Dear Progressive Reader,

President Joe Biden continues his two campaigns—the first to defeat Donald Trump in November, the second to convince his party, and Democratic voters, that he is the one that can do this job. On Friday, Biden traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, where he held a rally for a friendly crowd of about 300 supporters in a school gymnasium. A small group of protesters also gathered outside the school to decry Biden's continued military support for Israel in its war on Gaza.

As Emilio Leanza reports, “The Biden campaign, following the President’s disastrous debate performance last week, is desperate to persuade voters that he remains competent. But his ‘aggressive travel schedule’ through battleground states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, as well as a $50 million ad blitz, will likely not be enough to undo the damage done.”

After the speech, Biden went into the school’s library for an exclusive twenty-two minute interview with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos (who previously served as a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1993-1996). Stephanopoulos appeared at times to adopt the tone of a young relative gently speaking to an older adult about whether he should give up driving his car after having several accidents.

The interview was calculated by the Biden team to show the viewing audience that the sitting President was indeed fit for the job, but like the June 27 debate before it, the live interview may not have effectively performed that task. In addition to appearing to deny a growing mass of polling data and anecdotal evidence (“I don't-- I don't buy that,” Biden responded.), to my ear, the President failed in two important moments where he could have gained points. During the speech, Biden took time to praise the work of Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “the great Vice President of the United States.” Unfortunately, during the interview (and throughout much of his administration), he never mentioned her or her work.

The second, and perhaps most crucial omission was when Stephanopoulos asked “What's your plan to turn the campaign around?,” Biden should have had a multi-point reply prepped and ready. Instead, he simply responded: “You saw it today. How many—how many people draw crowds like I did today? Find me more enthusiastic than today? Huh?” Well, sadly, that is not a plan. Just as the Biden campaign continues to argue that one bad night in a debate does not outweigh a career of public service, so, too, they need to realize that one rally, to a friendly crowd of a few hundred, does not make a plan for definitive success over the coming 122 days.

Meanwhile, fears continue to mount over what a second Donald Trump presidency might mean. These fears were bolstered on Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision granting Trump (and other Presidents) a cloak of immunity. “Everything we thought we knew about checks and balances, the rule of law, liberal democracy, and limits on power has been thrown out the window,” writes Chris Edelson. The Court’s ruling was a vindication of Richard Nixon’s 1977 statement to interviewer David Frost, “When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal.” Meanwhile, as Eleanor Bader explains, groups across the country are hosting readings and performances of the 1936 anti-authoritarian Sinclair Lewis play It Can’t Happen Here in order to raise awareness of the potential threats. And, as John Thompson writes for our Public Schools Advocate project, “The mandate to place Bibles in classrooms [in Oklahoma] reflects a larger effort to undermine the rule of law.” All of this is particularly poignant in a week when the nation celebrates the 248th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, much of which railed against the assumed “divine right” of kings.

Elsewhere on our website this week, Jeff Abbott looks at the growing number of hurricanes and wildfires being caused by climate change in Latin America; Wenonah Hauter of Food and Water Watch opines on the corporate greed fueling the bird flu crisis; and professor of medicine Shervin Assari pens an op-ed on the need for a new path to true racial equity.

Please keep reading, and we will keep bringing you important articles on these and other issues of our time.

Sincerely,

Norman Stockwell
Publisher

P.S. – Don’t miss a minute of the “hidden history” of 2024 – you can still order The Progressive’s new Hidden History of the United States calendar for the coming year. NOW HALF PRICE – Just $7.50 plus $3.00 shipping. Just go to indiepublishers.shop, and while you are there, check out some of our other great offerings as well.

P.P.S. – If you like this newsletter, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to this free weekly email, please share this link: http://tiny.cc/ProgressiveNewsletter.

P.P.P.S. – If you don’t already subscribe to The Progressive in print or digital form, please consider doing so today. Also, if you have a friend or relative who you feel should hear from the many voices for progressive change within our pages, please consider giving a gift subscription.

P.P.P.P.S. – Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to support The Progressive! We need you now more than ever. If you have not done so already, please take a moment to support hard-hitting, independent reporting on issues that matter to you. Your donation today will keep us on solid ground and will help us continue to grow in the coming years. You can use the wallet envelope in the current issue of the magazine, or click on the “Donate” button below to join your fellow progressives in sustaining The Progressive as a voice for peace, social justice, and the common good.