Democratic Governors rally behind Biden
Another House Democrat calls on Biden to give up 2024 bid
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for July 4, 2024:
Biden to campaign staff: “I’m in this race”
An uneasy July 4 for Democrats.
Menendez won’t testify in bribery case.
2024. While Democrats in Congress continued on Wednesday to express concern about President Biden's reelection prospects in the wake of last week's debate debacle, top Democratic Governors gave Mr. Biden a very public show of support on Wednesday - as the White House tried to snuff out talk that the President would step aside as the party standard bearer in 2024.
MEETING. "We were honest about the feedback that we were getting," said Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, one of Governors who met with Biden in person at the White House. "We were honest about the concerns that we were hearing from people."
ENDORSE. Moore, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York all gave their public support to Biden before TV cameras and reporters outside the West Wing. "I'm here to tell you today, President Joe Biden is in it to win it," said Hochul. "We pledged our support to him, because the stakes could not be higher."
BACKERS. Other big name Democratic Governors sent the same message. "Joe Biden is our nominee. He is in it to win it," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. "I heard three words from the President tonight," said Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. "He's all in, and so am I."
CALL. Earlier in the day, Biden told his campaign staff in a call that he is not giving up his bid for reelection. “I am running,” Biden said. “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”
WHITE HOUSE. I want to note something about the gathering of Governors at the White House. To have 10 Democratic Governors there as a group is very unusual (another 12 Governors joined the meeting with Biden virtually). What did I notice? There was no photo op for the cameras - and no chance for reporters to ask Biden any questions.
FRIDAY. Biden will do an extended interview with ABC News which will be broadcast on Friday night. It's part of what's been a rather odd media strategy from the White House to say the least. The debate was one week ago tonight, and Biden is just getting around to explaining why he had such a bad night.
BRIEFING. Wednesday was another rough briefing for White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, as she faced all sorts of painful questions about Biden’s mental acuity and political future. “Is President Biden considering stepping down?” one reporter asked. “Absolutely not,” Jean-Pierre answered.
CONGRESS. While the Governors stood by Biden, the freak out continues among Democrats in Congress, who have been much less forgiving about the political fallout from Biden's bad debate and the White House media strategy. "President Biden is not going to get younger," said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA). "I have grave concerns about his ability to defeat Donald Trump."
CACTUS. "If he's the candidate, I'm going to support him," Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) told the New York Times when asked about Biden, before dropping the hammer. "What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat - and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race."
LEADERS. Joe Biden is a creature of Capitol Hill from his many years in the Senate. But after the debate, he forgot how to pick up the phone and chat with key Democrats in the House and Senate, only doing that in the past 24 hours. That just makes no sense - and Democrats know that.
HILL. "He should have called Chuck Schumer on Friday," Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) said on MSNBC. Instead, Biden and Schumer spoke on Wednesday.
CONFERENCE CALL. House Democrats met Wednesday evening by phone to vent some of their concerns about the Biden situation. Most lawmakers have said next to nothing about the debate. That may have to change when Congress returns to work next Monday.
JULY 4. Normally, Independence Day is an easy media hit for members of Congress. You march in a parade, do some simple interviews with local news media, and get some good publicity along the way. But today, Democrats are likely to be asked about Biden - and that may create some headlines.
LOCAL NEWS. With social media, a local TV interview can now make waves nationally. One example was in New Hampshire. "President Biden was unable to make an effective case or hold Donald Trump accountable for his lies and extreme agenda," Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) told WMUR-TV.
TODAY. President Biden will mark July 4 by hosting a barbeque at the White House with active duty members of the military and their families. They'll be joined by veterans and other military servicemembers to watch tonight's fireworks. Mr. Biden is expected to make remarks - but it won't be a give and take with reporters.
OHIO. Amid calls for Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee, one reader asked a logical question - what about Ohio? Remember, the timing of the Democratic convention in mid-August was too late to satisfy a ballot deadline in the Buckeye State. So, wouldn't that cause trouble if Democrats nominated someone other than Biden?
FIXED. Pressured by Gov. Mike DeWine (R), the Ohio legislature ultimately passed a bill to extend the August 7 candidate deadline this year - allowing the Democrats to get their candidate on the ballot. But the GOP did not embrace a bill to make that a permanent fix, so maybe we'll be talking about this again in 2028.
MENENDEZ. Jury deliberations are expected to begin next week on the bribery and corruption charges against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). Lawyers for Menendez wrapped up their defense on Wednesday without calling the New Jersey Democrat to testify in the case.
TRUMP. What about the GOP candidate for President? This has been quite a crazy week for Democrats on the Biden situation, and Donald Trump has stayed out of the headlines for the most part. But he's still been posting some crazy stuff over on his Truth Social website, like this ad for his 'God Bless The U.S.A. Bible.' (It's $59.99.)
IN STOCK NOW FOR QUICK SHIPPING. (That’s what it says on Trump’s website.)
“Easy-to-read, large print, and slim design, this Bible invites you to explore God’s Word anywhere, any time. This bible has been designed so that it delivers an easy reading experience in the trusted King James Version translation. This large print Bible will be perfect to take to church, a bible study, work, travel, etc.”
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. In the spirit of Ronco and Ron Popeil, Trump includes these extras:
Handwritten chorus to “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood.
The U.S. Constitution.
The Bill of Rights.
The Declaration of Independence.
The Pledge of Allegiance
RAP SHEET. A Proud Boy from Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 3 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his actions on Jan. 6. Brian Helion joined with other rioters in knocking down police barricades, repeatedly breaking police lines outside the Capitol. Helion posed for pictures inside a Senator's office and left the Capitol via a broken window.
MUSE OF HISTORY. July 4, 1884. The Senate was at work on this Independence Day, squabbling over individual pension bills for military widows, amid efforts to raise pensions - for some - from $30 to $50 per month. "I have nothing to say against this lady," Sen. James Slater of Oregon said. "The services of her husband were certainly meritorious, but no more so than dozens, probably hundreds, of others." "It would be much better that there should be some general law," added Sen. Charles Van Wyck of Nebraska.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House next has votes on July 8.
The Senate next has votes on July 8.
Check President Biden’s schedule.
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I said it yesterday, and I will repeat it today, the media is willfully giving Trump the presidency.