The Circuit: Warren and Harris Surge! Birtherism Returns! Groundhog Murderers!
The debate dust has settled, but we're still in the middle of a shitstorm.
Debatocalypse dust settles, glass ceilings crack, birtherism returns, passive-aggressive Texans fight, Bernie and Biden slide, and Marianne’s #OrbGang target Annie Leibovitz. This is the Surges and Slides edition.
I’m Chris Erik Thomas. Welcome to Issue 10 of Rubber Chicken Circuit, the weekly election newsletter from Study Hall. Read more about us, subscribe here, and forward us to your friends!
Headliners
Glass Ceilings and Birtherism
What a difference a week (and four hours of debating) makes, right? Biden and Bernie’s supremacy in the race has all but vanished and a new, ceiling shattering narrative is emerging: what if the race becomes a fight between ELIZABETH WARREN and KAMALA HARRIS?
The two were the clear winners in their respective debate nights. In the aftermath of the debate, they’ve seen their favorability and polling numbers rise — with one national poll even placing both women ahead of Sanders. Even a month ago, the idea of a fight between Warren and Harris for the chance to be the Democratic nominee would’ve sounded ridiculous, but if they can ride the momentum, it could turn into a historic moment in the road to the White House. (Election’s still a long way off, though.)
But with all meteoric rises come attempts to cut down the candidates, which is why birtherism has reared its ugly, racist head again. Conspiracies about Harris’ racial identity aren’t new, but during last week’s debate, they got more prominence than ever thanks to the son of the President. Trump Jr. shared a tweet that read “Kamala Harris is *not* an American Black. She is half Indian and half Jamaican” and added, “Is this true? Wow.” He eventually deleted it and a spokesperson said it was a misunderstanding, explaining that he had been asking if she was really half-Indian. Whether or not it was simply Don Jr. being confused (which he seems to be quite often), it wasn’t a great look considering his father spent years questioning the birthplace and legitimacy of Barack Obama.
A Tale of Two Texans
Press play on Sparks’ 1974 track “This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us.” In the aftermath of last week’s debate, where JULIÁN CASTRO told fellow Texan BETO O’ROURKE to “do his homework” on immigration, Castro has hit a hot streak while O’Rourke is trying to stop his slide into obscurity — and fire the makeup team that made him look like a vampire caught in the daylight.
As the dust settled, both candidates flew back to their home state to flex their Texas street cred and engage in the time-honored tradition of passive-aggressive campaigning. In Austin, O’Rourke organized a last-minute rally that drew 1,000 people just down the street from an event Castro was having with 100 supporters. But then, at that event, Castro called himself “the Texan in this race.” A bold claim that O’Rourke responded to by saying there are two Texans but (1) he’s the only one who visited all 254 counties in the state, (2) he received more votes than any Democrat in Texas history, and (3) he helped double youth voter turnout.
All facts, but again, this sounds like a perfect argument for Beto to run for Senate again in 2020, not for president. Can someone please shake both these men and remind them that as long as America’s evil snapping turtle Mitch McConnell leads the Senate, all hope of enacting progressive legislation is lost?
Have feedback or want to slip us a tip? Reply to this or email chris@studyhall.xyz with your scoops and suggestions.
The Pack
📉 JOE BIDEN: Ten points down.
CNN released the first post-debate poll and, unsurprisingly, Biden’s time as the frontrunner is up. Uncle Joe slipped from 32% to 22% after a disastrous debate performance, while the woman who shredded him in the debates, Kamala Harris, surged nine points to second place, with 17% of voters supporting her. After weeks of missteps barely making a dent in his campaign, it looks like all the talk of Biden coasting to the primaries is finally over.
💰 PETE BUTTIGIEG: He’s got that money, honey.
After an above-average debate night, the South Bend mayor dropped the bombshell announcement that he raised $24.8 million for the second quarter of fundraising — an amount higher than even Bernie Sanders’ campaign. He may not be able to appeal to non-white voters, but at least he’s great at courting rich donors at private events.
🎢 BERNIE SANDERS: A self-inflicted slide.
After a strong showing in 2016, the senator has succeeded in pushing the Democratic party left but at the same time, what made him special just isn’t working anymore. Essentially, what’s bad for Bernie is good for America. His campaign is still flaunting the number of small donors he’s pulling in but after the debates, voters are waking up to the reality of a fresh crop of candidates like Warren, Harris, and Buttigieg.
📸 MARIANNE WILLIAMSON: Marianne v. Annie Leibovitz.
Our spirit healing queen has a new target for her “girl you are so on” energy: Annie Leibovitz. A behind-the-scenes photo emerged of the “women of 2020” being photographed together by the portrait photographer but it was missing Marianne Williamson, which caused her #OrbGang supporters to erupt in outrage, but outrage coated in love. You can try to erase her from history but as we learned in the debates, ~~~love will win~~~.
📣 CORY BOOKER: Biden can’t “talk openly and honestly about race.”
If the debates proved anything, it’s that attacking Biden on racial issues is fertile ground. The New Jersey senator who called out Biden before the debate was back on the offensive on Sunday, saying that the Democratic frontrunner isn’t up to the task of talking “openly and honestly about race.” Maybe one day the Amtrak Masseuse will stop slipping up and using phrases like “gangbanger,” but as we saw from his record on racial school busing at the debate, this isn’t a new issue in Bidenland.
🤦♀️ KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: Fighting for feminism isn’t working.
After leaving the debate with no real “moment” or spark, the struggle to understand why Gillibrand is in the race continues. Her “feminist woman” angle is falling flat and voters are confused about what sets her apart since every candidate is fighting for women’s rights issues. If she can’t make a dent soon, I don’t see her hitting the requirement of 2% polling and 130,000 individual donors in time for the September debates.
The Leftovers
BILL DE BLASIO: The Dead Groundhog’s Revenge.
The New York mayor’s not-terrible debate performance brought an unintended consequence: the most shared article afterward was a 2014 story about a groundhog that died a week after he dropped it on Groundhog’s Day.
AMY KLOBUCHAR: Taconite Tater Tots for America. JAY INSLEE: The “climate candidate” slipped from 1% to 0% after a debate that only spent 15 minutes talking about climate change. TULSI GABBARD: Please go on Samantha Bee’s show to drop out. WAYNE MESSAM: The urban myth of 2020 candidates has a two-sentence policy on women’s health. JOHN DELANEY: This unhinged op-ed writer thought Delaney won the first night of the debates. JOHN HICKENLOOPER: Five fast facts about his wife, Robin Pringle, who is not the heiress to the Pringle fortune. TIM RYAN: New campaign strategy: Start cussing in tweets. SETH MOULTON: Women's health advocate Jamie Zahlaway Belsito is challenging Moulton in his Congressional race. ANDREW YANG: Blamed his three minutes of talking at the debates on NBC cutting off his microphone. MIKE GRAVEL: The teen running his campaign live-tweeted the debate and confirmed why they were never invited to the cool high school parties. MICHAEL BENNET: Had a strong debate moment comparing the border crisis to his mom being separated from her parents in the Holocaust. ERIC SWALWELL: If you’ve been dreaming about Eric Swalwell branded shoelaces then you’re in luck (but also what the hell is wrong with you?) STEVE BULLOCK: A reminder that he passed on running for Senate but then failed to qualify for the first Democratic presidential debate.
The Trump Check
Trump’s Big, Bad, Tacky 4th of July Tanks.
Once upon a time, Trump was in France drooling with envy over the Bastille Day military parade. “It was one of the greatest parades I’ve ever seen,” he told French President Emmanuel Macron months later. “I think we’re going to have to start looking at that ourselves. So we’re actually thinking about, Fourth of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military strength.”
Prepare yourself for the realization of Trump’s dream of a big, bombastic military parade. After failing to secure funding for big parade last November after people found out it would cost $92 million, Trump got his way this year and, yes, that means tanks are going to be on the streets of D.C. for the 4th of July. One of the tanks, the Sherman, will apparently be “brand new” according to Trump, despite it not being produced since 1957.
Besides that feat of time-traveling engineering, there will also be an allegedly “uplifting” and “patriotic” speech, a flyover of the Air Force One plane (even if it’s only technically called that when he’s on board), a flyover by the Navy’s “Blue Angels,” and the “biggest ever Fireworks!" In conclusion: Trump is literally the Dudley Dursley of America, counting his toys and throwing temper tantrums.
Will a few candidates finally stop embarrassing themselves and drop out? Find out next week on the Rubber Chicken Circuit.
