40 Days If We Make it

Sedition Anyone?   To paraphrase Ben Franklin, a republic, if you can keep it, is a good thing.  Right now that good thing is in danger, under attack from within.  Yesterday, 106 Republican Congresspeople joined with the 17 red state attorneys general who had previously signed on, indicating their support for the case initiated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to have Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania’s election results thrown out so that Trump can be crowned the “real” winner of the November election. It’s not clear what really motivates any of these duplicitous  characters, a handful may really believe that the election was rigged due to all those “fraudulent” absentee ballots, a few more may just be thoroughly demented Trump cultists, others like one local Pennsylvania representative may fear that failure to show fealty to Trump will result in their homes being bombed, but most have probably concluded that their personal political aspirations are best served by aligning with Trump, democratic principles be damned. Trump of course is thrilled, yesterday he flew a few of those Republican attorneys general to the White House to express his appreciation, maybe he promised some antibody cocktails if they turn up COVID positive, a heightened risk to anyone visiting his virus invested lair which explains why the Biden people plan to have the General Services Administration fumigate it with aerosol mists before he moves in. No doubt, Texas AG Paxton, used some of his alone time with Trump to press for the pardon he needs to get out from under his own mounting legal problems, nothing like a quid pro quo among friends.  

On the bright side a few Republican attorneys general are resisting Trump’s pleas; Idaho’s AG Lawrence Wasden announced his refusal to join the effort because “the legally correct decision may not be the politically convenient decision. But my responsibility is to the State of Idaho and the rule of law.”  Even Texas Senator John Cornyn knows the effort to undermine the election is wrong, he questioned why a state, “even a such a great state as Texas should have a say-so on how other states administer their elections?" Quite a contrast from his colleague Ted Cruz who is committed to arguing on Trump’s behalf in the unlikely event that the case makes it to the Supreme Court, clearly Cruz knows that’s not going to happen, or shouldn’t happen, but he’s all-in on scoring points since he hopes to run for president again if and when Trump ever steps aside and needs to be seen as a Trumpist to secure the support of Trump’s base. In the brief he filed in response to the Texas suit, Pennsylvania’s AG Josh Shapiro called the bid to invalidate the four states election results a “seditious abuse of the judicial process" going on to urge the Supreme Court justices to "send a clear and unmistakable signal that such abuse must never be replicated.”  The AGs from the three other affected states, including Georgia’s Republican AG Chris Carr who at the urging of Georgia Senator David Perdue was warned by Trump to step aside or else, filed similar briefs. No surprise that Senators Perdue and Loeffler are totally team Trump on this, for personal reasons of course as they need him to help rally his base to support them in their upcoming runoffs.  Placing personal ambitions over principles and country is clearly the Republican party’s new raison d'etre.  The expectation is that SCOTUS will dismiss this suit as soon as today’s end, but at the very least before Monday’s Electoral College vote.  Even if they do, the end isn’t in sight.  Trump’s squad plan to continue their battle at least until January 6 throwing as many wrenches in to the process. Let’s hope that wrenches are the only thing that gets thrown, Trump’s rabid supporters are energized and teetering on the edge and it won’t take much more for them to go postal. 

Viral Musings:  The death count is rising, it’s up to 293,360, and there’s no room left in a lot of hospitals but the vaccine is on its way, well on it’s way to a selected few health care providers and congregate care residents, the rest of us will have to wait months for our arm pokes.  Yesterday, the FDA’s advisory panel of experts greenlighted the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine sending its recommendation on to FDA Head Stephen Hahn. The panel’s recommendation wasn’t unanimous, a few expressed concern about teens receiving the shot but overall the conclusion was that it’s both safe and effective for those over seventeen with more study needed before signing off on younger people, pregnant women, babies and people with certain underlying conditions.  After the remaining approval steps are completed vaccine deliveries to selected hospitals across the country will begin, as soon as this weekend, but no later than Monday.  By the way, according to the NY Times the facts behind the Trump team’s failure to preorder more of Pfizer’s vaccine when they had the chance are even worse than previously reported. Not only were larger amounts offered up, but they were offered up several times with no prepayment required.  Yet those offers were swatted aside putting the US to the back of Pfizer’s growing order line.  Unless something changes, or Biden’s team can get another experienced pharmaceutical manufacturer to help Pfizer ramp up production, if that’s even possible, we won’t be receiving more Pfizer vaccines until the end of June. Is now a good time to mention that Moderna whose mRNA vaccine is expected to be approved next doesn’t have a production track record?  

Et Cetera:  Senate Leader Mitch McConnell is still playing a sadistic game of Lucy and the football with coronavirus relief legislation possibly because the nefarious turtle wants to hand off as damaged as an economy as he can to President-elect Biden or perhaps because he really doesn’t care about the food and housing insecure set or both.  Biden continues to announce advisor and cabinet appointments.  Yesterday’s selections included some former Obama officials: former national security advisor Susan Rice to run the White House Domestic Policy Council and former chief of staff Denis McDonough to run the VA. Biden is being criticized by some progressives for sticking with experienced Obama hands, but really given the mess we’re in maybe seasoned people running things is a good idea until the ship can be righted.  By the way Pete Buttigieg is still in the running for something, possibly an Ambassadorship where he can put his language skills to use while building up his international chops.

Happy Hanukkah!