The Insurrectionists Are Coming
Plus, Utah Democrats get serious about Democracy.
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A.B. Stoddard: The Insurrectionists Are Coming.
If the Kevin McCarthy tapes taught us all anything, itās that the man is game to harbor criminals. And once someone with power does that, what wonāt they do? Positioned to be third in line to the presidency nine months from now as speaker of the House, McCarthy will lead a conference of radicals, nihilists, and some people who likely committed federal crimes.
Shouldnāt Democrats be talking about this?
This is not the same group of Republicans who Democrats defeated in the 2018 midterms. That weak and compromised conference was in Trumpās thrall, but had not yet tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power. Today there are GOP members of Congress who were involved in what January 6th Select Committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin describes as an āorchestrated, premeditated assault on our system of government.ā
And so Democrats campaigning to defend their majority should warn the people they represent about this fact now, rather than just complaining about it next year.
Whatās Musk going to do to Twitter? Plus, Greg Abbottās costly border performance, San Franciscoās become too woke for Democrats, and Kevin McCarthy is not only groveling, heās denying he had a flash of decency. Will Saletan is back with Charlie Sykes on todayās podcast.
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MONA CHAREN: In Utah, Democrats Get Serious About Democracy.
The Utah Democratic Party did something extraordinary last week: They threw their support behind a Republican. Well, a former Republican, anyway. Evan McMullin, who ran for president as an independent in 2016, is now seeking to unseat Senator Mike Lee.
At the state Democratic convention, held at Cottonwood High School in Murray (donāt you love democracy?), some delegates were uncomfortable. One told the Deseret News that he ānever imagined my fellow Democrats would disenfranchise me,ā adding that āDemocrats need to be on the ballot.ā But most delegates were swayed by the arguments of former Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams, who vouched for McMullinās integrity and urged that he would help āheal the divideā in Washington. Besides, he said, McMullin has a real path to victory. The Democrats agreed, and with 57 percent voting in favor, elected to join a coalition that also includes the United Utah party to endorse McMullin.
šØOVERTIME šØ
As the rain pours downā¦ and washes away (at least for now) our weaponized pollen, Iām thinking of Chernobyl today because itās the anniversary of the accident. If you havenāt watched the HBO series, you should, but weāre lucky that with Russiaās invasion, things at the former power plant did not go far worse than our status quo.
Meanwhile at the āHall of Justiceāā¦ The LA Sheriff is investigating a journalist for exposing that an agent of the state knelt on a handcuffed prisonerās head for three minutes.
And yet againā¦ Rep. Madison Cawthorn has tried to bring a gun on a plane that wasnāt in checked luggage. This one was a $2k loaded pistol. Will he face any charges? Assuming he wonāt, will he get his gun back? And did he get his last one back? (Longtime readers may recall my lost Swiss Army Knife, confiscated by TSA.)
Funds are running outā¦ For some Afghan refugees in the D.C. area, which as you know, is expensive, the Post reports. Weāre so grateful that our members were able to raise $32k for World Central Kitchen, and know you all were generous to help the refugees when they came. Please consider re-upping a donation if you donated in the past.
Where is the window for the Reds? The downstate Reds are really going through a bad period, and their owners are just throwing gas on the fire.
Tucker to Iowa? God help us. As Shane Goldmacher observes, thereās that old saying āNo one ends up in Iowa by accident.ā
An interesting COVID indicator. I saw this today and had to check it, because it seemed too good to be true. Bad reviews of Yankee candles. Really.
The power of narrativeā¦ At The Atlantic, our friend Molly Jong-Fast weighs in and encourages Democrats to embrace the power of story telling.
Thatās it for me. Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message.
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