| | | | Progressives already thought Democrats were aimless | | ... And the special election wipeout might prove their point.
CNN's Gregory Krieg writes: The newly activated Democratic base -- the resistance! -- was tripping over itself for a fight. Their money arrived down South by the truckload. The Republican President's approval ratings are in the tank. And yet, another Election Day is gone, and Democrats are again asking where it all went wrong.
By late Tuesday night, the answers were rolling in. Prominently mixed into this dog's breakfast of recriminations, mostly from the party's activist left, there is at least one recurring thread: Democrats do not have, either by omission or commission, a cohesive economic message. Operatives and consultants peddle tactics and electoral "paths" to power, but after eight years of riding President Barack Obama, mistaking his talents for their own, the brain trust is unable to drive the party.
Still, as it relates to Georgia's 6th Congressional District, a number of caveats apply. Jon Ossoff, the 30-year-old former congressional staffer and documentary filmmaker, entered the race facing long odds. No Democrat had won the seat in his lifetime. Hillary Clinton came close to nicking the vote there from Donald Trump last November, but fell short. Tom Price, whose departure to join the Trump administration set off the monthslong contest, won re-election a little more than six months ago by more than 20 points. Ossoff, despite losing, ate substantially into that margin. Read more analysis here. | | "The White House has been super hands off, which feels just about right." -- A Republican aide to CNN about President Donald Trump being the understudy to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's lead in the effort to pass the health care bill. | | | | Bono pays his respects: Bono, who fronts the popular band U2, was at the Capitol to meet with lawmakers and stopped by House Majority Whip Steve Scalise's office to sign get-well-soon cards for him and the wounded Capitol Police in last week's shooting. Bono, co-founder of the ONE campaign, an anti-poverty organization, is no stranger to the Capitol. | | We'll finally see the health care bill tomorrow | | And according to the Washington Post, the bill will cut back federal Medicaid funding, repeal taxes on the wealthy and eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The bill mirrors parts of the measure the House passed, but not everything -- while the House bill ties federal insurance subsidies to age, the Senate bill would tie them to income, like Obamacare. More from the Post's Paige Winfield Cunningham, Juliet Eilperin and Sean Sullivan.
Meanwhile, at the White House: Donald Trump may be the president of the United States, but when it comes to passing health care reform through the Senate, Trump is the understudy to Mitch McConnell's lead. Senators and their top aides on Capitol Hill have made it clear to the White House as health care legislation makes its way through the Senate that the less involved Trump is, the better for the bill's prospects.
So what does it show? Trump's pull with Senate Republicans, many of whom were not eager to back his presidential campaign, is far weaker than with House Republicans. It also reflects a strategy substantiated earlier this month during Trump's most public foray into the health care process: hosting an eclectic group of senators for a White House policy luncheon. During the public portion of the event -- when reporters were invited in -- Trump undercut the House bill, saying more funding was needed to make it "generous, kind (and) with heart." Behind closed doors, he also called the measure "mean," CNN reported.
How in the dark is the President? With a possible vote days away, the White House hasn't seen the health care bill in its entirety, according to a senior White House official. This official said the White House has provided "technical assistance" to senators in crafting it. More on this here. | | 3 things you might have missed today | | Women of Congress and the press face off on the softball field for charity: This year's game took on a poignant tone, coming just a week after the GOP congressional baseball team was ambushed by a gunman at an early morning practice. (And spoiler alert -- the members of the press corp ultimately won the game). More from CNN's Sophie Tatum.
DHS officials say 21 states potentially targeted by Russia hackers pre-election: None of those systems was involved in vote counting, however. The comments came during a hearing of DHS and FBI cybersecurity officials before the Senate intelligence committee. More from CNN's Tal Kopan.
House Russia probe digs into DNC cyberfailings, voter roll hacks: The House hearing on Russia's efforts to hack state voting systems quickly turned into a grueling examination of the Democratic Party's extensive failings during the election, as Republicans and Democrats grilled former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. More from CNN's Tom LoBianco. | | | Congress is considering placing new limits on the Trump administration's war-making powers as the White House delegates key decisions on military action to the Pentagon. ... House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is in "fair" condition as he continues to heal from his gunshot wounds. ... Russia has canceled a meeting between senior US and Russian officials that was aimed at resolving problems in the relationship between the two countries. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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