Leadership questions linger over Democrats' agenda: The Note

The TAKE with Rick Klein

Every Democratic senator -- and, again, one in particular -- is in a position to make or break a majority and an agenda along with it.

The Democratic House speaker is leading a fractious majority that will be in jeopardy in the midterm elections in part by leaving open the question of whether she will stay in the job beyond 2022.

Vice President Kamala Harris is looking to turn a new page while vowing not to be distracted by "ridiculous" headlines. And while President Joe Biden and those around him are saying he will run for reelection, a growing number of Democrats don't necessarily believe him.

Leadership questions at almost every level of government are weighing heavily on the Biden agenda, notwithstanding vows that the Build Back Better bill will get a Senate vote before Christmas. Speculation about the political futures of leading Democrats has reached a potentially distracting volume.

Those dynamics are evident in the way House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's allies tell CNN that she plans to run for reelection and hasn't yet decided whether to stay in House leadership beyond that.

They are also evident in this remarkable sentence in a remarkably early 2024 take from The New York Times' Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns: "With Mr. Biden facing plunging poll numbers and turning 82 the month he'd be on the ballot, and Vice President Kamala Harris plagued by flagging poll numbers of her own, conversations about possible alternatives are beginning far earlier than is customary for a president still in the first year of his first term.

More immediately and familiarly, Biden's conversations with Sen. Joe Manchin are the test of whether Democrats can get more done before 2022 begins. "They will continue to talk over the coming days," Manchin's spokesman said, not saying much at all.

The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper

As the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 voted unanimously to recommend Mark Meadows, former chief of staff to President Trump, be held in criminal contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with the investigation of the attack at the Capitol, committee members shared stunning text messages between Meadows and those in Trump's inner circle at the time of the chaos.

Fox hosts Brian Kilmeade and Laura Ingraham, who have since downplayed the attack, told Meadows on Jan. 6 that the attack was "destroying" Trump's legacy. Donald Trump Jr. told Meadows, in part, "He's got to condemn this [expletive] ASAP." Meadows replied: "I'm pushing it hard. I agree."

The committee investigators painted a bleak picture of the attack and promised to provide a full accounting of that day for the American people.

"Our democracy was inches from ruin," said committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Monday evening. "Our system of government was stretched to the breaking point."

"We cannot be satisfied with incomplete answers, or half-truths. And we cannot surrender to President Trump's efforts to hide what happened," Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said.

The issue now moves to the full House, where a vote could come as early as Tuesday.

The TIP with Alisa Wiersema

Dr. Mehmet Oz's show is slated to end in January, cementing the television doctor's focus on his candidacy in the Pennsylvania Senate.

After weeks of criticism from political opponents about the status of his residency, Oz also appears to be making it a priority to show his presence on the ground in Pennsylvania. Over the last several days, his Twitter feed has been dotted with photo evidence of meetings with various GOP officials and visits to local businesses -- capped off with a documentation of the Pittsburgh skyline in a video posted on Monday.

But as Oz makes his way around the Keystone State, he's also aiming to finesse a political message that fits in with a broader, national GOP perspective. In a recent video posted to social media, Oz claims he's being "canceled" as a doctor and alleges some media outlets are set against his candidacy.

The messaging coincides with his campaign's emphasis on medical expertise as a way to earn voters' trust in the COVID era. The Republican candidate's battle over semantics is also likely a deeper indicator of his campaign's success being dependent on voters' perceptions of his medical authority as he continues to critique the state's pandemic protocol.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. Start Here leads Tuesday morning's episode with more on the deadly weekend tornadoes. We hear new reporting on the loss of life and destruction from ABC's Reena Roy, who's been on the ground in Kentucky interviewing survivors. We then examine the U.K.'s "tidal wave" of COVID cases and its first omicron death with ABC's Maggie Rulli. And, the Biden administration is planning to resume student loan payments in February. We ask ABC's Elizabeth Schulze, what does this mean for Americans in debt? http://apple.co/2HPocUL

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