Playing the long game
If anyone had the right to feel smug this week, it was the House’s top Democrat, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. While he had some fierce criticism for Rep. Jim Jordan — Jeffries called his GOP colleague a “clear and present danger to our democracy” — the New York Democrat purposefully left a bridge open to the majority of the Republican caucus and came across as the responsible adult in the room to people watching the speaker chaos unfold from home.
Jeffries’ self-control was a smart strategy. Democrats don’t need to tell America that the Republican Party in the House is dysfunctional and chaotic. The GOP is making that abundantly clear all on its own.
Jordan lost three consecutive votes for the speakership; adding insult to injury, fewer Republicans voted for him as the rounds of voting continued. By the third vote, 25 Republicans voted against him.
Republicans have effectively paralyzed the House, in the process paralyzing progress for people here and around the world. No speaker means no way to fund the government and avoid a shutdown next month, and no voting on an aid package to Israel. Democrats should remind voters of this loudly and often as the party strives to take back the House in 2024.
Agreement vs. disagreement … function vs. dysfunction … adults vs. toddlers. I can see the campaign ads already.
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett summed up the current moment succinctly this week, saying, “There is no campaign slogan, there is no messaging the Democrats could ever do to better demonstrate who the modern-day Republican Party is.”
The GOP may not have a plan. But in terms of the long-game, this week Leader Jeffries got it just right.
The most important words President Joe Biden said this week
Biden delivered only his second prime-time Oval Office address on Thursday night, weaving together the evils of Hamas and Vladimir Putin to make an argument about the consequences of inaction.
But the most important words he uttered this week weren’t in that speech.
They came the day before.
“While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” Biden said at a news conference in Tel Aviv. “After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.”
Biden was speaking about the period immediately following the Sept. 11 terror attacks, when the Bush administration rushed to declare war on Iraq, bolstered by the support of Congress and much of the media.
As the president noted, the pursuit of justice in the face of tragedy and devastation can also lead to mistakes.
Israel is still grieving. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is growing and the situation will only become more volatile if military action results in thousands of civilian casualties.
But Biden’s warning was not just about that. On Israel’s border with Lebanon, skirmishes with Hezbollah, a proxy for Iran, are also increasing. As have the calls for action against Iran.
American lawmakers need to get their act together in order to ensure Israel and Ukraine gets the funding both nations need. And a rage-filled response to the crisis in the Middle East could result in consequences far more devastating than the failures of a dysfunctional Congress.
Someone you should know: Larry Sabato
All 140 seats in the Virginia state Legislature are up for grabs in November, and the stakes are high. Currently Republicans control the House of Delegates and the governor’s office, but if Republicans win the Senate, Virginia would become only the third state where the party that controls the state government is different from the party that won the state in the most recent presidential election. (Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by roughly 10 points in Virginia in 2020).
Abortion rights are also on the ballot. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s push for a 15-week ban was blocked by the Democratic-controlled Senate, but he has said he will try again if Republicans win full control in the Legislature.
There are few people who keep a closer eye on Virginia politics than Larry Sabato, a longtime political analyst and the director of the UVA Center for Politics. Sabato argues Virginia could serve as a “barometer” for 2024.
Larry is someone I’ll be following closely as we get closer to election day. You can follow him on X here: @LarrySabato.
Get smart fast:
- The battle for the Virginia State Legislature, Part 1
- The battle for the Virginia State Legislature, Part 2
Ben Rhodes' weekend routine:
What show are you binging right now?
“The Bureau.” It’s been a slow binge because it’s in French, but it’s the best spy show I’ve seen in years.
What’s the last book you read?
“My Friends” by Hisham Matar. It’s coming out officially in a couple of months but I got an advance copy — and everyone should read it.
What time do you wake up on the weekends?
6 a.m. That used to be much later, but everything changed with kids.
How do you take your coffee?
Black.