Veteran Democrats warn of Trump victory
Trump taunts Dems over Biden campaign
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for July 10, 2024:
‘Stuck with Biden’ or ‘Sticking with Biden.’
NATO leaders head to the Capitol.
Fed Chair gives an optimistic economic review.
DEMOCRATS IN DISARRAY. Unable to convince President Biden to set aside his reelection bid, senior Democrats in Congress are now openly warning that Biden's bad debate performance - and questionable campaign tactics - could result in massive victories for Republicans and Donald Trump in November.
BENNET. "Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide and take with him, the Senate and the House," Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) told CNN last night. In an interview, Bennet confirmed he had made that same case to his colleagues in an earlier closed door meeting of Senate Democrats.
SENATE. Bennet wasn’t the only one to issue such a warning, as various reports indicated the same view was shared by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), who may be the most endangered Senate Democrat. "I put out a statement yesterday," Tester told reporters. "The statement still stands."
TESTER. What was that Tester statement? “President Biden's bad debate performance raised serious questions about whether he's up the job for the next four years. As I have said, he needs to prove to the American people, and me, that he can do it."
TRUMP. At his first campaign event in 12 days, Trump last night couldn't resist taunting Democrats and Biden over the calls for the President to drop out. "Our victory was so absolute that Joe's own party now wants him to throw in the towel and surrender," Trump said in Florida. "They want Crooked Joe out of the race." Trump didn’t stop there.
DEBATE. "I'm officially offering Joe the chance to redeem himself in front of the entire world," Trump added, clearly sounding like the candidate with momentum. "Let's do another debate this week, so that Sleepy Joe Biden can prove to everyone all over the world that he has what it takes to be President."
GOP. Not only was Trump on the offensive over Biden's troubles, but so were Republicans in Congress, as they attacked Democratic challengers who waffled on whether they would support Biden. "It’s been over a week since Biden’s debate disaster," said Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ). "My opponent, who was a Hillary booster in 2016 and a Biden booster in 2020, has gone silent."
NEW YORK. It was the same story in the New York suburbs. "Mondaire Jones refuses to answer a fundamental question: does he support Joe Biden?" said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who may be one of the most vulnerable Republicans in Congress. "Mondaire can’t say if he’ll vote for President Biden at the DNC Convention."
BIDEN. The taunts from Trump and the warning from Bennet came after another tumultuous day for Democrats on Capitol Hill. A pair of closed door meetings didn't settle anything - only showcasing the internal concerns about Biden's campaign and the negative impact of his bad debate. There were basically two categories of Democrats:
Sticking with Biden, or
Stuck with Biden.
STICKING WITH BIDEN. For those standing with the President, Tuesday's meetings offered no reason for Democrats to change course at the top of the ticket. "Nothing's changed," declared Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) as he left a meeting of Senate Democrats. "Joe Biden is our guy. He's my guy, and he's the only guy ever to kick Trump's ass."
HOUSE. That same message was also heard in the House. "Joe Biden is fighting for all Americans,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA). “What we must do now is focus on beating Donald Trump.”
THREE TIMES. But sometimes those sentiments seemed a bit stilted. For example, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was asked three times about Biden. Three times, the answer was exactly the same. "As I've said before, I'm with Joe," Schumer said, giving no reason for his support.
CLYBURN. It was the same type of response from Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) as he left a meeting of House Democrats. Asked repeatedly about the situation, Clyburn simply kept saying, "We're ridin' with Biden."
STUCK WITH BIDEN. On the other side, there were plenty of Democrats making clear they're not sold on Biden - worried that his debate slip up was more of a feature than a bug - and that it could doom the party in November. "We would be in less danger of a Trump presidency if we had a different candidate," said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX).
DON'T RUN. Tuesday’s meetings did not spur any rush to get rid of Biden, as only one House Democrat publicly called for him to step aside. "I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country," said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ). "That's why I am asking that he declare that he won't run for reelection."
WAIT AND SEE. Maybe the most interesting development was how some Democrats tried to put pressure on Biden to keep proving that he's up to the task of running for President. Basically, members of his own party want Biden out in public in unscripted campaign situations - to energize his flagging campaign.
FELLOW DEMS. "Let's see the press conference. Let's see the campaign stops. Let's see all of this, because all of it is going to be necessary." said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), the third-ranking House Democrat.
PUBLIC. Even before the debate debacle, there was a lot of grumbling among Democrats about what they felt was a lackluster campaign strategy from Biden, relying too much on a Rose Garden strategy. Democrats want something more aggressive against Trump - and they really want that now.
WYDEN. "I told the administration a long time ago that one of the best approaches in a time like this - just go out and have some town hall meetings," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). "I said that a long time ago."
TOLD YA SO. Watching this whole Biden situation is one Democrat in Congress who tried to warn his party - and became a pariah in the process. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), who ran against Biden in the Democratic primaries - mainly by saying that the President was too old to run again - was not gloating on Tuesday.
DEAN. "Vindication has never been so unfulfilling," Phillips told reporters on the Capitol steps yesterday. "I care about the country and I care about the President," Phillips said. "I'm deeply disappointed in a political system that has resulted in a dynamic that we now face."
"It will surprise nobody that the likelihood of my candidacy succeeding was secondary to the likelihood of inspiring the conversation. I was trying to inspire and I am disappointed in those in power in my party for not heeding that call, at a time where they all knew the same thing I did...My case is the same. I'm pretty consistent in my perspective and principles, and those remain the same. Clearly, there's been a shift in others."
JUST DAMN. This is an absolutely unprecedented situation. We have Democrats of all stripes now openly forecasting that their candidate for the White House - the incumbent President - is going to get drummed in November. That doesn't really inspire confidence among the party faithful to say the least. The Democratic convention starts on August 19.
NATO. It's a big day at the U.S. Capitol for foreign leader visits, all tied to the NATO summit here. This morning, a group of NATO leaders will meet with Senators. That includes the new English Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who just ascended to that post last week. Starmer returns later today for a meeting with House leaders of both parties as well.
UKRAINE. Not officially in NATO - but here for the meetings - Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be on Capitol Hill today. He meets with a bipartisan group of Senators at 12 noon, and then heads across the Capitol for an afternoon sit down with Speaker Mike Johnson.
VISITS. You could tell that some NATO leaders were already here on Tuesday, judging by the security. Czech President Petr Pavel met with lawmakers and took a minute to stop at the bust of former Czech leader Václav Havel, which is located down on the first floor of the Capitol.
PAVEL. After his visit at the Capitol, Pavel went a few blocks away to the Heritage Foundation, where he met with conservatives who might populate a second Trump Administration. It's a reminder of the uncertainty that foreign leaders feel with President Biden's reelection bid.
PARLIAMENT HILL. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was here at the Capitol on Tuesday for a meeting with Senators. When reporters came in for a quick photo op, Trudeau was asked about concerns regarding President Biden. “Good to see everyone here this morning,” Trudeau said, without taking the bait.
ECONOMY. While Republicans and Donald Trump talk about the economy like it's about to roll off a cliff, there was a much different review presented to Congress on Tuesday by the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. "Recent indicators suggest that the U.S. economy continues to expand at a solid pace," Jerome Powell told Senators.
INTEREST RATES. "Inflation has eased notably," said Powell, who gave no hints on when the Fed might move to cut interest rates, which remain elevated. "We know that reducing policy restraint too soon or too much could stall or even reverse the progress we have seen on inflation," Powell added.
BULLET POINTS. Here are some of the main points from Powell:
Domestic demand remains 'robust.'
Consumer spending still solid.
Moderate growth in capital spending.
Improving supply chain conditions.
Job market is 'strong, but not overheated.'
POLITICS. Normally, all of that would be really good news for President Biden and Democrats. But this has not been a normal campaign year - as one can judge from today's newsletter and the disarray among Democrats about Biden's candidacy.
REFRIGERATOR FREEDOM. The House on Tuesday approved two GOP bills which try to put a lid on federal energy-saving regulations for appliances. The 'Refrigerator Freedom Act' was approved 212-192, and the 'Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act' won on a vote of 214-192.
FREEDOM. Democrats mocked the GOP effort. "This is the House of Representatives, not Home Depot," Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) said on the House floor. "We should be protecting the freedoms of Americans, not the freedom of dishwashers and refrigerators."
APPLIANCE SEVEN. The same seven Democrats voted for both of those GOP bills: Caraveo CO, Cuellar TX, Davis NC, Gallego AZ, Golden ME, Vicente Gonzalez TX, and Gluesenkamp Perez WA. (Gallego is notable - as he is running for U.S. Senate this year.)
LAWFARE. The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday rejected a plan from Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) which would have cut off funding for any federal investigations involving former President Donald Trump. The vote was 26-25. Why did Clyde lose? Too many Republicans were absent. He says he'll try again on the House floor later this month.
ONE DOLLAR. The same committee did vote later on to cut the salary of Attorney General Merrick Garland to $1 - if he refuses to turn over audio tapes of an interview done with President Biden about classified documents. The Special Counsel who conducted that interview said Biden was too 'feeble' to stand trial.
FREEDOM CAUCUS. At a time when the focus is all on Democrats, for some reason, the House Freedom Caucus decided to generate some bad news for Republicans by kicking out one member, which then caused another GOP lawmaker to resign from the group.
NOT GOOD. All of this has to do with Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), the Freedom Caucus chairman, who looks like he is going to lose his primary (it's going to a recount). Good was not pleased that Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) backed Good's opponent, so Good moved to kick Davidson out, and the Caucus agreed.
BUCKEYE. Davidson brushed off the decision. "I am not happy, but very content," the Ohio Republican tweeted. "Congress will soon be a better place without Bob Good."
LONE STAR. Meanwhile, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) announced he was quitting the Freedom Caucus, angered by the decision to boot out Davidson. "I will continue to support their conservative agenda," Nehls said. "I just won't be a member."
CODA. The Freedom Caucus could be a very powerful group within the GOP. But I have never seen a group of lawmakers which is so bad at legislative and political strategy as the Freedom Caucus.
ABORTION. Democrats will try to change the subject today in the Senate, by holding a messaging vote on the 'Reproductive Freedom for Women Act.' "We all know Donald Trump ended Roe v Wade," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who quickly called Trump a 'convicted felon and liar' at a Tuesday news conference.
60 VOTES. Just like votes last month on bills which would give women the right to birth control and IVF, Democrats need 60 votes to advance this measure - and that's not going to happen. Yes, it puts Republicans on the record, but it's not going to ruin any GOP Senator.
SENSE. More interesting is that this bill - which purportedly helps guarantee reproductive freedom for women - actually does nothing at all. It is a non-binding measure which expresses the 'Sense of Congress' supporting access to abortion rights and restoring Roe v. Wade.
RAP SHEET. A television actor who had a role in 'Arrested Development' and 'Bob's Burgers' pleaded guilty this week to a felony charge from Jan. 6. Jay Johnston joined other rioters in trying to break through police lines in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. Johnson joined one group push which crushed a D.C. police officer between the crowd and a door into the Capitol.
MUSE OF HISTORY. July 10, 1945. On this date, the House approved a plan to spend $861,000 on various projects to fix problems with the roof and skylights at the Capitol, as well as updates to the House and Senate chambers. The price tag was a surprise to many after projects had been deferred during World War II. "I was stunned at the idea of the colossal sum necessary to make these improvements," said Rep. Thomas Jenkins of Ohio.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House meets at 10 am.
The Senate convenes at 10 am.
Check President Biden’s schedule.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.
Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
If you want to say ‘thanks’ - you can buy me a cup of coffee.
I love that there is a section heading that is “Refrigerator Freedom”
Was the Just Damn heading a throwback to radio days? Made me smile