What About Cob?

Transition, Transition! Given my news obsession it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that I am not into any of the popular TV and streaming shows that most people watch.  I’ve never seen an episode of The Crown or This Is Us, have made it through only one episode each of Fauda and the Amazing Mrs. Maisel and don’t know a Shtisel from a Mandalorian.  That said, I am addicted to Mark Harmon and NCIS, but I prefer the one-off episodes with happy moralistic endings over those that unfold over multiple weeks. Yesterday’s Biden news conference was a lot like one of one of those happy ending NCIS episodes.  Watching the President-elect’s first set of picks, standing appropriately distanced and wearing masks, talk about their family backgrounds and professional experiences was remarkably refreshing and comforting. No Biden relatives, wedding planners, generals or government deconstructionists in the bunch just Secretary of State nominee Blinken stealing the show and eliciting more than a few tears with the story about how his step-father was rescued from a Holocaust death march by an African American tank soldier. Unfortunately, there will be lots of bumps in the road going forward, a few of the Republican presidential wannabees have already made it clear that they don’t like Biden’s picks, mostly because they’re already jockeying for 2024 and going after Biden’s picks is a way to garner attention and Trump base support assuming Trump doesn’t run too.  Florida’s Marco Rubio who usually fills his tweet stream with Bible verses, diverged from his holier than thou messaging to diss them saying “Biden’s cabinet picks went to Ivy League schools, have strong resumes, attend all the right conferences & will be polite & orderly caretakers of America’s decline…I have no interest in the ‘normal’ that left us reliant on China.”  And Secretary of State Pompeo, one of many of those many Ivy league graduates that the academic credential obsessed Trump appointed and that Rubio finds so offensive, also knocked the Biden nominees saying they “lived in a fantasy world” and “led from behind.”  Pompeo’s views won’t matter, he’ll be gone come January 20,  but Rubio’s are an indication that if Georgia’s two Senate seats remain in Republican hands, the confirmation process for many of Biden’s picks won’t be smooth sailing.  Though a few of the usual Republicans, like Senators Romney, Collins, Murkowski and Sasse have indicated that Biden is entitled to the cabinet of his choice, Senate Leader McConnell is deviously obstructive and others have already expressed concerns about Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas because he was involved with the implementation of Obama’s DACA program and the fluent French speaking, guitar playing Secretary of State nominee Blinken, citing that he once met with Hunter Biden and or one of his laptops.  By the way, the blind buy who owned the computer store where all those laptops were “conveniently” discovered, he’s closed up shop and disappeared.  Of course, Democrats being Democrats, their team is also getting into the action. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is concerned that Blinken won’t tolerate her criticism of Israel and AOC and her progressive forces are circulating petitions against some of Biden’s as yet unannounced picks, including his former chief of staff Bruce Reed, who Biden is rumored to be considering for OMB chief, painting him as a “deficit hawk.”  Well, maybe this episode really isn’t a standalone with a satisfying and immediate happy ending.

Over, Not Over:  The election’s over, Biden now has more than 80 million votes and a 4 percentage point lead over Trump which is the second-largest popular vote margin out of the 21st century’s six presidential elections, with only Obama’s 7 point win in 2008 being greater.  More states including Pennsylvania, Minnesota , Nevada and North Carolina have certified their votes but Trump and his crack team of legal wizards are still suing.  One of those lawsuits seeks to stop the certification of Wisconsin’s votes where a grand total of 400 uncounted ballots were found during the state’s recent recount; Biden’s statewide lead remains above 20,000.   For his part, Trump who continues to ignore the raging coronavirus, found time yesterday to hold a super brief impromptu press conference to brag about the Dow Industrial average hitting 30,000, before pardoning Corn, this year’s lucky Turkey who beat out Cob.  Today Trump is off to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with Rudy Giuliani to attend a faux “hearing” on election fraud being held by real Republican state lawmakers largely because some of them hope to get his support in the event that they decide to run for the Senate seat that will be opening up in 2022 as a result of the planned retirement of the state’s Republican Senator Pat Toomey.  Two things to note, that stock market index that Trump bragged about, it’s up because the markets are relieved that Trump finally authorized the formal transition to Biden. Somehow or other despite Trump’s pre-election warning, the markets haven’t crashed as a result of Biden’s victory.   Second, the US virus death count is at 259,364, 2100 of those people died yesterday, more than 85,000 are hospitalized and the number of US confirmed cases is above 12.4 million, but sure a jaunt to Gettysburg to learn about phony election fraud, that’s a good use of Trump’s time during a PANDEMIC.  One piece of good news, Biden’s transition squads have landed and are at work and though Biden hasn’t chatted with virus guru Fauci yet, his virus team has.

Wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

56 Days