May 16, 2019: Abortion, Tariffs, and #TTT
SO, WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?
The abortion fight is back on. A measure approved in the Alabama state senate would outlaw almost all abortions and potentially lead to a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. Democratic primary candidates universally condemned the measure, with Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, & Kirsten Gillibrand having the strongest words for an issue that is going to resonate throughout the primary.
TRACKER TOP TEN #TTT
1) Joe Biden - Teflon Joe has built a suit of armor, a cache of cash, and a trove of support. He’s far and away the leader of the pack right now.
2) Bernie Sanders - his supporters are extremely loyal, fierce, and vocal. Though he is struggling and picking up ‘establishment’ support, he’s a clear number two.
3) Kamala Harris - after a month in the shadows, her campaign has put her policies front-and-center, though she is being touted as a ‘Dream Ticket’ Vice President for Biden.
4) Elizabeth Warren - still dogged by questions about her electability, that Time Magazine cover dovetails nicely with her recent momentum.
5) Pete Buttigieg - the Hollywood darling has snagged the hearts of many educated liberals, but is polling at 0% amongst African-Americans in South Carolina.
6) Beto O’Rourke - Sidestepped by Buttigieg and overtaken by Warren, Beto’s buzz has fizzled as he is planning a ‘reintroduction’ campaign this week. But at least he livestreamed his haircut.
7) Cory Booker - still on the periphery, Booker has enough name recognition and favorability to have an inside track at cracking the top tier of candidates.
8) Andrew Yang - the #YangGang has evolved from a ‘nice little online following’ to a full-throated coalition. He has some unique ideas and support in high places.
9) Amy Klobuchar - a true centrist/moderate Dem, she has distinguished herself in the heartland by not supporting Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
10) Julián Castro - once touted as a dream candidate, he has lagged behind the frontrunners though still benefits from high name recognition.
GET TO KNOW A CANDIDATE: KAMALA HARRIS
Harris, an Oakland native, is of Indian/Jamaican descent, the daughter of a breast cancer scientist & economics professor. . .she was elected Senator in California in 2016. . .her career in service began as district attorney in Alameda County, eventually winning an election for District Attorney of San Francisco. . .in 2009 she received notice for her book, in which she touted "a smarter approach when it comes to combating nonviolent crime". . .tough on crime, the felony conviction rate soared while she was DA. . .In 2010, she was elected California Attorney General. . .in January, she kicked off her Presidential campaign in front of 20,000 people, and tied a record for most money raised in the first 24 hours of a campaign. . .she is pro-choice, with 100% rating from Planned Parenthood, supports legalization of marijuana, and is opposed to the death penalty. . .she is a strong advocate for environmental protection laws. . .Harris takes a firm stance on gun control, receiving an ‘F’ rating from the NRA.
2020 CANDIDATES: WEEK IN REVIEW
JOE BIDEN. . .takes a massive cash haul in Hollywood. . .while building a ‘firewall’ in Florida, where he is crushing the Democratic field. . .he is now the clear front-runner for 2020. . .accordingly, he is looking for middle ground on the climate. . .even with massive trouble brewing in his campaign. . .
BERNIE SANDERS. . .appears with AOC, unveils a plan to cap credit card interest rates at 15%. . .as polls continue to show “nothing but bad news” for his campaign. . .as he calls to breakup Facebook. . .
PETE BUTTIGIEG. . .asks for help diversifying his campaign. . .as he blindsides Kamala Harris in California. . .is the only 2020 candidate not offering his staffers health insurance. . .and is having a difficult time winning the black vote, especially in the South. . .especially with the problems some people had revitalizing South Bend. .
ELIZABETH WARREN. . .hits the cover of Time magazine, betting that Americans are ready for her big ideas.. .though some say that’s a reflection of her desperation from being behind in the polls. . .and it seems that her ideas are actually more popular than she is, even with Trump voters. . .while calling Fox News a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists. . .
KAMALA HARRIS. . .has a bigger California problem than you would think. . .and is trying to reset her campaign by taking on Trump. . .but is getting minority donors to sign big checks. . .as she continues to lay out her policies; here are three from her interview with Jake Tapper.
BETO O’ROURKE. . .hires unsung hero of Obama’s first campaign. . .says Cory Booker's federal gun-license plan may go too far. . .and calls his own Vanity Fair cover elitist. . .
CORY BOOKER . . .unveils Justice Academy to train, recruit volunteers. . .while his supporters call Buttigieg mania the epitome of privilege. . .
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND. . .blames low polling on gender bias. . .and is the daughter of a lobbyist that worked for Donald Trump. . .calls Alabama abortion ban an attack on women. . .
AMY KLOBUCHAR. . .hits a Fox News Town Hall, trying to appeal to the left and the right. . .including overtures to preserve parts of Trump’s tax plan. . .
ANDREW YANG. . .has an online following that is turning into a real-life coalition. . .though he has a disjointed plan to reform American Democracy. . .and he may be ‘too nice’ to defeat Donald Trump. . .
JULIAN CASTRO. . .calls Trump a ‘Grade-A Idiot’. . .while unveiling a sweeping education plan. . .
TIM RYAN. . .says Trump doesn’t give a sh*t about the Constitution. . .
JAY INSLEE. . .has the boldest climate change plan of any candidate. . .
JOHN HICKENLOOPER. . .is running to Save Capitalism. . .
ERIC SWALWELL. . .is trying real hard to stay in the 2020 race. . .
TULSI GABBARD. . .urges US to pursue denuclearization after North Korea launches second missile. . .
STEVE BULLOCK. . .is IN, and raises $1 million in first 24 hours after announcement. . .
SETH MOULTON. . .opposes Medicare-for-All. . .
JOHN DELANEY. . .sees himself as the most moderate 2020 Democrat. . .
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON. . .qualifies for the first 2020 debate. . .
WAYNE MESSAM. . .wants to restore US as an honest broker in Mideast negotiations. . .
MIKE GRAVEL. . .says Sanders, Gabbard would be ideal 2020 Dem ticket. . .slams “off the rails” Biden, says Buttigieg “most out of step”. . .
MICHAEL BENNET. . .calls Trump "most fiscally irresponsible president" in decades. . .
BILL DE BLASIO. . .for President? New Yorkers say “nah”. . .
WHO IS GETTING THE COVERAGE
How often each Democratic candidate was mentioned each week in news programming on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.
(Source: FiveThirtyEight from TV News Archive via GDELT Project)
POLL OF THE WEEK
(source: Doug Johnson Hatlem for Morning Consult)
TARIFFS, TARIFFS, TARIFFS
In a word - tariffs. President Trump announced that his administration would raise tariffs on $200 billion in U.S. imports from China from 10% to 25%. In a retaliatory move, China announced it will raise the tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods, with about 5,000 products are affected, including beef, fruit, vegetables, coats, refrigerators, furniture and electric saws. Who gets hurt by China's new tariffs on American goods? Farmers. The market reacted accordingly, as Wall Street suffered its biggest selloff since January. Here’s a 30-day snapshot; tariffs were introduced last week.
DON’T FORGET THESE DATES
June 26, 27: First Debates: Miami, Florida. (Telecast: NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo)
July 30, 31: Second Debates: Detroit, Michigan (Telecast: CNN)
(2020)
February 3: the Iowa caucus
March 3: Super Tuesday (Alabama, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia primaries)
July 13-16: The Democratic National Convention (Milwaukee, WI)
DAYS UNTIL 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: 536
“The root assumption here is that neither party would nominate a man more than 20 percent different from the type of person most Americans consider basically right and acceptable. Which almost always happens. There is no potentially serious candidate in either major party this year who couldn’t pass for the executive vice-president for mortgage loans in any hometown bank from Bangor to San Diego.”
- Hunter S. Thompson, Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72
ARCHIVES
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