Good morning. Here’s your Daily SITREP for Monday, 20 November 2023.
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- (1) DEMS AND DONORS: BIDEN CAMPAIGN DROPPING THE BALL: Democrats are concerned that President Biden’s reelection campaign has a “thin operation” and is not building on the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) presence in battleground states and has not effectively communicated a second-term governing vision to voters.
- Democratic operatives and donors said their central concern is Biden showing signs of aging and failing to address public “hand-wringing” over his chances of reelection.
- Why It Matters: More Democrats are calling for Biden to step aside, and it looks like his campaign is preparing for the likelihood he will step down from reelection by not using up campaign resources. Voters are not buying “Bidenomics,” and Biden’s campaign is doing little to assuage voter and donor concerns over his age, which is Biden’s biggest vulnerability according to polling. – R.C.
- (2) DEMOCRAT REDISTRICTING EFFORT EXPANDS TO WISCONSIN: The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to hear a redistricting case on Tuesday brought by a group of Wisconsin Democrat voters who argue the current Congressional district map violates Wisconsin’s constitution.
- Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty President Rick Esenberg said the plaintiffs are attempting to “smuggle” a partisan gerrymandering issue into the court that was previously rejected in 2021.
- Why It Matters: Wisconsin is a key swing state for the presidential election, with ten electoral votes up for grabs. Trump won in 2016 by less than a single point, and Wisconsin flipped to Biden in 2020 again by less than a single point. Republicans and Democrats are locked in a battle to control state election laws. Democrat Governor Tony Evers has vetoed 27 election-related bills that impose stricter absentee ballot requirements and allow for more poll watchers. Gaining seats in Wisconsin could hand Democrats the House. – R.C.
- (3) CHINA KICKS OFF MIDDLE EAST SUMMIT: Officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine are in Beijing this week for the China-Middle East Summit.
- Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal al-Saud said Arab officials want to send a “clear signal” to end the fighting in Gaza. Some of the officials described the Israel-Hamas war as genocide.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China is a “good friend and brother of Arab and Muslim countries” and that China has always supported the Palestinian people.
- Why It Matters: Only a handful of years ago, these Arab diplomats might have rushed to meet with U.S. officials to end the Israel-Hamas conflict. Arab diplomats, however, see the Biden administration’s backing of Israel, including sending the Israel Defense Force munitions for their bombing campaign in Gaza, as disqualifying for the U.S. to be a mediator. Enter China, whose diplomats have already brought peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia, at least on paper, as the mediator of choice – another diplomatic win for China and a diplomatic loss for the United States. – M.S.
The Daily SITREP is brought to you by Early Warning, Forward Observer’s full-length daily intelligence briefing. Check out our Black Friday deals, then join the new Early Warning membership platform for access to the full daily briefing, livestream, intel feed, protest tracker, and Friday’s Early Warning Roundtable.