Dems See Hearings as Springboard for 2018, 2020
By Caitlin Huey-Burns
RCP Staff
January 12, 2017
Democrats can’t do much to block Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees from Senate approval, but the party is approaching the confirmation process as one of the first steps in its rebuilding effort following painful November losses.
That effort includes getting opposition research and outside messaging groups into high gear, fundraising off of certain confirmation hearing highlights or controversies regarding some nominees, and coming up with a way to paint the administration they will run against in four years in an unflattering light.
That next presidential election isn’t so far off for some Democrats, who see the confirmation hearings as a way to advance their own ambitions. Indeed, one could almost mark January 11, 2017 as the day the 2020 presidential race began: That was the day New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker took the unprecedented opportunity to testify against colleague Jeff Sessions, Trump’s choice for attorney general.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/01/12/dems_see_hearings_as_springboard_for_2018_2020_132767.html
