| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | Presented by The U.S. Chamber of Commerce | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS READING — “Gas prices will fall in 2024 and Americans will spend $32 billion less on fuel, GasBuddy predicts,” by CNN Matt Egan
|  There are a few big problems for Nikki Haley after her Civil War answer. | Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images | HALEY’S COMMENT — Being a presidential candidate with momentum can be a great thing. Your donors get excited, your crowds swell in size, and your whole campaign gets a boost in morale. But then, inevitably, your words come under real scrutiny. That’s a reality that former South Carolina Gov. NIKKI HALEY is learning the hard way. Last night, in Berlin, New Hampshire, a voter at a town hall forum asked Haley what caused the Civil War. Haley’s first whack at the answer: “Well, don’t come with an easy question or anything. I mean, I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.” She asked the voter how he’d answer the question. He responded by noting that he was not the one running for president. “I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are. And I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. Government doesn’t need to tell you how to live your life,” Haley continued. “They need to make sure that you have freedom. We need to have capitalism. We need to have economic freedom. We need to make sure that we do all things so that individuals have the liberties so that they can have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do or be anything they want to be without government getting in the way.” The voter said it was “astonishing” that her answers didn’t even mention the word slavery. “What do you want me to say about slavery?” Haley asked before moving on. There are a few big problems here for Haley. PROBLEM #1: THE ANSWER ITSELF — You can complexify it all you want, but any answer rooted in reality must acknowledge that the correct answer is: slavery. It was the cornerstone upon which the Confederacy was built. States’ rights? Yes, inasmuch as states wanted the right to allow human beings to be owned as property. (We can’t believe we need to say this in 2023.) What Haley said is actually in line with other answers she has given in the past when she has defended the right to secede from the United States and “described the Civil War as two sides fighting for different values, one for ‘tradition,’ and one for ‘change,’” CNN’s K-File reported earlier this year. PROBLEM #2: IT UNDERCUTS HER IMAGE — Central to Haley’s allure is the idea that she’s an appealing general-election campaigner for the GOP — someone who can compete for the support of suburbanites, women and possibly voters of color. Some of that sheen has now surely faded. So too, has her image as someone who is willing to talk tough and tell hard truths — which she has played up while talking about spending during debates and on the trail. PROBLEM #3: CONSIDER THE AUDIENCE — You’re not in South Carolina anymore. This was in New Hampshire — which is about as far north as you can get. But more to the point, politically, is the fact that the GOP primary electorate in the Granite State features large numbers of political moderates and independents. With DONALD TRUMP leading in the state, winning their support is invaluable to Haley. Consider this: If you’re a Republican voter in New Hampshire shopping between the different non-Trump candidates but leaning to Haley, are you now giving a second look to CHRIS CHRISTIE or Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS? (More on this in a moment.) At the same time, New Hampshire GOP voters aren’t necessarily the same as the national Republican primary electorate, which is decidedly more Trumpy. And this answer may not be out of line in a party that has spent years railing against telling a more fulsome history about race in this country and how it should be taught in schools. PROBLEM #4: THIS IS GOING TO DOMINATE COVERAGE — There was a saying on Twitter that every day, someone was the main character on the platform — and your goal was to never be that person. Haley is now that person. It’s a slow week. And with that reality (and problems 1-3), the rival campaigns are eager to keep Haley’s comment in the news — which we can personally attest to, given the texts we’ve been receiving from spinmeisters over the last 12 or so hours.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Join us for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of American Business event January 11 to discover how innovation enables businesses to serve customers, solve problems and strengthen society. During our biggest event of the year, you will hear from U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark and other leading CEOs highlighting how America’s free enterprise system is crucial for the long-term success of our country. | | | THE OTHER CAMPAIGNS REACT — The blowback was immediate. President JOE BIDEN’s campaign kept it simple, quote-tweeting video of Haley’s comment in a post on X: “It was about slavery.” We asked the Biden camp to expound. “It doesn’t take a PhD to understand that slavery was the central cause of the civil war, but instead of telling it like it is, the entire MAGA field from Donald Trump on down are pandering to the most extreme fringe of their base. Minimize slavery, paraphrase HITLER, punish women and doctors — quite the record heading into the general election that will be the most diverse in history,” a senior Biden adviser told Playbook last night, taking an opportunity to paint the entire field with the same brush. Her GOP rivals have mostly been quiet — though some of their teams sent clips of the moment to reporters as soon as it happened. VIVEK RAMASWAMY tweeted out her answer, adding, “I think she mistook him for a Super PAC donor.” He didn’t say how he would have answered the question. Even more telling is that the Haley campaign did not respond to the matter either publicly or privately until shortly after 9 a.m. this morning. “Of course the Civil War was about slavery, that’s the easy part,” Haley told radio host Jack Heath on The Pulse of New Hampshire today. “But more than that, what’s the lesson in all this? That freedom matters. And individual rights and liberties matter for all people. That’s the blessing of America. That was a stain on America when we had slavery. But what we want is never relive it. Never let anyone take those freedoms away again.” We can’t help but wonder why that response took 12 hours. “Good test of her campaign is how fast they clean this up in the 30 minutes and how directly they do it,” MIKE MURPHY, the noted GOP strategist and an architect of JOHN McCAIN’s 2000 New Hampshire win, tweeted last night. That window has long since closed. Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. CHRISTIE MAKES HIS MOVE — Another of Haley’s rivals who is betting it all on New Hampshire will have two new ads out by the end of the week as the primary transitions into overdrive. A Christie aide tells Playbook that the ads are part of a seven-figure buy in New Hampshire on broadcast and digital. The first ad’s already up, featuring Christie talking directly to camera about the elephant in the room. “Some people say I should drop out of this race. Really? I’m the only one saying Donald Trump is a liar,” Christie says. “Every Republican leader says that in private. I’m the only one saying it in public. What kind of president do we want? A liar, or someone who has the guts to tell the truth?” The Christie aide says that the second ad, which will start running tomorrow, will “detail his vision for a better America with a call for unity and moving past our differences.” “While others talk vaguely about ‘chaos,’ Christie doesn’t tiptoe around what the entire field is up against and why it is more important than ever that somebody takes on Trump directly,” the aide said. COMING ATTRACTIONS — “5 big funding questions awaiting Congress in January,” by Caitlin Emma and Jennifer Scholtes
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House Biden has nothing on his public schedule.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR
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Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) decision gets her out of a tough reelection bid in the 3rd District. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 1. SURPRISE MOVE: Rep. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-Colo.) announced yesterday that she will switch districts to run in Colorado’s 4th next year, potentially giving Republicans a boost in the fight for control of the House, the Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul reports. Boebert lives hundreds of miles from the 4th District, but she said she plans to move there next year. The seat being vacated by Rep. KEN BUCK is more strongly conservative, though some other notable names are already running in that primary. Boebert’s decision gets her out of a tough reelection bid in the 3rd District, where she’s been outraised by Democratic challenger ADAM FRISCH. Republicans have a better shot at holding the seat without the controversial incumbent; the Cook Political Report shifted its rating from toss-up to leaning Republican. 2. MUCK READ: “House to investigate Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick over possible campaign finance violations,” by the Palm Beach Post’s Antonio Fins: “The House Ethics committee announced on Wednesday that it will investigate whether U.S. Rep. SHEILA CHERFILUS-McCORMICK, D-West Palm Beach, has violated campaign finance laws and other potential violations. … The Ethics Committee voted unanimously to investigate the allegations after getting a referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics.” 3. TRUMP LEGAL LATEST: The Colorado Republican Party yesterday asked the Supreme Court to overturn the state Supreme Court’s decision to boot Trump off the ballot, per Axios’ Rebecca Falconer. Trump himself is expected to appeal, too. Meanwhile, special counsel JACK SMITH yesterday asked Judge TANYA CHUTKAN to prevent Trump’s lawyers from bringing up “irrelevant disinformation” in his criminal election subversion trial, per Roll Call’s Todd Ruger. 4. GATHERING HUNTER: “House Republicans seek documents from White House over Biden’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s refusal to comply with congressional subpoena,” by CBS’ Melissa Quinn: “In a letter to White House counsel EDWARD SISKEL, Reps. JAMES COMER and JIM JORDAN requested documents and communications between White House staff in the Executive Office of the President and HUNTER BIDEN or his lawyers regarding his scheduled deposition … They argued that [press secretary KARINE] JEAN-PIERRE’s remark suggests that Mr. Biden ‘had some amount of advanced knowledge’ that Hunter Biden would refuse to comply with the subpoena for testimony.” The letter
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce:   | | | 5. ONE LAST TIME?: The Biden administration said yesterday it will send a new package of $250 million in assistance to Ukraine, perhaps the final one for a while as future aid remains in doubt in Congress, per the Washington Examiner’s Mike Brest. Kyiv is getting air defense munitions, ammunition and more. 6. MERRICK GARLAND’S BIG QUESTION: “Garland’s death-penalty record will soon include Buffalo killer decision,” by WaPo’s David Nakamura: “The Justice Department is nearing a decision over whether to pursue the death penalty for the White gunman who slaughtered 10 Black people at a Buffalo grocery store last year, a racist attack that could lead to the first new capital prosecution authorized by Attorney General Merrick Garland. … Garland’s decision in the Gendron case could further clarify whether the Biden administration is closing in on defining a new ‘worst of the worst’ standard.” 7. IMMIGRATION FILES: Senate negotiations over immigration policy changes picked up again yesterday, ABC’s Mariam Khan reports, while Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN went to Mexico City for some diplomatic wrangling. Without providing details, Mexican officials said they’d reached “important” deals with the U.S. to try to curb migration and reopen border crossings for trade, Reuters’ Ana Isabel Martinez, Sarah Morland and Valentine Hilaire report. But the U.S. is continuing to struggle with large numbers of migrants arriving at the southern border: From “a remote spot in the Arizona desert,” NYT’s Natalie Kitroeff describes the unfolding humanitarian crisis as thousands of people a day seek refuge from all over the world. Multiple big-city Democratic mayors again asked for more federal help handling the surge, AP’s Sophia Tareen reports from Chicago. And more people could be on the way: A caravan 7,500 strong is en route through southern Mexico, NBC’s Daniella Silva reports. 8. THE SPECIAL ELECTION: “Democratic group makes a $5.9 million bet on flipping George Santos’ House seat,” by NBC’s Sahil Kapur: House Majority PAC “said it will spend $3.7 million on TV and $1.5 million on digital platforms, along with $700,000 on mail ads, in the weeks ahead of the Feb. 13 contest.” 9. FEARS ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST: As the Israel-Hamas war continues to exact a devastating toll — see this investigation from WSJ’s David Cloud, Dov Lieber and Omar Abdel-Baqui into an airstrike that killed dozens of Palestinian civilians — the region is increasingly worried about fallout on multiple fronts. Israel said yesterday that “the time for a diplomatic solution is running out” before war escalates with Lebanon, per the NYT. Fragile peace talks in Yemen are now in jeopardy, per the WSJ. And proxy skirmishes with Iranian-backed groups are threatening U.S. service members and the fight against inflation.
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Barack Obama put “The Holdovers,” “BlackBerry” and “Oppenheimer” — but not “Barbie” or “Killers of the Flower Moon” — on the list of his favorite movies of the year. Melania Trump wasn’t there for her family’s Mar-a-Lago Christmas photo. Josh Sorbe made sure the 2024 Senate calendar digitization won’t move at a glacial pace. Jose Leonardo Marquez was arrested outside the Capitol with a machete and a knife. Meghan McCain is frustrated with her old colleagues from “The View.” Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers share a marriage and a profession — but differ on voters’ perceptions of the economy. IN MEMORIAM — “Herb Kohl, former U.S. senator and Milwaukee Bucks owner, dies at age 88,” by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Amy Rabideau Silvers, Craig Gilbert and Bill Glauber: “Kohl’s four Senate victories — the last three in landslides — give him arguably the most bulletproof electoral track record in modern Wisconsin history. … Kohl voiced support for improving educational opportunities, especially for the poor. He pushed for cuts in defense spending; establishing a national child care training and financial aid program; imposing trade sanctions on countries that allow illegal drug trade to flourish; reforming political campaign funding; and hiking federal income taxes for the very rich.” WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Justin Melvin, VP of government relations at the American Bankers Association, and Lindsay Melvin, who works at the Department of Defense, welcomed MacKenzie Porter Melvin early yesterday morning. She joins big sister Lyla. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. August Pfluger (R-Texas) and Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) … NBC’s Sahil Kapur … AP’s Josh Boak … Steve Castor of the House Ways and Means GOP … Roll Call’s John Bennett … POLITICO’s Zach Montellaro, Han Ah-Sue, Ben Fox, Tom Frank and Erica Martinson … Susanna Quinn … Kevin Boyd … DOT’s Mackenzie Praytor … Emil Henry … Maria Olson … Seth Wimer of Brandywine Public Affairs … Shari Yost Gold … Debbie Willhite … former Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) … D.J. Jordan … former Reps. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) and Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) … Christina Sevilla … Jacqui Bassermann of the American Red Cross … Clara BrillembTourg of Foley Hoag … CBS’ Christa Robinson … Michael Trujillo … Gabrielle Wanneh … former CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger … Ed McFadden … former Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe … DFC’s Jake Levine … Melissa Block Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook misreported the state whose hall of fame Michael Flynn has been inducted into. It is Rhode Island. It also misspelled Jazmine Ulloa’s name. Tuesday’s Playbook misspelled Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) name.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Join us for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of American Business event January 11 to discover how innovation enables businesses to serve customers, solve problems and strengthen society. Our biggest event of the year draws a virtual audience of more than 10,000 people from across the nation and around the world, from small business owners to Fortune 500 CEOs, community leaders, and policymakers. You will hear from U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark and other leading CEOs highlighting how America’s free enterprise system is crucial for the long-term success of our country. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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