Ocasio-Cortez to Speak at Democratic Convention: Campaign Update
Trump ‘Never Suggested’ Mount Rushmore Addition: Campaign Update
(Bloomberg) -- Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will speak at the Democratic National Convention. Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown tells Kamala Harris to turn down vice president role. And the Democratic convention will feature speakers who had nothing to do with politics -- until now.
There are 85 days until the election.
Other Developments:
AOC to Speak at Democratic Convention
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will speak at the Democratic national convention, a rare spotlight for a freshman lawmaker.
The New York legislator will introduce Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in a moment intended to reach out to progressive voters, according to a source familiar with the convention program.
Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, both of whom were under consideration to be Biden’s running mate, are also scheduled to speak. Being put on the list of speakers does not preclude them from being chosen to be vice president.
Other participants at the national convention include former HUD Secretary Julian Castro; Nevada state Senator Yvanna Cancela; Long Beach, California Mayor Robert Garcia; and Texas State Representative Victoria Neave.
Ex-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown Tells Harris to Turn Down VP (1:53 p.m.)
Brown advised Kamala Harris to “politely decline” to be Joe Biden’s vice president if the Democratic nominee chooses her as his running mate, and instead ask to be considered for attorney general in his administration.
In an opinion piece for the San Francisco Chronicle, Brown, who dated Harris more than 20 years ago, wrote that while the vice presidency would be a “huge honor” it has “no real power and little chance to accomplish anything independent of the president.”
“On the other hand, the attorney general has legitimate power. From atop the Justice Department, the boss can make a real mark on everything from police reform to racial justice to prosecuting corporate misdeeds,” Brown wrote. “And the attorney general gets to name every U.S. attorney in the country. That’s power.”
Brown argued that if Biden wins the election, the Democrats will be entering the White House in the middle of a pandemic and an economic recession, promising a “very bumpy ride” for his administration. The attorney general position would allow Harris to distance herself from the White House and increase her viability as a candidate for the 2024 or 2028 elections.
Harris is considered a frontrunner to be Biden’s vice presidential pick. He is expected to make an announcement ahead of the Democratic convention taking place next week.
Democratic Convention Will Highlight Swing-State Individuals (9:16 a.m.)
The Democratic National Convention will feature a lot of people from swing states who highlight nominee Joe Biden’s campaign themes.
Among the themes: Persuading dissatisfied Trump voters to vote Democratic; Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus; innovation in manufacturing and the debate over re-opening schools.
The tactic could prove helpful to Biden if Trump criticizes any of the speakers. In 2016, Hillary Clinton highlighted, among others, Khizr Khan, a Pakistani-American whose son, a U.S. Army captain, was killed in Iraq. Khan criticized Trump, who followed with a scathing attack on Khan and his wife, Ghazala.
Convention planners announced a list of speakers who will appear from around the country in short videos during the convention, including:
- A Pennsylvania farmer who voted for Trump in 2016
- A Florida DACA recipient working as a paramedic during the coronavirus pandemic
- A Michigan auto worker involved in electric vehicle production
- A retired Wisconsin teacher with a pre-existing condition
Trump Says He ‘Never Suggested’ Adding His Face to Mount Rushmore (6:41 a.m.)
Trump said Sunday that he “never suggested” adding his face to Mount Rushmore, but that it “sounds like a good idea.”
In a tweet, the president disputed a New York Times story alleging that a White House aide in 2019 had asked the South Dakota governor’s office about the process of adding another face to Mount Rushmore, citing an unnamed Republican official.
“Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3/12 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me!” he tweeted.
At the same time, he tweeted a photo of himself posing in front of Mount Rushmore, with his face just to the right of Abraham Lincoln’s.
Trump gave a speech in front of Mount Rushmore on July 3. The monument is federally managed.
Hawaii Sets Turnout Record in First All-Mail Primary
Hawaii broke a turnout record set 24 years ago last week as it held its first all-mail election.
As of noon on Sunday, more than 406,000 ballots had been cast from the state’s 795,000 registered voters, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.
That’s about 51.1% turnout, slightly higher than the 50% turnout in the 1996 primary.
Hawaii approved a law to switch to a universal vote-by-mail election in June of 2019, joining Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington. This year, Vermont and California decided to switch to all-mail elections as well.
Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are divided over vote by mail. The Trump campaign is running Facebook ads promoting traditional absentee voting and decrying universal vote by mail, while Biden tweeted Sunday that absentee voting without an excuse should be legal in all 50 states.
Trump Campaign Keeps Focus on Pre-Existing Conditions
Trump is looking to shore up his arguments on health care by focusing on pre-existing conditions.
The campaign posted a nearly four-minute video on YouTube on Sunday that consists of 20 clips of the president saying he will protect people with pre-existing conditions, as triumphant music swells.
“We will always protect Americans with pre-existing conditions,” he says in one clip. “That’s a major part of what I’m all about.”
On Friday, Trump said he will be looking to sign a “major executive order” requiring that health insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions, falsely claiming that “has never been done before.”
Democrats quickly pointed out that has been required of new insurance plans since 2010 under the Affordable Care Act, which Trump has sought to undo.
Trump campaigned on overturning the law, but a repeal fell short in Congress in 2017. In June, the Trump administration filed a brief in support of a case before the Supreme Court seeking to throw out the law.
Coming Up:
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and California Representative Katie Porter will host a fundraiser for Biden on Tuesday.
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