“After two sets of Democratic presidential debates, it appears that Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, at least at the moment, are two high-speed trains on a collision course,” Reuters reports.
“Both nights made clear that the ideological divide that is fissuring the Democratic Party will not soon be closed – and that voters may soon have to choose a side as the field begins to narrow in the coming months.”
The Guardian: “Delivering what must have been one of the most cryptic gaffes of his career, Joe Biden caused mass confusion during the final moment of the latest Democratic debate, after he apparently urged viewers to visit a website that does not exist.”
“Biden laid out his 2020 vision before telling those watching: ‘If you agree with me, go to Joe 30330.’ He had in fact meant to refer them to a phone number.”
“It’s like there’s constant chaos.”
— Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), quoted by Politico, when asked to sum up the summer.
Politico: “Among those on the retirement watch list include older members, like Hal Rogers of Kentucky, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and Don Young of Alaska; moderates, like Fred Upton of Michigan and Greg Walden of Oregon; lawmakers facing tougher races, like Texans Michael McCaul and Kenny Marchant, and Ann Wagner of Missouri; and the two members under indictment, Duncan Hunter of California and Chris Collins of New York.”
“RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel grew visibly emotional during a meeting with senior GOP officials on Wednesday, as she insisted that she isn’t personally profiting off a new, President Trump-endorsed small-donor platform,” Politico reports.
“The party chairwoman choked up as she kicked off a closed-door panel discussion on WinRed by addressing ongoing rumors that she and other RNC officials are poised to personally benefit from the new platform. At one point, McDaniel said the only money she is making is her RNC salary.”
“Republican leaders are determined to make WinRed the sole online donation platform for the party, and they are taking an uncompromising approach with those who’ve been reluctant to get on board with the new program — which has rankled segments of the party rank and file.”
Playbook: “Frustration and skepticism about WinRed, and questions about who is profiting from the GOP fundraising platform, are probably among the top things Republicans talk about on Capitol Hill.”
John Harris: “If Biden is the essential variable in the Democratic presidential race — none of the nearly two dozen other candidates can rise much further unless or until Biden is perceived to be in a dying fall — then the most reasonable reaction to the latest two-day pair of long and crowded debates is: So what?”
“That is not so much dismissive comment as authentic question. Biden’s two debate outings this summer suggest that a politician who has been at this game for decades operates within a predictable and fairly narrow range — at his best, not half-bad; at his worst, pretty bad for a supposed front-runner.”
NBC News: Biden holds the center but does little to pick up ground.
“President Trump on Wednesday ordered the Navy’s top leaders to rescind awards given to military lawyers who prosecuted a war crimes case in which the commander in chief took personal interest,” the Washington Post reports.
“Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher was acquitted this month of charges he murdered a wounded Islamic State fighter two years ago in Iraq. Trump had intervened on Gallagher’s behalf, having him removed from solitary confinement in March while awaiting trial.”
Ten Democratic presidential candidates will debate on CNN beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
The lineup: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Andrew Yang, Bill de Blasio, Michael Bennet, Tulsi Gabbard, Kirsten Gillibrand and Jay Inslee.
Please leave your reactions in the comments.
Max Boot: “Measles was declared eliminated in 2000, but so far this year 940 individual cases have been reported throughout the country. All because a growing number of parents, in thrall to ‘anti-vaxxer’ conspiracy theories, refuse to follow medical advice and immunize their children.”
“This is terrifying, and not just because measles is a life-threatening disease. The revival of measles is an indication of a serious political problem. The case for democracy is that voters in the aggregate will make better decisions than a lone monarch or dictator would. But does majority rule still work when so many people believe so many things that simply aren’t so?”
Washington Post: “These retirements by influential Republicans suggest that there is increasing doubt about whether they can defy history and become the first caucus to flip the House majority during a presidential election since 1952. If he had stuck around, Conaway had a chance to become the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, while Bishop is near the top of the Armed Services Committee.”
“The unspoken fear among Republicans is that more retirements could be on the way, particularly over this long recess as members of Congress spend time with their families, travel their district or make official overseas trips.”
The U.S. Senate confirmed Kelly Knight Craft as President Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, the Washington Post reports.
“Notably, Craft has distanced herself from President Trump on the contentious subject of climate change, telling senators during her confirmation hearing last month that she believes fossil fuels and human behavior contribute to the planet’s shifting weather phenomena, though she stopped short of endorsing a return to international pacts such as the Paris climate agreement.”
“Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) spent a good chunk of Tuesday night’s presidential debate warning that Medicare for All would politically ruin Democrats. The day after, he predicted that the ambitious health care proposal would prompt an electoral bloodbath for the party in November 2020,” the Daily Beast reports.
“But there’s just one problem with Ryan’s role as the Democratic Party’s Nostradamus: He’s currently a co-sponsor of a House bill pushing a single-payer health care system.”
“The biggest lesson Joe Biden learned from the first debate is that there are no rules of engagement at these things, and he’s ready to throw down at tonight’s debate,” Axios reports.
“Yes, he’s going to keep contrasting himself with President Trump. But he’s squarely focused on Sen. Kamala Harris, too, after the first debate in Miami.”
Said one senior campaign official: “We’re not joking when we say he’s not going to let his record be mischaracterized. It’s not OK to label someone as a racist.”
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, with a senior administration official telling reporters Zarif should not be treated internationally as a “credible” interlocutor, Axios reports.
The Washington Post calls the sanctions “a dramatic step bound to escalate tensions.”
Bloomberg calls it “a provocative move that diminishes the prospects for a diplomatic solution to rising tensions that have brought the U.S. and Tehran to the brink of war.”
The Kentucky Democratic Party launched a “Moscow Mitch” online store, making use of a nickname used to describe Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for blocking an election security bill.
Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised more than $1 million for his presidential bid since he sparred with several moderate contenders during Tuesday night’s Democratic debate, The Hill reports.
The $1.1 million fundraising haul was bolstered by more than 70,000 donations.
A new Economist/YouGov survey finds 48% of respondents said they would vote for Democrat for Congress next year, while 37% would vote for a Republican and 11% were not sure.
Taegan 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.