Tag: Joe Biden

Why The Sunbelt Is Turning Away From Trump’s Republicans

During the 1980s and 1990s, political pundits used the term “Solid South” to refer to the seemingly impenetrable red wall that Republicans had achieved in southern states — which was a big departure from the years in which that term referred to all the southern states that allied themselves with the Democratic Party. Now, the Republican Party finds itself losing ground in the Sun Belt, and that shift is the focus of a New York Times article by reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.

The piece not only describes the ground that Republicans have been losing in parts of the Deep South, but also, in southwestern states like Arizona — which has evolved into a swing state after being heavily Republican for generations.

“Nowhere has [President Donald] Trump harmed himself and his party more than across the Sun Belt, where the electoral coalition that secured a generation of Republican dominance is in danger of coming apart,” Martin and Burns explain. Continue reading.

Debate commission cancels Oct. 15 Trump-Biden debate

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The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has officially canceled the second debate between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden scheduled for Oct. 15 after the candidates signaled they planned to attend other events that day amid a dispute over the terms for the debate.

The announcement puts to rest speculation over whether the event would take place in a modified format next week following a back-and-forth that began early Thursday when Trump rejected the commission’s plans to shift the debate to a virtual event amid health concerns after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Biden’s campaign initially committed to continue on with the debate, though it indicated later Thursday after it became apparent that Trump would not participate in a virtual debate that Biden planned to instead attend a town hall in Pennsylvania hosted by ABC News. Continue reading.

Both parties prepare for possibility of contested election as chaotic White House race hurtles to a close

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Even as a coronavirus outbreak has upended the White House, Democrats and Republicans have been gaming out another potential crisis that experts agree could plunge the country into unprecedented turmoil: a contested election in the weeks after Nov. 3.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has recently spoken in multiple meetings about preparing for a situation in which neither candidate attains the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, according to multiple Democrats familiar with her remarks — a historic development that would throw the outcome to the new Congress in January.

She has also directed some of her members to be ready if GOP legislatures in states with narrow margins or unfinished counts seek to appoint their own electors, a situation Democrats hope to head off with an obscure law from the 19th century that allows Congress to intervene. Continue reading.

Here’s how Trump’s ‘court-packing’ attack on Biden could blow up in his face

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Given how brazenly Republicans blocked Barack Obama’s judicial nominees on an unprecedented scale and then packed the federal courts with young, conservative judicial activists, it was disappointing to see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both dodge the question of whether they would expand the Courts if they win and Senate Republicans confirm Amy Coney Barrett in a shambolic process. The question is a layup that they should have been able to convert into a slam dunk. Evading it made them seem defensive when public opinion is clearly on their side.

Here’s how they should handle such questions:

All options are on the table

One of Trump’s favorite responses to questions that he doesn’t want to answer is, “we’ll see what happens.” Sometimes he adds that he doesn’t want to reveal his hand prematurely. Democrats should follow suit. Continue reading.

Biden to participate in ABC town hall Oct. 15 in lieu of Trump debate

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Democratic nominee Joe Biden will take part in a town hall forum hosted by ABC News on the night of what was supposed to be the second presidential debate.

The former vice president will instead participate in an event in Philadelphia moderated by ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos.

The announcement indicates that the second presidential debate will no longer take place as planned Oct. 15 after President Trump balked at the decision to make it a virtual event for safety reasons. Continue reading.

2020 Presidential Candidate Disability Policies and Plans


The following document was provided by the DFL Disability Caucus and was produced by the Florida Democratic Disability Caucus.

An estimated 38 million eligible voters have disabilities. As Election Day approaches, we must take time to understand the multiple issues the effect people with disabilities. The following is a researched and detailed compilation of the Presidential candidates’ policies and plans for Americans with disabilities and their families.

SOCIAL SECURITY
Biden: Pledged to increase Social Security benefits. His plan would also boost payments for disabled and older Americans.
Trump: Issued an executive order in August 2020 that if he won a second term, he intended to eliminate the payroll tax that funds Social Security. The chief actuary for the Social Security Administration said the trust which supports
the Social Security would be depleted by the middle of 2023. Funds for disability payments would run out in 2021.

Continue reading “2020 Presidential Candidate Disability Policies and Plans”

Trump campaign says president plans to participate in next debate in person despite uncertainty

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President Trump plans to participate in next week’s debate in person, his campaign said Tuesday, despite uncertainty around how he will recover from COVID-19.

“The President intends to participate in the debate in person,” the campaign’s communications director, Tim Murtaugh, said in a statement to The Hill.

But it’s unclear if the president will be healthy enough to attend the debate, or whether he would be exposing other attendees to a contagious virus that has killed roughly 210,000 people in the U.S. to date. Continue reading.

Trump, Biden rev up their campaigns in Minnesota

In the final month, both sides have been forced to confront the COVID-19 pandemic in new and surprising ways. 

Even the cars were socially distanced in a Woodbury parking lot on Tuesday night as Democrats filed into every other parking spot for a pandemic-era drive-in debate watch party. Instead of cheers, they laid on their horns when Joe Biden turned to President Donald Trump and asked: “Will you shut up, man?”

“As a Minnesotan, honking makes me really nervous, but I’m into it,” DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said to scores of windshields, pivoting to a plea for volunteers. “We’re not knocking on a lot of doors, but you have to call people. You have to have conversations with your neighbors about what’s at stake.”

Two days later, Eric Trump asked a crowd gathered in person outside a Becker, Minn., trucking facility how they’d rate his dad’s performance in the debate. Hundreds wearing MAGA swag — but few face masks — raised their hands and cheered. “We lost this state by 1% in 2016, I’m very mad at all of you,” Trump’s son told the crowd. “But I’m telling you, we’re going to win it this time.” Continue reading.