The Tap: Sunday, September 18, 2016

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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 #35 of The Tap, which was published on September 24, 2015. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• Reince Priebus, the chair of the Republican National Committee, said that the RNC may make the presidential nomination process more difficult in 2020 and 2024 for Republicans who have refused to support Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential run. Speaking on CBS’ Face the Nation, he said, “Those people need to get on board. And if they’re thinking they’re going to run again someday, I think that we’re going to evaluate the process – of the nomination process and I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for them.” Priebus also discussed the “loyalty pledge” that the 2016 GOP presidential contenders signed during the primary season in which they promised to support the eventual Republican nominee. He said, “if a private entity puts forward a process and has agreement with the participants in that process, and those participants don’t follow through with the promises that they made in that process, what-- what should a private party do about that if those same people come around in four or eight years?” The RNC has the power to amend its rules between conventions by a three-fourths vote of its entire membership.
  • See also: Rules of the Republican Party and Rule 12

• John Weaver, an adviser to Ohio Governor John Kasich, released a statement in response to Priebus’ remarks on official campaign letterhead. Kasich has so far refused to endorse Trump and did not attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July. Weaver said, “Thankfully, there are still leaders in this country who put principles before politics. The idea of a greater purpose beyond oneself may be alien to political party bosses like Reince Priebus, but it is at the center of everything Governor Kasich does. … The Governor is traveling the nation supporting down ballot Republicans and preventing a potential national wipeout from occurring on Reince's watch.” Kasich met with President Barack Obama on September 16 to express his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In a press conference at the White House, Kasich said, “I get reactions like, well, you’re a Republican. Why are you supporting something that the president wants? We cannot get to the point in America that because a Democrat wants something that you happen to agree with, you can’t agree with him.”

• At a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama said that Donald Trump was “not qualified” when compared to the 2008 and 2012 Republican presidential nominees, U.S. Sen. John McCain and former Gov. Mitt Romney. "When I ran against John McCain, we had deep differences, but I couldn't say that he was not qualified to be president of the United States. I couldn't say that electing Mitt Romney would be an unmitigated disaster. This guy [Trump] is not qualified to be president," Obama said.

• Businesswoman Martha Stewart announced that she would vote for Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election. Stewart, who starred in the Donald Trump-produced reality show “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” told CNNMoney that she did not believe Trump was fit for the job, saying, “There is so much to know and so much to learn and so much diplomacy and kindness and introspection that goes with that kind of job. And it does not exist in the world of Donald Trump.”

State

• Maryland officials announced that they would miss their October 1, 2016, deadline for adopting statewide fracking regulations. The deadline was set in 2015 when the state legislature passed a bill that extended a moratorium against fracking until October 1, 2017, and required the Department of the Environment to adopt fracking regulations in 2016. Draft regulations have been released, and state officials have said that the final regulations will be adopted later this fall. Supporters of fracking in the state said the delay was not concerning and that it would lead to better regulations. Opponents of fracking in the state said the delay could mean weaker regulations, adding that they believe the delay strengthens the case for a statewide ban on fracking. Josh Tulkin, director of the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club, said, "If they don't have enough capacity to write the regulations, how can we believe they'll have enough capacity to effectively implement all the safeguards?" Once the final version of the regulations is released, there will be a 30-day comment period.

• Iowa State Senator Joe Seng (D-45) was announced to have died of brain cancer. Seng was diagnosed in August 2014 and continued to serve until the end of the 2016 session. Seng was known for maintaining a good rapport with fellow senators on both sides of the aisle. He also ran a veterinary practice and had operated restaurants and other businesses. Seng had also been known to play his accordion in the chamber. A special election, scheduled for December 27, 2016, is required to replace Seng. Including Seng, six of the past seven senators to represent District 45 were Democrats. According to the Des Moines Register and the Quad-City Times, the district is still Democratic and will likely elect another Democrat. His seat was not up for re-election until 2018. Iowa’s state government is currently divided, having a Republican governor and House but a Democratic Senate.

Preview of the day

There were no items for this day in issue #34 of The Tap, which was published on September 17, 2016. See the "Review of the day" tab for more information.