House Dems are uninterested in getting their licks back — for now
House Dems are uninterested in getting their licks back — for now
Instead of focusing on the chaos and the hypocrisy of House Republicans, Democrats are gambling their laser focus on the issues that they believe voters care most about will pay political dividends.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
As Democrats exited the House chamber last week after Republicans voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for investigating former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign ties to Russia, many could be heard chanting “Shame!” at Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as he banged his gavel in a futile attempt to restore order to the floor.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, who serves in California’s Democratic delegation with Schiff, called McCarthy “pathetic” for allowing the vote to occur in the first place.
Another Democrat yelled, “What about Santos?!” in reference to George, the embattled New York Republican who was indicted in May on over a dozen federal charges, including wire fraud and theft of public funds, and admitted to lying about his education and employment history before he was elected to office. (House Republicans voted after the indictment to refer an expulsion resolution to the Ethics committee, which was already investigating Santos.)
And Anna Paulina Luna, the Florida Republican who introduced the Schiff censure resolution, has faced allegations that she misled her constituents about her religious upbringing, Mexican heritage, and her childhood economic status.
But despite calls from frustrated partisans for Democrats to retaliate with censure resolutions against Santos, Paulina Luna, or any other Republicans with questionable histories, party leaders have shown little appetite to get their licks back at this point.
Instead, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), known for his remarkable message discipline, last week pivoted back to the issues that he believes voters care most about each time reporters asked if his members would play tit for tat.
“There will be an opportunity for House Democrats to continue to present our vision of putting people over politics and focusing on the economy, and reproductive freedom, and gun safety, and defending democracy, and protecting and strengthening Social Security versus what the extreme MAGA Republicans are doing in trying to take this country in a very different direction, Jeffries added.”
This is an approach that seeks to remind voters that Democrats are the adults in the room, not just capable of governing but also interested in working on the business of the American people.
But the problem for Democrats is that individual issues or even their historic legislative record don’t create a narrative that explains what the bills they’ve passed mean in the lives of individual voters.
“Democrats are on the right track in terms of we need to focus on issues that matter to people,” Cyrus Garrett, a Democratic strategist and former Obama administration official, said in an interview with Supercreator. “The problem is they think people care about bills that you pass. The bigger point is that Democrats have a narrative message they can be painting around the Republicans and they’re not doing that.”
Garrett said House Republicans have proven that they only look out for themselves and look the other way when Republicans commit crimes while, in Schiff’s case, censuring the person investigating Trump for attempting to sell US military arms for dirt on a political opponent.
“I would claim that narrative that they can only look out for themselves right now because they don’t know where they’re going,” he said. “And if they don’t know where they’re going, they can’t tell you where you’re going.”
It doesn’t help that reporters gravitate toward the drama far too bored with the minutiae of serious policymaking when the party in power is unconcerned as well.
“You got to bring that to people’s attention. They don't need to be in any position of power, let alone the House of Representatives and they have this little limited power, right?” Garrett said. “We can’t get anything done in this country because they're there and you have to make that case.”
As I reported in Monday’s newsletter, the White House kicked off a three-week nationwide summer tour where they’ll look to hone a message President Biden will eventually take on the campaign trail in hopes voters will entrust him with four more years to, as he says, “finish the job.”
President Biden on Wednesday will deliver what administration officials describe as a “cornerstone speech” in Chicago on his economic agenda. And despite Biden’s low approval ratings on his handling of the economy, top Biden aides have encouraged congressional Democrats to run on his plan, which they say features planks that have already delivered results and are strongly supported by most Americans.
“If ‘Reaganomics’ was based on the idea that if you cut taxes for the wealthiest corporations, the wealthiest people in society, and then at some point the remnants of those will trickle down to the middle class and the working class, ‘Bidenomics’ is the exact opposite,” White House senior advisor Anita Dunn said during a Monday interview with MSNBC. “Bidenomics says that the way you grow the economy in this economy is you grow the middle class.”
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Welcome to Supercreator Daily, the indispensable guide to the politicians, power brokers, and policies shaping the American creator experience. It’s Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Much to love to my family and friends in my home state of Texas — and across the south and central US — affected by the heat dome.
TODAY IN POLITICS
All times Eastern
10 a.m. President Biden will receive his daily intelligence briefing.
12:20 p.m. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak at a panel discussion on countering antisemitism at the Aspen Ideas Festival moderated by Katie Couric. Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall and Executive Vice President of Race Forward Eric Ward will also join the discussion.
2:30 p.m. The second gentleman and Dr. Sherwood-Randall will participate in a roundtable with academics and stakeholders to discuss the US National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism at Plato’s Restaurant in Aspen, Colorado.
4:10 p.m. The president will leave the White House to travel to Chevy Chase, Maryland.
5:15 p.m. President Biden will participate in a campaign fundraiser.
6:45 p.m. The president will participate in another fundraiser.
7:30 p.m. President Biden will leave Chevy Chase and return to the White House. at 8 p.m.
Vice President Kamala Harris is in DC and has no public events on her schedule.
The House and Senate are out.
THEY DID THAT
CNN obtained the tape of Donald Trump discussing classified documents at his Bedminster, New Jersey resort that he kept beyond his presidency. The conversation at the center of special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of Trump over the mishandling of US government secrets.
State Sen. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) officially announced her candidacy to represent Delaware’s single congressional district following Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) to run for the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). If McBride is elected next year, she would become the first openly transgender member of Congress.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) reiterated his intention to run for re-election after Speaker McCarthy said Santos shouldn’t. Santos’s district is one of House Democrats’ top targets as they look to win back the House next year.
President Biden made his first public comments following a coup attempt in Russia over the weekend. He said he received hourly briefings from his national security team and that they would keep assessing the implications of the fallout for Russia and Ukraine. “It’s still too early to reach a definitive conclusion about where this is going,” Biden added.
The Supreme Court dismissed Louisiana’s appeal of a case decided earlier this month on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The state must now redraw a second majority-Black congressional district.
Vice President Harris made an unannounced visit to the Stonewall Inn ahead of a campaign fundraiser in New York City. The iconic gay bar, now a US National Historic Landmark, is the site of the riots of 1969 that birthed the modern movement for LGBTQ civil rights. Harris was joined by Bravo’s Andy Cohen.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
“How did Pride get so expensive?” by Shahamat Uddin
“What wellness means for Black women” by Julia Craven
“This land has been in her family since the Civil War. Now, she’s fighting to keep it.” by Phil Lewis
“The first MAGA Democrat” by John Hendrickson
“Adam Schiff is crying all the way to the bank” by Alexander Sammon
“Apple keeps trying to fix its users” by John Herman
“Where’s a summer intern supposed to live?” by Margaret Dunn
“What the fat-shamers don’t get about Lizzo” by Danielle Pinnock
“The battle for I-95” by Jake Blumgart
“Why pedestrian deaths are skyrocketing in America” by Benjamin Hart in conversation with Yonah Freemark
“The limits of therapy-speak” by Allie Volpe
“The porn patriot” by Heather Schwedel
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