DEMS/RACISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Democrats torched President Donald Trump as a racist this week — but they also know how to compartmentalize. The toxic relationship between Trump and the opposition party continues to hit new lows, but that’s not stopping Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her party from working with him to avert fiscal calamity and maybe even greenlight his signature trade deal later this fall. Democrats in both chambers said they haven’t been surprised by Trump’s actions and they expect little change to their existing dynamic. When both sides need to get something done, they’ll work together. When they don’t, they won’t…Vulnerable moderates don’t want to be painted as obstructionists. And other Democrats have said they have little choice but to deal with the man who has the power to sign or veto their plans, particularly if they want to keep Washington running…In the near-term, that includes a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling and stave off automatic budget cuts that would slash domestic and defense programs by billions of dollars — a scenario Democrats are loath to let happen.”
–Heather Caygle and Burgess Everett, “Democrats not willing to totally snub ‘deplorable’ Trump,” Politico, July 17, 2019 1:50 pm