Archive for the ‘Democrat’ Category

Democrat moves to block Trump’s joint Russia cyber unit – Washington Examiner

A Virginia Democrat wants to use the House's annual defense policy bill to block President Trump from forming a joint cybersecurity unit with Russia.

Rep. Don Beyer filed a late amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act on Monday that forbids any money from being used on intelligence sharing, equipment, personnel or facilities related to any such cyber agreement with Moscow.

The NDAA is heading to a floor vote, likely later this week, and Beyer's amendment is among nearly 400 that have been filed by lawmakers hoping to get a chance to have their issues heard. The House Rules Committee is slated to meet Wednesday to weigh which amendments may get a floor vote.

Trump floated the idea of creating an "impenetrable" cybersecurity unit to jointly oversee election hacking with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the two leaders met last week. But the idea fizzled over the weekend and was ridiculed by some top Republican senators such as Lindsay Graham and Marco Rubio.

The president appeared to have written off the idea on Sunday.

"The fact that President Putin and I discussed a cybersecurity unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't," Trump tweeted following the criticism.

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Democrat moves to block Trump's joint Russia cyber unit - Washington Examiner

Who is a better tipper, a Republican or a Democrat? – AOL

Sean Dowling

Jul 10th 2017 12:21PM

When it comes to dining out, some people are better tippers than others, but which group is the best?

Male Republicans are the best tippers, according to a new report from CreditCards.com.

The credit card information website partnered with Princeton researchers to survey just over 1,000 adults across the U.S., asking them how much they leave the waitstaff.

Republican men from the Northeast paying with a credit or debit card left a median tip of 20%.

The worst tippers were women, Southerners, Democrats and those paying with cash.

These groups leave a 15-16% tip on average.

Tipping between 15-20% at a sit-down restaurant is the recommended amount from the Emily Post Institute.

However, one in five people doesn't leave any tip at all.

To boil it down, researchers found tipping varies between men and women, cash and card payers and among northerners and southerners.

So here's a tip: the next time you go out to eat, leave a little something for the waiter or waitress.

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Who is a better tipper, a Republican or a Democrat? - AOL

Trump mulls cancelling Congress’ summer recess to break Senate Democrat obstruction of nominees – Washington Times

President Trump has not ruled out cancelling Congresss August recess to force votes on nominees that the administration says have been held up by unpretending obstructionism by Democrats.

Marc Short, the White House director of legislative affairs, said Senate Democrats blocking of confirmation of key nominees was jeopardizing national security and denying Americans a fully staffed federal government.

The president has every right to call Congress back if necessary, Mr. Short told reporters at the White House.

Of the total 216 nomination for civilian positions, the Senate has confirmed 23 percent, or about 49 winning approval.

By comparison, the Senate confirmed 69 percent of President Obamas 454 nominees that were submitted by the August recess in 2009. Thats about 313 nominees confirmed in the same period of time.

Mr. Short said that Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, had run an unprecedented campaign of obstruction.

Democrats even walked out of committee hearings to deny quorums, like schoolchildren taking their toys from the playground, he said. But it is the American people who are being hurt.

Mr. Schumers office responded by saying the White House has only itself to blame for vacant administrative posts.

Thus far, the nomination process has been defined by the failure of the Trump administration to submit names for hundreds of vacant jobs, incomplete and delayed ethics and nominations paperwork from the nominees themselves, and repeated withdrawals of nominees for key positions, Mr. Schumers office said in a statement. If the White House is looking for someone to blame, they ought to look in a mirror.

Indeed, Mr. Trump has submitted about half as many nominations to the Senate as Mr. Obama at the same point in his presidency. But that does not explain the slow pace of votes on the names Mr. Trump sent over.

Mr. Schumer cited about 26 of Mr. Trumps nominees that he said were held up due to paperwork delays. With 49 confirmed, that leaves an unexplained backlog of about 141 nominees.

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Trump mulls cancelling Congress' summer recess to break Senate Democrat obstruction of nominees - Washington Times

Georgia 2018: Democrat Abrams nets $500K in governor bid – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)

Stacey Abrams speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Former House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams raised about $540,000 for her campaign for Georgia governor. But her campaign pointed as much to another number on her report: She netted donations from 3,000 contributors, and half were under $25.

Abrams, who formally entered the race in early June, has received a flood of national attention for her run. She would be the first black governor in Georgia and the first black female governor in the nation.

The Democrat has sought early funding from national sources, including a New York fundraiser hosted by Alexander Soros, the son of billionaire Democratic mega-donor George Soros. The Soros family gave her about $60,000 of her total, and more than half of her donors came from out of state.

The Democrats campaign said in a statement that she has spent the opening weeks hiring staff, traveling the state and building a get-out-the-vote effort. Her financial report shows she has spent more than half of her warchest about $320,000 on expenses. Roughly $120,000 was spent on staff salary and travel costs.

Her supporters are confident shell be able to tap into enough new fundraisers to float those costs. She sports endorsements from several prominent groups, including Democracy for America, Emilys List and several local unions who plan to marshal their resources behind her campaign.

Abrams faces state Rep. Stacey Evans, a Smyrna Democrat who has made improving the HOPE scholarship the centerpiece of her campaign, in next years primary. Evans, who is expected to dip into her own wallet to help finance the campaign, has yet to report her financial figures.

Four Republicans are in the race: Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Brian Kemp and state Sens. Hunter Hill and Michael Williams. Cagle reported raising more than $2.7 million, while Kemp netted about $1.7 million. Hill said he topped the $1 million mark.

The fundraising figures are an important early gauge of a candidates strength, and theyre watched closely by activists and donors who have yet to pick a side in the race.

Read more on MyAJC: How Trump is shaking up the governors race

And: Georgia governor race: Who is running in 2018

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Georgia 2018: Democrat Abrams nets $500K in governor bid - Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)

Red-State Senate Democrats Haven’t Drawn Strong Opponents … – FiveThirtyEight

Jul. 10, 2017 at 10:31 AM

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill doesnt yet have a high-quality opponent in her 2018 Senate race. Shes not the only Democrat lacking a serious GOP challenger.

Is the GOP going to fail to take advantage of one of the best Senate playing fields in a generation? Last week, the chance that Republicans will enlarge their Senate majority in 2018 took a hit when Republican Rep. Ann Wagner declared that she would not challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Wagner was supposed to be a top recruit, and some outlets had even said she would get in the race in July. Instead, she said she would run for re-election to the House. McCaskill remains without a high-profile challenger for now.

Even with President Trumps low approval rating, Republicans have been hoping to increase their Senate majority. Although Republicans control 52 of 100 seats in Congresss upper chamber, they hold just eight of the 33 seats up for re-election in 2018. Yet McCaskills story is not unique in the 2018 cycle. Its still early, but so far Republicans have generally struggled to recruit high-quality candidates for the 10 seats Democrats are defending in states Trump won in 2016 though theres still time.

In those 10 states, only three races (Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia) have what could be deemed high-quality Republican challengers (officials, for example, who have been elected to big-city mayorships or statewide or federal office). Obviously, what makes a good challenger is a bit of a judgment call, but traditionally challengers who have held higher elected office run stronger than those who have little or no political experience.

In states Trump won, highest elected office for a declared Republican candidate running against a Democratic senator up for re-election in 2018

*State Rep. Paul Curtman is expected to announce this week that he is forming an an exploratory committee.

SourceS: Federal Election Commission, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Green Papers

Floridas Bill Nelson, Indianas Joe Donnelly, North Dakotas Heidi Heitkamp and Wisconsins Tammy Baldwin so far dont have any challengers who have held a notable elected office. That may not last, but its not a good sign for Republicans at this point. Youd think that Heitkamp, especially, who won election by just a point in 2012 and is running in a state Trump won by 36 points, would have at least one high-profile opponent.

Democrats have been far more successful at recruiting, despite facing a tougher map. In the only 2018 Senate race taking place in a state that Trump lost and that has a Republican incumbent up for election, Nevada Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen has already declared that shes going to oppose Republican Sen. Dean Heller. Rosen may face a primary challenge from Democratic Rep. Dina Titus. In Texas, where Trump won by less than 10 points, Democratic Rep. Beto ORourke is taking on Sen. Ted Cruz. Even Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who so far has avoided any high-profile challengers, could potentially face Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton in a state Trump won by less than 5 points.

The fact that Democrats are enjoying more success in recruiting is a sign that the 2018 political environment favors Democrats. Elected officials usually dont like to get into races that they think theyll lose. And given that the Senate races are tilted toward Republicans already, it suggests that in the House, where every representative is up for election, Democrats will be on the offensive.

Although challenger quality can be overrated in determining election outcomes (i.e., a rising political tide can lift all boats), it has mattered in federal elections. In the House, we know that elected officials have had a much better success rate when it comes to knocking off incumbents than those with less experience. Even controlling for other factors, the FiveThirtyEight Senate election forecasting model, based off of past elections, gives the highest-end officeholders a net 6- to 7-point advantage versus those who have never held elected office.

Higher-end officeholders have a number of advantages over other types of Senate seekers. They tend to have better fundraising networks because theyve run for office before, which can make the difference in close races. They have higher statewide name identification, which can, at least initially, give them better poll numbers, which itself can lead to better fundraising. Finally, higher-end office seekers tend to have campaign experience and are less likely to make major boneheaded campaign mistakes or have skeletons in their closet.

Still, even if the GOPs poor recruitment continues, it is unlikely to cost Republicans control of the Senate in 2018. Democrats chances of picking up a net gain of at least three seats is probably only a little better than that of pulling an inside straight (about 1 in 10) given the Senate playing field. The most likely outcome ranges from a two-seat Democratic gain to a two-seat Republican gain. But such small differences could make a big difference in governing.

Lets say Republicans were to lose two Senate seats in 2018. That would give moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine a lot more power and could force Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to present more moderate pieces of legislation. If a Supreme Court justice decided to retire, a tighter Senate could also make it more likely that Trump would pick a moderate nominee. That could save Roe v. Wade, for example. Obviously, McConnell and Trump will have more power if Republicans slightly increase their majority.

Thats why its important to pay attention to whether better candidates join the fray over the next few months. Although Republicans have struggled so far, theres still time for top recruits to announce their candidacy. Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner didnt announce that he was taking on then-Colorado Sen. Mark Udall until March 2014, eight months before Election Day, and had previously said he wouldnt run against Udall in the 2014 Senate elections. Indeed, three of the Republicans who picked up Democratic seats in the 2014 cycle waited until fall 2013 or later to announce their bids.

Still, we probably should see other Republicans entering races soon if this is going to be a good cycle for Senate Republicans. Six of the nine Republican candidates who took over Democrat-held seats in 2014 had announced their candidacies by the end of August 2013. These included Tom Cotton in Arkansas, Joni Ernst in Iowa, Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, Thom Tillis in North Carolina, Mike Rounds in South Dakota and Shelley Moore Capito in West Virginia. That timeline was about normal, according to an analysis by Roll Calls Bridget Bowman.

While its certainly possible for one or two candidates to pull a Gardner, most wont have the ability to quickly fundraise or clear the primary field like he did. (Gardner was already running for re-election in the House, and the political environment was strongly in Republicans favor.) Theyll need months to build a campaign war chest and nail down endorsements to distinguish themselves from their primary competition. Moreover, the longer they wait, the less likely it is theyre going to win the seat. The national environment tends to get worse for the White House party the closer we get to a midterm.

If we end the summer without more Republicans declaring for the Senate in red states with Democratic senators, it may mean Republicans wont be able to take advantage of a good map.

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Red-State Senate Democrats Haven't Drawn Strong Opponents ... - FiveThirtyEight