Donald Trump’s budget proposal offers preview of upcoming campaign
Frustrated by a divided Congress and rifts within his own party, President Donald Trump is giving little indication in his latest budget proposal of any new policy ambitions for the coming two, or six, years. Trump’s budget plan increases spending on his border wall and the military but is light on fresh ideas heading into his re-election campaign. His budget for the next fiscal year, which has little chance of advancing in Congress, largely focuses on deep spending cuts and pushing more money toward established goals such as his long-promised wall, improving care of veterans and combating opioid abuse. Budgets may offer a president’s vision for the direction of the nation, but Trump’s latest also offers an early window into his upcoming campaign. With the Democratic race to unseat him heating up, Trump is contending with middling approval ratings, energized Democrats and political vulnerabilities in critical states. Like his predecessors, he’ll soon be called on to complete the politically loaded phrase, “Send me back to the White House so that I can …” “I think, as he gets closer to 2020, he will need to lay out what a second term would look like,” said Republican consultant Alex Conant. “Voters always want to know, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ If he doesn’t paint a picture of what his second term will look like, then the Democrats will do it for him.” The White House argues that Trump isn’t just advancing the same policies a second time over, he’s enhancing them with more detail than his first go-round, particularly in the area of trade policy. Following a State of the Union address that contained little new policy, the budget is hardly a surprise. Still, the budget can serve more than one political purpose, argued former Trump campaign aide Barry Bennett, who said the document highlights Trump’s clashes with Democrats over border and military funding. He argued that the Democratic tilt to the left also will benefit Trump as he seeks to frame the argument. Bennett said Trump’s pitch can be: “If your paycheck likes what I’ve done, send me back. If you don’t, they’ll undo it all.” Trump has already addressed much of his laundry-list agenda from 2016, notching victories in many areas while seeking to minimize losses and mixed results. He has cut taxes, exited global accords and installed conservative judges on the courts, including two Supreme Court justices. He has not succeeded in replacing President Barack Obama’s health care law, is still working on renegotiating trade deals and has struggled to secure all the funding he wants for his border wall. In all, the efforts have largely pleased his political base, but satisfaction with past performance is hardly a reliable tactic for expanding your support. Thus far, Trump’s re-election campaign moves have been laser-focused on maintaining his most ardent supporters. It’s a risky wager, laid down by the president himself, that he can overcome weakness with moderate and independent voters by turning out even more loyalists in 2020 than he did in 2016. During his aggressive push to maintain the GOP’s hold over the Senate during the midterm elections, Trump emphasized his hardline immigration rhetoric above all else. He has returned again and again to his long-promised border wall, even forcing the government to partially shut down in an effort to win funding. The latest budget also calls for repealing “Obamacare,” limiting future federal spending on Medicaid for people with lower incomes, as well as breaking out the new Space Force as its own military branch. “We believe that every budget is an opportunity to put forward our vision for the next 10 years,” said acting budget director Russell Vought. Trump’s gamble has skeptics among some in the president’s inner circle, who have pushed the president and the White House to embrace larger policy ideas designed to win over moderates and independents. Aides point to Trump’s cautious embrace of a family medical leave policy pushed by his daughter, Ivanka Trump, as the sort of proposal Trump’s team should spend more time developing ahead of 2020. She is backing new funding for child care in the current proposal. A White House-backed infrastructure plan, the hobbyhorse of Washington election year policy, appears no closer to fruition than when Trump first raised it two years ago, with his budget allocation unchanged from previous years. Trump’s nascent re-election campaign has just begun staffing-up for 2020, with a focus on developing a more professionalized operation than 2016, but has yet to announce a policy staff. Trump’s light policy load is also a function of his increasingly strained relationship with Congress. Under divided control, the White House views it as unlikely that any new proposals can win legislative approval — and plan to be judicious about sending anything to Capitol Hill only to see it defeated. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Resuming campaigning Troy King pledges positive issues-based campaign moving forward
Troy King resumed his campaign Saturday after pausing his campaign Sunday in the wake of the death of his opponent Steve Marshall‘s wife, Bridgette Gentry Marshall. “After a week of pausing our campaign, we will, today, begin to air advertisements on television and radio. My commercials will, as they always have, focus on the issues and my qualifications to be the Republican nominee for Alabama Attorney General, as compared to the qualifications of my opponent,” King posted Saturday on Facebook. King also vowed to keep on message of his political record and qualifications going forward — “I commit that I will keep my campaign to a discussion of our political records and our Republican qualifications and allow the voters to decide this race on the merits alone — seemingly a change of course from his previous strategy. In the weeks prior to Bridgette’s death, King and Marshall found themselves exchanging political jabs. King had recently held a press conference where he pointed out Marshall spending time with “fat cat fundraiser.” “My preacher always said, if you know what to know what’s important to a man, if you want to know where his priorities lie, you look at his calendar. You don’t listen to what he is,” King had said standing in front of a blown-up fundraiser invitation for Marshall. Meanwhile Marshall‘s campaign was working overtime pushing details from his campaign finance report to discredit his assertion that he won’t take gaming money. King’s full post resuming his campaign on Facebook: Paige and I continue to pray for the Marshall and Gentry families. Our hearts go out to them in this unbearable time of tragedy. After a week of pausing our campaign, we will, today, begin to air advertisements on television and radio. My commercials will, as they always have, focus on the issues and my qualifications to be the Republican nominee for Alabama Attorney General, as compared to the qualifications of my opponent. I want to be very clear. I will not speak of Mr. Marshall’s family. I believe there is no place in any political campaign for questions of or attacks on anyone’s spouse or children. During my political career, my family has been attacked and I know what a horrible and unfair toll that takes on your family. I would never do that to anyone else. I commit that I will keep my campaign to a discussion of our political records and our Republican qualifications and allow the voters to decide this race on the merits alone.
Steve Bannon to campaign with Roy Moore next week
Former White House chief strategist and current Breitbart News chief Steve Bannon says he’s heading back to the Heart of Dixie next week to campaign for U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore. Bannon will join Moore at a rally in Fairhope, Ala., Tuesday, Dec. 5, just one week before Moore will face-off against Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 special election for Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘ former seat. “I look forward to standing with Judge Moore and all of the Alabama deplorables in the fight to elect him to the United States Senate and send shockwaves to the political and media elites,” Bannon told CNN, Bannon’s decision to visit the Yellowhammer State comes in the wake of Monday’s White House announcement that President Donald Trump will not travel to Alabama and campaign for Moore, in light of the allegations against him. Moore has been under fire since The Washington Post published an explosive report on Nov. 9 with the accounts of four women who claim he sexually pursued them when he was in his 30s and they were in their teens. Since that time, a total of nine women have levied accusations against Moore. The news has caused rapid fallout from dozens within the Republican Party who have called on him to withdraw his name from next month’s special election if the allegations are true. Following the first allegations, Bannon said, “Until I see additional evidence on Judge Moore, I’m standing with him.”
White House official: Donald Trump won’t campaign for Roy Moore
President Donald Trump will not stump for Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, a White House official confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday. The decision comes after Trump last week did not rule out the possibility of traveling to Alabama to campaign on behalf of the embattled candidate ahead of the Dec. 12 special election against Democratic opponent Doug Jones. Last Tuesday, Trump told reporters he would “be letting you know next week” whether or not he stump for Moore. All the while reiterating the need for someone other than Jones. “But I can tell you, you don’t need somebody who’s soft on crime, like Jones,” Trump added. Monday’s announcement confirms he will stay in Washington, and physically out of the special election. But that doesn’t mean Trump is altogether staying out of the race. Trump took to Twitter on Sunday morning to slam Jones. “The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is WEAK on Crime, WEAK on the Border, Bad for our Military and our great Vets, Bad for our 2nd Amendment, AND WANTS TO RAISES TAXES TO THE SKY. Jones would be a disaster!” Trump wrote. The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is WEAK on Crime, WEAK on the Border, Bad for our Military and our great Vets, Bad for our 2nd Amendment, AND WANTS TO RAISES TAXES TO THE SKY. Jones would be a disaster! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2017 He later added, “I endorsed Luther Strange in the Alabama Primary. He shot way up in the polls but it wasn’t enough. Can’t let Schumer/Pelosi win this race. Liberal Jones would be BAD!” I endorsed Luther Strange in the Alabama Primary. He shot way up in the polls but it wasn’t enough. Can’t let Schumer/Pelosi win this race. Liberal Jones would be BAD! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2017 Moore has been under fire since The Washington Post published an explosive report on Nov. 9 with the accounts of four women who claim he sexually pursued them when he was in his 30s and they were in their teens. Since that time, a total of nine women have levied accusations against Moore. The news has caused rapid fallout from dozens within the Republican Party who have called on him to withdraw his name from next month’s special election if the allegations are true. The White House did not respond to Alabama Today for further comment.
Sarah Palin traveling to Alabama to campaign for Roy Moore in Senate race
Former Alaska Gov. and 2008 GOP Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is headed to the Yellowhammer State next week to help bring Judge Roy Moore across the finish line in his U.S. Senate bid. Palin announced the visit to Alabama on her website, www.sarahpalin.com. The event will be part of a bus tour hosted by the Great America Alliance, a pro-Trump advocacy group. “Palin plans to barnstorm Alabama the week prior to the special election to double down on her strongly stated support of Judge Moore,” a source familiar with Palin’s planning told Breitbart News. “Gov. Palin is a conservative rock star and her presence in Alabama is sure to seal the deal for Judge Roy Moore,” said a second source familiar with Palin’s plans. Palin endorsed Moore in late August after the race moved to a run-off. “Glad he’s running and am honored to endorse Judge Roy Moore for the US Senate,” Palin said in a statement. “Judge Moore has shown he has what it takes to stand up to the out-of-touch political establishment.” “The Judge has proven he’s not afraid of a fight for what is right, and he’s ready to take on DC’s swamp monsters and make America great again. We need more bold leaders like Judge Moore who will fight for all of us in the US senate,” Palin added. The former Ala. Chief Justice responded to the endorsement by thanking Palin. “I am honored to have the endorsement of Governor Sarah Palin,” said Moore. “Governor Palin has a strong record of speaking out for conservative causes and standing up to the Washington establishment. Having her support shows how conservatives across the country are uniting behind our campaign to send a message to Mitch McConnell and the Washington elites who are trying to buy this election.” Neither the Moore campaign nor Sarah Palin have announced times and dates for the bus tour. Moore faces sitting Sen. Luther Strange in a Republican primary runoff on Sept. 26 to fill the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The winner will move on to the Dec.12 general election.
Hillary Clinton plots a ‘do no harm’ campaign amid Donald Trump whirlwind
How do you run for president during a political cyclone with no precedents and no predictable path? Hillary Clinton has her answer: Slow and steady. As Donald Trump jags across the country, battling an onslaught of sexual misconduct allegations, his party’s opposition and the media, Clinton has stepped cautiously on the campaign trail. She rarely makes news or veers from her script. She keeps a plodding schedule of modest-size events. She relies heavily on her cast of loyal – and arguably more effective – surrogates. And she doesn’t overdo it: With just less than a month left to campaign, Clinton was fundraising in California on Thursday and expected to spend most of the weekend out of the public eye. “Make no errors, do no harm,” said Republican strategist Rick Tyler, who worked for Trump’s primary rival Sen. Ted Cruz. “(Trump) has no ability to make good news about himself. Like none. So why not just let him go?” The news about Trump has overshadowed potentially damaging reports about Clinton based on thousands of hacked emails that apparently came from the email account of her campaign chairman, John Podesta. The campaign has not confirmed the authenticity of the emails. Clinton aides said the former secretary of state has been balancing a full schedule – she attended rallies in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Nevada this week – with preparations for the final debate, scheduled for Wednesday, as well as fundraising for an ambitious get-out-the-vote program and advertising in battleground states. She was also off the trail for several days in September after a bout of pneumonia forced an awkward exit from a 9/11 memorial event. Spokesman Brian Fallon said that that Clinton “continues to take time to raise resources to execute our strategy and prepare for the debates,” and said the campaign was “confident we’re not leaving any voters untouched in critical states.” There’s little sign that the relatively low-key strategy is hurting Clinton, who has seized a comfortable lead in several national polls. Early voting shows positive signs for her in two states that could help her lock up the presidency, North Carolina and Florida, according to preliminary data compiled by The Associated Press. Still, the approach strikes a sharp contrast to her predecessor on the Democratic ticket. Never a natural on the stump, Clinton has had few of the massive rallies that defined President Barack Obama‘s two campaigns. Her largest event to date, an evening rally on the campus at Ohio State University, drew some 18,500 people on Tuesday. But events a quarter of that size are more common. Around this time eight years ago, Obama drew 100,000 people to a rally in Missouri. Clinton isn’t aiming for that kind of spotlight. Her campaign notes she’s focused on policy speeches and voter registration events. She’s also looked for ways to talk to her voters without riling those she will never win over. She consistently talks to local press as she travels around the country and has worked through niche media, granting an interview to a student journalist for Elle Magazine and speaking with Mary J. Blige for her new show. Clinton is also relying on a team of what her campaign calls “uber-surrogates” to cover the territory she is not. In recent days, first lady Michelle Obama has fired up heavily female audiences in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, while President Barack Obama husband hit Greensboro and was due to campaign Friday in Ohio. Former President Bill Clinton campaigned this week across Florida and then hopped on a bus tour through Iowa on his wife’s behalf. Mrs. Obama’s scathing remarks about Trump’s treatment of women rocketed around social media and instantly won the sort of buzz Clinton herself rarely seeks. “Too many are treating this as just another day’s headline. As if our outrage is overblown or unwarranted, as if this is normal, just politics as usual,” Mrs. Obama said Thursday in Manchester, New Hampshire. “This is not normal. This is not politics as usual. This is disgraceful.” Clinton herself has at times seemed determined not to make news. On Wednesday, though the campaign signaled she would launch a harder attack on Republicans aligned with Trump, a move that would win headlines, she demurred. On Thursday, as Trump issued denials and threatened lawsuits over the new round of news stories alleging mistreatment of women, Clinton made no direct comment on the allegations. She did, however, recommend that her supporters watch the first lady’s blistering takedown. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Jim Zeigler files suit in Baldwin County school tax campaign case
State auditor Jim Zeigler said late Monday morning that he has filed suit to prevent taxpayer dollars from paying for public campaigns to increase local tax receipts. The move is a legal remedy to a legal opinion offered by Attorney General Luther Strange, who permitted local officials with the Baldwin County School Board to leverage public money in order to fund their “Build Baldwin Now” campaign, which sought to increase three local tax rates to build new schools, which the group said was inadequate, and on boarding new teachers. Zeigler said in Loxley Monday morning at the Windscape Hotel that the campaign, reported on widely by state media, represented a violation of a state prohibition against the “improper use of state property, time, etc., for political activities,” under the Code of Alabama 17-17-5(a). “No person in the employment of the State of Alabama, a county, a city, a local school board, or any other governmental agency, whether classified or unclassified, shall use any state, county, city, local school board, or other governmental agency funds, property, or time, for any political activities,” the section mentioned in Zeigler’s complaint reads. The auditor’s case will go before the Circuit Court of Montgomery and seeks “declaratory and injunctive relief” on behalf of Alabama taxpayers, meaning that Zeigler and the other plaintiffs — including Charles L. McMinn and David Peterson — want a judgment that says using public coffers to induce taxpayers into giving more is wrong and that orders any public official doing so to cease and desist. The full text of the complaint can be found here. Zeigler insists his lawsuit serves a purely utilitarian public purpose and is not meant to capitalize on the still-raw feelings many carried away from the March 31 election, which saw a shocking defeat for the school system and a big win for anti-tax groups. “We’re not trying to flame up opinions in Baldwin County where 68 percent of ‘no’ votes were pretty strong,” Zeigler told AL.com last week, responding to such criticism. Alabama Today previously reported that Zeigler would file the lawsuit this week on Friday, but after his announcement the auditor’s office apparently decided to expedite the process.
