Romney alum rebuts Bush whispers: Rubio passed our vetting
By Alex Isenstadt
A longtime top aide to Mitt Romney is pushing back against charges from the Jeb Bush campaign that Romney came across unflattering information about Marco Rubio when he was vetted for the VP slot in 2012.
On Thursday evening, U.S. News published a 112-page document that the Bush campaign provided to donors at a retreat earlier this month in Houston. The document highlights the campaign’s plans to target Rubio, calling him a “risky bet.” At one point, the document says that "Those who have looked into Marco's background in the past have been concerned with what they have found."
U.S. News, citing an anonymous Bush aide, said the reference was to “concerns Mitt Romney's team unearthed when they vetted Rubio for vice president in 2012.” Rubio was among those considered for the VP slot, which ultimately went to now-House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Yet, in an email to POLITICO, Beth Myers, a longtime Romney political adviser who in 2012 oversaw his vice presidential search, pushed back on the assertion.
“As the senior Romney advisor who handled VP vetting and had access to all the vetting documents, I can say that Senator Rubio 'passed' our vetting and we found nothing that disqualified him from serving as VP," wrote Myers, who counts herself a Bush supporter. “The Bush aide referred to in this article is simply wrong.”
Spokespersons for Bush did not respond to a request for comment.
October 30, 2015
Rubio to resign???
Reid calls on Rubio to resign
'Why should the taxpayers of this country and people of Florida put up with having only one senator?' the Senate minority leader says in an interview.
By Seung Min Kim , Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid tore into Sen. Marco Rubio on Thursday, calling on the Florida Republican and 2016 presidential contender to resign his Senate seat as he racks up no-shows on his voting record while campaigning for the White House.
“Why shouldn’t he [resign]? He hates the Senate,” Reid said in an interview with POLITICO on Thursday. “Why should the taxpayers of this country and people of Florida put up with having only one senator? Doesn’t seem fair to me.”
Rubio’s opponents — both Democrats and Republicans — have attacked the senator for his low-attendance record. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, one of Rubio’s home-state newspapers, has called on Rubio to give up his seat, and Jeb Bush also seized on Rubio’s missed votes during Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate — although the former Florida governor’s attacks were largely seen as having backfired.
In the interview, Reid dismissed Rubio as a “nonentity” in the institution he arrived in nearly five years ago — though Reid praised Rubio’s initial involvement in crafting a sweeping comprehensive immigration bill in 2013.
“For Marco Rubio here to dump on the Senate, this institution established by our founding fathers, he should be ashamed of himself,” Reid said. “And the people of Florida, why they put up with it, I don’t know. They damn sure aren’t getting their money’s worth.”
Rubio spokesman Alex Conant responded to Reid’s comments by saying: “I must have forgotten Harry Reid similarly calling on Barack Obama to resign the Senate when he missed even more votes to run for president.”
“It's obvious that Democrat leaders are very worried that Marco will beat Clinton next year,” Conant added.
But Reid defended President Barack Obama, arguing that while he was running for the presidency in 2008 and missing votes, “he never lost interest in the Senate.”
“He was always proud of being in the Senate, always, when he was running for president,” Reid said. “He told everybody how much he enjoyed the Senate.”
Not all Senate Democrats are taking up Reid’s call for Rubio to step down.
“I’ve stayed out of that. Rubio is my friend and so I’m not going to get into the back and forth,” said Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida.
'Why should the taxpayers of this country and people of Florida put up with having only one senator?' the Senate minority leader says in an interview.
By Seung Min Kim , Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid tore into Sen. Marco Rubio on Thursday, calling on the Florida Republican and 2016 presidential contender to resign his Senate seat as he racks up no-shows on his voting record while campaigning for the White House.
“Why shouldn’t he [resign]? He hates the Senate,” Reid said in an interview with POLITICO on Thursday. “Why should the taxpayers of this country and people of Florida put up with having only one senator? Doesn’t seem fair to me.”
Rubio’s opponents — both Democrats and Republicans — have attacked the senator for his low-attendance record. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, one of Rubio’s home-state newspapers, has called on Rubio to give up his seat, and Jeb Bush also seized on Rubio’s missed votes during Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate — although the former Florida governor’s attacks were largely seen as having backfired.
In the interview, Reid dismissed Rubio as a “nonentity” in the institution he arrived in nearly five years ago — though Reid praised Rubio’s initial involvement in crafting a sweeping comprehensive immigration bill in 2013.
“For Marco Rubio here to dump on the Senate, this institution established by our founding fathers, he should be ashamed of himself,” Reid said. “And the people of Florida, why they put up with it, I don’t know. They damn sure aren’t getting their money’s worth.”
Rubio spokesman Alex Conant responded to Reid’s comments by saying: “I must have forgotten Harry Reid similarly calling on Barack Obama to resign the Senate when he missed even more votes to run for president.”
“It's obvious that Democrat leaders are very worried that Marco will beat Clinton next year,” Conant added.
But Reid defended President Barack Obama, arguing that while he was running for the presidency in 2008 and missing votes, “he never lost interest in the Senate.”
“He was always proud of being in the Senate, always, when he was running for president,” Reid said. “He told everybody how much he enjoyed the Senate.”
Not all Senate Democrats are taking up Reid’s call for Rubio to step down.
“I’ve stayed out of that. Rubio is my friend and so I’m not going to get into the back and forth,” said Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida.
Joe meets Bernie
Joe Biden meets with Bernie Sanders
By Nick Gass
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders met with Vice President Joe Biden at his Naval Observatory residence for an hour Thursday, discussing issues related to campaign finance reform and education, according to a statement released through the Vermont senator's campaign.
The meeting comes more than a week after Biden announced that he would not seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
“Under the leadership of President Obama and Vice President Biden, this country has come a long way economically since President Bush left office and we were losing 800,000 jobs every month and the world economy was on the brink of financial collapse,” Sanders said in a statement released through his campaign. “Nevertheless ... we still have a long way to go to create the kind of economy that works for all Americans and not just the top 1 percent.
“I look forward to working with President Obama and Vice President Biden to tackle some to the major issues facing our country,” he said.
Biden previously praised Sanders, then a potential primary opponent, in September at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser in Miami.
“I am not a populist. But Bernie Sanders, he’s doing a helluva job,” Biden remarked, leaving at some donors in Miami scratching their heads.
In his Rose Garden remarks announcing that he would forgo a third campaign for the White House last Wednesday, Biden pledged to stay involved in the election. "While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent," he said.
"I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation," the vice president said.
By Nick Gass
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders met with Vice President Joe Biden at his Naval Observatory residence for an hour Thursday, discussing issues related to campaign finance reform and education, according to a statement released through the Vermont senator's campaign.
The meeting comes more than a week after Biden announced that he would not seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
“Under the leadership of President Obama and Vice President Biden, this country has come a long way economically since President Bush left office and we were losing 800,000 jobs every month and the world economy was on the brink of financial collapse,” Sanders said in a statement released through his campaign. “Nevertheless ... we still have a long way to go to create the kind of economy that works for all Americans and not just the top 1 percent.
“I look forward to working with President Obama and Vice President Biden to tackle some to the major issues facing our country,” he said.
Biden previously praised Sanders, then a potential primary opponent, in September at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser in Miami.
“I am not a populist. But Bernie Sanders, he’s doing a helluva job,” Biden remarked, leaving at some donors in Miami scratching their heads.
In his Rose Garden remarks announcing that he would forgo a third campaign for the White House last Wednesday, Biden pledged to stay involved in the election. "While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent," he said.
"I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation," the vice president said.
Bush bends over for backers...
Jeb to donors: ‘I realize I need to get better'
By Alex Isenstadt
Just one day after a lackluster showing at the Republican presidential debate in Boulder, Colo., Jeb Bush acknowledged to donors Thursday afternoon that he needs to improve his debate performance.
“I realize I need to get better,” the former Florida governor said, according to one person present on the call.
Bush hosted the call along with top aides Sally Bradshaw and Tim Miller.
The former governor said he had been reading the press and emails and had taken in the criticism of his performance.
He also used the call to outline other matters, including his campaign’s work in key primary states.
By Alex Isenstadt
Just one day after a lackluster showing at the Republican presidential debate in Boulder, Colo., Jeb Bush acknowledged to donors Thursday afternoon that he needs to improve his debate performance.
“I realize I need to get better,” the former Florida governor said, according to one person present on the call.
Bush hosted the call along with top aides Sally Bradshaw and Tim Miller.
The former governor said he had been reading the press and emails and had taken in the criticism of his performance.
He also used the call to outline other matters, including his campaign’s work in key primary states.
Budget deal
Congress passes budget deal
The agreement will boost domestic and defense spending, while extending the debt limit until March 2017.
By Seung Min Kim
The Senate passed on Friday a sweeping two-year budget deal that also extends the debt limit through the end of Barack Obama’s presidency — buying lawmakers some fiscal breathing room after years of bitter budget battles.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m. senators voted 63-35 to advance the accord negotiated between top Hill leaders and the White House — the final legislative accomplishment of now-former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who officially handed the reins of the House to Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday. And just after 3 a.m., senators passed the budget agreement with a 64-35 vote – sending it to Obama to be signed into law.
For Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the agreement achieves his two chief goals: It helps avert a government shutdown and a default on the nation’s debt. And Senate Democrats successfully extracted spending increases for domestic programs, collecting dividends from a risky strategy cooked up this summer to block all appropriations bills to try and force Republicans into budget negotiations.
“This agreement isn't perfect,” McConnell said Thursday. “But here’s the bottom line. This is a fully-offset agreement that rejects tax hikes, secures long-term savings through entitlement reforms, and provides increased support for our military — at a time when we confront threats in multiple theaters.”
But it was that sense of compromise that opened up McConnell to scathing attacks from fellow Republicans eager to distance themselves from the budget deal — not the least of whom was Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who took to the Senate floor on Thursday night to eviscerate McConnell as the “most effective Democratic leader in modern times.”
Just hours before the scheduled procedural vote on the budget, Cruz — who is running for the GOP presidential nomination — delivered a fiery anti-McConnell speech while dismissing the fiscal deal as a blank credit card from Republicans to Obama that is “encrusted in diamonds and glows in the dark.”
"I've got to say, Leader McConnell has proven to be a very effective Democratic leader. With just 46 Democrats, the outcome is exactly what Harry Reid and the Democrats would want," Cruz said of the budget agreement. "Is this not a curious state of affairs? Why is a Republican majority leader fighting to accomplish the priorities of the Democratic minority.”
Cruz’s remarks overshadowed a speech from yet another GOP presidential contender who chose not to make it so personal: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who for days repeatedly threatened to filibuster the budget agreement even though he had no realistic options for trying to stop the measure from advancing,
“We will be raising the debt ceiling in an unlimited fashion,” Paul said in a speech lasting just under 20 minutes. “We will be giving President Obama a free pass to borrow as much money as he can borrow in the last year of his office. No limit, no dollar limit. Here you go, President Obama. Spend what you want.
Meanwhile, everybody — but Republicans in particular — seemed to have plenty to dislike about the budget agreement, which would add $80 billion in spending over two years paid for by a hodgepodge of offsets, and another $32 billion for each of the next two years through a war contingency fund.
A vocal protest by aggrieved farm-state lawmakers over $3 billion in cuts to crop insurance — one pay-for in the budget agreement — threw last-minute complications into the negotiations.
But congressional leaders assured senators those cuts would be reversed in the omnibus spending bill due in December — a deal that helped move a handful of farm-state votes but irritated fiscal conservatives who complained that the savings in the budget deal were already getting undermined.
“Many of the offsets are creative gimmicks,” complained Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). “And some of the offsets aren’t even that creative.”
The agreement will boost domestic and defense spending, while extending the debt limit until March 2017.
By Seung Min Kim
The Senate passed on Friday a sweeping two-year budget deal that also extends the debt limit through the end of Barack Obama’s presidency — buying lawmakers some fiscal breathing room after years of bitter budget battles.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m. senators voted 63-35 to advance the accord negotiated between top Hill leaders and the White House — the final legislative accomplishment of now-former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who officially handed the reins of the House to Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday. And just after 3 a.m., senators passed the budget agreement with a 64-35 vote – sending it to Obama to be signed into law.
For Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the agreement achieves his two chief goals: It helps avert a government shutdown and a default on the nation’s debt. And Senate Democrats successfully extracted spending increases for domestic programs, collecting dividends from a risky strategy cooked up this summer to block all appropriations bills to try and force Republicans into budget negotiations.
“This agreement isn't perfect,” McConnell said Thursday. “But here’s the bottom line. This is a fully-offset agreement that rejects tax hikes, secures long-term savings through entitlement reforms, and provides increased support for our military — at a time when we confront threats in multiple theaters.”
But it was that sense of compromise that opened up McConnell to scathing attacks from fellow Republicans eager to distance themselves from the budget deal — not the least of whom was Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who took to the Senate floor on Thursday night to eviscerate McConnell as the “most effective Democratic leader in modern times.”
Just hours before the scheduled procedural vote on the budget, Cruz — who is running for the GOP presidential nomination — delivered a fiery anti-McConnell speech while dismissing the fiscal deal as a blank credit card from Republicans to Obama that is “encrusted in diamonds and glows in the dark.”
"I've got to say, Leader McConnell has proven to be a very effective Democratic leader. With just 46 Democrats, the outcome is exactly what Harry Reid and the Democrats would want," Cruz said of the budget agreement. "Is this not a curious state of affairs? Why is a Republican majority leader fighting to accomplish the priorities of the Democratic minority.”
Cruz’s remarks overshadowed a speech from yet another GOP presidential contender who chose not to make it so personal: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who for days repeatedly threatened to filibuster the budget agreement even though he had no realistic options for trying to stop the measure from advancing,
“We will be raising the debt ceiling in an unlimited fashion,” Paul said in a speech lasting just under 20 minutes. “We will be giving President Obama a free pass to borrow as much money as he can borrow in the last year of his office. No limit, no dollar limit. Here you go, President Obama. Spend what you want.
Meanwhile, everybody — but Republicans in particular — seemed to have plenty to dislike about the budget agreement, which would add $80 billion in spending over two years paid for by a hodgepodge of offsets, and another $32 billion for each of the next two years through a war contingency fund.
A vocal protest by aggrieved farm-state lawmakers over $3 billion in cuts to crop insurance — one pay-for in the budget agreement — threw last-minute complications into the negotiations.
But congressional leaders assured senators those cuts would be reversed in the omnibus spending bill due in December — a deal that helped move a handful of farm-state votes but irritated fiscal conservatives who complained that the savings in the budget deal were already getting undermined.
“Many of the offsets are creative gimmicks,” complained Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). “And some of the offsets aren’t even that creative.”
Evolved into a slugfest
Clinton allies shout ‘sexism’ at Sanders
The Vermont senator is suddenly on the defensive, an unaccustomed position for a progressive who describes himself as a feminist.
By Annie Karni
The once respectful Democratic primary has devolved into a slugfest about gender, with Hillary Clinton surrogates expressing outrage over how Bernie Sanders is conducting his campaign – even calling for him to fire his staff over alleged sexist remarks.
The ugly dispute has knocked Sanders back on his heels, and placed him on the defensive – an unaccustomed position for a progressive who describes himself as a feminist. And it’s sent a signal flare to Republicans, who have been reminded of the pitfalls of using the wrong language when taking on Clinton – and also of her campaign’s ability to turn it to her advantage.
“I’m stunned that a man like Bernie Sanders, who has clearly committed his life to making the country a better place, would get sucked into this very dangerous rhetoric, which perpetuates sexist and misogynistic stereotypes,” fumed Christine Quinn, the former New York City Council speaker who sits on Clinton’s New York Leadership Council and fundraises for her campaign. “The candidate is supposed to set the tone, set the agenda. If Bernie Sanders does not want to be seen as someone who uses sexist language and perpetuates a dangerous sexist stereotype of strong women, then he should tell his people to stop. And if they don’t stop, he should fire them.”
Quinn, who ran for New York City mayor in 2013, said a recent Bloomberg Politics story that quoted Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver joking that “we’re willing to consider her for vice president...we’ll even interview her” was beyond the pale.
“Seriously? Seriously? The absurdity of that statement almost merits no response. How arrogant and sexist can you be? It’s not OK to let people with a long progressive record get away with being sexist.”
Sanders’ predicament has its roots in the first Democratic debate earlier this month, when the Vermont senator said “all the shouting in the world” won’t fix the country’s systemic problem with gun violence -- a comment Clinton and her allies have since interpreted as an implicitly sexist filleting of the former secretary of state.
Sanders insists that wasn’t his intention. But the fight has since escalated, with his top campaign brass (notably, male) blasting Clinton for implying that Sanders’ comment was sexist, and then joking they would consider granting the frontrunner an interview for a vice presidential slot on their ticket.
The episode led Clinton’s allies to publicly leap to her defense, while also quietly predicting the wide gender gap between the candidates will only spread in Clinton’s favor the more she looks like a strong woman under attack by a male opponent.
“The men speaking on behalf of Bernie Sanders should do better,” tweeted Jess McIntosh, communications director for EMILY’s list, a women’s group that is supporting Clinton’s bid. That echoed a statement by EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock, who called the commentary “condescending insults by a team who knows better.”
In an interview on MSNBC Thursday, Sanders said some of the statements from his campaign were “inappropriate... clearly I have a lot of respect for Secretary Clinton.”
“If you look at my record in the Congress,” he argued, “you will find there are very few people who have a stronger pro-woman voting record, including a 100 percent record as an abortion rights advocate.”
Some Clinton allies pointed to the top ranks of Sanders’ campaign as the root of what they see as an insensitivity problem: Sanders’ campaign manager, communications director, field director, early state organizer, Iowa campaign coordinator and top strategists are all men (an aide to the Vermont senator noted that the team’s New Hampshire state director is a woman and Sanders’ chief of staff in the Senate, Michaeleen Crowell, who helps with some campaign duties like debate prep, is also a woman).
“Having diverse perspectives in your campaign leadership results in better strategy, just like having diverse voices at decision making tables results in better policies," said a Clinton ally who declined to criticize Sanders’ team on the record.
The back and forth is taking place against the backdrop of an election where Clinton has highlighted the historic nature of her run since day one, and her campaign has increasingly made its appeal about attracting female voters. On Tuesday evening, the campaign unveiled four new television ads, each 30-second spot telling a story about a specific working woman’s economic plight (Clinton herself did not appear in the ads at all).
On the campaign trail, Clinton has leaned into Sanders’ “shouting” comment.
“I haven’t been shouting, but sometimes when a woman speaks out, some people think it’s shouting,” she said, her voice calm, at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Des Moines last weekend, a not-so-subtle dig at Sanders she has weaved into her stump speech since the debate.
An ABC/Washington Post poll released earlier this month -- before the debate or Vice President Joe Biden’s decision to stay out of the race – showed Clinton supported by 61 percent of Democratic women, compared to 22 percent for Sanders. Clinton allies said they expected the war of words over gender would further widen the gap. A Clinton campaign spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.
For his part, Sanders has added that his “shouting” remark had nothing to do with Clinton being a woman. “I have been saying for months, well before that debate, that if we are going to go forward on sensible gun reform, people all over this country are going to have to stop shouting at each other,” he said on MSNBC.
Yet the charges of sexism have dredged up accounts of tensions that have simmered in other political races Sanders has run against women – contests where he has fallen into a trap of using careless or insensitive language and argued that his record does the talking for him.
In 1986, when he ran unsuccessfully against Madeleine Kunin for governor, Sanders said gender was not a good enough reason to vote for her.
“Should we vote for [Kunin] because she is a woman? To the degree people think that that’s true, I would regard that as a sexist position,” he said at the time, according “The Socialist Mayor,” a book about Sanders by Steven Soifer.
In an interview with POLITICO, Kunin confirmed the account. “He tried to be more of a feminist than I was to appeal to the women’s vote,” she recalled.
“I found that very difficult,” said Kunin, the first female governor of Vermont and a former Bill Clinton administration appointee who is now serving as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. “Men can shout and Bernie is a very good shouter. But we’re women. Women raise their voices and it’s considered unseemly. We’re still subconsciously seeing women as different – Bernie should just be careful. To accuse a woman of shouting makes her unattractive.”
Sanders has said he considers himself a feminist based on his record fighting for women’s rights. Yet he ran into trouble in his successful 1985 race for mayor of Burlington, when he faced off against Diane Gallagher. That race also descended into squabbling about gender.
“He is setting me up to the rich bitch, the girl with the pearls, Lady Di,” Gallagher railed, according to a clip from the Burlington Free Press, in which she said Sanders tried to use her gender and wealth to portray her as out of touch with the electorate.
For Clinton, a male rival’s insensitivity has in the past won her political points. A decisive moment in her 2000 Senate election against then-Rep. Rick Lazio came during a debate when he walked over to her with a piece of paper extended and demanded she sign a pledge never to spend soft money in her campaign.
The move was viewed as bullying and aggressive, and ended up being a turning point in the race. Eight years later, Barack Obama managed to avoid any mistakes of that magnitude – though he drew criticism for sounding patronizing when he famously told Clinton in a debate, “You’re likable enough, Hillary.”
The Vermont senator is suddenly on the defensive, an unaccustomed position for a progressive who describes himself as a feminist.
By Annie Karni
The once respectful Democratic primary has devolved into a slugfest about gender, with Hillary Clinton surrogates expressing outrage over how Bernie Sanders is conducting his campaign – even calling for him to fire his staff over alleged sexist remarks.
The ugly dispute has knocked Sanders back on his heels, and placed him on the defensive – an unaccustomed position for a progressive who describes himself as a feminist. And it’s sent a signal flare to Republicans, who have been reminded of the pitfalls of using the wrong language when taking on Clinton – and also of her campaign’s ability to turn it to her advantage.
“I’m stunned that a man like Bernie Sanders, who has clearly committed his life to making the country a better place, would get sucked into this very dangerous rhetoric, which perpetuates sexist and misogynistic stereotypes,” fumed Christine Quinn, the former New York City Council speaker who sits on Clinton’s New York Leadership Council and fundraises for her campaign. “The candidate is supposed to set the tone, set the agenda. If Bernie Sanders does not want to be seen as someone who uses sexist language and perpetuates a dangerous sexist stereotype of strong women, then he should tell his people to stop. And if they don’t stop, he should fire them.”
Quinn, who ran for New York City mayor in 2013, said a recent Bloomberg Politics story that quoted Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver joking that “we’re willing to consider her for vice president...we’ll even interview her” was beyond the pale.
“Seriously? Seriously? The absurdity of that statement almost merits no response. How arrogant and sexist can you be? It’s not OK to let people with a long progressive record get away with being sexist.”
Sanders’ predicament has its roots in the first Democratic debate earlier this month, when the Vermont senator said “all the shouting in the world” won’t fix the country’s systemic problem with gun violence -- a comment Clinton and her allies have since interpreted as an implicitly sexist filleting of the former secretary of state.
Sanders insists that wasn’t his intention. But the fight has since escalated, with his top campaign brass (notably, male) blasting Clinton for implying that Sanders’ comment was sexist, and then joking they would consider granting the frontrunner an interview for a vice presidential slot on their ticket.
The episode led Clinton’s allies to publicly leap to her defense, while also quietly predicting the wide gender gap between the candidates will only spread in Clinton’s favor the more she looks like a strong woman under attack by a male opponent.
“The men speaking on behalf of Bernie Sanders should do better,” tweeted Jess McIntosh, communications director for EMILY’s list, a women’s group that is supporting Clinton’s bid. That echoed a statement by EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock, who called the commentary “condescending insults by a team who knows better.”
In an interview on MSNBC Thursday, Sanders said some of the statements from his campaign were “inappropriate... clearly I have a lot of respect for Secretary Clinton.”
“If you look at my record in the Congress,” he argued, “you will find there are very few people who have a stronger pro-woman voting record, including a 100 percent record as an abortion rights advocate.”
Some Clinton allies pointed to the top ranks of Sanders’ campaign as the root of what they see as an insensitivity problem: Sanders’ campaign manager, communications director, field director, early state organizer, Iowa campaign coordinator and top strategists are all men (an aide to the Vermont senator noted that the team’s New Hampshire state director is a woman and Sanders’ chief of staff in the Senate, Michaeleen Crowell, who helps with some campaign duties like debate prep, is also a woman).
“Having diverse perspectives in your campaign leadership results in better strategy, just like having diverse voices at decision making tables results in better policies," said a Clinton ally who declined to criticize Sanders’ team on the record.
The back and forth is taking place against the backdrop of an election where Clinton has highlighted the historic nature of her run since day one, and her campaign has increasingly made its appeal about attracting female voters. On Tuesday evening, the campaign unveiled four new television ads, each 30-second spot telling a story about a specific working woman’s economic plight (Clinton herself did not appear in the ads at all).
On the campaign trail, Clinton has leaned into Sanders’ “shouting” comment.
“I haven’t been shouting, but sometimes when a woman speaks out, some people think it’s shouting,” she said, her voice calm, at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Des Moines last weekend, a not-so-subtle dig at Sanders she has weaved into her stump speech since the debate.
An ABC/Washington Post poll released earlier this month -- before the debate or Vice President Joe Biden’s decision to stay out of the race – showed Clinton supported by 61 percent of Democratic women, compared to 22 percent for Sanders. Clinton allies said they expected the war of words over gender would further widen the gap. A Clinton campaign spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.
For his part, Sanders has added that his “shouting” remark had nothing to do with Clinton being a woman. “I have been saying for months, well before that debate, that if we are going to go forward on sensible gun reform, people all over this country are going to have to stop shouting at each other,” he said on MSNBC.
Yet the charges of sexism have dredged up accounts of tensions that have simmered in other political races Sanders has run against women – contests where he has fallen into a trap of using careless or insensitive language and argued that his record does the talking for him.
In 1986, when he ran unsuccessfully against Madeleine Kunin for governor, Sanders said gender was not a good enough reason to vote for her.
“Should we vote for [Kunin] because she is a woman? To the degree people think that that’s true, I would regard that as a sexist position,” he said at the time, according “The Socialist Mayor,” a book about Sanders by Steven Soifer.
In an interview with POLITICO, Kunin confirmed the account. “He tried to be more of a feminist than I was to appeal to the women’s vote,” she recalled.
“I found that very difficult,” said Kunin, the first female governor of Vermont and a former Bill Clinton administration appointee who is now serving as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. “Men can shout and Bernie is a very good shouter. But we’re women. Women raise their voices and it’s considered unseemly. We’re still subconsciously seeing women as different – Bernie should just be careful. To accuse a woman of shouting makes her unattractive.”
Sanders has said he considers himself a feminist based on his record fighting for women’s rights. Yet he ran into trouble in his successful 1985 race for mayor of Burlington, when he faced off against Diane Gallagher. That race also descended into squabbling about gender.
“He is setting me up to the rich bitch, the girl with the pearls, Lady Di,” Gallagher railed, according to a clip from the Burlington Free Press, in which she said Sanders tried to use her gender and wealth to portray her as out of touch with the electorate.
For Clinton, a male rival’s insensitivity has in the past won her political points. A decisive moment in her 2000 Senate election against then-Rep. Rick Lazio came during a debate when he walked over to her with a piece of paper extended and demanded she sign a pledge never to spend soft money in her campaign.
The move was viewed as bullying and aggressive, and ended up being a turning point in the race. Eight years later, Barack Obama managed to avoid any mistakes of that magnitude – though he drew criticism for sounding patronizing when he famously told Clinton in a debate, “You’re likable enough, Hillary.”
That time of year again...
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble .... maybe Macbeth should have consulted the Witch Head Nebula. A suggestively shaped reflection nebula, this cosmic crone is about 800 light-years away though. Its frightening visage seems to glare toward nearby bright star Rigel in Orion, just off the right edge of this frame. More formally known as IC 2118, the interstellar cloud of dust and gas is nearly 70 light-years across, its dust grains reflecting Rigel's starlight. In this composite portrait, the nebula's color is caused not only by the star's intense bluish light but because the dust grains scatter blue light more efficiently than red. The same physical process causes Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in planet Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen.
Crescent Pluto
This image was made just 15 minutes after New Horizons’ closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, as the spacecraft looked back at Pluto toward the sun. The wide-angle perspective of this view shows the deep haze layers of Pluto's atmosphere extending all the way around Pluto, revealing the silhouetted profiles of rugged plateaus on the night (left) side. The shadow of Pluto cast on its atmospheric hazes can also be seen at the uppermost part of the disk. On the sunlit side of Pluto (right), the smooth expanse of the informally named icy plain Sputnik Planum is flanked to the west (above, in this orientation) by rugged mountains up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) high, including the informally named Norgay Montes in the foreground and Hillary Montes on the skyline. Below (east) of Sputnik, rougher terrain is cut by apparent glaciers.The backlighting highlights more than a dozen high-altitude layers of haze in Pluto’s tenuous atmosphere. The horizontal streaks in the sky beyond Pluto are stars, smeared out by the motion of the camera as it tracked Pluto. The image was taken with New Horizons' Multi-spectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) from a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) to Pluto. The resolution is 700 meters (0.4 miles).
October 29, 2015
Donors try to make sense...
Jeb Bush donors try to make sense of Wednesday night
By Theodore Schleifer and Ashley Killough
Jeb Bush's reviews from Wednesday night's debate were universally poor. But the power players -- at least on the record -- say it's not time to turn out the lights yet, insisting that debates aren't Bush's strong suit anyway, and pointing to other factors such as the CNBC moderators and the high hopes and expectations coming in.
The Republican debate had the potential to re-energize Jeb Bush's floundering presidential campaign, injecting it with optimism after deep spending cuts and continuing low poll numbers.
Instead, Bush's fundraisers and backers were left trying to explain why the man they had poured so many dollars into still proved to be such a weak candidate, delivering what was widely seen as a meek and ineffective performance in Boulder, Colorado. Bush, speaking far less than many of his fellow candidates, took an aggressive swing at the man slowly intruding on his financial turf, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and lost badly in what emerged as the defining moment of the evening and the explosion of a half-year of simmering tension.
"I'm pretty damn glum tonight," Bush ally and CNN political commentator Ana Navarro said after the debate, adding that Bush needs to "take the next 10 days ... to really figure out how to dominate in debates."
It may not be possible to turn around Bush's debate performance before the next one -- Nov. 10 on the Fox Business Network. For now, major Bush backers are sticking by him -- saying that for Jeb it's not about the debates.
"He's going to break through by doing what he's doing every other day besides Debate Day," said Austin fundraiser Kenneth Satterlee. "Carrying out his message on the ground, that's the strategy. Stick to it. Those polls will start to turn."
"Sometimes it's hard to turn off all the noise and remind oneself of why you support this man and why you know in your heart he's the guy," said a major fundraiser, Trey Traviesa, a former Florida legislator, "but when you do turn it off, it's very clear that it's about a meritocracy. And in a meritocracy, Jeb will always be at the top of the list."
"Jeb is a doer, not a debater," said top Washington fundraiser David Beightol. "Format was tough."
Bush's own analysis was along the same lines. "I'm running for president. If they're looking for entertainer in chief, I'm probably not the guy," he told CNN's Dana Bash.
And asked directly about concern that Navarro and others may feel, Bush said not to panic. "It's a long haul. Ana, hang in there, girl. It's a long haul, baby," he said. "A few more debates to go. I'm out-campaigning everybody. I'm working hard and we're raising the resources."
Rubio, meanwhile, is rising — and Wednesday night likely will be more rocket fuel.
Already, Rubio backers have been reaching out to major Republican and Bush-leaning donors, touting the younger Floridian's performance.
Some in Florida expressed exasperation on Wednesday evening that Bush chose to turn at all on Rubio, who campaign officials called the "GOP Obama" at a donor retreat in Texas this past weekend.
"Sad to see these cheap attacks on Marco," tweeted Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist raising money for the former governor.
Bush and Rubio, once tight personal friends, have been barreling toward conflict with one another for months, and the University of Colorado campus was where the amiability evaporated. Turning toward Rubio, two decades his junior, Bush chastised Florida's senator for repeatedly missing votes in what seemed to be a planned assault on Rubio. With ease and aplomb, Rubio parried Bush's lob into a forward-looking message about why America had to move past attack politics.
A Bush campaign source stressed Wednesday night that its still sees the missed votes as a successful political cudgel, citing Senate races last year in Iowa, New Hampshire and North Carolina where it was employed. And even as Bush world acknowledged that Rubio's star talent would shine in moments like the debates, Bush world stressed Wednesday that they had no plans to drop the line of attack.
"He did not kill this issue," said the Bush source. "No matter how much the electorate hates Washington and Congress, voters still want you to show up and do your job."
"It is a long campaign," said the source.
Yet this came at a time when Bush least needed it. His campaign's decision Friday to cut operating costs by 40 percent scaled back a campaign that once pledged to "shock and awe" the rest of the Republican field. Now, the Bush campaign is speaking of retrenching to New Hampshire, and it beginning to empty its super PAC's $100 million war chest to try and move poll numbers across the country. Nearly a month after that media campaign started, his numbers haven't budged.
And just as Rubio, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus did, there was also finger-pointing at the media.
Fred Zeidman, a Texas financier close with the Bush family, put it on the people asking the questions — just as many of the other candidates, as Rubio, did.
"CNBC trashed the whole debate," Zeidman said. "They were so pathetic turning the 'substantive' debate into reality TV that I watched the World Series."
By Theodore Schleifer and Ashley Killough
Jeb Bush's reviews from Wednesday night's debate were universally poor. But the power players -- at least on the record -- say it's not time to turn out the lights yet, insisting that debates aren't Bush's strong suit anyway, and pointing to other factors such as the CNBC moderators and the high hopes and expectations coming in.
The Republican debate had the potential to re-energize Jeb Bush's floundering presidential campaign, injecting it with optimism after deep spending cuts and continuing low poll numbers.
Instead, Bush's fundraisers and backers were left trying to explain why the man they had poured so many dollars into still proved to be such a weak candidate, delivering what was widely seen as a meek and ineffective performance in Boulder, Colorado. Bush, speaking far less than many of his fellow candidates, took an aggressive swing at the man slowly intruding on his financial turf, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and lost badly in what emerged as the defining moment of the evening and the explosion of a half-year of simmering tension.
"I'm pretty damn glum tonight," Bush ally and CNN political commentator Ana Navarro said after the debate, adding that Bush needs to "take the next 10 days ... to really figure out how to dominate in debates."
It may not be possible to turn around Bush's debate performance before the next one -- Nov. 10 on the Fox Business Network. For now, major Bush backers are sticking by him -- saying that for Jeb it's not about the debates.
"He's going to break through by doing what he's doing every other day besides Debate Day," said Austin fundraiser Kenneth Satterlee. "Carrying out his message on the ground, that's the strategy. Stick to it. Those polls will start to turn."
"Sometimes it's hard to turn off all the noise and remind oneself of why you support this man and why you know in your heart he's the guy," said a major fundraiser, Trey Traviesa, a former Florida legislator, "but when you do turn it off, it's very clear that it's about a meritocracy. And in a meritocracy, Jeb will always be at the top of the list."
"Jeb is a doer, not a debater," said top Washington fundraiser David Beightol. "Format was tough."
Bush's own analysis was along the same lines. "I'm running for president. If they're looking for entertainer in chief, I'm probably not the guy," he told CNN's Dana Bash.
And asked directly about concern that Navarro and others may feel, Bush said not to panic. "It's a long haul. Ana, hang in there, girl. It's a long haul, baby," he said. "A few more debates to go. I'm out-campaigning everybody. I'm working hard and we're raising the resources."
Rubio, meanwhile, is rising — and Wednesday night likely will be more rocket fuel.
Already, Rubio backers have been reaching out to major Republican and Bush-leaning donors, touting the younger Floridian's performance.
Some in Florida expressed exasperation on Wednesday evening that Bush chose to turn at all on Rubio, who campaign officials called the "GOP Obama" at a donor retreat in Texas this past weekend.
"Sad to see these cheap attacks on Marco," tweeted Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist raising money for the former governor.
Bush and Rubio, once tight personal friends, have been barreling toward conflict with one another for months, and the University of Colorado campus was where the amiability evaporated. Turning toward Rubio, two decades his junior, Bush chastised Florida's senator for repeatedly missing votes in what seemed to be a planned assault on Rubio. With ease and aplomb, Rubio parried Bush's lob into a forward-looking message about why America had to move past attack politics.
A Bush campaign source stressed Wednesday night that its still sees the missed votes as a successful political cudgel, citing Senate races last year in Iowa, New Hampshire and North Carolina where it was employed. And even as Bush world acknowledged that Rubio's star talent would shine in moments like the debates, Bush world stressed Wednesday that they had no plans to drop the line of attack.
"He did not kill this issue," said the Bush source. "No matter how much the electorate hates Washington and Congress, voters still want you to show up and do your job."
"It is a long campaign," said the source.
Yet this came at a time when Bush least needed it. His campaign's decision Friday to cut operating costs by 40 percent scaled back a campaign that once pledged to "shock and awe" the rest of the Republican field. Now, the Bush campaign is speaking of retrenching to New Hampshire, and it beginning to empty its super PAC's $100 million war chest to try and move poll numbers across the country. Nearly a month after that media campaign started, his numbers haven't budged.
And just as Rubio, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus did, there was also finger-pointing at the media.
Fred Zeidman, a Texas financier close with the Bush family, put it on the people asking the questions — just as many of the other candidates, as Rubio, did.
"CNBC trashed the whole debate," Zeidman said. "They were so pathetic turning the 'substantive' debate into reality TV that I watched the World Series."
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