Can Congress Get a Witness?
Plus, Why Are You a Patriot?
Recently at The Bulwark:
CHARLIE SYKES: The Right Normalizes Anti-Semitism.
JVL: Republicans Are Suddenly Doing A Little Bit Better Everywhere. Why?
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MONA CHAREN: Why Are You a Patriot?
A few months ago, some marketer got hold of my cell phone number and Iāve been deluged ever since with text appeals from MAGA world and the GOP. A sample from just the last few days:
āMona, youāre the lucky winner of our Trump Rally Blitz. Claim your prize in 10 minutes.ā
āItās Ron Johnson, I have one small request, no $ involved. Can you submit your endorsement of me? Just tap this link now. Thank you.ā
āIMPEACH BIDEN POLL DUE TONIGHT! Mona, weāre begging, please take 30 seconds to join fellow patriots and take the official GOP poll.ā
An American president doesnāt have to be a loud showman to be an aspiring autocrat. The genteel Woodrow Wilson censored the media and threw his political enemies in jail. The years 1917-1921 were some of the darkest days of our democracy. Adam Hochschild joins Charlie Sykes today.
Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice. Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
AMANDA CARPENTER: Can Congress Get a Witness?
Former Trump National Security Advisor John Boltonās brain is like a triangular pinball machine where his ideas rocket around three governing bumpers: One, heās always right. Two, the Democrats are always wrong. And, three, heāll always be a good Republican.
He remains steadfast in his conviction that he was justified in refusing to testify in Donald Trumpās first impeachment because the Democrats didnāt press him hard enough, and he frequently serves this up as evidence of why Democrats are to blame for Trumpās continued menace on the American electorate. Bolton has made this point in his book, many media appearances, and most recently, a Wall Street Journal review of Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjianās new book Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congressās Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump.
SHAY KHATIRI: No, Kevin McCarthy, Our Aid to Ukraine Is Not a āBlank Check.ā
Get ready: Republicans are gearing up for a fight over the fight over Ukraine.
In a recent interview, Kevin McCarthyāthe Republican leader hoping next monthās midterms will make him speaker of the Houseāsaid, āI think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and theyāre not going to write a blank check to Ukraine.ā McCarthy has a pointānot about aid to Ukraine, which remains a foreign policy imperative, but about the mood among rank-and-file members of the House GOP conference.
The same day the McCarthy interview was posted, Axios reported that Rep. Scott Perry, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, texted members of the conservative group about laying groundwork for investigating the Biden administration for its handling of the Ukraine crisis, suggesting that the president may not have been forthcoming with the American people about his goals in the conflict.
šØOVERTIME šØ
Happy Thursday! I look forward to meeting some of you tonight at our Bulwark live event! As a result, todayās Overtime will be a little shorter than usual. Itās weird being in D.C., which, frankly, I rarely am due to the pandemic.
One thing that has struck me is the change in parking. Back when I used to commute in and pay (a fortune) for parking, I knew I always had a place to park. But now? A night event? A garage that has parking beyond 6 or 7? Pretty rare!
Conor Beck, RIP. A fine tribute to my old intern.
The Failures of Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crowā¦ A worthwhile podcast at Connorās Forum.
Thatās it for me. Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message.
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