| | | | Nikki Haley just pulled a George Costanza | | Remember that episode of "Seinfeld" where George Costanza realizes that once he tells a successful joke, he should immediately declare victory and leave the premises? The plan succeeds beyond his wildest dreams as his boss finds himself always wanting more George -- to the point that he fires everyone on the project because he thinks George can handle it all himself.
That's kind of what -- I suspect -- Nikki Haley did on Tuesday when she shocked the political world (no matter what President Donald Trump said) by announcing her resignation. (I also wrote about a series of theories as to why she decided to leave, specifically, right now.)
Haley will have spent, roughly, two years in the Trump administration by the time she officially leaves at the end of the year. She will depart as a Trump favorite -- as he made clear when he held a quasi press conference with Haley on Tuesday to announce her departure. He praised Haley's service and said that if she ever wanted to return to the administration, she could have whatever position she liked.
So, she's checked the "OK with Trump" box. And she's done so, somewhat, amazingly, without turning off Democrats (and non-Trump Republicans). In a Quinnipiac University poll conducted in late April, more than six in 10 people approved of the way Haley was doing her job. That number included, again somewhat remarkably, 75% of Republicans AND 55% of Democrats.
The truth is, given Trump's volatility as it relates to his advisers and the tremendous tribalism of our politics, it's hard to see how things could get much better than they are right now for Haley. And so, like Costanza, she went out on a high note.
The Point: A BIG part of being successful in politics is timing. Knowing when to stay -- and, more importantly, when to go. Haley's timing seems impeccable.
-- Chris | | "Jared is such a hidden genius that no one understands. We're a better country because they're in the administration."
-- Outgoing UN Ambassador Nikki Haley praising Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump while speaking to reporters as she met with President Donald Trump this morning. Haley's abrupt departure, announced this morning, surprised many senior administration officials. | | | It's very good to be a Democrat on the ballot this November.
That is, at least according to new polling from CNN and SSRS finding Democrats remain well ahead of Republicans in generic ballot match-ups.
Among likely voters, 54% said they support the Democrat in their district while only 41% say they back the Republican. More on why that gap is really significant from CNN's Grace Sparks:
"This is the widest margin of support for Democrats in a midterm cycle since 2006, when at this point, the party held a whopping 21-point lead over Republicans among likely voters. That's also when Democrats seized control of the House from Republicans, making Nancy Pelosi speaker until 2011." | | "Beware Kavanaugh narratives," writes Stu Rothenberg in Roll Call
Mad love for the civic process: The "Swift bump" is very real
Anthony Weiner is scheduled for an early prison release
"If this is a frightening forecast, good. That's a feature, not a bug. Put that fear to work and start preparing now."
Asking the tough questions like: "Where will Kanye hang in DC?" | | | Can't get enough of The Point's content? We don't blame you! In today's episode, Chris assesses how Justice Brett Kavanaugh's lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court could impact future rulings on major issues like abortion, gerrymandering and whether or not a sitting president (like Donald Trump) can be indicted or subpoenaed. Subscribe here for more! | |  | Why Brett Kavanaugh's appointment is a HUGE deal | | | Today's song is a throwback -- and a belated birthday nod -- to Death Cab For Cutie and their iconic album "Transatlanticism," which turned 15 on Sunday. To celebrate, the band played the album in its entirety live at their Chicago show that night. Seth Cohen, eat your heart out. | | | Today's topic: What does the new CNN poll say about the battle for the House? | | Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is on the move.
The 2016 Democratic contender for president, currently running for re-election in his home state as an Independent, is hitting a handful of key states in a midterm campaign blitz, CNN's Gregory Krieg reports.
Among those key states: Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada (which all happen to be crucial early states in the presidential nomination process come 2020). Sanders has a total of 15 events lined up across nine states, with events including town halls in Iowa and Indiana to warn against cuts to Social Security and a rally in Wisconsin for Sen. Tammy Baldwin. | | Hurricane Michael continues to barrel toward the Florida Panhandle and is on track to be a "dangerous major hurricane" as it slams into the coastline on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in 35 counties in and along the northeastern Gulf Coast, which are expected to experience storm surge, heavy rainfall and hurricane winds.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has declared a statewide state of emergency ahead of expected damage from the storm, which has now reached Category 3 storm status. | | | It's an expensive cycle to hit the airwaves -- and CNN's David Wright has crunched the numbers to locate the 10 most expensive House races for TV advertising. 1. CO-06 (GOP Rep. Mike Coffman vs. Democrat Jason Crow)
Total spending: $17,477,247
Dem spending: $9,903,834
GOP spending: $7,326,793
2. FL-26 (GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo vs. Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell)
Total spending: $16,989,801
Dem spending: $9,951,449
GOP spending: $6,937,052
3. WA-08 (Republican Dino Rossi vs. Democrat Kim Schrier)
Total spending: $16,706,426
Dem spending: $8,699,577
GOP spending: $8,006,849
4. CA-10 (GOP Rep. Jeff Denham vs. Democrat Josh Harder)
Total spending: $15,637,877
Dem spending: $8,168,871
GOP spending: $7,272,315
5. ME-02 (GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin vs. Democrat Jared Golden)
Total spending: $15,053,795
Dem spending: $6,730,166
GOP spending: $7,058,617
6. PA-01 (GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick vs. Democrat Scott Wallace)
Total spending: $14,828,734
Dem spending: $6,024,795
GOP spending: $8,803,939
7. TX-07 (GOP Rep. John Culberson vs. Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher)
Total spending: $14,526,452
Dem spending: $7,248,752
GOP spending: $7,277,700
8. VA-10 (GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock vs. Democrat Jennifer Wexton)
Total spending: $14,016,581
Dem spending: $7,792,883
GOP spending: $6,223,698
9. IL-06 (GOP Rep. Peter Roskam vs. Democrat Sean Casten)
Total spending: $13,719,673
Dem spending: $8,838,406
GOP spending: $4,452,357
10. NJ-03 (GOP Rep. Tom MacArthur vs. Democrat Andy Kim)
Total spending: $12,341,693
Dem spending: $7,546,564
GOP spending: $4,795,129 | | | From Brenna: "UN Ambassador Nikki Haley gave an enthusiastic point toward President Trump today, after announcing that she'll be stepping down from her job, but not stepping down from being a supporter of his in 2020. Point your friends/soon-to-be-former bosses in our direction!" | | | | | | |
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