MORNING MESSAGE
Clean Energy Victory In IL Shows We Can Still Win In The Age of Trump
On
Thursday night, the Illinois General Assembly voted to approve the Future Energy
Jobs Package, a bill which would more than double renewable energy generation in
the state and allow Illinois to become a leader in creating green jobs,
including low income solar jobs, and energy efficiency ... Our victory in this
fight proves that we can still win, and win big, even in the age of Trump, if we
build grassroots, people power around a bold vision. We need not cower in the
corner if we organize ordinary people to name, claim and fight for the kind of
world we know we deserve.
CARRIER DEAL REVERBERATES
Trump
and Pence break from “free market” in NYT interview: “‘I don’t want them
moving out of the country without consequences,’ Mr. Trump said, even if that
means angering the free-market-oriented Republicans he beat in the primaries but
will have to work with on Capitol Hill. ‘The free market has been sorting it out
and America’s been losing,’ Mr. Pence added, as Mr. Trump interjected, ‘Every
time, every time.'”
WSJ
edit board horrified: “Some conservatives will be tempted to tolerate bad
policies that appear to be popular that they’d never accept from President
Obama. Many Republicans stayed silent or supported Nixon as he imposed
wage-and-price controls and created the EPA, only to regret it later. They
shouldn’t make the same mistake with Mr. Trump.”
NYT
edit board also unimpressed: “Mr. Trump campaigned against crony capitalism,
but one-on-one deals like this are at best inefficient and at worst riddled with
.. corruption … [But t]he Carrier deal stands as an interesting argument against
longstanding Republican economic orthodoxy.”
“Yes,
the white working class is about to be betrayed,” says NYT’s Paul Krugman:
“…the selection of Tom Price [for HHS] probably means that the Affordable Care
Act is doomed — and Mr. Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters will be among the
biggest losers … we’re probably looking at more than five million Trump
supporters, many of whom have chronic health problems and recently got health
insurance for the first time, who just voted to make their lives nastier, more
brutish, and shorter.”
“Buy
America” fight flares up in Congress. The Hill: “At issue is language
included in the Senate-passed version of the Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA) that would require American iron and steel products be used in projects
assisted by the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. Sources familiar with the
negotiations say Speaker Paul Ryan(R-Wis.) is actively pushing to strip the
provision from the bill. Supporters of the provision say Ryan’s push is at odds
with President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to support American manufacturers
and create jobs for the middle class.”
Jobs
up, wages flat in November labor report. NYT: “[The job] gain … clears the
way for the Federal Reserve to raise the benchmark interest rate when it meets
later this month … The official unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in
more than nine years, at 4.6 percent, from 4.9 percent the month before. But
average hourly earnings ticked down 0.1 percent … Over the last three months,
[job] increases have averaged 176,000 … some economists argue that fears of
inflation are overblown and the Fed should hold off on any [interest rate]
increase.”
Bloomberg’s
Conor Sen proposes a Rust Belt bailout: “Pension costs are eating a higher
and higher share of tax revenue … Congress [could] bail out the region, [wipe]
the fiscal slate clean and give the Midwest the breathing room to invest in its
future.”
PENCE PROMISES RIGHT-WING BLITZ
Pence
predicts “ambitious” first 200 days in WSJ interview: “The new
administration’s first priorities would include curbing illegal immigration,
abolishing and then replacing Mr. Obama’s signature health-care system,
nominating a justice to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, and strengthening
the military … By springtime, the Trump administration would work with
congressional leaders ‘to move fundamental tax reform’ … Pillars of the tax
overhaul would include lowering marginal tax rates, reducing the corporate tax
rate … to 15%, and repatriating corporate cash held overseas, he said.”
Not
every Republican may vote to scrap Obamacare. The Atlantic: “…there are
already two question marks. One is Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the centrist
Republican who voted against repeal in late 2015 … The other potential problem
is Senator Lamar Alexander … Alexander voted for repeal last year, but in recent
days he has made clear that he prefers a different strategy for ending the ACA:
‘replace and then repeal.'”
TNR’s
Brian Beutler argues Dems ahve upper hand: “…that very desire to avoid
responsibility for bad outcomes is the source of Democratic leverage.
Republicans will have taken millions of insured Americans hostage, hoping
Democrats would help them pick off the victims. By doing nothing, Democrats will
turn the gun back on Republicans themselves.”
Bipartisan
duo drafts bill to protect DREAMers. The Hill: “Senate Democratic Whip Dick
Durbin (Ill.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … are crafting a bill to shield
children living in the country illegally from being deported if they grew up in
the United States and have stayed out of trouble. The bill is likely to have the
support of another Republican on the committee, Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) … right
now it looks like the sponsors are well short of the 14 Republican votes they
would need to overcome a filibuster.”
DNC CHAIR CANDIDATES STUMP TODAY
DNC
members audition candidates for chair at Association of State Democratic Chairs
forum today. The Hill: “[Rep. Keith] Ellison … is the early front-runner …
But he is expected to face a stiff challenge from [Howard] Dean … Several other
buzz-worthy names might still join the race, including Labor secretary Tom Perez
— a favorite in Obamaworld – and NARAL president Ilyse Hoge, who this week
received the backing of influential liberal blogger Markos Moulitsas … ‘This
isn’t a cinch for anyone right now,’ said Peter Corroon, the state Democratic
chairman of Utah and first cousin of Dean. ‘It’s a wide open field.'”
Though
Dean won’t attend in person. The Hill: “He will send in a video, while three
other announced candidates – Ellison, New Hampshire chairman Raymond Buckley and
South Carolina chairman Jaime Harrison – are slated to appear in person …
several DNC chairs and party members … say they aren’t seeing the same kind of
intense lobbying effort from Dean that other candidates are waging behind the
scenes.”
MIXED SIGNALS FROM EUROPE
Estonia
dumps flat tax. Bloomberg: “…the Baltic nation adopted universal levies for
business and personal income in 1994, a move that was later copied by peers
including Hungary, Romania, and Russia. But what was lauded as a measure to
boost the economy has fallen from favor, after inequality grew and rapid growth
fizzled out.”
Brexit
leader loses election. NYT: “In a surprise upset, a candidate of the
centrist and pro-European Liberal Democrats defeated a prominent supporter of
British withdrawal from the European Union in a parliamentary by-election … The
victory, by Sarah Olney, delivered a badly needed lift to the Liberal Democrats,
who were in danger of becoming extinct … ‘The people of Richmond Park and North
Kingston have sent a shock wave through this Conservative Brexit government, and
our message is clear: We do not want a hard Brexit,’ she [said.]”
Italy
referendum could bolster right-wing populists. NYT: “Italy’s prime minister,
Matteo Renzi, only 41, once seemed to have solved the riddle of how to survive
Europe’s populist, anti-establishment tempest. But with a critical national
referendum on Sunday, the populist wave is now threatening to crush him … What
should be an inward-looking referendum on whether to overhaul Italy’s ossified
political and electoral system has taken on much broader import … Mr. Renzi’s
supporters have taken to calling his opponents in the internet-born, populist
Five Star Movement ‘Trumpisti.’ … With polls indicating that Mr. Renzi may fail,
the possibility that he could resign, and force new elections or perhaps bring a
caretaker government, has alarmed many leaders…”
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