President/National
Obama-Coalition: Democratic strategists are fretting over how none of the existing candidates are seen as easily fitting the Obama 2008 coalition. It seems like former Vice President Biden (D) comes the closest to replicating the Obama 2008 coalition, but he has weaknesses among younger voters. Senator Bernie Sanders (Socialist) falls behind Biden in replicating the coalition with others doing even worse. Word of advice… fight with the army you have today not the one you had 11 years ago.
Biden: Speaking of Obama 2008, Politico notes how former Vice President Biden has gone from being slightly above Kirsten Gillibrand (D-Roguemapper’s favorite) territory in 2008 to having a strong lead out of the gate in 2020. Iowa observers think that Biden’s appeal in Iowa in 2008 was stronger, but got drowned out by more robust candidates.
Infrastructure: President Donald Trump (R), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) called a truce yesterday so they could discuss trillions of dollars of new infrastructure spending. They agreed on a figure, but have substantive differences on mechanics (gas tax increase, rollback of Trump tax cuts, and environmental regulations seem like the biggest hurdles).
Beto: As Betomania continues to fade, it is clear that his campaign is a joke. He does not have a full-time campaign manager. The full-time staff does not know what is going on. They are alleging they are doing something different. Being an obnoxious social media celebrity only gets you so far even in 2019.
Trump: Democratic attempts to obtain information and documentation of loans that various banks including Deutsche Bank and Capital One have given to President Trump, his family, and businesses have led to the filing of a Federal lawsuit to prevent the financial institutions in question from disclosing the information to House Democrats. This is a good reason to remember to include language in your NDAs allowing disclosures not just for court orders, but any government request.
The Fed: It looks like Steve Moore’s potential appointment to the Fed is crashing and burning. Senator Joni Ernst (R) thinks his candidacy will be a flop and she would not likely support him.
Warren: Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) has focused on running a policy heavy candidacy, but Politico notes that while such candidates often impact the policy direction of their party, they rarely win the nomination. The article also notes that Warren faces getting squeezed on her left flank by Senator Bernie Sanders (Socialist) who appeals to many of the same voters as Warren….