Blue-State Republicans Push Tax Law Changes
Some blue-state Republicans are pushing for tax changes to help their constituents as Democrats seek to target the suburbs in the midterm elections.
Nearly all of the GOP lawmakers who voted against the sweeping tax-cut bill in December did so because of a cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction that would be particularly damaging in high-tax areas such as New York, New Jersey and California. Now that the bill is law, some of those lawmakers are offering legislation to prevent their constituents from seeing tax hikes.
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.), a top target in November, is planning to offer legislation that would allow everyone who prepaid their 2018 property taxes to deduct them on their 2017 returns.
Lance and others also say they still want to see the full SALT deduction restored.
And a number of blue-state Republicans, including those who voted for the tax bill, are calling for Democratic state officials to lower taxes.
The midterm elections are shaping up to be challenging for Republicans. The president’s party typically loses congressional seats in the midterms, and President Trump’s approval rating in recent polls is only around 40 percent.
A number of high-profile GOP lawmakers have decided to retire rather than face potentially difficult contests — including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), who said on Monday that he would not seek reelection.
Many districts held by GOP lawmakers in blue states were being targeted by Democrats even before the tax bill passed, since Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won or only narrowly lost them in 2016. The tax bill only complicates things further.
GOP strategist Ford O'Connell said that blue-state Republicans are all making the case that they’re fighting for their constituents, though they are not all doing so in the same way.
“They’re not all singing from the same hymn book,” he said.
Democrats Spoil Trump's One-Year Anniversary Of Winning The White House
It’s been a year since President Trump shocked the world by winning the White House in an election most political observers were certain was going the other way, a fact Trump continues to regularly tout in his public speeches and telephone conversations with world leaders.
And to many of Trump’s allies inside and outside the White House, much of what has happened since remains an unqualified success despite the first-year president’s historically low approval ratings. TrumpWorld sees a deregulation-fueled spurt of economic growth that is driving stock market gains and low unemployment, quality conservative judicial appointments highlighted by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, progress toward greater border security and immigration control, battlefield victories against the Islamic State, and promises kept to social conservatives.
Democratic victories in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as a spate of local elections across the country, told a different story. Republicans got shellacked as the suburbs turned hard against them. And 85 percent of those who disapproved of Trump’s job performance voted for Democrats. Now a special election for the Alabama Senate seat formerly held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions isn’t looking like such a sure bet, thanks in part to the controversies engulfing Roy Moore, the Bannon-backed GOP nominee.
“There is no question about it, Democrats flat-out took the Republicans to the woodshed … in Virginia,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist who worked on some campaigns in the state. “Republicans should be nervous ahead of 2018, but Democrats would also be unwise to misinterpret the results.”
Democratic gains on the Hill would make that fight harder. “The notion of Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi again should put the fear of God in House Republicans,” O’Connell said. But he argues that’s no reason to stop enacting Trump policies.
“Trump’s approval ratings, the dismal GOP brand and the perception of a ‘do-nothing Congress’ were certainly a factor” in Democratic wins, he added. “That said, these numbers aren’t static, so this should put them on notice to pass tax reform and other key Trump agenda items before the 2018 elections.”
Read more from W. James Antle III at the Washington Examiner
Is Possible 2016 Run Behind Christie’s Tighter Grip On N.J. Financial Info?
Governor Christie won the 2009 gubernatorial election against incumbent Jon Corzine by promising to right New Jersey’s economy, fix a state budget riddled with debt and take on record-high property tax bills.
Christie would accomplish those goals while ushering in “a new era of transparency and accountability,” he said during his inauguration.
But since delivering those remarks in January 2010, Christie has been forced to face several stark facts: Tax collections fell below what he promised; credit ratings were downgraded; property tax bills grew; and the state unemployment rate continued to trail the national average and those of most neighboring states.
Now, Christie has turned his attention to 2016 and a decision about joining the race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, in which each candidate’s economic record will be a critical issue. But in the past eight months, his administration has made several moves that ultimately keep sensitive details about state finances from public view.
Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist based in Washington, D.C., said what Christie has been doing is “par for the course” for a potential presidential candidate.
Christie’s top concern heading into the 2016 GOP primary and caucus season is his record on fiscal issues and the state economy, said O’Connell, who worked on John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. And, he added, that record will be more important to primary voters than any lingering concerns about the bridge controversy or Christie’s positions on social issues, which some conservatives have labeled as too moderate.
“The key to how far he goes comes down to how he can package and sell his fiscal management and the economic performance of the Garden State,” O’Connell said. “That’s his No. 1 concern right now.”
New Jersey's Fiscal Woes Imperil An Already-Damaged Chris Christie
The scandal over a made-up study that badly disrupted traffic at the George Washington Bridge may not be New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's biggest problem after all.
Less than a year after the charismatic governor was the toast of the Republican Party and a leading contender to run for the White House in 2016, the story was supposed to be about a New Jersey economy that he had managed to turn around and budget problems he had been able to solve. That narrative appears to be unraveling.
Almost six months into his second term as governor, Christie faces a more than $800 million budget gap. The state's credit rating - already downgraded twice by each of the three main rating agencies - could be hit again, while the state's public unions are suing over Christie's decision to slash mandatory payments to the pension fund by 60 percent.
At the same time, New Jersey's economy is less than buoyant - its jobless rate is 6.9 percent, higher than the national rate of 6.3 percent.
His failures on the fiscal front, though, could haunt him more than the investigations into the scandal, widely known as Bridgegate, political strategists said. Christie already faced an uphill struggle against conservative Republicans because he has not taken aggressive stances on some social issues, such as gun control and gay marriage. He can now also be attacked by Republican opponents over his ability to run New Jersey in a fiscally sound way.
"This has the potential to be a much bigger problem for Christie's 2016 prospects than Bridgegate," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist. "The best he can do to boost his chances in 2016 is to get New Jersey's fiscal state in order."
Read more from Edith Honan and Gabriel Debenedetti at Reuters
Christie’s Biggest Battle Isn’t Scandal
For Gov. Chris Christie, it’s his state’s budget — not “Bridgegate” — that could derail his 2016 ambitions.
The New Jersey Republican unveiled a plan on Tuesday to combat the state’s $807 million budget shortfall, as he’s required to do by state law. He says it wouldn’t raise taxes and would reduce pension payments for public workers.
But now the Christie administration must begin wrangling with a Democratic-controlled Legislature to pass the plan and overhaul the state’s finances. It’s his first major test since the fallout after senior officials in his administration were implicated in the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge as an apparent act of political payback.
“This is a make-or-break moment for Chris Christie. As the Bridgegate scandal swirls around him, the best thing he can do is get Jersey’s fiscal house in order,” Republican strategist Ford O’Connell said. “If he can’t, that’s where they’ll tar and feather him if he gets up onstage in a GOP primary.”
Christie continued to blame former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat he defeated in 2009, for his budget woes during the unveiling of his proposal on Tuesday.
“We will not make the payment that apply to the sins of the past,” Christie said at a press conference on Tuesday in Trenton. “We’re still digging out of problems two decades in the making.”
GOP Consultants: Christie’s 2016 Prospects Are On ‘Life Support’
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie swears “there’s no baggage here” when it comes to a possible 2016 presidential run. But almost three-and-a-half months since “Bridgegate” broke into public view, Republican analysts and strategists are seeing it differently.
Christie once led the pack among GOP presidential hopefuls. But he has taken a beating in the polls and his reputation has faltered among the party faithful since questions emerged about his office’s connections to lane closures on the George Washington Bridge and the dispersal of hurricane relief funds.
Christie’s own internal investigation, conducted by a friendly law firm cost state taxpayers $1 million and concluded the governor was not involved, instead blaming others long associated with the bridge scandal. But federal prosecutors, a state legislative panel and now the Manhattan district attorney continue to dog Christie. Two ex-Christie advisers are seeking immunity in exchange for cooperating with those inquires, facts not lost on donors and the Republican establishment.
Christie’s presidential prospects are on “life support,” said GOP strategist Ford O’Connell. “Time is not on Christie’s side. As long as there’s a perception of wrongdoing, it’s going to be very hard for him to win the nomination.”
“The perception of the abuse of government power is troubling for a lot of Republicans,” said O’Connell. “Christie was always going to have a problem with grassroots conservatives, but this gave them one more arrow in their quiver. Much of his selling point was ‘I can win a general election.’” Bridgegate disrupts that, he said.
Christie Flies To Florida, Followed By Questions
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will visit Florida this weekend to raise money for Gov. Rick Scott, his first major fundraising trip as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. The trip may answer some questions about how the scandal over lane closures at the George Washington Bridge will affect his path to the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
ROSE: Christie has another tough job to do. As chairman of the Republican Governor's Association, he's tasked with raising $100 million to help governors around the country who are running for election in 2014. And Christie is the star attraction this weekend at a series of fundraising events for big time Republican donors in Florida.
FORD O'CONNELL: A lot of donors are really sort of taking a wait-and-see approach.
ROSE: Ford O'Connell is a Republican strategist. Technically Christie's weekend events are for the RGA and Florida Governor Rick Scott. But O'Connell says they're also an opportunity for Christie to reassure supporters ahead of his possible presidential run in 2016.
O'CONNELL: He needs to reach out to donors and let them know that, you know, everything's OK on his end because donors are a pretty risk adverse crowd. And if you cannot get the donors on your side, you won't be able to raise the money to be a frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Why Democrats And The Liberal Media Want To Destroy Chris Christie
For Republicans, the question of which candidate would give the party its best chance to reclaim the White House in 2016 is still very much open. Scott Walker slayed the public sector unions in Wisconsin. Rick Perry might remember that third department to eliminate. Ted Cruz certainly has made a mark in his short time in the Senate, and Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and others still could shake things up.
But Democrats have made their judgment as to which Republican they fear most – and the answer is Chris Christie.
This explains the strange things that have been happening with your TV. Your cable system likely has several hundred channels, and all of them are reporting on Bridgegate. You keep switching and switching – you need new batteries for the remote – but the story is always the same.
What did the governor know about his staff deliberately causing traffic tie-ups in Fort Lee, N.J., and when did he know it? Who were these staffers? And why didn't he supervise them better? Why did they lie to him? Did they do this to the mayor of Jersey City as well? And what about the Hurricane Sandy money? Is this guy Tony Soprano with a closer-to-legit job?
Not since the inglorious end to the neighborhood watch surveillance career of one George Zimmerman has the nation's media – aka the information arm of the Democratic Party – been so obsessed with a scandal. It seems as if there are more reporters on this story than on Benghazi, the IRS harassment of tea party groups and the failed rollout of Obamacare combined.
Chris Christie Bridge Scandal: Did Press Conference Save His Future?
To save his political future, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie needed to cover major ground in his marathon press conference Thursday over a scandalous traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge last September, political observers say.
Governor Christie (R), seen as a likely candidate for president in 2016, needed to apologize, fire someone, and look completely sincere in the process.
He did all of the above. But Christie’s not out of the woods on “Bridgegate.” His reputation for managerial skill and straight talk has been dinged, even as he maintained he had no involvement or knowledge of the traffic scheme. Some questions remain. And he is now on notice that if anything new comes out that contradicts what he said Thursday, he may not recover.
The episode is “definitely a mark against him, but on the flip side it’s the first true test of whether he’s ready for prime time in a 2016 run,” says Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. “Lord knows what Democratic trackers will pop up against him. But right now, he’s saying and doing the right thing.”
Read more from Linda Feldmann at The Christian Science Monitor
N.J. Gov. Christie ‘Outraged’ At Bridge Scandal, Says He Just Learned Of Aides’ Behavior
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday that he was outraged after learning — he said for the first time — that his administration purposely caused a traffic jam that clogged streets in a town at the foot of a major bridge into New York City to punish a mayor who refused to endorse him for re-election.
Emails unearthed by NorthJersey.com contradicted Mr. Christie’s claims that his administration had nothing to do with the unfolding George Washington Bridge scandal, and sent the tough-talking Republican into damage control.
“What I’ve seen today for the first time is unacceptable,” he said in a late-afternoon statement after the scandal percolated for most of the day. “I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge.”
Mr. Christie previously insisted that the traffic jams in Fort Lee and the surrounding New Jersey communities should be blamed on a mishandled traffic study.
The 51-year-old, though, acknowledged Wednesday that he had been duped and said those responsible would be held accountable.
“This will be his first real 2016 test for Christie, and how he handles it could be a real indicator of whether he is ready to make a serious bid for the White House moving forward,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. “Allegations of bare-knuckle politics may be par for the course in New Jersey, but it’s not something that the American electorate can easily wrap its head around, particularly in this era of highly partisan, petty politics.”
Read more from Seth McLaughlin at The Washington Times
