theguardian--2020-11-11--Trump's refusal to concede follows his pattern of incompetence and delusions | Richard Wolffe

Like all good seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness , the end of the Trump era is a heady mix of sweet melancholy .
There will come a time , soon , when world leaders look back on the last four years with a wry smile and a shake of the head .
Instead of the sheer blood-draining horror of sitting beside a sociopathic maniac with the power to destroy the world in a nuclear holocaust .
For now , we must savor the last oozings of this Fall of Donald .
He cuts a tired and bloated figure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but he does so in ALL CAPS .
All the time .
He promises the most amazing revelations and achievements , coming very soon , just like he said they would .
“ WE ARE MAKING BIG PROGRESS , ” he tweet-shouted on Tuesday .
“ RESULTS START TO COME NEXT WEEK .
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN !
” But next week is when some states begin certifying their votes .
The electoral college meets in one month .
Now isn ’ t the time for making progress , or for recycling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A week after losing the election , now is the time to deliver the goods , or be delivered for good .
As all good Arsenal fans know , it ’ s the hope that kills you .
And Trump has likely killed more than 700 fans ( or their friends ) with his awesome campaign rallies .
It ’ s not easy to keep hope alive in what passes for Trump ’ s legal circles .
As the Biden transition team points out , no less than 13 Trump lawsuits have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The arguments run the gamut from baseless to mindless , from Sharpie pens to vote count observers .
They have mostly failed , just like the Trump presidency .
Take the case of the single postal worker in Pennsylvania who claimed to have witnessed something nefarious involving mail-in ballots .
His allegations were swiftly seized upon by the former military lawyer and Trump super-booster Senator Lindsey Graham .
Within hours , the attorney general of the United States ordered US attorneys across the country to get to work investigating such claims .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole story on Tuesday , leaving the Trump campaign to wonder if he was suffering unduly from all the public exposure .
One of the few bright spots in an otherwise unremittingly overcast sky was the Pennsylvania and supreme court ruling to segregate ballots that arrived after election day .
This epic legal triumph shrunk to bacterial size when Pennsylvania ’ s secretary of state revealed that the segregated ballots amounted to just 10,000 votes .
Joe Biden is currently leading the state ’ s votes by more than 45,000 .
Never mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been living in a state of denial for the last four years .
They claimed the pandemic would disappear like a miracle .
That climate crisis was an exaggerated fiction .
They said the world respected Donald Trump .
And Rudy Giuliani really intended to stage a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping .
There ’ s a pattern in here somewhere .
Oh yes .
It ’ s a pattern of snort-inducing lies , incompetence and delusions .
As the sun sets on Trump , our unnaturally bronzed soon-to-be ex-president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his power with every tweet he can muster .
He absolutely , defiantly , categorically will not concede the election , or allow his officials to work on a transition .
This is a shame because it makes him look a pathetically sad loser with a paper-thin skin , which he has been forever .
But it ’ s a shame for his many ardent defenders whose job would be so much easier if they were defending someone with a shred of decency , integrity or maturity .
Commentators at The Wall Street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Murdoch family ) have strained mightily to condemn the Democrats for being mean , while standing up for every candidate ’ s right to file endlessly frivolous lawsuits .
Republican senators refuse to congratulate the president-elect , Joe Biden , because this election isn ’ t over until Trump leaves the White House under the armed escort of the Secret Service .
And the secretary of state , Mike Pompeo , half-jokes that he ’ s ready for a smooth transition to a second Trump term , thereby destroying three decades of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
No wonder Pompeo is doing sweetheart interviews with small-time rightwing radio hosts such as Mike Belling ( Standing Up For Milwaukee ) who asked him if he agreed that America was more respected after four years of Trump .
Mike : the answer is no .
How can you stand up for Milwaukee if you ’ ve forgotten how to stand up ?
So we have the reality that nearly 80 % of Americans believe that Biden won last week ’ s election while the fantasy politics game of the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more month .
There ’ s even supposed to be a “ Million Maga March ” in Washington DC this weekend .
Let ’ s hope the crowd is bigger than a Tulsa rally in June .
There seems to be some debate going on , as political insiders try to figure out if this whole post-election period is some coup in the works or an elaborate joke to stop another Trump tantrum .
“ What ’ s the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time , ” one anonymous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Setting aside the obvious damage Trump is inflicting on the Biden transition , there might just be some downside for his party in the two run-offs in Georgia that will decide control of the US Senate next year .
Georgia ’ s Republican candidates could spend the next two months talking about how they will act as a check and balance on a Biden presidency .
Or they could just deny the outcome of the election and face endless questions about the last of Trump ’ s summer whine .
What ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a little old president ?
There is the small matter of American national security , including its vastly expensive and super-secret intelligence community .
There could be an innocent explanation for a lame-duck president firing the secretary of defense , and installing former aides to House Republican Devin Nunes and Michael Flynn at the National Security Agency and to run the huge Defense Intelligence Agency .
Nunes was one of the key players undermining the Mueller and FBI investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election .
Meanwhile Flynn , Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convicted of lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts during the Trump transition .
What on earth could go wrong with our national exercise in humoring Donald Trump ?
There is a season for everything and everyone .
For Joe Biden , this is a time to heal , to reach out to Republicans and bring the country back together .
But for Donald Trump , winter is coming , and with it probably a long-overdue IRS bill , a very large bank debt for repayment , or a New York prosecution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mellow fruitfulness .
It ’ s time to burn the village down .

Like all good seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness, the end of the Trump era is a heady mix of sweet melancholy.
There will come a time, soon, when world leaders look back on the last four years with a wry smile and a shake of the head. Instead of the sheer blood-draining horror of sitting beside a sociopathic maniac with the power to destroy the world in a nuclear holocaust.
For now, we must savor the last oozings of this Fall of Donald.
He cuts a tired and bloated figure, to be sure. He tweets less, but he does so in ALL CAPS. All the time. He promises the most amazing revelations and achievements, coming very soon, just like he said they would.
“WE ARE MAKING BIG PROGRESS,” he tweet-shouted on Tuesday. “RESULTS START TO COME NEXT WEEK. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
But next week is when some states begin certifying their votes. The electoral college meets in one month. Now isn’t the time for making progress, or for recycling the slogans of losing campaigns long gone. A week after losing the election, now is the time to deliver the goods, or be delivered for good.
As all good Arsenal fans know, it’s the hope that kills you. And Trump has likely killed more than 700 fans (or their friends) with his awesome campaign rallies.
It’s not easy to keep hope alive in what passes for Trump’s legal circles. As the Biden transition team points out, no less than 13 Trump lawsuits have been dismissed before and after the election. The arguments run the gamut from baseless to mindless, from Sharpie pens to vote count observers. They have mostly failed, just like the Trump presidency.
Take the case of the single postal worker in Pennsylvania who claimed to have witnessed something nefarious involving mail-in ballots. His allegations were swiftly seized upon by the former military lawyer and Trump super-booster Senator Lindsey Graham. Within hours, the attorney general of the United States ordered US attorneys across the country to get to work investigating such claims.
Sadly, the postal worker recanted the whole story on Tuesday, leaving the Trump campaign to wonder if he was suffering unduly from all the public exposure.
One of the few bright spots in an otherwise unremittingly overcast sky was the Pennsylvania and supreme court ruling to segregate ballots that arrived after election day. This epic legal triumph shrunk to bacterial size when Pennsylvania’s secretary of state revealed that the segregated ballots amounted to just 10,000 votes. Joe Biden is currently leading the state’s votes by more than 45,000.
Never mind the battleground states. The Trump administration has been living in a state of denial for the last four years. They claimed the pandemic would disappear like a miracle. That climate crisis was an exaggerated fiction. They said the world respected Donald Trump. And Rudy Giuliani really intended to stage a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping.
There’s a pattern in here somewhere. Oh yes. It’s a pattern of snort-inducing lies, incompetence and delusions.
As the sun sets on Trump, our unnaturally bronzed soon-to-be ex-president is clinging on to the summer of his power with every tweet he can muster. He absolutely, defiantly, categorically will not concede the election, or allow his officials to work on a transition.
This is a shame because it makes him look a pathetically sad loser with a paper-thin skin, which he has been forever. But it’s a shame for his many ardent defenders whose job would be so much easier if they were defending someone with a shred of decency, integrity or maturity.
Commentators at The Wall Street Journal and Fox News (proprietors: the Murdoch family) have strained mightily to condemn the Democrats for being mean, while standing up for every candidate’s right to file endlessly frivolous lawsuits. Republican senators refuse to congratulate the president-elect, Joe Biden, because this election isn’t over until Trump leaves the White House under the armed escort of the Secret Service.
And the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, half-jokes that he’s ready for a smooth transition to a second Trump term, thereby destroying three decades of American efforts to promote democracy around the world.
No wonder Pompeo is doing sweetheart interviews with small-time rightwing radio hosts such as Mike Belling (Standing Up For Milwaukee) who asked him if he agreed that America was more respected after four years of Trump.
Mike: the answer is no. How can you stand up for Milwaukee if you’ve forgotten how to stand up?
So we have the reality that nearly 80% of Americans believe that Biden won last week’s election while the fantasy politics game of the last four years plays itself out for one more month. There’s even supposed to be a “Million Maga March” in Washington DC this weekend. Let’s hope the crowd is bigger than a Tulsa rally in June.
There seems to be some debate going on, as political insiders try to figure out if this whole post-election period is some coup in the works or an elaborate joke to stop another Trump tantrum. “What’s the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time,” one anonymous Republican official told The Washington Post.
Setting aside the obvious damage Trump is inflicting on the Biden transition, there might just be some downside for his party in the two run-offs in Georgia that will decide control of the US Senate next year.
Georgia’s Republican candidates could spend the next two months talking about how they will act as a check and balance on a Biden presidency. Or they could just deny the outcome of the election and face endless questions about the last of Trump’s summer whine.
What’s the downside of a little bit humoring of a little old president? There is the small matter of American national security, including its vastly expensive and super-secret intelligence community.
There could be an innocent explanation for a lame-duck president firing the secretary of defense, and installing former aides to House Republican Devin Nunes and Michael Flynn at the National Security Agency and to run the huge Defense Intelligence Agency. Nunes was one of the key players undermining the Mueller and FBI investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Meanwhile Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, was convicted of lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts during the Trump transition.
What on earth could go wrong with our national exercise in humoring Donald Trump?
There is a season for everything and everyone. For Joe Biden, this is a time to heal, to reach out to Republicans and bring the country back together.
But for Donald Trump, winter is coming, and with it probably a long-overdue IRS bill, a very large bank debt for repayment, or a New York prosecution for tax fraud.
Never mind the mellow fruitfulness. It’s time to burn the village down.


theguardian--2020-11-11--Joe Biden's coalition is whiter, wealthier – and will not stick around | 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--‘I need to make sure I’m heard’: the hurdles young Texans overcame to cast their votes

Isaiah Rendon was certain that he had registered to vote by the deadline .
But when he went to the polls in San Marcos , Texas , on election day last week , the 21-year-old was only offered a provisional ballot .
It was Rendon ’ s first time voting .
He hadn ’ t been interested in politics before .
But this year , amid so much party infighting , he felt the urge to speak up .
“ I need to go ahead and make sure I am heard , ” he said , “ for what I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy , systemic racism , the accelerating climate crisis and a global pandemic , young Americans showed up to vote this fall , far exceeding turnout from four years ago .
Youth , especially from communities of color , were one of the key constituencies that propelled Joe Biden to victory .
And nowhere did they generate more buzz than in Texas , as Democrats aggressively pushed – but ultimately failed – to turn the red stronghold blue .
During early voting , more than 1.3 million Texans under age 30 helped drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infamous for chronically low turnout .
However , consistent with a long history of voter suppression , young people still got caught in onerous laws and frustrating bureaucracy , even after doing everything by the book .
“ There ’ s just a lot of confusion on the ground , especially for first time voters , of what is their right , what is the law , and how can they vote , ” said Catherine Wicker , a deputy field organizer for Texas Rising and graduate student at Texas State university .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ home base , Texas State dominates the city of San Marcos with a majority-minority student body nearly 38,000 strong .
Hays flipped for Biden last week , but not everyone from the area was onboard : San Marcos recently made headlines after a caravan of Trump supporters literally drove a Biden campaign bus out of town .
While vigilantes loudly took to the roads to try to scare people out of voting , a more pernicious , state-sponsored form of disenfranchisement was happening behind the scenes that amounted to voter suppression , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas State working on a local campaign .
While it ’ s hard to know exactly how many voters were affected , an “ alarming number ” of students in the Texas county were not on the voter rolls when polls opened for early voting in October , and were either turned away or given a provisional ballot after trying to vote , Wicker said .
Unlike regular ballots , provisional voting involves extra steps to “ cure ” the ballot , which goes through a review process and may not be counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the steps that they need to do to be registered , and they are not registered , ” she said .
“ And that ’ s very alarming to me , not only as [ an ] organizer , but also as a citizen – that these people have done everything , they meet the requirements to vote , yet there ’ s all of these barriers in place.
” When the registration deadline had already passed , some young voters were also befuddled by correction letters questioning their information , Wicker said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disenfranchised after the elections office mistyped her details .
She wasn ’ t on the voter rolls , then received a disconcerting letter saying her social security number didn ’ t match her name .
“ People are getting turned away from voting for just like , minor , minor mistakes , human errors , that , like , really in a system with equitable voter registration and voter enfranchisement would not even be an issue , ” Peña said .
After moving earlier this year , Peña was perturbed when his own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas ’ online database by the start of early voting .
A voter hotline told him it looked like he hadn ’ t registered at all , and that uncertainty coupled with the prospect of long lines were enough to keep him from the polls for days .
“ It ’ s clear that that has become the strategy of those who seek to disenfranchise voters , is just make it as hard as possible while still ‘ allowing them ’ to vote , ” said Peña , who did eventually cast a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Hays county ’ s elections administrator , told the Guardian last week that voters with registration issues could call her office to address them , and that those problems wouldn ’ t keep them from voting .
“ Everyone who has registered by the deadline has been processed into our voter registration system , ” she wrote in an email .
But on election day , young voters remained in limbo .
One was given a provisional ballot even though she had kept her receipt as proof that she had registered back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disheartening to the process , ” Wicker said , “ to see that there ’ s these ongoing issues .
”

Isaiah Rendon was certain that he had registered to vote by the deadline. But when he went to the polls in San Marcos, Texas, on election day last week, the 21-year-old was only offered a provisional ballot.
It was Rendon’s first time voting. He hadn’t been interested in politics before. But this year, amid so much party infighting, he felt the urge to speak up.
“I need to go ahead and make sure I am heard,” he said, “for what I believe in.”
Confronted with a faltering economy, systemic racism, the accelerating climate crisis and a global pandemic, young Americans showed up to vote this fall, far exceeding turnout from four years ago. Youth, especially from communities of color, were one of the key constituencies that propelled Joe Biden to victory. And nowhere did they generate more buzz than in Texas, as Democrats aggressively pushed – but ultimately failed – to turn the red stronghold blue.
During early voting, more than 1.3 million Texans under age 30 helped drive surprisingly high voter participation in a state infamous for chronically low turnout. However, consistent with a long history of voter suppression, young people still got caught in onerous laws and frustrating bureaucracy, even after doing everything by the book.
“There’s just a lot of confusion on the ground, especially for first time voters, of what is their right, what is the law, and how can they vote,” said Catherine Wicker, a deputy field organizer for Texas Rising and graduate student at Texas State university.
In Hays county, Wicker’s home base, Texas State dominates the city of San Marcos with a majority-minority student body nearly 38,000 strong. Hays flipped for Biden last week, but not everyone from the area was onboard: San Marcos recently made headlines after a caravan of Trump supporters literally drove a Biden campaign bus out of town.
People wait in line to vote for more than an hour at Dan Ruiz Branch library in Austin, Texas, on 3 November. Photograph: Montinique Monroe/Getty Images
While vigilantes loudly took to the roads to try to scare people out of voting, a more pernicious, state-sponsored form of disenfranchisement was happening behind the scenes that amounted to voter suppression, said Ethen Peña, a graduate student at Texas State working on a local campaign.
While it’s hard to know exactly how many voters were affected, an “alarming number” of students in the Texas county were not on the voter rolls when polls opened for early voting in October, and were either turned away or given a provisional ballot after trying to vote, Wicker said. Unlike regular ballots, provisional voting involves extra steps to “cure” the ballot, which goes through a review process and may not be counted.
“They have done all of the steps that they need to do to be registered, and they are not registered,” she said. “And that’s very alarming to me, not only as [an] organizer, but also as a citizen – that these people have done everything, they meet the requirements to vote, yet there’s all of these barriers in place.”
When the registration deadline had already passed, some young voters were also befuddled by correction letters questioning their information, Wicker said. One student thought she had been disenfranchised after the elections office mistyped her details. She wasn’t on the voter rolls, then received a disconcerting letter saying her social security number didn’t match her name.
Floyd Bauler, a Travis county voter, leaves a polling station after casting his ballot in Austin. Photograph: Bob Daemmrich/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock
“People are getting turned away from voting for just like, minor, minor mistakes, human errors, that, like, really in a system with equitable voter registration and voter enfranchisement would not even be an issue,” Peña said.
After moving earlier this year, Peña was perturbed when his own information hadn’t been updated in Texas’ online database by the start of early voting. A voter hotline told him it looked like he hadn’t registered at all, and that uncertainty coupled with the prospect of long lines were enough to keep him from the polls for days.
“It’s clear that that has become the strategy of those who seek to disenfranchise voters, is just make it as hard as possible while still ‘allowing them’ to vote,” said Peña, who did eventually cast a ballot during early voting.
Jennifer Anderson, Hays county’s elections administrator, told the Guardian last week that voters with registration issues could call her office to address them, and that those problems wouldn’t keep them from voting. “Everyone who has registered by the deadline has been processed into our voter registration system,” she wrote in an email.
But on election day, young voters remained in limbo. One was given a provisional ballot even though she had kept her receipt as proof that she had registered back in 2019.
“It’s disheartening to the process,” Wicker said, “to see that there’s these ongoing issues.”


theguardian--2020-11-11--Trump marks Veterans Day in first official appearance since Biden win – video

Donald Trump stepped out of the White House for his first official appearance in six days as he laid a @ @ @ @ @ the Unknown Soldier to mark Veterans Day .
This was Trump 's first outing , @ @ @ @ @ , since Joe Biden was declared president-elect over the weekend .
Trump has declined to @ @ @ @ @ .
• ‘ It must be made to fail ’ : Trump 's desperate bid @ @ @ @ @ Pressure builds on Trump to concede as Biden pushes ahead with transition plan

Donald Trump stepped out of the White House for his first official appearance in six days as he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark Veterans Day.
This was Trump's first outing, other than to play golf, since Joe Biden was declared president-elect over the weekend. Trump has declined to concede the election to Biden.


theguardian--2020-11-12--Biden moves forward with transition as Trump refuses to concede – live

Kayleigh McEnany , the outgoing White House press secretary , raised many eyebrows this morning , when she tried to @ @ @ @ @ job during a Fox News interview .
Although McEnany works for the White House , @ @ @ @ @ to the media in her “ personal capacity ” as an adviser to Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ When Fox News asked her whether Joe Biden would soon receive access to intelligence briefings @ @ @ @ @ That would be a question more for the White House.
” That answer is rather @ @ @ @ @ the top spokesperson for the White House .
It should also be noted that McEnany @ @ @ @ @ White House press briefings by referring them to the Trump campaign .
Political reporters immediately @ @ @ @ @ who makes a government salary of $ 183,000 a year , was refusing to speak @ @ @ @ @ when that is the top requirement of her job .

13 Nov 2020 02.47 GMT Summary That’s all from us for today. Here’s a recap from me and Joan E Greve: Joe Biden moved forward with his transition, as Donald Trump still refuses to concede that he lost the presidential election. The president-elect named longtime adviser Ron Klain as his chief of staff last night, and Biden’s transition team said he spoke to Pope Francis this morning.
The president-elect named longtime adviser as his chief of staff last night, and Biden’s transition team said he spoke to this morning. A growing number of Republicans are calling for Biden to start receiving classified briefings. Presidents-elect usually have access to classified briefings after being declared the winner of the election, but the Trump administration has refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory. “Our adversaries aren’t going to wait for you to catch up to take action,” said Marco Rubio, the Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee.
Presidents-elect usually have access to classified briefings after being declared the winner of the election, but the has refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory. “Our adversaries aren’t going to wait for you to catch up to take action,” said the Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee. The Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity agency said the 2020 election “was the most secure in American history”. Contradicting messages from Trump and his allies, the agency said “there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised”.
Contradicting messages from Trump and his allies, the agency said “there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised”. November is on track to be the worst month of the pandemic so far in the US. Several mayors and governors are announcing new restrictions, including Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot , who announced a stay-at-home advisory starting Monday.
Several mayors and governors are announcing new restrictions, including Chicago’s , who announced a stay-at-home advisory starting Monday. Another 709,000 Americans submitted new claims for unemployment benefits last week , marking a decrease from a week earlier. But economists warn that unemployment numbers remain alarmingly high eight months into the pandemic, and the most recent surge in infections could do further harm to the US economy.
, marking a decrease from a week earlier. But economists warn that unemployment numbers remain alarmingly high eight months into the pandemic, and the most recent surge in infections could do further harm to the US economy. Corey Lewandowski, an outside adviser to Trump, tested positive for coronavirus. Lewandowski has been in Philadelphia in recent days, contesting Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, where the Democrat currently leads by more than 50,000 votes. Several other Trump advisers, including White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, have tested positive since last week. Follow the Guardian’s live coronavirus coverage here: Coronavirus live news: quarter of deaths in France linked to Covid as US tops 140,000 daily cases Read more
13 Nov 2020 02.02 GMT Supreme court justice Samuel Alito, speaking at the conservative Federalist Society convention, said that the Obergefell decision, which affirmed the right to same-sex marriage, has led to the censorship of those who believe that marriage should be heterosexual. Mark Joseph Stern of Slate reports: Yikes. Alito condemns Obergefell, the same-sex marriage decision, and says it has led to censorship of people who believe marriage is “a union of one man and one woman.” Says freedom of speech is “falling out of favor in some circles.” — Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) November 13, 2020 Obergefell is one of the landmark cases that civil rights advocates fear will be reversed now that Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett has clinched a conservative majority. More background here: Buttigieg to Fox News Sunday: Barrett nomination puts my marriage in danger Read more
Updated at 02.06 GMT
13 Nov 2020 01.34 GMT President scheduled to receive Operation Warp Speed briefing Operation Warp Speed is a Trump administration program to pursue Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics. After several days with an empty schedule, amid reports that Trump has been disengaged from the day-to-day work of governing, even as coronavirus cases climb, the president’s public schedule says he will receive a briefing on vaccines and treatments tomorrow, which will be closed to press. Trump, who downplayed the coronavirus crisis in the lead-up to election day, has since largely refrained from weighing in on the latest surge in cases across the US. He has “fumed” that Pfizer announced progress in its vaccine trials after the election, the AP reports, citing an anonymous White House official. Ahead of the election, the president had promised a vaccine by election day, or soon after – presenting a timeline that public health experts said was unrealistic.
Updated at 02.07 GMT
13 Nov 2020 01.29 GMT David Smith What will Mike Pence do next after Trump’s election loss? Across the street from the British embassy, with its red telephone box and Winston Churchill statue, in Washington DC is the residence of the US-vice president. It has its own basketball court, on which Mike Pence reportedly installed a logo from the 1986 film Hoosiers starring Gene Hackman about small-town Indiana sports. Fortunately, the Washington Post noted a couple of years ago, the logo is removable. Pence, a former governor of Indiana, and his wife, Karen, will be packing their bags and moving out of the residence in January to make way for America’s first female vice-president, Senator Kamala Harris of California, and her husband Doug Emhoff. Said to have nurtured ambitions for the presidency since he was 16, Pence must now decide what to do with the rest of his life. Among the 61-year-old’s options: a return to his roots in conservative talk radio as a way to remain relevant in his party. “I think he would want to stay involved in Republican politics and probably in a more conventional way than the president,” said Michael D’Antonio, co-author of The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence. “So he could be a broadcaster, and there’ll be lots of opportunity for that, but he would be nicer than Trump. Read more: What will Mike Pence do next after Trump's election loss? Read more
13 Nov 2020 00.57 GMT Joe Biden said he will raise the number of refugees that the US will admit annually to 125,000. During a video he recorded for the Jesuit Refugee Service 40th anniversary virtual celebration, Biden said: The United States has long stood as a beacon of hope for the downtrodden and the oppressed, a leader of resettling refugees in our humanitarian response. I promise, as president, I will reclaim that proud legacy for our country. The Biden-Harris administration will restore America’s historic role in protecting the vulnerable and defending the rights of refugees everywhere and raising our annual refugee admission target to 125,000. Joe Biden says in taped remarks to the Jesuit Refugee Service tonight that he will raise the refugee admissions cap to 125,000 -- higher than it's been in a couple decades. Just doesn't say when https://t.co/eBrhpqrWbg — Michelle Hackman (@MHackman) November 13, 2020 In October, the Trump administration capped the number of refugees the US will admit over the next financial year at 15,000. It is the lowest cap the US has set since the 1980 Refugee Act took effect.
13 Nov 2020 00.28 GMT Joe Biden advised against Osama bin Laden raid, Barack Obama writes Martin Pengelly Joe Biden advised Barack Obama to wait to order the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the former president writes in his new memoir. “Joe weighed in against the raid,” Obama writes in A Promised Land, about discussion of the Navy Seals mission, which he ordered to go ahead as intended in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on the night of 1-2 May 2011. Obama’s book will be published on Tuesday. Guardian US has seen a copy. Obama writes that his vice-president, who will follow him to the White House in January, immediately supported his decision to proceed with the Bin Laden raid. Whether Biden advised against the raid has been a contentious issue in US politics. During this year’s election, Republican attack ads claimed Biden opposed taking Bin Laden out altogether. Biden has said that during group discussion of whether to order the raid, he advised Obama to take more time, saying: “Don’t go.” He has also said he subsequently told Obama to “follow your instincts”. In his memoir, Obama echoes the accounts of other senior aides present in the White House Situation Room nine years ago who have said Biden counseled caution. Like the defense secretary, Robert Gates, Obama writes, Biden was concerned about “the enormous consequences of failure” and counseled that the president “should defer any decision until the intelligence community was more certain that bin Laden was in the compound”. In the event, a Navy Seal team flew from Afghanistan to Pakistan and shot dead the al-Qaida leader, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. “As had been true in every major decision I’d made as president,” Obama writes, “I appreciated Joe’s willingness to buck the prevailing mood and ask tough questions, often in the interest of giving me the space I needed for my own internal deliberations.” Read more: Joe Biden advised against Osama bin Laden raid, Barack Obama writes Read more
13 Nov 2020 00.12 GMT In a preview of an upcoming interview with 60 Minutes, Barack Obama said Republicans who are humoring Donald Trump’s refusal to accept loss are on “a dangerous path”. “The president doesn’t like to lose and never admits loss,” Obama said. “I’m more troubled by the fact that other Republican officials who clearly know better are going along with this, are humoring him in this fashion,” he said. “It is one more step in delegitimizing not just the incoming Biden administration, but democracy generally. And that’s a dangerous path.” Barack Obama tells Scott Pelley Republicans who “go along with” the President’s claims of election fraud put democracy on “a dangerous path.”
The former president appears in his first interview about his new book “A Promised Land,” Sunday on 60 Minutes. https://t.co/S7MEAx3F8j pic.twitter.com/CRx6XkT0Na — 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 12, 2020
Updated at 00.30 GMT
12 Nov 2020 23.55 GMT DHS cybersecurity agency: 2020 election 'was the most secure in American history' The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – a part of the Department of Homeland Security – said the 2020 election “was the most secure in American history”. In a joint statement with several other agencies, CISA assistant director Bob Kolasky said: “When states have close elections, many will recount ballots. All of the states with close results in the 2020 presidential race have paper records of each vote, allowing the ability to go back and count each ballot if necessary ... This process allows for the identification and correction of any mistakes or errors.” “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” the statement reads. Donald Trump and his Republican allies have continued to spread misinformation and sow doubt on the integrity of the US election system. His campaign has continued to pursue longshot litigation to challenge vote counts, even as it is clear that there is no evidence of widespread voting irregularities.
Updated at 00.54 GMT
12 Nov 2020 23.16 GMT Coronavirus cases in Texas are continuing to climb at a rapid clip. Yesterday, Texas was the first state in the US to surpass 1m cases as a state. As the weather gets cooler, residents are increasingly likely to engage in indoor gatherings, epidemiologists say. El Paso, which is one of the hardest-hit areas, has hired mobile morgues to hold the dead. #COVID19TX Update: New cases steadily increasing. Hospitalizations and fatalities likely to rise higher. Texas is in a serious fight with #COVID19.
In the last 7 days #Texas averaged:
⬆7,225 new cases per day
⬆6,287 current hospitalizations
⬆99 new fatalities reported per day pic.twitter.com/hqOglJ7n57 — Texas DSHS (@TexasDSHS) November 12, 2020 *This post has been corrected to say that Texas was the first to surpass 1m cases.
Updated at 23.56 GMT
12 Nov 2020 23.00 GMT In Illinois, Democratic congresswoman Lauren Underwood has won re-election – but her Republican opponent, following in the footsteps of the president, has refused to concede. The AP declared Underwood the winner earlier today. She’s leading her opponent by half a percentage point – with some mail-in ballots still outstanding. It’s official -- we won! I’m so honored to continue to represent our community’s values in Congress. Thank you for all of your support. pic.twitter.com/ArOPb0hBRu — Lauren Underwood (@LaurenUnderwood) November 12, 2020 But her opponent Jim Oberweis, the chairman of the popular ice cream chain Oberweis Dairy, is not planning to concede, according to WBEZ:
When asked whether Oberweis was planning to concede, the GOP candidate’s campaign manager said “not at all” shortly after The Associated Press called the race for Underwood. Earlier in the week, spokesperson Travis Akin told WBEZ a recount was imminent. In a written statement, Akin said the campaign is “committed to exploring all legal options,” and that the Associated Press’ call “does not change anything in this race from a legal standpoint,” saying there are still votes that have yet to be counted and certified.
Updated at 00.02 GMT
12 Nov 2020 22.51 GMT The Guardian’s Vivian Ho reports: California is nearing a grim milestone in its battle against the coronavirus, as the state looks set to become the second in the US to surpass 1 million cases of Covid-19. Following a period in which new infections dipped and sectors began to cautiously reopen, the state of nearly 40m residents has recently joined the rest of the country in a surge that was predicted to come with the flu season. Stephanie Campos confirms COVID-19 test appointment notification on patients’ phones before they enter the testing site at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Photograph: Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/REX/Shutterstock With 991,609 total cases, California saw nearly 7,000 cases in the past 24 hours, with a 7-day test positivity rate at 5%. Hospitalizations have increased by nearly a third in the past 14 days, with intensive care hospitalizations going up by 29.6%. The state is averaging 44 deaths a day; in total more than 18,000 people have died from the virus. Just one month ago, the state was reporting daily numbers below 3,000 and a positivity rate of 2.5%. “Obviously, it’s sobering, these numbers,” said Gavin Newsom, California’s governor. Texas passed 1 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus earlier this week. Read more: California poised to become second state in US with 1m Covid cases Read more
12 Nov 2020 22.37 GMT Chicago mayor issues 30-day stay-at-home advisory Weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, Chicago’s mayor, Lori Lightfoot, issued a 30-day advisory asking residents to stay at home, avoid unnecessary travel and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people. “While this is tough — this whole year has been tough — you must cancel the normal Thanksgiving plans,” Lightfoot said. “If we continue on the path we’re on and you, me, and others don’t step up and do more ... we could see at least a thousand more Chicagoans die.” The advisory takes effect Monday morning. EFFECTIVE MONDAY: I'm issuing a Stay-at-Home Advisory asking all Chicagoans to only leave their homes for essential needs, including work and school. More info ➡ https://t.co/zDpEmEUk6c. #ProtectChicago pic.twitter.com/DAjuqfuRPP — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) November 12, 2020
Updated at 00.07 GMT
12 Nov 2020 22.27 GMT November on track to be worst month of pandemic so far in US as cases surge Miranda Bryant reports: November is on track to be the worst month of the pandemic so far in the US as new cases and hospitalizations continue to surge to record highs. There were 143,231 new cases and 2,005 deaths in the US on Wednesday, according to figures recorded by Johns Hopkins University. It marked the ninth consecutive day of cases topping 100,000 and a new record for daily cases. It comes after the country recorded more than a million cases in the first 10 days of November. Total cases in the US have now reached over 10.3m and 241,910 people have died, the highest totals in the world. Health experts have in part put the increase down to incoming cold weather driving people indoors and frustration with public health precautions such as masks. Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, said America can slow the spread by “doubling down” on precautions such as mask-wearing, avoiding crowds, keeping activities outdoors and social distancing – and that if people do so a national lockdown could be avoided. “We would like to stay away from that [a national lockdown] because there is no appetite for locking down in the American public. But I believe that we can do it without a lockdown, I really do,” he told ABC on Thursday morning.
Read more: November on track to be worst month of pandemic so far in US as cases surge Read more


theguardian--2020-11-12--'Whatever it takes': how Black women fought to mobilize America's voters

Even before networks projected the presidential race for Joe Biden last Saturday , Wanda Mosley , a 50-year-old organizer based in Atlanta , Georgia , began to prepare to mobilize voters for her state ’ s two critical Senate runoff elections on 5 January .
After one of the most turbulent presidential elections in US history , the two races in the battleground state will determine if the balance of power in Washington will fall to the president-elect once he is sworn into office .
Georgia has yet to be called for Biden , a Democrat , though he currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as Mosley who until early December will continue to register voters planning to vote in the January runoffs .
“ We understand fully how important these races are , ” says Mosley , the senior state coordinator for Georgia ’ s Black Voters Matter , a nonprofit dedicated to voter engagement .
“ We ’ re still here .
We ’ re still working , ” Mosley said .
Democrats have long pointed to Black voters , more specifically , Black women , as a crucial voting bloc , decisive to elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victories in the 1990s .
But this November , successfully flipping the southern , Republican-led state of Georgia to the Democrats for the first time in 28 years has drawn attention to the organizational power of Black women , whose large-scale mobilization efforts appear to have resulted in massive turnout among people of color in those cities , experts say .
“ What might have been different is the greater role of on the ground mobilization and voter registration efforts in states like Georgia , and I think that that was the effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and others on the ground , ” said Jamil Scott , an assistant professor in the government department at Georgetown University .
Rather than rely on outside political consultants swarming into battleground states , Abrams , who lost to the Republican Governor Brian Kemp in 2018 , led that charge in Georgia this year , says Aimee Allison , the founder of She the People , a national network advocating for women of color in politics .
There was a 69 % increase in voter turnout among women of color in Georgia this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allison , who cites data She the People analyzed from progressive data firm Catalist .
“ You have a group of voters of Black women who are the most effective organizers on the ground because they are trusted voices and are working in organizations year round .
They don ’ t come in six weeks before and kind of rent out a storefront , they ’ re actually invested in , long-term , empowering the community through civic and political action , ” she said .
In America , this election year has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rather , it has been met with – and compounded by – America ’ s year of reckoning with police brutality and systemic inequality , which has driven even more people to vote .
Thousands of Americans took to the streets to protest police brutality in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor ’ s deaths earlier this year as the Black community also shouldered the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 .
The meeting of those moments spurred political mobilization among Black voters , says Tim Stevens , the CEO of Pittsburgh ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonprofit voting rights organization based in Allegheny county , Pennsylvania , where Trump was swiftly defeated last week .
“ The tragedies … made what was already present in the heart of Black people and people of color even more evident and more urgent , ” said Stevens .
Those mobilization efforts were evident as ballots were counted in diverse urban centers in key states such as Wisconsin , Michigan , Georgia and Pennsylvania where large populations of Black voters in Milwaukee , Detroit , Atlanta and Philadelphia helped push Biden towards victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prominent Black women in leadership roles – like Abrams , Nikema Williams , who took on John Lewis ’ congressional seat and is chair of Georgia ’ s state Democratic party , and Atlanta ’ s mayor , Keisha Lance Bottoms – helped fuel mobilization efforts among Black women this election , suggests Dianne Pinderhughes , a professor of political science and the chair of the department of Africana studies at the University of Notre Dame .
One organizer in Pennsylvania points to the most prominent : the first-Black and South Asian American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had the same feelings we had when Obama was first elected , ” says Brittany Smalls , the Pennsylvania state coordinator for Black Voters Matter .
“ We just never thought we would see the day that a woman in leadership looks like us.
” Now , as Americans across the country shift their attention away from the presidential race and to the runoff elections in Georgia , organizers like Mosley say they are keen to build on their success , in an election that could ultimately determine what kind of presidency Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the culmination of years and years and years of work , when other people didn ’ t think it was possible , ” said Mosley .
“ We know how important the Senate is , and so if we can play a role in getting one – or possibly two seats – to try to shift that balance of power , you need to understand that Black women will do whatever it takes.
” This piece was published in partnership between the Guardian and The Fuller Project .

Jessica Washington and Tiffany Arnold of the Fuller Project

Sign up for the Guardian’s First Thing newsletter
Even before networks projected the presidential race for Joe Biden last Saturday, Wanda Mosley, a 50-year-old organizer based in Atlanta, Georgia, began to prepare to mobilize voters for her state’s two critical Senate runoff elections on 5 January.
After one of the most turbulent presidential elections in US history, the two races in the battleground state will determine if the balance of power in Washington will fall to the president-elect once he is sworn into office. Georgia has yet to be called for Biden, a Democrat, though he currently leads Donald Trump, which motivates organizers such as Mosley who until early December will continue to register voters planning to vote in the January runoffs.
“We understand fully how important these races are,” says Mosley, the senior state coordinator for Georgia’s Black Voters Matter, a nonprofit dedicated to voter engagement.
“We’re still here. We’re still working,” Mosley said.
Democrats have long pointed to Black voters, more specifically, Black women, as a crucial voting bloc, decisive to elections since former president Bill Clinton’s victories in the 1990s. But this November, successfully flipping the southern, Republican-led state of Georgia to the Democrats for the first time in 28 years has drawn attention to the organizational power of Black women, whose large-scale mobilization efforts appear to have resulted in massive turnout among people of color in those cities, experts say.
“What might have been different is the greater role of on the ground mobilization and voter registration efforts in states like Georgia, and I think that that was the effort that was largely built by Stacey Abrams and others on the ground,” said Jamil Scott, an assistant professor in the government department at Georgetown University.
Rather than rely on outside political consultants swarming into battleground states, Abrams, who lost to the Republican Governor Brian Kemp in 2018, led that charge in Georgia this year, says Aimee Allison, the founder of She the People, a national network advocating for women of color in politics. There was a 69% increase in voter turnout among women of color in Georgia this year compared to 2016, according to Allison, who cites data She the People analyzed from progressive data firm Catalist.
“You have a group of voters of Black women who are the most effective organizers on the ground because they are trusted voices and are working in organizations year round. They don’t come in six weeks before and kind of rent out a storefront, they’re actually invested in, long-term, empowering the community through civic and political action,” she said.
Campaign volunteers at an NAACP Hillsborough county voter drive in Tampa, Florida, on 1 November. The event aimed to push for stronger African-American turnout. Photograph: Octavio Jones/Getty Images
In America, this election year has not played out in a vacuum. Rather, it has been met with – and compounded by – America’s year of reckoning with police brutality and systemic inequality, which has driven even more people to vote.
Thousands of Americans took to the streets to protest against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths earlier this year as the Black community also shouldered the disproportionate impact of Covid-19. The meeting of those moments spurred political mobilization among Black voters, says Tim Stevens, the CEO of Pittsburgh’s Black Political Empowerment Project, a non-profit voting rights organization based in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where Trump was swiftly defeated last week.
This is the culmination of years and years and years of work, when other people didn’t think it was possible Wanda Mosley
“The tragedies … made what was already present in the heart of Black people and people of color even more evident and more urgent,” said Stevens.
Those mobilization efforts were evident as ballots were counted in diverse urban centers in key states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania where large populations of Black voters in Milwaukee, Detroit, Atlanta and Philadelphia helped push Biden towards victory.
Then there were a number of prominent Black women in leadership roles – such as Abrams, Nikema Williams, who took on John Lewis’s congressional seat and is chair of Georgia’s state Democratic party, and Atlanta’s mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms – helped fuel mobilization efforts among Black women this election, suggests Dianne Pinderhughes, a professor of political science and the chair of the department of Africana studies at the University of Notre Dame.
One organizer in Pennsylvania points to the most prominent: the first Black and south Asian American vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris. “We had the same feelings we had when Obama was first elected,” says Brittany Smalls, the Pennsylvania state coordinator for Black Voters Matter. “We just never thought we would see the day that a woman in leadership looks like us.”
I want to speak directly to the Black women in our country. Thank you. You are too often overlooked, and yet are asked time and again to step up and be the backbone of our democracy. We could not have done this without you. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 9, 2020
Now, as Americans across the country shift their attention away from the presidential race and to the runoff elections in Georgia, organizers like Mosley say they are keen to build on their success, in an election that could ultimately determine what kind of presidency Joe Biden will have.
“This is the culmination of years and years and years of work, when other people didn’t think it was possible,” said Mosley. “We know how important the Senate is, and so if we can play a role in getting one – or possibly two seats – to try to shift that balance of power, you need to understand that Black women will do whatever it takes.”
This piece was published in partnership between the Guardian and The Fuller Project.


theguardian--2020-11-12--Scorching Tucson bucks US trend to put climate justice at centre of plans

It was another scorching summer this year in Tucson , Arizona , the second hottest city in the United States , where even plants adapted to the desert ’ s harsh conditions wilted amid record-breaking temperatures and scant rainfall .
This summer was the state ’ s hottest on record , and in August the city clocked four days that were 43C ( 110F ) or hotter and 26 that were over 37C ( 99F ) .
Tucson temperatures are on average 2.5C ( 4.5F ) warmer now than in 1970 , a greater increase than in most other American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data by Climate Central .
In September , Tucson ’ s hottest and driest on record , city officials declared a climate emergency , pledging to become a global leader by working “ to promote an ecologically , socially and economically regenerative local economy at emergency speed ” .
They promised to come up with a bold climate action and adaptation plan that puts environmental justice and equity at the heart of its green transition .
“ We ’ ve been warned by scientists across the world and the US military that climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not just to the environment but to the economic stability of our country , ” Regina Romero , who was elected mayor in 2019 on a climate justice ticket , told the Guardian .
“ In Tucson , water resources and heat are urgent issues , we have to protect the liveability of our communities .
This is an emergency and we had to ring the bell.
” The action plan is a work in progress , but Romero said key goals would include upgrading city buildings to be 100 % powered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investing in long-neglected urban communities to make them healthier , more liveable places , in order to curb urban sprawl , according to Romero , the first woman and first Latina to be elected mayor .
Tucson is Arizona ’ s second largest city after Phoenix , with almost 1 million habitants .
Its rapidly growing sprawl encroaches on precious desert landscape , increases traffic and depletes already limited water sources .
Extreme heat isn ’ t new in Arizona , but it is getting worse as the planet gets hotter and hotter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , air pollution is increasing along with associated health conditions such as asthma .
About half the population of Tucson are people of colour , mostly Latino communities , who are disproportionately affected by heat islands , drought and worsening air and water pollution .
“ Tucson is often referred to as the green alternative to Phoenix , but really it ’ s more like the less brown alternative , ” said Vince Powloski , of the Tucson Climate Action Network .
“ After decades of bad planning and negative influences , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but not the radical transformational change needed .
I hope the climate emergency declaration will help us , but it will require getting everyone onboard and depends on politics at the state and national level , too.
” Joe Biden , who won Arizona by half a percentage point in last week ’ s US election , has promised to rejoin the Paris climate agreement on day one of his presidency .
At the state level , votes are still being counted in some key races but it looks like the Democrats will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multimillion-dollar effort .
This could lead to obstacles for Tucson and other cities and counties trying to implement climate mitigation plans .
Tucson , a Democrat-leaning city , and the historically mostly Republican state of Arizona have since the 1990s come up with bold sustainability plans on water , public transport and renewable energy .
Tucson was among almost 4,000 cities , states , tribal leaders , universities , faith leaders and CEOs to sign the We Are Still In declaration , committing to climate action after Donald Trump announced that the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popular policies in Tucson have included an incentive-based reclaim and reuse water programme , an electric tram system connecting low-income black and brown communities , and a tree-planting initiative to mitigate some of the worst heat islands .
But advocates say that over the past three decades , progress has been stalled and plans diluted as a result of corporate influence at local and state levels .
For instance , a statewide policy requiring developers to have 100 years of water resources for new projects has been eroded by the state legislature , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have ended up favouring natural gas rather than solar and other renewables .
Without joined-up action across the region , activists fear that developers and farmers will simply move their water-guzzling ventures to outside the city limits .
Nevertheless , Romero is adamant that the climate emergency declaration is not an empty political statement but will lead to action demanded by voters and fuel change nationally .
“ The most progressive federal climate actions started as city-led grassroots initiatives , ” she said .
“ Climate action and environmental equity always starts from @ @ @ @ @

It was another scorching summer this year in Tucson, Arizona, the second hottest city in the United States, where even plants adapted to the desert’s harsh conditions wilted amid record-breaking temperatures and scant rainfall.
This summer was the state’s hottest on record, and in August the city clocked four days that were 43C (110F) or hotter and 26 that were over 37C (99F). Tucson temperatures are on average 2.5C (4.5F) warmer now than in 1970, a greater increase than in most other American cities, according to analysis of weather data by Climate Central.
In September, Tucson’s hottest and driest on record, city officials declared a climate emergency, pledging to become a global leader by working “to promote an ecologically, socially and economically regenerative local economy at emergency speed”. They promised to come up with a bold climate action and adaptation plan that puts environmental justice and equity at the heart of its green transition.
“We’ve been warned by scientists across the world and the US military that climate change is one of the greatest threats, not just to the environment but to the economic stability of our country,” Regina Romero, who was elected mayor in 2019 on a climate justice ticket, told the Guardian. “In Tucson, water resources and heat are urgent issues, we have to protect the liveability of our communities. This is an emergency and we had to ring the bell.”
The action plan is a work in progress, but Romero said key goals would include upgrading city buildings to be 100% powered on renewables, electrifying public transport and investing in long-neglected urban communities to make them healthier, more liveable places, in order to curb urban sprawl, according to Romero, the first woman and first Latina to be elected mayor.
Tucson is Arizona’s second largest city after Phoenix, with almost 1 million habitants. Its rapidly growing sprawl encroaches on precious desert landscape, increases traffic and depletes already limited water sources. Extreme heat isn’t new in Arizona, but it is getting worse as the planet gets hotter and hotter.
As temperatures rise and rainfall declines, air pollution is increasing along with associated health conditions such as asthma. About half the population of Tucson are people of colour, mostly Latino communities, who are disproportionately affected by heat islands, drought and worsening air and water pollution.
“Tucson is often referred to as the green alternative to Phoenix, but really it’s more like the less brown alternative,” said Vince Pawlowski, of the Tucson Climate Action Network. “After decades of bad planning and negative influences, we’ve had some positive incremental changes but not the radical transformational change needed. I hope the climate emergency declaration will help us, but it will require getting everyone onboard and depends on politics at the state and national level, too.”
Joe Biden, who won Arizona by half a percentage point in last week’s US election, has promised to rejoin the Paris climate agreement on day one of his presidency. At the state level, votes are still being counted in some key races but it looks like the Democrats will not flip either chamber, despite a multimillion-dollar effort. This could lead to obstacles for Tucson and other cities and counties trying to implement climate mitigation plans.
Tucson, a Democrat-leaning city, and the historically mostly Republican state of Arizona have since the 1990s come up with bold sustainability plans on water, public transport and renewable energy. Tucson was among almost 4,000 cities, states, tribal leaders, universities, faith leaders and CEOs to sign the We Are Still In declaration, committing to climate action after Donald Trump announced that the US would leave the Paris accord.
Recent popular policies in Tucson have included an incentive-based reclaim and reuse water programme, an electric tram system connecting low-income black and brown communities, and a tree-planting initiative to mitigate some of the worst heat islands.
But advocates say that over the past three decades, progress has been stalled and plans diluted as a result of corporate influence at local and state levels. For instance, a statewide policy requiring developers to have 100 years of water resources for new projects has been eroded by the state legislature, while strong commitments to phase out coal have ended up favouring natural gas rather than solar and other renewables. Without joined-up action across the region, activists fear that developers and farmers will simply move their water-guzzling ventures to outside the city limits.
Nevertheless, Romero is adamant that the climate emergency declaration is not an empty political statement but will lead to action demanded by voters and fuel change nationally.
“The most progressive federal climate actions started as city-led grassroots initiatives,” she said. “Climate action and environmental equity always starts from the bottom up.”


theguardian--2020-11-12--What will Mike Pence do next after Trump's election loss?

Across the street from the British embassy , with its red telephone box and Winston Churchill statue , in Washington DC is the residence of the US-vice president .
It has its own basketball court , on which Mike Pence reportedly installed a logo from the 1986 film Hoosiers starring Gene Hackman about small town Indiana sports .
Fortunately , the Washington Post noted a couple of years ago , the logo is removable .
Pence , a former governor of Indiana , and his wife , Karen , will be packing their bags and moving out of the residence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s first female vice-president , Senator Kamala Harris of California , and her husband Doug Emhoff .
Said to have nurtured ambitions for the presidency since he was 16 , Pence must now decide what to do with the rest of his life .
Among the 61-year-old ’ s options : a return to his roots in conservative talk radio as a way to remain relevant in his party .
“ I think he would want to stay involved in Republican politics and probably in a more conventional way than the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , co-author of The Shadow President : The Truth About Mike Pence .
“ So he could be a broadcaster , and there ’ ll be lots of opportunity for that , but he would be nicer than Trump .
“ When he was on the radio in Indiana , he called himself ‘ Rush Limbaugh on decaf ’ .
There is a lot of potential in that identity for him.
” In a more low-key version of Trump ’ s own ascent-by-celebrity , Pence used his prominence as a conservative radio show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a political career in 2000 .
He served six terms in the House of Representatives and was an early advocate of the tea party movement .
Elected governor of Indiana in 2012 , he was widely condemned for a slow response to an HIV outbreak and for signing “ religious freedom ” legislation that made it easier for conservatives to refuse service to gay couples .
Then he joined forces with Trump ’ s election campaign in 2016 and proved a crucial enabler and apologist for the 45th president .
That continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump ’ s baseless legal challenges to the 2020 election result , tweeting : “ Told @ VP Team Today , “ it ain ’ t over til it ’ s over.. and this AIN ’ T over !
” President @ realDonaldTrump has never stopped fighting for us and we ’ re gon na Keep Fighting until every LEGAL vote is counted !
” But on Tuesday , even as the secretary of state , Mike Pompeo , declared : “ There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when asked by reporters , “ What evidence is there of widespread voter fraud ?
” , “ Do you think the election was stolen from the president ?
” and “ Is it time to concede ?
” It was also reported that Pence and his family would travel to the Florida island of Sanibel on Tuesday for a holiday , in what might be an attempt to distance himself – figuratively and literally – from Trump ’ s refusal to concede defeat .
The approach has been a hallmark of Pence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unswervingly loyal to Trump and yet also managing to fade into the background at the most politically damaging moments .
Pence is head of the White House coronavirus task force , but it is Trump who has shouldered the most blame for American ’ s disastrous pandemic .
D ’ Antonio said : “ Pence has done well to stay on the right side of Trump without becoming a snarling and profane apostate .
That ’ s pretty impressive in terms of contorting himself into the one shape that may be acceptable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week ’ s election result did not necessarily deal a death blow to Pence ’ s hopes of running for the White House in 2024 .
A victory for Donald Trump would have left Pence – or any other Republican – with the historically formidable challenge of securing a third consecutive term for the same party .
Instead Trump and Pence ’ s resilient haul of more than 70m votes , a higher total than any incumbent president and vice-president in history , was not the wholesale rebuke that Republicans feared .
Unless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pence a potential launchpad .
D ’ Antonio continued : “ He would hold to his beliefs religiously and politically but offer himself as the kinder , gentler version of Trump and , if that were the case , he might actually win a majority of the votes in a national election where Trump never has .
He could run with a woman vice-presidential candidate and be very appealing .
I ’ m sure that they ’ re already gaming this out.
” In this year ’ s election campaign Pence ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a fly that nestled in his snowy hair .
But as a born-again Christian , he once more proved an effective salesman to white evangelical voters turned off by Trump ’ s unholy behaviour .
D ’ Antonio added : “ It ’ s a tremendous asset : that ’ s probably 30m votes right there .
“ In the electoral college , I think it pretty well aligns with the red portions of the map and he would do better than Trump in Michigan and Wisconsin because those are pretty heavily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen the last of Mike Pence.
” There is only person alive who has been part of an incumbent presidential ticket that lost a reelection campaign : Dan Quayle , also from Indiana , and former vice-president under George H W Bush .
After defeat in 1992 he wrote three books , founded and sold an insurance business in Indiana , worked in academia and took a lucrative position at a private equity firm .
But old friends of Pence in Indiana hope that he will remain involved in politics .
Charles Hiltunen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him in Indianapolis and last saw him about two weeks ago , suggested he could bring his influence to bear on the Senate , where the balance of power depends on two runoff elections in Georgia in January .
“ Depending on the makeup , that ’ s where Pence could have a role to play as the mediator or trying to get issues going , ” he said .
“ I think he and Joe Biden have had a great relationship .
It would be a good opportunity for him to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key issues.
” Hiltunen , a principal at the lobbying firm Sextons Creek , also suggested that Pence might go back to conservative radio .
“ Mike would probably be a good spokesperson there if that ’ s what he wanted to do .
It ’ s going to be fascinating to me to see what his next chapter is.
” One of the biggest questions is now whether Pence , once criticised by columnist George Will for “ his talent for toadyism and appetite for obsequiousness ” , will continue to defend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that he can pursue his own political aspirations .
Moe Vela , a former senior adviser to Al Gore and Joe Biden , said : “ He and a whole host of people , including possibly Donald Trump , will be back in 2024 .
The 70m-plus votes that they received is going to give them oxygen , so I don ’ t think you ’ ve seen the last of Mike Pence .
“ It will be fascinating to see whether he waits to see what Trump is going to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to do and does his own thing .
Is he going to be loyal even post-presidency , or is that loyalty going to end now ?
I personally think he ’ s going to go out and do his own thing and say , ‘ I was so loyal to you .
I stood by you .
Your time ’ s up .
It ’ s my turn .
’ ”

Across the street from the British embassy, with its red telephone box and Winston Churchill statue, in Washington DC is the residence of the US-vice president. It has its own basketball court, on which Mike Pence reportedly installed a logo from the 1986 film Hoosiers starring Gene Hackman about small-town Indiana sports.
Fortunately, the Washington Post noted a couple of years ago, the logo is removable.
Pence, a former governor of Indiana, and his wife, Karen, will be packing their bags and moving out of the residence in January to make way for America’s first female vice-president, Senator Kamala Harris of California, and her husband Doug Emhoff.
Said to have nurtured ambitions for the presidency since he was 16, Pence must now decide what to do with the rest of his life. Among the 61-year-old’s options: a return to his roots in conservative talk radio as a way to remain relevant in his party.
“I think he would want to stay involved in Republican politics and probably in a more conventional way than the president,” said Michael D’Antonio, co-author of The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence. “So he could be a broadcaster, and there’ll be lots of opportunity for that, but he would be nicer than Trump.
“When he was on the radio in Indiana, he called himself ‘Rush Limbaugh on decaf’. There is a lot of potential in that identity for him.”
Mike Pence takes part in the 2020 vice-presidential debate with Senator Kamala Harris in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 7 October 2020. Photograph: Reuters
In a more low-key version of Trump’s own ascent-by-celebrity, Pence used his prominence as a conservative radio show host in the 1990s as a springboard to a political career in 2000. He served six terms in the House of Representatives and was an early advocate of the Tea Party movement.
Elected governor of Indiana in 2012, he was widely condemned for a slow response to an HIV outbreak and for signing “religious freedom” legislation that made it easier for conservatives to refuse service to gay couples. Then he joined forces with Trump’s election campaign in 2016 and proved a crucial enabler and apologist for the 45th president.
That continued on Monday when Pence signaled his support for Trump’s baseless legal challenges to the 2020 election result, tweeting: “Told @VP Team Today, “it ain’t over til it’s over.. and this AIN’T over!” President @realDonaldTrump has never stopped fighting for us and we’re gonna Keep Fighting until every LEGAL vote is counted!”
But on Tuesday, even as the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, declared: “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” Pence simply remained silent when asked by reporters, “What evidence is there of widespread voter fraud?”, “Do you think the election was stolen from the president?” and “Is it time to concede?”
It was also reported that Pence and his family would travel to the Florida island of Sanibel on Tuesday for a holiday, in what might be an attempt to distance himself – figuratively and literally – from Trump’s refusal to concede defeat.
The approach has been a hallmark of Pence’s vice-presidency: at once both unswervingly loyal to Trump and yet also managing to fade into the background at the most politically damaging moments. Pence is head of the White House coronavirus taskforce, but it is Trump who has shouldered the most blame for American’s disastrous pandemic.
D’Antonio said: “Pence has done well to stay on the right side of Trump without becoming a snarling and profane apostate. That’s pretty impressive in terms of contorting himself into the one shape that may be acceptable to a majority of the voters.”
Judge Amy Coney Barrett and Mike Pence walk up the steps of the Capitol in Washington DC on 29 September 2020. Photograph: Reuters
Last week’s election result did not necessarily deal a death blow to Pence’s hopes of running for the White House in 2024. A victory for Donald Trump would have left Pence – or any other Republican – with the historically formidable challenge of securing a third consecutive term for the same party.
Instead Trump and Pence’s resilient haul of more than 70m votes, a higher total than any incumbent president and vice-president in history, was not the wholesale rebuke that Republicans feared. Unless Trump himself runs again, it gives Pence a potential launchpad.
D’Antonio continued: “He would hold to his beliefs religiously and politically but offer himself as the kinder, gentler version of Trump and, if that were the case, he might actually win a majority of the votes in a national election where Trump never has. He could run with a woman vice-presidential candidate and be very appealing. I’m sure that they’re already gaming this out.”
In this year’s election campaign Pence’s thunder at the vice-presidential debate was stolen by a fly that nestled in his snowy hair. But as a born-again Christian, he once more proved an effective salesman to white evangelical voters turned off by Trump’s unholy behaviour. D’Antonio added: “It’s a tremendous asset: that’s probably 30m votes right there.
“In the electoral college, I think it pretty well aligns with the red portions of the map and he would do better than Trump in Michigan and Wisconsin because those are pretty heavily evangelical states. We definitely have not seen the last of Mike Pence.”
There is only one Republican alive who has been part of an incumbent presidential ticket that lost a re-election campaign: Dan Quayle, also from Indiana, and former vice-president under George HW Bush. After defeat in 1992 he wrote three books, founded and sold an insurance business in Indiana, worked in academia and took a lucrative position at a private equity firm.
But old friends of Pence in Indiana hope that he will remain involved in politics. Charles Hiltunen, who was at law school with him in Indianapolis and last saw him about two weeks ago, suggested he could bring his influence to bear on the Senate, where the balance of power depends on two runoff elections in Georgia in January.
“Depending on the makeup, that’s where Pence could have a role to play as the mediator or trying to get issues going,” he said. “I think he and Joe Biden have had a great relationship. It would be a good opportunity for him to be a statesman and show some leadership on key issues.”
Hiltunen, a principal at the lobbying firm Sextons Creek, also suggested that Pence might go back to conservative radio. “Mike would probably be a good spokesperson there if that’s what he wanted to do. It’s going to be fascinating to me to see what his next chapter is.”
One of the biggest questions is whether Pence, once criticised by columnist George Will for “his talent for toadyism and appetite for obsequiousness”, will continue to defend Trump or decide to cut him loose so that he can pursue his own political aspirations.
Moe Vela, a former senior adviser to Al Gore and Joe Biden, said: “He and a whole host of people, including possibly Donald Trump, will be back in 2024. The 70m-plus votes that they received is going to give them oxygen, so I don’t think you’ve seen the last of Mike Pence.
“It will be fascinating to see whether he waits to see what Trump is going to do or whether he disregards what Trump is going to do and does his own thing. Is he going to be loyal even post-presidency, or is that loyalty going to end now? I personally think he’s going to go out and do his own thing and say, ‘I was so loyal to you. I stood by you. Your time’s up. It’s my turn.’”