| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Tara Palmeri, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | Presented by |  | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | A busy Wednesday night in the House: H.R. 1 … "House passes sweeping bill on election, government reforms," by Sarah Ferris: "Nearly every Democrat voted for the bill, which includes a slew of ballot access, campaign finance and ethics reforms that came under renewed scrutiny after four years of the Trump administration." AND THE GEORGE FLOYD BILL … "House passes expansive policing overhaul bill named in honor of George Floyd," WaPo As leaders rushed to finish their business to avoid this: "Capitol Police Warn of March 4 Threat Amid New QAnon Conspiracy Theories," NYT Now, the Democratic priorities head to the Senate. Over to you, majority leader: A reporter asked CHUCK SCHUMER last week how he intends to keep his caucus together when, on any given issue, a single defection could spell defeat. The Senate majority leader held up his notorious flip phone and said: "This is my answer. I speak to my members aaaaall the time. … We discuss it out. And so far — so far — we've had great unity." It's been said about a million times that Senate consideration of President JOE BIDEN'S $1.9 billion pandemic relief bill, happening now, is a first test for Schumer. From where we sit, that's a bit hyped. This thing was always going to pass — failure was never an option for Democrats. But the 70-year-old New Yorker who's finally achieved his dream of becoming majority leader is nonetheless having a moment. He managed to keep his members together on impeachment, quickly bringing to an end a trial that threatened to derail Biden's first days in office. And now, at least on Covid legislation, it appears he's found a sweet spot between a bullish left and wary centrists. You never heard Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) threaten to vote "no" because the $15 minimum wage isn't in the package; nor do you see Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) drawing a red line on the overall spending number. A lot of this, Schumer allies say, is because of the chatty man leading their caucus. Schumer has been preparing for this for years. He used to hit the Senate gym early in the morning under the pretense of working out. Really, he was there to befriend members and build relationships, halfheartedly pedaling the exercise bike while schmoozing with fellow senators. | | A message from the American Investment Council: Private equity firms make long-term investments in companies to help rescue, build or grow businesses, providing much-needed capital and management support to strengthen local companies and create jobs. We invest in industries that underpin the American economy, including manufacturing, healthcare, renewable energy, hospitality, and more. investmentcouncil.org/5yearplan | | | Then, when Schumer became Democratic leader in 2017, he made a rather drastic leadership style change from his predecessor, HARRY REID. While the no-nonsense Reid was known for a top-down, strong-arm approach with members, Schumer adopted a more collegial style, giving them space they needed to maneuver. And while Reid kept a tight inner circle of the four top leaders, Schumer created an 11-person kitchen cabinet representing the different factions in the party. That meant weekly huddles where Sanders and Manchin sat at the same table with Schumer or duked it out over Zoom. The meetings have paid off, building goodwill among the rank and file. Democrats privately joke that every member of the caucus thinks Schumer is their best friend. Schumer brags that he's memorized all their cellphone numbers. And over the past four years, the leader has demonstrated he can keep his troops in line: DONALD TRUMP tried and failed to pick off Democratic moderates for his tax cuts and other Covid relief proposals. But it's one thing to rally against a divisive and unpopular president, and another to unite all 50 Democrats across the ideological spectrum to stand for something. Perhaps that's why, when Biden was talking about striking a deal with Republicans on pandemic relief in mid-January, sources told us Schumer was among the most eager to skip those talks, viewing them as an impediment to the eventual necessity of getting all 50 Democrats united behind a plan. On Tuesday morning, Schumer bounced from one Zoom or phone call to another, chatting up Sanders, then meeting with Manchin, then phoning White House chief of staff RON KLAIN before hosting Biden virtually for a caucus lunch. By Tuesday evening, Schumer declared, "We'll have the votes!" — though Democrats continued to iron out a few last-minute differences. How long the Democratic comity lasts is anyone's guess. Persuading left-of-center politicians to spend trillions to dig the country out of a public health disaster is probably as easy as it will ever be for Schumer. Soon, emboldened progressives will push one way and centrists the other. And eventually we will learn whether Schumer and his 2000s-era flip phone can work wonders in 2021. BOTTOMS UP — The beer track/wine track paradigm is not new in politics, but it's gotten additional currency in recent months as Republicans have laid claim to the working-class vote. As college-educated white voters have flocked toward Democrats in the Trump era, Republicans have gobbled up the lion's share of non-college whites and even made inroads among Black and Latino working-class voters. The GOP "is no longer the 'wine and cheese' party," Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tweeted last month. "It's the beer and blue jeans party." We put that assertion to the test in the latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll: Do the political preferences of beer drinkers and wine aficionados diverge? The answer is: Yes, though not to a huge degree. Among Republicans, 27% say beer is their preferred alcoholic drink, compared to 24% who said wine, 13% who said liquor and 35% who don't drink. But more Democrats prefer wine (29%) than beer (22%). Beer and wine drinkers also have different views of Biden's presidency thus far: Sixty-four percent of wine drinkers approve of the job the new president is doing, more than the 53% of beer drinkers who say the same. Overall, wine (26%) edged beer (23%) as the favorite drink of poll respondents, with a hearty 16% preferring hard liquor. (h/t Steve Shepard) | | | | A message from the American Investment Council:   Private equity firms are responsible, long-term investors helping thousands of companies like Black Rock Coffee, Ingersoll Rand, Signify, and Victory Innovations with five-year plans. investmentcouncil.org/5yearplan | | | WATCH: Biden may get a stimulus check win. What about the rest of his agenda? The Biden administration's victory party over the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill might be short-lived. RACHAEL and RYAN break down why the progressive bills on gun control, minimum wage and police reform are likely dead on arrival once they reach the Senate. Manchin reaffirmed he will "NEVER" vote against the filibuster earlier this week, leaving very little room for Biden to get anything else through without using reconciliation. | 
| BIDEN'S THURSDAY — The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President's Daily Brief at 10:30 a.m. They and Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG will meet with members of the House from both parties at 2 p.m. to talk infrastructure in the Oval Office. At 5 p.m., Biden will take part in a call congratulating the NASA JPL Perseverance team. — Press secretary JEN PSAKI and VA Secretary DENIS MCDONOUGH will brief at 12:45 p.m. THE HOUSE: Sent home early due to the security threat today. More from Heather Caygle, Sarah Ferris, Kyle Cheney and Natasha Bertrand THE SENATE: The Energy and Natural Resources Committee will vote at 10 a.m. on DEB HAALAND'S nomination to be Interior secretary. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will have a hearing at 10:15 a.m. on SHALANDA YOUNG'S nomination as deputy OMB director. | | | | DON'T MISS "THE RECAST": Power dynamics are changing. "Influence" is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is our new, twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy, and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops and dispatches from across the country, and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Don't miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: VP Kamala Harris talks with Danielle Romanatti and Maiah Davis, the owner and manager of Fibre Space, about the pandemic's impact on small businesses during a stop at the Alexandria, Va., shop Wednesday. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | CONGRESS PAGING THE CHC — We all knew Biden's massive immigration proposal was DOA in the Senate. What we didn't realize until now: Not even the House will try to pass it. Our colleagues Sarah Ferris, Heather Caygle and Laura Barrón-López report today that Democrats won't bother even voting on the proposal because they simply don't have the votes. A whip count came back "dismal," they write. This is going to cause some tensions in the House Democratic Caucus. Our colleagues write that "Biden's proposal is a top priority for progressives and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who say it's critical to take action in the early months of his term. But Democratic leaders aren't going to put a bill on the floor that will fail — which puts them on a tightrope as they try to keep all factions of their diverse caucus on board for a realistic approach to one of Washington's thorniest issues." Also, it appears the administration isn't even trying to whip support: "Further complicating matters, the White House has taken more of a hands-off approach to the bill's future in the House, several lawmakers and aides said." More here HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO TRUMP: BACK OFF OUR MEMBERS — NRCC Chair TOM EMMER (R-Minn.) opened a floodgate Wednesday when he became the first GOP leader to say that Trump shouldn't primary Republicans who voted to impeach him. Following those comments during a POLITICO Live event with Playbook, other rank-and-file members are following his lead, telling Mel Zanona and Ally Mutnick: Enough is enough. Some interesting tidbits in the story: "Emmer has been calling the House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump and privately assuring them that the party will have their backs, according to two GOP sources familiar with the conversations. The NRCC has a longstanding policy to not get involved in primaries, even for incumbents. But the campaign arm can be helpful in other ways to the campaigns of members who pay their dues, such as providing assistance on digital fundraising and recommending certain vendors." The full story FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: PELOSI MAKES DOWN PAYMENT ON THE HOUSE — The most prolific fundraiser in Congress, Speaker NANCY PELOSI, announced in a private call with her members Wednesday that she'll give $2 million this week to help protect the Democratic majority. The money is the first of many installments to come and includes $1 million in dues to the DCCC and $1 million to House Majority PAC, the outside group aligned with the speaker. She's also contributed $400,000 to members in the most competitive districts. Republicans need to flip just five seats to take power. THE WHITE HOUSE IF SO, THAT WAS QUICK — "Biden's honeymoon is over, but he retains majority approval," NYT BORDER TALES — "Exclusive: Unaccompanied kids being held by Border Patrol for 77 hours on average, internal documents show," CNN: "Migrant children crossing the US-Mexico border alone are staying in Border Patrol custody for longer than three days on average, overwhelming capacity at border facilities and indicating a crisis taking shape, according to internal documents reviewed by CNN. … "On average, over the last 21 days the US Border Patrol, part of Customs and Border Protection, arrested around 340 children who crossed the US-Mexico border alone, according to preliminary data outlined in the document. The average time in Border Patrol facilities, which are not designed to hold children, was 77 hours, longer than the 72 permitted under US law." Playbook notes: Mark Bednar, a top Kevin McCarthy spox, is blasting out this story to make sure reporters didn't miss it. MINIMUM WAGE WOES — "White House weighs minimum wage negotiations with Republicans," by Natasha Korecki and Laura Barrón-López: "The White House is weighing whether to engage in talks with Republicans on a minimum wage hike once Congress passes its Covid relief bill, two sources with knowledge of their strategic thinking say. "White House aides said they believe there's room to bring Republicans into the fold because raising the minimum wage is popular across ideological grounds. They pointed to the recent $15-an-hour wage increase passed in Florida, a state that voted for Donald Trump, as evidence that the issue has widespread support." FROM @REALDONALDTRUMP TO … @WHCOS? — "Washington's hottest Twitter feed is now an acronym managed by its most powerful bureaucrat, Ron Klain," Chris Cadelago and Theo Meyer write today. "His handle, @WHCOS, has become the source of fascination—building a sense of intrigue that the White House seems inclined to feed … "To outside observers, including Capitol Hill aides, lobbyists and the news media — many of which have set their phones to ding every time Klain tweets — his feed is a kind of Rorschach test: either reinforcing the idea that Klain is a partisan combatant masquerading as an honest broker or the work of an expert multitasker with a knack for documenting Biden's incremental achievements while keeping the focus on big-picture priorities. Behind the theatrics of it all, there is a strategy." | | | | A message from the American Investment Council:   Private equity firms help American companies big and small with their five-year plans. investmentcouncil.org/5yearplan | | | TRUMP CARDS FAMILY BUSINESS — "Elaine Chao used DOT staff to aid personal errands, father's business, inspector finds," by Sam Mintz and Tanya Snyder: "The internal watchdog faulted Chao for four kinds of ethics violations, including planning to bring relatives on an official trip to China and requiring DOT's public affairs staff to help market a book written by her father. It found she also had employees handle personal errands such as shipping Christmas ornaments. "Some of the inspector general's conclusions back up reporting by POLITICO and The New York Times on the deep entanglement of Chao's family with her work at the agency. … Investigators from the IG's office referred their findings to the Justice Department's U.S. Attorney's Office and its Public Integrity Section in December, but both offices declined to open criminal investigations." The report PANDEMIC TRACKER: The U.S. reported 2,449 Covid-19 deaths and 67,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday. BEYOND THE BELTWAY — "Wealthy Keys enclave received COVID vaccines in January before much of the state," Miami Herald: "As Florida's eldest residents struggled to sign up to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, nearly all those aged 65 years and older in a wealthy gated enclave in the Florida Keys had been vaccinated by mid-January, according to an emailed newsletter obtained by the Miami Herald. … "Ocean Reef Club is an ultra-exclusive neighborhood that is arguably one of the highest-security private communities in the nation. … It is also where the very wealthy and where dignitaries, including President Joseph Biden, come to stay when they visit the Florida Keys. It's also home to many wealthy donors to the Florida Republican Party and GOP candidates, including Gov. Ron DeSantis." POLITICS ROUNDUP 2024 WATCH — "Pompeo won't rule out a 2024 presidential run on 'Hannity': 'Always up for a fight,'" Fox News: "Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined Wednesday to rule out a run for the White House if former President Donald Trump does not seek the office in 2024, telling Fox News' 'Hannity' he was 'always up for a fight.' "'I care deeply about America,' Pompeo told host Sean Hannity. 'You and I have been part of the conservative movement for an awfully long time now. I aim to keep at it.' Hannity said he would take Pompeo's answer as 'a strong maybe,' to which Pompeo responded, 'That's perfect.'" CUOMO SPEAKS — "Cuomo, Contrite Over Sexual Harassment Accusations, Refuses to Resign," NYT: "'I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable,' Mr. Cuomo said during an appearance at the State Capitol. 'It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it and frankly, I'm embarrassed by it, and that's not easy to say. But that's the truth.' … "Mr. Cuomo's comments, while meant to convey contrition, may also be a play for time: He asked for people 'to wait for the facts' to emerge from an investigation by the state attorney general, Letitia James. … In his remarks on Wednesday, Mr. Cuomo sought to differentiate his conduct from some more abhorrent behavior that has emerged in the #MeToo movement, insisting twice that he never 'touched anyone inappropriately.'" FRANKEN VS. CUOMO — "Double standard? Gillibrand in spotlight after Cuomo scandal," AP: "[T]he New York senator is taking a different [tack] when it comes to sexual harassment allegations hitting closer to home, those against her state's Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo." 'WHERE IS THAT JERK FILE?' … JOHN HARRIS column: "What the Andrew Cuomo Saga Tells Us About the Shallowness of Modern Politics": "A year ago, as New York was an early pandemic hotspot, the national conversation shifted and everyone started a new file on Cuomo: Oh, my goodness, isn't he charismatic? Empathetic, spontaneous, engaged, responsible, commanding. Just what the moment required, and just what was lacking from Donald Trump. Now, Trump is out of the White House and as for Cuomo. … Damn it, where is that jerk file? Please tell me I wasn't so dumb to just throw it away." "There aren't many cases that more vividly capture perceptions of a public figure swerving so abruptly over such a short time. … There is a fuzzy philosophical point in the Cuomo story about the vagaries of fame and vicissitudes of reputation. The ball does indeed take funny bounces. But maybe don't let yourself off the hook so easily. The sharper and more specific point is that both phases of the Cuomo psychodrama — and especially the OMG-I'm-crushing-on-Andrew phase — reflect the fatuousness of modern political culture." POST-MORTEM — "David Shor on Why Trump Was Good for the GOP and How Dems Can Win in 2022," N.Y. Mag: "'One high-level takeaway is that the 2020 electorate had a very similar partisan composition to the 2016 electorate. … Trump didn't exceed expectations by inspiring higher-than-anticipated Republican turnout. He exceeded them mostly through persuasion.' … "'[W]e looked specifically at those voters [of color] who switched from supporting Hillary Clinton in 2016 to Donald Trump in 2020 to see whether anything distinguishes this subgroup in terms of their policy opinions. What we found is that Clinton voters with conservative views on crime, policing, and public safety were far more likely to switch to Trump … [I]f we implemented D.C. and Puerto Rican statehood and passed redistricting reform, that would roughly triple our chance of holding the House in 2022 and roughly the same in the Senate.'" | | | | FIND OUT THE LATEST WHISPERS FROM THE WEST WING : What's happening inside the West Wing, and what are the real conversations taking place behind-the-scenes in the halls of power? Who really has the ear of the president? What's going to happen across the executive branch next, and why? Transition Playbook chronicles the people, policies and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | DON'T DO IT, BRAD — After Trump campaign manager BRAD PARSCALE was demoted last summer, he considered quitting and sabotaging the campaign by turning off the "lights" to the campaign website, the email system, the transfer of data between the campaign and the RNC and even the Amazon server. That's according to AMIE PARNES and JONATHAN ALLEN in their new book, "Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency." The pair reports that KARL ROVE talked Parscale down and convinced him to stay put, telling him to work with the new campaign manager BILL STEPIEN. "Welcome the new guy and go do your work," Rove told him, according to the book. "Because if they lose, they shouldn't have gotten rid of you, and if they win, you're still doing all the work and you made the right decision to make sure he wins." What Rove likely didn't imagine was the political capital that Trump would maintain after being voted out of office. Both Parscale and Stepien are back working for Trump on his burgeoning political operation. NEW BILL CLINTON PODCAST: "Boys State" documentary star Steven Garza. Listen FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Eric Feldman will join Airbnb as head of federal and international affairs. He most recently was chief of staff for Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). Announcement MEDIAWATCH — "David Brooks's Side Hustle Was Funded By Facebook And Jeff Bezos's Father," BuzzFeed: "New York Times columnist David Brooks is drawing a second salary for his work on an Aspen Institute project funded by Facebook and other large donors — a fact he has not disclosed in his columns. A Times spokesperson refused to tell BuzzFeed News whether the paper was aware Brooks was taking a salary for his work on Weave, a project he founded and leads for the Aspen Institute, a prominent think tank based in Washington, DC. … "Brooks has published multiple columns that promote Weave, in addition to writing pieces that mention Facebook, its founder Mark Zuckerberg, and the company's products without disclosing his financial ties to the social networking giant. The amount and timing of Facebook's funding, which had not been previously reported, combined with Brooks's promotion of Weave in the Times, has raised questions about the columnist's conflicts of interest." TRANSITIONS — Xochitl Hinojosa is joining Bully Pulpit Interactive as a managing director. She most recently was director of comms and senior adviser at the DNC. … Mia Heck is now VP of external affairs and a fellow for health care policy at the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy. She previously was director of external affairs for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at HHS. … Josh Marcus-Blank is now comms director for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.). He previously was campaign comms director for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). … … Abhi Rahman, Francoise Stovall, Sakita Douglas and Ashly Blanc are joining Fireside Campaigns. Rahman will be VP of comms and previously was director of strategic comms for the Texas Democratic Party. Stovall will be VP of digital strategy and previously was digital director/acting VP of digital at Voto Latino. Douglas will be director of operations and previously was director of human resources with PTW Energy Services. Blanc will be a senior digital strategist and previously was director of partnerships at Taskforce. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: PPO Director Cathy Russell (6-0) … Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) … Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) … Doug Hoelscher … NBC's Vaughn Hillyard … Rick Perry … Deborah Turness, president of NBC News International … Shirley Henry … POLITICO's Mark McQuillan … CNN's Kate Bennett and Leigh Munsil ... Callista Gingrich (55) … Maria Recio … Jesse Solis … Emily Bazelon … Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins … Fenton's Valerie Jean-Charles … Sean Simons … N.Y. Mag's Melvin Backman ... Ken Lovett ... Zack Abrahamson … Allison Putala ... Mike Haidet … Jennifer Loraine … WTOP's Bruce Alan … Sarah Millican ... Spectrum's Nick Reisman … Abby Jagoda ... Jesse Lewin … Andrew Stein … Angela Zirkelbach … Sandy Greene ... Jason Newsted Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Has Chuck Schumer memorized your number? Drop us a line at playbook@politico.com or individually: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from the American Investment Council: What's your five-year plan? That's a question we hear a lot. Every year, thousands of companies across America turn to private equity firms for help with their five-year plans. We invest capital, provide management expertise, and improve operational capabilities over the long term to grow companies and create jobs. Our long term investments are usually between four to seven years. Learn more at investmentcouncil.org/5yearplan | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
