The Conversation -- July 23, 2024
Nicholas Fandos & Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey announced on Tuesday that he would resign from Congress effective in late August, bowing to intense pressure from Democratic colleagues who had pushed him to step down after his conviction in a vast international bribery scheme or face an expulsion vote. Mr. Menendez has maintained his innocence and vowed to appeal a guilty verdict returned last week by a federal jury in Manhattan. But with his own party fast-tracking a vote to expel him, he chose to spare his party an ugly fight and avoid becoming the first senator ousted since the Civil War by quitting with months to go in his term. The senator made his intention to resign official in a letter to Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, shortly after he shared the news with what remained of his staff. Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, is expected to quickly appoint a replacement who would serve until January."
Hamed Aleaziz, et al., of the New York Times: "The director of the Secret Service, Kimberly A. Cheatle, resigned on Tuesday, after security failures surrounding the attempted assassination of ... Donald J. Trump and calls for her to step down from prominent Republican lawmakers. According to an email sent to Secret Service agents on Tuesday, Ms. Cheatle said that one of the Secret Service's foremost duties is to protect the nation's leaders and that the agency 'fell short of that mission' during the assassination attempt.... The resignation is a rapid fall for the agency veteran who protected Dick Cheney and Joseph R. Biden Jr. in their vice-presidential tenures and was publicly supported by Biden administration officials after a gunman shot at Mr. Trump at a rally on July 13. The glaring security mistakes before the shooting, however, and the heated criticism that Ms. Cheatle faced in the days since had left her position increasingly in doubt."
Here are the New York Times' live election updates for today. Following are some reporters' updates and observations: ~~~
Maya King: "Actor George Clooney said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday morning that he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential candidacy, just shy of two weeks after writing a scathing essay calling on President Biden to step aside."
Nicholas Nehamas: "President Biden just said on X that he will address the nation from the Oval Office tomorrow night on 'what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.'"
Peter Baker: "President Biden has tested negative for Covid and his 'symptoms have resolved,' according to the White House physician.&"
Catie Edmondson: "The two top Democrats in Congress -- Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader -- just jointly endorsed Harris as their party's nominee at a news conference on Capitol Hill."
Reid Epstein: Harris is speaking at a "rally in West Allis, Wis., a suburb of Milwaukee...."
Simon Levien: "She is delivering her remarks with confidence, and the crowd is eating it up."
Katie Rogers: "As someone who has covered campaign events led by Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden and now Kamala Harris, the enthusiasm of her crowd looks and sounds much like what I saw in high school gyms in the Midwest back in 2008. It's much later in the cycle, of course, but this energy was missing for much of the time Joe Biden was campaigning."
Tim Balk: "Vice President Kamala Harris leads ... Donald J. Trump by two percentage points, 44 percent to 42 percent, in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published Tuesday. The survey was conducted Monday and Tuesday -- a relatively short period -- and Harris's lead was within the margin of error, according to Reuters. But the survey may be welcome news to Democrats looking for early signs that Harris has a better chance than President Biden of defeating Trump."
Michael Gold: "... Donald J. Trump, who often calls himself the staunchest ally of Israel to ever sit in the Oval Office, will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Friday in Palm Beach, Fla., Mr. Trump said on Tuesday."
Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "Allies of [Vice President] Harris have already telegraphed that she will run a campaign framed around a 'prosecutor versus felon' theme.... The ... approach ... may ... goad Mr. Trump, who reacts strongly to criticism, into resurrecting the language he has used against other Black female prosecutors, such as Letitia James in New York and Fani Willis in Georgia.... Over many years, he has turned off a sizable proportion of college-educated voters and suburban women with his rhetoric on gender and race.... Mr. Trump has a long history of attacking female rivals and critics in personal terms, usually describing them as mentally unstable or worse.... Publicly, Mr. Trump has described [Harris] as 'nasty,' 'crazy' and 'disrespectful,' mocked her laugh, mispronounced her name and promoted a false claim that Ms. Harris is constitutionally ineligible to serve as vice president, echoing his racist 'birther' campaign against Barack Obama....
"On Sunday, Mr. Trump, who has insisted he would debate [President] Biden anytime and anywhere, appeared to try to change the terms of the second debate. On Truth Social, he posted that the debate should be moved to Fox News, a channel on which he receives favorable coverage, from the agreed-upon ABC."
It's been the saddest part of this entire drama to see a man of great integrity and competency and almost heroic political engagement put in this position.... I want to see him regaled as an American hero, not an American tragedy. So it's really hard. -- Dean Phillips, on President Biden ~~~
~~~ ** Peter Baker of the New York Times: "For Dean Phillips, the modern Cassandra of American politics, this I-told-you-so moment brings no joy. A little vindication, yes. Sadness, too, and sympathy for a man who gave his life to public service and deserved a better finale.... 'Vindication,' he said, 'has never felt so unfulfilling.'... His decision to challenge Mr. Biden had its roots in the president's visits to Capitol Hill in 2021 to push for his domestic program. What Mr. Phillips saw was what much of the country would see three years later in the disastrous debate that doomed Mr. Biden's campaign: an aging politician who had trouble articulating his own agenda." MB: I found this piece surprisingly interesting, including the parts about Dear Abby & Talenti gelato.
Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Speaker Mike Johnson and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, have struck a deal to form a bipartisan task force to lead the congressional investigations into the attempted assassination of ... Donald J. Trump. The two leaders planned to announce their deal for the task force, which would be led by Republicans who control the House but would be nearly evenly divided between them and Democrats, later Tuesday morning. 'The security failures that allowed an assassination attempt on Donald Trump's life are shocking,' Mr. Johnson, of Louisiana, and Mr. Jeffries, of New York, said in a joint statement. 'The task force will be empowered with subpoena authority and will move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and make certain such failures never happen again.'" ~~~
~~~ Leanne Abraham, et al., of the New York Times: "The New York Times used drone photography to build a 3-D model and recreate the lines of sight for both the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and three teams of countersnipers -- two federal and one local. The analysis shows that Mr. Crooks, 20, who appears to have flown a drone to survey the site the morning of the rally, exploited one of the few blind spots within a rifle's range of Mr. Trump, raising questions about serious lapses in security planning for the event.... The gunman was largely concealed by two trees and the slope of a warehouse building roof, which he used as his perch." Lots of graphics.
~~~~~~~~~~
Presidential Race
Toluse Olorunnipa of the Washington Post: "The Democratic Party largely coalesced around Vice President Harris as its likely new presidential nominee on Monday, as she kicked off her campaign by promising to prosecute a forceful case against Republican nominee Donald Trump and defend the legacy of President Biden.... 'Over the next 106 days, we are going to take our case to the American people, and we are going to win,' Harris said during a visit to campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., where she was greeted by a group of energized staffers for Biden's now-abandoned candidacy.... [Full remarks embedded below.] Biden dialed into the impromptu meeting, using his first public remarks after dropping out of the presidential race Sunday to thank his staff and ask them to support Harris with 'every bit of your heart and soul.' [Full remarks embedded below.]
"Less than 36 hours after Biden abruptly exited the race and endorsed Harris as his successor, hundreds of state delegates, the majority of Democratic lawmakers and governors, a group of state party chairs, and several influential interest groups threw their support behind Harris, as other potential candidates said they would not challenge her. Top congressional leaders followed suit, with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) expressing support for Harris on Monday." ~~~
~~~ Monday evening, (1) President Biden calls in to his former campaing staff (and he sounds great -- he really needed some rest!); (2) Doug Emhoff speaks of his admiration for President Biden and introduces his wife, the Vice President:
~~~ Skip Harris in the video above, because it truncates her remarks. But her fairly short speech, embedded below, is also worth hearing, and it should terrify Trump. She sounds like a winner. It's a whole new race now. Yes, She Can! ~~~
[As a prosecutor and state attorney general,] I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump's type. -- Vice President Kamala Harris, in remarks Monday ~~~
Dustin Gardiner, et al., of Politico: "Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday she had secured enough verbal commitments from delegates to the Democratic National Convention to clinch the party's presidential nomination -- with her home state of California putting her over the threshold less than two days into her presidential bid. More than 300 California delegates voted Monday to back Harris during a private Zoom call, after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged party activists to unite in solidarity, calling for the entire delegation to support Harris for nomination.... Delegations in more than a dozen states held meetings since then to formalize their support -- including in New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Nebraska, Alaska, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Indiana, Massachusetts and New Jersey. More states' delegates are expected to follow." The New York Times story is here.
Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "The Democratic Party will choose its presidential nominee in an online vote by Aug. 7, Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Monday on a call with reporters. A date for that vote has not yet been set. His proclamation follows the party's rapid consolidation behind Vice President Kamala Harris to replace President Biden. Minyon Moore, the chair of the party's convention, said the nominating process would be 'swift, transparent and fair.' She added that a contested nominating fight with voting at the convention was not possible given the constraints of state ballot deadlines."
Lisa Kashinsky of Politico: "All of the nearly two-dozen Democratic governors have now endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party's presidential nominee."
Lauren Gurley of the Washington Post: "Major labor unions that had been staunch President Biden backers are jumping to declare their support for Vice President Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee. The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest federation of labor unions, representing about 12.5 million members, announced they are endorsing Harris on Monday night.... The United Steelworkers with about 850,000 workers in metals, mining and other industries, also endorsed Harris.... Labor experts say Harris is a natural pick for organized labor to rally behind, because as vice president, she played a key role overseeing relations with labor groups during an administration considered the most pro-union since the New Deal."
Kamoola! Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris raised $81 million in the first 24 hours since announcing her bid for president, her campaign said, a record-breaking showing as Democrats welcomed her candidacy with one of the greatest gushers of cash of all time. Her campaign said that 888,000 donors had contributed in her first day, 60 percent of whom were making their first contribution of the 2024 contest. The campaign signed up 43,000 of those donors to make recurring donations, it said.... ActBlue, the digital donation portal for Democrats up and down the ballot, had processed more than $90 million in the same 24-hour period, according to a New York Times analysis of the platform's online ticker of contributions." ~~~
~~~ Steve Peoples of the AP: "Harris' campaign said it was the largest single-day total in U.S. history.... Hours earlier, Future Forward, the largest super PAC in Democratic politics, announced it had secured $150 million in commitments over the same period from donors who were 'previously stalled, uncertain or uncommitted,' a senior adviser said."
Jeff Mason & Jarrett Renshaw of Reuters: "Former Attorney General Eric Holder and his law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, will conduct vetting of potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign...."
A different kind of presidential campaign? ~~~
~~~ Molly Roberts of the Washington Post has more on some Harris memes that fusty old Republicans think are cringe-worthy but that the kids like.
Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post: "In the 24 hours since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris..., the right has struggled to mount a unified response ― whipsawing between different strains of messaging that have veered from angry to conspiratorial to downright racist.... Donald Trump ... seemed far more focused on Biden's decision to leave the race.... By Monday morning, Trump had posted on Truth Social more than a dozen times about Biden.... House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) claimed Sunday that replacing Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee would be 'unlawful,' suggesting that Republicans would file legal challenges to prevent him from leaving the 2024 race.... Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.)..., said Sunday that some members of the Democratic Party feel pressure to rally around Harris because of her 'ethnic background.'... Another ugly attack launched against Harris seemed to focus on her having no biological children."
Kiera Butler of Mother Jones: "On Monday morning..., far-right influencers took to social media to hurl racial epithets at the first mixed-race, female presidential candidate in history." Butler provides a sampling. MB: I promise the racist remarks are not only coming from Trump "supporters." When I say the U.S. has become a "banana republic" or a "third-world country," I mean leaders are corrupt, criminal or dictatorial. When Trump says it, he means, in large part, that people of color -- i.e., from "shithole countries" -- are in positions of power, and that's what's ails us. J.D. Vance said at a rally yesterday that Harris didn't show enough "gratitude" to the U.S.; that is, she should be on her knees thanking the Great White Man for letting her breathe free.
Allie Feinberg of the Tennessean: "On the same day..., U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett [R-Tenn.] dismissed the qualifications of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and Vice President Kamala Harris, calling both women 'DEI hires.'... Burchett called Cheatle a 'DEI horror story,' referring to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to expand opportunities for women and people of color in workplaces and create more inclusive organizational cultures.... He used the same language to a CNN reporter [Manu Raju] about Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and first person of Black and Asian heritage to occupy the office and now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president."
David Moye of the Huffington Post: "Former Vice PresidentMike Pence managed to put Donald Trump's most rabid followers in a tizzy on Monday after he made a social media post that was, well, reasonable. In his post, Pence thanked President Joe Biden for making 'the right decision' and 'putting the interests of our Nation ahead of his own' by ending his presidential campaign. He also said Biden's departure from the campaign and the assassination attempt on Trump suggests that it's time for 'leaders in both parties to project calm and send a message of strength and resolve to America's friends and enemies.'... As might be expected, Pence's reasonable statement caused some of Trumps MAGA fans to have F-bomb-filled meltdowns over his graciously thanking Biden for his service to the country."
Kathleen Culliton of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump's campaign is seriously concerned about running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) now that President Joe Biden has opted to step aside from the 2024 election, the Atlantic reported Monday. 'The selection of Ohio Senator J. D. Vance as Trump's running mate, campaign officials acknowledged, was something of a luxury,' writes staff writer Tim Alberta, 'meant to run up margins with the base in a blowout rather than persuade swing voters in a nailbiter.... "For the first time in a long time, Trump does not control the narrative of 2024.'"
Jazmine Ulloa of the New York Times: "Long before ... Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were barreling toward a potential presidential showdown in November, Mr. Trump was one of her donors. Mr. Trump donated $6,000 to Ms. Harris's campaign after she had begun her career in statewide politics as California's attorney general, taking office in January 2011. Mr. Trump's first donation, for $5,000, came in September 2011, and he made an additional $1,000 contribution in February 2013, according to state records. His daughter, Ivanka, also gave Ms. Harris's campaign $2,000 in 2014, according to records first reported by the Sacramento Bee."
Sickly Old Trump. Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "After weeks of intense focus on President Biden's health and age that ended with his withdrawal from the campaign on Sunday, the script has flipped: ... Donald Trump is now the oldest presidential candidate in history -- and one who has been less transparent about his medical condition than his former opponent. Trump, a 78-year-old with a history of heart disease and obesity, according to experts, has not shared any updated bloodwork results or other specific information during this campaign to help experts assess his ongoing medical risks.... Seven days after the attempted assassination against him on July 13, Trump released a letter from his former White House physician, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.), who described treating a two-centimeter-wide wound to Trump's right ear and said he had a CT scan of his head and other tests but did not release the results."
Luke Broadwater, et al., of the New York Times: "The Secret Service director, Kimberly A. Cheatle, faced bipartisan calls for her resignation on Monday, after a disastrous hourslong congressional hearing in which she declined to answer basic questions about the attempted assassination of ... Donald J. Trump. Ms. Cheatle declined to say how many agents were protecting Mr. Trump when a gunman shot at him at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, or who decided to leave a nearby rooftop out of the event's security perimeter. Nor would she tell members of the House Oversight Committee why Secret Service agents were not aware until the last seconds that people in the crowd had seen a gunman on that roof. At times, Ms. Cheatle seemed less informed than the lawmakers quizzing her.... By the hearing's end, many of the committee's Democrats -- usually defensive of their party's appointees -- had also swung sharply against Ms. Cheatle. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the committee's top Democrat..., joined the committee's Republican chairman, Representative James R. Comer of Kentucky, in calling for her resignation." See also yesterday's NYT liveblog of the hearing, linked & excerpted in yesterday's Conversation.
Yo, Bob! Get Out! Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee voted unanimously on Monday to advance an inquiry into Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, signaling that it was moving swiftly to lay the groundwork to potentially expel him after his federal bribery conviction last week. In a statement, the committee said its work had progressed to an 'adjudicatory review,' meaning that its members had found 'substantial cause' to believe Mr. Menendez had violated the law or Senate rules. The vote will almost certainly increase pressure on Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, to resign, by showing that his colleagues are serious about threats to hold an expulsion vote if he does not step down voluntarily."
~~~~~~~~~~
Mizz Harris Regrets.... Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris has declined to preside on Wednesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is scheduled to address a joint meeting of Congress, staying away from a gathering that is likely to highlight the deep divisions among Democrats about his conduct of the war with Hamas. An aide to Ms. Harris said her absence on Wednesday should not be construed as a change in her commitment to Israel's security, but was merely a conflict with a previously scheduled event in Indianapolis. She is scheduled to speak at a convention of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., one of the nation's oldest Black sororities, and will meet with Mr. Netanyahu this week at the White House, the aide said. Typically, the vice president ... sits on the House rostrum beside the House speaker during joint meetings to receive a foreign leader.... But this week, Democrats are turning instead to Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee...."
Matthew Bigg & Iyad Abuheweila of the New York Times: "The Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate part of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday and bombarded the area, killing scores of people and wounding hundreds, local health officials reported, adding to the misery of a city already deeply scarred by nine and a half months of war. The military said it was moving further into Khan Younis because Hamas was trying to regroup there and had used part of what was designated a humanitarian zone to fire rockets toward Israel."
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Reader Comments (10)
Apparently, a number of Republican Trump kissers have dirtied their
diapers over recent events. They're trying to figure out how to keep
Biden on the Democratic ticket for president.
I wonder why that is. Could it be they fear an intelligent, female,
racial minority.
I'll bet even Melanie would vote for Kamala.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/replace-biden-some-republicans-say=
thats-illegal-and-plan-to-file-lawsuits-to-stop-it-195047059.html
So on to the next drama.
Who will be Harris' VP pick? Other than Whitmer, all the other names I've seen touted are men, so chances are good that a Harris White House would have a woman in charge with a man in second place.
Just the kind of arrangement that J. D. Vance and other patriarchs to be hate.
Another factor that has nothing to do with policy and everything to do with gut feelings that folks will be weighing in November.
"Seven Lessons from Joe Biden’s Candidacy
The Democratic party is healthy. The Republican party is not."
Update: Here's the correct link to RAS's entry above. It's an opinion piece by Jonathan Last of the Bulwark.
Reminder: to open in a new tab, right click on the link, then choose the appropriate option.
I, for one, am immensely relieved. Biden did this in exactly the right way:
Wait until after the RNC.
Release a letter after the Sunday shows.
Make an unmistakable recommendation for Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket.
I was always afraid of a chaotic convention. It is remarkable to see the support and $$$ that have already come for Harris.
Do I detect the hand of Nancy Pelosi in this? Hmmm....
@pat: I had sort of hoped for an open convention where the outcome was not known, but I'm sure the way things worked out are much better. And Trumplethinskin is beside himself, so that makes me really, really happy.
The last time there was a convention where the outcome of the vote was really in question -- as far as I can recall -- was 1956, and that was for the vice-presidential spot. I was seven years old at the time, so the thrill of it didn't exactly wash over me, but I do recall my mother was excited -- and not at all happy because she preferred the guy who lost to Kefauver: JFK.
I don't think she knew him but she & JFK were about the same age, and when they were kids she and her brother used to sail against him & a sibling in races off Cape Cod. My mother couldn't quite remember if she'd competed against him, so I asked my aunt -- who was a bit older than my mother. She was quite the snooty lady, and she answered with a sniff, "Yes, and we beat them."
Maybe there will be a race for the veep spot this year. (I seriously doubt it, but my vote goes to Julia Louis-Dreyfus.)
I hope that the Harris campaign drops the proposed organizing theme of "prosecutor v. felon." Reasons:
-- the President should be a simplified model to a complex society, but the image should not be distilled down into "prosecutor"
-- it's still fine to identify DiJiT as a "felon", but the President of the US should not be perceived as the primary enforcer. DOJ, other agencies and states have police powers. The President should not direct them against individuals.
-- there is bad comic-book juju in women identifying as enforcer/avenger. Women candidates have enough prejudices working against them, Harris doesn't need this one.
-- She can still be "tough on crime" (a bullshit issue, but always out there) without the "enforcer v. felon frame
-- when a campaign tries to assign an image/role (e.g. "The Prosecutor") to its candidate, it quickly can become wrestlemania kayfabe. Those who are already fans may love it, but those the campaign seeks to convert are turned off by the fakery. Remember how phony it was when John Kerry "reported for duty." And then got swamped by the Swift Boat ambushers. Right now Harris' apparent genuineness is part of her attraction. Fake her up and she starts to look cheesy.
George Clooney and Aaron Sorkin would probably say the same, huh?
@patrick,
As usual you are a consistent voice of insight and reason. Thanks for your continuing sane input...
Unwashed,
And Patrick.
Wholly agree with you both. With Patrick for his analysis, to which I would add the slogan he questions plays too directly into the MAGA mythology that says the Dems are using the powers of the federal government to go after their "savior." No need to stoke their paranoia further. They already have a full load.
And with Unwashed for his well-deserved kudos to. Patrick.
Hatred + Stupidity = Party of Traitors/Trumpish logic…
So…according to PoT screechers (a group that includes both Fatty and his Peter Thiel financed, Hillbilly Scatology bobble head VP), President Biden needs to resign IMMEDIATELY!!! because something, something, something, he’s not running.
Yeah! Great idea. That makes Kamala Harris the first female President of color. Then the Orange Monster, a convicted felon and rapist will be running against a sitting president.
The droolers are also screaming that she can’t use any of the money collected by the Biden-HARRIS re-election campaign. It’s a FRAUD!! Another bleating pile of bullshit is that Joe Biden has disenfranchised millions of voters by electing to not run.
Hey, Trump and the Traitors know all about fraud and disenfranchising voters. They must know what they’re talking about.
Really, they just have no idea what to do now besides toss out racist, misogynistic brickbats. Fatty believes he is the only one who can be disruptive. How dare anyone else try it.
Gotta say, kids, I am incredibly charged up and optimistic today, more so than I’ve been in a long time. The fascists are running scared. That fat fuck will slither out of the next debate because now he’s the demented old loser who can’t put three words together.
Oh, wait. He’s been that guy for years. Think The NY Times will acknowledge that now?