Gallup: “More Americans continue to identify as Democrats or as ‘Democratic-leaning’ independents than as Republicans or ‘Republican-leaning’ independents. The current 47% to 42% Democratic edge is largely in line with what Gallup has measured over the past five years.”
The Most Important Fault Line in the Democratic Party
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Too Much Democracy Is Bad for Democracy
Jonathan Rauch and Ray La Raja: “Americans rarely pause to consider just how bizarre the presidential nominating process has become. No other major democracy routinely uses primaries to choose its political candidates, nor did the Founders of this country intend for primaries to play a role in the republican system they devised.”
“Abraham Lincoln did not win his party’s nomination because he ran a good ground game in New Hampshire; rather, Republican elders saw in him a candidate who could unite rival factions within the party and defeat the Democratic nominee in the general election. Today’s system amounts to a radical experiment in direct democracy, one without precedent even in America’s own political history.”
Why the Impeachment Fight Is Worse Than You Think
Thomas Pepinsky: “For decades, Republicans and Democrats fought over the same things: Whose values and policies work best for American democracy. But now, those age-old fights are changing. What was once run-of-the-mill partisan competition is being replaced by a disagreement over democracy itself.”
“This is particularly evident as the president and many of his allies crow about the illegitimacy of the House impeachment inquiry, calling it an attempted coup, and as the White House refuses to comply with multiple congressional subpoenas as part of the probe.”
“This marks a new phase in American politics. Democrats and Republicans might still disagree about policy, but they are increasingly also at odds over the very foundations of our constitutional order.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“They’re vicious and they stick together. They don’t have Mitt Romney in their midst.”
— President Trump, quoted by The Guardian, on the Democrats.
Some Independents Reject Left Turn by Democrats
Alexander Agadjanian: “Political science research suggests that moderates generally fare better in elections, but much of our current understanding is speculative: There has been little directly relevant data on how voters are reacting in the moment. Are swing voters being put off? Are Democratic voters excited and more likely to stick with their party?”
“In a recent survey experiment I conducted, the evidence pointed to both these possibilities, but with one pattern much more pronounced than the other.”
“The embrace of progressivism solidifies support among Democratic survey respondents when thinking about the 2020 general election. But it repels independents, with a negative effect that is stronger and clearer than the signs of enthusiasm generated among Democrats.”
Democrats Will Keep Next Debate to Single Night
The DNC said that at least 12 presidential hopefuls are expected to appear together on a single night at next month’s televised debate in Ohio, the New York Times reports.
“The Ohio debate, on Oct. 15, is set to include the 10 candidates who appeared at this month’s debate in Houston… In addition to that group, the billionaire Tom Steyer and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are scheduled to take the stage.”
Democratic Fundraising Spikes This Week
New York Times: “The online ticker for ActBlue, the company that processes most online Democratic donations, showed that Tuesday was one of the bigger fund-raising days in recent months that was not linked to a Democratic debate or a monthly deadline. The site showed $4.6 million in donations on Tuesday, after $4.2 million on Monday.”
DNC Rules Upend the Presidential Race
Politico: “It began as nothing more than a device to govern an unruly primary field. But the bar set for Democrats to qualify for this year’s presidential debates has become a force in its own right, more consequential than any of the early debates it administered… And the rules are now metastasizing in unexpected ways.”
“In Iowa, some prominent Democrats are privately urging struggling campaigns to stay in the contest even if they cannot qualify for the debates, incredulous that metrics imposed by national Democratic Party officials could stamp out lesser contenders … Democrats raising money for down-ticket candidates are complaining that the presidential candidates’ imperative to raise money to meet debate thresholds is drawing attention away from congressional and state house contests — and perverting the Democratic Party’s messaging overall.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“It’s being destroyed from within.”
— Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), quoted by the Montgomery Advertiser, on the Alabama Democratic Party.
What Does the Democratic Party Want?
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Alabama Democrats Won’t Get DNC Funds
“The chairman of the Democratic National Committee Monday said the DNC has been withholding some payments from the Alabama Democratic Party due to a failure to develop a strategic plan or invest in state party infrastructure,” the Montgomery Advertiser reports.
Wrote Tom Perez: “Alabama has fallen far short of meeting its basic obligations to develop an effective strategic plan and build the necessary infrastructure for success. The ADP has chronically underperformed in virtually every aspect of operation.”
South Dakota Democrats Close Their Offices
“The South Dakota Democratic Party will no longer have a physical presence in the state,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports.
“The state party is closing its offices in Sioux Falls and Rapid City at the end of September, and party staff will begin working remotely due to the party’s dwindling finances.”
Where Are the Democrats?
Sam Stein: “You would think the opposition party would have a field day with a president cancelling a trip to commemorate WWII so he could monitor a hurricane only to then be spotted playing golf two days in a row at his personal club. But I can’t even recall seeing one Dem take a whack.”
DNC Will Raise Money from Americans In Mexico
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez plans to hold party fundraising events with the American expatriate community in Mexico City next month, Bloomberg reports.
Biden Will Skip DNC Meeting
Politico: “Hundreds of DNC delegates will be here next weekend for a three-day gathering that gives them a chance to meet and hear from 13 presidential contenders — though former Vice President Joe Biden, the party’s front-runner, isn’t scheduled to be among the candidates.”
“Biden also bypassed the last big party meeting in San Francisco — the convention of the California Democratic Party, the nation’s largest state party, which drew more than 4,000 people in June.”
Bullock Says Democrats Must Stop Attacking Each Other
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) said he stood on the debate stage last week and visions of a second term for President Trump kept flashing through his mind, Politico reports.
Said Bullock: “I saw his reelection becoming more likely with each passing minute… We cannot defeat Trump’s politics of personal destruction if we practice self-destruction.”
He added: “We are well on our way to losing this election long before it ever really has started.”
Orange County Will Soon Be Mostly Democratic
“Orange County, a region once associated with John Birch, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, is about to be home to more Democrats than Republicans,” the Orange County Register reports.
“At midnight, Aug. 6, the Registrar of Voters posted daily tracking figures showing just nine fewer registered Democrats than Republicans in Orange County, 547,385 vs. 547,394. Given that local Democrat registrations recently have outpaced Republicans by 50 to 100 a day, the flip is expected to become official when the Registrar posts new numbers later today.”
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