“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
― Albert Einstein
DONALD DRIVING DOLLARS: After getting skewered for his miniscule campaign account, Donald Trump quickly raised $3 million from online donations - and of course – “matching” it with $2 million of his own cash. Trump 2.0 is planning on using these funds to jumpstart his nascent ground game as his camp is clearly at a disadvantage in comparison to Hillary Clinton’s. He’s also promised to step up fundraising activities on behalf of the Republican party at the same announcing that he’s forgiving $50 mm in personal loans to his campaign (for the second time). So far, we’re 48 hours into the latest Trump pivot, and he’s largely avoided the spotlight while decamping across the pond to promote one of his “money-making” golf ventures in Scotland. In the wake of the historic Brexit vote overnight, Trump drew parallels to the anger that persists in the U.S., but is treading carefully in Scotland where over two-thirds of the populace supported the Remain campaign.
CLINTON NOT YET CENTERED: Clinton plans to derail the Trump train using the same agenda she used to beat back Bernie Sanders. Her back-to-back speeches have drawn attention for how little new ground they broke, considering that many candidates use the general election to pivot to the ideological center to draw votes from the middle. Clinton gave no indication she would back off the relatively liberal agenda she embraced when Sanders was nipping at her heels, instead highlighting her party’s political high ground on the key questions of taxes, jobs, and the economy. This humdrum approach is unlikely to win over Sanders’ supporters who view her agenda as lackluster and uninspiring - though she professes she’s a progressive leader that likes to get things done. We’ll see if that rounds them up.
GUN CLUB: House Democrats ended their sit-in on the chamber floor after an almost 26-hour protest resulting from inaction on gun control measures. As members head back to their districts for the July 4th recess, expect Democrats to work on drumming up support for gun legislation. Dramatic tactics like the sit-in are rare, but may have served its purpose in prodding the Senate to vote on two related measures – one being pushed by endangered Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), highlighting the importance this issue carries. Though the gun measure may never see light of day in this Congress, it does add another issue to the top of the laundry list for the general election.
VEXING THE VIRUS: Congress approved a spending bill that includes a controversial $1.1 billion plan to fight the Zika virus in an early morning vote amidst Democrat protests. The 239-171 vote came during the 15th hour of the dramatic sit-in by Democrats over gun control legislation. The bill, which includes the same level of funding as the Senate’s package, falls short of $1.9 billion the Obama Administration requested. Senate Democrats strongly oppose the bill, while President Obama has threatened to veto it, further muddying the waters in the heat of mosquito season.
FIDUCIARY RULE UPDATE: House Republicans failed to gather the two-thirds majority needed to block the Obama Administration’s controversial fiduciary rule, with the House voting 239-180 – more than 40 votes short of the total needed. While the Congressional effort to overturn the rule now has fallen short, the Obama Administration still must fend off lawsuits filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several other business groups that could drag on for years.
SCOTUS SLAMS OBAMA: In a 4-4 split decision, SCOTUS let an appeals court ruling stand that confirms President Obama overstepped his authority when he acted to shield as many as 4 million unauthorized immigrants from deportation. The court’s ruling is a major blow to Obama who looked to claim the issue as a significant part of his legacy - and, yes, piling on another emotional issue to the election list.
NOTE: We’re out on Monday, returning on Tuesday. Have a great weekend.