hotair--2020-11-20--Fauci: I completely agree, schools should be our priority in keeping things open

From what I can tell , literally everyone everywhere now agrees with this sentiment .
Except of course for select members of our terrible leadership class , foremost among them our lord and master , the supreme authority in American governance , the American Federation of Teachers .
Watch , then read on .
It ’ s fun watching Andrew Cuomo ’ s brother wonder aloud why authorities can ’ t just do the obviously right thing by keeping schools open .
What conceivable data-based argument is there at this point that the benefit from closing schools outweighs the cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ UNICEF ] said data from 91 countries shows no consistent link between reopening schools and higher rates of infection from the coronavirus .
The report , which warns of a “ lost covid generation , ” says children are more likely to get the virus outside of school settings .
The report also stresses the deep harm to children — particularly those in vulnerable communities — by keeping them away from school .
“ There is strong evidence that , with basic safety measures in place , the net benefits of keeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , ” the report says .
I ’ ve linked the data from Brown University ’ s study of infections in schools many times .
The latest numbers show fewer cases in schools in New York City than in the city at large , which somehow was no impediment to shutting down the entire system on Wednesday when the overall positivity rate crossed the arbitrary threshold of three percent .
“ [ S ] chools are essential , and should be treated as such .
When we prioritize , they should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almost everything else should be put on pause first , ” wrote pediatrician Aaron Carroll in the Times this week .
“ This is what Europe is doing .
No one can explain why , once again , the United States is choosing its own path.
” We may start following the European path after all , however belatedly .
Politico notes this morning the growing consensus that schools should stay open even if we need to lock down certain businesses to try to contain the spread of the virus .
That consensus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sociopaths in Congress would get together on another stimulus that would keep bars and restaurants afloat after being shuttered , but the consensus is forming nonetheless .
With the fall semester chalked up to a loss in many places , the spring presents a fresh opportunity to reverse course , said David Rubin , director of PolicyLab at Children ’ s Hospital of Philadelphia .
It ’ s simple , he said .
Prioritize opening schools .
Keep restrictions on everything else in place… Community spread , or even in-school transmission , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In New Jersey , [ Gov .
Phil ] Murphy said unequivocally last week “ we are not closing our schools , ” but even as new coronavirus cases topped 4,000 for three days this week , Murphy has been holding steady , telling CNN ’ s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday , “ I honestly can ’ t see a scenario ” where the state closes schools before indoor dining and gym facilities .
An idea I ’ m toying with , via Tim Carney : Should we give teachers priority in vaccination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical personnel , obviously , but in the next tier below those people .
According to the National Center for Education Statistics , there are 3.7 million teachers in the U.S .
If the head of Operation Warp Speed is right that we ’ ll be able to do 20 million vaccinations by the end of the year , we could do every doctor , nurse , and EMT *and* every teacher and still have some left over .
But there ’ s a counterargument .
Why should teachers get to skip the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with comorbidities ?
Why should they skip ahead of the military or workers essential to the food supply , like meatpackers ?
Teachers aren ’ t at special risk .
If anything , they ’ re a little safer in their workplace than everyone else is .
The only reason to give them priority in vaccination is to eliminate the teachers ’ union ’ s pretext for keeping schools closed — which would mean rewarding the union for its reluctance to staff schools , knowing full well how much damage they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s to stop the meatpackers or workers in some other vital industry from going on strike to assert their own leverage vis-a-vis the teachers ?
If the AFT doesn ’ t care about Americans and their children , the meatpackers should be under no obligation to care either .
Here ’ s the head of the AFT trying to bullsh*t her way through an interview on Fox last night .
According to her , a three-percent positivity rate in NYC — among the lowest in the country — is a “ skyrocketing @ @ @

From what I can tell, literally everyone everywhere now agrees with this sentiment. Except of course for select members of our terrible leadership class, foremost among them our lord and master, the supreme authority in American governance, the American Federation of Teachers. Watch, then read on.
As Covid-19 cases continue to surge across the US, Dr. Anthony Fauci says officials should “keep the schools open.” “Obviously, you want to be sensitive to the safety and the health of the children,” Fauci adds. https://t.co/3QZJCUIWLb pic.twitter.com/v2mW9sCnWF — Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) November 20, 2020
It’s fun watching Andrew Cuomo’s brother wonder aloud why authorities can’t just do the obviously right thing by keeping schools open.
What conceivable data-based argument is there at this point that the benefit from closing schools outweighs the cost? From WaPo:
The U.N. agency [UNICEF] said data from 91 countries shows no consistent link between reopening schools and higher rates of infection from the coronavirus. The report, which warns of a “lost covid generation,” says children are more likely to get the virus outside of school settings. The report also stresses the deep harm to children — particularly those in vulnerable communities — by keeping them away from school. “There is strong evidence that, with basic safety measures in place, the net benefits of keeping schools open outweigh the costs of closing them,” the report says.
I’ve linked the data from Brown University’s study of infections in schools many times. The latest numbers show fewer cases in schools in New York City than in the city at large, which somehow was no impediment to shutting down the entire system on Wednesday when the overall positivity rate crossed the arbitrary threshold of three percent.
“[S]chools are essential, and should be treated as such. When we prioritize, they should be among the last things to close. Almost everything else should be put on pause first,” wrote pediatrician Aaron Carroll in the Times this week. “This is what Europe is doing. No one can explain why, once again, the United States is choosing its own path.” We may start following the European path after all, however belatedly. Politico notes this morning the growing consensus that schools should stay open even if we need to lock down certain businesses to try to contain the spread of the virus. That consensus would be much, much easier if the sociopaths in Congress would get together on another stimulus that would keep bars and restaurants afloat after being shuttered, but the consensus is forming nonetheless.
With the fall semester chalked up to a loss in many places, the spring presents a fresh opportunity to reverse course, said David Rubin, director of PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It’s simple, he said. Prioritize opening schools. Keep restrictions on everything else in place… Community spread, or even in-school transmission, isn’t shuttering schools everywhere. In New Jersey, [Gov. Phil] Murphy said unequivocally last week “we are not closing our schools,” but even as new coronavirus cases topped 4,000 for three days this week, Murphy has been holding steady, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday, “I honestly can’t see a scenario” where the state closes schools before indoor dining and gym facilities.
An idea I’m toying with, via Tim Carney: Should we give teachers priority in vaccination? Not priority over doctors and other medical personnel, obviously, but in the next tier below those people. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are 3.7 million teachers in the U.S. If the head of Operation Warp Speed is right that we’ll be able to do 20 million vaccinations by the end of the year, we could do every doctor, nurse, and EMT *and* every teacher and still have some left over.
But there’s a counterargument. Why should teachers get to skip the line over, say, elderly people with comorbidities? Why should they skip ahead of the military or workers essential to the food supply, like meatpackers? Teachers aren’t at special risk. If anything, they’re a little safer in their workplace than everyone else is. The only reason to give them priority in vaccination is to eliminate the teachers’ union’s pretext for keeping schools closed — which would mean rewarding the union for its reluctance to staff schools, knowing full well how much damage they’re doing to kids’ development. What’s to stop the meatpackers or workers in some other vital industry from going on strike to assert their own leverage vis-a-vis the teachers? If the AFT doesn’t care about Americans and their children, the meatpackers should be under no obligation to care either.
Here’s the head of the AFT trying to bullsh*t her way through an interview on Fox last night. According to her, a three-percent positivity rate in NYC — among the lowest in the country — is a “skyrocketing” surge.


hotair--2020-11-20--Perdue's runoff pitch: I'm all that stands between Georgians and the radicals

Perhaps now sooner than later , the focus will shift from the election that was to the election still to be in Georgia .
Two US Senate seats are up for grabs in the runoff elections , and the stakes are high — control of the Senate , and with it either a check on the Joe Biden administration or an enabling of its progressive agenda .
That ’ s the theme of David Perdue ’ s first runoff ad , ” Total , ” launching today , although Perdue puts those stakes in the starkest terms possible — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Is Halloween over ?
Via Reagan McCarthy : Perdue also followed up with this tweet : Part of the strategy behind this theme is to nationalize the race .
In order to win , Republicans need to leverage their new-found national advantage , evident in all the down-ballot races in the 2020 election .
Democrats should probably nationalize it too , advised Paul Waldman yesterday , but for some reason they seem content to play small ball : An unprecedented amount of money and attention is pouring into Georgia ahead of the twin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue , both Republicans , on Jan. 5 .
Yet amid the coming flood of campaign ads and carefully crafted messages , only one party is truly communicating the stakes of the election .
They ’ re the only ones reminding voters just how important this election is , because if Democrats win both seats , they ’ ll have a Senate majority and Joe Biden might actually be able to implement the legislative agenda he was elected on , while if Republicans win just one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retain control and will almost certainly bring about an era of unprecedented obstruction .
So what ’ s happening in Georgia , so far anyway , is a pair of races where the Republicans are communicating the real stakes , and the Democrats seem to want to make the race smaller .
Waldman writes that Democrats need to argue that electing Jon Ossoff and Ralph Warnock would enable Joe Biden to employ the agenda on which he was elected .
However , that only works if Biden was actually elected on his liberal-progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems that the only mandate Biden actually had was to not be Donald Trump .
Republicans got more votes than Biden did in both of these Senate races , just as the GOP won almost all of the close House races in this election and secured even more state legislatures .
If that ’ s the case , then it explains why Democrats are trying to distance themselves from Biden and the rest of the Beltway Democrats .
And it makes the argument from Perdue and Kelly Loeffler even more solid — that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mandate gets fulfilled is to keep the Senate Republican .

Perhaps now sooner than later, the focus will shift from the election that was to the election still to be in Georgia. Two US Senate seats are up for grabs in the runoff elections, and the stakes are high — control of the Senate, and with it either a check on the Joe Biden administration or an enabling of its progressive agenda.
That’s the theme of David Perdue’s first runoff ad,”Total,” launching today, although Perdue puts those stakes in the starkest terms possible — and using the scariest Democrats, too. Is Halloween over? Via Reagan McCarthy:
“Jon Ossoff would be a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi, AOC, and Chuck Schumer in their bid to horrifically change America,” said Perdue for Senate Campaign Manager Ben Fry. “David Perdue is our last line of defense against efforts to give voting rights to illegal immigrants, defund the police, pack the Supreme Court, and take away private health insurance coverage. We must reject this radical takeover on January 5th — and save America.”
Perdue also followed up with this tweet:
This race is about more than Jon @Ossoff and me. This is a battle for the future of our country. Democrats want to move America away from our founding principles and turn our country into a socialist state. Help @KLoeffler and me stop them: https://t.co/QIELFpREP4 #GAsen #gapol pic.twitter.com/TN9RvljYQu — David Perdue (@Perduesenate) November 20, 2020
Part of the strategy behind this theme is to nationalize the race. In order to win, Republicans need to leverage their new-found national advantage, evident in all the down-ballot races in the 2020 election. Democrats should probably nationalize it too, advised Paul Waldman yesterday, but for some reason they seem content to play small ball:
An unprecedented amount of money and attention is pouring into Georgia ahead of the twin runoff elections for the seats now held by Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue, both Republicans, on Jan. 5. Yet amid the coming flood of campaign ads and carefully crafted messages, only one party is truly communicating the stakes of the election. It’s the Republicans. They’re the only ones reminding voters just how important this election is, because if Democrats win both seats, they’ll have a Senate majority and Joe Biden might actually be able to implement the legislative agenda he was elected on, while if Republicans win just one of the two, they’ll retain control and will almost certainly bring about an era of unprecedented obstruction. So what’s happening in Georgia, so far anyway, is a pair of races where the Republicans are communicating the real stakes, and the Democrats seem to want to make the race smaller.
Waldman writes that Democrats need to argue that electing Jon Ossoff and Ralph Warnock would enable Joe Biden to employ the agenda on which he was elected. However, that only works if Biden was actually elected on his liberal-progressive agenda. Even in Georgia, it seems that the only mandate Biden actually had was to not be Donald Trump. Republicans got more votes than Biden did in both of these Senate races, just as the GOP won almost all of the close House races in this election and secured even more state legislatures.
If that’s the case, then it explains why Democrats are trying to distance themselves from Biden and the rest of the Beltway Democrats. And it makes the argument from Perdue and Kelly Loeffler even more solid — that the only way to make sure that the mandate gets fulfilled is to keep the Senate Republican.


hotair--2020-11-20--"Numbers don't lie": GA secretary of state announces certification of election results today

“ I ’ m a proud Trump supporter , ” Brad Raffensperger noted this morning , but he ’ s smart enough to know that won ’ t be reciprocated .
Georgia ’ s secretary of state announced that he would certify the results of the 2020 election today , declaring that “ numbers don ’ t lie.
” The hand recount and audits have corroborated the outcome of the presidential contest , but certification does open up at least one more opportunity for the Trump campaign to challenge : Georgia ’ s secretary of state , Brad Raffensperger , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election results on Friday , likely between 10 a.m. and noon Eastern , making official the victory of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. there and ensuring that he would receive Georgia ’ s 16 electoral votes .
The certification will follow a hand recount of nearly five million votes that Georgia election workers performed over the past week .
Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs described the likely certification timeline in a text message Friday morning .
At 8 a.m. , Mr. Raffensperger , a Republican gave a news conference at the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has numerous times , that Mr. Biden had won Georgia .
“ Working as an engineer throughout my life , I live by the motto that numbers don ’ t lie , ” Mr. Raffensperger said .
“ I believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct.
” What happens next ?
Before Georgia can select its electors , it must give the Trump campaign an opportunity to challenge , but the timeline is very tight .
The recourse open to Trump includes both court challenges and a recount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catch to the latter : The hand recount was part of an audit that is required by a new state law .
It is not connected to any suspected problems with the results of this election or an official recount request .
The law requires the audit to be completed before the counties ’ results can be certified by the state , which must be done by Friday .
Mr. Trump can request a recount because the results were still within 0.5 % , but not until after the state certifies its results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be done by the machines , not by hand again : Although there is no mandatory recount law in the state , the loser can ask for one if the margin of victory is less than half a percentage point , as is the case in Georgia .
Mr. Trump will have two business days to do so .
If he does , the recount will be done by high-speed scanning machines , a much faster process than a hand count .
Just to remind everyone , Georgia uses the Dominion system , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy claim spun by Sidney Powell yesterday .
However , the hand recount showed no significant difference in ballots than the original machine counts , save for the uncounted ballots discovered by the audit .
Team Trump scoffed that the hand recount didn ’ t matter because it counted the same “ illegal ” ballots , but notably didn ’ t complain about the system itself .
Perhaps Powell will produce evidence that eluded all of these efforts .
But don ’ t count on it , and don ’ t count on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

“I’m a proud Trump supporter,” Brad Raffensperger noted this morning, but he’s smart enough to know that won’t be reciprocated. Georgia’s secretary of state announced that he would certify the results of the 2020 election today, declaring that “numbers don’t lie.” The hand recount and audits have corroborated the outcome of the presidential contest, but certification does open up at least one more opportunity for the Trump campaign to challenge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC8juSEfRNM
Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, will certify the state’s presidential election results on Friday, likely between 10 a.m. and noon Eastern, making official the victory of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. there and ensuring that he would receive Georgia’s 16 electoral votes. The certification will follow a hand recount of nearly five million votes that Georgia election workers performed over the past week. Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs described the likely certification timeline in a text message Friday morning. At 8 a.m., Mr. Raffensperger, a Republican gave a news conference at the state capitol in which he stated, as he has numerous times, that Mr. Biden had won Georgia. “Working as an engineer throughout my life, I live by the motto that numbers don’t lie,” Mr. Raffensperger said. “I believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct.”
What happens next? Before Georgia can select its electors, it must give the Trump campaign an opportunity to challenge, but the timeline is very tight. The recourse open to Trump includes both court challenges and a recount demand, but there’s a catch to the latter:
The hand recount was part of an audit that is required by a new state law. It is not connected to any suspected problems with the results of this election or an official recount request. The law requires the audit to be completed before the counties’ results can be certified by the state, which must be done by Friday. Mr. Trump can request a recount because the results were still within 0.5%, but not until after the state certifies its results.
Aaaaand a recount will have to be done by the machines, not by hand again:
Although there is no mandatory recount law in the state, the loser can ask for one if the margin of victory is less than half a percentage point, as is the case in Georgia. Mr. Trump will have two business days to do so. If he does, the recount will be done by high-speed scanning machines, a much faster process than a hand count.
Just to remind everyone, Georgia uses the Dominion system, which is at the center of the conspiracy claim spun by Sidney Powell yesterday. However, the hand recount showed no significant difference in ballots than the original machine counts, save for the uncounted ballots discovered by the audit. Team Trump scoffed that the hand recount didn’t matter because it counted the same “illegal” ballots, but notably didn’t complain about the system itself.
Jim Geraghty explains why:
Perhaps Powell will produce evidence that eluded all of these efforts. But don’t count on it, and don’t count on Team Trump asking for another recount either.


hotair--2020-11-20--Axios: Even Jared and Ivanka are distancing themselves from Trump's election fight

Few reporters have gotten as tied into the White House as Axios ’ Jonathan Swan in the Trump years .
That might be coming in handier for Swan ’ s sources than for Swan himself in the meltdown over the election .
They ’ re beginning to practice that well-trodden path of the protective leak , hoping to ironically stay afloat while Donald Trump ’ s ship sinks , especially after yesterday ’ s Rudy Giuliani-Sidney Powell presser .
According to Swan ’ s sources , even his family wants to distance themselves from it : Most of President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves from his legal effort and are avoiding his lawyers to avoid being swept into their courtroom dramas .
Why it matters : Some of the president ’ s advisers act like they think he can still overturn the election results — because they remain on the payroll and don ’ t have another choice .
But talk to them privately , and many say Rudy Giuliani and his team are on a dead-end path .
The true believers are Giuliani and his sidekicks — Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell — and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think this is going nowhere , people who ’ ve spoken to them told Axios .
The leaks are definitely putting the blame on Giuliani rather than Trump himself , perhaps a sign that these leaks might not be entirely unsanctioned .
While there are complaints about the president ( including an obsession with Dominion conspiracy theories ) , Giuliani gets the most blame .
Swan ’ s sources blame Giuliani for the presser , for a lack of a coherent strategy , and even blame Giuliani for Trump ’ s performance in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ re now blaming Giuliani for ruining their plans to expose Hunter Biden in October by jumping the gun by impulsively giving the hard drive contents to the New York Post .
Byron York reports more broadly about Republican reaction , but his sources also are playing Pin The Tail On The Attorneys more than on the president : GROWING CONCERN ABOUT TRUMP LEGAL FIGHT : Thursday ’ s news conference by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani , Sidney Powell , and Jenna Ellis marked a turning point of sorts in the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge to election results around the country .
Among those Republicans — Trump supporters all — there is concern that the attorneys ’ sensational theories of election fraud are hurting the president ’ s cause rather than helping it .
Most worrisome was Powell ’ s presentation .
… Powell offered nothing to prove what she said happened .
Her case appeared to be that it could have happened .
Nor has Powell or the rest of the Trump team filed a lawsuit alleging that it actually occurred .
In an interview Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lou Dobbs , Powell said the Trump team is “ still in the process of collecting evidence .
It ’ s coming in in massive amounts…I would think we would have fraud complaints ready sometime by late next week at the latest.
” … The Republicans saw the entire exercise as moving Trump ’ s case backward , not forward .
Yes , there are legitimate legal issues surrounding the campaign .
For example , one of the biggest is in Pennsylvania , where the state supreme court unilaterally changed election law that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But that case will not change the results in Pennsylvania ; it is important for elections in the future .
And that is not what Giuliani , Powell , and Ellis are talking about .
Without actually making the case , they are talking about a vast conspiracy , directed “ from a centralized place , ” in Giuliani ’ s words , to change hundreds of thousands , or millions of votes .
By doing so , in the way they are doing it , they are losing support rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just reactions from angry or worried allies , that ’ s certainly news , albeit of a gossipy sort .
However , it sounds as though people around Trump are pushing Giuliani into position as the fall guy when a change of posture is needed by the boss .
Thus far , it doesn ’ t appear that Trump is availing himself of that escape hatch : However , it ’ s there in case Trump decides he needs it .
And no one should realize that potential more than an old pro @ @ @

Few reporters have gotten as tied into the White House as Axios’ Jonathan Swan in the Trump years. That might be coming in handier for Swan’s sources than for Swan himself in the meltdown over the election. They’re beginning to practice that well-trodden path of the protective leak, hoping to ironically stay afloat while Donald Trump’s ship sinks, especially after yesterday’s Rudy Giuliani-Sidney Powell presser.
According to Swan’s sources, even his family wants to distance themselves from it:
Most of President Trump’s closest advisers have completely distanced themselves from his legal effort and are avoiding his lawyers to avoid being swept into their courtroom dramas. Why it matters: Some of the president’s advisers act like they think he can still overturn the election results — because they remain on the payroll and don’t have another choice. But talk to them privately, and many say Rudy Giuliani and his team are on a dead-end path. The true believers are Giuliani and his sidekicks — Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell — and not many others. Even Jared and Ivanka think this is going nowhere, people who’ve spoken to them told Axios.
The leaks are definitely putting the blame on Giuliani rather than Trump himself, perhaps a sign that these leaks might not be entirely unsanctioned. While there are complaints about the president (including an obsession with Dominion conspiracy theories), Giuliani gets the most blame. Swan’s sources blame Giuliani for the presser, for a lack of a coherent strategy, and even blame Giuliani for Trump’s performance in the first debate against Joe Biden. They’re now blaming Giuliani for ruining their plans to expose Hunter Biden in October by jumping the gun by impulsively giving the hard drive contents to the New York Post.
Byron York reports more broadly about Republican reaction, but his sources also are playing Pin The Tail On The Attorneys more than on the president:
GROWING CONCERN ABOUT TRUMP LEGAL FIGHT: Thursday’s news conference by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis marked a turning point of sorts in the way some Republicans view the president’s challenge to election results around the country. Among those Republicans — Trump supporters all — there is concern that the attorneys’ sensational theories of election fraud are hurting the president’s cause rather than helping it. Most worrisome was Powell’s presentation. … Powell offered nothing to prove what she said happened. Her case appeared to be that it could have happened. Nor has Powell or the rest of the Trump team filed a lawsuit alleging that it actually occurred. In an interview Thursday night with Fox Business Network’s Lou Dobbs, Powell said the Trump team is “still in the process of collecting evidence. It’s coming in in massive amounts…I would think we would have fraud complaints ready sometime by late next week at the latest.” … The Republicans saw the entire exercise as moving Trump’s case backward, not forward. Yes, there are legitimate legal issues surrounding the campaign. For example, one of the biggest is in Pennsylvania, where the state supreme court unilaterally changed election law that had been rightfully passed by the legislature. But that case will not change the results in Pennsylvania; it is important for elections in the future. And that is not what Giuliani, Powell, and Ellis are talking about. Without actually making the case, they are talking about a vast conspiracy, directed “from a centralized place,” in Giuliani’s words, to change hundreds of thousands, or millions of votes. By doing so, in the way they are doing it, they are losing support rather than making gains.
If these leaks are just reactions from angry or worried allies, that’s certainly news, albeit of a gossipy sort. However, it sounds as though people around Trump are pushing Giuliani into position as the fall guy when a change of posture is needed by the boss. Thus far, it doesn’t appear that Trump is availing himself of that escape hatch:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1329784812257890306
However, it’s there in case Trump decides he needs it. And no one should realize that potential more than an old pro like Rudy.


hotair--2020-11-20--Tucker: We asked Powell for evidence of vote-rigging -- and she refused

Brutal , but well deserved , and yet another mystifying decision by Team Trump .
After Sidney Powell declared that communist-funded conspiracy rigged the election against Donald Trump , Tucker Carlson wanted to see the evidence .
He told his Fox News Channel audience last night that he ’ s been trying to get Powell to come on the show for days to demonstrate evidence of massive vote-rigging , even offering the entire hour for her to make her presentation .
Not only did Powell refuse to share the evidence , she told Tucker ’ s staff to stop pestering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led to this remarkable rebuke from Fox ’ s top-rated prime-time host ( transcript via the Daily Wire , emphasis mine ) : On Sunday night , we texted her after watching one of her segments .
What Powell was describing would amount to the single greatest crime in American history .
Millions of votes stolen in a day .
Democracy destroyed .
The end of our centuries-old system of self-government — not a small thing .
To be perfectly clear , we did not dismiss any of it .
We don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s related to technology .
We ’ ve talked to too many Silicon Valley whistleblowers ; we ’ ve seen too much .
After four years , this may be the single most open-minded show on television .
We literally do UFO segments , not because we are crazy or even interested in the subject , but because there is evidence that UFOs are real and everyone lies about it .
There is evidence a lot of things responsible people used to dismiss out of hand as ridiculous are in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care who mocks it .
The louder the Yale political science department and the staff of The Atlantic magazine scream ‘ conspiracy theory , ’ the more interested we tend to be .
It ’ s usually a sign you ’ re over the target .
A lot of people with impressive sounding credentials in this country are frauds ; they have no idea what they ’ re doing .
They ’ re children posing as authorities , and when they ’ re caught , they lie and then they blame you for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; it ’ s the central theme of this show and will continue to be .
So , that ’ s the long way of saying we took Sidney Powell seriously ; we have no intention of fighting with her , we ’ ve always respected her work — we simply wanted to see the details .
How could you not want to see them ?
So we invited Sidney Powell on this show .
We would ’ ve given her the whole hour ; we would ’ ve given her the entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time at rapt attention — that ’ s a big story .
But she never sent us any evidence despite a lot of requests , polite requests , not a page .
When we kept pressing , she got angry and told us to stop contacting her .
When we checked with others around the Trump campaign , people in positions of authority , they told us Powell has never given them any evidence either , nor did she provide any today at the press conference .
Powell did say electronic voting is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — we ’ re with her there — but she never demonstrated that a single actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another , not one .
So why are we telling you this ?
We ’ re telling you this because it ’ s true .
In the end , that ’ s all that matters , the truth .
It ’ s our only hope ; it ’ s our best defense .
And it ’ s how we ’ re different from them .
We care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you care , too .
That ’ s why we told you .
Maybe Sidney Powell will come forward soon with details on exactly how this happened and precisely who did it — maybe she will .
We are certainly hopeful that she will .
What happened with the vote-counting this month and at the polling places in Detroit and the polling places in Philadelphia and so much else actually matters .
It matters no matter who you voted for , it matters whether or not you think this election is over .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions conclusively and we can agree on them , this country will not be healed .
Why Powell and Rudy Giuliani decided to shine on Tucker Carlson is a question we might never get answered … but Tucker himself has a pretty good idea why , and didn ’ t hesitate to share it .
The most likely reason Powell won ’ t come on Fox News to show the evidence is that Powell and Team Trump don ’ t have evidence of the sweeping allegations of widespread fraud and conspiracies that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They might have an affidavit or two alleging fringe issues and unsubstantiated speculation on motives , but nothing that would substantiate the wild theories and feigned outrage that got vented yesterday afternoon by Rudy Giuliani and Powell .
If they had that evidence , Tucker ’ s show would have been the perfect platform to unveil it .
Their brush-off of Tucker is very telling indeed , as is their refusal to present the evidence yesterday in their presser .
This is the same pattern that we have seen for the past two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about fraud , but when they show up in court , their case transforms into petty complaints involving small numbers of ballots .
They then mislead people about their legal work , just as they did regarding Michigan , claiming that withdrawing a lawsuit was a victory rather than a retreat .
They withdrew because the actual number of discrepancies in Wayne County , where Trump lost by over 320,000 votes , involved fewer than 400 voters : Courts will not entertain claims of election improprieties unless what can be proved would make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sweeping claims that state officials did not comply with state laws are often not cognizable in federal court .
While the Trump campaign continues to allege publicly that fraud on a gargantuan scale took place in Detroit , the GOP canvassers in Wayne County raised far more modest objections .
These involved mismatches between the number of ballots recorded as cast and the number counted .
In his Politico column , our Rich Lowry notes the Detroit Free Press ’ s report that the mismatches in most precincts and voter boards amounted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a grand total of 387 votes .
As I have warned for the past few days , do not accept any extraordinary claims that are made outside of court in front of a judge , and even then scrutinize the evidence and the claims carefully .
That lesson turns out to matter in another vaunted Georgia lawsuit , too , about which Allahpundit wrote last night — in which a Trump-appointed federal judge put an end to that particular part of the circus .
Addendum : And you know that memo from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dominion changed votes in Michigan ?
The analyst apparently doesn ’ t know the difference between MI and MN .
John Hinderaker does : Here ’ s the problem : the townships and precincts listed in paragraphs 11 and 17 of the affidavit are not in Michigan .
They are in Minnesota .
Monticello , Albertville , Lake Lillian , Houston , Brownsville , Runeberg , Wolf Lake , Height of Land , Detroit Lakes , Frazee , Kandiyohi–these are all towns in Minnesota .
I haven ’ t checked them all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and all locations listed in paragraphs 11 and 17 that I looked up are in Minnesota , with no corresponding township in Michigan .
This would have been obvious to someone from this state , but Mr. Ramsland is a Texan and the lawyers are probably not natives of either Minnesota or Michigan .
Evidently a researcher , either Mr. Ramsland or someone working for him , was working with a database and confused “ MI ” for Minnesota with “ MI ” for Michigan .
( The postal code for Minnesota @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so one can see how this might happen . )
So the affidavit , which addresses “ anomalies and red flags ” in Michigan , is based largely , and mistakenly , on data from Minnesota .
This is a catastrophic error , the kind of thing that causes a legal position to crash and burn .
Good grief .
If this is Powell ’ s case , small wonder she ’ s not sharing it .

Brutal, but well deserved, and yet another mystifying decision by Team Trump. After Sidney Powell declared that communist-funded conspiracy rigged the election against Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson wanted to see the evidence. He told his Fox News Channel audience last night that he’s been trying to get Powell to come on the show for days to demonstrate evidence of massive vote-rigging, even offering the entire hour for her to make her presentation. Not only did Powell refuse to share the evidence, she told Tucker’s staff to stop pestering her and refused to appear.
That led to this remarkable rebuke from Fox’s top-rated prime-time host (transcript via the Daily Wire, emphasis mine):
BREAKING: Tucker Carlson slams Sidney Powell for making wild claims, but providing no evidence. pic.twitter.com/FPCAZ0KHEf — (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) November 20, 2020
On Sunday night, we texted her after watching one of her segments. What Powell was describing would amount to the single greatest crime in American history. Millions of votes stolen in a day. Democracy destroyed. The end of our centuries-old system of self-government — not a small thing. To be perfectly clear, we did not dismiss any of it. We don’t dismiss anything anymore, particularly when it’s related to technology. We’ve talked to too many Silicon Valley whistleblowers; we’ve seen too much. After four years, this may be the single most open-minded show on television. We literally do UFO segments, not because we are crazy or even interested in the subject, but because there is evidence that UFOs are real and everyone lies about it. There is evidence a lot of things responsible people used to dismiss out of hand as ridiculous are in fact real, and we don’t care who mocks it. The louder the Yale political science department and the staff of The Atlantic magazine scream ‘conspiracy theory,’ the more interested we tend to be. It’s usually a sign you’re over the target. A lot of people with impressive sounding credentials in this country are frauds; they have no idea what they’re doing. They’re children posing as authorities, and when they’re caught, they lie and then they blame you for it. We see that every day; it’s the central theme of this show and will continue to be. So, that’s the long way of saying we took Sidney Powell seriously; we have no intention of fighting with her, we’ve always respected her work — we simply wanted to see the details. How could you not want to see them? So we invited Sidney Powell on this show. We would’ve given her the whole hour; we would’ve given her the entire week actually and listened quietly the whole time at rapt attention — that’s a big story. But she never sent us any evidence despite a lot of requests, polite requests, not a page. When we kept pressing, she got angry and told us to stop contacting her. When we checked with others around the Trump campaign, people in positions of authority, they told us Powell has never given them any evidence either, nor did she provide any today at the press conference. Powell did say electronic voting is dangerous, and she’s right — we’re with her there — but she never demonstrated that a single actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another, not one. So why are we telling you this? We’re telling you this because it’s true. In the end, that’s all that matters, the truth. It’s our only hope; it’s our best defense. And it’s how we’re different from them. We care what’s true and we know you care, too. That’s why we told you. Maybe Sidney Powell will come forward soon with details on exactly how this happened and precisely who did it — maybe she will. We are certainly hopeful that she will. What happened with the vote-counting this month and at the polling places in Detroit and the polling places in Philadelphia and so much else actually matters. It matters no matter who you voted for, it matters whether or not you think this election is over. Until will know the answers to those questions conclusively and we can agree on them, this country will not be healed.
Why Powell and Rudy Giuliani decided to shine on Tucker Carlson is a question we might never get answered … but Tucker himself has a pretty good idea why, and didn’t hesitate to share it. The most likely reason Powell won’t come on Fox News to show the evidence is that Powell and Team Trump don’t have evidence of the sweeping allegations of widespread fraud and conspiracies that they declared in yesterday’s presser. They might have an affidavit or two alleging fringe issues and unsubstantiated speculation on motives, but nothing that would substantiate the wild theories and feigned outrage that got vented yesterday afternoon by Rudy Giuliani and Powell. If they had that evidence, Tucker’s show would have been the perfect platform to unveil it. Their brush-off of Tucker is very telling indeed, as is their refusal to present the evidence yesterday in their presser.
This is the same pattern that we have seen for the past two weeks. Team Trump makes wild accusations about fraud, but when they show up in court, their case transforms into petty complaints involving small numbers of ballots. They then mislead people about their legal work, just as they did regarding Michigan, claiming that withdrawing a lawsuit was a victory rather than a retreat. They withdrew because the actual number of discrepancies in Wayne County, where Trump lost by over 320,000 votes, involved fewer than 400 voters:
Courts will not entertain claims of election improprieties unless what can be proved would make a difference in the outcome; and sweeping claims that state officials did not comply with state laws are often not cognizable in federal court. While the Trump campaign continues to allege publicly that fraud on a gargantuan scale took place in Detroit, the GOP canvassers in Wayne County raised far more modest objections. These involved mismatches between the number of ballots recorded as cast and the number counted. In his Politico column, our Rich Lowry notes the Detroit Free Press’s report that the mismatches in most precincts and voter boards amounted to three or fewer votes, cumulating to a grand total of 387 votes.
As I have warned for the past few days, do not accept any extraordinary claims that are made outside of court in front of a judge, and even then scrutinize the evidence and the claims carefully. That lesson turns out to matter in another vaunted Georgia lawsuit, too, about which Allahpundit wrote last night — in which a Trump-appointed federal judge put an end to that particular part of the circus.
Addendum: And you know that memo from a purported data analyst “proving” that Dominion changed votes in Michigan? The analyst apparently doesn’t know the difference between MI and MN. John Hinderaker does:
Here’s the problem: the townships and precincts listed in paragraphs 11 and 17 of the affidavit are not in Michigan. They are in Minnesota. Monticello, Albertville, Lake Lillian, Houston, Brownsville, Runeberg, Wolf Lake, Height of Land, Detroit Lakes, Frazee, Kandiyohi–these are all towns in Minnesota. I haven’t checked them all, but I checked a lot of them, and all locations listed in paragraphs 11 and 17 that I looked up are in Minnesota, with no corresponding township in Michigan. This would have been obvious to someone from this state, but Mr. Ramsland is a Texan and the lawyers are probably not natives of either Minnesota or Michigan. Evidently a researcher, either Mr. Ramsland or someone working for him, was working with a database and confused “MI” for Minnesota with “MI” for Michigan. (The postal code for Minnesota is MN, while Michigan is MI, so one can see how this might happen.) So the affidavit, which addresses “anomalies and red flags” in Michigan, is based largely, and mistakenly, on data from Minnesota. This is a catastrophic error, the kind of thing that causes a legal position to crash and burn.
Good grief. If this is Powell’s case, small wonder she’s not sharing it.


hotair--2020-11-21--It happened again: Biden loses temper with CBS reporter Bo Erickson

Joe Biden seems to have an anger management problem when it comes to answering questions asked by CBS News reporter Bo Erickson .
Biden is not ready for his bubble that protects him from legitimate questions to be popped .
Sleepy Joe has reaped the benefits of an extremely incurious press since he began running for president .
Reporter Bo Erickson covers Joe Biden for CBS News .
A little more than a month ago , Erickson made headlines for an exchange he had with Biden on the campaign trail .
As Joe Biden was walking to board a private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the New York Post broke the bombshell story of Hunter Biden ’ s emails , Erickson asked Biden about the story .
Biden blasted him on a personal level .
‘ Mr .
Biden , what is your response to the New York Post story about your son , sir ?
’ Biden ’ s response did not cover him in glory , to say the least .
It was a perfectly legitimate question to ask a man running for president .
It was a necessary question , too , because it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( alleged ) corruption surrounding the Biden family and stories of how they sell access to Status Quo Joe for their own financial gain .
Allegedly .
Democrats have gaslit the American people for more than four years with accusations about the business dealings of the Trump family while remaining quiet about financial dealings from members of their own side of the aisle , including Biden who is a 47-year alum of The Swamp .
Biden lost his temper and at that time , none of his fellow traveling reporters covering the Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two fellow CBS reporters tweeted out their support but that was about the extent of Erickson ’ s support .
The others were too busy trying to help Biden get elected , after all .
This time , however , Erickson is finding more support for doing his job .
Biden and Kamala Harris met with Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Friday in Delaware to talk about the transition .
When the press corps was asked to leave , Erickson asked Biden an important question on the way out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to once again personally attack Erickson instead of answering the question .
‘ Why are you the only guy that always shouts out questions ?
’ Biden says in response .
You see the problem here .
Joe Biden is not accustomed to answering real questions .
Instead of holding Biden accountable for anything , the press is content to ask him about his favorite ice cream flavor ( so far I haven ’ t heard him say it is Kamala Pecan ) in order to curry favor with the man .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entering another time of prolonged naps from the press .
Just like during the Obama-Biden administration , there will be little actual journalistic curiosity on display .
Here ’ s the thing .
Erickson didn ’ t even really “ shout ” out that question , at least it doesn ’ t come off that way in the video clip .
Biden was doing a hokey ‘ In my Oval Office , mi casa , you casa ’ to make a point that Pelosi and Schumer will be welcome in the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were leaving .
So , for butchering up that expression he should have been mocked .
But instead of answering a question – heaven forbid – he refuses to do so by blaming the reporter for doing his job .
Poor old Joe wouldn ’ t survive the aggressive and crude interrogations given to Trump and his administration over the last four years .
Joe Biden is beholden to the teacher unions .
His wife Jill is their biggest advocate .
During the campaign , Jill and Joe told teachers that they would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House .
So , there ’ s no way Joe was going to admit that it is the teacher unions that are holding back the re-opening of schools to the detriment of the students .
The reaction came quickly from those who realized Erickson was just doing his job , unlike other reporters who were present .
Fellow CBS reporter Paula Reid noted as much as she showed support for her colleague .
Why was Erickson the only reporter bothering to ask a question ?
An ABC reporter also noted that Erickson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question .
Did you notice how San Fran Gran almost gives herself whiplash as she spins her head around to see which reporter dared to ask a question of Biden ?
Yeah .
Good times .

Joe Biden seems to have an anger management problem when it comes to answering questions asked by CBS News reporter Bo Erickson. Biden is not ready for his bubble that protects him from legitimate questions to be popped. Sleepy Joe has reaped the benefits of an extremely incurious press since he began running for president.
Reporter Bo Erickson covers Joe Biden for CBS News. A little more than a month ago, Erickson made headlines for an exchange he had with Biden on the campaign trail. As Joe Biden was walking to board a private jet in Michigan, two days after the New York Post broke the bombshell story of Hunter Biden’s emails, Erickson asked Biden about the story. Biden blasted him on a personal level. ‘Mr. Biden, what is your response to the New York Post story about your son, sir?’ Biden’s response did not cover him in glory, to say the least.
‘I know you’d ask it,’ Biden replied heatedly, wearing two masks. ‘I have no response, it’s another smear campaign, right up your alley, those are the questions you always ask’
I asked Joe Biden: What is your response to the NYPost story about your son, sir? He called it a “smear campaign” and then went after me. “I know you’d ask it. I have no response, it’s another smear campaign, right up your alley, those are the questions you always ask.” pic.twitter.com/Eo6VD4TqxD — Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) October 17, 2020
It was a perfectly legitimate question to ask a man running for president. It was a necessary question, too, because it is important for Americans to know about the (alleged) corruption surrounding the Biden family and stories of how they sell access to Status Quo Joe for their own financial gain. Allegedly. Democrats have gaslit the American people for more than four years with accusations about the business dealings of the Trump family while remaining quiet about financial dealings from members of their own side of the aisle, including Biden who is a 47-year alum of The Swamp. Biden lost his temper and at that time, none of his fellow traveling reporters covering the Biden campaign bothered to speak up for Erickson. Two fellow CBS reporters tweeted out their support but that was about the extent of Erickson’s support. The others were too busy trying to help Biden get elected, after all.
This time, however, Erickson is finding more support for doing his job. Biden and Kamala Harris met with Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Friday in Delaware to talk about the transition. When the press corps was asked to leave, Erickson asked Biden an important question on the way out of the room.
‘Mr Biden, the COVID task force said it’s safe for children to be back in class,’ Erickson is heard saying as the other reporters are ushered out of the room. Erickson then asks if Biden will encourage teachers unions to cooperate in returning students to classrooms.
Joe Biden decided to once again personally attack Erickson instead of answering the question. ‘Why are you the only guy that always shouts out questions?’ Biden says in response.
You see the problem here. Joe Biden is not accustomed to answering real questions. Instead of holding Biden accountable for anything, the press is content to ask him about his favorite ice cream flavor (so far I haven’t heard him say it is Kamala Pecan) in order to curry favor with the man. If the past is prologue, we are entering another time of prolonged naps from the press. Just like during the Obama-Biden administration, there will be little actual journalistic curiosity on display.
Here’s the thing. Erickson didn’t even really “shout” out that question, at least it doesn’t come off that way in the video clip. Biden was doing a hokey ‘In my Oval Office, mi casa, you casa’ to make a point that Pelosi and Schumer will be welcome in the White House during his administration, as the reporters were leaving. So, for butchering up that expression he should have been mocked. But instead of answering a question – heaven forbid – he refuses to do so by blaming the reporter for doing his job. Poor old Joe wouldn’t survive the aggressive and crude interrogations given to Trump and his administration over the last four years.
Joe Biden is beholden to the teacher unions. His wife Jill is their biggest advocate. During the campaign, Jill and Joe told teachers that they would have a teacher union member in the White House. So, there’s no way Joe was going to admit that it is the teacher unions that are holding back the re-opening of schools to the detriment of the students.
The reaction came quickly from those who realized Erickson was just doing his job, unlike other reporters who were present. Fellow CBS reporter Paula Reid noted as much as she showed support for her colleague. Why was Erickson the only reporter bothering to ask a question?
President-Elect Biden asks a good question – why is @BoKnowsNews the only one in the Biden pool tossing questions? Schools, vaccines, stimulus – so many important q’s for both @SpeakerPelosi & @JoeBiden. https://t.co/RfrS1FaNPJ — Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) November 20, 2020
An ABC reporter also noted that Erickson didn’t “shout” the question.
Good for Bo, also the idea that this was a “shouted” question is hilarious https://t.co/gz9dgNPC0f — Will Steakin (@wsteaks) November 20, 2020
https://twitter.com/ZaidJilani/status/1329915140444205057
Did you notice how San Fran Gran almost gives herself whiplash as she spins her head around to see which reporter dared to ask a question of Biden? Yeah. Good times.


hotair--2020-11-21--Are we really going to stall the NDAA over renaming military bases?

This year ’ s National Defense Authorization Act ( NDAA ) has been kicked around in Congress since the middle of the summer and the window for getting it resolved is starting to grow a bit slim .
This has traditionally been considered a fairly nonpartisan , “ must-pass ” measure since it funds some of our most sensitive military and intelligence activities .
This year ’ s version has a particular significance for me ( for reasons I ’ ll get to below ) , but the whole package revolves around funding for things that really aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re still on hold at the moment , however , largely because of one provision that was endorsed in both chambers , with a few minor differences , but could wind up sinking the whole thing .
Congress , for better or worse , is including provisions to rename America ’ s military bases that are currently named after Confederate military figures and leaders .
The President has threatened to veto the bill if that provision is included , so some sort of deal will need to be made .
( The Hill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provision to rename military bases named after Confederates in three years as part of negotiations over the annual defense policy bill , the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Friday .
The timeline is slower than the one-year deadline the House approved , but House Democrats adopting it as their negotiating stance puts Senate Republicans in the position of arguing against something they already approved .
“ This is a simple provision that was in the Senate language , ” Rep. Adam Smith ( D-Wash. ) told reporters at the Capitol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insisting — this is the irony — the House is insisting that the conference report accept the Senate language.
” As most regular readers already know by now , I think this call for scrubbing the names of Confederate leaders from the annals of history is an unwise , misinformed effort .
Erasing history doesn ’ t work , and these types of SJW maneuvers continue to pretend that there were horrific losses on both sides in the Civil War .
Congress gets to decide on such things , however , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the proposal that it ’ s going to happen .
But not only is the President threatening to veto the bill , Senator James Inhofe ( R-Okla. ) , who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee , is threatening to pull the base renaming language out of the bill entirely .
Either of those factors could tie things up further .
I have a particular interest in the NDAA this year because of language that Marco Rubio and the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence put into the Senate version @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pentagon UAP Task Force ( Unidentified Aerial Phenomena , or UFOs , if you prefer ) to restructure how they share intelligence and prepare a report on their findings for public consumption .
I wrote about this at length back in June if you ’ re not familiar with it .
This would be a very big deal in terms of disclosure , transparency and potentially ending UAP secrecy on the part of our government .
That language managed to make it into the House version as well , but now it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the included provisions .
I was reminded of this earlier this week when a friend on Twitter pointed out the issues with this bill being stalled .
Whether you give a hoot about the UAP Task Force or not , this is one of those bills that really shouldn ’ t be turned into a political football .
If there is sufficient bipartisan support among our elected representatives for renaming the bases , we should probably just get on with it , whether I personally care for it or not .
Either way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even in the midst of all the political and electoral chaos that ’ s engulfing the nation .

This year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been kicked around in Congress since the middle of the summer and the window for getting it resolved is starting to grow a bit slim. This has traditionally been considered a fairly nonpartisan, “must-pass” measure since it funds some of our most sensitive military and intelligence activities. This year’s version has a particular significance for me (for reasons I’ll get to below), but the whole package revolves around funding for things that really aren’t optional in most cases. We’re still on hold at the moment, however, largely because of one provision that was endorsed in both chambers, with a few minor differences, but could wind up sinking the whole thing. Congress, for better or worse, is including provisions to rename America’s military bases that are currently named after Confederate military figures and leaders. The President has threatened to veto the bill if that provision is included, so some sort of deal will need to be made. (The Hill)
House Democrats are backing a Senate-passed provision to rename military bases named after Confederates in three years as part of negotiations over the annual defense policy bill, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Friday. The timeline is slower than the one-year deadline the House approved, but House Democrats adopting it as their negotiating stance puts Senate Republicans in the position of arguing against something they already approved. “This is a simple provision that was in the Senate language,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told reporters at the Capitol on Friday. “What we are insisting — this is the irony — the House is insisting that the conference report accept the Senate language.”
As most regular readers already know by now, I think this call for scrubbing the names of Confederate leaders from the annals of history is an unwise, misinformed effort. Erasing history doesn’t work, and these types of SJW maneuvers continue to pretend that there were horrific losses on both sides in the Civil War. Congress gets to decide on such things, however, and it appears that there is sufficient bipartisan support for the proposal that it’s going to happen. But not only is the President threatening to veto the bill, Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, is threatening to pull the base renaming language out of the bill entirely. Either of those factors could tie things up further.
I have a particular interest in the NDAA this year because of language that Marco Rubio and the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence put into the Senate version. It deals with instructions for the Pentagon UAP Task Force (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, or UFOs, if you prefer) to restructure how they share intelligence and prepare a report on their findings for public consumption. I wrote about this at length back in June if you’re not familiar with it. This would be a very big deal in terms of disclosure, transparency and potentially ending UAP secrecy on the part of our government.
That House version does not contain the UAP Task Force directives, but there has been no specific objection to it put forward. As such, the language should make it into the vinal version, but now it would remain trapped along with the rest of the included provisions. I was reminded of this earlier this week when a friend on Twitter pointed out the issues with this bill being stalled.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's directive seeking a mid-2021 report on UAP is now a small piece of cargo tucked deep in the hold of a very large legislative vessel– and that vessel is in danger of sinking because of a dispute about Confederate generals.#ufotwitter https://t.co/RhCfiVv5OC — D. Dean Johnson (@ddeanjohnson) November 20, 2020
Whether you give a hoot about the UAP Task Force or not, this is one of those bills that really shouldn’t be turned into a political football. If there is sufficient bipartisan support among our elected representatives for renaming the bases, we should probably just get on with it, whether I personally care for it or not. Either way, the NDAA needs to be addressed, even in the midst of all the political and electoral chaos that’s engulfing the nation.
EDIT: (Jazz) The original version of this article incorrectly stated that the UAP Task Force language appeared in the House version of the NDAA. That has been corrected.


hotair--2020-11-21--A House race in California looks like another GOP pickup, plus a legal battle in New York

There are currently 8 House races that haven ’ t been called by the Associated Press yet but three of the races are over .
In NY-11 , Democrat Max Rose conceded to Republican Nicole Malliotakis , that was a flip .
And in NY-24 , Democrat Dana Balter conceded to incumbent Republican John Katko .
Thursday , Jazz wrote about the third race in New York that is now over .
In NY-2 , Democrat Jackie Gordon conceded to Republican Andrew Garabino .
That counts as a hold for the GOP since Garabino will be replacing the retiring Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ +9 for the GOP with 5 races left to call .
One of those races in California is between Democratic Rep. TJ Cox and GOP challenger David Valadao .
Valadao lost the seat to Cox in 2018 .
Now he appears to be about to claim it back .
On Friday , a new update from Kern County , which has been +17 for Cox , reduced Valadao ’ s lead by 178 votes .
Still , with nearly all of the vote counted , Valadao continues to lead Cox by 1,618 votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House editor for Cook Political Report to call this one over : Again , the race hasn ’ t been called by the Associated Press but it looks like this is in the bag .
So that puts the GOP at +10 in the House with just four races left to call .
Currently the GOP leads in all four of those remaining races but in two of them the margin is razor thin .
In NY-22 , there is another rematch of a race that took place in 2018 .
Back then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Claudia Tenney by about 4,500 votes .
This year , Tenney was up on election day by about 28,000 votes but since then a count of mail-in ballots has steadily eaten away at her lead .
The race is currently down to a few hundred votes .
With a race this close , lawyers on both sides are now involved : The results have not been released or finalized , but both campaigns agreed on Friday that Ms. Tenney ’ s lead over Mr. Brindisi has shrunk to around 100 votes .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of affidavit ballots elsewhere in the district yet to be counted .
The race is likely to be decided by a judge , as both camps gear up for a protracted legal fight over an unknown number of contested ballots that could determine the victor .
Neither candidate has conceded and The Associated Press has not called the race… After meeting with the parties on Friday , Justice DelConte said all eight counties should report the final vote totals to him on Monday in order to address ballots contested for technical errors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deliver absentee or affidavit ballots challenged by the campaigns to the Oswego County Courthouse , where he will begin reviewing them next week .
While the NY Times says the race is down to 100 votes , this Syracuse.com story says Tenney ’ s lead is closer to 300 votes .
Either way it ’ s probably going to come down to legal challenges .
If Tenney holds on , that would be another flipped seat and would bring the GOP ’ s House gains to +11 , with 3 races left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those races , and the final chance for a GOP pickup , is Iowa-2 .
This is a race currently separated by about 50 votes .
Democrat Rita Hart has asked for a recount and is now asking for a count of undervotes and overvotes : According to the Hart campaign , there are more than 200 overvotes and over 18,000 undervotes .
While many of those ballots likely would not have resulted in a vote for either candidate , they argued that in light of the tight margin and wealth of ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to complete a hand-count of undercount and overcount ballots to determine if there was clear voter intent .
“ Unless you clarify your guidance , it is practically certain that the recount will disregard more than 50 lawfully cast ballots with clear voter intent , in violation of Iowa law .
There are enough ballots at stake here to decide the outcome of the election , ” Shayla McCormally , the Hart campaign ’ s attorney , wrote .
That one could take a while and either way it ’ s probably going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over a handful of votes .
However that turns out , the GOP did extremely well in the House this year , especially compared to the predictions that Democrats would gain 10-15 seats .

There are currently 8 House races that haven’t been called by the Associated Press yet but three of the races are over. In NY-11, Democrat Max Rose conceded to Republican Nicole Malliotakis, that was a flip. And in NY-24, Democrat Dana Balter conceded to incumbent Republican John Katko. Thursday, Jazz wrote about the third race in New York that is now over. In NY-2, Democrat Jackie Gordon conceded to Republican Andrew Garabino. That counts as a hold for the GOP since Garabino will be replacing the retiring Rep. Peter King.
So that puts at +9 for the GOP with 5 races left to call. One of those races in California is between Democratic Rep. TJ Cox and GOP challenger David Valadao. Valadao lost the seat to Cox in 2018. Now he appears to be about to claim it back. On Friday, a new update from Kern County, which has been +17 for Cox, reduced Valadao’s lead by 178 votes. Still, with nearly all of the vote counted, Valadao continues to lead Cox by 1,618 votes. That was enough for the U.S. House editor for Cook Political Report to call this one over:
I've seen enough. David Valadao (R) defeats Rep. T.J. Cox (D) in #CA21, bringing the House GOP's net gain to 9 seats so far. https://t.co/WnfXzLIGxr — Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 21, 2020
Again, the race hasn’t been called by the Associated Press but it looks like this is in the bag. So that puts the GOP at +10 in the House with just four races left to call.
Currently the GOP leads in all four of those remaining races but in two of them the margin is razor thin. In NY-22, there is another rematch of a race that took place in 2018. Back then, Democrat Anthony Brindisi narrowly defeated Republican Claudia Tenney by about 4,500 votes.
This year, Tenney was up on election day by about 28,000 votes but since then a count of mail-in ballots has steadily eaten away at her lead. The race is currently down to a few hundred votes. With a race this close, lawyers on both sides are now involved:
The results have not been released or finalized, but both campaigns agreed on Friday that Ms. Tenney’s lead over Mr. Brindisi has shrunk to around 100 votes. It was unclear whether there was a small number of affidavit ballots elsewhere in the district yet to be counted. The race is likely to be decided by a judge, as both camps gear up for a protracted legal fight over an unknown number of contested ballots that could determine the victor. Neither candidate has conceded and The Associated Press has not called the race… After meeting with the parties on Friday, Justice DelConte said all eight counties should report the final vote totals to him on Monday in order to address ballots contested for technical errors. The judge also ordered the counties to deliver absentee or affidavit ballots challenged by the campaigns to the Oswego County Courthouse, where he will begin reviewing them next week.
While the NY Times says the race is down to 100 votes, this Syracuse.com story says Tenney’s lead is closer to 300 votes. Either way it’s probably going to come down to legal challenges. If Tenney holds on, that would be another flipped seat and would bring the GOP’s House gains to +11, with 3 races left to be called.
The tightest of those races, and the final chance for a GOP pickup, is Iowa-2. This is a race currently separated by about 50 votes. Democrat Rita Hart has asked for a recount and is now asking for a count of undervotes and overvotes:
According to the Hart campaign, there are more than 200 overvotes and over 18,000 undervotes. While many of those ballots likely would not have resulted in a vote for either candidate, they argued that in light of the tight margin and wealth of ballots, Pate should instruct county recount boards to complete a hand-count of undercount and overcount ballots to determine if there was clear voter intent. “Unless you clarify your guidance, it is practically certain that the recount will disregard more than 50 lawfully cast ballots with clear voter intent, in violation of Iowa law. There are enough ballots at stake here to decide the outcome of the election,” Shayla McCormally, the Hart campaign’s attorney, wrote.
That one could take a while and either way it’s probably going to come down to a legal battle over a handful of votes. However that turns out, the GOP did extremely well in the House this year, especially compared to the predictions that Democrats would gain 10-15 seats.


hotair--2020-11-21--Liz Cheney to Trump: If you have proof of a massive election conspiracy, we need to see it right now

Repeating a point from last night , it ’ s passing strange that the many Republicans in Congress feigning credulity about Trump ’ s voter-fraud conspiracies seem to be in no hurry to see the evidence .
“ What [ Sidney ] Powell was describing would amount to the single greatest crime in American history , ” said Tucker Carlson a few nights about the Giuliani/Powell press conference on Thursday .
That ’ s right — and yet our Republican-led Senate , which enjoys subpoena power , evinces no urgency in exposing it despite assurances from the president of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the evidence to prove it exists .
The claim is that they GOP has been denied control of the executive branch via a criminal plot by Democrats disenfranchising millions of American voters , an out-and-out coup , and … they ’ re cool as cucumbers about it .
No rush with the evidence , Sidney .
Take as much time as you need to destroy public confidence in U.S. elections .
There ’ s not a single Republican anywhere in the legislative branch who seems visibly outraged by what Powell is alleging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to and including normally excitable Trump lackeys in the House .
Normally these guys are willing to grandstand angrily if a Democrat somewhere so much as farts .
But the single greatest crime in American history ?
They ’ re remarkably composed .
Their calm demeanor is the “ tell ” that they know it ’ s BS .
And the fact that some Trumpers were grumbling on social media this morning about Liz Cheney demanding to see the evidence is the “ tell ” that many of the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How dare Cheney put Trump and Powell on the spot by insisting that , after 17 days of this garbage , it ’ s time to put up or shut up ?
“ America is governed by the rule of law .
The President and his lawyers have made claims of criminality and widespread fraud , which they allege could impact election results , ” Cheney said in a statement .
“ If they have genuine evidence of this , they are obligated to present it immediately in court and to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the President has filed more than thirty separate lawsuits .
If he is unsatisfied with the results in those lawsuits , then the appropriate avenue is to appeal , ” she added .
“ If the President can not prove these claims or demonstrate that they would change the election result , he should fulfill his oath to preserve , protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by respecting the sanctity of our electoral process.
” Republican Denver Riggleman , who ’ s on his way out of Congress after being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak his mind , told The Hill that the Giuliani/Powell presser was “ one of history ’ s great grifts.
” More : That ’ s what Cheney ’ s doing , with practically no support from her colleagues .
The essential point in all this was made yesterday by Jonah Goldberg , responding to Tucker : If it turns out that “ the single greatest crime in American history ” is based on nothing but hysterical face-saving lies by Trump , Powell , and Giuliani , and if those lies nonetheless convinced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invalidate its election results , then that would be the greatest crime in American history .
Someone is trying to steal the election ; the only question , and it ’ s barely a question , is whether it ’ s Democrats via a massive international plot that somehow involves Hugo Chavez or if it ’ s Team Trump by manufacturing a pretense to void the swing-state results .
“ I don ’ t see the moral difference between stealing the election using cutting-edge Venezuelan algorithms and stealing the election by peddling deranged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Goldberg .
Me neither .
But whichever side turns out to be guilty of attempted theft , they should suffer every legal and social penalty our failing society can muster for them .
The Powell theory of vote-rigging will end up pointing a finger at Dominion software , for the simple reason that electronic chicanery is the only way to vaguely plausibly imagine millions of votes being surreptitiously switched .
If Trump had been luckier on election night , he ’ d be facing a very slim deficit in a single decisive state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to worry about complex hacking plots and could focus instead on getting actual hard ballots thrown out on technicalities .
As it is , he needs a unified field theory to explain why he lost in Georgia and Michigan and Pennsylvania ( and Arizona and Wisconsin , ideally , even though those states could flip without costing Biden his majority ) .
“ Dominion hacking ” is as close as he can get .
Unfortunately for him , the facts undercut it in all sorts of ways .
There are “ tells ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t believe there ’ s anything amiss with Dominion .
If they believed it , wouldn ’ t they focus their recount efforts on counties that … use Dominion machines ?
Biden did make gains in Wisconsin ’ s urban centers this year but the suburbs also turned bluer for him , which was the difference in a state decided by 20,000 votes .
If Trump is genuinely interested in finding out whether fraud occurred to deny him a win in the state — rather than , say , fostering suspicion about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he should be demanding recounts of suburban areas in Wisconsin as well .
He isn ’ t .
The “ respectable ” members of Trump ’ s team continue to badmouth Giuliani and Powell to the media on background , recognizing them to be useful scapegoats for a doomed legal effort that would have failed whether Rudy was involved or not : “ The obvious thing is , this is a sh*tshow , ” the adviser said .
“ When the Rudy show started , that was a sidelining of everyone else .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue of going through the motions and the recognition of , ‘ OK , this is definitely over because we don ’ t have a chance with… these conspiracy theories.
’ ” … “ It appears that none of us are allowed to say [ publicly ] that that was one of the weirdest f***ing things we ’ ve ever witnessed , ” one senior Trump administration official said [ of Thursday ’ s press conference ] , noticeably exasperated… Top officials on Team Trump , knowledgeable sources say , view the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a “ f***ing pile of garbage , ” as one official succinctly described it—one that has no chance of working , even as the president continues to throw his support behind it .
That ’ s from the Daily Beast , which notes that Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien was notably absent from the Giuliani/Powell presser .
“ [ S ] ources close to Stepien and on the campaign say that ’ s because he does not actually support what Giuliani , Powell , and Ellis are doing.
” That makes sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GOP operating under Trump .
One is the hardcore populist wing that marinates in conspiracy theories and wants to “ fight ” Democrats with any weapon to hand , including manufacturing lies about a grand conspiracy involving Dominion .
The other is the GOP ’ s professional class , which includes Stepien and Republicans in both houses of Congress , who know it ’ s all garbage and cringe at the thought of how the effort is wrecking social trust among Americans for nothing more important than Trump ’ s delicate ego @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s in group one or group two depending upon whether they ’ re loyally pushing Giuliani ’ s theories despite the lack of evidence or whether they ’ re maintaining an embarrassed , polite , destructive silence about it .
Liz Cheney ’ s an interesting politician these days because she ’ s obviously in group two but *isn ’ t* silent .
She ’ s starting her own group , perhaps .
Michigan and Pennsylvania are set to certify their results on Monday .
As the “ legal ” effort turns from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I ’ m legitimately excited to see what excuse Rudy and Powell will come up with in the end for failing to produce any evidence of the great Dominion plot .
My money ’ s on “ Democratic operatives stole the evidence and destroyed it before we could use it.
” Exit quotation from Goldberg : “ As for the conservative ‘ leaders ’ who think it ’ s their job to tell their readers , viewers , and listeners what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my contempt is total.
” Mine too .

Repeating a point from last night, it’s passing strange that the many Republicans in Congress feigning credulity about Trump’s voter-fraud conspiracies seem to be in no hurry to see the evidence. “What [Sidney] Powell was describing would amount to the single greatest crime in American history,” said Tucker Carlson a few nights about the Giuliani/Powell press conference on Thursday. That’s right — and yet our Republican-led Senate, which enjoys subpoena power, evinces no urgency in exposing it despite assurances from the president of the United States that the plot is real and the evidence to prove it exists.
The claim is that they GOP has been denied control of the executive branch via a criminal plot by Democrats disenfranchising millions of American voters, an out-and-out coup, and … they’re cool as cucumbers about it. No rush with the evidence, Sidney. Take as much time as you need to destroy public confidence in U.S. elections. There’s not a single Republican anywhere in the legislative branch who seems visibly outraged by what Powell is alleging despite the sensational scale of it, up to and including normally excitable Trump lackeys in the House. Normally these guys are willing to grandstand angrily if a Democrat somewhere so much as farts.
But the single greatest crime in American history? They’re remarkably composed.
Their calm demeanor is the “tell” that they know it’s BS. And the fact that some Trumpers were grumbling on social media this morning about Liz Cheney demanding to see the evidence is the “tell” that many of the president’s fans know it’s BS too. How dare Cheney put Trump and Powell on the spot by insisting that, after 17 days of this garbage, it’s time to put up or shut up?
“America is governed by the rule of law. The President and his lawyers have made claims of criminality and widespread fraud, which they allege could impact election results,” Cheney said in a statement. “If they have genuine evidence of this, they are obligated to present it immediately in court and to the American people. “I understand that the President has filed more than thirty separate lawsuits. If he is unsatisfied with the results in those lawsuits, then the appropriate avenue is to appeal,” she added. “If the President cannot prove these claims or demonstrate that they would change the election result, he should fulfill his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by respecting the sanctity of our electoral process.”
Republican Denver Riggleman, who’s on his way out of Congress after being successfully primaried and thus fully free to speak his mind, told The Hill that the Giuliani/Powell presser was “one of history’s great grifts.” More:
“There are smart, smart people up there [in Congress] that are not coming out and not identifying this for what it is, and this is simply a conspiratorial grift … I believe it’s a fundraising venture,” he said. “The thing is, though, is that when you’re spouting these type of ridiculous alternative facts, there are people that believe it and I think it’s time for everybody to sort of rise up in the GOP and say, ‘This is enough.'”
That’s what Cheney’s doing, with practically no support from her colleagues. The essential point in all this was made yesterday by Jonah Goldberg, responding to Tucker: If it turns out that “the single greatest crime in American history” is based on nothing but hysterical face-saving lies by Trump, Powell, and Giuliani, and if those lies nonetheless convinced some obsequious Republican state legislature somewhere to invalidate its election results, then that would be the greatest crime in American history. Someone is trying to steal the election; the only question, and it’s barely a question, is whether it’s Democrats via a massive international plot that somehow involves Hugo Chavez or if it’s Team Trump by manufacturing a pretense to void the swing-state results. “I don’t see the moral difference between stealing the election using cutting-edge Venezuelan algorithms and stealing the election by peddling deranged nonsense about Venezuelan algorithms,” writes Goldberg. Me neither.
But whichever side turns out to be guilty of attempted theft, they should suffer every legal and social penalty our failing society can muster for them.
The Powell theory of vote-rigging will end up pointing a finger at Dominion software, for the simple reason that electronic chicanery is the only way to vaguely plausibly imagine millions of votes being surreptitiously switched. If Trump had been luckier on election night, he’d be facing a very slim deficit in a single decisive state. Then he wouldn’t need to worry about complex hacking plots and could focus instead on getting actual hard ballots thrown out on technicalities. As it is, he needs a unified field theory to explain why he lost in Georgia and Michigan and Pennsylvania (and Arizona and Wisconsin, ideally, even though those states could flip without costing Biden his majority). “Dominion hacking” is as close as he can get. Unfortunately for him, the facts undercut it in all sorts of ways.
That division answers to the Florida Secretary of State, Laurel Lee, who is a former assistant U.S. attorney and former judge appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2019.https://t.co/it7Ne7zmcG — Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) November 20, 2020
The hand recount found Biden won Georgia by 12,284 votes, and Trump picked up about 1,400 votes from the initial count, as some Republican-leaning counties failed to count 5,262 votes. It’s good they did the recount!https://t.co/it7Ne7zmcG — Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) November 20, 2020
There are “tells” that the Trump legal team itself doesn’t believe there’s anything amiss with Dominion. If they believed it, wouldn’t they focus their recount efforts on counties that … use Dominion machines?
In Wisconsin, some counties use Dominion voting machines and some don't. The Trump campaign only requested a recount in Dane County and Milwaukee County—both of which don't use Dominion machines: https://t.co/AiK4mw4nOM — John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) November 20, 2020
Biden did make gains in Wisconsin’s urban centers this year but the suburbs also turned bluer for him, which was the difference in a state decided by 20,000 votes. If Trump is genuinely interested in finding out whether fraud occurred to deny him a win in the state — rather than, say, fostering suspicion about cities with large black populations — then he should be demanding recounts of suburban areas in Wisconsin as well. He isn’t.
The “respectable” members of Trump’s team continue to badmouth Giuliani and Powell to the media on background, recognizing them to be useful scapegoats for a doomed legal effort that would have failed whether Rudy was involved or not:
“The obvious thing is, this is a sh*tshow,” the adviser said. “When the Rudy show started, that was a sidelining of everyone else. At that point, it became an issue of going through the motions and the recognition of, ‘OK, this is definitely over because we don’t have a chance with… these conspiracy theories.’”… “It appears that none of us are allowed to say [publicly] that that was one of the weirdest f***ing things we’ve ever witnessed,” one senior Trump administration official said [of Thursday’s press conference], noticeably exasperated… Top officials on Team Trump, knowledgeable sources say, view the current legal endeavor to steal the 2020 election as a “f***ing pile of garbage,” as one official succinctly described it—one that has no chance of working, even as the president continues to throw his support behind it.
That’s from the Daily Beast, which notes that Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien was notably absent from the Giuliani/Powell presser. “[S]ources close to Stepien and on the campaign say that’s because he does not actually support what Giuliani, Powell, and Ellis are doing.” That makes sense, as there are two wings of the GOP operating under Trump. One is the hardcore populist wing that marinates in conspiracy theories and wants to “fight” Democrats with any weapon to hand, including manufacturing lies about a grand conspiracy involving Dominion. The other is the GOP’s professional class, which includes Stepien and Republicans in both houses of Congress, who know it’s all garbage and cringe at the thought of how the effort is wrecking social trust among Americans for nothing more important than Trump’s delicate ego. You can tell whether someone’s in group one or group two depending upon whether they’re loyally pushing Giuliani’s theories despite the lack of evidence or whether they’re maintaining an embarrassed, polite, destructive silence about it. Liz Cheney’s an interesting politician these days because she’s obviously in group two but *isn’t* silent. She’s starting her own group, perhaps.
Michigan and Pennsylvania are set to certify their results on Monday. As the “legal” effort turns from pitiful farce to even more pitiful farce, I’m legitimately excited to see what excuse Rudy and Powell will come up with in the end for failing to produce any evidence of the great Dominion plot. My money’s on “Democratic operatives stole the evidence and destroyed it before we could use it.” Exit quotation from Goldberg: “As for the conservative ‘leaders’ who think it’s their job to tell their readers, viewers, and listeners what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear for the good of the country, my contempt is total.” Mine too.