Glenn Kirschner – Trump asserts he used DOJ/FBI to stop vote count in 2018 to help DeSantis become Florida governor
MSNBC – Rep. Adam Kinzinger: We Need To Make An Uncomfortable Alliance For Democracy. (It looks clear to me he is talking about “up and down” – authoritarianism vs. small-d democracy – not “left and right. That’s exactly why the alliance will be “uncomfortable.” But it wasn’t clear to people commenting where I saw the clip first. So I decided to mention it.)
Farron Balanced – Judge Won’t Let Struggling Conservative Outlet OAN Escape Defamation Lawsuit
Mrs. Betty Bowers – LIVE from Kari Lake’s Campaign Headquarters
People Rescue 700-Pound Moose From Railroad Tracks (I heard you. And with so many of my sources taking a breather, this appears to be a good time to add more rescue stories.)
Beau – Let’s talk about elephant, zebras, and drought….
Yesterday, the radio opera was Charles Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette,” recorded in China. Juliette’s opening aria, “Je veux vivre,” has been sung by finalists on many, many Miss America telecasts (I don’t know whether that still holds – I haven’t watched any pageants for a long time.) In any medium, this is a difficult story to tell, in large part because the protagonists are so very young – Juliet is not yet 14, and Romeo not much older. Any 13-year-old who can manage to sing that music, and project it throughout an opera house, should not be allowed to do so, because that much that young will harm the growing voice. (Anyone remember Charlotte Church? Hear of her lately? Well, in 2022 she appeards as”Mushroom” on The Masked Singer and took second place.) I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I have always thought the DiCaprio-Danes movie version came closest to nailing it – I thought at the time it was because they looked so young, but looking back, while their appearance helped, what really sealed the deal was their youthlul blocking and body language. Through most of history children were expected to behave like miniature adults; it’s only in the last hundred years or so that some cultures have recognized there are actual stages of development from child to adult, and it isn’t realistic for a child or a teen to behave adultly. If they try, they are going to appear awkward.
Also, late breaking from Axios: “Wins in Arizona and Nevada kept President Biden’s party in charge of the upper chamber while control of the House still hangs in the balance.” To be clear, add Wornock and we will actually have 51-49.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The Warning – American politics remains broken
Quote – American politics was broken before the Tuesday election. It remained broken on Wednesday morning. The MAGA extremist threat did not dissipate by failing to achieve its aims. The GOP/MAGA class of 2022 was a dangerous group of unfit extremists that has no parallel in modern American history. Collectively, their presence on US ballots from sea to shining sea amounted to indisputable evidence of national decay irredeemable cynicism, factionalism and cowardice. Click trough for partial analysis. My feeling is that gross Republican misjudgment saved the election for us, and that the fact that control of both houses is so close should be terrifying. So I’ll be using the scary closer for a while yet.
Washington Post (gift link) – She decoded Nazi messages and helped win World War II. Now she’s 101.
Quote – The goal of the WAVES women was to save American lives by sinking German subs before they could attack Allied shipping. At first, news of a destroyed U-boat was cause for celebration. But it became more painful as the war dragged on and its human cost became more evident. Once, Parsons helped decode a congratulatory note to a German sailor at sea upon the birth of his son back home. A few days later, she learned the father’s submarine had been sunk, with no survivors. “To think that we all had a hand in killing somebody did not sit well with me,” she said. “I felt really bad. That baby would never see his father.” Click through for full story. I’m still trying to feature some good news daily if possible. I am sure Pat B and I (both sea service veterans) are not the only ones who can appreciate her work. It can’t have been easy.
The US midterms showed more than a weakened Trump and a relieved Biden. Are the prophets of doom right about America?
I’ve been posting disappointed, cynical and perhaps even angry comments on Politics Plus since the polling booths closed. That may seem a little unfair to many Democrats who are happy the Red Wave didn’t come to fruition and election day was spared expected violence from the right. However, as seen from afar through a democratic lens, both events are not enough. We had hoped for more. I leave it to Stan Grant, an Australian analyst, to explain what the American midterms mean to a long-term ally. His article is taken in full from the ABC News site.
America has been spared Donald Trump’s political resurgence but for how long?(AP)
You can hear the sighs of relief that the anticipated red wave in the American midterm elections did not happen.
The United States has been spared a resurgent Trumpism … at least for now. The question is: why did anyone think there would be a resounding Republican triumph?
Remember the presidential election? The same pundits were predicting a blue wave. An America exhausted by the turmoil of the Trump years, they said, would swing behind the Democrats and Joe Biden.
Well, just like now, there was no wave. Yes, Biden won the presidency. But nearly 70 million people voted for Donald Trump, the highest number of votes ever for a sitting president.
America is divided. That’s the point. These midterms have just underlined it.
The US is wracked with political tribalism, cutting across fault lines of class, race and geography. So weird is American politics that in a poll before the midterms most Americans believed the Democratic Party, not the Trump Republicans, is the more extreme.
America is so unruly. So apparently ungovernable that some have even wondered if the Union itself will hold. At their most breathless, prophets of doom have warned of civil war.
Of course, America has been here before. It has actually had a civil war. In the 1960s the United States was torn apart by political assassinations, riots, racism and economic strife. In the 1970s it weathered Watergate and the corruption of the Nixon presidency.
America can always rebound. It is still a beacon for so many. At its best it remains a dazzling place. But equally the past 50 years may just prove that America’s unravelling is long and deep.
America has survived tumultuous presidencies before, including corruption of the Nixon years.(ABC News: Shakira Wilson)
American decline continues
Those breathing a little easier now need to ask themselves what they are celebrating. A Biden reprieve? The likelihood of another Biden term at the next presidential election? What is there to be relieved about in an ailing nation where far too many have abandoned hope?
Biden has not arrested American decline. Inflation is rampant. The economy is shrinking. The poor are getting poorer. Life expectancy is decreasing. Americans have less faith in democracy, not more.
When Biden took power he promised to re-energise the country. America would build things again. It would regain its moral core. It would lead the world, not shrink from leadership. America is back, said Biden.
But what has happened? Serious questions are being asked about Bidenomics: his stimulus cash splash only fuelled inflation. His America is more protectionist. He urges Americans to buy American; laws promote the use of American iron and steel and hands out subsidies to local manufacturers in industries like electric vehicles.
All of that might boost local jobs. But analysts warn there is a downside. Protectionism hurts other nations. It inspires tit for tat – beggar thy neighbour – economic retaliation.
The Economist newspaper recently warned of increasing red tape, of higher prices for goods, dulling Biden’s “go-green” environmental push. It warned that such measures tempts other countries into China’s orbit.
The Economist wrote: “Rather than putting up barriers, America should reap the benefits of openness.”
Abroad, Biden’s first two years in office were marked by the humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan. The most powerful military in the world humbled by the Taliban.
Yes, Biden has sought to rally democracies. He has thrown his support – but not troops on the ground – behind Ukraine in its defence against Russian invasion.
Biden says don’t bet against America. But the jury is out on that.
Xi Jinping is a wild card
Putin’s Russia is not Xi Jinping’s China. There is a greater threat looming: war over Taiwan. Biden has been confused and confusing in his response. He pledges that the US will defend Taiwan only for the White House to have to walk back his words.
China, not Russia, looms over the 21st century. It is on track to usurp the US as the biggest economy in the world. Even as its economy slows it is still growing at around 4 per cent while America stands on the brink of recession with growth at 1 per cent.
Joe Biden will now sit down with Xi Jinping, a meeting of the world’s two most powerful leaders. Both leaders need the meeting. Both face headwinds. But Xi Jinping believes he needs America less than America needs China.
For certain, Biden cannot dismiss Xi. The unipolar world – the American century – looks to be over. The era of great power competition is upon us again as the Chinese ask: Can two tigers live on the same mountain?
Xi Jinping is a wild card. President for life. He dresses in military fatigues and warns of war. But Xi is not Vladimir Putin. He cannot easily be put in the deep freeze and Biden must talk with him.
A rapprochement is too much to expect but new Cold Warriors who think China can be isolated, who imagine a showdown with China, flirt with catastrophe.
Xi Jinping can not be put in the deep freeze and Joe Biden must continue to talk to him.(Reuters: David McNew)
What do the midterms tell us?
This is the backdrop to the midterm elections: war, the threat of war, economic strife, an ailing America and a nation far from the so-called shining city on the hill.
What do the midterms tell us? Donald Trump is weakened but it is too soon to write him off. He still has a grip on the Republican Party.
Trump is a carnival act. An American Barnum and Bailey creation. He’s personally odious and politically dangerous. He has concocted conspiracies. Incited insurrection. Exploited racism. Bragged of his misogyny and sexual predatory.
Yet he speaks to the dying heart of the country. His vision is American carnage, not American dreams. And right now, for too many Americans, that sounds right.
After the elections American politics faces gridlock. Neither party commands the country. But the midterms were not just about Democrats and Republicans. They were about America.
And that means they were about all of us.
Stan Grant is the ABC’s international affairs analyst and presenter of Q+A on Thursday at 8.30pm. He also presents China Tonight on Monday at 9:35pm on ABC TV, and Tuesday at 8pm on the ABC News Channel.
Glenn Kirschner – Mike Pence reveals in his book that he refused to report/covered-up Donald Trump’s election crimes (While I agree that was wrong – who was he going to tell? Bill Barr? Jeffrey Clark? Anyone else in Donald Trump**’s Justice Department? Yes, he could have talked to Biden’t DOJ once it existed. Or, yeah, a Federal judge.)
MSNBC – Huma Abedin: Everything Has Now Changed For Biden
Thom Hartmann – You Won’t Believe What Far Right Did To Stop Midterm Votes For Democrats (sorry it’s so long.)
Ring of Fire – Trump Staffers Admit To Treating Him Like A Toddler To Appease Him
Liberal Redneck – 2022 Midterm Results
Beau – Let’s talk about the economic power of the parties…
Yesterday, The Colorado District 3 race was still not yet counted. Boebert has moved into the lead by about 400 votes, but there are thousands not yet counted, and many of not most are from blue counties, or counties that went blue. The Frisch campaign is doing what it can to help “cure” votes (i.e. reach out to voters who forgot to sign their ballot envelop or made some other small error – most of these can be corrected by text message, but the voter haas to know it’s needed – and sometimes to be nagged a little. The deadline for that is the 14th, which is also the deadline to receive military absentee ballots.) They are also still in need of funds for the curing task , so if your heart is in it, you can go to Adam’s web page and help. (I did – a very small one – and also to Rev. Warnock.) I also finished up the cartoons for November, and took a look at the Denver NPR radio station’s “Christmas Carol Countdown” – which they are running like sports playoffs, which seems to me to be a good way to make the lmaximum number of people unhappy, but what do I know. Finally, I solved The New Yorker’s “Name Drop on the first clue. I almost went to the second clue, buthen I thought, if I’m right, I’ll never forgive myself.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The Warning – Tim Ryan’s must-watch political speech
Quote – Tim Ryan is precisely the type of person Teddy Roosevelt spoke of in his speech detailing the obligations of citizenship in a republic…. Tim Ryan inspired people. He did it with conviction, decency and grace. He is not a savior, but he is a man of the highest integrity and character who stood tall…. [The speech] was delivered without notes, and entirely from the heart. This guy is the real deal. Click through for article (and video – which does have CC, so there’s a transcript if you click on the three dots to the right of the line that has “share” in it.) Personally, I needed a hanky. BTW Robert REich also cited this speech, along with Fetterman’s victory speech.
Press Watch – It’s not a fluke, it’s a rot: Why the political media blew the 2022 election
Quote – Ever since they started handicapping the 2022 election – which means almost all the way back to 2020 – leading political reporters and pundits consistently predicted a midterm shellacking for Joe Biden and Democrats. It’s almost like they were looking forward to it…. After the Dobbs decision, they briefly entertained the notion that things might go another way. But then they dismissed it entirely…. This is not something that can be fixed with a little tweaking, and weak stabs at contrition. What we need is a wholesale revisiting of the rules of modern political journalism. Click through for analysis. It’s right on point, and it’s very refreshing.
The midterm elections are over, and the news is good and bad. In some states, voters defeated Republicans and right-wing legislation. In others, though, the GQP gained or maintained the upper hand.
Here in Georgia, record turnout made me hopeful that the Peach State would remain blue, and we would elect the USA’s first black female governor. Nope. Also, I hoped that Marcus Flowers would upset the bitterly hated Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is an embarrassment to this state. I spent weeks encouraging people to register, support Progressive candidates, and get their arses to the polls. Unfortunately, Georgia has backslid horribly, with Repubs voted or re-elected in several important positions.
The news is not all bad in Georgia, though – several important Democrats hung on to their seats in both national and state positions, and in the Georgia legislature Democrats flipped one seat each in the House and Senate. Nikema Williams and Lucy McBath both won handily. Raphael Warnock still has a chance to beat Herschel Walker in next month’s runoff.
Texas was another site of bad news, as Democrats got burned and voter turnout was sadly low. Three more Texas towns became “sanctuary cities for the unborn,” meaning that residents can become citizen bounty hunters and bring lawsuits against anybody who has or performs an abortion, or transports a womb-bearer out of state for the procedure. On the other hand, every incumbent in Texas who received an endorsement from Planned Parenthood won.
Georgia and Texas, as well as Florida, may remain strongly red; but they are not the entire country. The MAGAs can gloat all they like – in other states Democrats, and Democracy, triumphed. John Letterman held off the notorious mountebank Dr Oz. Four states, at last count, have protected the right to abortion, by either adding reproductive rights to their state constitutions or rejecting abortion bans. We are far from getting the last laugh at the expense of the forced-birth horde, but at least we can giggle. And as I was writing this, I learned that Wisconsin’s voters re-elected Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul, both of whom have pledged to not enforce an anti-abortion state law from 1849. Not only that, Democrats flipped the Michigan state senate, which Republicans have dominated for four decades. On top of all that, Tennessee, Alabama, Vermont and Oregon all voted to abolish involuntary servitude and slavery as punishment for crime.
This is no time to rest on our laurels, though! We still have a lot of work to do. In the states where Democrats won, you can be sure the tRump chumps will start hollering “Election fraud!” Remember when some bug-eating knuckle-walkers plotted to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan? Not only that, a few races are still not decided, so there will be runoffs. Ranked-choice voting would have prevented these, but that is the subject of another essay entirely.
Republicans continue to use dirty tactics to suppress the votes of population segments that tend to support Democrats. Gerrymandering, reducing early voting hours, closing polling venues, providing fewer voting machines, not maintaining the ones in “undesirable” areas – these are just some of the tricks they use. And this is to say nothing of the misinformation they spread about voter fraud, or armed vigilantes waiting at polling stations.
Right-wingers hoped for a red wave. What they got was a red ripple. Overall, the midterms were a victory for Democrats and Progressives; more victories may come in the next month as runoffs decide those races that are still in the air.
There is now hope for the United States of America. The results of this midterm election could indicate that the country is indeed turning away from fascism and authoritarianism, and back towards its true roots and spirit.
Yesterday, we got some additional election results and we did not get others. Some of the results were good. Others not so much. And some of the undecided races are IMO nervewracking (Boebert’s district is still too close to call.) One thing that we do know is that the Georgia Senate race is headed to a runoff, which is the second-best news we could have from Georgia. We do know that Georgia Democrats are very good at getting turnout for runoffs – that is how Rev. Warnock got into the Senate in the first place. I’m sorry that it means more work (and more anxiety) for Georgia Democrats, but it is better than a simple loss, and it gives me hope. I did find a good news story (at least I think and hope so – one never knows what a fascist is going to spring on one), along with one which makes me want to scream. I do have a couple of new nicknames to share (for people I SO wish would just go away so the nicknames would not be needed) – “Pumpkin Spice Lardass” and “DeSanctimonious.” The latter is being credited to the former, but I seriously doubt whether he knows any five-syllable words. Oh, and I got the Name Drop right again – but only because I’m not only so old, but because I was raised by my Mom who was born in 1906 and her Mom who was obviously even older (I called a refrigerator an “icebox” until I was in my 20’s. I had some other paleologisms too.)
Cartoon (Pat B is in her local parade today) –
Short Takes –
Axios – Russia announces retreat from key Ukrainian city of Kherson
Quote – Kherson was the only provincial capital captured by Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February. Its liberation would represent a remarkable victory for Ukrainian forces. It marks another major setback for Moscow in the nine-month war, coming after Ukraine recaptured a major portion of Kharkiv Oblast and made significant gains in Kherson Oblast in earlier this fall Russian forces will also cede all of the territory captured on the western bank of the River Dnipro and will organize defensive lines on the opposite bank of the river. Click through for article. I cannot guarantee that this is good news, but it certainly seems promising..
Crooks and Liars – Man Allegedly Shoots Neighbor Dead Because He Thought He Was A Democrat
Quote – An Ohio man died of multiple gunshot wounds, and according to the 911 call, the victim’s wife said that the armed neighbor murdered her husband because he thought he was a Democrat. The chilling 911 call reveals that Austin Combs had confronted Anthony Lee King, 43, over his perceived party affiliation on multiple occasions. Click through for the (literally) gory details. I have heard many times people in AA saying, when someone started a sentence with “I thought…” “Did your sponsor tell you you could think?” Seems appropriate to me for MAGAts – except, who is going to tell them? Who would they listen to?
