MORNING MESSAGE
As
the Democratic Convention opens on Monday, the issue fights and primary debates
and platform discussions have allowed us to air our differences, and demand (and
get) leadership changes. In the process we have discovered a lot of points of
agreement and respect between the two Democratic parties. Now is the time to
work together to defeat Trump and win control of the White House, the U.S.
Senate – and even, if we reach out to our fellow Americans voters, to win back
the House of Representatives. And that’s when the interesting politics really
begin. But first we work for the victory over Trump.
BERNIE KICKS OFF DEM CONVENTION TONIGHT
Bernie
Sanders, Michelle Obama address convention’s opening night. USA Today:
“Sanders’ will hammer that point home in his speech Monday and will ‘rip into
Trump’ for denying climate change is real, according to his campaign. He also
will note the ‘most progressive platform in Democratic Party history’ includes
agreements he reached with Clinton to expand access to health care and make
public college tuition-free for students from families with annual incomes up to
$125,000 a year.”
Clinton
campaign to emphasize “trust.” USA Today: “Democrats convening in
Philadelphia this week have lined up ‘everyday Americans’ — both those she’s
helped over her career and those she’s met on the campaign trail — as character
witnesses … ‘There will be some people talking about things that neither she nor
they (her family) have really discussed in a big public way before,’ said Joel
Benenson, her chief strategist. … Campaign officials want to go straight at her
biggest vulnerability: that many Americans say they just don’t trust her or view
her favorably.”
Michael
Bloomberg will address convention. NYT: “The news is an unexpected move from
Mr. Bloomberg, who has not been a member of the Democratic Party since 2000; was
elected the mayor of New York City as a Republican; and later became an
independent … Bloomberg has rebuked Democrats for attacking Wall Street — a part
of his record that may sit uneasily with liberal Democrats…”
Anti-Clinton
Sanders supporters begin series of rallies in Philly. NYT: “More than 1,000
people from as far as Seattle and Florida participated in the first of what are
expected to be many Sanders rallies during the convention … Numerous marchers
said they would support Jill Stein … The City of Philadelphia expects 35,000 to
50,000 protesters a day, with marches and rallies in support of Mr. Sanders each
day, as well as a bit of street theater, a ‘Mock Trial of Hillary Clinton,’ and
a march to end homelessness.”
LEFT GRAPPLES WITH KAINE PICK
Several
leading progressives express disappointment with VP pick Sen. Tim Kaine. W.
Post: “Kaine’s stance on trade has been at odds with progressive groups …
Kaine was one of 13 Senate Democrats who voted in June 2015 to grant Obama
‘fast-track’ authority … Kaine also drew fire from liberal groups for … urging
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to ‘carefully tailor its rulemaking’
regarding community banks and credit unions so as not to ‘unduly burden’ the
institutions … ‘His record on civil rights and guns is unquestionable,’
[Democracy of America’s Neil] Sroka said, but he argued that doesn’t erase his
group’s concerns. ‘A willingness to take on the corporate establishment is
essential to this election,’ he said.”
American
Prospect’s Paul Waldman defends Kaine pick: “…he seems to have that
combination of skill in the public aspect of the job and experience in the
private aspect that can lead to a successful vice presidency. And helping
Clinton govern effectively is the best way he can advance progressivism.”
Kaine
announces opposition to TPP. Politico: “Kaine had never taken a formal
position on the pact, but as recently as Thursday told reporters he saw much in
the agreement that he liked, while continuing to express concerns about other
provisions, including the handling of investment disputes. His decision to
oppose the agreement deals another blow to President Barack Obama’s hopes of
winning approval of the deal from Congress this year.”
DNC CHAIR RESIGNS
“Party
Leader’s Resignation a Sign of Bernie Sanders’s Influence, His Backers Say”
reports NYT: “…Mr. Sanders and others [said] her resignation would help the
party unify after a tough primary campaign [and that it] illustrates that Mr.
Sanders’s campaign, and the platform he pushed, has had a lasting effect on the
progressive direction of the party … Benjamin T. Jealous, who was a frequent
surrogate for Mr. Sanders and a former president of the N.A.A.C.P., added …
‘This allows us to heal and move on,’…”
But
some say “Too Little, Too Late” reports Bloomberg: “Nina Turner, a Sanders
surrogate and former Ohio state senator, said the DNC and the Clinton campaign
will have to address the controversy head on if they want to achieve real party
unity during the convention, instead of a ‘superficial’ television moment.”
Some
in Clinton campaign wanted Wasserman Schultz out months ago. Politico:
“…campaign higher-ups have been trying to replace the oft-off-message Florida
congresswoman from the start of Clinton’s campaign late last year … a former top
Obama adviser [said,] ‘It’s been a huge problem for the Clintons, but the
president just didn’t want the headache of Debbie bad-mouthing him’ … to senior
Democrats, [the resignation] represented a clean-up operation that brought
Clinton and Sanders – who has demanded her ouster for months — into closer
alignment.”
TRUMP BROADENS ANTI-IMMIGRATION PLAN
Trump
insists he’s not scaling back Muslim immigration ban. NYT: “Mr. Trump’s
comments … appeared intended to clarify portions of his speech at the Republican
convention indicating that he might be rolling back his earlier proposed ban ….
Mr. Trump indicated that the United States needed to protect itself from the
failures of countries like France … ‘I actually don’t think it’s a rollback. In
fact, you could say it’s an expansion … I’m looking now at territory.’ … he
[will] be unveiling a detailed list of countries and territories from which
immigrants would be subject to ‘extreme vetting.'”
Trump
might leave the World Trade Organization. WSJ: “…Trump threatened to pull
the U.S. out of the World Trade Organization if membership in the global trade
body interferes with his plan to impose penalties on companies that move
American production offshore … [NBC’s] Chuck Todd, suggested such a policy could
run afoul of the WTO … ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Mr. Trump responded. ‘Then we’re
going to renegotiate or we’re going to pull out.'”
BURNING ISSUES: THE TPP AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Ilana
Solomon, director of the Sierra Club’s Responsible Trade Program warns the
Trans-Pacific Partnership would make it more difficult to implement the Paris
climate agreement, in this Burning Issues video.
Progressive
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