The Far-Right Wolves Are Still Circling While The Biden Saga Drags On

Posted on by David Kurtz

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

The March Toward Extremism Continues

As I explain below, today is shaping up to be another long day for President Biden and the White House as they attempt to ride out the chorus of calls from within his own party for him to end his re-election bid. We may have a better read by this evening on whether the dynamics of the past two weeks have substantively changed.

In the meantime, Donald Trump and the Republican Party have mostly taken a half-step back and out of the glare of the spotlight to allow the Biden turmoil to bubble and stew. No reason to interrupt the dynamic that is throttling your opponent’s campaign. But the entire far-right apparatus is continuing to position itself for what looks like an increasingly likely win in the fall, and maybe a big one.

The momentum that the far-right forces would have coming off a landslide win that would give them the White House, Senate, and House would be staggering. I’m not predicting outcomes here. But the wolves are circling closer, and the present picture of our politics is sobering.

A few examples from this week that you might have missed:

  • Wannabe American strongman Donald Trump is expected to meet at Mar-a-Lago today with Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán, who is coming from the NATO summit in Washington. Orbán, the newly minted president of the European Union (a rotating position) is fresh off a meeting last week with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. Doesn’t take much to read between the lines there.
  • Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) openly trumpeted and embraced Christian nationalism during an appearance at the National Conservatism Conference:
  • The chairman of the Alabama Republican Party declared in a radio interview that democracy somehow leads to socialism, and cast it as a giant conspiracy: “The mainstream media wants us to think of ourselves as a democracy because that leads to socialism.”
  • TPM’s Khaya Himmelman: Big Lie-Pilled Officials Are Now In Charge Of Election Admin In Counties Across The U.S.

Biden Death Watch, Day Infinity

I’m snarking a bit with that subhed, but the day ahead is a looking like a rough one for Biden, with the bulk of the news coverage built around two key events, neither of which seems likely even in the best-case scenario to be able to rescue him but both of which could further doom him.

  • Noon ET: The Biden trio of Steve Ricchetti, Mike Donilon and Jen O’Malley Dillon are scheduled to meet with Democratic senators at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to reassure them that Biden has a viable path to victory against Trump. So far, only one Democratic senator has defected. This meeting seems intended as a bulwark against further defections.
  • 5:30 p.m. ET: Biden gives a solo White House press conference that runs the risk of devolving into a proof-of-life hostage video. Every stutter, stumble, malapropism, misstep, and gaffe will be dramatically inflated in the current atmosphere. The other real risk is that even if he doesn’t flub his lines or repeat any of the worst of his debate performance, the press conference could end up focused on whether he will stay or go, whether he can win, why Democrats should keep him, why so many have already defected, etc. It would be a difficult performance to pull off under the best of circumstances. These are not the best of circumstances.

Going into the day with these set-piece events is the kind of thing White Houses often engineer for their own advantage. But today feels more like a made-for-TV set-up forced on the Biden White House amid all the demands for Biden to come out swinging, look capable, and overcome the doubts about his vigor and resilience by demonstrating a lot of vigor and resilience.

Other Biden Developments …

  • Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) became the first Senate Democrat to call for President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, penning a WaPo op-ed to that effect.
  • Longtime Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who himself is not running for re-election, became the ninth House Democrat to call for President Biden to end his candidacy. Here’s a tally of which Democrats in Congress have weighed in so far.
  • Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) didn’t do President Biden any favors, with a muddled message in a TV appearance that said he needs to decide soon. Of course, Biden has made it abundantly clear that he has decided … to stay in the race.
  • The WaPo takes a look at the mechanics of Biden withdrawing his candidacy before the Democratic convention versus after. It’s a big difference.

Deep Dive

Tim Alberta embedded himself with the Trump campaign brain trust and has a close look at their strategy, reaction to the Biden debate meltdown, and the electoral map.

How Trump Played The Media On Abortion

Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby on the flawed coverage of the new Republican Party platform.

Supreme Court Watch

We’re still picking through the debris of the just-finished term, and mapping the way ahead to some future high court reforms:

  • TPM’s Kate Riga: Often In Dissent, Sometimes Alone, Ketanji Brown Jackson Lays Out Progressive Vision For The Court
  • Kevin Kruse offers a historical corrective on what really happened with FDR’s court-packing effort and what it suggests and doesn’t suggest about court reforms today.

Rudy G’s Bankruptcy Looks Poised To Be Dismissed

A ruling is expected Friday that would dismiss Rudy Giuliani’s Chapter 11 filing and strip him of the bankruptcy protections that have kept Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss (and other creditors) from collecting on the debts he owes them.

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Someone Forgot To Give Hannity The Memo?

Posted on by Nicole LaFond

Ever since the 2022 midterm elections did not go as well as expected for Republicans, the party has been trying to pull a fast one on its voting base and convince them that the thing they just demonized — mail-in voting and ballot drop boxes — are actually a good thing; a thing that, specifically, Republican voters should take advantage of.

Continue reading “Someone Forgot To Give Hannity The Memo?” →

Notes from the Political Tornado

Posted on by Josh Marshall

When we collectively wrestle with a situation like the one Democrats are now grappling with, it is important to remember that multiple things can be true at once. I’ve spent most of the day thinking that Joe Biden has very much not ended this “drop out” question — which I kind of thought he had by Monday evening — and thinking that withdrawing in favor of Kamala Harris may be the least worst bad option available. But there are a couple dynamics I want to mention that are helpful to think about.

One issue I’ve written about is the disjuncture here between elite responses to this political tornado and the responses of ordinary voters. This turns out not to be specific enough. All of the information I’ve gotten on this is anecdotal. But some anecdotes are better and more valuable than others. It seems clear to me that quite a few ordinary Democratic voters want Biden to step aside. I’ve published some of their emails below. I really have no idea what the relative percentages are. But it’s certainly not like the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal where DC political elites rapidly developed an iron consensus that Clinton had to resign and then realized that there was an angry and large majority of regular Democrats saying absolutely f—king not.

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Readers Chime In #7

Posted on by Josh Marshall

A fairly vitriolic note from TPM Reader JD …

Just to be clear, I was absolutely on team Biden is the nominee and anything else is crazy before the debate. And I’ve tried to be measured in my emails since, but I’m kind of reaching my limit with the Ridin for Bidens. So this is for all the readers who think the solution is uniting behind Biden because of dominance politics or whatever: you cannot construct some facade of strength around a man who is so evidently, pitifully weak. Not in an election in a democracy where he has to actually appear in public. What do you think the rest of this campaign is going to be like after the Democrats fall in line? Just for starters, what do you think’s gonna happen with this next debate in September?

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Readers Chime in #6

Posted on by Josh Marshall

From TPM Reader WH …

I echo AO’s sentiment. While I agree with yesterday’s Morning Memo that the coverage has morphed into a feeding frenzy that’s lost sight of the bigger picture, the Biden team totally blew any chance they had at a reset following the debate. All of the endorsements and kumbayas came days late, and what we have seen lately feels insipid and clumsy. Leaning heavily upon the big group of Democratic voters that’s currently uneasy about Joe dropping out will not solidify the coalition, whereas the only remaining opportunity to get everybody on the same page isBiden himself making it clear that defeating Trump and his agenda is a collective priority that’s bigger than any individual. 

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Readers Chime in #3

Posted on by Josh Marshall

From TPM Reader BR …

I was hoping with AOC’s statement and the CBC backing Biden the other day we’d be converging on riding with Biden through the end.

I don’t care who the nominee is, I just want to win, and it made sense to me that Biden is it. In the last 24 hours a bunch of prominent Dems, elected and not, purposefully and not, undid the last week of progress towards that goal. That more than anything takes away my hope for the election. Biden stumbling didn’t bother me though it was his fault for creating this mess — he can, as he says, get back up — and as long as folks back him up and put in the work then we win.

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Readers Chime In #2

Posted on by Josh Marshall

From TPM Reader BK …

Josh, you and DK have expressed your concerns about the way the political press is covering Biden recently. 

I want to tell you that I am not reacting by way of anything Ezra Klein, or Paul Krugman, or Rob Reiner, or George Clooney or anyone else is saying. I feel certain about what I see with my own eyes: a fragile old man having trouble concentrating. I recognize that man because I too am old and I know what it feels like. I cannot take much hope from Biden’s comment that he will do his goodest, because I seriously doubt it will be goodest enough. 

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