Washington Post: “While Harris is championed by Democratic officeholders and leaders, who see her as appealing to suburban and centrist voters, many of the activists who have helped energize the street protests warn that party figures are missing the mood of the moment. As a traditional politician and former prosecutor, they say, Harris would fail to capture the passions that are powering the protests, and her selection could dampen the excitement that is crucial to the Democrats in November.”
Democrats Stiff-Arm GOP’s ‘Cosmetic’ Police Reforms
Politico: “The early divide suggests a partisan deadlock is quite possible despite a surge in support for reform after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota. President Trump is preparing executive actions to curb police misconduct and is likely to back Scott’s bill. But Democrats have major sway over what is doable in Congress, with control of the House and an effective veto in the Senate with the power of the filibuster.”
“While Democrats are under pressure from their base to deliver, they also may decide against settling for a watered-down version of their priorities. Democrats are also staring at an election season that could give them both the Senate and the White House — and with those prizes would come the possibility of advancing more sweeping reform.”
Jefferson Davis Statue Torn Down In Richmond
Associated Press: “Protesters tore down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis along Richmond, Virginia’s famed Monument Avenue on Wednesday night. The statue in the former capital of the Confederacy was toppled shortly before 11 p.m., news outlets reported. Richmond police were on the scene and videos on social media showed the monument being towed away as a crowd cheered.”
A Wasted Presidency
Rich Lowry: “If he loses in November, it won’t because he pursued a big legislative reform that was a bridge too far politically. It won’t be because he adopted a creative and unorthodox policy mix that alienated his own side. It won’t even be because he was overwhelmed by events, challenging though they’ve been.”
“It will mostly be because he took his presidency and needlessly drove into the ground, 280 characters at a time.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“The irony of training at bases named for those who took up arms against the United States, and for the right to enslave others, is inescapable to anyone paying attention. Now, belatedly, is the moment for us to pay such attention.”
— Retired Gen. David Petraeus, writing in The Atlantic.
As Coronavirus Infections Climb, Washington Moves On
New York Times: “As the pandemic’s grim numbers continue to climb — more than 112,000 dead as of Wednesday and warnings from Arizona that its hospitals could be full by next month — Mr. Trump and lawmakers in both parties are exhibiting a short attention span.”
“But there seems to be a tacit agreement between the parties: Democrats have largely stopped harping on social distancing, while Mr. Trump plans to resume his political rallies — first in Oklahoma, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina — and Republicans refrain from shaming protesters over shedding pandemic precautions.”
Internal Polling Instills Fear In Trump’s Advisers
ABC News: “The campaign’s internal poll numbers showed the president down in swing states, and down with key demographics of voters including women and independents.”
“The messaging from the White House on the coronavirus pandemic and the growing anger about the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis was fueling a drop in his numbers. Top aides warned that former Vice President Joe Biden, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, was positioned to defeat the president by a significant number of electoral votes based on the campaign’s analysis.”
Congress Poised to Get Its First QAnon Believer
Daily Beast: “QAnon conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has frequently posted messages about the bizarre pro-Trump conspiracy theory on social media, handily leads the primary field of Republicans in Georgia’s heavily Republican 14th district. Greene, who beat her closest opponent by more than 20%, will head to an August run-off after receiving 41% of the primary vote.”
“Greene is an outspoken supporter of QAnon, a conspiracy theory based on a series of anonymous messages posted online by a mystery figure named ‘Q.’ QAnon believers think that Donald Trump is engaged in a shadowy war against a cabal of global elites, including the Democratic Party, and will soon arrest or even execute top Democrats in an event they know as ‘The Storm.'”
Ossoff Avoids Runoff for Democratic Senate Nod
Jon Ossoff (D), who appeared to be headed towards a runoff most of the day Wednesday, now seems to have clinched an outright win in Georgia’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, the AP reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m a 7th generation Mississippian. I’ve helped elect Governors and Senators in MS, AL, GA, TX, OK, NC and FL. Trump will lose more white voters with his Confederate defense than gain. Majority very much want to move past Civil War and hatred, not relive it. NASCAR gets it. Trump doesn’t.”
— GOP strategist Stuart Stevens, on Twitter.
Pelosi Requests Removal of Confederate Statues
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the removal of nearly a dozen statues in the U.S. Capitol depicting Confederate leaders, the latest step in a racial reckoning taking place following the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis last month,” Politico reports.
LeBron James to Start Voting Rights Group
“The NBA superstar LeBron James and a group of other prominent black athletes and entertainers are starting a new group aimed at protecting African-Americans’ voting rights, seizing on the widespread fury against racial injustice that has fueled worldwide protests to amplify their voices in this fall’s presidential election,” the New York Times reports.
Said James: “Because of everything that’s going on, people are finally starting to listen to us — we feel like we’re finally getting a foot in the door. How long is up to us. We don’t know. But we feel like we’re getting some ears and some attention, and this is the time for us to finally make a difference.”
Biden Once Pushed Bill to Weaken Police Probes
CNN: “For more than 15 years as a senator, Biden was one of the chief proponents of a Police Officer’s Bill of Rights measure, which was supported by police unions but faced sharp opposition from the nation’s police chiefs…”
“Supporters of the bill, including Biden, said it provided a necessary and uniform set of protections for police officers in the face of internal investigations. Biden included language in the bill that indicated it would not apply to investigations into criminal activity committed by police officers, but experts and critics say that the legislation would have made all departmental misconduct allegations more difficult to investigate.”
‘He Is as Lawless and Corrupt as Ever’
The House impeachment managers, writing in the Washington Post:
“Four months ago, we tried President Trump for abusing the power of his office in ways that undermined our country’s national security, the integrity of U.S. elections and the constitutional structure of our republic. Trump’s efforts to coerce an ally to help him cheat in the upcoming election violated the public trust, went to the heart of his unfitness for office — and revealed that he prioritizes his interests over those of the nation.”
“The president was not changed by impeachment. He is as lawless and corrupt as ever. But his wrongdoing has far greater consequences given the acute challenges facing the nation, the failure of those around him to curb destructive impulses, and the continued unwillingness of many members of Congress to serve as a meaningful check and balance as the Founders intended.”
Bolton Will Go Ahead with Book Despite Warning
“Former national security adviser John Bolton plans to move ahead with publication of his memoir about working in the Trump White House despite a new warning from the administration that it contains classified material and needs to be further revised,” the Washington Post reports.
NASCAR Bans Confederate Flags at Races
From a statement: “The presence of Confederate flags at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors, and our industry.”
Trump Will Hold Rally Next Week In Tulsa
President Trump will return to the campaign trail on June 19 with a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the New York Times reports.
“Trump campaign officials are unlikely to put into place any social distancing measures for rally attendees, or require them to wear face masks… adding that it would be unnecessary because the state is so far along in its reopening.”
Trump Lashes Out at Anyone Who Says He’s Losing
A Washington Post story included this aside: “Trump has become obsessed with polling and lashes out at those who say he is losing to Biden, according to two White House officials and a longtime Trump ally.”
Jonathan Chait: “The reporters, perhaps because their sensitivities have been dulled by years of daily exposure to this kind of madness, immediately moved on to other points, rather than linger over the sheer irrationality revealed by this line. It is quite a conundrum for the president’s staff. He is obsessed with polls, but he becomes enraged upon being informed he’s losing to Biden. Given that every poll shows him losing to Biden, his advisers don’t seem to have a lot of good options.”