Mediaboss Marketing

Updated on May 19 at 5:05 p.m. EST

Democrats reacted with a mixture of shock and anger to instantly controversial reports in The New York Times and The Washington Post on Friday afternoon involving President Trump and the federal investigation into whether coordination existed between his campaign associates and the Russian government.

Trump Told the Russians That 'Nut Job' Comey's Firing Relieved 'Great Pressure'

This is what OBSTRUCTION looks like, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy tweeted in response to the Times report that Trump informed Russian officials that his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey eased great pressure. The Times further reported that Trump called Comey crazy, a real nut job, and said I faced great pressure because of Russia. Thats taken off during the interaction.

If there was any question as to why Comey was really fired, @realDonaldTrump just answered it. As I said, Nixonian, Democratic Senator Bob Casey wrote on Twitter in response to the report.

The truth is coming out, Democratic Representative Jim McGovern tweeted in reference to a separate Washington Post report stating that the law enforcement investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign has identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest.

Democratic Senator Ed Markey said in an MSNBC interview that the reports have created an inflection point in the entire Russia-collusion investigation, adding: it makes it very clear that what Donald Trump was trying to do was to end the Russian investigation.

A number of congressional Democrats responded to the reports by reviving calls for an independent commission to investigate potential Trump-Russia ties.

Others called for Congress to take action in other ways: Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, urged the panels GOP Chairman Jason Chaffetz to obtain copies immediately of any White House documents that might exist memorializing the Presidents statements to the Russians.

The revelations follow a tumultuous period for the Trump administration that has unfolded over the past two weeks.

It started last week when the president abruptly fired Comey, who was then charged with oversight of the bureaus investigation into potential ties between Trump campaign associates and the Russian government. American intelligence agencies concluded in January that the Russian government engaged in an influence operation intended to undermine Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. Although it remains ongoing, the Russia inquiry has caused significant political troubles for the Trump administration in its early days.

Comeys firing was followed in quick succession by reports that Trump had shared highly classified information with Russian diplomats at the White House that endangered a source of intelligence on ISIS, and that Trump had privately asked Comey to halt an investigation into his former national security advisor Michael Flynn.

The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein had appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate possible links between Trump associates and Russian officials. The president reacted angrily to the news on Twitter early Thursday morning, calling it the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!

The White House has struggled to limit the damage, as Trump has undermined much of the official administration messaging in either interviews or tweets. In an interview with NBC News that took place several days after firing Comey, Trump indicated that the Russia investigation was on his mind when he decided to fire Comey, saying when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story. The president appeared to confirm that he had disclosed information related to terrorism with Russian officials in a series of tweets on Tuesday.

During a press conference on Thursday, however, Trump insisted that there was no collusion with Russia, and responded no, no, next question, when asked if he had urged Comey back down from investigating Flynn.

In reaction to the Times report that Trump had said firing Comey had taken off pressure, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that the real story is that our national security has been undermined by the leaking of private and highly classified conversations.

Responding to the Post, Spicer said that a thorough investigation will confirm that there was no collusion between the campaign and any foreign entity.

View original post here:
Democrats Say Trump Committed Obstruction of Justice - The Atlantic

Rep. Tim Ryan was worked up, telling reporters thatthe Trump administrations promise to start renegotiating NAFTA was too flimsy to trust.

Our workers unbolted the machines from the factory floor and put them in a box to ship them to China! said Ryan (D-Ohio) at a midday news conference with fellow Rust Belt Democrats. Weve got to get off the dime here! Im ready to be part of fixing this problem, but we need a little more seriousness from the executive branch.

But despite booking a studio underneath the Capitol, Ryan and the rest of his trade-skeptical Democrats had attracted almost no media interest. A podium for TV cameras was empty; a couple of staffers, with iPhones trained on Facebook Live, were recording the remarks for posterity.

Trade, the issue that Trump used to cleave reliably Democratic voters away from Hillary Clinton last year, could be a weakness for his administration. A president who told Midwestern voters that he would start tearing up the single worst trade deal in the history of economics had taken until Thursdayto start doing so.

Even then, the White Houses first move as required by the treaty was to start a 90-day clock, a period for Congress to consult the administration. According to U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer, whose landslide confirmation vote attracted most Rust Belt Democrats, the goal was to build on what has worked in NAFTA but change and improve what has not, hardly the sledgehammer approach suggested during the campaign.

In that campaign, Democrats gritted their teeth as Trump rounded on Clinton for backing the Trans-Pacific Partnership and even for NAFTA, signed by her husband. Butthe partys leadership and potential 2020 leaders have no such trade baggage, which allowed them to spend Thursday predicting a Republican sellout.

Simply saying youre going to renegotiate NAFTA doesnt get us where we need to go, said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who represents the city of Flint.

So far all weve seen are tepid talking points, said Rep. Marc Pocan (D-Wis.).

Trumps objective is to change as little as possible while saying he changed as much as possible, snarked Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.). He will seek something visual that he can go visit.

Comments such as those reflected not just the long-term preferences of the Democratic Party but months of hand-wringing about how Trump absconded with one of the partys issues and how Clinton lost blue-collar white voters. But as the Trump administration announced its new NAFTA position, Democrats were gasping for airtime. Democrats in swing states often responded like Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who said the announcement is a welcome step before asking for real details. Democrats in safer seats quickly predicted a sellout.

Instead of being clear that Mexico will be required to change their laws and bring their practices into compliance with internationally recognized labor standards, they have stated that these are sensitive issues, said Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.). There will be no change in NAFTA, and there will be no stemming the loss of the U.S. jobs, unless this issue of labor costs is fully addressed. It must be front and center in any renegotiation.

The rest is here:
Democrats predict a Trump sellout on NAFTA - Washington Post

Common Dreams

For Democrats, Resistance Trumps Ideas Common Dreams Democratic Party luminaries and 2020 presidential mentionables gathered this week for an ideas conference organized by the Center for American Progress, the Democratic establishment's premier think tank. Its stated purpose was to focus not on what ... At D.C. conference, Democrats look towards 2020, but can't get past TrumpPBS NewsHour all 3 news articles »

Original post:
For Democrats, Resistance Trumps Ideas - Common Dreams

New York Times

Democratic Leaders Try to Slow Calls to Impeach Trump New York Times WASHINGTON When House Democratic leaders hastily called a news conference Wednesday to demonstrate their outrage at President Trump's latest dramatics, they took great pains to show they were not seeking to railroad him out of the White House. Democrats, GOP show little appetite for Trump impeachmentWashington Examiner Democratic leaders seek to stifle impeachment talkPolitico It's the Beginning of the End for Trump. Even Elected Democrats Can Feel It.Slate Magazine New York Daily News -McClatchy Washington Bureau -VICE News all 346 news articles »

Read the rest here:
Democratic Leaders Try to Slow Calls to Impeach Trump - New York Times

RICHMOND Virginia Democrats Tom Perriello and Ralph Northam are battling in a very close contest for the partys gubernatorial primary, with divisions reemerging from last years Democratic presidential race, according to a new Washington Post-Schar School poll.

Democratic likely voters say Perriellos endorsements by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), icons of the national progressive movement, carry at least as much weight as Northams support from Gov. Terry McAuliffe and nearly all other Virginia Democrats in Congress and the state legislature.

With less than one month before the June 13 primary, 40 percent of likely Democratic voters support Perriello, while 38 percent support Northam, a difference that is well within the surveys range of sampling error. Perriello is a former congressman, and Northam is the states lieutenant governor.

More than 2 in 10 Democratic voters are undecided or have no current preference, a sign of fluidity leading into the final weeks before the June 13 primary, according to the poll co-sponsored by The Post and George Mason Universitys Schar School of Policy and Government.

I like both the guys, said Shantanu Sharma, 46, of Sterling. Im torn between the guy with the establishment backing versus the guy with Bernie Sanderss backing.

Among the broader group of Democratic-leaning registered voters, Perriello holds a slight edge over Northam, with 35 percent support to Northams 29 percent.

Northams supporters are more apt to fit the profile of likely voters, though a factor that could prove decisive given that fewer than 10 percent of voters have participated in nonpresidential primaries in the past decade.

Age is a clear dividing line in support, with Perriello, 42, leading Northam by 20 percentage points among Democratic-leaning registered voters ages 18 to 39, while Northam, 57, leads by 16 points among those ages 65 and older. The two run more evenly among voters in between.

As one of only two gubernatorial races nationwide this year (the other is in New Jersey, which is less competitive), Virginia has drawn national attention as a proving ground for how Democrats move forward after Hillary Clintons defeat in November.

Perriellos upstart candidacy has attracted national money and national media as he bashes President Trump at every opportunity, while Northam has patiently built support within the state and has campaigned on his ability to work with the Republican-controlled legislature.

[Shades of blue: Northam, Perriello may clash mostly on style]

Opposition to Trump clearly resonates with Virginia voters, only 36 percent of whom approve of his performance, according to the poll.

Bridget Hewlett, 48, of Richmond, said she has been distraught and disillusioned with politics after watching how Trumps administration is playing out.

I am not that type of Democrat who is hateful. I want him to succeed, she said. But he is getting on my nerves, and he is acting too childish. I want a governor who will come in and help the country calm down. I want the country to feel better again. I dont feel happy.

Hewlett said she is leaning toward Perriello but hasnt made up her mind.

Perriello leads by 18 points among Democratic-leaning registered voters who wanted Sanders to win the partys presidential nomination last year, while Clinton voters split 35 percent for Northam and 34 percent for Perriello.

Judging from last years outcome, a Sanders strategy would seem risky in Virginia. Clinton beat Sanders by nearly 30 percentage points in the states primary, though voters then were also split along generational lines. Exit polling showed Sanders won nearly 7 in 10 voters under age 30, while Clinton won clear majorities of older voters.

But the poll suggests that Perriellos Sanders-like approach is finding traction. A 57 percent majority of Democratic likely voters say the Sanders and Warren endorsements make them more inclined to back Perriello. Thats slightly higher than the 50 percent who say the support from McAuliffe and other Virginia Democratic officials makes them more likely to back Northam.

That might suggest a shift in the state party.

In the past, the Democratic Party of Virginia has always proudly bucked against the more progressive trends on the national party side, said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School. Theyve always had their success when they projected a more moderate image than the national party. I think things have flipped in some respects. Were seeing a much more progressive wing of the Democratic Party active in Virginia.

Lucas Atkins, a 19-year-old college student from Roanoke, said he was drawn to Perriello after reading about his plans to increase taxes on the wealthy to expand social programs and learning he had the endorsements of Sanders and Warren.

That means a lot to me personally because Bernie and Elizabeth Warren arent the average Democrat. They are not the same old centrist Democrat, said Atkins, who said the election of Trump should send a signal for Democrats to embrace the partys progressive wing. Id like to be optimistic and say some people might have learned the lesson that centrist establishment Democratic policies are not necessarily what the American people want.

Northam and Perriello agree on most major issues and are seen by voters to possess similar attributes. But Perriello has a slight edge in the perception that he could stand up to Trump (38 percent to 30 percent), while Northam has a similar edge in perception that he could work with state Republicans (38 percent to 31 percent). Still, those results are within the polls range of sampling error.

There are a couple of key regional differences. Perriello enjoys a massive advantage in the southwest part of the state, where 58 percent of Democratic-leaning registered voters say they support him compared with 20 percent for Northam. Perriello is from Charlottesville and represented the rural 5th District during his single term in Congress.

Northam, who represented Norfolk in the state Senate, holds a smaller edge in the Hampton Roads region, with 40 percent support compared with 28 percent for Perriello.

Between his career in the legislature and heavy TV advertising in Hampton Roads, Northam is a far more familiar figure in that part of the state. I havent had much knowledge of Mr. Perriello, no advertisements, nothing that would make me kind of think maybe I would prefer him, said Sandra Wilson, 58, of Norfolk, who said she supports Northam.

The two are running virtually even in Northern Virginia, with 28percent favoring Perriello and 26 percent for Northam. But more than one-third of those voters remain undecided, making the vote-rich area a major opportunity in the final weeks before the primary.

One part of the national story line that doesnt hold up: Perriello has been claiming the progressive mantle, but registered voters who identify as very liberal are about equally split between the two.

Similarly, Northam has been portrayed as the more conservative of the two, but Perriello has a statistically insignificant lead among moderate and conservative Democrats, 35 percent to 27percent.

The two are vying to take on one of the three Republicans running for that partys nomination in the primary. Those candidates are former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie, state Sen. Frank W. Wagner (Virginia Beach) and Prince William County supervisor Corey Stewart. The poll found Gillespie with a commanding lead in that primary battle.

[Post-Schar poll finds Ed Gillespie with big lead for GOP nomination]

The Post-Schar School poll was conducted May 9 to 14 among a random sample of 1,602 Virginia adults reached on cellular and landline phones. The margin of sampling error for individual percentage results is plus or minus 4.5points among the sample of 654 Democratic-leaning registered voters and six points among the sample of 351 likely primary voters. The range of sampling error for the difference between candidates support is 10 points among likely voters.

Emily Guskin, Fenit Nirappil and Laura Vozzella contributed to this report.

Continued here:
Race between Democrats running for Virginia governor is neck-and-neck - Washington Post