* “American democracy is an ongoing struggle to live up to our highest ideals and to heal our divisions; to recommit ourselves to the founding idea of our nation captured in our Declaration of Independence, not unlike many of your documents.” President Joe Biden at the opening session of the Summit for Democracy.
* President Biden has assembled a bipartisan committee on SCOTUS. As in considering term limits and adding more justices. Likely outcome: yes to first, no to second.
* President Biden dialed in a virtual appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon last weekend. We get it. A pragmatic and possibly problematic move, but one borne out of perceived necessity. He’s embattled with inflation, misinformation, unemployment, immigration and approval ratings in the low 40s. He needs forums—other than a town hall that can lend itself to Bidenisms—to bring a more personalized message to the American people and to respond to those who have complained that he wasn’t available enough to the White House press. And Jimmy Fallon is not exactly Jon Stewart.
Late night is a sub-demographic, and this is a direct way to reach it. John F. Kennedy, the charismatic candidate, going on “The Tonight Show” with Jack Paar in 1960 broke the ice. Later the charismatic Barack Obama went on a number of them as president. Articulate and professorial where necessary, Obama largely regaled hosts and audiences with witty banter, which always plays well. It was right in his made-for-media wheelhouse.
This is not Joe Biden’s forte. He began his exchange with Fallon with a cold-opening “Well look, here’s the deal …” But it went well enough, and he reminded Fallon and viewers that “My job is to be straightforward” with Americans … “To shoot from the shoulder. … and lay out how I’ll make life better for them.” That said, he should quit while he’s ahead on late-night.
* “The president has every intention of running for re-election.”–That was WH press secretary Jen Psaki, saying what she was supposed to say. It would hardly be helpful to say, in effect, “No, he won’t be up for re-election at age 82. So, he’ll be a lame duck the next three years.”
* The latest Quinnipiac University Poll shows a majority (57%-37%) supporting the roughly $1 trillion spending bill to improve the nation’s roads, bridges, broadband and other infrastructure projects. It also showed a majority (58%-38%) supporting the $2 trillion spending bill on social programs such as child care, education, family tax breaks and expanding Medicare for seniors. Could it be that a majority of Americans, including rural and working-class people, actually appreciate and welcome government’s economic investment in their challenging and changing lives more than they do simplified, ideological memes about the culture war?
* “Everything depends on how much the Democrats really want to win. Some progressives, I fear, would rather be the majority in a minority party than the minority in a majority party.” –Brookings Institution senior fellow William Galston.
* Sometimes, amid all the GOP-induced gloom, we have to remind ourselves that Democrats have won the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections.
* UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Lithuania: have joined the U.S. in the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Olympics. France and Israel: are not joining in the boycott.
* According to the Florida State Elections Agency, there are now more registered Republicans (5.118 million) than Democrats (5.114 million). No less notable, the number of unaffiliated voters has swelled to 3.8 million.
* Here’s hoping Manny Diaz, who chairs the Florida Democratic Party, is a prescient man of his word. “We’re not going to be outworked by the other side this year,” declared Diaz. “I promise you that.”