;)
The Commentariat -- December 7, 2020
Afternoon Update:
The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. The New York Times' live updates for Monday are here.
Lee Facher of STAT: "Both Pfizer and Moderna, the two major drug manufacturers likely to receive emergency authorizations for a Covid-19 vaccine in the coming weeks, have rejected invitations from President Trump to appear at a White House 'Vaccine Summit' on Tuesday, according to two sources familiar with the event's planning.... The vaccine manufacturers' absences will be conspicuous at a 'Vaccine Summit,' an event that drug industry figures and one Trump administration official largely viewed as a public relations stunt when STAT first reported the event last week. The event appeared to be an effort for the administration to claim credit for the rapid development of a Covid-19 vaccine and to pressure the Food and Drug Administration to move quickly on an authorization." MB: I heard on the teevee that among those not invited to the so-called summit: anyone from Joe Biden's Covid-19 team. So, yeah, to no one's surprise, this is a Me-Me-Me-Me affair; not a means to help Americans find out what's going on.
Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Monday declined to tighten controls on industrial soot emissions, disregarding an emerging scientific link between dirty air and Covid-19 death rates. In one of the final policy moves of an administration that has spent the past four years weakening or rolling back more than 100 environmental regulations, the Environmental Protection Agency completed a regulation that keeps in place, rather than tightening, rules on tiny, lung-damaging industrial particles, known as PM 2.5, even though the agency's own scientists have warned of the links between the pollutants and respiratory illness."
Michigan. Armed Trumpbots Terrorize 4-Year-Old. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson had just finished wrapping string lights around her home's portico on Saturday evening and was about to watch 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' with her 4-year-old son when a crowd of protesters marched up carrying American flags and guns. About two dozen protesters chanted 'Stop the Steal' and accused Benson, a Democrat and Michigan's chief election officer, of ignoring widespread voter fraud -- an echo of President Trump's continued unfounded claims as he seeks to overturn the results of the election that President-elect Joe Biden won. Although the group dispersed with no arrests when police responded just before 10 p.m. Saturday, Michigan state officials accused the group of 'terrorizing' Benson's family. '... at least one individual could be heard shouting "you're murderers" within earshot of her child's bedroom,' Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy (D) said in a joint statement on Sunday.... Vitriolic rhetoric has led bipartisan leaders to warn that Trump's baseless attacks on the election are endangering election officials' lives."
~~~ Miss Sidney Regrets She's Been Laughed Out of Court Again. Pete Williams of NBC News: "A federal judge in Michigan on Monday denied a Republican effort to undo the certification of President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election in the state and rejected every aspect of the case, one of the lawsuits filed by ... Trump supporter Sidney Powell. The allegations of fraud were based on 'nothing but speculation and conjecture,' U.S. District Court Judge Linda Parker said.... The claims amounted to 'an amalgamation of theories, conjecture, and speculation that such alterations were possible,' she said. Parker was also harshly critical of the plaintiffs -- Trump presidential electors -- for waiting so long to file their lawsuit."
Georgia. Ditto. Adam Klasfeld of Law & Crime: "Hours after failing in a similar lawsuit in Michigan, pro-Trump attorneys Sidney Powell and Lin Wood lost their effort to decertify Georgia's election before a federal judge who called their bid the most audacious he had ever seen. 'The relief that the plaintiffs seek, this court cannot grant,' U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten ruled from the bench after a roughly hourlong hearing, where he called 'the most extraordinary relief ever sought' for an election in a court. Judge Batten, a conservative judge appointed by George W. Bush, noted that allowing the case to stand would amount to 'judicial activism,' as it requested relief far beyond his power." ~~~
~~~ Chandelis Duster of CNN: "Georgia is set to recertify its presidential election results on Monday, which will again find Joe Biden as the winner following three counts of ballots, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said."
A New York Times obituary for former Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) is here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Real Political News
AP: "The annual Remembrance Day ceremony to commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor will be closed to the public this year and streamed online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The ceremony will begin at 7:50 a.m. on Dec. 7 at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial's Contemplation Circle in Hawaii. A small number of veterans will be in attendance on site, Hawaii News Now reported. A moment of silence will be observed at 7:55 a.m., the time when the Japanese attack on the American naval base began in 1941."
Sheryl Stolberg & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has selected Xavier Becerra, the Democratic attorney general of California, as his nominee for secretary of health and human services, tapping a former congressman who would be the first Latino to run the department as it battles the surging coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Becerra became Mr. Biden's clear choice only over the past few days, according to people familiar with the transition's deliberations, and was a surprise. Mr. Becerra has carved out a profile more on the issues of criminal justice, immigration and tax policy, and he was long thought to be a candidate for attorney general. But as attorney general in California, he has been at the forefront of legal efforts on health care, leading 20 states and the District of Columbia in a campaign to protect the Affordable Care Act from being dismantled by Republican attorneys general. He has also been a leading voice in the Democratic Party for women's health." Politico's story is here.
Tyler Pager of Politico: "President-elect Joe Biden has selected Rochelle Walensky, the chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. Walensky, who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an expert on AIDS and HIV, will be tasked with rebuilding a critical health agency that has been sidelined by the Trump administration amid a pandemic. Walensky will ... take a top role in helping the Biden administration curtail the coronavirus pandemic. Biden is planning to announce Walensky along with a slate of top health officials this week, including Xavier Becerra as secretary of Health and Human Services, Jeff Zients as the Covid-19 coordinator and Vivek Murthy as surgeon general. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a professor at Yale who is an expert on health care inequality, will have a senior role focused on health disparities."
Harry Enten of CNN: " A new Gallup poll finds that President-elect Joe Biden has a 55% favorable rating and a 41% unfavorable rating. The same poll gives ... Donald Trump a 42% favorable rating and a 57% unfavorable rating.... Biden is more popular than Trump has been at any point since he started running for president in June 2015." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser
Trump's Swan Song? Flipping the Bird at America. Alayna Treene of Axios: "President Trump is considering a made-for-TV grand finale: a White House departure on Marine One and final Air Force One flight to Florida for a political rally opposite Joe Biden's inauguration, sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios.... Immediately announcing he is running for re-election in 2024 would set up four years of Trump playing Biden's critic-in-chief. The visual also would embody the vast difference in the two leaders' approaches to the pandemic. And flying off from the South Lawn before landing in Florida would let Trump escape protests, the normal pleasantries of welcoming the incoming president to the White House -- and sitting there while Biden takes the oath of office." MB: Treene speculates that Trump's plan "could create a split-screen moment." It shouldn't. The networks, C-SPAN, whoever, should ignore the Biggest Loser.
Matthew Choi & Daniel Lippman of Politico in Politico Magazine: "Presidents have generally succeeded in ... managing to project an image of executive competence no matter how absurd the backstage dynamics. And then came Donald Trump. 'Every day was like a Veep episode,' said one former senior administration official, recounting his time working for Trump. 'You tried to win each day, but like most Veep episodes, it typically ended in disaster.' Maintaining the normal veneer of smooth competence proved impossible in a White House that struggled from the start to find disciplined aides, and where the boss's whims and ego made even Veep's Selina Meyer seem levelheaded. As for keeping it hidden, not even close: Trumpworld's constant leaks and backstabbing ensured that all of America saw its dirty laundry.... From the administration's very first press conference to its last ham-handed attempts to reverse its loss at the polls, the Trump show kept delivering nuggets that could easily have slid into a Veep script -- and in at least one case literally replicated a Veep plot point.... Here\s Politico Magazine's unscientific, non-exhaustive reconstruction of Trump's four years in office, told through its most Veep-worthy moments." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Katie Benner, et al., of the New York Times: "Attorney General William P. Barr is considering stepping down before President Trump's term ends next month, according to three people familiar with this thinking. One said Mr. Barr could announce his departure before the end of the year. It was not clear whether the attorney general's deliberations were influenced by Mr. Trump's refusal to concede his election loss or his fury over Mr. Barr's acknowledgment last week that the Justice Department uncovered no widespread voting fraud. In the ensuing days, the president refused to say whether he still had confidence in his attorney general.... But ... by leaving early, Mr. Barr could avoid a confrontation with the president over his refusal to advance Mr. Trump's efforts to rewrite the election results.... Mr. Barr has not made a final decision...." MB: Looks like one of those calculated fake leaks designed to improve Barr's rep. Sorry, Bill, you blew your cover long ago. Update: A CNN story is here.
Oops! Martin Pengelly & Amanda Holpuch of the Guardian: "White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany appeared on Sunday to admit Donald Trump lost the presidential election.... In an interview on Fox News, McEnany discussed runoff elections in Georgia in January which will decide control of the Senate. 'If we lose these two Senate seats,' she said, 'guess who's casting the deciding vote in this country for our government? It will be Kamala Harris.'... Harris, a senator from California, will become vice-president [and sometimes preside over the Senate & could break tie votes]."
The Peasants Revolt. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Fox News viewers expressed outrage at Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace on Sunday after he repeatedly insisted that Joe Biden is the rightful president-elect. Wallace made the remarks during an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who referred to Biden as a former vice president. 'He's president-elect,' Wallace told Azar multiple times." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Georgia. Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "Top Georgia Republicans criticized President Trump on Sunday for spreading falsehoods and misinformation about the election, warning that his comments could make it harder for the GOP to win its upcoming Senate races and arguing that his continued attacks on the process put local officials in danger. The state's lieutenant governor also publicly rebuffed Trump's calls for a special session of the legislature to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the state, saying, 'We're certainly not going to move the goal posts at this point in the election.'... During a Sunday interview on CNN, Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) said Trump was fanning the flames of misinformation and called the president's false claims 'concerning.' Duncan also criticized the president for suggesting the election had been 'stolen' from him...." ~~~
~~~ The Guardian's story is here. Headline: "Trump's attacks on election integrity 'disgust me', says senior Georgia Republican.
Georgia Senate Race. Crazy Inhabits the GOP. Richard Fausset & Rick Rojas of the New York Times: "In a televised debate on Sunday night, Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Georgia Republican, declined to say that President Trump had lost the election, arguing instead that the president had 'every legal recourse available' to pursue his baseless assertion that the vote in Georgia was rigged against him.... She used the debate to label her Democratic opponent, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, as a 'radical liberal' more than a dozen times over the course of an hour. Mr. Warnock criticized Ms. Loeffler, one of the richest members of the Senate, for making a large number of stock trades after she attended a briefing on the coronavirus in January. Ms. Loeffler did not answer directly when asked whether members of Congress should be barred from trading stocks.... The other runoff race in Georgia pits [Sen. David] Perdue, a former corporate executive, against Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old Democrat and documentary filmmaker. Mr. Perdue declined to attend a debate with Mr. Ossoff on Sunday, which resulted in a strange 30-minute session in which Mr. Ossoff faced off against an empty lectern." A CNN story is here.
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Felicia Sonmez & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer, has contracted the coronavirus, the president said Sunday in a tweet.... Giuliani traveled to states including Michigan and Georgia last week and met indoors with state legislators in an effort to persuade them to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Videos of the appearances showed Giuliani was not wearing a mask during the meetings. Hours before Trump's tweet, Giuliani appeared on Fox News's 'Sunday Morning Futures,' where he repeated the president's false claims of election fraud.... When he has been around others who have tested positive, Giuliani has not quarantined, including after a news conference last month at the Republican National Committee's headquarters when his son tested positive." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A Guardian story is here. ~~~
~~~ Arizona. Maria Polletta of the Arizona Republic: "The Arizona Legislature will close for a week 'out of an abundance of caution' after Rudy Giuliani ... possibly exposed several Republican lawmakers to COVID-19. The president announced Giuliani had tested positive for the virus Sunday afternoon, less than a week after the former New York City mayor visited Arizona as part of a multistate tour aimed at contesting 2020 election results. The 76-year-old was later admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center. Giuliani had spent more than 10 hours discussing election concerns with Arizona Republicans -- including two members of Congress and at least 13 current and future state lawmakers -- at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix last Monday. He led the meeting maskless, flouting social distancing guidelines and posing for photos. Giuliani also met privately with Republican lawmakers and legislative leadership the next day, according to lawmakers' social media posts."
Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "A doctor who is skeptical of coronavirus vaccines and promotes the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a Covid-19 treatment will be the lead witness at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday, prompting criticism from Democrats who say Republicans should not give a platform to someone who spreads conspiracy theories. Dr. Jane M. Orient is the executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a group that opposes government involvement in medicine and views federal vaccine mandates as a violation of human rights.... Her selection as a witness as federal health officials are trying to promote a vaccine as a way to end a pandemic that has killed more than 281,000 Americans prompted harsh criticism from Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader.... A spokesman for the chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, did not immediately return an email message asking why Dr. Orient had been invited to testify." ~~~
~~~ Marie: For some years, we here at Reality Chex have been labeling Ron Johnson "America's Stupidest Senator." I had thought that was our idea alone, but it turns out if you Google "America's dumbest senator," you get an awful lot of hits. In any event, America's stupidest Senator did the smart thing Sunday when he hid from the New York Times, so as not to get caught saying something really stupid.
Not the Best Way to Save Your Business. Mihir Zaveri of the New York Times: "The manager of a Staten Island bar who has repeatedly and flamboyantly defied New York's coronavirus restrictions hit a sheriff's deputy with his Jeep early Sunday as he unsuccessfully tried to escape arrest, the sheriff's office said. The bar, Mac's Public House, was ordered closed by the state on Wednesday, but deputies said they found several patrons being served there on Saturday night. When deputies confronted the manager, Daniel Presti, he fled to his Jeep and drove into one of the deputies, throwing him onto the hood, according to the sheriff's office. Mr. Presti, 34, faces 10 charges, including assault with intent to cause injury to an officer, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and resisting arrest, according to a criminal complaint filed on Sunday." MB: As many of you know, Staten Island is the NYC hub for crazy wingers. ~~~
~~~ Before Presti ran down the deputy, Pete Davidson commented on earlier protests at Mac's Public House:
Bart Barnes of the Washington Post: "Paul S. Sarbanes, who as a young Maryland congressman drafted and introduced the first article of impeachment against President Richard M. Nixon and as a five-term U.S. senator tightened the regulation of corporate accounting practices after corruption scandals at Enron and other businesses, died Dec. 6 in Baltimore. He was 87. The death was confirmed by his son Rep. John Sarbanes, who represents Maryland's 3rd Congressional District."
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Reader Comments (12)
It’s no surprise that a hopelessly insecure, wretchedly narcissistic, petty, vindictive, little man like Fatty would hold a “But What About Me?” rally opposite the Biden inauguration, but this is one time that the media (the real media, that is) must absolutely stay away. Let him lick his wounds and thump his flabby chest with his tiny hands and screech “Fraud!!!” to the drooling donkeys and white supremacist brownshirts. But give the legitimate President, the guy who garnered more votes than any candidate in US history, his rightful moment without allowing the pests and the crooks and cranks to stink up the joint.
The media has a lot to answer for. In many ways, Donald Trump only won in 2016 because they helped build him up. They went after Clinton with everything they had but Trump was given millions of dollars of free publicity. The Trump resurrection, after years of stunning losses, was brought about by NBC’s Jeff Zucker, who later, as head of CNN, cut into regular program every time Trump farted, during the campaign.
The media both siders helped immeasurably to muddy the waters during Fatty’s reign of terror. And now he’s starting another campaign during which he’ll be holding rally after rally for the next four years, taking every opportunity to do to Biden what he claimed no one had the right to do to him. The media can either help him back to power or stand up for something more than their bottom line.
I certainly don’t think they will, but they should. The original Communications Act of 1934, established the fact that broadcasters did not own the airwaves. The public did. Broadcasters were being permitted to use the airwaves and along with that grant, came a responsibility to operate in the public interest. Much of that responsibility was submerged as Republicans, under Reagan, attacked the idea that there should be any space for the public good.
But broadcasters still have a responsibility to demonstrate to the FCC that they are doing something (anything) to serve the public.
The biggest service they could now provide is to slam the door on the screeching Orange Menace as he tries to slither back into the White House. Because if the media helps him again, the next Trump “administration” will go after them too, and will reboot what they started: the destruction of democracy and the institution of a permanent authoritarian state.
Good night, folks. Fade to orange.
Joe Biden has tapped ANOTHER highly qualified professional for an important public health position (CDC head)??
What is going on? What happened to putting inept, inexperienced political hacks in important jobs?
I’m gonna have to go lie back down.
So, this Daniel Presti idiot...he’s the latest hero on the right, owning the libs by promoting the infection and death of fellow idiots. Boy, I dunno ‘bout you kids, but I certainly feel “owned”. Damn that Presti douchebag!
But what about this little thing of him trying to run down a deputy while evading arrest? Will Sean Hannity declare him an enemy of the people (ie, a liberal, minority, Muslim)? Or will he still be a hee-roe of real ‘mericans?
What happens to Blue Lives Matter when the violent, law-breaking person assaulting the police (a real assault; not protesting which gets presented as “assault”) is a far-right, Trumpy white asshole? I mean, he’s the Fox kinda guy, right?
I guess it wasn’t really him who try to run down a cop. Musta been some anti-American BLM criminal.
I can’t seem to muster much sympathy for Deborah Birx who has all of a sudden realized that this pandemic thing is some serious shit. Back when she was shilling for a murderous maniac, getting plenty of face time on the TV screen, she wasn’t nearly as vocal. I’m glad she’s finally found her voice, but she’s kinda like the person who shows up for a party after it’s almost over. A drunk guy is sleeping on the sofa, empties litter the floor, but there’s still a few crumbly potato chips left.
Care for a chip, Deb?
I hope the Lincoln Project will launch broadsides against the MSM if they try to feature the Rodent of Cheese in his quest to become relevant again at the same time as we have a mostly quiet inaugural event for Joe. But I don't put it past any of them. I have never forgiven Chris Matthews for putting the rallies right up there every damn night, for free. Meanwhile, we have responsible teevee pundits, like Stephanie Ruhl on MSNBC, telling the public about the experience their families and themselves have had with Covid. Last night a nurse in our paper had a huge story about what she goes through every minute of her day. It shakes anyone to read it. Of course, the trouble is, she is preaching to the choir. The morons on the right won't read it, or understand it, or believe it. Keep marching along, legislators, Rudy, skeezy lawyers, whoever. Eventually you or someone you know will have it...
Is there a way to impeach the whole collective Republican Party? Republican Bad Faith
Though few who experienced it remain alive, since its celebrations were very fresh in the culture of my youth, I'm mindful that today is Pearl Harbor Day's 79th anniversary.
Seems like another world, because in so many ways it was.
@Akhilleus: As far as I can tell, Birx -- unlike Fauci -- is not a civil servant. At least in the not-too-distant past (Obama admin.) she has been a political nominee requiring Senate confirmation. If my supposition is correct, then her sudden interest in warning of the dark winter ahead is probably a way to make herself a more attractive recipient of a Biden appointment.
Forgot to add:
Especially after the last four years of unremitting infamy.
@Jeanne: The nurse who managed to get it together to the point she could describe what she has gone through in caring for Covid-19 patients probably will get hate mail & calls for her professional decertification. Just thinking about what hospital workers endure -- and of course I have no real idea of how harrowing it is -- brings me to tears.
KW: My family lived on Koko drive in the hills to the east of Honolulu and could see Pearl Harbor fro the back yaed, On that morning they thought it was another drill and mother said they wondered why it was black smoke instead of the usual white. Then the Japanese planes flew over.
Marie: I know she will-- I don't expect too many gun-humpers to show up at her house, but the idea that every day she holds one hand after another as they die without their families makes me quivery for her sanity. I imagine a lot of PTSD will be infesting so many of the selfless health care workers in the coming months and years. And us without any kind of mental health structure for support to speak of...
I put this squarely on the Squatter in the White House-- all of it. And a Medal of Honor to be delivered to Ms. Benson of Michigan. Pretty brave.