I’ve been thinking about this since the day after the election and been going back and forth on whether to say someone else should do it or just do it myself. Still not sure which, but here goes. It would be very beneficial for Democrats to create scorecards right now charting where inflation, unemployment and GDP were at the end of Biden’s term and regularly updating it with Trump’s latest numbers. One of the smaller benefits of this is these three numbers are currently pretty hard to beat. You can only get them slightly lower or higher, depending on which statistic you’re referring to, and you can get them much further into bad territory. I’d also add percentage of people with health insurance, even though that’s not normally considered an economic marker.
Continue reading “My Kingdom for Some Scorecards”When The Allegations Beat You
Matt Gaetz consciously decoupled from Donald Trump earlier on Thursday when he took himself out of consideration for attorney general.
Continue reading “When The Allegations Beat You”Matt Gaetz Withdraws From AG Consideration
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) announced in a Thursday X post that he is pulling himself out of consideration to be attorney general in the incoming Trump administration after spending Wednesday in meetings with Senate Republicans.
Continue reading “Matt Gaetz Withdraws From AG Consideration”Sailing Due North Through the Seas of Post-Election Hyperbole
For years I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Tom Edsall, the one-time Washington Post reporter and author who now writes a weekly column about politics for the Times. The love/hate has a temporal dimension. When I was first getting interested in politics as a teen and young adult I was very taken with Edsall’s books. They were very smart and opened my thinking to new ways to approach political questions, particularly how to think about political economy. In recent years he almost always drives me to distraction. I can’t tell you whether he’s changed or I have or, more likely, we’re just no longer in sync. In the 21st century, Edsall seems always to approach big questions with the idea that regardless of the situation it must be a disaster for the Democratic Party.
In any case, I was reading his latest column, which ends up raising some interesting questions about the politics of liberalism and freedom, building off a column by Noah Smith. Edsall starts with a premise that I think is clearly true. Over the last fifteen years or so, many of the more active Democrats (“strong Democrats,” they’re called in this piece) have moved significantly to the left not only of the median voter but even of the median Democrat on issues tied to sexuality, immigration, race, etc. It’s worth noting that being to the left of the median voter doesn’t mean you’re wrong. And it goes without saying — though it remains curiously unsaid in these discussions — that the same is true of party activists on the right. Still, that can create electoral challenges that need to be managed. That’s what the whole Jentleson/Favreau conversation about “saying no” is about.
So far, so good.
North Carolina GOP Uses Waning Supermajority To Strip Power From Newly Elected State Dems
The North Carolina Republican-controlled legislature is attempting to pass a sweeping bill — a power grab tucked inside a hurricane relief bill — in a blatant attempt to shift power away from newly elected statewide Democrats just weeks before Republicans lose their supermajority in the state General Assembly.
Continue reading “North Carolina GOP Uses Waning Supermajority To Strip Power From Newly Elected State Dems”New Details Released On Sexual Assault Allegation Against Hegseth
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
Police Report Lands As Hegseth Heads To Hill
Fox News host Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, is on the Hill today meeting with senators (many of whom he has previously disparaged) – after the city of Monterey, California released late yesterday the police report on the 2017 sexual assault complaint against Hegseth.
The police report contains accounts given to officers from the alleged victim, who is referred to as “Jane Doe,” and from Hegseth himself. Hegseth denies a sexual assault took place and claims it was a consensual sexual encounter. He was never charged with a crime.
- “The documents offer the most detailed account yet of the steps police took to investigate Hegseth as part of an incident that has been roiling Trump’s team since the former president announced the former Fox host was his pick to run the military.”–WaPo
- “The woman, who helped organize the California Federation of Republican women gathering at which Hegseth spoke, told police that she had witnessed the TV anchor acting inappropriately throughout the night and saw him stroking multiple women’s thighs. She texted a friend that Hegseth was giving off a “creeper” vibe, according to the report.”–Associated Press
- “A California woman told police that Trump Cabinet pick Pete Hegseth physically blocked her from leaving a hotel room, took her phone, and then sexually assaulted her even though she “remembered saying ‘no’ a lot,” a police report obtained by CNN shows.”–CNN
- “The woman, referred to throughout the report as Jane Doe, said Mr. Hegseth took her phone, blocked his hotel room door when she tried to leave, and sexually assaulted her, ejaculating on her stomach. She said that her memory was hazy, and that she had drunk far more alcohol than usual throughout the day.”–NYT
Gaetz Twists On The Vine
The Gaetz nomination is probably the most imperiled of any of Trump’s current nominees, which is saying a lot considering the Pete Hegseth revelations and the laughable Tulsi Gabbard nomination. But there’s still no public opposition to Gaetz among GOP senators, so there’s no predicting how this goes.
With Vice President-elect JD Vance in tow, Gaetz made the rounds to Senate offices Wednesday. Among the day’s developments:
- On the evenly divided House Ethics Committee, the Republican members reportedly voted against releasing the committee’s report on Gaetz’s ethical wrongdoing, including allegations of under-age sex and illicit drug use. Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-MS) incensed committee Democrats by suggesting publicly that they had somehow gone along with Republicans or had merely failed to reach an agreement.
- “Federal investigators have established a web of payments among Matt Gaetz and dozens of friends and associates who are said to have taken part with him in drug-fueled sex parties, according to a document obtained by The New York Times.”–NYT
- “[A] strategic divide has emerged between Trump’s transition team and his biggest Senate boosters. Sources familiar with the process say the Trump team has yet to articulate a clear plan for winning the confirmation fight, as even some public Gaetz supporters in the Senate tell us there’s no path to 50 votes.”–Punchbowl
Absurdity Of The Day
Politico paints this fantastical scene at the Capitol, featuring none other than ousted Rep. George Santos (R-NY) searching for the fading limelight:
In a manifestation of the tumult, expelled Rep. George Santos, the recent subject of another Ethics Committee report, stopped by the Capitol to get in on the action, threatening to yell at Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) in defense of Gaetz.
“If he runs away from me, I’ll go stand in front of his office and scream at him, through his door,” Santos said, standing outside the Capitol looking for Guest.
So Much For Trump Distancing Himself From Project 2025
Trump has picked or is leaning towards picking five people connected by name to the notorious Project 2025 that he spent the last stretch of the campaign disclaiming any knowledge of:
- former Trump OMB Director Russ Vought in a repeat performance as OMB director;
- former Trump DNI John Ratcliffe as CIA director;
- Tom Homan as White House “border czar”;
- Brendan Carr, as head of the FCC;
- former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), as ambassador to Canada
The Trump II Clown Show
- former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker: ambassador to NATO
- former ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra: ambassador to Canada
Trump Transition Tidbits
- NYT: Trump Recruits His Season 2 Cast Straight From the Small Screen
- Dara Lind: What ‘Mass Deportation’ Actually Means
- NYT: Dr. Oz, Tapped to Run Medicare, Has a Record of Promoting Health Misinformation
The Faintest Murmur Of GOP Opposition To Trump
- “GOP Sen. Rand Paul denounced President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to deploy the military to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants upon his return to office, saying it would be a ‘huge mistake’ and a misuse of military personnel.”–Politico
- “Republican senators have balked at Trump potentially forgoing the routine FBI background checks to install former Representative Matt Gaetz as attorney general as well as other controversial nominees like Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon and Tulsi Gabbard, another former House member, to run national intelligence.”–Bloomberg
- “Nikki Haley has a blunt assessment of Donald Trump’s choices of Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for high-profile roles in his administration.”–Politico
Always Read Tressie
Tressie Mcmillan Cottom explores how Donald Trump “managed to assemble a constituency of overlapping online communities that, in particular, are listening for archetypes and aesthetics, not policy.”
TPM EXCLUSIVE
A new piece from TPM’s Josh Kovensky:
A feeding frenzy has broken out among Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and their lawyers over how to secure the long-promised clemency from Donald Trump. Even though Trump doesn’t take office for another two months, they’re scrambling to flatter him, strategize over whom to contact, and generally push their way to the front of the line — even though there may not formally be one — to ensure that they receive pardons, and receive them as quickly as possible.
Rudy G At Risk Of Contempt Of Court
Georgia election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman have moved for a civil contempt of court finding against Rudy Giuliani in their defamation case, pointing out to the federal judge in DC that he has continued to defame them in violation of the permanent injunction he agreed to in order to resolve related claims against him.
For The Record
“House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Wednesday that transgender individuals would not be allowed into restroom facilities in the Capitol and House office buildings that do not correspond with their sex assigned at birth, announcing the rule change about two weeks after Democrat Sarah McBride of Delaware became the first openly transgender individual elected to Congress.”–WaPo
The Election Revived The Anti-Abortion Movement
“Anti-abortion advocates are moving aggressively in the wake of the election to devise new measures to punish people and organizations that help women get abortions, feeling emboldened to crack down on the flow of abortion pills into states with bans and no longer burdened by fear of political backlash.”–WaPo
ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu
“The International Criminal Court said Thursday it has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging they committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the offensive in the Gaza Strip, including the use of starvation as a weapon and directing attacks against civilians.”–WSJ
Just Preach
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) goes off on Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) after he used the word “oppression” during a committee hearing on the “Dismantle DEI Act”:
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Trump Wants Unilateral Power To Destroy Nonprofits. Congress Can Block It.
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
If passed, a bill set for a Thursday morning vote in the House would allow the treasury secretary to unilaterally strip the tax-exempt status from any nonprofit organization the secretary chooses to accuse of supporting terrorism.
Continue reading “Trump Wants Unilateral Power To Destroy Nonprofits. Congress Can Block It.”Lindsey Graham Is Giving His Colleagues A New Line To Defend Gaetz: ‘Unverified Allegations’
Now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Vice President-elect JD Vance were making the rounds on Capitol Hill Wednesday, meeting with Senate Republicans who, understandably, seem to be struggling to suppress their gag reflex when considering Gaetz’s attorney general nomination.
Their meeting with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was (it appears) a particular success for the incoming Trump administration. The longtime Donald Trump defender and South Carolina senator came out of that meeting with a new talking point for his colleagues to latch onto, if they so choose: the allegations against Gaetz are unproven, regardless of what is in the House Ethics Committee’s report.
Continue reading “Lindsey Graham Is Giving His Colleagues A New Line To Defend Gaetz: ‘Unverified Allegations’”House Ethics Republicans Vote To Bury Gaetz Report As Senate Gears Up For ‘Kavanaugh On Steroids’
After a closed-door meeting that lasted almost two and half hours, House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) on Wednesday said that the members did not come to an agreement to release the report on its investigation of now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
“There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report,” Guest said to a crowd of reporters waiting outside the committee room as he left the meeting.
Continue reading “House Ethics Republicans Vote To Bury Gaetz Report As Senate Gears Up For ‘Kavanaugh On Steroids’”Inside The Frenzy Among Jan. 6 Plotters To Snag A Trump Pardon
The far-right extremists who planned the attack on Congress on January 6 and who were hit with the longest prison sentences for their actions that day are now pushing for pardons from Donald Trump as he prepares to take office for a second time.
Continue reading “Inside The Frenzy Among Jan. 6 Plotters To Snag A Trump Pardon”