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President Donald Trump has been railing against the leaks coming out of his administration for weeks as a stream of unflattering stories has embarrassed the White House. | Alex Brandon/AP

Republicans and Democrats denounced government leaking this week after transcripts of President Donald Trumps calls with foreign leaders was exposed by the Washington Post.

The rejection of leaks comes as Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected Friday to a Justice Department investigation into leaks coming out of the government.

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Trump has been railing against the leaks coming out of his administration for weeks as a stream of unflattering stories has embarrassed the White House. Some of those stories are based on anonymously sourced but unclassified gossip about infighting among his aides, while others are more serious leaks of information about the ongoing probe into his campaigns relationship with Russia or his dealings with foreign leaders.

Republicans have typically been quick to draw attention to the leak problem throughout the Russia investigation, while Democrats have generally focused on questions about whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russias attempts to meddle in the election last year. But a leak on Thursday prompted lawmakers from both parties to speak out and raise their concern.

The Washington Post published the transcripts of Trumps tense calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia, embarrassing the White House because at times Trump seemed not to grasp policy basics and appeared to downplay his campaign promises.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Friday warned that the disclosure could jeopardize national security.

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What really should concern everyone are these leaks that imperil national security, she said on the Fox News morning program Fox and Friends. Leaking the phone calls between our president and other heads of state is nothing short of a national disgrace.

But the White House is not alone in condemning the leak. While many Trump critics were quick to express their dismay at the content of the exchanges on Thursday, some Democrats joined in to warn that leaking a transcript of conversations between the president and other world leaders is dangerous and a bad precedent.

Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told the Daily Beast on Thursday that Congress should investigate the leak.

A president of the United States, a governor would tell us they've got to be able to have confidential conversations, Warner said. And I think it was disgraceful that those [came out].

David Frum, a former aide in the George W. Bush White House and a consistent Trump critic at The Atlantic, wrote a column decrying the leak as unprecedented, shocking, and dangerous and warned that it will reverberate around the world.

No leader will again speak candidly on the phone to Washington, D.C.at least for the duration of this presidency, and perhaps for longer, Frum wrote. If these calls can be leaked, any call can be leakedand no leader dare say anything to the president of the United States that he or she would not wish to read in the news at home.

Tommy Vietor, a former spokesperson for President Barack Obamas National Security Council, also called the leak absurd.

I wouldve lost my mind if transcripts of Obama's calls to foreign leaders leaked, Vietor, who co-hosts the popular liberal podcast Pod Save America, said on Twitter. He wouldn't have sounded so dumb, but it's still absurd.

Added former Obama adviser David Axelrod: Transcripts of @POTUS calls w/leaders of Mexico; Australia were embarrassing. Yet the leaking of them feels like a terrible precedent.

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Republicans and Democrats condemn leaking Trump's conversation with foreign leaders - Politico

The proposal seemed modest in today's polarized political climate: The head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee suggested his group might help fund candidates who didn't share the party's support for abortion rights.

The backlash from abortion-rights activists and organizations was quick and harsh. The basic message: Don't go there.

A coalition of progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a " statement of principles " challenging the party to be unwavering in its support for abortion rights. Scores of women who have had abortions made the same point in an open letter to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a staunch abortion-rights supporter who nonetheless says there's room in the party for opposing views.

"The DCCC should not be supporting any politician who does not respect a woman's right to control her body," said Karin Roland, of the women's rights group Ultraviolet. "There is no future of the Democratic Party without women so stop betraying them for a misguided idea of what's needed to win elections."

The latest brush fires were sparked this week by the DCCC chairman, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, when he told The Hill newspaper that the committee is willing to aid candidates who oppose abortion rights. His core argument: Democrats after a series of dismaying losses in national and state elections will only reclaim power by winning in GOP-leaning districts and states where the liberal base can't deliver victories on its own.

A DCCC official, Meredith Kelly, said Lujan isn't looking specifically for abortion-rights opponents, even in conservative districts. But, she added, "We are working right now to recruit candidates who represent Democratic values and who also fit the districts they are running in."

The current Congress is almost monolithic when it comes to abortion. Only a small handful of Republicans vote in favor of abortion rights; a similarly small number of Democrats support restrictions on abortion.

Some Democratic officials suggest the argument over Lujan's remarks is overblown a handful of outliers won't change the agenda if Democrats reclaim congressional majorities.

Abortion-rights leaders have a different view.

"Every time the Democrats lose an election, they start casting about in ways that are deeply damaging to the base," NARAL president Ilyse Hogue said. "If they go out and start recruiting anti-choice candidates under the Democratic brand, the message is, 'We're willing to sell out women to win,' and politically that's just suicide."

Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood, said politicians who personally object to abortion should be welcome in the Democratic Party as long as they don't vote to impose that view on others.

Supporting candidates who voted that way, said Laguens, would be comparable to supporting candidates who voted against LGBT-rights.

"These are fundamental issues that Democrats have staked their world view around," she said.

Stephen Schneck, a longtime political science professor at Catholic University and board member with Democrats for Life of America, contends that the Democratic leadership would benefit from more diverse views on abortion.

"Internal tensions are really good for a party," he said, citing polls showing that more than 20 percent of Democratic voters oppose abortion in most cases.

However, Schneck acknowledged that it's hard to find common ground on any abortion-related policies, with the possible exception of boosting support for women who carry babies to term. Advocacy groups on each side of the abortion debate tend to scorn the concept of compromise and to base their fundraising campaigns on vows to be unyielding.

A prominent anti-abortion leader, Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that supports anti-abortion candidates, said she and her allies were proud of working to weaken the influence of abortion-rights supporters in Republican ranks.

"When the roles were reversed 10 years ago, and some within the Republican Party were advocating for a 'big tent' on abortion, we worked very hard at the time to keep the GOP pro-life from the top down," she said in an email.

In some respects, Lujan's remarks don't represent a new stance for the Democrats' campaign apparatus. The Democratic Governors Association in 2015 helped John Bel Edwards, an anti-abortion Catholic, win the Louisiana governors' race, an upset in a Republican-dominated state.

The governors' group is now eyeing the 2018 race for governor in Kansas. The Democratic field includes former legislator and agriculture commissioner Joshua Svaty, who had an anti-abortion record in the Kansas House.

Laura McQuade, who runs Planned Parenthood Great Plains, warns that anti-abortion governors play a very different role from rank-and-file members of Congress getting a chance to weigh in on bills that would restrict abortion access.

McQuade, who is critical of Svaty's candidacy, notes that Kansas' last two-term Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius, supported abortion rights and went on to serve as President Barack Obama's health secretary. Democrats don't have to abandon support for "full gender equity" to win, she said.

Svaty has not made his abortion stance a feature of his campaign, telling journalists it wouldn't be a defining issue of his administration.

Kansas Democratic Chairman Josh Gibson has avoided taking a side, saying, "It's up to primary voters to decide where they want to place their emphasis."

In Louisiana, Democrats embraced Edwards' candidacy, even as he featured his abortion opposition in campaign ads. The heavily Catholic state is accustomed to Democrats who oppose abortion rights, and the Democratic Governors Association had no qualms embracing Edwards over his GOP opponent, then-Sen. David Vitter.

As governor, Edwards has left it to the Republican attorney general to defend previously adopted abortion restrictions in court. He has signed new abortion regulations, though he did not champion the proposals. Among them: a three-day waiting period for women seeking abortions.

"The issue is personal for him," explains Edwards aide Richard Carbo. Edwards and his wife rejected medical advice to abort a baby of theirs who'd been diagnosed with spina bifida. She's now a healthy adult.

Carbo said Edwards called Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez earlier this year when Perez declared it is "not negotiable" that "every Democrat ... should support a woman's right" to abortion services.

"He wants this to be a big tent party on this issue," Carbo said.

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Democrats differ: Should party back anti-abortion candidates - ABC News

TED PERLE, LAKE FOREST, CALIF.

The writer is a member of the executive board of the California Democratic Party.

The Real Deal

A Better Deal rests on a case of one-upmanship: What we offer doesnt have to be good, just better. Thats dancing to someone elses tune.

The Real Deal reminds voters that Democrats are serious about governance; it isnt all hyperbole and empty rhetoric. It suggests that Democrats know how to deliver on health care, job growth, banking protections, equality under the law. It showcases reality and the task of finding real solutions to Americas problems. The president will continue to whine about fake news, while doing his best to gaslight the nation. This leaves Democrats with the great opportunity to define themselves as the enemies of unreality: We are the real deal.

DAVID HAVEN BLAKE HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J.

The writer is the author of Liking Ike: Eisenhower, Advertising, and the Rise of Celebrity Politics.

Make America America Again

This slogan addresses the fact that we have gotten away from the values that make America great inclusiveness, the rule of law, opportunity for everyone, innovation, our can-do attitude, our work ethic and our faith in democracy. The Democrats would do well to inspire us to embrace these values again, and they could show how every program they propose would further these values.

ROBERT W. BAKER MANHASSET, N.Y.

Its My Party, and Ill Cry if I Want To

I think that this slogan sums up my general frustration with the Democrats (with apologies to Lesley Gore).

CARLA RECZEK, OAK PARK, MICH.

Make America Work Again!

I like it because it can refer to jobs and the economy and is also a commentary on the Republican Partys inability to get anything done. It is also a play on President Trumps slogan and can imply that he has not been successful in achieving his goals.

NANCY T. ROCKWELL, BROOKLYN

Stop the Madness

As much as I love my states senior senator, Chuck Schumer, A Better Deal just doesnt do it for me. Democrats, the last nine months have been rough. But stop trying so hard. Speak from the heart, and say what we are all thinking. Stop this reality show. The kids have thrown their party, but now the parents must come home before the house burns down. Stop the madness.

MARK KAPLOWITZ, ALBANY

The Party of Yes

For the entire Obama presidency, the Republicans reveled in being the Party of No. Now that they are the governing party, they continue to be purely negative, accomplishing nothing, excluding nearly everyone. Their only core belief is that government is not the answer, another negative, and to mindlessly cut taxes simply to starve the beast. They do not have a single yes idea, as their failure on health care vividly displayed. Building on the Obama slogan, Yes We Can, the Democrats need to become the Party of Yes with constructive, positive answers to address the concerns of those who have been driven out, left out and left behind.

CLAUDE SHOSTAL, NEW YORK

You Deserve Better

This slogan points out that the public certainly deserves better political representation than it is getting but it also requires the Democrats to admit that they need to do better as well. It is an admission that they somehow managed to miss the anger and anxiety of a large swath of America and, in the process, disaffected millions to the degree that many were willing to look to Donald Trump as an acceptable alternative.

MARILYN J. BELLOCK, NEW YORK

Make America Great Again

How about if the Democrats turn the tables on President Trump and make their new slogan Make America Great Again. Wait, what?

Heres why its genius: 1) It gives Democrats a golden opportunity to highlight Mr. Trumps broken promises and present their better solutions. 2) It will generate plenty of free media exposure. 3) It co-opts Trump followers into being unwitting Democratic proponents. 4) Bonus: It will make Trump supporters heads explode. In guerrilla warfare circles, this is known as a false flag attack.

PAUL KRANTZ URBANDALE, IOWA

Make Reading the Newspaper Relaxing Again

PETER GORDON GREAT NECK, N.Y.

Were By Your Side

This can be easily worked into broader messages. For example: When you need help with your medical bills, were by your side. When youre worrying whether your child can afford to go to college, were by your side. And when youre discriminated against for any reason, were by you side. Not government on your back. Government by your side. The Democrats need a message that shows they care. And they need to drop their we know better (even if it is true) attitude.

JEFF LOWELL, NEW YORK

For the Many, Not the Few

I was going to suggest a slogan along the lines of the British Labour Partys widely popular For the Many, Not the Few, but that would require that the Democrats actually embrace that ethos.

WILLIAM BURSTEIN NEW YORK

The New American Dream

The basic middle-class promise if you work hard, you can have a decent home, a good job, affordable health care, quality education for your kids and a secure retirement has been steadily eroding for decades. Democrats need to embrace a set of policies to bring back these five core elements for anyone willing to work hard not by bringing back the jobs of yesterday but by growing the jobs of tomorrow and extending them to more and more people: millennials, minorities, women and, yes, white working-class men. The American dream still resonates, but in the 21st century its different. Its new.

PETER CUNNINGHAM, CHICAGO

BetterTogether

BetterTogether strikes at the heart of the deep divisions in our country that have inhibited our ability to govern our country effectively, and makes the point that we can do better only if we unite and do it together. This is what the Democratic Party must convey in order to succeed.

MICHAEL D. BUTTERMAN STAMFORD, CONN.

Draw the Circle Wide

I cant claim it as mine. Its part of a hymn: Draw the circle, draw the circle wide. No one stands alone, well stand side by side. I believe it to be a simple statement of what our national attitude and priorities should be, and what it will take to make this country work for everybody.

DIANNE JACKSON RICHMOND, VA.

Justice, Compassion and Jobs!

It speaks to the core values and, in the end, its the economy, stupid!

WYNN SCHWARTZ, BOSTON

Restore Our Dignity!

President Trump has trampled the dignity of the presidency, embarrassed the United States internationally and violated basic human decency by demeaning women, immigrants and minorities. Thats why I suggest Restore Our Dignity! as a slogan for the Democrats. Making America truly great again requires reaffirming and protecting the basic human dignity of all people, a core American value.

ANDREW VOGEL NEWTON CENTER, MASS.

An America That Works

My slogan works on a couple of levels putting Americans back to work (as President Trump has pledged but so far has failed to do), and making government work for all people.

And unlike A Better Deal, with its too-cute-by-half Trump reference, my slogan ignores the current administration entirely, and also eschews the wishy-washiness of better. Were not trying to make a good country better. Were trying to take a broken country and make it work.

JAKE ALRICH, NEW YORK

Integrity. Opportunity. Prosperity.

The first word reminds us how important, and how currently lacking, is the element of trust in our elected officials.

The second word calls to mind the very American ideals of social mobility and the possibility of achieving a better future.

The final word underscores the goal of a higher standard of living and economic growth.

In the end, most Americans arent expecting to build a Utopian paradise. What most of us want is a level playing field and a shot at greatness.

PERRY B. NEWMAN DORCHESTER, MASS.

Together, Wherever We Go!

Because it is inclusive as well as uplifting, I like the title of the song that Ethel Merman belted out in Gypsy. It refers to our past, as it looks to the future.

MICHELLE ROBINSON GERSTEN, MIAMI

Were Listening Now

I think the Democrats should adopt Were Listening Now as their slogan, and then actually do it over two or three months. This slogan addresses much of what people who essentially turned against the party have said that the party became tone-deaf to the things that really matter outside the well-heeled circles of political elites.

To this end, the Democrats could establish listening posts online sites where people could send their ideas and concerns, and receive actual replies rather than form letters. They could also conduct town hall-style meetings where representatives are there only to listen. Then the party should convene to read and discuss all the things their constituents have written and said, and devise a plan that meets the needs and desires of the citizens.

ALISON DIDIER, ST. PAUL

By the People and For the People

No party is perfect. Far from it. But in recent times it has become overwhelmingly apparent that one party represents lobbyist groups and the wealthy. The other party represents what is in the best interests of all people and the environment. The Democratic Party would do well to remind Americans (and itself) of this mission. Therefore, By the People and For the People should be its slogan.

STEVEN SEIGEL, NEW MILFORD, N.J.

Americas Party

What the Democrats need more than a slogan is a strategy. I say this as someone who has spent a career writing slogans. I did some thinking about a new branding strategy last spring and arrived at nearly the same place as Thomas J. Lee, who in his July 31 to the editor suggested Truth, Justice and the American Way. Id go big, stealing all the thunder the Republicans have abandoned. The Democrats are Americas Party.

CARMICHAEL LYNCH MINNEAPOLIS

We are on your side.

But then theyd have to prove it.

DIANNE OLSEN NORTH ADAMS, MASS.

Hope and Change

If a slogan is worth anything, it should endure longer than just the next election. Barack Obamas Hope and Change says it all and could become the mantra for all future political parties.

DANE S. FABER SAUSALITO, CALIF.

No slogan.

Its better because people want action, not slogans.

THOMAS JAVORCIC BERWYN, ILL.

A version of this letter appears in print on August 6, 2017, on Page SR8 of the New York edition with the headline: Democratic Slogan: Your Choices.

Go here to read the rest:
A New Democratic Slogan? Your Choices - New York Times

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice joined President Trump at a rally in Huntington, W.Va., Aug. 3, to announce that he is leaving the Democratic Party for the Republican Party. (The Washington Post)

In November, Republicans solidified and/or expanded their majorities at all levels of governance, and it looked as if things couldn't get worse for Democrats. Except, it just did.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announcedThursday he is leaving the Democratic Party, just six months after taking office, and becoming a Republican. An extra twist of the knife for Democrats: Hedid it alongside President Trump, at a rally in West Virginia.

Like it or not, but the Democrats walked away from me, he told Trump supporters. " ... West Virginia, I can't help you anymore by being a Democratic governor.

It's not immediately clear why Justice is doing an about-face. But the fact he is underscores just how fragile Democrats' hold on power is. With one politician's decision to switch parties, Democrats now hold a record-low number of governorships and Republicans hold a record high.

Justice will be the 34th Republican governor, tying an all-time high for the party. Republicans now control both the governor's mansions and state legislatures in 26 states. Democrats have total control in just six states. (In 2018, they'll have a chance to pick up governorships, withRepublicans defending 27 of 38 seats, many in blue or purple states.)

Party switches, especially at the gubernatorial level, don't happen very often. Justice is the first governor to switch from Democrat to Republican in 2decades. And it's not clear he did it because of broader partisan dynamics.

Thisappears to be more of a personal decision. Justice didn't give his now-former party or his new party a heads up. He didn't call the Democratic Governors Association, which spent $1.5 million to help Justice win election, and sources say even some of his staff was caught off guard.

The DGA accused the billionaire, who owes millions in taxes and fines, of switching parties toenrich himself.

If one Democrat were to switch parties right now, Justice is probably the Democrat you'd guess. He is a former Republican. He was the first, and one of the only, big-name Democrats to say he wouldn't be voting for Hillary Clinton. It ended up being a smart call. Trump won Justice's state by more than 40 points, and Justice outperformed Clinton by more than that to win his election. Justice has been close to Trump's children, especially Eric Trump, for some time. Just last week, Justice rode in a limo with Trump as the president was in the state to talk to Boy Scouts.

In other words, Justice's departure doesn't mean Democrats are fleeing their party because they finally saw the light and decided to become Republican. In fact, maybe it's theopposite, said Carolyn Fiddler, a state-politics analyst with the left-leaning blog Daily Kos.

I'm surprised he'd opt to align himself with a party with such a damaged brand right now, she said. Trump has historically low approval ratings, and Republicans in Congress just tried to pass an Obamacare repeal, but all they accomplished was to make Obamacare more popular.

It's not immediately clear Republicans in West Virginia want him. They derided the eccentric billionaire during the campaign for notbeing good with finances.

The people of West Virginia deserve better, state Senate President Mitch Carmichael (R) said of the governor recently during a budget debate. I dont believe anybody who owes this state $4.5 million in unpaid taxes is in a position to tell a legislative body that has responsibly managed its own budget for decades . . . how to spend a single penny.

In terms of West Virginia policy, Justice's decision won't change much immediately. Republicans control the state legislature, and they could have just vetoed Justice anyway. (West Virginia is one of several states that requires a simple majority to override a governor's veto.) It's not as though Jim Justice was holding back a tide of conservative legislation as a Democratic governor, Fiddler said.

But he may have a lasting impact on West Virginia politics. Republicans have long said that if they can turn West Virginia's governor's mansion red, they could keep itRepublican for decades.

Barack Obama lost the state by double digits twice, and all but one member of West Virginia's five-person congressional delegation are Republicans. (And that lone Democrat, Sen.Joe Manchin, is up for reelection in 2018 is one of Democrats' most vulnerable.) The state legislature has been entirely controlled by Republicanssince 2014. Neighboring Kentucky is seeing the same dynamics: In November, Republicans took control of the last state legislative chamber in the South, the Kentucky statehouse.

As we wrote back then, Democrats are basically extinct in the South. Justice may have just solidified that a little farther north, in West Virginia.

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West Virginia's governor is switching parties. And Democrats just hit a new low. - Washington Post

By KIM CHANDLERThe Associated Press

DECATUR Democrats in Alabama were fired up inside a century-old art deco theater, where candidates in the party's U.S. Senate primary took turns dismissing President Trump's proposed border wall as stupid, swapping stories of people in poverty suffering without health care, and vowing to protect Planned Parenthood.

The crowd thundered and whistled in approval at the Thursday night forum, hopeful that Democrats actually have a longshot chance to win the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The Deep South state has shifted firmly to the red column in the 20 years since Alabama last sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate. Democrats however are hoping a series of scandals involving Alabama Republicans has given them an opening, particularly if the GOP primary slugfest produces a polarizing nominee in the off-year election.

"We have a unique opportunity here. This is a transformational election," said Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney appointed by Bill Clinton, and one of the most well-known names in the crowded Democratic field.

The seven men seeking the Democratic nomination are a diverse group they also include a retired naval officer, an environmentalist, a professor, a county constable, a businessman and an education company executive.

Jones is best known for reopening the cold case investigation into the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church and prosecuting two Klansman for the murders of the four little girls killed in the violent attack. He began legal career by working for the last Democrat to hold this seat, Sen. Howell Heflin.

Jones said he is emphasizing "kitchen table issues" such as wages, health care and jobs. He said Republicans are demonizing the Affordable Care Act. He said they're dismissing the concerns of hard-working Alabamians that they'll lose health care because of pre-existing conditions, and that GOP tax-breaks would only benefit the ultra-wealthy.

"If people are focused on issues, Democrats can go toe-to-toe with anybody and in fact win on most of those issues," Jones said.

Another candidate is Michael Hansen, an environmental advocate described as the first openly gay man to seek statewide office in Alabama.

"I'm telling voters look at what has been done in Alabama. We need to try something different," Hansen said.

As a gay kid growing up in the Deep South, Hansen said he learned "to stand up to bullies," and therefore would love to go head-to-head against Roy Moore, whose moves against gay marriage led to his ouster as Alabama chief justice.

"I'll be perfectly honest, running against Roy Moore in a general election would be my dream," he said.

Robert Kennedy, Jr., an African-American Naval Academy graduate who gets noticed for his name even though he's unrelated to the famed Massachusetts political dynasty, said they must reach out to "moderate Republicans and independents" who once voted with Democrats.

Joan and David Williams nodded their heads as they listened to the candidates.

"There's an energy. Right now so many people are so afraid of what Trump is doing," Joan Williams said.

"I'm afraid today we could lose the country, we could lose the whole bloody planet if Trump gets his way," said David Williams, who wore a shirt with a Neil deGrasse Tyson quote: "The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it."

The seat is currently held by Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley before he resigned in scandal. Strange faces a crowded field of GOP primary opponents including Moore, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, state Sen. Trip Pittman and Dr. Randy Brinson, who used to run Alabama's Christian Coalition.

The Republican and Democratic winners will face off in a December match-up when there are no other races in the ballot.

Democrats had similar hopes of flipping Georgia's 6th congressional district, but lost that race in June. The math is even more daunting in Alabama, which hasn't elected a Democrat as governor since 1998. All statewide offices are held by Republicans.

Jones told The Associated Press that he's told people for years that losing will remain a self-fulfilling prophecy until "good people step up."

It's time for Democrats to try, he said.

Excerpt from:
Democrats won't cede Senate race - Tuscaloosa News