The Beltway Briefing: Recent Episodes
Hometown Podcasts, LLC
The Beltway Briefing is an ongoing podcast series covering the news of the day and constantly-evolving state of play in Washington, D.C., hosted by Howard Schweitzer, Chief Executive Officer of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies (CPS) and Mark Alderman, CPS Chairman. Presented by Hometown Podcasts, LLC.
Public Strategies’ team of strategic advisors and partners share lobbying tips to be successful on Capitol Hill. Being an expert in your field is only part of the formula, understanding the importance of etiquette, finding common ground, and the interacting spheres of influence, will make or break you inside the beltway.
-
Featuring: CPS’ Howard Schweitzer & Rodney Davis
-
Interested in learning more? Follow Beltway Briefing and subscribe to our weekly political roundup for the C-suite, Cozen Currents, at rb.gy/8x107.
From the crowded 2024 Republican presidential field to the influence of media, Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies (CPS) discusses Trump’s most recent indictment and arraignment, and their impact on a potential 2024 Biden-Trump rematch.
Featuring: CPS’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, Patrick Martin & Kaitlyn Martin
Interested in learning more? Follow Beltway Briefings and subscribe to our weekly political roundup for the C-suite, Cozen Currents.
After weeks of political impasse and tense negotiations, the Senate voted 63-36 to approve bipartisan legislation to raise the nation’s debt limit, sending the compromise bill to the White House ahead of a projected Monday default deadline. The result, at least until January 2025, will allow the Treasury to immediately resume paying bills with borrowed funds and it will impose spending caps on portions of the budget for two years.
Public Strategies’ Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, and Towner French discuss this truly bipartisan success and break down the final tallies in both chambers. Also, as former VP Pence is set to launch his presidential campaign on June 7, they also ponder what impact it will have on the growing 2024 Republican primary
President Biden, Speaker McCarthy, and other congressional leaders were scheduled to meet on Friday to talk about a possible deal to increase the borrowing limit and meet the GOP demand of reducing federal spending. But the meeting has been postponed until early next week. On Wednesday, in what was the first major television event of the 2024 presidential campaign, CNN hosted a prime-time town hall with Donald Trump, propelling a tsunami of criticism from inside and outside the network.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the debt-ceiling fight gripping Washington and the renewed questions about how the news media should handle the challenge of covering the Republican Party’s leading candidate going into the 2024 election.
High prices, rising interest rates, stubborn inflation, and banking uncertainty be damned: the U.S. labor market is still chugging along. Employers added 253,000 jobs in April, a higher-than-expected number that suggested the labor market remains strong despite the Fed’s continued campaign to fight inflation.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Rodney Davis, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the latest jobs report and its impact on the overall economy. And,
ahead of a looming June 1 deadline to raise the debt ceiling and avoid the first default in U.S. history, they also discuss what the White House and lawmakers are doing to revive the stalled debt-limit negotiations.
What a week it has been: on Wednesday, Public Strategies hosted a reception for Rodney Davis, officially welcoming the former five-term congressman representing Illinois’ 13th District to the firm. On Tuesday, after months of teasing and a lot of built-up anticipation, President Biden announced he will seek a second term in office, joined by Vice President Harris as his running mate. And on Monday, Fox News star host Tucker Carlson was abruptly fired.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin talk about Biden’s announcement and discuss the impact on the conservative media landscape of Carlson’s sudden departure.
Gov. DeSantis made a trip to Washington, DC this week in a bid to rally congressional support, but his trip was overshadowed by a parade of new endorsements of Donald Trump, including those from several Florida House Republicans. DeSantis is widely viewed as Trump’s chief competitor in next year’s GOP presidential primary.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Rodney Davis, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin ponder if this week’s announcements underscore Trump’s enduring strength among Republicans and discuss President Biden’s likely announcement of his 2024 re-election bid next week and the possibility of a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024. And, as the federal government is expected to run out of cash as early as June, they also revisit the status of debt-ceiling negotiations.
Dave McCormick, a former under secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs and a well-funded former hedge fund CEO, has released a new book and is launching a new PAC. It's fueling speculation he might run again for a Pennsylvania Senate seat in 2024, after narrowly losing to Mehmet Oz last year. Meanwhile, there are calls for 89-year old Senator Feinstein (D-CA) to resign because of her prolonged absence from the Senate due to her health.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin ponder whether McCormick may be the GOP’s ticket to a 2024 win in Pennsylvania and discuss how Sen. Feinstein’s temporary replacement or permanent resignation could impact the Senate Democrats.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Rodney Davis, and Patrick Martin ponder the legal and political implications of the former President’s arraignment. And, as tensions mount between Washington and Beijing, they also discuss the ramifications of the meeting in California on Wednesday between House Speaker McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai.
With the 2024 presidential election inching closer, the looming potential indictment of the former President dominated the news this week, alongside discussions of a potential TikTok ban. Trump faces scrutiny in four ongoing criminal investigations that are gaining momentum, with the potential to upend the 2024 presidential race, in which Trump has already announced his candidacy. TikTok is under fire following its CEO Chew’s Congressional testimony on Thursday.
Public Strategies’ Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin highlight the complexity of the legal calculations being made by prosecutors in New York, Georgia, and DOJ as they examine Trump’s conduct on several fronts, and discuss a Senate bill that would give Commerce Department the ability to review and potentially ban technologies associated with foreign governments, as TikTok faces increased congressional scrutiny.
In what was a textbook case of classic bank runs, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsed with astounding speed last weekend.
Are these failures the legacies of poor practices specific to these banks, or did aggressive interest-rate hikes and poor bank supervision cause their downfall? Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, and Towner French break it all down and debate the makeup of the Republican presidential field.
With less than two years to go until the 2024 presidential election, reports are swirling about which public figures may throw their hats in the ring for what is already shaping up to be one of the most heated political races in American history.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin debate whether Trump still remains a power center within the Republican electorate or if his influence may be on the decline. They also discuss how the White House is trying to navigate the politically charged issue of crime, including President Biden’s decision not to use his veto power to block a GOP-led effort to repeal changes to the District of Columbia criminal code.
Last Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid by failing to garner enough votes to make a runoff race. It was a stunning fall for a candidate who in 2019 had won all 50 of Chicago wards, becoming the city’s first Black woman mayor as well as its first openly gay mayor. It was also the first time in 40 years that the city didn’t elect a sitting mayor who sought re-election. Paul Vallas, a more moderate Democrat who had won the support of the city’s police union, and Brandon Johnson, a liberal county commissioner and teachers union organizer, secured the two spots to advance to April’s runoff election.
Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ Chicago team members Pat Carey, John Dunn, and Sydney Holman breakdown the results of the mayoral election and the city’s shifting political dynamics, and discuss what we can expect in the runoff that will elect the 57th mayor of Chicago.
On President’s Day, after a clandestine journey involving a 10-hour train ride from Poland, President Biden made a surprise and historic visit to Ukraine, to show solidarity with a war-torn democratic nation battling for its survival and try to break an impasse as Russia’s invasion enters its second year. It was the first time in modern history a U.S. president entered a war zone where there was not an active U.S. military presence.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss Biden’s trip to Ukraine and the sharp response it drew from Congressional Republicans who have been critical of the U.S funding of the war effort and accused the President of neglecting issues back at home. They also break down the political fallout over the Administration’s response to a toxic train derailment and the resulting environmental disaster in Ohio that had the White House take bipartisan heat.
On Tuesday night, President Biden delivered his second State of the Union address, and his first before a joint session of the newly divided Congress, with Republicans in control of the House after they reclaimed the majority in the 2022 midterms. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered a GOP response, drawing a sharp contrast with Biden.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, Patrick Martin, and Towner French discuss the key takeaways from the President’s address, which seemed less about the usual laundry list of policy priorities and more about Biden building the political narrative for his all but certain re-election campaign.
Following a months-long speculation she might throw her hat in the presidential ring, Nikki Haley – a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N and former two-term South Carolina governor, is expected to officially announce a White House bid on Feb. 15. So far, former President Trump is the only high-profile Republican who has formally announced a presidential campaign.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, and Patrick Martin look at several widely floated contenders likely to challenge Trump and discuss the possibility of a crowded GOP presidential primary in 2024. And, as Democrats balk at negotiating on the borrowing limit while GOP pushes spending cuts, they also review the start of debt-ceiling discussion between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, with the latter expressing cautious optimism they can come to a deal to avoid the first-ever default of the country’s debt.
Since making concessions to his holdouts and winning a protracted Speaker’s race as a result, GOP leader McCarthy has appointed several Freedom Caucus members to the powerful House Rules Committee. Their appointment to the Rules panel gives them significant influence over when legislation is brought to the floor and how it is debated in the 118th Congress.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Rodney Davis, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the first three weeks of the Rules Committee work. And, now that a split Congress is upon us again, with Republicans looking to deploy their power with a fragile majority in the House and Democrats looking to advance their own policy priorities in the Senate, they discuss the status of inter-party negotiations over several must-pass bills and ponder how the new era of divided government translates into the 2024 presidential politics.
Since winning a Long Island congressional seat last year, a flood of recent reporting has exposed George Santos as an alleged serial liar who embellished or fabricated a shockingly large part of his life story during his election campaign.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the impact of the Santos controversy, which has drawn a divide within the House GOP conference, with some Republicans coming out against the freshman and others backing his continued service. And, as the U.S. government hit the statutory debt ceiling on Thursday, prompting the Treasury to institute extraordinary measures to allow the government to pay its obligations until early June, they also break down the status of debt-ceiling negotiations and ponder the economic damage a first-ever default on U.S. debt would cause around the world.
In this episode, Public Strategies introduces Rodney Davis, a former five-term congressman representing Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, who has joined the firm as a Managing Director. Rodney will leverage his substantial experience in public affairs to provide strategic counsel to the firm’s government relations clients.
Rodney and regular co-hosts Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the measures taken up to advance the GOP's agenda during the first full week of the new Congress, with a House speaker finally elected, members sworn in, and the rules for the 118th Congress adopted. They also discuss why President Biden, who began the year with a surge of political momentum, propelled by better-than-expected midterm election results and Republican disarray, suddenly confronts a ballooning political problem, albeit not necessarily a legal one, resulting from revelations that classified documents dating from his vice presidency were found at his home and private office.
After a chaotic week of harsh rhetoric, backstage maneuvering, and brinkmanship politics, Rep. Kevin McCarthy became the 55th speaker of the House on a historic post-midnight 15th ballot early Saturday, finally breaking the impasse and overcoming a fierce challenge to his leadership by hard-right defectors that led him to make steep concessions. For better or worse, this exercise represented the most thorough review of House rules and processes since the chamber’s reorganization efforts in the mid-1970s.
On a somber two-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the stalemate not seen on the House floor since 1923 that laid bare the divisions among House Republicans and tested McCarthy’s and the new GOP majority’s ability to effectively govern in the 118th Congress.
NOTE TO LISTENERS: this episode was recorded at 9 a.m. on Friday, after the House had just finished its 11th Speaker vote.
Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin wrap up this year’s Beltway Briefing podcast series as they reflect on key political and legislative battles of 2022 and – as the 118th United States Congress gets ready to convene, look ahead to events in Washington and beyond in 2023.
And, as it’s now a tradition, our podcast co-hosts sing and recite their own Christmas carols.
Wishing you all a very merry holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year,
--Your Beltway Briefing podcast team
On November 8, voters across the country cast their ballots for governor, U.S. Senate, the House, and several down-ballot seats. Americans in 37 states also voted on 132 statewide ballot measures,including cannabis legalization, guns, abortion rights, voting policy, and sports betting. The results were consequential for both the states and the nation as a whole.
Public Strategies’ Jim Davis, Katie Schwab, Matt Glavin, John Reich, and Julia Hammond provide a state-by-state breakdown of the results of the midterm races in Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, Minnesota, and Virginia. They also offer an overview of the nationwide midterm election results and their impact from the perspective of their respective state politics.
On Thursday night, the White House hosted the first state dinner of Biden’s presidency in honor of France, a key American ally. Joining President Biden and French President Macron were more than 350 guests, including House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose quest to secure the 218 votes he needs to be elected Speaker of the House in January looms over lame-duck legislative debates.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French share their thoughts on the first post-Covid state dinner. They also break down end-of-the-year partisan maneuvering over key government appropriations bills, including the National Defense Authorization Act and the shutdown deadline-facing 2023 Omnibus spending package, before current funding expires on December 16.
Democrats’ strongest showing in a presidential midterm in the last two decades enabled them to retain control of the Senate. After more than a week of vote counting, Republicans secured a slender majority in the House on Wednesday, a delayed yet consequential finish to the 2022 midterm elections that will reorder the balance of power in Washington and is certain to complicate the Biden administration’s efforts to enact parts of the President’s legislative agenda for the next two years. After leading the House Democrats since 2003, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she will step down next year from her spot at the top of the party, leading to a seismic change on Capitol Hill.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin reflect on Speaker Pelosi’s momentous leadership and ponder how a coming shift in power dynamic, which in January will end two years of unified Democratic control, will transform the workings of Washington.
The midterms were poised to usher in a “red wave” in the House and potentially the Senate, teeing up a heavily Republican U.S. legislature in 2023, based on the disapproval of President Biden, record inflation, and traditional losses for the party that holds the White House. But on election night, the results painted a different picture for the future Congress. Democrats appeared to defy historical odds, as the Republican landslide political pundits had been predicting for months failed to materialize.
The 2022 election remains in the balance, as the battles for both chambers are still too close to call, with Republicans favored to win what increasingly looks like a narrow majority in the House and Democrats moving closer to retaining their Senate majority. As the votes continue to be counted, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the results of key midterm races and offer some early election takeaways.
On November 8, New Yorkers cast their ballots for governor, U.S. Senate, the House, and several down-ballot seats. The results were consequential for both the state and the nation.
New York Public Strategies’ Katie Schwab, Stuart Shorenstein, Rose Christ, and Jamie Ansorge break down the results of the midterm elections in New York and provide an overview of the nationwide midterm election results from the perspective of New York politics.
The 2022 midterm elections could be the most consequential in years. Every seat in the House of Representatives is up for grabs, as are 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships. Several more down-ballot races for secretary of state, attorney general, or control of state legislatures could have wide-ranging effects on the 2024 presidential elections and hot-button issues like abortion rights, health care, and climate change.
Public Strategies’ Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss what’s at stake on November 8, and break down the top House and Senate races to watch on Election Day and how they could alter the balance of power in Washington.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss Israeli business and politics directly from Tel Aviv, Israel.
The 2022 midterms are around the corner, and there may not be a more consequential election than this one. From inflation to a possible recession, tax policy, gun control, abortion law, immigration reform, and more, American voters have a plethora of issues to consider on November 8. All 435 House seats are up for election, and a shift of only five seats would transfer control of the chamber to Republicans. In the Senate, a total of 35 seats are up for election, with a net change of one seat in either direction altering the balance.
As Republicans and Democrats battle it out with just weeks of campaigning left before the election day, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the electoral map and discuss the impact of the last January 6 Committee hearing.
Will Vladimir Putin use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, or elsewhere in the West? It’s not an idle question as the Russian dictator, who doesn’t believe in the credibility of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, grows increasingly agitated with mounting setbacks in Ukraine. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin ponder the seriousness of the prospect of Armageddon, raised for the first time since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis. They also break down the implications of President Biden’s decision this week to take his first major steps toward decriminalizing marijuana, by issuing a blanket pardon for all prior federal offenses for simple possession of the drug, and discuss the latest developments in the 2022 midterm races.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin and Joe Hill discuss how President Biden and Governor DeSantis are managing the Hurricane Ian crisis on the federal and state levels. They also breakdown the high-profile, high-stakes races in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and extrapolate the trends that could have nationwide implications and affect the country’s political makeup in November.
The 2022 midterms are around the corner, and there may not be a more consequential election than this one. From inflation to a possible recession, tax policy, gun control, abortion law, immigration reform, and more, American voters have a plethora of issues to consider in November. The Biden administration’s politics, policies, and polling will shape the national atmosphere, as midterms are generally viewed as a referendum on the president. All 435 House seats are up for election, and a shift of only five seats would transfer control of the chamber to Republicans. In the Senate, a total of 35 seats are up for election, with a net change of one seat in either direction altering the balance. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French ponder different case scenarios for the midterms, including one of the House flipping to Republican control, and how the shift in the balance of power and the resulting legislative gridlock could pose serious challenges to Biden’s agenda. They also discuss the potential impact of a divided government on the 2024 presidential elections.
The 2022 midterms are around the corner, and there may not be a more consequential election than this one. From inflation to a possible recession, tax policy, gun control, abortion law, immigration reform, and more, American voters have a plethora of issues to consider in November. The Biden administration’s politics, policies, and polling will shape the national atmosphere, as midterms are generally viewed as a referendum on the president. All 435 House seats are up for election, and a shift of only five seats would transfer control of the chamber to Republicans. In the Senate, a total of 35 seats are up for election, with a net change of one seat in either direction altering the balance. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French ponder different case scenarios for the midterms, including one of the House flipping to Republican control, and how the shift in the balance of power and the resulting legislative gridlock could pose serious challenges to Biden’s agenda. They also discuss the potential impact of a divided government on the 2024 presidential elections.
The 2022 midterm elections will be incredibly consequential. While it’s conventional wisdom that the House will flip to Republican control, 35 U.S. Senate seats and 36 governorships are also up for grabs.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss Trump's political influence and other potential factors affecting voters in November. And with just over two years to go until the 2024 presidential election, they discuss the issue seemingly on every voter’s mind: who will throw their hats in the ring for what is already shaping up to be one of the most heated political races in American history.
The 2022 midterm elections will be incredibly consequential. While it’s conventional wisdom that the House will flip to Republican control, 35 U.S. Senate seats and 36 governorships are also up for grabs.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss Trump's political influence and other potential factors affecting voters in November. And with just over two years to go until the 2024 presidential election, they discuss the issue seemingly on every voter’s mind: who will throw their hats in the ring for what is already shaping up to be one of the most heated political races in American history.
| Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at 96. Elizabeth’s broadly popular 70-year reign was widely considered a symbol of decorum and a rare bastion of stability and permanence in a world of shifting values and tectonic challenges that followed World War II. Against a backdrop of the passing of such an unwavering institutionalist, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the extremism and ongoing threats to democracy in the United States, and consider President Biden’s record and Trump’s legal jeopardy. |
| Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at 96. Elizabeth’s broadly popular 70-year reign was widely considered a symbol of decorum and a rare bastion of stability and permanence in a world of shifting values and tectonic challenges that followed World War II. Against a backdrop of the passing of such an unwavering institutionalist, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the extremism and ongoing threats to democracy in the United States, and consider President Biden’s record and Trump’s legal jeopardy. |
Heading into August recess, Congress is on the cusp of delivering President Biden two back-to-back legislative victories: on Wednesday, after more than a year of wrangling and frustration, Senate Democratic leaders and Joe Manchin announced a reconciliation agreement for a sweeping tax-and-spend plan known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The breakthrough bill includes $433 billion in new federal spending, including $369 billion in energy and climate change investments, and is designed to generate an estimated $739 billion in revenue and reduce federal deficits by $300 billion over 10 years. On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to pass the CHIPS and Science Act, a $280 billion funding package that will boost the U.S. semiconductor industry and cut reliance on chip products from foreign sources.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin breakdown the two pieces of legislation and discuss what they mean for Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and an administration that had appeared to be running out of steam ahead of the critical midterm elections in November.
Looking ahead at the critical midterm elections, perhaps no issue is likely to motivate Americans more at the polls than the state of their own finances. So just like it was in 1992, is it “the economy, stupid” again in 2022 and, if so, which economy? The one reflecting soaring gas, food and housing prices and historically high inflation, or the one indicating a tremendous labor market, sustained consumer spending, and continued strong business investment? Meanwhile, in a recent poll, only 13 percent of voters said the country is on the right track, prompting some in the media to note that “everything is broken.”
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the economic crosswinds and the fact both Democrats and Republicans are pouncing on the economy’s diverging paths to support their policymaking pursuits ahead of the midterms. And they ponder whether the system is indeed fundamentally broken or if it’s still strong enough that it can be repaired.
Midway through the 2022 primary season, as the challenges facing the nation mount, there is growing speculation among both Democrats and Republicans that neither Biden nor Trump will be on the ballot in 2024. Meanwhile, the House Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, during its prime-time televised hearings, continues to present evidence of a conspiracy to overturn a free and fair democratic election.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin ponder whether Biden and Trump will run in 2024, discuss the impact, if any, the January 6 Committee hearings are having on the presidential race, and break down the most recent attempts to get the reconciliation bill across the finish line.
June's primary calendar came to a close on June 28 with five states – including Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Utah – holding key contests.
In Illinois, all six statewide offices were up for election, including an open race for secretary of state after a long-time incumbent announced his retirement and a competitive Republican primary for the opportunity to challenge Governor Pritzker. Additionally, redistricting of state House, state Senate and U.S. congressional maps led to several retirements and competitive primaries. Meanwhile, voters in the Empire State picked their candidates for governor come November, potentially setting the stage for the first female elected governor in the state's history, and cast their ballots in other statewide races - for lieutenant governor, state attorney general and state comptroller. Primary races for the state Assembly and judicial delegates were also on the ballot. Due to redistricting litigation, primaries for Congress and the state Senate were pushed to Aug. 23.
Public Strategies’ Chicago-based Matt Glavin and Pat Carey are joined by their New York City-based colleagues Rose Christ and Jamie Ansorge to break down the key races and discuss the potential national implications of the primaries in Illinois and New York.
On Friday, in a 6-3 decision by a majority of conservative justices, the high court overturned the landmark 1973 precedent in Roe v. Wade, eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion. And on the heels of a Supreme Court decision earlier in the week overturning a century-old New York concealed-carry gun law, on Saturday President Biden signed the nation’s most consequential gun reform bill in decades into law.
Cozen Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Towner French break down the events that took place during one of the most consequential weeks in Washington and discuss how they may impact the midterm elections in November.
On Wednesday, the Democratic-controlled House passed a broad set of gun-control measures, largely along party lines, making it a nonstarter in the evenly split Senate. The bill, called the Protecting Our Kids Act and intended to reduce gun violence, would raise the age for purchasing semiautomatic rifles and shotguns to 21 from 18. On Thursday, after nearly a year of investigation and more than 1,000 interviews, the House Jan. 6, 2021 committee held its first prime-time public hearing on the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the events leading up to it. Meanwhile, U.S. consumer inflation hit 8.6% in May - its highest level in more than four decades, as surging energy and food costs pushed prices higher, with little indication of when the upward trend could ease.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French discuss the proposed legislation and key takeaways from the hearing, and ponder how the burden of inflation on the Biden Administration, along with the President’s falling approval ratings and Americans’ pessimism about the economy and the nation’s political system, may spell trouble for Democrats in the midterm elections later this fall.
The 2022 midterm elections are set to be historic, and Tuesday was the most dramatic night of the primary election season to date. Voters in five states, including Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Idaho, Kentucky and Oregon, cast ballots for Senate, governor and House. Some of the highest-profile battles were fought in Pennsylvania, where the night’s marquee contest — the GOP Senate primary - has yet to be decided.
Members of Public Strategies’ Pennsylvania team – including Jim Davis, Joe Hill, and Kevin Kerr – join Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman to discuss the key takeaways from the primary election in the Commonwealth, which in many ways encapsulates America's choice in the 2022 midterms.
The House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol issued five subpoenas this week for members of Congress. Meanwhile, geopolitical risks and economic headwinds are rattling markets, stores nationwide are struggling to stock enough baby formula, and gas prices are setting records on an almost daily basis.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux discuss the current developments and the country’s increased polarization along political and ideological lines, and ponder what it would take to bring the country back together and restore our confidence in government.
The Supreme Court stands on the brink of striking down the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade,and the news has hit the political world like an earthquake.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux discuss the leak of a draft opinion itself, unprecedented in the Supreme Court’s recent history, on the court’s standing, and ponder the potentially seismic consequences of overturning the landmark decision across the social, demographic, and political spectrum.
A barrage of divisive economic signals played a role in recent market turmoil. On Capitol Hill, politicians are pouncing on the numbers to support their political agendas ahead of the critical 2022 midterm elections. Meanwhile, the path forward in the war in Ukraine remains unclear, as what many predicted would be a swift victory for the Russian military enters its third month, with no end in sight.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin take a step back from the minutiae of Washington to reflect on the bigger picture of politics and try to bring some perspective to the challenging environment in which the country finds itself.
Eric Adams - a former New York City police captain, state lawmaker, and Brooklyn Borough President -distinguished himself in the Democratic primary running on public safety, economic inequality, and making the city feel orderly, functional and fun again. In his first 100 days in office, Adams projected an aggressive confidence as he announced policies aimed at combating an image of NYC as hobbled by the pandemic and beset by rising crime. He dropped many COVID-19 precautions, even as virus cases have risen, and he ordered homeless encampments removed from public spaces and the subways, despite complaints from activists.
Then Mr. Adams was thrown a curveball: he marked his 100th day as mayor by going into quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 and, in a stunning turn of events, all of the above issues converged the next day in a Brooklyn subway station when a deranged gunman opened fire and injured 26 people.
Cozen O'Connor-New York Public Strategies’ Ken Fisher, Katie Schwab, Stuart Shorenstein, Rose Christ, and Jamie Ansorge grade Mr. Adam’s performance during his first 100 days in office and discuss the many challenges still confronting the mayor.
On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th justice, making her the first Black woman to join the Supreme Court. It was a history-making moment for Judge Jackson, but also for President Biden, who served as vice president to the first Black President, selected the first Black woman to be named vice president, and is now linked to another groundbreaking first.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Towner French speak of a larger meaning of the incoming justice’s elevation and discuss the ways many of the most pressing cultural issues today impact how we engage politically.
The nine words about Vladimir Putin that President Biden ad-libbed in his speech in Warsaw last weekend seemed to imply the U.S. seeks regime change in Moscow, causing the White House and the State Department to quickly clarify Biden’s remarks. On Thursday, Biden ordered the largest-ever release of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the next six months, in an effort to tamp down gasoline prices that have buoyed inflation. And a few days earlier,the U.S. and EU announced a joint task force to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels, causing Biden to engage in a political balancing act as he touted his Administration’s commitment to tackling climate change.
As the war in Ukraine grinds into a second month, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux discuss how domestic political pressures may stand in tension with Biden’s stated commitments to protecting democracy outside of U.S. borders, and how balancing both the domestic and international pressures shape the President’s decision making.
On Wednesday, Judge Ketanji Brown-Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court moved forward with the conclusion of her confirmation hearings, which featured tense exchanges over her sentencing record and the recognition of the historic nature of the proceedings. On Friday, House Republicans wrapped up their annual retreat in Florida, during which they sought to project unity and cobble together key parts of their proposed agenda in a bid to retake the House majority in 2022 midterm elections. Meanwhile, in meetings this week of NATO, the G-7 economies and the EU, President Biden and other leaders offered unified support and boosted assistance for Ukraine, one month after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.
Public Strategies’ Mark Alderman, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux debate key moments and takeaways from the Senate confirmation hearings and the House GOP retreat.
The FY 2022 $1.5 trillion omnibus spending legislation moved at the congressional version of warp speed last week, passing the House less than a day after it was introduced and clearing the Senate 24 hours later. On Tuesday, President Biden signed the massive package, providing a substantial increase in spending for domestic spending and national security and $13.6 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine. The same day, after losing an hour of sleep over the weekend, a groggy Senate unanimously passed a proposal to make daylight-saving time permanent.
On the heels of Biden’s high-stakes call with Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on China’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Tristan Breaux break down this week’s political developments and discuss some of the key events scheduled for next week, including Biden’s trip to Brussels for an extraordinary NATO summit and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
On Friday, the U.S. moved to revoke “most favored nation” trade status for Russia, and ban imports of its seafood, vodka and diamonds, as it joined the EU and G7 countries in ratcheting up economic pressure on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The day before, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the Senate passed a $1.5 trillion spending package to fund the federal government for the current fiscal year, capping off a fierce and urgent push to respond to the geopolitical unrest roiling Europe and approve $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine.
On the anniversary of the American Rescue Plan becoming law, and the second anniversary of the WHO’s pandemic declaration, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the government response to Russia’s invasion and discuss how the one-two punch of rising energy prices and the intensifying geopolitical crisis could complicate the Fed’s efforts to rein in inflation and put the brakes on the rapid economic rebound.
On Tuesday, President Biden delivered his first State of the Union address at a precarious moment, after a year marked by continuing struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, declining political fortunes for him and his fellow Democrats, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and, now, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The speech offered Biden an opportunity to try to pull some discontented voters back onto his side, all while giving due gravity to the situation in Eastern Europe.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux offer the main takeaways from the President’s address and discuss how the fast-shifting international crisis sparked by Russia’s violent invasion is already reshaping political views in the U.S. and impacting the domestic economy.
Russia’s President Putin shook the world this week by sending troops into Ukraine and ordering its full-scale invasion despite fervent, months-long diplomatic efforts by President Biden and other western leaders to dissuade him from doing so. On Friday, Biden made history by announcing he would nominate federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Breyer. If she is confirmed by the Senate, Jackson would become the first Black woman to serve on the Court.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Tristan Breaux discuss the historic significance of Judge Jackson’s nomination and ponder the economic and social effects of Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine, domestically and globally. And, as Biden readies to deliver his first State of the Union address next Tuesday, they discuss whether this chance for him to reset his political fortunes is destined to be overshadowed by the crisis in Eastern Europe.
Last week, on a nearly party-line vote, the House of Representatives passed the America COMPETES Act of 2022, a nearly 3,000-page legislation aimed at increasing U.S. production of semiconductor chips, strengthening the supply chain to make more goods in America, and investing in scientific research and new technologies. The bill is the House’s counterpart to the Senate’s U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, passed last June with the support of 19 Republicans. The House and Senate will now begin to reconcile the two very different bills with a goal to move a final legislative package soon.
Public Strategies’ Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Tristan Breaux debate whether bipartisanship still matters if actions ultimately take place along partisan lines, and discuss other key developments inside the Beltway this week.
As Democrats look ahead to what will be a challenging midterm election, the party is publicly and privately gauging how to handle the violent insurrection. Many describe discussing the events of that day as a moral obligation. Others, without dismissing the gravity of the attacks, argue that the party needs to prioritize economic issues immediately impacting voters’ daily lives. Yet while Democrats may disagree over how to talk about the insurrection, many Republicans continue to embrace Trump’s version of the events of January 6th. And the former president, even as his actual voice has been diminished, continues to be a factor in the media’s news cycle and political coverage.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux discuss Trump's continued importance in Republican politics and the electorate’s increased polarization along partisan lines, and engage in a thought-provoking discussion about whether, despite their differences, Americans actually agree on many important issues.
On Thursday, Justice Stephen Breyer announced that he will retire from the Supreme Court after nearly three decades on the bench, giving President Biden a chance to fulfill his pledge to put the first Black woman on the Court. On Friday, major U.S. stock indexes rallied to finish one of their most tumultuous weeks in memory on a high note. Yet more volatility is expected, as the Fed pivots from stimulating the economy to fighting inflation, a tight labor market continues to be a challenge, and demand outstrips supply in many commodities. Meanwhile, as tensions mount between Washington and Moscow over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, questions are becoming sharper as to how the issue will reverberate through American domestic politics.
As President Biden enters the second year of his presidency looking for a reset after a tumultuous first 12 months, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Towner French, along with guest co-host Brian Flaherty, discuss the calamity he is facing and, as Trump teases a 2024 presidential run, wonder whether the former president still has a real influence within the GOP.
President Biden took office a year ago, promising to tackle four crises that were roiling American life in 2020: fight the coronavirus, restore the economy, combat climate change, and make the country more equal. Biden’s record has been mixed, however, leaving many who clamored for the changes he promised feeling that not enough has been done to this point.
On Wednesday, in a nearly two-hour news conference wrapping up his first year in office, the president defended his policies, citing millions of people getting vaccinated in 2021, passage of a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, and strong U.S. job gains over the past year, while acknowledging the setbacks caused by a new coronavirus variant, rising inflation, supply-chain bottlenecks, and widespread criticism over the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden also said he likely would have to break up his stalled healthcare, education, and climate agenda to pass his policies in Congress and promised a reset, saying he would engage more with Americans.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin recap Biden’s biggest wins and most bitter disappointments during his first year in office and discuss what Democrats need to do next to re-group before facing voters in November.
After a year of promising to lower temperatures, seek unity and demonstrate competent leadership, President Biden has struggled. Unable to bridge the wide gap between moderates and progressives in his own party, he is ending the first year in office with arguably the worst week of his presidency: inflation hit a 40-year high; the Supreme Court blocked the centerpiece of his push to get more people vaccinated; he failed to win passage for both voting rights and his Build Back Better legislation, signature priorities of his first year; and talks with the Russians, aimed at avoiding war in Ukraine, broke off with no apparent progress. Many Democrats are calling for a reset, as they nervously look ahead to the November elections.
With his poll numbers falling and his agenda stalled, how does president Biden prepare for Year 2 of his presidency? On the eve of the first anniversary of his swearing-in, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the challenges Biden is facing and ponder whether he has a strategy for a course correction.
Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic - with Omicron cases surging to record levels, hospitals overwhelmed, air travel disrupted, and widespread labor shortages - criticism and frustration are intensifying over the government’s Covid-19 response as the CDC’s muddy and often-changing guidance has only added to many Americans’ confusion.
Meanwhile, recent surveys indicate that confidence in major U.S. institutions has edged down significantly, with over 80% of Americans saying they are worried about the prospects of American democracy and analysts connecting dysfunction in governance to deepening party polarization and Americans’ increased tolerance for political violence.
On the anniversary of the January 6th violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Tristan Breaux break it all down and ponder what it would take to bring the country back together, restore our confidence in government, and relearn the power of citizenship and community.
Build back … in 2022? Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) stunned fellow Democrats on Sunday when said he wouldn’t support his party’s ambitious climate and social spending bill, called “Build Back Better,” effectively striking a death knell to the centerpiece of President Biden’s economic agenda and sparking a blame game among congressional Democrats and White House officials for not reaching a consensus with the moderate-minded senator.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the uncertainty and intra-party tensions Democratic leaders are now facing as they look for a path forward on a key piece of their legislative agenda. And, as it’s now a tradition, our podcast co-hosts sing and recite their own Christmas carols, as they wrap up this year’s Beltway Briefing series and reflect on key political battles of 2021.
The Senate on Thursday voted to approve a one-time exemption to the filibuster on raising the debt ceiling, capping off a months-long fight over the nation’s borrowing limit. Earlier in the week, the House overwhelmingly passed a compromise version of the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, amid a push to get the measure to President Biden’s desk.
As the holidays near and Democrats feel an increased sense of urgency to get their climate and social spending bill across the finish line, while Americans continue to worry about surging consumer prices, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss Congress’ jam-packed December to-do list and remember Bob Dole, the iconic Republican senator who served the country in war and in politics with pragmatism, self-deprecating wit, and a bygone era's sense of common civility and compromise.
On Friday, President Biden signed legislation to fund the government at the previous year’s fiscal levels through February 18, giving lawmakers more time to hammer out their differences and narrowly averting a government shutdown. Earlier in the week, citing the new and fast-spreading Covid-19 Omicron variant, the Biden Administration imposed new travel restrictions, as scientists race to determine just how virulent, transmissible, and responsive to vaccines Omicron is.
On the heels of the November jobs report, which gave a muddled picture of an improving economy, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux breakdown the stopgap funding bill and discuss the potential impact of the Omicron variant on U.S. businesses.
Ahead of the holidays, President Biden has some good news to be thankful for: the House finally passed the cornerstone plan of his agenda, the social spending and climate bill. On the other side of the Thanksgiving table, another huge challenge lies ahead for Democrats: convincing moderate Senators Manchin (D-WV) and Sinema (D-AZ) to sign onto the legislation.
As Democrats fight over the scope of their policies and Republicans grapple with the influence of the former President, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux break it all down, while guest-host Jim Davis provides a view on the growing divisions in Washington from Pennsylvania.
President Biden will celebrate a victory tomorrow, signing the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. But as the President heralds his accomplishments, he has also been running into a new economic reality, as inflation has surged 6.2%, the largest increase in 31 years. Not only the inflation fight could make it harder for Democrats to pass their social spending bill, but it also calls into question whether the Biden administration has a handle on this problem. The President acknowledged for the first time this week that inflation is “worrisome” – a response, perhaps, to the political reality, as new polls show Biden’s approval rating has ticked to a new low, largely due to a negative shift among Democrats and independents.
As the holidays approach and Americans are seeing higher prices on everything from gas to groceries, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss President Biden’s performance and the state of the economy, which together send a stark warning to Democrats about their prospects in the 2022 midterm contests.
The results in Tuesday’s elections all but confirmed the Democrats’ tenuous control of government and promoted further soul searching among Democrats about whether they misread the public’s desire for sweeping change. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers are feeling bullish about their chances next year with the House and Senate both up for grabs. Is the pendulum swinging back towards the GOP? What do the results say about former President Trump’s influence on the electorate?
As Democrats point fingers about their election losses, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, Jerry Kilgore, Julia Hammond, and Tristan Breaux discuss what lessons both parties should take from the results.
As President Biden gathers with G20 leaders in Europe to tackle Covid-19 vaccines, supply chain woes, corporate tax issues, and the climate crisis, his domestic agenda continues to be in flux and candidates make their final pitch in Virginia’s race for governor.
Public Strategies’ regular hosts Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin are joined by Jerry Kilgore, a former Virginia State Attorney General and Julia Hammond, former legislative director for Virginia Governor McDonnell, to discuss the state of Virginia race, a potential preview of next year’s crucial midterm elections.
Racing to negotiate, Democrats scale back their plans to upgrade the nation’s social safety net and combat climate change. Ending the month of October without anything close to a deal would land another blow on a president already suffering from falling approval ratings that have not been helped by the Democratic infighting over his agenda.
As Americans’ worry about the supply-chain back up ahead of holidays, pain at the pump, and rising inflation, Public Strategies’ Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the high stakes for congressional Democrats and the White House to reach a deal in the week ahead.
Legislative standoffs are nothing new at the Capitol, but the scope and scale of the current stalemate is as dramatic as it is head-scratching: the drama over raising the country’s debt ceiling is over for now only, as the government faces another potential shutdown in December; House Democrats are holding up President Biden’s infrastructure legislation; and the Democratic Party is still at loggerheads over how to structure its domestic policy bills.
Meanwhile, with less than a month until Election Day, the Governors’ races are getting tighter in New Jersey and especially Virginia, where public opinion about Democrats is weighing on candidate McAuliffe’s standing in the polls.
As Democrats in Washington struggle to get anything done, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Towner French discuss what all the major players do and don’t want out of the domestic spending bills and opine on the two gubernatorial races.
After a week of frenzy and public infighting - with Progressives holding firm and refusing to support the infrastructure bill and moderates pushing back on the price tag of the reconciliation package, House Democrats again delayed their vote on the Senate’s infrastructure bill as they failed to agree on the separate $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
Desperate to find a compromise that can win favor in a narrowly divided Congress, White House officials have begun contemplating trade-offs that could result in reshaping or jettisoning key policies of President Biden’s agenda.
As deadlocked Democrats go back to the negotiating table, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss whether there is enough trust left for Biden to make significant cuts to his cornerstone legislation to win support from moderate holdouts without losing votes from the powerful progressive block.
With progressive Democrats holding firm on domestic spending bills, moderates trying to trim the cost, and Republicans largely out of the action, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are hurtling toward a political showdown over President Biden’s vast and ambitious economic agenda. Adding to the challenge, they have only a few days left to adopt a measure to fund the government, preventing a shutdown in the middle of a pandemic.
Ahead of one of the most important legislative weeks of Biden’s presidency, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Towner French discuss the fraught political landscape Congressional leaders are trying to navigate in the midst of a fast-ticking clock, where any misstep could have dire consequences for the national economy.
Congress is headed for a high-stakes showdown over the debt ceiling. The federal government could run out of funding authority next month if the two sides can’t crack a deal. Will the federal government enter yet another shutdown and create a debt crisis that would rattle global financial markets?
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the political football around the debt limit and the status of president Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending plan, and ponder the road forward for the GOP following Thursday’s announcement from Rep. Gonzalez (R-OH), one of only 10 House Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment earlier this year, that he will not seek reelection.
A solemn nation on Saturday marked two decades since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a milestone that came less than a month after President Biden formally ended the war in Afghanistan launched in response to the attacks.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin talk about their memories of that calamitous day in American history and how the country has changed in the 20 years since, and discuss how August turned into a month of crises for Biden’s presidency – with the Taliban toppling Kabul and the Afghan government, the killing of 13 U.S. service members in Afghanistan, rising Covid-19 cases and deaths, persistent inflation concerns, declining poll numbers, and an uncertain path forward for his sweeping infrastructure agenda.
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation on Tuesday, a week after State AG Tish James issued a scathing report detailing accusations of sexual harassment and one day after state lawmakers convened for impeachment proceedings. Underscoring both the tarnished brand of her soon-to-be predecessor and the public’s desire for a reset, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is signaling the start of a new era in Albany politics as she prepares to become the Empire State’s first female governor and the first governor since Grover Cleveland to represent Western New York.
Public Strategies’ NY team, including Ken Fisher, Stuart Shorenstein, Katie Schwab, Rose Christ, and Jamie Ansorge, discuss Ms. Hochul’s experience and leadership style, how it stands in sharp contrast to Cuomo’s, and what the transition may mean for the future of New York City and State.
A partisan stalemate is poised to drag out Senate efforts to advance the infrastructure bill for days, with GOP Sen. Hagerty (TN) vowing he will block attempts to speed up passage of the legislation. But the Senate still remains on track to conclude its work on proposed revisions, potentially by early next week, putting Democrats one step closer to delivering on President Biden’s economic policy priorities.
Ahead of the August recess, Public Strategies’ Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the current status of the bipartisan measure and discuss other key political events of the week, including the questions about the fate of NY Governor Cuomo raised by the damning report released by New York AG.
On Wednesday, just days before the House left for its August recess, Senate Democrats and Republicans banded together to advance an infrastructure proposal - including $550 billion in new spending, to improve the country’s aging infrastructure, overcoming months of political deadlock on one of President Biden’s signature economic policy priorities.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the related developments, and discuss other key issues in Washington last week.
What happens in New York, the country’s largest and most diverse city, has national ramifications.
What is the projected mayoral race winner Eric Adams’ relationship with NY Governor Cuomo, whose investigation by state attorney general’s office has upended his national reputation as he gears up to run for a fourth term next year? What about Adams’ rapport with President Biden, whose ambitious legislative agenda depends on his ability to hold onto Democrats’ slim majorities in the House and the Senate? How does Hakeem Jeffries, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus and has AOC in his backyard, and his fellow Brooklynite Chuck Schumer, help Biden pursue his plans?
- In a special edition of Beltway Briefing, moderated by Ken Fisher, New York Public Strategies’ Katie Schwab, Stuart Shorenstein, Jamie Ansorge, and Rose Christ discuss what the NYC mayoral race means and provide other updates on New York’s political direction.
The Supreme Court on Thursday, by a 7-2 vote, left “Obamacare” intact and showed that the conservative majority doesn’t fall along partisan lines as much as the left thinks it does. In other big news last week, antitrust scholar and Big Tech critic Lina Khan – a prominent figure in the “New Brandeis Movement” - which espouses a 21st century version of the populist competition policies once championed by Justice Brandeis, was sworn in as FTC chairwoman, after President Biden elevated her to the agency’s top post.
Is Biden, in his early policy moves, developing an answer to Trumpist populism? Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin debate last week's events inside the Beltway and ponder whether Biden is developing a new policy synthesis as an antidote to conservative populism.
President Biden is in Cornwall, England, where the G-7 annual economic summit began on Friday with a sense of new unity among the group and an endorsement of the theme that a renewed global alliance and commitment to multilateralism were ready to prove themselves capable.
Yet, in an odd dynamic, it was the former president who was in the headlines of all top publications, an acknowledgment he is still the GOP’s engine — even as his actual voice has been diminished - and thus very much still a factor in their news cycle and political coverage. Are we are then really in the post-Trump era?
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French discuss Trump's continued importance in Republican politics and underscore the intensity of current crises around the globe, noting it extends beyond the former president and his efforts to undermine election results.
The U.S. appears to be trying to close the curtain on the pandemic, as COVID-19 cases continue to fall and increasing numbers of Americans are getting vaccinated. Combined with the latest jobs report, with the economy knocking the unemployment rate below 6 percent, many analysts are hoping for an economic boom this summer as a full “reopening” draws nearer. But is it really that simple, or are there signs that a broader shift might be remaking the economy in ways that make it harder to see the road ahead?
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the impact of the jobs report on the biggest questions shaping the partisan debate, including Biden’s multitrillion-dollar spending push and ponder whether we are seeing long-term behavioral shifts or short-term alterations on the road to economic recovery.
Mask-wearing in the U.S. has become another flashpoint in the partisan culture wars. As a result, despite the recent change in CDC mask guidelines, which signaled a welcome shift toward pre-pandemic social norms yet left people across the country scrambling to make sense of the abrupt change, the debate about masks will almost surely continue.
On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to reconsider a controversial Mississippi abortion law. It will be a blockbuster case, which will thrust the court -- with a 6-3 conservative majority -- into the 2022 midterm election debate.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the cultural aspect of the rapidly changing mask rules and ponder the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision to revisit an issue that still deeply divides the country.
A president who prides himself on choreography and planning faced a string of unexpected events last week that showcased the need for political agility: from the Colonial Pipeline shutdown and the resulting surge in gas prices to a rapid escalation of violence in the Middle East, a spike in the costs of consumer goods, and new CDC mask guidance which, although welcome by most Americans, caught the President’s aides off guard and prompted a confusing rush in states to update their rules.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the simultaneous foreign and domestic crises that amounted to a reality check for a president who has placed nearly all of his political capital in resolving longer-term issues, such as ending the pandemic and served as a reminder that any manner of crises can intervene to throw the trajectory off course.
A months-long dispute over Republican principles among House leaders and across the broader GOP landscape is expected to culminate this week with a vote to remove Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney from her position as the third-ranking House Republican. Meanwhile, Friday’s mediocre jobs report for April puzzled many analysts who expected hundreds of thousands of more new jobs and added fuel to arguments that no more government spending should be approved until the effects of the last package can be understood.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the GOP leadership fracas and its impact on Biden’s agenda and address major questions about the economic recovery raised by the jobs report.
On his 99th day in office, Joe Biden pitched an ambitious plan to reshape America in his first major address to Congress, striking a decidedly optimistic tone and ushering in a new era of big government and big government spending. It was a historic evening, as for the first time in US history, two women were seated behind the president addressing a joint session of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Patrick Martin discuss Biden’s populist, direct appeal to working-class Americans and break down his sweeping proposals which, despite broad bipartisan support among voters, face a partisan reality check.
The June 22 New York City Democratic mayoral primary, which will likely determine the City’s next mayor, is now less than two months away. Two Republicans and 12 Democrats are running to replace Mayor Bill de Blasio. The new mayor, to be chosen in the general election on Nov. 2, will inherit a city profoundly affected by the pandemic, racial and social inequality, and a spike in shootings. Despite this, New Yorkers are optimistic about their city’s future - with the right mayor.
Public Strategies New York team – including Stuart Shorenstein, Katie Schwab, and Rose Christ, with moderator Ken Fisher, discuss the leading candidates and how endorsements and donations are helping to shape up the first New York City mayoral election with ranked-choice voting.
In 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington made their states the first in the country to pass measures legalizing cannabis. At the time, 51% of registered voters polled said they supported legalization. On March 31 and April 7, 2021, New York and Virginia became the 15th and 16th state, respectively, to legalize adult-use cannabis for residents 21 and older. And a recent survey indicates that support for legalizing marijuana use in the U.S. is the highest it has ever been, as roughly seven in 10 adults surveyed recently said that marijuana use should be legal.
Public Strategies’ multi-state cannabis team – including Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Ashley Allen, and Jamie Ansorge, discuss the rapid pace of cannabis law changes across the U.S. and provide an overview of the current legalization status by state – beginning with Illinois, New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
N.B. Under federal law, the use and possession of cannabis in the U.S. is illegal, by way of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.
For decades, corporations have steered clear of politics. Now, however, there's more of an expectation for big businesses to speak out and weigh in on hot-button social issues, as reflected in their recent response to Georgia's new voting legislation.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss corporate America’s growing political activism and, as companies increasingly use their clout to speak out on social issues, argue that “conscious capitalism” is here to stay.
The Era of Big Government is Not Over
On the heels of the just-enacted $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief law, President Biden unveiled on Wednesday his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, a far-reaching program that he will seek to pay for with a substantial increase in corporate taxes. If his full set of proposals become law, they would mark a new era of ambitious federal spending to address longstanding social and economic problems.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin debate the infrastructure plan, including the challenge Biden has in balancing his big goals and the growing national debt, and discuss corporate America’s willingness to criticize Georgia’s new voting law and otherwise speak out on social justice issues.
With President Biden’s cabinet confirmed, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss how to talk to the Administration, the political implications of the new Georgia voting law, and President Biden’s recent press conference.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces growing pressure to resign in the wake of numerous allegations of sexual harassment. The allegations, which followed a mushrooming scandal around the deaths of nursing home residents, are complicating other political priorities in the state including negotiation of the State Budget, leaving many to wonder how long it will take to complete four ongoing investigations, whether the Governor can maintain popular public support, and how long the three-term governor can hold on.
Meanwhile, 2021 New York City mayoral race is heating up, as incumbent Bill de Blasio is barred from running for third term by term limits. The primaries, scheduled for June, will be the first New York City mayoral election to use ranked-choice voting, as opposed to the plurality voting of previous primaries. The new mayor will inherit a city reeling from Covid, high unemployment, surging gun violence, and an exodus of residents.
New York Public Strategies’ Ken Fisher, Stuart Shorenstein, Katie Schwab, and Rose Christ guest-host today’s discussion and break down the state of New York politics.
On Thursday, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law, cementing the first major legislative victory of his presidency that will set off a massive government rescue effort aimed at sending aid to millions of Americans. Is the bill, which had broad bipartisan public support but which no Republican lawmaker voted for, a blueprint for Biden’s legislative agenda?
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin debate the impact of the landmark legislation and discuss other political, economic and cultural issues that have dominated this week’s headlines.
Since January 20, there has been a noticeable change of style in Washington: in sharp contrast with the previous administration, the Biden White House has been more calculable, with extreme message discipline and carefully managed appearances. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss whether, despite deep factors in our politics and society that make unity more difficult and the parties’ strong ideological, cultural, and geographical opposition – Biden can achieve success through his governing style.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Matt Glavin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the contentious legislative negotiations over the proposed stimulus package and grade the new administration’s efforts during its first 30 days to meet the daunting challenge to balance Biden’s stated desire for bipartisanship with his sense of urgency to provide the much-needed relief to the economy. Matt provides a unique view of the events inside the Beltway from Chicago and Springfield.
As an unprecedented winter storm crippled the Lone Star state’s deregulated electrical grid and triggered mass outages - leaving millions trapped without heat for days in freezing homes and putting nearly half of all Texans under a boil-water advisory, Ted Cruz, the junior senator from Texas, made a spectacularly ill-timed decision to leave with his family for a vacation in Cancun in the middle of the energy crisis. Speaking of government blunders, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been trying to contain political fallout from revelations that his administration had concealed the full extent of nursing home-related deaths during the Covid pandemic.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Stuart Shorenstein discuss the impact of these scandals and whether they seem to indicate the return to old-school, rough-and-tumble, hardball-style politics.
In the midst of impeachment and the latest coronavirus relief package negotiations, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin debate whether bipartisanship still matters if actions ultimately take place along partisan lines, and ponder whether President Biden is a transitional or transformational president.
In the shadow of the former president, the GOP is struggling to find its footing, as it continues to wrestle with a deep cultural divide that has moved to the forefront of Republican politics. Meanwhile, the White House is forming a government that must battle a variety of simultaneous crises. Where is the true power in Washington?
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin break it all down.
Facing twin public-health and economic emergencies, racial justice, climate change, and other urgent and compounding crises, President Biden is working with little, if any, political honeymoon. Since January 20, he has signed more than three dozen executive orders and directives aimed at addressing those crises.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin grade the new administration’s first 10 days and discuss Biden’s daunting challenge to balance his stated desire for bipartisanship with his sense of urgency, as he wrestles with contentious legislative negotiations over his $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, a slow confirmation process for his senior team, and the Senate impeachment trial of his predecessor.
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president on Wednesday amidst fear and uncertainty and facing a combination of overlapping and compounding crises. President Biden entered the White House hours after the historic inauguration and signed his first executive orders targeting Trump's policies on immigration, climate change, racial equity, and coronavirus. Can Biden make the executive branch function effectively and will his appeals for unity bear fruit? Can Congress juggle the Biden agenda and an impeachment trial? Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Patrick Martin try to answer these questions as they reflect on the most consequential people of the past four years and discuss the thicket through which Biden and his team are navigating in the first week of the new administration.
On January 20 – two weeks after a violent mob stormed the Capitol and one week afterTrump became the first American president to be impeached twice, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th U.S. President, surrounded by an extraordinary show of security. Even amid a global pandemic and economic downturn, Biden’s most pressing challenge when he takes office may be calming a rattled nation and assuring it that the unrest seen in Washington won’t continue under his watch. Can he restore a sense of normalcy andunite America’s disparate political factions after four tumultuous years? And is this the end of the road for Trump, especially if he is convicted in the Senate and barred from holding future office? If so, what does it mean for a badly divided Republican Party?
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the anxious state of the country and ponder the possibility for Biden to restore bipartisan spirit within the government, along with the viability of Trumpism and the MAGA Movement.
January 6 will be remembered as one of the darkest days in U.S. history, when the unthinkable happened: an assault on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob that drove Congress from its chambers as it was seeking to count Electoral College votes. The day before, a fractured Republican Party lost both Senate runoff races in Georgia, thereby handing the Senate majority to the Democrats, and serving as a prelude to a deadly week.
As Washington struggles to decide what to do in the wake of the assault in the 10 days before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the events of one of the most consequential weeks in American history and debate where a hyperpolarized country and a deeply damaged electoral system go from here.
The State of Illinois and the City of Chicago are going through periods of profound political change. Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, both first-time officeholders, are dealing with a number of political and fiscal challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Michael Madigan, the longest-serving state legislative leader in American history, faces an unprecedented challenge to his decades-long career as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
How will the leadership standoff play out and who will ultimately be in charge in Springfield? How will the pandemic impact the business of the state legislature and city council? And how do Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot respond to the multitude of challenges they face in the coming year?
Public Strategies’ Patrick Martin, Matt Glavin, Darren Collier, John Dunn, and Pat Carey reflect on the political battles of 2020, the road to recovery in 2021 and beyond, and what the future may hold for some of the biggest names in Illinois and Chicago politics.
‘Twas the Night Before the Election
-by Howard Schweitzer
'Twas the night before the election when all through the land,
Not a Trumpster was mailing, not even by hand;
Democratic ballots were sent by the thousands with care,
In hopes that Joe Biden soon would be there;
The Democrats assumed the elections was theirs,
With visions of Chuck and Nancy passing mores CARES;
But out in the country, Republicans arose with a clatter,
Other than Joe Biden, their votes surely did matter;
Away from DC the Donald will go,
The future is looking much like Obama 2.0;
In 2021, the White House will be redecorated and life will renew,
But no Mark, contrary to your predictions, the country’s not blue;
Let’s get rid of Covid and put it out of reach,
And say goodbye to Donald and his solution of bleach;
We wish you happy holidays and hope you come back for more,
No, not you Donald, it’s not yet ‘24.
As members of the electoral college are convening in state capitals throughout the country to formally vote for the nation’s next president and vice president, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin share their views on how President-elect Biden’s administration is taking shape now that he has announced top White House staffing picks and unveiled key members of his national security, foreign policy, economic, and health teams, many of whom served in the Obama administration.
In the 2020 elections, a polarized nation yielded a polarized outcome. On the one hand, Biden won more votes than any U.S. presidential candidate in history. On the other, millions of Americans who rejected Trump also voted for the Republicans who backed his policies on down-ballot races. Is the inescapable reality of the election results then that Trumpism remains a powerful current in American politics?
As President-elect Biden continues to assemble his Cabinet, Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin evaluate the current state of the Biden-Harris transition team and ponder whether the highly polarizing, highly mobilizing Trumpism is a platform that is here to stay.
The grinding 2020 presidential election that rendered millions of Americans exhausted and frustrated represented a big test for our democracy, a test the country would eventually pass. The election system appears to have worked in the face of many challenges – including a pandemic and the resulting unprecedented shift to widespread mail-in voting, as well as a threat from foreign interference from sophisticated adversaries. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin reflect on the bruising route to the White House and share their views on how President-elect Biden’s administration is taking shape after he unveiled his national security and foreign policy team and top White House staffing moves.
The results of the 2020 presidential election, in which each candidate received more than 70 million votes, show that the nation remains deeply divided. As Trump campaign’s legal challenges to the results continue, Biden’s team forges ahead with transition planning, and the pandemic rages on, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss the current state of the election and ponder whether, despite a bitter split, there may be some policy issues where Trump and the Democrats could find common ground.
The polls have closed and the voters have cast their ballots, but the nation has yet to find out who the winner of the 2020 presidential election is. As several states work to finish counting the ballots,with key battleground states too close to call, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss and analyze the current state of the presidential election.
The 2020 election is still fluid. There are millions of votes left to be counted in the presidential race, including in key battleground states, and the outstanding votes will ultimately decide the presidency. Public Strategies’ bi-partisan team, including Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Alex Campau, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin, discuss the current state of the presidential election and analyze the results of last night’s House and Senate races ((based on data available prior to the start of the webinar).
One of the most divisive and intensely personal presidential campaigns in contemporary history is coming to a close tomorrow. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss the two presidential candidates’ starkly different political identities and make their final predictions for the election that is likely to be a referendum on the president. Will it be Mr. Trump, who has largely wasted his chance to show emphatic leadership, has shifted almost exclusively to law-and-order rhetoric, and effectively has no second-term message beyond four more years of himself? Or will it be Mr. Biden, who has offered himself as the candidate best equipped to halt the nation’s raging coronavirus pandemic and heal its economic decline and whose key message is that the election is a fight for the soul of the nation?
Five days before the 2020 elections, Public Strategies Chairman Mark Alderman is joined by Patrick Martin - the group’s Midwest Director, Alex Campau - Health Policy Director, and Kaitlyn Martin - Government Relations Adviser, to discuss the current state of the presidential race and what a potential Biden-Harris administration would look like in Washington. CEO Howard Schweitzer moderates the discussion.
Public Strategies CEO Howard Schweitzer is joined by Alex Campau, the group’s Health Policy Director, and Kaitlyn Martin, Government Relations Adviser, to discuss the current state of the 2020 presidential race and what a potential second Trump administration would look like in Washington, primarily from a health-policy perspective. CPS Chairman Mark Alderman moderates the discussion.
Public Strategies CEO Howard Schweitzer is joined by Alex Campau, the group’s Health Policy Director, and Kaitlyn Martin, Government Relations Adviser, to discuss the current state of the 2020 presidential race and what a potential second Trump administration would look like in Washington, primarily from a health-policy perspective. CPS Chairman Mark Alderman moderates the discussion.
17 days before the 2020 election, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Darren Collier are joined by Congresswoman Robin Kelly, who has served as the U.S. Representative from Illinois’s 2nd Congressional district since 2013. They discuss the current state of the presidential race and, regardless of who becomes President-elect on November 3, what it will take to move the fiercely politically divided nation forward and repair the health and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Howard, Mark and guest Kaitlyn Martin engage in a spirited debate about the consequences of the vice presidential debate, the direction of the country in a post-Trump world and what’s to become of the Senate races.
Washington insiders and public policy strategists Marc Alderman and Howard Schweitzer are joined by friend Jerry Kilgore to debate the impact of Trump’s illness on Washington, speculation about a new stimulus bill and how conservatives have received a strong return on their 'Trump investment’.
Yesterday, the day after a divided Washington came together to honor Justice Ginsberg, President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. A law clerk to and mentee of the late Justice Scalia, Barrett is described as an "originalist" and a "textualist" and the polar opposite of the liberal icon in judicial philosophy. Trump, who calls himself “president of law and order,” says the nomination was the fulfillment of one of his constitutional duties, but how does that square with his refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power? Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jerry Kilgore discuss a partisan and ideological battle Barrett’s nomination has ignited and its impact on the final days of the presidential campaign.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court Justice and a liberal icon who dedicated her life to defying and dismantling institutionalized gender discrimination, died on Friday at the age of 87. This being one of the most polarized moments in our history, on the eve of an election in which the stakes were already extremely high, it was inevitable that the politics of replacing her would surge to the fore even before most tributes had been delivered. As President Trump prepares to nominate a successor and Republican leaders move urgently to make the political and procedural case for bucking recent precedent in order to seize a monumental chance to solidify the court’s rightward ideological shift, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the maelstrom on Capitol Hill and its impact on the election, which is just 44 days away.
On the heels of Labor Day, when traditionally the most intense campaigning begins, Joe Biden continues to hold a lead over President Trump. A brace of new polls suggest a majority of voters don’t like the President or approve of the job he is doing. Is the race then Biden’s to lose? Will Trump’s inflammatory campaign tactics be sufficient to alter the underlying dynamics of the election? The future is unpredictable. Data and polls certainly have its limits. As anyone who lived through the 2016 election or the first eight months of 2020 knows, surprises happen and things can change quickly. 50 days before the Election Day, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss the current state of the presidential race, as the public health and economic crises continue to grip the nation.
On today’s episode of Beltway Briefing podcast, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz are joined by Congressman Eric Swalwell, the U.S. Representative in California’s 15th Congressional district and a U.S. presidential candidate in the 2020 Democratic primaries. Less than 70 days before the Election Day, they discuss the just-completed Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the continuing debate about police violence, use of force and the need to reform America’s criminal justice system, as well as the ongoing public-health and economic crises.
More than 170,000 people in the U.S. have died from coronavirus. Beyond the terrible death toll, the pandemic has wrecked the economy and interrupted everyday life. As a result, while Americans may be more politically polarized than ever, if there is one thing people on all sides of the political spectrum agree on, it is that COVID-19 has fundamentally disrupted the 2020 presidential election. On August 17, the general election season kicked off with back-to-back political conventions which, thanks to the pandemic, have taken an unconventional turn, swapping a week of festivities for each party with somber-toned, two-dimensional television shows, indicating the seriousness of the moment. On the heels of the Democratic convention and on the eve of the Republican one, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss this year’s biggest political events and what to expect over the next 70+ days, as the turmoil in the country continues and the election nears.
On today’s episode of Beltway Briefing podcast, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz are joined by Congressman Dan Meuser, the U.S. Representative in Pennsylvania's 9th Congressional district, who previously served as the Secretary of Revenue in Governor Tom Corbett’s cabinet. 79 days before the 2020 Election Day, they discuss the current state of the presidential race, including the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s historic choice of Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) as his running mate, President Trump’s recent executive orders on COVID-19 relief, and the ongoing twin public-health and economic crises.
Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss the current state of the 2020 presidential race and the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s candidates for Vice President. N.B. Shortly after today’s podcast concluded, former Vice President Joe Biden announced that he has chosen Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), as his running mate. Harris, who previously served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, is the first African American woman and first Asian American to run for vice president, representing a historic choice. Should Biden win, she would become the nation’s first female vice president.
In a matter of months, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our society and changed our entire way of life. President Trump has said over the weekend that the virus is “under control as much as you can control it” in the U.S., yet infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths have been soaring in recent weeks. So far, more than 152,000 U.S. deaths and more than 4.72 million coronavirus cases have been reported nationwide. The Administration’s response to the pandemic has been criticized for months, as it has failed to produce a coordinated, national strategy to contain the virus and set up national programs for testing and contact tracing. According to a recent poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the pandemic. 91 days before the November election, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss President Trump’s response to the worst public-health crisis in a century, which stands to be one of the key issues that will ultimately determine who becomes President-elect on Nov. 3.
99 days before the 2020 Voting Day, the public health and economic crises are emphatically far from over and political rifts are intensifying. How President Trump and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Biden plan on handling pressing issues will become emblematic of their values and priorities and will ultimately determine who becomes President-elect on Nov. 3. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the country’s fractured state, the two presidential candidates’ starkly different political identities, and what we can expect over the next few months, as the anxiety deepens and the nation braces for one of the most divisive, intensely personal, and anything-but-typical general election campaigns in contemporary history.
As coronavirus cases climb, Trump’s poll numbers, stagnant for the first three years of his presidency, have largely evaporated. A double-digit advantage in numerous national polls, solid leads in a number of battleground states, and competitive showings in states Trump carried handily in 2016, suggest Biden is the favorite to win on November 3. Even the Trump campaign’s efforts to define the presumptive democratic nominee with a bombardment of negative advertising, has yet to dent the former vice president. Many people are wary of polls now, however, and understandably so. The overwhelming majority of polls four years ago indicated Trump would lose, too. So why put much faith in the 2020 polls that show Biden consistently on top? Will enthusiasm for a candidate translate into enthusiasm about voting? Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz break it all down and discuss what we can expect over the next 105 days, as the pandemic continues, the economy reels, and the election nears.
Amidst the dramatic changes that the U.S has undergone in the last four months, the 2020 presidential election remains ongoing. How the two presidential candidates plan on handling pressing issues will become emblematic of their values and priorities and will ultimately determine who becomes President-elect on Nov. 4. Will it be Mr. Biden, whose key message is that the election is a fight for “the soul of the nation” and who hasn’t even had to campaign to take a large lead in battleground states? Or will it be Mr. Trump, who has largely wasted his chance to show emphatic leadership, has shifted almost exclusively to “law-and-order” rhetoric, and effectively has no second-term message beyond four more years of himself. But are four more years more risk than millions of Americans can stand? Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the two candidates’ starkly different political identities and what we can expect over the next 129 days, as the public health crisis continues and the pandemic-patchwork nation braces for its most divisive presidential election.
After three months of little public activity, and on the heels of a blockbuster week at the Supreme Court, both presidential candidates have launched their campaigns in earnest. Amid widespread civil unrest and ongoing public health and economic crises, the opening stage of what is likely to be one of the most divisive, intensely personal, and anything-but-typical general election campaigns in contemporary history began to unfold. 134 days before the election, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the current events and what to expect next.
142 days before the 2020 Voting Day, the public health crisis is emphatically far from over, demonstrations against racial injustice continue to spread, political rifts intensify, and the pandemic patchwork nation seems unable to understand the direction it is going as it braces for its most divisive presidential election. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the country’s fractured state, two presidential candidates’ starkly different political identities, and what we can expect over the next few months, as the crisis continues, the anxiety deepens, and the election nears.
For the past eight days, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has so far claimed more than 100,000 U.S. lives and left more than 40 million Americans unemployed in its wake, protests have been held in all 50 U.S. states and spread to countries around the world, in an all-out rebuke of aggressive police tactics and racism. A wave of epic changes and profound events seen in more than 100 cities since the heartbreaking and unjustified killing of George Floyd, has cut through the hyper-polarized divides of modern America. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman and Jim Schultz discuss what has undoubtedly been an unprecedented week in the country and one that has communicated a powerful and transformative sense of urgency.
The twin health and economic crises have reached a tragic new milestone, as the pandemic death toll has surpassed 100,000 and the American economy has shed more than 30 million jobs. Meanwhile, a police killing of a black American has once again sparked outrage and violent protests across the country, laying bare the country’s political dysfunction and racial inequalities. As a grim tableau of a union in crisis has emerged, leaving some to believe that a fundamental change is at hand, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss what to expect next.
House Democrats on Friday passed a $3 trillion relief package, named HEROES Act in honor of the front-line workers and designed to assuage the health and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The mammoth bill, approved largely along the party lines, seeks to add pressure on Senate Republicans to start negotiations on a new round of emergency aid and avoid making the process yet another partisan flashpoint. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz break it all down and discuss what’s next, as the patchwork approach to reopening the economy continues to reveal divides between states and the federal government, on the one hand, and between blue and red states, on the other, that are likely to widen as the pandemic continues and the election nears.
After weeks of stay-at-home orders, millions of lost jobs, and trillions in emergency government spending, President Trump is calling for state and local governments to reopen their economies. Governors, for their part, are moving ahead with their own plans for how to safely resume normal activity, as they face the same competing pressures between keeping people safe in a pandemic and reviving some elements of a more functioning society. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz assess the leadership of both the President and the governors and look ahead to the November election, which will be not just about who can better return the country to normalcy but also about who can better stem the damage from what is likely to be the worst economic contraction in 90 years.
After more than a month under pandemic-related shutdown, and a resulting economic nosedive, the reopening of America is happening with little consensus on how it should proceed. Is testing really the deus ex machina that many claim? Several governors have issued a joint call for Congress to approve extra money in direct aid to states, depicting an increasingly dire financial strain on states struggling with the coronavirus crisis. It is also clear that the crisis will have a profound effect on this year’s presidential campaign and on American politics in the long term. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss these and related issues and ponder what lies ahead as the country enters the next phase of an unprecedented national experiment resulting from the pandemic.
President Trump last week signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, freeing up almost half-a-trillion dollars in additional relief funds to deal with the pandemic and its blow to the American economy. Less than three months since the first known COVID-19 death in the U.S., the country's reported fatalities make up a quarter of the world's known coronavirus death toll. Meanwhile, as many states still struggle to secure critical test kits, governors across the political spectrum continue to lack persuasive arguments to safely reopen the country and have asked that the federal government step up its support for state efforts. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss how the crisis continues to reshape the American economy and life as we know it.
Less than seven months before the November election, the issue of reopening the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is a high-wire act for the president. The politics of the situation is hanging over the health data, as a swift economic restart could backfire politically for Trump if it causes a flare up. Meanwhile, governors across the political spectrum are also facing growing pressure to revive economies decimated by the coronavirus. But if they drew praise for taking quick action to protect public health, taking responsibility for when and how to reopen the country could prove far more politically perilous. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss what lies ahead, as the ongoing public health crisis continues to test both the economy and the public’s patience.
In a matter of months, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our society and changed our entire way of life. As hospitals across the country have become overwhelmed, and industries, transport networks and businesses have closed down, the macroeconomic consequences seem dire. The public health and economic crises caused by pandemic will test our political institutions and our willingness to sacrifice for the common good, too. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz discuss the roots of these crises and what it will take to overcome the daunting challenges that lie ahead.
The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly evolved from a health crisis to a financial and economic one, shuttering businesses, upending entire industries, and resulting in staggering unemployment filings. The Democratic Party announced on Thursday that it will postpone the Democratic National Convention because of the coronavirus. As the scope and scale of the pandemic and its impact remains unknown, Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Jim Schultz, break it all down and discuss how the crisis may impact politics and the November election.
Exactly one week after The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, “phase three” legislative response to the COVID-19 crisis, was passed, members of Cozen O'Connor's Coronavirus Task Force – including Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Steven Dickinson, Robert Magovern, Michael Schmidt, Christopher Raphaely, and Jeff Vogel, analyze the impact of the CARES Act on specific industries and provide practical and legal guidance to businesses in those industries for maximizing the financing options available to them under the Act. Howard Schweitzer, CEO of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies (CPS), who served as the COO of the US Treasury’s TARP program during the 2008 financial crisis, and Mark Alderman, CPS Chairman, moderate the discussion.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Senate voted on Wednesday to adopt a massive economic-stimulus package. The bipartisan bill would offer some $2 trillion to help many sectors weather the expected physical and economic toll from the coronavirus. House passed the bill today. Howard Schweitzer, the CEO of Public Strategies who served as COO of the Treasury’s TARP program during the 2008 financial crisis, Jim Schultz, who worked in the Office of White House Counsel, and Mark Alderman, CPS Chairman, dig into the COVID-19 relief bill and what it might mean for a large swath of the economy.
The coronavirus crisis has challenged all levels of government. Understandably, government action has so far centered on the public health crisis and protecting workers and lower income Americans. At the same time, the government is beginning to focus on the vast financial and economic implications of this pandemic. Work has already begun on a stimulus package to address such implications. Howard Schweitzer, the CEO of Public Strategies who served as chief operating officer of the U.S. Treasury’s TARP program during the 2008-09 financial crisis, and Mark Alderman, CPS Chairman, break it all down and discuss what to expect next during these unprecedented times.
The coronavirus crisis has escalated in the U.S. and all levels of government must respond. But how? And can our elected officials mesh crisis management with the divisive political climate? Howard Schweitzer, Jim Schultz, and Mark Alderman break it all down, based on Howard’s experience with managing the 2008-09 financial crisis as Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Treasury’s TARP program and Jim’s experience in the Trump White House Counsel and as General Counsel to the Governor of Pennsylvania during Super-storm Sandy.
Super Tuesday is over and, although the Democratic contest is far from over, former vice president Biden is, for today, the front–runner. Can Bernie Sanders, who benefited from a fractured field in early contests but suffered from the moderate consolidation on Tuesday, still close the gap? Howard Schweitzer, CEO of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, is joined by Patrick Martin, CPS Midwest Director, and Kaitlyn Martin, CPS Government Relations Advisor, to discuss how the trajectory of the race may unfold in the coming day
Less than a week before Super Tuesday, the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination remains fluid, yet the 78-year old Senator already looks like the favorite to clinch the nomination. Bernie’s ascendancy is forcing a sudden reckoning among the Democrats, as they wonder if he is equipped to beat Trump in November: are his opponents devoid of any ideas on how to stop him? Is Biden still a player? And is Buttigieg more viable? What about Bloomberg’s role? Is anybody going to drop out after South Carolina? Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman, respectively CEO and Chairman of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, are joined by Jim Schultz, former White House Counsel, to discuss what may happen next.
Is it “the economy, stupid” again? Consumer confidence is high and the underlying economic data is relatively sound. So if history is any guide, President Trump’s re-election chances are good, as incumbency is a proven advantage in presidential elections. How does that mesh with reality and what to make of Trump tweeting at the DOJ? Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman, respectively CEO and Chairman of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, are joined by Jim Schultz, former White House Counsel, to break it all down for you.