Category: 2020 election

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Obama: Trump Response To COVID-19 ‘An Absolute Chaotic Disaster’

Speaking with previous members of his administration on a private call, former President Barack Obama called Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus a “chaotic disaster.” He also shared deep concerns about the Department of Justice’s announcement to drop charges against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. “The news over the last 24 hours I think has been somewhat downplayed — about the Justice Department dropping charges against Michael Flynn,” said Obama in a recording obtained by Yahoo News. “And the fact that there is no precedent that anybody can find for someone who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free. That’s the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic — not just institutional norms — but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk.” Underscoring the importance of supporting former Vice President Joe Biden in the upcoming election, Obama referenced trends in politics today in which “selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy — that has become a stronger impulse in American life.” “And by the way, we’re seeing that internationally as well,” he added. “It’s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty.” “It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’ — when that mindset is operationalized in our government.” You can hear the recording at Yahoo News.

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Poll: Biden Leads Trump By 9 Points In Senate Battleground States

L-R Former Vice President Joe Biden, Donald Trump
A new poll of voters in six states where Republican senators up for reelection this year are facing some tough races shows former Vice President Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by 9 points. Hart Research Associates surveyed voters in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Montana, and North Carolina, and found support for Biden at 50% while Trump garnered 41% support. Of the six states, Trump scored 2016 wins in Arizona, Iowa, Montana and North Carolina. Democrats will need to win in four of those states to win a majority in the Senate. The poll showed the Republican incumbents lagging the Democratic challengers by five points – 41 to 46 respectively. The GOP incumbents are Sens. Marth McSally (Ariz.), Cory Gardner (Colo.), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Susan Collins (Maine), Steve Daines (Mont.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.). The poll also asked voters about their feelings on mail-in ballots this fall in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Voters in the six battleground states overwhelmingly support the idea with 85% saying a mail option should be available.

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Republicans Opposing Trump Riff On Reagan Slogan: ‘Mourning In America’

Riffing on Ronald Reagan’s iconic 1984 campaign ad, “Morning in America,” a group of Republicans who oppose Donald Trump’s policies and presidency released this devastating video, “Mourning in America.” The caption on YouTube reads, “Donald Trump’s failed presidency has left the nation weaker, sicker, and teetering on the verge of a new Great Depression. There’s mourning in America.” From AdAge:

Against a backdrop of scenes of empty streets and shots of people wearing masks, and underscored by plaintive classical music, an announcer says (in a script that directly echoes that of “Morning in America”).

The Lincoln Project launched in December with an op-ed in The New York Times headlined: “We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated.” The NYT bio line for the op-ed’s authors—George T. Conway III, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson—noted that they “have worked for and supported Republican campaigns.”

Predictably, Trump lashed out on Twitter raging at the group and specifically George Conway, husband to Trump’s White House chief counsel, Kellyanne Conway. Mr. Conway, who Trump nicknamed “Moonface,” clapped back.

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Trump Approval Ratings Plummet In 6 Battleground States

Donald Trump

Donald Trump during a White House press briefing (public domain)
Donald Trump has seen his approval rating in six battleground states crucial to his reelection drop a precipitous 15 percentage points in the last month. As Trump faces an expanding economic collapse amid the ongoing COVID-19 health threat, nonpartisan polling group PRRI found Trump’s approval rating in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina plummet from 53% in March to a 38% approval rating. In terms of the entire nation, Trump fell from 49% approval to 43% approval. PRRI notes “Trump benefited from a brief ‘rally around the flag’ effect as the coronavirus pandemic began to spread in the U.S.” But with the number of confirmed U.S. cases of the coronavirus increasing exponentially from around 33,000 cases at the beginning of March to more than 1,000,000 cases and 63,000+ deaths today, that boost has quickly evaporated.

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Hillary Clinton Endorses Biden: ‘I Wish He Were President Right Now’

(image via Twitter)
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed her longtime friend and colleague, former Vice President Joe Biden, for president today adding, “I wish he were president right now.” From the New York Times:

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and a political veteran who knows firsthand what it is like to compete against President Trump, threw her support behind Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday, the latest party leader to make the case for returning the White House to Democratic hands in November.

“I’ve been not only a colleague of Joe Biden’s, I’ve been a friend, and I can tell you that I wish he were president right now but I can’t wait until he is — if all of us do our part to support the kind of person that we want back in the White House,” Mrs. Clinton said on Tuesday afternoon during a virtual town hall-style event with Mr. Biden about the impact of the coronavirus on women.

Accepting her support, Mr. Biden said: “I really appreciate your friendship. What a, just a wonderful personal endorsement.”

Here’s the full Town Hall video from today:

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Billy Porter Debuts Music Video: “I Want My Art To Make A Difference”

During former Vice President Joe Biden’s streaming event on Saturday celebrating the one-year anniversary of his entry into the 2020 presidential race, Emmy/Tony/Grammy Award winner Billy Porter premiered the lyric video for his new single, “For What It’s Worth.” Biden’s “Soul of a Nation” event encouraged supporters to take action to help support their local communities as well as thanking front line essential workers and first responders. It was a theme of community that inspired Porter to record the ubiquitous classic: “I decided to record ‘For What It’s Worth’ because I wanted to have my art and my music matter, make a difference. I come from the generation where the music reflected what was going on in the world. I wanted to have a hand in bringing that back and speaking truth directly to power.” Tying into the theme of Biden’s event, Porter called for citizens to make sure they are registered to vote and then do so in November. “Our voices and our votes matter now more than ever,” said Porter. “I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, I just want you to vote. I, personally, will be casting my vote for Joe Biden.” You can register to vote by clicking here. For the song’s video, Porter turned to artist Kameron Neal to create a compelling and important piece of visual art. “This lyric video is EVERYTHING!,” said Porter. “Kameron Neal did an amazing job of capturing the right tone with the right imagery, usage of color, the interesting typography, and the reference to the classic Selma to Montgomery March photo. When I saw the final version, I cried.”

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United Auto Workers Endorse Biden For President

Former Vice President Joe Biden (image via campaign)
The nearly 400,000 strong United Auto Workers union announced its endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday saying the U.S. needs stable leadership with less acrimony “and more balance to the rights and protections of working Americans.” From the AP:

The union says Biden has committed to reining in corporate power over workers, encouraging collective bargaining, and making sure workers get the pay, benefits and protections they deserve. Biden also has committed to expand access to affordable health care, the union said.

Union negotiators are currently in talks with Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler about restarting U.S. factories that have been closed for the past month due to fears of spreading the coronavirus.

“This issue demonstrates the need for presidential leadership to follow the guidance of science and give workers a seat in discussions over their safety and well-being,” the union’s statement said.

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Campaign Secretly Paying Trump Sons’ Significant Others $180K A Year

L-R Lara Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle (photos via Twitter)
Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is reportedly paying the wife of Eric Trump and Don Trump Jr.’s girlfriend $180,000 a year each via campaign manager Brad Parscale’s private company. Why through a private company, you ask? Via HuffPost:

Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of eldest son Donald Trump Jr., and Lara Trump, wife of middle son Eric Trump, are each receiving $15,000 a month, according to two GOP sources who are informal White House advisers and who spoke on condition of anonymity.

They were unsure when the payments began but say they are being made by campaign manager Bradley Parscale through his company rather than directly by either the campaign or the party in order to avoid public reporting requirements. “I can pay them however I want to pay them,” Parscale told HuffPost on Friday, but then declined to comment any further.

Critics of the arrangement, including Republicans, said the setup was designed to get around Federal Election Commission rules that require campaigns, political parties and other committees to disclose their spending in detail.

“A lot of people close to Donald Trump are getting rich off of his campaign,” said Paul Ryan, a campaign finance legal expert at the watchdog group Common Cause. “They don’t want donors to know that they’re getting rich. Because, at the end of the day, it’s donor money.”

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Elizabeth Warren “I’m Proud To Endorse Joe Biden As President Of The US”

L-R Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (images via campaign sites)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president today via a video message. Noting that she hasn’t agreed 100% of the time with any lawmaker during her tenure in public life, Warren says she appreciates that when she and Biden haven’t seen eye-to-eye it’s evident he listens and hears other viewpoints. She also points out Biden’s ability to empathize with others in times of crisis, something many have noted Donald Trump severely lacks. “Empathy matters,” says Warren. “And, in this moment of crisis, it’s more important than ever that the next president restores Americans’ faith in good, effective government.” “Joe Biden has spent nearly his entire life in public service. He knows that a government run with integrity, competence, and heart will save lives and save livelihoods. And we can’t afford to let Donald Trump continue to endanger the lives and livelihoods of every American. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Joe Biden as president of the United States.”

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Arizona: Democrats Lead In Presidential & Senate Races By 9 Points

Mark Kelly (image via campaign website)
Good news from Arizona as a new survey by the Phoenix-based nonpartisan polling firm OH Predictive Insights shows retired astronaut Mark Kelly leading Sen. Martha McSally (R) by a 51 percent to 42 percent margin. In Maricopa County, the largest population center in the state, Kelly leads by 10 points. Additionally, more than two-thirds of Independent voters indicate they would support Kelly in the fall election. The same firm’s polling in March saw Kelly leading by a 7-point margin, 49 percent to 42 percent. McSally lost her Senate race in 2018 but was later appointed to serve the last two years of John McCain’s term after his passing. Arizona is probably the Democrats’ best bet to flipping a seat in the Senate to blue. The polling also portends good things for former Vice President Joe Biden. The survey found Biden leading Donald Trump among Arizona voters by a 52 percent to 43 percent margin. Should Biden win Arizona in November, he would be the first Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton to score Arizona’s electoral votes.