hotair--2020-11-07--Jeff Van Drew survives the party flip

Jeff Van Drew survives the party flip

Last month I asked if anyone could survive changing parties in the current political climate .
The specific focus of the discussion was on Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey ’ s second congressional district .
As you will recall , he abandoned the Democratic Party last December , registering as a Republican and becoming an immediate favorite of President Trump .
This led to a predictable level of outrage among New Jersey Democrats and a well-funded push to expel him from office .
The last rounds of polling in the Atlantic City area pegged his race as a nail-biter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Drew , particularly since he was running against a member of the Kennedy Clan .
But as with so many other particulars of the 2020 cycle , the pollsters got it wrong yet again .
Van Drew has cruised to a fairly comfortable win and flipped the district back to the red column .
( NJ.com ) Rep. Jeff Van Drew , who switched to the Republican party and embraced President Donald Trump after voting against impeaching him , has won re-election in New Jersey ’ s hottest congressional race .
The race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Associated Press called the race Friday after the news service awaited vote-counts to come in .
Van Drew had declared victory on Election Day but Kennedy did not concede then , saying she could still win .
To be clear , Van Drew didn ’ t win this thing in a blowout , but his more than six-point margin was enough for the Associated Press to call the race last night .
Kennedy still hasn ’ t officially conceded , but there don ’ t appear to be enough outstanding mail-in ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This was never going to be an easy race for either party .
The Second District in the Garden State has been solidly purple for a while now .
It went for Obama in 2012 ( fairly narrowly ) before flipping back in Donald Trump ’ s favor in 2016 .
Apparently , there was still enough of that Trump magic in play in Atlantic City for the district ’ s Republicans to embrace someone who had very recently been sleeping in the enemy ’ s tent .
But this race might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a larger trend across the country .
The Democrats were expecting a blue wave to wash over the nation and expand their majority in the House while seizing control of the Senate .
Instead , Nancy Pelosi grimly watched her caucus lose seats this year and the Democrats ’ hopes of taking over Mitch McConnell ’ s Majority Leader office are fading quickly .
That could still change , depending on the results of the Georgia run-offs and one or two races that have yet to be called , but the smart money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onto the Senate .
So how did that happen if Donald Trump actually winds up losing ?
There was clearly more ticket-splitting going on further down the ballot in many states than we ’ re used to seeing .
Donald Trump has been a totally disruptive figure in terms of business-as-usual in the swamp , and not everyone likes disruption .
But that doesn ’ t mean that the entire country was ready to join the Woke Parade , either .
If anything , I ’ m finding some reasons to be encouraged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House and Senate races , at least in terms of people still being willing to think independently and not go along with the herd mentality we ’ ve seen far too often .
I believe that in two years we ’ ll get a much better read on how much of this maverick thinking is still alive when Trump isn ’ t on the ballot , whether he ’ s still in the White House or not .

Last month I asked if anyone could survive changing parties in the current political climate. The specific focus of the discussion was on Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey’s second congressional district. As you will recall, he abandoned the Democratic Party last December, registering as a Republican and becoming an immediate favorite of President Trump. This led to a predictable level of outrage among New Jersey Democrats and a well-funded push to expel him from office. The last rounds of polling in the Atlantic City area pegged his race as a nail-biter that was starting to trend against Van Drew, particularly since he was running against a member of the Kennedy Clan. But as with so many other particulars of the 2020 cycle, the pollsters got it wrong yet again. Van Drew has cruised to a fairly comfortable win and flipped the district back to the red column. (NJ.com)
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who switched to the Republican party and embraced President Donald Trump after voting against impeaching him, has won re-election in New Jersey’s hottest congressional race. The race was called by The Associated Press. Van Drew, R-2nd Dist., defeated educator Amy Kennedy, a member of the iconic Democratic political family. The Associated Press called the race Friday after the news service awaited vote-counts to come in. Van Drew had declared victory on Election Day but Kennedy did not concede then, saying she could still win.
To be clear, Van Drew didn’t win this thing in a blowout, but his more than six-point margin was enough for the Associated Press to call the race last night. Kennedy still hasn’t officially conceded, but there don’t appear to be enough outstanding mail-in ballots to tip things back in her favor.
This was never going to be an easy race for either party. The Second District in the Garden State has been solidly purple for a while now. It went for Obama in 2012 (fairly narrowly) before flipping back in Donald Trump’s favor in 2016. Apparently, there was still enough of that Trump magic in play in Atlantic City for the district’s Republicans to embrace someone who had very recently been sleeping in the enemy’s tent.
But this race might also have been yet another indicator of a larger trend across the country. The Democrats were expecting a blue wave to wash over the nation and expand their majority in the House while seizing control of the Senate. Instead, Nancy Pelosi grimly watched her caucus lose seats this year and the Democrats’ hopes of taking over Mitch McConnell’s Majority Leader office are fading quickly. That could still change, depending on the results of the Georgia run-offs and one or two races that have yet to be called, but the smart money seems to be on the GOP holding onto the Senate.
So how did that happen if Donald Trump actually winds up losing? There was clearly more ticket-splitting going on further down the ballot in many states than we’re used to seeing. Donald Trump has been a totally disruptive figure in terms of business-as-usual in the swamp, and not everyone likes disruption. But that doesn’t mean that the entire country was ready to join the Woke Parade, either. If anything, I’m finding some reasons to be encouraged by the results in many of these House and Senate races, at least in terms of people still being willing to think independently and not go along with the herd mentality we’ve seen far too often. I believe that in two years we’ll get a much better read on how much of this maverick thinking is still alive when Trump isn’t on the ballot, whether he’s still in the White House or not.


hotair--2020-11-08--Sunday morning talking heads

Sunday morning talking heads

The preliminary guest list for the first Sunday shows after the election is an interesting — and revealing — one .
As I write this on Saturday morning , no one from the Trump campaign is booked .
Presumably that ’ ll change by the time the shows air , as one would assume the president wants at least one surrogate making the case on his behalf that voter fraud is rampant and the dream is still alive .
Who wants to be that surrogate , though ?
Which Trump ally , recognizing that his time in power is short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a narrative with nothing to substantiate it ?
Maybe RNC chief Ronna McDaniel will show up and do her partisan duty , but professional-class Republicans like her will be leery .
The president might have to turn to someone whose career depends on their MAGA bona fides , like Matt Gaetz , to do it instead .
Assuming , that is , that the networks will even have Gaetz on , knowing he ’ s going to push strong-form denialism about the result .
Anyway .
The star guest this morning is .. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romney , who ’ ll affirm for the country on behalf of the non-MAGA part of the Republican Party that , yes , it appears Joe Biden has won , and no , there doesn ’ t seem to be any evidence of widespread , multistate fraud that would alter the result .
He ’ ll chat with “ Meet the Press ” and “ State of the Union ” about the election and his own role as a potential swing vote in a Senate that ’ s now a bit more evenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Susan Collins , and Lisa Murkowski could be power-brokers as a bloc with Democratic centrists like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema .
( The filibuster is a major complicating factor , of course . )
Is there any possibility of a “ gang ” -style bipartisan mini-caucus of independent-minded senators forming ?
He ’ ll discuss .
Manchin is booked this morning as well , on “ Face the Nation.
” He ’ ll be followed there by Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey , who ’ ll reiterate what he said a few days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him doubt the fairness of the result in his state .
Yet another centrist GOPer , Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan , will make the same point to “ State of the Union ” and likely call on Trump to concede .
That ’ s three moderate Republican officeholders in all who are set to challenge Trump ’ s claims of fraud this morning on national TV .
We ’ ll see if the White House produces anyone willing to counter their argument .
The full line-up is at the AP .

The preliminary guest list for the first Sunday shows after the election is an interesting — and revealing — one. As I write this on Saturday morning, no one from the Trump campaign is booked. Presumably that’ll change by the time the shows air, as one would assume the president wants at least one surrogate making the case on his behalf that voter fraud is rampant and the dream is still alive.
Who wants to be that surrogate, though? Which Trump ally, recognizing that his time in power is short, wants to torch their credibility pushing a narrative with nothing to substantiate it? Maybe RNC chief Ronna McDaniel will show up and do her partisan duty, but professional-class Republicans like her will be leery. The president might have to turn to someone whose career depends on their MAGA bona fides, like Matt Gaetz, to do it instead.
Assuming, that is, that the networks will even have Gaetz on, knowing he’s going to push strong-form denialism about the result.
Anyway. The star guest this morning is .. Ronna McDaniel’s uncle, Mitt Romney, who’ll affirm for the country on behalf of the non-MAGA part of the Republican Party that, yes, it appears Joe Biden has won, and no, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of widespread, multistate fraud that would alter the result. He’ll chat with “Meet the Press” and “State of the Union” about the election and his own role as a potential swing vote in a Senate that’s now a bit more evenly divided between the parties. He, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski could be power-brokers as a bloc with Democratic centrists like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. (The filibuster is a major complicating factor, of course.) Is there any possibility of a “gang”-style bipartisan mini-caucus of independent-minded senators forming? He’ll discuss.
Manchin is booked this morning as well, on “Face the Nation.” He’ll be followed there by Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who’ll reiterate what he said a few days ago about having seen nothing to make him doubt the fairness of the result in his state. Yet another centrist GOPer, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, will make the same point to “State of the Union” and likely call on Trump to concede. That’s three moderate Republican officeholders in all who are set to challenge Trump’s claims of fraud this morning on national TV. We’ll see if the White House produces anyone willing to counter their argument. The full line-up is at the AP.


hotair--2020-11-08--Are you ready for "the Squad 2.0?"

Are you ready for "the Squad 2.0?"

If you loved the original “ Squad ” in Congress , consisting of AOC , Ayanna Pressley , and Ilhan Omar ( as I ’ m sure you all did ) , you ’ re probably going to be really excited about the next “ Squad ” heading to the hill .
Following the recent elections , we learned that a few more radically far-left candidates had won themselves a two year stay in Washington on the taxpayer ’ s dime .
As Jack Beyrer of the Free Beacon reports , one of these is a figure we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name is Cori Bush , a Democrat from Missouri , and she welcomed her two new teammates on Twitter once their victories were confirmed .
This crew doesn ’ t have much in common with the Three Muskateers , but they may prove entertaining .
You may recall Congresswoman-elect Bush from some earlier headlines she generated which we covered here .
While many of the rank and file Democrats and socialists in Congress are willing to defund the police , Bush has put out the call to defund the Pentagon , disarming our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and global threats .
She ’ s also a big fan of the Green New Deal , universal basic income , and abolishing ICE .
Jamaal Bowman , soon to take his seat for NY-16 , is also a big fan of defunding the police .
In his spare time , he enjoys supporting a number of antisemitic causes that oppose Israel .
Mondaire Jones , who will represent the nearby NY-17 district , also wants to see the police be defunded , but as a bonus , he supports the Empty the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That cause has made a lot of progress in the past year , blessing the Big Apple with crime rates that are currently threatening to eclipse the horror show Gotham was witnessing a couple of decades ago .
All three of them are on board with slashing our defense budget by as much as 20 % if they can ’ t get Bush ’ s plan to simply defund the Pentagon pushed through .
What could possibly go wrong ?
The people of Missouri ’ s First District and the denizens of New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have sent this collection of socialists to serve in Congress .
Well done .
Let ’ s have a golf clap for all of them .
All I can say is the GOP had better keep a tight hold on the Senate majority .
If the Democrats succeed in electing many more crackpots like these , some of their wilder ideas might actually start showing up in legislation that has a chance of passing .
And then they ’ ll start wrecking more than just their home districts .

If you loved the original “Squad” in Congress, consisting of AOC, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar (as I’m sure you all did), you’re probably going to be really excited about the next “Squad” heading to the hill. Following the recent elections, we learned that a few more radically far-left candidates had won themselves a two year stay in Washington on the taxpayer’s dime. As Jack Beyrer of the Free Beacon reports, one of these is a figure we’ve discussed here in the past. Her name is Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, and she welcomed her two new teammates on Twitter once their victories were confirmed.
After a series of electoral wins for far-left candidates Tuesday night, a “Squad 2.0” prepares to join Congress. “Squad 2.0 let’s go,” tweeted incoming congresswoman Cori Bush (D., Mo.) to congratulate fellow representatives-elect Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) and Mondaire Jones (D., N.Y.) on their victories. Justice Democrats, a PAC that backs far-left Democratic candidates, endorsed both Bush and Bowman during their congressional bids. The group also endorsed the entire incumbent “squad,” which includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.).
This crew doesn’t have much in common with the Three Muskateers, but they may prove entertaining. You may recall Congresswoman-elect Bush from some earlier headlines she generated which we covered here. While many of the rank and file Democrats and socialists in Congress are willing to defund the police, Bush has put out the call to defund the Pentagon, disarming our nation in the face of numerous adversaries and global threats. She’s also a big fan of the Green New Deal, universal basic income, and abolishing ICE.
Jamaal Bowman, soon to take his seat for NY-16, is also a big fan of defunding the police. In his spare time, he enjoys supporting a number of antisemitic causes that oppose Israel. Mondaire Jones, who will represent the nearby NY-17 district, also wants to see the police be defunded, but as a bonus, he supports the Empty the Jails movement in New York City. That cause has made a lot of progress in the past year, blessing the Big Apple with crime rates that are currently threatening to eclipse the horror show Gotham was witnessing a couple of decades ago.
All three of them are on board with slashing our defense budget by as much as 20% if they can’t get Bush’s plan to simply defund the Pentagon pushed through. What could possibly go wrong?
The people of Missouri’s First District and the denizens of New York City must be so proud to have sent this collection of socialists to serve in Congress. Well done. Let’s have a golf clap for all of them. All I can say is the GOP had better keep a tight hold on the Senate majority. If the Democrats succeed in electing many more crackpots like these, some of their wilder ideas might actually start showing up in legislation that has a chance of passing. And then they’ll start wrecking more than just their home districts.


hotair--2020-11-08--A Montana Second Amendment referendum passed despite being massively outspent

Joe Biden may have wound up winning a stay in the White House , but we continue to see signs of fallout further down the ballot indicating that he may have been an outlier .
The progressive agenda and some of its more vocal Democratic supporters took a beating around the country this week .
The latest example comes to us from the Big Sky State .
There was a referendum on the ballot in Montana that would prevent local and municipal governments from passing laws restricting gun ownership and portability beyond the limits of state and federal gun control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bigger gun control groups in the country flooded a boatload of cash into opposing the referendum but it still managed to pass anyway .
( Free Beacon ) Montana voters blocked localities from instituting their own gun restrictions on Tuesday despite a massive spending campaign by gun-control advocates .
The referendum , which passed with 51 percent support , bars localities from exercising “ any power that applies to or affects the right to keep or bear arms.
” Cities , counties , and other local authorities will no longer be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can concealed-carry their firearms , restrict people from owning guns beyond what state or federal law says , or limit where they can openly carry firearms outside of government buildings .
The referendum is identical to legislation that Gov .
Steve Bullock ( D. ) vetoed in 2019 .
Some of you are probably thinking that a referendum supporting Second Amendment rights passing in Montana is basically a dog-bites-man story , right ?
And to a certain extent , we probably shouldn ’ t feel all that shocked at the result .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg ’ s anti-gun group Everytown for Gun Safety , along with a couple of other gun control groups , spent nearly two million dollars flooding the airwaves with advertisements against this referendum .
That worked out to be 27 times more than the NRA spent supporting it .
As mentioned in the excerpt above , this is the second time Montanans have tried to establish this policy as law .
Last year it went through as normal legislation , but Governor Steve Bullock vetoed it .
Then , when he decided to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up losing by double digits to Republican Steve Daines .
Is there some sort of causal relationship between those two facts ?
I ’ ll leave that question up to you .
Sure , if you blew that much money on an anti-gun maneuver in Montana and came up short , I ’ m probably not going to shed too many tears over your depleted coffers .
But the mere fact that liberal gun-grabbing groups even thought they had a chance of winning on this issue should demonstrate just how out of touch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and how they have underestimated the conservative values of middle-America .
As I already mentioned , this wasn ’ t the first overreach on the part of the progressive left we saw last week .
California voters similarly shut down the efforts of the labor unions to gut the gig economy on behalf of the state ’ s liberal overlords .
That referendum also prevailed despite being massively outspent by the unions and wealthy progressive donors who opposed it .
The hopes for a spreading “ woke utopia ” were defeated in other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The bottom line once again is simply a reminder to not let the results of the presidential race get you down too much .
There ’ s still plenty of fight left in the country among supporters of conservative governance .
And the Left doesn ’ t control nearly as much of the population ’ s moral center as its proponents seem to believe they do .

Joe Biden may have wound up winning a stay in the White House, but we continue to see signs of fallout further down the ballot indicating that he may have been an outlier. The progressive agenda and some of its more vocal Democratic supporters took a beating around the country this week. The latest example comes to us from the Big Sky State. There was a referendum on the ballot in Montana that would prevent local and municipal governments from passing laws restricting gun ownership and portability beyond the limits of state and federal gun control laws already in place. One of the bigger gun control groups in the country flooded a boatload of cash into opposing the referendum but it still managed to pass anyway. (Free Beacon)
Montana voters blocked localities from instituting their own gun restrictions on Tuesday despite a massive spending campaign by gun-control advocates. The referendum, which passed with 51 percent support, bars localities from exercising “any power that applies to or affects the right to keep or bear arms.” Cities, counties, and other local authorities will no longer be able to regulate where Montanans with state permits can concealed-carry their firearms, restrict people from owning guns beyond what state or federal law says, or limit where they can openly carry firearms outside of government buildings. The referendum is identical to legislation that Gov. Steve Bullock (D.) vetoed in 2019.
Some of you are probably thinking that a referendum supporting Second Amendment rights passing in Montana is basically a dog-bites-man story, right? And to a certain extent, we probably shouldn’t feel all that shocked at the result. But it’s worth noting that Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun group Everytown for Gun Safety, along with a couple of other gun control groups, spent nearly two million dollars flooding the airwaves with advertisements against this referendum. That worked out to be 27 times more than the NRA spent supporting it.
As mentioned in the excerpt above, this is the second time Montanans have tried to establish this policy as law. Last year it went through as normal legislation, but Governor Steve Bullock vetoed it. Then, when he decided to run for the Senate, he wound up losing by double digits to Republican Steve Daines. Is there some sort of causal relationship between those two facts? I’ll leave that question up to you.
Sure, if you blew that much money on an anti-gun maneuver in Montana and came up short, I’m probably not going to shed too many tears over your depleted coffers. But the mere fact that liberal gun-grabbing groups even thought they had a chance of winning on this issue should demonstrate just how out of touch they are with much of the electorate and how they have underestimated the conservative values of middle-America.
As I already mentioned, this wasn’t the first overreach on the part of the progressive left we saw last week. California voters similarly shut down the efforts of the labor unions to gut the gig economy on behalf of the state’s liberal overlords. That referendum also prevailed despite being massively outspent by the unions and wealthy progressive donors who opposed it. The hopes for a spreading “woke utopia” were defeated in other races and ballot measures as well.
The bottom line once again is simply a reminder to not let the results of the presidential race get you down too much. There’s still plenty of fight left in the country among supporters of conservative governance. And the Left doesn’t control nearly as much of the population’s moral center as its proponents seem to believe they do.


hotair--2020-11-08--World leaders congratulate Biden except... Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

World leaders are sending their congratulations to President-elect Biden , as traditionally happens after presidential victories .
There is one notable exception to the stream of good wishes coming in – Mexico ’ s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ( AMLO ) is holding off .
Our neighbor to the south isn ’ t ready to extend his congratulations just yet .
He wants the process to play out first .
“ With regard to the US election , we are going to wait until all the legal matters have been resolved , ” López Obrador , commonly known as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I can ’ t congratulate one candidate or the other .
I want to wait until the electoral process is over.
” AMLO isn ’ t a stupid man .
Mexico is the United States ’ top trading partner .
There is over $ 600bn of annual two-way commerce .
AMLO doesn ’ t want to jeopardize any of that during the presidential transition .
Mexico needs a strong bilateral relationship more than the United States needs it .
AMLO is willing to wait out all the legal challenges and final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support to Joe Biden .
AMLO has a history of contesting elections himself , having done so in 2006 and 2012 before he finally won in 2018 .
While AMLO didn ’ t show such reluctance after Evo Morales won re-election in Bolivia last year despite opposition claims of fraud in that race .
The reason for that is Mexico shares a border with the U.S. and not with Bolivia .
It goes back to maintaining a friendly relationship with the American president to benefit his country .
The Mexican government has worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and AMLO appreciates that Trump doesn ’ t meddle in Mexican affairs .
“ President Trump has been very respectful with us , ” he said .
“ And we are thankful that he has not meddled.
” If I remember correctly , the first congratulatory tweet posted yesterday came from the Canadian soy boy , P.M. Justin Trudeau .
He wants everyone to know that he ’ s ready to embrace Biden .
“ On behalf of the Government of Canada , I congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President of the United States of America .
Canada and the United States enjoy an extraordinary relationship – one that is unique on the world stage.
” “ I look forward to working with President-elect Biden , Vice President-elect Harris , their administration , and the United States Congress as we tackle the world ’ s greatest challenges together.
” The leaders around the world are happy for the third term of Barack Obama to commence .
The Biden administration will likely prove to be even more of a progressive administration than Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign trail that he will be the most progressive president ever .
That is music to the ears of every socialist and status quo leader across the globe .
They all want an American president that apologizes for the alleged bad behavior in past years of the United States and can now look forward to more apology tours .
The Mayors of London and Paris weighed in .
The Mayor of Paris gave a welcome back to America .
A couple of world leaders who like to brag about their friendships with Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declared the winner .
Leaders of South Korea and Australia also sent out their best wishes .
It should be no surprise that even Iran weighed in with a positive message .
No doubt they are giddy over the thoughts of another few pallets of American taxpayer dollars coming their way again .
First Vice President of Iran , Eshaq Jahangiri , tweeted late Saturday that he hoped to see a change in “ America ’ s destructive policies.
” The secretary general of NATO , Jens Stoltenberg , is relieved to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was happy to be a friend of Trump ’ s when Trump insisted that other nations pair their fair share of dues , and they began to do so , Stoltenberg is a globalist and probably thrilled to be welcoming back Biden into the fold .
There was never any doubt that Trump was putting America first in our relationships with countries around the world and the world leaders hated him for that .
They longed for a return for the days of Republican and Democrat presidents acting as standard politicians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can all rest easy .
Status Quo Joe will be happy to appease them all .

World leaders are sending their congratulations to President-elect Biden, as traditionally happens after presidential victories. There is one notable exception to the stream of good wishes coming in – Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) is holding off. Our neighbor to the south isn’t ready to extend his congratulations just yet. He wants the process to play out first.
“With regard to the US election, we are going to wait until all the legal matters have been resolved,” López Obrador, commonly known as Amlo, said at a news conference. “I can’t congratulate one candidate or the other. I want to wait until the electoral process is over.”
AMLO isn’t a stupid man. Mexico is the United States’ top trading partner. There is over $600bn of annual two-way commerce. AMLO doesn’t want to jeopardize any of that during the presidential transition. Mexico needs a strong bilateral relationship more than the United States needs it. AMLO is willing to wait out all the legal challenges and final vote counts before extending his hand with support to Joe Biden. AMLO has a history of contesting elections himself, having done so in 2006 and 2012 before he finally won in 2018. While AMLO didn’t show such reluctance after Evo Morales won re-election in Bolivia last year despite opposition claims of fraud in that race. The reason for that is Mexico shares a border with the U.S. and not with Bolivia. It goes back to maintaining a friendly relationship with the American president to benefit his country.
The Mexican government has worked with Trump on immigration issues, too, and AMLO appreciates that Trump doesn’t meddle in Mexican affairs. “President Trump has been very respectful with us,” he said. “And we are thankful that he has not meddled.”
If I remember correctly, the first congratulatory tweet posted yesterday came from the Canadian soy boy, P.M. Justin Trudeau. He wants everyone to know that he’s ready to embrace Biden.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their election as the next President and Vice President of the United States of America. Canada and the United States enjoy an extraordinary relationship – one that is unique on the world stage.” “I look forward to working with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, their administration, and the United States Congress as we tackle the world’s greatest challenges together.”
Please read my full statement on the result of the US presidential election: https://t.co/ouQ2U1vnnc — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 7, 2020
The leaders around the world are happy for the third term of Barack Obama to commence. The Biden administration will likely prove to be even more of a progressive administration than Obama’s. Joe boasted on the campaign trail that he will be the most progressive president ever. That is music to the ears of every socialist and status quo leader across the globe. They all want an American president that apologizes for the alleged bad behavior in past years of the United States and can now look forward to more apology tours.
The Americans have chosen their President. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let's work together! — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 7, 2020
Congratulations to the American people and institutions for an outstanding turnout of democratic vitality. We are ready to work with the President-elect @JoeBiden to make the transatlantic relationship stronger. The US can count on Italy as a solid Ally and a strategic partner — Giuseppe Conte (@GiuseppeConteIT) November 7, 2020
The Mayors of London and Paris weighed in. The Mayor of Paris gave a welcome back to America.
Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris on your well-deserved win. London looks forward to working with you — it's time to get back to building bridges, not walls. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/oZoCDvtT9v — Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) November 7, 2020
Welcome back America! Congratulations to @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris for their election! While we are about to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, this victory symbolizes our need to act together more than ever, in view of climate emergency. 🇺🇸#Election2020 — Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) November 7, 2020
A couple of world leaders who like to brag about their friendships with Trump also extended their congratulations as Biden was declared the winner.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Biden and gave a special shout out to Kamala Harris and her “chitttis” or “aunts”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the late-comers, making a statement on Sunday morning. He noted the “long & warm personal relationship” he has had with Biden “for nearly 40 years”. Netanyahu followed that up by thanking Donald Trump for “the friendship you have shown the state of Israel.”
Leaders of South Korea and Australia also sent out their best wishes. It should be no surprise that even Iran weighed in with a positive message. No doubt they are giddy over the thoughts of another few pallets of American taxpayer dollars coming their way again. First Vice President of Iran, Eshaq Jahangiri, tweeted late Saturday that he hoped to see a change in “America’s destructive policies.”
The secretary general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is relieved to go back to the status quo. Though he was happy to be a friend of Trump’s when Trump insisted that other nations pair their fair share of dues, and they began to do so, Stoltenberg is a globalist and probably thrilled to be welcoming back Biden into the fold.
The secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is welcoming the election of Joe Biden, calling him “a strong supporter of NATO and the transatlantic relationship.” Jens Stoltenberg said Saturday in a statement that he looks forward to working with Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris “to further strengthen the bond between North America and Europe.” He added that “US leadership is as important as ever in an unpredictable world.”
There was never any doubt that Trump was putting America first in our relationships with countries around the world and the world leaders hated him for that. They longed for a return for the days of Republican and Democrat presidents acting as standard politicians, not bulls in china shops. They can all rest easy. Status Quo Joe will be happy to appease them all.


hotair--2020-11-08--Renewed COVID restrictions in Massachusetts once again crushing restaurant industry

With renewed spikes of COVID-19 popping up in Massachusetts , the state is reversing course and applying new business restrictions and “ unofficial curfews ” on residents .
As we ’ ve seen in many large cities around the country , the bars and restaurants are some of the first targets and they wind up being the hardest hit .
One of Republican Governor Charlie Baker ’ s new announcements that took effect on Friday is an “ advisory ” for everyone to be at home by 10 pm and not to venture out on any nonessential business until five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curfew isn ’ t mandatory , a second order impacting the restaurant business is .
All table service is to stop at 9:30 pm , no matter what the business ’ normal hours of operation are .
This is cutting into some of the prime service times for eateries and some owners are describing it as a “ disaster ” that ’ s going to lead to a new round of layoffs .
( CBS Boston ) “ We could see more layoffs as a result of this , ” said Chris Coombs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Urban Hospitality , which includes fine dining restaurants Boston Chops and Deuxave .
A group of local restaurateurs sent a letter to Governor Baker Thursday asking him to reconsider the new restrictions .
The unofficial curfew , Baker said , is to encourage people to go to their own homes by 10 p.m .
But a 9:30 close time will be catastrophic for restaurants , according to Bob Luz of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association .
“ For the order to be followed , we would be unable to seat a guest after 8:00 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult prospect of rushing our guests out the door to comply with the Advisory issued by this Administration .
We ’ re not seeing a single restaurant owner speaking up in favor of this executive order .
Personally , I ’ m one of those stereotypical older people that goes out to dinner between five and six o ’ clock ( or we did before the pandemic , anyway ) so this wouldn ’ t impact me very much .
But most diners don ’ t start flooding the popular restaurants until some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generally takes at least an hour to get through all of the courses , so most eateries won ’ t be able to seat anyone much past eight o ’ clock if they hope to have them on their way by 9:30 .
As multiple owners and managers interviewed for the article point out , this will effectively kill their dinner traffic .
That represents the bulk of the traffic for most restaurants so they won ’ t be able to make a profit .
And when that happens , jobs start disappearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the fact that the government is forcing the restaurants to eject diners so they can make a “ curfew ” that isn ’ t even an official rule .
It ’ s up to the residents whether or not they want to be home by ten o ’ clock .
So the government is essentially crushing these employers for no reason .
Another sticking point for the owners is that this isn ’ t the first time they ’ ve had to “ pivot ” their entire business model to accommodate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And it ’ s costing them a fortune .
Restaurant owner Jeff Abellard has had to constantly pivot in recent months , and now he ’ ll have to do it again .
“ There are so many factors hurting us whether it ’ s Covid , plus the weather , plus people being scared and now new restrictions , ” said Abellard… At restaurants , like Abellard ’ s Bistro 781 in Waltham , there will be no more table service after 9:30 p.m. That means a last seating around 8:30 at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open until midnight .
The governor is saying that the new restrictions are expected to last for up to a month , if not more .
That takes us past Thanksgiving and Black Friday , running well into the start of the Christmas season .
The fact is that some of these restaurants are going to wind up closing permanently and all of the jobs they support will be going away .
What comes next after that is anyone ’ s guess .
But the reality is that the actions of state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurting the economy every bit as much as the virus itself .

With renewed spikes of COVID-19 popping up in Massachusetts, the state is reversing course and applying new business restrictions and “unofficial curfews” on residents. As we’ve seen in many large cities around the country, the bars and restaurants are some of the first targets and they wind up being the hardest hit. One of Republican Governor Charlie Baker’s new announcements that took effect on Friday is an “advisory” for everyone to be at home by 10 pm and not to venture out on any nonessential business until five in the morning. But while that curfew isn’t mandatory, a second order impacting the restaurant business is. All table service is to stop at 9:30 pm, no matter what the business’ normal hours of operation are. This is cutting into some of the prime service times for eateries and some owners are describing it as a “disaster” that’s going to lead to a new round of layoffs. (CBS Boston)
“We could see more layoffs as a result of this,” said Chris Coombs, the Chef and Owner of Boston Urban Hospitality, which includes fine dining restaurants Boston Chops and Deuxave. A group of local restaurateurs sent a letter to Governor Baker Thursday asking him to reconsider the new restrictions. The unofficial curfew, Baker said, is to encourage people to go to their own homes by 10 p.m. But a 9:30 close time will be catastrophic for restaurants, according to Bob Luz of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “For the order to be followed, we would be unable to seat a guest after 8:00 p.m., and presents us with the difficult prospect of rushing our guests out the door to comply with the Advisory issued by this Administration.
We’re not seeing a single restaurant owner speaking up in favor of this executive order. Personally, I’m one of those stereotypical older people that goes out to dinner between five and six o’clock (or we did before the pandemic, anyway) so this wouldn’t impact me very much. But most diners don’t start flooding the popular restaurants until some time between seven and eight. It generally takes at least an hour to get through all of the courses, so most eateries won’t be able to seat anyone much past eight o’clock if they hope to have them on their way by 9:30.
As multiple owners and managers interviewed for the article point out, this will effectively kill their dinner traffic. That represents the bulk of the traffic for most restaurants so they won’t be able to make a profit. And when that happens, jobs start disappearing.
The real rub in this situation is the fact that the government is forcing the restaurants to eject diners so they can make a “curfew” that isn’t even an official rule. It’s up to the residents whether or not they want to be home by ten o’clock. So the government is essentially crushing these employers for no reason.
Another sticking point for the owners is that this isn’t the first time they’ve had to “pivot” their entire business model to accommodate the executive orders of the state government. And it’s costing them a fortune.
Restaurant owner Jeff Abellard has had to constantly pivot in recent months, and now he’ll have to do it again. “There are so many factors hurting us whether it’s Covid, plus the weather, plus people being scared and now new restrictions,” said Abellard… At restaurants, like Abellard’s Bistro 781 in Waltham, there will be no more table service after 9:30 p.m. That means a last seating around 8:30 at his restaurant that usually keeps the kitchen open until midnight.
The governor is saying that the new restrictions are expected to last for up to a month, if not more. That takes us past Thanksgiving and Black Friday, running well into the start of the Christmas season. The fact is that some of these restaurants are going to wind up closing permanently and all of the jobs they support will be going away. What comes next after that is anyone’s guess. But the reality is that the actions of state and municipal governments around the country are now hurting the economy every bit as much as the virus itself.


hotair--2020-11-08--Celebrating Biden fans decide mass gatherings for political causes are okay after all

They didn ’ t make this decision recently , of course .
We knew from this summer ’ s massive BLM demonstrations that liberals , especially younger liberals , don ’ t mean what they say when they call Trump ’ s rallies irresponsible amid a pandemic .
They ’ re right to single him out for criticism since he ’ s the president and should set an example , but at the end of the day they have no problem with throwing caution to the wind on COVID in the name of politics .
It ’ s purely a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough .
Trump holding a rally ?
No way .
Protesting racism ?
Most definitely .
Getting drunk in a crowded park to celebrate your guy winning the election ?
Sure , why not .
Why not .
There ’ s an important difference , though , between the mass gatherings last night to cheer on Biden and the mass gatherings this summer to protest George Floyd ’ s death .
The outlook on the pandemic is much worse right now than it was when the BLM rallies were held .
The only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd of people at the moment , even outdoors , even masked up , is if I were starving and needed food .
These lunatics did it for no better reason than to high-five each other over Trump being embarrassed .
Special shout-out to Aaron Rupar of Vox , who somehow managed these two tweets on the same day , hours apart : Storming the field after Notre Dame ’ s big win was a shocking lapse of judgment in which excited fans let their joy override urgent concerns of public safety .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ taunt-sing “ YMCA ” at Trump ?
No human could be expected to contain that amount of jubilation , I guess .
Trumpers and their fellow travelers are dunking on liberal hypocrites this morning , and rightly so : The United States had more than 128,000 new cases of COVID yesterday , the fourth straight day in which it set a record .
Deaths topped 1,000 again .
There ’ s chatter among scientists today that we could be seeing 200,000 cases a day by Thanksgiving , before we ’ re even into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counts rise , deaths will rise too , even with major improvements in treating the disease since March .
How American hospitals will cope as the number of serious cases rises relentlessly , I have no idea .
Clearly we ’ re on track for a crisis where the proverbial curve will need to be flattened again so that care doesn ’ t need to be rationed .
No one seems to have any plan for how to handle it .
To the contrary , this week ’ s spike was probably seeded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite the rampant community spread that the country ’ s facing .
Yesterday ’ s gatherings will only make it worse .
The train is starting to come off its tracks… …and no matter what Scott Atlas might tell us , the infections won ’ t be limited to healthy young people : Speaking of irresponsible disease-spreaders , the young and stupid can always plead that they ’ re immature and that no one ’ s looking to them for cues on how to behave .
What ’ s this idiot ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six people at the White House have COVID , including Meadows , making this the third separate outbreak inside the building .
Got ta hand it to Team Trump : They ’ re as reckless and callous towards their own co-workers as they are to the general population in their approach to COVID , not just refusing to take basic precautions but knowingly putting people at risk by trying to cover up their infections .
It ’ s a real mystery why Trump ’ s a one-term president .

They didn’t make this decision recently, of course. We knew from this summer’s massive BLM demonstrations that liberals, especially younger liberals, don’t mean what they say when they call Trump’s rallies irresponsible amid a pandemic. They’re right to single him out for criticism since he’s the president and should set an example, but at the end of the day they have no problem with throwing caution to the wind on COVID in the name of politics.
It’s purely a question of whether the cause is righteous enough. Trump holding a rally? No way. Protesting racism? Most definitely. Getting drunk in a crowded park to celebrate your guy winning the election?
Sure, why not. Why not.
There’s an important difference, though, between the mass gatherings last night to cheer on Biden and the mass gatherings this summer to protest George Floyd’s death. The outlook on the pandemic is much worse right now than it was when the BLM rallies were held. The only way I’d mingle in a crowd of people at the moment, even outdoors, even masked up, is if I were starving and needed food. These lunatics did it for no better reason than to high-five each other over Trump being embarrassed.
The crowd outside the White House celebrating Joe Biden’s projected victory is blaring YMCA — the song President Trump closed out his latest rallies with. pic.twitter.com/UkrsBq8l5M — Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 7, 2020
The north end of Prospect Park has turned into a dance party, and every few minutes screams of joy just roll across the park, like a wave at a baseball game pic.twitter.com/ATifpgfuMg — Jodi Kantor (@jodikantor) November 7, 2020
New York City is one big dance party as people celebrate our next president Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/HMgcHCJXLa — Nicholas Isabella (@NycStormChaser) November 7, 2020
Washington Square Park minutes after news broke pic.twitter.com/pA51wNAWVF — Abby (@ACrazybear) November 8, 2020
Washington Square Park not waiting for the AP call pic.twitter.com/hB9nbhvhi6 — Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) November 7, 2020
Special shout-out to Aaron Rupar of Vox, who somehow managed these two tweets on the same day, hours apart:
it's party time outside the White House pic.twitter.com/vueAYPfYxp — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 7, 2020
Not ideal during a worsening pandemic pic.twitter.com/jF32enj2Z3 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 8, 2020
Storming the field after Notre Dame’s big win was a shocking lapse of judgment in which excited fans let their joy override urgent concerns of public safety.
But crowding around the White House to taunt-sing “YMCA” at Trump? No human could be expected to contain that amount of jubilation, I guess.
Trumpers and their fellow travelers are dunking on liberal hypocrites this morning, and rightly so:
Where is @JoeBiden calling on the massive Super Spreader events held in his name to end❓ ⬇ pic.twitter.com/8JaofpgMge — Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) November 7, 2020
And suddenly people gathering in large crowds and not social distancing is no longer considered irresponsible by the media https://t.co/JisiiJJr78 — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 7, 2020
How the media shifted so abruptly from "anyone going to a spacious beach is a super-spreading monster killing Grandma" to "these mass, densely populated protests with people screaming on top of each other are so inspiring" was one of 2020's most credibility-destroying media acts: https://t.co/8f0ZGe00iq — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 7, 2020
The United States had more than 128,000 new cases of COVID yesterday, the fourth straight day in which it set a record. Deaths topped 1,000 again. There’s chatter among scientists today that we could be seeing 200,000 cases a day by Thanksgiving, before we’re even into the thick of winter. As case counts rise, deaths will rise too, even with major improvements in treating the disease since March. How American hospitals will cope as the number of serious cases rises relentlessly, I have no idea. Clearly we’re on track for a crisis where the proverbial curve will need to be flattened again so that care doesn’t need to be rationed.
No one seems to have any plan for how to handle it. To the contrary, this week’s spike was probably seeded by morons insisting on partying on Halloween despite the rampant community spread that the country’s facing. Yesterday’s gatherings will only make it worse. The train is starting to come off its tracks…
New Covid cases are accelerating faster than testing, and the national positivity rate is rising quickly, now at 9.5%. A surge of infection in most places risks becoming a torrent of infection in every place. pic.twitter.com/5AFYx7EMLR — Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) November 8, 2020
…and no matter what Scott Atlas might tell us, the infections won’t be limited to healthy young people:
Covid cases and deaths are rising in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, despite a national policy goal to focus resources on protecting elderly in these locations; probably reflecting a worsening epidemic that is impacting these settings (graph: weekly totals). pic.twitter.com/qR5lScql6O — Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) November 8, 2020
Speaking of irresponsible disease-spreaders, the young and stupid can always plead that they’re immature and that no one’s looking to them for cues on how to behave. What’s this idiot’s excuse, though?
Mark Meadows, who has tested positive for COVID-19, was in the White House Residence on election night huddled around Donald Trump alongside Ivanka, Jared, Don Jr., and other family members and senior staffers. — Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) November 7, 2020
NEW: I’m told that Mark Meadows and the White House went to great lengths to keep his diagnosis a secret. This is despite alleged contact tracing efforts. My source says: “It’s fucked up.” — Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) November 7, 2020
NEW: I’m told that even senior White House staffers who had direct contact with Mark Meadows this week learned about his coronavirus diagnosis when the media reported it. — Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) November 7, 2020
.@MarkMeadows tested positive for Covid-19. On election night he was at the White House party with the president and his family and hundreds of unmasked people. pic.twitter.com/XyRliYIFdw — Raquel Krähenbühl (@Rkrahenbuhl) November 7, 2020
Here's a maskless Mark Meadows, White House Chief of Staff now confirmed to have tested positive for COVID, at Trump Campaign HQ on Election Night. pic.twitter.com/ECADDxWWnX — The Recount (@therecount) November 7, 2020
At last count six people at the White House have COVID, including Meadows, making this the third separate outbreak inside the building. Gotta hand it to Team Trump: They’re as reckless and callous towards their own co-workers as they are to the general population in their approach to COVID, not just refusing to take basic precautions but knowingly putting people at risk by trying to cover up their infections. It’s a real mystery why Trump’s a one-term president.


hotair--2020-11-08--Michelle Obama congratulates Joe Biden by trashing Trump voters

Michelle and Barack Obama reached out yesterday and congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris .
They both published their thoughts on social media .
The difference in the tone of the two messages was impossible to miss .
Barack Obama posted a fairly standard congratulatory message .
Obama chose Biden as his running mate , after all .
Obama is said to have encouraged Kamala Harris to run for president herself .
So , a tweet of nice words wasn ’ t surprising .
He did go the route of saying that our democracy is at risk but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the ordinary .
Michelle Obama ’ s message was very different .
In order to deliver her kudos to the Democrat ticket and call for unity , she trashed Republican voters .
She began by congratulating “ my friend Joe Biden ” and “ our first Black and Indian-American woman Vice President ” and said they “ are headed to restore some dignity , competence , and heart at the White House.
” That was just the first sentence .
Then she went on to call for unity because nothing says unity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right ?
She continued along the same lines by thanking everyone who participated in the election process .
After telling everyone to remember to step back and breath and reminding them that winning one election is never enough , her mask slipped .
She trashed Trump voters as she reminded Biden voters to find what unites Americans .
“ Let ’ s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo , even when it meant supporting lies , hate , chaos , and division.
” You can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by asking that everyone stay engaged and work for the two Democrats in run-offs for Senate seats in Georgia .
The former president and first lady have gone above and beyond in participating in politics since they left the White House .
Traditionally , when a president leaves office , he and his wife go off and have a life outside of the day to day politics .
The Obamas didn ’ t do that .
The Obamas didn ’ t hold up a lot of traditional behavior in the White House but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t realize that their behavior ushered in President Trump .
The divisions and ugliness that they like to blame Trump for all began during the Obama administration .
Obama was not concerned about unity when he rammed through legislation on strict party-line votes – most noticeably Obamacare .
Instead of keeping their criticism of the president to themselves , they take their ugliness out on Republican voters .
It is the same as when Hillary Clinton called Trump voters deplorable .
Joe Biden did the same as he campaigned .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ran as Mr. Civility but during the debates , we heard him call the sitting president a clown and told him to shut up .
Civility for thee but not for me .
Say what you will about Trump ’ s demeanor – he didn ’ t ever slam Democrat voters , instead , he asked them to vote for him .
Democrats won back the White House but it wasn ’ t because of enthusiasm for Sleepy Joe .
It was an anti-Trump vote .
If you saw some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw lots of anti-Trump signs and very little of Biden support , other than Biden campaign signs .
The election wasn ’ t about a desire for more traditional leadership .
It was all about ousting the president .
Biden ’ s voters were the least enthusiastic voters I think I ’ ve ever seen in the Democrat Party .
The Biden message throughout the campaign was that he was running to restore the soul of the country .
This assumes that Trump supporters are people without souls .
If Biden is so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans , he has a strange way of showing that .
His words don ’ t match his actions .
He is , after all , a career politician and a long-time member of The Swamp .
He will promise everything to get elected and end up delivering very little .
His own career in the Senate proves that .
Hillary Clinton could not offer her best wishes to Biden and Kamala without slamming Trump .
As a former first lady , she should have just left out the hatred for Trump but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to happen .
Trump permanently broke Hillary Clinton as he did so many others .
When Biden delivered his speech , he appealed to Trump voters and encouraged his supporters to reach out and find what unites us .
He references the “ harsh rhetoric ” as though it was one-sided .
“ Let ’ s give each other a chance , it ’ s time to put away the harsh rhetoric , lower the temperature , see each other again , listen to each other again .
To make progress , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as enemies .
They are not our enemies , they are Americans , ” Biden said , quoting Ecclesiastes 3:3 , a Bible verse that urges there is a “ time to heal.
” “ It ’ s time for our better angels to prevail .
At our best , America is a beacon for the globe , we will lead not only by the example of our power , but by the power of our example , ” Biden continued .
It will take a long time for Trump voters to put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words now will fall on deaf ears .
While he wants to lead by example , he has played a part in the divisions in this country .
Trump voters numbered 70 million in this election .
That is a lot of people to make nice with .
Biden , though he claims otherwise , has no mandate .
The nation is as deeply divided as it has been .
Those divisions didn ’ t begin with Trump ’ s election .
They festered through many years and began escalating with the contentious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats boycotting his inauguration ?
That kind of vitriol continued through the Obama years and grew .
The Democrats and anti-Trumpers never accepted the election of Trump , tried to oust him from office through coup-like behavior including impeachment .
I don ’ t think a new wave of unity and kumbaya is coming any time soon .

Michelle and Barack Obama reached out yesterday and congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris. They both published their thoughts on social media. The difference in the tone of the two messages was impossible to miss.
Barack Obama posted a fairly standard congratulatory message. Obama chose Biden as his running mate, after all. Obama is said to have encouraged Kamala Harris to run for president herself. So, a tweet of nice words wasn’t surprising. He did go the route of saying that our democracy is at risk but Obama’s hyperbole is not out of the ordinary.
Congratulations to my friends, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris — our next President and Vice President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/febgqxUi1y — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 7, 2020
Michelle Obama’s message was very different. In order to deliver her kudos to the Democrat ticket and call for unity, she trashed Republican voters. She began by congratulating “my friend Joe Biden” and “our first Black and Indian-American woman Vice President” and said they “are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House.” That was just the first sentence. Then she went on to call for unity because nothing says unity more than trashing the previous administration, right?
I’m beyond thrilled that my friend @JoeBiden and our first Black and Indian-American woman Vice President, @KamalaHarris, are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House. Our country sorely needs it. pic.twitter.com/yXqQ3tYRoa — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 7, 2020
She continued along the same lines by thanking everyone who participated in the election process.
Thank you to all of you who poured every ounce of your hope and determination into this democracy over these past four years, registering voters, getting them to the polls, keeping folks informed. More votes were cast in this election than ever before. It’s because of you. — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 7, 2020
After telling everyone to remember to step back and breath and reminding them that winning one election is never enough, her mask slipped. She trashed Trump voters as she reminded Biden voters to find what unites Americans. “Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division.” You can’t make this stuff up.
Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division. We’ve got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us. — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 7, 2020
She continued by asking that everyone stay engaged and work for the two Democrats in run-offs for Senate seats in Georgia.
The former president and first lady have gone above and beyond in participating in politics since they left the White House. Traditionally, when a president leaves office, he and his wife go off and have a life outside of the day to day politics. The Obamas didn’t do that. The Obamas didn’t hold up a lot of traditional behavior in the White House but are so lacking in self-awareness that they don’t realize that their behavior ushered in President Trump. The divisions and ugliness that they like to blame Trump for all began during the Obama administration. Obama was not concerned about unity when he rammed through legislation on strict party-line votes – most noticeably Obamacare.
Instead of keeping their criticism of the president to themselves, they take their ugliness out on Republican voters. It is the same as when Hillary Clinton called Trump voters deplorable. Joe Biden did the same as he campaigned. He called Trump voters ugly and chumps. He ran as Mr. Civility but during the debates, we heard him call the sitting president a clown and told him to shut up. Civility for thee but not for me. Say what you will about Trump’s demeanor – he didn’t ever slam Democrat voters, instead, he asked them to vote for him.
Democrats won back the White House but it wasn’t because of enthusiasm for Sleepy Joe. It was an anti-Trump vote. If you saw some of the celebrations in the streets yesterday, you saw lots of anti-Trump signs and very little of Biden support, other than Biden campaign signs. The election wasn’t about a desire for more traditional leadership. It was all about ousting the president. Biden’s voters were the least enthusiastic voters I think I’ve ever seen in the Democrat Party.
The Biden message throughout the campaign was that he was running to restore the soul of the country. This assumes that Trump supporters are people without souls. If Biden is so sincere in being a president for all Americans, he has a strange way of showing that. His words don’t match his actions. He is, after all, a career politician and a long-time member of The Swamp. He will promise everything to get elected and end up delivering very little. His own career in the Senate proves that.
Hillary Clinton could not offer her best wishes to Biden and Kamala without slamming Trump. As a former first lady, she should have just left out the hatred for Trump but we all know that that is never going to happen. Trump permanently broke Hillary Clinton as he did so many others.
The voters have spoken, and they have chosen @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris to be our next president and vice president. It's a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Onward, together. pic.twitter.com/YlDY9TJONs — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 7, 2020
When Biden delivered his speech, he appealed to Trump voters and encouraged his supporters to reach out and find what unites us. He references the “harsh rhetoric” as though it was one-sided.
“Let’s give each other a chance, it’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again. To make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as enemies. They are not our enemies, they are Americans,” Biden said, quoting Ecclesiastes 3:3, a Bible verse that urges there is a “time to heal.” “It’s time for our better angels to prevail. At our best, America is a beacon for the globe, we will lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example,” Biden continued.
It will take a long time for Trump voters to put aside their disappointment. Biden’s words now will fall on deaf ears. While he wants to lead by example, he has played a part in the divisions in this country. Trump voters numbered 70 million in this election. That is a lot of people to make nice with. Biden, though he claims otherwise, has no mandate. The nation is as deeply divided as it has been. Those divisions didn’t begin with Trump’s election. They festered through many years and began escalating with the contentious election of George W. Bush. Remember Democrats boycotting his inauguration? That kind of vitriol continued through the Obama years and grew. The Democrats and anti-Trumpers never accepted the election of Trump, tried to oust him from office through coup-like behavior including impeachment. I don’t think a new wave of unity and kumbaya is coming any time soon.


hotair--2020-11-08--The light of the world: Sunday reflection

“ The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom .
Five of them were foolish and five were wise .
The foolish ones , when taking their lamps , brought no oil with them , but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps .
Since the bridegroom was long delayed , they all became drowsy and fell asleep .
At midnight , there was a cry , ‘ Behold , the bridegroom !
Come out to meet him !
’ Then all those virgins got up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones said to the wise , ‘ Give us some of your oil , for our lamps are going out.
’ But the wise ones replied , ‘ No , for there may not be enough for us and you .
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.
’ While they went off to buy it , the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him .
Then the door was locked .
Afterwards the other virgins came and said , ‘ Lord , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
’ But he said in reply , ‘ Amen , I say to you , I do not know you.
’ Therefore , stay awake , for you know neither the day nor the hour.
” An old saying describes the difference between knowledge and wisdom : “ Knowledge is knowing what to say .
Wisdom is knowing when to say it.
” One could also say that knowledge is the acquisition of facts , while wisdom is the realization that one ’ s store of facts may be incomplete .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trivial Pursuit , but most other cases require wisdom in making use of that knowledge .
Today we have two readings on the nature of wisdom and its uses .
Our first reading comes from the Book of Wisdom , which describes it in anthropomorphic terms .
Tradition tells us that the book captures the wisdom of Solomon , considered the wisest of the Israelite kings , who describes Lady Wisdom as an entity that existed from the Creation , ready to come to the aid of those who seek her — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These qualities of wisdom come into play in Jesus ’ parable in today ’ s Gospel reading .
We are told of ten virgins , equally split between the prepared and unprepared for a wedding feast .
All ten , however , know perfectly well about the feast and that the bridegroom will come to escort them to it .
They all had equal knowledge .
However , five of them did nothing to prepare themselves for the potential of a long wait , while the other five used that knowledge of both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wait as long as it took .
All of this is pretty straightforward , and the main lesson is clear .
Those who wisely prepare for salvation will find it , while those who fail to do so won ’ t .
However , there ’ s more to this parable and what it meant for Jesus ’ audience than perhaps even they knew at that moment .
For Jesus is also teaching us about the wisdom of perseverance as well as preparation .
In Jesus ’ time , the arrival of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost immediate reconciliation with the Lord .
Indeed , even some of the apostles appeared to think that Jesus would return within their natural lifetimes to judge the world and provide salvation .
In our second reading from Paul ’ s letter to the Thessalonians , he describes Jesus ’ return in judgment to call into heaven those “ who have fallen asleep ” as well as the righteous still living .
Paul appears to include himself and his fellow Christians in Thessaly in the latter category : “ Then we who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air , ” emphasis mine .
The early Church struggled for the meaning of the realization that Christ would not return in their lifetime .
Jesus had warned them explicitly that they would not know the day or hour of his return , and that they should live their lives in preparation for it .
In Matthew 24:36-37 , Jesus even tells them that He does not know the time for judgment , nor all the angels in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet , they had assumed that to be a shorter wait than it had obviously turned out to be .
This parable today is a gentle warning from Jesus about preparing for a long wait — a lifetime for each of us , in fact .
We are not just called to prepare ourselves for salvation but to persevere in that preparation .
That cuts both ways , in life as in the parable .
The foolish virgins assumed at first that the bridegroom would be prompt , and then assumed they had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his arrival .
We do not know how long or short our days will be before the Bridegroom comes for us ; we can neither rush unprepared or tarry with trivialities while we wait .
We know that He will come ; it is wisdom , therefore , to live in a constant state of preparation .
The apostles soon discovered this as well , realizing that Jesus ’ Great Commission meant that His will was to get the whole world prepared for it .
The mission of the apostles and the Church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation so that they could repent , learn , and prepare as well .
Finally , this brings us to the lamps .
Why did each of the virgins need their lamps in order to attend the feast ?
The bridegroom himself was to lead them to it .
The lamps are symbolic of that Great Commission , in which each of us has been given the light of Christ .
We are to prepare for Him by keeping it lit and illuminating everywhere we go , in one way or another .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ like having knowledge without wisdom ; it is useless as anything other than a curio or even an idol .
Only by keeping it lit , fueled by our faith in Christ , can we find our way to the Bridegroom , and illuminate that path for others .
And only then will the Bridegroom recognize us when He approaches .
We are , through Christ , the light of the world .
We have been given the knowledge of salvation and the grace to recognize it .
All we need is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even in the darkness — and especially in the darkness .
The front-page image is a detail from “ The Light of the World ” by William Holman Hunt , c. 1854 .
Currently on display in the side chapel at Keble College , Oxford , UK .
Via Wikimedia Commons .
“ Sunday Reflection ” is a regular feature , looking at the specific readings used in today ’ s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world .
The reflection represents only my own point of view , intended to help prepare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion .
Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here .

This morning’s Gospel reading is Matthew 25:1–13:
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
An old saying describes the difference between knowledge and wisdom: “Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.” One could also say that knowledge is the acquisition of facts, while wisdom is the realization that one’s store of facts may be incomplete. It is enough to merely know when playing Trivial Pursuit, but most other cases require wisdom in making use of that knowledge.
Today we have two readings on the nature of wisdom and its uses. Our first reading comes from the Book of Wisdom, which describes it in anthropomorphic terms. Tradition tells us that the book captures the wisdom of Solomon, considered the wisest of the Israelite kings, who describes Lady Wisdom as an entity that existed from the Creation, ready to come to the aid of those who seek her — the righteous and worthy most of all.
These qualities of wisdom come into play in Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel reading. We are told of ten virgins, equally split between the prepared and unprepared for a wedding feast. All ten, however, know perfectly well about the feast and that the bridegroom will come to escort them to it. They all had equal knowledge. However, five of them did nothing to prepare themselves for the potential of a long wait, while the other five used that knowledge of both the feast and its importance to prepare to wait as long as it took.
All of this is pretty straightforward, and the main lesson is clear. Those who wisely prepare for salvation will find it, while those who fail to do so won’t. However, there’s more to this parable and what it meant for Jesus’ audience than perhaps even they knew at that moment. For Jesus is also teaching us about the wisdom of perseverance as well as preparation.
In Jesus’ time, the arrival of the Messiah was thought to signal an almost immediate reconciliation with the Lord. Indeed, even some of the apostles appeared to think that Jesus would return within their natural lifetimes to judge the world and provide salvation. In our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he describes Jesus’ return in judgment to call into heaven those “who have fallen asleep” as well as the righteous still living. Paul appears to include himself and his fellow Christians in Thessaly in the latter category: “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” emphasis mine.
The early Church struggled for the meaning of the realization that Christ would not return in their lifetime. Jesus had warned them explicitly that they would not know the day or hour of his return, and that they should live their lives in preparation for it. In Matthew 24:36-37, Jesus even tells them that He does not know the time for judgment, nor all the angels in heaven, but only the Father. Yet, they had assumed that to be a shorter wait than it had obviously turned out to be.
This parable today is a gentle warning from Jesus about preparing for a long wait — a lifetime for each of us, in fact. We are not just called to prepare ourselves for salvation but to persevere in that preparation. That cuts both ways, in life as in the parable. The foolish virgins assumed at first that the bridegroom would be prompt, and then assumed they had plenty of time to prepare properly for his arrival. We do not know how long or short our days will be before the Bridegroom comes for us; we can neither rush unprepared or tarry with trivialities while we wait.
We know that He will come; it is wisdom, therefore, to live in a constant state of preparation. The apostles soon discovered this as well, realizing that Jesus’ Great Commission meant that His will was to get the whole world prepared for it. The mission of the apostles and the Church was to carry the Word to every nation so that they could repent, learn, and prepare as well.
Finally, this brings us to the lamps. Why did each of the virgins need their lamps in order to attend the feast? The bridegroom himself was to lead them to it. The lamps are symbolic of that Great Commission, in which each of us has been given the light of Christ. We are to prepare for Him by keeping it lit and illuminating everywhere we go, in one way or another. Merely having the lamp without oil is like having knowledge without wisdom; it is useless as anything other than a curio or even an idol. Only by keeping it lit, fueled by our faith in Christ, can we find our way to the Bridegroom, and illuminate that path for others. And only then will the Bridegroom recognize us when He approaches.
We are, through Christ, the light of the world. We have been given the knowledge of salvation and the grace to recognize it. All we need is the wisdom to keep our lamps lit, even in the darkness — and especially in the darkness.
The front-page image is a detail from “The Light of the World” by William Holman Hunt, c. 1854. Currently on display in the side chapel at Keble College, Oxford, UK. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here.


hotair--2020-11-08--Anderson Cooper's non-apology for calling Trump "an obese turtle"

In case you missed it on Thursday night , Anderson Cooper was on CNN covering the ongoing ballot-counting chaos .
He was talking with the rest of the panel about the President ’ s refusal to admit he ’ d lost the election ( which was far from clear at that point ) and decided to suddenly blurt out that Donald Trump was like “ an obese turtle ” stuck on his back in the sun .
“ That is the president of the United States .
That is the most powerful person in the world .
And we see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back flailing in the hot sun , realizing his time is over.
” We can , for the moment , set aside the fact that turtles are restricted in size to the confines of their shells and obesity isn ’ t really a problem they deal with .
It was still a pretty offensive thing to say about a sitting president .
Yesterday , with the race having been called by pretty much every national news network and the “ threat ” of four more years of a president he clearly despises seemingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revisited those remarks while speaking with failed Democratic primary candidate Andrew Yang .
He was asking Yang if he thought Trump might refuse to leave office even after Biden was confirmed as the winner .
It was actually Yang who reminded him of the insult , prompting the CNN anchor to respond .
Some media outlets , including the New York Post , are characterizing what happened next as an “ apology ” for the turtle remark , but as you ’ ll see , it really wasn ’ t .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems like Trump is going to be , in your words , an obese turtle on his back , just flailing around , Anderson , ” Yang replied .
“ By the way , I should say , I regret using those words because that ’ s not the person I really wan na be , ” Cooper apologized .
“ It was in the moment , and I regret it.
” Sorry , but this falls into the non-apology apology category .
An actual apology to the President would have included the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Cooper wasn ’ t offering a mea culpa for offending Donald Trump .
He was expressing regret for having said those words on the air because he doesn ’ t want his viewers to think of him as the sort of person who would say such things .
That ’ s the only remorse he ’ s feeling .
It ’ s also worth reminding ourselves that Anderson Cooper is among the army of political analysts and anchors who regularly excoriate the President for his harsh language and the insults he deploys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And yet here we saw one of the Democratic primary contenders affirmatively endorsing Cooper ’ s decision to refer to the President in a similarly derogatory fashion .
If Yang hadn ’ t brought it up on camera , would Cooper have even acknowledged that he ’ s said the words ?
Color me dubious .
Cooper , much like 95 % or more of his colleagues in the mainstream media , obviously hates Donald Trump and has been praying for his defeat since the day the President was declared the winner over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watched much of CNN ’ s coverage since the mail-in ballots began undermining Trump ’ s margin of victory on election night , I can say that nearly everyone on the network has barely been able to contain the celebratory atmosphere in their studio .
The same goes for MSNBC and the rest of the alphabet networks .
We shouldn ’ t be terribly surprised , however .
After the way that CNN , along with nearly every other network , imposed a blackout on the Hunter Biden laptop story ( along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negatively impact Biden ’ s electoral chances ) the public learned precisely how much of a fifth-column effort was being undertaken on Uncle Joe ’ s behalf by the Fourth Estate that is charged with informing the public .
Their almost unanimous silence as other voices were muted by the social media giants spoke volumes about their lack of neutrality .
With all that in mind , no one should be feigning shock to see someone of Cooper ’ s prominence letting the mask slip while his network is taking a victory lap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ s not sorry about insulting the President .
His only regret is that his audience caught a glimpse of how he really feels .

In case you missed it on Thursday night, Anderson Cooper was on CNN covering the ongoing ballot-counting chaos. He was talking with the rest of the panel about the President’s refusal to admit he’d lost the election (which was far from clear at that point) and decided to suddenly blurt out that Donald Trump was like “an obese turtle” stuck on his back in the sun.
“That is the president of the United States. That is the most powerful person in the world. And we see him like an obese turtle on his back flailing in the hot sun, realizing his time is over.”
We can, for the moment, set aside the fact that turtles are restricted in size to the confines of their shells and obesity isn’t really a problem they deal with. It was still a pretty offensive thing to say about a sitting president.
Cooper: That is the President of the United States. That is the most powerful person in the world and we see him like an obese turtle on his back flailing in the hot sun… pic.twitter.com/0s9x0OqjjH — Acyn (@Acyn) November 6, 2020
Yesterday, with the race having been called by pretty much every national news network and the “threat” of four more years of a president he clearly despises seemingly in the rearview mirror, Cooper briefly revisited those remarks while speaking with failed Democratic primary candidate Andrew Yang. He was asking Yang if he thought Trump might refuse to leave office even after Biden was confirmed as the winner. It was actually Yang who reminded him of the insult, prompting the CNN anchor to respond. Some media outlets, including the New York Post, are characterizing what happened next as an “apology” for the turtle remark, but as you’ll see, it really wasn’t.
“I’m happy to say, it seems like Trump is going to be, in your words, an obese turtle on his back, just flailing around, Anderson,” Yang replied. “By the way, I should say, I regret using those words because that’s not the person I really wanna be,” Cooper apologized. “It was in the moment, and I regret it.”
Sorry, but this falls into the non-apology apology category. An actual apology to the President would have included the word “apologize” or “sorry.” Cooper wasn’t offering a mea culpa for offending Donald Trump. He was expressing regret for having said those words on the air because he doesn’t want his viewers to think of him as the sort of person who would say such things. That’s the only remorse he’s feeling.
It’s also worth reminding ourselves that Anderson Cooper is among the army of political analysts and anchors who regularly excoriate the President for his harsh language and the insults he deploys during his rallies and on Twitter. And yet here we saw one of the Democratic primary contenders affirmatively endorsing Cooper’s decision to refer to the President in a similarly derogatory fashion. If Yang hadn’t brought it up on camera, would Cooper have even acknowledged that he’s said the words? Color me dubious.
Cooper, much like 95% or more of his colleagues in the mainstream media, obviously hates Donald Trump and has been praying for his defeat since the day the President was declared the winner over Hillary Clinton four years ago. Having watched much of CNN’s coverage since the mail-in ballots began undermining Trump’s margin of victory on election night, I can say that nearly everyone on the network has barely been able to contain the celebratory atmosphere in their studio. The same goes for MSNBC and the rest of the alphabet networks.
We shouldn’t be terribly surprised, however. After the way that CNN, along with nearly every other network, imposed a blackout on the Hunter Biden laptop story (along with any other perceived bad news that might negatively impact Biden’s electoral chances) the public learned precisely how much of a fifth-column effort was being undertaken on Uncle Joe’s behalf by the Fourth Estate that is charged with informing the public. Their almost unanimous silence as other voices were muted by the social media giants spoke volumes about their lack of neutrality.
With all that in mind, no one should be feigning shock to see someone of Cooper’s prominence letting the mask slip while his network is taking a victory lap for their service to the Biden campaign. He’s not sorry about insulting the President. His only regret is that his audience caught a glimpse of how he really feels.


hotair--2020-11-08--Biden's speech: Heavy on hope, light on details

Whoever wrote Joe Biden ’ s speech for last night did a competent job , for the most part , hitting the usual notes you would expect from a populist politician .
In fact , portions of it could have been mistaken for excerpts from Barack Obama ’ s speech in November of 2008 with just a few of the words scrambled around .
I would also give Biden credit for a fairly smooth and focused delivery despite not having a teleprompter in front of him .
( He did have a printed copy on the lectern , but he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at it very often . )
He never appeared to lose the thread and did what he needed to do .
With that said , his remarks also seemed to fly in the face of reality right from the beginning .
The goals he set for himself were admirable , but he once again provided no details as to how he plans to accomplish them aside from hoping that things will magically improve with him at the helm .
I ’ ll just pick out a few of the key quotes this morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collective heads around whatever Uncle Joe is thinking .
( Excerpts from the New York Post ) I ’ m not trying to nitpick here , but a clear convincing victory probably would have been called before midnight on Tuesday rather than four days later .
As in previous election years , Joe Biden may have gotten the most votes of any presidential candidate , but the second-place honors are now held by Donald Trump , surpassing Hillary Clinton four years ago .
Most of the critical states that Biden had to carry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close that they ’ re still counting ballots and resolving court challenges .
Hardly a landslide .
Also , his coattails were nonexistent in many regions and his party lost seats in the House .
This was the biggest and essentially only issue that Biden ran on .
Donald Trump supposedly fumbled the handling of the Pandemic .
Now Joe is promising to “ get it under control.
” How does he plan to do that ?
He ’ s never said .
The only plans he ’ s talked about involve increasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But doing more tests only gives you a more complete picture of how many people have been infected .
It doesn ’ t do anything to slow the spread .
He ’ s waiting for a viable vaccine and/or treatment regimen just like Trump has been .
Of course , that won ’ t stop him from taking credit for it if we manage to come up with one .
To his credit , Biden did attempt to toss out an olive branch to Trump voters .
Are those the same Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ugly folks ” on the campaign trail , Joe ?
Thanks for the flowers .
We ’ ll just tip off to find a vase to put them in .
Before closing , I will note that Kamala Harris also addressed the crowd and gave a similar cookie-cutter speech for the most part .
But the one moment that really stuck out was her focus on the historic nature of her personal victory .
The message was clear .
Rather than unity , we ’ re still highlighting the gender and racial divides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What ’ s important is that someone with ovaries is the Vice President-elect .
She also praised Biden ’ s “ audacity ” for picking a woman as his running mate .
She ’ s the umpteenth Democrat to pretend that we didn ’ t already have a female running mate in the presidential election in 2008 .
If anyone on that stage last night had room for a bit more humility it should have been Kamal Harris .
The nation votes for the top of the ticket , not the backup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidency , the voters of her own party rejected her so resoundingly that she quit the field of battle before the voting even began .
Kamala Harris is in her current position not because of a grateful nation , but because of one 77-year-old , straight , white , cisgender male who plucked her from the field of wannabes that he eventually defeated in the primary .
In case you missed it , you can watch the speech below .

Whoever wrote Joe Biden’s speech for last night did a competent job, for the most part, hitting the usual notes you would expect from a populist politician. In fact, portions of it could have been mistaken for excerpts from Barack Obama’s speech in November of 2008 with just a few of the words scrambled around. I would also give Biden credit for a fairly smooth and focused delivery despite not having a teleprompter in front of him. (He did have a printed copy on the lectern, but he didn’t appear to glance down at it very often.) He never appeared to lose the thread and did what he needed to do.
With that said, his remarks also seemed to fly in the face of reality right from the beginning. The goals he set for himself were admirable, but he once again provided no details as to how he plans to accomplish them aside from hoping that things will magically improve with him at the helm. I’ll just pick out a few of the key quotes this morning and see if we can wrap our collective heads around whatever Uncle Joe is thinking. (Excerpts from the New York Post)
“The people of this nation have spoken. They delivered us a clear victory — a convincing victory, a victory for the people,”
I’m not trying to nitpick here, but a clear convincing victory probably would have been called before midnight on Tuesday rather than four days later. As in previous election years, Joe Biden may have gotten the most votes of any presidential candidate, but the second-place honors are now held by Donald Trump, surpassing Hillary Clinton four years ago. Most of the critical states that Biden had to carry to squeak out a win were so close that they’re still counting ballots and resolving court challenges. Hardly a landslide. Also, his coattails were nonexistent in many regions and his party lost seats in the House.
Biden vowed to immediately begin working on getting the coronavirus pandemic under control, adding that the nation “cannot repair the economy, restore our economy or relish life’s most precious moments” without doing so.
This was the biggest and essentially only issue that Biden ran on. Donald Trump supposedly fumbled the handling of the Pandemic. Now Joe is promising to “get it under control.” How does he plan to do that? He’s never said. The only plans he’s talked about involve increasing the numbers of tests that are performed. But doing more tests only gives you a more complete picture of how many people have been infected. It doesn’t do anything to slow the spread. He’s waiting for a viable vaccine and/or treatment regimen just like Trump has been. Of course, that won’t stop him from taking credit for it if we manage to come up with one.
To his credit, Biden did attempt to toss out an olive branch to Trump voters.
“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance. “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” Biden said, adding of political opponents, “They are not our enemies. They are Americans.
Are those the same Americans you called “chumps” and “ugly folks” on the campaign trail, Joe? Thanks for the flowers. We’ll just tip off to find a vase to put them in.
Before closing, I will note that Kamala Harris also addressed the crowd and gave a similar cookie-cutter speech for the most part. But the one moment that really stuck out was her focus on the historic nature of her personal victory.
“Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities,” she said. She praised Biden for having “the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country” by selecting a woman as his running mate.
The message was clear. Rather than unity, we’re still highlighting the gender and racial divides that Democrats feast on in every election. What’s important is that someone with ovaries is the Vice President-elect. She also praised Biden’s “audacity” for picking a woman as his running mate. She’s the umpteenth Democrat to pretend that we didn’t already have a female running mate in the presidential election in 2008.
If anyone on that stage last night had room for a bit more humility it should have been Kamal Harris. The nation votes for the top of the ticket, not the backup. In her own quest for the presidency, the voters of her own party rejected her so resoundingly that she quit the field of battle before the voting even began. Kamala Harris is in her current position not because of a grateful nation, but because of one 77-year-old, straight, white, cisgender male who plucked her from the field of wannabes that he eventually defeated in the primary.
In case you missed it, you can watch the speech below.