Coming this fall from Joe Biden: Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.
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Charlie Cook’s Guide to the Political Environment
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Trump Braces for Hurricane Harvey
“As Hurricane Harvey swirls through the Gulf of Mexico, speeding toward the Texas coast, it could also bring a critical test of President Trump’s abilities as commander-in-chief,” CNN reports.
“In an instant, natural disasters can become defining moments for a presidency, and Hurricane Harvey — which is set to be the first Category 3 hurricane to hit the US in 12 years — could be the first such moment for Trump, testing his administration’s ability to handle a major natural disaster.”
“The Trump administration has been preparing for months for what is forecast to be an especially active hurricane season, but Harvey is also gusting toward the US amid questions about vacancies in key administration posts.”
James Hohmann: “Storms like this can define presidencies. George W. Bush’s presidency never recovered after Hurricane Katrina 12 summers ago. George H.W. Bush’s 1992 reelection hopes were hurt by his botched response to Hurricane Andrew because it cemented the narrative that he was detached from domestic problems and unconcerned about acting swiftly to help regular people back home.”
Franken Could Be Convinced to Run In 2020
“Political associates of Al Franken say they believe the Minnesota senator could be talked into running for the White House if he believes he’s the Democrat best positioned to defeat President Trump,” The Hill reports.
“But they say Franken would need to be convinced, and argue that the former Saturday Night Live star would be reluctant to enter a battle with dozens of other Democrats in what’s increasingly expected to be a wide-open race for party’s nomination.”
Kasich and Hickenlooper Mull Joint Bid
Mike Allen: “Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) — ‘the Johns,’ as insiders are calling them — have been making a flurry of joint appearances to talk about state-driven improvements to health care.”
“But Axios has learned that their duet is part of an alliance that’s gaining momentum toward a possible joint independent bid for president in 2020, likely with Kasich at the top of the ticket.”
Ryan Faces Toughest Stretch of Speakership
“For all its power and prestige, the speaker of the House is one of the most thankless jobs in Washington — just ask John Boehner. Now, with Congress barreling toward major fiscal fights this fall, Paul Ryan is about to get a taste of the Boehner treatment — and then some,” Politico reports.
“Consider what’s on the immediate horizon for the GOP wunderkind: President Trump is ready to shut down the government over his border wall with Mexico. Breitbart has all but declared a renewed, Steve Bannon-led war on GOP leaders, with Ryan in its cross hairs. And conservative lawmakers are exhorting the speaker to play hardball on raising the debt ceiling — even as the White House demands a no-strings-attached increase to calm nervous creditors.”
“Like Boehner, Ryan will be forced to mediate the long-running hostilities in his conference — between the always-potent Freedom Caucus and a newly-empowered faction of centrists. Only this time, Ryan also has a demanding and unpredictable president thrown into the mix, too.”
Trump Fences Himself In with Border Wall Threat
“President Trump handed Democrats a gift this week with his vow to shut down the government if he doesn’t soon get money for his border wall. Democrats may be only too happy to let him follow through on his threat since it will now be easy for them to blame the president for any government interruption, which would probably aggravate many Americans,” the New York Times reports.
“Rather than cowing Democrats, Mr. Trump’s tough talk is more likely to embolden the opposition in ongoing negotiations, particularly since he has now twice suggested he was willing to shutter government agencies if he didn’t get his way.”
“It also puts more pressure on Republicans to find the votes internally to pass spending bills and an increase in the federal debt limit — two things hard-right conservatives in the House and Senate have refused to support in the past. That Republican resistance provides Democrats leverage — Republicans can either grant concessions such as no wall money or produce all the votes for the spending bills and debt limit increase themselves.”
Quote of the Day
“I have come under enormous pressure both to resign and to remain in my current position. As a patriotic American, I am reluctant to leave my post… But I also feel compelled to voice my distress over the events of the last two weeks… Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK.”
— White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, in an interview with the Financial Times.
What Trump Has Undone
“President Trump has repeatedly argued that he’s done more than any other recent president. That’s not true, as measured by the amount of legislation he’s been able to sign. It is true, though, that Trump has undone a lot of things that were put into place by his predecessors, including President Obama,” the Washington Post reports.
“Since Jan. 20, Trump’s administration has enthusiastically and systematically undone or uprooted rules, policies and tools that predated his time in office.”
Why Trump Isn’t a Republican
Former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO) writing in the Washington Post:
“Many have said that President Trump isn’t a Republican. They are correct, but for a reason more fundamental than those usually given. Some focus on Trump’s differences from mainstream GOP policies, but the party is broad enough to embrace different views, and Trump agrees with most Republicans on many issues. Others point to the insults he regularly directs at party members and leaders, but Trump is not the first to promote self above party. The fundamental reason Trump isn’t a Republican is far bigger than words or policies. He stands in opposition to the founding principle of our party — that of a united country. …
“In honor of our past and in belief in our future, for the sake of our party and our nation, we Republicans must disassociate ourselves from Trump by expressing our opposition to his divisive tactics and by clearly and strongly insisting that he does not represent what it means to be a Republican.”
Trump Has Now Personally Attacked 20% of GOP Senators
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Trump Has Done Nothing to Sell Tax Reform
“August was supposed to be the month that President Trump sold tax reform,” Politico reports.
“But with less than two weeks to go before Congress returns, and Republican leaders hoping to launch a major push to get tax legislation to the president’s desk by the end of the year, Trump has barely mentioned the subject.”
“Part of the month went to important foreign policy issues… But domestically he’s picked fights with the top Republican in the Senate, stewed over how his response to racially tinged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, was received, and mused about shutting down the government over funding for a border wall.”
Trump Distances Himself from the GOP Congress
“President Trump is strategically separating himself from Republicans in Congress, an extraordinary move to deflect blame if the GOP agenda continues to flounder,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump deepened the fissures in the party on Thursday when he accused the top two leaders on Capitol Hill of mismanaging a looming showdown over the nation’s borrowing authority. Republican lawmakers and aides responded to the president’s hostility with broadsides and warnings of their own.”
“Frustrated by months of relative inaction across Pennsylvania Avenue and emboldened by his urge to disrupt the status quo, Trump is testing whether his own political following will prove more potent and loyal than that of his party and its leaders in both houses of Congress.”
Trump Mulls Ending DACA
“President Trump is seriously considering ending DACA, the Obama-era policy that shields some illegal immigrants from deportation, before conservative state attorneys general file a court challenge to the program.”
“Sources familiar with the deliberations tell Axios that Trump has made no final decision, and the White House continues to receive advice from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. Jeff Sessions strongly believes Trump should end DACA; DHS, however, has a more nuanced position, and Trump himself has said he’s sympathetic to the children helped by the program.”
Soldiers on Pence Detail Reassigned
“The U.S. Army detail assigned to Vice President Mike Pence’s communications team has been removed from White House duties after being caught on video bringing women back to their hotel in Colombia,” NBC News reports.
“The soldiers — who were senior members of the service, according to one of the officials — were brought back to the United States and removed from the White House detail once the allegations surfaced… There is no indication at this point that the women with the U.S. Army soldiers were prostitutes.”
Playboy Embarrassed Trump Was on the Cover
Cooper Heffner told the Hollywood Reporter that he and his father feel personal embarrassment for having once had President Trump on a Playboy cover.
Said Heffner: “We don’t respect the guy. There’s a personal embarrassment because Trump is somebody who has been on our cover.”
LePage Says Collins Would Lose a GOP Primary
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told WGAN that Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) would probably lose a Republican primary in the state if she decides to run for governor.
Said LePage: “I will say this right away. I do firmly believe deep down in my heart that Susan Collins, in order to become the governor of the state of Maine, will have to run as an independent, and she’s highly unlikely to win a Republican primary.”
However, he added that if she did make it through a Republican primary and got to the general election, “she wins.”
GOP Leaders Don’t Expect Tax Plan from White House
“Republican congressional leaders don’t expect to release a joint tax plan with the White House next month, and they’ll rely instead on House and Senate tax-writing committees to solve the big tax questions that remain unanswered,” Bloomberg reports.
“National Economic Council Gary Cohn had said previously that a tax framework would be released after Labor Day. More recently, he indicated the White House was pushing tax efforts back to the hill.”
