Republicans wince about Trump attacks
Trump sends out Kamala Harris's birth certificate
Also in today’s ‘Regular Order’ for August 2, 2024:
Harris zeroes in on running mate pick.
Senate okays water projects bill.
Bob Good officially loses his primary.
TRUMP. As Senators left Capitol Hill for an extended summer break, Republicans were keeping their nominee for President at an arm's length, clearly not enthused by Donald Trump’s continuing attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris over her racial identity. "In my world, all I'm talking about are Biden-Harris Administration policy failures," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).
POLICY. Pressed by reporters, GOP Senators tried to stay focused on policy - not insults. "It should not be about which nasty name you can call somebody. It should be about the issues," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). "If the 2024 election is about policy, Republicans win every time," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
MRS. GREENE OF GEORGIA. But message discipline is not one of Donald Trump’s strong points. Even one of Trump's staunchest allies in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), expressed reservations about his new line of attack - as Greene said immigration and the economy should be center stage.
ISSUES. "I want to see serious debate on these issues, not about race and gender," Greene tweeted about Trump and Harris. "I do not care about their race or gender, I only care about their policies and how their policies affect America."
RACIAL IDENTITY. Maybe I’m going to be wrong on this. But it seems to me that every single day where Donald Trump attacks Harris - over whether she is Black or Indian - is a great day for Democrats. Why? Because Trump is not talking about the economy or illegal immigration. Those issues matter to swing voters. This stuff just looks bizarre.
BIRTHER. Just like he did with Barack Obama, Trump is going ‘birther’ on Kamala Harris, as yesterday on his Truth Social website, Trump posted material from conservative Laura Loomer - which included a birth certificate for Harris. What was the purpose of that?
LOOMER. “Nowhere on her birth certificate does it say that she is BLACK or AFRICAN,” Loomer wrote. "Donald Trump is correct. Kamala Harris is NOT black and never has been," Loomer added - which Trump happily sent out.
IDENTITY. What is the point of these attacks? The idea is to raise questions about Harris because she sometimes emphasizes her Black heritage and sometimes emphasizes her Indian heritage.
SATURDAY. Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), will be together on Saturday evening for a rally in Atlanta. We'll see if they continue Trump's line of attack on Harris's mixed racial heritage. It’s hard to imagine how that’s more important for swing voters than the economy or border security.
INNER CALM. On this Trump strategy, there's something I've really noticed from Senate Democrats over the past few days. Even as Donald Trump has ramped up the racial identity attacks on Harris, Democrats aren’t overreacting. It's almost like they learned the lesson from Trump's time in office. "Let's keep the positive vibes going," said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI).
WARNOCK. Maybe the calmest person in scrums with reporters has been Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Instead of flashing anger, Warnock simply says it's what Trump is all about. "It's really who he is, is the politics of division - coming from somebody who has no vision," the Georgia Democrat told us.
MESSAGE. Vice President Harris seems to be playing from the same playbook, making short, declarative statements, and then sticking with the overall party message. "The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger," Harris said Wednesday.
TIME. I would also note that - unlike Trump - Harris has been giving very tight speeches over the past two weeks, and not Fidel Castro type orations. Her appearance before the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority gathering in Texas was timed at 13 minutes. Her big rally speech in Atlanta was 20 minutes.
VEEP SEARCH. The biggest political story this weekend will obviously be the running mate choice for Vice President Kamala Harris, which seems likely to happen by Monday at the latest. Harris was giving no hints as she traveled Thursday to the funeral of the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX).
JACKSON LEE. "Sheila Jackson Lee was a changemaker," Harris said at funeral services in Houston. "She worked with all her heart to lift up the people of her city, of her state, and of our nation."
FUMBLE. Harris had one funny verbal misstep, as she talked about working with Jackson Lee and President Biden. "And then, as pres -- as vice president, it was my honor -- with the president," as applause built from the audience.
CHOICES. Of all the names floated out there in recent days, there really isn't a weak choice for Harris and Democrats. I still think the likely pick for Harris is Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, but Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota or Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona would be solid picks as well. Stay tuned.
NEXT WEEK. Whoever gets picked, Harris and that person will basically travel the country next week for a series of campaign rallies. The Democratic convention begins in two weeks from Monday on August 19.
DEMS. Four weeks ago today, Democrats were still in shock from the debate. A few were saying it was time for Joe Biden to drop out. And Republicans were talking about how they were going to win in a landslide. How things have changed. That’s my column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
BOB GOOD. A GOP primary recount in Virginia on Thursday confirmed the defeat of Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), as he lost to state Sen. John McGuire, who had been endorsed by Donald Trump. The Associated Press called the race late last night after a series of Virginia counties confirmed the final count.
BITTER. There was no love lost between the two men - before or after their primary. Just this week, McGuire referred to Good as a backstabber (because Good did not immediately endorse Trump for President). Meanwhile, Good continues to claim McGuire ignored possible election fraud in the race.
WHOA MULE. "John McGuire attended Stop the Steal rallies and hosted showings of 2000 Mules," Good tweeted. "Why is he not interested in election integrity in Virginia’s 5th District?"
FREEDOM CAUCUS. While the House isn't back in session until after Labor Day, there has been talk that Good will be removed as head of the House Freedom Caucus.
VOLUNTEER STATE. No incumbents lost last night in primaries in Tennessee, but one had a much closer night of election returns than he probably planned. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) at one point was only 500 votes ahead - but then went on to win his GOP primary against GOP challenger Courtney Johnston. She ran a campaign saying the conservative Ogles hadn't achieved much in his first term in office.
WHERE'S WALDO? Two House Republicans thought they were being cute on Friday by sending out questions on the whereabouts of President Biden. "Biden is MIA," said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) in a tweet at 9:29 am. An hour earlier, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) suggested that it was like Biden 'doesn't exist.'
WHITE HOUSE. A few hours later, the President spoke live from the White House and told the nation about a major prisoner swap with the Russians, which brought home several Americans who had been wrongly held by the Kremlin.
LAST VOTE. Before Senators rushed off for the airport on Thursday, Democrats forced a procedural vote on a bipartisan House-passed tax cut package, which has been sitting in the Senate for months. Everyone knew it wasn't going to get 60 votes in order to force the start of debate - but Democrats wanted to try to score some political points.
DEMS. "I just voted to cut taxes for Ohio parents and Ohio manufacturers," said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who faces a tough reelection bid this year. "You can't vote against a small business tax cut and claim you're pro-small businesses," added Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE).
LEGISLATIVE NERD NOTE. The final tally was 48-44 in favor of starting debate on that tax package. Senate Majority Leader Schumer changed his vote to 'No,' which would allow him to more quickly force a re-vote after Labor Day - maybe another messaging vote on this before November.
WRDA. It wasn't all a partisan mess on the Senate floor before the break. Senators unanimously approved a 219 page package of water projects - the Water Resources and Development Act. Chock full of authorizations for water projects all over the nation, the bill was named for retiring Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE).
FIRST STATE. "Today, the U.S. Senate passed crucial bipartisan legislation to invest in our nation’s water infrastructure, protect our communities and support good-paying jobs," said Carper, a popular veteran Democrat who is retiring after this year.
DEAL. The House has already approved its own 346 page WRDA bill, so lawmakers will have to hammer out a final deal after Labor Day. This is the kind of bill which spurs dozens and dozens of local press releases, so I would give it a pretty good chance to get done in the September session.
JUDGES. The Senate also sent the House a bill to add 66 federal judges around the nation. It's known as the 'JUDGES' Act - Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved - designed to deal with growing case levels in the federal courts.
HEALTHY BRAINS. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), who has been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, joined with health advocates on Thursday to introduce new legislation, the 'HEALTHY BRAINS Act of 2024.' The goal is to focus more resources on what might cause everything from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's and ALS.
WEXTON. "Neurodegenerative diseases currently affect more than 50 million people worldwide, and as one of those people impacted, I understand firsthand how devastating these diseases are for them and their families,” said Wexton, who is fighting Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).
AI VOICE. Wexton held her news conference outside the Capitol, and again deployed her new AI voice to give her statements (she’s in blue at the podium). Her AI voice uses the same technological advances that I've used to build my Jamie Dupree 3.0 voice.
RAP SHEET. An Arizona man has been arrested and charged with crimes related to Jan. 6. The feds were tipped off to Jason Tasker - after his mother had been showing off videos taken by Tasker inside the Capitol. Tasker fought with police at one Senate entrance, and then finally got in through the Rotunda doors, as he verbally berated police officers inside.
MUSE OF HISTORY. August 2, 1927. On this date, President Coolidge was on vacation in the Black Hills of South Dakota, but he was about to make huge political news. Coolidge called in reporters, who were handed a simple note at 9:32 am. "I do not choose to run for President in 1928," it said. Coolidge made no other comment, as the 12-word message stunned both political parties, and set up a wide open race for the GOP nomination.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House is back for votes on September 9.
The Senate returns on September 9.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.
Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
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Trump is a serial racist. So he cannot help himself from this line of attack. It’s a long storied history from Pocahontas, to Barack Hussein Obama, and many more. He is also wholly convinced that it will energize his base because, (and this is partially true) his base thinks exactly like he does. So it will energize his base. What he’s blinded to is that it will sour moderate voters, Republican voters of biracial heritage, Republican black voters and many others. As we all know it’s a losing strategy ultimately, but for Trump it’s the big red ball directly in front of him that he must play with.
I really don't understand why it is a big deal even folks with only European heritage sometimes celebrate one heritage or another. Sheesh