Relax, Cousins
Brian Stewart on the U.S.-UK relationship.
Editor’s note: The Internet (writ large) is having some struggles today, so if when you get this and click through and it doesn’t load, it’s not a you problem and will resolve itself shortly.
Leading The Bulwark…
Relax, Cousins
Brian Stewart: Trump was no ‘great friend’ to the U.K.—and a Biden administration will be no curse.
Undoing the damage done to the country’s elaborately constructed and long-maintained system of alliances will be the first order of business for the incoming Biden administration. America’s allies will be watching closely to ascertain whether Biden’s promise of improved alliance-maintenance is more than mere rhetoric. In light of Biden’s 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 Trump’s performance, which has been almost uniformly dreadful.
🎧On the Pods…🎧
Adam J. White: Trump's Farewell Fiasco
On today’s Bulwark podcast, Adam J. White joins Charlie Sykes to discuss his recent item on why the President’s post-election lawsuits matter, Bill Barr’s election memo, the silence of the GOP on Trump’s rhetoric, and the GOP’s electoral college hypocrisy.
FOR BULWARK+ MEMBERS🔒
Secret Podcast: The Day After Tomorrow
Guess what? We have to save democracy. Again. Already.
If you’re not a member of Bulwark+, you can’t enjoy our extra newsletters and podcasts. We hope you’ll join us, because there’s a lot to break down between now and the Inauguration and into Biden administration.
From The Bulwark Aggregator…
AAA Rips Tow Truck Driver Who Refused to Aid Biden Supporter: ‘We Stand For Community And For Our Members’ – Tommy Christopher, Mediaite
Poll: 70 percent of Republicans don’t think the election was free and fair – Catherine Kim, Politico
DOJ official quits after Barr move on election fraud allegations – Celine Castronuovo, The Hill
Top Republicans back Trump’s efforts to challenge election results – Amy Gardner, Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey and Emma Brown, The Washington Post
The Failure That Could Haunt Democrats for a Decade – Russell Berman, The Atlantic
MAGA Maniacs Have Booked Trump’s D.C. Hotel Up Solid for His Inauguration – Michael Daly, The Daily Beast
The Quick Count vs. The Slow Burn – Will Truman, Arc Digital
In Today’s Bulwark…
Donald Trump’s Last (?) Big Lie
Aaron Friedberg and Gabriel Schoenfeld: His reckless post-election behavior—and 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 Barr’s Election Memo: Justice Delayed
Adam J. White: Read the attorney general not literally, but seriously.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
The Georgia circular firing squad continues… 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, here’s an article on their canine mascot, Chesty.
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"It’s 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, there’s 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 Saturday’s 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 doesn’t appear to be a speaker’s 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. Here’s 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 wouldn’t you know? It was a TikTok “star” 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, it’s not. But making this to make a name for yourself? Shameful. A pox on people like this.
The wave of coming pardons… 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. Trump’s pardons will be closely scrutinized for any purpose to thwart an investigation or pending prosecution threatening to him, a family member or close associate.
I’ve been anti-Trump since day one. And back at TWS—in the previous format of this newsletter—opined that Republicans needed to consider impeachment if they couldn’t get the President to promise he wouldn’t pardon himself.
Of course they didn’t do either. Even when impeachable articles came to their attention.
This day was long coming. And it’s a long sprint until 1/20/21.
Trump is selling his private helicopter. Yahoo news reports. This isn’t the end of Trump’s 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.
Here’s one way to destroy the RNC even faster… Put Donald Trump, Jr. and his girlfriend (the ex-wife of liberal CA Gov. Gavin Newsom) in charge of the RNC. I don’t 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!
That’s it for me today. If you have questions, comments, or thoughts, send them my way: swift@thebulwark.com.
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