I’ve seen a lot of people watching this impeachment trial the wrong way this week.
Lots of headlines all week about how the House managers are trying their hardest to convince 17 Republicans to do the right thing.
Lots of people talking about the odds of it happening.
Lots of worry about a Senate that won’t even convict on this blatant disregard for his oath of office.
Lots of calls for people to call their Republican Senators and beg them to vote to convict.
Here is the simple truth: there is no chance at all that the Senate is going to get the 2/3 that it needs to vote to convict Trump.
It just isn’t going to happen. Put it out of your head.
If you are watching and hoping for that you are going to get your heart broken. Say it with me: Republican Senators will always do the wrong thing.
Not because most of them don’t know Trump should be impeached. Not because the Democrats didn’t do enough. Not because Trump’s lawyers were anything but useless.
They won’t convict because they are cowards who are in a Catch-22. If they vote to convict, they will get death threats and primary challengers and people screaming at them at airports. They will be hounded by the very mob that they just saw was willing to go for blood. They are scared. For themselves.
But voting to acquitt is not a winning answer for them either. If they don’t convict, they will forever be tied to a failed game show host loser crook who abdicated his most sacred duty to protect his country.
We will make sure of that.
We will tattoo this vote on their foreheads.
We will not let America forget where their loyalty lies.
Donald Trump is not on trial this week. We are done with him. And justice will come for him in dozens of other court cases and bankruptcies.
The Republican party is on trial this week. A few of them will pass with a modicum of dignity and pride remaining. I predict we get five of their votes.
But the vast majority of them will fail.
And they will fail in an America that is done with trump. They will fail in an America where the majority of people want Trump convicted. They will fail in an America in which fewer and fewer people call themselves Republicans. They will fail in an America in which fewer people like the Republican party (even Republicans). They will fail in an America in which mainstream Republicans are pulling away from Trump.
Even coward supreme Nikki Haley sees the way the wind is shifting. She said:
"We need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldn't have, and we shouldn't have followed him, and we shouldn't have listened to him. And we can't let that ever happen again."
This is completely pathetic and desperate of course. Haley doesn’t mean any of this. She wants a political future and she is trying to thread the most impossible of needles — she needs to separate herself from Trump after years of groveling, following, and ass kissing.
Just like the rest of them.
And her clumsy attempts shows that there is no good way to do this.
I would love for us to run against a candidate who said this. After all, what kind of judgment does it show to follow someone for four long years when it was clearly the wrong path? This statement is desperate, pathetic, and doomed to failure.
But the sad part is, at this late point in their pathetic and unpatriotic game, there is no better move because there is no good move.
This is where Republicans are today.
And that is why this trial is about giving Republicans one last chance to do the right thing, while knowing that they will not do it. This trial is a chance to get them on record as being complicit with the greatest crime a president has ever perpetuated against America.
This should be the easiest vote in the world. That it isn’t speaks volumes about them and we will use that to show the American people who they have been voting for. We will use their votes to win future elections and increase freedom, equality, truth, justice and prosperity for all.
The Republicans are on trial this week.
Those who vote to acquit the former president will now own it all: The incendiary speech that made the nation’s capital a killing ground but also the months of incitement and lying that built up to the violence.
They will own the threats against elected officials who refused to cheat on Trump’s behalf, the attacks on Black voters in big cities, and the savage mendacity of his all-caps tweets.
The punditry says that fewer than 10 Republican Senators are likely to vote for Trump’s conviction. This will be an outrage, a sign that a once great party has surrendered to craven opportunism or, worse, brutal authoritarianism. But thanks to the work of the impeachment managers, the country will know how spineless the party has become.
Their “no” votes will convict them.
Before we go onto the good news (and there is a lot) let’s have a little musical break from my good friend Tyler Wescott of Folkfaces. His original song “When Lockdown Lifts” might just be the best five minutes of your day. Check it out:
Like it? Head over to YouTube and give it a “thumbs up”! Share it with your friends! Or just enjoy it ❤️
Now onto the good news:
Biden and the Democrats are doing great things
We worked hard for this government and they are working hard for us!
Biden and Democrats prepare to act fast on judges, having learned lesson from Trump
it's Biden's turn, and so far his administration is signaling that judicial nominations will be a major priority and that Democrats may even tear pages from Trump's playbook on the issue.
There are 60 current eligible vacancies and 20 vacancies that will occur down the road as judges have formally announced their intentions to retire, take senior status or resign, according to the Administrative Office of the US Courts.
Biden has vowed to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, and even before his inauguration his transition team sent a letter to Democratic senators seeking recommendations for district court vacancies that might arise.
There is also an effort afoot to speed up the confirmation process by no longer allowing the American Bar Association to vet judicial candidates before they are nominated.
Biden says U.S. will have enough vaccine for 300 million people by end of July
President Biden said Thursday that his administration had finalized deals for another 200 million doses of the two coronavirus vaccines authorized in the United States, giving the country enough vaccine by the end of July to cover every American adult.
The announcement was the centerpiece of an emotional address from Biden, who made a point of speaking through his mask as he called it a “patriotic responsibility” to wear one.
Together, Pfizer and Moderna had already agreed to provide 400 million doses to the United States. Biden said some of those doses would be delivered sooner than anticipated, guaranteeing enough supply by the end of May to vaccinate 200 million people under the two-dose protocols. Pfizer had already expedited its delivery schedule for those doses, and a Moderna spokesman confirmed Thursday that the Cambridge-based company could do the same.
Biden Is the Big Spender America Wants
President Biden’s plans to rescue the economy command overwhelming, bipartisan support.
You might have thought that Democratic plans for a big rescue package, probably close to the $1.9 trillion the Biden administration has proposed, would lead to a Tea Party-style backlash. But a recent CBS News poll found that 79 percent of those surveyed either believe that the package is the right size or think that it’s too small. There are, of course, partisan differences, but even among Republicans, 61 percent support a plan as big as or bigger than the one in the works.
Democrats held strong on the COVID relief bill
Many cynically expected (I expected!) Democrats to capitulate to Republican demands like they did while negotiating the 2009 health care bill when they eliminated the public option for no fucking reason. But they didn’t. Senator Chuck Schumer, emboldened by either the majority leader’s gavel or fear that he’s about to be primaried by somebody who New York voters find more appealing, has stood up to Mitch McConnell, stood up to bad faith negotiating by Republicans. What may have been an opportunity for Democrats to blame Republicans for watering down COVID relief became an opportunity for Democrats to show strength.
Republicans will pay for not supporting this
Democrats are plowing forward with plans to pass a massive Covid-19 relief package. And if Republicans don't join them, they won’t forget it.
Already, there’s talk about midterm attack ads portraying Republicans as willing to slash taxes for the wealthy but too stingy to cut checks for people struggling during the deadly pandemic. And President Joe Biden’s aides and allies are vowing not to make the same mistakes as previous administrations going into the midterms elections. They are pulling together plans to ensure Americans know about every dollar delivered and job kept because of the bill they’re crafting. And there is confidence that the Covid-19 relief package will ultim
Democrats eye big ACA changes in COVID relief bill
Democrats' coronavirus relief proposal includes major changes to the Affordable Care Act, aiming to make health insurance more affordable for the millions of people who have lost their employer-based coverage during the pandemic.
The big picture: These changes would check off a whole lot of moderate Democrats' heath care agenda, at least temporarily. They include some of the biggest changes that President Biden campaigned on.
House committee advances key portion of Covid-19 relief bill hours after Democrats finish arguments in impeachment trial
The committee's portion of the bill, which totals $940 billion, makes up a hefty piece of the coronavirus relief package Democrats are working on and includes two key provisions:
$1,400 stimulus checks and an expansion of the child tax credit.
New Biden rules for ICE point to fewer arrests and deportations, and a more restrained agency
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to issue new guidelines to agents this week that could sharply curb arrests and deportations, as the Biden administration attempts to assert more control over an agency afforded wide latitude under President Donald Trump, according to internal memos and emails obtained by The Washington Post.
Biden takes a step correlated to winning a second term: Reinstating the presidential weekly address
Only two recent presidents haven’t embraced the tradition of the weekly address: the elder Bush and Trump. After he began the tradition, Reagan produced a weekly address on 78 percent of the weeks he was in office. Bill Clinton did on 98 percent of the weeks he was president. President George W. Bush did on 99 percent and President Barack Obama on 95 percent — including more than a half-dozen occasions on which his vice president, Joe Biden, did the speaking.
Biden meets with key senators to start bipartisan talks on infrastructure spending
President Biden and key members of the Senate talked up the prospects of a bipartisan push to craft an infrastructure package they hope will create jobs and help rebuild the nation’s transportation networks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I really, honest to God, never have thought of infrastructure as being a partisan issue,” Biden said before meeting with senators Thursday in the Oval Office.
Joe Biden’s Secret Superpower Is Just What America Needs
Biden is an unlikely superhero, but it is time to acknowledge that America’s 46th president has a superpower. Unlike most of the rest of us, Biden seems to be able to tune his predecessor out, to give him precisely the amount of attention a washed-up game show host deserves. Biden is even able to turn his predecessor’s mutant ego-driven tractor-beam against him. You can almost hear the howls of pain from Mar-a-Lago as Biden simply goes about his daily business, doing his work and ignoring Trump altogether.
Biden considering Lisa Cook for open Fed seat
President Biden is considering nominating Lisa Cook, an economist at Michigan State University, to fill an open seat on the Federal Reserve Board, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: The appointment would be historic, since Cook would be the first Black woman to join the Fed. It also would reveal the new president's preferences for monetary policy and how he may reconstitute the Fed, including the chairmanship.
Biden to begin admitting migrants forced by Trump to wait in Mexico
The Biden administration will soon begin allowing migrants into the U.S. who, because of a Trump-era policy, have been forced to remain in Mexico while their asylum cases are processed.
As part of the new administration’s efforts to overhaul the immigration system, the Department of Homeland Security, starting next Friday, will begin the first phase of a program to gradually let in migrants with active cases under the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Biden moving to withdraw Trump-approved Medicaid work rules
The Biden administration on Friday will notify states it plans to revoke Medicaid work requirements, starting the process of dismantling one of the Trump administration's signature health policies.
The move is one of several steps that Biden’s health department is expected to take this week to unravel the contentious work rules long criticized by Democrats, according to internal documents obtained by POLITICO.
The Chamber embraces Biden. And Republicans are livid.
Over the past month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has taken a series of steps that have enraged its traditional Republican allies. It applauded much of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan to Covid relief bill; cheered Biden’s decision to rejoin the Paris climate agreement; backed the former leader of the liberal Center of American Progress, Neera Tanden, for Office of Management and Budget director; and expressed openness to raising the minimum wage, though not to $15 an hour.
Biden’s Dems Have a Lovefest While the GOP Devours Itself
It’s been three months since Biden won the election and so far the left hasn’t broken with him, either on the merits or just for the fun of it—to the dismay of Republicans who were counting on it.
So much for Biden’s left, or right, wing having him for lunch before he unpacked his bags. That’s not to say there isn’t a civil war, it’s just raging on the other side, divided over impeachment and legislation. On the latter, the GOP is so split it’s curbed Biden’s habit of excessive bipartisanship.
In the Senate, Republicans know Antietam is coming and in a world without a roll call vote, there might well be 17 of them who would choose not to shed another drop of blood for Trump. But cowards abound and, counting liberally, I can get to 10 who might stand up.
It takes two parties to run a country but Republicans are now one that makes serial bargains with the devil to stay in power. As for Democrats, they know honeymoons don’t last. The dishes get dirty, the lawn grows weedy, there are diapers to be changed. But the marriage looks very stable and is likely to endure, based as it is on shared values. The GOP can only dream of such a thing.
How Biden United a Fractious Party Under One Tent
For years, Bernie Sanders and Joseph R. Biden Jr. wrestled over the Democratic Party’s future in a public tug of war that spanned three elections, two administrations and one primary contest.
But when Mr. Sanders walked into his first Oval Office meeting with the new president last week and saw the large portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt opposite the Resolute Desk, the liberal luminary felt as if he were no longer battling Mr. Biden for the soul of the party.
“President Biden understands that, like Roosevelt, he has entered office at a time of extraordinary crises and that he is prepared to think big and not small in order to address the many, many problems facing working families,” Mr. Sanders said in an interview. “There is an understanding that if we’re going to address the crises facing this country, we’re all in it together.”
After a 15-month primary contest that highlighted deep divides within the party, Mr. Biden and his fractious Democratic coalition are largely holding together. United by a moment of national crisis and the lingering influence of his predecessor, the new president is enjoying an early honeymoon from the political vise of a progressive wing that spent months preparing to squeeze the new administration.
Before we move on to the lighter side, enjoy our first lady and her husband, Handsome Joe, out with their dogs. You may have to turn up the volume to hear them but it is worth it for this four minute breath of fresh air!
On the lighter side
a final musical interlude
Happy Galentine’s day!
Enjoy all the great things our party is doing!
But also keep in mind that Republicans are going to republican.
The only way they can win is by keeping people from voting so they are working like heck to make that happen and we need to do all we can to keep 2022 from being a year when they grab the Senate and House back from us.
How do we do that? Fight voter suppression!
What can you do?
- Contact your local representative NOW to encourage them to pass the For the People Act. This link makes it easy to do!
- The ACLU plays a key role in filing lawsuits that often stop voter suppression. Get involved with them at this link.
- The League of Women Voters work year-round to combat voter suppression through advocacy, grassroots organizing, legal action and public education. You can get involved with them at this link
- Volunteer with Black Votes Matter at this link. They have on the ground work in 10 states and people from other states can write postcards, phone bank, fundraise, and text.
- Spread The Vote works to get voters IDs before voting begins. You can volunteer with them at this link.
- Finally, when it comes time to pass HR1 (the new voting rights act) the Democrats will have to end the filibuster to do it. It will not pass without that. 10 Republicans will not vote for it. So, when the time comes, you will need to call, call, call and call your Senators to push them to do this. If you live in Arizona, Montana, or West Virginia, you may want to put in for some vacation time to really devote yourself to it. It will be the only option. Get ready!
I am so lucky and so proud to be in this with you ❤️ ✊ ❤️