alternet--2020-11-23--Sen. Ed Markey applauded for silent dismissal of Texas Republican Dan Crenshaw's lame attack

Sen. Ed Markey is the Massachusetts Democrat who has continued to move towards the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party , and the voters have rewarded him , first by defeating the strange Pelosi-supported primary bid by Rep. Joe Kennedy III and then by winning reelection to his Senate seat with a commanding 66.5 % of the vote .
Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas is what passes for young blood in the Republican Party these days .
His ideas , like the rest of the Republican Party 's ideas , are stale and unpopular , which has led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sales and a public relations department that gets him on various news outlets whenever they can .
With Markey 's victory Crenshaw went to his social media platform to write this eloquent missive : `` What a horrible and intentional insult to the legacy of JFK .
Why did Massachusetts re-elect this person ? ''
Markey responded with no words , and Crenshaw was toast .
Markey posted an image of Crenshaw 's Houston `` district . ''
I put `` district '' in quotes , because look at it .
Crenshaw , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hold elected office , giving conservatives an overrepresentation in office because of extreme gerrymandering , or rigging of the district maps .
With that tweet , Markey won the internets .
The responses were a resounding yes !
And a quick visual explainer of how Crenshaw is an elected official .
And there were people there to help Crenshaw deal with this harsh loss .
And a reminder that Markey 's social media squad has been bringing the Massachusetts senator up to speed for some time .

Sen. Ed Markey is the Massachusetts Democrat who has continued to move towards the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and the voters have rewarded him, first by defeating the strange Pelosi-supported primary bid by Rep. Joe Kennedy III and then by winning reelection to his Senate seat with a commanding 66.5% of the vote.
Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas is what passes for young blood in the Republican Party these days. His ideas, like the rest of the Republican Party's ideas, are stale and unpopular, which has led to the RNC helping rig his book sales and a public relations department that gets him on various news outlets whenever they can. With Markey's victory Crenshaw went to his social media platform to write this eloquent missive: "What a horrible and intentional insult to the legacy of JFK. Why did Massachusetts re-elect this person?" Markey responded with no words, and Crenshaw was toast.
Markey posted an image of Crenshaw's Houston "district." I put "district" in quotes, because look at it. Crenshaw, like many Republicans, has been able to hold elected office, giving conservatives an overrepresentation in office because of extreme gerrymandering, or rigging of the district maps.
With that tweet, Markey won the internets. The responses were a resounding yes!
Some facts.
And some fun times.
And a quick visual explainer of how Crenshaw is an elected official.
And there were people there to help Crenshaw deal with this harsh loss.
And a reminder that Markey's social media squad has been bringing the Massachusetts senator up to speed for some time.


alternet--2020-11-23--What will American politics be like after Trump? That question assumes he's going away

Over the last couple of weeks , the media caste has been indulging in extensive literary meditation in how and whether we can break our addiction to Donald Trump .
`` We '' in this case is a large category : There 's no question that everyone from tabloid-TV talking heads to Ivy-educated columnists has flocked to Trump like ants to a sticky-bun picnic , but also that our readers and viewers have enabled and encouraged us at every step .
When people asked me , during the first year or two of the Trump phenomenon , why Salon did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mildly reply , `` Well , you should see the numbers . ''
It was and remains true that stories about the awfulness of the Trump regime — about its total fascist victory , its impending downfall or anything in between — outperform every other category of reporting , commentary or analysis we can possibly offer .
( In fairness , over the past few months recipes and food stories have been doing well too .
I wonder why ! )
But I also recognize there is something of the collaborator about that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assuring the court that he was only following orders , and had no particular investment in what did or did n't happen .
Faced with the likely and then certain victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election , those of us in the defendant 's box began to mop our brows in relief , mixed with no small amount of confusion : Whatever will we do , now that he 's gone ?
That has turned out to be a rhetorical question , at least so far .
Like so many addictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movies ( full credit to Democratic strategist Chris Marshall for his marvelous and terrifying Salon article last week ) , Donald Trump has no intention of going anywhere .
He has spent the last week — which felt like a year — shamelessly and unapologetically trying to overturn the results of an election that appears to have gone relatively smoothly and has yielded a clear and certain verdict .
Thank God for that , I guess , because if the result actually had been close , we 'd probably be sweating this out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It 's an enormous national humiliation that our so-called president is eagerly attempting to find a pseudo-constitutional loophole through which to stage a coup that would end even the pretense of democracy in America .
It might , through the long lens of history , be an even worse humiliation that the attempt is so amateurish , conducted by a deranged alcoholic lawyer with motor oil leaking out of his head and an assemblage of hacks and crackpots who allege , in the ever-quotable words of John Bolton , a conspiracy `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there 's no evidence of it . ''
Trump 's coup attempt is falling apart , do not doubt that .
If the sniveling quislings of the Republican Party are reluctant to openly confront the massive edifice of unreality in TrumpWorld , they at least recognize that it will eventually collapse on its own , and sooner rather than later .
Even Trump himself appears to understand that , after his own animalistic fashion .
As the New York Times reported on Sunday , Trump apparently intends to retain control of the Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is , to say the most tedious thing possible , unprecedented — ex-presidents tend to retreat to the back of the room and stay quiet , and defeated ex-presidents even more so .
You certainly did n't see Jimmy Carter or George H.W .
Bush trying to wield any clout in their respective parties ; they did n't have any .
Ronna McDaniel , the RNC 's current chair , apparently intends to run for re-election on the premise that she 's not as much of a Trump sycophant as those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump Jr. or his dazzlingly evil girlfriend , Kimberly Guilfoyle , who struck terror in the hearts of children of all ages with her impromptu monologue from Roald Dahl 's `` The Witches '' at this year 's Republican convention .
Maybe Trump wants to keep the party apparatus in his stubby grasp to freeze out potential opponents in a 2024 presidential campaign , Grover Cleveland-style , and maybe it 's just a new iteration of the lifelong Trumpian con game .
Honestly , what 's the difference ?
So the plaintive questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ourselves after Trump leaves the scene are the wrong questions , or at least they 're far too small to match the scale of our predicament .
As fables and fairy tales always make clear , conditions had to be ripe for the evil giant or the dark queen , Sauron or Voldemort , to rise to power in the first place .
The story about Eve , the apple and the serpent is a classic example of misogynistic blame-shifting , no doubt .
But at least it puts the blame on an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with : Of course she wanted to know ; you or I would have done the same .
And who is to say it did n't turn out better this way , and that no other pathway was even possible ?
Who or what will Americans be after Trump ?
We will be the same flawed people and depleted , crisis-addled nation we were before , with the conflicts laid bare and no longer avoidable .
It sounds incredibly callous to say that Trump did us a favor , and I certainly do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was beneficial to human life or the survival of the planet .
But his cruelty , his vulgarity and his open contempt for democracy , the rule of law and constitutional order woke many of us up — and I do n't entirely exclude his voters and supporters — to the deep wounds in our society , the lack of any shared understanding of reality and the profound apprehension about the future .
( That , along with Netflix , is perhaps the only thing all Americans share . )
As for what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only possible answer is that we do n't know yet and it 's also too small a question .
Politics will be like it was before , only more so : Mired in contradiction , with the two-party system deeply entrenched yet both established parties headed for the rocks .
When you look at Trump 's 74 million votes — nearly 12 million more than he got in 2016 — and robust Republican victories from the Senate and House on down , there 's no doubt that the supposedly-doomed GOP has found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst possible terms , as the party of white grievance , `` traditional '' masculinity , unalloyed authoritarianism and paranoid conspiracy theory .
It does n't seem as if Trump 's toxic but undeniable charisma is the only factor driving this undead Republican revival , but whether anyone else can create a modified or improved `` Trumpism without Trump '' remains an open question , as well as an academic one , for the time being .
Many people have their eyes on that prize — we could start the list with Tucker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hawley of Missouri and Gov .
Kristi Noem of South Dakota — but whoever follows Trump as the next Republican nominee may quite literally have to wrest the party from his cold , dead , aspartame-infused fingers .
And then there are the Democrats .
Oh , the Democrats !
What do you want me to say that has n't been said a thousand times ?
They just elected a 78-year-old president , and the top three Democrats in the House leadership are all over 80 .
Chuck Schumer , who still has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader early next year , turns a relatively sprightly 70 this week .
( Happy birthday , you plodding nonentity ! )
More to the point , the Democrats just conducted yet another campaign based on the stirring claim that the other party is crazy and evil and they 're not — which has the admitted benefit of being more true than ever before — which concluded , as usual , with mixed and disputed results .
Anyone who has ever read anything I have written will probably conclude that I 'm inclined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Democratic Party 's endless factional warfare between `` progressives '' and `` moderates , '' or whatever terms of art you prefer .
But I do n't claim to know what would have happened if Bernie Sanders had been this year 's nominee — that 's a bit in the same category as `` If my grandmother had wheels , '' is n't it ?
Whether Democrats lost seats in the House , and could n't win winnable seats in the Senate , because of too much `` socialism '' and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of not enough Medicare for All and Green New Deal — or because they ran anodyne , message-free candidates who declined to stand for anything in particular — entirely depends on where you 're standing when you ask the question .
To repeat myself , it 's also too small a question .
Historically speaking , the Democratic Party has been an unstable electoral coalition since at least the Civil War , when it represented both native-born white Protestants in the South and immigrant white Catholics in the North .
Those groups disliked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least perceived a common enemy in the bankers and patrician classes of Boston and New York ( and also , less salubriously , in Black people attempting to assert their right to citizenship ) .
While the Democratic coalition has been broken up and reassembled several times since then — most Southern whites , and a whole lot of Northern ones too , have fled to the other party — it remains , shall we say , less than stable .
I 'm not convinced the current intra-party struggle is so much about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ differential views of `` economic justice . ''
Maybe this is one of those cases where classical Marxist theory is correct and the former serves as a proxy for the latter .
To take two House Democrats seen as emblematic of the warring factions , it 's possible to imagine a cautiously constructed policy agenda that could bring together Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , a `` progressive '' who represents a working-class , majority-minority district in New York City , and Rep. Conor Lamb , a `` moderate '' who represents a working-class , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Improved health care access ( however we label it ) , a higher minimum wage , a government infrastructure program and free or low-cost public college would be immensely helpful to people in both those places .
But what do their constituents have in common with those of Rep. Abigail Spanberger , the former CIA agent who represents an affluent suburban district outside Richmond , Virginia ?
I 'm not saying there 's nothing .
A desire to resist the vicious bigotry of Trump and his acolytes is not nothing .
Defending reproductive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LGBTQ people and civil rights for Black people and immigrants , in the face of determined right-wing pushback , is decidedly not nothing .
We ca n't possibly absorb the lessons of the 2020 election in two weeks , especially not while the defeated incumbent half-heartedly tries to stage a coup and the COVID pandemic grows more critical every day .
But here 's one lesson : Rhetorical gestures toward abstract ideals of justice , equality and democracy may have been just about enough to defeat a widely despised and famously incompetent president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defeat a surging fascist movement built on white nationalism , cultural dispossession , economic stagnation and anti-elite rage .
One political party in America now has a clear agenda and a loyal following , and has now taken a low-risk dry run at seizing and holding power without regard for laws or rules or standards of decency or those famous `` democratic norms . ''
That party did n't go all-in on that effort this time around , but it now sees that with the right leader and adequate planning — not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — the task can probably be managed .
The other party is against all that , gosh darn it !
But it still does n't know what it wants to be when it grows up , and it may not get the chance .

Over the last couple of weeks, the media caste has been indulging in extensive literary meditation in how and whether we can break our addiction to Donald Trump. "We" in this case is a large category: There's no question that everyone from tabloid-TV talking heads to Ivy-educated columnists has flocked to Trump like ants to a sticky-bun picnic, but also that our readers and viewers have enabled and encouraged us at every step.
When people asked me, during the first year or two of the Trump phenomenon, why Salon didn't simply ignore him, I would mildly reply, "Well, you should see the numbers." It was and remains true that stories about the awfulness of the Trump regime — about its total fascist victory, its impending downfall or anything in between — outperform every other category of reporting, commentary or analysis we can possibly offer. (In fairness, over the past few months recipes and food stories have been doing well too. I wonder why!)
But I also recognize there is something of the collaborator about that answer, something of the Nuremberg defendant assuring the court that he was only following orders, and had no particular investment in what did or didn't happen. Faced with the likely and then certain victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election, those of us in the defendant's box began to mop our brows in relief, mixed with no small amount of confusion: Whatever will we do, now that he's gone?
That has turned out to be a rhetorical question, at least so far. Like so many addictions or goblins or villainous specters in horror movies (full credit to Democratic strategist Chris Marshall for his marvelous and terrifying Salon article last week), Donald Trump has no intention of going anywhere. He has spent the last week — which felt like a year — shamelessly and unapologetically trying to overturn the results of an election that appears to have gone relatively smoothly and has yielded a clear and certain verdict.
Thank God for that, I guess, because if the result actually had been close, we'd probably be sweating this out right up to the Electoral College vote. It's an enormous national humiliation that our so-called president is eagerly attempting to find a pseudo-constitutional loophole through which to stage a coup that would end even the pretense of democracy in America. It might, through the long lens of history, be an even worse humiliation that the attempt is so amateurish, conducted by a deranged alcoholic lawyer with motor oil leaking out of his head and an assemblage of hacks and crackpots who allege, in the ever-quotable words of John Bolton, a conspiracy "so vast and so successful that apparently there's no evidence of it."
Trump's coup attempt is falling apart, do not doubt that. If the sniveling quislings of the Republican Party are reluctant to openly confront the massive edifice of unreality in TrumpWorld, they at least recognize that it will eventually collapse on its own, and sooner rather than later. Even Trump himself appears to understand that, after his own animalistic fashion.
As the New York Times reported on Sunday, Trump apparently intends to retain control of the Republican National Committee after he leaves office. This is, to say the most tedious thing possible, unprecedented — ex-presidents tend to retreat to the back of the room and stay quiet, and defeated ex-presidents even more so. You certainly didn't see Jimmy Carter or George H.W. Bush trying to wield any clout in their respective parties; they didn't have any.
Ronna McDaniel, the RNC's current chair, apparently intends to run for re-election on the premise that she's not as much of a Trump sycophant as those who might succeed her, such as Donald Trump Jr. or his dazzlingly evil girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who struck terror in the hearts of children of all ages with her impromptu monologue from Roald Dahl's "The Witches" at this year's Republican convention. Maybe Trump wants to keep the party apparatus in his stubby grasp to freeze out potential opponents in a 2024 presidential campaign, Grover Cleveland-style, and maybe it's just a new iteration of the lifelong Trumpian con game. Honestly, what's the difference?
So the plaintive questions about what we will possibly do with ourselves after Trump leaves the scene are the wrong questions, or at least they're far too small to match the scale of our predicament. As fables and fairy tales always make clear, conditions had to be ripe for the evil giant or the dark queen, Sauron or Voldemort, to rise to power in the first place. The story about Eve, the apple and the serpent is a classic example of misogynistic blame-shifting, no doubt. But at least it puts the blame on an ambiguous human weakness we can all identify with: Of course she wanted to know; you or I would have done the same. And who is to say it didn't turn out better this way, and that no other pathway was even possible?
Who or what will Americans be after Trump? We will be the same flawed people and depleted, crisis-addled nation we were before, with the conflicts laid bare and no longer avoidable. It sounds incredibly callous to say that Trump did us a favor, and I certainly don't mean that anything about his presidency was beneficial to human life or the survival of the planet. But his cruelty, his vulgarity and his open contempt for democracy, the rule of law and constitutional order woke many of us up — and I don't entirely exclude his voters and supporters — to the deep wounds in our society, the lack of any shared understanding of reality and the profound apprehension about the future. (That, along with Netflix, is perhaps the only thing all Americans share.)
As for what politics will be like after Trump, the only possible answer is that we don't know yet and it's also too small a question. Politics will be like it was before, only more so: Mired in contradiction, with the two-party system deeply entrenched yet both established parties headed for the rocks. When you look at Trump's 74 million votes — nearly 12 million more than he got in 2016 — and robust Republican victories from the Senate and House on down, there's no doubt that the supposedly-doomed GOP has found a new lease on life on the worst possible terms, as the party of white grievance, "traditional" masculinity, unalloyed authoritarianism and paranoid conspiracy theory.
It doesn't seem as if Trump's toxic but undeniable charisma is the only factor driving this undead Republican revival, but whether anyone else can create a modified or improved "Trumpism without Trump" remains an open question, as well as an academic one, for the time being. Many people have their eyes on that prize — we could start the list with Tucker Carlson of Fox News, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota — but whoever follows Trump as the next Republican nominee may quite literally have to wrest the party from his cold, dead, aspartame-infused fingers.
And then there are the Democrats. Oh, the Democrats! What do you want me to say that hasn't been said a thousand times? They just elected a 78-year-old president, and the top three Democrats in the House leadership are all over 80. Chuck Schumer, who still has a mathematical chance of becoming Senate majority leader early next year, turns a relatively sprightly 70 this week. (Happy birthday, you plodding nonentity!) More to the point, the Democrats just conducted yet another campaign based on the stirring claim that the other party is crazy and evil and they're not — which has the admitted benefit of being more true than ever before — which concluded, as usual, with mixed and disputed results.
Anyone who has ever read anything I have written will probably conclude that I'm inclined to favor one side over the other in the Democratic Party's endless factional warfare between "progressives" and "moderates," or whatever terms of art you prefer. But I don't claim to know what would have happened if Bernie Sanders had been this year's nominee — that's a bit in the same category as "If my grandmother had wheels," isn't it? Whether Democrats lost seats in the House, and couldn't win winnable seats in the Senate, because of too much "socialism" and "defund the police" or because of not enough Medicare for All and Green New Deal — or because they ran anodyne, message-free candidates who declined to stand for anything in particular — entirely depends on where you're standing when you ask the question. To repeat myself, it's also too small a question.
Historically speaking, the Democratic Party has been an unstable electoral coalition since at least the Civil War, when it represented both native-born white Protestants in the South and immigrant white Catholics in the North. Those groups disliked and distrusted each other, but at least perceived a common enemy in the bankers and patrician classes of Boston and New York (and also, less salubriously, in Black people attempting to assert their right to citizenship).
While the Democratic coalition has been broken up and reassembled several times since then — most Southern whites, and a whole lot of Northern ones too, have fled to the other party — it remains, shall we say, less than stable. I'm not convinced the current intra-party struggle is so much about ideology as about literal class conflict and differential views of "economic justice." Maybe this is one of those cases where classical Marxist theory is correct and the former serves as a proxy for the latter.
To take two House Democrats seen as emblematic of the warring factions, it's possible to imagine a cautiously constructed policy agenda that could bring together Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a "progressive" who represents a working-class, majority-minority district in New York City, and Rep. Conor Lamb, a "moderate" who represents a working-class, predominantly white district in western Pennsylvania. Improved health care access (however we label it), a higher minimum wage, a government infrastructure program and free or low-cost public college would be immensely helpful to people in both those places.
But what do their constituents have in common with those of Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the former CIA agent who represents an affluent suburban district outside Richmond, Virginia? I'm not saying there's nothing. A desire to resist the vicious bigotry of Trump and his acolytes is not nothing. Defending reproductive rights for women, equal rights for LGBTQ people and civil rights for Black people and immigrants, in the face of determined right-wing pushback, is decidedly not nothing.
We can't possibly absorb the lessons of the 2020 election in two weeks, especially not while the defeated incumbent half-heartedly tries to stage a coup and the COVID pandemic grows more critical every day. But here's one lesson: Rhetorical gestures toward abstract ideals of justice, equality and democracy may have been just about enough to defeat a widely despised and famously incompetent president, but they are not nearly enough to defeat a surging fascist movement built on white nationalism, cultural dispossession, economic stagnation and anti-elite rage.
One political party in America now has a clear agenda and a loyal following, and has now taken a low-risk dry run at seizing and holding power without regard for laws or rules or standards of decency or those famous "democratic norms." That party didn't go all-in on that effort this time around, but it now sees that with the right leader and adequate planning — not to mention the necessary level of force — the task can probably be managed. The other party is against all that, gosh darn it! But it still doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up, and it may not get the chance.


alternet--2020-11-23--Congressman whose subcommittee oversees GSA’s Emily Murphy slams her for denying transition: ‘She is

Congressman whose subcommittee oversees GSA’s Emily Murphy slams her for denying transition: ‘She is a Trump loyalist’

Rep. Gerry Connolly ( D-VA ) attacked President Donald Trump 's General Services Administration chief , Emily Murphy , for refusing to sign off on President-elect Joe Biden 's transition team .
Each of Trump 's lawsuits alleging any kind of election fraud has proved to be a failure and some have downright infuriated judges .
Still , Ms. Murphy maintains that Biden has n't been declared the winner .
Instead , she did an interview with CNN and whined that she 's in a `` no-win situation . ''
If she authorizes the election , she could be fired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one month .
If she does n't sign the letter she 's putting the country at risk for a series of national security and public health problems by forcing Biden staff to scramble to get background checks and clearance approved on the first day of the new administration .
`` My subcommittee oversees GSA .
I know Admin Murphy .
She is a Trump loyalist , through and through , '' said Connolly in a Sunday evening Twitter-thread .
The chairmanship he references is for The Subcommittee on Government Operations .
Connolly cited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's D.C. hotel being a key part of the deal to move the FBI headquarters out of the district to a larger location .
Selling the FBI building to developers meant there could be a risk Trump would have competition for his property .
`` Admin Murphy told Congress that the president was not involved in discussions to scrap the relocation plan .
She lied , '' alleged Connolly .
`` @ OversightDems found an official WH photo of her and Trump during a meeting in which the relocation plan *was* discussed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
She was never charged with lying to Congress , as other Trump allies have .
`` My team and I have dealt with GSA under her leadership for years , and we made every effort to do so in good faith , '' Connolly explained .
`` But her subservience to the president was a permanent and insurmountable hurdle in our efforts to cooperate .
Sadly , I 've been left with just one conclusion : Murphy may be a federal employee , but she 's made clear that she is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proves me wrong . ''

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) attacked President Donald Trump's General Services Administration chief, Emily Murphy, for refusing to sign off on President-elect Joe Biden's transition team.
Each of Trump's lawsuits alleging any kind of election fraud has proved to be a failure and some have downright infuriated judges. Still, Ms. Murphy maintains that Biden hasn't been declared the winner. Instead, she did an interview with CNN and whined that she's in a "no-win situation." If she authorizes the election, she could be fired from a job she'd have for one month. If she doesn't sign the letter she's putting the country at risk for a series of national security and public health problems by forcing Biden staff to scramble to get background checks and clearance approved on the first day of the new administration.
"My subcommittee oversees GSA. I know Admin Murphy. She is a Trump loyalist, through and through," said Connolly in a Sunday evening Twitter-thread. The chairmanship he references is for The Subcommittee on Government Operations.
Connolly cited a 2017 Washington Post report about Trump's D.C. hotel being a key part of the deal to move the FBI headquarters out of the district to a larger location. Selling the FBI building to developers meant there could be a risk Trump would have competition for his property.
"Admin Murphy told Congress that the president was not involved in discussions to scrap the relocation plan. She lied," alleged Connolly. "@OversightDems found an official WH photo of her and Trump during a meeting in which the relocation plan *was* discussed. GSA later admitted she had misled us."
She was never charged with lying to Congress, as other Trump allies have.
"My team and I have dealt with GSA under her leadership for years, and we made every effort to do so in good faith," Connolly explained. "But her subservience to the president was a permanent and insurmountable hurdle in our efforts to cooperate. Sadly, I've been left with just one conclusion: Murphy may be a federal employee, but she's made clear that she is no public servant. I pray she proves me wrong."
Read the full thread on Twitter.


alternet--2020-11-23--Trump team now says attorney who lied with Giuliani for 2 hours at presser is not really on his lega

Trump team now says attorney who lied with Giuliani for 2 hours at presser is not really on his legal team

The Trump Administration 's attempts to overthrow the government and sow confusion around the elections have been going so badly that it has been difficult to take what is a very serious attack on our democracy seriously .
On Thursday the Trump legal squad of cartoon-keystone-kops , Rudolph Giuliani , Sidney Powell , and Jenna Ellis held an almost two-hour press conference that can only be called bizarre .
The three legal minds all share a detachment from reality and factual information that is prized within the Trump world .
Needless to say , the whole thing was a disaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and friends have ever done .
Well , now , Axios and Yahoo news ' White House correspondent Hunter Walker report that the Trump administration says that Sidney Powell is n't on Trump 's legal team .
Excuse me ?
I guess she just got to speak for 45 minutes and hit up Fox News and OANN to spew fact free conspiracy theories on his behalf , for free ?
According to the statement : `` Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own .
She is not a member of the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lawyer for the President in his personal capacity . ''
However , the other two lawyers , Giuliani and Ellis , are on his legal team .
I guess Sidney was just hanging out ?
But here 's the real take away .

The Trump Administration's attempts to overthrow the government and sow confusion around the elections have been going so badly that it has been difficult to take what is a very serious attack on our democracy seriously. On Thursday the Trump legal squad of cartoon-keystone-kops, Rudolph Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis held an almost two-hour press conference that can only be called bizarre. The three legal minds all share a detachment from reality and factual information that is prized within the Trump world.
Needless to say, the whole thing was a disaster like every hot garbage thing Donald Trump and friends have ever done. Well, now, Axios and Yahoo news' White House correspondent Hunter Walker report that the Trump administration says that Sidney Powell isn't on Trump's legal team. Excuse me? I guess she just got to speak for 45 minutes and hit up Fox News and OANN to spew fact free conspiracy theories on his behalf, for free?
According to the statement: "Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump Legal Team. She is also not a lawyer for the President in his personal capacity." However, the other two lawyers, Giuliani and Ellis, are on his legal team. I guess Sidney was just hanging out?
There's always a tweet.
But here's the real take away.


alternet--2020-11-23--Here's some good news for COVID herd immunity: study

Stories of some unlucky patients contracting COVID-19 twice sent the world into a tailspin over fears that immunity to the virus might not last .
Yet a new research report has encouraging news .
A preprint study published Monday on the online server bioRxiv argues that people who develop immunity from SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that caused the disease COVID-19 , may be able to remain immune for six months or longer .
While previous studies have focused on aspects of how the human immune system responds to the virus — such as by analyzing protein components of the immune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus — this new study researched a number of components of immune memory including B cells , T cells and antibodies .
The authors explain that `` while immune memory is the source of long-term protective immunity , direct conclusions about protective immunity can not be made on the basis of quantifying '' the areas of the immune system components they had studied because scientists know very little about the `` mechanisms of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 '' in human beings .
With this caveat , the authors argued that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subjects developed immune memory `` consisting of at least three immunological compartments '' more than five months after they initially displayed symptoms , there is reason to believe that last immunity against COVID-19 could be possible in most people .
Of particular note was the fact that memory B cells were found in nearly all of the COVID-19 cases and seemed to increase over time .
`` B cell memory to some other infections has been observed to be long-lived , including 60+ years after smallpox vaccination , or 90+ years after infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the study wrote .
B cells are a type of white blood cell which , in mammals , mature in the bone marrow .
Although the study has not been either peer reviewed or published in a scientific journal , it offers hope as it was co-authored by a number of scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and the La Jolla Institute of Immunology at the University of California , San Diego .
It examined 185 adults between the ages of 19 and 81 , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in most cases from mild manifestations of the disease ) , by collecting blood samples from various times after they first exhibited symptoms .
In some cases , they collected blood samples more than six months after said patients initially displayed symptoms .
Previous studies have not been as hopeful when it comes to the prospect for long-term immunity from COVID-19 .
A July paper published in the preprint server medRxiv studied blood samples taken over time from 65 people who tested positive for the coronavirus — and whose conditions ranged from asymptomatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly three months after they were first diagnosed .
Those scientists found that over time patients saw a drop in their antibodies that could neutralize the virus ( nAbs ) .
`` A wide range of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody ( nAb ) titres have been reported following infection and these vary depending on the length of time from infection and the severity of disease , '' the study explained .
`` Further knowledge on the magnitude , timing and longevity of nAb responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection is vital for understanding the role nAbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from re-infection ( also called renewed or second wave infections ) . ''
Another study , published in September in the scientific journal Nature Medicine , examined people who had been infected with four species of seasonal coronaviruses that can also cause respiratory infections , surmising that they could help predict immunity rates for the novel coronavirus .
The study concluded that `` reinfections by natural infection occur for all four seasonal coronaviruses , suggesting that it is a common feature for all human coronaviruses , including SARS-CoV-2 .
Reinfections occurred most frequently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that protective immunity is only short-lived . ''

Stories of some unlucky patients contracting COVID-19 twice sent the world into a tailspin over fears that immunity to the virus might not last. Yet a new research report has encouraging news.
A preprint study published Monday on the online server bioRxiv argues that people who develop immunity from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the disease COVID-19, may be able to remain immune for six months or longer. While previous studies have focused on aspects of how the human immune system responds to the virus — such as by analyzing protein components of the immune system or studying how antibodies respond to the virus — this new study researched a number of components of immune memory including B cells, T cells and antibodies.
The authors explain that "while immune memory is the source of long-term protective immunity, direct conclusions about protective immunity cannot be made on the basis of quantifying" the areas of the immune system components they had studied because scientists know very little about the "mechanisms of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19" in human beings.
With this caveat, the authors argued that because roughly 90% of the test subjects developed immune memory "consisting of at least three immunological compartments" more than five months after they initially displayed symptoms, there is reason to believe that last immunity against COVID-19 could be possible in most people.
Of particular note was the fact that memory B cells were found in nearly all of the COVID-19 cases and seemed to increase over time. "B cell memory to some other infections has been observed to be long-lived, including 60+ years after smallpox vaccination, or 90+ years after infection with influenza," the authors of the study wrote. B cells are a type of white blood cell which, in mammals, mature in the bone marrow.
Although the study has not been either peer reviewed or published in a scientific journal, it offers hope as it was co-authored by a number of scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and the La Jolla Institute of Immunology at the University of California, San Diego. It examined 185 adults between the ages of 19 and 81, all of whom had recovered from COVID-19 (in most cases from mild manifestations of the disease), by collecting blood samples from various times after they first exhibited symptoms. In some cases, they collected blood samples more than six months after said patients initially displayed symptoms.
Previous studies have not been as hopeful when it comes to the prospect for long-term immunity from COVID-19. A July paper published in the preprint server medRxiv studied blood samples taken over time from 65 people who tested positive for the coronavirus — and whose conditions ranged from asymptomatic to severe — over a period of roughly three months after they were first diagnosed. Those scientists found that over time patients saw a drop in their antibodies that could neutralize the virus (nAbs).
"A wide range of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody (nAb) titres have been reported following infection and these vary depending on the length of time from infection and the severity of disease," the study explained. "Further knowledge on the magnitude, timing and longevity of nAb responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection is vital for understanding the role nAbs might play in disease clearance and protection from re-infection (also called renewed or second wave infections)."
Another study, published in September in the scientific journal Nature Medicine, examined people who had been infected with four species of seasonal coronaviruses that can also cause respiratory infections, surmising that they could help predict immunity rates for the novel coronavirus. The study concluded that "reinfections by natural infection occur for all four seasonal coronaviruses, suggesting that it is a common feature for all human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Reinfections occurred most frequently at 12 months after infection, indicating that protective immunity is only short-lived."


alternet--2020-11-23--Fascism expert explains the playbook Trump is following to destroy America before leaving office

President Donald Trump is making several moves ahead of leaving office on Jan. 20 , 2021 , to destroy President-elect Joe Biden 's term in office , historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat explained in part of a video series Sunday .
Ben-Ghiat explained that she started the series of videos because she knew that Trump would try to cause as much destruction as possible before officially leaving office .
She cited a story by New York Times reporter Michael Shear , making it clear that Trump is using his final days to make Biden 's life impossible .
`` Watch very carefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now , '' she instructed .
`` These end-stage follies , as I can them , are revealing .
They 're trying to loot and plunder the Earth .
They 're trying to rush through oil drilling leases in Alaska .
They 're trying to make sure their secrets are kept , and they 're trying to make the world as unsafe as possible so that Biden will have difficulty restablizing foreign relations . ''
She said that it 's akin to former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet , who had a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office .
That year , he worked to damage the incoming democracy , which was Chile 's first after Pinochet 's junta took over 17 years before .
He worked to keep human rights violations secret , made it impossible to purge staff he installed , and stacked the courts .
In his book , Pinochet alleged the democracy was all a conspiracy against him .
See the video from Ben-Ghiat below :

President Donald Trump is making several moves ahead of leaving office on Jan. 20, 2021, to destroy President-elect Joe Biden's term in office, historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat explained in part of a video series Sunday.
Ben-Ghiat explained that she started the series of videos because she knew that Trump would try to cause as much destruction as possible before officially leaving office.
She cited a story by New York Times reporter Michael Shear, making it clear that Trump is using his final days to make Biden's life impossible.
"Watch very carefully what Trump and the GOP are doing right now," she instructed. "These end-stage follies, as I can them, are revealing. They're trying to loot and plunder the Earth. They're trying to rush through oil drilling leases in Alaska. They're trying to make sure their secrets are kept, and they're trying to make the world as unsafe as possible so that Biden will have difficulty restablizing foreign relations."
She said that it's akin to former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet, who had a year before he had to be out of office. That year, he worked to damage the incoming democracy, which was Chile's first after Pinochet's junta took over 17 years before. He worked to keep human rights violations secret, made it impossible to purge staff he installed, and stacked the courts.
In his book, Pinochet alleged the democracy was all a conspiracy against him.
It sounds eerily familiar.
See the video from Ben-Ghiat below:


alternet--2020-11-24--Biden will need to purge Trump loyalists from the administration from Day 1

During his four-year tenure in the White House , President Donald Trump packed powerful federal regulatory agencies with dozens of right-wing loyalists who are well-placed to stall or undermine the agenda of President-elect Joe Biden from the moment he takes office .
But according to a report ( pdf ) released Monday by the Revolving Door Project , there is an immediate and perfectly legal solution available to Biden if he 's willing to act : Clean house of all political officials who were installed because of their allegiance to Trump .
While noting that many political appointees typically step @ @ @ @ @ @ @ departs , the Revolving Door Project points out that `` a powerful minority will , by default , continue in office , '' leaving them positioned to slow-walk or even `` sabotage '' Biden 's agenda .
`` Some of these figures are beyond the next president 's reach , protected by provisions that stipulate they can only be removed 'for cause . '
( Of course , if 'cause ' for termination is ultimately ascertained , it ought to be acted upon . )
Many , however , can be removed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even if that is not routine , '' reads the four-page memo .
`` These figures are only protected by norms—norms that the Trump administration has itself undermined . ''
The Revolving Door Project , an initiative of the Center for Economic and Policy Research ( CEPR ) that aims to ensure executive branch officials serve the public interest , pointed to a number of officials whom Biden has the authority to terminate immediately upon assuming the presidency .
Those officials , according to the report , `` include the director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , the Comptroller of the Currency , the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ( NLRB ) , and taking Seila Law v. CFPB as precedent , the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency ( FHFA ) , and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration ( SSA ) . ''
Citing the new memo , progressive advocacy group Social Security Works urged Biden to make use of his power and remove top SSA officials `` who have been waging a regulatory war on people with disabilities . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the top two officials at the Social Security Administration , '' the group said .
`` He needs to use it . ''
Though top Trump-appointed officials at other key agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation , Federal Energy Regulatory Commission , and Postal Regulatory Commission can not be removed without cause , they can be demoted , stripped of the `` power to set an agency 's agenda and otherwise steer its course , '' and replaced , the Revolving Door Project noted .
`` Putting that position in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats lack a majority on the commission , could allow the agency to begin to reorient right away , '' the group said .
Jeff Hauser , executive director of the Revolving Door Project , said in a statement Monday that it would be a major `` unforced error '' if Biden fails to use his authority to remove or demote Trump loyalists standing in the way of his policy agenda , which—if Democrats fail to take control of the Senate by prevailing in both Georgia runoffs in January—will rely heavily on executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration may actively sabotage the Biden administration 's initiatives from their powerful perches ( this is not without precedent ) , '' said Hauser .
`` Even if , however , they do not set out to undermine the new administration , it is doubtful that these will be the best figures to carry out Biden 's ambitious agenda . ''
`` A Biden administration 's success will hinge substantially on the energy and creativity of all its appointees , '' Hauser continued .
`` With that in mind , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including unconventional but legal removals , to get the federal government working for the public interest as quickly as possible . ''

During his four-year tenure in the White House, President Donald Trump packed powerful federal regulatory agencies with dozens of right-wing loyalists who are well-placed to stall or undermine the agenda of President-elect Joe Biden from the moment he takes office.
But according to a report (pdf) released Monday by the Revolving Door Project, there is an immediate and perfectly legal solution available to Biden if he's willing to act: Clean house of all political officials who were installed because of their allegiance to Trump.
While noting that many political appointees typically step aside once the president who hired them departs, the Revolving Door Project points out that "a powerful minority will, by default, continue in office," leaving them positioned to slow-walk or even "sabotage" Biden's agenda.
"Some of these figures are beyond the next president's reach, protected by provisions that stipulate they can only be removed 'for cause.' (Of course, if 'cause' for termination is ultimately ascertained, it ought to be acted upon.) Many, however, can be removed on a president's first day in office, even if that is not routine," reads the four-page memo. "These figures are only protected by norms—norms that the Trump administration has itself undermined."
The Revolving Door Project, an initiative of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) that aims to ensure executive branch officials serve the public interest, pointed to a number of officials whom Biden has the authority to terminate immediately upon assuming the presidency.
Those officials, according to the report, "include the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Comptroller of the Currency, the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and taking Seila Law v. CFPB as precedent, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA)."
Citing the new memo, progressive advocacy group Social Security Works urged Biden to make use of his power and remove top SSA officials "who have been waging a regulatory war on people with disabilities."
"Biden has the power to remove the top two officials at the Social Security Administration," the group said. "He needs to use it."
Though top Trump-appointed officials at other key agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Postal Regulatory Commission cannot be removed without cause, they can be demoted, stripped of the "power to set an agency's agenda and otherwise steer its course," and replaced, the Revolving Door Project noted.
"Putting that position in a Democratic commissioner's hands, even when Democrats lack a majority on the commission, could allow the agency to begin to reorient right away," the group said.
Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project, said in a statement Monday that it would be a major "unforced error" if Biden fails to use his authority to remove or demote Trump loyalists standing in the way of his policy agenda, which—if Democrats fail to take control of the Senate by prevailing in both Georgia runoffs in January—will rely heavily on executive and regulatory actions.
"Holdovers from the Trump administration may actively sabotage the Biden administration's initiatives from their powerful perches (this is not without precedent)," said Hauser. "Even if, however, they do not set out to undermine the new administration, it is doubtful that these will be the best figures to carry out Biden's ambitious agenda."
"A Biden administration's success will hinge substantially on the energy and creativity of all its appointees," Hauser continued. "With that in mind, the next administration must consider all possibilities, including unconventional but legal removals, to get the federal government working for the public interest as quickly as possible."


alternet--2020-11-24--Trump undercuts official who delayed transition as she gets slammed for 'unprofessional' letter

GSA head Emily Murphy 's lengthy letter telling President-elect Joe Biden she is releasing transition funds to him comes with a strange set of personal remarks , including the claim she was not told how or when to authorize release the more than $ 7 million in those funds .
The only problem is that President Donald Trump says he is the one who told her to release the money .
`` Please now that I came to my decision independently , based on the law and available facts , '' Murphy writes .
`` I was never directed or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who work at the White House or GSA–with regard to the substance or timing of my decision . ''
Curiously , within minutes of the news breaking Murphy had released the funds to Biden , President Trump announced that he had , in fact , directed Murphy to release the funds .
`` I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country , '' Trump said , once again conflating himself with the nation .
`` She has been harassed , threatened , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see this happen to her , her family , or employees of GSA . ''
`` Please now that I came to my decision independently , based on the law and available facts , '' Murphy writes .
`` I was never directed or indirectly pressured by any Executive branch official–including those who work at the White House or GSA–with regard to the substance or timing of my decision . ''
Curiously , within minutes of the news breaking Murphy had released the funds to Biden , President Trump announced that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to release the funds .
`` I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country , '' Trump said , once again conflating himself with the nation .
`` She has been harassed , threatened , and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her , her family , or employees of GSA . ''
The Washington Post reported Friday that Murphy `` does n't want to be disloyal to the administration that hired her , '' according to a @ @ @ @ @

GSA head Emily Murphy's lengthy letter telling President-elect Joe Biden she is releasing transition funds to him comes with a strange set of personal remarks, including the claim she was not told how or when to authorize release the more than $7 million in those funds.
The only problem is that President Donald Trump says he is the one who told her to release the money.
"Please now that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts," Murphy writes. "I was never directed or indirectly pressured by any Executive branch official–including those who work at the White House or GSA–with regard to the substance or timing of my decision."
Curiously, within minutes of the news breaking Murphy had released the funds to Biden, President Trump announced that he had, in fact, directed Murphy to release the funds.
"I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country," Trump said, once again conflating himself with the nation. "She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA."
"Please now that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts," Murphy writes. "I was never directed or indirectly pressured by any Executive branch official–including those who work at the White House or GSA–with regard to the substance or timing of my decision."
Curiously, within minutes of the news breaking Murphy had released the funds to Biden, President Trump announced that he had, in fact, directed Murphy to release the funds.
"I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country," Trump said, once again conflating himself with the nation. "She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA."
The Washington Post reported Friday that Murphy "doesn't want to be disloyal to the administration that hired her," according to a senior Trump administration official.


alternet--2020-11-23--The Trump administration relents: GSA official Emily Muprhy tells Biden she will begin the transitio

The Trump administration relents: GSA official Emily Muprhy tells Biden she will begin the transition

Government Services Administration chief Emily Murphy sent a letter to President-elect Joe Biden on Monday informing him that she will begin the delayed transition process , according to a document first revealed by CNN .
`` As the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration , I have the ability under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 , as amended , to make certain post-election resources and services available to assist in the event of a presidential transition , '' she wrote .
`` I take this role seriously and , because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter today to make those resources and services available to you . ''
Murphy has come under fire in recent weeks , since the transition typically begins when the results of the presidential election are `` apparent '' — which is usually after multiple news outlets call the race for one candidate .
That happened for Biden on Nov. 7 .
But President Donald Trump has personally refused to concede the election and has brought dozens of frivolous legal challenges to court to overturn the result , while also fueling a disinformation campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win .
Many argued that Murphy , who has the sole authority to begin the transition process , was abusing her position to please Trump or to support his false contention that the race is undecided .
But whether because of public pressure or her own reasoning , Murphy has relented .
She also disputed that she had any improper motivation .
`` Please know that I came to my decision independently , based on the law and available facts .
I was never directly or indirectiy pressured by any Executive Branch official—including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or GSA—with regard to the substance or timing of my decision .
To be clear , I did not receive any direction to delay my determination , '' she wrote .
She added that she received `` threats online , by phone , and by mail directed at my safety , my family , my staff , and even my pets in an effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely . ''
She continued : `` Contrary to media reports and insinuations , my decision was not made out of fear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that the statute requires that the GSA Administrator ascertain , not impose , the apparent president-elect .
Unfortunately , the statute provides no procedures or standards for this process , so I looked to precedent from prior elections involving legal challenges and incomplete counts .
GSA does not dictate the outcome of legal disputes and recounts , nor does it determine whether such proceedings are reasonable or justified .
These are issues that the Constitution , federal laws , and state laws leave to the election certification process and decisions by courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think that an agency charged with improving federal procurement and property management should place itself above the constitutionally-based election process .
I strongly urge Congress to consider amendments to the Act . ''
The high stakes — both in terms of partisan interests and in terms of human lives — escalated tensions around Murphy 's refusal to approve the transition .
Many argued that because Biden will need to take over management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , his team needed as much time as possible to begin its transition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , could literally cost many lives by stalling an adequate response , such as rolling out vaccines .
The 9/11 Commission report had argued that the delayed 2000 transition may have contributed to the Bush administration 's failure to stop the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks , highlighting the imperative to begin the process .
Murphy said the law makes available $ 7,300,000 for Biden 's transition .

Government Services Administration chief Emily Murphy sent a letter to President-elect Joe Biden on Monday informing him that she will begin the delayed transition process, according to a document first revealed by CNN.
"As the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration, I have the ability under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, as amended, to make certain post-election resources and services available to assist in the event of a presidential transition," she wrote. "I take this role seriously and, because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, am transmitting this letter today to make those resources and services available to you."
Murphy has come under fire in recent weeks, since the transition typically begins when the results of the presidential election are "apparent" — which is usually after multiple news outlets call the race for one candidate. That happened for Biden on Nov. 7. But President Donald Trump has personally refused to concede the election and has brought dozens of frivolous legal challenges to court to overturn the result, while also fueling a disinformation campaign to undermine public acceptance of Biden's win.
Many argued that Murphy, who has the sole authority to begin the transition process, was abusing her position to please Trump or to support his false contention that the race is undecided.
But whether because of public pressure or her own reasoning, Murphy has relented. She also disputed that she had any improper motivation.
"Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts. I was never directly or indirectiy pressured by any Executive Branch official—including those who work at the White House or GSA—with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. To be clear, I did not receive any direction to delay my determination," she wrote.
She added that she received "threats online, by phone, and by mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff, and even my pets in an effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely."
She continued: "Contrary to media reports and insinuations, my decision was not made out of fear or favoritism. Instead, I strongly believe that the statute requires that the GSA Administrator ascertain, not impose, the apparent president-elect. Unfortunately, the statute provides no procedures or standards for this process, so I looked to precedent from prior elections involving legal challenges and incomplete counts. GSA does not dictate the outcome of legal disputes and recounts, nor does it determine whether such proceedings are reasonable or justified. These are issues that the Constitution, federal laws, and state laws leave to the election certification process and decisions by courts of competent jurisdiction. I do not think that an agency charged with improving federal procurement and property management should place itself above the constitutionally-based election process. I strongly urge Congress to consider amendments to the Act."
The high stakes — both in terms of partisan interests and in terms of human lives — escalated tensions around Murphy's refusal to approve the transition. Many argued that because Biden will need to take over management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, his team needed as much time as possible to begin its transition. Delaying this process, they argued, could literally cost many lives by stalling an adequate response, such as rolling out vaccines. The 9/11 Commission report had argued that the delayed 2000 transition may have contributed to the Bush administration's failure to stop the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks, highlighting the imperative to begin the process.
Murphy said the law makes available $7,300,000 for Biden's transition.


alternet--2020-11-23--Trump knows his legal team of 'fools' is a national embarrassment: report

Donald Trump has a new set of scapegoats for what is turning into the colossal embarrassment that is his effort to overturn the will of the people and make a coup : his lawyers .
When he needs to blame someone for his loss , that 's who it will be .
At least , that 's what sources to NBC say .
He has `` been complaining to aides and allies about his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and recently-removed lawyer Sidney Powell 's over-the-top performances at a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters last week , these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the whole legal team is a bunch of `` fools that are making him look bad , '' but whom he wo n't fire because `` in essence , who knows ? ''
He did n't have too much of an issue booting the woman .
That despite the fact that Giuliani 's claims are nearly as bonkers as hers .
What has disillusioned him about Giuliani is just so on point for who Trump is .
It 's that he literally looked bad in that press conference last week .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ optics of the brown substance , presumed to be hair dye or a makeup product , dripping down Giuliani 's face during the nearly two-hour news conference Thursday , according to one of the sources familiar with the president 's reaction . ''
Because Donald is the exemplar of how to do hair and makeup .

Donald Trump has a new set of scapegoats for what is turning into the colossal embarrassment that is his effort to overturn the will of the people and make a coup: his lawyers. When he needs to blame someone for his loss, that's who it will be. At least, that's what sources to NBC say.
He has "been complaining to aides and allies about his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and recently-removed lawyer Sidney Powell's over-the-top performances at a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters last week, these people said." Mr. Self-Awareness believes that the whole legal team is a bunch of "fools that are making him look bad," but whom he won't fire because "in essence, who knows?" He didn't have too much of an issue booting the woman. That despite the fact that Giuliani's claims are nearly as bonkers as hers.
What has disillusioned him about Giuliani is just so on point for who Trump is. It's that he literally looked bad in that press conference last week. "Trump was also not pleased with the optics of the brown substance, presumed to be hair dye or a makeup product, dripping down Giuliani's face during the nearly two-hour news conference Thursday, according to one of the sources familiar with the president's reaction."
Because Donald is the exemplar of how to do hair and makeup.


alternet--2020-11-23--Michigan just certified Biden's win — dashing Trump's plan to steal the election

Officials on Michigan 's state elections board voted to certify President-elect Joe Biden 's 2020 victory on Monday afternoon , thwarting a plot President Donald Trump and his allies have floated to steal the election in the face of defeat .
The bipartisan board voted 3-0 to certify the result .
One of the Republican members , Norm Shinkle , who had publicly expressed doubts about Biden 's victory despite no evidence of serious malfeasance in the state , abstained from the vote .
That 's disturbing on its own .
Usually , certification of election results is hardly a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that follows the actual vote , affirming the widely accepted result .
But Trump 's attempt to cast doubt on the election — even in Michigan , where he lost by more than 150,000 votes — has succeeded in spreading disinformation and distrust in the results into much of the GOP .
It 's reasonable to fear that a Republican abstaining from certifying the election may be a precursor to future efforts to overturn legitimate results and thwart the intent of voters .
But for now , Trump 's plot to remain in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Arizona , two key swing states , have already certified their votes for Biden .
In Michigan , Trump has met with top Republican legislators on Friday , raising fears that he was pressuring them to overturn the voters ' decision in the presidential race .
While they initially suggested they saw no reason to doubt Biden 's win , the suggestion remained that the legislature might try to step in and throw the state 's Electoral College votes to Trump if the state failed to certify .
That path , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the board voted to certify the official results .
Despite allegations from the Trump campaign that the voting process was corrupted and fraudulent , there 's been no evidence that the result was significantly impacted by any misconduct at all .
The campaign 's lawsuits trying to stop the election results from being certified have been repeatedly thrown out of court .
Aaron Van Langevelde , one of the Republicans on the Michigan election board , said Monday that he believed it was legally obligated to certify the election .
He voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results .

Officials on Michigan's state elections board voted to certify President-elect Joe Biden's 2020 victory on Monday afternoon, thwarting a plot President Donald Trump and his allies have floated to steal the election in the face of defeat.
The bipartisan board voted 3-0 to certify the result. One of the Republican members, Norm Shinkle, who had publicly expressed doubts about Biden's victory despite no evidence of serious malfeasance in the state, abstained from the vote.
That's disturbing on its own. Usually, certification of election results is hardly a newsworthy event. It's a formality that follows the actual vote, affirming the widely accepted result. But Trump's attempt to cast doubt on the election — even in Michigan, where he lost by more than 150,000 votes — has succeeded in spreading disinformation and distrust in the results into much of the GOP. It's reasonable to fear that a Republican abstaining from certifying the election may be a precursor to future efforts to overturn legitimate results and thwart the intent of voters.
But for now, Trump's plot to remain in power has hit the skids. Georgia and Arizona, two key swing states, have already certified their votes for Biden. In Michigan, Trump has met with top Republican legislators on Friday, raising fears that he was pressuring them to overturn the voters' decision in the presidential race. While they initially suggested they saw no reason to doubt Biden's win, the suggestion remained that the legislature might try to step in and throw the state's Electoral College votes to Trump if the state failed to certify.
That path, however, was abruptly closed off on Monday when the board voted to certify the official results.
Despite allegations from the Trump campaign that the voting process was corrupted and fraudulent, there's been no evidence that the result was significantly impacted by any misconduct at all. The campaign's lawsuits trying to stop the election results from being certified have been repeatedly thrown out of court.
Aaron Van Langevelde, one of the Republicans on the Michigan election board, said Monday that he believed it was legally obligated to certify the election. He voted with the two Democrats to approve the results.


alternet--2020-11-23--Resurfaced video exposes Ted Cruz's failed prediction as a dangerous COVID-19 screed

When Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was interviewed on July 22 , he made a bold prediction that has now been decisively disproven .
He claimed that if Joe Biden won the presidential election , Democrats officials would suddenly quit talking about the COVID-19 pandemic and would reverse policies meant to control the virus .
A video of that interview has resurfaced on Twitter , underscoring the GOP senator 's willingness to politicize a dangerous health crisis for partisan gain .
In the video , Cruz declares , `` If Biden wins in November — I hope he does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will — but if he does , I guarantee you , the week after the election , suddenly all those Democratic governors , all those Democratic mayors will say everything 's magically better .
Go back to work , go back to school .
Suddenly , the problems are solved .
You wo n't even have to wait for Biden to be sworn in — all they 'll need is Election Day , and suddenly , their willingness to destroy people 's lives and livelihood , they will have accomplished their task .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and we should n't be a part of it . ''
Biden won the election , receiving 306 electoral votes and defeating President Donald Trump by more than 6 million in the popular vote .
And Democrats , contrary to what Cruz predicted , did n't suddenly quit talking about COVID-19 after the election .
The opposite has happened .
With COVID-19 surging in the fall and many health experts warning that the pandemic might be entering its most dangerous period yet , numerous Democrats at the state and local levels are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many would likely go even further , if the federal government provided that support that local officials have been calling for .
Here are some responses to the Cruz video :

When Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was interviewed on July 22, he made a bold prediction that has now been decisively disproven. He claimed that if Joe Biden won the presidential election, Democrats officials would suddenly quit talking about the COVID-19 pandemic and would reverse policies meant to control the virus.
A video of that interview has resurfaced on Twitter, underscoring the GOP senator's willingness to politicize a dangerous health crisis for partisan gain.
In the video, Cruz declares, "If Biden wins in November — I hope he doesn't, I don't think he will — but if he does, I guarantee you, the week after the election, suddenly all those Democratic governors, all those Democratic mayors will say everything's magically better. Go back to work, go back to school. Suddenly, the problems are solved. You won't even have to wait for Biden to be sworn in — all they'll need is Election Day, and suddenly, their willingness to destroy people's lives and livelihood, they will have accomplished their task. That's wrong, it's cynical, and we shouldn't be a part of it."
Biden won the election, receiving 306 electoral votes and defeating President Donald Trump by more than 6 million in the popular vote. And Democrats, contrary to what Cruz predicted, didn't suddenly quit talking about COVID-19 after the election. The opposite has happened. With COVID-19 surging in the fall and many health experts warning that the pandemic might be entering its most dangerous period yet, numerous Democrats at the state and local levels are calling for more aggressive social distancing measures. Many would likely go even further, if the federal government provided that support that local officials have been calling for.
Here are some responses to the Cruz video:


alternet--2020-11-23--New report finds a 'shadow candidate' in Florida is under investigation

This year , one of the GOP victories in Florida came when Ileana Garcia , co-founder of Latinas for Trump , defeated incumbent Democrat José Javier Rodríguez in a state Senate race .
It was a narrow victory , however , and Miami Herald journalists Samantha J .
Gross and Ana Ceballos are reporting that Rodriguez has demanded an investigation of a third-party candidate , Alex Rodríguez .
In that race , Alex Rodríguez ( unrelated to José Javier Rodríguez ) received more than 6,300 votes , which was a big deal given how close the race was .
Garcia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 34 votes , and there has been speculation that Alex Rodríguez was planted as a spoiler to take votes away from the incumbent Democrat .
`` Alex Rodriguez ' candidacy appeared to exist for only one reason : to suck votes away from incumbent José Javier Rodríguez , who shares the same surname , '' according to Gross and Ceballos .
`` The incumbent lost by just 34 votes , and he is now calling for an investigation into Alex Rodriguez — and whoever may have put him up to run . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Herald reporters note , has `` drawn the attention of law enforcement . ''
`` Sources with knowledge of the investigation tell the Miami Herald that Miami-Dade state prosecutors are now probing the mysterious candidacy , which has also led to a series of investigative reports from the Herald and other news outlets such as WPLG-10 and Univision , whose reporters found Rodriguez renting a home in Palm Beach County — not in Miami-Dade County , where he filed to vote and run for state office , '' the Herald reporters explain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , José Javier Rodríguez argued , `` Democracy requires transparency .
In order to achieve that , I believe this election requires a full investigation so that those who may have violated the law are held to account and so that such tactics are not used in future elections . ''
Garcia defeated José Javier Rodríguez in Miami-Dade County , which is one of the more Democratic-leaning areas of Florida .
And that loss was n't the only disappointment that Democrats suffered in South Florida this year : Joe Biden underperformed among Latinos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton in 2016 , and Florida 's 29 electoral votes were called for President Donald Trump on Election Night — although Bided ended up winning the election , with 306 electoral votes and a lead of more than 6 million in the popular vote .
According to Gross and Ceballos , Florida-based elections attorney Juan Carlos Plana plans to file an ethics complaint against Alex Rodriguez and alleges that his financial disclosure form is `` improper . ''
Plana told the Herald , `` There are more questions than answers , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead to a good place .
People like this do n't pop up and say they are going to run for state Senate . ''

This year, one of the GOP victories in Florida came when Ileana Garcia, co-founder of Latinas for Trump, defeated incumbent Democrat José Javier Rodríguez in a state Senate race. It was a narrow victory, however, and Miami Herald journalists Samantha J. Gross and Ana Ceballos are reporting that Rodriguez has demanded an investigation of a third-party candidate, Alex Rodríguez.
In that race, Alex Rodríguez (unrelated to José Javier Rodríguez) received more than 6,300 votes, which was a big deal given how close the race was. Garcia defeated José Javier Rodríguez by a mere 34 votes, and there has been speculation that Alex Rodríguez was planted as a spoiler to take votes away from the incumbent Democrat.
"Alex Rodriguez' candidacy appeared to exist for only one reason: to suck votes away from incumbent José Javier Rodríguez, who shares the same surname," according to Gross and Ceballos. "The incumbent lost by just 34 votes, and he is now calling for an investigation into Alex Rodriguez — and whoever may have put him up to run."
"Shadow candidate" Alex Rodriguez, the Herald reporters note, has "drawn the attention of law enforcement."
"Sources with knowledge of the investigation tell the Miami Herald that Miami-Dade state prosecutors are now probing the mysterious candidacy, which has also led to a series of investigative reports from the Herald and other news outlets such as WPLG-10 and Univision, whose reporters found Rodriguez renting a home in Palm Beach County — not in Miami-Dade County, where he filed to vote and run for state office," the Herald reporters explain.
In a video posted on Facebook, José Javier Rodríguez argued, "Democracy requires transparency. In order to achieve that, I believe this election requires a full investigation so that those who may have violated the law are held to account and so that such tactics are not used in future elections."
Garcia defeated José Javier Rodríguez in Miami-Dade County, which is one of the more Democratic-leaning areas of Florida. And that loss wasn't the only disappointment that Democrats suffered in South Florida this year: Joe Biden underperformed among Latinos in Miami-Dade County compared to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Florida's 29 electoral votes were called for President Donald Trump on Election Night — although Bided ended up winning the election, with 306 electoral votes and a lead of more than 6 million in the popular vote.
According to Gross and Ceballos, Florida-based elections attorney Juan Carlos Plana plans to file an ethics complaint against Alex Rodriguez and alleges that his financial disclosure form is "improper."
Plana told the Herald, "There are more questions than answers, but the questions don't seem like they will lead to a good place. People like this don't pop up and say they are going to run for state Senate."


alternet--2020-11-23--Is Trump really plotting a coup — or is it just a pathetic last gasp of a defeated man?

by Daniel Cooper , Griffith University and Brendon O'Connor , University of Sydney US President Donald Trump 's time in the White House is coming to an end .
But , as has become obvious over the past few weeks , he is unlikely to deliver a gracious concession speech .
Instead , the president has spent much of his time since the November 3 election plotting ways to undo what has turned out to be a rather clear victory for President-elect Joe Biden – all credible media outlets have given Biden 306 electoral college votes to the outgoing president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to amass 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency .
Time is simply running out for Trump .
By December 8 , all states are required to certify their results , with the electors in each state to cast their votes by December 14 .
The inauguration of the next president takes place on January 20 2021 .
None of this should obscure the anti-democratic coup d'état Trump is attempting as he refuses to concede defeat .
However , it is unlikely to succeed .
His legal challenges alleging fraud and misconduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled against his claim that election “ observers '' were too far away in Philadelphia from workers counting ballots .
In Georgia , a hand recount has finished with Biden confirmed the victor .
And Michigan lawmakers appear ready to defy the president , who now seems intent on wreaking havoc on the certification process .
Trump 's efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the election are real .
His attempt to influence Republican state legislators , in effect to persuade them to replace electors committed to voting for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , is profoundly undemocratic .
Under a winner-takes-all system , Michigan 's 16 electoral college votes should be going to President-elect Biden , the clear winner of the state by almost three percentage points .
If Trump had succeeded in overturning the results , one could go as far as questioning America 's status as a liberal democracy .
Not since Southern secessionists contested the legitimacy of Abraham Lincoln 's election in 1860 has a single actor been so nefarious in their attempts to undermine an incoming president .
Look no further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With over 250,000 Americans dead from COVID-19 , and case numbers exploding around the country , one would think an orderly transition in which the incoming president is given access to experts knowledgeable about the country 's readiness for mass distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine would be an urgent and unquestioned priority .
But not in Trump 's White House .
The General Services Administration , run by a political appointee of the president , must certify Biden as the winner before the incoming administration is given access to top public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place , as the president simply runs out of options .
We suspect he will grudgingly acknowledge he will not be president for the next four years , repeating a never-ending series of fabrications about the legitimacy of the 2020 election .
His arguments will resonate with his “ base '' and will have consequences beyond this election cycle .
The magnitude of these differences is stark and suggests Biden will have much work to do in bringing the country together – if indeed that is possible .
Biden himself is attempting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart by pandemic , racial division and illiberal tendencies in the executive branch of government .
Rhetorically , Biden has hit many of the right notes , emphasising themes of unity and national healing .
How this will play out in a policy sense will be seen once he takes office .
Of course , Trump will continue to make life difficult for the incoming Biden administration .
Some reports suggest he is already considering running for office in 2024 .
So , it should not be surprising if the outgoing president leaves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some press reports in the US are stating that on Middle East policy , trade with China , securing oil drilling leases in Alaska , and the Iran nuclear deal – which Biden may wish to rejoin – the Trump team is doing its best to reduce the incoming administration 's policy options .
Political theorist David Runciman argues that in democracies molehills are often made out of mountains .
Vote counting , constantly updating vote tallies , failed legal challenges , recounts , the wearing effects of days of politics dominating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certification and the meeting of the Electoral College will turn this post-election mountain into a molehill as Trump 's attempted coup will eventually fail .
However , Trump has regularly shown us that , in the internet age , mountains can also be made out of molehills .
The president 's lies and tweets have turned his presidency into a kind of reality TV show that has in turns transfixed , energised or horrified much of the world .
Nevertheless , the show is in its final season and has not been renewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rebecca Solnit wrote during the earliest days of the Trump presidency .
In it , she presciently captures the predicament in which Trump now finds himself .
Although his base and a large number of Republicans still support him , Trump has always surrounded himself with loyal followers reluctant to question their leader 's judgment and authority .
This produces a form of isolation that is of Trump 's own making , a consequence of the man 's temperament and unwillingness to tolerate uncomfortable truths .
Of course , sooner or later Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He will have to face the one thing in his life he has always tried to avoid : defeat .
Daniel Cooper , Lecturer at Griffith University , Griffith University and Brendon O'Connor , Associate Professor in American Politics at the United States Studies Centre , University of Sydney This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

by Daniel Cooper, Griffith University and Brendon O'Connor, University of Sydney
US President Donald Trump's time in the White House is coming to an end. But, as has become obvious over the past few weeks, he is unlikely to deliver a gracious concession speech.
Instead, the president has spent much of his time since the November 3 election plotting ways to undo what has turned out to be a rather clear victory for President-elect Joe Biden – all credible media outlets have given Biden 306 electoral college votes to the outgoing president's 232. The successful candidate needs to amass 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency.
Time is simply running out for Trump. By December 8, all states are required to certify their results, with the electors in each state to cast their votes by December 14. The inauguration of the next president takes place on January 20 2021.
None of this should obscure the anti-democratic coup d'état Trump is attempting as he refuses to concede defeat. However, it is unlikely to succeed.
His legal challenges alleging fraud and misconduct are close to running their course. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled against his claim that election “observers" were too far away in Philadelphia from workers counting ballots. In Georgia, a hand recount has finished with Biden confirmed the victor. And Michigan lawmakers appear ready to defy the president, who now seems intent on wreaking havoc on the certification process.
Trump's efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the election are real. His attempt to influence Republican state legislators, in effect to persuade them to replace electors committed to voting for Biden with electors ready to vote for Trump, is profoundly undemocratic. Under a winner-takes-all system, Michigan's 16 electoral college votes should be going to President-elect Biden, the clear winner of the state by almost three percentage points.
If Trump had succeeded in overturning the results, one could go as far as questioning America's status as a liberal democracy. Not since Southern secessionists contested the legitimacy of Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 has a single actor been so nefarious in their attempts to undermine an incoming president.
Look no further than Trump's actions on the transition. With over 250,000 Americans dead from COVID-19, and case numbers exploding around the country, one would think an orderly transition in which the incoming president is given access to experts knowledgeable about the country's readiness for mass distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine would be an urgent and unquestioned priority.
But not in Trump's White House. The General Services Administration, run by a political appointee of the president, must certify Biden as the winner before the incoming administration is given access to top public health officials.
Such certification will eventually take place, as the president simply runs out of options. We suspect he will grudgingly acknowledge he will not be president for the next four years, repeating a never-ending series of fabrications about the legitimacy of the 2020 election. His arguments will resonate with his “base" and will have consequences beyond this election cycle.
Analysis by the Pew Research Center finds:
While a 59% majority of all voters say elections in the United States were run and administered well, just 21% of Trump supporters have a positive view of how elections were administered nationally. Among Biden supporters, 94% say the elections were run and administered well.
The magnitude of these differences is stark and suggests Biden will have much work to do in bringing the country together – if indeed that is possible. Biden himself is attempting to restore moral leadership to a country torn apart by pandemic, racial division and illiberal tendencies in the executive branch of government.
Rhetorically, Biden has hit many of the right notes, emphasising themes of unity and national healing. How this will play out in a policy sense will be seen once he takes office.
Of course, Trump will continue to make life difficult for the incoming Biden administration. Some reports suggest he is already considering running for office in 2024.
So, it should not be surprising if the outgoing president leaves a number of surprises for President-elect Biden. Some press reports in the US are stating that on Middle East policy, trade with China, securing oil drilling leases in Alaska, and the Iran nuclear deal – which Biden may wish to rejoin – the Trump team is doing its best to reduce the incoming administration's policy options.
Political theorist David Runciman argues that in democracies molehills are often made out of mountains. Vote counting, constantly updating vote tallies, failed legal challenges, recounts, the wearing effects of days of politics dominating life, Biden's non-spectacular calmness, certification and the meeting of the Electoral College will turn this post-election mountain into a molehill as Trump's attempted coup will eventually fail.
However, Trump has regularly shown us that, in the internet age, mountains can also be made out of molehills. The president's lies and tweets have turned his presidency into a kind of reality TV show that has in turns transfixed, energised or horrified much of the world. Nevertheless, the show is in its final season and has not been renewed.
We are reminded of an article Rebecca Solnit wrote during the earliest days of the Trump presidency. In it, she presciently captures the predicament in which Trump now finds himself. Although his base and a large number of Republicans still support him, Trump has always surrounded himself with loyal followers reluctant to question their leader's judgment and authority. This produces a form of isolation that is of Trump's own making, a consequence of the man's temperament and unwillingness to tolerate uncomfortable truths.
Reflecting on Trump-like leaders, Solnit explained:
In the end there is no one else in their world, because when you are not willing to hear how others feel, what others need, when you do not care, you are not willing to acknowledge others' existence. That's how it's lonely at the top. It is as if these petty tyrants live in a world without honest mirrors, without others, without gravity, and they are buffered from the consequences of their failures.
Of course, sooner or later Trump will realise the presidency must be vacated. He will have to face the one thing in his life he has always tried to avoid: defeat.
Daniel Cooper, Lecturer at Griffith University, Griffith University and Brendon O'Connor, Associate Professor in American Politics at the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-11-23--Is Trump really considering running again in 2024?

Although the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice president-elect Kamala Harris is less than two months away , President Donald Trump is unlikely to have a low profile after he leaves the White House .
Perhaps Trump will launch a right-wing media outlet to compete with Fox News , and perhaps he will run for president again in 2024 .
Journalist Charlotte Klein , in a Vanity Fair article , examines the latter possibility .
Klein explains , `` As Donald Trump 's efforts to overturn the election he lost to Joe Biden seem increasingly unlikely to succeed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are apparently looking ahead — possibly to 2024… .
Given Trump 's erratic tendencies , some confidants [ have ] emphasized that the president has yet to make a final decision on the matter but noted that announcing a 2024 bid would help Trump maintain a presence in Republican politics and ensure loyalty prior to another presidential run . ''
The Vanity Fair journalist quotes Sam Nunberg , a former Trump adviser , as saying , `` It would be a fool 's errand to declare you 're running for president at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other hand , to keep your hold over the party and fight Republican legacy hierarchy so that they ca n't erase you from history , it 's important to remain a front-runner in this process . ''
Klein notes that the Washington Post reported , `` One adviser who recently spoke with the president said that Trump told him he planned to announce a new campaign in three weeks , and that he wanted to act quickly to try to freeze the large field of prospective 2024 Republican presidential candidates . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2024 presidential candidates , according to Klein , range from Vice President Mike Pence to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Nikki Haley , former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and ex-governor of South Carolina .
Conservative strategist Rick Wilson , known for his scathing anti-Trump commentary , has speculated that the president 's son , Donald Trump , Jr. , will be the likely nominee in 2024 if his father does n't run — and another name that has been mentioned is Fox News ' Tucker Carlson .
A senior Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We could find ourselves deep into a 2024 election cycle , into mid-2023 , and ( Donald Trump , Sr. ) still has n't definitely said he 's not running — and you 're just going to see all these 2024 potential contenders uncertain about what to do . ''

Although the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice president-elect Kamala Harris is less than two months away, President Donald Trump is unlikely to have a low profile after he leaves the White House. Perhaps Trump will launch a right-wing media outlet to compete with Fox News, and perhaps he will run for president again in 2024. Journalist Charlotte Klein, in a Vanity Fair article, examines the latter possibility.
Klein explains, "As Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the election he lost to Joe Biden seem increasingly unlikely to succeed, the president and those in his orbit are apparently looking ahead — possibly to 2024…. Given Trump's erratic tendencies, some confidants [have] emphasized that the president has yet to make a final decision on the matter but noted that announcing a 2024 bid would help Trump maintain a presence in Republican politics and ensure loyalty prior to another presidential run."
The Vanity Fair journalist quotes Sam Nunberg, a former Trump adviser, as saying, "It would be a fool's errand to declare you're running for president at the end of this year. But on the other hand, to keep your hold over the party and fight Republican legacy hierarchy so that they can't erase you from history, it's important to remain a front-runner in this process."
Klein notes that the Washington Post reported, "One adviser who recently spoke with the president said that Trump told him he planned to announce a new campaign in three weeks, and that he wanted to act quickly to try to freeze the large field of prospective 2024 Republican presidential candidates."
Republicans who have been mentioned as possible 2024 presidential candidates, according to Klein, range from Vice President Mike Pence to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and ex-governor of South Carolina. Conservative strategist Rick Wilson, known for his scathing anti-Trump commentary, has speculated that the president's son, Donald Trump, Jr., will be the likely nominee in 2024 if his father doesn't run — and another name that has been mentioned is Fox News' Tucker Carlson.
A senior Trump campaign staffer told the Post, "We could find ourselves deep into a 2024 election cycle, into mid-2023, and (Donald Trump, Sr.) still hasn't definitely said he's not running — and you're just going to see all these 2024 potential contenders uncertain about what to do."