Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - October 14, 2015

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Wednesday's Leading Stories

• According to an insiders poll conducted by Ballotpedia, Hillary Clinton was the “biggest winner” of CNN’s first Democratic presidential debate, and Lincoln Chafee was the “biggest loser.” (Ballotpedia Insiders Poll)
• According to a variety of sources, Hillary Clinton dominated Tuesday night’s Democratic debate. NBC News declared, “At last night's first Democratic presidential debate, Hillary Clinton looked good, and the rest of the field made her look great. It was the Harlem Globetrotters vs. the Washington Generals. And sure, Hillary missed some shots and turned the ball over a couple of times (her comments on Wall Street, her ‘I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone’ line). But she dominated the debate, especially the first 30 minutes when most Americans are paying attention.” (NBC News, The New Yorker, The New York Times)
• According to The New York Times, one of the biggest moments of the night came when Bernie Sanders commented on Clinton’s ongoing e-mail controversy. After debate moderator Anderson Cooper questioned Clinton’s characterization of the investigation into her e-mails as “a partisan vehicle,” Bernie Sanders said, “Let me say -- let me say something that may not be great politics. But I think the secretary is right, and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.” (The New York Times, The Washington Post)
• Poll: According to a Fox News poll released on Tuesday, among likely Republican primary voters, 24 percent would like to see Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. Ben Carson followed with 23 percent. Marco Rubio came in at 9 percent, Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee at 5 percent and Rand Paul with 3 percent. All of the other candidates came in with 1 percent or less. (Fox News)
• Poll: According to a Fox News poll released on Tuesday, among likely Democratic primary voters, 45 percent would like to see Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee. Bernie Sanders followed with 25 percent. Joe Biden came in at 19 percent followed by Martin O’Malley with 1 percent. All of the other candidates came in with less than 1 percent. (Fox News)

Democrats

The following selection of quotes comes from transcripts of Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate prepared by The Washington Post and Time.

Lincoln Chafee

• On the Fourth Amendment: “As long as you're getting a warrant, I believe that under the Fourth Amendment, you should be able to do surveillance, but you need a warrant. That's what the Fourth Amendment says. And in the Patriot Act, section 215 started to get broadened too far. So I would be in favor of addressing and reforming section 215 of the Patriot Act.”
• On Edward Snowden: “No, I would bring him home. The courts have ruled that what he did -- what he did was say the American...the American government was acting illegally. That's what the federal courts have said; what Snowden did showed that the American government was acting illegally for the Fourth Amendment. So I would bring him home.”
• On ending wars: “We've got to stop these wars. You have to have a new dynamic, a new paradigm. We just spent a half-billion dollars arming and training soldiers, the rebel soldiers in Syria. They quickly join the other side. We bombed the...And also we just bombed a hospital. We've had drone strikes that hit civilian weddings. So I would change how we -- our approach to the Middle East. We need a new paradigm in the Middle East.”

Hillary Clinton

• On switching positions on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: “You know, take the trade deal. I did say, when I was secretary of state, three years ago, that I hoped it would be the gold standard. It was just finally negotiated last week, and in looking at it, it didn't meet my standards. My standards for more new, good jobs for Americans, for raising wages for Americans. And I want to make sure that I can look into the eyes of any middle-class American and say, ‘this will help raise your wages.’ And I concluded I could not.”
• On Sanders’ votes against the Brady Bill: “Senator Sanders did vote five times against the Brady bill. Since it was passed, more than 2 million prohibited purchases have been prevented. He also did vote, as he said, for this immunity provision. I voted against it. I was in the Senate at the same time. It wasn't that complicated to me. It was pretty straightforward to me that he was going to give immunity to the only industry in America. Everybody else has to be accountable, but not the gun manufacturers. And we need to stand up and say: Enough of that. We're not going to let it continue.”
• On Russia and Syria: “There's no doubt that when Putin came back in and said he was going to be President, that did change the relationship. We have to stand up to his bullying, and specifically in Syria, it is important -- and I applaud the administration because they are engaged in talks right now with the Russians to make it clear that they've got to be part of the solution to try to end that bloody conflict. And, to -- provide safe zones so that people are not going to have to be flooding out of Syria at the rate they are. And, I think it's important too that the United States make it very clear to Putin that it's not acceptable for him to be in Syria creating more chaos, bombing people on behalf of Assad, and we can't do that if we don't take more of a leadership position, which is what I'm advocating.”

Lawrence Lessig

• After being excluded from the CNN debate because of his low poll numbers, Lawrence Lessig told Lawrence O’Donnell, “I was incredibly excited to listen to them talk about all of the issues that they were going to solve. All of them are talking about fantasies unless we get a democracy that works again. Campaign finance is one incredibly important part of it.” (MSNBC)

Martin O’Malley

• On Benghazi: “Anderson, I think there's lessons to be learned from Benghazi. And those lessons are that we need to do a much better job as a nation of having human intelligence on the ground so that we know who the emerging next generation leaders are that are coming up to replace a dictator when his time on this planet ends. And I believe that's what Chris Stevens was trying to do. But he did not have the tools. We have failed as a country to invest in the human intelligence that would allow us to make not only better decisions in Libya, but better decisions in Syria today. And it's a huge national security failing.”
• On the Black Lives Matter Movement: “Anderson, the point that the Black Lives Matter movement is making is a very, very legitimate and serious point, and that is that as a nation we have undervalued the lives of black lives, people of color. When I ran for Mayor of Baltimore -- and we were burying over 350 young men ever single year, mostly young, and poor, and black, and I said to our legislature, at the time when I appeared in front of them as a mayor, that if we were burying white, young, poor men in these number we would be marching in the streets and there would be a different reaction. Black lives matter, and we have a lot of work to do to reform our criminal justice system, and to address race relations in our country.”
• On Clinton and Glass-Steagall: “Once we repealed Glass-Steagall back in the late 1999s (ph), the big banks, the six of them, went from controlling, what, the equivalent of 15 percent of our GDP to now 65 percent of our GDP. And -- (inaudible) right before this debate, Secretary Clinton's campaign put out a lot of reversals on positions on Keystone and many other things. But one of them that we still have a great difference on, Madam Secretary, is that you are not for Glass-Steagall. You are not for putting a firewall between this speculative, risky shadow banking behavior. I am, and the people of our country need a president who's on their side, willing to protect the Main Street economy from recklessness on Wall Street.”
• On new leadership: “We cannot be this dissatisfied with our gridlocked national politics and an economy where 70 percent of us are earning the same or less than we were 12 years ago, and think that a resort to old names is going to move us forward. I respect what Secretary Clinton and her husband have done for our country. But our country needs new leadership to move forward.”

Bernie Sanders

• On democratic socialism: “And what democratic socialism is about is saying that it is immoral and wrong that the top one-tenth of 1 percent in this country own almost 90 percent -- almost -- own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. That it is wrong, today, in a rigged economy, that 57 percent of all new income is going to the top 1 percent. That when you look around the world, you see every other major country providing health care to all people as a right, except the United States. You see every other major country saying to moms that, when you have a baby, we're not gonna separate you from your newborn baby, because we are going to have -- we are gonna have medical and family paid leave, like every other country on Earth. Those are some of the principles that I believe in, and I think we should look to countries like Denmark, like Sweden and Norway, and learn from what they have accomplished for their working people.”
• On gun regulations: “Do I think that a gun shop in the state of Vermont that sells legally a gun to somebody, and that somebody goes out and does something crazy, that that gun shop owner should be held responsible? I don't. On the other hand, where you have manufacturers and where you have gun shops knowingly giving guns to criminals or aiding and abetting that, of course we should take action.”
• On war: “I am not a pacifist, Anderson. I supported the war in Afghanistan. I supported President Clinton's effort to deal with ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. I support air strikes in Syria and what the president is trying to do. Yes, I happen to believe from the bottom of my heart that war should be the last resort that we have got to exercise diplomacy. But yes, I am prepared to take this country into war if that is necessary.”
• On Social Security: “My view is that when you have millions of seniors in this country trying to get by -- and I don't know how they do on $11,000, $12,000, $13,000 a year -- you don't cut Social Security, you expand it. And the way you expand it is by lifting the cap on taxable incomes so that you do away with the absurdity of a millionaire paying the same amount into the system as somebody making $118,000. You do that, Social Security is solvent until 2061 and you can expand benefits.”
• On a political revolution: “I believe that the power of corporate America, the power of Wall Street, the power of the drug companies, the power of the corporate media is so great that the only way we really transform America and do the things that the middle class and working class desperately need is through a political revolution when millions of people begin to come together and stand up and say: Our government is going to work for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.”

Jim Webb

• On money in politics: “You know, people are disgusted with the way that money has corrupted our political process, intimidating incumbents and empowering Wall Street every day, the turnstile government that we see, and also the power of the financial sector in both parties. They're looking for a leader who understands how the system works, who has not been coopted by it, and also has a proven record of accomplishing different things. I have a record of working across the political aisle. I've also spent more than half of my professional life away from politics in the independent world of being an author, a journalist, and a sole proprietor.”
• On gun regulations: “So we do need background checks. We need to keep the people who should not have guns away from them. But we have to respect the tradition in this country of people who want to defend themselves and their family from violence. ...There are people at high levels in this government who have bodyguards 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The average American does not have that, and deserves the right to be able to protect their family.”
• On China: “But if you want a place where we need to be in terms of our national strategy, a focus, the greatest strategic threat that we have right now is resolving our relationship with China. And we need to do this because of their aggression in the region. We need to do it because of the way they treat their own people. ... to the unelected, authoritarian government of China: You do not own the South China Sea. You do not have the right to conduct cyber warfare against tens of millions of American citizens. And in a Webb administration, we will do something about that.”
• On the Iran nuclear deal: “I believe that the signal that we sent to the region when the Iran nuclear deal was concluded was that we are accepting Iran's greater position on this very important balance of power, among our greatest ally Israel, and the Sunnis represented by the Saudi regime, and Iran. It was a position of weakness and I think it encouraged the acts that we've seen in the past several weeks.”

Republicans

Jeb Bush

• On Tuesday, Jeb Bush discussed his healthcare plan, which would replace Obamacare. His plan proposes offering “income-tax credits for people to buy catastrophic coverage” and offering “states a sort of block grant to finance care for low-income people.” The plan would also allow “states to impose work requirements on able-bodied Medicaid beneficiaries.” In addition, Bush “promised to work with states to develop a transition plan for 17 million people who are currently covered under the health law.” (The New York Times, Bloomberg)

Ben Carson

• Ben Carson’s super PAC, The 2016 Committee, announced on Tuesday that they have raised “$2.8 million with an average donation of just over $65.” (CNN)

Chris Christie

• According to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released on Tuesday, 55 percent of New Jersey registered voters have an unfavorable view of Chris Christie while 35 percent have a favorable view. (WFMZ.com) (Rutgers-Eagleton)

Ted Cruz

• Ted Cruz said on Monday that conservative radio host Mark Levin should be the next Speaker of the House. (Talking Points Memo)
• On Monday, Cruz said that he was “proud to lead" the effort in the Senate to defund Planned Parenthood, and he questioned Marco Rubio’s commitment to the effort without naming him. He said, "I would ask a simple question: Where were the other candidates?" Cruz was likely referring to Marco Rubio’s failure to show up for the vote. (Fox News)

Carly Fiorina

• Carly Fiorina's campaign announced on Tuesday that she has raised $6.8 million. (CNN)
• Fiorina criticized “crony capitalism” and big government during an interview with “Breitbart” on Tuesday. She said, “I have a lot of Bernie Sanders’ people who come and I ask them why and they say it’s because you talk about crony capitalism. So they know that’s bad, but of course what progressives do is they say the answer to crony capitalism is more big government, which is exactly the wrong answer. I say to people, ask yourself a question, if something is so complicated, like a 73,000 page tax code or the rules around Obamacare–if something is so complicated [that] you don’t understand it, what do you suppose the chances are that you’re getting taken advantage of? And people in their bones get that.” (Breitbart)

Lindsey Graham

• Lindsey Graham made his case for why he should be commander-in-chief. On Tuesday, he said, “I think the experience when it comes to being commander-in-chief does matter, and will matter more over time. We've elected one novice, let's not pick another." He called Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson "fine people," but added, “I don't think they can hold a candle to me when it comes to foreign policy though.” Graham also said, “I think every voter owes it to the military to pick somebody worthy of their sacrifice to be their commander-in-chief." (The Washington Examiner)
• Graham expressed his support for reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank in the following statement released on Tuesday: “If our Ex-Im Bank and its competitive financing go away permanently, the United States will lose market share and it will cost us jobs. Other nations are cheering the ill-conceived decision to close the doors to Ex-Im while they keep their export banks open for business.” (The Post and Courier)

Mike Huckabee

• During his daily podcast, “The Huckabee Exclusive,” Mike Huckabee discussed the “war on cops” and crime. He said, “Newton’s third law of physics says that for action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So is anyone surprised that the recent war on cops that’s led to vilifying police, politicians tying cops hands, or police being told to stay out of certain areas has led to a completely predictable reaction, a surge in crime? ...Crime had been dropping since the 80s, but Breitbart reports that Chicago just had it’s deadliest month in 13 years, with shootings up 50 percent over last year. Since the April anti-police riots in Baltimore, homicides there are up 39 percent. In St. Louis the murder rate is up 60 percent last year. Breitbart notes, the situation has been made worse for the Obama Administration’s failure to enforce immigration laws, which has led to the release of 347,000 criminal convicted aliens.” (Buzzfeed)

John Kasich

• John Kasich will discuss his plan for his first 100 days in office during a speech on Thursday. He said the plan "will have to do with fiscal issues, our debt, balancing budgets. It will have to do with shifting power from Washington back to where we live. It will have to do with putting a halt on regulations. One of the things we're going to create is a common sense court where, if you're getting hassled by [a] federal regulator, you're going to have somewhere to go outside of some government bureaucrat that's going to tell you, 'you lose.' We're going to be promoting a comprehensive energy policy, tax policy to provide more econ growth. All of this is designed to ... create economic growth, to control our spending and to restore prosperity in our country." (Cleveland.com)
• CNN confirmed on Tuesday that Kasich’s super PAC, New Day for America, has “reserved $5 million in airtime in New Hampshire and Boston media markets from November through the primary. That's on top of the $6.5 million the group has already bought on-air from July through October.” (CNN)

Bobby Jindal

• On Tuesday, Bobby Jindal’s campaign criticized the criteria for the next GOP debate, arguing that polls in Iowa and New Hampshire should be considered, rather than only national polls. Jindal’s campaign senior strategist Curt Anderson said, "We're arguing that the voters are the ones who should decide this election and the voters will first speak in Iowa and New Hampshire. We don't have a national primary." (Nola.com, The Advocate)
• After Jeb Bush released his healthcare plan on Tuesday, Jindal criticized the plan and called it “Obamacare lite.” He said, “Unfortunately, both Jeb's plan and Obamacare are both new federal entitlement programs in which the federal government pays for universal healthcare for all Americans. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. Jeb's plan is rejection of the American ideal of individual independence, and an acceptance of the left's demand for more government dependence. Jeb's plan is Obamacare lite. President Obama succeeded in doing what Hillary had failed to do years before — to create a new federal entitlement program where the government pays for healthcare for all Americans. Never mind the fact that our existing entitlement programs are on the verge of bankruptcy." (The Washington Examiner)

Rand Paul

• In an effort to reach out to younger voters, Rand Paul broadcasted a livestream of his campaign on Tuesday. Viewers saw Paul delivering speeches at college campuses, driving around Iowa and answering questions on social media. During the day, Paul addressed presidential power and President Barack Obama’s executive orders. He said, “So as president I've told people my goal is not to accumulate power but to actually devolve power, give power back to the states and the people, and I would undo, virtually all, on Day One, President Obama's executive orders." (Politico)
• During a speech at Upper Iowa University on Tuesday, Paul discussed the situation in Syria. He said, "Tonight you'll have the Democrat debate. What does Hillary Clinton believe? She's for a no-fly zone over there. So are most of the Republicans. What do you think that ends up meaning? Iraq and Syria have invited Russia to fly over their countries. I don't know if it's a good idea or a bad idea but I do know that if you say tomorrow that they're not allowed to fly over countries that have invited them to fly over there, that means you shoot them down. So no-fly zone is a recipe for disaster; it's a recipe for another war over there. But you've got both sides wanting this." (Politico)

Marco Rubio

• During a Wednesday morning interview on “Fox and Friends,” Marco Rubio commented on the Democratic debate. He said, “It was basically a liberal versus liberal debate about who was going to give away the most free stuff. Free college education, free college education for people illegally in this country, free healthcare, free everything. Their answer to every problem in America is a government program and a tax increase. That's all they prescribe, time and time again.” (The Hill)

Rick Santorum

• On Tuesday, Rick Santorum released his Economic Freedom Agenda. The centerpiece of the agenda is his 20/20 Flat Tax Plan, which proposes a 20 percent flat tax on individual income and a 20 percent flat tax on business income. The plan also proposes increasing the minimum wage, repealing Obamacare, approving the Keystone XL Pipeline, creating work requirements for means-tested entitlement programs and reducing legal and illegal immigration. Santorum’s full agenda can be viewed here. (The Iowa Republican, The Iowa Statesman, RickSantorum.com)

Donald Trump

• Donald Trump live-tweeted during Tuesday night’s Democratic debate. He criticized each of the candidates, tweeting “very scripted and rehearsed, two (at least) should not be on the stage.” On Wednesday morning he declared Clinton the winner, saying, "She got through it fine. It was a very kind debate, very gentle. She came out the winner." (ABC News, The Washington Post)
• On Monday, a female college student who is an intern for Jeb Bush’s campaign asked Trump, "If you become president, will a woman make the same as a man, and do I get to choose what I do with my body?" Trump said, "You're going to make the same if you do as good of a job, and I happen to be pro-life, okay?" Bush’s campaign said that Lauren Batchelder “is not a paid staff member and attended the convention on her own.” (The Washington Post)

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