President Biden will deliver a major speech Wednesday evening on threats to democracy, seeking to put the issue front and center with just six days to go until Election Day as control of Congress hangs in the balance.
The speech, announced Wednesday morning, comes at a particularly pointed time for the country, five days after an attack against Paul Pelosi, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband, raised fresh concerns about security for lawmakers and their families while drawing attention to those who fan baseless political conspiracies.
Biden’s speech will focus on the threat of election deniers and “those who seek to undermine faith in voting and democracy,” according to the Democratic National Committee, which is hosting the event at the Columbus Club in D.C.’s Union Station.
“The President will address the threat of election deniers and those who seek to undermine faith in voting and democracy; and the stakes for our democracy in next week’s election,” a Democratic official told CNN.
Why it’s important: Two months ago, Biden gave a speech in Philadelphia on “the Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation” in which he said “MAGA Republicans” represent “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
His speech Wednesday is expected to touch on similar themes, while underscoring the importance of next week’s election to try to drive home the point.
How it might be different: Biden’s September address was widely panned by Republicans over the ominous décor in the backdrop, with many on the right claiming the speech only served to further divide the country.
Biden said the following day, “anyone who calls for the use of violence, fails to condemn violence when it’s used, refuses to acknowledge an election has been won, insists upon changing the way in which we rule and count votes, that is a threat to democracy.”
While Biden is speaking at a different venue this time — one selected for its proximity to the Capitol, the site of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot — the speech is expected to tap on similar notes, focusing on the general political climate as well as the specter of political violence against those of different viewpoints.
White House senior adviser Anita Dunn said at an Axios event Wednesday morning that political violence is something “we can all be united against.”
Paul Pelosi is recovering following surgery for a skull fracture and other injuries from the attack at the Pelosi home in San Francisco last Friday. According to prosecutors, David DePape allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer and said he was looking for the House Speaker. DePape reportedly shared QAnon theories online.
Biden said following the attack, “What makes us think that one party can talk about stolen elections, COVID being a hoax, that it’s all a bunch of lies, and it not affect people who may not be so well balanced?”
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🚔 Attack spurs debate over causes of violence
While members of both parties have condemned political violence after Friday’s attack on Paul Pelosi, views on the main factors spurring such threats and incidents have varied widely.
Several Democrats, along with some Republicans, say the attack against Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s (D-Calif.) husband is a manifestation of the increasingly vitriolic tone of U.S. politics.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who chairs the committee overseeing the Capitol Police, raised election deniers when discussing ways to avoid future violence.
“I think it is really important that people realize that it is not just this moment of this horrific attack but that we have seen violence perpetrated throughout our political system,” she said. “And there are several things we can do from the security standpoint. … But it is also about making sure we don’t add more election deniers to our political system.”
A number of Republicans used the attack to criticize perceived Democratic hypocrisy, pointing to rising crime in Democratic-led cities.
Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said, “We saw [New York GOP gubernatorial candidate] Lee Zeldin’s attacker was on the street right after he attacked him. This is what Democrat policies are bringing.”
In a similar vein, former President Trump pointed to crime in Chicago and San Francisco in his response.
Still others have made light of the attack.
Donald Trump Jr. retweeted images mocking the incident. And Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) faced backlash for saying at a campaign rally for 7th District U.S. House candidate Yesli Vega, “There’s no room for violence anywhere, but we’re going to send [Nancy Pelosi] back to be with [Paul Pelosi] in California.” Youngkin has since reiterated his condemnation of the violence.
“Collectively, we have to lower the temperature. People keep getting hurt. We’re very lucky no one has been killed — and I worry I need to emphasize ‘yet,’” former Republican National Committee (RNC) communications director Doug Heye said in a Washington Post op-ed on Monday.
Heye said it started with his party’s treatment of former President Obama and that Democrats are also implicated, mentioning a Bernie Sanders supporter who shot House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) in 2017.
What everyone can agree on is that the dynamic is worsening, with Capitol Police saying the number of threats against lawmakers has been increasing in recent years.
– – — BRIEFLY 🎤 🍎 🔴 🇰🇵 — – –
The White House is again calling on Congress to take action to address gun violence in the aftermath of multiple high-profile incidents this week, including a shooting in Houston that took the life of rapper Takeoff of the hip-hop group Migos.
Democrats are growing anxious that Republicans could upset 20 years of precedent in New York and see a GOP candidate elected to the governor’s mansion.
Nonpartisan election handicapper FiveThirtyEight’s primary Senate forecast model now favors Republicans to take control of the chamber in next week’s midterm elections.
The United States has accused North Korea of secretly sending Russia a “significant number” of artillery shells to help in its war in Ukraine.
🌽 As Sasse preps exit, attention shifts to Ricketts
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse (R) is officially set to leave Congress early to become the new president of the University of Florida, after unanimous approval from the school’s board of trustees this week, setting up a bid to replace him.
In normal circumstances, Gov. Pete Ricketts, the Republican businessman who has been in office since 2015, would name Sasse’s replacement. But Ricketts, 58, is the odds-on favorite for the post himself. He previously ran for the Senate in 2006.
“Most of the political observers we talk to locally around the state tell us they expect Gov. Ricketts to be the next senator,” Aaron Sanderford, a political reporter with the Nebraska Examiner, told NotedDC. “The biggest advantage he has is people know him everywhere.”
Ricketts, who is term-limited, made clear in a statement last month that his successor would ultimately select a replacement for Sasse — and he didn’t shy away from indicating his own interest in the job.
“If I choose to pursue the appointment, I will leave the appointment decision to the next governor and will follow the process established for all interested candidates,” he said. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the governor of Nebraska. It is the greatest job in the world, and it will remain my number one focus for the remainder of my term.”
It sets up a carefully orchestrated timeline. Under Nebraska law, the governor has 45 days from the date of resignation to appoint a new senator to serve the remaining two years of Sasse’s term.
According to the University of Florida’s announcement of Sasse’s hire this week, he’s expected to start the new job in “early 2023,” giving plenty of wiggle room for his formal resignation from the Senate and allowing for a new governor to be in place.
Ricketts, in a shift away from former President Trump in the GOP gubernatorial primary earlier this year, threw his weight behind Jim Pillen, who secured the Republican nomination and carries a hefty lead heading into next week’s general election.
“Clearly Ricketts has wanted it, and there is no one else in the state that really has his sort of stature,” Randy Adkins, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, told NotedDC.
What they’re saying in Nebraska: Ricketts, scion of the billionaire family that holds significant sway in GOP political circles, has built a reputation as a fiscally conservative Republican leader. Several experts described him as a likely reliable vote for the GOP in the Senate, though with an individualistic streak.
“He’s been very much what I would call a traditional Republican,” Atkins said. “He supported Trump but he’s not what I would consider the MAGA-wing of the party. At the same time, he’s not in the RINO-wing of the Republican Party.”
As an example, Sanderford pointed to how the governor ultimately won a fight over the death penalty — sidestepping state lawmakers through politics and money.
The Nebraska legislature voted to repeal capital punishment in 2015. Ricketts vetoed the bill, but the legislature voted to override his decision. Ricketts then set out on a campaign — spending thousands of his own money — to put the issue to the voters, who ultimately sided with the governor and kept capital punishment.
LOBBY WORLD
The Hill’s Karl Evers-Hillstrom has a weekly roundup of where people are moving in the lobbying world (and you can send us your professional updates, too!). Here are some highlights from this week:
Obama world alum Ami Copeland has been named head of public affairs for APCO Worldwide. Copeland was deputy national finance director for former President Obama’s first presidential campaign and was a top campaign aide for former Sens. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).
The Public Affairs Council has elected Mary Moore Hamrick to be its 2023 board chair. Hamrick, managing director of domestic policy at the George W. Bush Institute, previously served as GOP counsel on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
José Miguel Vivanco has joined Dentons Global Advisors. Vivanco previously held posts with the Council on Foreign Relations and Human Rights Watch.
QUOTABLE
“My résumé against his résumé, I’ll put it up any time of the day.”
– Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker (R) speaking of former President Obama in an interview with Fox News.
NUMBER TO KNOW
75
Basis points the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates again on Wednesday — the fourth time this year.
🎶 One more thing: Swift retreat
Pop superstar Taylor Swift this week announced dates for her latest highly anticipated tour. Not on the line-up: Washington, D.C., or the broader DMV area.
It’s a mega stadium tour, so chalk it up to the notoriously troubled FedEx Field. (Meanwhile, Pennsylvania somehow scored three stops.) Maybe Swift just forgot DC existed?
The omission is especially interesting given the first single from her new album “Midnights” directly takes aim at politicians: Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguised as altruism. Like some kind of congressman.
Cue up the cheeky single–issue voters, who took to social media demanding to know what President Biden will do to remedy the situation.
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