Symone’s next act

From: POLITICO West Wing Playbook - Monday Dec 13,2021 11:13 pm

Dec 13, 2021

By Max Tani, Alex Thompson and Tina Sfondeles

Presented by the Black Women’s Health Imperative

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SYMONE SANDERS told The Washington Post earlier this month that, as she prepares to leave the VP’s office at the end of the year, she has “earned a break.” But other than a quick vacation to the Bahamas last weekend, she’s not looking to spend much time off before her next gig, sources tell West Wing Playbook.

KAMALA HARRIS’ outgoing press secretary has told multiple people close to her that she expects to have something permanent locked down early next year, whether as a political consultant, a spot in the private sector, or a major gig in television news.

To no one’s surprise, the former CNN contributor has some options on that last front.

Multiple people with direct knowledge told us that several networks, including MSNBC and CNN, have reached out to Sanders about potential on-air contributor deals after she leaves the vice president’s office officially on December 31.

Two sources familiar with the conversations said it seemed unlikely that Sanders would return to CNN, where she was a contributor for several years between her stint on Sen. BERNIE SANDERS’ 2016 campaign and JOE BIDEN’s 2020 bid. MSNBC, however, has expressed interest in bringing Sanders on board either as a contributor or possibly an on-air host as it attempts to fill open slots on the network and on NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, Peacock. Sanders has reunited with United Talent Agency, which represented her during her previous time at CNN before joining the Biden campaign.

Both MSNBC and CNN declined requests for comment.

At least one heavily-rumored landing spot for Sanders does seem off the table.

Cable news insiders and some people close to the White House were privately speculating in recent days whether Sanders could be a candidate for a gig on The View, the popular daytime talk show where she had previously appeared as a guest. But four people familiar with ABC’s thinking said network higher-ups are not likely to bring on another left-leaning host, and remain focused on finding a conservative to replace former co-anchor MEGHAN MCCAIN.

In an administration that often prides itself on cultivating a team with low public profiles, Sanders has stood out as one of the rare celebrity staffers. Throughout her tenure at CNN and on the Biden campaign, she has regularly been the subject of profiles and glossy magazine features, and has at times elicited celebrity coverage from the tabloids (her recent birthday party in D.C. garnered a writeup in the Daily Mail). She even published a memoir in May of 2020 during the general election—”No, You Shut Up”—in which she made clear that her dream was to become White House press secretary.

That’s part of the reason Sanders didn’t end up in the West Wing, former campaign officials say. Though she picked the right horse in the 2020 primary and was a loyal, public-facing defender of Biden, even in the campaign’s toughest moments, some of the president’s team and allies were wary of the headlines she would grab.

“Biden and other senior advisers frown pretty strongly on staffers publicly vying for positions or opportunities,” said one former campaign official. After Biden won in November 2020, many on the Biden team noticed Sanders’ name being floated by allies and in the press for the press secretary job—floats that some attributed to Sanders herself. Ultimately, she landed in the vice president’s office instead of the West Wing.

The campaign official said they hadn’t talked to Sanders recently but said her departure didn’t surprise them.

“You don’t get the spot you wanted, you get a job that’s not working out and you don’t see a decent pathway to where you want to go staying there,” the official said. “You cut bait, take a break, build your profile from the outside and jump back in when the timing is better.”

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A message from the Black Women’s Health Imperative:

Nearly 50% of Black and Latino people live with obesity and are more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 due to systemic health care inequities that deny access to obesity care. The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) supports the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) to fix discriminatory Medicare rules while requiring access to comprehensive obesity care. Washington must update Medicare to make our health care system more equitable for Black and Latino people.

POTUS PUZZLER

From the University of Virginia’s Miller Center

Which president twice declined a seat on the Supreme Court?

(Answer at the bottom.)

The Oval

SCOOP— TYLER MORAN , Biden’s senior adviser for migration, is leaving at the end of January. Though she had just taken over the post in July, the White House told West Wing Playbook that Moran had always intended to just work for the first year and had been commuting back-and-forth via plane all year.

It’s the latest change-up for the Biden team handling migration and the border. Moran replaced AMY POPE over the summer. ROBERTA JACOBSON, the Biden team’s “border czar” early on, departed in April. There have been some mid and low-level aides who have departed as well. The White House said they didn’t have a replacement for Moran yet but are confident that six weeks gives them enough time.

In a statement, Biden’s chief domestic policy adviser SUSAN RICE said, “Tyler has been an invaluable member of our team since the transition and a tremendous asset in our effort to rebuild a fair and humane immigration system.”

JOIN TUESDAY FOR A WOMEN RULE 2021 REWIND AND A LOOK AHEAD AT 2022: Congress is sprinting to get through a lengthy and challenging legislative to-do list before the end of the year that has major implications for women’s rights. Join Women Rule editor Elizabeth Ralph and POLITICO journalists Laura Barrón-López, Eleanor Mueller, Elena Schneider and Elana Schor for a virtual roundtable that will explore the biggest legislative and policy shifts in 2021 affecting women and what lies ahead in 2022. REGISTER HERE.

Filling the Ranks

MORE INFRASTRUCTURE HIRES — The White House continues to staff up to support Biden’s infrastructure plan. KATIE THOMSON will serve as director of bipartisan infrastructure law implementation for the Department of Transportation and WINNIE STACHELBERG was named senior adviser and infrastructure coordinator for the Interior Department, CBS News’ WEIJIA JIANG reported. Both will lead a team to ensure benefits of the law are delivered on time and on budget.

We reported last week that Biden’s infrastructure czar MITCH LANDRIEU added two staffers—who were previously in other West Wing roles—to serve as key infrastructure deputies.

MEA CULPA: On Friday we reported that POTUS named CATHY RUSSELL to serve as the next executive director of UNICEF. While Biden does have many magical appointment powers, it’s actually the United Nations Secretary General that names that particular position. Our apologies.

Agenda Setting

SLOW OVERHAUL — While there’s a lot of focus on Biden’s social spending bill, the administration’s plans to overhaul major higher education policies “are chugging along,” MICHAEL STRATFORD writes. The Education Department’s negotiated-rulemaking committee wrapped up its work on Friday but only reached agreement on four of 12 proposals.

“The panel agreed to regulatory language on four issues: making it easier for borrowers with a severe disability to have their loans forgiven; streamlining loan discharges for borrowers whose school falsely certified that they were eligible for the loan; and eliminating interest capitalization on federal student loans in some events,” Stratford writes in his Weekly Education newsletter.

A message from the Black Women’s Health Imperative:

What We're Reading

White House details push to make electric vehicle chargers ‘ubiquitous’ (Washington Post’s Michael Laris)

‘The messaging is an absolute failure’: Biden’s Covid strategy is about to face a major test (Vanity Fair’s Chris Smith)

Kentucky tornado death toll now at 74, with 100+ unaccounted for (Louisville Courier Journal’s Mary Ramsey and Billy Kobin)

Crucial Antarctic ice shelf could fail within five years, scientists say (Washington Post’s Sarah Kaplan)

Where's Joe

The president attended a briefing on the federal response to the tornadoes and extreme weather that hit multiple states. In attendance were Secretary of Homeland Security ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, FEMA Administrator DEANNE CRISWELL, Homeland Security adviser LIZ SHERWOOD-RANDALL, deputy chief of staff JEN O’MALLEY DILLON, director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs JULIE RODRIGUEZ and CAITLIN DURKOVICH, senior director for resilience and response.

Where's Kamala

The vice president received a briefing on electric vehicle investments in the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Build Back Better Act in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She then delivered remarks on electric vehicle investments, along with national climate adviser GINA McCARTHY and Secretary of Energy JENNIFER GRANHOLM . Staffers who traveled with Harris to Maryland included her senior adviser and chief spokesperson Symone Sanders; MICHAEL FUCHS, deputy chief of staff; KATE CHILDS GRAHAM, director of speechwriting; KRISTINE LUCIUS, director of legislative affairs and MICHAEL COLLINS, director of the office of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs.

Afterwards, the vice president convened CEOs to discuss private sector investment in Central America, in the vice president’s ceremonial office.

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The Oppo Book

DESTINE HICKS, associate director at the White House office of presidential personnel, didn’t tell most people about her new job until she was sworn in on Jan. 21 — because she didn’t want to jinx it.

“I didn’t share it with a lot of people because obviously [in] this process you want to make sure you fully get to the finish line with it. I remember calling my mom and just being so overjoyed and excited about what was next,” the Orangeburg, South Carolina native told her hometown paper The Times and Democrat earlier this year.

Hicks went from serving as a deputy operations director for the Biden campaign in South Carolina and Florida, to serving as the southern operations director handling all southern states.

Hicks’ key to success wasn’t just operating with a severe amount of superstition, but trying to stay grounded through it all.“I guess it’s one of those things where you can’t ask for it to come, you kind of have to just do the work and just like anything, I didn’t expect it, but I was just doing the work, and staying humble, and keeping myself grounded in my faith,” Hicks told the paper.

POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT. While he ultimately became Chief Justice after serving as president, Taft twice declined offers from THEODORE ROOSEVELT to appoint him to the Supreme Court, preferring to remain as the governor general of the Philippines.

For information on Taft and the rest of the presidents, visit millercenter.org

Got a better question? Send us your hardest trivia question on the presidents and we may feature it on Wednesdays. We also want your feedback. What should we be covering in this newsletter that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know.

Edited by Emily Cadei

A message from the Black Women’s Health Imperative:

The American Medical Association recognized obesity as a serious yet treatable disease that leads to chronic illness and premature death years ago. It is well known that obesity is one of the top comorbidities for COVID-19. And, data consistently shows that obesity impacts communities of color at a disproportionately high rate. Yet, despite all of this Medicare still fails to cover the full continuum of care available. The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) believes Washington has the power to update outdated and discriminatory Medicare rules by passing the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA).

The lack of access to comprehensive obesity care not only exacerbates severe health and economic disparities in America, but also costs taxpayers billions of dollars. Washington can improve health equity, save lives, and save money in one fell swoop by passing TROA. Learn more about BWHI at www.BWHI.org and TROA at ObesityCareNow.org.