Playbook PM: McCarthy escalates feud with Cheney

From: POLITICO Playbook - Tuesday May 04,2021 05:18 pm

May 04, 2021

By Ryan Lizza, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

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The four-way mashup between GOP heavies KEVIN MCCARTHY, LIZ CHENEY, TUCKER CARSON and FRANK LUNTZ got new life today when McCarthy appeared on Fox News. More on that in a second.

But first, a brief recap of the beef: McCarthy dislikes Cheney for criticizing DONALD TRUMP. Cheney dislikes McCarthy for sucking up to Trump. (The issue, a spokesperson for Cheney said today, is “whether the Republican Party is going to perpetuate lies about the 2020 election and attempt to whitewash what happened on Jan. 6. Liz will not do that. That is the issue.”) And Carlson is displeased with McCarthy for … renting a room from Luntz in D.C.

It wasn’t really clear why Tucker aimed his ire at Luntz other than his stated belief that Luntz is a big liberal who does the bidding of corporate America. But it turns out there’s a long history of Carlson being a bit mean to Luntz.

It started way back in 1996, when Carlson was a writer for the now-defunct Weekly Standard and had this to say in a piece about consultant grifting:

“Luntz is among the most famous political pollsters in America, a man whose advice on election strategy is sought avidly and openly by NEWT GINGRICH, among others. Luntz’s fame and self-regard are so great that when the [BOB] DOLE campaign neglected to ask for his help in the race this fall, he seemed every bit as confused as he was outraged. ‘Here he is, the man I want to see win, yet he doesn’t want to hear of my findings,’ Luntz complained to the Washington Times.

“Maybe the Dole campaign knows something television audiences don’t: Frank Luntz has very little experience winning actual political races. During the 1994 cycle, when as one consultant put it, ‘I think even FORREST GUMP had 32 winning Republican House seats,’ Luntz signed on to only four contests. Three of his candidates lost, two of them during the primaries.”

Two years later, writing for Slate, Carlson attended a reception for Luntz and came back with this more nuanced — but not exactly flattering — report:

“Luntz wandered through the crowd of a hundred or so, the only man in the room not wearing a tie. I found a beer and talked to a couple of lobbyists I know. What are you doing here? I asked one of them. ‘I used to think Luntz was a total fraud,’ he said. ‘I still think he’s sort of a phony, except now I know how smart he is.’ So do I.”

More from McCarthy’s interview on “Fox and Friends” this morning:

— On Cheney: “There’s no concern about how she voted on impeachment. That decision has been made. I have heard from members concerned about her ability to carry out the job as conference chair, to carry out the message. We all need to be working as one if we’re able to win the majority. Remember, majorities are not given, they are earned.”

— On Carlson and Luntz: “I didn’t know how this was controversial. Frank has been a friend of mine for more than 30 years. I met him with Newt Gingrich back when they were working on the Contract with America. … I rented a room from Frank for a couple months, but don’t worry, I’m going back to where I normally am: on my couch in my office. But yeah, we [pay] fair market rate.”

Good Tuesday afternoon, and May the Fourth be with you.

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HEADS UP — FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO): “Updated Statement: ‘The subject involved in the shooting incident outside CIA Headquarters at approximately 6 p.m. on Monday, May 3, 2021, died from his injuries after being transported to the hospital. The FBI reviews every shooting incident involving an FBI special agent.’”

BIG VACCINE SHIFT — “White House plans to redistribute unordered vaccine supply, telling states: Use it or lose it,” WaPo: “The White House on Tuesday told states vaccine supply they leave unordered will become available to other states — the most significant shift in domestic vaccine distribution since President [JOE] BIDEN took office, and part of an effort to account for flagging demand in parts of the country.

“Each state’s share of the total U.S. adult population will still determine weekly allocations. But instead of allowing unordered doses to carry over week-to-week, the White House will steer untapped vaccine into a federal bank available to states where demand continues to outstrip supply. Those states will be able to order up to 50 percent above their weekly allocation. The use-it-or-lose-it strategy has the potential to transform how vaccine flows across the country.”

2022 WATCH — “Florida’s Crist becomes first prominent Democrat to challenge DeSantis,” by Gary Fineout in Tallahassee: “But Crist’s Tuesday announcement — replete with a gospel choir and flags fluttering in the wind — nearly got overshadowed by rival Democrats also planning their own challenges. Agriculture Commissioner NIKKI FRIED, who held a press conference to call on [Gov. RON] DESANTIS to veto a long line of bills, all but guaranteed Tuesday that she is running for governor. And Rep. VAL DEMINGS put out a biographical video on her social media account that appeared tailor-made for an expected bid.

“Crist, however, did not mention his fellow Democrats during his kick-off speech in St. Petersburg. Instead he took aim at DeSantis and Republicans as out of touch and unfeeling in helping Floridians during the more than year-long pandemic. He gave his speech ahead of [a] five-day statewide tour he is launching to publicize his latest run.” Launch video

— “Democrat Nguyen launches campaign for Georgia’s top election official,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Democratic state Rep. BEE NGUYEN launched a campaign Tuesday to become Georgia’s next top election official, promising to expand voting rights in a state where a brutal and ongoing battle over ballot access has only intensified with recent Republican defeats.

“The Atlanta lawmaker would be the first Asian-American elected to a statewide political office in Georgia history if she flips the seat held by Republican Secretary of State BRAD RAFFENSPERGER … Her campaign, long expected by local Democrats, further transforms a contest that in some past Georgia election cycles was hardly an afterthought – and is now poised to be one of the nation’s most-watched down-ballot elections.” Launch video

INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR — Per VP pooler JON DECKER of Gray TV, SYMONE SANDERS said today that there will be “a number of meetings” at the White House next week on infrastructure with members of Congress from both parties, and VP KAMALA HARRIS has been calling members as part of that effort.

— “Who Would Pay Biden’s Corporate Tax Increase Is Key Question in Policy Debate,” WSJ: “Economists have long puzzled over the question of who pays the corporate tax. … One obvious thought is that companies raise prices after tax increases, putting the burden on consumers. Most economists say there is little effect. …

“Most analysts divide the corporate tax burden between capital and labor … Official estimates from the nonpartisan congressional Joint Committee on Taxation lean toward the Democratic view, assigning 75% of the long-run burden to owners of capital and 25% to workers.”

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READING THE TEA LEAVES — “Biden Aide Demurs on Question of Second Term for Powell at Fed,” Bloomberg: “A senior White House economic aide demurred on the question of whether President Joe Biden will nominate Federal Reserve Chair JEROME POWELL for a second four-year term, saying the decision on selecting the next central bank chief will come after a thorough ‘process.’ ‘It’s neither yes nor no,’ JARED BERNSTEIN, a member of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, told a Politico event Tuesday.”

IMMIGRATION FILES — “Many Families Torn Apart at the Southern Border Face a Long and Uncertain Wait,” NYT/Huehuetenango, Guatemala: “The distance and the uncertainty of a reunion prevent adults and children from rebuilding lives broken apart at the border, deepening the trauma caused by the separation, experts said. And in some cases, the pain of separation without an end in sight has encouraged parents to try, again, the dangerous trek over the U.S. border.

“Those who do, in a desperate effort to be with their children again, are re-enacting the crossing that cost them their children in the first place. … The process of reunifying them all could take months or years, and questions remain about what benefits will be offered to each of those families.”

AT THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF — “Millions of renters brace for a post-pandemic ax,” by Katy O’Donnell: “The pandemic crisis is finally winding down for much of the country, with both vaccinations and the economy surging. But the Covid-19 housing crisis hasn’t even hit yet, and Washington’s efforts to head it off have stalled.

“A federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire June 30, leaving millions of tenants facing long-term damage to their credit and the potential loss of their homes if they can’t scrape together more than a year’s worth of back rent. Now, the Biden administration is racing to end a bottleneck that has prevented state and local governments from distributing nearly $50 billion in rental assistance that Congress allocated to keep those tenants from going over a financial cliff.”

CLIMATE FILES — “Biden’s electric vehicle ambitions leave ethanol sector on edge,” by Ryan McCrimmon and Kelsey Tamborrino: “Corn growers and producers of ethanol … would get only a tiny slice of the funds proposed in the infrastructure package, despite Biden’s assurances that he views them as key to reducing dependence on fossil fuels. So now they’re turning to their traditional allies in Congress to get themselves written in. … The pushback illustrates the political challenge facing Biden as vehicle technology changes and environmental concerns mount.”

— “NOAA unveils new U.S. climate ‘normals’ that are warmer than ever,” WaPo: “On Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released an updated set of climate averages for the contiguous United States based on the 30-year period from 1991 to 2020 …

“The 30-year average temperature for the 48 contiguous states climbed to a record high of 53.28 degrees in the most recent 30 years … Since 1901-1930, the first period for which climate normals were calculated, the contiguous United States has warmed 1.7 degrees, or just a little over 1 degree Celsius.”

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THE VACCINE PAYS — “Pfizer Reaps Hundreds of Millions in Profits From Covid Vaccine,” NYT: “Last year, racing to develop a vaccine in record time, Pfizer made a big decision: Unlike several rival manufacturers, which vowed to forgo profits on their shots during the Covid-19 pandemic, Pfizer planned to profit on its vaccine. On Tuesday, the company announced … [t]he vaccine brought in $3.5 billion in revenue in the first three months of this year, nearly a quarter of its total revenue.”

— “$100 as an Incentive to Get a Shot? Experiment Suggests It Can Pay Off,” NYT: “In recent randomized survey experiments by the U.C.L.A. Covid-19 Health and Politics Project, two seemingly strong incentives have emerged. Roughly a third of the unvaccinated population said a cash payment would make them more likely to get a shot. …

“Similarly large increases in willingness to take vaccines emerged for those who were asked about getting a vaccine if doing so meant they wouldn’t need to wear a mask or social-distance in public, compared with a group that was told it would still have to do those things.”

DATA DIVE — “Why Rising Diversity Might Not Help Democrats as Much as They Hope,” by NYT’s Nate Cohn: “The first set of data lays out long-term demographic trends widely thought to favor Democrats: Hispanics, Asian-Americans and multiracial voters grew as a share of the electorate over the last two presidential races, and white voters — who historically tend to back the G.O.P. — fell to 71 percent in 2020 from 73 percent in 2016.

“The other data set tells a second story. Population growth continues to accelerate in the South and the West, so much so that some Republican-leaning states in those regions are gaining more Electoral College votes. The states won by President Biden will be worth 303 electoral votes, down from 306 electoral votes in 2020. The Democratic disadvantage in the Electoral College just got worse again.”

GUNS IN AMERICA — “Gun injuries put over a half-million people in hospitals from 2000 to 2016, study finds,” WaPo: “Tens of thousands of people are admitted to hospitals for gun injuries every year, according to a first-of-its-kind database that underscores how the societal costs of gun violence extend well beyond mortality.

“Developed by researchers at the Rand Corp., a California-based think tank, the study found roughly 550,000 people were admitted for gunshot wounds from 2000 to 2016, representing billions of dollars in health-care costs annually, as well as untold pain and suffering.” The database

AFTERNOON SNACK — “What Exactly Does John Cornyn Do All Day? Well, for One Thing, He Tweets. A Lot,” Texas Monthly: “A recent analysis found Texas’s senior senator is the most prolific tweeter in Congress—and uses the platform more than celebrities such as ELON MUSK and KIM KARDASHIAN.”

LOL — “Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit against Secret Service for Records of Biden White House Dogs after Biting Incidents”

MEDIAWATCH — Yamiche Alcindor will be the new moderator of PBS’ “Washington Week,” starting this week. She’s the ninth moderator in the program’s 54-year history. She’ll remain White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

@Yamiche: “I’m honored to become the next moderator of @washingtonweek, a show that meant so much to Gwen Ifill when she helmed this chair. My guiding light will be focusing on the impact of politics on everyday people and vulnerable populations.” NYT interview

— Rachel Smolkin is now VP of news for CNN Digital, overseeing politics, national and breaking news teams. She previously was VP and executive editor for CNN Politics. Cathy Straight is now VP of features and opinion for CNN Digital. She previously was executive editor of national news for CNN Digital.

WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Andrew Hebbeler is joining the Office of Science and Technology Policy as assistant director for health and life science. He previously was senior director and lead scientist for global biological policy and programs at Nuclear Threat Initiative.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Melissa Burnison is now VP for federal legislative affairs at Berkshire Hathaway Energy. She most recently was assistant secretary of Energy.

TRUMP ALUMNI — Carlos Diaz-Rosillo has been named the inaugural director of the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University. He is also a senior counselor to the Hawthorn Group and is a Trump administration alum.

TRANSITIONS — Mike Mullen is now a partner at Empire Consulting Group. He most recently was VP of government relations at the National Association of Broadcasters, and is a Mike Doyle and Jim Turner alum. … Brad Goodman is now VP of Hawthorne Strategy Group. He most recently did comms for Cor Strategies and was the founder of Goodman Political. …

… Nick Andersen is now a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative. Andersen, the chief information security officer - public sector at Lumen Technologies, is a Trump DOE and W.H. alum. … Madison Heuston is now a director at SKDKnickerbocker. She most recently was a publicist at The New Yorker.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Erin Casey French, president of EC Consulting, and Towner French, principal at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, welcomed Charles Towner French IV, “Charlie,” on Thursday. He joins big sister Addison.

BONUS BIRTHDAY: Ansley Braden of Rep. Ken Buck’s (R-Colo.) office

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