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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - September 17, 2015
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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential Briefing was sponsored by the Leadership Project for America. | ||||
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Thursday's Leading Stories
- Poll: According to a poll released yesterday by Boston’s NPR News Station, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in close competition in New Hampshire with 31 and 35 percent support, respectively. (WBUR)
- Carly Fiorina made headlines for her performance on the GOP debate stage yesterday, and commentators have predicted a rise in her poll rankings in the near future. According to CNN, while other candidates performed well, “the buzz at the end of the night largely stemmed from Fiorina's debate performance.”(CNN Politics)
- Poll: Ballotpedia posted an insider’s poll today that indicates Carly Fiorina is the pick of the Republican insiders after CNN’s Republican debate last night. The website also provides debate commentary and a debate summary. (Ballotpedia)
Democrats
- According to multiple sources, Anderson Cooper, a CNN anchor, will be moderating the proceedings at the October 13 Democratic primary debate in Nevada. (Washington Post, New York Times)
Joe Biden
- At an international solar energy conference in Anaheim on Tuesday, Joe Biden encouraged the use of sustainable energy sources to boost the economy and minimize America’s reliance on fossil fuels. “The idea that we don’t think renewable is so critical to the future of this country and we won’t do everything to grow this industry is absolutely absurd. It really is absurd,” said Biden. “Our children and our grandchildren are going to look back on this period and this debate and wonder what were they debating about. … The stakes are too high for shortsighted politics and short-term policy decisions.” (L.A. Times)
- Prior to the GOP debate yesterday, Biden said that Republicans who do not believe in climate change and want to defund Planned Parenthood should “just get out of the way.” He also commented, “I think if you pushed them, they'd probably deny gravity as well.” (U.S. News)
- On Tuesday, Biden defended the Republican Party, saying that not all the candidates are like Donald Trump. “I don’t want anybody to be down right now about what’s going on in the Republican Party,” he said. “I want you to remember, notwithstanding the fact that one guy absolutely denigrated an entire group of people, appealing to the baser side of human nature, working on this notion of xenophobia in a way that hasn’t occurred in a long time — since the Know Nothing party at the end of the 19th century. Folks, the American people are with us.” (New York Times)
- Biden is visiting California, Michigan and Ohio this week. All three states are critical for fundraising and campaigning as a presidential candidate, and though the visits are officially sanctioned by the White House, this has led some to speculate about Biden’s decision to run for president. (Reuters)
Hillary Clinton
- According to Breitbart, immigration lawyer Christina Gupana, who works for Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Nevada, seems to have gone underground after she was seen on video conspiring to violate election laws. Breitbart noted that her law practice website, Twitter account and LinkedIn account had all been deleted. (Breitbart)
- According to Politico, Clinton is in a delicate position because some Democrats, including Martin O’Malley, believe that Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is resisting the call to add more Democratic debates to the schedule in order to protect Clinton. (Politico)
- Clinton expressed support for Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim student from Texas who was handcuffed when school officials thought a homemade clock he brought to school was a bomb. “Assumptions and fear don't keep us safe—they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building,” tweeted Clinton. (Fortune)
Lawrence Lessig
- Lawrence Lessig submitted an affidavit that gave support to Kim Dotcom, who is the subject of an extradition hearing for criminal copyright violation, money laundering and other possible crimes, saying that allegations made by the US Department of Justice "do not meet the requirements necessary to support a prima facie case that would be recognised by United States federal law." (NZ Herald, National Business Review)
Martin O’Malley
- Martin O’Malley wrote a letter to President Obama on Tuesday stating America should accept 65,000 refugees, not the 10,000 that the administration has allowed. “Our country is large enough and compassionate enough to welcome 65,000 Syrian refugees by 2017, and I encourage you to do everything in your power to respond appropriately to this moral imperative,” wrote O’Malley. (Breitbart)
Bernie Sanders
- Bernie Sanders met with a number of Black Lives Matters leaders yesterday to discuss racial justice. One of the leaders, Johnetta Elzie, said that Sanders was “open to being pushed” and that she “made it very clear that he has not won over a large demographic of black people in this country no matter how progressive he seems and that his policy platform, that his past history of dealing with black people, from his place of power in VT is also a concern in our community.” (HuffPost Politics)
Jim Webb
- Jim Webb will attend the 115th Annual Marshalltown BBQ hosted by House Democratic Leader Rep. Mark Smith in Iowa on Saturday. (Des Moines Register)
Republicans
- According to the Washington Post, Lindsey Graham garnered the most Google search activity overall during the earlier GOP debate yesterday, but Bobby Jindal got the largest spike in interest during closing statements. (Washington Post)
- According to Bloomberg and Google Trends, Donald Trump had the highest level of Google search traffic during the main GOP debate, followed by Carly Fiorina. Chris Christie had relatively low searches throughout the debate, but surged to the top on the last question. Google trends from this morning indicate that Fiorina is taking the lead in Google searches. (Bloomberg, Google Trends)
- Trump had the most debate talking time (16:19) during the GOP debate yesterday. He was followed by Jeb Bush (12:04), Carly Fiorina (10:44) and Ben Carson (9:48). Rand Paul talked the least (5:39). (PBS Twitter)
Jeb Bush
GOP Debate:
- On drug legalization: Jeb Bush admitted to smoking marijuana when he was younger. “40 years ago, I smoked marijuana, and I admit it. I'm sure that other people might have done it and may not want to say it in front of 25 million people. My mom's not happy that I just did,” stated Bush. He then commented seriously on drug legalization with the statement, “It is appropriate for the government to play a consistent role to be able to provide more treatment, more prevention,” but said that the legalization of marijuana in Colorado was a “state decision.” (Washington Post)
- On the Second Amendment: Bush stated that he supported confiscation of weapons if someone mentioned that the gun possessor was mentally disturbed, as long as there was a hearing. “I think there needs to be a hearing, but the fact is, we need to encourage that kind of involvement. That's -- that's exactly what we need to do,” said Bush. He also said that he supported state laws mandating background checks and conceal carry license laws over federal gun control laws. (Washington Post)
- On integrity: When asked by the commentator if Donald Trump’s comments that Bush would be controlled by big donors were true, Bush answered, “No. Absolutely not.” He continued, “People are supporting me because I have a proven record of conservative leadership .... The one guy that had some special interests that I know of that tried to get me to change my views on something -- that was generous and gave me money -- was Donald Trump.” (Washington Post)
- On abortion: Bush proposed the following plan for resolving the abortion issue as president: “So here is a solution to this. Title X of the HHS funding, there is something that was the "Reagan Rule." It was passed in 1988. And in that rule it was defined, and the courts approved this, that a [sic] Planned Parenthood, you couldn't separate the money between the actual abortion procedures, and there are 330,000 abortions that take place in this clinic, and their promotion of it. He interpreted it the right way, the courts ruled in his favor, and Planned Parenthood did not get funding during that time until President Clinton came in. When I'm elected president, we will restore that interpretation of Title X. And this deal will be finished.” (Washington Post)
Ben Carson
GOP Debate:
- On establishment politics: Ben Carson commented on establishment politics, saying, “Typically, politicians do things that are politically expedient. And they are looking for whatever their particular goal is. That is not the reason that I have gotten into this thing. I'm extraordinary concerned about the direction of this country, the divisiveness that is going on, fiscal irresponsibility, the failure to take a leadership position in the world. (Washington Post)
- On immigration: Carson said that the primary goal with regard to immigration has to be protecting the border. “If we don't seal the border, the rest of this stuff clearly doesn't matter. It's kind of ridiculous all the other things we talk about. We have the ability to do it, we don't have the will to do it,” said Carson. He then outlined a plan for allowing undocumented immigrants a six-month grace period to become guest workers in the U.S. Carson has maintained that this plan is not equivalent to granting amnesty. (Washington Post)
- On minimum wage: Carson suggested having two minimum wages, “a starter, and a sustaining because how are young people ever going to get a job if you have such a high minimum wage that it makes it impractical to hire them.” (Washington Post)
Chris Christie
- On abortion: Chris Christie claimed that he defunded Planned Parenthood in New Jersey and then commented on Hillary Clinton’s support of Planned Parenthood. “Here's the problem,” said Christie, “We're -- we're fighting with each other up here. We agree. Let's ask Hillary Clinton. She believes in the systematic murder of children in the womb to preserve their body parts...in a way that maximizes their value for sale for profit. It is disgusting, and the American people need to hear it.” (Washington Post)
- On religious freedom and same-sex marriage: After being presented with his own quote “she [Kim Davis] is sworn to uphold the law,” Christie answered: “She is, and so if she, based on conscience, can't sign that -- that marriage license, then there should be someone in her office to be able to do it, and if the law needs to be changed in the state of Kentucky, which is what she's advocating, it should be changed.” (Washington Post)
- On Trump and Fiorina: Christie took a jab at Fiorina and Trump on stage after they began to talk about why they were qualified to run for president. “While I’m as entertained as anyone by this personal back-and-forth about the history of Donald and Carly’s career, for the 55-year-old construction worker out in that audience tonight who doesn’t have a job, who can’t fund his child’s education, I’ve got to tell you the truth. They could care less about your careers, they care about theirs. Let’s start talking about that on this stage and stop playing — and stop playing the games.,” Christie stated. (TIME)
- On foreign affairs: Christie defended George W. Bush’s decision to go into Afghanistan. Said Christie, “I support what President Bush did at that time, going into Afghanistan, hunting al Qaeda and its leaders, getting its sanctuary out of place, and making it as difficult around the world for them to move people and money. And then he went to prosecutors like us, and he said, never again. Don’t prosecute these people after the crime is committed. Intervene before the crime happens. I absolutely believe that what the president did at the time was right. And I am proud to have been one of the people on the stage who was part of making sure that what Governor Bush said before was the truth. America was safe for those seven years and Barack Obama has taken that safety away from us.” (TIME)
Ted Cruz
- Last night, Ted Cruz released his “Scorpion” ad that mimicked a Reagan ad from the past. (YouTube)
GOP Debate:
- On immigration: Ted Cruz claimed to be the only GOP contender completely opposed to amnesty. “A majority of the men and women on this stage have previously and publicly embraced amnesty. I am the only candidate on this stage who has never supported amnesty and, in fact, who helped lead the fight to stop a massive amnesty plan.,” said Cruz. (TIME)
- On the Iran deal: Cruz strongly opposed the Iran deal yesterday, despite challenges from Kasich on the debate stage. “This deal abandons four American hostages in Iran, and this deal will only accelerate Iran’s acquiring nuclear weapons. You’d better believe it. If I am elected president, on the very first day in office, I will rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal,” Cruz stated. (TIME)
Carly Fiorina
GOP Debate:
- On Trump: After an exchange in which Trump jabbed at Bush for his position on women’s health, saying several times “You said it,” Fiorina was asked to comment on Trump’s recent statement about her face, “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?” She answered: “You know, it's interesting to me, Mr. Trump said that he heard Mr. Bush very clearly and what Mr. Bush said. I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.” Fiorina also questioned Trump’s qualifications to handle national finances since he declared bankruptcy “not once, not twice, four times, a record four times.” (Washington Post)
- On abortion and Iran: Fiorina drew a parallel between abortion and Iran with obvious emotion, calling upon American to show true leadership in principles and national security. “I would like to link these two issues, both of which are incredibly important, Iran and Planned Parenthood.," said Fiorina. "One has something to do with the defense of the security of this nation. The other has something to do with the defense of the character of this nation. You have not heard a plan about Iran from any politician up here, here is my plan. On day one in the Oval Office, I will make two phone calls, the first to my good friend to Bibi Netanyahu to reassure him we will stand with the state of Israel. The second, to the supreme leader, to tell him that unless and until he opens every military and every nuclear facility to real anytime, anywhere inspections by our people, not his, we, the United States of America, will make it as difficult as possible and move money around the global financial system. We can do that, we don't need anyone's cooperation to do it. And every ally and every adversary we have in this world will know that the United States in America is back in the leadership business, which is how we must stand with our allies. As regards Planned Parenthood, anyone who has watched this videotape, I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama to watch these tapes. Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, it's heart beating, it's [sic] legs kicking while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain. This is about the character of our nation, and if we will not stand up in and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us.” (Washington Post)
- On establishment politics: Fiorina commented on the support of non-establishment candidates in this race with the following statement, “I'll tell you why people are supporting outsiders. It's because you know what happens if someone's been in the system their whole life, they don't know how broken the system is. A fish swims in water, it doesn't know it's water. It's not that politicians are bad people, it's that they've been in that system forever. The truth is 75 percent of the American people think the government is corrupt; 82 percent of the American people think these problems that have festered for 50 years in some cases, 25 years in other cases. The border's been insecure for 25 years; 307,000 veterans have died waiting for health care. These things have gone on for so long because no one will challenge the status quo.” (Washington Post)
- On foreign relations: Fiorina state she would not negotiate with Vladimir Putin, letting her actions speak instead. She claimed she would begin rebuilding the Sixth Fleet and the missile defense program in Poland, “conduct regular, aggressive military exercises in the Baltic states” and “probably send a few thousand more troops into Germany” and Putin would “get the message.” (Washington Post)
- On birthright citizenship: Fiorina said, “You can't just wave your hands and say ‘the 14th Amendment is gonna go away.’ It will take an extremely arduous vote in Congress, followed by two-thirds of the states, and if that doesn't work to amend the Constitution, then it is a long, arduous process in court. And meanwhile, what will continue to go on is what has gone on for 25 years.” (Washington Post)
Jim Gilmore
- Jim Gilmore was not invited to the CNN Republican debate, but did live tweet several comments during the debate time. On foreign affairs, he reiterated that “We need a NEW Middle East NATO to attack ISIS and control the Russian incursion in Syria,” and that “proper Presidential leadership would make a military strike on Iran unneccesary [sic].” He also tweeted about his tax code and went up against individual candidates with comments like, “American people really don't care about the failings of Trump and Fiorina business dealings,” and “Gov. Walker does not understand how wages go up.” (Twitter)
Lindsey Graham
GOP Debate:
- Lindsey Graham stood by his vote for Chief Justice Roberts, saying, “He's one of the most qualified men to ever come before the United States Senate and I don't agree with his decision, but 99 times out of 100, I will.” (Washington Post)
- On abortion: Graham opposed Jindal’s and Cruz’s positions that Congress should push for Planned Parenthood defunding. “If I am president of the United States, I wouldn't put one penny in -- in my budget for Planned Parenthood, not one penny. I'm as offended by these videos as you are. But the one thing I'm not going to do going into 2016 is shut the government down and tank our ability to win. What you're saying and what Senator Cruz is saying, I am really sick of hearing,” Graham said. (Washington Post)
- On foreign affairs: Graham criticized the Obama administration for its approach to foreign affairs. Graham commented, “What do I have to offer that's different? I get my foreign policy from being in on the ground. I've been to Iraq and Afghanistan in the Middle East 35 times in the last decade, trying to understand how we got in this mess. Our leading candidate gets his foreign policy from watching television. And what I heard last night is the Cartoon Network, oh, I'm big, I'm strong, we're going to hit them in the head.” (Washington Post)
- On terror threats: Graham maintained his stance that America needs to take the lead against Middle East terror threats and challenged the other candidates on the issue. “All of us are going to say we want to destroy ISIL. But here's what I'm going to tell you. What we're doing is not working. I have a plan to do it. If I'm president of the United States, we're going to send more ground forces into Iraq because we have to. President Obama made a huge mistake by leaving too soon against sound military advice. To every candidate tonight, are you willing to commit before the American people that you will destroy ISIL and you understand we need a ground force to do it?” said Graham. He then challenged the mediator to ask each candidate the following questions, “Would you go from 3,500 to 10,000 American boots on the ground in Iraq to destroy ISIL? Because if you don't, we're going to lose. Are you willing to send American combat forces into Syria as part of a regional army, because if you don't, we'll never destroy ISIL in Syria.” (Washington Post)
- On illegal immigration: Graham said that the people who come to America illegally or on tourist visas to have babies are “bastardizing citizenship” and that he’d like to stop the policy of birthright citizenship to limit this problem. He also said, “We're not going to deport 11 million people here illegally, but we'll start with felons, and off they go. And, as to the rest, you can stay, but you got to learn our language. I don't speak it very well, well, look how far I've come?” Additionally, Graham exchanged words with Rick Santorum on the issue, challenging him with the question, “What are you going to do with the 11 million?” (Washington Post)
- On legal immigration: Graham encouraged creating a better system for legal immigration. “We're going to need more legal immigration. Let's just make it logical. Let's pick people from all over the world on our terms, not just somebody from Mexico. Let's create a rational, legal immigration system because we have a declining workforce,” said Graham. (Washington Post)
- On religious freedom and same-sex marriage: Graham said he did not agree with the Supreme Court ruling to legalize same-sex marriage, but that he would abide by the law. “I don't agree with it, but that is the law of the land. But as president, what I want make sure of is that everybody in this room, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, whatever religion that you can practice your faith without government interference, you can marry people consistent with the tenets of your faith. That's the number one obligation of my presidency, is to protect religious people when they exercise their religious rights. But this decision is the law as it is of right now.” (Washington Post)
Mike Huckabee
GOP Debate:
- On a Supreme Court litmus test: Mike Huckabee said he would absolutely have a litmus test for supreme justices. He then outlined the questions he would ask: “Number one, I’d ask do you think that the unborn child is a human being or is it just a blob of tissue? I’d want to know the answer to that. I’d want to know do you believe in the First Amendment, do you believe that religious liberty is the fundamental liberty around which all the other freedoms of this country are based? And I’d want to know do you really believe in the Second Amendment, do you believe that we have an individual right to bear arms to protect ourselves and our family and to protect our country? And do you believe in the Fifth and the 14th Amendment? Do you believe that a person, before they’re deprived of life and liberty, should in fact have due process and equal protection under the law? Because if you do, you’re going to do more than defund Planned Parenthood.” (TIME)
- On religious freedom and same-sex marriage: Huckabee continued to stand with Kim Davis, stating, “The courts can’t make a law. They can interpret one. They can review one. They can’t implement it. They can’t force it.” He later said, “If the court can just make a decision and we just all surrender to it, we have what Jefferson said was judicial tyranny.” (TIME)
- On the Iran deal: Huckabee opposed the Iran deal, saying it jeopardized “the survival of Western civilization.” He continued, “This threatens Israel immediately, this threatens the entire Middle East, but it threatens the United States of America. And we can't treat a nuclear Iranian government as if it is just some government that would like to have power. This is a government for 36 years has killed Americans, they kidnapped Americans, they have maimed Americans. They have sponsored terrorist groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, and they threaten the very essence of Western civilization.” (TIME)
John Kasich
GOP Debate:
- On the Iran deal: John Kasich was the only GOP contender to say he would consider supporting the Iran deal. Kasich stated, “Now, this agreement, we don't know what's going to happen in 18 months. I served on the Defense Committee for 18 years. I've seen lots of issues in foreign affairs, and foreign -- in terms of global politics, you have to be steady. Now, here's the -- if they cheat, we slap the sanctions back on. If they help Hamas, and Hezbollah, we slap the sanctions back on. And, if we find out that they may be developing a nuclear weapon, than the military option is on the table. We are stronger when we work with the Western civilization, our friends in Europe, and just doing it on our own I don't think is the right policy.” (Washington Post)
- On national security: Kasich acknowledge the threat from Islamic extremist groups and went on to comment that some of the problem comes back to cultural ideas. “We face, also, a bigger war — and you win the bigger war with the battle of ideas.” said Kasich. “You wonder why young people, and educated people, rich people, schooled people, have tried to join ISIS. Western civilization, all of us, need to wake up to the fact that those murderers and rapists need to be called out, and in Western civilization we need to make it clear that our faith in the Jewish and Christian principals force us to live a life bigger than ourselves.” (TIME)
Bobby Jindal
- On Wednesday, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana ruled against Jindal’s claim that Common Core curriculum in Louisiana violated the 10th Amendment. “The evidence supports the finding that participation in both programs is completely voluntary and not unconstitutionally coercive,” said Judge Shelly Dick. (Daily Caller)
GOP Debate:
- On immigration: Jindal laid out a clear and simple approach to immigration during the GOP debate yesterday: secure the border. “I want to make very clear that everybody understands my position is, we need to secure the border, period. Any talk of doing any more -- we don't need a comprehensive plan, don't need an [sic] 1,000-page bill, like the Gang of Eight. We don't need amnesty. Everybody in D.C. talks about it. We need to get it done. As president, I'll get it done in six months. It won't be perfect, but we can get it done,” stated Jindal. (Washington Post)
- On Syrian refugees: Jindal said that taking in refugees from Syria will not solve the problem. “America is the most compassionate country in the entire world,” said Jindal, “We do more for folks around this world. And that's the nature of the American people. Two things: one, let us draw a line, a direct line between this refugee crisis and this president's failed foreign policy. He drew a red line in Syria and did not enforce it and now we're seeing millions of refugees potentially, hundreds of thousands going into Europe… We should not short-circuit; we have got a vetting process, we've got a normal refugee process. Simply allowing more into our country doesn't solve this problem.” (Washington Post)
- On discrimination: When asked about Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim student from Texas who was handcuffed when school officials thought a homemade clock he brought to school was a bomb, Jindal said he was glad the student was not arrested and that law enforcement was careful. He then turned the focus over to discrimination against Christians, saying, “The biggest discrimination is going on against Christian business owners and individuals who believe in traditional forms of marriage.” (Washington Post)
- On abortion: Jindal opposed abortion and encouraged stronger Congressional opposition to Planned Parenthood funding. “I wish Republicans in D.C. had half the fight of the Senate Democrats to get rid of Obamacare, to defund Planned Parenthood. If we can't defund Planned Parenthood now, if we can't stand for innocent human life after these barbaric videos, it is time to be done with the Republican Party. We defunded them in Louisiana. Let's defund them in D.C.,” Jindal stated. (Washington Post)
George Pataki
GOP Debate:
- On Trump: George Pataki spoke strongly against Trump during the early GOP debate. “Donald Trump is not going to be the Republican nominee, period, flat out, I guarantee you that,” he said, and just after stated, “This is an important election with an enormous number of challenges facing the American people. And the first four questions are about Donald Trump.” (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
