News: Why Joe Biden already won

Friday, October 29, 2021

Why Joe Biden already won

Oct 29, 2021

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By Rachael Bade

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DRIVING THE DAY

BIDEN GETS IT DONE, DESPITE HIMSELF — To say Thursday was a roller coaster for President JOE BIDEN's agenda wouldn't do justice to how truly head-spinning the day was. The White House releases a Build Back Better (BBB) deal backed by MANCHINEMA (now they're getting somewhere) — only to watch BERNIE SANDERS balk (never mind). The president delays his trip to Europe to rally House Democrats behind his plan — then whiffs, somehow neglecting to deliver the tough love message Democratic leaders wanted him to so they could pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill (BIF) this week.

But just when it looked like the day would end in embarrassment for Democrats, the Congressional Progressive Caucus issues a surprise endorsement of the president's compromise plan — removing one of the last big obstacles in its way.

The CPC's decision to back the new BBB framework got drowned out by the group's refusal to allow a BIF vote Thursday before full text was drafted. That deprived Speaker NANCY PELOSI of the vote she was determined to hold on BIF, and yielded lots of headlines about Democrats' failure to clinch the win.

But the dispute over sequencing masked a major achievement for the president: Hill progressives now appear ready to swallow this deal — and that means it's likely a matter of when, not if, it passes.

The fact that the group isn't making demands for major changes is quite something given that many of their priorities were significantly scaled back as moderates got most of what they wanted.

"We wanted a $3.5 trillion package, but we understand the reality of the situation," CPC Chair PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) told reporters Thursday night. While she welcomes senators negotiating to make additional changes to the bill, she said specifically that her group's endorsement is not contingent on that.

That stance is especially notable since earlier in the day, Sanders (I-Vt.) seemed unhappy with the package and ready to fight for more. He complained there were "major gaps" in the framework, specifically on prescription drugs and Medicare. At the same time, he did not draw any red lines and praised the plan as "the most consequential bill since the 1960s."

It's a reminder that there is no Freedom Caucus of the left and probably never will be. Progressives find it hard to vote against things they believe in, even if the bill doesn't have everything that they want. For that, perhaps Biden, who's set to meet with the pope today, should count his blessings.

THE REAL LOSER FROM THURSDAY, as WaPo's Paul Kane pointed out, was TERRY MCAULIFFE. Democrats' Virginia gubernatorial candidate implored leaders to pass the infrastructure bill before his election to turn out voters. But Biden did not press progressives to vote on the bill quickly, a move a senior House Democrat dubbed a "mistake" — ensuring the bill won't pass before next week. The delay comes as a Fox News poll has GLENN YOUNGKIN pulling ahead of McAullife, 53 to 45. That survey is an outlier — FiveThirtyEight's polling average now has the race tied, while other polls show McAuliffe narrowly ahead — but a Youngkin victory Tuesday no longer looks like a Republican pipe dream.

DON'T MISS — Our Caitlin Emma and Jenifer Scholtes have a round-up of everything that's in and out of the reconciliation bill.

THE LEDEALLS:

POLITICO: "Biden tries, stumbles, selling his domestic agenda into existence"

WaPo: "Biden raises the stakes with the biggest gamble of his presidency"

NYT: "A Social Policy 'Framework' Fails to Secure a Biden Victory"

WSJ: "Biden Framework for Social-Climate Package Fails to Ease Passage of Infrastructure Bill"

AP: "Biden arrives in Rome as domestic agenda still unfulfilled"

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IN MEMORIAM — "A. Linwood Holton Jr., Virginia governor who took bold stance on integration, dies at 98," by WaPo's Jeff Baron: "Mr. Holton helped break the domination of Virginia politics by the Byrd political organization, which ardently supported racial segregation, and his election as governor in 1969 made him the first Republican to hold statewide office in Virginia in the 20th century. He persuaded the legislature to raise the income tax and the gasoline tax, and he used the money for environmental protection, higher education and transportation projects. But he called his work on race relations 'the greatest source of satisfaction and pride for me.'"

Holton was a giant of Virginia history, as well as Sen. TIM KAINE's (D-Va.) father-in-law.

NEVADA AD WAR, THE SEQUEL — We wrote in Playbook on Wednesday that a Nevada TV station decided to take down a pro- CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO ad sponsored by the Senate Majority PAC after the NRSC complained it included "flagrantly false" information about Republican challenger ADAM LAXALT. But it turns out the station, in a victory for the CHUCK SCHUMER-aligned outside group, reversed its decision.

The ad is now up and running on Reno's CBS affiliate, KTVN 2 News, as well in other parts of Nevada. And SMP, which swayed the station in its favor before the decision to pull the ad took effect, is feeling vindicated. Group president JB POERSCH blasted what he called the NRSC's "failed attempt to discredit the accuracy of the ad."

WE'RE ON A BOAT — All summer long, activists have pressured Democratic leaders for a reconciliation package that delivers on all of Biden's promises. That means Sens. KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) and JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) faced protesters in their offices, homes … and bathroom stalls. Today, Tara visits the progressive activists putting pressure on Manchin, and she asks POLITICO's co-congressional bureau chief — and Manchin whisperer — Burgess Everett on whether the activism is having its intended effect on Manchin and the latest on the Democrats' messy reconciliation fight. Listen and subscribe to Playbook Deep Dive

BIDEN'S FRIDAY (Eastern times):

— 6 a.m.: The president and first lady JILL BIDEN are currently meeting with Pope FRANCIS in Vatican City.

— 6:55 a.m.: Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Cardinal Secretary of State PIETRO PAROLIN.

— 7:55 a.m.: Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Italian President SERGIO MATTARELLA at the Quirinale Palace in Rome.

— 9:15 a.m.: Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Italian PM MARIO DRAGHI at the Chigi Palace in Rome.

— 10:15 a.m.: Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with French President EMMANUEL MACRON at the French Embassy in Rome.

VP KAMALA HARRIS' FRIDAY:

— 2:30 p.m.: The VP will speak virtually at a DNC grassroots event.

— 3:55 p.m.: Harris will leave D.C. for Norfolk, Va.

— 6 p.m.: Harris will speak at a McAuliffe campaign event at the Peter G. Decker Half Moone Center in Norfolk, before heading back to D.C. at 7:15 p.m.

THE SENATE and THE HOUSE are out.

JOIN TUESDAY FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AIR TRAVEL: As delegates descend on Glasgow for the COP26 global climate summit, reducing carbon emissions in the aviation sector will play a critical role in the progress of fighting climate change. Join POLITICO for a deep-dive conversation that will explore the increased use of sustainable aviation fuel, better performance aircraft, and other breakthroughs in to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet broader sustainability goals. REGISTER HERE.

PLAYBOOK READS

Glenn Youngkin is pictured. | Getty Images

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin arrives at a campaign event outside the Prince Edward County Courthouse on Thursday, Oct. 28 in Farmville, Va. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

ALL POLITICS

HOW YOUNGKIN COULD WIN — If the Republican pulls it off Tuesday, remember this story by Elena Schneider so you're not surprised: "Republicans started the year watching the Senate slip away in Georgia — and fretting that DONALD TRUMP's takeover of the party was so complete that the base wouldn't show up for them without Trump himself on the ballot. Now, those fears have largely evaporated.

"Republicans hold an enormous edge in enthusiasm that could make the difference in the upcoming Virginia governor's race, according to both public and private polling. What's most notable in Virginia is that it's Glenn Youngkin — a candidate who accepted Trump's endorsement but has held the former president at arm's length during the campaign — who stands to benefit from the electrified GOP base, which is instead animated by President Joe Biden's sagging ratings and Democrats' total control in Washington and Richmond."

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Remember when Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest of Georgia's new law imposing restrictions on voting? Well, consider it payback time. Heritage Action is launching a new six-figure ad buy to air in Georgia and D.C. during Game 3 of the World Series tonight — when the Atlanta Braves will play host to the Houston Astros — thanking Gov. BRIAN KEMP for the voting law and slamming MLB executives for their opposition to it. "Despite the best efforts of the woke mob, the Braves are bringing the World Series to the state for the first time since 1999, and the silence from woke executives is deafening," the ad says. "They've learned an important lesson: When you go woke, you go broke." Watch here

CONGRESS

MUCK READ — ProPublica's Robert Faturechi has new details on Sen. RICHARD BURR's (R-N.C.) 2020 stock trades: He called his brother-in-law after Burr dumped stocks worth more than $1.6 million, and the brother-in-law then immediately called his broker and started dumping stocks. "The revelations come as part of an effort by the SEC to force [GERALD] FAUTH to comply with a subpoena that the agency said he has stonewalled for more than a year … In the filings, the SEC also revealed that there is an ongoing insider trading investigation into both Burr and Fauth's trades. It had previously been reported that federal prosecutors had decided not to charge Burr."

WHITE HOUSE

IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID — Megan Cassella jumps on the latest economic numbers with a story about what they mean politically for Biden: "The U.S. economy is growing at its slowest pace since the recovery began. Faster inflation is likely to linger well into next year. Millions remain unemployed even as small businesses struggle to hire workers. And Republicans are readying attacks on President Joe Biden over all of it."

POLICY CORNER

IMMIGRATION FILES — The Biden administration is weighing paying out $450,000 per individual to families that were separated at the border under the Trump administration, though the situation remains in flux, WSJ's Michelle Hackman, Aruna Viswanatha and Sadie Gurman scooped. "The total potential payout could be $1 billion or more," as a variety of ongoing lawsuits seek possible settlements/resolution by the end of next month.

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

CUOMO CHARGED — Former New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO was charged with criminal "forcible touching," a misdemeanor, on Thursday, New York Focus' Akash Mehta scooped. Cuomo, who resigned from office in August, "will be required to appear in court in Albany on Nov. 17 to be arraigned," per the NYT.

DESANTIS VS. BIDEN, via Tampa Bay Times' Mary Ellen Klas: "Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS and Attorney General ASHLEY MOODY filed another lawsuit against the U.S. government Thursday, challenging the rule requiring companies that are federal contractors to show proof of vaccination or weekly COVID tests of their employees and calling it a 'heavy-handed mandate never authorized by Congress.'"

MEDIAWATCH

NO APOLOGIES — The WSJ Editorial Board defended its decision to publish a letter to the editor by Trump falsely alleging the 2020 election was "rigged." "We trust our readers to make up their own minds about his statement. And we think it's news when an ex-President who may run in 2024 wrote what he did, even if (or perhaps especially if) his claims are bananas," it writes. The full response

FOX IN THE HENHOUSE — GERALDO RIVERA is calling out his Fox colleague TUCKER CARLSON over the latter's plans to promote false conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 insurrection. "I worry that — and I'm probably going to get in trouble for this — but I'm wondering how much is done to provoke, rather than illuminate," Rivera told NYT's Michael Grynbaum.

TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week": Dan Balz, Ayesha Rascoe, Ali Vitali and Jonathan Lemire.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

MSNBC	"The Sunday Show": Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) … Eric Adams … Maya Wiley … Jonathan Metzl … Montgomery, Ala., Mayor Steven Reed … Evan McMullin … Rachel Bitecofer.
Gray TV	"Full Court Press": Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) … Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah).
ABC	"This Week": Panel: Chris Christie, Rachel Scott, Donna Shalala and Laura Barrón-López.
NBC	"Meet the Press": Panel: Cornell Belcher, Anna Palmer, Brad Todd and Kristen Welker.
CNN	"Inside Politics": Panel: Julie Pace, Rachael Bade, Jonathan Martin, Sabrina Siddiqui and Eva McKend.
FOX	"Fox News Sunday": Panel: Jason Chaffetz, Susan Page and Charles Lane. Power Player: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial.

BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.

PLAYBOOKERS

Rupert Murdoch celebrated his 90th birthday at a party in New York City. Insider has the deets.

Sally Yates announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, in an op-ed for CBS and an interview with Norah O'Donnell.

Mitt Romney dressed up as Ted Lasso for Halloween, and delivered biscuits to Kyrsten Sinema, in character as AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton (notes Josh Wingrove, with a "Ted Lasso" episode 1 spoiler: Sinema was in costume as "a character who sets out to purposefully tank her team").

Bill de Blasio said he was in costume as Captain Kirk, but any self-respecting Trekkie knows he was wearing the wrong color shirt and was actually dressed more like Spock or Dr. McCoy.

Debbie Dingell plastered maize-and-blue University of Michigan decorations all over Elissa Slotkin's office — retaliation for Slotkin's green-and-white, pro-MSU vandalization of Dingell's car Thursday. The annual rivalry game between No. 6 UM and No. 8 MSU is Saturday at noon. (Ed. note: Go Green!)

RIP: Downtown D.C.'s last remaining (though non-functioning) pay phone, outside the Cheesecake Factory on H Street NW, is about to be removed.

SPOTTED at a screening of Matthew Heineman's latest documentary, "The First Wave," on Thursday at the Navy Memorial Theater and presented by National Geographic and Participant: Laurel Sakai, Kaylie Hanson Long, Denise Zheng, Nate Adler, Jenifer Healy, Corey Feist, Gianluca Nigro, Bruce Gellin, Jada Yuan, Dan Diamond, Zach Basu, Mackenzie Kuhl and Amanda Chen.

SPOTTED at a book party for Tom Galvin's debut novel, "The Auction" ( $14.95) on Thursday night: Scott Mulhauser, Tim Burger, Shane Tews, Scott Gerber and Amber Allman.

MEDIA MOVES — Alana Abramson is now a D.C. producer for CNN Plus. She most recently was a White House reporter at Time Magazine. … Matt Hadro is now senior account executive at Pinkston. He most recently has been political editor at Catholic News Agency.

WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Sarah Saltiel has been detailed as a workforce policy adviser to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She most recently was a digital service expert at the U.S. Digital Service.

STAFFING UP — The White House announced the appointment of Sara Minkara as U.S. special adviser on international disability rights.

TRANSITION — Charles "Chuck" Johnson will be the next president and CEO of the Aluminum Association. He most recently has been president and CEO of the International Safety Equipment Association.

ENGAGED — Kamran Daravi, a consultant at Deloitte and a Trump White House alum, proposed to Christy Ross, a sales manager at Insight Global, at sunset Wednesday evening at the Lincoln Memorial. They originally met on Bumble. Instapics, via photographer Andrea Hanks … More pics

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Georgette Kerr, co-founder and EVP of Plurus Strategies and a Hillary Clinton alum, and Charlie Kerr, flight chief for NASIC's Civil Aviation Intelligence Analysis Squadron, welcomed Emory Hope Kerr on Wednesday afternoon. An IVF, rainbow baby who was transferred on Presidents' Day and due on Election Day, their October surprise came in at 6 lbs, 8 oz and 20.25 inches. Pic … Another pic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge … White House's Kate Bedingfield and Seth Schuster … Jim Messina … Phoebe Kilgour … CNN's Laura Jarrett and David Siegel … WaPo's Dave Clarke … Bloomberg's Robert George … Washington Examiner's Jamie McIntyre … Geoff Turley … POLITICO's Steve Heuser and Cam Debro … Isabelle James … Mike Saccone … Steve Smith of the ACLU … Kat Timpf … Bob Stevenson … Ryan Akira Quinn of Swing Left … Natalie Jones Hallahan of the Meridian International Center … Aaron Jacobs … Nelson Cunningham of McLarty Associates … Mara Mellstrom … WSJ's Kate Bachelder Odell … Mercedes LeGrand … Bill Jaffee of Locust Street Group … Daisy Gordon ... Justin McCartney of Rep. Jennifer Wexton's (D-Va.) office … Nick Yaeger … Avery Miller of "Face the Nation" … Coby King … former Sen. Connie Mack III (R-Fla.) … Safi Majid … Sonia Colin-Reed ... Peter Albrecht of AL Media Strategy … Nick Powell ... Rachel Barinbaum … Anthony Pardal of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried's office … Dimitri Simes … Noah Dion … former acting A.G. Matt Whitaker … Mimi Montgomery … former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne (7-0) … NBC's David Corvo

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