“The Democratic National Committee is announcing key members of its senior staff on Tuesday as the party’s political operation, in close alignment with the White House, turns its attention to the 2022 midterm elections,” ABC News reports.
How Republicans View Biden’s Relief Bill
Punchbowl News: “After sometimes bitter debates and months of delays, Congress passed five key Covid relief bills last year with big bipartisan margins.”
“Yet now with Joe Biden in the White House calling for another nearly $2 trillion in federal aid to ‘crush the virus’ and finally get the U.S. economy back on its feet, Republicans are balking.”
“Senior House GOP lawmakers and aides tell us that it’s possible just a handful of Republicans — single digits, perhaps — will vote for the Biden proposal. The Budget Committee will consider it this week, and it’s expected on the floor next week.”
Bottom line: “Republicans are adrift at the moment. The lowest common denominator to get back on the same page will be opposing Biden and his agenda — especially a package of this size. We saw them do this in 2009 with the stimulus. And we expect the same here.”
Biden Steps Up His Stimulus Pitch
“Joe Biden will make his case for a $1.9 trillion stimulus plan directly to the public on his first official trip outside of Washington since becoming president in an attempt to pressure Congress into closing negotiations over the package,” the Financial Times reports.
“Biden’s planned visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday follows the swift conclusion of the impeachment trial against Donald Trump… The end of the proceedings will allow Biden to recapture the full attention of lawmakers for his economic agenda, which aims to combat the fallout from the pandemic with a massive new injection of government spending.”
Washington Post: Biden seeks to return attention to combating the coronavirus with televised town hall.
Biden’s Approval at 62%
A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds President Joe Biden with a 62% to 33% approval rating.
The Trump Attention Economy Deflates
“Politicians, celebrities and business leaders are trying to adapt to a new world beyond the attention inflation of the Trump era — one where the volume of attention-getting statements and actions has dropped and the value and impact of individual events may rise,” Axios reports.
“Donald Trump used social media to provoke and distract Americans around the clock, rewiring the country’s nervous system and diminishing the value of each individual news cycle. Now we’re going to learn whether our fried collective circuits can recover.”
Vigorous Preparation Returns to White House
“A new-old ritual is taking shape in the Biden White House, one that starts with bulky briefing packages, war-gaming the ‘what-ifs,’ and Oval Office discussions about how to talk to this or that particular U.S. ally or adversary,” the AP reports.
“Twelve times since he took office, President Joe Biden has dialed up a world leader after reinstituting what was a long-held White House standard mothballed by Donald Trump: vigorous preparation. Gone are unnecessary digressions and over-the-top cajoling or haranguing of fellow heads of state.”
Only Half Have Heard Of ‘Cancel Culture’
A HuffPost/YouGov poll found that just 52% of Americans have heard of “cancel culture,” which has become a major Republican talking point.
Cuomo Denies Cover-Up In Nursing Home Scandal
New York Times: “Admitting a degree of fault for the first time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that his administration’s lack of transparency about the scope of coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes in New York was a mistake. … By failing to answer questions from state lawmakers, the public and the news media, Mr. Cuomo acknowledged, the state created a void that was ‘filled with skepticism, and cynicism, and conspiracy theories which furthered the confusion.’
“But he stopped short of a full apology for his handling of information about the death toll in the state’s nursing homes, an issue that has engulfed his administration in recent weeks.”
A new Siena poll finds Cuomo still gets strong approval on handling the pandemic, 61% to 34%.
Covid Wars Launch DeSantis Into GOP Top Tier
“Ron DeSantis once drew national scorn for his stewardship of Florida’s Covid-19 response — critics took to referring to the governor as ‘DeathSantis’ for his resistance to restrictive measures,” Politico reports.
“But that very blowback … has made DeSantis ascendant in the GOP. His position is strengthened among the GOP grassroots and elites heading into his 2022 reelection in Florida and accompanied by increasing conservative chatter nationwide about a presidential bid. By scrapping with reporters and President Joe Biden’s White House … the wonky but combative governor has elevated his profile at a time when other big-state governors have been laid low.”
Democrats Jockey to Counter GOP In Redistricting
“As the once-a-decade redistricting conflicts heat up across the country, both Republicans and Democrats are wrestling with how far to press their advantage in a fight as consequential as any election. For Republicans that means building on the success of 10 years ago — even as some population and political trends work against them. For Democrats, it’s a test of their commitment to the changes they’ve long argued are needed to create a level playing field,” the AP reports.
“The stakes are particularly clear now. Some experts note Republicans could win control of the House in 2022 based on redistricting alone. Three of the states where the GOP has complete control of the map-making — Texas, Florida and North Carolina — are expected to gain a total of six seats. A GOP sweep of those seats would flip the House.”
“But packing Republican voters into new districts in the growing states won’t be easy. Much of the population growth in those states has come in cities, inner-ring suburbs and places with large Black and Latino communities — all key Democratic constituencies.”
GOP Tries to Weaponize Pandemic-Exhausted Parents
Politico: “The pandemic has disrupted lives and exacerbated inequities and a raft of public and private surveys show clear political potholes and opportunities because of it. The coronavirus is spawning sweeping policy prescriptions from Democrats and Republicans alike, from billions in school reopening funds to the creation of a federal child allowance. And it’s prompting pollsters to loosely coin emerging voter demos like ‘women in chaos’ and ‘families in crisis.’”
“Within the GOP, there is a belief that the pandemic and resulting turmoil make Biden and Democratic incumbents especially vulnerable among those demographics.”
Joe Neguse and Stacey Plaskett Wield Their Influence
New York Times: “Even though their prosecution failed to deliver a conviction, both lawmakers said they hope to turn their newfound prominence into gains for their constituents as President Biden barrels forward with an ambitious agenda for economic stimulus and other overhauls.”
“And in interviews after the trial’s conclusion, both said they were conscious of their roles as among the few Black lawmakers who took part in an impeachment of a former president whose race-baiting and anti-immigration stances helped create deep divisions in the country.”
Nevada Moves to Hold First In Nation Primary
“A bill that would change Nevada’s presidential caucus to a primary and make it the first nominating contest in the country has been unveiled,” the Las Vegas Sun reports.
WMUR: “New Hampshire is now officially in another battle to hold on to the first-in-the-nation status of its presidential primary.”
“It’s not the first time, but it appears to be a serious challenge to the Granite State’s leadoff role in the nominating process.”
North Carolina GOP Censures Burr
“In an emergency vote Monday night, North Carolina’s Republican Party voted unanimously to censure Sen. Richard Burr, just two days after the retiring Republican cast a ‘guilty’ vote in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial,” the Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Burr called it a “truly sad day” for state Republicans.
He added: “My party’s leadership has chosen loyalty to one man over the core principles of the Republican Party and the founders of our great nation.”
McConnell Defends His Vote
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) tries to explain his vote to acquit former President Donald Trump in the Wall Street Journal.
“There is no question former President Trump bears moral responsibility. His supporters stormed the Capitol because of the unhinged falsehoods he shouted into the world’s largest megaphone. His behavior during and after the chaos was also unconscionable, from attacking Vice President Mike Pence during the riot to praising the criminals after it ended.”
“I was as outraged as any member of Congress. But senators take our own oaths. Our job wasn’t to find some way, any way, to inflict a punishment. The Senate’s first and foundational duty was to protect the Constitution.”
Indiana Secretary of State Steps Down Early
Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson (R) announced that she is resigning with nearly two years left in her term, the Indianapolis Star reports.
She didn’t give a specific reason but said that 2020 “took a toll on me” and that she was stepping down to “focus on my health and my family.”
The GOP Lawmakers at the Insurrection
The Huffington Post has a running tally with profiles of the 57 Republican lawmakers and officials who have been identified as attendees of the protests that led to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
“Many have since sought to avoid responsibility for their part in it all. Of the 57 GOP officials identified as being at the rally, afterward at least 20 pushed the false conspiracy theory that ‘antifa,’ or leftist anti-fascists, actually started the violence — a claim that’s been rendered increasingly absurd with the arrests of about 200 Trump supporters since Jan. 6.”
New Video Shows Capitol Attack Was Coordinated
“New police radio dispatches and security footage from the January 6 US Capitol riot paint an even sharper picture of how the insurrectionists at times showed little fear of the police as they launched a large and coordinated attack,” CNN reports.
