Will the Democrats Overthink Themselves Out of 2020?

[View this email in your browser]( [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [AdChoices]( Will the Democrats Overthink Themselves Out of 2020? Good morning! The midterms are over, dear reader, but the 2020 madness has just begun. Abigail Tracy got the dirt on the N.S.C.’s [secret war with the East Wing](. Isobel Thompson reported on Britain’s latest [self-inflicted crisis](. And William D. Cohan revealed why Shari Redstone’s conquest of CBS and Viacom [may not be the fait accompli it appears](. But who wants to talk about yesterday’s news, anyway? Today, we lead with Peter Hamby must-read analysis of the incipient 2020 race—and the crucial lesson Democrats risk forgetting. Nick Bilton offers a devastating critique of Sheryl Sandberg, the real power behind the Facebook throne. And Tracy returns from short rest with an inside look at the White House’s marriage of convenience with Riyadh. We hope that you’re enjoying what you’re reading. Have a great day! [illustration of sherrod brown and kamala harris]( [“It Undervalues the Intelligence of the American People”: Are the Democrats Going to Overthink Themselves Out of 2020?]( By [Peter Hamby]( [With a large and growing field, the Democratic Party seems focused on demographic minutiae—can a black woman like Kamala Harris win over whites? Can a white man like Sherrod Brown win over black women?—rather than anything resembling a meaningful platform. How has it forgotten all the lessons of Obama’s 2008 campaign in a mere decade?]( [“I Hope It Cracks Who She Is Wide Open”: Inside Silicon Valley, Many Have Long Known Sheryl Sandberg Isn’t a Saint]( By [Nick Bilton]( [The Times bombshell confirms what many inside the tech industry already knew: Sandberg is a brilliant, transformative figure—but she’s also a ruthless executive and indefatigable political animal.]( [“There Are Sighs of Relief in Riyadh”: The White House Is Still Walking on Eggshells So as Not to Anger M.B.S.]( By [Abigail Tracy]( [New Saudi sanctions under the Magnitsky Act are the bare minimum. Will a newly appointed ambassador be able to recalibrate the relationship?]( [“I’m Coming for You”: After His Arrest, Michael Avenatti Blames MAGA-Land]( By [Tina Nguyen]( [The Avenatti abuse scandal provides a vivid illustration of how self-professed strengths can be turned against a candidate—and how partisans on both sides seek redemption in online conspiracy theories.]( [“Democracy Failed Georgia”: Stacey Abrams Ends Governor Run Without Conceding]( By [Kerensa Cadenas]( [“This is not a speech of concession, because concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true or proper,” said Abrams, bringing her campaign against Brian Kemp to a close.]( [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [AdChoices]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, [vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com]( to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2018. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.