Midterm results reduce chance of Biden, Democrats reckoning Populist House Republicans picking a fight with business US allows Chevron to expand operations in Venezuela Batiste to sing for Macron at Biden’s first state dinner
Expecting a cataclysmic midterm election, many Democrats had been bracing for an end-ofyear reckoning with whether President Biden, who once declared himself a “bridge” to a new generation, should give way to a new 2024 standardbearer.
But the stronger-than-expected Democratic showing has taken the pressure off.
And Donald Trump’s decision to announce a run for president again, and the Republican backlash against him, has abruptly quieted Democrats’ public expressions of anxiety over Biden’s poor approval ratings, while reminding them of Biden’s past success over Trump.
Now, as Biden mulls a decision over whether to seek a second term, interviews with more than two dozen Democratic elected officials and strategists suggest that, whatever misgivings some Democrats may harbor about another Biden candidacy, his party is more inclined for now to defer to him than to try to force a frontal clash with a sitting president.
In recent days, officials ranging from Representative Henry Cuellar, one of the most conservative House Democrats, to Representative Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have said they would support a Biden bid.
In private conversations, younger Democratic operatives have shifted from discussing potential job opportunities in a competitive presidential primary to gaming out what a Biden reelection campaign might look like. And a variety of lawmakers have lauded Biden for the party’s history-defying midterm performance, crediting him with the major legislative accomplishments they were able to run on and with pressing a message that cast Republican candidates as extremists who threatened democracy.
Already, Biden appears to be improving Democrats’ confidence in him: A recent USA Today/Ipsos poll found that 71 percent of Democrats surveyed believe he could win in 2024, up from 60 percent who said the same in August, although they were evenly divided on whether he should be the 2024 nominee.
The concerns about Biden’s overall weak standing in public opinion polls — which was a burden for many Democratic candidates — have not dissipated entirely. And some Democrats say that the challenges confronting the 80-year-old president and his party should not be glossed over.
Stanley B. Greenberg, a veteran Democratic pollster, pointed to a postelection survey that highlighted Democratic vulnerabilities. The poll, conducted by the organization Greenberg helped found, warned of “the continuing risk of a Republican challenge centered on borders and crime.” It determined that “Trump may have been weakened in this election, but another leader with that message” poses “an accelerated risk.”
NEW YORK TIMES
Republicans and their longtime corporate allies are going through a messy breakup as companies’ equality and climate goals run headlong into a GOP movement exploiting social and cultural issues to fire up conservatives.
The ensuing drama will unfold over the next two years in the House of Representatives, where the incoming GOP majority plans to pressure companies on immigration, equality, and climate change stances that are now being assailed by key Republicans as “woke capitalism.”
Most directly in the GOP cross-hairs is the US Chamber of Commerce, which is under pressure from the likely House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, to replace its leadership after the nation’s biggest business lobby backed some Democratic candidates.
As the conflict simmers, the California Republican and his top lieutenant, Steve Scalise, have refused to meet with chamber representatives, according to a person familiar with their thinking. And rank-and-file Republicans are largely disregarding the once influential “key vote alerts” the chamber distributes, a former senior Republican aide said.
The confrontation has spread beyond Washington, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis building a national brand and possible 2024 presidential campaign on opposition to corporate environment, sustainability, and governance investing policies. He has punished Walt Disney Co., which operates its Walt Disney World theme park near Orlando, after it criticized a law limiting school instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation.
Divisions between populist Republicans and big business are rooted in former president Trump’s attacks on executives such as General Motors Co.’s chief executive, Mary Barra, Merck & Co. Chairman Kenneth C. Frazier, and Amazon.com Inc.’s Jeff Bezos. When companies suspended campaign donations after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection to Republicans who denied result of the 2020 presidential election, the rift widened, even though many businesses have since resumed their giving.
With Trump mounting a third presidential campaign and DeSantis positioning himself as a potential rival, the discord between corporate interests and conservatives could intensify.
BLOOMBERG NEWS
BOGOTÁ — The US Treasury has granted Chevron a license for a limited expansion of energy operations in Venezuela, signaling the possible beginning of the country’s reentry into the international oil market. Foreign investment in the oil sector is something that Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, desperately needs to improve the economy.
The license was issued in response to the resumption of talks between representatives of Maduro’s government and the Venezuelan opposition in Mexico on Saturday, after a stalemate that stretched more than a year. The two sides agreed that billions in government funds frozen abroad should be transferred to a humanitarian fund administered by the United Nations.
A senior Biden administration official described Saturday’s announcements as “important steps in the right direction” but added that there was “a long way” to go in resolving Venezuela’s complex economic, political, and humanitarian crisis.
The deal is part of a shift in US strategy on Venezuela that many analysts say has been accelerated by reduced global oil supplies as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Venezuela holds vast oil reserves, and its energy production potential has grown in global relevance amid the largest land war in Europe since World War II.
In a call with reporters Saturday, the senior US official rejected the notion that the license had been issued to Chevron as a result of an increase in energy prices, saying it was part of an effort by the Biden administration to restore democracy to Venezuela.
The multibillion-dollar humanitarian agreement — a verbal accord that has not yet been signed by the Maduro government or the opposition — amounts to a concession by Maduro, who has long denied the scope of the humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding in Venezuela under his watch.
More than 7 million Venezuelans, one-fourth of the population, have fled to other nations. NEW YORK TIMES
NANTUCKET — Musician Jon Batiste is on tap to perform at President Biden’s first White House state dinner on Thursday that will highlight longstanding ties between the United States and France and honor President Emmanuel Macron.
“An artist who transcends generations, Jon Batiste’s music inspires and brings people together,” said Vanessa Valdivia, a spokeswoman for first lady Jill Biden, whose office is overseeing dinner preparations. ASSOCIATED PRESS