POLITICO NIGHTLY: The three parties nominating Biden

 

BY RYAN LIZZA AND RENUKA RAYASAM LIVE FROM NOT MILWAUKEE — The convention season begins tonight with speeches from Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama. For live video, plus instant analysis, live chats with POLITICO reporters and interviews with newsmakers, head to POLITICO’s convention home: https://www.politico.com/dnc VIRTUAL UNITY — I’ve decamped to a cabin in Vermont for (virtual) convention week, so in addition to drinking Heady Topper while listening to Phish, I’ve also been thinking about Bernie Sanders, one of the featured speakers tonight. Four years ago Sanders was a thorn in the side of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. He remained in the primaries long after he had no chance of winning the nomination. Negotiations over his endorsement were fraught, and Clinton felt like he didn’t campaign for her enough in the fall. At the convention in Philadelphia that nominated Clinton for the presidency, his supporters organized noisy protests and a walkout. In her post-campaign memoir, What Happened , Clinton writes that Sanders’s attacks on her — he implied that she was “bought and paid for” by Wall Street — caused “lasting damage” and helped Trump win. This time around, Sanders is all in for Biden in a way that he wasn’t for Clinton. While there are some remnants of his movement that gripe about the 2020 Democratic nominee, Sanders has little tolerance for them. The reality of President Donald Trump has changed everything. Neera Tanden was a top adviser to Hillary Clinton and is not known for her fondness for Sanders. Jeff Weaver is a top adviser to Sanders and is not known for his enthusiasm for the Clinton wing of the Democratic Party. Both are enthusiastic Biden supporters. Weaver helped write the speech Biden will deliver Thursday night when he accepts the Democratic presidential nomination. “In 2016, Donald Trump’s presidency seemed like an unlikely possibility, and a lot of Democrats took it for granted that he couldn’t win,” Tanden said. “In 2020 he’s a daily reality nightmare. It’s illogical to think he can’t win reelection, and that has unified the party like nothing in my memory. Sanders has been an incredibly unifying force over the last few months.” Weaver echoed the same point. “The danger of Trump and the willingness of the Biden campaign to reach out to all factions within the party has led to the opportunity for us to create this powerful popular front against Trump in November,” he said. “The senator is going to speak quite forcefully tonight about the danger Trump poses to American democracy itself.” Over the last year, Democrats have been divided into two big camps. The Sanders camp has tried to push the party to the left across a range of issues. The Biden camp has tried to argue that defeating Trump is more important than factional debates over health care policy. Biden won that debate and the nomination. Over the next four nights Democrats will showcase the breadth of the coalition that is now united behind a simple anti-Trump message, which tonight will be represented by the two poles of Sanders and a quartet of Republicans: former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former EPA head and New Jersey Gov. Christine Whitman, former New York Rep. Susan Molinari and former Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman. Churning underneath that wide spectrum of support that ranges from socialists to center-right conservatives are significant ideological chasms. If Biden becomes president, the ideological incoherence of his coalition will likely assert itself in the opening months, if not weeks, of his first year in office. Sanders and Kasich don’t agree on much except that they both want to see Trump gone. One of tonight’s themes is “Putting country over party.” For now that’s good enough for the progressives and the center-right. Once Trump is no longer president, whether that day arrives in 2021 or 2025, that request is going to be a lot harder to swallow. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition. Watch Cardi B interview Joe Biden. Also the Trump campaign is now selling face masks. Reach out rrayasam@politico.com or on Twitter at @renurayasam.   PLUG IN WITH PLAYBOOK AT THE DNC : Join POLITICO Playbook Co-authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman from Aug. 18 to 20 for "Plug in with Playbook," our new political show making its virtual debut at this year's conventions. Get the latest developments on presumptive nominee Joe Biden's campaign, analysis of down-ballot races, a look at this cycle’s swing states, along with other election-related updates. Featured guests include DNC chair Tom Perez, convention CEO Joe Solmonese, Biden campaign senior adviser Symone Sanders, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and others. REGISTER HERE.     FIRST IN NIGHTLY THE DAY AFTER — Joe Biden was just about the last Democrat progressives wanted as the nominee. But now that he’s the one taking on Trump, they’re working harder to put him in office than they ever did for Hillary Clinton — then planning to give him hell the minute he steps foot in the White House, write Eugene Daniels and Holly Otterbein. In conversations with more than two dozen left-wing elected officials, labor leaders and strategists in the days before the Democratic National Convention, progressives described an attitude toward Biden that is strikingly different from their previous relationships with either Clinton or former President Barack Obama — and which could have enormous consequences with regards to the shape and power of a Biden administration. The Democratic Party’s left flank is firmly united with moderate Democrats behind the goal of ousting Trump, with former Bernie Sanders aides and allies creating super PACs and promising to spend millions to elect Biden in a way they never did for Clinton. But progressives, who are emboldened after successfully ousting several entrenched Democrats in recent primaries, are also clear: Unlike with Obama, there will be no honeymoon for Biden. If progressives follow through, Biden's ability to cut deals with Republicans — a central pledge of his campaign — would be hemmed in from Day One. AROUND THE NATION START SPREADING THE NEWS — Five months ago, New York was the coronavirus epicenter of the United States and the globe. Now, the state is testing around a 1 percent positivity rate and reported a measly 408 new cases today. In April, New York was reporting more than 10,000 cases on its worst days. More than 32,000 New Yorkers have died of Covid. How did New York contain the outbreak? Nightly’s Myah Ward reports: New Yorkers responded to fear , said Barun Mathema, an epidemiologist at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. “There’s nothing that is going to make you more compliant than knowing that somebody that you know, that somebody real with a name, with a face, whose life has been upturned — let alone possibly succumbed to the disease,” he said. “That’s a very powerful motivator. It makes everybody pause for a moment.” It motivated the government too. The state shut down quickly, closing schools, bars and restaurants. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is speaking tonight at the Democratic convention, was one of the first governors to issue a statewide mask mandate, on April 17. “I think the big lesson is that what works is very strict adherence to public health control methods,” said Irwin Redlener, founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. No, New Yorkers haven’t reached herd immunity , and they probably don’t want to. To reach what we consider herd immunity, Mathema said, the human toll would be “exceptionally high” and something society “will not tolerate.” The state has a strong testing program and is working on local outreach campaigns to target communities that may be seeing an uptick in cases, said Marta Wosińska, deputy director at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. Covid Exit Strategy’s data suggests the state is doing adequate testing for the size of its current outbreak, but this doesn’t mean it will be enough for widespread school reopenings or bringing people back to workplaces, she said. The virus is still around, and New Yorkers know this. Redlener said everyone who needs a test still can’t get one with timely results in many parts of the state. And while the state’s contact tracing system has improved, it’s not built to handle a resurgence of outbreaks across the city. “We’re in a state of flux right now,” Redlener said. “The public mood, I think, is I would characterize as a state of outbreak anxiety.” COVID-2020 Photos courtesy of delegates PARTY OF ONE — The national conventions typically involve thousands of people, from operatives to reporters to celebrities, in massive arenas filled with balloons, streamers, cameras, political posters, patriotic outfits and funny hats. Not this year: The delegates will mostly be tuning in from home, like the rest of us. The DNC instructed delegates not to travel to Milwaukee, Wis., and the RNC invited just a few hundred of them to a pared-down event in Charlotte, N.C. To find out what the convention will look like for them, POLITICO Magazine contacted more than a dozen delegates to both conventions and asked them how they were handling this new American experiment. Some are skipping the fanfare entirely; some are holding small, socially distanced gatherings, and others are letting their political nerd flags fly, suiting up with patriotic outfits or decorations. Most said they will miss, as one delegate put it, “sharing the anticipation of victory with so many like-minded people.” How the right won — As progressives enter the DNC with hopes of pushing the party to the left, video reporter Eugene Daniels talks to Tim Alberta about how the right wing of the Republican Party took over the GOP, in the latest edition of 2020 Check-in. Preparing for a bad bounce — No crowd. No balloons. Almost no risk of spreading a highly contagious virus. Sounds … thrilling? As Democrats across the country prepare to convene virtually for the DNC, national correspondent Natasha Korecki explains in the latest POLITICO Dispatch why this year’s unique event could make it tougher than ever to energize viewers. Listen to the latest POLITICO Dispatch podcast ON THE HILL MAIL FIGHT HEADS TO HEARINGS — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has agreed to House Democrats’ request for him to testify next week about his controversial Postal Service changes, according to two people familiar with the matter. On Sunday, Democrats moved up a request for DeJoy to testify to Monday, Aug. 24, calling it an “urgent” matter. The Oversight and Reform Committee hearing is likely to be tense, with Democrats loudly objecting to changes that have slowed mail delivery in numerous parts of the country while Trump calls to restrict the use of mail-in ballots for the November election, Daniel Lippman writes. The House is also expected to vote as early as this Saturday on a proposal to block DeJoy’s plans to overhaul the Postal Service. The emergency vote would occur weeks earlier than Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders had originally planned to return to Washington during the August recess. Senate GOP’s plan — Senate Republicans are planning to introduce a stripped-down coronavirus relief bill, during an impasse in negotiations between the White House and top Democratic leaders, Marianne LeVine writes. The latest GOP coronavirus relief bill is expected to include an additional $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service, $300 in additional weekly federal unemployment benefits until December 27, another round of money for the Paycheck Protection Program and liability protections for employers. ASK THE AUDIENCE Nightly asked you: How have your convention viewing plans shifted with the changes in format and location? Do you plan on watching more or less? Do you have any traditions that you've had to alter or cancel? Send us your thoughts, and we'll include select responses in Friday's edition. THE GLOBAL FIGHT ‘THE U.S. DOES EVERYTHING BIGGER’ — Schools in Germany have reopened. New Zealand is delaying its election by a month. South Korea has tightened restrictions after five months of keeping the virus contained. In the U.S., meanwhile, Covid cases never subsided: The country leads the world in Covid cases and has more than a fifth of the world’s Covid deaths. Global Translations author Ryan Heath, an Australian native, told your host today that the pandemic is poised to reshape American politics. During the conventions, Heath is writing POLITICO Minutes, a distilled, interactive look at the biggest news of the day. We Slacked today about how U.S politics compares to other countries and what he’s expecting this week. This conversation has been edited. How do U.S. politics compare to politics around the globe? The U.S. does everything bigger: even pandemics. But also debates, conventions, ads, oppo research. All of it. I enjoy it because a bigger proportion of people are willing to have an ongoing discussion about politics here than in most countries. And they're more interested to talk to journalists, especially if they have a friendly Australian accent. Very few people hang up on you here. What are you watching for with this week’s convention? I like that conventions show you politicians as more than a soundbite. The Obamas better show up big time after the Biden love affair with them. I am pretty sure the Clintons are going to feel very B-list and historical, though Bill always has capacity to surprise. It feels like the pandemic has become a political football in the U.S. — has that been true in other countries? For the most part, no. New Zealand just agreed, in a bipartisan way, to delay its election after nine, repeat, nine coronavirus cases were discovered. The U.K. is another country that's been bitterly divided in recent years over Brexit, but there's more cooperation on coronavirus than on other subjects. I think what's common in other developed countries is that they leave the health response to scientists and doctors, and any disputes are more over the type of economic stimulus. Brazil is a notable exception, and a notably botched overall response. How do you think the pandemic will change American politics? Young people are starting to snap back. They've been asserting themselves culturally and socially for a while now: from gender and identity politics, to social networks to Black Lives Matter. And that's going to spread to economics: like tuition fees, working hours, and other social safety net issues. They've grown up paying for everything, and I think they're fed up that other countries have more consistent ladders of opportunity and safety nets. The Phillie Phanatic mascot sits among cardboard cutout fans during a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. | Getty Images NIGHTLY NUMBER 78 percent The percentage of U.S. nursing home Covid-19 cases in the Sun Belt, according to a new American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living report. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data used in the report shows nursing home Covid-19 cases are now at their highest level since the peak on May 31. PARTING WORDS U-TURN AT UNC — Myah writes: Just a week after classes began, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced today it’s canceling in-person classes for undergraduates. The Daily Tar Heel called it with today’s editorial headline that can’t be printed in a family newsletter. UNC’s School of Public Health Dean Barbara K. Rimer said it another way this morning: “We have tried to make this work, but it’s not working.” I graduated from UNC and worked at the Daily Tar Heel. I wish I could say this is just a Covid-19-induced situation, but UNC seems to have a constant crisis on its hands. From the academic scandal to the controversy surrounding the Confederate monument, Silent Sam, UNC administrators seem to be perpetually creating unwanted headlines. I’m still on the university’s Alert Carolina text list. I got a text Friday that there was a cluster in a freshman dorm, and then another in an off-campus housing building. After these texts went out, UNC students were still partying. There was another alert Saturday about a cluster at Sigma Nu fraternity. Then again on Sunday, with yet another outbreak at a different freshman dorm. Even with precautions, schools can’t control students' behavior. UNC wasn’t alone in its decision to move forward with mainly in-person instruction. About 30 minutes down the road, North Carolina State University started the school year with primarily in-person plans. The University of Alabama is scheduled to start on Wednesday mainly in-person despite ongoing concerns about partying. The University of Central Florida plans to do the same next week. Still, UNC alums feel like we saw this one coming. Despite past failures, the university thought it could handle almost 30,000 students during a pandemic and the PR responsibilities that come along with it. Instead, it was the first campus to crash and burn. As UNC journalism professor John Robinson put it on Twitter: “Some of the nation’s brightest minds in leadership, public health, mental health and crisis communication teach @UNC. Maybe the administration should, I dunno, consult them.”   INTRODUCING POLITICO MINUTES: An unprecedented campaign season demands an unconventional approach to news coverage. POLITICO Minutes is a new, interactive content experience that reveals the top takeaways you need to know in an easy-to-digest, swipeable format delivered straight to your inbox. Get a breakdown of what's been learned so far, why it matters, and what to watch for going forward. Sign up for POLITICO Minutes, launching at the 2020 Conventions.     Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam   FOLLOW US

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