| | | | Dear Republicans: A wave is coming | | Congressional Republicans celebrated alongside President Trump on Wednesday afternoon at the White House -- just hours after passing a massive tax cut proposal through the House and Senate.
But something else happened on Wednesday that suggests Republicans should slow their roll: A new CNN poll revealed that the party in power in Washington is headed toward a very treacherous 2018 midterm election.
Asked whether they would vote for a generic Democratic candidate or a generic Republican one for Congress next year, 56% chose the Democrat while 38% went with the Republican. (That question is known in polling parlance as the generic ballot.)
18 points! That's the widest gap for either party at this point in a midterm election in more than 20 years of CNN polling. And it's hardly a lone result in the wilderness.
As The New York Times' Nate Cohn noted, here are the generic ballot results from polls conducted in December using live interviewers (as opposed to an automated voice): - CNN D+18
- Quinnipiac D+15
- Monmouth D+15
- Marist D+13
- POS (R) D+12
- NBC/WSJ D+11
That's a LOT of credible data all saying the same thing: There is a major wind blowing in Republicans' faces right now.
And it's not just poll numbers. Democratic victories in Virginia's governor's race and Alabama's US Senate race suggest a fired-up Democratic base and a far-less-enthusiastic Republican one.
The silver lining for Republicans in all this is that it's December 2017, not October 2018. Things can change. Trump's approval rating -- currently mired in the mid 30s -- could rebound. The tax cut bill, which twice as many people oppose as support right now, could grow more popular as people see its effects over the next year.
All true! And all possible!
But as 2017 draws to a close, it's beyond question that Democrats have the momentum.
The Point: The combination of Trump's unpopularity, historic midterm election trends for the party in power and the energy coursing through the Democratic base all point to a coming wave. A big one.
-- Chris | | | CNN's Deirdre Walsh, Phil Mattingly, Ashley Killough, Lauren Fox and Kevin Liptak report: It's official: The House of Representatives gave final approval Wednesday afternoon to its major rewrite of the US tax code, voting a second time on the package after the Senate stripped out a couple of items early on Wednesday morning and sent the legislation back to the lower chamber.
The bill passed the House a second time 224-201, with no Democrats backing it and a dozen House GOP members voting no. The measure now heads to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. Republican lawmakers joined Trump at the White House to celebrate their largest legislative achievement of 2017. Read more in CNN Politics' coverage of the tax reform bill here. For more on what exactly is in the bill, check out CNN Money's full rundown. Lastly, check out Phil and Lauren's look at how this all came together over the past four months. | | | We -- Chris, Saba and Brenna Williams -- compiled a short list of our favorite reads from this year. It's tough, because there are a lot of good ones. But here's our roundup (in no particular order): | | | This Spotify playlist of NPR's best 100 songs of 2017 should keep you in good music until the new year. And don't forget to check out Chris' list of his favorite music of 2017 too! (And 2016!) | | | Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken, who announced plans earlier this month to resign his seat, said Wednesday he is leaving the US Senate "in a few weeks," on January 2. "When I leave the Senate in a few weeks," Franken said during a speech on the Senate floor, "I will continue trying to be an educated citizen and an advocate and an activist."
The official departure date comes after Franken was accused by multiple women of touching them inappropriately.
Read more in CNN's full story here. | | PAUL RYAN: 'NOT GOING ANYWHERE' ? | | CNN's Z. Byron Wolf wrote about how House Speaker Paul Ryan has a weird perception of time. It all started when reports from earlier this month suggested Ryan wants to leave Congress in 2018.
"I ain't goin' anywhere," Ryan told reporters while exiting the Capitol when asked about the retirement rumors, according to the CNN report. "This is pure speculation," Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement. "As the speaker himself said today, he's not going anywhere anytime soon."
But, as Zach writes: "The signals are decidedly mixed from Ryan, triumphant over his first big legislative victory as speaker and arguably the biggest Republican policy victory in a generation. On the one hand, his camp forcefully rejected the notion that he would leave his powerful role as speaker. But then during a television victory lap, Ryan wouldn't say if he's running for re-election. What's going on here is simple. Despite their very big week with passage of a huge buffet of tax cuts, Republicans are running into some very stiff headwinds in 2018."
Read Zach's full take here. | | WOMEN IN POLITICS TO WATCH 2018 | | "Nevertheless, she persisted."
That's the phrase Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used in February, explaining why he had interrupted Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren as she gave a speech opposing then-attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions. But his words persisted, too, turning into a liberal battle cry in 2017. The phrase went viral and turned into a hashtag, used sometimes when other women in politics found themselves facing off against their colleagues on Capitol Hill or fighting back against President Donald Trump's words.
Saba made a list of seven women in politics -- from both sides of the aisle -- who made waves in 2017 that you should look out for in 2018, when Democrats are sure to put women at the center of their midterm platform and Republicans will have to find ways to get female voters back
Read more in Saba's full story tomorrow on CNN Politics' website. | | | From CNN's Ryan Nobles and Eli Watkins: "A battle over one vote has left control of the Virginia House of Delegates up in the air -- and headed for the winner's name to be drawn at random. "After a recount Tuesday had Democrat Shelly Simonds declaring victory by a margin of one vote over Republican Del. David Yancey and Virginia Republicans conceding defeat, a three-judge panel deliberating the recount on Wednesday declared a previously uncounted vote for Yancey valid.
"Virginia law says that in the event of a tie, the election board will determine the winner 'by lot,' after which point Republicans believe the loser can petition for another recount; however, there is some disagreement among Virginia election experts as to how the law should be applied in this case."
Read more in Ryan and Eli's coverage here. | | From Brenna: On the 10th day of GIFmas, 2017 gave to me -- a reminder that driving is hard. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe was one of the first leaders to visit President Trump at the White House, and this GIF shows that it got off to a gangbuster start.
After taking too wide a turn, it looks like Abe's car sideswipes the West Wing. The driver had to make a three-point maneuver to course correct. It was a good reminder that politicians have a lot of the same problems we do. But also a good reminder that if at first you almost slam into a national landmark, it's best to just recover and move along. Life.
Happy Wednesday! Remind your friends and family to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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