Marco Rubio super PAC goes after Chris Christie in 2 new ads
According to an average of polling in New Hampshire compiled by Real Clear Politics, Marco Rubio is now at 13.3 percent support in New Hampshire, putting him 13 percentage points behind Donald Trump. That second place status is relatively tenuous, however, with Ted Cruz trailing him with an average of 12 percent, and Chris Christie two points behind, averaging 11.3 percent. Conservative Solutions PAC, a super PAC supporting Rubio’s presidential candidacy, is now going after the New Jersey governor in two new ads that surfaced Monday. One of them goes after Christie regarding his management of the Garden State. Titled, “Look at Me,” the ad bashes Christie for mismanaging New Jersey, where he’s now beginning his third year of his second term in office. It lists a survey that says that New Jersey has the highest tax burden in the nation, last in job growth, and mentions the controversial incident known as “BridgeGate” that appeared at one point to doom Christie’s hopes for higher office. The other, called “Favorite,” blasts the Jersey governor for being a faux conservative. It begins by showing him with his infamous greeting of President Barack Obama just before the 2012 general election, when the president visited New Jersey shortly after Hurricane Sandy slammed the state. It goes on to attack Christie for supporting an Internet sales tax, Medicaid expansion, and Common Core. “One high-tax, Common Core, liberal energy loving, Obamacare Medicaid expanding president is enough,” the ad says at its conclusion. Christie did back Common Core standards back in 2013, but now says he “supports state educational standards over Common Core.” Conservative Solutions PAC spokesman Jeff Sadosky says the two ads are a “significant part of our multimillion dollar ongoing ad buy in New Hampshire, but yes, there is also a digital campaign that moves with the TV ads.”
This week in the U.S. House of Representatives: Jan. 4 – Jan. 8, 2016
U.S. House lawmakers are back in Washington, D.C., this week to kick-off the second session of the 114th Congress. This week the GOP-led Congress will make good on a 2010 promise: voting to repeal and replace Obamacare. The House is expected to vote to concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3762: the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act. This reconciliation bill was previously considered in the House and later the Senate, where it was amended slightly requiring this return to the House for what is likely final consideration. The bill repeals or significantly modifies numerous major provisions of Obamacare, including repeals of the individual and employer mandates, tax subsidies for individuals to purchase health insurance from exchanges, the expansion of Medicaid, and the Prevention and Public Health Fund. It also effectively eliminates more than a dozen taxes included in the law, including the medical device tax, the “Cadillac” tax, the net investment tax, and the additional Medicare tax. Finally the bill blocks federal funding for Planned Parenthood for one year and provides alternative women’s health funding for community health centers. House passage of the measure would clear it for President Barack Obama who has said he will veto it Alabama co-sponsor(s): N/A Additional legislation on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this week: H.R. 1155: the Searching for and Cutting Regulations That Are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act. The bill establishes a nine-member commission to review existing federal regulations and identify those that should be repealed in order to reduce costs on the U.S. economy. Alabama co-sponsor(s): N/A H.R. 712: the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act. The bill requires the federal government to provide advance public notice when it plans to enter into discussions regarding consent decree or settlement agreement, allowing affected third parties to intervene in that process. It also requires federal agencies to file monthly status reports of their rule-making activities and requires that a 100-word summary of each proposed rule be posted online, along with the proposed rule itself. Alabama co-sponsor(s): N/A H.R. 1927: the Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act. The bill prohibits federal courts from certifying proposed classes of individuals for a class action lawsuit unless each member of the class has suffered the same type and degree of injury, and it requires quarterly reports by asbestos trusts of claims made against the trusts and any payouts made by the trusts for asbestos-related injuries. Alabama co-sponsor(s): N/A
In NH speech, Marco Rubio once again calls Hillary Clinton a liar over Benghazi
Marco Rubio blasted Hillary Clinton in a speech in New Hampshire early Monday, going as far as calling for the former secretary of state not only incompetent, but a liar. “While she was leading the public and the families of the fallen to believe the attack in Benghazi happened because of a YouTube video, we now know she was admitting in private emails that it was the result of terrorism,” Rubio said while addressing an American Legion audience in Hooksett, New Hampshire. “She lied to our faces. No one in the mainstream media has the courage to call her out for it. If I am our nominee, voters will be reminded of it time and time again.” It’s not the first time the Florida senator and GOP presidential candidate has gone as far as to bash Clinton with the “liar” label referring to her private comments on what happened at Benghazi vs. her public statements at the time. He did so back at a debate the CNBC hosted event in Colorado back in October, referring to her then recent appearance at a Benghazi Committee hearing. “She spent over a week telling the families of those victims and the American people that it was because of a video. And yet the mainstream media is going around saying it was the greatest week in Hillary Clinton’s campaign,” Rubio said at that debate. “It was the week she got exposed as a liar. It was the week that she got exposed as a liar.” Rubio spent the bulk of his speech on Monday in blasting Barack Obama. He began by referring to the fact that it was exactly eight years ago today that the world first learned of the then little-known Illinois senator, as it was the day after he stunningly had won the Iowa caucuses the night before. “There have always been voices in our country who say America’s not that different, that every country thinks they’re special – voices who question our role abroad, who think of America as a bully rather than as a leader. But in 2008, for the first time ever, one of these voices was elected president,” Rubio said. “A man was elected who condemned America for having “arrogance” and the audacity to “dictate our terms” to other nations. A man who apologized for America and bowed pitifully to foreign leaders. A man willing to abandon our allies, make concessions to our enemies, and worst of all, to make historic, devastating cuts to our military and intelligence capabilities. For a while, many thought all of this was the result of naivety. But it wasn’t. It’s now abundantly clear: Barack Obama has deliberately weakened America. He has made an intentional effort to humble us back to size. As if to say: We no longer need to be so powerful because our power has done more harm than good. “ Rubio went on to say that he is the only candidate in the race with a “detailed strategy” to roll back what he says is Obama’s failures. When you vote for me, you know exactly what you’ll get. You’ll get a president who will destroy terrorists overseas by authorizing whatever tools our commanders need. You’ll get a reversal of the defense cuts that Obama and Harry Reid have forced on our military. You’ll get a leader who upholds the promise we make to our men and women in uniform that we will never send them into a fair fight, but will always equip them with the upper hand. Anyone who supports Obama’s disastrous defense cuts cannot make that promise.” Following his speech to the American Legion, Rubio is scheduled to fly to Iowa later on Monday for an afternoon town hall in Burlington.
Marco Rubio backs little-used method to amend constitution
A little-used method of updating the U.S. Constitution recently got a boost from a top presidential contender. On Wednesday, Marco Rubio said he would support convening a convention of states to amend the Constitution. The obscure process, outlined in Article V of the Constitution, is a convention of state legislatures to propose amendments to the Constitution. The last time a convention of states was used was in 1787. During a speech last week, Rubio said he would support a convention on topics that could limit the reach of the federal government. “One of the things I’m going to do on my first day of office, I will announce I am supporter, and as president will put the weight of the presidency behind, of a constitutional convention of the states so we can pass term limits on members of Congress and the Supreme Court, and so we can pass a balanced budget amendment into the Constitution,” said Rubio during an Iowa campaign stop. Calls for a constitutional convention aren’t new. The conservative Convention of States project has advocated for such a convention, and has included a proposed draft of convention rules on its website. The group celebrated Rubio’s endorsement last week, saying it was honored to hear that Rubio endorsed the convention. “I’ve never been more excited about our prospects for achieving real government reform as I am right now, on the eve of 2016,” wrote Mark Meckler, president of Citizens for Self Governance, on the Convention of States website. “Every day moves us closer and closer to a Convention of States to restrain the federal government. And today moves us one giant step closer.” Some Florida lawmakers are also making a push for a convention of states. In December, Sen. Aaron Bean filed a Senate memorial calling on Congress to call a convention of states for “the sole agenda” of an amendment addressing term limits for members of the U.S. House and Senate. That memorial cleared both Senate committees and now heads to the full state Senate for a vote. An identical House measure, sponsored by Rep. Larry Metz, cleared its first committee hearing.
Donald Trump releases first television ad
Donald Trump is hitting the airwaves The advertisement, which was first shared with The Washington Post, reiterates the New York businessman’s position on issues like the Islamic State, or ISIS, and illegal immigration. “The politicians can pretend its something else, but Donald Trump calls it radical Islamic terrorism. That’s why he’s calling for a temporary shut down of Muslims entering the United States until we can figure out what’s going on,” said a narrator during the 30-second spot.“He’ll quickly cut the head off of ISIS and take their oil.” The advertisement continues: “And he’ll stop illegal immigration by building a wall on our southern border that Mexico will pay for.” The Washington Post reported the advertisement is set to launch Monday as part of a series of ads airing it the final month before the Iowa caucuses. Trump has said he would spend at least $2 million a week on advertisements. The Iowa caucuses are Feb. 1, followed by the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. Trump burst to the front of a crowded Republican field shortly after he announced his candidacy, and is one of several untraditional candidates in the race. But unlike other untraditional candidates, Trump has maintained his lead by wide margins for weeks. Recent national polling averages compiled by RealClearPolitics show Trump leads the field, with 15.5 points separating him from his next closest competitor, Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz leads the pack in Iowa, but just 3.6 points stand between him and Trump, according to averages of Iowa polls compiled by RealClearPolitics. Trump leads in New Hampshire, and RealClearPolitics averages show 13 points separate Trump from his closest competitor, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. The 30-second spot will air in Iowa and New Hampshire, according to The Washington Post. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Presidential Primary Brief: 308 days until Election Day
105 days until AL Presidential Primary 308 days until Election Day Convention Dates: Republican July 18-21, 2016, Democratic July 25-28, 2016 Weekly Headlines: Pro-Cruz super PAC to air $4M in TV ads in Iowa, South Carolina Sanders raises $33M in final quarter, $73M total for 2015 Rand Paul-backing super PAC reserves $500,000 in Iowa ads Press Clips: What 2016 holds in store for guns, the NRA, and the presidential election (Media Matters 1/2/16) Following another series of horrific mass shootings in 2015 that captured the public’s attention, gun safety has emerged as a major campaign issue for the 2016 elections. It’s already clear how the National Rifle Association (NRA) will use the issue to try to swing the elections and hamstring any attempts at new legislation – after all, they’ve been using the same playbook for years. As U.S. gun deaths continue to tick upwards — now on par with automobile deaths — public interest in gun issues in 2015 rose to its highest level since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. This year, Americans watched news reports of public shootings targeting parishioners in Charleston, South Carolina, service members in Chattanooga, Tennessee, moviegoers in Lafayette, Louisiana, students and educators in Roseburg, Oregon, people visiting a Planned Parenthood health clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and attendees of a Christmas party in San Bernardino, California. Sold out crowd at Donald Trump’s Biloxi rally (WKRG News 1/3/16) Donald Trump’s second trip to the Gulf Coast attracted more than 14,000 people to the Biloxi Coliseum. Hours before the doors opened, the line wrapped around the building. One man said he traveled from Tennessee and showed up at 7:30 a.m. to earn a spot near the podium. “Did I mention this is my 15th Trump rally since August? You have to show up early,” the fan said. Ralph Cihall attracted a small crowd himself when he pulled up in a lime green stretch Hummer limousine adorned with Trump posters on the windows. How the Bush camp plans to save his candidacy (Boston Globe 1/2/16) Jeb Bush and his supporters still have a pile of money to spend — remnants of $100 million raised when he seemed early last year to be a sure bet. They have an expansive ground operation in New Hampshire. And allies have just begun a new ad campaign in Iowa. But nothing they have tried so far has lifted Bush’s terrible poll numbers. And with just four weeks remaining until voting begins, Bush needs to do something to save his candidacy. Ben Carson explains staff shakeup (CNN 1/3/16) Ben Carson explained last week’s major staff shakeup Sunday by saying he’s now “in a different ballgame” and the campaign leadership he had in place was unable to execute its own plans. The retired pediatric brain surgeon and Republican presidential candidate discussed the departure of his chief of staff, communications director and policy director on ABC’s “This Week.” “We have had very good people that had very good ideas and no one predicted that we would even be in the hunt,” Carson told host Martha Raddatz. “It really is quite spectacular what we were able to do. But the fact of the matter is now we’re in a different ballgame and we need the ability to execute and not just have good ideas.” As Hillary Clinton prepares to unveil new tax plans, previous proposals have occupied a political middle ground (IB Times 1/3/16) Less than a month before Iowa voters head to the polls and officially kick off the long- awaited presidential primary season, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is preparing to unveil tax proposals designed to raise rates on the wealthiest Americans. “As president, I’ll do what it takes to make sure the super-wealthy are truly paying their fair share,” the former secretary of state said in a statement Saturday. “In the coming weeks,” she added, “I will be laying out additional proposals that go beyond the Buffett rule.” Poll shows attacks on Bill Clinton may only help Hillary Clinton (12/31/15) Donald J. Trump made clear this week that nothing was off limits when it came to attacking the Clintons, dusting off names like Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones while calling former President Bill Clinton one of “the great abusers of the world.” Sexual indiscretions of the past, he said, are fair game in an election year. But the numbers show that Mr. Trump, the billionaire developer and Republican presidential hopeful, might not be dealing with a hand as strong as he thinks when he reminds voters of Mr. Clinton’s history of infidelity. Hillary Clinton’s popularity has had its peaks and valleys during her decades in the public spotlight, most recently rising to new heights when she was serving as secretary of state. Her other peak, according to polls, was in 1998 while her husband was embroiled in the Lewinsky scandal and facing impeachment. Marco Rubio plans to reverse Obama’s planned gun limits (TIME 1/3/16) Presidential hopeful Marco Rubio is promising that he would reverse President Obama’s executive action on gun rights on his first day in the White House, his latest play at New Hampshire’s deeply pro-gun Republicans. Speaking Sunday evening in the Granite State, Rubio cast the man he hopes to replace in the White House as someone trampling the Constitution. Rubio’s remarks came hours before Obama was set on Monday to announce new moves to strengthen background checks that would-be gun buyers face. Rand Paul: Hillary will “take us back to war” (The Hill 1/3/16) Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has a warning for war-weary Americans who often criticize the Bush administration for intervening in the Middle East. “It turns out that probably the most likely candidate to take us back to war is Hillary Clinton,” the Republican presidential candidate told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Clinton’s support for regime change in certain situations could pull the U.S. back into war, Paul argued Sunday morning. “The difference is President Obama and Hillary Clinton both supported arming the Syrian rebels, the Islamic
