A new Quinnipiac poll in Texas finds President Biden’s approval rating at just 32% to 61% — a dramatic fall off from 45% to 50% in June.
Congressman Says R. Kelly Deserves Second Chance
Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) told TMZ that he thinks R. Kelly has an opportunity for redemption, even though the singer was found guilty on charges of racketeering and child sexual abuse.
Said Davis: “As an artist, one who’s gifted, I think he’ll be welcomed back into Chicago as a person who can be redeemed.”
He added: “I’m a big believer in what is called second chances.”
Sanders Urges House to Vote Down Infrastructure Bill
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), in a tweet, urged House progressives to vote down the infrastructure bill President Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi want passed — and one that he has already voted for in the Senate.
Said Sanders: “I strongly urge my House colleagues to vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill until Congress passes a strong reconciliation bill.”
Manchin Won’t Say How Much Spending He’ll Support
After meeting with President Biden, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told reporters the pair had “straightforward” talks but added that he did not tell the president a price tag for the budget reconciliation bill that he would support, CNBC reports.
Said Manchin: “There was no commitments made at all. No commitments from that standpoint. Just good negotiations, talking about the needs of our country.”
Most Texans Don’t Want Abbott Re-Elected
A new Quinnipiac poll in Texas finds that 51% of voters don’t think Gov. Greg Abbott (R) deserves to be reelected.
However, 50% of voters do not think Beto O’Rourke (D) would make a good governor and 49% do not think Matthew McConaughey would make a good governor.
Pentagon Told ‘No Major’ Illegal Activity on January 6
While a mob stormed the Capitol on January, pushing through barricades set up outside the building, the Department of Homeland Security sent an email to the Pentagon, reporting “no major incidents of illegal activity at this time,” Politico reports.
While Trump Was Winging It
Fiona Hill has a must-read piece in Foreign Affairs:
“I had spent just over a year serving in the Trump administration as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council. Like everyone else who worked in the White House, I had, by then, learned a great deal about Trump’s idiosyncrasies. We all knew, for instance, that Trump rarely read the detailed briefing materials his staff prepared for him and that in meetings or calls with other leaders, he could never stick to an agreed-on script or his cabinet members’ recommendations. This had proved to be a major liability during those conversations, since it often seemed to his foreign counterparts as though Trump was hearing about the issues on the agenda for the first time.”
“When Trump was winging it, he could be persuaded of all kinds of things. If a foreign visitor or caller was one of his favored strongmen, Trump would always give the strongman’s views and version of events the benefit of the doubt over those of his own advisers.”
The Problem with the Reconciliation Bill
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The Fear of Trump May Be Overblown
Jack Shafer: “Trump and his Republicans fear their own disintegration. That sense of threat gives them power over the voter base, but it has also made them politically desperate. Their lack of scruples doesn’t make them omnipotent: it makes them vulnerable to serious and determined opponents.”
“The wildness of Trump’s last-ditch maneuver, whatever it turns out to be, will require much from us, but above all it will oblige us to keep our cool and just vote. You don’t beat a crazy card player by going crazier.”
Police Pushback on Tim Scott’s Claims
Playbook: “The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Fraternal Order of Police put out a statement this morning explicitly saying that the police reform proposal that collapsed would not have ‘defunded the police’ and would have actually strengthened them.”
“That’s a pretty strong pushback to lead GOP negotiator Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who blamed the death of reform on Democrats trying to defund the police.”
Milley Admits He Spoke to Authors of Trump Books
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley admitted at a Senate hearing that he spoke with the authors of three books — Peril, Frankly, We Did Win This Election and I Alone Can Fix It — about the Trump presidency, Axios reports.
Even some of Milley’s friends have cringed at his extensive and high-profile scenes in the books and the perceptions that he participated on “deep background” with these authors.
Preventing Trump 2.0
Insider: “Congressional Democrats are pushing a series of measures that directly respond to many of their biggest criticisms of Trump. The effort, led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who led Trump’s first impeachment inquiry, aims to give Congress more power when it comes to presidential pardons, enforcement of the emoluments clauses, and the policing of subpoenas. It would make it harder to fire government watchdogs, toughen federal enforcement for Hatch Act violations, and attempt to limit White House political interference at the Justice Department.”
“But nine months into the Biden administration, and with Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress, none of the legislation introduced to prevent a Trump 2.0 has been enacted, and it doesn’t appear to have much of a chance of becoming law anytime soon.”
Washington Post: “As Trump hints at 2024 comeback, democracy advocates fear a ‘worst-case scenario’ for the country.”
Biden Underwater In North Carolina
A new High Point University survey finds President Biden with a dismal 38% to 48% approval rating.
Key finding: 60% of respondents said the U.S. is on the wrong track.
Republicans Play It Safe on Redistricting
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Noem Summoned Agency Head Who Denied Daughter
Just days after a South Dakota agency moved to deny her daughter’s application to become a certified real estate appraiser, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) “summoned to her office the state employee who ran the agency, the woman’s direct supervisor and the state labor secretary,” the AP reports.
Noem’s daughter attended the meeting too.
Top Generals Advised Leaving Troops In Afghanistan
“Top military officials told lawmakers on Tuesday that they had recommended 2,500 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, contradicting comments made by President Biden earlier this year,” The Hill reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I knew that sooner or later the president would want me to tell the public something that was not true or that would make me sound like a lunatic.”
— Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, quoted by the New York Times, offering a reason for why she never held a briefing in her new book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now.
Schumer to Try to Bypass Filibuster on Debt Limit
“Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) said on Tuesday that he will try to bypass the legislative filibuster on increasing the country’s borrowing limit — a move expected to be blocked by Republicans,” The Hill reports.
“Schumer said that he will ask the Senate for unanimous consent, which any one GOP senator can object to and block, to set up a vote on a debt ceiling increase that could pass by a simple majority. That would allow Democrats to suspend the debt ceiling on their own.”
