GOV310 – In The News: A look at national politics through the eyes of Texas, January 20, 2016

[0:00:00 Speaker 1] in the news.

[0:00:07 Speaker 0] Welcome to in the news. I’m Eric McDaniel.

[0:00:09 Speaker 2] I’m Jim Henson.

[0:00:11 Speaker 0] So this week we want to spend some time talking about the campaign, and some or interesting develops have happen in the state of Texas. But one of the first it’s coming up is because the Iowa caucuses about a week away, we have some major news in regards to the Democratic Party and their candidates, as well as what’s going on with Republican Party s Oh, the Democrats at a town hall meeting earlier this week. And we saw basically, you see Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders kind of scoring off against each other, trying to differentiate their different styles,

[0:00:42 Speaker 2] we should mention the Martin O’Malley, the mayor of former governor of Maryland or governor, former governor of Maryland near Baltimore, was there. But we do have a clip of that debate that we can sort of hear what happened between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and what this is is a compendium often exchange between of things that both Clinton and Sanders said on the subject of the Iraq war vote, which has been a major point of differentiation between Clinton and Sanders. So Let’s Ah, let’s see what they had to say in this compendium that moves back and forth because the town hall format had each of them interacting with the audience by themselves. In I think, half hour, 45 minutes segments,

[0:01:27 Speaker 3] most significant votes. An issue regarding foreign policy that we have seen in this country in modern history was the vote on the war in Iraq. Hillary Clinton voted for the war in

[0:01:43 Speaker 1] Iraq. First of all, I have a much longer history than one vote, which I’ve said was a mistake.

[0:01:48 Speaker 3] Experience is important, but judgment is also important.

[0:01:54 Speaker 1] But I think the American

[0:01:55 Speaker 4] public has seen me

[0:01:57 Speaker 1] exercising judgment in a lot of other way.

[0:02:00 Speaker 0] So what you see here is they’re both trying to differentiate themselves. In many ways, this is similar to what you saw in 2008 where Hillary Clinton campaign on the fact that you know she can get things done she has experienced. But the problem was her her background experience being first lady. And so people were like, How much of this is you? How much of this president Where was Obama talking more about? You know I’m or ideologically aligned. Ah, And so you see this coming back again? Where you have a clear with Brexit say is much more. Bernie Sanders is much more ideological than Obama. While Obama’s being paying this very liberal. He was not, as Littlefield make him out to be. Barney Sanders is as liberal as you know. They put him out to be, Ah, but Hillary Clinton, Look, you know, idealized coming. I’m in line with you. But my thing is, we have to get things done. And I have made decisions. I have a record fall back on the Yes, There are some parts of my recommended that aren’t shining me to say, but but Bernie Sanders also the same thing with regards to guns. Eso Jim, What was your take on?

[0:02:58 Speaker 2] Well, I thought it was really interesting in the sense that all of the candidates did pretty well, including poor Martin O malley. Ah Sanders in particular, strikes me as such an unlikely but likeable candidate. I mean, the first thing he said when he walked out there, the crowds applied in him and he sits down and he says, Well, you know, my my wife says I should, but my my jacket, but I’m too fat and he just left as pretty great moment. And I think overall it was an interesting contrast in tone. And Hillary Clinton was very quick to point this out between what’s going on in the Democratic debate, where they’re competitive and there’s been some negative ads. But at the same time, it’s remained reasonably policy. Focus reasonably about contrast between the candidates, which is very different from what we’ve seen in the Republican campaign.

[0:03:49 Speaker 0] Yes, where we’re seeing kind of fireworks being being set off again. But we’re seeing endorsement speaking begin to roll out. So last week, the endorsement started with with Donald Trump, where he received the endorsement of former governor Sarah Palin, former vice president candidate Sarah Palin and former last governor Sarah Palin. But he also received some support from the from the Jellicle community, where Jerry Farwell Jr. The president of Liberty University, endorsed him. And I supported note Liberty University’s where Ted Cruz launched his campaign and maybe but argue that Ted Cruz was the was the front runner when it came to the evangelical vote. And so to see this is very interesting considering, you know, Trump’s gaffe last week when speaking at Liberty but still be able to get a prominent evangelical leader to endorse him.

[0:04:43 Speaker 2] He may be two Corinthians, but he’s number one at Liberty that we’re thinking. OK, so uh, and then over on the cruise side, Cruz also has rolled out some endorsements. There was a little bit of an endorsement deficit. Sarah Palin is such a personality in the Republican Party. Of course, Palin endorses Trump, and you immediately get a Saturday night life skid out of it. Tina Fey’s returns to Saturday Night Live Young people probably don’t care about that, but you know, those of us safely ensconced in middle age, you know, this means something but more interesting. In Texas, Ted Cruz rolled out an endorsement from former governor Rick Perry, which is an interesting dynamic. Rick Perry is a guy who was the longest serving governor in Texas, of course, has not been very successful as a presidential candidate. But Perry’s an interesting surrogate for Cruz, even though Cruz, in many ways is a is a different generation of Texas Republican than Perry. So let’s listen to some of the things that Perry had to say about Cruz as he explained the endorsement on the Fox Business Network earlier this week.

[0:05:53 Speaker 1] But what do you think he can win a general election? Oh, absolutely, I think so. You and you look at Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, Whoever the Democrats are gonna put forward, there is clearly a time for the American people to take a look at this and say, Listen, this is the vision. This is what we want, a America that’s safe. We want in America that’s back economically principle. We want a country that does allow the states to be competitors. And Ted Cruz, that great believer and quite knowledgeable man of the Constitution, believes in the 10th Amendment.

[0:06:28 Speaker 2] Now Perry’s a great surrogate for the 10th Amendment, and that’s been one of the for talking about the 10th Amendment. It’s been a big theme for Cruz. Perry actually wrote a book about it in advance of his last campaign called Fed Up. And you know, the title of the book really does underline how Perry in some ways did seem like somebody who was riding this wave of discontent we’re hearing so much about now. Perry, of course, never, never quite figured out, but I wanted to impress you because my Rick Perry book is signed. If you can’t really see it, says to Jim Freedom Exclamation point. Rick Perry. Now the true story is I didn’t get that signed myself somebody. It was a gift, But still, it’s vocabulary freedom. The man does believe in freedom,

[0:07:13 Speaker 0] and I mean, the 10th Amendment is really big in the state of Texas. One of the things people have argued is when it comes to the state of Texas that they really focused hard on being the trumpeter for other states. And some would say that the Tea Party states because of its size and economic strength, from really pushing back on the 10th Amendment. You see a lot of this in terms of more, most recently with the battle regarding how the discrimination of the Supreme Court dealt with over the summer. Also, the fights with the E. P. A. And in Texas again, Texas is unique in this sense that no matter who’s in power, the Texas Texas gonna fight the federal government because you know it wasn’t independent nation. There’s ah lot in text about the idea of kind of individual liberties and states rights Texas kind of the one to say to the forefront of this because of its prominence in terms of population as well as its economic prowess. It’s really taking the lead on those issues.

[0:08:11 Speaker 2] And if you think about what we said last week, we talked about this Texas plan that Governor Abbott has been has been pushing a lot of continuity between that Perry’s endorsement, Cruz’s constitutional thought in his emphasis on states rights. And there’s a sense of trying to grab that terrain in Iowa as the caucuses air coming up in those caucuses. We’ve been talking about him for a long time for those that follow politics and those air coming up Monday. So maybe had explained that the caucuses a little

[0:08:41 Speaker 0] bit, yes, caucuses a little bit, a little bit. Mawr in depth and seeing regular primaries. Eso caucuses. Actually, you don’t actually go in, go in the voting booth and voted leave, which actually is. You sit down, you talk. And so, as we see in the slide, it’s put forward. So the democratic caucuses you have the voters divide into groups smaller groups so they don’t need it need a minimum size that, combined with groups of favor one of more proper candidates and then for me. From there, the delegates reach caucus have been divided proportionately on. So it’s it’s kind of, ah, way of working. It’s working itself up. It’s much more the supporters having a conversation amongst each other in second, who hears We’re gonna support in forming these groups. Uh, so it’s much more. It requires much more work thing about this, because requires much more work. You have a lower turnout in Caucasus and that that could be a bit of a drawback. Now the Democratic Democratics a little more complicated. Republicans also have again also have the same caucus, which you have surrogates about being highly involved in this process. But it was my understanding that talking about the caucuses, that it’s different than what you’re seeing going on in the primary now Texas is interesting assist that it has a primary and caucus with the idea being that all people can participate in the caucus are those who voted in the primary. Eso Club gets referred to the Texas two step, which became very big and very important in two

[0:10:08 Speaker 2] 1008 Yeah, they’re talking about phasing it out, and because it was so complicated in in 2008 it was a really it was. It was a very interesting dynamic in that once the folks went into that into that caucus of the into the two step process, Hillary Clinton had won the primary vote. But Barack Obama wound up winning the the actual more delegates because they were more organized for this caucus pays, which requires more organization because you have people speaking for the candidates, in a sense, joined up with caucuses in trying to persuade others. So that’s why, as you you see the coverage of Iowa, everybody’s talking about organization and ground game in Iowa. That’s why caucuses really require this. Another aspect of Iowa really quickly that people talk about is I was overall impact on the on the primary process and whether it should be is big. And one of the arguments is that Iowa doesn’t much look like the rest of the United States. So if we look at the characteristics of Iowa, particularly demographics compared to the United States, much smaller black and Hispanic population Ah, and that’s really the thing that people emphasize right now I owe actually has somewhat lower unemployment rate than the country overall. Nonetheless, this the differences in demographics, particularly racial and ethnic demographics, have made people call Iowa into question. And I think there’s another dynamic now being added to that because it looks like there’s a possibility that Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz, or even, you know Donald Trump in this context, could win Iowa. So much of the discussion that’s been going on in elite circles on the parties have been about whether they should really take on Iowa and, by extension, also New Hampshire and kind of knocked them out of that. That those early positions in the primary process, these arguments are part of it. Now we’re seeing it budgets by the argument that if the process seems to cater to candidates from the wing that the far wings of the party, maybe it should change.

[0:12:15 Speaker 0] Yeah, this has been one of the major issues with primaries. Is the people most likely to vote in primaries? Are the extreme partisans, And, uh, the problem is you get the extreme Parsons and Iowa and New Hampshire two states that I don’t really look like the rest of the U. S. So I think one study said that I think Ohio look most like the rest of the U. S. And but the problem is to the Ohio primaries much later on. So the states that are much more reflective in probably have much more delegates. They get pushed to the back of the problem is you In the first couple, you get the ball rolling. Everybody sees us winter. But the problem is you’re winning. You know, people would start kind of, um, minor states. Not that I have won New Hampshire. Not important. They’re extremely important staying

[0:13:04 Speaker 2] in a lot of mail for that.

[0:13:05 Speaker 0] Yes, but at the same time, these estates that don’t reflect the larger population and so they may be somewhat of anomalies post as opposed to the norm,

[0:13:15 Speaker 2] he says. Speaking of larger states, Texas was in the news this week because of this plot. Planned Parenthood case Houston grand jury had been examining the case of two active anti abortion activists that had gone and run the source of stings at different places in the country. A Planned Parenthood facilities at different places in the country. Um and the grand jury indictment had really many people thought been. The result of the grand jury investigation had been the result of pressure from the lieutenant governor, whose purpose really was to get Planned Parenthood indicted for dealing illegally in fetal tissue. And this has been a huge national political issue. Also made. The New York Times this week. This is the kind of thing the New York Times loves to have Texas in the news for, but it’s a very unexpected outcome when the grand jury actually indicted the activists rather than anybody. A Planned Parenthood.

[0:14:17 Speaker 0] Yeah, I mean, the New York Times only come to Texas for barbecue and talking about courageous stories when things go right in Texas were never in the news. This is important because it really speaks to what we see coming out of the Fifth Amendment, which we’ll talk about some or we move on to celebrate civil liberties. But the idea that you know, when the grand jury met it was to go over all the facts and going over all the facts. They came to conclusion that Planned Parenthood was done nothing wrong. However, the two individuals to activist had committed fraud, which is a felony. So by using fake ID’s California fake California I DS, but then also attempting to purchase the leader of of the two activists attempting to purchase human tissue. And in the state of Texas, you don’t need to actually have set up a transaction. Just the attempt to purchase it is a misdemeanor. So they have one felony, one misdemeanor. I’m not sure what’s gonna happen with that, and you get a Z. I think it’s important to point out there’s still several other cases dealing with Planned Parenthood right now pending in the state of Texas.

[0:15:23 Speaker 2] Yeah, well, what’s happening in some of the other parts of the country? Thean Vest IG, a tions of Planned Parenthood in 10 other states have been somewhat quietly shut down. Those were mainly in states that have Republican governors in Texas. One of governor abbots first responses was to say that we still have state investigations going on completely aside from the grand jury. So I think we’re going to continue to see the politics line up the way they do in Texas. It’s a very is a very strong partisan frame here. Republicans were more likely to be have a negative view of Planned Parenthood than Democrats. Democrats have a much higher view of of planned Parenthood than Republicans when you ask about approval and we’ve done some polling on this at the UT Texas Tribune poll, I think one thing that we are going to see, though, is that this is going to be seen as as something of a victory for Planned Parenthood. And while it probably won’t change Republican attitudes very much, it will probably help shore up a little bit of the decrease in Democratic approval we had seen for Planned Parenthood in the wake of all these accusations that Planned Parenthood was allegedly dealing. And fetal tissue which even if you’re pro choice, has kind of a negative connotation.

[0:16:40 Speaker 0] Yeah, this is really important because you had this story a couple years ago. The doctor and Philip wants a in Pennsylvania who was running abortion clinic, was committing all kinds of atrocities and for people who support or pro choice, as well as people who are pro life, you know, you want to make sure that if this is being done, it’s being done right more so on the pro choice side because, you know, this is this something that you’re sticking to and you want, and you’re saying, No, this is a good thing, but wouldn’t make sure it’s done right. And so if you are going to support you want to make sure that the people you are supporting are doing what? What you believe they’re doing? Yeah,

[0:17:14 Speaker 2] there’s a lot of complexities in attitudes towards abortion.

[0:17:18 Speaker 0] Yeah, that’s one. Things will highlight its as the class goes on. But for now, that’s all we have. Enjoy your week and we’ll be here next week for in the news