| | | | 1 data point that should make Democrats nervous 😨 | | Democrats view socialism more positively than capitalism.
That's the finding of a new Gallup Poll that showed that 57% of Democrats (and Democratic leaning voters) have a positive view of socialism, while just 47% of Democrats (and Democratic leaners) have a positive view of capitalism. That's the first time in the last decade of Gallup data -- they've asked the question a total of four times -- that socialism has passed capitalism in the eyes of Democrats. (Republicans are less sanguine about socialism, with just 16% holding a positive view of it while 71% have a favorable opinion of capitalism.)
Numbers like that come as a strain of socialism grows stronger within the Democratic Party -- as evidenced by Bernie Sanders' surprisingly strong showing in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary process and the stunning upset of Rep. Joe Crowley, D-New York, by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders refer to themselves as democratic socialists.
"Democrats are a big tent party," Ocasio Cortez told NBC's Chuck Todd earlier this summer when asked about her alignment with socialism. "I'm not trying to impose an ideology on all several hundred members of Congress. But I do think that once again it's not about selling an ism, or an ideology, or a label or a color, it's about selling our values."
The problem for Democrats seeking to retake the White House in 2020 is that President Donald Trump is already gearing up to use the victories of Ocasio-Cortez and others like her inspired by Sanders' 2016 campaign as a way to paint the party as deeply out of touch with the average American. Polls like this one will only embolden Trump and his supporters to make the case that if Democrats win in 2020 they will move to abolish ICE, institute single-payer health insurance and bust the budget.
Even before Democrats get to that point, however, they need to negotiate their own internal politics as to whether Ocasio-Cortez and her ilk represent the future of the Democratic Party or simply a small rump group that should not be taken as a signal of much of anything about where the party is headed.
California Rep. Maxine Waters, certainly never mistaken for a moderate, puts herself squarely in the latter camp. "The Democratic Party is not a socialist party," she told CNBC's John Harwood last month. "I just don't think our party should be identified because we have a few people who seem to be to the left of the left."
The Gallup data suggests that Waters may be on the wrong side of that argument, however. A majority (51%) of Americans aged 18-29 have a positive view of socialism while 45% have a positive view of capitalism. While Gallup didn't provide party breakdowns on that question, you can assume that young Democrats are likely to have even more positive views of socialism than that 51%.
This is the fight that the 2020 Democratic primary will sort out. Is Sanders the future of the Democratic Party? Or is Joe Biden? Is it a party that needs to embrace some socialist strains to appeal to its base or to reject them outright for fear of how consorting with socialist principles might look to the general election voter?
The Point: No matter who Democrats nominate, Trump will seek to use Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez as faces of a party that would rather see socialism than capitalism as the governing economic philosophy of the country. The question is whether Democrats run from or embrace that caricature.
-- Chris | | "I don't know. I'm going to watch to see. I'm expecting that they're going to retaliate and so I'm just going to stand back and wait."
-Omarosa Manigault Newman, when asked by MSNBC whether she would make more of her recordings from her time at the White House public. Read more about the White House's reaction to her upcoming book and recently released recordings in CNN's story here. | | | MCCAIN NOT MENTIONED IN TRUMP SPEECH 👀 | | President Donald Trump on Monday signed the National Defense Authorization Act, named after Arizona Sen. John McCain. During his speech at Fort Drum, New York, Trump thanked several members of Congress involved in the passage of the "John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019" — but not John McCain himself.
The context: McCain has been one of Trump's most outspoken Republican critics. The senator, who is the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, spearheaded efforts to pass the defense spending bill in the Senate. The President hasn't backed down on his attacks on McCain, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a rare brain cancer, over a year ago.
What Trump DID say: "We would not be here for today's signing ceremony without the dedicated efforts, without the dedicated members of Congress who worked so hard to pass the National Defense Authorization Act."
People Trump mentioned by name: Rep. Elise Stefanik, who spoke briefly and represents the district containing Fort Drum, as well as other members of Congress like Don Baker, Dan Donovan, Joe Wilson and Martha McSally.
The McCain family's reaction: McCain's daughter, conservative commentator Meghan McCain, called Trump's comments "gross and pathetic."
Read more in CNN's full story by Betsy Klein. | | | Cher is set to release an ABBA cover album (!). And she's already dropped "GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! (A Man After Midnight)." If this doesn't make you dance at your desk we don't know what will. | | Rep. Keith Ellison, who is running to be the Democratic nominee for Minnesota's attorney general, is denying allegations he physically abused his ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan. Austin Monahan, her son, wrote on Facebook that he found a video on his mother's computer in 2017 that allegedly showed the Minnesota Democrat attempting to drag his mother off a bed while cursing at her.
Karen Monahan told CNN: "People can vote for whoever they feel is the best candidate based on their values. This has nothing to do with that. Me sharing my story has nothing to do with the primary election. It is never a good time for a survivor to share their story. If I waited a week later, it would become an issue between a Democrat and Republican."
Ellison said in a statement: "Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being. This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false."
Read more in CNN's full story here. | | CNN's Maegan Vazquez reported Monday: "The FBI has fired Peter Strzok, an agent who was removed from the Russia probe last year for sending text messages disparaging President Donald Trump, Strzok's lawyer said."
If you need a refresher, Strzok was the one who special counsel Robert Mueller removed from his team investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election last summer after an internal investigation first revealed texts with former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, with whom Strzok had an extramarital affair, that could be read as exhibiting political bias. Read more in CNN's full story here. A GoFundMe site has been set up to raise funds for Strzok's legal fees and "lost income." The site, created today, lists a $150,000 goal.
Meanwhile, Trump confirmed the news in a two-part tweet. In the first he confirmed the news of the firing. Several minutes later, he wrote: "Just fired Agent Strzok, formerly of the FBI, was in charge of the Crooked Hillary Clinton sham investigation. It was a total fraud on the American public and should be properly redone!"
For more, read Chris' analysis on why the firing of Strzok changes the Russia investigation less than you think. | | At this point you're probably thinking, "Wow how long IS this trial?" Well, readers, I'm here to tell you DAY TEN of the Paul Manafort trial is now in the books.
Manafort, who is President Donald Trup's former campaign chairman, is charged with 18 counts of tax and banking crimes and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz reported Monday that the prosecution has officially rested its case against Manafort. From her reporting: "Prior to the prosecution resting, James Brennan, a vice president at Federal Savings Bank, testified that he faced so much pressure from his bank's chairman about Manafort's ability to borrow $16 million from the bank that he lied on a form reviewed by federal regulators and the bank's directors about the stability of the loan. Brennan had immunity from prosecutors to testify against Manafort." Read more here. | | | From Brenna: "After staying mostly off the radar last week, President Trump was back in his full gesturing glory this afternoon. Point your friends in our direction by telling them to subscribe." | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba.
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