Will heads roll?

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Oct 28, 2022 View in browser   By Alex Thompson and Allie Bice Presented by Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Daniel Lippman.   Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex President JOE BIDEN doesn't like to fire people. Some people say it's the result of a culture that revolves around loyalty in which Biden often beknights people an "honorary Biden" and part of the family, making it difficult to dismiss them. He sometimes even begs them to stay when they want to leave. Other people say that even though he can be tough on staff, he's uncomfortable dealing with the interpersonal conflict that comes with taking away someone's job. But as the polls for Democrats grow increasingly grim ahead of the midterm election, the pressure on Biden to shake up his staff is growing more acute. And people inside the White House, as well as Democrats on the Hill and other close Biden allies are wondering if and hoping he will have the stomach for it. For now, the expectation is that some White House officials will leave on their own after a draining two years. But several people close to Biden inside and outside the White House want him to go further. They believe he has been ill-served by his staff on some high profile issues and think the White House could use fresh voices. As evidence of a presidency that could have been better served, those people most often cite the over-confident "Independence from Covid-19" event on the White House lawn last summer before the waves of Delta and Omicron variants hit, and Biden's insistence as late as July 19, 2021 that inflation was temporary. People also point out that Biden has had a disapproval rating above 50 percent for over a year. The hope is, among this crew, that even if Biden doesn't want to ask for resignations, some staff can be subtly shown the door. But others inside and outside the White House see virtue in continuity even if Democrats get drubbed in the midterm elections. They argue that Biden's team has performed better than expected under extraordinarily daunting conditions when they entered office. In particular, they point to the legislative successes over the summer — including the Inflation Reduction act, the CHIPS bill, the legislation to give care to "burn pits" victims — along with the bipartisan infrastructure bill. In fact, some people in the White House are hoping people like chief of staff RON KLAIN will stay to ensure stability. They argue that Klain is uniquely suited to handle the voluminous incoming on a daily basis and has a partisan edge that is well-suited to navigate a White House with an opposition party controlling (at least one branch of) Congress. So while there has been a steady drip of stories documenting Biden and the First Lady's frustration with staff over several issues the last year, the possibility is very much alive that the most senior officials in the White House remain the same next year regardless of the outcomes of the midterms. After we sent the outlines of this story to the White House, spokesperson ROBYN PATTERSON said in a statement: "As factual as everything else West Wing Playbook prints." We count that as confirmation. MESSAGE US — Are you staff assistant JOSHUA WALDMAN? We want to hear from you! And we'll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com . A message from Meta: Students will be able to explore outer space in the metaverse. With the metaverse, students in a classroom will be able to travel to the depths of our galaxy, helping them get up close to the planets and gain a deeper understanding of how our solar system works. The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real. See how Meta is helping build the metaverse.   POTUS PUZZLER This one is from Allie. Which president's daughter celebrated her birthday at the White House with a Halloween themed birthday party? (Answer at the bottom.) Cartoon of the Week Cartoon by Scott Stantis | Courtesy It's Friday and you know what that means, spooky cartoon feature time! This one's by SCOTT STANTIS. Our very own MATT WUERKER also publishes a selection of cartoons from all over the country. View the cartoon carousel here . The Oval SPOOKY SEASON AT 1600 PENN: As part of a tradition, the White House invited reporters and their youngsters to trick-or-treat on Monday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. West Wing Playbook will be there so tune in that night. The White House told us they are also providing open press access to trick-or-treating in the president and first lady's neighborhood (a South Lawn Halloween event). Kudos in advance to the kid who pulls off the best ANDREW BATES outfit. THE KEYS TO KEYSTONE: Biden and former President DONALD TRUMP have found themselves in the same state ahead of the midterm elections: Pennsylvania. Biden and Vice President KAMALA HARRIS are slated to join former President BARACK OBAMA and the Democratic ticket there, while Trump is slated to join fellow Republicans in the western part of the state. Pennsylvania's midterm elections have turned into a proxy fight between the 2020 presidential rivals, our CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO and MERIDITH MCGRAW report, with each eying the other ahead of an expected 2024 rematch. EARLY BIRD: Biden will cast his midterm ballot Saturday, and plans to bring along his 18-year-old granddaughter, NATALIE, a first-time voter. The pair will participate in early voting in Wilmington, Del., the White House announced Friday. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by NYT's ANNIE KARNI about how Republicans have quieted their calls to impeach Biden with the midterms just days away. "In the homestretch of a campaign that has brought the party tantalizingly close to winning control of Congress, top Republicans are seeking to downplay the chances that they will impeach Mr. Biden, distancing themselves from a polarizing issue that could alienate voters just as polls show the midterm elections breaking their way. Still, should he become House speaker, Mr. [Kevin] McCarthy would be under immense pressure from hard-right members of his rank and file to impeach." WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ: The latest fact check from CNN's DANIEL DALE about a falsehood the president touted on gas prices in a speech Thursday: "Biden accurately said that gas prices, now averaging about $3.76 per gallon, have declined by roughly $1.25 since this year's June peak of over $5 per gallon. But then he claimed, 'Today, the most common price of gas in America is $3.39 — down from over $5 when I took office.' Biden's claim that the most common gas price when he took office was more than $5 isn't even close to true. The most common price for a gallon of regular gas on the day he was inaugurated, January 20, 2021, was $2.39."   NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don't miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS  – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID .     THE BUREAUCRATS NEW LEADERSHIP AT THE IRS: DOUGLAS O'DONNELL was appointed Friday by Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN as acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service until a permanent nominee is confirmed. O'Donnell is currently the agency's deputy commissioner. He'll replace outgoing Commissioner CHUCK RETTIG, whose term expires Nov. 12. Biden has yet to nominate someone to fill the position permanently. Our BENJAMIN GUGGENHEIM has more details for Pros . PERSONNEL MOVES: JOHN PICARELLI is now a director of counterterrorism at the National Security Council. He most recently was deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention at the Department of Homeland Security.   A message from Meta:   What We're Reading U.S. Penalizes Iranian Group Behind Salman Rushdie Bounty (WSJ's Ian Talley) Musk owns Twitter — and Washington awaits Trump's return (POLITICO's Rebecca Kern) What We're Watching JEN EASTERLY, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, on NBC Nightly News 6:30 p.m. ET Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG's latest interview on "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?" It's already on HBO Max and will also air on CNN Sunday at 7 p.m. EST   DON'T MISS POLITICO'S 2nd ANNUAL DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/16: The United States is facing a defining moment in the future of its defense, national security and democratic ideals. The current conflicts and developments around the world are pushing Washington to reshape its defense strategy and how it cooperates with allies. Join POLITICO for our second annual defense summit, "At a Crossroads: America's Defense Strategy" on November 16 in person at the Schuyler DC or join online to hear keynote interviews and panels discussing the road ahead for America's national security. REGISTER HERE .     The Oppo Book Out of all of the places National Security Adviser JAKE SULLIVAN has visited in his lifetime, he maintains that his home state of Minnesota is "the best place in the world." "That's not just an article of faith for me, that is a hypothesis I have tested exhaustively," he said during a 2013 commencement speech for University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. "I went to 112 countries and 150 cities with Hillary Clinton over the last four years and Minnesota beat them all." Nothing like home state pride. POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER AMY CARTER, the daughter of JIMMY CARTER, "celebrated her birthday at the White House with a Halloween theme party with 14 of her friends" in 1977, according to The White House Historical Association . "The partygoers carved pumpkins, ate hamburgers, vanilla cake, and chocolate ice cream, and watched the original version of Frankenstein in the White House theater." A CALL OUT — Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it. Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein. A message from Meta: Future surgeons will get hands-on practice in the metaverse. Surgeons will engage in countless hours of additional low-risk practice in the metaverse. The impact: patients undergoing complex care will know their doctors are as prepared as possible. The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real. See how Meta is helping build the metaverse.     Follow us on Twitter Alex Thompson @AlexThomp Allie Bice @alliebice   Follow us

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