At least 20 Republican senators did not meet with Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick’s mother, the Washington Post reports.
Free Beer Promised If U.S. Reaches Vaccine Goal
“Anheuser-Busch, the national brewer that produces Budweiser, announced Wednesday it will give away free alcohol if the nation reaches President Joe Biden’s goal to have 70% of US adults receive at least one dose of the vaccine by July 4,” CNN reports.
Vox: The 6 reasons Americans aren’t getting vaccinated.
Trump Shuts Down His Blog
Former President Donald Trump’s blog — a webpage where he shared statements after larger social media companies banned him from their platforms — has been permanently shut down, CNBC reports.
Said spokesman Jason Miller: “It will not be returning.”
The site was launched last month as a “communications platform.”
Nevada GOP Sought Help from the Proud Boys
Washington Post: “The rally at the Clark County Election Department in North Las Vegas, one of many such demonstrations around the nation, looked like an organic response to a president then trailing in early returns and threatening anew to contest his defeat. But private messages from Facebook and interviews show the extent of the efforts, in at least one battleground state, to demonstrate the appearance of grass-roots energy to spread Trump’s falsehoods about the election.”
“The behind-the-scenes maneuverings in Nevada involved a liberal activist who had faked a persona to get close to far-right activists, and a consultant working with the state Republican Party who contacted her in a bid to recruit the Proud Boys, a far-right men’s group, to attend the rally.”
White Identity Politics Underpin GOP’s 2022 Pitch
“With or without Donald Trump atop the party, the Republican strategy for the 2022 elections and beyond virtually assures race — and racism — will be central to political debate for years to come,” Axios reports.
“In an era when every topic seems to turn quickly to race, Republicans see this most divisive issue as either political necessity or an election-winner — including as it relates to voting laws, critical race theory, big-city crime, immigration and political correctness.”
Democrats Get Mixed News from the Parliamentarian
Punchbowl News: “As the Senate was leaving town last Friday for the Memorial Day recess, Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough quietly issued a new ruling on a key issue driving legislating in Washington right now: Can Democrats use the same budget resolution twice to trigger the fast-track reconciliation process?”
“The answer is yes, but it’s not that easy, and it may impact what happens to the American Jobs Plan and American Family Plan this summer.”
“The majority party — in this case, the Democrats — cannot use reconciliation simply to avoid the regular legislative process, and there have to be reasons beyond political expediency for triggering the majority threshold, such as an economic downturn.”
Republicans Are a Threat to Democracy
Jonathan Bernstein: “How worried should we be about the state of democracy in the U.S.? A group of leading political scientists who study the issue say: a lot. A whole lot. In fact, they say: ‘our entire democracy is now at risk.’ They’re correct. If they had asked me, I would’ve signed on.”
“The problem is easy enough to describe. In a two-party political system, one party, the Republican Party, has in large part turned antidemocratic. That party will eventually be voted into office, and if it implements nationally the policies that some of its leading politicians have advocated — and in some cases advanced at the state level — it’s possible that it will succeed in seriously harming democracy.”
Pressure Grows on Joe Manchin
“Democratic leaders and activists are urgently stepping up pressure on Sen. Joe Manchin to support legislation to fight Republican-led voting restrictions across the country, with party officials increasingly concluding that the battle over voting rights could come down to what the centrist Democrat from West Virginia does,” the Washington Post reports.
Quote of the Day
“As a party, I would like us to get the smile back.”
— Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), quoted by Roll Call, suggesting the Republican party has become too angry.
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Don Jr.’s Side Hustle
Donald Trump Jr. is charging $500 for custom video messages on Cameo, The Sun reports.
Biden’s Maintains Majority Approval
Ron Brownstein: “For most Americans, the unofficial arrival of summer with Memorial Day is a cause for celebration. But for newly elected presidents, it’s more often been a reason for dread. Sagging job approval ratings, unanticipated challenges at home and abroad and, above all, diminishing legislative momentum have been hallmarks of the first summer in office for recent presidents.”
“The dynamic has afflicted presidents of both parties. But the problem was especially acute for Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the last two Democratic presidents, who arrived in Washington, like Biden, with extremely ambitious legislative wish lists.”
Nate Silver notes that President Joe Biden’s approval rating has never been below 52.5% or above 55.0%.
Limiting SALT Cap Deduction Did Not Lead to Exodus
Bloomberg: “The IRS data is finally in, and it didn’t happen. In the first year after the cap was put in place, zero-wage-tax states netted about $1.24 in new earnings from migrants for every $100 already earned there — slightly less than the net migration rates in the previous three years. Florida, the top destination among zero-tax states, netted $2.65, also a drop from the previous years’ rates. The trend remains broadly positive, but there was no SALT-cap bump.”
“Lawmakers from high-tax states want the cap nixed or pushed higher and are angling to win such a tweak as part of any package of forthcoming tax hikes… The statistics reinforce existing research that shows high-earning Americans are relatively resistant to leaving the markets where they first became successful.”
Next Jobs Report Could Upend Biden’s Agenda
Politico: “Businesses say they can’t find enough workers to hire. The pace of Americans moving off the unemployment rolls is slowing. And a top Federal Reserve official is warning that job trends in May might look ‘odd.’ All of that suggests that the next monthly U.S. employment report, which will be released Friday morning, may not show the robust growth that President Joe Biden needs to help pass his sweeping agenda.”
“Democrats have downplayed the concerns, maintaining that the path back to full employment was always going to be winding and stacked with challenges. And economists are predicting the report will show 630,000 jobs were created in May, a robust number. But while Biden has been polling strongly on his handling of the economy, a second straight month of slower-than-expected job creation could embolden critics of his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure spending plans and raise fears that the labor market is facing a long road back to normal.”
Why Did Biden Call Out Manchin and Sinema?
President Biden apparently called out Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) yesterday as key Democratic senators blocking passage of his agenda.
Playbook: “Both senators obviously relish their independence and would probably wear such a rebuke as a badge of honor if it were coming from anyone else. But Biden is the leader of the party, and he just flashed a bright green light to the rest of the Democratic establishment: If they want to go after either member, go for it. (Neither office wanted to weigh in on this when asked for comment.)”
“Republicans working on an infrastructure deal told us they were confused by the swipe.”
Said one top GOP aide: “What the president said today was not helpful. There is a genuine interest among Senate Republicans to get a bipartisan deal focused on core infrastructure. We know there are a handful of Senate Democrats also interested in that. To the extent that the president pushes those Dems away, that’s helpful to us. They already don’t want to vote for what Biden is offering.”
That GOP aide isn’t very clear about whether Biden’s comments were “helpful” or “not helpful.”
Biden to Meet with Shelley Moore Capito
Playbook: “Biden has rewarded her with a rare solo meeting that excludes the others. We’ll be looking to see if the president pulls a signature Biden move intended to build trust: clearing the room of staff so he and Capito can talk in private.”
“White House aides on Tuesday night were all singing from a similar hymnal about this meeting: Biden is serious about a deal. He allowed his Memorial Day deadline to lapse because he believes the negotiations are making progress. The political media has been too quick to describe these talks as dead after every speed bump, partly because we’ve all forgotten what negotiations look like. This is a working meeting — not something ceremonial.”
“Biden ran on his ability to cut deals, practiced over 44 years in Washington, and by elevating these infrastructure talks to a one-on-one with Capito he risks taking more of the blame if they fall apart.”
RNC Threatens GOP Candidate Won’t Debate In 2024
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel excoriated the Commission on Presidential Debates in a letter, threatening to advise any future Republican nominee against participating in general election presidential debates unless significant changes are made to the commission, CNN reports.
‘Family Matter’ Caused Sinema to Miss Vote
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) told the Arizona Republic that she missed a procedural vote on a bill to establish a commission to study the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection because she had a “family matter.”
She did not elaborate.
