Progressive Breakfast: The Republican Trumpless Debate

MORNING MESSAGE

The most stunning revelations of the debate came from what was missing. There was not one question about the economy. Not one candidate explained what he would do to make the economy work for working people. No one mentioned the threat posed by what looks like a looming global slowdown. Gilded Age inequality went unmentioned. The real and present challenge of climate change was reduced to a gotcha question to Marco Rubio about cap-and-trade. The 'conservative message' doesn’t include the kitchen table concerns of most Americans.

Cruz, Rubio Hit Hard

Cruz and Rubio grilled at debate. Politico:Fox News put both candidates on the defensive with questions, featuring video clips, that felt like attack ads … clips showing Rubio vowing as a Senate candidate to oppose a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, something he then supported when it became part of the bill he helped write … Cruz got the same treatment, as Fox News played a clip of his speech on the Senate floor in support of an amendment to that 2013 immigration reform bill that he framed as a ‘compromise’ to allow people to come out of the shadows. ‘Was that all an act?’ Kelly asked…”
Trump holds alleged charity fundraiser instead. Reuters: “…Trump said the gathering would be to benefit veterans [and] that in one day he raised more than $5 million for a veterans group, although his campaign did not say which group was getting the funds…”

Sanders and Clinton Circle Around Debates

Sanders, Clinton tussle over additional debates. Politico: “The [Sanders campaign] demand for late spring debates was designed to sting — it flew in the face of the Clinton team’s desire to wrap up the contest in early March after a strong showing in the first multi-state primary on March 1. But the Clinton campaign then called Sanders’ bluff Thursday, insisting in a statement that they’ve always been willing to add additional debates beyond the six scheduled events — and were ready to begin discussions on scheduling debates in April and May. [Sanders aide Tad] Devine insists it’s all a cynical ploy … ‘She’s trailing in every poll in New Hampshire, so they want to have a debate there.'”
New Sanders ad fingers Wall St. influence. WSJ: “It doesn’t mention Mrs. Clinton by name, nor does it carry her image. But the target of the ad is no mystery … A narrator says: ‘How does Wall Street get away with it? Millions in campaign contributions and speaking fees. … As long as Washington is bought and paid for, we can’t build an economy that works for people.'”
The Nation’s Robert Pollin rips “Clintonomics”: “The starting point for understanding Bill Clinton’s economic program is to recognize that it was thoroughly beholden to Wall Street … [It] accomplished almost nothing to improve conditions for working people and the poor on a sustained basis … this reality needs to be recognized every time Hillary Clinton invokes her husband’s record as a compelling argument for supporting her own candidacy.”
NYT’s Paul Krugman questions Sanders’ single-payer numbers: “…Kenneth Thorpe, a health policy expert (and a long-term supporter of health reform who believes that single payer would be a good thing if politically feasible) has tried to crunch the numbers, and it really doesn’t look good. Thorpe estimates that the plan would actually require about twice as much new revenue as Sanders claims. The Sanders campaign is calling this a ‘hatchet job’…”

Warren Report Rips Justice Dept.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren rips DoJ on prosecuting Wall St. crime. Bloomberg: “In a 10-page report titled ‘Rigged Justice: 2016,’ the U.S. Senator’s staff cited 20 cases in which they say prosecutors showed “timidity” by not pursuing individuals for civil or criminal misdeeds … The report even dismisses a recent U.S. Justice Department announcement, known as the Yates memo, in which Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates heralded a new direction by telling prosecutors to embark on investigations by focusing on people, not companies. ‘Both before and after this DOJ announcement, accountability for corporate crimes has been shockingly weak,’ Warren’s office wrote.”
Warren ties report to presidential race in NYT oped: “Legislative agendas matter, but voters should also ask which presidential candidates they trust with the extraordinary power to choose who will fight on the front lines to enforce the laws.”

Dems Push For Flint Funds

Senate Dems seek federal funds to end Flint water crisis. NYT: “Senate Democrats said Thursday they would seek $600 million in federal aid to help Michigan clean up the contaminated water emergency in the city of Flint, the most far-reaching financial solution proposed to manage the crisis. Under the proposed legislation, the federal government would provide $600 million in federal emergency aid to the state, with as much as $400 million designated for drinking water infrastructure improvements and $200 million to deal with the health fallout from the lead exposure. Michigan would be required to match the $400 million portion dollar for dollar…”
Flint leaders got fresh water one year ago. Mother Jones: “According to newly discovered emails, Michigan officials were trucking clean water to a state building in Flint in January 2015, long before they acknowledged to residents that the city had a contamination problem … [One] email was sent just days after the city sent out an advisory about high levels of trihalomethanes in its water but maintained that, for healthy individuals, the water was safe to drink.”

Breakfast Sides

Limp 4th quarter GDP. NYT: “The American economy barely grew last quarter, finishing the year much as it had started and stoking concern about its momentum in 2016. Over all, the economy expanded at an annual rate of just 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015 … Big business has been noticeably cautious to invest, despite healthy profits in many industries. The strong dollar and weakness in Asia and Europe have hurt many manufacturers … the plunge in oil prices has prompted drastic cuts in spending on energy exploration and production …”
WH acts on equal pay. The Hill: “The Obama administration is proposing a rule that will force companies with 100 employees or more to report pay data by gender, race and ethnicity to further advance equal pay for women in the workplace … ‘We anticipate completing the rule no later than September 2016, which means the first reports would be due September 30, 2017,’ [EEOC Chair Jenny] Yang said.”
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