theguardian--2020-08-15--Newsweek apologizes for op-ed that questioned Kamala Harris' citizenship

Newsweek has apologized for an op-ed that questioned the California senator Kamala Harris ’ American citizenship and her eligibility to be Joe Biden ’ s running mate , a false and racist conspiracy theory which Donald Trump has not dismissed .
“ This op-ed is being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia .
We apologize , ” read Newsweek ’ s editor ’ s note on Friday , which replaced the magazine ’ s earlier detailed defense of the op-ed .
“ We entirely failed to anticipate the ways in which the essay would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read the apology , signed by Josh Hammer , opinion editor , and Nancy Cooper , global editor-in-chief .
But the pair ended the note by saying that the op-ed would remain on the site , with their note attached .
The op-ed was written by John Eastman , a conservative attorney who argues that the US constitution doesn ’ t grant birthright citizenship .
Eastman attempted to sow doubt about Harris ’ eligibility based on her parents ’ immigration status .
Harris ’ mother was born in India and her father was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 2010 Republican primary as a candidate for California attorney general .
Harris eventually won the election against Republican Steve Cooley .
Newsweek had earlier defended the piece , arguing that Eastman “ was focusing on a longstanding , somewhat arcane legal debate ” about the 14th amendment and not trying to “ ignite a racist conspiracy theory around Kamala Harris ’ candidacy ” .
The conspiracy theory is false .
Harris , who was tapped by Joe Biden to serve as his running mate on the Democratic ticket , was born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eligible for both the vice-presidency and presidency under the constitutional requirements .
The question is not even considered complex , according to constitution lawyers .
Trump built his political career on questioning a political opponent ’ s legitimacy .
He was a high-profile force behind the “ birther movement ” – the lie that questioned whether Barack Obama , the nation ’ s first Black president , was eligible to serve .
Only after mounting pressure during his 2016 campaign did Trump disavow the claims .
Asked about the matter at the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had “ heard ” rumors that Harris does not meet the requirement to serve in the White House .
The president said he considered the rumors “ very serious ” .
Some Newsweek staff had publicly slammed the decision to run the oped .
Christina Zhao , a New York news editor , tweeted : “ This is an inflammatory and racist op-ed that should never have been published .
That is my opinion .
”

Newsweek has apologized for an op-ed that questioned the California senator Kamala Harris’ American citizenship and her eligibility to be Joe Biden’s running mate, a false and racist conspiracy theory which Donald Trump has not dismissed.
“This op-ed is being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia. We apologize,” read Newsweek’s editor’s note on Friday, which replaced the magazine’s earlier detailed defense of the op-ed.
“We entirely failed to anticipate the ways in which the essay would be interpreted, distorted and weaponized,” read the apology, signed by Josh Hammer, opinion editor, and Nancy Cooper, global editor-in-chief.
But the pair ended the note by saying that the op-ed would remain on the site, with their note attached.
The op-ed was written by John Eastman, a conservative attorney who argues that the US constitution doesn’t grant birthright citizenship. Eastman attempted to sow doubt about Harris’ eligibility based on her parents’ immigration status. Harris’ mother was born in India and her father was born in Jamaica.
Eastman ran unsuccessfully in the 2010 Republican primary as a candidate for California attorney general. Harris eventually won the election against Republican Steve Cooley.
Newsweek had earlier defended the piece, arguing that Eastman “was focusing on a longstanding, somewhat arcane legal debate” about the 14th amendment and not trying to “ignite a racist conspiracy theory around Kamala Harris’ candidacy”.
The conspiracy theory is false. Harris, who was tapped by Joe Biden to serve as his running mate on the Democratic ticket, was born in Oakland, California, and is eligible for both the vice-presidency and presidency under the constitutional requirements. The question is not even considered complex, according to constitution lawyers.
Trump built his political career on questioning a political opponent’s legitimacy. He was a high-profile force behind the “birther movement” – the lie that questioned whether Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, was eligible to serve. Only after mounting pressure during his 2016 campaign did Trump disavow the claims.
Asked about the matter at the White House on Thursday, Trump told reporters he had “heard” rumors that Harris does not meet the requirement to serve in the White House. The president said he considered the rumors “very serious”.
Some Newsweek staff had publicly slammed the decision to run the oped. Christina Zhao, a New York news editor, tweeted: “This is an inflammatory and racist op-ed that should never have been published. That is my opinion.”


theguardian--2020-08-15--Pelosi vows to protect USPS, which Trump is ‘openly working to destroy’

Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi has accused Donald Trump of “ openly working to destroy the post office ” , and said the US president is actively trying to “ sabotage ” the agency ’ s ability to deliver Americans ’ mail-in ballots in time to be counted for the 2020 election .
The House speaker ’ s remarks came hours after the US Postal Service ’ s ( USPS ) own inspector general confirmed Friday that it has launched an investigation into policy changes a Trump appointee has made over recent months , including cutting overtime , which has reportedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus pandemic , an unprecedented number of Americans are expected to cast their votes by mail this fall , making the USPS a central player in ensuring a fair election .
One expert estimated that 50 % of all of the votes cast this fall could be sent through the mail .
Former president Barack Obama warned against attempts to “ undermine the election ” on Friday , and said on Twitter he was concerned that Americans who received their medication or social security checks through the postal service may become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing a virus ” .
Trump himself admitted last week that he opposed Democrats ’ demand for $ 25bn in government aid to the financially-struggling USPS because he believed it would support the delivery of mail-in ballots .
In a press conference Saturday evening , Trump denied that DeJoy ’ s operational changes were designed to undermine voting by mail .
“ Not at all .
He would love to see it happen , ” Trump said .
Trump did not answer questions about the effects of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivery .
“ I don ’ t know what he ’ s doing .
I can only tell you he ’ s a very smart man , ” Trump said .
“ He wants to make the post office great again.
” Just days after talking publicly about his opposition to giving $ 25bn to support the post office , Trump repeatedly blamed Democrats for not being able to secure the money they wanted to ensure that the post office was able to deliver Americans ’ ballots on time .
Trump said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats were negotiating for , including emergency funding for state governments run by Democrats .
If ballots do not arrive at election offices by a given deadline , they will not be counted in the election .
Postal delays could lead to the disenfranchisement of Americans who filled out and mailed in their ballots , an issue that voting rights advocates say is a serious risk .
In general , minorities , young people and first-time voters are more likely to have their votes rejected .
“ If you can ’ t right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t correct these [ problems ] fast enough , the consequence is not just , OK , people don ’ t get their mail , it ’ s that you disenfranchise people , ” Ronald Stroman , a former top postal service official , told the Guardian last week .
Trump said last week he believed without the additional $ 25bn funding , the post office would not be able to handle “ millions and millions of ballots ” this fall .
“ If we don ’ t make a deal , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money , ” Trump told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo .
“ That means they can ’ t have universal mail-in voting ; they just can ’ t have it.
” In a statement Saturday , Pelosi , the Democratic house majority leader , vowed “ to fight to protect the post office ” , calling it “ central to our democracy ” .
“ In the time of pandemic , the postal system is election central .
All patriots , Democrats , Independents or Republicans , should reject the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election season , ” Pelosi said .
The new US postmaster general , Louis DeJoy , a Trump donor , announced what he billed as new cost-saving measures earlier this month .
In July , the Washington Post reported a range of previous major operational changes under DeJoy , including prohibitions on overtime , citing internal memos .
DeJoy has defended the changes as designed to “ improve operational efficiency ” as the USPS struggles financially , the New York Times reported .
On Saturday crowds of protesters gathered outside DeJoy ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of support for the agency .
Demonstrators held signs declaring support for the postal service and piling leaflets designed to look like mail-in ballots against the front door of the lobby of his apartment building .
Senator Elizabeth Warren and a group of other Democrats requested in an 7 August letter that the USPS inspector general perform an audit of DeJoy ’ s operational changes , scrutinizing their effect on Americans who rely on the postal service for medication and other services , and arguing that the changes “ appear to pose a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 general election ” .
Warren said in a statement Friday that the post office ’ s inspector general “ is investigating all aspects of our request to audit the Postmaster General ’ s operational changes ” , and that , “ I ’ ll keep using every [ thing ] in the toolbox to stop Trump & DeJoy from sabotaging the USPS ” .
A spokesperson for the inspector general confirmed to multiple media outlets that the office would be following up on the lawmakers ’ letter , which also included concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in running the USPS .
Sam Levine and the Associated Press contributed reporting

Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi has accused Donald Trump of “openly working to destroy the post office”, and said the US president is actively trying to “sabotage” the agency’s ability to deliver Americans’ mail-in ballots in time to be counted for the 2020 election.
The House speaker’s remarks came hours after the US Postal Service’s (USPS) own inspector general confirmed Friday that it has launched an investigation into policy changes a Trump appointee has made over recent months, including cutting overtime, which has reportedly led to slower mail delivery.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, an unprecedented number of Americans are expected to cast their votes by mail this fall, making the USPS a central player in ensuring a fair election. One expert estimated that 50% of all of the votes cast this fall could be sent through the mail.
Former president Barack Obama warned against attempts to “undermine the election” on Friday, and said on Twitter he was concerned that Americans who received their medication or social security checks through the postal service may become “collateral damage for an administration more concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing a virus”.
Trump himself admitted last week that he opposed Democrats’ demand for $25bn in government aid to the financially-struggling USPS because he believed it would support the delivery of mail-in ballots.
In a press conference Saturday evening, Trump denied that DeJoy’s operational changes were designed to undermine voting by mail. “Not at all. He would love to see it happen,” Trump said.
Trump did not answer questions about the effects of DeJoy’s operational changes on mail delivery. “I don’t know what he’s doing. I can only tell you he’s a very smart man,” Trump said. “He wants to make the post office great again.”
Just days after talking publicly about his opposition to giving $25bn to support the post office, Trump repeatedly blamed Democrats for not being able to secure the money they wanted to ensure that the post office was able to deliver Americans’ ballots on time. Trump said he did not support other coronavirus aid congressional Democrats were negotiating for, including emergency funding for state governments run by Democrats.
If ballots do not arrive at election offices by a given deadline, they will not be counted in the election. Postal delays could lead to the disenfranchisement of Americans who filled out and mailed in their ballots, an issue that voting rights advocates say is a serious risk. In general, minorities, young people and first-time voters are more likely to have their votes rejected.
“If you can’t right the ship, if you can’t correct these [problems] fast enough, the consequence is not just, OK, people don’t get their mail, it’s that you disenfranchise people,” Ronald Stroman, a former top postal service official, told the Guardian last week.
Trump said last week he believed without the additional $25bn funding, the post office would not be able to handle “millions and millions of ballots” this fall.
“If we don’t make a deal, that means they don’t get the money,” Trump told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. “That means they can’t have universal mail-in voting; they just can’t have it.”
In a statement Saturday, Pelosi, the Democratic house majority leader, vowed “ to fight to protect the post office”, calling it “central to our democracy”.
“In the time of pandemic, the postal system is election central. All patriots, Democrats, Independents or Republicans, should reject the president’s assault on the postal system in this election season,” Pelosi said.
The new US postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, a Trump donor, announced what he billed as new cost-saving measures earlier this month. In July, the Washington Post reported a range of previous major operational changes under DeJoy, including prohibitions on overtime, citing internal memos. DeJoy has defended the changes as designed to “improve operational efficiency” as the USPS struggles financially, the New York Times reported.
On Saturday crowds of protesters gathered outside DeJoy’s home in Washington DC in a show of support for the agency. Demonstrators held signs declaring support for the postal service and piling leaflets designed to look like mail-in ballots against the front door of the lobby of his apartment building.
Demonstrators insert leaflets designed to look like mail-in ballots in the door of Louis DeJoy’s home in Washington DC. Photograph: Michael A McCoy/Getty Images
Senator Elizabeth Warren and a group of other Democrats requested in an 7 August letter that the USPS inspector general perform an audit of DeJoy’s operational changes, scrutinizing their effect on Americans who rely on the postal service for medication and other services, and arguing that the changes “appear to pose a potential threat to mail-in ballots and the 2020 general election”.
Warren said in a statement Friday that the post office’s inspector general “is investigating all aspects of our request to audit the Postmaster General’s operational changes”, and that, “I’ll keep using every[thing] in the toolbox to stop Trump & DeJoy from sabotaging the USPS”.
A spokesperson for the inspector general confirmed to multiple media outlets that the office would be following up on the lawmakers’ letter, which also included concerns about personal conflicts of interest for DeJoy in running the USPS.
We just heard that @OIGUSPS is investigating all aspects of our request to audit the Postmaster General’s operational changes at @USPS & his personal conflicts of interest. I’ll keep using every in the toolbox to stop Trump & DeJoy from sabotaging the USPS.https://t.co/6KburT1ts0 — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) August 14, 2020
Sam Levine and the Associated Press contributed reporting


theguardian--2020-08-15--Trump campaign adviser gets into Twitter spat with Marge Simpson

America ’ s already wildly unpredictable 2020 election campaign has taken a further bizarre twist after a top Donald Trump adviser got into a spat with Marge , one of the characters of the hit animated comedy show The Simpsons .
The fight began when Jenna Ellis , a senior Trump campaign adviser , sought to mock the California senator Kamala Harris after she was picked to become the Democratic party ’ s vice-presidential nominee .
“ Kamala sounds like Marge Simpson , ” Ellis wrote on Twitter referring to the much beloved mom character on the long-running cartoon series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hapless Homer Simpson , Marge ( or her creator ) has probably learned not to suffer fools gladly .
So it was that the show ’ s official Twitter account struck back against Ellis by posting a short clip in which Marge took on the criticism with an implicit scolding .
“ As an ordinary suburban housewife , I ’ m starting to feel a little disrespected .
I teach my children not to name-call , Jenna , ” Marge said .
She added : “ I was going to say I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afraid they ’ d bleep it.
” That did not end the fight .
Ellis later tweeted in response : “ Marge is probably going to vote Democrat … by mail.
” The Simpsons , one of the longest-running and most admired comedies in US television history , has a history of taking on politics and other surprising issues running the gamut from the climate crisis to Cornish nationalism .
The show has also taken swipes at Trump before , once having him look in a mirror at himself and saying : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at your taxes , you cheat on your wives … you ’ ve been acting like a narcissistic sociopath .
”

America’s already wildly unpredictable 2020 election campaign has taken a further bizarre twist after a top Donald Trump adviser got into a spat with Marge, one of the characters of the hit animated comedy show The Simpsons.
The fight began when Jenna Ellis, a senior Trump campaign adviser, sought to mock the California senator Kamala Harris after she was picked to become the Democratic party’s vice-presidential nominee. “Kamala sounds like Marge Simpson,” Ellis wrote on Twitter referring to the much beloved mom character on the long-running cartoon series.
From decades of being married to the hapless Homer Simpson, Marge (or her creator) has probably learned not to suffer fools gladly. So it was that the show’s official Twitter account struck back against Ellis by posting a short clip in which Marge took on the criticism with an implicit scolding.
Marge Simpson has something to say. pic.twitter.com/viux96bAPf — TheSimpsons (@TheSimpsons) August 14, 2020
“As an ordinary suburban housewife, I’m starting to feel a little disrespected. I teach my children not to name-call, Jenna,” Marge said.
She added: “I was going to say I am pissed off but I’m afraid they’d bleep it.”
That did not end the fight. Ellis later tweeted in response: “Marge is probably going to vote Democrat … by mail.”
The Simpsons, one of the longest-running and most admired comedies in US television history, has a history of taking on politics and other surprising issues running the gamut from the climate crisis to Cornish nationalism.
The show has also taken swipes at Trump before, once having him look in a mirror at himself and saying: “You cheat at golf, you cheat at your taxes, you cheat on your wives … you’ve been acting like a narcissistic sociopath.”


theguardian--2020-08-15--Why Germany would be especially happy to see the back of Trump | John Kampfner

Donald Trump has declared war on Germany .
In a manner of speaking .
Europe ’ s most important country , potentially America ’ s most valuable partner , has in the mind of the president become an adversary .
Of all Trump ’ s many foreign policy disasters , this is perhaps his most significant .
In late July , it was announced that retired army colonel Douglas Macgregor , a decorated combat veteran , would become the next ambassador to Berlin .
Macgregor is a regular contributor to Trump ’ s favourite channel of information , Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US border guard should shoot people if they tried to enter illegally from Mexico ; described eastern Ukrainians as “ Russians ” ; defended Serbia ’ s actions against a “ Muslim drug mafia ” in Kosovo ; and criticised Germany for giving “ millions of unwanted Muslim invaders ” welfare benefits rather than providing more funding for its armed services .
Most painfully for his new hosts , Macgregor seems to have sided with the far right in talking down Nazi crimes .
He described the concept of Vergangenheitsbewältigung ( coming to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underpinned culture and politics since the war , as a “ sick mentality that says that generations after generations must atone sins of what happened in 13 years of German history and ignore the other 1,500 years of Germany ” .
If the Senate ’ s foreign relations committee confirms Macgregor ’ s nomination , he will replace another Fox shock-jock commentator .
No sooner had Richard Grenell arrived in Berlin in 2018 than he went on the offensive , vowing to “ empower other conservatives ” across Europe .
By that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s coalition , but nationalists surrounding her , such as in Hungary and Poland .
A number of German MPs called for Grenell to be declared persona no grata .
Merkel resisted , but the affair spoke volumes for the collapse in ties .
Trump rewarded Grenell for his work , promoting him to acting director of national security in Washington .
In a further demonstration of pique , he announced last month the withdrawal of nearly 12,000 troops from bases in Germany .
From the outset , Trump loathed Merkel .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the international stage , she respects interlocutors who do their preparation and don ’ t spring surprises .
She disdains his visceral vulgarity .
The leader who let in a million of the world ’ s most destitute in 2015 refuses to be cowed by a bigot and bully .
She couldn ’ t be accused of not trying to get along .
In March 2017 , two months into his administration , she flew to Washington for their first meeting .
She prepped assiduously .
She studied a 1990 Playboy interview that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for policymakers .
She read his 1987 book , The Art of the Deal .
She even watched episodes of his TV show , The Apprentice .
It started badly .
She offered him a handshake in the Oval Office in front of the cameras .
He didn ’ t take it .
Her studied lack of emotion and her deeply analytical mind were anathema to him .
Her aides say she learned to explain complicated problems to him by reducing them to bite-size chunks .
He read this as high-handedness .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some cite this as the reason for his dislike .
Others put it down to a narcissistic resentment of praise conferred on others .
When she was chosen as Time magazine ’ s person of the year in 2015 , he said : “ They picked the person who is ruining Germany.
” What particularly upset him was the magazine calling her chancellor of the free world .
“ What Merkel did to Germany , it ’ s a sad , sad shame.
” Yet this same woman , who from a young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plains and adored Ronald Reagan for freeing the world ( and her native GDR ) from communism , is by instinct a staunch Atlanticist .
She has found the setbacks hard to take .
Arguably the single worst incident came before Trump .
It was the revelation in 2013 , courtesy of Edward Snowden , that the National Security Agency had been bugging Merkel ’ s personal mobile phone for years .
She was incandescent when told , for once losing her famous impulse control .
In an angry phone exchange with President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media , she told him : “ This is like the Stasi.
” This relationship has always been complicated .
Germans remember with fondness the liberation of their country , the airlift that ended the Russians ’ blockade of Berlin .
They devoured American culture .
They fell in love with John F Kennedy , his 1963 trip to divided Berlin indelibly etched in the history books .
But the left fought tooth and nail against nuclear deployments under Reagan .
George Bush ’ s Iraq misadventure drove a terrible wedge , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into New and Old Europe .
Even with the more centrist and amenable Bill Clinton and Obama there were bad moments .
Successive US administrations have expressed frustration .
The Nord Stream gas pipeline , chaired by former chancellor Gerhard Schröder , has underlined Germany ’ s dangerous energy dependency on Russia .
It contradicts Merkel ’ s otherwise consistently tough approach towards Vladimir Putin .
She was instrumental in ensuring that the EU imposed sanctions after the annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine .
Berlin no longer praises China as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belatedly sees it as a strategic competitor , but Merkel balks at strong criticism of it .
As for defence , the failure of Germany to meet the agreed Nato target of spending 2 % of GDP on defence has been a source of irritation .
But nothing comes close to the current situation .
The German foreign policy establishment is clinging to the hope that Trump will be defeated in November .
A Biden presidency would not remove all the tensions , but it would signal that the US was moving back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that personifies the mainstream would have reason to celebrate .
• John Kampfner ’ s latest book is Why The Germans Do It Better : Notes From a Grown-Up Country

Donald Trump has declared war on Germany. In a manner of speaking. Europe’s most important country, potentially America’s most valuable partner, has in the mind of the president become an adversary. Of all Trump’s many foreign policy disasters, this is perhaps his most significant.
In late July, it was announced that retired army colonel Douglas Macgregor, a decorated combat veteran, would become the next ambassador to Berlin. Macgregor is a regular contributor to Trump’s favourite channel of information, Fox News. He has variously suggested that the US border guard should shoot people if they tried to enter illegally from Mexico; described eastern Ukrainians as “Russians”; defended Serbia’s actions against a “Muslim drug mafia” in Kosovo; and criticised Germany for giving “millions of unwanted Muslim invaders” welfare benefits rather than providing more funding for its armed services.
Most painfully for his new hosts, Macgregor seems to have sided with the far right in talking down Nazi crimes. He described the concept of Vergangenheitsbewältigung (coming to terms with history), which has underpinned culture and politics since the war, as a “sick mentality that says that generations after generations must atone sins of what happened in 13 years of German history and ignore the other 1,500 years of Germany”.
If the Senate’s foreign relations committee confirms Macgregor’s nomination, he will replace another Fox shock-jock commentator. No sooner had Richard Grenell arrived in Berlin in 2018 than he went on the offensive, vowing to “empower other conservatives” across Europe. By that, he did not mean Angela Merkel’s coalition, but nationalists surrounding her, such as in Hungary and Poland. A number of German MPs called for Grenell to be declared persona no grata. Merkel resisted, but the affair spoke volumes for the collapse in ties.
Trump rewarded Grenell for his work, promoting him to acting director of national security in Washington. In a further demonstration of pique, he announced last month the withdrawal of nearly 12,000 troops from bases in Germany.
From the outset, Trump loathed Merkel. She represents everything he is not. On the international stage, she respects interlocutors who do their preparation and don’t spring surprises. She disdains his visceral vulgarity. The leader who let in a million of the world’s most destitute in 2015 refuses to be cowed by a bigot and bully.
She couldn’t be accused of not trying to get along. In March 2017, two months into his administration, she flew to Washington for their first meeting. She prepped assiduously. She studied a 1990 Playboy interview that had become a set text on Trumpism for policymakers. She read his 1987 book, The Art of the Deal. She even watched episodes of his TV show, The Apprentice.
It started badly. She offered him a handshake in the Oval Office in front of the cameras. He didn’t take it. Her studied lack of emotion and her deeply analytical mind were anathema to him. Her aides say she learned to explain complicated problems to him by reducing them to bite-size chunks. He read this as high-handedness.
Trump has a track record of misogyny and some cite this as the reason for his dislike. Others put it down to a narcissistic resentment of praise conferred on others. When she was chosen as Time magazine’s person of the year in 2015, he said: “They picked the person who is ruining Germany.” What particularly upset him was the magazine calling her chancellor of the free world. “What Merkel did to Germany, it’s a sad, sad shame.”
Yet this same woman, who from a young age dreamed of driving across the American plains and adored Ronald Reagan for freeing the world (and her native GDR) from communism, is by instinct a staunch Atlanticist.
Former US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, vowed to ‘empower other conservatives’ in Europe. Photograph: Clemens Bilan/EPA
She has found the setbacks hard to take. Arguably the single worst incident came before Trump. It was the revelation in 2013, courtesy of Edward Snowden, that the National Security Agency had been bugging Merkel’s personal mobile phone for years. She was incandescent when told, for once losing her famous impulse control. In an angry phone exchange with President Barack Obama, deliberately shared with the media, she told him: “This is like the Stasi.”
This relationship has always been complicated. Germans remember with fondness the liberation of their country, the airlift that ended the Russians’ blockade of Berlin. They devoured American culture. They fell in love with John F Kennedy, his 1963 trip to divided Berlin indelibly etched in the history books. But the left fought tooth and nail against nuclear deployments under Reagan. George Bush’s Iraq misadventure drove a terrible wedge, not least his attempts to divide the continent into New and Old Europe. Even with the more centrist and amenable Bill Clinton and Obama there were bad moments.
Successive US administrations have expressed frustration. The Nord Stream gas pipeline, chaired by former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, has underlined Germany’s dangerous energy dependency on Russia. It contradicts Merkel’s otherwise consistently tough approach towards Vladimir Putin. She was instrumental in ensuring that the EU imposed sanctions after the annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine. Berlin no longer praises China as the gift that keeps on giving and belatedly sees it as a strategic competitor, but Merkel balks at strong criticism of it. As for defence, the failure of Germany to meet the agreed Nato target of spending 2% of GDP on defence has been a source of irritation.
But nothing comes close to the current situation.
The German foreign policy establishment is clinging to the hope that Trump will be defeated in November. A Biden presidency would not remove all the tensions, but it would signal that the US was moving back towards the diplomatic mainstream. The country that personifies the mainstream would have reason to celebrate.


theguardian--2020-08-16--Can Biden win over the young Latinos who flocked to Bernie Sanders?

Thomas Kennedy remembers spending all day on the phone keeping up with excited new voters wanting to know how “ el caucus ” worked , ahead of the first Democratic primary contest in Iowa in February .
The most noticeable callers were highly motivated young mothers , part of a huge wave of Hispanic voters , activists and volunteers inspired to get involved in politics for the first time by passion for their candidate .
That candidate was Bernie Sanders .
Kennedy , a progressive activist and former Sanders operative , has switched to support Joe Biden , who will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , but worries whether Biden can win over valuable young progressives underwhelmed by his moderate politics .
“ Bernie talked directly to people ’ s material needs , ” said Kennedy .
The clear populist promises of universal healthcare and cancelling student debt in particular caught fire , Kennedy said .
And expansive outreach and slogans like ‘ ¡Nuestro Futuro , Nuestra Lucha !
’ — Our Future , Our Struggle – clicked with the cohort who nicknamed Sanders “ Tío Bernie ” ( Uncle Bernie ) .
For the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s largest non-white ethnic voting bloc in the 2020 election , with a large young cohort among the estimated 32 million eligible to vote – a record .
Democrats know that their support is crucial to winning the White House – and potentially both chambers of Congress – but concerns remain over whether Biden can not only persuade young progressives who were energized by Sanders , but mobilize Latinos in decisive numbers at a moment when the coronavirus and economic crises are disproportionately hurting communities of color .
“ The Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ María Teresa Kumar , the president of Voto Latino , a political organization focused on voter engagement .
“ Because if you ’ re not reaching young people , you are not reaching the Latino community.
” A survey published last month by Voto Latino and pollster Latino Decisions found that only 60 % of Latino voters in six battleground states say they definitely plan to vote , and fewer than half say they are “ extremely motivated and enthusiastic ” about doing so .
Though the poll was conducted before many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the coronavirus , it found enthusiasm for Biden waning , particularly among young Latinos .
His support among Latino voters slipped to 60 % from 67 % in February .
By comparison , 73 % of Latino voters supported Hillary Clinton at this point in 2016 .
“ When I worked for Bernie , it wasn ’ t about electing one person .
It was about a movement , ” Belén Sisa , a former Sanders press secretary , said .
“ I don ’ t feel that from Joe Biden.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to move to the left on key policies important to young Latinos .
He has embraced a $ 2tn climate plan , though not the Green New Deal , and pledged an ambitious overhaul of Trump ’ s immigration orders , and an economic agenda centered on racial equality .
But , like many progressives , she is frustrated by Biden ’ s reluctance to embrace Medicare for All , the universal healthcare policy that she says would reduce health disparities for Latinos , who are among the country ’ s most uninsured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( Ice ) , the agency carrying out hardline Trump anti-immigration policies at the US-Mexico border and in raids in US cities .
Sisa also said Sanders ’ campaign invested more , much earlier , to cultivate Latino voters .
Chuck Rocha , the architect of Sanders ’ ambitious Latino outreach strategy , is now applying some of the tactics used to win Hispanics voters in primary contests from Iowa to California , to help Biden beat Trump in November .
After Biden won the primary , Rocha founded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will target Latino voters in Michigan , Wisconsin , Florida , Nevada and Pennsylvania .
“ Part of our work is spreading the message that Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden agree 75 % to 80 % of the time , ” Rocha said .
The Biden campaign recently made other high-profile hires including Julie Chavez Rodriguez , the granddaughter of civil rights hero Cesar Chavez , and Matt Barreto , the founder of Latino Decisions , a top Democratic polling firm .
The campaign has also hired Republican strategist Ana Navarro .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters – “ Todos con Biden ” – focuses on healthcare , education and reversing Trump ’ s anti-immigration agenda .
Biden has promised to reinstate the Daca program of rights and protections for undocumented young people , and send a bill to Congress “ on day one ” that would create a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US .
He has also pledged a 100-day moratorium on deportations .
During the primary campaign , Biden was repeatedly confronted by immigration activists who demanded contrition for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out while he was vice-president .
“ You should vote for Trump , ” Biden told one critic .
Weeks later , he was obliged to apologize for the “ pain ” caused by the policies .
Earlier this week , prominent Latino politicians , activists and organizations applauded the selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate .
Harris , the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants , represents California , which has the largest population of Hispanic voters in the nation .
Domingo Garcia , president of Lulac , the oldest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ She [ Harris ] knows what Dreamers are facing , the impact Covid-19 is having on black and brown communities , and the contributions immigrants are making to the economy of the United States.
” He described the Biden-Harris ticket as “ looking to the future , and the changing demographics in the United States ” .
The campaign hailed her efforts to stop the Trump administration separating undocumented families crossing the US-Mexico border and “ sponsoring legislation to help victims of Hurricane Maria ” , which decimated Puerto Rico in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney and attorney general in California has prompted disquiet among some progressives .
Meanwhile , leading Democratic figures say Trump ’ s handling of the public heath crisis and the economic slump , allied to his xenophobia , is driving voters away from the Republicans .
“ Donald Trump ’ s cruelty is backfiring on him , ” said Julián Castro , the only Latino candidate in the Democratic primary race .
Castro believes frustration with the president could have a significant effect in battleground states such as Arizona , Florida and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ havoc .
“ More people are getting sick , and more people are dying , ” said Castro , whose stepmother died from coronavirus .
“ That ’ s not going unnoticed.
” And yet strategists say antipathy for Trump is not enough .
“ It has to be ‘ this is why you should vote for Joe Biden ’ , ” said Nathalie Rayes , the president and chief executive of Latino Victory .
Elsewhere , voting by mail , likely the safest way to cast a ballot during a pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Overall , Latinos have said they had little experience and low confidence in the security of voting by mail , according to the Latino Decisions survey .
“ That was a big code red for us , ” said Kumar .
“ Especially where there is no habit of voting by mail.
” The Biden campaign has pivoted sharply to Latinos , but is it too little too late ?
Cristóbal Alex , Biden ’ s senior campaign adviser , and the former president of the Latino Victory Fund , said Latinos are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House .
“ We ’ ve brought in the A-team to ensure that we engage Latinos and compete for every single vote as we go into November , ” he said .
“ That ’ s a very dramatic scale-up in staffing , and that ’ s also being reflected in the organizing at every level of the campaign .
It ’ s an indication of just how seriously the campaign takes the Latino vote.
” Alex said it is understandable that in the midst of a national crisis , which he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s extraordinarily divisive presidency , many Latinos are not yet fully engaged in the election .
But he is confident that will change .
Over the past several weeks , the campaign has significantly ramped up its outreach , touting a “ culturally competent ” advertising strategy that includes younger English-heavier speakers and older Spanish speakers .
In an effort to reflect the diversity of the Hispanic electorate , the campaign is “ micro-targeting ” Latinos by region and ethnicity .
For example , the narrator in an ad running in Arizona has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ad running in Miami features a narrator with a Cuban accent .
But some say , as a strategy , it needs more fine tuning .
Federico de Jesus , a Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign spokesperson , said : “ It ’ s the start of something that should evolve , not just translating the ads , [ but also ] targeting issues .
The VP has talked about giving TPS to Venezuelans , it would be great if they had that in an ad.
” The temporary protected status ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent foreign nationals from being deported back to countries facing threatening conditions such as civil unrest or the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster .
Microtargeting with accents is a “ necessary ” principle of outreach , said De Jesus , and has been used since Obama ’ s 2008 run to the White House .
But more cultural nuances need to be included now , De Jesus said .
He pointed at a successful ad by the Trump campaign after liberals began to boycott Goya , the canned food brand , citing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Its content was reprehensible , but it used a specific slang that a millennial Puerto Rican woman would use .
So it ’ s not just the accent or the policy , but the words and the music , ” said De Jesus .
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is due to speak at the Democratic national convention this week , fresh from being a member of the Biden-Sanders policy taskforce created after the primary in an effort to unify the party against Trump .
Sanders , Michael Bloomberg and Andrew Yang will speak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Julián Castro had not been scheduled .
And with the stakes so high , the latest ad from the group America ’ s Progressive Promise is narrated by Sanders , who says : “ Every person who voted for me or the other candidates … understands that Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in the history of our country.
” “ It ’ s absolutely imperative that we come together and defeat him , and defeat him badly.
” The spot concludes by declaring that Biden would be “ the most progressive @ @ @ @ @

Francisco Navas in New York and Lauren Gambino in Washington

Thomas Kennedy remembers spending all day on the phone keeping up with excited new voters wanting to know how “el caucus” worked, ahead of the first Democratic primary contest in Iowa in February.
The most noticeable callers were highly motivated young mothers, part of a huge wave of Hispanic voters, activists and volunteers inspired to get involved in politics for the first time by passion for their candidate.
That candidate was Bernie Sanders. Kennedy, a progressive activist and former Sanders operative, has switched to support Joe Biden, who will this week become the Democratic nominee for president. But Kennedy worries whether Biden can win over valuable young progressives underwhelmed by his moderate politics.
“Bernie talked directly to people’s material needs,” said Kennedy. The clear populist promises of universal healthcare and cancelling student debt in particular caught fire, Kennedy said.
And expansive outreach and slogans like ‘¡Nuestro Futuro, Nuestra Lucha!’ — Our Future, Our Struggle – clicked with the cohort who nicknamed Sanders “Tío Bernie” (Uncle Bernie).
For the first time, Latinos are poised to be the nation’s largest non-white ethnic voting bloc in the 2020 election, with a large young cohort among the estimated 32 million eligible to vote – a record.
Democrats know that their support is crucial to winning the White House – and potentially both chambers of Congress – but concerns remain over whether Biden can not only persuade young progressives who were energized by Sanders, but mobilize Latinos in decisive numbers at a moment when the coronavirus and economic crises are disproportionately hurting communities of color.
“The Biden campaign must reach young people,” María Teresa Kumar, the president of Voto Latino, a political organization focused on voter engagement. “Because if you’re not reaching young people, you are not reaching the Latino community.”
A survey published last month by Voto Latino and pollster Latino Decisions found that only 60% of Latino voters in six battleground states say they definitely plan to vote, and fewer than half say they are “extremely motivated and enthusiastic” about doing so.
Though the poll was conducted before many of Trump’s recent comments on immigration and the coronavirus, it found enthusiasm for Biden waning, particularly among young Latinos. His support among Latino voters slipped to 60% from 67% in February. By comparison, 73% of Latino voters supported Hillary Clinton at this point in 2016.
“When I worked for Bernie, it wasn’t about electing one person. It was about a movement,” Belén Sisa, a former Sanders press secretary, said. “I don’t feel that from Joe Biden.”
Bernie Sanders signs autographs at an event in Santa Ana, California, in February. Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP
Since the primary, Biden has appeared to move to the left on key policies important to young Latinos. He has embraced a $2tn climate plan, though not the Green New Deal, and pledged an ambitious overhaul of Trump’s immigration orders, and an economic agenda centered on racial equality.
“We’ve moved the needle a bit,” Sisa said.
But, like many progressives, she is frustrated by Biden’s reluctance to embrace Medicare for All, the universal healthcare policy that she says would reduce health disparities for Latinos, who are among the country’s most uninsured. And he has refused to embrace calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the agency carrying out hardline Trump anti-immigration policies at the US-Mexico border and in raids in US cities.
Sisa also said Sanders’ campaign invested more resources and time, much earlier, to cultivate Latino voters.
Chuck Rocha, the architect of Sanders’ ambitious Latino outreach strategy, is now applying some of the tactics used to win Hispanics voters in primary contests from Iowa to California, to help Biden beat Trump in November.
After Biden won the primary, Rocha founded Nuestro Pac, a Democratic Super Pac that will target Latino voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
“Part of our work is spreading the message that Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden agree 75% to 80% of the time,” Rocha said.
The Biden campaign recently made other high-profile hires including Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the granddaughter of civil rights hero Cesar Chavez, and Matt Barreto, the founder of Latino Decisions, a top Democratic polling firm. The campaign has also hired Republican strategist Ana Navarro.
Biden’s platform aimed at Hispanic voters – “Todos con Biden” – focuses on healthcare, education and reversing Trump’s anti-immigration agenda. Biden has promised to reinstate the Daca program of rights and protections for undocumented young people, and send a bill to Congress “on day one” that would create a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US.
We’ve brought in the A-team to ensure that we engage Latinos and compete for every single vote in November Cristóbal Alex
He has also pledged a 100-day moratorium on deportations.
During the primary campaign, Biden was repeatedly confronted by immigration activists who demanded contrition for the more than 3 million deportations carried out while he was vice-president.
“You should vote for Trump,” Biden told one critic. Weeks later, he was obliged to apologize for the “pain” caused by the policies.
Earlier this week, prominent Latino politicians, activists and organizations applauded the selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate. Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, represents California, which has the largest population of Hispanic voters in the nation.
Domingo Garcia, president of Lulac, the oldest Hispanic organization in the US, said: “She [Harris] knows what Dreamers are facing, the impact Covid-19 is having on black and brown communities, and the contributions immigrants are making to the economy of the United States.”
He described the Biden-Harris ticket as “looking to the future, and the changing demographics in the United States”.
The campaign hailed Harris’s efforts to stop the Trump administration separating undocumented families crossing the US-Mexico border and “sponsoring legislation to help victims of Hurricane Maria”, which decimated Puerto Rico in 2017.
But her record as district attorney and attorney general in California has prompted disquiet among some progressives.
Meanwhile, leading Democratic figures say Trump’s handling of the public heath crisis and the economic slump, allied to his xenophobia, is driving voters away from the Republicans.
“Donald Trump’s cruelty is backfiring on him,” said Julián Castro, who was the only Latino candidate in the Democratic primary race.
Castro believes frustration with the president could have a significant effect in battleground states such as Arizona, Florida and his native Texas, where coronavirus is wreaking havoc.
“More people are getting sick, and more people are dying,” said Castro, whose stepmother died from coronavirus. “That’s not going unnoticed.”
And yet strategists say antipathy for Trump is not enough.
04:50 Why Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate – video explainer
“It has to be ‘this is why you should vote for Joe Biden’,” said Nathalie Rayes, the president and chief executive of Latino Victory.
Elsewhere, voting by mail, likely the safest way to cast a ballot during a pandemic, presents another hurdle for Latino voters. Overall, Latinos have said they had little experience and low confidence in the security of voting by mail, according to the Latino Decisions survey.
“That was a big code red for us,” said Kumar. “Especially where there is no habit of voting by mail.”
The Biden campaign has pivoted sharply to Latinos, but is it too little too late?
Cristóbal Alex, Biden’s senior campaign adviser, and the former president of the Latino Victory Fund, said Latinos are “essential” to winning the White House.
Julián Castro, the only Latino candidate in the Democratic race. He dropped out early and threw his support behind Elizabeth Warren. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters
“We’ve brought in the A-team to ensure that we engage Latinos and compete for every single vote as we go into November,” he said. “That’s a very dramatic scale-up in staffing, and that’s also being reflected in the organizing at every level of the campaign. It’s an indication of just how seriously the campaign takes the Latino vote.”
Alex said it is understandable that in the midst of a national crisis, which he says has been made worse by Trump’s extraordinarily divisive presidency, many Latinos are not yet fully engaged in the election. But he is confident that will change.
Over the past several weeks, the campaign has significantly ramped up its outreach, touting a “culturally competent” advertising strategy that includes younger English speakers and older Spanish speakers.
In an effort to reflect the diversity of the Hispanic electorate, the campaign is “micro-targeting” Latinos by region and ethnicity. For example, the narrator in an ad running in Arizona has a Mexican accent, while the same ad running in Miami features a narrator with a Cuban accent. But some say, as a strategy, it needs more fine tuning.
Federico de Jesus, a Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign spokesperson, said: “It’s the start of something that should evolve, not just translating the ads, [but also] targeting issues. The VP has talked about giving TPS to Venezuelans, it would be great if they had that in an ad.”
The temporary protected status (TPS) government program is designed to prevent foreign nationals from being deported back to countries facing threatening conditions such as civil unrest or the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster.
Microtargeting with accents is a “necessary” principle of outreach, said De Jesus, and has been used since Obama’s 2008 run to the White House. But more cultural nuances need to be included now, De Jesus said. He pointed at a successful ad by the Trump campaign after liberals began to boycott Goya, the canned food brand, citing its impressive depth and authenticity.
“Its content was reprehensible, but it used a specific slang that a millennial Puerto Rican woman would use. So it’s not just the accent or the policy, but the words and the music,” said De Jesus.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is due to speak at the Democratic national convention this week, fresh from being a member of the Biden-Sanders policy taskforce created after the primary in an effort to unify the party against Trump. Sanders, Michael Bloomberg and Andrew Yang will speak, too, but as of Friday, Julián Castro had not been scheduled.
And with the stakes so high, the latest ad from the group America’s Progressive Promise is narrated by Sanders, who says: “Every person who voted for me or the other candidates … understands that Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in the history of our country.”
“It’s absolutely imperative that we come together and defeat him, and defeat him badly.”
The spot concludes by declaring that Biden would be “the most progressive president since FDR”.


theguardian--2020-08-16--End of an era: has coronavirus killed the political convention for good?

There won ’ t be any huge balloon drops at the Democratic or Republican party conventions this year .
Presidential candidates will not get the chance to accept their nominations in front of massive , cheering crowds .
Political reporters and strategists will not descend on a carefully selected American city to kick off the final stretch of the 2020 presidential election .
And some in Washington say those changes may be for the best .
The coronavirus pandemic has upended plans for both nominating conventions , which will unfold over the next two weeks – Democrats first , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Joe Biden – will deliver their acceptance speeches remotely , and attendance at the two conventions has been sharply restricted .
About 50,000 people attended each convention in 2016 , a mere fraction of that number are expected to this year .
Rather than mourning the loss of the in-person convention , some commentators have suggested that the unique nature of this year ’ s events may represent an opportunity to re-evaluate an outdated tradition .
But leaders of both parties insist the conventions still serve a vital purpose of informing voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While the conventions have been held since 1831 , they have become increasingly anticlimactic in recent decades .
No convention has gone to a second ballot since 1952 , and the last legitimate , although unsuccessful , effort to seize the nomination at a convention took place in 1980 .
“ [ Conventions ] really began in the antebellum period in the 19th century as an opportunity for party leaders and party operatives to come together and debate platforms , ” said Kathryn Brownell , a history professor at Purdue University and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in American Politics .
Now , a convention mainly serves as a party ’ s stamp of approval on its already-chosen nominee .
The four days of events have turned into an intricately coordinated infomercial for each party ’ s nominee , featuring a lineup of speeches from longtime lawmakers and rising stars .
“ Once you have the introduction of the more open primary process to select the candidates , the conventions then become about presenting a more unified party to the American public and more about what they ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Brownell said .
Those shifting dynamics have translated into decreasing interest , at least among television networks .
The days of “ gavel-to-gavel ” coverage are long gone , and networks in recent years have instead devoted just one hour of primetime coverage to the conventions each night .
In an editorial published earlier this month , the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ’ s editorial board argued the conventions had devolved into a “ half-hearted spectacle of too many dull speeches and too many TV talking-heads spouting repetitive gossip and gibberish ” .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bit sad to lose the tradition of the political convention .
But , in truth , it died , like the dodo , long ago.
” Despite that waning interest , party leaders push back against claims that conventions are relics of a bygone political era .
“ I think there ’ s still a remarkable importance to coming together in a city , ” the Democratic National Committee chairman , Tom Perez , said last week .
“ I think there ’ s a lot of value in that.
” For the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ value .
The 2016 conventions generated roughly $ 200m in revenue for Cleveland and Philadelphia , but this year ’ s host cities – Charlotte and Milwaukee – will not see the same bump now that the events are mostly virtual .
Perez also argued the traditional convention represented an invaluable opportunity for party members to gather and discuss their priorities .
“ There is often no substitute for that interaction that you get and the learning that you do , ” Perez said .
That sentiment was echoed by political strategists on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of whom said they expected the conventions to return to their traditional format once it was safe to host large events .
“ That ’ s the kind of kinetic energy that is untranslatable .
You ’ ve got to be in the room .
You ’ ve got to feel that , ” said Michael Steele , the former chairman of the Republican National Committee .
“ It sets up the shockwave the nominee wants to send out to the country.
” Steele and others said there was no replacement for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to thousands of cheering fans .
Democrats in particular are losing the opportunity to celebrate California senator Kamala Harris ’ historic achievement , as she becomes the first Black woman and first Asian American to join a major party ’ s presidential ticket .
“ We ’ re all lamenting that that moment in history will not be captured in the traditional convention stage way , ” said Leah Daughtry , who ran the 2008 and 2016 Democratic conventions .
Both Daughtry and Henry Barbour , Mississippi ’ s national committeeman to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow delegates , who represent some of the most ardent members of each party , to come together for training and networking .
“ The opportunity for the grassroots workers to go to a national convention and be around people who share their passion and love of politics is important , ” Barbour said .
“ It serves as a great reward to the workers in the party.
” Barbour is one of just 336 delegates who will still convene in Charlotte to formally nominate Trump , and he is missing the convention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s just not going to have the impact that 2016 and other years have had , and so I think we ’ ll get back to that , ” Barbour said .
However , even if in-person conventions return in 2024 , this year could still represent an opportunity to reconsider how they are held .
Democrats , for example , are allowing virtual delegate voting for the first time , which could expand participation in future conventions as well .
Daughtry , who virtually cast her delegate vote for Biden last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ My prediction is that they will be one or two days , not four , because the business of the convention can really be accomplished in just a few hours , ” Daughtry said .
Steele was similarly open to shorter conventions , and he argued that social media could help make the events feel less scripted .
“ I ’ m watching to see how social media generates and creates that spontaneity or brings some of that back in future convention settings , ” Steele said .
“ Because you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeting from the floor.
” Despite some calls to end the political tradition , Steele expressed optimism that the parties could find ways to resurrect the interest sparked by earlier conventions .
“ They ’ re boring , but they are necessary , ” Steele said .
“ I don ’ t think they need to be necessarily boring .
”

There won’t be any huge balloon drops at the Democratic or Republican party conventions this year. Presidential candidates will not get the chance to accept their nominations in front of massive, cheering crowds. Political reporters and strategists will not descend on a carefully selected American city to kick off the final stretch of the 2020 presidential election.
And some in Washington say those changes may be for the best.
The coronavirus pandemic has upended plans for both nominating conventions, which will unfold over the next two weeks – Democrats first, then Republicans. Both nominees – Donald Trump and Joe Biden – will deliver their acceptance speeches remotely, and attendance at the two conventions has been sharply restricted. About 50,000 people attended each convention in 2016, a mere fraction of that number are expected to this year.
Rather than mourning the loss of the in-person convention, some commentators have suggested that the unique nature of this year’s events may represent an opportunity to re-evaluate an outdated tradition. But leaders of both parties insist the conventions still serve a vital purpose of informing voters about the presidential nominees and their platforms.
While the conventions have been held since 1831, they have become increasingly anticlimactic in recent decades. No convention has gone to a second ballot since 1952, and the last legitimate, although unsuccessful, effort to seize the nomination at a convention took place in 1980.
“[Conventions] really began in the antebellum period in the 19th century as an opportunity for party leaders and party operatives to come together and debate platforms,” said Kathryn Brownell, a history professor at Purdue University and the author of Showbiz Politics: Hollywood in American Politics.
Now, a convention mainly serves as a party’s stamp of approval on its already-chosen nominee. The four days of events have turned into an intricately coordinated infomercial for each party’s nominee, featuring a lineup of speeches from longtime lawmakers and rising stars.
“Once you have the introduction of the more open primary process to select the candidates, the conventions then become about presenting a more unified party to the American public and more about what they’re going to stand for in the election,” Brownell said.
Those shifting dynamics have translated into decreasing interest, at least among television networks. The days of “gavel-to-gavel” coverage are long gone, and networks in recent years have instead devoted just one hour of primetime coverage to the conventions each night.
In an editorial published earlier this month, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s editorial board argued the conventions had devolved into a “half-hearted spectacle of too many dull speeches and too many TV talking-heads spouting repetitive gossip and gibberish”.
The board wrote: “It is a bit sad to lose the tradition of the political convention. But, in truth, it died, like the dodo, long ago.”
Hillary Clinton hugs Barack Obama at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia in July 2016. Photograph: Jim Young/Reuters
Despite that waning interest, party leaders push back against claims that conventions are relics of a bygone political era. “I think there’s still a remarkable importance to coming together in a city,” the Democratic National Committee chairman, Tom Perez, said last week. “I think there’s a lot of value in that.”
For the host cities themselves, there is economic value. The 2016 conventions generated roughly $200m in revenue for Cleveland and Philadelphia, but this year’s host cities – Charlotte and Milwaukee – will not see the same bump now that the events are mostly virtual.
Perez also argued the traditional convention represented an invaluable opportunity for party members to gather and discuss their priorities. “There is often no substitute for that interaction that you get and the learning that you do,” Perez said.
That sentiment was echoed by political strategists on both sides of the aisle, several of whom said they expected the conventions to return to their traditional format once it was safe to host large events.
“That’s the kind of kinetic energy that is untranslatable. You’ve got to be in the room. You’ve got to feel that,” said Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee. “It sets up the shockwave the nominee wants to send out to the country.”
Steele and others said there was no replacement for the excitement of nominees delivering their acceptance speeches to thousands of cheering fans. Democrats in particular are losing the opportunity to celebrate California senator Kamala Harris’ historic achievement, as she becomes the first Black woman and first Asian American to join a major party’s presidential ticket.
“We’re all lamenting that that moment in history will not be captured in the traditional convention stage way,” said Leah Daughtry, who ran the 2008 and 2016 Democratic conventions.
Both Daughtry and Henry Barbour, Mississippi’s national committeeman to the RNC, also noted that the conventions allow delegates, who represent some of the most ardent members of each party, to come together for training and networking.
“The opportunity for the grassroots workers to go to a national convention and be around people who share their passion and love of politics is important,” Barbour said. “It serves as a great reward to the workers in the party.”
Barbour is one of just 336 delegates who will still convene in Charlotte to formally nominate Trump, and he is missing the convention hoopla of past years. “It’s just not going to have the impact that 2016 and other years have had, and so I think we’ll get back to that,” Barbour said.
However, even if in-person conventions return in 2024, this year could still represent an opportunity to reconsider how they are held. Democrats, for example, are allowing virtual delegate voting for the first time, which could expand participation in future conventions as well.
Daughtry, who virtually cast her delegate vote for Biden last week, also suggested shortening conventions. “My prediction is that they will be one or two days, not four, because the business of the convention can really be accomplished in just a few hours,” Daughtry said.
Steele was similarly open to shorter conventions, and he argued that social media could help make the events feel less scripted. “I’m watching to see how social media generates and creates that spontaneity or brings some of that back in future convention settings,” Steele said. “Because you can’t control what someone’s tweeting from the floor.”
Despite some calls to end the political tradition, Steele expressed optimism that the parties could find ways to resurrect the interest sparked by earlier conventions. “They’re boring, but they are necessary,” Steele said. “I don’t think they need to be necessarily boring.”


theguardian--2020-08-16--Mike Pence shows his worth by reaching the parts Trump cannot

Two green tractors were mounted on the podium .
Beneath “ Farmers & Ranchers for Trump ” signs , the seated audience wore “ Trump 2020 ” campaign regalia .
They warmed up with The Best , YMCA and other songs familiar from Donald Trump ’ s campaign rallies .
But when the headline speaker walked out at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines , it was not the US president .
Instead his deputy , Mike Pence , wearing an open-collar red checked shirt under his suit jacket , took centre stage and let rip against his new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California .
“ Senator Harris said she would change the dietary guidelines in this country to reduce the amount of red meat Americans can eat , ” Pence said , eliciting boos .
“ Well , I ’ ve got some red meat for you .
We ’ re not going to let Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cut America ’ s meat !
” Pence was a crucial bridge to Republicans sceptical of Trump in 2016 .
With the president enduring miserable poll numbers and starved of the political oxygen of blockbuster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bigger role than ever to play in shoring up his boss ’ s socially conservative base – especially white Christian evangelicals , some of whom find their trust in Trump wearing thin .
Pence , 61 , has been clocking up air miles to swing states , speaking to gatherings of supporters and blurring the line between governing and election campaigning .
In Florida he spoke at a Baptist church about “ the importance of life ” , pushing a hardline anti-abortion message , and toured a pregnancy centre with his daughter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headlined a “ Cops for Trump ” event and “ Latter-day Saints for Trump ” coalition launch in Arizona , while his wife , Karen , visited a “ military spouse owned business ” in Charlotte , North Carolina , to highlight the cause of suicide prevention .
Pence has also been on air , defending the president and scoring partisan points .
On Fox News he blamed some of New York ’ s pandemic death toll on “ poor decisions ” by the state ’ s Democratic governor , Andrew Cuomo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said the supreme court chief justice , John Roberts , had been “ a disappointment to conservatives ” .
Trump , meanwhile , has been mostly trapped inside the gilded cage of the White House , delivering press briefings in the dog days of summer that have prompted critics to suggest his heart is not in it .
Journalist Brian Karem tweeted about one : “ Today I saw a man with low energy , befuddled and lumbering.
” Michael D ’ Antonio , a political author and commentator , said : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because he is a vaudevillian and if he can ’ t perform , what does he do ?
He ’ s such a good showman that it must be killing him to not be out on the campaign trail.
” In a sign of the frustration , the Trump campaign on Friday announced that the president will stage “ mini-rallies ” in Minnesota , Wisconsin and Arizona as counter-programming to next week ’ s Democratic national convention .
But Pence will also head to Wisconsin on Wednesday , drawing a pointed contrast with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acceptance speech there as originally planned .
Pence is expected to continue plugging away in his effort to keep wavering conservatives in line , reminding them that Trump is fundamentally reshaping the federal judiciary with more than 200 appointments so far .
And whereas the president ’ s photo op with a Bible outside a historic Washington DC church in June struck some evangelicals as a crude parody of their faith , Pence – whose trademark line is “ I ’ m a Christian , a conservative and a Republican , in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authentic .
Mike Murphy , a Republican fundraiser and businessman in Pence ’ s home state of Indiana , said : “ He ’ s still a darling of the evangelical community .
The good thing about Pence is that he not only thinks like them but he lives like them .
He ’ s not Trump and I think that ’ s one of the reasons that he provides some value to Trump.
” Pence helps focus minds not on what Trump says , including his fumbling attempts to quote the Bible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Murphy added : “ To the extent that Pence can get out to the right crowds and remind them of the things that Trump has done that have been good for evangelicals , like the conservative judicial appointments , then he just doubles Trump ’ s reach .
“ He doubles the positive media attention , particularly in the midwest and in some of the battleground states , certainly ones like Ohio and Florida .
So I think he ’ s a definite attribute that appeals to a part of the Republican base @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeal to.
” A former talk radio host and Indiana governor , Pence will come face to face with Harris in a vice-presidential debate in Salt Lake City , Utah , on 7 October .
In Arizona this week , Pence said : “ So my message to the Democratic nominee for vice-president : congratulations .
I ’ ll see you in Salt Lake City !
” Murphy said : “ You probably couldn ’ t have a more stark contrast between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence .
I assume that she will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he ’ ll be extremely well prepared and calm .
Very few people know that Mike Pence was a national debating champion in college and he will not be intimidated .
“ He ’ s not going to attack her personally or call her names or anything like that because that ’ s not what he does .
But he will be formidable and anybody who thinks he ’ ll be a pushover , because people like to think he ’ s a sycophant for Trump , will be surprised at his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many observers are relishing the prospect of Harris , a legal prosecutor who has grilled Trump allies during congressional hearings , putting Pence to the sword .
D ’ Antonio , whose books include The Shadow President : The Truth About Mike Pence and The Hunting of Hillary : The Forty-Year Campaign to Destroy Hillary Clinton , said : “ There ’ s part of me that wants to say that she would eat Pence alive at the debate .
She ’ s so much better-read and more experienced and more commanding as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the gender issue to navigate .
“ To me , she seems far more presidential than Mike .
If you were to look at her and say , who could take over , I think people would have much more confidence in her .
But I obviously can ’ t get into the head of the 35 % of people who are locked into Trump and never will be dislodged .
It ’ s an amazing thing how people are so committed to him .
There ’ s nothing he can do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also chair of the White House coronavirus taskforce .
This week he led a discussion with state governors and joined Trump in an event focused on reopening schools .
Yet with the US death toll above 160,000 and cases topping 5m , he has somehow avoided becoming a lightning rod for criticism and remains in contention for the Republican nomination in 2024 .
D ’ Antonio added : “ He ’ s really good at leaving the room at the right moment and very good at not being noticed .
You ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to survive with Trump this long , he has got to have incredible antennae .
His profile is perfect for Trump ’ s need right now and I think that Trump would pay a price for dumping him .
So the two of them can ’ t afford a divorce and I ’ m sure there ’ s a lot of thought being given to how to use Mike most effectively .
”

Two green tractors were mounted on the podium. Beneath “Farmers & Ranchers for Trump” signs, the seated audience wore “Trump 2020” campaign regalia. They warmed up with The Best, YMCA and other songs familiar from Donald Trump’s campaign rallies.
But when the headline speaker walked out at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, it was not the US president. Instead his deputy, Mike Pence, wearing an open-collar red checked shirt under his suit jacket, took centre stage and let rip against his new Democratic opposite number, Kamala Harris of California.
“Senator Harris said she would change the dietary guidelines in this country to reduce the amount of red meat Americans can eat,” Pence said, eliciting boos. “Well, I’ve got some red meat for you. We’re not going to let Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cut America’s meat!”
Pence was a crucial bridge to Republicans sceptical of Trump in 2016. With the president enduring miserable poll numbers and starved of the political oxygen of blockbuster campaign rallies, he now arguably has a bigger role than ever to play in shoring up his boss’s socially conservative base – especially white Christian evangelicals, some of whom find their trust in Trump wearing thin.
Pence, 61, has been clocking up air miles to swing states, speaking to gatherings of supporters and blurring the line between governing and election campaigning. In Florida he spoke at a Baptist church about “the importance of life”, pushing a hardline anti-abortion message, and toured a pregnancy centre with his daughter, Charlotte.
Earlier this week he headlined a “Cops for Trump” event and “Latter-day Saints for Trump” coalition launch in Arizona, while his wife, Karen, visited a “military spouse owned business” in Charlotte, North Carolina, to highlight the cause of suicide prevention.
Pence has also been on air, defending the president and scoring partisan points. On Fox News he blamed some of New York’s pandemic death toll on “poor decisions” by the state’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, while on the Christian Broadcasting Network, he said the supreme court chief justice, John Roberts, had been “a disappointment to conservatives”.
Pence will be tasked with reminding evangelical waverers of what Trump has done for them, such as his reshaping of the federal judiciary. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Trump, meanwhile, has been mostly trapped inside the gilded cage of the White House, delivering press briefings in the dog days of summer that have prompted critics to suggest his heart is not in it. Journalist Brian Karem tweeted about one: “Today I saw a man with low energy, befuddled and lumbering.”
Michael D’Antonio, a political author and commentator, said: “The rallies are a big loss because he is a vaudevillian and if he can’t perform, what does he do? He’s such a good showman that it must be killing him to not be out on the campaign trail.”
In a sign of the frustration, the Trump campaign on Friday announced that the president will stage “mini-rallies” in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Arizona as counter-programming to next week’s Democratic national convention. But Pence will also head to Wisconsin on Wednesday, drawing a pointed contrast with Biden, who decided against delivering his acceptance speech there as originally planned.
Pence is expected to continue plugging away in his effort to keep wavering conservatives in line, reminding them that Trump is fundamentally reshaping the federal judiciary with more than 200 appointments so far. And whereas the president’s photo op with a Bible outside a historic Washington DC church in June struck some evangelicals as a crude parody of their faith, Pence – whose trademark line is “I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order,” – is perceived as authentic.
Mike Murphy, a Republican fundraiser and businessman in Pence’s home state of Indiana, said: “He’s still a darling of the evangelical community. The good thing about Pence is that he not only thinks like them but he lives like them. He’s not Trump and I think that’s one of the reasons that he provides some value to Trump.”
Pence helps focus minds not on what Trump says, including his fumbling attempts to quote the Bible, but on what he does. Murphy added: “To the extent that Pence can get out to the right crowds and remind them of the things that Trump has done that have been good for evangelicals, like the conservative judicial appointments, then he just doubles Trump’s reach.
“He doubles the positive media attention, particularly in the midwest and in some of the battleground states, certainly ones like Ohio and Florida. So I think he’s a definite attribute that appeals to a part of the Republican base that maybe Trump doesn’t always appeal to.”
A former talk radio host and Indiana governor, Pence will come face to face with Harris in a vice-presidential debate in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 7 October. In Arizona this week, Pence said: “So my message to the Democratic nominee for vice-president: congratulations. I’ll see you in Salt Lake City!”
Murphy said: “You probably couldn’t have a more stark contrast between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence. I assume that she will attack him for being pro-life and anti-woman but he’ll be extremely well prepared and calm. Very few people know that Mike Pence was a national debating champion in college and he will not be intimidated.
“He’s not going to attack her personally or call her names or anything like that because that’s not what he does. But he will be formidable and anybody who thinks he’ll be a pushover, because people like to think he’s a sycophant for Trump, will be surprised at his abilities as a debater.”
Pence is chair of the White House coronavirus taskforce but has somehow avoided becoming a lightning rod for criticism of the government’s slapdash response. Photograph: Gerry Broome/AP
Nevertheless, many observers are relishing the prospect of Harris, a legal prosecutor who has grilled Trump allies during congressional hearings, putting Pence to the sword.
D’Antonio, whose books include The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence and The Hunting of Hillary: The Forty-Year Campaign to Destroy Hillary Clinton, said: “There’s part of me that wants to say that she would eat Pence alive at the debate. She’s so much better-read and more experienced and more commanding as a personality, but she’ll have the gender issue to navigate.
“To me, she seems far more presidential than Mike. If you were to look at her and say, who could take over, I think people would have much more confidence in her. But I obviously can’t get into the head of the 35% of people who are locked into Trump and never will be dislodged. It’s an amazing thing how people are so committed to him. There’s nothing he can do that would shake them loose.”
Pence is also chair of the White House coronavirus taskforce. This week he led a discussion with state governors and joined Trump in an event focused on reopening schools. Yet with the US death toll above 160,000 and cases topping 5m, he has somehow avoided becoming a lightning rod for criticism and remains in contention for the Republican nomination in 2024.
D’Antonio added: “He’s really good at leaving the room at the right moment and very good at not being noticed. You’ve got to think, for someone to survive with Trump this long, he has got to have incredible antennae. His profile is perfect for Trump’s need right now and I think that Trump would pay a price for dumping him. So the two of them can’t afford a divorce and I’m sure there’s a lot of thought being given to how to use Mike most effectively.”


theguardian--2020-08-16--Can we have a conversation about Kamala Harris's ideas? | Kenan Malik

So , who is Kamala Harris , Joe Biden ’ s pick for US vice-president ?
No , not what does Harris believe , or what are her policies , or what is her record ?
Rather , the debate is about her identity .
Harris was born in Oakland , California .
Her father is Jamaican , her mother Indian .
For the right , that raises question about whether she is really American .
For many on the left , it ’ s a question of whether she is black or African American or Asian American .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ really ” American , a conspiracy theory that Donald Trump did much to promote .
Now he has raised the same question about Harris , after Newsweek published a tortuous article by conservative law professor John Eastman , querying Harris ’ s eligibility to run .
No one doubts she was born in America , but the fact that her parents were immigrants has allowed conspiracy-mongers to question her Americanness .
This has nothing to do with the facts or US law and everything to do with racialised notions of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there is a fierce debate on the left over Harris ’ s racial identity .
She defines herself as “ black ” .
Many use “ black ” and “ African American ” interchangeably but don ’ t consider Harris “ African American ” because she does not have an American slave background .
Some Indian commentators have claimed that racism has led to her not being perceived as “ Asian American ” .
Kamala Harris is a case study in the banality and futility of identity labels .
Not only can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality , but the insistence that everyone must be placed in an identity box eases the way for those peddling reactionary claims about belonging .
Perhaps some day we can start debating her beliefs and policies ?

So, who is Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s pick for US vice-president? No, not what does Harris believe, or what are her policies, or what is her record? Rather, the debate is about her identity.
Harris was born in Oakland, California. Her father is Jamaican, her mother Indian. For the right, that raises question about whether she is really American. For many on the left, it’s a question of whether she is black or African American or Asian American.
For years, conservatives questioned whether Barack Obama was “really” American, a conspiracy theory that Donald Trump did much to promote. Now he has raised the same question about Harris, after Newsweek published a tortuous article by conservative law professor John Eastman, querying Harris’s eligibility to run.
No one doubts she was born in America, but the fact that her parents were immigrants has allowed conspiracy-mongers to question her Americanness. This has nothing to do with the facts or US law and everything to do with racialised notions of what it is to be American.
Meanwhile, there is a fierce debate on the left over Harris’s racial identity. She defines herself as “black”. Many use “black” and “African American” interchangeably but don’t consider Harris “African American” because she does not have an American slave background. Some Indian commentators have claimed that racism has led to her not being perceived as “Asian American”.
Kamala Harris is a case study in the banality and futility of identity labels. Not only can such labels not comprehend the messiness of reality, but the insistence that everyone must be placed in an identity box eases the way for those peddling reactionary claims about belonging.
Perhaps some day we can start debating her beliefs and policies?


theguardian--2020-08-16--US voters can replace a party that knows how to fight with one that knows how to govern | Robert Rei

US voters can replace a party that knows how to fight with one that knows how to govern | Robert Reich

As America heads into its quadrennial circus of nominating conventions ( this year ’ s even more surreal because of the pandemic ) , it ’ s important to understand the real difference between America ’ s two political parties at this point in history .
Instead of “ left ” versus “ right ” , think of two different core competences .
The Democratic party is basically a governing party , organized around developing and implementing public policies .
The Republican party has become an attack party , organized around developing and implementing political vitriol .
Democrats legislate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ requires both capacities – to govern , but also to fight to attain and retain power .
The dysfunction today is that Republicans can ’ t govern and Democrats can ’ t fight .
Donald Trump is the culmination of a half-century of Republican belligerence .
Richard Nixon ’ s “ dirty tricks ” were followed by Republican operative Lee Atwater ’ s smear tactics , Newt Gingrich ’ s take-no-prisoners reign as House speaker , the “ Swift-boating ” of John Kerry , and the Republicans ’ increasingly blatant uses of racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rural base .
Atwater , trained in the southern swamp of the modern Republican party , once noted : “ Republicans in the south could not win elections by talking about issues .
You had to make the case that the other guy , the other candidate , is a bad guy.
” Over time , the GOP ’ s core competence came to be vilification .
The stars of today ’ s Republican party , in addition to Trump , are all pugilists : Mitch McConnell , Lindsey Graham , Ted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ron DeSantis and Georgia ’ s Brian Kemp ; Fox News ’ s Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson ; and attack dogs like Rudolph Giuliani and Roger Stone .
But Republicans don ’ t have a clue how to govern .
They ’ re hopeless at developing and implementing public policies or managing government .
They can ’ t even agree on basics like how to respond to the pandemic or what to replace Obamacare with .
Meanwhile , the central competence of the Democratic party is running government – designing policies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Democrats spend countless hours cobbling together legislative and regulatory initiatives .
They overflow with economic and policy advisers , programs , plans and goals .
But Democrats are lousy at bare-knuckles political fighting .
Their presidential campaigns proffer policies but are often devoid of passion .
Hillary Clinton ’ s 2016 presidential bid was little more than a long list of detailed proposals .
Democrats seem stunned when their Republican opponents pillory them with lies , rage and ad hominem attacks .
This has put Democrats at a competitive disadvantage .
Political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platforms , but today ’ s electorate is angrier and more cynical .
Policy ideas rarely make headlines ; conflict does .
Social media favor explosive revelations , including bald lies .
No one remembers Hillary Clinton ’ s policy ideas from 2016 ; they only remember Trump ’ s attacks on her emails .
As a result , the party that ’ s mainly good at attacking has been winning elections – and pushed into governing , which it ’ s bad at .
In 2016 , the Republicans won the presidency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress and most governorships .
On the other hand , the party that ’ s mainly good at governing has been losing elections – pushed into the role of opposition and attack , which it ’ s bad at .
( The House speaker , Nancy Pelosi , however , seems to have a natural gift for it . )
This dysfunction has become particularly obvious – and deadly – in the current national emergency .
Trump and Senate Republicans turned the pandemic and economic downturn into American catastrophes .
They have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for dealing with them .
Their kneejerk response is to attack – China , Democrats , public health officials , protesters , “ lazy ” people who won ’ t work .
Democrats know what to do – House Democrats passed a comprehensive coronavirus bill in May , and several Democratic governors have been enormously effective – but they ’ ve lacked power to put a national strategy into effect .
All this may change in a few months when Americans have an opportunity to replace the party that ’ s bad at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good at it .
After all , Joe Biden has been at it for most of the past half-century .
Trump and the Republican party will pull out all the stops , of course .
They ’ ve already started mindless , smarmy attacks .
That ’ s what they know how to do .
The big question hovering over the election is whether Democrats can summon enough fight to win against the predictable barrage .
Biden ’ s choice of running mate , Kamala Harris , bodes well in this regard .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she ’ s a fierce fighter .

As America heads into its quadrennial circus of nominating conventions (this year’s even more surreal because of the pandemic), it’s important to understand the real difference between America’s two political parties at this point in history.
Instead of “left” versus “right”, think of two different core competences.
The Democratic party is basically a governing party, organized around developing and implementing public policies. The Republican party has become an attack party, organized around developing and implementing political vitriol. Democrats legislate. Republicans fulminate.
In theory, politics requires both capacities – to govern, but also to fight to attain and retain power. The dysfunction today is that Republicans can’t govern and Democrats can’t fight.
Donald Trump is the culmination of a half-century of Republican belligerence. Richard Nixon’s “dirty tricks” were followed by Republican operative Lee Atwater’s smear tactics, Newt Gingrich’s take-no-prisoners reign as House speaker, the “Swift-boating” of John Kerry, and the Republicans’ increasingly blatant uses of racism and xenophobia to build an overwhelmingly white, rural base.
Atwater, trained in the southern swamp of the modern Republican party, once noted: “Republicans in the south could not win elections by talking about issues. You had to make the case that the other guy, the other candidate, is a bad guy.” Over time, the GOP’s core competence came to be vilification.
The stars of today’s Republican party, in addition to Trump, are all pugilists: Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio; Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Georgia’s Brian Kemp; Fox News’s Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson; and attack dogs like Rudolph Giuliani and Roger Stone.
But Republicans don’t have a clue how to govern. They’re hopeless at developing and implementing public policies or managing government. They can’t even agree on basics like how to respond to the pandemic or what to replace Obamacare with.
Meanwhile, the central competence of the Democratic party is running government – designing policies and managing the system. Once in office, Democrats spend countless hours cobbling together legislative and regulatory initiatives. They overflow with economic and policy advisers, programs, plans and goals.
But Democrats are lousy at bare-knuckles political fighting. Their presidential campaigns proffer policies but are often devoid of passion. Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid was little more than a long list of detailed proposals. Democrats seem stunned when their Republican opponents pillory them with lies, rage and ad hominem attacks.
This has put Democrats at a competitive disadvantage. Political campaigns might once have been about party platforms, but today’s electorate is angrier and more cynical. Policy ideas rarely make headlines; conflict does. Social media favor explosive revelations, including bald lies. No one remembers Hillary Clinton’s policy ideas from 2016; they only remember Trump’s attacks on her emails.
As a result, the party that’s mainly good at attacking has been winning elections – and pushed into governing, which it’s bad at. In 2016, the Republicans won the presidency, along with control over both chambers of Congress and most governorships. On the other hand, the party that’s mainly good at governing has been losing elections – pushed into the role of opposition and attack, which it’s bad at. (The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, however, seems to have a natural gift for it.)
Democrats know what to do about coronavirus but they’ve lacked power to put a national strategy into effect
This dysfunction has become particularly obvious – and deadly – in the current national emergency. Trump and Senate Republicans turned the pandemic and economic downturn into American catastrophes. They have no capacity to develop and implement strategies for dealing with them. Their kneejerk response is to attack – China, Democrats, public health officials, protesters, “lazy” people who won’t work.
Democrats know what to do – House Democrats passed a comprehensive coronavirus bill in May, and several Democratic governors have been enormously effective – but they’ve lacked power to put a national strategy into effect.
All this may change in a few months when Americans have an opportunity to replace the party that’s bad at governing with the one that’s good at it. After all, Joe Biden has been at it for most of the past half-century.
Trump and the Republican party will pull out all the stops, of course. They’ve already started mindless, smarmy attacks. That’s what they know how to do.
The big question hovering over the election is whether Democrats can summon enough fight to win against the predictable barrage. Biden’s choice of running mate, Kamala Harris, bodes well in this regard. Quite apart from all her other attributes, she’s a fierce fighter.