Report asks: "Is Kamala Harris planting evidence on her rivals?" "Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), whose failed presidential campaign flamed out before any primary votes were cast, is a top contender to be Joe Biden's running mate in 2020. Curiously enough, negative stories about Harris's potential rivals for the VP slot have been popping up of late in mainstream media outlets. Imagine that." (Washington Free Beacon) • What's happening: The Washington Free Beacon researched and compiled the negative news stories that have popped up about Joe Biden's potential VP picks -- and determined they're "almost certainly the result of opposition research fed to reporters by a rival."
The Washington Free Beacon thinks that rival may be Kamala Harris, and lays out its evidence in this thorough article.
• What's at stake: It's the final days of Joe Biden's VP selection, based on his August 1 deadline (and the Democratic convention starting August 17, too), and the choice must not yet be finalized ... because there seems to be a lot of maneuvering in the media.
Yesterday we shared with you the glowing story of Elizabeth Warren in the AP, which we presume came directly from Warren (and potentially Biden?) staff.
Negative stories aren't as easily attributed. But along with the logic the Washington Free Beacon detailed, we'd note that, as a former prosecutor, Harris is out of step with the far-left progressive base of the Democratic Party. If other VP picks are seen as more controversial, then maybe she'll increase the odds of being selected.
• What else to know: Sanders supporters in the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention reportedly "snubbed" Harris when they compiled a list of recommended VP choices. If she's selected, expect progressive outrage ... right before the convention.
A potential preview of the 2020 election if Democrats get their way in up-ending the voting process: outrage, uncertainty, and election fraud arrests. "Even as New Jersey voters look to the general election, many are still coping with the aftermath of the state’s first all-mail vote. Paterson, the Garden State’s third-largest city, is mired in a burgeoning election scandal. One in five ballots have been rejected. The local NAACP has cried foul. And now, four men — including a councilman and councilman-elect — have been charged by the state’s attorney general with criminal election fraud." (Real Clear Politics) • What's happening: The city of Paterson, New Jersey -- the third largest in the state -- shows that vote-by-mail elections in which ballots are automatically sent to all voters can produce major problems.
And so the fall-out from the May 12 primary election in Paterson continues, as this Real Clear Politics piece demonstrates.
• What's at stake: Democrats have backed a huge increase in voting by mail due to concerns about COVID-19. But rather than have voters request absentee ballots and mail them in (as is customarily done), Democrats want states to automatically send mail ballots to all registered voters.
President Trump has expressed his concerns about election integrity and voter fraud with this Democratic option. Policy experts agree (check out this report from the Heritage Foundation), and so does reality -- just look at what's happening in Paterson!
But Democrats and the mainstream media have insisted that President Trump opposes any voting by mail ... which is a mis-statement of their proposed policy and the President's.
• What else to know: There are more than 150 lawsuits about voting procedures in the 2020 election right now -- and more may pop up soon.
But just this week, a Democratic super PAC and allied groups agreed to withdraw their lawsuit that would have otherwise up-ended Florida's voting procedures. It was perceived as a big win for Republicans in a key swing state. Check out the full report from POLITICO here.
50% of "strong liberals" would support business leaders being fired for making campaign contributions to President Trump. "This hostile culture is getting results. According to one brand-new survey, it is only far-left Americans who do not feel compelled to self-censor their views because of a hostile climate. Everyone but the far left feels the threat. And 50 percent of self-identified strong liberals say that simply contributing to the GOP presidential candidate ought to be a fireable offense for a business leader. In this country?" (Sen. McConnell in the New York Post) • What's happening: Sen. Mitch McConnell made a speech about "cancel culture" on the floor of the Senate yesterday. An excerpt was published in the New York Post today. It's highly likely you've heard of cancel culture, but if not, here's a good overview from POLITICO.
• What's at stake: The terms of political debate are shifting ahead of the presidential election -- and nearly half of Americans, as POLITICO reported, don't like it.
Sen. McConnell's speech is one of the most direct defenses of conservatives in the face of the far left's cancel culture that we've seen. You can read the New York Post run of it here.
In it, Sen. McConnell lays out the high stakes of cancel culture, including that half of "strong liberals" believe business leaders should be fired for making campaign contributions for President Trump.
• What else to know: Democrats have been pushing conspiracy theories about President Trump that are increasing in both the seriousness of the allegations and the outrageousness of the charges.
Hillary Clinton, among others, has claimed President Trump wouldn't leave office if he lost the November 2020 election. Rep. Maxine Waters (CA) said yesterday that President Trump may be completing a "trial run" to "pull out his military" against the American people. And the list continues.
These conspiracy theories aren't "cancel culture"-based, but we think they show the general tenor of political conversation right now.
Another win for Sanders as Medicare for All gets a Democratic platform mention for the first time. "For instance, Sanders aides tried to push moderates to remove language from the platform about the right to 'affordable' health care, preferring instead to emphasize the right to simply have health care, said people on the committee. [...] However, progressives did win a positive mention of Medicare for All, despite the fact that Biden opposes the idea. Sanders staffers said that furthers their goal of normalizing single-payer health care." (POLITICO) • What's happening: More changes to the Democratic platform have been shared, and they show more victories for the progressive wing of the party. This time, Sanders supporters were able to get a "positive mention" of Medicare for All into the platform for the first time.
• What's at stake: This is a sign that the progressives are pushing the Democratic Party to the far left -- and the so-called establishment is powerless to stop them. Biden opposed Medicare for All in the primary debates, but his campaign won't stand up to Sanders activists since he needs their help (while they aren't enthusiastic about him).
Our opinion: if it weren't so serious for the Democrats, the media wouldn't be so silent.
But the media remains happy to continue with zero coverage of the transformation of the Democratic Party and zero analysis of how the far-left, socialist policy goals of the progressive left could affect Americans.
• What else to know: Remember that Biden had opposed Medicare for All in the primary. As Biden said then, according to CNBC reporting, "I want to know, how did they find $35 trillion? What is that doing? Is it going to significantly raise taxes on the middle class, which it will? What’s going to happen?”
To which we'd say again: very good questions, Joe!
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