Category: 2020

Senate Republicans made Trump a monster. Americans deserve answers

Posted on by Kerry Eleveld

When Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas asked me last week whether I had any burning questions to ask at the White House press briefings, I had an immediate sense of revulsion at the idea of being in that press room. Even though I spent several Obama-era years as a White House correspondent, nothing about the idea of sitting in that COVID-infected room only to be lied to by Trump's latest media hack sounded even remotely enticing or worthwhile.

But after reflecting on my reticence, I realized there was a place I'd like to be wandering around asking questions: Congress. Specifically, for a journalist looking to make newsworthy inquiries, Senate Republicans are the people to be bird-dogging, buttonholing, and peppering with questions. That's where the juice is this election cycle.

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Practically anything at all Senate Republicans say about Trump right now is newsworthy, particularly those in tight reelection bids this year. Naturally, I'm thinking of Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Martha McSally of Arizona, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa, David Perdue of Georgia, and others too. Precisely because they are the caucus that voted to save Trump's presidency and keep him at the helm of the country's pandemic response, reporters should make Senate Republicans own up to that decision and either stand by it or flee. And Trump offers a never-ending stream of material with which to work.

For instance, do any of them regret voting to acquit Trump without even staging a real trial? Gardner pitched a fit last week because the GOP caucus was leaving town without acting on more coronavirus relief—inaction initially backed by both Trump and McConnell. "Senator Gardner, do you stand by your vote to keep Trump in charge of the national response to the coronavirus?" Gardner could either run down a hallway or say that wasn't what the impeachment vote was about. "But you voted to keep Trump in charge of the country without hearing from any witnesses, right? Has he proven worthy of the vote of confidence you gave him?" Don't Coloradans deserve to know how their junior senator grades Trump's performance over the pandemic response?

As a reporter, when you know approximately the type of response you're going to get, the newsworthiness is usually about the phrasing of the question. Not every interaction goes as anticipated and by no means do they all end up being newsworthy. Plus, sometimes as a reporter, you're really just trying to gauge the progress of certain legislation, etc. But just five months out from November, my full attention would be trained on the electoral fate of the Senate.

"Senator Ernst, has Trump come through on the promises he made to Iowa farmers? Now that he's blaming China for spread of the coronavirus, do you think he'll really be able to seal the trade deal?" No, he won't. But don't Iowans deserve to know whether Ernst thinks Trump will deliver for them? "Senator, why isn't Trump prioritizing the trade deal over scapegoating China? Is finger pointing more important than saving Iowa farms from going under?"

I'm a little rusty, but you get the idea. "Senator Collins, if you really wanted action on coronavirus relief last week, why are you still voting to rubber stamp Trump's nominees?" Collins could be leveraging her votes in order to get action on more relief, or she could easily be registering protest votes and she’s not. One could also ask at-risk senators about the comments of other senators and GOP leadership, in particular. "Senator Collins, do you agree with Leader McConnell that there's zero urgency about bringing more relief to Mainers and other Americans?" (Mitch McConnell is currently changing his tune on that relief, but time is still of the essence.) Of course, McConnell is up for reelection too in Kentucky and while unseating him will be tough, he has more than just the GOP caucus to think about—he still has to get himself reelected. 

The Senate GOP is actually a total mess if reporters would just take the time to explore the fissures. Does Sen. Perdue think his governor made the right call to reopen Georgia? And if he does, does he support the notion that Trump should butt out of the state's business since Trump himself left it up to the governors? (Trump initially objected to Gov. Brian Kemp’s rush to reopen.)

Again, there's a million places to go. Do GOP senators support Trump promoting conspiracy theories and piddling away precious hours on the links right as America was reaching the deeply unsettling milestone of 100,000 deaths due to coronavirus? Do they worry that Trump still hasn’t developed a legit testing, tracking, and containment plan in case of a second wave? Every day, there's something more to ask about, and there's almost always something state specific—because Trump is a terrible politician and he is constantly hanging out GOP lawmakers to dry.

Every one of those GOP senators should have to answer for their failures to rein Trump in. They should all be held accountable for the fact that their repeated failures to act in the country's best interests helped turn Trump into the incomprehensible monster he is today. If you're a reporter in D.C. covering electoral politics and asking these kinds of questions isn't your mission in your life, you're entirely missing the biggest story of the election. Constituents should hear what Republican senators have to say for themselves. After all, Americans will be determining the fate of the GOP majority this coming November and they deserve answers. 

Mike Pence Says ‘We’re Just Not Going To Tolerate’ Censoring Conservatives On Social Media

Posted on by Guest Author

Breitbart News reported Monday that Vice President Mike Pence told the outlet that the Trump administration is “not going to tolerate” big tech companies that try to silence conservatives on social media, particularly during the 2020 election.

Pence: ‘We’re just not going to tolerate’ censoring conservatives

Pence said that when it comes to Google, Facebook, Twitter and other major internet platforms,  President Donald Trump has “made it very clear” this censorship of Republican-favorable views won’t be unacceptable.

“Well, the president has made it very clear that we are not going to tolerate censorship on the Internet and social media against conservatives,” Pence told Breitbart News during an interview on SiriusXM.

RELATED: Cop Faces Termination For Upholding U.S. Constitution Against Infringement

 

President Trump Considering a Review Panel

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was thinking of forming a panel to review bias against conservatives by big tech.

“President Trump is considering establishing a panel to review complaints of anticonservative bias on social media, according to people familiar with the matter, in a move that would likely draw pushback from technology companies and others,” the Wall Street Journal reported. “The plans are still under discussion but could include the establishment of a White House-created commission that would examine allegations of online bias and censorship, these people said.”

Outspoken Hollywood conservative James Woods was suspended by Twitter earlier this month.

Pence Praises Conservative Media

Pence told Breitbart News that conservatives weighing in will be crucial to informing the public with  accurate information during the election.

“The great news is there are—in addition to Breitbart—there are great and consistent voices bringing the facts to the American people,” Pence said. “While many in the mainstream media have been after this president, after this administration, since before our inauguration, it’s been that chorus of voices on the Internet that have brought forth the truth and the facts to the American people.”

 

The Vice President continued, “Whether it be the whole Mueller investigation or the Russia hoax or whether it be the impeachment that was brought forward and rejected by the Senate, it’s been those voices that’s made a difference for America, and we have every confidence going forward that we’re going to make sure the First Amendment rights of people who cherish freedom and cherish what this president has been able to do for this country are preserved, and I have every confidence that with that great army of conservative thinkers on the Internet we’re going to drive toward a great victory come November.”

RELATED: Michael Moore Trashes Joe Biden: He Lacks ‘Necessary Enthusiasm’ To Beat President Trump

Pence later said, “Look, I couldn’t be more proud to be vice president to President Donald Trump. In our first three years, this is a president who rebuilt our military, who appointed more principled conservatives to our courts than any president in history. This is a president who revived the American economy after the slowest post-cession recovery in history under the Obama administration. Millions of jobs created through tax cuts, regulatory relief, unleashing American energy, free and fair trade.”

“And this is a president who has led our nation through one of the greatest challenges in the last century that has saved lives,” Pence said, referring to Trump’s response to the coronavirus crisis.

The post Mike Pence Says ‘We’re Just Not Going To Tolerate’ Censoring Conservatives On Social Media appeared first on The Political Insider.

Despite all right-wing efforts to demonize Nancy Pelosi, it’s Mitch McConnell who America hates

Posted on by kos

Conservatives have spent more than a decade demonizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has mostly gotten a pass. Part of that is our lack of a truly partisan liberal media network. Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and all their endless offspring can hammer Pelosi relentlessly, but on the left? Daily Kos, a few Facebook memes, and some MSNBC shows are all we have. 

Yet despite all that, would you believe that Nancy Pelosi is far more popular than Mitch McConnell? 

It’s true! Civiqs has public tracking polls for both leaders (Pelosi and McConnell). Here’s how their numbers compare: 

Pelosi (D) McConnell (R) ALL Male Female Democrat Republican Independent
40-53 27-58
33-61 32-54
46-46 22-62
80-11 2-91
3-95 61-16
30-60 22-61

Pelosi is a net 18 points more popular than McConnell. That disparity is driven in huge part by a massive gender gap—40 points among women! 

Pelosi is +69 among Democrats, and McConnell is only +45 among Republicans, showing that Democrats are far more united around their leader than the opposition is. Frankly, that is shocking, given how McConnell is singularly responsible for the conservative majority on the Supreme Court. Yet he consistently plays the role of villain for conservative wackos. Meanwhile, Pelosi has a 7-point advantage among independents, who mostly hate both of them. 

Pelosi (D) McConnell (R) 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+
38-49 17-66
40-52 23-61
40-55 31-54
43-54 35-52

McConnell has comically bad numbers among young voters, at -49 among 18-34 year olds. Pelosi looks wildly popular in comparison, at -9 net favorabilities. In fact, Pelosi is more popular in every age group, including seniors. 

And you know what’s crazy? McConnell is close to his all-time high favorabilities! 

Civiqs Results

His numbers go up during partisan movements as Republicans rally in support (during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh and during impeachment, most notably). He’s now fading as voters sour on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, claiming that there’s no urgency to do anything (a dynamic that’s particularly startling among independents). 

Meanwhile, Pelosi has benefitted most from two major successes—taking control of the House in 2018 (when Republicans put her in pretty much every ad they ran that cycle), and impeachment: 

Civiqs Results

Pelosi even got a little bump after she tore up impeached president Donald Trump’s speech at this year’s State of the Union address. 

Republican efforts to paint Pelosi as the nation’s worst villain have failed. See this 2018 ad by the National Republican Campaign Committee in a Houston-area congressional district: 

YouTube Video

The ad ominously claimed, “[Democratic nominee Lizzie Fletcher] wants to fit in with Nancy Pelosi and her liberal agenda. That’s not Texas. Neither is Lizzie Fletcher.” 

Fletcher ousted 18-year incumbent John Culberson by five points. So either 1.) Nancy Pelosi’s liberal agenda is Texas, or 2.) no one gave much of a shit about Nancy Pelosi. And that story was repeated all over the country as Democrats gained 41 seats in their massive wave victory. 

As much as we despair over the state of our nation (Trump’s approval ratings should be 12% or lower), there are bright spots. The fact that the entire might of the conservative right-wing media machine has been unable to drag Pelosi down is one of them. The fact that McConnell is as unpopular as he is, despite a lack of liberal mass media, is another. 

Sometimes, people do pay attention, and make the right choices. And thinking McConnell is a piece of shit is, undoubtedly, the right choice. 

Vulnerable Senate Republicans have a ‘morbidly obese’ problem weighing them down: Trump

Posted on by Kerry Eleveld

It's suddenly occurring to vulnerable Senate Republicans that they're pretty much screwed after giving Donald Trump their seal of approval with an impeachment acquittal, and then watching him consign Americans to death and economic doom.

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, who some consider the walking dead at this point electorally, made a big, headline-grabbing show of urgency earlier this week to light a fire under the butts of his colleagues. 

Wanna help restore responsible leadership to the Senate? Give $2 right now to give Senate Republicans the boot.

"It’s unfathomable that the Senate is set to go on recess without considering any additional #COVID19 assistance for the American people," Gardner wrote, keenly aware that House Democrats had already passed a giant relief bill. "Anyone who thinks now is the time to go on recess hasn’t been listening," he added, noting that Coloradans and Americans alike "are hurting."

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, also facing a tough reelection, joined Gardner in expressing her, shall we say, concern. "The fallout from the coronavirus is unprecedented," she tweeted, saying Congress had a "tremendous responsibility" to help mitigate the crisis. "We must not wait," she urged.

It was a notable break from the GOP caucus given that Trump had visited Capitol Hill just a day earlier to counsel unity among Senate Republicans and tell them to hang tough. So much for that—some of them are starting to sort of/kind of act like they want to save their own behinds. Good luck with that after every single one of them cast votes to saddle America with the leadership of Donald Trump.

But Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell couldn't be moved. McConnell has repeatedly signified zero sense of urgency on bringing any more relief to struggling Americans. And Trump's right there with him. Whatever supposed unity Trump went to the Hill to pitch was really just his way of saying, Do what I need you to do—or else. 

That's why Gardner folded like a house of cards on his empty threat to block the Senate from recessing before they took meaningful action on helping the nearly 40 million Americans who have now filed for unemployment in the past couple of months. 

Cory Gardner�s threat to try to block next week�s recess has been resolved, per John Thune. Gardner had called on the Senate to move ahead with a recovery plan. Thune says Gardner and McConnell have talked about doing �some things down the road.� Senators leaving town for recess

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 21, 2020

Gardner told CNN's Manu Raju they were "close" on "PPP and some other things that will help Colorado," adding the he felt "good" about what they might be able to accomplish. Wow, was that ever an inspiring stand for the people. 

Anyway, vulnerable Senate Republicans are clearly on their own, but it's also clearly not important enough for any of them to grow a spine—just like when they cast their acquittal votes. 

Mitt Romney: Mail Voting ‘Works Very, Very Well’ In Utah

Posted on by Jack Hadfield

Mitt Romney has defended voting by mail, saying that in Utah, the system “works very, very well,” defending recent criticisms of it by the President.

Trump: “Sorry, You Must Not Cheat In Elections”

President Donald Trump has recently slammed vote-by-mail initiatives, noting that it leads to large amounts of voter fraud, writing a number of tweets criticizing Nevada and Michigan specifically for their recent actions of pushing it.

“State of Nevada ‘thinks’ that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S,” the President tweeted. “They can’t! If they do, ‘I think’ I can hold up funds to the State. Sorry, but you must not cheat in elections.”

“Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election,” the President said in a second tweet. “This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path.”

Why Does Romney Want This System?

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Mitt Romney responded to the President’s recent comments, and defended voting by mail.

“In my state, I’ll bet 90% of us vote by mail. It works very very well and it’s a very Republican state,” he said in comments reported by ABC.

Why is Romney backing a system that is one of the most susceptible systems to voter fraud that exist? As a Brit, I know the problems with it. Pretty much all British electoral fraud comes from our postal votes system. Not only does it potentially give access to your vote to others in your household, which removes the anonymity of the secret ballot and can lead to pressuring to vote a certain way, but anyone working in the postal system also has access to your ballot when it’s on the way to be counted.

Personally, I can’t see any reason why Romney wants vote by mail to go through other than to help Joe Biden get into office. He voted to remove President Trump in his impeachment trial, but that failed, so this is therefore the next best thing!

The post Mitt Romney: Mail Voting ‘Works Very, Very Well’ In Utah appeared first on The Political Insider.

Polls Show President Trump Has An Edge On Joe Biden In Crucial Battleground States

Posted on by Guest Author

President Donald Trump has an edge on Joe Biden in key battleground states and also leads with independent voters in those states, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.

Trump Has a Small Lead Over Biden in Battleground States that is Outside the Margin of Error

A CNBC/Change Research poll, taken among 5,408 likely voters in the important battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin from May 15 to May 17, showed Trump with an edge over Biden, 48 percent to 46 percent.

This makes Trump’s lead, however small, outside the 1.9 percent margin of error.

RELATED: New Gallup Poll Shows Donald Trump Approval Rating Up Thanks To Independents

Trump Has a Significant Lead with Independent Voters in These States

Among independent voters in those states, Trump has a substantial lead, polling at 41 percent against Biden’s 32 percent.

On who would handle the COVID-19 crisis better, voters are split. However when it comes to who would do better in handling the economy as we reopen the country, Trumps 51 percent to Biden’s 40 percent.

Republicans are more optimistic about recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.  71% of Republicans think the situation is improving, while Democrats and independents tend to disagree. Only 35 percent of independents believe things are improving and that number drops to 12 percent with Democrats.

Democrats and independents were also found to believe more than Republicans that a second wave of the illness would come by the end of 2020.

More Dems and Independent See a Coronavirus Resurgence This Year than Republicans

CNBC reported, “99% of Democrats say that there is at least a 50-50 chance of a second wave in U.S. infections before the end of the year, with 94% telling pollsters that it will probably or definitely happen. On the other hand, 38% of Republicans said a second wave will probably or definitely not appear, with 41% saying there’s a 50-50 chance.”

“More than 8 in 10 independents see at least a 50-50 chance of a second wave this year, with 37% saying there will definitely be one and 19% saying it is probable,” CNBC noted. “If there is a second wave, swing-state voters are divided over who should be blamed. Democrats overwhelmingly said the two people or groups most responsible would be Trump and states that reopened their economies too soon, while Republicans said it would be the fault of China and Democrats.”

RELATED: Thanks Dems! New Poll Shows Impeachment is Helping Trump in Battleground States

In 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton in all of the battleground states the CNBC/Change Research poll conducted surveys in.

The post Polls Show President Trump Has An Edge On Joe Biden In Crucial Battleground States appeared first on The Political Insider.

A ‘very concerned’ Collins just rubber-stamped another Trump nominee. Of course

Posted on by Joan McCarter

Back in March, Sen. Susan Collins was concerned about Rep. John Ratcliffe, impeached president Trump's pick to serve as director of national intelligence. That was when the nomination was fairly new, after Ratcliffe had already been considered and rejected as a "chicken-plucking liar" in Mark Sumner's perfect words. Since that time, Ratcliffe proved his fealty to Trump in a completely over-the-top impeachment hearing process/Republican shouting competition.

So of course Trump nominated him officially, no doubt appreciating a fellow fabulist, which gave Collins heartburn. As she loves to remind anyone who will listen, she sponsored the legislation which created the DNI position. Back in March, she fretted "I don’t know Congressman Ratcliffe. As the author of the 2004 law that created the director of national intelligence position, I obviously am very concerned about who the nominee is, the qualifications and the commitment to overseeing the intelligence community in order to provide the best-quality intelligence." So much for that.

Collins voted for him in committee Tuesday, in a closed hearing. Which means Collins didn't have to comment on it again. Go figure.

Let's make sure her time is up. Please give $1 to help Democrats in each of these crucial Senate races, but especially the one in Maine!

Juanita Broaddrick Says Tara Reade’s Joe Biden Assault Allegation Gives Her Déjà Vu: ‘I Believe Her’

Posted on by Guest Author

Juanita Broaddrick has long claimed that Bill Clinton raped her in 1978, and she now sees similarities with Tara Reade’s allegations against Joe Biden.

Both women accused high profile national Democratic leaders of sexual crimes only to see their stories dismissed for the most part by the mainstream media. According to Broaddrick, this prompted her to contact Reade a few weeks ago.

Broaddrick: ‘This is a very, very believable woman’

“I just told her, any time she needed anything or wanted to talk, to call me and she almost immediately called me,” Broaddrick told Fox News. “I believe her. I spoke with her on the phone, we spoke at length… this is a very, very believable woman.”

RELATED: Alyssa Milano Finally Shows Support For Biden Accuser Tara Reade After Widespread Backlash

 

Broaddrick plans to stay in touch with Reade and said that they “text every few days.” Broaddrick admits Reade’s story brought back “too many bad memories” about her tragic history.

In 1998, Broaddrick told NBC’s “Dateline” that Bill Clinton had sexually assaulted her in 1978. NBC chose not to air the story until after the Senate acquitted President Clinton during his impeachment trial in February 1999.

Similarly, Reade has blasted CNN and The New York Times for waiting so long to acknowledge and report her claims against Biden.

“The mainstream media is so liberal and they’re going to support anybody that’s running against a Republican. They’re going to be there, regardless of what’s been brought up about that person,” Broaddrick said, pointing to the hypocrisy of the media coverage of Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault which became part of his Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 2018.

The Larry King 1993 Segment Raised the Stakes

“It’s got to get to the point that politics do not play a part in this,” Broaddrick said. “It just depends what side of the aisle they’re on. If they’re against Trump, they’re not going to come out for Tara Reade. And Tara Reade is not a Trump supporter.”

Broaddrick noted the new developments of Reade’s late mother calling in to “Larry King Live” in 1993 and alluding to Biden’s alleged assault against her daughter while working for the then-senator.

“She texted me after the Larry King thing came out and said, ‘Isn’t that great, my momma coming from the beyond,’” Broaddrick said. “My father died when I was 26 or 27, and I’ve always wondered what he would have done had he been alive when I was raped by Bill Clinton… I was his girl, he was so protective over me.”

 

Broaddrick feels that CNN and other mainstream outlets have only started covering Reade’s claims over the last few days because they now have no choice.

“Just like NBC was finally forced to play my ‘Dateline’ interview,” she said. “They did not want to play that but they waited until after the impeachment to run it.”

Broaddrick also addressed #MeToo originator and activist Alyssa Milano denying Reade’s claims before coming around somewhat recently.

“(Milano) came right out and, immediately, said this was suspicious and felt like Tara Reade was lying. And then she said Tara Reade needs to be heard because she got so much backlash, she said.

RELATED: Hillary Says Kavanaugh Accuser Deserves ‘Benefit Of The Doubt’; Juanita Broaddrick Fires Back

Broaddrick Blasts Hillary Clinton and Her Joe Biden Endorsement

Then Broaddrick turned to Hillary Clinton’s recent endorsement of presumed 2020 Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

“You knew that Hillary would probably come out for Biden, but the way that she did it expounding on his virtues was obscene,” Broaddrick said. “She must want to be the vice presidential nominee, no doubt, and I feel like this is just the road to it.”

Broaddrick joked that a Biden-Clinton ticket could use as its slogan, “Vote for Joe, he’s not as bad as Bill.”

The post Juanita Broaddrick Says Tara Reade’s Joe Biden Assault Allegation Gives Her Déjà Vu: ‘I Believe Her’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

Susan Collins has nothing to say about lessons in latest post-impeachment retaliation from Trump

Posted on by Joan McCarter

Sen. Susan Collins didn't even manage to work herself up to "concerned" in reacting to impeached president Donald Trump's firing of Michael Atkinson from his post as Intelligence Community inspector general. "I have long been a strong advocate for the Inspectors General," the senator, a member of the Senate Select Committee Intelligence wrote.

Then she fluffed herself a bit. "In 2008, I coauthored with former Senators Claire McCaskill and Joe Lieberman The Inspector General Reform Act (P.L. 110-40), which among other provisions requires the President to notify the Congress 30 days prior to the removal of an Inspector General along with the reasons for the removal. In notifying Congress yesterday, the President followed the procedures in that law," and here's where we finally get to her reaction. "I did not find his rationale for removing Inspector General Atkinson to be persuasive."

Let's make sure her time is up. Please give $1 to help Democrats in each of these crucial Senate races, but especially the one in Maine!

So what are you going to do about it, Senator? "While I recognize that the President has the authority to appoint and remove Inspectors General, I believe Inspector General Atkinson served the Intelligence Community and the American people well, and his removal was not warranted." Oh, that's it? You're not going to do anything? Even fret your brow?

Fortunately for Collins, this time Trump has retaliated against a perceived enemy, there aren't any reporters around to remind her about that whole "the president has learned from" impeachment nonsense. She gets to issue statements from self-isolation without having to face questions about her own culpability for Trump's actions.