The TAKE with Rick Klein
President Joe Biden wants nothing more this week from Presidents Day than to return to the job of his presidency.
He will be traveling during his first official trip Tuesday to a CNN town hall in Wisconsin, followed by a visit to a COVID-19 vaccine facility in Michigan on Thursday.
There is urgency and opportunities for the Biden White House in this post-dismissal window. There is also the shadow of former President Donald Trump, who continues to dominate Republican politics and more, even without a public word about what he does next.
The consequences of the ouster are being felt most intensely among Republicans who lined up. State censorship and major challenges serve as warnings that could discourage political cooperation, with a growing sense that the Republican Party will alternately be hooked or excited to welcome Trump and his movement through 2022.
On the left, the failure to condemn Trump is becoming an explained moment that reveals Republicans to be captives of a dishonored former president. Calls are growing for the abolition of the Senate filibuster and for Biden to give up finding votes from the Republican Party to get relief from COVID and the rest of its agenda.
The internal chaos of the Republican Party may be better than the alternative for Democrats, from a stark political perspective. But it’s a tough hand for Biden to play in a new era of optimism and cooperation.
The RUNDOWN with Alisa Wiersema
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo marked Presidents ’Day with a long press during which he repeatedly advocated handling his administration of coronavirus cases in nursing homes. However, the governor – who published a book last fall on lessons learned in leadership during the pandemic – admitted that his office did not report the death toll as requested by the state legislature. last summer.
“The gap we created in not providing information was filled with skepticism and cynicism and conspiracy theories, which fostered confusion,” Cuomo said, confirming that his position prioritized requests for information. of the Department of Justice above those of the state legislature.
The governor’s concession comes when state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle call for the revocation of at least some of his emergency powers, which will expire on April 30th. On Monday, Cuomo insisted that these powers have nothing to do with the issue at hand.
“The emergency powers have nothing to do with nursing homes, I have done hundreds of actions, the legislature can reverse any action it takes,” he said.
While Cuomo is unlikely to have these powers removed from him in the immediate future, lawmakers are likely to weigh the possible consequences of moving forward with this measure without endangering public health.
According to a survey by the Siena College Research Institute published this morning, 61% of New York voters approve of their global treatment of the pandemic. Still, the governor’s approval falls to 39 percent in the matter of informing the public about the deaths of coronavirus nursing homes.
The TIP with Kendall Karson
The seven Republicans who broke ranks voting to condemn Trump are already incurring the wrath of their allies at home. Between the reproaches of state party leaders and censorship, the removal vote pits Republicans against Republicans, loyal to the former president who draws the dividing lines within the Republican Party.
But in next year’s Senate races, the political consequences may not matter so much. Two of the Republicans – Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania – are retiring next year, Senator Mitt Romney of Utah will not be re-elected until 2024 and three: Sensory Susan Collins of Maine, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana – just won re-election last November.
The possibility of primary challenges is only a risk for one: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the only Republican senator to vote for the ouster, will face voters in 2022. Murkowski, however, faces a tough fight and has proven its durability. , winning his seat in 2010 with a record campaign after losing the Republican primaries amid the tea party movement. And next year, it will benefit Alaska voters who will change their primary rules last fall, allowing non-partisan “jungle partisan” primaries to be held, in which all candidates appear in a ballot regardless of affiliation. of the party.
Still, through the 2022 Senate map, Trump is sure to be at the center. Some of his closest allies are even possible floating clashes that would pit Trump against Trump supporters, with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham telling Lara Trump “the future of the Republican party” and “almost a certain candidate “for the upcoming Burr open seat on Fox News Sunday, though Trump sponsor Rep. Mark Walker is already vying for the seat.
ONE MORE
Driven by strong divisions that reflect the country’s persistent partisan fissures, the second process of ousting former President Donald Trump consolidated public support for condemning him for inciting insurrection, according to a new ABC News / Ipsos poll. More than half of Americans (58%) say Trump should have been convicted, which followed with 56% saying the same thing last week before the 57-43 vote in the Senate for acquittal, leaving Trump free to possibly run for office again.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News’ “Start Here” podcast. Tuesday morning’s episode features ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee explaining why many southern states were ill-equipped to cope with this week’s winter weather. From Moines, Iowa, small business owner Becky Pospisal joins the show to discuss her reaction to the lifting of the Iowa state mask mandate. And Ignacio Torres, from ABC News, tells us how migrants approaching the U.S.-Mexico border face the winter weather and the Biden administration’s immigration policies. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
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