Author: Caitlin Peartree

In his first Roll Call column of 2021, the Winston Group’s David Winston offers an assessment of the 2020 elections in light of the Georgia run-offs:

What happens in the next 48 hours in Georgia and the halls of Congress will change the political dynamics of the next two years.

What it won’t change, however, is how and why President Donald Trump lost and Joe Biden won.

And it also won’t change the fact that congressional Republicans outperformed the president and upended the expected blue wave by focusing on legislative priorities that connected ideologically with a broader electorate.

Read the full piece here.

The Winston Group’s David Winston writes in today’s Roll Call about Joe Biden’s calls for unity since the election, in contrast with Congressional Democrats’ seeming pursuit of a more progressive agenda.

When you lose seats like Florida’s 27th District or Iowa’s 2nd or Texas’ 23rd, perhaps a little introspection on the part of the speaker might be in order. Perhaps rethinking a progressive agenda that is at odds with a center-right country is a good first step. But if the events of the past couple of weeks are any indication, congressional Democrats are gearing up for more ideological battles, not preparing for peace talks.

Read the full piece here.

The Winston Group’s David Winston considers the results of the election in today’s Roll Call, with takeaways for both Democrats and Republicans. 

In many ways, the 2020 election has already delivered its verdict. Simply put, the blue wave that was predicted never happened, and while it may not have technically been a red wave, it was certainly a “red surprise” with unexpected Republican strength driving key victories at every level.

In the end, there was “no joy in Mudville” for a party that expected a clean sweep. There was no mandate for Biden or the Democratic leadership on the Hill, nor for the Democratic Party and its policies. The top issue in this election was the economy, as it usually is, but this year, it was complicated by the impact of the coronavirus.

Read the full piece here.

The Winston Group’s David Winston provides an election preview in today’s Roll Call, describing the elements that would need to be in place for a repeat of 2016:

Still, the Trump administration’s communications mistakes on the coronavirus are undeniable. The president has yet to deliver a concise, substantive defense of his administration’s achievements in fighting the virus and its economic impact on families and businesses. There is a reasonable case to be made, but the president has failed to make it.

This leaves the Trump campaign facing an uphill climb to victory next week.  But there is still a path if Trump can make this a state-by-state coalition election focused on the economy, just as he did in 2016.

Read the full piece here.

The Winston Group’s David Winston writes in today’s Roll Call about court packing, the Biden campaign’s reticence to take a stance on the issue, and the political implications of doing so.

Our Sept. 26-30 Winning the Issues survey found voters opposed to expanding the court, with 33 percent in favor and 41 percent opposed. And by a 42 percent to 29 percent margin, they believed that “adding seats to the Supreme Court through court expansion would mean we begin to lose any credibility the court has.” On the issue of expanding the number of justices, liberal Democrats were more supportive (56 percent in favor, 23 percent opposed), but moderate Democrats were less so (38 percent in favor, 28 percent opposed), a major difference within the party. Independents opposed it 17 percent to 47 percent.

The Biden-Harris ticket faces a tough call — take a stand and risk alienating the progressives already suspicious of Biden’s promises, or scare moderate voters who are wary that a politically motivated change to the composition and character of the court would do irreparable damage to its credibility.

Read the full piece here.

In today’s edition of Roll Call, The Winston Group’s David Winston writes about the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, and their example of mutual civility and respect despite ideological differences, in contrast with the present environment for discourse.

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In today’s column for Roll Call, The Winston Group’s David Winston assesses the state of the presidential race, how voters view the candidates’ ideologies in relation to their own, and how Republicans can get to a discussion about reopening the economy.

What the president and Republicans have to do over the next 50 days is a better job explaining the steps the administration has taken to confront the COVID-19 crisis and their plans to get the country to a transition point, from the pandemic to getting America working. What is the outlook for a vaccine? When and how will it be distributed? What about therapeutics? Can schools and businesses reopen safely and what kind of support can people expect from the federal government in the months ahead? The more detail the better.

Read the full piece here.