The Commentariat -- January 2, 2021
Afternoon Update:
David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "Three weeks after the [Russian hacking] intrusion came to light, American officials are still trying to understand whether what the Russians pulled off was simply an espionage operation inside the systems of the American bureaucracy or something more sinister, inserting 'backdoor' access into government agencies, major corporations, the electric grid and laboratories developing and transporting new generations of nuclear weapons. At a minimum it has set off alarms about the vulnerability of government and private sector networks in the United States to attack and raised questions about how and why the nation's cyberdefenses failed so spectacularly.... The breach was not detected by any of the government agencies that share responsibility for cyberdefense -- the military's Cyber Command and the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security -- but by a private cybersecurity company, FireEye."
Will Sommer & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "Many of Donald Trump's most dogmatic supporters see a mass protest in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 ... as their last chance to disrupt President-elect Joe Biden's win.... 'Be there, will be wild!' Trump tweeted on Dec. 19.... 'I'm thinking it will be literal war on that day,' one popular comment posted last Wednesday read. 'Where we'll storm offices and physically remove and even kill all the D.C. traitors and reclaim the country.'... Two people familiar with the matter say that in recent days, Trump has told advisers and close associates that he wants to keep fighting in court past Jan. 6 if members of Congress, as expected, end up certifying the electoral college results."
Alayna Treene of Axios: "A growing number of Republican senators -- led by Ted Cruz — announced [Saturday] they also will object to certifying state Electoral College votes on Wednesday and called for resurrecting an Electoral Commission to conduct an emergency audit of the results.... Republicans involved include Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), as well as Sens.-elect Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)."
Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post: When Vice Presidents Richard Nixon & Al Gore presided over a joint session of Congress to announce their own defeats.
Ben Tobin of the Louisville Courier Journal: ... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Louisville home has been vandalized following his blocking of $2,000 stimulus checks to most Americans. As of Saturday morning, messages like 'where's my money' and other expletives were written with spray paint across the front door and bricks of the Kentucky Republican's Highlands residence." ~~~
~~~ Kayla Galloway of ABC-7 Los Angeles: "A home in San Francisco belonging to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was vandalized early Friday morning with an apparent reference to lawmakers' failed efforts to provide Americans with $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks. The graffiti was found on the garage door of Pelosi's home overnight with the phrases '$2K', 'Cancel rent!' and 'We want everything.' As of early Friday afternoon, the garage door was covered with black garbage bags. The vandals also left fake blood and what appears to be a pig head outside the House Speaker's San Francisco home."
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Joanna Walters of the Guardian: "... in dueling New Year's Eve declarations, [Donald] Trump boasted of accomplishments in office, calling them 'historic victories' despite his resounding loss in November's election and a pandemic that has never been under control and is entering its darkest phase with record deaths in parallel with chaotic early vaccine distribution. [Joe] Biden praised healthcare workers on the front lines and looked ahead to his prospects of delivering what he has promised will be a transformative first 100 days in office in terms of dealing with the coronavirus, the battered economy, global re-engagement by the US and taking action on the climate crisis."
The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser
Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "President Trump took to Twitter Friday evening to make the unfounded assertion that Georgia's two Senate races are 'illegal and invalid,' an argument that could complicate his efforts to convince his supporters to turn out for Republican candidates in the two runoff races that will determine which party controls the Senate.... Mr. Trump made his assertion about the Senate races in a Twitter thread in which he also made the baseless claim that 'massive corruption' took place in the general election, 'which gives us far more votes than is necessary to win all of the Swing States.'"' The Hill's story is here.
Betsy Klein, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump is spending his final days in office attacking leadership within his own party, this time the second-highest ranking Republican in the Senate.... Trump, back at the White House after his Mar-a-Lago holiday with no public events on his schedule, attacked Sen. John Thune, a South Dakotan who is the No. 2 Senate Republican, in an afternoon tweet on New Year's Day. 'I hope to see the great Governor of South Dakota @KristiNoem, run against RINO @SenJohnThune, in the upcoming 2022 Primary. She would do a fantastic job in the U.S. Senate, but if not Kristi, others are already lining up. South Dakota wants strong leadership, NOW!' he wrote in a tweet. Trump has railed against Republican leadership broadly multiple times this week, but this time is naming names.... 'Yeah, well, finally an attack tweet. What took him so long?' a calm and soft-spoken Thune told reporters as he was leaving the Capitol after the vote to override Trump's veto of the defense bill. 'It's fine, that's the way he communicates.'"
** Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The Senate on Friday voted overwhelmingly to override President Trump's veto of the annual military policy bill as most Republicans joined Democrats to rebuke Mr. Trump in the final days of his presidency. The 81-to-13 vote was the first time lawmakers have overridden one of Mr. Trump's vetoes. It reflected the sweeping popularity of a measure that authorized a pay raise for the nation's military. The margin surpassed the two-thirds majority needed to force enactment of the bill over Mr. Trump's objections, and only seven Republicans voted to sustain the veto. The House passed the legislation on Monday in a similarly lopsided 322-to-87 vote that also mustered the two-thirds majority required. The vote ended a devastating legislative week for Mr. Trump, effectively denying him two of the last demands of his presidency. Senate Republican leaders on Wednesday had declared that there was 'no realistic path' for a vote on increasing stimulus checks to $2,000 from the current $600, a measure Mr. Trump had pressed lawmakers to take up." Politico's story is here.
Burgess Everett of Politico: "Multiple Senate Republicans unloaded on an effort led by Sen. Josh Hawley to challenge Joe Biden's election victory as the party hurtles toward its most consequential confrontation with Donald Trump of his entire presidency.... 'I think it's awful. I am going to support my oath to the Constitution. That's the loyalty test here,' said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called Hawley's move 'disappointing and destructive. And borrowing from Ben Sasse it's ambition pointing a gun at the head of democracy.' Sasse (R-Neb.) said this week that 'adults don't point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.' 'I'm going to vote to certify the election,' said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) of Hawley's effort. 'I don't think it's a good idea and I don't understand his reasoning.'"
Catie Edmondson & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit led by President Trump's allies in Congress that aimed to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results of the election, dealing a blow to lawmakers' last-ditch effort to challenge President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory. Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle [-- a Trump appointee --] of the Eastern District of Texas ruled that Republican lawmakers, led by Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas, lacked the proper standing to sue Mr. Pence in the matter.... Mr. Gohmert said in an interview with Newsmax that his lawyers would appeal.... [MB: And now for some euphamistic understatement:] The president was unhappy when he learned that the Justice Department was representing Mr. Pence in a suit that his supporters had filed, and he reached out to the vice president on Friday morning to discuss it, three people briefed on the discussion said.... Mr. Trump was more vocal to advisers than to Mr. Pence about his frustrations over the Justice Department's involvement." An NPR story is here. ~~~
~~~ Earlier. Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Vice President Mike Pence has the unilateral power to decide the outcome of the 2020 election, according to the latest filing in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and other Republicans mounting a last-ditch bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election. 'Under the Constitution, he has the authority to conduct that proceeding as he sees fit,' Gohmert argues. 'He may count elector votes certified by a state's executive, or he can prefer a competing slate of duly qualified electors. He may ignore all electors from a certain state. That is the power bestowed upon him by the Constitution.'" The Washington Post's story is here; the WashPo story has been updated to report the dismissal of the case. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yeah, that's definitely the plan, Louie. Which makes it hard to understand why Al Gore didn't pick himself to be the next president in 2000 (especially since he won the popular vote), and why Joe Biden didn't pick Hillary Clinton in 2016 (who also won the popular vote). I guess Al & Joe are just not the Constitutional scholars you are, Louie. ~~~
~~~ Matt Haham of Law & Crime: "Election law experts rapidly responded [to] the Gohmert reply by calling its core aim 'breathtaking' and 'preposterous.'"
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here.
Christina Maxouris & Jason Hanna of CNN: "The US surpassed 20 million total recorded Covid-19 cases on Friday, hours after the country ushered in 2021 and left behind its deadliest month of the pandemic. The nation also has set a Covid-19 hospitalization record for four straight days. The high counts are a grim reminder that even with 2020 behind us, the pandemic continues to ravage parts of the country. And some leaders warn the worst is still ahead.... More than 125,370 coronavirus patients were in US hospitals Thursday, Covid Tracking Project data shows."
Jeremy Herb & Rachel Janfaza of CNN: "Republican Sen. Mitt Romney on Friday warned the process of distributing vaccines is 'falling behind' in a statement blasting the plan for getting Americans vaccinated, as the critical vaccination roll out process lags. 'That comprehensive vaccination plans have not been developed at the federal level and sent to the states as models is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable,' Romney ... said in a statement Friday. Romney said the plan to rely on hospitals and pharmacies that are already overburdened was 'unrealistic.' Romney's statement comes as the federal government's Operation Warp Speed had promised that 20 million doses would be administered before January 1. Yet data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from earlier this week shows that just over 12.4 million doses have been distributed, and only 2.79 million have actually been administered."
South Dakota. Danielle Ferguson of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader: "A federal judge says a state court can't use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to delay a Codington County trial and in the same breath criticized South Dakota's response to the pandemic, saying it has done 'little, if anything,' to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann ordered that unless the Codington County state court resolves Matthew Kurtenbach's May 2019 case by January 15, 2021, Kurtenbach will win a federal petition he filed claiming wrongful imprisonment and a violation of his right to a speedy trial.... Kornmann harshly criticized the state and Gov. Kristi Noem's response to the pandemic and said some state courts could have done more to keep cases moving while protecting parties.... 'South Dakota cannot "take advantage" of its own failures to follow scientific facts and safeguards in entering blanket denials of the rights of speedy trials.'... ~~~
~~~ "An excerpt from the filing: 'The Governor has steadfastly refused to impose a statewide mask mandate. She has often questioned publicly the scientific fact that mask wearing prevents the virus from spreading. she appeared at a dedication ceremony for a large 3M Company in Aberdeen manufacturing plant expansion -- to allow 3M to produce even more N95 respirators needed by front-line healthcare workers -- as the only public official not wearing a mask. Her example significantly encourages south Dakotans to not wear masks. South Dakota is now a very dangerous place in which to live due to the spread of COVID-19. Even a casual observer must note the failure of most residents of South Dakota to wear masks and maintain social distancing.'" MB: Kornmann is a Clinton appointee.
Virginia. Celine Castronuovo of the Hill: "Virginia state Sen. Ben Chafin (R) has died from complications due to COVID-19, his office announced Friday. He was 60. Gov. \Ralph Northam (D) and the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus confirmed the passing of Chafin, who represented the state's 38th district for the past six years.... Northam has reportedly ordered the Virginia state flag to be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of Chafin's interment."
Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "The Pentagon has abruptly sent the aircraft carrier Nimitz home from the Middle East and Africa over the objections of top military advisers, marking a reversal of a weekslong muscle-flexing strategy aimed at deterring Iran from attacking American troops and diplomats in the Persian Gulf. Officials said on Friday that the acting defense secretary, Christopher C. Miller, had ordered the redeployment of the ship in part as a 'de-escalatory' signal to Tehran to avoid stumbling into a crisis in President Trump's waning days in office. American intelligence reports indicate that Iran and its proxies may be preparing a strike as early as this weekend to avenge the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Senior Pentagon officials said that Mr. Miller assessed that dispatching the Nimitz now, before the first anniversary this Sunday of General Suleimani's death in an American drone strike in Iraq, could remove what Iranian hard-liners see as a provocation that justifies their threats against American military targets." MB: The Nimitz is one old aircraft carrier: it was launched in 1972.
Michael Balsamo of the AP: "A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the only woman on federal death row to be executed before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. The ruling, handed down Friday by a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, concluded that a lower court judge erred when he vacated Lisa Montgomery's execution date in an order last week.... Meaghan VerGow, an attorney for Montgomery, said her legal team would ask for the full appeals court to review the case and said Montgomery should not be executed on Jan. 12."
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Reader Comments (11)
The Fatty Vaccine Distribution Plan is in full swing (picture a body hanging from a rope)!
Congratulations America! Vaccination of the entire nation, if we stick to the Trump timetable, should be 75% complete by President Kamala Harris’ second inauguration. From her cell, disgraced former senator Ivanka Trump demands that her late father, who died after contracting the third mutated form of the virus, be honored as the greatest American hero since Benedict Arnold.
The vaccination plan at the federal level is called Pass The Buck. It's been passed to 50 states & D.C. My state (Mi) decided to also Pass The Buck. It's been passed to our 83 counties. Some counties have 2,000 population and some have millions.
I expect to read Monday that it's up to the townships with their staffs of 2 to 5 people.
If the states don't have the resources to handle this, how do they think smaller divisions of government can suddenly come up with extra staff and expertise.
It appears that 2021 might be a replay of 2020.
I fully support Gov Kristi N for whatever office Fatstuff wants to put her in. Unbelievable that the entire state is a danger zone due to an entire state of morons. Canada, would you please take the Dakotas NOW?
Yes, I certainly have heard nothing about vaccines in our town. Maybe all the townships and possibly the school boards will be in charge of vaccinating the populace? Sheesh-- USA is a confederacy of dunces for sure. No money, no shots...And then there is the wonderful pharmacist in WI who damaged all those doses. He had better be at the bottom of the WI list...
Happy New Year. Husband in quarantine, isolated. We are keeping him locked up until his test FINALLY comes back..maybe tomorrow. More examples of the stupidity of the leaders of our pathetic country...
Polly and I are 91 and 92 and living on SS and savings. I bet many old folks are spending their entire free money on medical care. Our thirty six hundred dollars will cover a little more than half our medical debt. It is still a blessing.
@Carlyle,
Whom I know only as one of the RC voices that Iwish I knew better.
Your post prompts me this morning to reflect once again how much I value the RC community, how much I look forward to my morning check in time (early in our household) to see what Marie as laid out for the daily spread and what other RCers, particularly those in the east who often have had a head start on my day have had to say.
What a witty, knowledgeable and kind--I know that even the entertainingly vicious remarks are kindly intended-- bunch you are.
May you and your Polly and the entire crew have a wonderful 2021.
In my little universe, no bunch is more deserving.
Forrest,
The Trump Pass the Buck (but take all the credit) Plan. Reminds me of that old Groucho Marx gag. After polishing off a wonderful meal at a swanky restaurant, he is presented with the check. “$28.53?!” He shouts, handing the bill to his companion. “If I were you, I wouldn’t pay it!”
The difference is that the Fat Fascist doesn’t even bother with the faux outrage. He picks his teeth, gets up and leaves, dishing off responsibility almost as easily as if he’s been doing it his whole life.
Oh, wait...
Carlyle,
I knew there must be some reason for your excellent comments. By the time we get to our ninth decade, if we’ve been paying attention, and don’t have our brains marinated in dung, we might learn a thing or two or three. I have that to look forward to. Many more years to you both!
And leave us all remember that Social Security was created by liberal Democrats. The other guys have been trying to kill it since then. But think of the state millions would be in without it. Hmmmm... maybe that’s what they’re thinking about too. And that’s why they want it gone.
New Hampshire isn't even trying: the state has received far too few doses to vaccinate the designated Phase 1A recipients: healthcare workers, nursing home residents, etc. So the rest of us our SOL. Those long lines in Florida are beginning to look more attractive.
@MB My little county is about to start vaccinating us old farts 65+ this week. Two days, three hours (1- 4 PM) each day. The total county population is around 28K so I'll find out how long Florida lines can get and how they're handled. Stay tuned.
As a user and occasional programmer of computers since 1969, and after 50 years in universities and large medical centers with vast networks of sensitive data, I remain astonished that ANY institution with such data would have a single file connected to the internet. In the early '70's we only had dumb terminals connected to servers, over which we had no control. Ran good. Years later we had physicians and administrators with their desktop workstations connected to patient records, financial records, AND the internet and personal email accounts. Keeping those spheres completely disconnected from each other is a cakewalk for IT engineers, inexpensive, and only slightly inconvenient for the users, with one computer and one dumb terminal on the desk. And so here we are, can't cure stupid, I guess.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/02/cruz-johnson-9-other-gop-senators-say-they-will-not-vote-certify-electors-unless-audit-is-conducted/
Though it won't happen, would be entertaining to see the "audit" as long as Guiliani and the Pretender are called as star (they'd like that) witnesses and Democrats on the audit committee are allowed to ask questions they must answer under penalty of perjury.
Televised, of course.