The Note: Beto and 'VETO!' speak to parties’ identity crises
Neither party is closer to resolving identity crises likely to linger into 2020.
The TAKE with Rick Klein
It's been a week defined by the promise of Beto and a promise of "VETO!"
But at the end of it, neither party is closer to resolving identity crises that are likely to linger well into 2020.
President Donald Trump's veto, expected to come Friday, will ensure that his emergency declaration moves forward -- at least until the courts weigh in. But that will only happen after a dozen Republican senators went on record to warn of presidential overreach in voting with Democrats to oppose Trump's move, on his signature policy of a border wall.
As for the Democrats, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke's presidential announcement and Iowa debut is forcing a discussion of where the party should stand and how its candidates should handle each other. O'Rourke is setting his own bar in calling on the field to not "denigrate, demean any other candidate" -- even in the age of Trump.
"I'm for everyone," he told ABC News' Paula Faris. "I want to be able to bring people together."
O'Rourke enters the stage during an era of division. The man he hopes to beat knows that well.
The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks
Trump might soon be issuing not one, but two vetoes.
The first has received a ton of attention. The president onThursday tweeted his intention to veto the Congressional resolution to terminate his declaration of a national emergency on the southern border. With his veto he will signal his intention to use money however he sees in relation to building barriers there.
But the president soon may decide to issue his second veto, because that wasn't the only bill Congress passed this week aimed at curbing his authority.
Wednesday, the Senate voted on a bipartisan basis to end U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia's involvement in the war in Yemen.
In both resolutions, Congress was trying to reclaim authority that they believe the president has stretched and abused.
The TIP with John Verhovek
O'Rourke may not think he has to be a "street fighter" to defeat Trump, but some Iowa Democrats who came out to see the former Texas congressman did not mince words when asked if denying the current occupant of the Oval Office a second term was their top priority.
"F--- yes," Carrie Sherwood, an Iowa Democrat who caucused for Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016, told ABC News at an O'Rourke event in Fort Madison.
Jackie McVey, a Democrat from West Point, Iowa, who caucused for Hillary Clinton in 2016, told ABC News she was excited to see O'Rourke, but added he could only win "if he has that fight" and can "stand up to Trump without making it dirty." After hearing O'Rourke speak, she was hesitant but optimistic he could become the fighter Democrats need.
"He definitely has the fight, but maybe it's a different kind of fight ... but it's a race where anybody has a shot, and I could see him going all the way," McVey added.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. Friday morning's episode features ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce, who analyzes the fallout after a dozen Republicans voted to rebuke President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
FiveThirtyEight's Politics Podcast. Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke announced he's running for president on Thursday. In this episode of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew considers various arguments for how the Democrat from Texas could win -- or lose -- the nomination. He is entering an experienced field never having won statewide office, but his celebrity could allow him to gain traction in a campaign with 15-20 competitors. https://apple.co/2mKrhcF
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