| | | | |  | | By Catherine Kim | |  Massachusetts state Rep. Mike Connolly in 2017 in Cambridge, Mass. | Ryan McBride/AFP via Getty Images | PURITY TESTS — The Democratic Socialists of America has seen a meteoric rise since 2015, when Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, began his first campaign for president. The movement has elected a slew of lawmakers to state legislatures and city councils across the country, and grown from 5,000 to 92,000 members in the span of less than a decade. But that growth has come at a cost. Infighting within local DSA chapters is making headlines across the country — a sign that the far-left faction of the progressive wing may be fracturing as a result of its success. The latest DSA meltdown came this week in Massachusetts, where the Boston chapter clashed with state Rep. Mike Connolly — who was elected as a DSA member — for working with establishment Democrats. Connolly’s offenses, according to DSA, include supporting a stabilized rent program that doesn’t align with the group’s platform and endorsing a non-DSA candidate in 2020. Before the group had a chance to expel him though, Connelly announced he was dropping his DSA affiliation, criticizing the group for failing to see the benefits of building broader coalitions. “Why continue with an organization whose new leadership has made it clear they oppose seeking common ground with state leaders or building broader coalitions to benefit working people?” Connolly wrote in a statement first shared with POLITICO. These ideological tests are also bad for constituents, as the energy spent on infighting ultimately “takes the service out of public service,” said Joe Caiazzo, a Massachusetts-based political consultant and top aide for the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign. “The whole point of the progressive movement is to fight for a set of policy values that are going to make the lives of working people throughout this country better,” he said. “How on earth is inflicting a purity test going to help working people throughout the country?” The Connolly clash isn’t an isolated occurrence. Across the country, DSA chapters are roiling with conflicts between members who win elections and the hardliners who object to their legislative compromises. The ripple effects of the struggle between power and purity aren’t hard to find: In the Boston-area, where DSA had seen major wins on local city councils, the group is down to a single representative in the state legislature now that Connolly is out of the picture. In Nevada, the DSA takeover of the state Democratic Party in 2021 came to an end in this year’s state party election — a bitter conclusion to a brief reign marked by intense controversy (It didn’t help that Nevada was the only state where an incumbent Democratic governor lost last year). The far left’s fractures come at a pivotal time for the movement. Dozens of progressives, many backed by DSA, won elections in the 2022 midterms — from city councils to Congress — and the hope is that these wins will provide a playbook for running on policies such as affordable housing and minimum wage. But just as progressive issues are becoming part of the mainstream debate in many places and the left is increasing its voice in the halls of power, the internal fights are damaging the brand. DSA has historically played a pivotal role in building the progressive coalition through grassroots organizing, says Caiazzo, but the focus on ideological purity will ultimately be their demise if they continue to make headlines for kicking out members who don’t reach their stringent standards. “At the end of the day, politics is about compromise,” he said. “If you’re not willing to compromise, then you don’t get to play on the team. And if you can’t play on the team, then there’s no way to ever win.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at ckim@politico.com or on Twitter at @ck_525.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | | | — Microsoft, Activision defeat FTC’s bid to block $69B deal: A federal judge has sided with Microsoft and Activision Blizzard as they fought off the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block a deal between the two companies that would create a video gaming giant. Today’s ruling is a stinging rebuke for the FTC in the biggest test yet of its ability to police competition in fast-moving technology markets, a key priority for agency Chair Lina Khan, an antitrust hawk appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021. The FTC initially challenged the deal in its in-house court in December. — United Airlines CEO warns of more weather delays as climate warms: Air travelers should brace for even more of the delayed and canceled flights that have made flying so miserable recently, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said today — all because of climate change. “More heat in the atmosphere, thermodynamics 101 — we’re going to have more thunderstorms,” he said. As an example, Kirby said that almost a week of thunderstorms west of Newark Liberty International Airport crippled his airline’s operations ahead of the July 4th holiday. Kirby argued that no airline can withstand six straight days of storms that prevent flights from departing, especially at a hub airport like Newark. — Flores launches comeback bid for Texas House seat: Former GOP Rep. Mayra Flores launched a comeback bid today, months after she lost her South Texas district to Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez by 9 points. Flores made her announcement on “Fox & Friends” while criticizing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ work on the border. The National Republican Congressional Committee had been working to recruit Flores to make another run, commissioning a poll that showed she could win the district that President Joe Biden carried by nearly 16 points in 2020.
| | | | THE GEORGIA CASE — A grand jury that was sworn in today in Atlanta will likely consider whether criminal charges are appropriate for former President Donald Trump or his Republican allies for their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia, the AP reports. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating since shortly after Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in early 2021 and suggested the state’s top elections official could help him “find 11,780 votes,” just enough needed to beat Democrat Joe Biden. The 2 1/2-year investigation expanded to include an examination of a slate of Republican fake electors, phone calls by Trump and others to Georgia officials in the weeks after the 2020 election and unfounded allegations of widespread election fraud made to state lawmakers. Willis, a Democrat, is expected to present her case before one of two new grand juries being seated today. She has previously suggested that any indictments would likely come in August. DEBATE DODGER — Republicans are divided over whether former President Trump should show up at the first Republican presidential debate scheduled for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, with some warning it would be a bad look for their party if Trump skips it. Some Republicans think Trump is holding off on committing to the debate to exert leverage over the rules and tickets to the event, reports The Hill. The Republican National Committee has announced that candidates will have to pledge to support the eventual GOP presidential nominee in order to qualify for the debate stage, a promise that Trump has so far refused to make. Trump’s absence from the debate would make Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running in a distant second place, the focal point of the evening. GOP candidates would concentrate their fire on DeSantis in hopes of displacing him as the leading alternative to Trump. A debate without Trump would deal a setback to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who has built much of his campaign on a promise to go toe-to-toe with the former president, something other candidates have shied away from. TRUTH IN FUNDRAISING — In the months before the 2020 presidential election, Roy W. Bailey, a Dallas businessman, received a stream of text messages from Donald J. Trump’s re-election campaign, asking for money in persistent, almost desperate terms. “Have you forgotten me?” the messages read, Mr. Bailey recalled. “Have you deserted us?” He is now raising money for Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, whose campaign has pledged to avoid the kinds of online fund-raising tactics that irritated Mr. Bailey and that have spread in both parties, particularly the Republican Party, in recent years as candidates have tried to amass small donors. No phony deadlines, Mr. DeSantis has promised donors. No wildly implausible pledges that sizable contributions will be matched by committees affiliated with the campaign. And no tricking donors into recurring donations. This strategy is one of the subtle ways Mr. DeSantis’s team is trying to contrast him with Mr. Trump, who has often cajoled, guilt-tripped and occasionally misled small donors, writes the New York Times.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson shake hands next to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Vilnius this week. | Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP | IN THE CLUB — Biden administration officials today celebrated Sweden’s ascension into NATO and promised that Ukraine will one day be on the same path, writes Matt Berg. Fourteen months after applying to the military alliance, Stockholm’s bid got the green light from Turkey on Monday after months of being blocked by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Sweden is now on track to become NATO’s 32nd member. “It sends two messages. First of all, our alliance is stronger, it’s bigger with two new members — Finland and now Sweden, and it’s more united than ever,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on CBS. “In terms of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it’s sending a very strong message to Putin that he’s not going to outlast us, he’s not going to outlast Ukraine, and the sooner he ends this war of aggression the better.” As part of the agreement, Turkish, Swedish and NATO officials explained that Stockholm had changed laws, expanded counterterrorism cooperation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and restarted arms exports to Turkey. Ankara and Stockholm also agreed to create a “new bilateral Security Compact” and that Sweden will present a “roadmap as the basis of its continued fight against terrorism in all its forms,” according to a joint statement from the officials. As part of the deal, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also agreed to create a new post of “Special Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism” at NATO. UNWELCOME GIFT — Finland’s new prime minister has had his honeymoon period cut short by two racism scandals that have thrown his government into turmoil, writes Charlie Duxbury. Center-right leader Petteri Orpo, widely regarded as a dependable political operator, is already watching the uproar undercut one of his key strategic moves: The decision to team up with the far-right Finns Party in government. The Finns Party has long been seen as something of a wild card in Finnish politics, pushing a “Finland first” line, which has seen it advocate strong anti-EU and anti-immigration positions. Its leaders, from Timo Soini to Jussi Halla-aho to current chief Riikka Purra, have long kept headline writers busy with flamethrowing speeches and populist blog posts. After elections in April, Purra secured serious influence in Orpo’s new government, not least by taking the role of finance minister and deputy prime minister for herself during lengthy government formation talks. But shortly after the new coalition was announced on June 16, historical public statements by senior party players — including Purra herself — started coming back to haunt both the Finns Party and Orpo. Economy Minister Vilhelm Junnila was forced to quit after allegations that he had made a joke about Nazism. Now, Purra has found herself under pressure amid allegations that she used racist slurs in online blog posts in 2008 and encouraged violence against beggars in the form of spitting.
| | | | UNLEASH THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE WITH POLITICO, A 7/20 INTERACTIVE EVENT: Imagine a future where rare genetic diseases are not only treatable, but potentially curable. Where our approach to chronic illness takes a monumental leap forward. That future is already taking shape in the form of next-generation health care treatments such as gene therapy. Join POLITICO on Thursday, July 20 and delve into the burgeoning field of gene therapies, which hold the power to redefine our health care landscape. Are you ready to explore this new frontier in health care? Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | | | | | | | THE WORLD OF ANTONOFF — If you’ve listened to any pop music within the last five years, you’ve probably heard the stamp of super-producer — and frontman of Bleachers — Jack Antonoff. He’s worked with artists from Taylor Swift to Lorde to Sara Bareilles. But at a certain point, all of that music started to converge, according to Mitch Therieau’s critical essay in The Drift. Therieau traces Antonoff’s influence through the 2010s and early 2020s and arrives at conclusions not just about the producer and his musical sensibilities but also about our broader cultural moment.
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On this date in 1944: Labeled with large tags and carrying their possessions in hand bags, these London children, part of 15,000 moved from the range of German bombs, stand on a railroad platform ready for evacuation. | AP Photo | Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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