Report: "Biden's VP list comes up short." Allies say there's no clear choice -- and every pick has a shortcoming. "'Here’s the challenge,' said the close Biden ally. 'Every one of the people on the list you have a sentence that starts, ‘But she hasn’t…' He ticked off some examples. But she hasn’t run for office before. (Rice) But she hasn’t won statewide. (Karen Bass) But she hasn’t been a team player. (Warren, Harris.) But she hasn’t had enough foreign policy experience. (Several)" (POLITICO) • What's happening: In theory, Joe Biden is announcing his VP pick this week. But as the VP buzz continues, it's not flattering news for any of the potential picks. POLITICO talked with various campaign connections -- identified as an ally, strategist, and adviser -- and they all came up with drawbacks for each pick.
• What's at stake: This isn't the upbeat sneak preview of an exciting VP pick. Instead, it seems like Biden's campaign is in disarray ... and outsourcing its decision-making across the deeply divided Democratic Party. (To which we say: good luck with that!)
Susan Rice emerged as a frontrunner over the weekend. But she, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren are all criticized in the POLITICO piece; only Rep. Karen Bass, whom we highlighted for you last week, emerges with only a single, relatively unimportant critique.
And we'd argue it also shows emerging arrogance on the left. They think there's no way Joe Biden will lose to President Trump. (Need we remind them of Hillary Clinton's 12-point lead in summer 2016?) So, as one source told POLITICO, "political considerations were less important than previous cycles" for the VP pick.
One thing's for sure: if President Trump were in a similar position, there's no way a sympathetic story like this would be written. The media is covering for Joe Biden big time -- and that may not be the gift the Biden campaign and the left assume it is right now.
• What else to know: Although the Washington Free Beacon made a case for Kamala Harris' team pitching negative stories about other VP picks, she's now the target of negative pieces.
POLITICO had a story today that opened with a negative anecdote about Harris from former Sen. Chris Dodd (CT), who's on Biden's VP selection committee.
Soros tops his own contribution record to Democratic causes. He's spent $50 million on the 2020 election already. "Liberal billionaire George Soros has flooded Democratic PACs and campaigns with $50 million this election cycle, shattering his personal record by tens of millions with four months to go before the elections." (Washington Free Beacon) • What's happening: George Soros has topped his previous political contributions by "tens of millions" of dollars -- and we're still months out from Election Day 2020. He's reportedly spent $50 million through Democratic campaigns and PACs already, as the Washington Free Beacon reported.
• What's at stake: When Democrats say they don't like the role of money in politics -- or unfairly target and criticize major Republican donors -- they seem not to mean money that goes to them and their preferred causes.
George Soros has quietly spent $50 million on the 2020 election already, mostly through a network of organizations. That allows him to keep his name directly off the donor rolls, and the Washington Free Beacon has done the thorough, exhaustive work of tracking and detailing his money's movements (so be sure to check out their report!).
• What else to know: Political initiatives funded in part by George Soros this year include expanded voting by mail, which President Trump has warned about as well as a Supreme Court fight about whether U.S. foreign aid can go to "anti-American groups" (spoiler: the Court said no).
Republican National Committee is doubling its budget for election-related legal fights as Biden assembles 600 lawyers. "The Republican National Committee (RNC) has pledged $20 million this cycle to oppose Democratic-backed efforts to ease voting restrictions while Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said his campaign has assembled 600 attorneys as a xxxxxx against election subterfuge." (The Hill) • What's happening: The media is starting to highlight the legal fight brewing over the 2020 presidential election -- while readers of The Vote like you have gotten the inside scoop already. Today, a report is out that the Biden campaign has "assembled" 600 lawyers, and the Republican National Committee doubled its budget from $10 million to $20 million for election-focused litigation.
• What's at stake: This is the start of what may be prolonged legal battles around the presidential election, not unlike 2000. Both the Republican and Democratic parties and the campaigns are building up legal teams and legal funds because they anticipate a fight.
Right now, ahead of the election, there are more than 150 lawsuits about voting procedures -- and we assume more will pop up soon.
Although the media wants to portray it as a problem for Republicans, it's Democrats who have lost early big cases. Just last 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.
• What else to know: As USA Today reported, the number of election-focused lawsuits has "tripled in the past 20 years." (Huh... Wonder what could have happened in 2000 to kick that trend off?) But 2020 is on pace to set a new record. We'll keep you posted as major cases develop and are decided.
Biden continues to avoid the spotlight. This time, he's ducking a media interview President Trump already did. "Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has been dodging Chris Wallace’s interview requests, the Fox News host said Sunday. Though Wallace interviewed President Trump last week, Biden’s team has said this week the former vice president is 'not available' for an interview, feeding into criticism that he avoids press scrutiny." (National Review) • What's happening: Chris Wallace, host of Fox News Sunday, said he'll ask Joe Biden every week if he'll come on the show. (President Trump joined Wallace more than a week ago.) Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Biden campaign is ducking the interview.
• What's at stake: Biden may be the first presidential candidate in modern history whose strategy is to avoid the voters. Since the outbreak of COVID, Biden has predominantly held virtual events. Even an in-person discussion with President Obama was released as a highly edited campaign video.
• What else to know: Although an early May New York Times op-ed criticized Biden for campaigning "from his basement," other Democratic insiders later seemed supportive.
As Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic National Committee chair, said in an event with Virginia Democrats, "He's fine in the basement. Two people see him a day, his two body people. That's it."
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