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A bit into the Trump Era, political pundits and theoreticians adopted the insight that the true split in the country is not between Democrats and Republicans, but rather is between “insiders” (the establishment of both parties) and “outsiders” (the populist, anti-establishment grassroots of the left and the right).
As we do each Friday, let’s test the theory, by looking at how four groups are reacting to the flow and ebb of the current news cycle:
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
You will recall that all of Washington accepts the New Yorker’s definition of the Gang of 500:
The campaign consultants, strategists, pollsters, pundits, and journalists who make up the modern-day political establishment…..
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THE BIDEN SPEECH
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Isn’t it nice to have a president who expresses empathy?”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Biden is apparently not actually interested in bipartisanship and isn’t it nice to have a president who expressed empathy?”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“We were on Netflix.”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“The man can’t talk without a teleprompter.”
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MR. BIDEN’S GOAL OF UNIVERSAL VACCINATION ELIGIBILITY BY MAY 1
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Already got ours.”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Already got ours.”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“Trump never would have made this happen.”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“Whatever.”
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MR. BIDEN’S GOAL OF SMALL GATHERINGS BY JULY 4
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Already doing it.”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Already doing it.”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“Thank you, President Biden.”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“Already doing it.”
Americans have begun leaving home more often than before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, reflecting a pent-up desire to venture out as new cases have declined, according to University of Maryland researchers tracking the movement of cellphones. (Washington Post)
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GIVING DONALD TRUMP CREDIT FOR PROGRESS IN DEFEATING THE PANDEMIC
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“He should have worn a mask.”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“He should have worn a mask.”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“We agree with what David Sanger wrote in his essential reading piece:”
President Donald J. Trump has never been a student of history (although his grandfather Frederick Trump died of the flu in 1918), and he told the journalist Bob Woodward that “I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down,” because “I don’t want to create a panic.”
No one will know how many thousands of lives that cost as Mr. Trump ridiculed mask-wearing and did so little to promote the vaccine in the last days of his administration when it moved from laboratory to market in record time. “Denials for days, weeks, then months,” Mr. Biden said Thursday night, without ever mentioning his predecessor by name. “That led to more deaths, more infections, more stress and more loneliness.”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“We agree with Andy Slavitt, but he understates the case.”
Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to the White House's Covid team, on Thursday credited the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed for spurring the development of a Covid vaccine at an unprecedented pace.
“We’re grateful for the work that came before us and are doing the best we can to continue it and accelerate it,” Slavitt said on Fox News. “I would absolutely tip my hat. … The Trump administration made sure that we got in record time a vaccine up and out. That’s a great thing and it's something we should all be excited about.” (Politico)
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REOPENING SCHOOLS
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Just do it.”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Just do it, which requires laying down the law with the teachers unions.”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“Just do it, whatever it takes.”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“Our schools have been open forever.”
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THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“We agree with David Brooks 100%:”
“[I]ncome inequality, widespread child poverty and economic precarity are the problems of our time. It’s worth taking a risk to tackle all this. At first Biden seemed like the third chapter of the Clinton/Obama center-left era. But this is something new.”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“We agree with David Brooks 55%.”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“When do we get our checks?”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“Whatever Sean Hannity says.”
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THE DEMOCRATIC-ONLY GUEST LIST OF THE FRIDAY WHITE HOUSE SIGNING CEREMONY
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“At this point, we say ‘of course.’”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“At this point, we say ‘of course.’”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“When do we get our checks?”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“They all deserve each other and will Biden have a teleprompter?”
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THE HUMAN FLOOD ACROSS THE U.S.-MEXICAN BORDER
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“What did Biden expect to happen?”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“What did Ron Klain expect to happen?”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“What did the Democrats expect to happen?”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“Trump-Noem 2024!”
Some House Democrats have privately suggested bolstering immigration enforcement measures in Biden’s plan to increase the chances of attracting Republican support, particularly in the Senate. But any significant expansion of security and enforcement measures could drain backing from liberals who dominate the Democratic caucus. (Washington Post)
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THE BIDEN LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“What the Post wrote:”
The complicated dynamics among Democrats on Capitol Hill show that getting the type of unity the party attained on the virus relief measure will probably be more difficult for Biden and congressional leaders on immigration, infrastructure and other issues. (Washington Post)
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“What the Post wrote:”
The complicated dynamics among Democrats on Capitol Hill show that getting the type of unity the party attained on the virus relief measure will probably be more difficult for Biden and congressional leaders on immigration, infrastructure and other issues. (Washington Post)
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“Can’t everyone in Washington get along and pass Bernie Sanders’ agenda?”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“We can’t believe we ever thought Barack Obama was left wing and Kamala Harris is obviously running the place.”
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JOE MANCHIN
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“He’ll flirt with our side but screw us in the end.”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“He’ll flirt with our side but screw us in the end.”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“He’ll flirt with our side but screw us in the end.”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“He’ll flirt with our side but screw us in the end.”
The future of the U.S. Senate—and all near-term domestic policy—is increasingly coming down to one simple question: Does West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin mean what he says?...
“I’m not going to change my mind on the filibuster,” Mr. Manchin repeated on “Meet the Press” on Sunday. Now we just need to understand how Mr. Manchin defines his own mind.
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THE NEW YORK HOUSE SPEAKER ORGANIZING A CUOMO INVESTIGATION
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“The New York Times reporters have it right.”
The convening of a special judicial committee could signal a shift in Mr. Heastie’s thinking, but it could also give him more time to decide whether to proceed with impeachment. It also may give the governor some breathing room in a scandal that has overwhelmed his administration in recent weeks.
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“Cuomo is done because no one fears him any more.”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“What about ‘Access Hollywood’?”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“What about the nursing home deaths”?
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THE NEW NETFLIX POLICY
Netflix is testing a new pop-up message that warns people who are sharing a password — and don’t live with the password holder — that they need to pony up and pay for their own account. (Washington Post)
1. The Blue Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“This is the end of life as we’ve known it.”
2. The Red Cohort of the Gang of 500.
“This is the end of life as we’ve known it.”
3. The Blue Cohort of the grassroots.
“This is the end of life as we’ve known it.”
4. The Red Cohort of the grassroots.
“This is the end of life as we’ve known it.”
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