The Tap: Saturday, August 27, 2016
From Ballotpedia
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
Review of the day
The excerpts below were compiled from issue #32 of The Tap, which was published on September 3, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.
Federal
- Donald Trump spoke at Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” event in Iowa, where he addressed a range of issues including agricultural and immigration policy as well as race, crime, and poverty.
- Agriculture: “Family farms are the backbone of this country. We are going to end the EPA intrusion into your family homes and your family farms. We are going to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard, eliminate job-killing regulations like the Waters of the U.S. rule, and provide desperately-needed tax relief. … We are going to end this war on the American farmer. That includes our plan to lower the tax rate on family farms down to 15 percent, and to stop the double-taxation of family farms at death – helping to ensure that the family farm tradition in Iowa continues to thrive and flourish.”
- Immigration: “In recent days, the media – as it usually does – has missed the whole point on immigration. All the media wants to talk about is the 11 million or more people here illegally. … I am going to build a great border wall, institute nationwide e-verify, stop illegal immigrants from accessing welfare and entitlements, and develop an exit-entry tracking system to ensure those who overstay their visas are quickly removed. If we don’t enforce visa expiration dates, then we have an open border – it’s as simple as that. I am also going to cancel all unconstitutional executive orders and empower rank-and-file ICE officers and Border Patrol officers to finally do the jobs they were hired for.”
- Race, crime, and poverty: “I’ve spoken a lot in recent days about the deplorable conditions in many of our inner cities. As a father, as a builder, as an American, it offends my sense of right and wrong to see anyone living in such conditions. Almost 40 percent of African-American children are living in poverty – including 45 percent of children under the age of six. … Failed Democratic policies – the policies of Hillary Clinton – have created this high crime and crushing poverty. … I am running to offer a better future – to the citizens of Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, and all across this great land.”
- According to newly released emails from the State Department, Doug Band, an official with the Clinton Foundation, sent a request to Huma Abedin, a senior aide to Hillary Clinton, for invitations and special seating to a 2010 State Department lunch for three executives of organizations that donated to the Clinton Foundation. The emails were released in a public records lawsuit brought by Citizens United, which cited the emails as “new evidence Foundation allies received special treatment” during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. “Hillary Clinton's senior staff at the State Department routinely worked with the Clinton Foundation to reward big donors with special access and favors for four years,” said David Bossie, president of Citizens United. A spokesperson for the Clinton campaign responded by saying, “Citizens United is a right-wing group that's been attacking the Clintons since the 1990s and, once again, is trying to make something out of nothing.”
- See also: Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton email investigation
- Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense under George W. Bush, said that he might vote for Hillary Clinton in an interview with Der Spiegel. “I wish there were somebody I could be comfortable voting for. I might have to vote for Hillary Clinton, even though I have big reservations about her,” said Wolfowitz. He also criticized Donald Trump’s views on foreign policy, saying, “The only way you can be comfortable about Trump's foreign policy, is to think he doesn't really mean anything he says. That's a pretty uncomfortable place to be in. Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Trump mainly shows contempt for them. And he seems to be unconcerned about the Russian aggression in Ukraine. By doing this he tells them that they can go ahead and do what they are doing. That is dangerous.”
- Free the Delegates, a conservative group opposed to Donald Trump’s candidacy for president, released a TV ad that will be aired in Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and Michigan. The ad, titled “Keep Your Word,” focuses on comments made by Trump throughout the primaries in which he suggested that he would leave the race if he was losing in the polls. The ad concludes with the statement, “Resign the nomination. Let the RNC replace you so we can beat Hillary.” Jason Miller, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told Politico, “The 'Never Trump’ movement died at the Republican Convention after it was revealed that they were nothing more than press releases and Facebook posts. The reality is, Republicans and non-Republican voters alike are rapidly uniting behind Donald Trump’s candidacy as people look for a real change agent who isn’t afraid to break up the rigged system.”
- In a statement to Reason.com, Gary Johnson sought to clarify his stance on mandatory vaccinations. He said, “Today, there are no federal laws mandating vaccinations, and that is as it should be. No adult should be required by the government to inject anything into his or her body. … Government has a responsibility to help keep our children and our communities safe. At the same time, government has a responsibility to preserve individual freedom. Vaccination policies must respect both of those responsibilities. I personally believe in vaccinations, and my children were vaccinated. But it is not for me to impose that belief on others.”
State
- The Michigan Democratic Party convention nominated Judge Frank S. Szymanski and Judge Deborah Thomas to run for the MIchigan Supreme Court against Justice David Viviano and Justice Joan Larsen, respectively. The Michigan Republican Party convention also nominated incumbents Viviano and Larsen on Saturday. Michigan judicial elections are nonpartisan, but candidates are nominated by political parties. Attorney Doug Dern, nominated by the Natural Law Party, is also running against Viviano, and Libertarian attorney Kerry Morgan is also running against Larsen. Republicans currently hold a 5-2 majority on the court. If both Viviano and Larsen are defeated, the balance will shift to 4-3 with Republicans in the minority.
Preview of the day
The excerpts below were compiled from issue #31 of The Tap, which was published on August 27, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.
State
- The Michigan state Democratic and Republican parties will both hold nominating conventions at which they will nominate candidates for the state supreme court. The Republican convention will nominate incumbent supreme court Justices David Viviano and Joan Larsen. The Democratic convention has not yet announced its nominees to challenge Viviano and Larsen, but nominations for the supreme court are on the convention agenda. Michigan supreme court justices are chosen in nonpartisan elections but are nominated by political parties. The current balance of the court is 5-2 in favor of Republican justices. If Democratic nominees defeated both Viviano and Larsen in November, the balance would shift to 4-3 Democratic.
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