All posts tagged: Representative Dean Phillips

Nothing Can Stop a Biden-Trump Rematch

Nothing Can Stop a Biden-Trump Rematch

Published by skeptic

Well, here it is. With Donald Trump’s victory in tonight’s New Hampshire primary, the die is cast. Or rather, the public can no longer ignore that the die is cast. Really, it was cast months, even years, ago and it has landed on what most Americans consider a bad roll: a rematch of the 2020 election between Trump and President Joe Biden. Dread of this outcome is perhaps the most unifying issue in an otherwise polarized political moment. For years, Americans have been telling pollsters—and reporters and friends and family and neighbors—that they don’t want to see the two men running for president in 2024. Polls have shown that Democratic voters have wanted an alternative to Biden since well before the 2022 midterm elections (elections in which, it’s worth noting, his party outperformed expectations and historical norms). Many of those voters cite his advanced age—he’ll turn 82 shortly after the election in November. Despite this, a long roster of rising Democrats has declined to run against the sitting president, ceding the challenge to Robert F. …

‘Democracy Is on the Ballot’ in New Hampshire. Biden Is Not.

‘Democracy Is on the Ballot’ in New Hampshire. Biden Is Not.

Published by Sam

As he stood on a frigid New Hampshire street corner on Saturday morning, Jim Demers was trying to persuade me that the fate of the republic hinges on today’s presidential primary—specifically, whether more people write “Joe Biden” on their ballot than fill in the bubble next to the names of his Democratic challengers. “This is an election like we’ve never seen before. This is one where democracy is on the ballot,” Demers, a lobbyist and former state representative, told me. “This is bigger than New Hampshire. This is about the future of America.” It all sounded a bit overwrought. The Democratic Party has declared New Hampshire’s primary “meaningless,” and no delegates will be awarded based on the outcome. Democracy might be on the ballot, but the sitting president and the party’s all-but-certain nominee is not. Biden declined to file for the election or campaign in the state because of last year’s decision by the Democratic National Committee to ditch Iowa and New Hampshire as the earliest-voting states in favor of South Carolina. New Hampshire insisted …

90 Minutes in a Van With Dean Phillips

90 Minutes in a Van With Dean Phillips

Published by skeptic

Like many politicians, Representative Dean Phillips likes to look people in the eye. And because he’s a politician, Phillips can glean things, just as President George W. Bush did when he peered into Vladimir Putin’s eyes and saw his soul. “I’ve looked Benjamin Netanyahu in the eye,” Phillips told a group of students at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, last week. And? “I did not like what I saw,” Phillips said of the Israeli prime minister. “I do not like his government. He’s got to go.” Philips has also looked into Donald Trump’s eyes. That, too, was ominous. It was a few years ago, and the former president had invited a bunch of new House members to the White House for an introductory visit. “I looked him in the eye for the better part of an hour,” Phillips told me. And? “I saw right through him,” Phillips said. “I know exactly how to handle weaklings like Donald Trump.” How? “You’ll see,” he said. “Why would I give away my special sauce?” Phillips was telling …