One last Democratic debate? Welcome to the Maclean's Politics Insider: America 2020, launched for readers who crave U.S. political news during primary season. If you want to receive this new newsletter, take no action, it will arrive in your inbox every weekday at noon. If you'd rather not receive it, please unsubscribe here. Sanders more visible than Biden during pandemic: While most people expect Joe Biden to win the Democratic nomination over Bernie Sanders, you wouldn't know it from their public presence as the COVID-19 pandemic upends American life. The New York Times noted that while Biden still struggles to do livestreams out of his house, Sanders has been much more visible during the crisis. Part of the reason for this is that Sanders is an active Senator, and can weigh in on the U.S. Senate's long-delayed attempt to pass a COVID-19 relief bill. Meanwhile, Biden isn't sure yet how to get his message out as a private citizen: “I have to tell you, I find, I guess like anybody who cares about this, I’m chomping at the bit,” he said. “I wish I were still in the Senate, you know, being able to impact on some of these things. But I am where I am. And I hope to be the nominee of the Democratic Party, and I hope I’m able to get my message across as we go forward.” Biden has "had enough debates": The Democratic National Committee has already held 11 presidential debates out of the 12 it originally planned. On Tuesday, Bernie Sanders declared his intention to show up at the 12th debate, a sign that he doesn't think the presidential race is over — or at least that he wants to continue putting pressure on Joe Biden to make concessions. Asked about Sanders' announcement, Biden replied, "I haven't thought about any more debates. I think we've had enough debates. I think we should get on with this." Democrats explore convention alternatives: Depending on how long the crisis lasts, it will become difficult to hold traditional political conventions. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin on July 13 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but planners are already looking into other options. Another thing complicating the planners' job is that despite being the presumptive nominee, Joe Biden can't take charge of the convention planning until Sanders officially concedes the race. Trump's impatience, explained: Why is Donald Trump constantly expressing his impatience to end COVID-19 shutdowns and open up the economy again? Well, apart from his well-documented obsession with juicing the stock market and his own re-election prospects, he may just be getting bored after a very short period of staying inside: Like everyone working from home, Trump has shown evidence of cabin fever: crashing meetings of his coronavirus task force, inserting himself into planned press conferences and tearing apart daily schedules so his appearances better align with television viewership patterns. — Jaime Weinman |