Emboldened progressives could cause headaches for Biden

By Eugene Daniels

Happy Saturday, y’all. Here’s a grim new statistic to start your weekend, via the AP: “U.S. now averaging 100,000 new coronavirus infections a day”

JUST POSTED — “The Senate will take a key vote Saturday to advance the bipartisan infrastructure bill, with final passage right around the corner. The noon vote comes after senators on Thursday failed to reach an agreement for additional amendments. While timing for a final vote remains unclear, the Senate could pass the package as soon as Saturday if all senators get on board.” Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett with the latest

EMBOLDENED PROGRESSIVES AIM TO REPEAT EVICTION SUCCESS — This week was a pretty mixed bag for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

— The bad: NINA TURNER had a very big, very public loss in the special election for the U.S. House seat in Ohio’s 11th district — despite a huge amount of money, attention and campaign appearances by Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) and Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) among other big-name lefties.

— The good: Rep. CORI BUSH’s (D-Mo.) crusade to force the administration to re-up the eviction ban actually worked, and between that and the pressure they’ll be able to exert on the reconciliation bill, progressives in Congress are feeling more emboldened than ever before.

Progressives see a takeaway: They can win battles in Congress using the tactics they picked up as activists. With policy victories, they can make themselves politically palatable such that they can win primaries. And, after a string of high-profile losses this year to more moderate Democrats — capped off by Turner’s defeat, which stung many progressives on the Hill — that may be the best way to grow their ranks.

After the eviction ban win, “the conversations that have ensued have been, almost like marveling at it, like, ‘Holy shit, what the hell just happened?’” one senior progressive Hill aide told me Friday night. “But also, what's next?”

Progressives are a tight-knit group on the Hill, with multiple text chains among members and their staffers. That allowed them to coordinate in real-time in the fight over the eviction moratorium’s expiration, using tactics you don’t usually see in Congress. And buoyed by that success — and eager to replicate it — they may quickly become more difficult for Speaker NANCY PELOSI to keep in line.

There’s obviously a risk for Democrats here. With 2022 in sight, the window of opportunity is closing for the Biden administration to score major legislative wins. Democrats have the slimmest of margins in both the House and Senate, and an emboldened left flank willing to truly fight publicly with party leaders will create a drumbeat of “Dems in disarray” stories and cause headaches on both ends of Pennsylvania Ave. Dem leaders are already getting anxious about the midterms and warnings that their current message needs a reboot; infighting with progressives isn’t likely to allay those fears.

What progressives are eyeing next: student debt relief. On Friday, the Biden administration extended the pause on student loan repayment until the end of January. But progressives are hoping to force the administration to cancel tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of debt, something the White House isn’t sure it has the power to do. But emboldened by the eviction fight, progressives are ready to call their bluff.

“There are things that the Biden administration promises, and those are the things that unified the party going into the election,” the aide said. “It has opened up the minds of folks, and those conversations are happening.”

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STEFANIK FACES SEXIST CRITICISM — House Republican Conference Chair ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.) is expecting her first child later this year. Working mothers are not exactly new to Capitol Hill, yet Stefanik was subjected to a discussion on a local Vermont news station that covers part of her district about what having a child would mean for her and her constituents.

On WCAX, a male anchor and male guest discussed Stefanik’s “engagement,” “energy” and “physical absence” from the Capitol in a four-minute segment that was captured and posted online by Stefanik’s team. They described Stefanik “as someone who wants to be scarce after having a child and also in the short run-up before.”

The backlash was swift, with Stefanik calling out the news station. In a statement, she called for a “full public apology for the outrageously sexist” segment, and said that this sort of coverage is, “sadly, why more young women choose not to run for office.”

Rep. ASHLEY HINSON (R-Iowa), a rising star in the House GOP, also took to Twitter to voice her frustration with the segment and support for Stefanik. “It’s absurd that Elise has to deal with this. Elise continues to show women that they can run, win, and do the job better than anyone as a working mom,” Hinson tweeted.

Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

ABOUT OBAMA’S BIRTHDAY BASH — “What Is Going on With Obama’s 60th Birthday Bash?” by NYT’s Annie Karni: “JAY-Z and BEYONCE were still in, as of Friday. DAVID AXELROD and LARRY DAVID were out. Former President BARACK OBAMA’S 60th birthday had been anticipated as the biggest social event of the summer for alumni of his administration and friends of the Obama family — a celebrity-studded garden party at Mr. Obama’s $12 million Martha’s Vineyard mansion. But this week, some invitees were treated to a cold dose of reality when they were abruptly cut from the guest list — while some of the boldest names were not. The party, the uninvited were told, had been scaled back because of growing concerns about the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.”

TWO TOP SATURDAY READS …

— As Covid surges in Florida, RON DESANTIS refuses to change course, by NYT’s Patricia Mazzei. Two big irrefutable realities have taken hold in Florida.

First, Delta is rampaging through the Sunshine State. Florida “now has more Covid-19 hospitalizations, including for pediatric patients, than anywhere else in the nation,” writes Mazzei. Hospitals are postponing non-emergency procedures amid a crush of Covid patients. This week alone, one hospital in Broward County cared for a record 1,600 patients — roughly 600 of whom had Covid — and was so short on space it rolled hospital beds into the cafeteria.

Second, Gov. DeSantis is “unyielding in his approach to the pandemic, refusing to change course or impose restrictions despite uncontrolled spread and spiking hospitalizations.”

Where those two intersect: Beyond the very real human stakes for Floridians, there are political ones for DeSantis. In short: If the surge overwhelms hospitals, his perch as a 2024 GOP frontrunner could be in serious trouble. OTOH, if “Florida comes through another virus peak with both its hospital system and economy intact, Mr. DeSantis’s game of chicken with the deadly pandemic could become a model for how to coexist with a virus that is unlikely to ever fully vanish.”

— Inside the strategy leading Dem governors to tie themselves to Biden, by Zach Montellaro. In much of the country, Democratic governors are “haunted by the beginning of the last Democratic presidential administration, when [BARACK] OBAMA shepherded through a nearly $790 billion economic stimulus package — and then spent little time selling it.” What came next were the disastrous 2010 elections, where Dems lost the governorships of critical swing states including Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“This time, Democratic governors are betting that an ARP-fueled economic comeback, combined with potentially billions more in infrastructure and jobs spending still to come, can supercharge their state economies and their chances for reelection,” Zach writes. Featuring appearances by Wisconsin Gov. TONY EVERS, Nevada Gov. STEVE SISOLAK and more

BIDEN’S SATURDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY: Gov. Andrew Cuomo talks on the phone while walking his dog at the New York state Executive Mansion in Albany, N.Y. on Saturday, Aug. 7. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo

THE WHITE HOUSE

HOLDING OFF TIL 2022 — “Biden extends freeze on student loans as progressives push to cancel them,” by Michael Stratford: “The pandemic relief had been set to expire at the end of September. The Education Department said those benefits would now be continued until Jan. 31, describing the reprieve as a ‘final’ extension. … The extension of the relief gives the Biden administration more time to decide how it plans to respond to progressive demands that the president take executive action to cancel student debt.”

INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR

WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GANDER –– “Why McConnell, GOP may give Biden a bipartisan win on infrastructure,” by LAT’s Eli Stokols and Jennifer Haberkorn: “At a moment of such intense partisanship, this momentary alignment of incentives for Democrats and Republicans, set to vote in the coming days to pass the approximately $1-trillion package out of the Senate, is the Washington equivalent of a total eclipse. However rare and fleeting, Republicans and Democrats believe they are serving their own self-interests, not just the president’s, in voting to pass a bipartisan bill to improve roads, bridges, rail lines, water pipes and broadband networks.”

— “Democrats Eye Budget to Force Policy Changes, Testing Bounds of the Rules,” by NYT’s Nicholas Fandos and Luke Broadwater: “The budget blueprint that Democrats plan to push through the Senate next week already envisioned one of the most ambitious legislative efforts ever undertaken by Congress, including huge federal investments into expanding social and environmental programs. But with their legislative options dwindling, Democrats have concluded in recent weeks that they want to push the boundaries of what the budget can accomplish, beyond mere dollars and cents.”

ONE TO WATCH — “Cory Booker Wants Baby Bonds in the Budget Reconciliation Bill,” by the New Republic’s Grace Segers

OMNIPOLICY — “‘Powerful signal’: Biden’s infrastructure bill sends message to China,” by Phelim Kine: “The Biden plan seeks to play catch-up — with a fraction of the funding — to improve and expand key infrastructure sectors that China has been laser-focused on with vast allocations over decades. One of those is rail, with the Biden plan allocating $66 billion to Amtrak.”

JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

GUESS WHO’S BACK? — “Democrats hire Riggleman to serve as adviser to Jan. 6 committee,” by Olivia Beavers: “Former GOP Rep. DENVER RIGGLEMAN brings a background in intelligence and online extremism to the panel having served as a U.S. intelligence officer prior to his time in Congress. Riggleman sought a second term last cycle but lost the GOP primary despite receiving an endorsement from Trump. Since leaving office, Riggleman has become increasingly critical of the former president.

“Democrats believe Riggleman’s background will aid their probe as they seek to examine the circumstances surrounding the violent attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol earlier this year, including the actions of the former president and the security breakdown ahead of and during the assault.”

POLICY CORNER

IMMIGRATION FILES — “U.S. starts flying migrant families into Mexico far from border,” by Reuters' Ted Hesson: “The U.S. on Thursday began flying Central American and Mexican families to southern Mexico in an effort to deter migration by bolstering a COVID-era expulsion policy at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Nearly 200 Mexican and Central American family members were expelled deep into Mexico on Thursday in what are expected to be regular flights. The flights, which will include adults, aim to disrupt a pattern of repeat crossings under a U.S. border policy known as Title 42. … The United States will work with non-governmental organizations and shelters in southern Mexico to ensure that migrants can safely return to their home countries.”

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED — “DeJoy maintains financial ties to former company as USPS awards it new $120 million contract,” by WaPo’s Jacob Bogage: “The new contract will deepen the Postal Service’s relationship with XPO Logistics, where DeJoy served as supply chain chief executive from 2014 to 2015 after the company purchased New Breed Logistics, the trucking firm he owned for more than 30 years. Since he became postmaster general, DeJoy, DeJoy-controlled companies and his family foundation have divested between $65.4 million and $155.3 million worth of XPO shares, according to financial disclosures, foundation tax documents and securities filings.But DeJoy’s family businesses continue to lease four North Carolina office buildings to XP.”

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PANDEMIC

BIG REPERCUSSIONS — “Vaccination form for federal workers adds penalties for lies,” by AP’s Zeke Miller: “The Biden administration on Friday unveiled the attestation form that [federal] employees will need to fill out confirming whether they have been fully vaccinated against the virus, adding legal teeth to the president’s mandate. Federal employees won’t be following the honor system but will instead be required to acknowledge that making a ‘knowing and willful false statement on this form can be punished by fine or imprisonment or both.’”

AND IN HIGHER ED — “Students ask Supreme Court to block college vaccine mandate,” AP’s Jessica Gresko

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

PULLOUT FALLOUT — “Taliban Seize Capital of Afghanistan’s Nimroz Province and Kill Official in Kabul,” by WSJ’s Ehsanullah Amiri, Alan Cullison and Saeed Shah: “The Taliban seized the capital of an Afghan province along the Iranian and Pakistani borders on Friday, the first such takeover since the insurgents launched an offensive to take advantage of the U.S. troop withdrawal. Expanding their assassination campaign in Kabul, the militants Friday also gunned down the head of the Afghan government’s media office.

“The Taliban have swept through much of Afghanistan’s countryside since Biden announced the withdrawal in April. Though the Taliban have pierced the defenses of some provincial capitals during this offensive, Friday’s fall of Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz in southwest Afghanistan, marked a major milestone.”

HOPES DIMMING FOR NEW IRAN DEAL — “Hopes of revived Iran nuclear talks dim amid delays as new hardline president takes office,” by CNN’s Natasha Bertrand and Nicole Gaouette: “Biden administration officials are becoming increasingly pessimistic about reviving the Iran nuclear deal as the country’s new hardline president takes office and its nuclear program continues to accelerate. … Some officials have expressed disappointment that the talks have been so delayed since the last round ended on June 20, especially as Iran's nuclear advances risk making the current deal irrelevant. Now that President EBRAHIM RAISI is officially in power after his inauguration Thursday, officials are hoping meetings will begin again in the next few weeks, but it's still not clear if and when that will happen.”

POLITICS ROUNDUP

KEYS TO THE KEYSTONE — “Democrats spar over how to pass the Pennsylvania test,” by James Arkin: “Pennsylvania is likely Democrats’ best pickup opportunity next year as they lay the groundwork to defend or possibly expand their 50-50 Senate majority. It’s one of just two GOP-held seats in states Biden carried last fall, and two-term GOP Sen. PAT TOOMEY isn’t running again, setting up a divisive Republican primary.

“So far, the Democratic field is a cross-current of ideological and geographical divides that defy traditional primary lanes and give each candidates different advantages. [JOHN] FETTERMAN and [Rep. CONOR] LAMB are from Western Pennsylvania, while [ MALCOLM] KENYATTA is from Philadelphia and [VAL] ARKOOSH from its suburbs. Kenyatta and state Sen. SHARIF STREET, who has formed an exploratory committee, are Black; the other three candidates are white.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

CUOMO LATEST — “Cuomo Scandal Entangles Leader Of Influential LGBTQ Advocacy Group,” by NPR’s Tom Dreisbach

BREWING IN WISCONSIN — “Wisconsin GOP lawmaker takes first step toward launching Arizona-style election review,” by Zach Montellaro: “Republican state Rep. JANEL BRANDTJEN said she would be issuing subpoenas for “election materials” from Milwakuee and Brown counties. Biden carried Milwaukee County by a steep margin en route to narrowly winning the state. Trump carried Brown County, which is home to Green Bay, by about 7 percentage points. … Brandtjen’s subpoenas appear inspired by the review Arizona's Republican-controlled state Senate is currently conducting in Maricopa County, that state's largest jurisdiction.”

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 funnies

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza:

— “America’s Hidden Crisis of Power and Place,” by David Fontana in WaPo Magazine: “Our country’s path to political influence involves defecting from your hometown and congregating in one of a handful of wealthy neighborhoods. It’s undermining trust in government — and corroding our democracy.”

— “Where Republicans Are Starting to Worry About Big Oil,” by Tom Haines in Alexander, N.D., for POLITICO Magazine: “Everyone likes the money from fracking. But as contaminated water spills across the North Dakota plains, a deep red state faces a question: What prevails, property rights or big business?”

— “‘We are all suffering in silence’ — Inside the U.S. military’s pervasive culture of eating disorders,” by Task & Purpose’s Haley Britzky: “‘PTSD, military sexual trauma, and eating disorders go so, unfortunately well together.’”

— “A person or a thing? Inside the fight for animal personhood,” by National Geographic’s Rachel Fobar: “An animal rights organization wants a New York court to grant Happy the elephant legal personhood. But what would that mean?”

— “Journalism’s class problem has gotten worse,” by The Spectator’s Jesse Singal: “When they arrive in newsrooms, privileged young people bring their values and priorities with them.”

— “Family, identity and one of the longest manhunts in U.S. history,” by Ciara O’Rourke for Deseret News: Fifty years ago, a police shooting set in motion a decades-long chase across the American West.

— “Hungarian nationalism is not the answer,” by Slow Boring’s Matthew Yglesias: “The parts of America that the populist right has decided it hates are precisely the parts that make the United States richer than Hungary.”

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SPOTTED: Rafael Nadal at Cafe Milano on Friday night.

AMBASSADOR ANNOUNCEMENTS — “Biden picks ambassadors to Switzerland and Argentina,” Reuters: “Biden chose Scott Miller, an LGBTQ activist and philanthropist, for the top U.S. diplomatic role in Switzerland as well as Liechtenstein. … Biden also selected Marc Stanley, a Dallas-based civil trial lawyer who helped organize attorneys in support of Biden's presidential campaign, as ambassador to Argentina.”

WEDDING — Henry Connelly and Samantha Warren, via NYT: “Henry Connelly [is] the communications director for the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi … Ms. Warren [is] the chief of staff for Representative Bill Foster, Democrat of Illinois. … They were married July 31 at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara in California.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) … Robert Mueller … Axios’ Jonathan Swan and Sara Fischer … Reason’s Nick Gillespie … Ron Christie … CNN’s Matt Dornic and Dan Merica … Andrew Gradison … The Atlantic’s Scott Stossel … Allyn Brooks-LaSure … Matt Mazonkey of Airbus … Alisa Wolking … Jordan Heiliczer of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association … Jenn Lore London … Bruce Friedrich of the Good Food Institute … Juven Jacob … Kimberly Ellis of Monument Advocacy … Breanne Deppisch … Alex Kahan … Commerce’s Caitlin Legacki … Meredith Griffanti … Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Ryan Callanan … NPR’s Brian Naylor … Tamika (Day) Mason … March for Life’s Tom McClusky … Annamaria Kimball … Wesley Derryberry of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati … Andrew DeSouza … TJ Londagin … Kirsten Borman Dougherty … Matt Lehner … Ryan Pettit … Kellie Chong of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) office … Aissa Canchola … Daryn (Frischknecht) Sirrine … MSNBC’s Hollie Tracz … Mary Kathryn Steel … POLITICO’s Shannon Foley, Craig Alleyne and Maura Forrest … Brian Steel of CNBC … H.W. Brands … Alan Keyes … Susan Feeney of GMMB … former Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor

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