MORNING MESSAGE
Hillary
has sought to appeal to the populist temper of the times in both rhetoric and
program ... But she remains Wall Street’s favorite Democrat despite her new-born
populist postures ... Camden Fine, head of the Independent Community Bankers of
America ... discounted Clinton’s populist rhetoric: 'She gonna all of a sudden
become Mrs. Wall Street if she’s elected. So it’s all Bernie theatrics right
now. She’s a Clinton, for God’s sake. What do you expect?' ... it isn’t Sanders
or O’Malley who impugn her integrity; it is her Wall Street donors
themselves.
Clinton, Sanders Spar Over Taxes
Clinton
proposes tax credit for family caregivers. Reuters: “…Clinton on Sunday
proposed a tax credit offsetting up to $6,000 in costs associated with caring
for elderly and disabled family members, and allowing caregivers to accrue
Social Security retirement benefits for such work … Clinton has previously
announced a tax credit of $2,500 for an individual or $5,000 for a family to
cover high healthcare costs and another credit that would cover some of the
expense of attending college.”
“Sanders
camp calls Clinton tax proposals ‘Republican lite,’” reports W. Post:
“‘Given the disappearing middle class and massive income wealth inequality in
America today, we clearly have to go a lot further than what Secretary Clinton
proposes,’ Sanders’s communications director, Michael Briggs, said …”
Clinton
not mentioning Sanders on the stump. NYT: “A substantial lead in the polls
could prompt any candidate to look beyond the primary to try to get a head start
on the general election, but in Mrs. Clinton’s case, gazing past Mr. Sanders to
next November is part of the intensified strategy to defeat him.”
Syria, Climate Could Provoke Shutdown
“Syria
refugee fight emerges as government shutdown threat” reports The Hill: “The
fight over adding language restricting Syrian refugees from the United States is
one of a number of policy fights that threatens to prevent a deal on funding the
government … Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has not been specific, but said he
expects the funding bill to include some changes to existing policy. That’s led
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to sound the alarm [saying] were
potentially ‘several hundred poison pill riders’ …”
Climate
change funding also could be flashpoint. Politico: “On Dec. 11, Obama
administration diplomats will be in Paris working to cinch a global climate deal
that will hinge on whether they can back up a pledge to provide billions of
dollars to help poor countries deal with climate change. That same day,
Republicans back in Washington will be trying to hold that money hostage…”
House
GOP witch hunt against climate scientists rebutted. W. Post: “The escalating
struggle between an influential House Republican and government scientists over
their pivotal study of global warming now turns on accusations that they rushed
to publish their findings to advance President Obama’s agenda on climate change
… [But] research was subject to a longer, more intensive review than is
customary.”
“Congress
planning a light schedule for next year” says W. Post: “Tensions between
President Obama and GOP congressional leaders, magnified by the political
freight of an election year, mean few substantial measures have hope of
advancing. And, more important, lawmakers have cleared out — or are in the
process of clearing out — the few must-pass bills required to meet deadlines
before the next Congress is sworn in.”
“GOP
three times as angry at government” reports Politico: “Among Republicans and
Republican-leaning independents, 32 percent indicated an anger toward
government, down from 38 percent during the 2013 government shutdown but 20
points higher than Democrats, of whom just 12 percent said they were
angry.”
Progressive
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