Relax, Cousins
Brian Stewart on the U.S.-UK relationship.
Editorās note: The Internet (writ large) is having some struggles today, so if when you get this and click through and it doesnāt load, itās not a you problem and will resolve itself shortly.
Leading The Bulwarkā¦
Relax, Cousins
Brian Stewart: Trump was no āgreat friendā to the U.K.āand a Biden administration will be no curse.
Undoing the damage done to the countryās elaborately constructed and long-maintained system of alliances will be the first order of business for the incoming Biden administration. Americaās allies will be watching closely to ascertain whether Bidenās promise of improved alliance-maintenance is more than mere rhetoric. In light of Bidenās long-honed political instincts, as well as the contemporary nature of the Democratic party, the results will probably be mixed. But this will stand in stark contrast to Trumpās performance, which has been almost uniformly dreadful.
š§On the Podsā¦š§
Adam J. White: Trump's Farewell Fiasco
On todayās Bulwark podcast, Adam J. White joins Charlie Sykes to discuss his recent item on why the Presidentās post-election lawsuits matter, Bill Barrās election memo, the silence of the GOP on Trumpās rhetoric, and the GOPās electoral college hypocrisy.
FOR BULWARK+ MEMBERSš
Secret Podcast: The Day After Tomorrow
Guess what? We have to save democracy. Again. Already.
If youāre not a member of Bulwark+, you canāt enjoy our extra newsletters and podcasts. We hope youāll join us, because thereās a lot to break down between now and the Inauguration and into Biden administration.
From The Bulwark Aggregatorā¦
AAA Rips Tow Truck Driver Who Refused to Aid Biden Supporter: āWe Stand For Community And For Our Membersā ā Tommy Christopher, Mediaite
Poll: 70 percent of Republicans donāt think the election was free and fair ā Catherine Kim, Politico
DOJ official quits after Barr move on election fraud allegations ā Celine Castronuovo, The Hill
Top Republicans back Trumpās efforts to challenge election results ā Amy Gardner, Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey and Emma Brown, The Washington Post
The Failure That Could Haunt Democrats for a Decade ā Russell Berman, The Atlantic
MAGA Maniacs Have Booked Trumpās D.C. Hotel Up Solid for His Inauguration ā Michael Daly, The Daily Beast
The Quick Count vs. The Slow Burn ā Will Truman, Arc Digital
In Todayās Bulwarkā¦
Donald Trumpās Last (?) Big Lie
Aaron Friedberg and Gabriel Schoenfeld: His reckless post-election behaviorāand how we can start to heal the damage it caused.
Be Alarmed
William Kristol: Things are probably going to work out okay. But complacency in the defense of democracy is not a virtue.
Bill Barrās Election Memo: Justice Delayed
Adam J. White: Read the attorney general not literally, but seriously.
šØOVERTIMEšØ
The Georgia circular firing squad continuesā¦ These are current members of Congress (and the ones they elected for 117th Congress, including a QAnon adherent.)
Happy Birthday, USMC! Living in the shadow of MCB Quantico, the Marines are a big part of our community. They were founded this day in 1775. And since The Bulwark is a pro-dog publication, hereās an article on their canine mascot, Chesty.
āDoes anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"Itās also the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was an ore ship bound for Cleveland that sunk on Lake Superior today in 1975. It also spurred the famous Gordon Lightfoot song and, since many of the dead were from Northern Ohio. It inspired a beer, a porter, from Great Lakes Brewing Company, across the street from my high school. So if you can find it near you, buy one and think of the 29 dead.
Before it became illegal to visit such shipwrecks, two divers were among the first to visit.
Washington might finally get its crazy election reaction. This Saturday, thereās a Trump March taking place, and hoo boy, look at its webpage. Look, I get that people were rightly happy about a Biden victory, but celebrating in a non-socially distant way was irresponsible. This event will likely be much smaller in scale than last Saturdayās sporadic celebrations by D.C. swamp-dwellers.
But please do me a favor and scroll down to the large list of names and organizations (it doesnāt appear to be a speakerās list) and go all the way to the bottom. And understand: these quacks, grifters, and fringe gadflies are what motivate the MAGA right. And thus, largely influence the mainstream GOP apparatus. Hereās a taste:
Keep in mind: Allen West is the Chairman of the Texas Republican Party.
Were there not a pandemic, I 100% would watch to behold the crazy, but alas there is, so I am going to sleep in.
A reminder: TikTok is bad. A friend of mine sent me a viral TikTok of a guy destroying Trump ballots on camera. Having done poll watching and worked in politics, I immediately knew it was performative bullshit. I did 20 seconds of research and wouldnāt you know? It was a TikTok āstarā trying to (irresponsibly) grow their brand. Ordinary people fall for fake news every day, and sometimes it is their fault because they want to confirm their priors. Most times, itās not. But making this to make a name for yourself? Shameful. A pox on people like this.
The wave of coming pardonsā¦ Jack Goldsmith at the New York Times:
Still, there are limits to a pardon spree. As Attorney General William Barr testified during his confirmation process, a pardon granted in order to corrupt a judicial proceeding can amount to a criminal obstruction of justice. Mr. Trumpās pardons will be closely scrutinized for any purpose to thwart an investigation or pending prosecution threatening to him, a family member or close associate.
Iāve been anti-Trump since day one. And back at TWSāin the previous format of this newsletterāopined that Republicans needed to consider impeachment if they couldnāt get the President to promise he wouldnāt pardon himself.
Of course they didnāt do either. Even when impeachable articles came to their attention.
This day was long coming. And itās a long sprint until 1/20/21.
Trump is selling his private helicopter. Yahoo news reports. This isnāt the end of Trumpās made-for-TV jets and helicopter visits. My prediction? Trump will buy a military surplus Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King and paint it to look like Marine One, but with tweaks, and use that fly everywhere. Laying down a marker.
What Trump election trutherism has wrought. Fringe candidates who lost by 40% points saying their election was rigged.
Hereās one way to destroy the RNC even fasterā¦ Put Donald Trump, Jr. and his girlfriend (the ex-wife of liberal CA Gov. Gavin Newsom) in charge of the RNC. I donāt think Ronna Romney McDaniel is going to jump to being introspective about Trumpism anytime soon, so the quicker we can tank this iteration of the GOP is all good by me.
Go Liddy.
Talk about full circle!
Thatās it for me today. If you have questions, comments, or thoughts, send them my way: swift@thebulwark.com.
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