Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - February 5, 2016
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Friday's Leading Stories
- Citing the close results and “inconsistent counts, untrained and overwhelmed volunteers, confused voters, cramped precinct locations, a lack of voter registration forms and other problems,” The Des Moines Register’s Editorial Board called for a vote recount of Monday night’s Democratic caucus in an editorial on Thursday. They wrote, “What happened Monday night at the Democratic caucuses was a debacle, period. Democracy, particularly at the local party level, can be slow, messy and obscure. But the refusal to undergo scrutiny or allow for an appeal reeks of autocracy. The Iowa Democratic Party must act quickly to assure the accuracy of the caucus results, beyond a shadow of a doubt.” They asked Dr. Andy McGuire, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, to “Work with all the campaigns to audit results. Break silly party tradition and release the raw vote totals. Provide a list of each precinct coin flip and its outcome, as well as other information sought by the Register. Be transparent.” (The Des Moines Register)
- On Thursday, CNN reported that Ben Jealous, the former head of the NAACP, will endorse Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire before the primary election. (CNN)
- Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will endorse Chris Christie today, according to CNN. (CNN)
Polls
- According to a CNN/ WMUR poll released on Thursday, Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton 61 percent to 30 percent among likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters. (CNN/ WMUR)
- Donald Trump is leading the Republican field among likely New Hampshire primary voters with 29 percent support. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz follow with 18 percent and 13 percent, respectively. John Kasich has 12 percent support, and Jeb Bush has 10 percent. (CNN/ WMUR)
Democrats
- The following comments from last night’s Democratic debate are from a transcript prepared by The New York Times.
Hillary Clinton
- On accepting speaking fees from Wall Street: “Well you know, Rachel, I think I may not have done the job I should in explaining my record. You know, I did — when I left the secretary of State’s office, like so many former officials, military leaders, journalists, others, I did go on the speaking circuit. I spoke to heart doctors, I spoke to the American Camping Association, I spoke to auto dealers, and yes, I spoke to firms on Wall Street. They wanted me to talk about the world, what my experience had been as secretary of State. But what I want people to know is I went to Wall Street before the crash. I was the one saying you’re going to wreck the economy because of these shenanigans with mortgages. I called to end the carried interest loophole that hedge fund managers enjoy. I proposed changes in CEO compensation. I called for a consumer protection financial bureau before it was created. And I think the best evidence that the Wall Street people at least know where I stand and where I have always stood is because they are trying to beat me in this primary. They have collected and spent as much as $6 million on these ads. Hedge fund billionaires, Karl Rove, another billionaire, jumped in. And why are they doing that? These are guys who try to make smart investments. They know my record, they know me, they know that I say what I believe and I will do it. And I also have a pretty good understanding about how to stop them. So I do want people to know that, and I think it’s important for everybody to understand I have a record, I have stood firm and I will be the person who prevents them from ever wrecking the economy again.”
- On whether she is willing to release the transcripts of all of her paid speeches: “I will look into it. I don’t know the status, but I will certainly look into it. But, I can only repeat what is the fact that I spoke to a lot of different groups with a lot of different constituents, a lot of different kinds of members about issues that had to do with world affairs.”
- On reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs: “Well, first of all, I’m absolutely against privatizing the V.A. And I am going do everything I can to build on the reforms that Senator Sanders and others in Congress have passed to try to fix what’s wrong with the V.A. There are a lot of issues about wait times and services that have to be fixed because our veterans deserve nothing but the best. But you’re absolutely right, you know, Rachel, this is another part of the Koch brothers agenda. They’ve actually formed an organization to try to begin to convince Americans we should no longer have guaranteed health care, specialized care for our veterans. I will fight that as hard as I can. I think there’s where we can enlist the veterans service organizations, the veterans of America, because, yes, let’s fix the V.A., but we will never let it be privatized, and that is a promise.”
- On supporting capital punishment: “Yes, I do. And — you know, what I hope the Supreme Court will do is make it absolutely clear that any state that continues capital punishment either must meet the highest standards of evidentiary (ph) proof of effective assistance of counsel or they cannot continue it because that, to me, is the real dividing line.I have much more confidence in the federal system, and I do reserve it for particularly heinous crimes in the federal system, like terrorism. I have strong feelings about that. I thought it was appropriate after a very thorough trial that Timothy McVeigh received the death penalty for blowing up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children in a daycare center. I do for very limited, particularly heinous crimes believe it is an appropriate punishment, but I deeply disagree with the way that too many states are still implementing it. If it were possible to separate the federal from the state system by the Supreme Court, that would, I think, be an appropriate outcome.”
Bernie Sanders
- On money influencing the political system: “Let’s talk — let’s talk about issues, all right? Let’s talk about why, in the 1990s, Wall Street got deregulated. Did it have anything to do with the fact that Wall Street provided — spent billions of dollars on lobbying and campaign contributions? Well, some people might think, yeah, that had some influence. Let’s ask why it is that we pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, and your medicine can be doubled tomorrow, and there’s nothing that the government can do to stop it. You think it has anything to do with the huge amounts of campaign contributions and lobbying from the fossil fuel industry? Let’s talk about climate change. Do you think there’s a reason why not one Republican has the guts to recognize that climate change is real, and that we need to transform our energy system? Do you think it has anything to do with the Koch brothers and ExxonMobil pouring huge amounts of money into the political system? That is what goes on in America. I am not — I like...... there is a reason. You know, there is a reason why these people are putting huge amounts of money into our political system. And in my view, it is undermining American democracy and it is allowing Congress to represent wealthy campaign contributors and not the working families of this country.”
- On whether he could work with big business: “Of course I can work with them, but let’s be clear. When I talked about Boeing and I talked about General Electric, what I was referring to is an outrage. I suspect the secretary agrees request me. Right now you have a loophole such that these guys are putting their profits, multi-billion dollar profitable corporations putting billions of dollars into the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and other tax havens. And in a given year, Rachel, after making billions of dollars in profit, do you know how much they’re paying in taxes to the United States government in a given year? Zero. Now explain to me how that makes any sense at all. So what I have said with regard to Boeing and GE and other multinationals that pay zero taxes, you know what we’re going to do? We’re going to end that loophole. They are going to pay their fair share of taxes. We’re going to use that money to rebuild our infrastructure and create up to 13 million jobs. Can I work with corporations? Are there good corporations doing incredible cutting edge research and development? Absolutely they are. And we should be proud of them. But on the other hand, there are many corporations who have turned their backs on the American worker, who have said, if I can make another nickel in profit by going to China and shutting down in the United States of America, that’s what I will do. I will do my best to transform our trade policy and take on these corporations who want to invest in low-income countries around the world rather than in the United States of America.”
- On leaving soldiers in Afghanistan: “Well, you can’t simply withdraw tomorrow. Wish we could, and allow, you know, the Taliban or anybody else to reclaim that country. But what we must do, and what we have seen in recent months, is some progress in Iraq, where finally the Iraqi army, which has not been a particularly effective fighting force, retook Ramadi. ISIS has lost I think 40 percent of the territory that it held in the last year. Hopefully, and you know, one can’t predict the future, that maybe our training and their fighting capabilities are improving and we are going to make some progress in destroying ISIS.”
- On trade: “Chuck, I believe in trade, but I do not believe in unfettered free trade. I believe in fair trade which works for the middle class and working families of this country and not just large multinational corporations. I was not only in opposition to NAFTA — and this is an area where the secretary and I have disagreements. I was not only in opposition to NAFTA, I was on the picket line in opposition to NAFTA because I understood — I don’t think this is really rocket science. We heard all of the people tell us how many great jobs would be created. I didn’t believe that for a second because I understood what the function of NAFTA, CAFTA, PNTR with China, and the TPP is, it’s to say to American workers, hey, you are now competing against people in Vietnam who make 56 cents an hour minimum wage. I don’t want American workers to compete against people making 56 cents an hour. I don’t want companies shutting down in America, throwing people out on the street, moving to China, and bringing their products back into this country.SANDERS: So, do I believe in trade? Of course, I believe in trade. But the current trade agreements over the last 30 years were written by corporate America, for corporate America, resulted in the loss of millions of decent-paying jobs, 60,000 factories in America lost since 2001, millions of decent-paying jobs; and also a downward spiral, a race to the bottom where employers say, ‘Hey, you don’t want to take a cut in pay? We’re going to China.’ Workers today are working longer hours for lower wages. Trade is one of the reasons for that.”
Republicans
- On Thursday, The New York Times reported that members of Jeb Bush’s and Chris Christie’s campaign are teaming up to attack Marco Rubio. According to the Times, “In a sign of a budding alliance, the aides have, for example, exchanged news articles that raise potential areas of vulnerability for Mr. Rubio. There is no formal coordination, the operatives stressed, but rather a recognition of a shared agenda.” (The New York Times)
- When asked about the rumors of the joint attack, Rubio said that “his rivals were ‘silly.’” He added, “Look, when people are having a tough time in a campaign, especially near the end, you see some desperation set in and so they’ll start saying things. But I’m not too worried about that.”
Jeb Bush
- On Thursday, former First Lady Barbara Bush joined Jeb Bush on the campaign trail for the first time. Barbara said she didn’t plan to campaign for her son, "But Jeb is the nicest, wisest, most caring loyal disciplined…He's everything we need in a president. … You have the values and the beliefs that we Bushes believe in. You're givers, you're great, just wonderful to be here and with the world's nicest man." (NBC News)
- Commenting on President Barack Obama’s recent visit to a mosque, Bush said, "I don't think it's divisive to go speak in a mosque. I'm surprised it took his eighth year to do it. The bigger issue is what have you done to deal with ISIS. It's important to recognize that peace-loving Muslims who are American citizens are as American as you and I are, but at the same time, this President has been derelict in his duties to destroy the caliphate." (CNN)
Ben Carson
- In a fundraising email, Ben Carson criticized Ted Cruz’s campaign for circulating a news story that Carson was suspending his campaign on caucus night. The email said, "After the dirty political tricks employed on Monday night in Iowa, it's time to take a stand. Clearly this was an attempt to bolster their numbers, because no attempts were made to verify the truth. As a Christian man, I accept the apology he has since offered and I take him at his word that he didn't know. But no actions have been taken to correct the problem. That I cannot accept. … One thing is now clear — while Senator Cruz may preach against the 'Washington Cartel,' he will still adopt, or at least not condemn, Cartel tactics for his own political gain. The Obama Era has been filled with examples of wrongdoing with no accountability, and we cannot continue down that road." (The Hill)
- The Washington Post reported that Ben Carson’s campaign “will cut more than 50 staff positions Thursday as part of an overhaul and downsizing of his campaign” due to a lack of funds. Carson confidant Armstrong Williams said, “Dr. Carson is going to get his campaign lean — really lean. One issue for a while has been too much infrastructure, and he has decided to fully address it so that he can sustain his campaign until the convention.” (The Washington Post)
Chris Christie
- On MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday, Chris Christie criticized Marco Rubio’s stance on abortion. He said, "On the issue of pro-life, Marco Rubio is not for an exception for rape, incest or life of the mother. I think that's the kind of position that New Hampshire voters would be really concerned about. I'm pro-life but I believe that rape, incest and the life of the mother -- as Ronald Reagan did -- should be exceptions to that rule.” According to CNN, “Rubio himself believes only in exceptions to abortion bans only for the life of the mother, and not for cases of rape or incest.” (CNN)
- When asked by a reporter what he thought of John Kasich “casting himself to New Hampshire voters as the ‘prince of light and hope,’” Christie replied, "John Kasich? Come on, seriously. Listen, John is traditionally been a guy who speaks his mind, and that's good. And if all of a sudden now he's trying to have a facelift and to become, I think he called himself 'the prince of sunshine and light' or something like that, I've known John for a long time and I've heard his fellow governors call him a lot of things. The prince of sunshine and light has never been one of them." (NJ.com)
Ted Cruz
- According to CNN, “Ted Cruz's campaign staff called Iowa precinct captains Monday night to tell them that Ben Carson was ‘suspending campaigning’ and that they should alert caucus attendees in an effort to sway voters.” Nancy Bliesman, a Cruz precinct captain, received the following voicemails from members of Cruz’s campaign:
- "Dr. Ben Carson will be (inaudible) suspending campaigning following tonight's caucuses. Please inform any Carson caucusgoers of this news and urge them to caucus for Ted instead.”
- “It has just been announced that Ben Carson is taking a leave of absence from the campaign trail, so it is very important that you tell any Ben Carson voters that for tonight, uh, that they not waste a vote on Ben Carson, and vote for Ted Cruz."
- Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said, "The senator has already apologized for not more quickly making that clarification, and there is no evidence that our sharing of this news story impacted Carson's campaign -- he well outperformed expectations. The voicemails are in line with the reports that were made at that time." (CNN)
- Speaking at a church in New Hampshire on Thursday, Cruz shared the story of his half sister Miriam’s drug and alcohol addiction that led to her death. He said, “Her son found her in her bed. The coroner ruled it accidental. We’ll never know. We just got the call one day that Miriam was gone.” (The New York Times)
- According to The Hill, “Ted Cruz's presidential campaign says it has raised $3 million since the Texan's victory in the Iowa caucuses on Monday night.” (The Hill)
Carly Fiorina
- New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte, former Governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and former Speaker of the House and 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich argued that Carly Fiorina should be allowed to participate in Saturday’s GOP debate. (The Hill)
- In a statement to ABC, Ayotte said, “"Carly Fiorina has campaigned hard in New Hampshire to earn support from voters. ABC News' decision to exclude her from Saturday's debate on the eve of our primary, while she is outperforming one of the other debate participants in New Hampshire polls, undermines our role in the primary process."
- Romney tweeted: “Hey @ABC: put @CarlyFiorina on the debate stage! She got more Iowa votes than John and Chris. Don't exclude only woman.”
- Gingrich tweeted: “.@abcnews should put @CarlyFiorina in the new hampshire debate.she came in ahead of kasich and christie. She has earned a spot.”
John Kasich
- During a campaign event in New Hampshire on Wednesday, John Kasich expressed his support for Israel in their attempts to create peace with Palestinians. Kasich said, “Israel has given a lot of stuff back. They gave Gaza back. How is that working out? They have everything launching into Israel. I don’t know how you get a two-state solution when people are walking into your country and stabbing people. I will say this: Recognize the State of Israel, guarantee their permanent security, stop launching Katyusha rockets into Israel, stop sending in people with knives to kill people in Israel — they went from rocks to knives now — and knock it off. And then, I think you can get to a two-state solution. … Every day that you go by without there being major problems there, that is a win. And I can tell you, we are not going to bully Israel; it’s their survival. It’s just very serious stuff. It’s like – man, we want to survive.” (The Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
- Kasich also criticized President Barack Obama’s handling of U.S.-Israeli relations. Commenting on President Obama’s decision to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in March, Kasich said, “Let me tell you. If the prime minister of Israel came to America, I would meet with him as the president of the United States. OK? I think that was a horrible foreign policy mistake.” He also criticized President Obama for publicly opposing Israeli building in the West Bank. he said, “Don’t tell them in front of a bunch of cameras. You see, if I want to correct my children, I don’t do it in front of other people. And if I ever get close to that, they make it clear they don’t like it. [The same should apply] with the Israelis: You got a problem, you can tell them, but tell them in private. … Why are they building more apartments? Because it’s land; it’s security. I would never, ever, ever jeopardize the security of that country. Never.”
- During an interview with The Washington Post, Kasich discussed his “compassionate conservatism” approach to campaigning. He said, “I guess sometimes when you talk about caring for people, sometimes it is not a tone we’ve heard in the Republican Party for quite a while.” He also explained what he means when he says that he is in his “own lane.” He said, “I’ve never been in the establishment. I’m not anti-establishment, but I can work with the establishment. … It is a twist and turn and a different definition of what is conservative and what it means to be a Republican.” Kasich pointed to his ability to collaborate “with liberal Democrats to pass legislation. He says he believes humans contribute to global warming. He is in favor of government support for those with disabilities.” (The Washington Post)
Marco Rubio
- During a campaign event in New Hampshire on Thursday, Marco Rubio attacked Hillary Clinton’s stance on abortion. He said, "Hillary Clinton is an extremist on this issue. She believes there should be no such thing as an illegal abortion -- even on the due date. … And she believes that partial birth abortion should be legal, which is a gruesome procedure that the vast majority of Americans find to be unconscionable.” (CNN)
- Commenting on President Obama’s decision to visit a mosque, Rubio said, "I'm tired of being divided against each other for political reasons like this President's done. Always pitting people against each other. Always. Look at today: He gave a speech at a mosque. Oh, you know, basically implying that America is discriminating against Muslims." (CNN)
- On Thursday, Rubio defended his record as a public servant after Rick Santorum was unable to name a legislative accomplishment of Rubio’s earlier in the day. Santorum, who dropped out of the presidential race after the Iowa caucuses and endorsed Rubio, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that “‘it's hard’ to name a significant accomplishment that Rubio has had in the Senate.” He added that Rubio has "tremendous potential and gifts. … If you look at being a minority in the United States Senate in four years where nothing got done, I guess it's hard to say that there are accomplishments when nothing was done. Tell me what happened in those four years that was an accomplishment for anybody. He spent four years in the United States Senate being frustrated like everybody else that nothing got done and then you can't point to him and say well nothing got done therefore he has no accomplishments.” (CNN)
- Commenting on Santorum, Rubio said, "Let's be fair to Rick. I mean, he has spent the past year and a half running for president and his campaign, and he just endorsed us last night.” He then discussed his accomplishments, which he said include: “a veterans affairs measure, sanctions on Hezbollah, killing an Obamacare provision and a measure to prevent human trafficking.”
Donald Trump
- On Wednesday, Donald Trump released the ad, “Voters Speak,” which features voters discussing why they like Trump. (The New York Times)
- During a campaign event in Exeter, New Hampshire, on Thursday, a woman from Southern California said to Trump, "I know the role that they [individuals who immigrated to the U.S. illegally] have in the California and national economy because they do work that no one else wants to do and for a lot less.” Trump responded, "Who told you to be here? Bernie? No, no, this is a Bernie plant. This is a Bernie plant. All right, OK, I understand your question." A second woman then yelled, “that immigrants were part of the backbone of the US,” according to Yahoo. Trump replied, "I don't think so, darling. I don't think so. I don't think so. No, I don't think so. They're not the backbone. … Let me just tell you something, you know what the backbone of our country [is]? People that came here and they came here legally. People that came to this country legally. And they worked their a-- off and they made the country great. That's the backbone.” (Yahoo)
- Commenting on President Obama’s decision to visit a mosque, Trump said, "I think that we can go to lots of places. I don't know, maybe he feels comfortable there. We have a lot of problems in this country, Greta. There are a lot of places he can go and he chose a mosque. I saw that just a little while ago. So that's his decision, it's fine." (CNN)
- On Wednesday night, Trump said that Cruz was responsible for the United States Supreme Court’s decision to uphold provisions of the Affordable Care Act, twice. He said, "If it weren't for Ted Cruz — he's the one that got Justice Roberts onto the United States Supreme Court. He pushed him. He approved him. And Justice Roberts approved Obamacare twice when it should have been rejected. His vote got it over the top. Ted Cruz did that. Ted Cruz gave us Obamacare, believe me." According to Business Insider, “Trump overstated Cruz's role in Roberts' appointment to the high court in 2005. Cruz, who was Texas' solicitor general at the time, repeatedly praised Roberts' credentials. Cruz wouldn't enter the Senate, which debates and approves Supreme Court nominees, until 2013.” (Business Insider)
- Cruz's campaign spokesman responded by saying, "Trump's claim is ridiculous, especially considering that he has advocated and supported a single-payer healthcare system along with many other social-liberal policies."
Third Party Candidates
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
- After it was announced that President Obama would propose a $10-a-barrel oil tax to fund a transportation spending plan, Gary Johnson tweeted: “Obama proposes $10/barrel oil tax. Aide says ‘We recognize oil companies will likely pass on some of these costs.’ Ya think?? #tcot #tlot.” (Twitter)
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- KCRW’s Robert Scheer recently interviewed Jill Stein. During the interview, Stein discussed “why she believes she and Bernie Sanders have much more common ground than differences although those differences do include stances on foreign policy and Israel.” Stein also discussed “the history of the Green Party and its support for cancelling student debt, which she believes could bring over many new voters.” (KCRW)
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
