House Dems Chose Age Over Effectiveness - The Wednesday AM Quickie 12/18/24
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THE BIG NEWS
Democrats Adrift and Eating Their Young
In her most prominent public appearance since conceding the election to Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris gave a "pep talk" to young voters in Maryland yesterday. "In moments like this, the true test of our character is how resilient and persistent we are to pursue the future that we all can see," she said. "Do we throw up our hands, or do we roll up our sleeves?"
It might have been better to deliver that message to her boss, President Joe Biden. As the New York Times reports, Biden is spending his final days in office dozing off during ribbon cuttings, mumbling through photo ops, avoiding steep staircases, fuming about Congressional Democrats who have criticized him, and "checking a few last boxes on his presidential bucket list" – very few of which have to do with shoring up the defenses of the democratic institutions he warned that his Republican successor seeks to undermine.
His administration isn't doing nothing on its way out. The Energy Department yesterday released a report that could make it harder for Trump to boost US natural gas exports. But that's no answer to the problem of Republicans placing science itself under threat. And Lina Khan has been making the most of her remaining time running the Federal Trade Commission, releasing new rules yesterday that crack down on hidden "junk fees" at hotels, concerts and sporting events. But, again, that's not going to stop Trump from instituting a government by scammers, for scammers. Even Biden's personal priorities are going neglected. The Pentagon warned yesterday that it won't be able to spend all of the $5.6 billion it has been allocated for Ukraine's defense before the Russia-friendly Trump team takes over.
America's only viable opposition party remains effectively without leadership. And the Democratic Party establishment continues to act as an obstacle to younger new leaders seeking to rise to the challenge of the moment.
The House Democratic caucus yesterday voted 131-84 to have Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly, a 74-year-old centrist battling throat cancer, serve as the party's ranking member on the high-profile House Oversight Committee. Connolly beat out 35-year-old New York Squad Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the most recognizable star of the party's left wing. Although senior candidates did not win every committee post this week, the message from the establishment in the high-profile Oversight race came through loud and clear: the party's deference to seniority will remain the rule, at least until the losing older generation passes on.
Connolly indicated to colleagues that he wouldn't go too hard on Trump, in contrast to AOC, whom some Democrats evidently didn't trust "to responsibly lead the committee." Per the Washington Post, "Connolly told colleagues that his 16 years on Oversight would help them push back against Trump without condemning all aspects of his agenda," vowing instead to "pick our battles."
Well, go ahead. Pick one!
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
Trumpocalypse: Very Few Workers Stand to Benefit from Trump's 'No Tax on Tips' Promise
- Trump Lawyers Are Going After the Jury in New York Hush Money Case; Press Crackdown Already Underway Trump lawyers also sued the Des Moines Register and Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer for a "perceived violation of consumer protection law" in publicizing "deceptive polls" that showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading the state. via the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Politico.
- Trump's Attorney General Nominee Pam Bondi Spread Lies About 'Fake Ballots' in 2020 House Republicans, meanwhile, said yesterday that former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, should be criminally investigated for her work as the GOP lead on the Jan. 6 Committee. via the Washington Post and HuffPost.
- Electoral College Votes to Name Trump President-Elect "Funny how when real electors meet, they do so in public. With the press," observed Ann Jacobs, the Democratic chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. via the Washington Post.
- Fill the Swamp: Herschel Walker Named as Bahamas Ambassador; Defense Contractor Investor and Advisor Andrew McKenna Named as Air Force Chief "Congratulations Herschel! You will make Georgia, and our entire Nation, proud," Trump wrote on Truth Social. via the New York Times and Politico.
Syria's Neighbors Jockey for Advantage
A "nostalgic" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a statement from the summit of Mount Hermon inside Syria yesterday, and announced that Israel will occupy the area "until another arrangement is found that will ensure Israel's security." Experts warn the Washington Post that Israeli incursions in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad have weakened Iran's military defenses, "stirring fears that its steadily escalating conflict with Israel could soon enter a more dangerous phase." Turkish government officials, meanwhile, are taking "a victory lap," the Guardian reports, with its support for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the Islamist rebel group now in charge of Syria, having paid off. More urgently, aid groups are warning that international sanctions on Syria not only worsen the humanitarian situation but threaten the stability of whatever government forms next. And CNN finally commented on its presentation of a Syrian intelligence officer as an imprisoned civilian victim of the Assad regime, saying the man misled them about his identity.
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- Ukrainian Scooter Bomb Kills Russian General in Moscow One day before the videotaped killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical forces, "Ukraine had accused him of criminal activity, saying he was responsible for the 'massive use of banned chemical weapons' in Ukraine." via the New York Times, NBC News, and the Guardian.
- New York Prosecutors Charge Luigi Mangione with 1st-Degree Murder in Furtherance of Terrorism in UnitedHealthcare CEO's Killing The maximum sentence is life in prison without parole. via the New York Times and HuffPost.
- US Military Has Formally Reviwed Security Risks Involving Trump's 'Co-President' Elon Musk at Least 3 Times Since at least 2021, the wannabe trillionaire and SpaceX have not reported required information "about his private life and foreign travel," including meetings with foreign leaders, or his drug use, to maintain his security clearances. via the New York Times.
- China Expands Visa-Free Travel for US Citizens and Others "Last month the State Department lowered its travel advisory for China from Level 3, advising Americans to reconsider travel, to Level 2, or 'exercise increased caution,' putting it on par with the travel advisories for France and Germany." via NBC News and the New York Times.
SOME NUMBER
31,000
That's how many K-12 students in the US have experienced a school shooting this year, according to the Washington Post. Police and city officials in Madison, Wisconsin, have refused to release the names of the teacher and student killed in a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, yesterday; six others were injured. The shooter, Natalie Rupnow, 15, who went by Samantha, reportedly took her own life; authorities have not disclosed how she obtained a gun but social media posts show her father, Jeff Rupnow, took her to a firing range.
ON THE SHOW TODAY
12/18: It's Hump Day! Sam speaks with Madi Oates, shift supervisor and bargaining delegate for Starbucks Workers United (SWU), based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Michelle Eisen, organizing member of SWU, to discuss Starbucks recent update to its parental leave policy.
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
Trump Attacks School Vaccine Mandates After Answering Polio Questions
Assuming no Democrats vote to confirm RFK Jr., he can only lose three Republican votes in the Senate.
Billionaire Wants the 'Opposite' of FDR
If I never hear the name Moldbug again it'll be too soon.
PARTING WORDS
"I am the victim of a brutal legal war (lawfare) carried out by the Government of Luis Arce, who promised to hand me over to the United States as a war trophy. ... The government has an army of prosecutors, judges, police and military personnel who are not only trying to eliminate me politically and morally, but physically. That is why they tried to poison and kill me."
-- Evo Morales, the 65-year-old former president of Bolivia, responding to the issuance of a second arrest warrant in his name yesterday. Prosecutors say Morales illegally fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl in 2016; the girl was allegedly pushed to join Morales's "youth brigade," Evo Generation, by her parents, who hoped to climb "the political ladder." President Acre was Morales's chosen successor, but they are now rivals for the presidency.
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