Some big news today:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom formally endorsed Joe Biden for president on Friday, praising the former vice president for his "deep compassion and empathy" during a virtual high-dollar fundraiser in partnership with the Democratic National Committee.
"I just couldn’t be more proud of you and the prospects of your presidency," he told Biden.
Newsom's endorsement of Biden, a fellow Democrat, was expected. But the first-term governor has been careful to avoid the appearance of partisan politics as he steers the nation's most populous state through the coronavirus pandemic.
He's regularly complimented Republican President Donald Trump, even using Trump's slogan of "promise made, promise kept" recently when thanking him for sending California testing swabs. Trump's campaign quickly put the clip in a digital ad alongside positive remarks by other Democrats. It's one of several ads that feature Newsom.
Newsom didn't mention Trump at all as he spoke to the fundraiser's hundreds of participants.
Biden, in turn, said Newsom was doing "one hell of a job" leading California through the pandemic and thanked him for "protecting the cornerstone or our democracy — the right to vote." Earlier Friday, Newsom signed an executive order to send all California voters a mail-in ballot with prepaid postage for the November election. In-person voting will still be allowed if voters choose.
Here’s some other encouraging news:
It was just five months ago that Sunrise Movement—the progressive climate group behind the "Green New Deal"—gave an "F" rating to Joe Biden’s climate plan, saying it lacked ambition and has “lots of room for improvement!” As with much of the progressive left, climate activists face a much more acute question now that Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. “The Sunrise Movement is really struggling to live with Joe Biden,” read a mid-April headline in VICE.
Is the youth climate movement, which includes Sunrise and other groups that have coordinated protests and strikes around the country, going to get behind the nominee? Or will its members be part of the “Never Biden” contingent in November? Research shows that young people are less likely to vote, though Biden could really use their support to win the election.
New results from a survey conducted at the end of April show that the vast majority of climate activists will vote for Biden. But the data also suggest that they won’t support him blindly—and are prepared to cause trouble if he dismisses their concerns.
As part of a project studying the youth climate movement, I recently surveyed the local hosts of a
three-day mobilization to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Because of Covid-19, what was originally scheduled to be three days of in-person strikes became a three-day livestream called
Earth Day Live. 171 people from across the U.S. participated in the study, including organizers from Hawaii, South Dakota, Maine and many towns and cities in between.
Contrary to what we might expect from social and mainstream media coverage, these very left-leaning activists, much like their preferred candidates, do plan to line up for the presumptive Democratic nominee: All but one person in the sample reported that if the election were held tomorrow, they would vote for Biden, rather than for Donald Trump or no one at all.
These findings mark a significant change from data collected in September 2019, when the primary was still in full swing, at the D.C. demonstration of the Global Climate Strike. Then, participants overwhelmingly supported Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, with Biden a distant third as the first choice of only 12 percent of those surveyed.
Also, I’m liking this:
President Donald Trump’s comments on Michigan protesters and leaders were featured prominently in a social media ad released this week by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign.
The ad was released solely on social media and was not a paid ad, according to Biden's campaign.
The ad begins with a quote from Abraham Lincoln that notes “A house divided against itself cannot stand” before showing imagery from the April 30 protest in Michigan, when protesters, some of whom were armed, entered the state Capitol.
The images of the Michigan protest are overlaid by a May 1 tweet from the president, noting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer “should give a little, and put out the fire.”
“These are very good people, but they are angry,” Trump wrote. “They want their lives back again safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.”
Let’s keep up the momentum and kick Trump’s ass. Click here to donate and get involved with Biden’s campaign.