Monthly Archives: September 2020

The shift comes after a national legal campaign has successfully resulted in expanded access to mail-in voting in nearly every state -- prompting an unprecedented shift in the way millions of Americans will be able to vote due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But as voting is set to begin in more states in the coming weeks, Democrats have settled on a strategy of emphasizing that all voting options, including in-person early and Election Day voting, are safe amid the pandemic.

"We've got to vote early, in person if we can," Obama said, as she urged Democrats to cast their ballots ahead of an election in which she said democracy itself was at stake.

The former first lady also did not miss an opportunity to urge voters to request their mail-in ballots as soon as possible. But her message to "grab our comfortable shoes, put on our masks" and head to the polls was a notable change of emphasis compared to her party's laser-like focus on mail-in voting since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Just Monday, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, cast their ballots in-person a day before Delaware's primary. Biden and his allies have routinely encouraged mail-in voting, and Delaware allows all registered voters to cast their ballots by mail.

Increasing anxiety

"Maybe 98% of the Black people I'm talking to are not trusting mail-in voting," said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. "I think there is a major consideration around voting in-person."

"We also share some of the concerns around mail-in voting, but we want to keep that an option. The sweet spot for us is to vote early," Brown said.

Brown said her organization and partner groups are securing thousands of cloth masks in anticipation of supporting in-person voting. She also expects that get-out-the-vote efforts, which have been modified due to Covid-19, will start treating the beginning of early voting in most states like the beginning of a series of Election Days in order to avoid a "disaster" on November 3.

Some Democrats have long expressed concerns that some of their own constituents could be most hurt by rejected ballots or other problems like late-arriving ballots that are more likely to occur during mail-in voting.

A shift in message and strategy

Democratic operatives in Senate campaigns in battleground states across the country say the messaging around voting has become more nuanced; they're avoiding the implication that in-person voting is not safe.

"The last thing we want to suggest to our voters is voting in person is necessarily a trade off with your health," said one senior Democrat on a Senate campaign. "The overarching message is however you want to vote, it is safe and secure."

"(President Trump) has succeeded in making people scared and distrustful of the post office," that operative told CNN. "There were large swaths of voters who already weren't sure about the post office, so people need to understand they have other options."

Recently, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who served as an adviser in the Obama administration, analyzed the relative risk of contracting coronavirus while voting and came to a simple conclusion.

"There's a lot of conversation about voting, but we looked at the data. It seems most like shopping at the grocery store. And that has some risk but it's pretty low risk," Emanuel said in an interview.

Emanuel said that conclusion is based on a better understanding of how the virus spreads, the widespread availability and use of facemasks and other precautions, as well as evidence suggesting that voting, like grocery shopping, has not led to any widespread outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic.

"There are ways and reasons to vote in person," Emanuel said. "People should not fear for their lives by going out and voting. It's a hell of a lot safer than going to a restaurant."

In April and May, as the pandemic ravaged parts of the Midwest, the East and the West Coasts, Democrats had a clear message: Americans should not be forced to risk their lives to cast their ballots.

One by one, states postponed their presidential primaries and other elections scheduled for early summer, concerned that indoor polling places, sometimes located in poorly ventilated school gymnasiums, would be hotbeds for viral spread.

But as the November election approaches, states have shifted their strategies, opting for larger "voting centers" like sports arenas that allow for better air flow and require fewer poll workers. Some states have also expanded early voting in addition to expanded absentee voting.

That effort is being boosted by a multi-million dollar effort led by athletes, including basketball star LeBron James, to recruit poll workers for in-person voting sites in Black districts ahead of the November election.

The National Basketball Association and the NBA Players Association agreed to offer up arenas to serve as large polling locations that can more safely accommodate in-person voters.

All of this has led some public health experts like Emanuel to say that the risk inherent in in-person voting is not as significant as other activities.

"If the consequence of us not talking about it is that turnout is low, that's a bad thing," Emanuel said.

A partisan divide

Much of the resistance to voting by mail is due to Trump's repeated, false attacks on the practice. He has deemed it the "ballot hoax" and accused states that have moved to mostly mail-in voting of rigging the election.

Trump and White House aides have suggested that the results of the election must be known on election night, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany left open the possibility that Trump's acceptance of the election results would depend on the results.

"The President has always said he'll see what happens and make a determination in the aftermath," McEnany said in a press briefing when asked about Trump's claim that the only way he would lose the election is if there were massive fraud.

That partisan divide has fueled new worries that the in-person vote on Election Day could differ dramatically from the mail-in vote.

Early in the pandemic, Pildes was among the experts pushing for expanded vote-by-mail options. He acknowledged that making the pivot to emphasizing in-person voting might be a challenge for Democrats now.

"I don't think it was wrong to want to open up options for people to vote by mail," Pildes said. "But I think it makes it difficult to pivot now and get the message out that while you should use that option if you feel like you are at particularly significant risk health-wise, it would actually be better for the election overall if more people voted in person."

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Democrats scramble to soothe voter fears about in-person voting ahead of November election - CNN

Having an event like West Wing or Princess Bride or Parks and Rec, theres always going to be folks who might not be picking up the phone or responding to messages or wanting to be involved in the political process, but maybe now theres this new entrance for them to come in because theyre seeing these folks put on events and do these events that sort of reach outside of politics in their own way but also give people this permission structure that its okay to be involved, Shulman said.

After the success of the Aug. 18 event, which featured a live, virtual taping of The West Wing Weekly episode recap podcast and drew 6,215 listeners, Shulman said the party saw it had an opportunity to engage people in a way that is incredibly unique to the moment.

The Princess Bride event came the following month, after a DPW official, through a friend, reached out to actor Cary Elwes (Westley) to make the ask, DPW head Ben Wikler relayed in a recent Twitter thread.

Elwes said in a statement following the announcement about the script reading that Democrats ability to win the White House is only possible if we win Wisconsin.

I am thrilled to be part of this very rare reunion of my colleagues from "The Princess Bride" as a way to increase awareness and garner resources for the state that will determine the fate of America, he added.

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Wisconsin Democrats high-profile fundraisers continue Thursday with stars of Parks and Rec - Madison.com

The Republican Party retaking the House of Representatives is not a far-off fantasy, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Ca., told The Ingraham Angle host Laura Ingraham.

Under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, notmany problems have been solved, McCarthy argued, andDemocratic representation is dwindling.

Do you know that there are fewer Democrats in the House since Nancy Pelosi held the gavel? he asked. We won every special election we played in, and that was in Democrats' seats that Democrats won by more than nine points. And it happened to be in California.

MODERATE DEMOCRATS PRESSURE PELOSI, HOUSE LEADERSHIP TO MOVE NEW CORONAVIRUS BILL: 'STOP THE STUPIDITY'

The real question is, what are the results of the Democrats? he continued. They should be embarrassed of how much they have embraced the socialists. Name me one problem this Democrat majority has solved. There isn't one.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi rips a copy of President Donald Trump's speech after he delivered the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

McCarthy argued that Republicans have been committed to America by growing the economy and adding jobs. On the other hand, he admitted he hasnt had a substantive conversation with Pelosi in more than a year.

Yesterday, we watched world peace happen for the Middle East on the steps inside the White House, he said. You know what Nancy Pelosi did? She turned down the invitation and she held votes in the floor of the House trying to make members not go there.

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According to a Politico report, McCarthy is being pressed to oust Pelosi from her seat, but he told Ingraham that he doesnt think its the best tactic prior to the election.

I think the best move is win 218 seats, and that defeats Nancy Pelosi, he said. But you know what else it defeats? [Jerry] Nadler. Maxine Waters. Adam Schiff and the others. That is our best play right now.

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Rep. McCarthy: What has Pelosi, Democrat majority solved in the House? - Fox News

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Letter to the editor: History lesson on Republicans vs. Democrats - TribLIVE

In more than a dozen interviews with Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, most members of Congress said they stand ready and willing to take any potential Food and Drug Administration-approved coronavirus vaccine. But Democrats insist that they will need more than a promise from Trump that it will work, and argue that the President does not have credibility on the issue at a time when his administration has stumbled to contain the pandemic and has made sweeping promises about the timeline for a vaccine and treatments.

"The person I trust is Dr. Fauci," Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii told CNN. "When people need to rely on the information we are getting from institutions that are supposed to be telling us the truth, and when they have to walk back certain things that they say, that does not help. The person I trust is Dr. Fauci."

Sen. Brian Schatz, another Hawaii Democrat, said that "if Anthony Fauci says it is safe to take, I will take it. If Donald Trump just announces a vaccine, I will want to understand what scientists say."

Some Democrats went as far as to say that FDA approval may not even be enough for them to know a vaccine works.

Asked specifically whether FDA approval was enough to know a vaccine was safe and effective, Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said, "I would like to say FDA approved and CDC recommended, but given how those two agencies have gotten screwed up by President Trump, there is an asterisk by that. Unfortunately, they aren't the gold standard any longer, so you need to take a slightly closer look."

"If something was the gold standard and you damage it for political purposes, which Trump has done, it creates a harm. I think to point that out is not the problem. To do the harm is the problem," Whitehouse said.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut also said that questions about whether there was political interference from the Trump administration over the FDA were important to ask when it came to a vaccine.

"Assuming the FDA process is free of FDA interference, that is a big assumption that should be unnecessary even to state, but I have confidence that thorough clinical testing combined with objective and independent assessment by the FDA will yield a vaccine that is safe and effective," Blumenthal said.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a news conference on Tuesday that "the American people have overwhelming doubts" about the Trump administration's ability to facilitate the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

"If the President had any modicum of fidelity to science, no one would have any doubts," Schumer said. "The American people have overwhelming doubts. ... We just want science to govern. No political interference one way or the other."

The way Democrats are responding to the potential release of a Covid-19 vaccine with Trump in office has become a flashpoint on the campaign trail in the run-up to the November elections.

Cal Cunningham, a Democrat running for the seat of GOP US Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, made headlines this week for saying during a debate that he would be "hesitant" to get a vaccine approved this year.

The comments came after the moderator raised the possibility that the pace of vaccine development "could mean condensing timelines from years to months," as well as "compromises and risks." Cunningham clarified to reporters after the debate that he would take a vaccine approved by the FDA.

Republicans, including Tillis, have been quick to criticize the Democratic candidate. "I think that's irresponsible," Tillis said during the debate, adding, "That statement puts lives at risk and makes it more difficult to manage the crisis."

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, have also faced scrutiny over their approach to the issue.

Biden has said that if he could get a vaccine tomorrow, he'd take it, but he has expressed concern that the President has undermined public confidence, saying earlier this month, "I'm worried if we do have a really good vaccine, people will be reluctant to take it."

Trump, meanwhile, has lashed out at Biden and Harris, saying at a Labor Day news conference that they should "immediately apologize for the reckless anti-vaccine rhetoric."

To some extent, Democrats expressing reluctance may be responding to public sentiment on the issue.

Facing one of the most critical moments in its tenure since it was founded more than 100 years ago, officials inside the FDA have said the tension is palpable. A number of sources familiar with the internal workings have told CNN the responsibility feels immense and the environment is akin to that of a pressure cooker.

For the most part, Republicans said they had confidence in taking a vaccine.

"I have confidence that the FDA will evaluate the vaccine and its safety and efficacy in a way that has provided health to me over my lifetime," said Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah.

Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, said that "after the FDA has certified a vaccine is safe and effective," he will "of course" take it.

CNN's Jasmine Wright, Kevin Liptak, Shelby Lin Erdman and Alex Rogers contributed to this report.

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Democrats say they need to hear from scientists, not Trump, that vaccine is safe - CNN

Healthcare is still a top policy issue in recent campaign advertising in key states, even as other issues loom large on voters' minds.

The Biden campaign, Democrats' Senate campaign arm, and a drug pricing-focused political action committee have in recent days come out with new ads attacking Republicans on supporting legislation that would have eliminated protections for people with preexisting conditions and for opposing bipartisan drug-pricing legislation. The latest push comes as new polling finds healthcare is the fifth-most important issue for registered voters.

Polling conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3 found surveyed registered voters ranked healthcare as the fifth-most important issue for the presidential election behind the economy, the coronavirus outbreak, criminal justice and policing and race relations.

Healthcare is much more important for Democratic voters than Republicans, as 14% of Democrats chose it as their top issue compared with 4% of Republicans.

However, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Stewart Boss said the poll may understate the importance of healthcare issues to voters by classifying the coronavirus pandemic response and healthcare separate issues.

The Biden campaign on Wednesday announced a $65 million broadcast and digital ad buy, including two ads focused on protections for preexisting conditions that will run in the battleground states of Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida and Nevada.

Democrats' Senate campaign arm recently launched ads attacking vulnerable GOP Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Martha McSally of Arizona, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina on their healthcare records.

The DSCC blasted Tillis for receiving more contributions from pharmaceutical companies than any other senator. Tillis is also facing attacks on his drug-pricing record from Patients for Affordable Drugs Action, a political action committee focused on drug-pricing issues, announced a seven-figure ad campaign against Tillis for not throwing support behind a bipartisan drug-pricing package that has since fizzled out.

Sitting GOP senators in tough re-election races have run their own advertisements claiming to support protections for patients with preexisting conditions, including Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado, McSally, David Perdue of Georgia and Steve Daines of Montana, despite votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act that created the protections in the first place.

Shortly after the election, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could invalidate the ACA in its entirety.

President Donald Trump has recently promised an executive order on preexisting condition protections. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said on Wednesday that some sort of healthcare plan with an executive order component is supposed to be released before the election, but declined to elaborate further on a timeline.

Georgetown University health law professor and Affordable Care Act expert Katie Keith in a recent Health Affairs article pointed out that not all policies to protect preexisting conditions are equally effective, and said complete policies include protections based on issuance of coverage, rating and benefit design.

"Given broad public support, politicians of all stripes and persuasions now pledge to protect those with health issues. But protecting people with preexisting conditions is easier said than done," Keith wrote.

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Democrats persist with healthcare ads as other issues loom - Modern Healthcare

By Natalie Andersonnatalie.anderson@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY Local Democrats on Wednesday night emphasized the need to turn the state blue and shared their reasons for being in the party during a virtual county office reopening event.

Rowan County Democrats hosted their office reopening event virtually this year. Rowan County Republicans hosted an in-person open house for their new office headquarters in June.

Alyssa Gilbert, who coordinated the reopening, is the campaign organizer for local Democratic candidates, who go from Biden all the way down to Alisha Byrd-Clark, she said. Byrd-Clark has served in the Salisbury area seat on the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education since 2016.

Gilbert, the daughter of a single mother, grew up in a logging town in Oregon. There, she watched her mother work three part-time jobs to make ends meet. Gilbert credited the food stamps program with saving her family and the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, for allowing her mother to have health insurance for the first time in years.

She added that her mother was able to reach a point where food stamps were no longer needed, which Gilbert said is the goal.

She added that America can expect to see similar success stories with former Vice President Joe Biden in the White House and other Democratic candidates elected to office.

These programs are things we really can stand up for in the election, she said.

Jim Beard, a retired professor from Catawba College, said he was driven to the Democratic party due to his Christian beliefs, adding that he dislikes the idea pushed by Republicans that one must be a Republican if theyre a Christian.

I do think the Christian faith is most in line with Democrats principles, Beard said.

He emphasized the importance of the election and added, Trump likes autocrats, and given the chance, hell become one.

Salisbury resident Kimberly Kaufmann, who also works at UNC-Greensboro, said its important, especially in this election, to educate communities on the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion.

This election has become about saving our democracy, she said. I want to move forward and not back.

Others who attended the virtual event included Keith Townsend, a Democrat from Mount Ulla whos challenging Rep. Julia Howard for the 77th District seat in the House, along with Shawn Rush, the third vice chairman of the Rowan County Democratic Party. Rush also leads the campaign for local Democrat Tarsha Ellis, whos challenging incumbent Sen. Carl Ford in the Senate District 33 race.

Rush echoed Beards remarks about his Christian faith drawing him to the Democratic party.

Rowan County Democratic Chair Geoffrey Hoy credited the local Board of Elections for its competence and success in navigating voting during the pandemic. He noted a new state initiative called BallotTrax, a free service where voters can track the status of their absentee ballots. The service can be found on the states Board of Elections website at ncsbe.gov.

From Biden-Harris to Alisha Byrd-Clark, Hoy said. Turn the state blue.

Gilbert encouraged local Democrats to sign up and spend at least one hour per week making calls ahead of the election, particularly as every day is Election Day from here on out. Additionally, locals can help put out door hangers to remind fellow Democrats and progressive Independents of the candidates on the ballot and encourage voters to formulate their plans for voting if they havent done so already.

She also said its important to check on voters as the nation grapples with multiple major crises.

Yard signs for both the Biden-Harris campaign and U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunninghams campaign will be available at the Rowan County Democratic Party office on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon. The office is located at 1504 W Innes St. Party officials ask that everyone wear a mask and socially distance, as well as donate or sign up to volunteer with campaigning.

Contact reporter Natalie Anderson at 704-797-4246.

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Local Democrats call to 'turn the state blue' during virtual office reopening - Salisbury Post - Salisbury Post