The Point: Why is Joe Biden going to California for Gavin Newsom?

View this email in your browser   August 27, 2021  | by Chris Cillizza, Lauren Dezenski and Sonnet Swire Why is Joe Biden going to California for Gavin Newsom? The White House announced this week that President Biden will fly to California on Wednesday to campaign for Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead of the September 14 recall election.   Which raises a basic question: Why?   After all, Biden is in the midst of the most challenging period of his young presidency as the situation in Afghanistan, the Delta variant of Covid-19 and the situation at the southern border have combined to complicate his political fortunes.    (Sidebar: It possible that Biden cancels his planned California trip, as Vice President Kamala Harris did this week.)   And it's a long way to go to defend a Democratic governor in one of the most Democratic states in the country. Given all of that, there's really only one answer to that question above as to why Biden is making the trip for Newsom: The President -- and Democratic strategists more generally -- are worried about the governor losing the recall vote.   And they're right to be concerned. A CBS poll released earlier this month showed 52% of likely California voters oppose the recall effort while 48% support it. There's lots of other data out there that suggests something similar -- that as the recall vote date gets closer, the public is increasingly undecided about whether to keep Newsom around.   Newsom himself expressed his concern in a recent interview with The Washington Post's Dan Balz. "Democrats up and down the state haven't taken this seriously, whereas Republicans have," Newsom said. "Republicans see this as a historic opportunity." The Biden visit is aimed at closing that enthusiasm gap. A presidential visit typically creates excitement among base voters -- and draws lots and lots of favorable press coverage, which might sway Democrats (and independents) who remain on the fence about Newsom.   It's the ultimate trump card -- with apologies to the former president -- that a party can pull. And it's usually a sign of the a) import of winning a race and b) worry that said race is not heading in the right direction.   The Point: Early ballots returned look good for Newsom. But he's clearly nervous about turnout. And Biden traveling to the state suggests that the White House shares those worries.   -- Chris QUOTE OF THE DAY "They simply do not have that authority." -- Florida Circuit Court Judge John Cooper ruled Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates in schools will not remain in place. The court ruled Friday against a "blanket mandatory ban against face mask policy that does not provide a parental opt-out." THE WEEK IN 16 HEADLINES This week, suicide attacks killed American service members in Afghanistan, Covid-19 cases continued to climb and the Supreme Court struck down the administration's eviction moratorium, all making for what could be considered the worst week yet of President Joe Biden's tenure in the White House.   Monday Biden will face pressure from G7 to extend Afghanistan withdrawal deadline FDA grants full approval to Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, opening door to more vaccine mandates US scrambles to fill intelligence vacuum in wake of rapid Taliban victory in Afghanistan Tuesday Kathy Hochul becomes governor of New York as Cuomo leaves in disgrace Biden keeps August 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan: 'The sooner we finish the better' Supreme Court won't halt court order forcing Biden to revive 'Remain in Mexico' policy Progressives stand by dual track plan following impasse with moderates over budget vote Wednesday US concerned about 'very specific threat stream' from ISIS-K against crowds outside Kabul airport Trump makes executive privilege threat as House committee seeks documents from agencies on January 6 attack Thursday US troops and Afghans killed in suicide attacks outside Kabul airport Biden to Kabul attackers: 'We will hunt you down and make you pay' McCarthy tells Republicans Biden will face a 'reckoning' for handling of Afghanistan exit Supreme Court throws out Biden administration eviction moratorium Friday Biden to contact families of 13 US service members killed in Kabul Republicans split on strategy to make Biden pay a political price for Afghanistan Renewed fears of political violence grip Capitol Hill ahead of right-wing rally LAUREN'S GOOD READS Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer still doesn't have an answer on his retirement, telling The New York Times: "I don't think I'm going to stay there till I die -- hope not."   Politico calls Thursday the darkest day of Joe Biden's presidency.   The Washington Post tells the story of Fada Mohammad, a young Afghan dentist who died after clinging to a US military plane as it took off from Kabul airport.   A mother lost her son in the war in Afghanistan in 2010. She and her husband have dedicated their lives to supporting the members of the military that made it home. A powerful read from the Associated Press.   A struggling Tampa-area county Republican group once helped launch Jeb Bush's political career. Six years later, it turns to a new, divisive figure in the party: Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Tampa Bay Times has more.   Cleanse your mind with a little bit of beautiful science: The world's oceans are aglow from swaths of bioluminescence the size of Manhattan, all captured by satellites, according to the Times.   The Wall Street Journal gets to the bottom of dogs in backpacks. MUSICAL INTERLUDE Chvrches' latest album "Screen Violence" is out and it's good, classic Chvrches: emotional and electronic, newly sprinkled with "horror vignettes."  FRIDAY'S TOP TWEETS 1. Do not miss this moving interview with a Delta pilot who volunteered to fly Afghan evacuees to the US 2. On Gavin Newsom's latest sit-down with The Atlantic 3. The accuracy. 4. These parodies of The Daily get me every time. 5. 🌩 ONE BIG MEETING President Joe Biden met with his new Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett at the White House on Friday. "We've become close friends," Biden said, after he'd just met the new prime minister for the first time an hour earlier. Friday's meeting had originally been scheduled for a day earlier, but was postponed in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack in Kabul that killed 13 American service members. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Unsubscribe from this list Check out other CNN Newsletters Create your CNN Account Share the Point Newsletter Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.   Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. You can follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter and connect with The Point on: Our mailing address is: One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303   Copyright © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., All rights reserved.

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