Speaker stumbles over CHIPS in New York
Democrats seize on another GOP unforced error
Also in today’s special edition of ‘Regular Order’ for November 2, 2024:
Trump roars off message into final weekend.
A weak jobs report just before Election Day.
Trump bitterly attacks Liz Cheney - again.
UNFORCED ERROR TRIFECTA. This has not been the best final week before the elections for Republicans. It started with a backlash over what was said at a Donald Trump rally in New York City. And it was capped off with another unforced error in New York by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who turned an otherwise boilerplate campaign stop for an incumbent GOP lawmaker into an attack line for Democrats.
CHIP DIP. Taking questions from reporters as he stood with Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY) - who could be in deep trouble on Election Day - Speaker Johnson suggested that he would support efforts to get rid of the huge semiconductor CHIPS production program that's bringing big investments and jobs to Williams's district in central New York.
CHIPPED. "I expect that we probably will," Johnson said, shocking Democrats. The answer spread like wildfire, forcing the Speaker to quickly backtrack in a hastily issued written statement. "The CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal," Johnson said. But the damage had been done. The video of his repeal answer was swiftly beamed out by Democrats and the Harris campaign.
WILLIAMS. "I spoke privately with the Speaker immediately after the event," Rep. Williams said in a statement issued by the Speaker's office. "He apologized profusely, saying he misheard the question." The Democrat running against Williams wasn't having any of it.
MANNION. "Once again, voters in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley are seeing Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Brandon Williams for who they are," said John Mannion, "extremists who want to repeal the law that is bringing billions of dollars and tens of thousands of good paying jobs."
ENCORE. It was the second comment this week from the Speaker that had stirred political trouble. The first time came when Johnson indicated that Republicans would try again to repeal the Obama health law, a statement which quickly put the Trump campaign on the defensive. The Speaker later claimed his quote was taken out of context - but actually we just quoted him.
DEMS. It didn't matter that the Speaker backtracked, as Democrats slammed his repeal statement. "Repealing the CHIPS Act would kill thousands of Michigan jobs and write a blank check to China," said Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI). "This is a direct attack on Arizona’s critical semiconductor industry and tens of thousands of Arizona workers," added Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ).
BIG GRETCH. Governors chimed in as well. “Mike Johnson’s asinine admission that he would repeal the CHIPS Act if Republicans and Trump win the election is a complete disaster for thousands of Michigan workers relying on the jobs that this legislation provides,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
HARRIS. The Harris campaign wasted no time skewering the Speaker and Trump, as they touted the semiconductor investments and the jobs it is generating in several key swing states. "Mike Johnson made the classic political gaffe of accidentally stating the truth," said a campaign spokesperson.
IMPACT. Is this miscue by Speaker Johnson the end of the world? Of course not. But like the Puerto Rico garbage joke and the Speaker’s truth bomb on the Obama health law - it gave Democrats something else to talk about. And they were all over it last night.
WRAP. We should also note that this flap probably doesn’t help Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY) one bit. If Mike Johnson is going to stay as the Speaker, Williams is the kind of candidate who needs to pull out a victory on Tuesday to make that happen. If he loses, this incident might look more like a metaphor for the GOP loss.
SIRACUSA. One final thing on this CHIPS story. Who asked this key question of Speaker Johnson in New York? It was a kid named Luke Radel, who is a student journalist at Syracuse University. Big props to him. Why did he ask it? Because Donald Trump last week dumped all over the CHIPS law.
VIRGINIA. Earlier this week, I told you that I had no idea why Donald Trump was holding a campaign rally in New Mexico. Today, I will tell you that I have no idea why Donald Trump is holding a campaign rally in Virginia. He lost to Hillary Clinton by 5 points in 2016 and lost by more than 10 points to Joe Biden in 2020.
POLL. Trump will hold a rally today outside Roanoke. The latest Roanoke College poll out yesterday showed Trump well behind, as it found Harris leading Trump by 10 points in Virginia. Harris was winning 95 percent of Democrats, 6 percent of Republicans and had a 13 point edge among Independents.
ENTHUSIASM. You can see the voter enthusiasm in this Virginia poll, when people were asked whether they had already voted. 51 percent of Democrats have already cast a ballot, compared to 40 percent of Independents and 37 percent of Republicans.
TAR HEEL. Trump's trek to Virginia today is sandwiched between two stops in North Carolina, which clearly is one of the key states in the race for President. Because so many early in-person votes have been cast there, we should have an early idea where the race stands on Tuesday night.
STRETCH RUN. Here is where the candidates will be for rallies in the next few days:
SATURDAY. Trump in NC, VA. Harris in GA, NC.
SUNDAY. Trump in PA, NC, GA. Harris in MI.
MONDAY. Trump in NC, PA, MI. Harris in PA.
SPECIAL GUEST. Harris will finish with a campaign rally and concert in Pittsburgh on Monday. There is already all sorts of speculation that singer Taylor Swift might make an appearance. Swift has concerts this weekend in Indianapolis, and then is off until November 14.
WHITE HOUSE. Donald Trump has never been a conventional candidate for President. So, it shouldn't surprise us that he's saying just about anything as he races to the finish line in 2024. And much of his anger on Friday was aimed at ex-Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who has refused to accept his takeover of the Republican Party.
TUCKERED. The latest spat began late Thursday night in Arizona, when Trump launched a broadside at Cheney, saying she should have to be on the battlefield facing 'nine barrels shooting' at her. Cheney fired right back after seeing Trump's comments.
EQUALITY STATE. "This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death," said Cheney. Furious with the press coverage of Cheney's response, Trump lashed out at her again on Friday. "She's a war hawk. She kills people," Trump said. "She's actually a disgrace."
CHENEY. Democrats not only defended Cheney, but they ominously raised red flags about Trump's violent words. "We've never heard anything like this from a presidential candidate," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). "Trump continues to illustrate just how unfit he is to be our Commander in Chief," added Rep. Chrissy Houlihan (D-PA).
MESSAGE. As we head into this final weekend of the campaign, I think it's time to step back and look at Trump's message. Frankly, I don't think Trump has ever figured out how best to attack Kamala Harris. On Thursday night, Trump called Harris a 'sleazebag' (is that worse than garbage?). He's called her mentally retarded, a Communist, a Marxist, dumb as a rock, stupid, and questioned whether she is really Black.
MAILBAG. Do any of those names seem likely to generate a winning argument with voters? Let me know.
PUERTO RICO. Maybe the most interesting thing that came out on Friday was a briefing for reporters done by senior staffers on the Kamala Harris campaign. They claimed that the dustup over the Puerto Rico / garbage incident in Trump's Sunday rally in New York has been a 'last straw' for undecided voters just making up their minds.
ISSUE. Some of you might logically think, that's ridiculous. There's no way some stupid joke about Puerto Rico being a floating island of garbage - not even told by Trump - could cost him undecided votes. But remember what I told you earlier this week about the local news coverage related to that story.
LOCAL NEWS. I showed you headlines of how local TV stations and newspapers had talked with local Puerto Rican residents - and how the stories were almost universally terrible for Trump. I don't know why this 'garbage' story broke through in the press when so many other Trump stories do not. But it did.
BREAKING. What the Harris campaign claims is that their focus groups show the Madison Square Garden flap over Puerto Rico has helped push late-breaking undecideds their way. Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me that people are breaking towards Harris at this point. But it sure would be ironic if it is happening because of a bad joke.
LEBRON. One other joke that the same comedian told at the Trump rally was about Blacks and carving watermelons. I'm still shaking my head that someone thought that would be appropriate - and remember, all of those jokes were pre-approved by the Trump campaign. NBA star LeBron James cited that exact joke as he endorsed Harris. "When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me," James tweeted, sending out this scathing video.
JOBS. Friday's jobs report was definitely not what the White House wanted to see just a few days before the election. Only 12,000 jobs were added in October, the weakest monthly report of President Biden's time in office. Officials blamed it on two hurricanes and various labor strikes.
BIDEN. In a written statement, President Biden said it's just a blip. "Job growth is expected to rebound in November as our hurricane recovery and rebuilding efforts continue," Biden said. "America’s economy remains strong, with 16 million jobs created since I took office."
GOP. Republicans were not convinced. "Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have broken our economy," said Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX). "This is how Bidenomics ends, not with a bang, but a whimper," added Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). "The American people cannot afford another four years of Kamalanomics," said Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA).
ECONOMY. The bad jobs report came a day after the Wall Street Journal printed a glowing report on the economy. "The Next President Inherits a Remarkable Economy," the WSJ headline boomed, much to the delight of Democrats.
RAP SHEET. A Colorado man has been sentenced to 37 months in jail for assaulting police on Jan. 6. Patrick Montgomery wrestled with one officer, trying to grab his baton, at one point kicking the policeman in the chest. Inside, Montgomery made it into the Senate gallery. "We stormed the Senate," he wrote on Facebook, as Montgomery blamed Antifa and anarchists for the violence that day.
MUSE OF HISTORY. November 2, 1920. On this Election Day, white mobs killed over 30 Blacks in Ocoee, Florida - because they were trying to vote. When the issue of such racial attacks was brought up at Congressional hearings the next month, southern lawmakers exploded in anger. "For the safety of the South and the safety of civilization,” Rep. Samuel Brinson of North Carolina said, “the ignorant Negro should be deprived of the privilege of voting.”
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House next has votes on November 12.
The Senate comes back for votes on November 12.
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Thank you, Jamie, for working overtime. Lots of great stuff in there.
When Trump loses, and I truly believe in my heart that he will, will we ever really "know" what it was that pushed people to vote for Harris? The Puerto Rico joke? Women abandoning the GOP? Men not turning out to vote? The Liz Cheney comment? Roe v Wade's repeal? The list is almost endless. And we'll hear what caused it for months and months afterwards. Personally, I don't think it will ever be one clear thing, just a bunch of things that affected some people differently that will make it all happen.
(Not that I was EVER a Trump supporter, but he lost me totally in his first campaign making fun of that disabled reporter on stage. I knew he was scum after that incident. Remember, that was before the Entertainment Tonight audio on the bus was released.)