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Bill Clinton Saved His Presidency. Here’s How Biden Can, Too.

By Mark Penn and Andrew Stein

Swing voters in two blue-leaning states just sent a resounding wake-up call to the Biden administration: If Democrats remain on their current course and keep coddling and catering to progressives, they could lose as many as 50 seats and control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections. There is a way forward now for President Biden and the Democratic Party: Friday’s passage of the bipartisan physical infrastructure bill is the first step, but only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022 and a shot at holding on to the presidency in 2024.

The history of the 2020 election is undisputed: Joe Biden was nominated for president because he was the moderate alternative to Bernie Sanders and then elected president as the antidote to the division engendered by Donald J. Trump. He got off to a good start, especially meeting the early challenge of Covid-19 vaccine distribution. But polling on key issues show that voters have been turning against the Biden administration, and rejecting its embrace of parts of the Bernie Sanders/Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez playbook.

According to our October Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, only 35 percent of registered voters approve of the administration’s immigration policies (which a majority view as an open-borders approach); 64 percent oppose eliminating cash bail (a progressive proposal the administration has backed); and most reject even popular expansions of entitlements if they are bundled in a $1.5 to $2 trillion bill based on higher taxes and deficits (the pending Build Back Better initiative). Nearly nine in 10 voters express concern about inflation. And 61 percent of voters blame the Biden administration for the increase in gasoline prices, with most also preferring to maintain energy independence over reducing carbon emissions right now.

Progressives might be able to win the arguments for an all-out commitment to climate change and popular entitlements — but they haven’t because they’ve allowed themselves to be drawn into a debate about the size of Build Back Better, not its content. Moderate Democrats have always favored expanded entitlements, but only if they meet the tests of fiscal responsibility — and most voters don’t believe Build Back Better does so, even though the president has promised it would be fully paid for. Putting restraints on these entitlements so that they don’t lead to government that is too big, and to ballooning deficits, is at the core of the moderate pushback on the bill that has caused a schism in the party.

Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Kyrsten Sinema are not outliers in the Democratic Party; they are, in fact, the very heart of the Democratic Party, given that 53 percent of Democrats classify themselves as moderates or conservative. While Democrats support the Build Back Better initiative, 60 percent of Democrats (and 65 percent of the country) support the efforts of these moderates to rein it in. It’s Mr. Sanders from Vermont and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez from New York who represent areas ideologically far from the mainstream of America.

The economy and jobs are now the top national issues, and 57 percent see it on the wrong track, up from 42 percent a few months ago, generating new basic kitchen-table worries. After the economy and jobs, the coronavirus, immigration and health care are the next top issues, but Afghanistan, crime, school choice and education are also serious areas of concern for voters. To understand the urgency for future Democratic candidates, it’s important to be cleareyed about those election results. Some progressives and other Democrats argue that the loss in the Virginia governor’s race, where culture war issues were a factor, should not be extrapolated to generalize about the administration. The problem with that argument is that last week’s governor’s race in New Jersey also showed a double-digit percentage point swing toward Republicans — and in that election, taxes mattered far more than cultural issues. The swing is in line with the drop in President Biden’s approval rating and the broader shift in the mood of the country.

Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee in Virginia, ran for governor in 2013 and won by offering himself as a relative moderate. This time, he deliberately nationalized his campaign by bringing in President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama, and he closed out the race with the head of the teachers’ union, an icon on the left. He may not have brought in the progressive Squad, but he did hug a range of left-of-center Democratic politicians rather than push off the left and try to win swing voters.

It’s hard to imagine Democratic candidates further to the left of Mr. McAuliffe, and of Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, doing any better with swing voters, especially when the math of elections requires two new voters to turn out to equal a single voter who switches from Democrat to Republican. It’s easy to dismiss individual polls that may or may not be accurate — but you can’t dismiss a clear electoral trend: the flight from the Democrats was disproportionately in the suburbs, and the idea that these home-owning, child-rearing, taxpaying voters just want more progressive candidates is not a sustainable one.

After the 1994 congressional elections, Bill Clinton reoriented his administration to the center and saved his presidency. Mr. Biden should follow his lead, listen to centrists, push back on the left and reorient his policies to address the mounting economic issues people are facing. As a senator, he was a master at building coalitions; that is the leadership needed now. This would mean meeting the voters head on with stronger borders, a slower transition from fossil fuels, a focus on bread-and-butter economic issues (such as the price of gas and groceries), fixes to the supply chain fiasco that is impacting the cost of goods and the pursuit of more moderate social spending bills. Nearly three in four voters see the border as a crisis that needs immediate attention. Moving to the center does not mean budging from core social issues like abortion rights and L.G.B.T.Q. rights that are at the heart of what the party believes in and are largely in sync with suburban voters. But it does mean connecting to voters’ immediate needs and anxieties. As Democrats found in the late ’90s, the success of the administration begets enthusiasm from the base, and we actually gained seats in the 1998 midterms under the theme of “progress not partisanship.”

Mr. Biden’s ratings since the Afghanistan withdrawal have fallen from nearly 60 percent approval to just above 40 percent in most polls. By getting the physical infrastructure bill passed with Republican votes, Mr. Biden has taken a crucial step to the center (79 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans supported it in the Harris Poll). Follow that infrastructure success by digging into the pending Congressional Budget Office analysis of Build Back Better and then look closely at bringing in more of the popular benefits for people (such as expansion of Medicare benefits for dental and vision and family leave) and cutting out some of the interest group giveaways like creating environmental justice warriors.

Of course, this may require some Houdini-like leadership to get votes from the Progressive Caucus for a revised Build Back Better bill. But this is the best strategy to protect Democratic candidates in 2022.

Yelling “Trump, Trump, Trump” when Mr. Trump is not on the ballot or in office is no longer a viable campaign strategy. Soccer moms, who largely despised Mr. Trump, want a better education for their kids and safer streets; they don’t see the ghost of Trump or Jan. 6 behind Republican candidates like now Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin of Virginia. Remember that only about one quarter of the country classifies itself as liberal, and while that is about half of the Democratic Party, the rest of the electorate nationally is moderate or conservative. While many rural and working-class voters are staying Republican, the message from last Tuesday is that the Democrats have gone too far to the left on key issues for educated suburban voters. Even Bergen County in New Jersey, a socially liberal bedroom community outside New York City, almost swung into the Republican column.

While Mr. Youngkin waded directly into racially divisive issues, he also based his campaign on positive messages of striving for excellence in the schools and for re-establishing the American dream as a worthy goal. Those messages tapped into the aspirations of voters in ways that in the past were at the heart of the Democratic message. These are enduring values, as is reaffirming the First Amendment and the power of free speech.

Demographics is not destiny. We live in a 40-40-20 country in which 40 percent are hard-wired to either party and 20 percent are swing voters, primarily located in the suburbs. After losing a game-changing slice of Midwestern working-class voters, who had voted for Mr. Obama, over trade, immigration and cultural policies, Democrats were steadily gaining in the suburbs, expanding their leads in places like New Jersey and Virginia. Without voters in these places, the party will be left with only too small of a base of urban voters and coastal elites. Unless it recenters itself, the risk is that the Democratic Party, like the Labour Party in Britain, will follow its greatest success with an extended period in the desert.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/opinion/biden-democrats-2022-2024.html

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Video Report - #Pakistan #TLP #ImranKhan Pakistan: Why has Imran Khan surrendered to hardline islamists? | Tehreek-i-Labbaik | TLP

#Pakistan - Cricket is not a Jihad

Arbaz Ahmed Cheema

Where victory against arch-rival India in T20 cricket match made everyone happy inside and out of the country few remarks by some senior politicians were very unprofessional. These remarks not only highlighted the internalized patterns of thinking of senior politicians but also help one make sense of the rising performative religiosity in the country. It shows how people have now limited religion to antagonism instead of using it as a force of peace. This trend was visible from the leaders to the layperson level. Everyone in a video clip saw Sheikh Rasheed saying, “It’s not mere a match but victory of whole Islamic religion all around the globe”. I don’t know what Sheikh Rasheed meant by his statement but comparing a game with religion is no less than stupidity and short-sightedness. One cannot imagine a Muslim in Algeria or Senegal feeling victorious because Pakistan won a cricket match from India.

Moreover, Prime Minister Imran khan also said in a speech, “After thrashing India during last night’s cricket match it’s not a good time for talking about peaceful relations”. One can imagine the impact of such statements by senior politicians and even the prime minister of the country on the future of Pakistani cricket. Even such statements by Pakistani politicians can put Indian Muslims in trouble who are already suffering much under BJP leadership. Moreover in Srinagar, the BJP government has filed cases against the students who enjoyed Pakistan’s victory extravagantly. Mixing sports with politics and religion doesn’t do anything good but can change the real purpose of any sport as well as can hurt the feelings of many sports lovers. Cricket is recreation, not jihad and it must remain so.

The real purpose of any kind of sports is to unite the people and bring happiness as the recent Pak-India match did. Everyone in the country was very happy and was chanting the slogan, “Pakistan Zindabad”, regardless of their community, culture, language, and province. There is no place for religion-based national identity in the contemporary world; remarks like these from national leaders only harm Pakistan’s diplomatic image across the world. Given the diversity of local communities and their faiths, it is offensive that national leaders use religious identity to talk about the national cricket team at such a sensitive time. In the absence of recreational activities, the T-20 cricket series is a rare opportunity for Pakistanis to enjoy something as a nation. Our politicians and everyone other with such remarks should change their mindset regarding sports and consider the harm that they do to the national image by making such statements.

https://en.humsub.com.pk/3348/cricket-is-not-a-jihad/

Pakistan is mourning another journalist death. One who exposed illegal hunting by Arab VIPs

REVATHI KRISHNAN

Yet another reporter was murdered in Pakistan this week, a country that sits fourth in the International Federation of Journalists’ list of “dangerous” countries with the death of 138 journalists since 1990. This time it was a Karachi-based reporter who made videos about illegal hunting of the threatened Houbara bustard by Arab dignitaries.

Nazim Jokhio was murdered on Wednesday after posting a video saying he had been receiving threats about his videos on illegal hunting trips of Arabs in Pakistan. Though hunting is banned in Pakistan, it is permitted for wealthy foreign dignitaries. Following the journalist’s death, Reporters Without Borders called for an independent investigation into his murder and iterated the same to Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah. Police had said they had arrested two men in connection with Jokhio’s death but those who gave the orders had not been identified.

In a video Jokhio had posted online speaking in Urdu, he said, “I am not scared. I am getting threats and I will not apologise.”

Invitation to the ‘Jam House’

Jokhio reportedly went to cover a hunting party at the invitation of Pakistan Peoples Party member Jam Awais Bijar Khan Jokhio, a local power broker who is also a member of the Sindh provincial assembly. According to a report by Dawn, the journalist’s body was found at the politican’s farmhouse, known as ‘Jam House’.

The legislator surrendered to law enforcers late Thursday night, following which a local court sent him on three-day police remand on Friday.

The FIR was registered on the complaint by the victim’s brother, who accused MPA Awais and Member of the National Assembly Jam Abdul Karim of having a hand in Jokhio’s murder.

Relatives and members from the Jokhio’s community staged a sit-in on the national highway at Dhabeji with his body. They buried the reporter in a nearby graveyard and then continued the sit-in, reported Dawn.An eight-member team has also been formed to investigate the case. Sindh CM Mural Ali Shah met Jokhio’s family and assured them justice would be delivered.

Public outrage over Jokhio’s death

Following his death, many of Pakistan’s civil society members took to Twitter to express their outrage. The hashtag #JusticeForNazimJokhio was trending on the social media site.Many reposted his video. One user said, “There is no justice for poor like Nazim Jokhiyo in this country because this country is ruled by landlord’s, sardar, peer and wadera…”. Meanwhile, user Azad Ali claimed that the murder took place by ‘Sindh’s feudal lords.’

Another handle shared a portrait of him and said, “Let’s get United and destroy feudalism once for all for prosperous Sindh.” While user Ghulam Akbar Bhutto said that “a fedulaist [sic] who has been accused of murdering a man is free from handcuffs.”

Journalists on Twitter also highlighted how the Imran Khan government had let Jokhio down, and called for greater accountability by the legislators.

https://theprint.in/go-to-pakistan/pakistan-is-mourning-another-journalist-death-one-who-exposed-illegal-hunting-by-arab-vips/762330/

افغانستان کے متعلق پالیسی، تحریک طالبان پاکستان سے مذاکرات اور تحریک لبیک پاکستان سے معاہدے پر یکطرفہ فیصلے نہیں لئے جا سکتے، چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری

چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے پیر کے روز پارلیمنٹ ہاﺅس میں

پارلیمنٹ کی قومی سلامتی کمیٹی کے اجلاس میں شرکت کی۔ اس اجلاس میں پارلیمنٹیرینز کو قومی سلامتی کے امور پر بریفنگ دی گئی۔ اجلاس کے بعد پارلیمنٹ ہاﺅس میں صحافیوں سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ وہ اس بریفنگ کے متعلق کوئی گفتگو نہیں کریں گے کیونکہ یہ آن کیمرہ بریفنگ تھی اور آف دی ریکارڈ تھی۔

 انہوں نے کہا کہ جہاں تک افغانستان کے متعلق پالیسی، تحریک طالبان پاکستان سے مذاکرات اور تحریک لبیک پاکستان سے معاہدے پر یکطرفہ فیصلے نہیں لئے جا سکتے۔ پارلیمنٹ کی منظوری کے بغیر ان امور پر کوئی بھی پالیسی نہیں بنائی جا سکتی۔ کوئی بھی ایسی پالیسی جس کی منظوری پارلیمنٹ سے نہ لی گئی ہواس کی کوئی قانونی حیثیت نہیں ہے۔ 

بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ صدر پاکستان، وزیراعظم اور وزیر خارجہ کے ٹی ٹی پی سے مذاکرات کے متعلق بیانات پر انہوں نے پہلے بھی تنقید کی تھی اور وہ آج بھی تنقید کریں گے کیونکہ کسی کو آن بورڈ نہیں لیا گیا اور نہ کوئی اتفاق رائے پیدا کیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ یہ لوگ کون ہوتے ہیں جو ٹی ٹی پی سے مذاکرات کی بھیک مانگیں اور یکطرفہ طور پر ان لوگوں سے مذاکرات کریں جنہوں نے ہمارے سپاہیوں، قومی قیادت اور اے پی ایس کے بچوں کو شہیدکیا ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ان امور پر پارلیمنٹ سے منظور کردہ پالیسی ہی بہتر اور قانونی ہو سکتی ہے۔ 

بعدازاں بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے پارٹی کے دیگر اراکین پارلیمنٹ کے ساتھ اپوزیشن لیڈر کے چیمبر میں مشترکہ اپوزیشن کے ایک اجلاس میں شرکت کی۔ اس اجلاس میں شرکت کے بعد صحافیوں سے باتیں کرتے ہوئے انہوں نے کہا کہ مہنگائی کے مسئلے پر ساری اپوزیشن متحد ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ای ایم ایف سے معاہدوں کے بعد عوام مہنگائی کے بوجھ تلے دب چکے ہیں۔ حکومت کی جانب سے الیکٹرانک ووٹنگ مشین کے ذریعے ووٹ چوری کرنے اور نیب آرڈیننس کے ذریعے سیاسی انتقام کی کارروائیاں کرنا سب کے سامنے ہیں۔ ہم عوام کے لئے پارلیمنٹ میں مشترکہ آواز اٹھائیں گے اور ووٹ چوری کرنے اور سیاسی انتقام کی سازشوں کو شکست دے دوچار کریں گے۔

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25747/