New on Chris Riback’s Conversations: Angela Stent talks about how Vladimir Putin came to power, refused to consider Russian weakness and instead redefined Russian power and pride.
The Power to Draw Maps Is Also at Stake In 2020
New York Times: “While much of the country’s attention is focused on presidential politics, the gerrymandering ruling last week instantly raised the stakes for the nation’s state legislative races, which are often overlooked by voters, but can shape the course of policy from abortion rights to education.”
“Yet this cycle of legislative elections carries added significance: In most states, the political party that wins control of the legislature gains the power to draw once-a-decade maps setting district boundaries for state and congressional elections after a new census count. Acutely aware of that prize, which offers a chance to tilt political power further in one party’s favor, Republicans and Democrats are starting campaigns early, knocking on doors and rallying donors with the pitch that a tiny statehouse election in suburban Dallas or coastal Virginia could have national reverberations.”
Vox: Inside the battle to flip America’s state legislatures blue in 2020.
U.S. Jobs Market Rebounds
The U.S. added 224,000 jobs last month, topping expectations of 165,000 and rebounding sharply after a May slowdown, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate inched up to 3.7% in June, climbing slightly from its lowest level in five decades and coming in slightly higher than the 3.6% projection.
Williamson Not Happy About Being Left Out of Vogue
The Cut: “On Monday, Vogue published a story about the significant number of Democratic women who have tossed their name in the hat to become the next U.S. president. Titled ‘Madam President? Five Candidates on What It Will Take to Shatter the Most Stubborn Glass Ceiling,’ the story was overall commendatory and largely met with praise.”
“There was, however, at least person who seemed deeply unsatisfied with the report: spiritual adviser to Oprah, former roommate of Laura Dern, and the sixth female presidential candidate, Marianne Williamson.”
Even Trump’s Cherry-Picked Polls Show Him Unpopular
The Daily Beast notes that President Trump has tweeted out 28 polls during his time in office. The average approval rating of those show him at about 49% approval.
Los Angeles Times Calls for Duncan Hunter to Resign
A Los Angeles Times editorial calls for Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) to resign from Congress “so he can spend more time with his lawyers. He’s really going to need it.”
“If it seems disloyal to snitch on your spouse in court, consider how she might feel about the allegations that Hunter tapped his campaign funds to help finance a string of extramarital affairs involving five women — two congressional staffers and three lobbyists.”
Trump Mulls Executive Order on Citizenship Question
President Trump is considering an executive order to try to move forward with a citizenship question on the 2020 census, Axios reports.
But there is considerable skepticism within the administration that an executive order would succeed.
Trump Calls Bluff on Critics
CNN: “In one of the least polarizing speeches of his presidency, Trump paid tribute to America’s armed forces at a July Fourth appearance before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington that unfolded amid stormy skies and criticism that he was politicizing the nation’s Independence Day celebrations.”
“As warplanes roared overhead and the jumbo jet used as Air Force One performed a rare flyover over the National Mall, Trump spoke as critics accused him of exploiting the nation’s birthday party for his own political ends in an event he had dubbed ‘A Salute to America.’ Trump’s speech lacked the partisan rhetoric of his rallies. But the event nevertheless bolstered the President’s narrative that he is a strong commander in chief and a decisive leader.”
Associated Press: “He largely stuck to his script, avoiding diversions into his agenda or re-election campaign.”
Daily Beast: Trump’s not-crazy speech just highlighted the norms he’s crushed.
Supreme Court Could Upend 2020 Race
“The Supreme Court is already poised to drop some big political bombshells right into the heat of the 2020 campaign. And there are even more waiting in the wings,” Axios reports.
- The justices have taken their first big Second Amendment case in over a decade — a challenge to New York City’s restrictions on transporting guns.
- They’ll also decide whether Trump has the power to end the Obama-era immigration program known as DACA, which shields about 700,000 young adults and children from deportation.
- And they’ll decide whether federal civil-rights law prohibits employers from firing workers because they’re gay or transgender.
The justices are likely to take up an abortion case out of Louisiana. And yet another challenge to the Affordable Care Act is also working its way through the system.
Biden Seeks to Dispel Concerns He Can Take On Trump
“Joe Biden compared President Trump to the kind of bully that he would ‘smack’ in the mouth as a child during an interview broadcast Friday in which the former vice president sought to dispel concerns about his shaky first Democratic debate performance,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Biden: “You walk behind me in the debate. Come here, man. The idea that I’d be intimidated by Donald Trump. He’s the bully that I knew my whole life. He’s the bully that I’ve always stood up to. He’s the bully that used to make fun when I was a kid that I stutter, and I’d smack them in the mouth.”
When Will Struggling Candidates Bail for Another Office?
Washington Post: “The 2020 Democratic presidential race is still wide open, but candidates who have yet to break through have to decide how long they want to ride it out. In some cases, their ambitions for political Plan B will force them to make that call sooner rather than later.”
Biden Admits He Wasn’t Ready for Harris Attack
Joe Biden told CNN that he wasn’t prepared for Sen. Kamala Harris to confront him on issues of race the way she did at the first Democratic primary debate.
Said Biden: “I was prepared for them to come after me, but I wasn’t prepared for the person coming at me the way she came at me.”
Lou Dobbs Calls Generals ‘Snowflakes’
Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs on Thursday described the U.S. generals who did not support President Trump’s “Salute to America” Fourth of July celebrations as “snowflakes,” and criticized them for not winning any recent wars, The Hill reports.
Trump Flubs History In July 4th Speech
“President Trump read most of his Independence Day speech from a prepared text, but stumbled on his history at one point: He talked about airports during the American Revolution,” USA Today reports.
Said Trump: “Our Army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over airports.”
Of course, there was no air travel in 18th Century America.
Punditry Is Not Keeping Up with Our Changing Politics
Rebecca Traister: “In past weeks, the curtain has officially been raised on the vast and diverse field of candidates for the Democratic nomination, many of them politicians who would not have been seen on a presidential debate stage — and never in these numbers — even a decade ago…”
“But we’re also getting our first real taste of the punditry that will frame this next year and a half, and so far, it is the opposite of fresh, diverse, or forward-thinking. Rather, the analysis coughed up by some of the nation’s loudest and most prominent talking heads sounds familiar and stale. The dispiriting truth is that many of those tasked with interpreting our politics are — in addition to being extremely freaked out by the race they’re covering — totally ill-equipped for the historic task ahead of them.”
Sanders Campaign Looks to Reset
Politico: “Even though the Sanders team would never call it a ‘reset,’ his aides are sharpening a new line of attack against his rivals and experimenting with different ways to connect with hard-to-reach voters as the race heats up. They’re also continuing to shift from big rallies to more intimate events in the nation’s early states, such as ice cream socials and selfie lines — an acknowledgment that Sanders needs to adopt a more personal approach and participate in additional retail politicking to win.”
“And even Sanders’ allies admit that he faces unique difficulties in 2020: Unlike in 2016, many of Sanders’ opponents have adopted major planks of his platform, giving voters more than one progressive candidate to choose from in the race. In recent weeks, some Sanders supporters have questioned if he should take a different approach in the debates, after not participating in mock sessions while prepping for the first showdown and ultimately failing to take on Biden in a memorable way.”
Democrats Grapple with Large Primary Field
New York Times: “The slate of 24 contenders is too unwieldy for a constructive debate, many activists and strategists say, and too large for most voters to follow. And with a leadership vacuum at the top of the party, there is no one to elevate candidates with an endorsement, or help steer third-tier candidates out of the race when they’ve reached their plausible expiration date.”
“Former President Barack Obama, an influential voice among many Democrats, is sitting out the primary. The Clintons, a once-dominant party presence, are largely unwelcome this time around. In Washington, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is focused on keeping the House in order, and Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, has failed to recruit presidential candidates like Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana and former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas into potentially winnable Senate races.”
Inside the Effort to Build Crowds for July 4th Event
Washington Post: “The White House has also been scrambling in recent days to line up enough attendees, as Trump’s aides fret that either thunderstorms or the traditional free concert on the other end of the Mall could diminish the crowd for Trump’s 6:30 p.m. speech.”
“The administration has provided 5,000 tickets to the military, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Trump’s reelection campaign has handed passes out to allies, donors and trade associations — from the American Bankers Association to the British Embassy… while several fundraisers and operatives also were tasked to hand out tickets.”