memeorandum: In the GOP primary, one thing sells (merch) above all: Owning the libs (Kelly Garrity/Politico)

6:50 PM ET, July 23, 2023

Top Items:

Dana Blanton / Fox Business:

Fox Business Poll: Trump leads in Iowa, as DeSantis and Scott round out the top 3 — Iowa's caucus kicks off the GOP nomination process — An early read on the race for the Republican nomination in Iowa shows former President Donald Trump the clear frontrunner — and then there is a sharp drop off to the rest of the field.

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, National Review, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Messenger, Just The News, Simply Ivanka, Florida Politics and Political Wire

New York Times:

A ‘Leaner-Meaner’ DeSantis Campaign Faces a Reboot and a Reckoning — The campaign's missteps and swelling costs have made donors and allies anxious. One person close to the Florida governor said he had experienced a “challenging learning curve.” — Throughout the spring …

Discussion: The Hill, The Moderate Voice, Raw Story, PoliticusUSA, Florida Politics and Washington Post

Marianne LeVine / Washington Post:

Mike Pence struggles to gain attention and traction in longshot bid — Trump's former vice president is having difficulty attracting enough donors to qualify for the first Republican debate — HUDSON, N.H. — As he finished up his remarks at an outdoor garden party hosted by a former state senator …

Discussion: Raw Story and ABC News

Harry Enten / CNN:

Why Tim Scott may be one to watch in the GOP presidential race — Can the nice guy finish first? — That's the question a lot of analysts are asking about the Republican race for president, with headlines such as “Tim Scott is turning heads with donors and early-state voters” and …

Discussion: The Capitolist, RedState, National Review, Florida Politics, Political Wire, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Hill, al.com and New York Times

Politico:
Trump just qualified for the first debate. But will he show up?

Discussion: The Hill, Mediaite, New York Post, CNN, NewsNation, Semafor and Washington Examiner

Brianne Pfannenstiel / Des Moines Register:
Ron DeSantis super PAC will host bus tour through Iowa ahead of Lincoln Dinner

Discussion: Political Wire

Libby Cathey / ABC News:
Mike Pence ‘not interested in trading insults’ with Trump as he tries to win New Hampshire

Discussion: Raw Story, Insider, The Messenger, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Rolling Stone, CNN, HuffPost and The Hill

New York Times:

As Inquires Compound, Justice System Pours Resources Into Scrutinizing Trump — For all their complexity, the Trump-related prosecutions have not significantly constrained the ability of prosecutors to carry out their regular duties, officials have said. — Glenn Thrush and Adam Goldman reported …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Wall Street Journal:

GOP Splits Over Jan. 6 Deepen as Trump Indictment Looms — Prominent Republicans like Ron DeSantis and Kevin McCarthy appear torn between criticizing the riot and defending the former president — The likelihood Donald Trump will be indicted over efforts to undo his loss in the 2020 election …

Discussion: USA Today

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

‘These people look pathetic’: Pelosi slams McCarthy on expunging Trump impeachments — “This is about being afraid,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. — Nancy Pelosi slammed her Republican successor, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for considering expunging the two impeachments against former President Donald Trump.

Discussion: USA Today, Rolling Stone, The Hill, PoliticusUSA, CNN, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Raw Story, Breitbart and Mediaite

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

In the GOP primary, one thing sells (merch) above all: Owning the libs — It's about finding more donors to qualify for debates. It's also a sign of what sells in today's GOP. — The mesh trucker hats, “Bud Right” koozies and “Abolish the FBI” yard signs Republican presidential candidates …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

Juliana Kim / NPR:

Biden will designate a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother — President Biden will designate a national monument at three sites in honor of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley — both of whom served as catalysts for the civil rights movement.

Discussion: The Messenger

Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Biden Will Establish A National Monument Honoring Emmett Till, The Black Teen Lynched In Mississippi

Discussion: Washington Times, Insider, USA Today, Fox News, BizPac Review, CNN, Chicago Sun Times, CBS News, NewsNation, Sun-Sentinel, The Hill and Political Wire

Silvia Amaro / CNBC:

Spain's right-wing parties could win a parliamentary majority, exit polls show after key election — Spain's conservative party PP [Partido Popular] is on track to lead negotiations to form a new government in Madrid, exit polls have shown, suggesting this could be the end of the socialist rule of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Discussion: New York Times, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Financial Times, Fox News, Bloomberg, El País, Washington Post, Power Line, Political Wire and Jacobin

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:

Blinken: Ukraine has already retaken 50 percent of occupied territory — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that Ukraine has already retaken about 50 percent of the territory that Russia initially seized, stressing that Kyiv's counteroffensive is still in its “relatively early days.”

Discussion: Reuters and Political Wire

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

RFK Jr.: Media hitting me harder than Trump — “If I believed the stuff that's written about me in the papers and reported about me on the mainstream news sites, I would definitely not vote for me,” Kennedy said. — Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blamed the media …

Discussion: New York Post and Rolling Stone

Charlie Sykes / MSNBC:

A federal judge confirmed one of Trump's worst labels — and the GOP didn't blink — But we still have a moral obligation to be shocked, don't we? — A quick public service announcement: You did not, in fact, take crazy pills this week. — It's just the news cycle.

Discussion: Washington Post

Miranda Nazzaro / The Hill:

Bipartisan governors want Americans to ‘disagree better’ over politics — A bipartisan pair of governors is pushing for Americans to “disagree better” when it comes to politics. — “We know that politics is downstream of culture. And so this is not something that's going to change overnight …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Just An Earth-Bound Misfit, I and NPR