Washington

Opinion | Careful, Democrats. Cast Harris aside at your peril.

Published

2 years ago

July 21, 2024

Opinion | Careful, Democrats. Cast Harris aside at your peril.

It’s been more than a little clear, during the long weeks of hand-wringing about President Biden’s age and his ability to win, that there was another concern: The ability of Vice President Harris to step into his shoes.

Sometimes, it was said out loud. Sometimes, it was left unsaid. But it was always obvious in the ways some folks were promoting a makeshift August primary with little or no mention of the vice president. That scenario would mean that the person specifically who had been chosen to stand in for Biden in case of emergency could be knocked out to create an entirely new ticket.

Let me point out something that should be obvious: The Democratic Party, which relies on Black women as its most reliable voters, would be underestimating how they will react if such disregard is shown to the first Black female vice president.

I don’t know how Democrats will try to explain that leapfrog move, but it will take some high-level, hat-in-hand, verbal voodoo to ease the pain and anger that a lot of Black voters will justifiably feel. “The party elites would be committing suicide,” said Cornell Belcher, a pollster political analyst who worked for both Obama campaigns.

This question should have been a settled years ago, when Biden picked Harris as his running mate — and a majority of Americans voted to elect them as a team. Yes, Harris had a tough first year finding her voice, her footing and a team that best supports her leadership. But it is evident that Harris has found her stride, especially since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, as she has traversed the country trumpeting the long-term effects of that ruling. She has been steadfast in the weeks since Biden’s troubling debate performance last month. She knows she has been in the spotlight, quietly auditioning for a job that her boss was, until Sunday, determined to hold on to. Let’s just concede that walking that tightrope was not easy.

The pundit class and cable-news armies are salivating over the prospect of an open primary that would now drive ratings. Democrats pushing for an open primary claim the contest would boost voter engagement and also avoid the appearance of a coronation after Biden’s endorsement of Harris on Sunday. Plus, there simply isn’t time for that exercise.

But it is long past time to stop underestimating what Harris can do for a party that is in a ditch, thanks to this overlong Shakespearean drama about Biden’s acuity. She has strong support among Democrats, has muscled up on foreign and domestic issues in a manner few can because of her unique perch, not to mention daily access to classified briefings and her experience serving on key Senate committees.

And many of the things that were once points of criticism move into the plus column. Some progressives have called Harris a “cop” because of her background as a prosecutor. She was attorney general of the most-populous state, and, in this presidential match up, a litigator could bring special skills running against a felon who is still facing a mountain of legal charges and is backed by an army of conservatives who want to erode or erase our constitutional rights.

The criticism of her easy laugh — even her smile — are the stuff of high school taunts, and yet a youthful candidate who brings joy and light to the campaign trail while taking on heavy issues will appeal to voters who are yearning for optimism after a long period of turbulence. Her multicultural background and marriage allow her to build a narrative around change while facing opponents whose retrograde MAGA political messaging would take America backward.

I know some people will say I am arguing that the Black vice president should automatically get the job to avoid upsetting voters of color. Let me set that straight: The perceived insult is but one factor. A vice president who has performed admirably should get top consideration for the post because stepping up in case of emergency is the central part of the job. And many of the people who would likely be offended if she is passed over have a deep gut hunch that a White man would not be so easily dismissed.

At a time when reproductive rights are such a linchpin issue for female voters, the potential for treating Harris with disregard seems particularly reckless. Doubts about the vice president’s ability to ascend to the top jabs at a deep-tissue wound that throbs inside so many American women who have to work twice as hard and be over-credentialed before being even considered for a role they can clearly handle.

It’s one reason women over-index in measures of achievement in college and yet are grossly underrepresented in top corporate leadership. Women CEOs run barely 10 percent of Fortune 500 companies. It’s why people so often look past gleaming résumés and oodles of experience to float questions about whether a woman is really the right fit. It’s why so many people mask their own stubborn consternation about female authority by asking whether others will accept a woman in a top job.

Will voters accept her? Don’t forget that people (including a lot of Black voters) initially asked the same question about Barack Obama. And yes, voters asked that question about Hillary Clinton, as well. But let’s also remember that, not long ago, people questioned whether women could handle their own credit card or be trusted to vote.

If the Democrats opt for an open primary, I hope they have some muscular messaging to explain why they swerved from succession protocol. Otherwise, they are not just underestimating Harris, they are also underestimating a voting bloc that holds the key to their victory.

What do you think President Biden should do with the rest of his time in office? Share your responses with us, and they may be published in The Post.

Source link

Washington

Polymarket opening ‘Situation Room’ pop-up bar in DC. See when.

Published

6 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Polymarket opening ‘Situation Room’ pop-up bar in DC. See when.

Prediction betting market platform Polymarket is opening a “Situation Room” pop-up bar in the nation’s capital that will be “dedicated to monitoring the situation.”

The company announced its latest business endeavor in an X post on Wednesday, March 18.

“Imagine a sports bar… but just for situation monitoring — live X feeds, flight radar, Bloomberg terminals, and Polymarket screens,” the company’s statement said.

The bar opens to the public in Washington, DC, on Friday, March 20, and will operate until Sunday, March 22. The Situation Room will open on 8 p.m. on March 20 and at 11 a.m. on March 21-22, according to Polymarket. The company did not specify how long the bar will remain open; however, Proper 21 K Street, where the pop-up is taking place, closes at 12 a.m. ET Monday-Sunday, according to its website.

Last month, Polymarket opened a free supermarket in New York City to promote free markets. Polymarket donated $1 million to Food Bank For NYC as part of its endeavor.

“Free groceries. Free markets. Built for the people who power New York,” the company said in an announcement.

What is Polymarket?

Polymarket allows users to bet on the outcomes of real-world events, everything from who will win the Academy Award for best actress to when the United States will confirm the existence of aliens.

Top trending bets on the platform on Friday, March 20, included whether the United States would invade Cuba in 2026 and who the 2028 Republican presidential nominee would be, among others.

Betting platform under scrutiny over ‘Situation Room’ name, more

Polymarket has come under intense scrutiny since its launch in 2020. In January, the Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a civil enforcement action against the company. In the complaint, the Board asked the court for a declaration and injunction to stop Polymarket from offering unlicensed wagering in violation of Nevada law.

However, Nevada isn’t the only entity trying to take the platform to court. Brett Bruen, the chief executive of the Global Situation Room, a public affairs agency, called the company out on X for allegedly using the organization’s trademarked name.

“We have @GlobalSitRoom & related terms trademarked (checks notes) …for tracking situations around the globe,” Bruen wrote. “Flattered, really – it’s a great name. But, no, you can’t use it. Yes, my lawyers will be in touch.”

Global Situation Room also sent a cease and desist letter to Polymarket, alleging that the company’s use of the “Situation Room” name gives a false impression that Global Situation Room is “somehow connected or associated with Polymarket’s services,” CNBC reported, citing a letter from the public relations agency.

“Indeed, there are obvious overlaps in the uses of GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM and THE SITUATION ROOM such as both marks include ‘SITUATION ROOM’ and allow consumers to monitor and act on global affairs,” the letter, written by Shane Delsman, an attorney at Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based law firm Godfrey & Kahn, reads. “In fact, the marks are so similar, Global Situation Room has already witnessed actual confusion in the form of press requests to comment on the opening of the new THE SITUATION ROOM bar.”

USA TODAY reached out to Polymarket for comment on March 20.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com

Source link

Washington

Devils Head to Nation’s Capital | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils

Published

19 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Devils Head to Nation’s Capital | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils

THE SCOOP

The Devils opened their five-game road trip with a 6-3 victory at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. New Jersey’s faces Washington on the second leg that includes stops in Dallas, Nashville and Carolina.

New Jersey is now 7-2-0 in its past nine games. The Devils are enjoying an offensive explosion of late. During their past nine games, New Jersey has totaled 4.11 goals per game. And they’ve scored 10 power-play goals on 24 opportunities (42%).

The Caps head into the back half of their season-long four-game homestand on Friday night when the New Jersey Devils make their second visit of the season to DC. Washington has earned at least a point in each of the first two games of the homestand, taking a 3-2 shootout loss to the Bruins last weekend before beating the Senators by a 4-1 count on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s win still leaves the Caps with less than a 10-percent chance of slinking their way into the Stanley Cup playoffs. With just 13 games remaining on the season, the Caps will likely need to win at least nine – and likely 10 or 11 – of those games to have a viable chance of getting in.

Rookie Cole Hutson, who made his NHL debut Wednesday night, also picked up his first career NHL goal with an empty-netter. Hutson was a second-round pick (43rd overall) in 2024.

Source link

Washington

New Washington law reaffirms ban on voting more than once in an election

Published

1 day ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

New Washington law reaffirms ban on voting more than once in an election

A new state law aims to erase any confusion about Washington’s ban on voting more than once in an election.

Its approval follows a court decision that officials warned could incite voter fraud.

Longstanding Washington law makes it illegal for a person to cast more than one ballot in any election in the state, or to vote in any election in this state and another state during the same period.

But a state appeals court in January overturned the felony conviction of a Lewis County resident found guilty of voting twice in November 2022 — once in Washington and once in Oregon. The court concluded that because the candidates and measures differed on the two ballots, one could interpret them as different elections under Washington law.

“This fixes an ambiguity in state law,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said Tuesday before signing Senate Bill 6084. It contains an emergency clause and took effect immediately.

“Voting more than once in an election is an affront to everyone who participates in our democracy,” Ferguson later wrote on X. “This bill makes it clear that double voting is illegal.”

The legislation sponsored by Sen. Adrian Cortes, D-Battle Ground, adds language to existing law to spell out that “election” refers to any general, primary, or special election.

“An election is the ‘same election’ if the election date is the same, regardless of the candidates, offices, issues, or measures on the ballot and regardless of the date on which ballots are mailed or returned,” reads the bill.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs asked lawmakers to act swiftly, worried the court ruling opened the door to the potential of voters casting more than one ballot in November.

“This legislation helps to ensure that Washington’s elections remain secure, accurate and fair,” Hobbs said in a statement.

In Washington, voting more than once in an election is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Meanwhile, Lewis County is appealing the January decision to the Washington Supreme Court.

This story was originally published by the Washington State Standard.

Source link