President Bill Clinton’s biographer said that Clinton suggested Rick Santorum’s wife had an abortion in 1996. Santorum responded to the accusation on Monday, saying, “What kind of darkness do you have in you? That you can attack people at their most painful time. That’s the thing that’s the most upsetting about that. … To take that moment and put it in a context of some sort of twisted political game, that’s just really disturbing. And I felt like that that maybe provided some insight as to that world in which Bill and Hillary Clinton live.” (The Hill)
Donald Trump
- Trump released a short clip on Instagram comparing the reception John Kasich receives at campaign events to his own. In the video, the sound of crickets plays over muted video footage of Kasich. This is followed by clips of Trump speaking in front of cheering crowds. (CNN)
- On Monday, Trump accused Chris Christie of being involved in the Bridgegate scandal after Christie criticized Trump’s plan to bar all Muslims from entering the U.S. "Look, here's the story: The George Washington Bridge, he knew about it. Hey, how do you have breakfast with people every day of your lives. They're closing up the largest bridge in the world. They never said, 'Hey boss, we're closing up the George Washington Bridge tonight.' No, they never said that. They're talking about the weather, right? So he knew about it. Totally knew about it,” Trump said. (Business Insider)
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
