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A Pandemic Fueled by Republican Ambition

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Eugene Robinson: “This is the GOP’s pandemic now. Cynical and irresponsible Republican politicians have created an environment that is killing Americans who shouldn’t have to die, swamping hospital systems with desperately ill patients, and generally ensuring that the pain and disruption of covid-19 are with us longer than they need be or should be. And they’ve done so in their own self-interest.”

“Yes, the more-infectious delta variant is driving this new wave. But vaccination and mask-wearing have the power to check that spike in cases, and to prevent those new diagnoses from turning into hospitalizations and deaths.”

“Can we possibly be so stupid that we ignore all empirical evidence and insist on inflicting grievous self-harm? Ambitious Republicans are betting that the answer to that question is yes.”


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How Trump Bypassed Congress to Build His Border Wall

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Politico: “The newly released documents provide the first-ever look at the inner workings of how that money was moved around — and it’s not a pretty sight for congressional committees, which were left in the dark and denied basic answers about the accounting maneuvers. The Defense Department ignored statutory language in the appropriations laws specifying how the dollars were to be used. Millions of dollars were moved to never-before-seen ‘project lines’ created by the Comptroller and then written into the military services’ construction budgets without the knowledge of Congress.”

Is Ron DeSantis Governing or Campaigning?

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Miami Herald: “Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has a stable of taxpayer-paid staff that works to arrange logistics, security and messaging for his events, and just in the last month that has included: A mission to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, a prime-time Fox News Town Hall on Cuban relations, and a closed-door discussion on mask wearing that his ‘official’ political team used in a fundraising email.”

“For DeSantis, who has not officially announced his reelection bid, the official events highlight the fine line he walks between governing and campaigning. His official state business is increasingly being promoted and used for fundraisers by his independent political action committee, taking advantage of narrow state laws that separate coordination between campaigns and outside groups.”

Redistricting Data to Be Released Next Week

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Associated Press: “After a delay of more than four months caused by the pandemic, data from the 2020 census used for drawing congressional and legislative districts will be released next week, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday.”

“The bureau will publicize the data next Thursday, Aug. 12, four days before it had promised in a court agreement with the state of Ohio. The information was supposed to be released at the end of March but was pushed back to August to give bureau statisticians more time to crunch the numbers, which came in late because of delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The postponement sent states scrambling to change their redistricting deadlines.”

Biden’s ATF Nominee In Jeopardy

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Politico: “The confirmation of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is increasingly in peril. And now gun violence survivors and activists are going public with their long-simmering private frustrations, saying President Joe Biden could have done more.”

“In half a dozen interviews, those advocating for Chipman’s confirmation complained that Biden and his top aides have not leaned enough on Democratic senators to get them to support the confirmation.”

Biden Mulls Withholding Funds to Spur Vaccinations

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Washington Post: “The Biden administration is considering using federal regulatory powers and the threat of withholding federal funds from institutions to push more Americans to get vaccinated — a huge potential shift in the fight against the virus and a far more muscular approach to getting shots into arms, according to four people familiar with the deliberations.”

“The effort could apply to institutions as varied as long-term care facilities, cruise ships and universities, potentially impacting millions of Americans, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations. The conversations are in the early phases and no firm decisions have been made, the people said. One outside lawyer in touch with the Biden administration on the issue is recommending that the president use federal powers sparingly.”

Democrats Don’t Seem to Have Plan to Raise Debt Limit

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Jonathan Bernstein: “The debt limit is a foolish, unnecessary law that should be repealed anyway. But Democrats have known this moment was coming for months. If repealing the debt limit isn’t on the table — and that probably can’t be done through reconciliation — they should at least provide for four years’ worth of borrowing room. Better still, they could set the new limit so high that it effectively makes further increases unnecessary. Perhaps that’s a tough vote, but it’s unlikely there are any voters who would ignore an attack ad over a simple one-year debt limit increase but be outraged about a larger one.”

“In other words: It’s always been locked in that Democrats would have to take one tough debt-limit vote. But whatever minimal risk that involves, the real danger is that they come close enough to a default to harm the economy — assuming they wouldn’t actually allow a default.”

Schumer Moves to End Debate on Infrastructure Bill

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“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer moved on Thursday night to cut off debate on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, paving the way for swift passage of the sweeping legislation that would enact key elements of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda, although exact timing of a final vote is still unclear,” CNN reports,

“Schumer’s move to file cloture sets up a key procedural vote on Saturday, which needs 60 votes to end debate on the bill.”

Punchbowl News: “When the infrastructure bill passes — and it will, eventually — the Senate will then move onto the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution. That bill is subject to unlimited amendments at a simple majority threshold.”

Ex-Trump Official Announces ‘Huge’ Protest at Capitol

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“The former data chief for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign has announced a protest next month at the nation’s Capitol — to rail on behalf of so-called ‘political prisoners’ charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection,” the HuffPost reports.

Said Matt Braynard: “We’re going back to the Capitol, right where it started. And it’s going to be huge.”

Trump Offers His Supporters ‘Trump Cards’

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Daily Beast: “It seems Donald Trump is running out of ways to shake down his fans. In his latest cash-grab, the ex-president is offering MAGA die-hards some tacky and seemingly pointless plastic cards to prove their support.”

“In a typically understated color scheme of blood red with golden lettering, the cards display Trump’s name and a membership number.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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