Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden's Challenge: Highlighting Flaws In Trump's Crisis Management While Not Undermining Government's Efforts
The New York Times: Joe Biden, Struggling For Visibility, Faults Trump's Response To Coronavirus
With President Trump providing daily televised briefings and governors like Andrew M. Cuomo emerging as national leaders during the coronavirus pandemic, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is still grappling with how to position himself as a prominent voice on a crisis that is pushing traditional politics to the background. Mr. Biden has been confined over the last week to an unusually small role for the likely — though not yet completely certain — nominee of a major political party. His public comments have been sparing and, for the most part, restrained. He is now ramping up a public schedule, beginning with an appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday, and his aides said he would offer remarks on camera in some fashion each day. (Kaplan and Burns, 3/23)
Reuters: Biden Battles For Attention As Coronavirus Threatens To Blunt Democrat's Momentum
When [Biden] delivered the debut speech on Monday morning, major cable news networks broadcast New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus briefing instead. It was yet another sign of the upheaval the global pandemic has wrought on a presidential campaign that just a week ago seemed to be moving full steam toward a Nov. 3 general election matchup between Biden and Trump. (Hunnicutt, 3/23)
The Associated Press: Coronavirus Suddenly Upends Campaign Themes For Both Parties
The coronavirus pandemic and the nation’s crashing economy are scrambling the themes both political parties thought would carry them to victory in November for control of the White House and Congress. Shattered, certainly for now, is President Donald Trump’s ability to tout a brawny economy and record stock market prices as the predicate for his reelection. The GOP could face a hard time calling Democratic candidates socialists with a straight face as Congress works on a bipartisan, near $2 trillion rescue package that would essentially have government drive the economy indefinitely. (Fram, 3/24)
The New York Times: Democratic Convention Planners Look At Contingency Options
Planners for the Democratic National Convention are looking at “contingency options” in case the mid-July gathering in Milwaukee can’t take place because of the coronavirus, officials said on Monday for the first time. “As we navigate the unprecedented challenge of responding to the coronavirus, we’re exploring a range of contingency options to ensure we can deliver a successful convention without unnecessary risk to public health,” said Katie Peters, a convention spokeswoman. “This is a very fluid situation — and the convention is still more than three months away. We are committed to sharing updates with the public in the coming weeks and months as our plans continue to take shape.” (Epstein, 3/23)
Politico: DNC Insists Its Convention Is On — But Many Democrats Aren't Buying It
“There are no plans to cancel the convention and we are not considering a rules change at this time,” Xochitl Hinojosa, the DNC’s communications director, said Monday after news reports that the party is in the process of devising backup plans. “Contingency planning is a routine part of preparations for any convention.” Hinojosa’s statement came the same day an International Olympic Committee member, Dick Pound, told USA Today Sports that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed. The Olympics were scheduled to begin in late July, shortly after the DNC’s July 13-16 gathering. (Siders and Thompson, 3/23)
ProPublica: Voting By Mail Would Reduce Coronavirus Transmission But It Has Other Risks
Because of a rise in its Latino population, Gwinnett County in suburban Atlanta had to mail out absentee ballots with information in both English and Spanish in 2018. The result was chaos. The county accommodated the increased text by printing it in 6.5-point font, making each letter smaller than a sesame seed. Many voters were confused by the instructions — in particular, that they had to sign the back of the yellow envelope before returning it or their votes wouldn’t count. Gwinnett rejected 595 absentee ballots, a third of all those tossed in Georgia, often without notifying the spurned voters. Only a hurried lawsuit by the ACLU forced the county to reexamine the discarded ballots. (Huseman, 3/24)
