We have the ability to write the script for the future. We don't have to live in the story that the far right is writing. We can act in ways that fight darkness and fear and hate -- not by pretending they are not there but by countering them with love and courage and unity.
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The future is unknown. We can guess what may happen, but we can’t know for sure. We know that we have the ability, though our actions, to alter the course of history. We have the ability to push society towards equality and peace and love. We have the ability, working together, to bend the arc towards justice. We don’t need to give the far right licence to write the future of our country. We can bring our own pen. We can write our own future.
Republicans are divided
There are many ways forward from this mess (that don’t lead to more mess) and I think the key to a lot of them is a Republican party in disarray. If your party isn’t united, then you spend a lot of time on inter-party squabbling. You don’t stand up for one another. You have a hard time getting anything done. You don’t attract many new people. Half of you don’t support the other half and you are always at risk for a splinter candidate running as an independent and pulling a lot of your base.
As Democrats, we are all too aware of that.
But at this point, it is the Republicans who are at huge risk of a really serious fissure. The party is currently made up of people who put up with Trump because they are Republicans and people who put up with Republicans because they love Trump. We are seeing those two split and it will affect them in all kinds of ways that will be bad for them, good for us, and good for America.
First, we see that Trump is losing his grip on some of the party
polls aren’t great for trump
Since the riot, Trump’s overall approval rating has pushed disapproval rating above 60 percent in some polls. Morning Consult noted a “significant decline” in support for Trump with a 60 percent overall disapproval rating and Marist found 51 percent of respondents now strongly disapproved of Trump’s handling of the country, the “first time a majority has held this view.”
Trump slipped somewhat in his approval ratings among Republicans in the wake of the riot—MorningConsult charted an 8 point drop in its approval tracking. But poll still show Trump with strong support among Republicans. Reuters-Ipsos, Quinnipiac, and MorningConsult found Trump enjoyed approval ratings of over 70 percent among Republicans surveyed.
this one out yesterday was even worse: New poll shows Trump’s support dropping sharply among Republicans
The poll shows Trump with a disastrous 29 percent approval rating among US adults. Notably, this rating, the lowest of his presidency, appears to be driven in large part by a significant minority of Republicans who have lost faith in the president. Only 60 percent of Republicans approve of Trump, a stark drop from previous Pew polls.
The poll potentially bodes bad news for the Republican Party, as it shows that a rift may be forming within the GOP between hardcore Trump loyalists and Republicans who would prefer to see the party leader fade away.
Even this asshole hates Trump → McConnell about to school Trump on political power for the last time
For Republicans, allowing Trump to continue to be eligible to run for president is a recipe for disaster. Trump simply cannot win in a general election. The combination of events at the Capitol and his ejection from the major social media platforms is fatal.
McConnell needs just 18 votes to finish off Trump. Conviction on impeachment can bring with it a ban on holding federal office — which includes the presidency. A two-thirds majority or 67 votes is necessary for conviction. For McConnell that means 18 votes if West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin opposes or 17 if Manchin joins in. (Preferably, McConnell would want to get to 68 votes so that no Republican could be accused of being the one vote that convicted Trump).
Surprisingly, getting the votes might not be that difficult. Because Trump simply rages uncontrollably — without thought or foresight — at the slightest criticism or disagreement, he has managed to alienate plenty of Republican senators, most of whom have been winning elections in their home states long before Trump barged onto the scene — and often with much greater margins. Add to that the staggered terms in the Senate, as opposed to the House, and that several senators may be in their last term with nothing to lose, and you have a toxic stew of animus about to be served up to Trump.
and his big money guys are turning on him: Corporate America takes away Trump’s toys
A litany of companies have released statements condemning the storming of the Capitol the day the Electoral College votes were to be counted.
As Derek Thompson put it in the Atlantic, it’s not the “deep state” that wound up getting Trump in the end but instead the free market, where many players have discovered they can do something about the president after all.
Twitter has permanently banned Trump from its platform, along with many of the scariest right-wing voices that encouraged and fomented the attack on the Capitol. Facebook has barred the president at least through Joe Biden’s inauguration, maybe longer, and is clamping down on “Stop the Steal” content. Shopify took down Trump’s online stores, and Stripe, PayPal, and Square say they’re no longer helping him or his allies process payments. Across the internet, Trump has become persona non grata. Google, Amazon, and Apple have all cracked down on Parler, a social media platform where toxic content spreads.
Deutsche Bank, for years the only bank that has been willing to do business with Trump, says it’s done dealing with him going forward. The PGA is pulling its golf tournament from Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. New York City is ending its contracts with the Trump Organization.
Multiple corporations have paused political donations, and while that’s not a panacea for the problem of money in politics, it’s a start. Powerful backers of Trump and other Republicans who have pushed the limits on casting doubt on the election outcome are expressing regret and rejection.
Trump tried to invite Bill Belichick, the coach of the New England Patriots, to the White House to give him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Belichick turned him down, citing the “tragic events” of January 6. That’s quite a turnaround from a guy who ahead of the 2016 election wrote Trump a letter wishing him luck for results that would give the opportunity to “make America great again” and spoke about their “friendship and loyalty.”
when you’ve lost the Koch network….. Koch network pledges to 'weigh heavy' lawmakers' actions in riots
The powerful Koch political network, funders of the Tea Party, will “weigh heavy” the actions of members of Congress in the days leading up to and after last week’s siege of the Capitol when considering future donations, in a sign that the GOP’s megadonor class is uncomfortable with the party’s recent actions.
In a statement to POLITICO, the Koch network said it will take last week’s events seriously when deciding where to put its millions of dollars in spending next election cycle.
when you have lost the king sycophant… Mike Pence Calls Kamala Harris to Offer Aid and Congratulations
It was the first time the current and future vice president spoke since they debated each other in the fall. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the impeachment managers were preparing for a Senate trial but declined to elaborate on timing. President-elect Joe Biden will speak this afternoon about his plan to expand vaccinations.
and this isn’t just affecting Trump, but those who supported him. Capitol insurrection may have claimed its first GOP candidacy
When Republican Doug Steinhardt, a pro-Trump candidate for governor of New Jersey, abruptly dropped his month-long campaign Monday night, he cited “unforeseen professional obligations.”
Few in Trenton — Republican or Democrat — bought the excuse.
Though the campaign has denied President Donald Trump was the reason behind Steinhardt’s withdrawal, the narrative has already formed among Trenton insiders: Steinhardt‘s unabashed support of the president before and after last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol had done him irrevocable harm.
Show-Me State Tells Hawley to Show Himself Out, Poll Finds
A majority of Republican Sen. Josh Hawley’s constituents in Missouri believe he should resign after he led the effort to object to the 2020 election result after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a new poll from Data for Progress, the liberal polling shop.
Georgia state senators who backed attempts to overturn presidential election stripped of committee assignments
Three Republican Georgia state senators who supported President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results were demoted Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
so overall we can see that...
Trump’s future looks rotten
President Trump faces a horrid future. He is the first U.S. president in history to be impeached twice; he lost the popular vote twice; he lost both the House and Senate for his party; and more than 383,000 Americans have died from covid-19 on his watch. He has clearly sewn up the title of “worst president ever.” If found guilty by a soon-to-be Democratic-controlled Senate, he will be unable to run for office again and may lose his post-presidential benefits (e.g., salary, travel allowance). But that is far from his biggest worry.
Trump may be sued civilly or charged criminally for tax avoidance or other financial crimes that state prosecutors in New York are investigating. Depending on the charges, he could face significant fines or even imprisonment. (Trump has maintained that he has done nothing improper.)
Speaking of finances, Trump reportedly has more than $400 million in loans coming due. However, his banks are cutting ties. Deutsche Bank, which holds about $340 million of the debt, and Signature Bank do not want to do business with him. It is far from clear what lender is going to take him on as a client. He might need help from his overseas authoritarian friends.
but there will be Republicans who stick with Trump (and thus join in his hatred of the Republicans who will abandon him) Abandon Trump? Deep in the G.O.P. Ranks, the MAGA Mind-Set Prevails
Interviews with more than 40 Republican state and local leaders conducted after the siege at the Capitol show that a vocal wing of the party maintains an almost-religious devotion to the president, and that these supporters don’t hold him responsible for the mob violence last week. The opposition to him emerging among some Republicans has only bolstered their support of him
About half of their party will stick with Trump while the other half tries to move on — they have to to survive. What will this lead to?
The GOP’s existential crisis, explained by a former Republican Congress member
The reality is that the GOP coalition has no shot at a majority if they lose either the establishment or the Trumpian populists. And so if they’re going to have this war, it’s going to put the GOP in the wilderness for a long time, and they each know it. And that’s why it’s intriguing to watch what McConnell does. It’s intriguing to watch the hypocritical gymnastics of Kevin McCarthy. Because they all know if they let this thing break wide open, they’re a minority party for probably a decade.
Maybe this is some kind of “shatter the glass” moment, but there’s no rebuilding strategy. There’s no post-Trump plan. And they all know it.
and this: Has Trump pushed the Republican Party to the breaking point?
People assume that political parties are immortal, but they can and do die. The Federalist Party was, in a sense, the United States’ first political party, led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. But the party veered into authoritarianism and lost any ideological consistency or integrity. It finally withered after its opposition to the War of 1812 (the first time the Capitol was stormed), which was seen as treasonous.
The modern Republican Party has long harbored several factions that lived together uncomfortably — libertarians, evangelicals, states’ rights advocates and (let’s be frank) racists. They have been able to paper over the divides for decades. But in recent years, two factors have propelled the party into crisis. The first is that the Iraq War and the global financial crisis broke the back of the Republican establishment, opening the way for Trump, who appealed not to discredited party elites but to the base, with the help of raw cultural and racial rhetoric.
The second factor has been the increasing awareness of its leaders that it is really not a majority party.
and don’t forget this! Growing GOP problem: Powerlessness
Democrats will soon control the White House, Senate and House. They already dominate most mainstream newsrooms, own Big Tech companies, and often band together inside corporations to force politically motivated decisions.
- Republicans will be left with Mitch McConnell as party leader of a 50-50 Senate, prime time on Fox News and The Wall Street Journal editorial page.
- Most importantly, the right has the Supreme Court, which might prove to be the one reliable counterbalance, and the majority of power at the state level.
Conservatives long ago lost so many key institutions that define the national conversation, including culture, media and higher education.
- But since 1980, the party had political power and policy-making capability.
Now, President Trump has cost Republicans those tools, and the party will have to rebuild around new people and ideas.
ah heck, one more → The post-Trump GOP, gutted
The big picture: The losses are stark and substantial.
- They lost their congressional power.
- Their two leaders, Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, are hamstrung by corporate blacklisting of their election-denying members.
- The GOP brand is radioactive for a huge chunk of America.
- The corporate bans on giving to the 147 House and Senate Republicans who voted against election certification are growing and virtually certain to hold.
- The RNC is a shell of its former self and run by a Trump loyalist.
- Democrats crushed them in fundraising when they were out of power. Imagine their edge with it.
- Sheldon Adelson, the party's biggest donor, died Monday.
- The NRA is weaker than it has ever been, after massive leadership scandals.
- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, once controlled by rock-ribbed Republicans, also gave to Democrats in 2020.
- Rank-and-file Republicans are now scattered on encrypted channels like Signal and fearful of Big Tech platforms.
What to watch: Conservatives hold power in the courts and state legislatures, two foundational pieces to rebuilding their party. But they likely will face a raging internal war over policies and political leaders as they grapple with a post-Trump world — whenever that might be.
meanwhile:
Democrats will control the government and have great plans for it!
Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan calls for stimulus checks, unemployment support and more
Here’s what Biden calls for:
- Direct payments of $1,400 to most Americans, bringing the total relief to $2,000, including December’s $600 payments
- Increasing the federal, per-week unemployment benefit to $400 and extending it through the end of September
- Increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour
- Extending the eviction and foreclosure moratoriums until the end of September
- $350 billion in state and local government aid
- $170 billion for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education
- $50 billion toward Covid-19 testing
- $20 billion toward a national vaccine program in partnership with states, localities and tribes
- Making the Child Tax Credit fully refundable for the year and increasing the credit to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for a child under age 6)
Biden to deploy FEMA, National Guard to set up Covid vaccine clinics across the U.S.
President-elect Joe Biden plans to use FEMA and the National Guard to build coronavirus vaccine clinics across the United States, according to new details of his Covid-19 vaccination plan released by his transition team on Friday.
The Biden administration will also “quickly jumpstart” efforts to make the vaccines available at local pharmacies across the U.S., which should ensure that Americans have access to doses at facilities only miles from their home, according to the plan.
“Here’s the deal: The more people we vaccinate, the faster we do it, the sooner we can save lives and put this pandemic behind us and get back to our lives and loved ones,” Biden said at a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, Thursday night. “We won’t get out of it overnight and we can’t do it as a separated nation.”
Biden’s call for $10,000 in student loan forgiveness not included in stimulus plan
Senior officials of the incoming Biden administration say the president-elect still supports forgiving $10,000 in student debt per borrower although there’s no mention of the loans being cancelled in his outline for a $1.9 trillion stimulus package unveiled on Thursday.
There’s also no reference to extending the payment pause and interest waiver for student loan borrowers that’s expected to expire this month. An aide for the administration said last week that Biden would give borrowers more time before they have to resume their payments.
Here are some of the GREAT things in here:
H.R. 1 *requires* that states let people register to vote online. (Today, 9 states still don't have online registration laws on the books.)
H.R. 1 would mandate that states adopt "automatic voter registration." This doesn't immediately register everyone, to be clear—but it *does* use the info people provide at participating gov't agencies like the DMV to automatically register them to vote, unless they opt out
H.R. 1 would mandate same-day registration for federal elections. No more having to register before a deadline. You could show up to vote on Election Day *or* early and register at your polling place before casting your ballot.
Section 1041 makes it much harder to remove eligible voters from the voter rolls via discriminatory "interstate cross-checks." It also says that cross-check removals can't happen within 6 months of the election.
A large part of H.R. 1 is devoted to expanding voting access for people with disabilities—including letting them register and vote by mail, and creating a pilot program to let them register and request a ballot electronically.
H.R. 1 says that you can't deny a citizen their right to vote because they've been convicted of a criminal offense, unless they are actively serving a felony sentence in a correctional facility at the time of the election. Once you're out, you can vote.
H.R. 1 requires states to use voter-verified paper ballots.
H.R. 1 requires each state to provide at least 15 days of early voting, on consecutive days, with uniform hours that include before 9am and after 5pm.
I can’t overstate how important that bill is. If even PART of it gets passed and put into law we change our country for the good forever. If all Americans can vote, Democrats win. The only path for Republicans is keeping people from vote. Look at Georgia.
This bill will change EVERYTHING.
In addition:
Biden Picks More Women for Cabinet Than His Predecessors Did
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen more women for his cabinet than his six predecessors had at the start of their administrations, according to new research from the Brookings Institution, after women played a key role in his November election win.
The research from the Washington think tank, which was shared with The Wall Street Journal, also found that Mr. Biden’s planned cabinet nominations are on par with those of former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton when it comes to minority representation. Overall, Mr. Biden is on track to have the most diverse group of nominees for Senate-confirmed positions, including those that aren’t in the cabinet, the Brookings report said.
Rep. Linda Sánchez Doesn't Want Anything — 'Not Even a Bench' — Named After Trump After Riot
"I am working on a bill that would mean that nothing — not even a bench, no airport, no highway, no school — nothing – ever bear the name of this traitor," she tells PEOPLE.
Jaime Harrison Is Biden’s Pick for Next D.N.C. Chair
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday named Jaime Harrison as his pick to lead the Democratic National Committee, part of an effort to bolster the committee ahead of what are already expected to be challenging midterm elections for the party.
The selection of Mr. Harrison, on the heels of Mr. Biden’s victories in Arizona and Georgia in November, reflects the president-elect’s longstanding determination for Democrats to compete in once-red states, a recognition that the party will never sustain an enduring congressional majority without making inroads across the Sun Belt.
on the lighter side
Finally lets hear from this guy
This time next week we will have a new government!
I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with you ❤️ ✊ ❤️
Go Bills!