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Now its sure to be smooth sailing. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Though the 2018 midterms are still a long way off, national Democrats have caught some flak for not yet developing a unified message to sell to voters beyond Trump Is Bad. (Which, to be fair, is one that most of America is on board with.) The lack of a clear, identifiable agenda was also a key factor in Hillary Clintons defeat last year.

So to get the ball rolling in their quest to pick up the 24 seats needed for a Congressional takeover, Democrats will unveil their gleaming new motto on Monday, which is A Better Deal. Or, more specifically, A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future.

To quote Jeb Bush: please clap.

If this rather anodyne phrasing sounds familiar, its because it recalls two successful slogans of presidents past: Theodore Roosevelts Square Deal, back in 1910, and, of course, FDRs New Deal, which he rolled out to great effect in 1932. (Youd think there might have been advances in political branding technology in the intervening 85 years. Youd be wrong.) It also may work as a foil to the supposed dealmaker in chief who currently occupies the White House.

Both of the Roosevelts focused with laser-like precision on economic security for Americans, and todays Democrats are attempting to follow suit. The Washington Post reports that some lawmakers, aides and outside advocates consulted on the new agenda said that it is expected to focus on new proposals to fund job-training programs, renegotiate trade deals and address soaring prescription-drug costs, as well as other issues, including a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage. Senator Chuck Schumer said on ABCs This Week that Democrats had been too namby-pamby in their economic messaging, and declared that the party would seek to change the way big companies merge and consider getting behind a single-payer health care system.

Will A Better Deal cut through the clatter and claim its place in the pantheon of successful slogans with Deal in them? Stay tuned.

This post has been updated to include Senator Schumers comments about the Democratic agenda.

From must-see to cant-see.

White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said on Sunday that the president thinks Russia is too smart to get caught hacking an election.

The most unpredictable Tour in a decade ends in the most predictable way.

They claim the president has nothing to hide.

The White House indicated on Sunday that the president will sign the bill rather than get into a veto fight. Well see.

Party leaders are clearly trying to channel the Roosevelts, but that doesnt mean their rebranding is going to work.

Another 30 people were found alive, but many may have suffered permanent brain damage from their injuries.

Republicans extremism on health care has had a surprising effect.

She also offered to take his seat. Her remarks didnt go over very well.

It may come in handy down the road.

A rundown of how Trump has failed to meet his critics darkest expectations and how he has exceeded them.

It has not been a banner week for President Trumps attorney general.

By excluding from Trumpcare indispensable features, the Senate parliamentarian has probably killed the bill unless McConnell nukes her rulings.

Like so many other media entities, Vice is making a stronger push into video.

Everybody is making the same dumb joke about Trumps new communications director.

U.S. passports used to travel to North Korea will soon be invalidated by the government.

Anthony Scaramucci doesnt seem concerned about all his old tweets.

The former White House press secretary was a glutton for punishment, and now hes gone.

At a time when the White House could benefit from a steady, respected hand to run the communications shop, Trump went in a very different direction.

Originally posted here:
Democrats to Unveil New Slogan Promising a 'Better Deal' - New York Magazine

President Donald Trump slammed Democrats for what he called "laughing" over the Russia investigations while attacking fellow Republicans for doing "very little" to protect him, in a pair of new tweets Sunday afternoon.

The president repeated his assertion that the probes are a "Witch Hunt."

"Two groups are laughing at this excuse for a lost election taking hold, Democrats and Russians," he tweeted.

Trump also had some choice words for the GOP.

"It's very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their President," he wrote.

Trump, some of his family members and his associates are under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the FBI and separate Congressional panels looking into potential collusion between his campaign and the Russian government.

U.S. intelligence agencies have already concluded that Russia used a combination of hacking and disinformation to influence the 2016 presidential election to boost Trump's candidacy and damage Hillary Clinton's.

Congressional lawmakers say Trump's eldest son and his former campaign chairman won't be forced to testify publicly next week as part of the investigations. Donald Trump Jr. and Paul Manafort are discussing undergoing a private interview with the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee's chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, also say they are negotiating with Trump Jr. and Manafort about possibly turning over documents.

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and top White House aide, is scheduled to speak behind closed doors with the Senate intelligence committee on Monday and the House intelligence committee on Tuesday.

View post:
Trump tweets Democrats are laughing at 'Russian Witch Hunt,' Republicans do 'very little' to protect him - Fox News

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Democrats Pitch Populist Election Message Wall Street Journal (subscription) Democrats are launching a new policy agenda focused on the economy that seeks to bridge gaps with voters amid polls showing most Americans don't know what the party stands for. The proposals are in large part a response to Hillary Clinton's ...

The rest is here:
Democrats Pitch Populist Election Message - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

DERBY >> Carmen DiCenso is no longer the endorsed mayoral candidate for town Democrats.

A three-member panel of the Democratic State Central Committee unanimously ruled Friday that the town committee violated national party rules by conducting a secret ballot vote for the mayoral endorsement. They vacated the endorsement.

The vote is null and void, said Michael Mandell, executive director of the Democratic State Central Committee. It was an error, not a malicious one, but an error.

Mandell said vacation schedules made it impossible to schedule a new vote.

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As a result, DiCenso, the Board of Alderman president and Anita Dugatto, the citys two-term mayor, will fight for the endorsement in a Sept. 12 primary as long as each obtains the required 117 signatures from registered Democrats.

But thats a given. Both camps said they are well on the way to that amount.

Im fine with it, DiCenso said. I was preparing for a primary anyway.

But Dugattos camp saw something more in the way things were handled.

This is a matter of transparency, plain and simple, Dugatto said in an emailed statement. There is a mentality in Derby politics of doing things behind closed doors, and it is often to the detriment of our city. Changing this culture is precisely why I chose to run for mayor four years ago, and why I am running for re-election.

Regardless of the state partys ruling, this election will be decided by who the people ... believe is the most qualified candidate to be our citys next mayor, Dugattos statement said.

All this added more fuel to Richard Dziekans campaign as the Republican mayoral candidate.

Once again Derbys Democrats are putting all their energy into fighting each other, Dziekan said Friday. I believe the residents deserve someone who will fight for them. Carmen and Anita offer the city no more than the same failed policies that have raised taxes and fees.

He said he believes the Democratic infighting and the money the party will spend on a primary bodes well for him.

It was Frank Rubino, a Democratic Town Committee member and Dugatto supporter, who filed the complaint.

That led to a half-hour inquiry conducted by a three-member Democratic State Central Committee panel on Friday.

The panelists Barbara Reynolds, of Wilton, Tom McDonough, of Waterbury, and Tony Duarte, of South Windsor heard Town Committee Chairwoman Linda Fusco accept the blame. She said the procedure has been Derbys practice on contested positions for the past 30 years.

Fusco said she relied on past practices rather than carefully reading materials sent to her.

I feel very bad, she told the panel, adding DiCenso won by a 21-15 margin.

You are not alone, Kevin Reynolds, the partys general counsel, said. Many town committees conduct votes by secret ballot.

But that is illegal under party rules, he said.

After both candidates were nominated Tuesday, each of the 36 town committee members were called by name, handed a ballot, circled their choice and deposited the ballot into a cardboard box. Fusco and City/Town Clerk Marc Garofalo read the results aloud.

See the original post here:
State Democrats void Derby DTC endorsement of DiCenso - New Haven Register

Democrats are handing President Trump a big fat F for his six months in office, but in this case the F may stand for frustration.

No matter what you think of Trumps policies or personality, he has beaten Democrats on every angle.

The stock market is up. Unemployment is down.

And Trump has gotten nearly every nominee he wanted, including Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court, which was absolutely critical to fulfilling the Republican agenda.

Even his inability to repeal Obamacare has turned into a backhanded win for Trump, if for no other reason than that its freed him from having to come up with a workable alternative, which he clearly does not have.

Like it or not, hes doing what his supporters wanted him to do: make a lot of noise, hit the brakes on the Democratic agenda and keep them entertained.

And you have to admit, for all its embarrassments, Trumps made-for-TV White House is certainly entertaining.

What a cast of characters: the sinister and elusive Steve Bannon, the ditzy Kellyanne Conway, the just-bounced Sean Spicer and now Baby Don Trump Jr.

Add in the stone-faced special prosecutor (Robert Mueller), the hapless attorney general (Jeff Sessions) and a couple of Russian spy types, and you have an Austin Powers movie.

But perhaps Trumps biggest accomplishment is that, after six months, hes still in office. And that may be the Democrats biggest frustration of all.

The Affordable Care Act is safe for the moment, in part because of all the heat coming from voters in Trump country.

Jerry Moran, the Republican senator from Kansas, held a town hall instead of parading on the Fourth of July. He got such an earful that when he returned to Washington, he told the Republican leadership that he wouldnt take a bullet for the team.

Now, just maybe, repeal and replace will turn into repair and with it, re-election.

Gov. Jerry Browns cap-and-trade victory was as narrow as they come, but he did manage to get votes from both sides of the aisle.

Even Republicans such as former Govs. Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Secretary of State George Shultz called for extending the program, giving plenty of cover for Republican legislators to objectively appraise the program. Thats really the way a democracy should work.

San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim celebrated her 40th birthday at interior designer Ken Fulks Magic Factory over on Seventh Street. Man, that place is fabulous. The first two floors are his offices, and the third floor is a venue that he rents out for parties.

The guests at Kims bash included young, up-and-coming politicos from all around the country who came down for the evening from the Napa Valley, where they were attending a think tank conference.

Boy, was she working the room. And with good reason: Every one of them was a potential endorser and fundraiser host back home.

Kim hasnt decided what shell do next on the political merry-go-round, but she definitely has her eye on a brass ring.

If youre looking for some down-home fun, stop by Hazels Southern Bar and Kitchen on Market Street, in the heart of the Twitter Zone. It was started by a young guy, Jamie Boatner, who drew on his moms recipes.

The buffalo wings were my pick, and they did not disappoint. But what caught my attention were the two billiard tables in the middle of the dining area, for shooting pool between bites.

Movie time: War for the Planet of the Apes: Believe it or not, this is a must-see. Its timely and relevant. But be warned, there is nothing comical about this movie.

A free safety pin awaits you at the Marsh Cafe on Valencia Street, where my friend Will Durst is presiding Tuesday nights. He is pointed in his hilarious observations about todays political scene and the Trump administration, closing with a new symbol of the resistance movement: a safety pin on your lapel.

Get yours in the Mish. Its free.

Speaking of free, Marcia Lamb of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival tells me that if you stop by the South of Market park Saturday at 1 p.m., you can hear Paula West for free.

The Internet, however, confirms my prediction of last week that the price to catch her will be going up. In fact, for her next commercial appearance, in April at SFJazz, the price is double what it was Sunday night at the Hotel Nikko.

Im told the next show is almost sold out.

Warning: It looks like the Municipal Transportation Agency will start tearing up Geary Boulevard to make room for new bus lanes, just as its doing along Van Ness Avenue.

The irony here is that some of us can still remember when the center of Geary had streetcar tracks all the way to what was then Playland-at-the-Beach and the roller-skating rink.

You suppose theres any chance the MTA and Rec and Park could team up to bring all that back?

O.J. Simpsons reappearance in the news reminds me of my brother James take on the trial of the century:

The district attorney tried to frame the guilty guy and failed.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com

See the rest here:
Failure? Trump is beating Democrats left and right - San Francisco Chronicle