Today on the Prospect Weekly Roundup, David Dayen and our newest member on staff, writing fellow Emma Janssen, discuss Rep. Cori Bush’s upcoming primary in Missouri’s First Congressional District. Rep. Bush, whose political origin story was the Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson and who has been a progressive activist for years both in and out of Congress, is facing a primary challenge from the right from AIPAC-funded candidate Wesley Bell, just weeks after Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s tragic loss to an AIPAC-backed primary challenger in the most expensive House race in American history. Bush’s district is very different from Bowman’s; it’s a lot more diverse and working-class, and Bush is popular among her constituents and has several local endorsements. Still, AIPAC has already spent millions on attack ads on the airwaves, and facing an opponent with a nearly unlimited amount of money behind him is a formidable challenge.
They also talk about President Biden’s press conference from last night, which was intended to reassure the public that he has this election under control, but in effect convinced exactly zero voters that he will either run an effective campaign against Donald Trump or step aside for someone who can. As Emma has reported this week, the Biden administration has made real and concrete steps toward the country’s climate goals, even if advocacy groups appear to be grading on a curve, and putting the country in jeopardy of a second Trump term would destroy every bit of progress the administration has made—on antitrust, labor, taking on corporate power, and industrial policy. It’s a sad state of affairs that Biden could not either put the country’s fears to rest or step down for a candidate who will actually win. But as David notes, the most stupid outcome in American politics is usually the one that occurs.
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