Josh, Liam, and Paul discuss what’s been going on in their worlds this week, including Democratic Presidential hopefuls, CPAC, and what the Cohen hearings tell us about the new class of Congress.
The Lobby Shop Episode #80: White Collar Crime, West Memphis, and Warlocks: An Interview with Stephen Braga
This week we had the pleasure of sitting down with Bracewell Partner and chair of the firm’s national white collar defense practice, Stephen Braga. Braga talks to us about the wonder that is white collar crime, one of his most interesting pro bono cases, The West Memphis Three, and the Lord of the Rings character named after him.
Talking Bernie 2020 on Fox News
I joined Dana Perino on The Daily Briefing to discuss Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid, his beef with Howard Schultz, and how his entry affects the 2020 field. Here’s a clip:
I made this point to @DanaPerino a little earlier. The Bern may have dimmed as a political/cultural phenomenon, but we're getting to the point where CW may have overcompensated for the challenge he faces in this field. pic.twitter.com/WdNtts6vSL
— Liam Donovan (@LPDonovan) February 19, 2019
Watch the full segment here.
The Lobby Shop Episode #79: Environment and Climate Change with Energy 45’s Mandy Gunasekara
This week we’re joined by Mandy Gunasekara, Founder and President of Energy 45 Fund and former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation at the EPA. We talk Green New Deal, catching the “Potomac Fever,” and the future of energy and environment legislation.
WEX: Democrats vilify the Trump tax cuts for generating smaller refunds
I spoke to Colin Wilhelm of the Washington Examiner about early IRS data indicating a dip in the average tax refund, and the political implications for TCJA:
It remains to be seen whether the tax season confusion shifts public opinion. Recent polling on the law from late January and early February, by CNN and the Economist/YouGov respectively, places approval for the law a bit above disapproval or about the same as dispproval.
“That’s basically Trump approval right there,” said Liam Donovan, a former staffer for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and tax policy principal at the law and lobbying firm Bracewell, referring to the Economist/YouGov poll showing the tax law at a 41 percent approval rating among registered voters.
“I think Democrats have oversold the narrative that this is just a handout for big banks and [stock] buybacks and Wall Street,” Donovan said, adding that small business owners might move opinion of the law into positive territory when they start seeing the benefits of the new tax breaks the overhaul created for them.
But Donovan wasn’t so sure opinion would change too much in the near future, arguing that most Americans had made up their mind.
“To some extent it was polarized from the get-go because it was a partisan exercise,” said Donovan. “I think people are pretty politically motivated in how they view it.”
Read the full piece here.