theguardian--2020-11-11--'Downright dangerous': Democrat alarm as Trump stacks Pentagon with loyalists

Extreme Republican partisans have been installed in important roles in the Pentagon , following the summary dismissal of the defense secretary , Mark Esper , at a time Donald Trump is refusing to accept his election defeat .
Democrats immediately demanded explanations for the eleventh-hour personnel changes and warned that the US was entering dangerous “ uncharted territory ” with the reshuffling of key national security roles during a presidential transition .
However defence experts argued there was little the new Trump appointees could do to use their positions to the president ’ s advantage , given the firm refusal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved in domestic politics .
Anthony Tata – a retired army brigadier general , novelist and Fox News commentator who called Barack Obama a “ terrorist leader ” – has taken control of the Pentagon ’ s policy department , following the resignation of the acting undersecretary of defence for policy , James Anderson .
Tata had been unable to win Senate confirmation after old tweets surfaced in which he expressed virulent Islamophobic views .
Meanwhile , Kash Patel – a former Republican congressional aide who played a lead role in a campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meddling – has been made chief of staff to the new defence secretary , Chris Miller .
The undersecretary of defence for intelligence , Vice Admiral Joseph Kernan , a retired navy Seal , was also reported to have resigned on Tuesday , and was replaced by Ezra Cohen-Watnick , a former aide to Michael Flynn , Trump ’ s first national security adviser who pleaded guilty to perjury .
The reasons for the post-election personnel changes 10 weeks before the end of Donald Trump ’ s tenure were unclear , but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is refusing to accept election defeat .
The former defence secretary , Mark Esper , fired by tweet on Monday , had refused to allow active duty troops to be deployed on US streets during the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer .
In his resignation letter , Anderson , the outgoing Pentagon policy chief , also signalled his unease with the direction the Trump White House was taking in the aftermath of the election .
“ Now , as ever , our long-term success depends on adhering to the US constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defend , ” he wrote .
Democrats raised the alarm over the wave of staff changes at the Pentagon .
“ It is hard to overstate just how dangerous high-level turnover at the department of defence is during a period of presidential transition , ” wrote Adam Smith , the chairman of the House armed services committee , adding that the development “ should alarm all Americans ” .
“ If this is the beginning of a trend – the president either firing or forcing out national security professionals in order to replace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to him – then the next 70 days will be precarious at best and downright dangerous at worst.
” The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee , Mark Warner , said the US had entered “ uncharted territory ” with Esper ’ s firing .
“ There ’ s never been a time when a senior official like this has been fired during a transition period between one administration to another , ” Warner told MSNBC .
Former officials and military analysts argued that the post-election changes , while highly unusual , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pentagon would be weaponised in Trump ’ s desperate efforts to hold on to power .
“ Remember all the senior military officers are still there , ” said Mark Cancian , a retired US marine colonel and former senior defence official .
“ Their attitudes remain the same .
They ’ ve been quite emphatic that the role of the military is very limited in civilian civil disturbances.
” Eugene Gholz , a former senior adviser in the Pentagon and the author of US Defense Politics : The Origins of Security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers at all ranks it is deeply , deeply ingrained that the military is not used for settling politics.
” Gholz , now associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame , suggested one possible , more prosaic , reason for the reshuffle , could be to pad the resumés of partisan officials to help smooth confirmation hearings next time Republicans are in office .
“ There ’ s an opportunity to give someone a credential of a leadership position , ” he said .
“ Now they could at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I had this title , even if only briefly , in the Trump administration .
’ ”

Extreme Republican partisans have been installed in important roles in the Pentagon, following the summary dismissal of the defense secretary, Mark Esper, at a time Donald Trump is refusing to accept his election defeat.
Democrats immediately demanded explanations for the eleventh-hour personnel changes and warned that the US was entering dangerous “uncharted territory” with the reshuffling of key national security roles during a presidential transition.
However, defence experts argued there was little the new Trump appointees could do to use their positions to the president’s advantage, given the firm refusal of the uniformed armed services to get involved in domestic politics.
Anthony Tata – a retired army brigadier general, novelist and Fox News commentator who called Barack Obama a “terrorist leader” – has taken control of the Pentagon’s policy department, following the resignation of the acting undersecretary of defence for policy, James Anderson.
Tata had been unable to win Senate confirmation after old tweets surfaced in which he expressed virulent Islamophobic views.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel – a former Republican congressional aide who played a lead role in a campaign to discredit the investigation into Russian election meddling – has been made chief of staff to the new defence secretary, Chris Miller.
According to Axios, another new Miller adviser is Douglas Macgregor, a retired army colonel who was nominated over the summer, but not confirmed, as ambassador to Germany. Macgregor has referred to immigrants to Europe as “Muslim invaders”, advocated shooting illegal immigrants on the US border, and promoted a range of white nationalists conspiracy theories. He advocated a fast withdrawal from Afghanistan and has said the US should not “rush hundreds of thousands of troops to the Polish border to deal with the Russians”.
The undersecretary of defence for intelligence, Vice-Admiral Joseph Kernan, a retired Navy Seal, was also reported to have resigned on Tuesday, and was replaced by Ezra Cohen-Watnick, a former aide to Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser who pleaded guilty to perjury.
The next 70 days will be precarious at best and downright dangerous at worst Adam Smith
Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nation’s stockpile of nuclear warheads, was forced to quit on Friday.
The fate of the CIA director, Gina Haspel, was also in question. In a show of support, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, invited Haspel to his office on Tuesday and the Republican senator John Cornyn tweeted: “Intelligence should not be partisan.” But he was attacked on Twitter by the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, who asked if he or other Republicans backing Haspel had “actually discussed this with anyone in the Admin[istration] who actually works with her … or are you just taking a trained liar’s word for it on everything?”
The reasons for the post-election personnel changes 10 weeks before the end of Donald Trump’s tenure were unclear, but they came at a time when the president is refusing to accept election defeat.
The former defence secretary, Mark Esper, fired by tweet on Monday, had refused to allow active duty troops to be deployed on US streets during the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.
Mark Esper was fired by Donald Trump in a tweet. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
In his resignation letter, Anderson, the outgoing Pentagon policy chief, also signalled his unease with the direction the Trump White House was taking in the aftermath of the election.
“Now, as ever, our long-term success depends on adhering to the US constitution all public servants swear to support and defend,” he wrote.
Democrats raised the alarm over the wave of staff changes at the Pentagon.
“It is hard to overstate just how dangerous high-level turnover at the Department of Defence is during a period of presidential transition,” wrote Adam Smith, the chairman of the House armed services committee, adding that the development “should alarm all Americans”.
“If this is the beginning of a trend – the president either firing or forcing out national security professionals in order to replace them with people perceived as more loyal to him – then the next 70 days will be precarious at best and downright dangerous at worst.”
The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, Mark Warner, said the US had entered “uncharted territory” with Esper’s firing.
“There’s never been a time when a senior official like this has been fired during a transition period between one administration to another,” Warner told MSNBC.
Former officials and military analysts argued that the post-election changes, while highly unusual, were not a reason to fear that the Pentagon would be weaponised in Trump’s desperate efforts to hold on to power.
“Remember all the senior military officers are still there,” said Mark Cancian, a retired US marine colonel and former senior defence official. “Their attitudes remain the same. They’ve been quite emphatic that the role of the military is very limited in civilian civil disturbances.”
Eugene Gholz, a former senior adviser in the Pentagon and the author of US Defense Politics: The Origins of Security Policy, agreed: “Among military officers at all ranks it is deeply, deeply ingrained that the military is not used for settling politics.”
Gholz, now associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, suggested one possible, more prosaic, reason for the reshuffle, could be to pad the résumés of partisan officials to help smooth confirmation hearings next time Republicans are in office.
“There’s an opportunity to give someone a credential of a leadership position,” he said. “Now they could at least claim: ‘Hey look, I had this title, even if only briefly, in the Trump administration.’”


theguardian--2020-11-11--Guardian readers on the election result: 'The hopes of a nation rest in good hands'

We asked Guardian readers to share their reactions to the election results and tell us about the issues that decided their vote and their hopes and concerns for the future .
Here are the views from eight US voters – four who support Donald Trump and four who voted for Joe Biden .
‘ I ’ m almost afraid to hope too much ’ Honestly , I didn ’ t support Biden during the primaries .
But since I believe that gay people have a right to be married and protection against discrimination ; that black people have a right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discriminated against ; that the US should do everything in its power to stop worsening crises from climate change ; and that a global pandemic should be dealt with intelligently and swiftly to avoid hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths , I think he ’ s the better candidate .
It doesn ’ t hurt that I believe he will fill his cabinet based on qualifications and not favours owed .
With Biden as president , we have a chance of keeping global changes in temperature down .
With Trump as president , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worried that at the end of the day , nothing that happens during Biden ’ s presidency will make a difference , and we ’ ll continue to bounce back and forth with an increasingly divided country , and an increasingly broken system .
I hope that won ’ t be the case .
But I ’ m almost afraid to hope too much .
Sabrina , PhD student , Wisconsin , voted for Biden ‘ Biden will work very hard to unite us as a nation ’ The issue most important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our democracy .
Trump was appearing to be more autocrat than any president in my lifetime .
He messed with the post office , the census , the DoJ , used the attorney general like his personal attorney , and spewed hateful rhetoric about minorities and women .
I expect our president to be an example of the goodness of the US .
I expect him to work with both Republicans and Democrats to improve our nation .
I expect our government to work on problems like Covid-19 and not lie and deny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am tired of seeing large corporations benefit from our tax dollars while one in five children are food insecure .
Trump tried to kick 700,000 families off food stamps during a pandemic .
Now a case goes before the supreme court to end the ACA , which will end healthcare for millions of people .
I want our country to help ourselves first , other nations second , and large corporations rarely .
I think Trump has hurt our country more than any other president in our history .
Joe Biden will work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation , which we sorely need right now .
He has plans to work on the Covid-19 crisis first .
Open our economy back up with good paying jobs .
Force corporations to keep their production in the US and fine them if they refuse .
Susan , Florida , voted for Biden ‘ I worry the Democrats will dive further rightwards ’ Though I was aggrieved that Biden emerged above more progressive candidates , I nonetheless have always admired his empathy and forthright approach to politics .
As the months passed between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was precisely the sort of person who is needed at this point in the nation ’ s history , who can speak plainly and warmly , without self-aggrandizement or deliberate obfuscation .
I hope we may see America return to being a proactive leader ( or at least participant ) in global affairs , beginning with climate change but extending also to unrest across the world .
I expect the Biden-Harris administration will rejoin the Paris climate accords and the Iran nuclear agreement , as well as put in place national standards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus .
I am extremely concerned with the lingering resentment and sense of isolation felt by supporters of the current president , a sentiment which has erupted into violence before and may do again , as people appear to believe that anything other than laissez-faire policies and total dedication to the police is sufficient cause for revolution .
I worry also that the Democratic party , as currently led by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer , will dive further rightwards in an attempt to appeal to the rightwing elements of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead to fewer Democratic senators and members of Congress as well as a weakening of the current drive for broader progressive policies such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for all .
Matthew , teacher , Minnesota , voted for Biden ‘ I expect that coronavirus will be taken seriously ’ My father fought at Normandy .
He didn ’ t risk his life for a nation where the president disrespects the rule of law .
I remembered those who were drowned , lynched , burned alive , beaten to death or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement .
We could not allow their memories to be further disrespected .
I think about my children and grandchildren .
They deserved to inherit a better America than that of the last four years .
When the president and vice-president-elect appeared , it was almost a sacred moment .
The hopes of a nation rest in good hands .
Now I expect the restoration of civil discourse .
I expect that coronavirus will be taken seriously .
I expect a president who understands systemic racism is real .
I won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel like this .
When President Roosevelt died , a man was crying uncontrollably .
Someone asked : “ Did you know him personally ?
” The man said : “ No , I did not know him .
But he knew me.
” Joe Biden knows me .
Anthony , retired , Delaware , voted for Biden It ’ s a shame how biased our media is .
Trump has done so many amazing things for Americans that have never been reported by media .
Trump kept our country moving forward .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and my medical benefits were better than under Obama .
He ’ s trying to make the US not dependent on China .
I am appalled that Americans are so uneducated they let the celebrities and media tell them who to vote for .
If you ask someone that voted for Biden and what his policies are … uniting Americans ?
Stopping corona ?
OK. How ?
Trump made good on campaign promises .
He truly cares about Americans and is not a lifelong politician .
I ‘ m scared for my college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t be able to find jobs and prosper after all their hard work .
However , we have a strong faith so I just keep praying .
Stephanie , teacher , Pennsylvania , voted for Trump Despite his bullish personality , Trump brought our troops home .
He didn ’ t engage in more foreign wars , he signed record peace treaties .
He did all this and more while under the constant spotlight of an aggressive media that wouldn ’ t let even a sneeze go unchallenged .
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost , but because the media reaction to the president has already changed .
I worry that if Biden decides to escalate US presence in foreign countries , or do anything bad , they [ the Democrats ] will get a free pass , because “ at least they ’ re not Trump ” .
This is wrong .
Potus should always be under as much scrutiny as Trump has been , for public accountability .
I want a president who wants peace , not one who has already engaged in what many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My hopes are that Biden will surpass expectations , which are low .
Let ’ s be real here : 75 million Americans didn ’ t vote for Biden .
They voted against Trump .
Aaron , unemployed , Mississippi , voted for Trump I don ’ t support a socialist agenda in America .
I ’ m shocked that there were ( supposedly ) so many votes to go back to a highly regulated sluggish economy promised by Biden .
I don ’ t want my children to lose the tax breaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process is gaining even more participation in the Middle East under Trump , and that may not move forward with Democrats in charge .
Leaving the Paris accord and the the Iran deal were brilliant decisions that Biden might stupidly get us back into to appease the people who allowed him to be the nominee .
I hope the Republican party can regain the House , increase the majority in the Senate and therefore keep this country safe from the destruction the Democrats hope to accomplish .
FS , retired college lecturer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns are we become more leftist and radical ’ I think Trump is the lesser of two evils .
For the last several elections , it ’ s been a choice between two unsuitable candidates , and which is the least unsuitable is the issue .
There ’ s no doubt Trump is an egotistical jerk .
He also has a penchant for saying some of the most stupid things imaginable .
He ’ s his own worst enemy .
However , many of his positions are appropriate and make sense .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is marginally mentally incompetent .
He really is a tired old man .
My most sincere hope is that Biden will have good , centrist advisers , that he will maintain or improve his mental abilities , and that he will be up to the stress and rigors of the job .
My concerns are that as the country seems to tilt towards the left , the agenda becomes more leftist and radical , and that emotions substitute for thoughtful and then constructive dialogue and tolerance of differing opinions is evaporating .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the media ( the fairness doctrine needs to be reinstated immediately ) ; the undue influence of China on virtually every aspect of culture , business and policy ; the economy ; Covid ; and corruption at all levels of the government .
Carl , small business owner , Michigan , voted for Trump

We asked Guardian readers to share their reactions to the election results and tell us about the issues that decided their vote and their hopes and concerns for the future.
Here are the views from eight US voters – four who support Donald Trump and four who voted for Joe Biden.
‘I’m almost afraid to hope too much’
Honestly, I didn’t support Biden during the primaries. But since I believe that gay people have a right to be married and protection against discrimination; that black people have a right to not get shot by police or discriminated against; that the US should do everything in its power to stop worsening crises from climate change; and that a global pandemic should be dealt with intelligently and swiftly to avoid hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths, I think he’s the better candidate.
It doesn’t hurt that I believe he will fill his cabinet based on qualifications and not favours owed. With Biden as president, we have a chance of keeping global changes in temperature down. With Trump as president, we had none. I’m worried that at the end of the day, nothing that happens during Biden’s presidency will make a difference, and we’ll continue to bounce back and forth with an increasingly divided country, and an increasingly broken system. I hope that won’t be the case. But I’m almost afraid to hope too much. Sabrina, PhD student, Wisconsin, voted for Biden
‘Biden will work very hard to unite us as a nation’
The issue most important to me was keeping our imperfect experiment: our democracy. Trump was appearing to be more autocrat than any president in my lifetime. He messed with the post office, the census, the DoJ, used the attorney general like his personal attorney, and spewed hateful rhetoric about minorities and women. I expect our president to be an example of the goodness of the US. I expect him to work with both Republicans and Democrats to improve our nation. I expect our government to work on problems like Covid-19 and not lie and deny as 230,000 people have died.
I am tired of seeing large corporations benefit from our tax dollars while one in five children are food insecure. Trump tried to kick 700,000 families off food stamps during a pandemic. Now a case goes before the supreme court to end the ACA, which will end healthcare for millions of people. I want our country to help ourselves first, other nations second, and large corporations rarely. I think Trump has hurt our country more than any other president in our history. Joe Biden will work very hard to unite us as a nation, which we sorely need right now. He has plans to work on the Covid-19 crisis first.
Open our economy back up with good paying jobs. Force corporations to keep their production in the US and fine them if they refuse. Susan, Florida, voted for Biden
‘I worry the Democrats will dive further rightwards’
Though I was aggrieved that Biden emerged above more progressive candidates, I nonetheless have always admired his empathy and forthright approach to politics. As the months passed between March and November, I realized that he was precisely the sort of person who is needed at this point in the nation’s history, who can speak plainly and warmly, without self-aggrandizement or deliberate obfuscation. I hope we may see America return to being a proactive leader (or at least participant) in global affairs, beginning with climate change but extending also to unrest across the world. I expect the Biden-Harris administration will rejoin the Paris climate accords and the Iran nuclear agreement, as well as put in place national standards and practices to immediately tackle the spread of the coronavirus.
I hope we may see America return to being a proactive leader in global affairs
I am extremely concerned with the lingering resentment and sense of isolation felt by supporters of the current president, a sentiment which has erupted into violence before and may do again, as people appear to believe that anything other than laissez-faire policies and total dedication to the police is sufficient cause for revolution. I worry also that the Democratic party, as currently led by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, will dive further rightwards in an attempt to appeal to the rightwing elements of this country, a move that will assuredly lead to fewer Democratic senators and members of Congress as well as a weakening of the current drive for broader progressive policies such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for all. Matthew, teacher, Minnesota, voted for Biden
‘I expect that coronavirus will be taken seriously’
My father fought at Normandy. He didn’t risk his life for a nation where the president disrespects the rule of law. I remembered those who were drowned, lynched, burned alive, beaten to death or shot to death during the civil rights movement. We could not allow their memories to be further disrespected. I think about my children and grandchildren. They deserved to inherit a better America than that of the last four years. When the president and vice-president-elect appeared, it was almost a sacred moment. The hopes of a nation rest in good hands. Now I expect the restoration of civil discourse. I expect that coronavirus will be taken seriously. I expect a president who understands systemic racism is real. I won’t like everything Biden does. But I feel like this. When President Roosevelt died, a man was crying uncontrollably. Someone asked: “Did you know him personally?” The man said: “No, I did not know him. But he knew me.” Joe Biden knows me. Anthony, retired, Delaware, voted for Biden
‘Trump kept our country moving forward’
It’s a shame how biased our media is. Trump has done so many amazing things for Americans that have never been reported by media. Trump kept our country moving forward. I had more money in my paycheck and my medical benefits were better than under Obama. He’s trying to make the US not dependent on China. I am appalled that Americans are so uneducated they let the celebrities and media tell them who to vote for. If you ask someone that voted for Biden and what his policies are … uniting Americans? Stopping corona? OK. How? Trump made good on campaign promises. He truly cares about Americans and is not a lifelong politician. I‘m scared for my college kids. I’m afraid they won’t be able to find jobs and prosper after all their hard work. However, we have a strong faith so I just keep praying. Stephanie, teacher, Pennsylvania, voted for Trump
Donald Trump supporters in The Villages in Florida. Photograph: Paul Hennessy/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock
‘Trump brought our troops home’
Despite his bullish personality, Trump brought our troops home. He didn’t engage in more foreign wars, he signed record peace treaties. He did all this and more while under the constant spotlight of an aggressive media that wouldn’t let even a sneeze go unchallenged. I’m very sad, not because I lost, but because the media reaction to the president has already changed. I worry that if Biden decides to escalate US presence in foreign countries, or do anything bad, they [the Democrats] will get a free pass, because “at least they’re not Trump”.
This is wrong. Potus should always be under as much scrutiny as Trump has been, for public accountability. I want a president who wants peace, not one who has already engaged in what many believe are illegal and unjust wars. My hopes are that Biden will surpass expectations, which are low. Let’s be real here: 75 million Americans didn’t vote for Biden. They voted against Trump. Aaron, unemployed, Mississippi, voted for Trump
‘I don’t support a socialist agenda in America’
I don’t support a socialist agenda in America. I’m shocked that there were (supposedly) so many votes to go back to a highly regulated sluggish economy promised by Biden. I don’t want my children to lose the tax breaks they received under Trump. The peace process is gaining even more participation in the Middle East under Trump, and that may not move forward with Democrats in charge.
Leaving the Paris accord and the the Iran deal were brilliant decisions that Biden might stupidly get us back into to appease the people who allowed him to be the nominee. I hope the Republican party can regain the House, increase the majority in the Senate and therefore keep this country safe from the destruction the Democrats hope to accomplish. FS, retired college lecturer, Mississippi, voted for Trump
‘My concerns are we become more leftist and radical’
I think Trump is the lesser of two evils. For the last several elections, it’s been a choice between two unsuitable candidates, and which is the least unsuitable is the issue.
There’s no doubt Trump is an egotistical jerk. He also has a penchant for saying some of the most stupid things imaginable. He’s his own worst enemy. However, many of his positions are appropriate and make sense. I’m disappointed and worried. Biden is marginally mentally incompetent. He really is a tired old man. My most sincere hope is that Biden will have good, centrist advisers, that he will maintain or improve his mental abilities, and that he will be up to the stress and rigors of the job. My concerns are that as the country seems to tilt towards the left, the agenda becomes more leftist and radical, and that emotions substitute for thoughtful and then constructive dialogue and tolerance of differing opinions is evaporating.
The issues that need tackling first are: the media (the fairness doctrine needs to be reinstated immediately); the undue influence of China on virtually every aspect of culture, business and policy; the economy; Covid; and corruption at all levels of the government. Carl, small business owner, Michigan, voted for Trump


theguardian--2020-11-11--Doug Emhoff prepares to break new ground as America's second gentleman

As the first female vice-president and the first woman of colour to be nominated for the role , Kamala Harris has made history with her journey to the White House .
Jill Biden , wife of president-elect Joe Biden , is expected to assume the title of first lady .
Spouses of previous vice-presidents were given the informal designation of second lady .
But now , as a result of Harris ’ s successes , her husband , Doug Emhoff , will break new ground too – as the US ’ s first second gentleman .
The 56-year-old entertainment lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the first Jewish person to assume the “ second spouse ” role .
At Biden ’ s first joint appearance with Harris as his running mate , the incoming president said : “ Doug , you ’ re going to have to learn what it means to be a barrier-breaker yourself in this job you ’ re about to take on.
” But already he appears to be reveling in the role .
“ I ’ m not overly political , ” he told Marie Claire in October .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bio on Twitter , where he posted a steady stream of pictures and videos from the campaign trail , reads : “ Dad , @ kamalaharris hubby , lawyer , wannabe golfer , advocate for justice and equality.
” But he is not just an enthusiastic cheerleader .
He has also proved to be an effective campaigner .
Eric Garcetti , the Los Angeles mayor and Biden-Harris national co-chair , recently told the Washington Post that Emhoff was their “ secret weapon ” on the campaign trail .
Barbara Perry , director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Miller Center , said he appeared to be a “ real hit ” , both during the primaries and for the Biden campaign .
“ A good sign that someone is a good campaigner is when he or she is sent out alone and doesn ’ t have to go with the spouse or the family member .
That was the secret to the Kennedy family.
” Emhoff , who lived in Brooklyn and New Jersey as a child before his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a teenager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primaries , when Harris was mounting her own bid for president , “ really opened my eyes ” .
He would report back from his trips with “ notes from the field ” , he told Chasten Buttigieg , whose husband , Pete , also ran for president , in a YouTube interview .
Although he campaigned with Harris during her Senate campaign , he said his first events for the presidential race were “ trial by fire ” .
He said he tried to “ speak from the heart ” about Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a lawyer .
Buttigieg , who works as a teacher , said he found Emhoff “ disarming ” when he first met him at a Democratic primary debate in June 2019 , where they were both watching their spouses .
Both “ fish out of water ” in the political world , they went on to become good friends .
He said Emhoff will make a “ great second gentleman , because he ’ s somebody who very much wants to help and be of service and there ’ s really no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a good thing ” .
He added : “ Doug does a very good job at making people smile , making people feel included , talking about things in a way that other people can easily grasp .
It ’ s just really important , whatever he chooses to do , that he holds on to that and continues being the Doug that other people fell in love with , someone that they could see themselves in.
” Emhoff and Harris met on a blind date in 2013 after being set up by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Emhoff said it was “ love at first sight ” .
They got married the following year .
Harris became stepmother , or “ Momala ” , to his two children , Cole , 26 , and Ella , 21 , from his first marriage to film producer Kerstin Emhoff , with whom the couple are both close .
“ We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional , ” Harris wrote in Elle last year .
When they met , Harris was California ’ s attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had no idea they would end up on the presidential campaign trail .
When she launched her campaign to run for the US Senate in 2015 , he said he started to feel like a “ political spouse ” and now , just five years later , he is preparing to accompany her to the top of US politics .
It is a significant moment , said Kelly Dittmar , associate professor of political science at Rutgers University-Camden , for a presidency that has been “ characterised by gender and masculinity ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ female vice-president challenges those norms , she said .
And , in turn , so will Emhoff .
“ Disrupting some of these gendered expectations of presidential office-holders in swapping what has been assumed to be a dominant role for the male partner and a support role for the female partner.
” But any differences with a man in the role will stem from public expectation rather than any changes to the job itself , she said .
She predicts he is unlikely to continue his own career due to potential conflicts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second ladies have worked on “ soft power ” issues such as healthcare , literacy and nutrition .
Emhoff has reportedly said he wants to focus on justice-related issues .
“ We tend to put women who ’ ve been in these roles in these boxes , and we don ’ t let them beyond a certain limit , ” said Perry .
“ And it will be interesting to see how we treat Doug Emhoff .
Will the difference in gender allow him to do more ?
” He is likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jill Biden , who held the position of second lady during the Obama-Biden administration and has described the role as a “ powerful platform ” .
The pair appear to have had a good relationship campaigning together and Emhoff said they have been “ bonding ” ever since the primaries , when they chatted backstage .
“ She continued to teach and be a professor while she was second lady for all those eight years , ” said Perry .
“ Between the two of them as non-traditional spouses , will they form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and second gentleman ?
”

As the first female vice-president and the first woman of colour to be nominated for the role, Kamala Harris has made history with her journey to the White House.
Jill Biden, wife of president-elect Joe Biden, is expected to assume the title of first lady. Spouses of previous vice-presidents were given the informal designation of second lady.
But now, as a result of Harris’s successes, her husband, Doug Emhoff, will break new ground too – as the US’s first second gentleman.
The 56-year-old entertainment lawyer and father-of-two from California is also thought to be the first Jewish person to assume the “second spouse” role.
At Biden’s first joint appearance with Harris as his running mate, the incoming president said: “Doug, you’re going to have to learn what it means to be a barrier-breaker yourself in this job you’re about to take on.”
But already he appears to be reveling in the role.
“I’m not overly political,” he told Marie Claire in October. “I’m overly her husband.”
Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff at the Democratic national convention in Wilmington, Delaware, on 19 August. Photograph: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images
His bio on Twitter, where he posted a steady stream of pictures and videos from the campaign trail, reads: “Dad, @kamalaharris hubby, lawyer, wannabe golfer, advocate for justice and equality.”
But he is not just an enthusiastic cheerleader. He has also proved to be an effective campaigner.
Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles mayor and Biden-Harris national co-chair, recently told the Washington Post that Emhoff was their “secret weapon” on the campaign trail.
Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, said he appeared to be a “real hit”, both during the primaries and for the Biden campaign.
“A good sign that someone is a good campaigner is when he or she is sent out alone and doesn’t have to go with the spouse or the family member. That was the secret to the Kennedy family.”
Emhoff, who lived in Brooklyn and New Jersey as a child before his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a teenager, said travelling the country during the primaries, when Harris was mounting her own bid for president, “really opened my eyes”.
He would report back from his trips with “notes from the field”, he told Chasten Buttigieg, whose husband, Pete, also ran for president, in a YouTube interview.
Although he campaigned with Harris during her Senate campaign, he said his first events for the presidential race were “trial by fire”. He said he tried to “speak from the heart” about Harris and drew from his experience in court as a lawyer.
Buttigieg, who works as a teacher, said he found Emhoff “disarming” when he first met him at a Democratic primary debate in June 2019, where they were both watching their spouses. Both “fish out of water” in the political world, they went on to become good friends.
He said Emhoff will make a “great second gentleman, because he’s somebody who very much wants to help and be of service and there’s really no facade there, so that’s a good thing”.
Harris and Emhoff at the San Francisco Pride Parade on 30 June 2019. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
He added: “Doug does a very good job at making people smile, making people feel included, talking about things in a way that other people can easily grasp. It’s just really important, whatever he chooses to do, that he holds on to that and continues being the Doug that other people fell in love with, someone that they could see themselves in.”
Emhoff and Harris met on a blind date in 2013 after being set up by Harris’s friend, Chrisette Hudlin. Emhoff said it was “love at first sight”. They got married the following year. Harris became stepmother, or “Momala”, to his two children, Cole, 26, and Ella, 21, from his first marriage to film producer Kerstin Emhoff, with whom the couple are both close. “We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional,” Harris wrote in Elle last year.
When they met, Harris was California’s attorney general, but Emhoff has said he had no idea they would end up on the presidential campaign trail. When she launched her campaign to run for the US Senate in 2015, he said he started to feel like a “political spouse” and now, just five years later, he is preparing to accompany her to the top of US politics.
It is a significant moment, said Kelly Dittmar, associate professor of political science at Rutgers University-Camden, for a presidency that has been “characterised by gender and masculinity”.
Harris’s election as the first female vice-president challenges those norms, she said. And, in turn, so will Emhoff. “Disrupting some of these gendered expectations of presidential office-holders in swapping what has been assumed to be a dominant role for the male partner and a support role for the female partner.”
But any differences with a man in the role will stem from public expectation rather than any changes to the job itself, she said. She predicts he is unlikely to continue his own career due to potential conflicts of interest.
Traditionally, Perry said, second ladies have worked on “soft power” issues such as healthcare, literacy and nutrition.
Emhoff has reportedly said he wants to focus on justice-related issues.
“We tend to put women who’ve been in these roles in these boxes, and we don’t let them beyond a certain limit,” said Perry. “And it will be interesting to see how we treat Doug Emhoff. Will the difference in gender allow him to do more?”
He is likely to collaborate with the incoming first lady, Jill Biden, who held the position of second lady during the Obama-Biden administration and has described the role as a “powerful platform”. The pair appear to have had a good relationship campaigning together and Emhoff said they have been “bonding” ever since the primaries, when they chatted backstage.
“She continued to teach and be a professor while she was second lady for all those eight years,” said Perry. “Between the two of them as non-traditional spouses, will they form a new paradigm for both first lady and second gentleman?”


theguardian--2020-11-11--Loser: Donald Trump derided defeat– now he must live with it

In the Manichean world of Donald Trump , there is one epithet more pathetic than any other : loser .
He has used the term when describing fellow Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain , critics such as Cher , his friend Roger Stone , and even American fallen heroes who died fighting for their country in France in 1918 .
Now he joins their ranks .
He will forever carry around his neck the yoke of the one-term president , a burden shouldered in the last 40 years by just two other men – George HW Bush and Jimmy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump lost to someone he denigrated as “ the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics ” .
But in the end , after a nail-biting vote count , Joe Biden proved himself to be a more worthy opponent than that albeit by a thin margin than polls predicted .
In 2016 Trump was a curiosity – the outsider who promised to take Washington by storm , the real estate magnate who said he would drain the swamp , the self-proclaimed billionaire who wouldn ’ t reveal his tax returns but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans ” .
Four years later , that unconventional mishmash of qualities had to some degree unraveled .
He could no longer claim the mantle of the outsider – he was the incumbent of the most powerful office on Earth ; the swamp looked more toxic than ever ; and the forgotten Americans were hurting as never before while Trump himself was paying a paltry $ 750 a year in federal income taxes .
Then there was the coronavirus .
From the outset of the pandemic , Trump made it his business to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heed the warning of his own scientific advisers , he bragged falsely that the disease would miraculously “ disappear ” , even though he was later exposed by Bob Woodward to have known early on that the virus was “ deadly stuff ” .
Rather than fire up the full might of the most powerful government on the planet in a comprehensive federal response to the contagion , Trump sat back and let states compete among themselves for scarce resources .
He then politicised the crisis , turning masks into a partisan love-hate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdowns .
A similar provocative approach to governance characterized Trump ’ s handling of the other great upheaval to strike America in 2020 – the wave of Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality sparked by the brutal killing of George Floyd .
An event that called for healing words and unifying deeds from the president was met by Trump ’ s virulent attacks on “ antifa ” and the anarchy supposedly unleashed by crime-loving Democratic governors .
Trump ’ s law-and-order strategy , which he put at the heart of his campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American carnage ” he had invoked at his inauguration .
It will take political scientists time to digest how Trump ’ s starkly counterintuitive strategies played with millions of Americans .
The perceived wisdom was that his refusal to engage the federal government in a robust attempt to contain the coronavirus could only hurt him .
But among his base , especially of white non-college-educated voters , it appears to have intensified , for many , their adoration of him .
By election day , more than 230,000 Americans had lost their lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted for Trump were asked in exit polls whether they thought the virus was a cause for concern , a staggeringly low 5 % said it was – they had drunk his Kool-Aid .
Similarly , Trump ’ s unexpectedly competitive showing in the election suggests that many Americans didn ’ t find his aggressive – and some would say racist – posturing a dealbreaker .
Meanwhile , for millions of others , the American carnage happened on his watch , provoked in no small part by his divisive leadership .
Amid the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself as a strong man , the American equivalent of Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil or Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines whom he called his friends .
But the pattern repeated : photo ops such as Trump holding a Bible at St John ’ s church which required a peaceful crowd outside the White House to be cleared using teargas threw red meat to Trump ’ s base but also alienated voters whose support he needed to woo .
As political strategists pore over the election results , among the demographic groups they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other minority voters .
In 2016 Hillary Clinton failed to excite support among black and Latino communities , including in key swing states like Wisconsin , and that cost her dearly .
By 2020 , Trump had all but ensured an overwhelming turnout for Biden of these sections of the electorate with his constant flow of racist dog whistles and courting of the extreme right .
Here too , though , the picture that emerges from election night is complex .
While in general minority voters came out heavily for the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Cuban Americans in Miami-Dade – a key to his winning Florida – and Latino voters in Ohio and Georgia .
His promise of a “ platinum plan ” to boost black businesses also appeared to have won him support of black celebrities such as Ice Cube and Lil Wayne , and perhaps leverage with some African American voters who turned to him in greater numbers than 2016 in some states .
All of these strategies helped to propel Trump ’ s bid for re-election to a level that for a second time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The downside was that they distracted from the one area of public policy where his ratings showed promise : the economy .
Over much of his presidency , Trump had put a soaring stock exchange and misleading comments on job creation – alongside the appointment of conservative judges – front and center of his claimed accomplishments .
Even as late as May he commanded a huge advantage over Biden on the economy .
But Trump proved incapable of keeping to the economic message .
Impeachment at the start of the year sucked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oval Office , and from there it was almost straight into the pandemic and its shattering economic impact .
By election day his lead over Biden on the economy had been reduced to just a couple of percentage points .
As Biden is hailed as the nation ’ s next chief , Trump has already begun to try to disrupt the peaceful transition of power that has been a hallmark of American democracy since its founding .
That is hardly surprising – even when he won the 2016 election he was so upset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton while prevailing in the electoral college that he concocted an entire conspiracy theory to explain away the dichotomy .
This time his resistance to the electoral facts is even more malicious .
On election night he falsely claimed that he had won the race at a televised event from the East Room of the White House , insisting untruthfully that the election was being stolen from him .
The following day , Trump and his cronies insisted he had won Pennsylvania , despite millions of votes still needing counting .
Squeal as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is unlikely to be able to prevent the inevitable : the arrival of the removal vans at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on 20 January next year .
It would be hard to overstate the bitter poignancy of the images that will be beamed around the world that day , of a man who has devoted his life to creating the myth of his own invincibility , finally and definitively being exposed as a loser .
And then ?
One thing is certain : Trump will not enjoy the ignominy of losing .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me , it ’ s not , ” he told his campaign staff on election day in a rare moment of vulnerability .
At least Trump , who has shown the world over the past four years that he thrives on chaos and disorder , can expect plenty more of both those challenges when he returns to normal life – if taking up residence at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida can be construed as normal .
There are plenty of vultures circling , including the entities who lent him $ 421m against his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money back .
Legal birds of prey are also closing in , with several criminal investigations and civil lawsuits mounting up against him .
The Manhattan district attorney , Cyrus Vance , is conducting multiple inquiries into the Trump Organization relating to possible financial fraud and to the hush money that was paid in 2016 to Stormy Daniels , the adult film actor who claimed she had an affair with Trump .
There are also several civil suits ongoing , including the defamation case brought by the Atlantic writer E Jean Carroll who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a New York department store in the 1990s .
Do not expend too much sympathy for Trump over his debt worries and legal jeopardies .
He is all but assured a multimillion-dollar book deal , and can be expected to exploit to the full the image of the rightwing martyr and the endless money-minting potential that the status of former president brings .
Nor is this likely to be the last we hear of him .
His ability to confound the pollsters for a second time , the burning veneration he instilled in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ominous stamp that he has imprinted on the politics of the nation – all indicate that this is not the end of Donald Trump and his bitter revolution .

In the Manichean world of Donald Trump, there is one epithet more pathetic than any other: loser. He has used the term when describing fellow Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain, critics such as Cher, his friend Roger Stone, and even American fallen heroes who died fighting for their country in France in 1918. Now he joins their ranks. He will forever carry around his neck the yoke of the one-term president, a burden shouldered in the last 40 years by just two other men – George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter.
To make his humiliation complete, Trump lost to someone he denigrated as “the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics”. But in the end, after a nail-biting vote count, Joe Biden proved himself to be a more worthy opponent than that, albeit by a thinner margin than polls predicted.
In 2016 Trump was a curiosity – the outsider who promised to take Washington by storm, the real estate magnate who said he would drain the swamp, the self-proclaimed billionaire who wouldn’t reveal his tax returns but would be the champion of “forgotten Americans”.
Four years later, that unconventional mishmash of qualities had to some degree unraveled. He could no longer claim the mantle of the outsider – he was the incumbent of the most powerful office on Earth; the swamp looked more toxic than ever; and the forgotten Americans were hurting as never before while Trump himself was paying a paltry $750 a year in federal income taxes.
Donald Trump arrives to speak to the press in the Brady briefing room of the White House in July. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Then there was the coronavirus. From the outset of the pandemic, Trump made it his business to strike a contrarian posture. Rather than heed the warning of his own scientific advisers, he bragged falsely that the disease would miraculously “disappear”, even though he was later exposed by Bob Woodward to have known early on that the virus was “deadly stuff”.
Sitting back
Rather than fire up the full might of the most powerful government on the planet in a comprehensive federal response to the contagion, Trump sat back and let states compete among themselves for scarce resources. He then politicised the crisis, turning masks into a partisan love-hate symbol and emboldening far-right protests against Democratic lockdowns.
A similar provocative approach to governance characterized Trump’s handling of the other great upheaval to strike America in 2020 – the wave of Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality sparked by the brutal killing of George Floyd. An event that called for healing words and unifying deeds from the president was met by Trump’s virulent attacks on “antifa” and the anarchy supposedly unleashed by crime-loving Democratic governors.
Trump’s law-and-order strategy, which he put at the heart of his campaign, claimed to be addressing the “American carnage” he had invoked at his inauguration.
05:51 Can Joe Biden and Kamala Harris unite America after Trump? – video explainer
It will take political scientists time to digest how Trump’s starkly counterintuitive strategies played with millions of Americans. The perceived wisdom was that his refusal to engage the federal government in a robust attempt to contain the coronavirus could only hurt him. But among his base, especially of white non-college-educated voters, it appears to have intensified, for many, their adoration of him.
By election day, more than 230,000 Americans had lost their lives to Covid-19. Yet when those who voted for Trump were asked in exit polls whether they thought the virus was a cause for concern, a staggeringly low 5% said it was – they had drunk his Kool-Aid.
Similarly, Trump’s unexpectedly competitive showing in the election suggests that many Americans didn’t find his aggressive – and some would say racist – posturing a dealbreaker. Meanwhile, for millions of others, the American carnage happened on his watch, provoked in no small part by his divisive leadership.
Amid the mounting turmoil, Trump sought to project himself as a strong man, the American equivalent of Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil or Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines whom he called his friends. But the pattern repeated: photo ops such as Trump holding a Bible at St John’s church which required a peaceful crowd outside the White House to be cleared using teargas threw red meat to Trump’s base but also alienated voters whose support he needed to woo.
A supporter sits alone in the top sections of seating as Mike Pence speaks before Trump arrives for a rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. Photograph: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Crumbling support
As political strategists pore over the election results, among the demographic groups they are likely to focus on are African American and other minority voters. In 2016 Hillary Clinton failed to excite support among black and Latino communities, including in key swing states like Wisconsin, and that cost her dearly.
By 2020, Trump had all but ensured an overwhelming turnout for Biden of these sections of the electorate with his constant flow of racist dog whistles and courting of the extreme right. Here too, though, the picture that emerges from election night is complex.
While in general minority voters came out heavily for the Democratic candidate, Trump succeeded in making inroads with Cuban Americans in Miami-Dade – a key to his winning Florida – and Latino voters in Ohio and Georgia. His promise of a “platinum plan” to boost black businesses also appeared to have won him support of black celebrities such as Ice Cube and Lil Wayne, and perhaps leverage with some African American voters who turned to him in greater numbers than 2016 in some states.
16:48 How Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in the fight for America’s soul – video
All of these strategies helped to propel Trump’s bid for re-election to a level that for a second time astounded many seasoned analysts, and pollsters. The downside was that they distracted from the one area of public policy where his ratings showed promise: the economy.
Over much of his presidency, Trump had put a soaring stock exchange and misleading comments on job creation – alongside the appointment of conservative judges – front and center of his claimed accomplishments. Even as late as May he commanded a huge advantage over Biden on the economy.
But Trump proved incapable of keeping to the economic message. Impeachment at the start of the year sucked much of the oxygen out of the Oval Office, and from there it was almost straight into the pandemic and its shattering economic impact.
By election day his lead over Biden on the economy had been reduced to just a couple of percentage points.
Donald Trump leaves the Oval Office and walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, in September 2017. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
Threats
As Biden is hailed as the nation’s next chief, Trump has already begun to try to disrupt the peaceful transition of power that has been a hallmark of American democracy since its founding. That is hardly surprising – even when he won the 2016 election he was so upset about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton while prevailing in the electoral college that he concocted an entire conspiracy theory to explain away the dichotomy.
This time his resistance to the electoral facts is even more malicious. On election night he falsely claimed that he had won the race at a televised event from the East Room of the White House, insisting untruthfully that the election was being stolen from him. The following day, Trump and his cronies insisted he had won Pennsylvania, despite millions of votes still needing counting.
Squeal as loudly as he might, though, he is unlikely to be able to prevent the inevitable: the arrival of the removal vans at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on 20 January next year. It would be hard to overstate the bitter poignancy of the images that will be beamed around the world that day, of a man who has devoted his life to creating the myth of his own invincibility, finally and definitively being exposed as a loser.
And then? One thing is certain: Trump will not enjoy the ignominy of losing. “Losing is never easy. Not for me, it’s not,” he told his campaign staff on election day in a rare moment of vulnerability.
03:51 One week on: how Trump handled losing the US election – video report
At least Trump, who has shown the world over the past four years that he thrives on chaos and disorder, can expect plenty more of both those challenges when he returns to normal life – if taking up residence at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida can be construed as normal. There are plenty of vultures circling, including the entities who lent him $421m against his personal guarantee and may now want the money back.
Legal birds of prey are also closing in, with several criminal investigations and civil lawsuits mounting up against him. The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, is conducting multiple inquiries into the Trump Organization relating to possible financial fraud and to the hush money that was paid in 2016 to Stormy Daniels, the adult film actor who claimed she had an affair with Trump.
There are also several civil suits ongoing, including the defamation case brought by the Atlantic writer E Jean Carroll who alleges she was raped by Trump in a New York department store in the 1990s.
Do not expend too much sympathy for Trump over his debt worries and legal jeopardies. He is all but assured a multimillion-dollar book deal, and can be expected to exploit to the full the image of the rightwing martyr and the endless money-minting potential that the status of former president brings.
Nor is this likely to be the last we hear of him. His ability to confound the pollsters for a second time, the burning veneration he instilled in millions of Americans, the indelible and ominous stamp that he has imprinted on the politics of the nation – all indicate that this is not the end of Donald Trump and his bitter revolution.


theguardian--2020-11-11--The Biden coalition is fragile, fleeting and should alarm Democrats | Ben Davis

Democrats went into last Tuesday ’ s election with a clear strategy : flip enough suburban Republican voters to beat Donald Trump .
This paid off : Joe Biden won the election by flipping enough voters in the suburbs of Atlanta , Detroit , Milwaukee , Philadelphia and Phoenix .
The election , however , exposed the gaping flaws in this strategy for any party that hopes to win and wield power .
Democrats may have accomplished their near-term goal , but in the long term the party is in an extraordinarily weak place , built on a rickety coalition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president who will soon no longer be a threat .
The Democrats took the shortest route to beating Trump , but in the process may have irreparably damaged their ability to build a governing majority and implement progressive policy .
The period immediately after an election tends to be a time of myth-making rather than serious analysis .
These myths , however , often take the place of truth and influence both political strategy and voters themselves for years after .
So what do we know actually happened ?
Biden won the presidency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both the popular vote and electoral college , but with margins that were far too close for comfort in the decisive states .
Democrats lost seats in the House and , pending special elections in Georgia , will either have lost or tied in the Senate .
They were projected to win both the House and Senate .
Biden was able to hit the numbers he needed in the crucial highly educated suburbs , but many of these traditionally Republican voters split their tickets down ballot , voting for the Republican in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Despite polls showing clear gains for Biden among white non-college-educated voters in the rural midwest , Democratic gains here were minimal , and in some places , like much of rural Wisconsin , Trump actually increased his margin after it had seemed like Democrats had hit rock bottom in 2016 .
With the hugely increased turnout , Trump actually netted more votes out of much of the rural midwest than in 2016 .
Most concerningly , Democrats hemorrhaged votes among non-white working-class voters .
Exit polls show Trump winning more non-white voters than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was most apparent among Cuban American voters in Miami-Dade county , who of course have their own idiosyncratic politics .
But losses among Latino voters could also be seen in huge margins in the Rio Grande valley , one of the most impoverished regions in the country , in Osceola county , Florida , and up and down the map from El Centro , California , to Lawrence , Massachusetts .
Early returns also show consistent gains for Republicans among black voters across the board .
Even in the crucial states Biden was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ margins in Detroit , Milwaukee and Philadelphia .
These results should be setting off alarm bells among Democrats .
The first post-election myth is the same that emerges from Democratic leadership and media talking heads after every election : the threat of the “ far left ” .
The election has given an opportunity for elected Democrats to engage in their favorite pastime and primary political commitment : lashing out at anyone , anywhere who might want to do anything about climate change or crushing inequality or systemic racism .
This myth must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a threat to the progressive left and Democrats ability to win elections , it ’ s on its face false .
As noted by the New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , incumbent Democrats in swing and even Republican-leaning seats who co-sponsored Medicare for All were undefeated , while every Democrat who lost their seat took a conservative position on the issue .
An analysis of swing seats by Justice Democrats showed that more conservative voting records were actually correlated with decreased vote share among incumbent Democrats .
Exit polls showed massive support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda was on the ballot , it was triumphant even as moderation-obsessed Democrats lost up and down the ballot .
In Florida , where Democrats distanced themselves from a ballot measure to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour , the result was a huge win for the $ 15 minimum wage and a bloodbath for Democratic candidates .
For many voters , the Democratic party isn ’ t associated with raising the minimum wage , and with the Democrats ’ messaging strategy , why should it be ?
If leftwing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among Latino voters a question of branding ?
Some centrists Democrats say an aversion to “ socialism ” was the issue , causing voters to flee the Democrats .
Luckily , we have a good test of this idea from just this year , the primary run of avowed socialist Bernie Sanders .
Far from fleeing in horror , Latino voters went for the socialist Sanders by enormous margins .
In the nearly all-Latino Rio Grande valley , where Trump saw his largest gains anywhere , Sanders took nearly every county .
Outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority-Latino jurisdiction where Trump saw gains this year .
These voters aren ’ t opposed to “ socialism ” – they are skeptical of the political establishment , not receptive to Democratic messaging about “ decency ” and political norms , and , most importantly , can ’ t be taken for granted .
Following the lead of the Sanders campaign , Democrats need a real commitment to Latino outreach .
This current iteration of the Democratic coalition should be terrifying to anyone with leftwing policy goals or anyone who wants to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coalition was whiter and wealthier than any Democrat ’ s before .
Biden ’ s winning margins depended on suburban voters who were entirely motivated by personal animus towards Trump , who voted Republican down-ballot and will certainly be voting Republican in future elections .
After buying into the mantra that turning out working-class voters was an impossible Bernie Sanders fantasy and messaging had to be tailored to wealthy suburbanites , Democrats were entirely caught off guard by massive turnout among working-class voters of all races , voters who voted Trump at higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Democrats are now staring down the barrel of a future where Republicans have a real foothold among working-class voters , including non-white voters .
For the left , we now have to confront a Democratic party where a real organized segment of its base has material interests opposed to any redistributive policy .
This election has proven the moderate suburbanite strategy is unsustainable .
The only path forward for the left is one of confrontation with the Democratic establishment and a message of economic populism aimed at working-class voters of all races @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; it ’ s the left ’ s task to capture them .

Democrats went into last Tuesday’s election with a clear strategy: flip enough suburban Republican voters to beat Donald Trump. This paid off: Joe Biden won the election by flipping enough voters in the suburbs of Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Phoenix. The election, however, exposed the gaping flaws in this strategy for any party that hopes to win and wield power. Democrats may have accomplished their near-term goal, but in the long term the party is in an extraordinarily weak place, built on a rickety coalition united only by a hatred of a president who will soon no longer be a threat. The Democrats took the shortest route to beating Trump, but in the process may have irreparably damaged their ability to build a governing majority and implement progressive policy.
The period immediately after an election tends to be a time of myth-making rather than serious analysis. These myths, however, often take the place of truth and influence both political strategy and voters themselves for years after. So what do we know actually happened? Biden won the presidency, by a fairly clear margin in both the popular vote and electoral college, but with margins that were far too close for comfort in the decisive states. Democrats lost seats in the House and, pending special elections in Georgia, will either have lost or tied in the Senate. They were projected to win both the House and Senate.
Biden was able to hit the numbers he needed in the crucial highly educated suburbs, but many of these traditionally Republican voters split their tickets down ballot, voting for the Republican in the US Senate and House of Representatives. Despite polls showing clear gains for Biden among white non-college-educated voters in the rural midwest, Democratic gains here were minimal, and in some places, like much of rural Wisconsin, Trump actually increased his margin after it had seemed like Democrats had hit rock bottom in 2016. With the hugely increased turnout, Trump actually netted more votes out of much of the rural midwest than in 2016.
Most concerningly, Democrats hemorrhaged votes among non-white working-class voters. Exit polls show Trump winning more non-white voters than any Republican in a generation. This was most apparent among Cuban American voters in Miami-Dade county, who of course have their own idiosyncratic politics. But losses among Latino voters could also be seen in huge margins in the Rio Grande valley, one of the most impoverished regions in the country, in Osceola county, Florida, and up and down the map from El Centro, California, to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Early returns also show consistent gains for Republicans among black voters across the board. Even in the crucial states Biden was able to flip, Trump reduced Democratic margins in Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. These results should be setting off alarm bells among Democrats.
The first post-election myth is the same that emerges from Democratic leadership and media talking heads after every election: the threat of the “far left”. The election has given an opportunity for elected Democrats to engage in their favorite pastime and primary political commitment: lashing out at anyone, anywhere who might want to do anything about climate change or crushing inequality or systemic racism. This myth must be combatted, not only is it a threat to the progressive left and Democrats ability to win elections, it’s on its face false.
As noted by the New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, incumbent Democrats in swing and even Republican-leaning seats who co-sponsored Medicare for All were undefeated, while every Democrat who lost their seat took a conservative position on the issue. An analysis of swing seats by Justice Democrats showed that more conservative voting records were actually correlated with decreased vote share among incumbent Democrats. Exit polls showed massive support for a leftwing policy agenda. Where this agenda was on the ballot, it was triumphant even as moderation-obsessed Democrats lost up and down the ballot. In Florida, where Democrats distanced themselves from a ballot measure to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, the result was a huge win for the $15 minimum wage and a bloodbath for Democratic candidates. For many voters, the Democratic party isn’t associated with raising the minimum wage, and with the Democrats’ messaging strategy, why should it be?
If leftwing policy is popular, are Democratic losses among Latino voters a question of branding?
If leftwing policy is popular, are Democratic losses among Latino voters a question of branding? Some centrists Democrats say an aversion to “socialism” was the issue, causing voters to flee the Democrats. Luckily, we have a good test of this idea from just this year, the primary run of avowed socialist Bernie Sanders. Far from fleeing in horror, Latino voters went for the socialist Sanders by enormous margins. In the nearly all-Latino Rio Grande valley, where Trump saw his largest gains anywhere, Sanders took nearly every county. Outside of Florida, Sanders won nearly every majority-Latino jurisdiction where Trump saw gains this year. These voters aren’t opposed to “socialism” – they are skeptical of the political establishment, not receptive to Democratic messaging about “decency” and political norms, and, most importantly, can’t be taken for granted. Following the lead of the Sanders campaign, Democrats need a real commitment to Latino outreach.
This current iteration of the Democratic coalition should be terrifying to anyone with leftwing policy goals or anyone who wants to see Democrats win elections. Biden’s coalition was whiter and wealthier than any Democrat’s before. Biden’s winning margins depended on suburban voters who were entirely motivated by personal animus towards Trump, who voted Republican down-ballot and will certainly be voting Republican in future elections. After buying into the mantra that turning out working-class voters was an impossible Bernie Sanders fantasy and messaging had to be tailored to wealthy suburbanites, Democrats were entirely caught off guard by massive turnout among working-class voters of all races, voters who voted Trump at higher rates than any previous Republican has achieved.
Democrats are now staring down the barrel of a future where Republicans have a real foothold among working-class voters, including non-white voters. For the left, we now have to confront a Democratic party where a real organized segment of its base has material interests opposed to any redistributive policy. This election has proven the moderate suburbanite strategy is unsustainable. The only path forward for the left is one of confrontation with the Democratic establishment and a message of economic populism aimed at working-class voters of all races. This election proved that workers vote; it’s the left’s task to capture them.


theguardian--2020-11-11--Enough is enough: Republicans' fealty to Trump imperils America itself | Jill Filipovic

The Republican party has spent four years enabling Donald Trump : backing up his lies , defending his most egregious misbehaviors , shattering longstanding democratic norms to keep his , and by extension their , iron grip on power .
But by refusing to push him to concede an election he clearly lost , they ’ re truly following him off a cliff – and threatening to take America with them .
Donald Trump lost the popular vote by 5 million .
He was handily trounced in the electoral college , too .
There is no real question that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And yet , predictably , the president who has spent his entire time in office denying the facts that are in front of his face is insisting that the clear results of this election must be the result of malfeasance .
We know that to assuage his own ego and maintain his position , he will say and do just about anything .
We know that he is not a statesman or a person who cares about anything beyond himself ; we know he is happy to tear the nation apart at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what he wants .
And we know that many members of the Republican party have thus far aided and abetted him .
But there was some question of when enough would be enough .
Surely there was some line the president could cross that would directly imperil America itself and make Republicans finally say : enough .
Now , the president is mounting what in any developing country would be called an attempted coup .
He is spreading outright lies about America ’ s system of free and fair elections , claiming he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His sycophantic legal team is pulling issues out of thin air to undermine the American system of voting .
He is wielding his power to try to install himself as an unelected leader .
He is refusing to concede so that he might find some way to illegally grab power .
And Republicans are letting him .
The president is “ 100 % within his rights ” to challenge the clear election results in court , said the Senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , before scolding Democrats for demanding the president concede @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any lectures about how the president should immediately , cheerfully accept preliminary election results from the same characters who just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last election.
” But these election results are not “ preliminary ” ; they are clear and decisive .
And Democrats did not refuse to accept the results of the 2016 election .
Democrats did insist on looking into foreign interference into the election , and asked necessary questions about the president ’ s interactions with foreign adversaries .
But Democrats did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undermine the democratic process and American confidence in a free and fair vote .
This isn ’ t about letting the president have his temper tantrum or , as one GOP official put it , “ humoring him for a bit ” .
This is about whether Americans can trust in our system , and whether Americans will trust in our system .
America will , hopefully , outlast Donald Trump , and hopefully it will outlast every person alive today .
But America is as much an idea as it is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed-upon set of rules and norms , many of them written , but many of them customary .
Americans have always sought to make the rules fairer , and to extend more rights and privileges to a wider swath of people : that ’ s what the civil rights movement did , and the women ’ s movement , too .
But the goal was to get in on the system , not to undermine its legitimacy .
What Trump and his Republican enablers are doing is a wholly different thing .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is unfair because it excludes some people who deserve to be a part of it .
They aren ’ t even saying that they lost because the rules were unfair .
They are saying that one side cheated , that the system is rigged .
Once that cat is out of the bag – once you sow widespread distrust in the entire concept of free and fair American elections – it ’ s awfully hard to put it back in .
When the president refuses to concede , it also has a real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s future .
The incoming president needs to be fully briefed ; he needs to be able to staff up and start to put his team in place so that he can hit the ground running .
It ’ s bad for the country if we slow that process down .
And it ’ s especially dangerous during an escalating pandemic : Joe Biden is facing a huge public health emergency that experts predict will worsen this winter , and he needs to be able to manage it as efficiently as possible .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has even come to this : that the integrity of the American electoral process is at stake , and many of the most powerful and prominent members of Republican party still declare fealty to their Dear Leader , even at the expense of the nation .
This isn ’ t just about one party acting unscrupulously because they ’ re sore losers .
This is how democracy itself comes undone .

The Republican party has spent four years enabling Donald Trump: backing up his lies, defending his most egregious misbehaviors, shattering longstanding democratic norms to keep his, and by extension their, iron grip on power. But by refusing to push him to concede an election he clearly lost, they’re truly following him off a cliff – and threatening to take America with them.
Donald Trump lost the popular vote by 5 million. He was handily trounced in the electoral college, too. There is no real question that he lost the election and Joe Biden won.
And yet, predictably, the president who has spent his entire time in office denying the facts that are in front of his face is insisting that the clear results of this election must be the result of malfeasance. We know that to assuage his own ego and maintain his position, he will say and do just about anything. We know that he is not a statesman or a person who cares about anything beyond himself; we know he is happy to tear the nation apart at the seams if it means he gets what he wants. And we know that many members of the Republican party have thus far aided and abetted him.
But there was some question of when enough would be enough. Surely there was some line the president could cross that would directly imperil America itself and make Republicans finally say: enough. Now, the president is mounting what in any developing country would be called an attempted coup. He is spreading outright lies about America’s system of free and fair elections, claiming he won when he didn’t. His sycophantic legal team is pulling issues out of thin air to undermine the American system of voting. He is wielding his power to try to install himself as an unelected leader. He is refusing to concede so that he might find some way to illegally grab power. And Republicans are letting him.
The president is “100% within his rights” to challenge the clear election results in court, said the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, before scolding Democrats for demanding the president concede. “Let’s not have any lectures about how the president should immediately, cheerfully accept preliminary election results from the same characters who just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last election.”
But these election results are not “preliminary”; they are clear and decisive. And Democrats did not refuse to accept the results of the 2016 election. Democrats did insist on looking into foreign interference into the election, and asked necessary questions about the president’s interactions with foreign adversaries. But Democrats did not refuse to concede. They did not undermine the democratic process and American confidence in a free and fair vote.
Trump is refusing to concede so he might find some way to illegally grab power. And Republicans are letting him
This isn’t about letting the president have his temper tantrum or, as one GOP official put it, “humoring him for a bit”. This is about whether Americans can trust in our system, and whether Americans will trust in our system. America will, hopefully, outlast Donald Trump, and hopefully it will outlast every person alive today. But America is as much an idea as it is a land mass; our democracy is an agreed-upon set of rules and norms, many of them written, but many of them customary. Americans have always sought to make the rules fairer, and to extend more rights and privileges to a wider swath of people: that’s what the civil rights movement did, and the women’s movement, too. But the goal was to get in on the system, not to undermine its legitimacy.
What Trump and his Republican enablers are doing is a wholly different thing. They aren’t saying that the system is unfair because it excludes some people who deserve to be a part of it. They aren’t even saying that they lost because the rules were unfair. They are saying that one side cheated, that the system is rigged. Once that cat is out of the bag – once you sow widespread distrust in the entire concept of free and fair American elections – it’s awfully hard to put it back in.
When the president refuses to concede, it also has a real, tangible impact on the nation’s future. The incoming president needs to be fully briefed; he needs to be able to staff up and start to put his team in place so that he can hit the ground running. It’s bad for the country if we slow that process down. And it’s especially dangerous during an escalating pandemic: Joe Biden is facing a huge public health emergency that experts predict will worsen this winter, and he needs to be able to manage it as efficiently as possible.
It’s sad and stunning that it has even come to this: that the integrity of the American electoral process is at stake, and many of the most powerful and prominent members of Republican party still declare fealty to their Dear Leader, even at the expense of the nation. This isn’t just about one party acting unscrupulously because they’re sore losers. This is how democracy itself comes undone.


theguardian--2020-11-11--Joe Biden's election alone cannot heal a divided nation. We will all have to do that | Susan Bro

I absolutely hate political ads .
They are usually nasty , formulaic , contradictory .
Each will point out that candidate X is a lying , untrustworthy person who will destroy the very fabric of society .
Candidate Y , however , will fix everything , if only I cast my vote their way .
Switch candidates and repeat , repeat , repeat .
Eventually they are recognizable by the tone of voice .
My husband and I race for the remote to mute them , even when we agree with them .
We cast our ballots and awaited the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheers , some groans .
Now , after days of counting , we have a new president .
But the honest truth is that we are going to remain heavily divided .
Elections do not mute political animosity .
We , the people , save our democracy when we reconnect at the personal level .
Some people we see the most often may be the most at odds with us – neighbors , fellow worshipers , soccer parents , our own family .
How do I reach out to someone whose beliefs are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do I retain my convictions while connecting ?
Some want discussion to stop so life can return to normal .
Normal means status quo .
It means , “ let me have my life back the way it was before.
” If your life is one of generational wealth , privilege , economic opportunity , relatively good health , and all the freedoms and happiness those imply , that might be fine for you and others just like you .
The concept of democracy is based on the promise of freedom , rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is absolutely not the case for everyone in the United States .
Many are denied justice , generational wealth , quality education , medical care , housing and freedom .
They are not afforded these due to skin color , place of birth , gender , gender identity , physical or mental condition .
Simply returning to normal means abandoning them .
And that is not acceptable .
Most of my life , I ’ ve been surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains .
They are a fixed part of my horizon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Earth ’ s crust , pushed and shaped by circumstances beyond their control .
They stand the test of time , largely immutable .
I envision my convictions as mountains .
Here are my places of strength from which I reach out to others .
My mountains are antiracism , affordable healthcare and justice for all .
My beliefs are based on the notion that when any of us is marginalized , we all are .
These concepts bolster what I do , what I study , how I spend my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is essential to me to entice others to those mountains if I want to see those changes .
This requires moving out of my comfort zone to find others equally willing to act in good faith .
Trust and respect allow us to hear one another .
Otherwise , our words bounce off the walls between us .
A level of transparency can give us authentic points of connection .
Difficult conversations ensue as we as ask people to talk about their mountains and why they chose those mountains .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to understand .
And we , ourselves , participate in moments of true reflection to talk about our own mountains .
Some people are simply tourists , wandering the terrain of their own lives not having chosen to stand on any mountains .
A few have been enticed into a course of action that they may not actually want , but are unsure of their options .
And others are perfectly content with their mountains , but are at least willing to discuss them .
Some groups of people have been speaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been listening at all .
We can uncenter ourselves and pay attention to what they are saying .
We are responsible to educate ourselves , reaching out only as we are better informed and cause no further harm .
In reaching out , I can plant seeds of understanding which perhaps are brought to fruition by others .
Some may never come to a place of compassion or comprehension .
There are more people out there who want to make this democracy work than those who do not .
They just might be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swept along in the current , trying to find a firm footing once again .
We , the people , cast our votes .
And now we must take ownership of our democracy .
• None Susan Bro works as an advocate for positive social change through the Heather Heyer Foundation and hate crime legislation

I absolutely hate political ads. They are usually nasty, formulaic, contradictory. Each will point out that candidate X is a lying, untrustworthy person who will destroy the very fabric of society. Candidate Y, however, will fix everything, if only I cast my vote their way. Switch candidates and repeat, repeat, repeat. Eventually they are recognizable by the tone of voice. My husband and I race for the remote to mute them, even when we agree with them.
We cast our ballots and awaited the outcomes with bated breath – with some cheers, some groans. Now, after days of counting, we have a new president. But the honest truth is that we are going to remain heavily divided.
Elections do not mute political animosity. We, the people, save our democracy when we reconnect at the personal level. Some people we see the most often may be the most at odds with us – neighbors, fellow worshipers, soccer parents, our own family.
How do I reach out to someone whose beliefs are diametrically opposed to my own? How do I retain my convictions while connecting?
Some want discussion to stop so life can return to normal. Normal means status quo. It means, “let me have my life back the way it was before.” If your life is one of generational wealth, privilege, economic opportunity, relatively good health, and all the freedoms and happiness those imply, that might be fine for you and others just like you.
Elections do not mute political animosity. We, the people, save our democracy when we reconnect at the personal level.
The concept of democracy is based on the promise of freedom, rights and justice for all. We know that is absolutely not the case for everyone in the United States. Many are denied justice, generational wealth, quality education, medical care, housing and freedom. They are not afforded these due to skin color, place of birth, gender, gender identity, physical or mental condition. Simply returning to normal means abandoning them. And that is not acceptable.
Most of my life, I’ve been surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. They are a fixed part of my horizon. They represent strength and stability, born of the Earth’s crust, pushed and shaped by circumstances beyond their control. They stand the test of time, largely immutable. I envision my convictions as mountains. Here are my places of strength from which I reach out to others.
My mountains are antiracism, affordable healthcare and justice for all. My beliefs are based on the notion that when any of us is marginalized, we all are. These concepts bolster what I do, what I study, how I spend my money and how I cast my votes. It is essential to me to entice others to those mountains if I want to see those changes.
This requires moving out of my comfort zone to find others equally willing to act in good faith. Trust and respect allow us to hear one another. Otherwise, our words bounce off the walls between us. A level of transparency can give us authentic points of connection. Difficult conversations ensue as we as ask people to talk about their mountains and why they chose those mountains. We then truly listen to their answers, trying to understand. And we, ourselves, participate in moments of true reflection to talk about our own mountains.
Some people are simply tourists, wandering the terrain of their own lives not having chosen to stand on any mountains. A few have been enticed into a course of action that they may not actually want, but are unsure of their options. And others are perfectly content with their mountains, but are at least willing to discuss them.
Some groups of people have been speaking for decades, and we have not been listening at all. We can uncenter ourselves and pay attention to what they are saying. We are responsible to educate ourselves, reaching out only as we are better informed and cause no further harm.
In reaching out, I can plant seeds of understanding which perhaps are brought to fruition by others. Some may never come to a place of compassion or comprehension. There are more people out there who want to make this democracy work than those who do not. They just might be a bit overwhelmed at the moment and swept along in the current, trying to find a firm footing once again.
We, the people, cast our votes. And now we must take ownership of our democracy.