Fox News Halftime Report -- Is Obama ready to promote Sheriff Joe?
Share from the web here . Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here . Aug. 19, 2020 ...
Aug. 19, 2020
By Chris Stirewalt
On the roster: Is Obama ready to promote Sheriff Joe? - I'll Tell You What: Places Chris will never go, things Dana will never eat - Harris aims to be relatable - Biden outspending Trump in battleground states ads - Starbucks ahoy
IS OBAMA READY TO PROMOTE SHERIFF JOE?
As we learned on Tuesday, this is sure not Bill Clinton's Democratic Party anymore.
But is it still Barack Obama's?
Four year ago when he addressed Democratic delegates, then-President Obama had a simple, if long, message: Keep going.
His basic argument was that era of his presidency had delivered big, structural changes on health insurance, Wall Street, foreign policy, gay rights and more and that Hillary Clinton was just the kind of mirthless, grinding bureaucrat to make those shifts permanent.
She was the woman "we haven't always noticed" but who has been around forever "under a microscope for 40 years." She "made mistakes" and "errs" in her striving and gave frustrated supporters reason to wonder if she "maybe sold out."
But, Obama said, he had "come to admire" her despite their "tough" battle in 2008 because of Clinton's "unbelievable work ethic," "tenacity" and because "no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits."
Is that the 2016 Democratic nominee or The Terminator?
Leading by about 5 points in an average of polls going into the conventions and with the Republicans having just wrapped a weird week in Cleveland, Obama no doubt presumed that his grudging endorsement wouldn't make much difference.
And he was no doubt chagrined that he was handing his party back to the Clintons who had been so nasty in 2008 and whose triangulated, pragmatic power politics were the opposite of his own hope and change mantra. Obama could probably see his own time in office subsumed by the House of Clinton.
But that didn't happen. The Clintons, defeated and disgraced, are now marginal figures in the Democratic Party. Obama's vice president, though perhaps not his first pick as a standard bearer, swiftly and soundly defeated the same far-left faction that had complained of Obama's insufficient radicalism.
Here is Joe Biden, the James Polk to Obama's Andrew Jackson, making a bid for a restoration of Obama's agenda and the completion and solidification of work still unfinished and just for one term.
Biden has even picked as his running mate the most Obamian of all the other 2020 Democratic contenders, and not just in her ethnicity and background, but in her brand of big-business liberalism and mainstream appeal. She was the candidate who got the most juice from Obama donors and insiders in the run-up to the race.
Donald Trump, both with his 2016 victory and by fueling the #metoo movement, did what Obama himself could never do and finally get the Clinton's off the Democrats' backs. When Bubba on Tuesday talked about the importance of dignity in the Oval Office it seemed a fittingly obtuse way to end the period of influence for an almost-dynasty that could never see much beyond its own ambitions.
So how will Obama do this year?
Obama at times had a belittling attitude toward Biden, or as he sometimes called him "Sheriff Joe." Unlike his predecessor who was, in his first term at least, deferential to the old Washington hand he picked as a running mate, Obama treated Biden as an endearingly eager but always marginal figure.
And looking at the trash Obama's former top aides talked on Biden from beginning to end of the nominating process, especially David Axelrod, it's clear that the contempt for Biden's old-school, swing-state, glad-hand politics is still very much current in Obamaland.
Will Obama be able to give Biden the kind of enthusiastic endorsement the nominee needs, or will he repeat his 2016 performance and slip the compliments in between jabs in Biden's ribs?
Biden's love for Obama is as pure as Clinton's contempt for him was, so maybe the former president can lay off the rough stuff. As Obama's recent remarks about the dangers of radicalism and cancel culture on the left, he surely understands Biden needs his help in unifying the party.
But Biden is doing substantially better against Trump than Clinton was at this point and Obama may be tempted to come to the podium as part professor and part preacher, explaining to Biden and their fellow Democrats what they're getting wrong.
It might prove irresistible to him to talk down to Biden rather than just talking him up.
THE RULEBOOK: LET'S GO SUPCO
"Thirteen independent courts of final jurisdiction over the same causes, arising upon the same laws, is a hydra in government, from which nothing but contradiction and confusion can proceed." – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 80
TIME OUT: LOST NO MORE
The Virginian-Pilot: "The English colonists who settled the so-called Lost Colony before disappearing from history simply went to live with their native friends — the Croatoans of Hatteras, according to a new book. 'They were never lost,' said Scott Dawson, who has researched records and dug up artifacts where the colonists lived with the Indians in the 16th century. 'It was made up. The mystery is over.' Dawson has written a book, published in June, that details his research. It is called 'The Lost Colony and Hatteras Island,' and echoes many of the sentiments he has voiced for years. A team of archaeologists, historians, botanists, geologists and others have conducted digs on small plots in Buxton and Frisco for 11 years. … The evidence shows the colony left Roanoke Island with the friendly Croatoans to settle on Hatteras Island. They thrived, ate well, had mixed families and endured for generations."
Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.
SCOREBOARD
NATIONAL HEAD-TO-HEAD AVERAGE
Trump: 43 percent
Biden: 51.2 percent
Size of lead: Biden by 8.2 points
Change from one week ago: Biden ↓ 0.2 points, Trump ↑ 2.4 points
[Average includes: CNN: Trump 46% - Biden 50%; ABC News/WaPo: Trump 44% - Biden 54%; NBC News/WSJ: Trump 41% - Biden 50%; Fox News: Trump 42% - Biden 49%; NPR/PBS News/Marist: Trump 42% - Biden 53%.]
BATTLEGROUND POWER RANKINGS
(270 electoral votes needed to win)
Toss-up: (109 electoral votes): Wisconsin (10), Ohio (18), Florida (29), Arizona (11), Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15), Iowa (6)
Lean R/Likely R: (180 electoral votes)
Lean D/Likely D: (249 electoral votes)
TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE
Average approval: 43 percent
Average disapproval: 54.6 percent
Net Score: -11.6 points
Change from one week ago: ↑ 4.4 points
[Average includes: CNN: 43% approve - 54% disapprove; ABC News/WaPo: 42% approve - 57% disapprove; NBC News/WSJ: 44% approve - 53% disapprove; Fox News: 44% approve - 54% disapprove; Gallup: 42% approve - 55% disapprove.]
GOT A WILD PITCH? READY TO THROW A FASTBALL?
We've brought "From the Bleachers" to video on demand thanks to Fox Nation. Each Wednesday and Friday, Producer Brianna McClelland will put Politics Editor Chris Stirewalt to the test with your questions on everything about politics, government and American history – plus whatever else is on your mind. Sign up for the Fox Nation streaming service here and send your best questions to HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM.
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT: PLACES CHRIS WILL NEVER GO, THINGS DANA WILL NEVER EAT
This week, Dana Perino and Chris Stirewalt continue their socially-distanced dialogue from different parts of Washington, D.C.. They discuss the first night of the Democratic National Convention, the continued controversy around mail-in ballots and USPS, and how the House and Senate are in play with just 76 days remaining. They also give their latest rundown of television and movie recommendations. Plus, Chris answers VP history. LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE
HARRIS AIMS TO BE RELATABLE
WSJ: "Kamala Harris is slated to accept the vice-presidential nomination in a prime-time address that will offer a closer look at how Democrats will deploy the California senator as they make their case against President Trump this fall. After a week of minimal public appearances since being tapped by former Vice President Joe Biden to serve as his running mate, Ms. Harris will have the opportunity Wednesday during the third night of the party's virtual convention to reintroduce herself to voters and rally the party around the Democratic ticket in what could be the most important speech of her career so far. Ms. Harris is poised to officially become the first Black woman and first woman of Indian descent on a major party's White House ticket. … 'What she really hopes tonight is that people will see themselves in her speech,' [Kate Bedingfield, Mr. Biden's deputy campaign manager] said."
Warren, Pelosi, Hillary ready to serve up red meat - Fox News: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., widely perceived as the Democrats' progressive standard-bearer in the Senate; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the highest-ranking Democratic official in the United States; and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will provide the Wednesday convention lineup with some serious firepower as they attempt to rally voters for Biden -- and they're not even the headliners. … Wednesday's [theme] is 'A More Perfect Union.' The party says that the 'A More Perfect Union' theme -- a line from the preamble of the U.S. Constitution -- will focus on Biden's 'build back better' plan to recover from 'Donald Trump's mismanagement of the pandemic and subsequent economic crisis.'"
Dem unity looked a little shaky on Tuesday - New Yorker: "[Bill] Clinton and Joe Biden form generational bookends—one moderate icon hailing another. But there was nothing especially historic, or historical, about Clinton's praise of the nominee. … Is this still the Party that Clinton remade? Five prerecorded minutes, broadcast early on the second night of the Convention, indicated that his personal influence has waned. Ideologically, too, Democrats have drifted away from him: any talk of triangulation was largely left to the dissident Republicans who spoke on both Monday and Tuesday evenings. … On Tuesday, the Party gave [Rep. Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez only the brief role of seconding the symbolic nomination of Bernie Sanders. She used it to dwell on some recent history that the Party might have been happy to paper over. Ocasio-Cortez praised the 'mass people's movement' behind Sanders's campaign… Was she speaking from inside the Democratic tradition or outside it? She didn't mention Biden once. Ocasio-Cortez is often said to embody a generational break with senior Democrats."
Jill Biden drives home family, grief in speech - USA Today: "Dr. Jill Biden, the former second lady, spoke from the empty halls of Brandywine High School [Tuesday night], where she once taught English. … Biden's endorsement of her husband was extremely personal, drawing on the death of their son, Beau. 'Four days after Beau's funeral, I watched Joe shave and put on his suit. I saw him steel himself in the mirror — take a breath put his shoulders back and walk out into a world empty of our son. He went back to work. That's just who he is,' she said. Biden drew parallels between the couple's grief over their son and the suffering of the nation amid a deadly pandemic and a recession. 'How do you make a broken family whole?' she said. 'The same way you make a nation whole. With love and understanding – and with small acts of kindness. With bravery. With unwavering faith. You show up for each other, in big ways and small ones, again and again.'"
McCain's widow extolls Biden's character - LAT: "'They would just sit and joke, it was like a comedy show sometimes to watch the two of them,' Cindy McCain said of her husband's friendship with Joe Biden. The widow of Sen. John McCain spoke in a video, 'An Unlikely Friendship,' that aired during the second night of the Democratic convention. With her appearance at the virtual Democratic event, the wife of the Arizona senator joined a growing list of high-profile Republicans willing to cross party lines to help Biden's presidential bid. A central theme of this year's Democratic convention has been the need to unify America, and a number of Republicans have had featured appearances… Cindy McCain praised Biden's ability to reach across the aisle to work with Republicans like her husband. … Earlier this year Meghan McCain — Cindy and John's daughter — made clear she also plans to vote for Biden in November."
Colin Powell makes the case for Biden as commander-in-chief - Fox News: "Former Secretary of State Colin Powell offered his full endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday night in a speech where he contrasted Biden's decades of experience in foreign policy compared to President Trump's. 'Today, we are a country divided, and we have a president doing everything in his power to make it that way and keep us that way,' Powell, a Republican who served under President George W. Bush, said in a pretaped speech. 'What a difference it will make to have a president who unites us, who restores our strength and our soul.' Powell, who endorsed Barack Obama's presidential bids in 2008 and 2012 and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, has been a fierce critic of Trump… The former secretary of state under President George W. Bush also already said in June that he would be voting for Biden in this year's general election."
BIDEN OUTSPENDING TRUMP IN BATTLEGROUND STATES ADS
NBC News: "Over the past week, former Vice President Joe Biden has had a significant edge in TV and radio advertising spending over President Trump in the presidential battleground, outpacing the incumbent in virtually every state that's key to winning the presidency. From Aug. 11 through Aug. 17, the Biden campaign outspent the Trump campaign in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin, according to NBC analysis of TV and radio advertising data provided by Advertising Analytics. Biden is also outspending Trump in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nevada, four states where the Trump campaign hasn't run any TV or radio ads in at least two weeks. On the flip side, the Trump campaign is outspending Biden in Georgia and New Mexico, states where neither Biden nor his top affiliated outside groups have spent significant money on TV or radio ads. Overall, across all states and on national television, the Biden campaign outspent the Trump campaign over that week by more than a two-to-one margin, $16 million to $7.4 million."
Trump attacks Biden on immigration - NYT: "The president reprised the darkest language of his 2016 campaign [on Tuesday], warning that should Mr. Biden win the presidency, the Trump-era restrictions on foreigners would be abandoned in favor of policies that he said would allow 'aliens with criminal records' to roam free across the country, threatening violence and stealing jobs from Americans. … As candidates, Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris have repeatedly condemned the president's immigration policies, accusing Mr. Trump of embracing a xenophobic approach to foreigners and vowing to reverse many of the administration's policies if they win the White House. But Mr. Biden has been careful not to endorse some of the most extreme ideas among some in the Democratic Party, who have called for abolishing ICE. The issue can be a tricky one for the Democratic ticket. Many liberals in the party are eager for someone to completely repudiate Mr. Trump's policies like the decision to separate migrant families at the border and refusing entry to asylum seekers fleeing from poverty, war and persecution."
SENATE GOP TO INTRODUCE PARED DOWN PACKAGE
Politico: "Senate Republicans are planning to introduce a 'skinny' coronavirus relief bill, amid an impasse in negotiations between the White House and top Democratic leaders. The latest GOP coronavirus relief bill is expected to include $300 in boosted weekly federal unemployment benefits until Dec. 27, another round of money for the Paycheck Protection Program and an additional $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service and liability protections. The proposal is also expected to include money for education and testing. The revised bill, which includes elements of the July Senate GOP proposal, could be attached to a continuing resolution to fund the government past a Sept. 30 deadline, according to two GOP sources. Senate leadership told GOP aides on a call Monday afternoon that text would be released in the next 24 hours. The new bill comes as the House is preparing to interrupt August recess for a rare Saturday vote on legislation that would provide $25 billion to the U.S. Postal Service. Democrats are seeking to bolster the agency ahead of the November election, citing President Donald Trump's attacks on mail-in voting."
EIGHTH INCUMBENT HOUSE MEMBER FALLS
Fox News: "Dogged by investigations into campaign finance violations, first-term Republican Rep. Ross Spano of Florida was ousted Tuesday in a GOP House primary. The embattled freshman lawmaker was narrowly edged out by Lakeland, Fla., commission member Scott Franklin in the state's 15th Congressional District, which covers parts of Tampa's northeastern suburbs. Spano becomes the eighth House incumbent to be defeated in this year's congressional primaries. Five of the losing lawmakers are Republicans. The Associated Press called the race for Franklin at 9:35 p.m. ET. Spano last year acknowledged that he had misreported as personal funds more than $100,000 in contributions to his successful 2018 congressional campaign. The misreporting of the donations was an 'inadvertent and unintentional' mistake, he said, but a Justice Department investigation is ongoing. Franklin was endorsed earlier this month by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a strong ally of President Trump."
Internet gadfly gets GOP nod to be Trump's congresswoman - Palm Beach Post: "Incumbent Lois Frankel and social media firebrand Laura Loomer won their respective primaries Tuesday, setting the tone for what will be a fiery, nationally-watched congressional election in November. Frankel, a former West Palm Beach mayor seeking her fifth term in U.S. House District 21, beat newcomer Guido Weiss by a landslide to win the Democratic nomination. … While Frankel was celebrating her quick win, Loomer was surrounded by an all-star cast of conservative and far-right leaders toasting her win in the GOP primary. Among those gathering to watch returns with Loomer were political strategist Roger Stone, British writer Milo Yiannopoulos and Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes. Even President Donald Trump weighed in on Loomer's victory via Twitter. 'Great going Laura,' he wrote. 'You have a great chance against a Pelosi puppet!'"
Former Rep. Lummis wins GOP Senate nomination in Wyoming - Roll Call: "Former Rep. Cynthia M. Lummis is on a path back to Washington after winning the Republican nomination for the open Senate seat in deep-red Wyoming. Lummis, who served as the state's lone representative in the House from 2009 to 2017, was leading a 10-way GOP primary to succeed retiring Republican Michael B. Enzi with 50 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race at 8:22 p.m. Mountain time. Converse County Commissioner Robert Short was in second place with 22 percent. During a debate last month, Lummis pledged to 'be a staunch supporter of President [Donald] Trump and his America First agenda.' In her campaign, she has advocated increased U.S. manufacturing and backed a proposal from Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., intended to allow more competition in health care markets."
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Pergram: Beware the Ides of August: This year it's the postal service - Fox News
Read Biden, Harris' first joint interview as running mates - People
AUDIBLE: BASIC CABLE ENTHUSIAST
"It's not just Shark Week, it's Shark Week motherf******." – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer caught on a hot mic before her virtual DNC speech Monday.
Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.
STARBUCKS AHOY
Splash247: "The 58-year-old captain of the ill-fated newcastlemax [cargo ship] Wakashio could face negligence charges after it emerged the crew were celebrating a crewmember's birthday and had headed nearer towards the Mauritius coastline to get a Wi-Fi signal just prior to the bulk carrier's grounding on a reef off the island's south coast. The bombshell revelations – first reported by local newspaper L'Express – come from investigators who have interviewed the crew of the Japanese-owned, Panamanian-flagged ship. The Wakashio grounded on a reef near UNESCO protected sites on the evening of July 25. Local authorities had been trying in vain to contact the ship ahead of the accident to warn it was on the wrong course. It transpires the crew were celebrating a birthday hence missing the initial urgent calls. The wrecked ship, on the verge of breaking up, has since spilled around 1,000 [tons] of bunker fuel into the pristine Mauritian waters, creating the republic's greatest ecological disaster. The Panama Maritime Authority had earlier suggested the ship ran into difficulty because of bad weather, although data providers have shown there was no inclement weather around southern Mauritius at the time of the accident."
AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
"It was a triumph of experience over hope, the very definition of conservatism." – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in The Weekly Standard on Nov. 25, 2002.
Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.
Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe | Contact Us
©2020 Fox News Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10036.
