theguardian--2020-01-26--How is the most unpopular and divisive president on his way to a second term?

Long after nightfall , an exultant Donald Trump takes the stage in a hotel ballroom , punching the air in front of giant TV screens .
A delirious crowd is wearing “ Keep America Great ” caps and chanting “ USA !
USA !
” These are the early hours of 4 November 2020 and lightning has just struck twice : Trump has won a second term .
For millions of people outside America , the notion of Trump ’ s re-election might seem hard to believe .
How could one of the most unpopular and divisive presidents in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high crimes and misdemeanors and reeling from one self-inflicted crisis to another , possibly win the White House again ?
Yet many here in the US have a gut feeling that is precisely what will happen .
“ The world looks at us and says , ‘ How can the United States re-elect this guy ?
’ ” said Wendy Schiller , a political science professor at Brown University in Providence , Rhode Island .
“ But when you ’ re the average voter and you ’ ve been through six to eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve finally got a good economy , that ’ s a difficult barrier for Democrats to break through.
” Indeed , Trump has several powerful factors in his favor .
Voters tend to stick with what they know : no incumbent has lost the White House since George H W Bush ’ s defeat at the hands of Bill Clinton in 1992 .
That was during a recession and tax increase , whereas Trump is enjoying steady growth , stock market records and the lowest unemployment for half a century .
Some 56 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s handling of the economy , his strongest rating on the issue since entering office , according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll this week .
He also has advantages of time and money .
Trump registered with the Federal Election Commission on the day of his inauguration .
He has , in effect , been campaigning ever since with a potentially lethal combination : on the one hand , rollicking rallies and tweets that sell a crude populist message ; on the other , a clinically rigorous data-gathering and voter mobilisation operation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his first campaign was like a plane being built in midflight , the 2020 version has the power and prestige of Air Force One .
Trump , 73 , might even suffer another heavy defeat in the popular vote , while winning the handful of key states that decide the electoral college .
Schiller added : “ The key question in 2020 is : will there be any drop off from the very narrow coalition that elected him ?
“ First , that would be caused by Trump fatigue , a drop off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m going to sit this one out ’ .
That would hurt him in states like Minnesota , which he lost last time , and North Carolina , which he won .
“ The second cause would be any dip in the economy , which has been Trump ’ s coat of armor , his shield , and makes him impenetrable .
In a good economy , I don ’ t think there ’ s an appetite for radical change.
” But Trump ’ s fate might also rest on something beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are about to begin voting in what has the makings of a messy and complicated primary .
The president ’ s two most effective nemeses – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff – are not on the ballot .
Whoever does prevail may not be able to unite or enthuse a divided party .
Whereas Trump ’ s 2016 effort against Hillary Clinton was insurgent , shambolic and run on a shoestring , this time he has the full weight of the Republican party behind him .
The Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and related joint committees together raised a staggering $ 463m in 2019 – over $ 200m more than Barack Obama in 2011 .
They have nearly $ 200m cash on hand heading into the election .
Furthermore , Trump ’ s re-election campaign and the RNC already have almost 400 staff across 18 target states .
The campaign has announced “ Trump victory leadership teams ” for 49 states and five territories so far .
Its manager , Brad Parscale , is orchestrating a sophisticated data operation that harvests the details of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , enters a competition or attends a rally .
Many experts say the Trump campaign outplayed Democrats on Facebook in 2016 and is determined to do so again with targeted advertising .
Facebook has , controversially , announced that it will not fact check political ads on its platform .
The president ’ s campaign ads so far are simplistic yet brutally effective .
They portray him as a no-nonsense commander in chief – building a border wall , appointing supreme court justices , cutting taxes and taking out terrorists – while rubbishing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political theatre such as impeachment .
A $ 10m ad will be shown during American football ’ s showpiece Super Bowl game next Sunday .
But Trump also hopes to win through force of personality .
He has held 10 rallies in the past three months .
Rally warm-up acts include the president ’ s son , Donald Trump Jr , who has become adept at channeling his liberal-baiting message .
A combination of incumbency and outrageous behavior will ensure continued media coverage .
His pitch is us versus them .
Strategically , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on energizing his base in critical states such as Florida , Michigan , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin , in part by vilifying his opponent and relying on Republican efforts to purge voter registration rolls .
The rout of Republicans in the 2018 midterms , however , suggests that the outcome is far from certain .
Michael Bloomberg , the billionaire businessman who poured a fortune into those races , has pledged to fund 500 staffers in battleground states until election day even if he loses the Democratic nomination .
And even if Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stench of impeachment will cling to him in November .
Much will depend on Democrats ’ choice of nominee .
In rally speeches and tweets , Trump has made little secret of his line of attack .
Former vice president Joe Biden would , like Clinton in 2016 , be framed as offering a third term of Obama and as a creature of the Washington swamp with misleading claims of corruption against his son , Hunter , over his business dealings in Ukraine .
Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren , meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put Americans ’ prosperity at risk .
Trump now has a well rehearsed stump speech that riffs on the perils of socialism in Venezuela before veering off into the Green New Deal and the bird-slaying potential of wind farms .
John Zogby , a pollster , author and strategist , said : “ He might very well be re-elected .
The nation ’ s split , and what compounds things for those who want to defeat him is that those who want to defeat him are split .
And if anyone knows how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive that wedge further , it ’ s the incumbent and his capacity to use social media.
” Charlie Sykes , a conservative author and broadcaster and Trump critic , agrees .
“ His chances may be actually stronger than 50-50 , ” he said .
“ Part of it is the nature of the electoral college and his success in tribalising the electorate and creating alternative reality silos .
But also I ’ m not convinced the Democrats have got their act together.
” Sykes , who hails from the pivotal state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the best shot but remains a flawed candidate .
“ The Democrats don ’ t have a Barack Obama .
They don ’ t have a charismatic leader who ’ s going to inspire people .
I do think that Bernie Sanders would have a Jeremy Corbyn-like problem : swing voters are not as into revolution as some Democrats believe.
” If there is lesson from 2016 , when a reality TV celebrity with no political experience came from nowhere to win the White House , it is that anything can happen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ marching in Charlottesville , caging of children on the Mexican border , coercion of Ukraine for personal political gain and 16,241 false or misleading claims over three years ( according to a Washington Post count ) are apparently no longer disqualifying for millions of voters .
Moe Vela , an LGBTQ and Latino activist and former senior adviser to Biden , said : “ We should figure out who they are and why they broke in his favor last time .
We ’ ve got to better understand what compels a decent person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to what used to be our traditional American values.
” He added : “ If we continued to talk past or around those people or distance them or alienate them , then his chances of reelection are strong .
Understand their angst .
Understand their plight .
How could a decent person be OK with 15,000 lies ?
That ’ s the riddle right there .
What would cause them to abandon the values they were raised with to support a man who paid a porn star he had sex with ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an unpopular Republican president , offered some characteristically mangled syntax : “ Fool me once , shame on ... shame on you .
Fool me.. You can ’ t get fooled again !
” Bush went on to win reelection .
Now Trump is attempting to repeat the trick .
Fool me once , shame on you .
Fool me twice – shame on me .

Long after nightfall, an exultant Donald Trump takes the stage in a hotel ballroom, punching the air in front of giant TV screens. A delirious crowd is wearing “Keep America Great” caps and chanting “USA! USA!” These are the early hours of 4 November 2020 and lightning has just struck twice: Trump has won a second term.
For millions of people outside America, the notion of Trump’s re-election might seem hard to believe. How could one of the most unpopular and divisive presidents in the country’s history, impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and reeling from one self-inflicted crisis to another, possibly win the White House again?
Yet many here in the US have a gut feeling that is precisely what will happen.
“The world looks at us and says, ‘How can the United States re-elect this guy?’” said Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. “But when you’re the average voter and you’ve been through six to eight years of recession and then you’ve finally got a good economy, that’s a difficult barrier for Democrats to break through.”
Indeed, Trump has several powerful factors in his favor.
Voters tend to stick with what they know: no incumbent has lost the White House since George H W Bush’s defeat at the hands of Bill Clinton in 1992. That was during a recession and tax increase, whereas Trump is enjoying steady growth, stock market records and the lowest unemployment for half a century. Some 56% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, his strongest rating on the issue since entering office, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll this week.
He also has advantages of time and money. Trump registered with the Federal Election Commission on the day of his inauguration. He has, in effect, been campaigning ever since with a potentially lethal combination: on the one hand, rollicking rallies and tweets that sell a crude populist message; on the other, a clinically rigorous data-gathering and voter mobilisation operation that leaves nothing to chance. Whereas his first campaign was like a plane being built in midflight, the 2020 version has the power and prestige of Air Force One.
Trump, 73, might even suffer another heavy defeat in the popular vote, while winning the handful of key states that decide the electoral college. Schiller added: “The key question in 2020 is: will there be any drop off from the very narrow coalition that elected him?
“First, that would be caused by Trump fatigue, a drop off of voters who say, ‘I’m going to sit this one out’. That would hurt him in states like Minnesota, which he lost last time, and North Carolina, which he won.
“The second cause would be any dip in the economy, which has been Trump’s coat of armor, his shield, and makes him impenetrable. In a good economy, I don’t think there’s an appetite for radical change.”
But Trump’s fate might also rest on something beyond his control: his opponent.
Democrats are about to begin voting in what has the makings of a messy and complicated primary. The president’s two most effective nemeses – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff – are not on the ballot. Whoever does prevail may not be able to unite or enthuse a divided party.
Whereas Trump’s 2016 effort against Hillary Clinton was insurgent, shambolic and run on a shoestring, this time he has the full weight of the Republican party behind him. The Trump campaign, Republican National Committee (RNC) and related joint committees together raised a staggering $463m in 2019 – over $200m more than Barack Obama in 2011. They have nearly $200m cash on hand heading into the election.
Furthermore, Trump’s re-election campaign and the RNC already have almost 400 staff across 18 target states. The campaign has announced “Trump victory leadership teams” for 49 states and five territories so far. Its manager, Brad Parscale, is orchestrating a sophisticated data operation that harvests the details of every supporter who donates, buys merchandise, enters a competition or attends a rally.
Many experts say the Trump campaign outplayed Democrats on Facebook in 2016 and is determined to do so again with targeted advertising. Facebook has, controversially, announced that it will not fact check political ads on its platform.
The president’s campaign ads so far are simplistic yet brutally effective. They portray him as a no-nonsense commander in chief – building a border wall, appointing supreme court justices, cutting taxes and taking out terrorists – while rubbishing Obama and accusing Democrats of indulging in political theatre such as impeachment. A $10m ad will be shown during American football’s showpiece Super Bowl game next Sunday.
But Trump also hopes to win through force of personality. He has held 10 rallies in the past three months. Rally warm-up acts include the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, who has become adept at channeling his liberal-baiting message. A combination of incumbency and outrageous behavior will ensure continued media coverage.
His pitch is us versus them. Strategically, that means Trump is likely to focus on energizing his base in critical states such as Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, in part by vilifying his opponent and relying on Republican efforts to purge voter registration rolls.
The rout of Republicans in the 2018 midterms, however, suggests that the outcome is far from certain.
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman who poured a fortune into those races, has pledged to fund 500 staffers in battleground states until election day even if he loses the Democratic nomination. And even if Trump is acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate, the stench of impeachment will cling to him in November.
Much will depend on Democrats’ choice of nominee. In rally speeches and tweets, Trump has made little secret of his line of attack. Former vice president Joe Biden would, like Clinton in 2016, be framed as offering a third term of Obama and as a creature of the Washington swamp with misleading claims of corruption against his son, Hunter, over his business dealings in Ukraine.
Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, meanwhile, will be painted as radical leftists who put Americans’ prosperity at risk. Trump now has a well rehearsed stump speech that riffs on the perils of socialism in Venezuela before veering off into the Green New Deal and the bird-slaying potential of wind farms.
John Zogby, a pollster, author and strategist, said: “He might very well be re-elected. The nation’s split, and what compounds things for those who want to defeat him is that those who want to defeat him are split. And if anyone knows how to take advantage of a wedge and drive that wedge further, it’s the incumbent and his capacity to use social media.”
Charlie Sykes, a conservative author and broadcaster and Trump critic, agrees. “His chances may be actually stronger than 50-50,” he said. “Part of it is the nature of the electoral college and his success in tribalising the electorate and creating alternative reality silos. But also I’m not convinced the Democrats have got their act together.”
Sykes, who hails from the pivotal state of Wisconsin, believes that Biden has the best shot but remains a flawed candidate. “The Democrats don’t have a Barack Obama. They don’t have a charismatic leader who’s going to inspire people. I do think that Bernie Sanders would have a Jeremy Corbyn-like problem: swing voters are not as into revolution as some Democrats believe.”
If there is lesson from 2016, when a reality TV celebrity with no political experience came from nowhere to win the White House, it is that anything can happen. Trump’s equivocation over white nationalists marching in Charlottesville, caging of children on the Mexican border, coercion of Ukraine for personal political gain and 16,241 false or misleading claims over three years (according to a Washington Post count) are apparently no longer disqualifying for millions of voters.
Moe Vela, an LGBTQ and Latino activist and former senior adviser to Biden, said: “We should figure out who they are and why they broke in his favor last time. We’ve got to better understand what compels a decent person to continue to support something so violent to what used to be our traditional American values.”
He added: “If we continued to talk past or around those people or distance them or alienate them, then his chances of reelection are strong. Understand their angst. Understand their plight. How could a decent person be OK with 15,000 lies? That’s the riddle right there. What would cause them to abandon the values they were raised with to support a man who paid a porn star he had sex with?”
In September 2002, George W Bush, an unpopular Republican president, offered some characteristically mangled syntax: “Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me.. You can’t get fooled again!” Bush went on to win reelection. Now Trump is attempting to repeat the trick.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice – shame on me.


theguardian--2020-01-26--Buttigieg is a scholar and a war veteran … but is the US ready for a gay president?

Jerry Pinneke is backing Pete Buttigieg for president despite himself .
The retired engineer , who worked in the US , Brazil and the UK , likes the Indiana mayor ’ s youth , is impressed by his ability to speak eight languages , including Norwegian and Dari , and calls him a natural leader .
But he has had to set one issue aside .
“ I ’ m a homophobe , ” said Pinneke after attending a Buttigieg rally in Ankeny , Iowa , as campaigning in the first vote to select the Democratic presidential candidate heads into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s caucus on 3 February .
“ I get around gay people , that isn ’ t the world that I grew up in and it bothers me.
” Pinneke , 71 , said he will vote for the gay military veteran despite his own prejudice , although he flinches at the thought of a President Buttigieg with his husband , Chasten , as First Gentleman .
“ I grapple with that .
But so what ?
Does it hurt anybody ?
I haven ’ t seen it .
So why is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because I ’ m an old son-of-a-gun and I didn ’ t grow up that way ?
That ’ s not a good reason not to vote for him , ” he said .
But Pinneke is not alone in wondering if others might fail to set their prejudices aside , and whether that makes Buttigieg , a 38-year-old Harvard graduate , Rhodes scholar and former US navy intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan , a risky bet as a presidential candidate .
The South Bend mayor has blazed an impressive streak into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a small midwestern city .
When campaigning kicked off last year , the mantle of youthful upstart was held by the Texas congressman Beto O ’ Rourke , who arrived in Iowa bolstered by nearly snatching Ted Cruz ’ s seat in the US Senate .
But O ’ Rourke quickly burned out , as voters were turned off by a lack of substance behind the show .
In contrast , Buttigieg ’ s relentless campaigning won over voters , with his upbeat message , military background and , for some , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a more youthful Joe Biden in favour of incremental change in contrast to the more radical platforms of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders .
His star climbed and so did his poll numbers until , by November , Buttigieg was the frontrunner in Iowa .
But since then , he has fallen back , as voters focus on the fraught question of who is the best candidate to beat Trump .
A CNN poll last week showed all four of the leading Iowa candidates beating Trump in the general election , but Buttigieg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Iowa , he remains very much in contention , within a percentage point of Sanders and Warren .
But nationally he trails his main rivals badly .
Debates about electability have flared up periodically in American history .
The political establishment questioned if a Catholic could win the White House when John F Kennedy ran in 1960 .
Barack Obama ’ s campaign was accompanied by plenty of speculation as to whether the US was ready for its first black president , a question answered decisively by the voters .
This month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate over what Sanders said to Warren in private about the prospects for a woman to be elected president revived chatter over whether gender is an additional obstacle .
Hillary Clinton ’ s defeat of Donald Trump by nearly 3 million in the popular vote , only to be robbed of the presidency by the vagaries of the electoral college , would say not .
The issue hasn ’ t entirely been laid to rest .
Warren has faced questions from women at her rallies about whether her gender will be a disadvantage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Buttigieg ’ s sexuality is a more awkward question for some Democrats .
They do not want to feed prejudice at a time when the US is more tolerant toward the LGBTQ community than ever .
Support for same-sex marriage has flipped from two-to-one against 15 years ago to the reverse today .
As attitudes have evolved , institutions have followed , from the scrapping of the prohibition on publicly identifying as LGBTQ in the military to the supreme court ’ s ruling in favour of marriage equality .
But for those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get the man they regard as the worst president of modern times out of the White House , there is a nagging fear that Buttigieg ’ s sexuality could cost him votes if he were the candidate , and let Trump back in .
Only half of American voters said they were ready for a gay president , according to a poll for Politico in October .
Just a quarter of voters thought their neighbours would support a LGBTQ president – a statistic that feeds into concerns among some Democratic primary voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem with Buttigieg , others might .
That in turn makes voters like Janet Jalbert nervous .
“ I think we would have more trouble right now accepting a gay man and having a First Gentleman in the White House than we would a woman president , ” said Jalbert , a post office worker and undecided voter , at a Warren rally .
“ Between Warren and Buttigieg , I would go with Pete .
However , I believe Elizabeth probably has a stronger chance just because of the way the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And that ’ s the only thing he has going against him .
It ’ s not his sexuality .
It ’ s people with closed minds.
” Jalbert said the concern that Buttigieg ’ s sexuality might diminish the anti-Trump vote was enough for her to shy away from supporting him .
“ Now , if he were to become vice president , I think that would be a great way to get him in there .
And then people could see what it was all about , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ashly Moore , an occupational therapist , expressed a similar sentiment .
“ I like Pete but I do have concerns that he could not be as electable because of who he loves , ” she said .
Last July , that concern was reinforced by the findings of a focus group of black Democratic primary voters in South Carolina , questioned for the Buttigieg campaign .
He does poorly in the south in general but particularly among African Americans .
“ Being gay was a barrier for these voters , particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussing it , ” said the report leaked to the State newspaper in Columbia , South Carolina .
The report said that was not necessarily a red line to voting for him “ but their preference is for his sexuality to not be front and center ” .
One man told the focus group : “ I ’ ll go ahead and say it .
I don ’ t like the fact that he threw out there that he lives with his husband.
” A woman described Buttigieg speaking about Chasten as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the chair of the black caucus for South Carolina Democrats , told the New York Times that he met Buttigieg to discuss the issue .
“ To be honest with you , it ’ s going to be a problem .
I know he knows that because we ’ ve discussed it , ” Cordero said .
“ My advice to him was , don ’ t flaunt it.
” Still , some supporters of rival candidates do not think it is an issue .
At the Warren rally , Dylan Baker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had come up in family discussions .
“ My dad ’ s a Democrat .
He ’ s leaning to Biden but he also really likes Pete Buttigieg and we were talking about this question of electability and I was saying him being gay will not affect people ’ s voting .
He said : ‘ Oh , yeah , I forgot he was gay.
’ ” Baker paused and then added : “ But maybe that will affect things .
We ’ re never past those sorts of things.
” Buttigieg has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black voters who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds by drawing parallels between the struggle for gay rights and the challenges facing other minorities .
He has also said that once people get to know him they will get over the fact that he is married to a man , an assertion borne out by the focus-group report , which noted that “ after seeing the mayor speak , most voters … seemed to be able to get past his sexual orientation ” .
Bob Sohm , a Buttigieg supporter at a rally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with that .
“ People have their prejudices but it can be done .
We ’ ve never elected a black president until now .
It ’ s got to start somewhere .
“ I think it ’ s just people need to be more educated about him and know his policies , and maybe think ‘ I can start to consider this guy because maybe he can win ’ .
”

Jerry Pinneke is backing Pete Buttigieg for president despite himself. The retired engineer, who worked in the US, Brazil and the UK, likes the Indiana mayor’s youth, is impressed by his ability to speak eight languages, including Norwegian and Dari, and calls him a natural leader. But he has had to set one issue aside.
“I’m a homophobe,” said Pinneke after attending a Buttigieg rally in Ankeny, Iowa, as campaigning in the first vote to select the Democratic presidential candidate heads into the final stretch before the state’s caucus on 3 February. “I get around gay people, that isn’t the world that I grew up in and it bothers me.”
Pinneke, 71, said he will vote for the gay military veteran despite his own prejudice, although he flinches at the thought of a President Buttigieg with his husband, Chasten, as First Gentleman.
“I grapple with that. But so what? Does it hurt anybody? I haven’t seen it. So why is that an issue for me? Is it because I’m an old son-of-a-gun and I didn’t grow up that way? That’s not a good reason not to vote for him,” he said.
But Pinneke is not alone in wondering if others might fail to set their prejudices aside, and whether that makes Buttigieg, a 38-year-old Harvard graduate, Rhodes scholar and former US navy intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan, a risky bet as a presidential candidate.
Jerry Pinneke. Photograph: Chris McGreal/The Observer
The South Bend mayor has blazed an impressive streak into the Democratic primaries as an unknown from a small midwestern city. When campaigning kicked off last year, the mantle of youthful upstart was held by the Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke, who arrived in Iowa bolstered by nearly snatching Ted Cruz’s seat in the US Senate. But O’Rourke quickly burned out, as voters were turned off by a lack of substance behind the show.
In contrast, Buttigieg’s relentless campaigning won over voters, with his upbeat message, military background and, for some, his religious faith. He positioned himself as a more youthful Joe Biden in favour of incremental change in contrast to the more radical platforms of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. His star climbed and so did his poll numbers until, by November, Buttigieg was the frontrunner in Iowa. But since then, he has fallen back, as voters focus on the fraught question of who is the best candidate to beat Trump.
A CNN poll last week showed all four of the leading Iowa candidates beating Trump in the general election, but Buttigieg was ahead by the slimmest margin. In Iowa, he remains very much in contention, within a percentage point of Sanders and Warren. But nationally he trails his main rivals badly.
Debates about electability have flared up periodically in American history. The political establishment questioned if a Catholic could win the White House when John F Kennedy ran in 1960. Barack Obama’s campaign was accompanied by plenty of speculation as to whether the US was ready for its first black president, a question answered decisively by the voters.
This month’s bitter confrontation in a televised debate over what Sanders said to Warren in private about the prospects for a woman to be elected president revived chatter over whether gender is an additional obstacle. Hillary Clinton’s defeat of Donald Trump by nearly 3 million in the popular vote, only to be robbed of the presidency by the vagaries of the electoral college, would say not.
The issue hasn’t entirely been laid to rest. Warren has faced questions from women at her rallies about whether her gender will be a disadvantage, with Trump stalking the debate stage.
Buttigieg’s sexuality is a more awkward question for some Democrats. They do not want to feed prejudice at a time when the US is more tolerant toward the LGBTQ community than ever. Support for same-sex marriage has flipped from two-to-one against 15 years ago to the reverse today. As attitudes have evolved, institutions have followed, from the scrapping of the prohibition on publicly identifying as LGBTQ in the military to the supreme court’s ruling in favour of marriage equality.
But for those calculating who would be the best candidate to get the man they regard as the worst president of modern times out of the White House, there is a nagging fear that Buttigieg’s sexuality could cost him votes if he were the candidate, and let Trump back in.
Only half of American voters said they were ready for a gay president, according to a poll for Politico in October. Just a quarter of voters thought their neighbours would support a LGBTQ president – a statistic that feeds into concerns among some Democratic primary voters that, while they personally have no problem with Buttigieg, others might. That in turn makes voters like Janet Jalbert nervous.
Janet Jalbert. Photograph: Chris McGreal/The Observer
“I think we would have more trouble right now accepting a gay man and having a First Gentleman in the White House than we would a woman president,” said Jalbert, a post office worker and undecided voter, at a Warren rally. “Between Warren and Buttigieg, I would go with Pete. However, I believe Elizabeth probably has a stronger chance just because of the way the world is right now. Old-school people. And that’s the only thing he has going against him. It’s not his sexuality. It’s people with closed minds.”
Jalbert said the concern that Buttigieg’s sexuality might diminish the anti-Trump vote was enough for her to shy away from supporting him.
“Now, if he were to become vice president, I think that would be a great way to get him in there. And then people could see what it was all about,” she said.
At a Sanders rally the following day, Ashly Moore, an occupational therapist, expressed a similar sentiment. “I like Pete but I do have concerns that he could not be as electable because of who he loves,” she said.
Last July, that concern was reinforced by the findings of a focus group of black Democratic primary voters in South Carolina, questioned for the Buttigieg campaign. He does poorly in the south in general but particularly among African Americans.
“Being gay was a barrier for these voters, particularly for the men who seemed uncomfortable even discussing it,” said the report leaked to the State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina.
The report said that was not necessarily a red line to voting for him “but their preference is for his sexuality to not be front and center”.
One man told the focus group: “I’ll go ahead and say it. I don’t like the fact that he threw out there that he lives with his husband.” A woman described Buttigieg speaking about Chasten as “too much information”.
Johnnie Cordero, the chair of the black caucus for South Carolina Democrats, told the New York Times that he met Buttigieg to discuss the issue. “To be honest with you, it’s going to be a problem. I know he knows that because we’ve discussed it,” Cordero said. “My advice to him was, don’t flaunt it.”
Still, some supporters of rival candidates do not think it is an issue. At the Warren rally, Dylan Baker said the question of sexuality and electability had come up in family discussions.
“My dad’s a Democrat. He’s leaning to Biden but he also really likes Pete Buttigieg and we were talking about this question of electability and I was saying him being gay will not affect people’s voting. He said: ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot he was gay.’” Baker paused and then added: “But maybe that will affect things. We’re never past those sorts of things.”
Buttigieg has sought to defuse the issue with some black voters who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds by drawing parallels between the struggle for gay rights and the challenges facing other minorities. He has also said that once people get to know him they will get over the fact that he is married to a man, an assertion borne out by the focus-group report, which noted that “after seeing the mayor speak, most voters … seemed to be able to get past his sexual orientation”.
Bob Sohm, a Buttigieg supporter at a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, agreed with that. “People have their prejudices but it can be done. We’ve never elected a black president until now. It’s got to start somewhere.
“I think it’s just people need to be more educated about him and know his policies, and maybe think ‘I can start to consider this guy because maybe he can win’.”


theguardian--2020-01-26--The Fixers review: Trump, Cohen, Stormy Daniels and the porn star presidency

A guide to ‘ the bottom-feeders , crooked lawyers and gossip mongers who created the 45th president ’ demands to be read In February 2019 , Jeff Bezos accused David Pecker and the National Enquirer of extortion and blackmail after the tabloid published intimate pictures taken by the Amazon chief .
Pecker and co denied being motivated by a desire to aid Donald Trump or receiving a major assist from Saudi Arabia .
It was just about gossip .
Now , as reported by the Guardian , Bezos appears to have been the victim a cellphone hacking attack from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi Arabia ’ s crown prince and a friend of Jared Kushner , the president ’ s son-in-law .
The FBI and the United Nations are investigating and doubts remain .
In The Fixers , Joe Palazzolo of the Wall Street Journal and Michael Rothfeld of the New York Times expand upon their Pulitzer-winning investigation of Trump ’ s pre-election hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal .
Trump , Pecker and Michael Cohen all take center stage .
Subtitled “ The Bottom-Feeders , Crooked Lawyers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Created the 45th President ” , The Fixers is part morality tale , part tick-tock , a memorable read and a Baedeker to the Trumpian netherworld .
It is also a testament to the authors ’ perseverance .
In addition to laying out what , when and how things went down , they shed light on Trump ’ s alliance with Pecker , which predates Pecker ’ s arrival at the National Enquirer .
The unlikely pair go back more than 20 years .
For Pecker , it was love at first sight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hachette Magazines and rented out Trump ’ s Mar-a-Lago resort for a business conference .
A year later , the pair birthed the concept of “ Trump Style ” , a vanity publication that would contain “ Trump branding and advertising ” , for distribution at Trump properties .
As one Hachette executive reportedly quipped : “ Trump Style ?
That ’ s like the oxymoron of the century.
” It sent Pecker into a rage .
When Pecker took over the Enquirer , the tabloid became an unofficial Trump fanzine .
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Thanks to Pecker , negative stories about Trump never saw the light of day .
Time passed .
Trump ’ s presidential ambitions took shape .
In August 2015 , the candidate , Pecker and Cohen met in Trump ’ s office .
It was agreed that Pecker and Cohen would help mop up Trump ’ s “ old messes so that he could remain free of their stench ” .
Pecker had done it for Arnold Schwarzenegger , the body builder and movie star who became governor of California .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Globe , its sister publication , alleged Ted Cruz ’ s father was part of the plot to kill John F Kennedy .
They also pasted Hillary Clinton on their covers 18 times .
The Democratic candidate ’ s health , stability and integrity emerged as primary targets .
Headlines like “ Hillary ’ s LUNG CANCER BATTLE !
” , “ HILLARY GAINS 103LBS !
” , “ HILLARY : 6 MONTHS TO LIVE !
” and “ CORRUPT !
” became standard fare .
Despite repeated denials and orchestrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story .
Three weeks before the election , the Journal received a tip that a lawyer with the initials KD was “ traversing the country , paying hush money to women who ’ d been romantically involved with Donald Trump ” .
It turned out KD was Keith Davidson , a lawyer who represented Daniels in 2011 when reports of her affair with Trump emerged .
Palazzolo and Rothfeld began to “ smile and dial ” .
They received corroboration of Trump ’ s tryst with Daniels and came upon McDougal , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump made a cameo appearance .
On the Friday before election day , in midtown Manhattan , the authors met a source at Grand Central .
The source , who remains unidentified , produced a copy of McDougal ’ s agreement with the Enquirer ’ s corporate parent , American Media .
It had paid her $ 150,000 , with no intention of publishing her story .
Catch and kill is expensive .
Word got back to the candidate , to the result that “ Trump was angry and Cohen was frantic ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed .
It wasn ’ t the end .
In January 2018 , with the assistance of the Delaware secretary of state , the reporters established that in fall 2016 Cohen set up a pair of limited liability companies , Essential Consultants and Resolution Consultants , in order to pay off Daniels .
Cohen ’ s name and signature appeared on the legal documents .
In April , the FBI raided Cohen ’ s home , hotel room and office .
Trump bellowed about a “ disgraceful … attack on our country ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the government ’ s case against Cohen , the president effectively emerged as an un-indicted conspirator .
As described by prosecutors in a sentencing memorandum : “ In particular , and as Cohen himself has now admitted , with respect to both payments , he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1.
” Think of Trump as the Tom Brady of the whole desperate mess .
Surveying the carnage surrounding Trump , Palazzolo and Rothfeld observe that those who “ pledged loyalty … and made good on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As the Republican political consultant Rick Wilson says , “ everything Trump touches dies ” .
Cohen languishes in jail and seeks a sentence reduction , claiming to be a victim of prosecutorial “ character assassination ” .
Pecker has reportedly been in conversation with the Manhattan district attorney , having reached a cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors and assisted their investigation into Cohen .
Even Daniels didn ’ t catch a break .
After spilling the beans about her purported hook-up with “ Mushroom Mario ” and penning a bestseller , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a roadblock .
Michael Avenatti , her former lawyer , is under criminal indictment .
On Tuesday , the president ’ s impeachment trial began .
Trump ’ s lawyers have punted on challenging the underlying factual narrative , instead choosing to shout and threaten , as if Mr Smith went to Washington and found the Godfather and Goodfellas waiting .
Republican “ jurors ” , meanwhile , communicate with the White House and appear on Fox News .
Fittingly , Martin Scorsese ’ s The Irishman is nominated for a run of @ @ @

In February 2019, Jeff Bezos accused David Pecker and the National Enquirer of extortion and blackmail after the tabloid published intimate pictures taken by the Amazon chief. Pecker and co denied being motivated by a desire to aid Donald Trump or receiving a major assist from Saudi Arabia. It was just about gossip.
Now, as reported by the Guardian, Bezos appears to have been the victim of a cellphone hacking attack from the WhatsApp account of Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and a friend of Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. The FBI and the United Nations are investigating and doubts remain.
In The Fixers, Joe Palazzolo of the Wall Street Journal and Michael Rothfeld of the New York Times expand upon their Pulitzer-winning investigation of Trump’s pre-election hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. Trump, Pecker and Michael Cohen all take center stage.
Subtitled “The Bottom-Feeders, Crooked Lawyers, Gossipmongers, and Porn Stars Who Created the 45th President”, The Fixers is part morality tale, part tick-tock, a memorable read and a Baedeker to the Trumpian netherworld. It is also a testament to the authors’ perseverance.
In addition to laying out what, when and how things went down, they shed light on Trump’s alliance with Pecker, which predates Pecker’s arrival at the National Enquirer. The unlikely pair go back more than 20 years. For Pecker, it was love at first sight.
In 1996, Pecker was running Hachette Magazines and rented out Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for a business conference. A year later, the pair birthed the concept of “Trump Style”, a vanity publication that would contain “Trump branding and advertising”, for distribution at Trump properties. As one Hachette executive reportedly quipped: “Trump Style? That’s like the oxymoron of the century.” It sent Pecker into a rage.
When Pecker took over the Enquirer, the tabloid became an unofficial Trump fanzine. No longer would Trump be fodder or punchline. Thanks to Pecker, negative stories about Trump never saw the light of day.
Time passed. Trump’s presidential ambitions took shape. In August 2015, the candidate, Pecker and Cohen met in Trump’s office. It was agreed that Pecker and Cohen would help mop up Trump’s “old messes so that he could remain free of their stench”. Pecker had done it for Arnold Schwarzenegger, the body builder and movie star who became governor of California.
Michael Cohen leaves federal court in New York. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/AP
As the campaign heated up, the Enquirer and the Globe, its sister publication, alleged Ted Cruz’s father was part of the plot to kill John F Kennedy. They also pasted Hillary Clinton on their covers 18 times. The Democratic candidate’s health, stability and integrity emerged as primary targets. Headlines like “Hillary’s LUNG CANCER BATTLE!”, “HILLARY GAINS 103LBS!”, “HILLARY: 6 MONTHS TO LIVE!” and “CORRUPT!” became standard fare.
Despite repeated denials and orchestrated obfuscation, Palazzolo and Rothfeld nailed the story. Three weeks before the election, the Journal received a tip that a lawyer with the initials KD was “traversing the country, paying hush money to women who’d been romantically involved with Donald Trump”. It turned out KD was Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Daniels in 2011 when reports of her affair with Trump emerged.
Palazzolo and Rothfeld began to “smile and dial”. They received corroboration of Trump’s tryst with Daniels and came upon McDougal, who appeared in a Playboy video in which Trump made a cameo appearance.
On the Friday before election day, in midtown Manhattan, the authors met a source at Grand Central. The source, who remains unidentified, produced a copy of McDougal’s agreement with the Enquirer’s corporate parent, American Media. It had paid her $150,000, with no intention of publishing her story. Catch and kill is expensive.
Word got back to the candidate, to the result that “Trump was angry and Cohen was frantic”. Denials from the campaign and Pecker followed. It wasn’t the end.
In January 2018, with the assistance of the Delaware secretary of state, the reporters established that in fall 2016 Cohen set up a pair of limited liability companies, Essential Consultants and Resolution Consultants, in order to pay off Daniels. Cohen’s name and signature appeared on the legal documents.
In April, the FBI raided Cohen’s home, hotel room and office. Trump bellowed about a “disgraceful … attack on our country”. But the die had been cast.
In the government’s case against Cohen, the president effectively emerged as an un-indicted conspirator. As described by prosecutors in a sentencing memorandum: “In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1.”
Think of Trump as the Tom Brady of the whole desperate mess.
Stormy Daniels arrives at federal court in New York. Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP
Surveying the carnage surrounding Trump, Palazzolo and Rothfeld observe that those who “pledged loyalty … and made good on their promises … met ignominious fates”. As the Republican political consultant Rick Wilson says, “everything Trump touches dies”.
Cohen languishes in jail and seeks a sentence reduction, claiming to be a victim of prosecutorial “character assassination”. Pecker has reportedly been in conversation with the Manhattan district attorney, having reached a cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors and assisted their investigation into Cohen.
Even Daniels didn’t catch a break. After spilling the beans about her purported hook-up with “Mushroom Mario” and penning a bestseller, Trump sued her. Her career has hit a roadblock. Michael Avenatti, her former lawyer, is under criminal indictment.
On Tuesday, the president’s impeachment trial began. Trump’s lawyers have punted on challenging the underlying factual narrative, instead choosing to shout and threaten, as if Mr Smith went to Washington and found the Godfather and Goodfellas waiting. Republican “jurors”, meanwhile, communicate with the White House and appear on Fox News. Fittingly, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is nominated for a run of Academy Awards.


theguardian--2020-01-26--Trump impeachment trial: 10 things you need to know

Don ’ t get bogged down in the minutiae of Donald Trump ’ s Senate impeachment trial – the procedural maneuvers aimed at getting witness testimony and new documents that Republicans want to prevent at all costs .
Stay focused on the big picture .
Here are the 10 big things you need to know .
Yes .
His attempt to get a foreign power to help him win the 2020 election is precisely the sort of thing the framers of the constitution worried about when they created the impeachment clause .
If presidents could seek foreign help winning elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign intrusions into American sovereignty and democracy .
2 .
Will the Senate convict and remove him from office ?
No .
The impeachment clause requires that two-thirds of the Senate vote to convict .
That means that even if every one of the 45 Democratic and two independent senators votes to oust Trump , 20 Republicans would need to join them for Trump to be removed .
The odds that 20 Republican senators will do so are exactly zero .
There are not 20 Republican senators with the courage and integrity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most dangerous and demagogic president in history .
Led by Mitch McConnell , they are engaged in a concerted cover-up of some of the most outrageous conduct ever committed by high-level government officials .
Even so-called moderates like Susan Collins and Mitt Romney can not be relied on to grow a spine and conduct a fair trial .
4 .
Why are they so spineless ?
Because they want to keep their jobs , and they know that 90 % of Republican voters approve of Trump .
They fear Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive fundraising apparatus .
5 .
Why do 90 % of Republican voters support him ?
Because he has convinced them he ’ s on their side and that he ’ s the victim of a plot orchestrated by the establishment and “ deep state ” bureaucrats .
6 .
How has Trump retained their support ?
By lying constantly , casting the mainstream press as biased and untrustworthy , relying on his propaganda machine ( Fox News and rightwing radio ) to trumpet his lies , using Twitter and Facebook to deliver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fomenting the “ culture war ” – wielding deep divisions over race , guns , religion , abortion and immigrants – to fuel his base .
Billionaires , chief executives , corporate executives and the denizens of Wall Street continue to fund the Republican party and bankroll Trump and his propaganda machine .
They ’ re doing this because they ’ re raking in billions thanks to the Trump-Republican tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks .
Trump is already promising more if he gets a second term .
“ The attitude of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite positive , ” says Stephen Schwarzman , who runs Blackstone , the world ’ s largest investment fund .
9 .
Will the Senate trial change public opinion about Trump ?
No .
Trump ’ s overall job ratings haven ’ t budged .
In the most recent polls , 40 % of Americans ( including that 90 % of Republican voters ) approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president , while 58 % say they disapprove .
These percentages are exactly the same as they were in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ formal impeachment inquiry and voted to impeach the president .
10 .
What does all this mean for the 2020 election ?
Trump will claim that his forthcoming acquittal by the Senate clears him of all charges , just as he claimed attorney general William Barr ’ s whitewash of the Mueller report absolved him of charges that he sought Russian help in 2016 .
He ’ ll use both as “ proof ” that Democrats fabricated a plot to remove him from office .
But none of this is likely to sway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want Trump re-elected .
To be sure , the Republican party will try to suppress the votes of likely Democrats , Russia will almost certainly try to help Trump again , billionaires and big corporations will spend vast sums seeking to get Trump re-elected , and the electoral college will further handicap the Democratic candidate .
But Democrats and independents are fired up .
The 2018 midterms featured the highest turnout of any such election since 1914 , handing House Republicans their most resounding defeat in decades .
In 2020 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tsunami .
• None Robert Reich , a former US secretary of labor , is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism : For the Many , Not the Few and The Common Good .
His next book , The System : Who Rigged It , How We Fix It , will be out in March .
He is a columnist for Guardian US

Don’t get bogged down in the minutiae of Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial – the procedural maneuvers aimed at getting witness testimony and new documents that Republicans want to prevent at all costs. Stay focused on the big picture.
Here is what you need to know.
1. Did Trump commit an impeachable offense?
Yes. His attempt to get a foreign power to help him win the 2020 election is precisely the sort of thing the framers of the constitution worried about when they created the impeachment clause. If presidents could seek foreign help winning elections, there would be no end of foreign intrusions into American sovereignty and democracy.
2. Will the Senate convict and remove him from office?
No. The impeachment clause requires that two-thirds of the Senate vote to convict. That means that even if every one of the 45 Democratic and two independent senators votes to oust Trump, 20 Republicans would need to join them for Trump to be removed. The odds that 20 Republican senators will do so are exactly zero.
3. Why won’t they?
There are not 20 Republican senators with the courage and integrity to protect the constitution and the nation from the most dangerous and demagogic president in history. Led by Mitch McConnell, they are engaged in a concerted cover-up of some of the most outrageous conduct ever committed by high-level government officials. Even so-called moderates like Susan Collins and Mitt Romney cannot be relied on to grow a spine and conduct a fair trial.
4. Why are they so spineless?
Because they want to keep their jobs, and they know that 90% of Republican voters approve of Trump. They fear Trump’s sway over their voting base and his massive fundraising apparatus.
5. Why do 90% of Republican voters support him?
Because he has convinced them he’s on their side and that he’s the victim of a plot orchestrated by the establishment and “deep state” bureaucrats.
6. How has Trump retained their support?
By lying constantly, casting the mainstream press as biased and untrustworthy, relying on his propaganda machine (Fox News and rightwing radio) to trumpet his lies, using Twitter and Facebook to deliver those lies directly to his followers, and fomenting the “culture war” – wielding deep divisions over race, guns, religion, abortion and immigrants – to fuel his base.
7. Where’s the money coming from?
Billionaires, chief executives, corporate executives and the denizens of Wall Street continue to fund the Republican party and bankroll Trump and his propaganda machine. They’re doing this because they’re raking in billions thanks to the Trump-Republican tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks. Trump is already promising more if he gets a second term.
“The attitude of the business community toward the Trump administration appears quite positive,” says Stephen Schwarzman, who runs Blackstone, the world’s largest investment fund.
8. Will the Senate trial change public opinion about Trump?
No. Trump’s overall job ratings haven’t budged. In the most recent polls, 40% of Americans (including that 90% of Republican voters) approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, while 58% say they disapprove. These percentages are exactly the same as they were in September, before the House launched its formal impeachment inquiry and voted to impeach the president.
9. What does all this mean for the 2020 election?
Trump will claim that his forthcoming acquittal by the Senate clears him of all charges, just as he claimed attorney general William Barr’s whitewash of the Mueller report absolved him of charges that he sought Russian help in 2016. He’ll use both as “proof” that Democrats fabricated a plot to remove him from office.
But none of this is likely to sway the majority of Americans who don’t want Trump re-elected. To be sure, the Republican party will try to suppress the votes of likely Democrats, Russia will almost certainly try to help Trump again, billionaires and big corporations will spend vast sums seeking to get Trump re-elected, and the electoral college will further handicap the Democratic candidate.
But Democrats and independents are fired up. The 2018 midterms featured the highest turnout of any such election since 1914, handing House Republicans their most resounding defeat in decades. In 2020, the “blue wave” could be a tsunami.


theguardian--2020-01-26--What comes next at Trump's impeachment trial?

The impeachment trial of Donald Trump resumes on Monday with the president ’ s defence team ’ s main presentations in the US Senate .
Here ’ s what ’ s coming up : Monday : Donald Trump has no plans to appear at his own impeachment trial .
His defence team will begin their main arguments today , after a short curtain-raiser at the weekend .
Ken Starr , who prosecuted the case against Bill Clinton at his impeachment trial ( in which Clinton was acquitted ) , is now a presidential defender and could begin his presentation as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump defence team has more time today to complete its presentations , if it chooses to take all the time allocated to it .
Wednesday : Trump ’ s team has the right to raise objections against specific elements of the impeachment case and could use today to do it , perhaps followed by the start of Senators ’ questions .
Thursday : Senators can ask questions for a total of 16 hours spread over two days , submitted in writing only , to the presiding judge , supreme court chief justice John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a debate that could kick off today or more likely tomorrow , on whether to bring fresh witnesses and documents to the trial .
Friday : The debate on witnesses could begin or continue today , followed by the crucial vote on that topic .
Saturday : If the Senate votes to hear new witnesses and evidence then the trial will go on for much longer .
If , more likely , Democrats lose that vote , expect closing deliberations and a final , monumental , vote on whether to remove Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charges some time Monday ( the date of the Iowa caucuses ) or Tuesday ( when Trump has expressed the hope to be in the clear in time for his State of the Union address that night ) .

The impeachment trial of Donald Trump resumes on Monday with the president’s defence team’s main presentations in the US Senate. Here’s what’s coming up:
Monday: Donald Trump has no plans to appear at his own impeachment trial. His defence team will begin their main arguments today, after a short curtain-raiser at the weekend. Ken Starr, who prosecuted the case against Bill Clinton at his impeachment trial (in which Clinton was acquitted), is now a presidential defender and could begin his presentation as early as today.
Tuesday: The Trump defence team has more time today to complete its presentations, if it chooses to take all the time allocated to it.
Wednesday: Trump’s team has the right to raise objections against specific elements of the impeachment case and could use today to do it, perhaps followed by the start of senators’ questions.
Thursday: Senators can ask questions for a total of 16 hours spread over two days, submitted in writing only, to the presiding judge, supreme court chief justice John Roberts. This will be followed by a debate that could kick off today or more likely tomorrow, on whether to bring fresh witnesses and documents to the trial.
Friday: The debate on witnesses could begin or continue today, followed by the crucial vote on that topic.
Saturday: If the Senate votes to hear new witnesses and evidence then the trial will go on for much longer. If, more likely, Democrats lose that vote, expect closing deliberations and a final, monumental, vote on whether to remove Donald Trump from office or acquit him of the charges some time Monday (the date of the Iowa caucuses) or Tuesday (when Trump has expressed the hope to be in the clear in time for his State of the Union address that night).


theguardian--2020-01-26--Trump impeachment trial: Democrat says ‘country’s fate hanging’ on outcome

One of the prosecutors in Donald Trump ’ s impeachment trial insisted on Sunday that “ the country ’ s fate is hanging ” on the outcome of the showdown now taking place in the US Senate , in which she declared the case against the president regarding his conduct with Ukraine to be “ overwhelming ” .
Zoe Lofgren , a California congresswoman and one of the senior Democrats presenting the evidence against the president for abuse of power and obstructing Congress , said senators trying the case needed to agree this week to hear additional witnesses and evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice ” that America depends upon .
Trump is accused of pressuring Ukraine to investigate his domestic Democratic political rivals , especially 2020 election candidate and former Vice-President Joe Biden , and has refused to allow his most senior aides to testify in the process , despite court challenges by the Democrats in the House , who initiated the impeachment process last September .
“ It ’ s for the senators to find out all the information I think they would want , ” Lofgren told CNN ’ s State of the Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But here ’ s the thing , the chief justice of the United States [ John Roberts ] presiding over this trial , if he signs a subpoena for a witness to come , we ’ re going to get that witness … promptly .
We ’ re not going to be in court for three or four years .
“ We have a great hope that the senators will do the duty that they are obliged to do , that they ’ ll take the oath that they took seriously , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s what our hope is and I think the country ’ s fate is hanging on it.
” Mitch McConnell , the Republican Senate majority leader , has fiercely resisted calls for witnesses to appear at the Senate trial , including John Bolton , Trump ’ s former national security adviser who has called the meddling of Trump ’ s lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine matters , seemingly at the president ’ s orders , as “ a drug deal ” .
Lead impeachment manager Adam Schiff said Republican senators were terrified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the trial .
“ I think they ’ re deathly afraid of what witnesses will have to say and so their whole strategy has been deprive the public of a fair trial , ” he said on NBC ’ s Meet the Press .
House Democrats accuse Trump of orchestrating a corrupt scheme in Ukraine to assist his re-election campaign .
The president ’ s defence team decries the impeachment on principle and accuses Democrats , in turn , of using it as a tactic to “ interfere ” in the 2020 election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What was so striking to me was that they basically acknowledge the scheme , they don ’ t really contest the president ’ s scheme .
They just try to make the case that you don ’ t need a fair trial here , you can make this go away.
” Meanwhile , Lofgren defended comments by Schiff after he was blasted by Trump in a tweet on Sunday , where Schiff had quoted a CBS report claiming that Republicans ’ heads could be “ on a pike ” if they went against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – a move that enraged moderate Republicans that Democrats had been hoping would support them in the push for more witnesses .
Lofgren said , “ I can ’ t believe the president ’ s misbehavior would be ignored because of something like that.
” Schiff added that he considered Trump ’ s comment that Schiff has not “ paid the price , yet , for what he has done to the country , ” a threat .
“ I think it was intended to be , ” he told NBC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter early on Sunday to repeat his complaint that : “ The Impeachment Hoax is a massive election interference the likes of which has never been seen before.
” The tweet castigated his accusers as “ Radical Left , Do Nothing Democrats ” .
Trump ’ s legal team opened an aggressive defence of the president in the Senate on Saturday , laying out their case that he broke no laws , and insisting that the trial was merely an attempt to reverse the 2016 election .
“ They ’ re asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results of the last election but they ’ re asking you to remove President Trump from the ballot in an election that ’ s occurring in approximately nine months , ” said White House counsel Pat Cipollone .
“ They ’ re here to perpetrate the most massive interference in an election in American history.
” Democrats say Trump abused his power to strong-arm Ukraine into conducting an investigation against Joe Biden , the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in November ’ s election , and obstructed Congress by withholding testimony and documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyers will resume their arguments on Monday .
Trump ally and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Fox News ’ Sunday Morning Futures program that he planned when the impeachment trial is over to investigate freshly the activities of Joe Biden in relation to his son Hunter Biden ’ s past employment on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma .
“ We will do oversight of the Bidens to give the vice-president the scrutiny the president has had , ” he said , despite theories of corruption relating to the Bidens and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US temporarily withheld $ 400m in military aid to Ukraine , while Trump was pressuring Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate his rivals .
The aid was released in September , in a sequence of events that followed an intelligence community whistleblower formally complaining about Trump ’ s conduct involving the aid and interactions with Zelenskiy .

One of the prosecutors in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial insisted on Sunday that “the country’s fate is hanging” on the outcome of the showdown now taking place in the US Senate, in which she declared the case against the president regarding his conduct with Ukraine to be “overwhelming”.
Zoe Lofgren, a California congresswoman and one of the senior Democrats presenting the evidence against the president for abuse of power and obstructing Congress, said senators trying the case needed to agree this week to hear additional witnesses and evidence in order to provide the “impartial justice” that America depends upon.
Trump is accused of pressuring Ukraine to investigate his domestic Democratic political rivals, especially 2020 election candidate and former Vice-President Joe Biden, and has refused to allow his most senior aides to testify in the process, despite court challenges by the Democrats in the House, who initiated the impeachment process last September.
“It’s for the senators to find out all the information I think they would want,” Lofgren told CNN’s State of the Union politics program on Sunday morning.
“But here’s the thing, the chief justice of the United States [John Roberts] presiding over this trial, if he signs a subpoena for a witness to come, we’re going to get that witness … promptly. We’re not going to be in court for three or four years.
“We have a great hope that the senators will do the duty that they are obliged to do, that they’ll take the oath that they took seriously, that they will do impartial justice. That’s what our hope is and I think the country’s fate is hanging on it.”
Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, has fiercely resisted calls for witnesses to appear at the Senate trial, including John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser who has called the meddling of Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine matters, seemingly at the president’s orders, as “a drug deal”.
Lead impeachment manager Adam Schiff said Republican senators were terrified of hearing fresh, direct testimony in the trial.
“I think they’re deathly afraid of what witnesses will have to say and so their whole strategy has been deprive the public of a fair trial,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press.
House Democrats accuse Trump of orchestrating a corrupt scheme in Ukraine to assist his re-election campaign. The president’s defence team decries the impeachment on principle and accuses Democrats, in turn, of using it as a tactic to “interfere” in the 2020 election.
Schiff added on Sunday: “What was so striking to me was that they basically acknowledge the scheme, they don’t really contest the president’s scheme. They just try to make the case that you don’t need a fair trial here, you can make this go away.”
Meanwhile, Lofgren defended comments by Schiff after he was blasted by Trump in a tweet on Sunday, where Schiff had quoted a CBS report claiming that Republicans’ heads could be “on a pike” if they went against the White House and voted for witnesses – a move that enraged moderate Republicans that Democrats had been hoping would support them in the push for more witnesses.
Lofgren said, “I can’t believe the president’s misbehavior would be ignored because of something like that.”
Schiff added that he considered Trump’s comment that Schiff has not “paid the price, yet, for what he has done to the country”, a threat. “I think it was intended to be,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press.
Trump also went on Twitter early on Sunday to repeat his complaint that: “The Impeachment Hoax is a massive election interference the likes of which has never been seen before.” The tweet castigated his accusers as “Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats”.
Trump’s legal team opened an aggressive defence of the president in the Senate on Saturday, laying out their case that he broke no laws, and insisting that the trial was merely an attempt to reverse the 2016 election.
“They’re asking you not only to turn over the results of the last election but they’re asking you to remove President Trump from the ballot in an election that’s occurring in approximately nine months,” said White House counsel Pat Cipollone. “They’re here to perpetrate the most massive interference in an election in American history.”
Democrats say Trump abused his power to strong-arm Ukraine into conducting an investigation against Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in November’s election, and obstructed Congress by withholding testimony and documents from their inquiry.
Trump’s lawyers will resume their arguments on Monday.
Trump ally and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures program that he planned when the impeachment trial is over to investigate freshly the activities of Joe Biden in relation to his son Hunter Biden’s past employment on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
“We will do oversight of the Bidens to give the vice-president the scrutiny the president has had,” he said, despite theories of corruption relating to the Bidens and Ukraine having previously been debunked.
The US temporarily withheld $400m in military aid to Ukraine, while Trump was pressuring Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate his rivals. The aid was released in September, in a sequence of events that followed an intelligence community whistleblower formally complaining about Trump’s conduct involving the aid and interactions with Zelenskiy.


theguardian--2020-01-26--Warren falls behind in Iowa but wins coveted newspaper endorsement

Bernie Sanders emerged as the frontrunner in the two earliest Democratic 2020 nomination voting states this weekend , Iowa and New Hampshire , according to the latest polls – but Elizabeth Warren received a powerful boost with an endorsement from the Des Moines Register newspaper in what is still considered an open race .
Warren had been slipping behind in Iowa , which holds the first vote in the nation with its caucuses just a week a way on 3 February , but the Register this weekend named her “ the president this nation needs ” .
Meanwhile , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his runs for the White House in 2016 and 2020 elections , topped a new CNN and University of New Hampshire poll of likely Democratic primary voters in that state , released on Sunday , with 25 % backing him – a considerable lead on former Vice President Joe Biden who was placed second with 16 % .
Pete Buttigieg , the former South Bend mayor , was third with 15 % and Massachusetts senator Warren behind him with just 12 % .
Sanders , who won the state by more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago , has gained four points since October and Warren has dropped six points in the same period .
The state will vote in the Democratic primary on 11 February .
Meanwhile , a Washington Post-ABC News national poll , also published on Sunday , showed Biden and Sanders have emerged nationally as breakaway leaders in the competition for the Democratic presidential nomination .
It comes after a poll on Saturday also showed Vermont senator Sanders , 78 , leading in Iowa , where Democrats will vote in the caucuses on 3 February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found him to be the first choice of 25 % of voters – with Buttigieg in second with 18 % , Biden at 17 % and Warren at 15 % .
For Warren it represents a marked change from September , when a poll showed her leading the field in Iowa with 22 % of the vote , and she suddenly finds herself the underdog among the leaders in the field .
But despite this weekend ’ s disappointing results , it was Warren who won the highly coveted endorsement of Iowa paper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ editorial , published on Saturday , the paper said all of the remaining candidates “ could make a fine president ” , but singled out Warren as “ the best leader for these times ” .
It said she “ is not the radical some perceive her to be .
She was a registered Republican until 1996 .
She is a capitalist … But she wants fair markets , with rules and accountability .
She wants a government that works for people , not one corrupted by cash.
” On the merits of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden “ would restore credibility in the White House and respect among allies around the world ” and praised Buttigieg ’ s “ refreshingly smart , youthful optimism ” .
It noted Minnesota senator and 2020 rival Amy Klobuchar ’ s “ track record of bipartisan achievement ” and that Sanders “ much like Warren…champions the working class ” .
But , it said , Warren is the best candidate for the job : “ Warren ’ s competence , respect for others and status as the nation ’ s first female president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ignorance , sexism and xenophobia of the Trump Oval Office…At this moment , when the very fabric of American life is at stake , Elizabeth Warren is the president this nation needs.
” In response to the endorsement , which is arguably more valuable , especially at this stage , than that of the New York Times , which she received earlier this month in tandem with Klobuchar , she thanked the Des Moines Register on Twitter on Sunday , adding : “ Iowans are ready to make big , structural change – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my heart out for everyone in Iowa and across the country.
” Sanders ’ s campaign has surged in recent weeks – attracting the support of top progressives such as congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington as well as key figure , New York congresswoman , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , who campaigned powerfully in Iowa on Friday – nominally for Sanders but in a performance that some saw more as , perhaps , an early 2024 promotion of her own potential run for the White House .
The latest developments in the crucial races come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Sanders over comments made in a private meeting in 2018 that resulted in Warren accusing Sanders of calling her a “ liar ” in hot mic comments on national television .

Bernie Sanders emerged as the frontrunner in the two earliest Democratic 2020 nomination voting states this weekend, Iowa and New Hampshire, according to the latest polls – but Elizabeth Warren received a powerful boost with an endorsement from the Des Moines Register newspaper in what is still considered an open race.
Warren had been slipping behind in Iowa, which holds the first vote in the nation with its caucuses just a week a way on 3 February, but the Register this weekend named her “the president this nation needs”.
.@ewarren’s competence, respect for others and status as the nation’s first female president would be a fitting response to the ignorance, sexism and xenophobia of the Trump Oval Office, the Register’s editorial board writes. #IAcaucus https://t.co/hLkImNiU2a — Des Moines Register (@DMRegister) January 26, 2020
Meanwhile, a surging Bernie Sanders, the original ultra-progressive in his runs for the White House in 2016 and 2020 elections, topped a new CNN and University of New Hampshire poll of likely Democratic primary voters in that state, released on Sunday, with 25% backing him – a considerable lead on former vice-president Joe Biden who was placed second with 16%. Pete Buttigieg, the former South Bend mayor, was third with 15% and Massachusetts senator Warren behind him with just 12%.
Sanders, who won the state by more than 20 points in the primaries four years ago, has gained four points since October and Warren has dropped six points in the same period. The state will vote in the Democratic primary on 11 February.
Meanwhile, a Washington Post-ABC News national poll, also published on Sunday, showed Biden and Sanders have emerged nationally as breakaway leaders in the competition for the Democratic presidential nomination.
It comes after a poll on Saturday also showed Vermont senator Sanders, 78, leading in Iowa, where Democrats will vote in the caucuses on 3 February. The New York Times/Siena College survey found him to be the first choice of 25% of voters – with Buttigieg in second with 18%, Biden at 17% and Warren at 15%.
For Warren it represents a marked change from September, when a poll showed her leading the field in Iowa with 22% of the vote, and she suddenly finds herself the underdog among the leaders in the field.
But despite this weekend’s disappointing results, it was Warren who won the highly coveted endorsement of Iowa paper The Des Moines Register.
In an editorial, published on Saturday, the paper said all of the remaining candidates “could make a fine president”, but singled out Warren as “the best leader for these times”.
It said she “is not the radical some perceive her to be. She was a registered Republican until 1996. She is a capitalist … But she wants fair markets, with rules and accountability. She wants a government that works for people, not one corrupted by cash.”
On the merits of her fellow candidates, the paper said Biden “would restore credibility in the White House and respect among allies around the world” and praised Buttigieg’s “refreshingly smart, youthful optimism”.
It noted Minnesota senator and 2020 rival Amy Klobuchar’s “track record of bipartisan achievement” and that Sanders “much like Warren … champions the working class”.
But, it said, Warren is the best candidate for the job: “Warren’s competence, respect for others and status as the nation’s first female president would be a fitting response to the ignorance, sexism and xenophobia of the Trump Oval Office…At this moment, when the very fabric of American life is at stake, Elizabeth Warren is the president this nation needs.”
In response to the endorsement, which is arguably more valuable, especially at this stage, than that of the New York Times, which she received earlier this month in tandem with Klobuchar, she thanked the Des Moines Register on Twitter on Sunday, adding: “Iowans are ready to make big, structural change – and I’m going to fight my heart out for everyone in Iowa and across the country.”
Thank you, @DMRegister, for your endorsement! Iowans are ready to make big, structural change—and I’m going to fight my heart out for everyone in Iowa and across the country. https://t.co/hsI14P5TpZ — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 26, 2020
Sanders’s campaign has surged in recent weeks – attracting the support of top progressives such as congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington as well as key figure, New York congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who campaigned powerfully in Iowa on Friday – nominally for Sanders but in a performance that some saw more as, perhaps, an early 2024 promotion of her own potential run for the White House.
The latest developments in the crucial races come after a highly publicised spat between Warren and Sanders over comments made in a private meeting in 2018 that resulted in Warren accusing Sanders of calling her a “liar” in hot mic comments on national television.


theguardian--2020-01-26--Trump impeachment trial: what you need to know | Robert Reich

Don ’ t get bogged down in the minutiae of Donald Trump ’ s Senate impeachment trial – the procedural maneuvers aimed at getting witness testimony and new documents that Republicans want to prevent at all costs .
Stay focused on the big picture .
Here is what you need to know .
Yes .
His attempt to get a foreign power to help him win the 2020 election is precisely the sort of thing the framers of the constitution worried about when they created the impeachment clause .
If presidents could seek foreign help winning elections , there would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American sovereignty and democracy .
2 .
Will the Senate convict and remove him from office ?
No .
The impeachment clause requires that two-thirds of the Senate vote to convict .
That means that even if every one of the 45 Democratic and two independent senators votes to oust Trump , 20 Republicans would need to join them for Trump to be removed .
The odds that 20 Republican senators will do so are exactly zero .
There are not 20 Republican senators with the courage and integrity to protect the constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and demagogic president in history .
Led by Mitch McConnell , they are engaged in a concerted cover-up of some of the most outrageous conduct ever committed by high-level government officials .
Even so-called moderates like Susan Collins and Mitt Romney can not be relied on to grow a spine and conduct a fair trial .
4 .
Why are they so spineless ?
Because they want to keep their jobs , and they know that 90 % of Republican voters approve of Trump .
They fear Trump ’ s sway over their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
5 .
Why do 90 % of Republican voters support him ?
Because he has convinced them he ’ s on their side and that he ’ s the victim of a plot orchestrated by the establishment and “ deep state ” bureaucrats .
6 .
How has Trump retained their support ?
By lying constantly , casting the mainstream press as biased and untrustworthy , relying on his propaganda machine ( Fox News and rightwing radio ) to trumpet his lies , using Twitter and Facebook to deliver those lies directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ culture war ” – wielding deep divisions over race , guns , religion , abortion and immigrants – to fuel his base .
Billionaires , chief executives , corporate executives and the denizens of Wall Street continue to fund the Republican party and bankroll Trump and his propaganda machine .
They ’ re doing this because they ’ re raking in billions thanks to the Trump-Republican tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks .
Trump is already promising more if he gets a second term .
“ The attitude of the business community toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” says Stephen Schwarzman , who runs Blackstone , the world ’ s largest investment fund .
8 .
Will the Senate trial change public opinion about Trump ?
No .
Trump ’ s overall job ratings haven ’ t budged .
In the most recent polls , 40 % of Americans ( including that 90 % of Republican voters ) approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president , while 58 % say they disapprove .
These percentages are exactly the same as they were in September , before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and voted to impeach the president .
9 .
What does all this mean for the 2020 election ?
Trump will claim that his forthcoming acquittal by the Senate clears him of all charges , just as he claimed attorney general William Barr ’ s whitewash of the Mueller report absolved him of charges that he sought Russian help in 2016 .
He ’ ll use both as “ proof ” that Democrats fabricated a plot to remove him from office .
But none of this is likely to sway the majority of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-elected .
To be sure , the Republican party will try to suppress the votes of likely Democrats , Russia will almost certainly try to help Trump again , billionaires and big corporations will spend vast sums seeking to get Trump re-elected , and the electoral college will further handicap the Democratic candidate .
But Democrats and independents are fired up .
The 2018 midterms featured the highest turnout of any such election since 1914 , handing House Republicans their most resounding defeat in decades .
In 2020 , the “ blue wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ None Robert Reich , a former US secretary of labor , is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism : For the Many , Not the Few and The Common Good .
His next book , The System : Who Rigged It , How We Fix It , will be out in March .
He is a columnist for Guardian US • None The headline of this piece was changed on Sunday 26 January .


theguardian--2020-01-26--Donald Trump's defence team sets out argument in impeachment trial – video

The US president ’ s legal team has set out its argument in a three-hour session on the fifth day @ @ @ @ @ him .
The White House counsel , Pat Cipollone , argued nothing Trump did in @ @ @ @ @ impeachment .
The Democrat leader , Chuck Schumer , said the legal team 'did not @ @ @ @ @ 'The president did nothing wrong ' : key takeaways from Trump defense 's opening arguments

The US president’s legal team has set out its argument in a three-hour session on the fifth day of the impeachment proceedings against him.
The White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, argued nothing Trump did in withholding aid to Ukraine merited impeachment. The Democrat leader, Chuck Schumer, said the legal team 'did not do a good job'


theguardian--2020-01-27--Pete Buttigieg's campaign donors include top McKinsey employees

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg is taking pains to distance himself from McKinsey , the elite consulting firm where the former South Bend mayor worked after graduate school .
But Buttigieg ’ s ties to McKinsey run still deep throughout his campaign , including through the ranks of deep-pocketed donors who help fund it .
Forty McKinsey employees have donated to Buttigieg ’ s campaign , including those involved in the firm ’ s corporate restructuring , banking and biotech , private equity , pharmaceutical , defense industry and oil and gas divisions .
Those donors include top-tier employees for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairman of McKinsey in North America , donated $ 2,800 .
Adam Barth , from McKinsey ’ s Houston office who consults utilities for the company , donated $ 2,800 .
Rajesh Parekh , a senior partner who heads McKinsey ’ s pharmaceuticals and medical products practice , donated $ 2,000 .
Kurt Chauviere , a partner who specializes in banking and corporate restructuring for McKinsey , gave $ 1,000 .
McKinsey employees have also headlined or been slated to headline fundraising events for Buttigieg .
And according to multiple analyses of Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more donations from McKinsey employees than any other Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential field .
The ongoing support suggests that , at the least , Buttigieg will continue to face tough criticism about McKinsey throughout his time on the campaign trail , even as he pivots away from the company .
The Buttigieg campaign has focused less on his time at McKinsey and more on what strategists call “ kitchen table issues ” – economic issues that affect everyday Americans .
Buttigieg himself has penned op-eds and laced that subject area into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been running ads on digital platforms hyping his campaign ’ s economic platform .
On Friday the campaign released an ad featuring the Iowa state senator Bill Dotzler describing how Buttigieg is “ committed to raising the economic security of Iowans ” .
That ad is the latest in a series of TV and digital ads airing in Iowa and New Hampshire , focused on economic issues .
The ads don ’ t cite his time at McKinsey .
Buttigieg has removed the word “ businessman ” from his Twitter bio , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an associate at the consulting firm was not the “ biggest part ” of his career and called “ bullshit ” when a New York Times editorial board member suggested that Buttigieg was directly involved in a bread pricing scandal related to McKinsey .
In the past Buttigieg more closely tied himself to the firm .
When he ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in Indiana he leaned heavily on his three years at McKinsey .
But as some of the firm ’ s controversial dealings have come to light , he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did at the company and also voice disagreement with some of the firm ’ s practices in recent years .
Buttigieg has been dogged by pressing questions and criticism of his Buttigieg ’ s tenure there .
Buttigieg , from the start of his presidential campaign , has emphasized that he worked more on grocery pricing and later revealed that other clients included Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan , the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Resources Defense Council , among others .
Buttigieg has denied involvement in any of the controversial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t stopped McKinsey from serving as a flashpoint for his critics or defenders .
It ’ s unclear how the barrage of attacks will play in the Iowa and New Hampshire contests , which Buttigieg campaign officials recently told donors is key to his long-term prospects in the presidential race .
Ian Bremmer , a political scientist and founder of the political risk and consulting firm Eurasia Group , said that Buttigieg ’ s McKinsey work is unlikely to prove to be a liability in Iowa .
“ It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a DC thing , ” Bremmer said , adding most of the criticism about Buttigieg ’ s time at McKinsey has been “ ludicrous ” and “ beyond stupid ” .
“ He was a junior consultant .
He was working 80 hours a week doing scuttwork on whatever client they tell him to work on .
There is literally zero autonomy for these people.
” Bremmer said that the criticism of Buttigieg really just “ shows perniciousness in an attempt to smear the guy ” .
Some of the toughest news cycles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his fundraising practices , providing ammunition for opponents who say the candidate is too closely linked to corporate largesse .
About a month after revelations about a fundraiser in a wine cave in California , the Buttigieg campaign has increased security to prevent leaks at fundraisers .
Donors were asked to check their phones at a fundraising cattle call in Chicago over the weekend where high-ranking Buttigieg campaign officials , including his campaign manager , Mike Schmuhl ; senior strategist Michael Halle ; the national constituency director , Hasoni Pratts ; and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid out the state of the campaign and their path through Iowa and New Hampshire .
Buttigieg ’ s time at McKinsey was not a major topic of discussion , according to multiple Democratic with knowledge of the meeting .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s a big deal for voters , ” one Buttigieg donor said of McKinsey .
“ It ’ s a salient issue only for the elites , for the chattering class .
But most voters don ’ t know what McKinsey is , let alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chain and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
” But Murshed Zaheed , a veteran progressive strategist , said Buttigieg ’ s McKinsey ties won ’ t go away and are an ongoing liability .
“ I think what McKinsey has done is it has cast a dark pall over his campaign on a number of fronts because I think it has cast a shadow of questions when it comes to transparency and ethics , ” Zaheed said .
“ His whole time at McKinsey really raises questions about his cosiness to Wall @ @ @

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg is taking pains to distance himself from McKinsey, the elite consulting firm where the former South Bend mayor worked after graduate school.
But Buttigieg’s ties to McKinsey still run deep throughout his campaign, including through the ranks of deep-pocketed donors who help fund it. Forty McKinsey employees have donated to Buttigieg’s campaign, including those involved in the firm’s corporate restructuring, banking and biotech, private equity, pharmaceutical, defense industry and oil and gas divisions.
Those donors include top-tier employees for the firm. Gary Pinkus, the chairman of McKinsey in North America, donated $2,800. Adam Barth, from McKinsey’s Houston office who consults utilities for the company, donated $2,800. Rajesh Parekh, a senior partner who heads McKinsey’s pharmaceuticals and medical products practice, donated $2,000. Kurt Chauviere, a partner who specializes in banking and corporate restructuring for McKinsey, gave $1,000.
McKinsey employees have also headlined or been slated to headline fundraising events for Buttigieg. And according to multiple analyses of Federal Election Commission filings, Buttigieg has received more donations from McKinsey employees than any other Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential field.
The ongoing support suggests that, at the least, Buttigieg will continue to face tough criticism about McKinsey throughout his time on the campaign trail, even as he pivots away from the company.
The Buttigieg campaign has focused less on his time at McKinsey and more on what strategists call “kitchen table issues” – economic issues that affect everyday Americans. Buttigieg himself has penned op-eds and laced that subject area into his speeches. His campaign has also been running ads on digital platforms hyping his campaign’s economic platform.
On Friday the campaign released an ad featuring the Iowa state senator Bill Dotzler describing how Buttigieg is “committed to raising the economic security of Iowans”. That ad is the latest in a series of TV and digital ads airing in Iowa and New Hampshire, focused on economic issues. The ads don’t cite his time at McKinsey.
Buttigieg has removed the word “businessman” from his Twitter bio, said in a recent debate that his time as an associate at the consulting firm was not the “biggest part” of his career and called “bullshit” when a New York Times editorial board member suggested that Buttigieg was directly involved in a bread pricing scandal related to McKinsey.
In the past Buttigieg more closely tied himself to the firm. When he ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in Indiana he leaned heavily on his three years at McKinsey. But as some of the firm’s controversial dealings have come to light, he has taken extra steps to demystify anything he did at the company and also voice disagreement with some of the firm’s practices in recent years.
Buttigieg has been dogged by pressing questions and criticism of his Buttigieg’s tenure there. Buttigieg, from the start of his presidential campaign, has emphasized that he worked more on grocery pricing and later revealed that other clients included Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Resources Defense Council, among others.
Buttigieg has denied involvement in any of the controversial work the company did but that hasn’t stopped McKinsey from serving as a flashpoint for his critics or defenders.
It’s unclear how the barrage of attacks will play in the Iowa and New Hampshire contests, which Buttigieg campaign officials recently told donors is key to his long-term prospects in the presidential race. Ian Bremmer, a political scientist and founder of the political risk and consulting firm Eurasia Group, said that Buttigieg’s McKinsey work is unlikely to prove to be a liability in Iowa.
“It’s a New York thing. It’s a DC thing,” Bremmer said, adding most of the criticism about Buttigieg’s time at McKinsey has been “ludicrous” and “beyond stupid”. “He was a junior consultant. He was working 80 hours a week doing scuttwork on whatever client they tell him to work on. There is literally zero autonomy for these people.”
Bremmer said that the criticism of Buttigieg really just “shows perniciousness in an attempt to smear the guy”.
Some of the toughest news cycles for Buttigieg during the campaign have involved his fundraising practices, providing ammunition for opponents who say the candidate is too closely linked to corporate largesse.
About a month after revelations about a fundraiser in a wine cave in California, the Buttigieg campaign has increased security to prevent leaks at fundraisers. Donors were asked to check their phones at a fundraising cattle call in Chicago over the weekend where high-ranking Buttigieg campaign officials, including his campaign manager, Mike Schmuhl; senior strategist Michael Halle; the national constituency director, Hasoni Pratts; and the national policy director, Sonal Shah; laid out the state of the campaign and their path through Iowa and New Hampshire.
Buttigieg’s time at McKinsey was not a major topic of discussion, according to multiple Democratic with knowledge of the meeting.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal for voters,” one Buttigieg donor said of McKinsey. “It’s a salient issue only for the elites, for the chattering class. But most voters don’t know what McKinsey is, let alone care that he worked for a supermarket chain and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.”
But Murshed Zaheed, a veteran progressive strategist, said Buttigieg’s McKinsey ties won’t go away and are an ongoing liability.
“I think what McKinsey has done is it has cast a dark pall over his campaign on a number of fronts because I think it has cast a shadow of questions when it comes to transparency and ethics,” Zaheed said. “His whole time at McKinsey really raises questions about his cosiness to Wall Street.”