MEMO: The C[onservative] Team
The Republican presidential field keeps getting wider, but not any deeper. Mike Huckabee, Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson are set to announce their long-shot bids this week.
And although they're more likely to win FOX News contracts than the White House, each of these three candidates can and will have an impact on the contours of 2016 and the eventual GOP nominee. Look no further than Mitt "Self Deportation" Romney's lurch to the right in the previous presidential nominating contest -- one of the weakest fields in quite some time.
Carson, Huckabee and Fiorina will have their moment in the sun and fire up base. When they do, the true contenders will have to react. Will Walker, Bush and Rubio lose the primary to win the general? If history is any indication, it is quite likely to be just the opposite.
When it comes to electability, these three may make the core of the C-Team, but they're also extremely and unabashedly conservative. Here's how we expect Huckabee, Carson and Fiorina to shift the wide field right.
"Impressive Record of Public Whining"
Peter Schweizer claims he wrote Clinton Cash as "bipartisan citizen action" in the preface, but he has a history of making personal and erroneous attacks on the Clintons. In 2008, Schweizer released Makers and Takers, where he targeted Hillary Clinton, saying she had an "impressive record of public whining." He also said that the political couple was not charitable enough and that they were “preoccupied with material things.” Don't be fooled by his fake call for "government accountability," Schweizer is only interested in furthering his extreme conservative agenda.
GOP Candidates in Iowa Triple Down on RFRA, Opposing Gay Marriage
A reminder to the WHCA hangover crowd: while DC was partying, GOP presidential candidates were on the stump in Waukee, Iowa for the five hour Iowa Faith & Freedom summit, putting all their chips in on opposing gay marriage and supporting discriminatory Indiana-style RFRA laws. Here are some highlights:
Marco Rubio
Marriage is between one man and one woman, and children are better off with heterosexual parents: https://www.youtube.com/
It's not just Christie: GOP Field Would Gut Social Security
Republican strategists are up in arms, criticizing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for highlighting one of the largest single vulnerabilities…
People hate Rubio’s tax plan so much that Glenn Beck would rather vote for Obama
Congratulations, Marco Rubio. Rather than pleasing anyone, you managed to offend just about everyone with your shiny new tax plan. Glenn Beck thinks it’d be better to vote for Barack Obama. Economists and blowhards on the left, center, and right are all singing kumbaya and writing off Rubio’s plan for making laughable assumptions about tax revenues. Or is it the child tax credit that actually excludes poor families? Maybe it’s that his tax cuts didn’t go far enough?
Marco Rubio digs deeper on anti-gay rights
Marco Rubio keeps digging himself into a hole on LGBT rights. He says he believes states should have the final say on legalizing same-sex marriage but his record tells a different story.
Marco Rubio: Pro People, Anti "Events"
Anyone tuned into Marco Rubio's interview with FOX News' Sean Hannity last night could be forgiven for not realizing that…
VIDEO: Marco Rubio: New Face, Same Old Problems
Marco Rubio's presidential announcement should trigger yawns from anyone who has followed his career. A typical politician, Rubio is plagued…
Prime time? Not so much
Rand Paul failed at damage control last night with Megyn Kelly. Rand wasn't interested in answering any of Kelly's questions:
Do you regret shushing the one reporter and jumping in?
The question some people are asking about you is whether you're ready for prime time?
Did you get overly emotional?
People are accusing you now of being too thin-skinned.
Rand continued to prove that he doesn't want to be held accountable to his extreme positions. He's trying to trick viewers into writing off past statements like ending all foreign aid to Israel or a complete ban on a woman's right to choose as "editorializing" by reporters.Rand Paul REALLY doesn't like reporters asking him about his extreme positions
Add Savannah Guthrie to the list of reporters who have been shushed or berated by Rand Paul for asking him questions about his past right-wing positions. Rand shushed CNBC anchor Kelly Evans recently and hung up on Howie Carr. Guess Rand hasn't mellowed out. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, listen. You've editorialized, let me answer a question. You ask a question and you say, 'Have your views changed?" instead of editorializing and saying my views have changed." -- Rand Paul