'A measure of our greatness as a nation'

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'A measure of our greatness as a nation'

October 11, 2021

Stephen Collinson and Caitlin Hu

'A measure of our greatness as a nation'

Donald Trump has sent a message to other Republicans dreaming of the White House in 2024. Don't bother if he decides to run. The ex-President drew a massive crowd in Iowa Saturday that shows he already has the state in his grip -- more than two years before its election-opening caucuses.

Plenty of unforeseen events could unfold before the next presidential election. But Trump is already effectively campaigning for his third straight Republican nomination. His strength in Iowa, where he beat President Joe Biden by eight percentage points in 2020, is mirrored among GOP grass roots voters in swing states.

Republican grandees know which way the wind is blowing. After the Capitol insurrection on January 6, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley condemned the ex-President's mob for "an attack on American democracy itself." On Saturday, Grassley, 88, basked in Trump's "complete and total endorsement for re-election."

"I was born at night, but not last night. So if I didn't accept the endorsement of a person that's got 91% of the Republican voters in Iowa. I wouldn't be too smart," Grassley said. This calculation, favoring personal political power over democracy is being made by almost every Republican office holder -- even though Trump's personality cult depends on the lie that the last election was stolen from him.

If Trump does run, his naked demagoguery will rip even deeper divides in an internally estranged nation. He offered a preview at his rally: "Violent criminals and bloodthirsty gangs are taking over our streets, illegal aliens and deadly drug cartels are taking over our borders, inflation is taking over our economy, China's taking over our jobs, the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan, lunatic leftists are taking over our schools and radical socialists are taking over our country."

While he is massively popular in his own party, his authoritarianism may still be a liability in a national election. But a stumbling Biden presidency and new Republican laws that make it easier for Trump to steal a close election could offer him a route back to the Oval Office. This is why when Biden tells Europe "America is back" (ie. that the Trump era is over), many foreign leaders are not so sure.

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned amid a corruption scandal.

Czech President Miloš Zeman has been hospitalized – as the country waits for him to choose the next Prime Minister.

And a performer with the Bolshoi Theater was killed on stage during an opera.

Meanwhile, Americans aren't rushing back to work even after the end of pandemic unemployment benefits.

Southwest Airlines cancelled over 1,000 flights.

And a Florida sheriff is looking for the owner of $2 million worth of marijuana.

'A measure of our greatness as a Nation'

Biden last week proclaimed October 11 Indigenous Peoples' Day, becoming the first president to do so. "The contributions that Indigenous peoples have made throughout history — in public service, entrepreneurship, scholarship, the arts, and countless other fields — are integral to our Nation, our culture, and our society," he said. "Today, we acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by Native peoples to this country — and recognize their many ongoing contributions to our Nation."

Biden's proclamation of the simultaneous Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, also broke with tradition by acknowledging the death and destruction that followed European exploration in the Americas. "Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them," he said.

'My way or the highway'

Before they worry about Trump, Democrats have their own problems. The chasm between progressives and moderates that stalled Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure proposal and $3.5 trillion in social spending seem to be widening.

Liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders blasted Sens Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona on Friday for refusing to sign up to the bigger measure to boost health care, education and climate change. Democrats need every vote in a 50-50 Senate, so those two objections could destroy Biden's whole agenda; House progressives won't back the bipartisan infrastructure bill without the other plan.

"When you got 48 people on one side and you have overwhelmingly strong numbers from the American people on one side, and you got the President of the United States on one side, it is simply not fair, not right that one or two people say my way or the highway," Sanders said.

When someone suggested last week that Manchin and Sanders get in a room to thrash it out, Biden joked it could cause a "homicide," CNN's Manu Raju reported. The plugged-in congressional correspondent also said Sinema didn't always return White House calls.

Progressives know they will ultimately have to accept a much smaller bill than they hoped for to get Manchin and Sinema on board -- a painful process in itself. But intransigence from Manchin and Sinema raises an even tougher question. Would the pair be just as happy if the package didn't pass at all?

The answer will have profound consequences for Biden's presidency.

Thanks for reading.

Monday is Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day in the US. Under-secretary of state Victoria Nuland meets with senior Russian officials in Moscow. Free Covid-19 rapid testing will end for most citizens in Germany.