POLITICO Playbook: TED’S IOWA TOUR: ‘Cruzing to Caucus’ – WHAT YOU LEARN on the Hillary beat
Good Monday morning. PLAYBOOK PREDICTIONS: What's something surprising that will happen in politics in 2016? Send your hot hunch to [email protected]. We'll share the best in Playbook, and we'll give you credit when you're right.
BREAKING -- Nick Gass: "CNN anchor Poppy Harlow says she [momentarily] passed out while at the anchor desk [this morning], while introducing a segment about the latest CNN/ORC poll ... Harlow's speech slurred, ... and a gasp could be heard on air, though a poll graphic was on the screen as it cut to black. ... 'America's Newsroom' returned with a segment featuring ... Brian Stelter, who then tossed back to Harlow ... 'And for all of you on Twitter, who are asking if I'm OK, thank you so much. I got a little hot, and I passed out for a moment ... I am fine.'"
By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; [email protected]) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman;[email protected])
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WESTERN WHITE HOUSE - "The White House press corps' strange Hawaii vacation," by Nick Gass: "As ... the first family crisscrosses ... Oahu, ... the White House [pool reporters are] documenting his every move. ... On Sunday, New York Times journalist Gardiner Harris delivered a nine-part opus. ... 'Heading back to their Kailua abode, Obama stopped over at a shaved ice joint that had a flavor ('Snowbama') mixing rainbow-colored flavors to mark the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage. First Lady Michelle Obama was not there, 'as she rarely seems to enjoy publicly eating frozen garishly colored sugar water' ...
"[Gardiner Harris continued:] 'Next to DC, Oahu is an SI swimsuit model with a PhD in astrophysics and a stint behind her at the Cordon Bleu. Or she's Donna Reed (always had a thing for her). It's an island filled with people in the happy trance of her siren song, scratching out basic existences just to hang onto her skirts. Your pool needs a bureau here.' Other reporters ... have alluded to their own relatively humble surroundings and meals, at least when compared to the first family's. ...
"'We are kicking off our Christmas Eve holding at the McDonalds. Mele kalikimaka,' Times reporter Julie Davis wrote on Dec. 24. Later in the day, ... the White House shared that the Obamas were dining with family and friends at a posh restaurant [Hoku's] featuring a $35 garlic-steamed onaga long-tail red snapper and a $45 'beef and foie gras' ... The first family spent more than three hours at the restaurant." https://politi.co/1PsUZek... Dinner menu at Hoku's https://bit.ly/22uIqo3
CRUZ HITS THE ROAD again Jan. 4 with a 36-county, six-day Iowa tour, "Cruzing to Caucus." The campaign says his #CruzCountry Christmas Tour, aimed at March 1 states (12 events, seven states, seven days), drew "anywhere from 700-2,100 people at each event. Biggest crowds were in Knoxville, Little Rock and Tulsa, which pushed 2,000 or more." See the video that was used to introduce Cruz at the Christmas Tour stops. https://bit.ly/1knvM81
--WSJ p. A1, above fold, "Cruz, a Hit In Iowa, Slighted in Senate," by Janet Hook (online: Cruz: Republicans Love Him in Iowa, Loathe Him in D.C."): "Among his fellow senators, ... he is one of the most disliked men in Washington. He has been called 'wacko bird,' 'jackass' and 'false prophet.' And that came from Republicans. ... With the GOP electorate riddled with disdain for the political establishment, Mr. Cruz relishes his reputation as the bad boy of the Senate." https://on.wsj.com/1RNNdND
ARTICLE OF THE DAY- "What we learned about Hillary Clinton in 2015: She's stubborn and too cool for Brooklyn, but also kinda boring," by Annie Karni: "3. She doesn't need a script: Clinton suffers from an authenticity problem with voters - but an October video of her meeting privately backstage with Black Lives Matter protesters did more to show off 'the real Hillary' than any canned appearance on the late night talk show circuit ...
"4. Bill Clinton jokes are now fair game. The most surprising joke Clinton signed off on before her appearance on 'Saturday Night Live'[:] ... Clinton plays a down-to-earth bartender named 'Val,' who acts as a sounding board for the former secretary of state, played by comedian Kate McKinnon. 'Sounds like you need a vacation,' Val tells her. Enter Bubba. 'Did somebody say vacation?' Bill Clinton impersonator Darrell Hammond says, bursting into the bar with glee that turns to horror when he spies the two Hillarys gabbing at the bar. 'Oh my god, they're multiplying,' he cries out before running away. ...
"5. She's still deeply risk-averse - more a [Brian?] Fallon than a Colbert. ... 6. She doesn't sweat. For real. She can stand over a hot grill flipping steaks in Iowa on a scalding hot day, dressed in a thick, forest green sweater - and won't sweat a bit. ... [S]he has lost weight and often seems more energetic than the 20-something embeds who travel with her - just like 2008. She doesn't take naps on the plane, much to her staffers' chagrin, and then she still wants to hang out in the evening. 'It seems like the longer the day, the more likely she is to want to have a beer with staff at the end,' said communications director Jennifer Palmieri. ...
"8. She's still gaffe prone. Clinton's strong performances in the three debates has turned her campaign around - and propelled her national dominance. But she can be stubborn, and often sticks with lines of argument that make her aides cringe. ... 9. She reverts to a self-destructive crouch when attacked. ... 10. Huma can do whatever she wants." https://politi.co/1NSyICc
** A message from NextGen Climate: How do we protect and grow our economy? Ensure our national security? Create healthier lives for our families and communities? By transitioning to 50 percent clean energy by 2030. Confronting climate change is essential to the issues most important to our nation. Learn how: https://nextgenclimate.org/playbook **
TOP TWEET -- @LoganDobson: "Went to a NorCal bar and ran into @American_Bridge staffer @BenRay. He watched me lose in ping pong. It's in my oppo file now."
POWER MOVES -- "Eliot Spitzer and Lis Smith break up," by N.Y. Post's Carl Campanile: "[A]fter a two-year romance ... it's all over between the former 'Love Guv' ... and Smith, who is now a spokeswoman for ... Martin O'Malley. The split was amicable, said Spitzer spokeswoman Lisa Linden. 'Given how hectic both their work and travel schedules are, they decided a few weeks ago to take a break in their relationship' ... Spitzer and Smith first became chummy when she worked as a communications aide for his political comeback bid - a failed campaign for city comptroller in 2013." With 3 pix of the former couple https://nyp.st/1RMHacc
DAILY TRUMP - WashPost Metro section, 1-col. lead, "Trump blasts Va. GOP on oath: ON TWITTER, SLAMS LOYALTY PLEDGE - Independent or first-time voters might be put off," by Jenna Portnoy in Richmond: "'It begins, Republican Party of Virginia, controlled by the RNC, is working hard to disallow independent, unaffiliated and new voters. BAD!' Trump said in one of five tweets sent over several hours Sunday. ... [The RPV] executive committee voted to require the nine-word pledge in the state's March 1 primary. The pledge reads: 'My signature below indicates that I am a Republican.'" https://wapo.st/1R3h1nP
SPOTTED: Kathleen Sebelius, enjoying a glass of white wine on a Southwest flight from Kansas City to DCA yesterday.
ERIC SCHULTZ PROFILE -- "How DeWitt's Eric Schultz found his way to the White House" as principal deputy White House press secretary -- Syracuse Post-Standard's Mark Weiner: "While some kids dream about becoming president, somewhere along the path to adulthood Schultz imagined a different path to the White House: He wanted to speak for the president. ... Jen Psaki ... compares Schultz to the Olivia Pope character in the popular ABC-TV series 'Scandal,' in which Kerry Washington plays a fixer extraordinaire who takes over in a crisis to protect reputations at the White House. ... [I]t was ... [a] fictional White House press secretary, C.J. Cregg from the TV series 'West Wing,' who inspired Schultz beginning his freshman year in college at Washington University in St. Louis. ...
"Sen. Charles Schumer ... hired Schultz as a summer intern in the senator's Syracuse office. ... The following summer, Schultz landed an internship with a political candidate who aspired to serve with Schumer in the U.S. Senate - then first lady Hillary Clinton. As a 20-year-old, Schultz received his first glimpse of a political communications operation - learning from Howard Wolfson ... Schultz impressed his bosses enough that they asked him to stay on the campaign team through the fall - and put off the start of his junior year of college. Schultz agreed, figuring the practical experience outside of the classroom would be invaluable.
"His assignment: Follow every public move of Rick Lazio ... and record it all on videotape ... Lazio often chatted with Eric on the campaign trail, and even offered to buy him lunch at a campaign stop. ... After the campaign, Schultz returned to Washington University. He graduated as senior class president and served as a commencement speaker. ... Schultz headed straight to Washington, ... where he was an intern for Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., then a press assistant to Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. He left D.C. to work on John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign in New Hampshire before returning ... to work for Schumer." With a pic of Eric at age 5 during a piano recital https://bit.ly/1Zvwxfh
NEW ON THE TWITTERS: Jamie Smith, an Obama and Edelman alum now at Bitcoin Blockchain company BitFury Group, is now at @BlockChainSmith
WHAT IOWA IS READING - Des Moines Register banner, "Little return for super PACs in Iowa: Of $26.6M spent, over a third has gone to support candidates who have dropped out, another third went to back low-polling Bush," by Brianne Pfannenstiel and Jeffrey Kummer: "Strong super PAC fundraising may also have led candidates and their staffs to believe they had broader support than they actually did ... [I]ndependent groups supporting candidates who are performing best in the polls - Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders among them - have so far spent little." https://dmreg.co/1IytrTm
--Des Moines Register p. 8A, " Super PAC spending in New Hampshire has surged ahead of Iowa," by Brianne Pfannenstiel and Jeffrey Kummer: "Through Dec. 12, [super PACs and independent-expenditure] groups ... poured $36.4 million into New Hampshire, compared with about $26.6 million into Iowa." https://dmreg.co/1JEcjXe
GAME CHANGE -- L.A. Times 1-col. lead, "Iowa voters turn backs on corn: Ethanol, once a crucial campaign issue, now appears unlikely to play a role in the 2016 race," by Evan Halper: "The Republican presidential contender now polling strongest in Iowa, Ted Cruz, is campaigning on an energy platform that would have been a death wish in elections past. Cruz ... is an unabashed opponent of giving ethanol any special government help.
"[Cruz] derides it as the worst kind of central planning. He champions legislation to wipe out the decade-old Renewable Fuel Standard, which mandates large amounts of ethanol get blended into the nation's gas supply. 'Voters here are just not that interested in ethanol anymore,' said Steffen Schmidt, a professor of political science at Iowa State University." Was online Dec. 17; in the paper today! https://lat.ms/1Vmhr9k
HILL LIFE -- "Capitol Hill Political Staffers Find Their Zen," by NPR's Will Huntsberry: "Once a week or so, 25 to 50 [congressional] staff members come together, not for happy hours or Crossfit sessions, but to practice the more reflective art of meditation. This group is casually referred to as the 'Quiet Time Caucus.' They gather in a ratty-looking meeting room in one of the Capitol's office buildings. ... Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, started the Quiet Time Caucus about three years ago. He participates in the staff group and runs another for senators and congressmen." https://n.pr/1NSa3xs
SPORTS BLINK - Redskins playoff scenarios! WashPost: "As division champions, the Redskins will host a game Jan. 9 or 10 at FedEx Field, with Seattle, Green Bay or Minnesota their likely opponent." Tom Manatos offers Playbookers this handy dandy, based on NFL.com's Playoff predictor: "The two games to watch will be Vikings at Packers [moved to Sunday night, under flex scheduling] and Seahawks at Cardinals [Sundayafternoon].
"Packers beat Vikings and Seahawks beat Cardinals: SKINS HOST SEAHAWKS ... Packers beat Vikings and Cardinals beat Seahawks: SKINS HOST VIKINGS ... Vikings beat Packers and Seahawks beat Cardinals: SKINS HOST PACKERS ... Vikings beat Packers and Cardinals beat Seahawks: SKINS HOST PACKERS." Play more here. https://bit.ly/1me4JxT
ENGAGED -- Travis Burk, of CRC Public Relations, to Ginger Gibson, a campaign reporter at Reuters, on a beach in Malibu on Saturday at sunset. The couple met in 2012 at the Cosi in Rosslyn when Ginger was working at Politico and Joe Brettell invited her to coffee with his coworker Travis. Pic https://bit.ly/1RN4G91
WEEKEND WEDDING: Elise Viebeck, Andrew Caplan -- NYT: "Viebeck, 27 ... is a political reporter for The Washington Post. She graduated from Claremont McKenna College ... Caplan, 30, is an associate in the Washington office of the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman ... The couple were introduced through OkCupid in March 2013." With pic https://nyti.ms/1UdzkGd
BIRTHDAYS: Susanna Quinn, founder of on-demand fitness and beauty service Veluxe (h/t Matt Dornic) ... NPR's Melissa Block ... Seth Meyers is 42 ... John Legend is 37 ... Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) is 71 ... former Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) is 69 ... former Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe ... Mark Katz ... Shari Yost Gold,Democratic fundraiser and the pride of Akron ... Debbie Willhite ... Michele Altemus of Interior ... David Eisner, CEO at Repair the World (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Politico's Han Ah-Sue ... DLCC political director Kevin Boyd ... Christa Robinson, SVP of comms. for CBS News, a Tribune and CNN alum ... D.J. Jordan, comm. director for Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) ... AP economics writer Josh Boak ...
... Bloomberg Politics' Sahil Kapur, a TPM alum, is 29 ... Lou Gallo (I'd like to thank Phil) ... Virginia Del. Jennifer McClellan ... Ed McFadden ... Janne Emilie Nolan ... Chris Cooper, principal at Convergence Targeted and a SKDK alum ... Raquel Christie ... Douglas Wiley ... Jack Lynch ... Adrienne Fox Luscombe ... Savannah Short ... Alexa Marrero, director of operations in corporate comms. at Boeing and a Fred Upton and Energy and Commerce alum ... Erica Martinson, DC reporter for Alaska Dispatch News and a Politico alum ... Corinne Elise McGrath ... Molly Varoga ... David Drews ... comic book creator Stan Lee is 93 ... former United Auto Workers union president Owen Bieber is 86 ... Denzel Washington is 61 ... country singer Joe Diffie is 57 ... David Archuleta is 25 ... Miles Brown ("black-ish") is 11 (h/ts AP)
** A message from NextGen Climate: Citigroup estimates climate change will cost the global economy $44 trillion. The Pentagon calls climate change a "threat multiplier" that puts our national security at risk, contributes to the spread of terrorism, and fuels humanitarian crises. Doctors warn climate change will harm air quality, spread disease, and put our families' lives at risk. Find out why responsible political leadership requires a real climate plan that powers America with at least 50 percent clean energy by 2030. https://nextgenclimate.org/playbook **
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9 年@ Mike Allen and all fellow Americans, here is my prediction for the politics life in 2016. If you felt like very much unsatisfied with the presidential candidates you have in hand, then think about recruiting a President, Iam the first and only to be considered for this job :)))))), and I do not need to stay at the White house at all , infact we will make it a museum , but I will stay else where and I promise to solve all your problems and I mean all, only if Iam still alive and in a healthy condition after giving this comment.
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9 年I would love to see 70% of Americans vote and see how that changes the American political landscape......Ian
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9 年Trump for President