Monitoring Biden and other Contemporary Events

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”

Jan. 6, 2021: ‘Good morning, PPT’
On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Marcelle Pomerleau, Leahy’s wife and life partner of more than 60 years, woke him up with a greeting: “Good morning, PPT.”

With Rafael Warnock’s expected runoff victory in Georgia, Democrats appeared poised to be back in the majority, which meant Leahy — the most senior senator — would for a second time become president pro tempore of the Senate.

Having a driver was fine, Leahy told his wife that morning, but he did not need the big security detail that came with the role. He thought about the exchange that afternoon as heavily armed officers whisked him and his fellow senators to a secure room in the Senate complex. A violent mob of Trump’s supporters had stormed the Capitol, and they eventually took control of the Senate floor in an attempt to stop the counting of electoral votes that would certify President Joe Biden’s victory. Watching the horror unfold on TV, Leahy had flashbacks to how, as a 21-year-old Georgetown law student, he would walk to the Capitol, sit in the Senate gallery and listen as the senators debated.

As the attack continued, members of “the world’s most deliberative body” began debating in the secured room. Nothing in the Constitution stated the senators had to certify the election from the Senate and House chambers; they could do it off-site at a military installation, or even from within this Senate conference room.

Leahy was having none of it.

“I’m the dean who’s about to become president pro tem. I’m the longest-serving person here. I care about the Senate. I don’t want us hiding down here,” Leahy recalled telling his colleagues. “The American public, no matter how we vote, they have a right to see us on the floor. Let’s wait till it’s clear. Get the bomb dogs in, whatever time it takes. We get paid by the year. Let’s stay here and vote where we can be seen.”

Leahy said he got a standing ovation in the room from colleagues in both parties. Top congressional leaders, hunkered down at Fort McNair, and then-Vice President Mike Pence, sequestered in a nearby Senate parking garage, reached the same conclusion. Early the next morning, Congress went back into session and finished certifying the election.

“I love being a senator. I cherish this place,” Leahy said. “It can be, it should be, the conscience of the nation.”

Noam Chomsky, the American linguist, activist, and political writer, is one of the most famous and harshest critics of American foreign policy. His critiques of Presidential Administrations from Nixon to Obama, and the stridency of his views—comparing 9/11 to Bill Clinton’s bombing of a factory in Khartoum, for example—have made him the target of much ire, as well as a hero of the global left. “Chomsky always refuses to talk about motives in politics,” Larissa MacFarquhar wrote in her Profile of him for The New Yorker, in 2003. “Like many theorists of universal humanness, he often seems baffled, even repelled, by the thought of actual people and their psychologies.”

When I called Chomsky, who is ninety-one, last month for a long-scheduled interview, I had meant to discuss his career and life, and his latest book, “Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal,” written with Robert Pollin and C. J. Polychroniou—but he spent most of the hour-long session railing against the Trump Administration with a vehemence that slightly surprised me. Chomsky has always been extremely pragmatic in his political analysis, diverging from some other leftists in his belief in the necessity of voting for mainstream Democrats against Republicans. But in addition to supporting Joe Biden this year, he told me that Donald Trump is “the worst criminal in human history” and expressed serious concerns about the future of American democracy (although he conceded that it “was never much to write home about”). With perhaps not equal concern, but with the same passion he seems to bring to every topic, he also railed against “cancel culture” and explained why he signed the recent Harper’s letter on free expression. And yet, Chomsky noted that what he most loves to think about are philosophy, science, and language. “To tell you the truth,” he said, “while I’m giving interviews and talking about things, one part of my mind is working on technical problems, which are much more interesting.” Our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, follows

New Years Resolution

I resolve that from tomorrow forward, it's BALLS TO THE WALL Buddhism for me!!

Members are gathering in Washington for tomorrow’s organization of the 118th Congress. The opening of a new Congress is always an exciting time, and this year is particularly interesting.

It appears that House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) still does not have the votes to become speaker when the Republicans take the majority tomorrow, although he has made significant concessions to the 15 or so far-right members who refuse to back him.

He has agreed to make it a great deal easier for members of the House to throw out the speaker, a concession that will put him at the mercy of the far right, and a concession that he vowed he would never make. He has agreed to put more of the extreme right members on committees, and he has said he will create a select committee to investigate the “weaponization of government against our citizens.”

He has agreed to cuts to the Office of Congressional Ethics and to forcing the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol to turn over all of its documents to the Committee on House Administration, rather than the National Archives, which has sparked concerns that Republican members will reveal the identities of national security personnel who testified before the committee.

And yet, it seems the more he concedes, the weaker he looks. On Saturday night, nine members of the far-right congressional delegation, many of whom are implicated in the January 6, 2021, attempt to overthrow the government, indicated his concessions were still not enough. They issued a letter with the warning: “Time to make the change or get out of the way.” The letter complained of “deficiencies” and “dysfunction” and “Republican failures” but was quite vague about what its authors wanted, except perhaps power.

Meanwhile, after it turned out that his campaign biography was entirely made up, Republican representative-elect George Santos of New York is facing investigations into his finances and his citizenship. Today, Brazilian authorities reopened fraud charges against Santos for a 2008 case in which he apparently stole checks from an elderly man. The case had been dormant because authorities had not been able to find Santos. McCarthy and other Republicans have refused to take a stand for or against Santos; his vote for speaker will be crucial. Santos has denied that he committed a crime.

“We’re supposed to be hitting the ground running here, but instead it’s just a big belly flop,” a Republican lawmaker recently told Politico. “Believe me, it’s not just members of the Freedom Caucus who are aggravated. As the days and hours trickle on, the more aggravated people become.”

As the House Republicans’ infighting threatens two chaotic years, the Democratic-controlled Senate will continue to confirm judges who reject the extremism of the Trump-era appointees, working to restore balance and representation in the judicial system. In the first two years of the Biden administration, the Senate confirmed 97 federal judges. Seventy-four have been women—more female judges than the Senate confirmed in Trump’s four years or in George W. Bush’s eight.

The Supreme Court will be harder to rebalance because of Trump’s three appointments, made possible by the refusal of then–Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to move forward President Barack Obama’s nominee in March 2016 with the argument that it was too close to a presidential election, and then his rushing through of Amy Coney Barrett in late October 2020 after voting in the presidential election had already started.

While the House struggles and the Senate focuses on judges, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the administration will greet 2023 by traveling around the country highlighting what the laws passed in the last two years will mean for Americans.

In that effort, they will be joined by leading Republicans, in what amounts to a rebuke of their far-right colleagues. On Wednesday, January 4, Biden will be in Kentucky with McConnell, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Governor Andy Beshear (D-KY), and Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) to talk about how the bipartisan infrastructure law is rebuilding the country, providing jobs that don’t need a four-year college degree. Harris will be in Chicago doing the same; Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will be in New London, Connecticut; then-former House speaker Nancy Pelosi will be in San Francisco.

The January 6th committee continued to release transcripts over the holiday weekend. Journalists examining those transcripts have uncovered important new information.

Among that information is that an email on January 2, 2021, from January 6 rally organizer Katrina Pierson shows that Trump’s invitation to supporters to march on the Capitol was not spontaneous; it was part of the plan. By January 2, people knew that Trump would urge his followers to march to the Capitol. To another organizer, Pierson wrote: “POTUS expectations are to have something intimate at the ellipse, and call on everyone to march to the capitol. This actually works out, because Ali [Alexander]’s group is already setting up at the Capitol, and SCOTUS is on the way.”

After the riot of January 6, Trump advisor Hope Hicks exchanged horrified texts with Julie Radford, Ivanka Trump’s chief of staff, bemoaning that the Trump family was now “royally f*cked.” “In one day, he ended every future opportunity that doesn’t include speaking engagements at the local proud boy’s chapter,” Hicks wrote, “And all of us that didn’t have jobs lined up will be perpetually unemployed…. I’m so mad and upset. We all look like domestic terrorists now.” “Not being dramatic, but we are all f*cked,” she wrote.

Conservative Atlantic columnist Tom Nichols tweeted: “Their concern for the Constitution they swore to uphold is so touching.”

John Cleese @JohnCleese
I keep dreaming about the Vatican, and I know why

It's because I'm worried they're going to bury the wrong Pope

In that effort, they will be joined by leading Republicans, in what amounts to a rebuke of their far-right colleagues. On Wednesday, January 4, Biden will be in Kentucky with McConnell, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Governor Andy Beshear (D-KY), and Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) to talk about how the bipartisan infrastructure law is rebuilding the country, providing jobs that don’t need a four-year college degree. Harris will be in Chicago doing the same; Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will be in New London, Connecticut; then-former House speaker Nancy Pelosi will be in San Francisco.

The January 6th committee continued to release transcripts over the holiday weekend. Journalists examining those transcripts have uncovered important new information.

Among that information is that an email on January 2, 2021, from January 6 rally organizer Katrina Pierson shows that Trump’s invitation to supporters to march on the Capitol was not spontaneous; it was part of the plan. By January 2, people knew that Trump would urge his followers to march to the Capitol. To another organizer, Pierson wrote: “POTUS expectations are to have something intimate at the ellipse, and call on everyone to march to the capitol. This actually works out, because Ali [Alexander]’s group is already setting up at the Capitol, and SCOTUS is on the way.”

After the riot of January 6, Trump advisor Hope Hicks exchanged horrified texts with Julie Radford, Ivanka Trump’s chief of staff, bemoaning that the Trump family was now “royally f*cked.” “In one day, he ended every future opportunity that doesn’t include speaking engagements at the local proud boy’s chapter,” Hicks wrote, “And all of us that didn’t have jobs lined up will be perpetually unemployed…. I’m so mad and upset. We all look like domestic terrorists now.” “Not being dramatic, but we are all f*cked,” she wrote.

Conservative Atlantic columnist Tom Nichols tweeted: “Their concern for the Constitution they swore to uphold is so touching.”

Trumpist election deniers were soundly defeated in competitive midterm races this year, for the most part. But there's no shortage of far-right MAGA diehards who are joining Congress this week, mostly elected from safe Republican districts and states.

While the midterm elections served as a sweeping repudiation of fringe Trump-backed candidates in many swing states and purple districts, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's 21-point re-election victory in her rural district in northwestern Georgia makes clear that Trumpism is still alive and well in deep-red areas. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy predicted a "red wave" that never reached shore — and it's still not entirely clear that McCarthy can get himself elected speaker on Tuesday. Even so, there are 48 new Republicans entering Congress, at least half of whom count as election deniers.

Republicans have already vowed to put far-right lawmakers like Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona back on key committees and to launch aggressive investigations into the Biden administration and his family. McCarthy will need the most extreme Republican members in order to pass any legislation, and given the GOP's slim margin, his speakership (assuming he gets there) will be subject to their whims. Here are six new Republicans to watch in 2023.

1
Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio
Miller, 34, is a former White House aide who helped Trump plan his Jan. 6 rally at the Ellipse ahead of the Capitol riot. He replaces Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the attack. A "scion of one the Cleveland area's wealthiest, most prominent, most powerful families," according to Politico, Miller was the first person endorsed by Trump this cycle.

Longtime associates told the outlet that they recall Miller having an "anger problem" and being "very scary." Others described him to the outlet as "abrasive" and "volatile." The report cited Miller's long criminal history, which included charges of assault, disorderly conduct and alcohol-related offenses, which were ultimately dismissed. Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham, Miller's ex-girlfriend, last year accused Miller of physical abuse. Miller denied the allegation and filed a defamation lawsuit against her.

2
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.
Luna, 33, a conservative social media influencer and media personality who once worked for the far-right Turning Point USA, has repeatedly made false claims about the election. She has described herself as a "pro-life extremist" while cozying up to right-wingers like Steve Bannon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Luna campaigned with Greene and has already aligned herself with the House Freedom Caucus and members like Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado (who herself barely won re-election).

During the campaign appeared on a QAnon program, where she praised the hosts as "good conservative Republicans." Though she did not discuss QAnon directly, she pushed other conspiracy theories about Democrats controlling the media and trying to "fix the election." Luna in the past has defended Kyle Rittenhouse and Christian nationalism.

3
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.
Van Orden attended Trump's Jan. 6 rally and marched to the Capitol. He said he never entered the building even though a photo showed him smiling in an area of the Capitol grounds that was behind police lines. He allegedly funded his trip with thousands in campaign funds from his failed 2020 House bid. Van Orden supports a national ban on abortion, which he compared to genocide, and linked rising murder rates to women working outside the home. He is also the co-author of a male-oriented self-help volume called "Book of Man: A Navy SEAL's Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood."

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called Van Orden's victory in Wisconsin's 3rd district (which was represented for the last 26 years by Democrat Ron Kind) "horrific and bone-chilling."

"It is very difficult to serve with people who took part in any way, shape or form in what happened on Jan. 6," she told the Washington Post. "There's a very physical reaction for many of us who were trapped there and who went through a lot of traumatic experiences."

4
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio
Vance, the "Hillbilly Elegy" author and tech venture capitalist whose campaign was backed by millions from billionaire right-winger Peter Thiel, was once a harsh Trump critic before embracing MAGA and the former president once that became politically advantageous. Vance, who has claimed the 2020 election was stolen, has also supported the idea of a federal abortion ban and billions of dollars to finish Trump's border wall, and has promoted the "great replacement" theory popularized by right-wingers like Tucker Carlson and white nationalists.

More than most winning Republicans in 2022, Vance embraced culture-war issues, suggesting that women should stay in "violent" marriages to reduce divorce rates, tying undocumented immigrants to crime and decrying "wokeness."

5
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.
Santos became a national celebrity of sorts weeks after winning election from a suburban district on Long Island, when the New York Times reported that his résumé appears to be entirely made up. He has subsequently admitted that he never worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, as he claimed in campaign materials, and never graduated from Baruch College (or any other college). But the fictions didn't stop there. He also repeatedly claimed that his grandparents were Jewish and had fled the Holocaust in Europe, that he had attended an exclusive prep school in the Bronx, that he had founded an animal-welfare charity and that his family was wealthy and owned numerous real estate properties. None of those things appear to be true either.

Santos is now under investigation by local and state officials in New York, and also in his native Brazil, where he was accused of check fraud in 2008, shortly before moving to the United States. It's unclear how he was able to lend himself large sums of money to run a lavishly-funded congressional campaign, since he was sued for minor personal debts at least twice in recent years and the company he claims to work for has no known clients.

Santos also attended Trump's Jan. 6 rally denying the 2020 election and later claimed he "wrote a nice check" to help the rioters with their legal troubles. Though he condemned the riot, he said in an interview with Lara Trump that it "was the most amazing crowd, and the president was at his full awesomeness that day. It was a front-row spectacle for me. And despite everything everybody says, I think Donald Trump will not go away." He also specifically defended the Capitol rioters, saying, "Imagine "breaking into your own house and being charged for trespassing."

6
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga.
Collins, the son of a former congressman, appeared in a campaign video posted to Twitter carrying an assault rifle and falsely claiming that Trump won Georgia in 2020. He has also spoken in defense of the Capitol rioters, comparing them to "political prisoners." Collins, who is set to join the far-right Freedom Caucus, has complained that McCarthy and other establishment Republicans are not conservative enough and has vowed to "make a great teammate" for Greene.

"The time for civility, the time for compromise, that's over with; the time for bipartisanship is done," he said in one campaign ad. "There is no compromising."

Collins' office will reportedly be headed by Brandon Phillips, who resigned in 2016 as Trump's Georgia campaign chief after it was reported that he had been previously arrested for battery. WXIA reported that Phillips had "attacked" a man and slashed his tires, causing "visible bodily harm" and "cuts and bruises to the head and torso," according to police. He was later arrested again after a woman said he pointed a gun at her head after she knocked on his door. Phillips was arrested again last month on a charge of animal cruelty after he allegedly kicked a woman's dog with his boot, causing a cut on the animal's stomach.

I didn't know this; very good news.

Trump wanted to trademark ‘Rigged Election.’

During the tumultuous post-election period, Mr. Trump and his team worked intensely at raising money — bringing in hundreds of millions — while trying to register trademarks about fighting election results, the transcripts show.

In one recent transcript, the committee revealed an email from Dan Scavino Jr., a deputy White House chief of staff, to Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, titled “POTUS requests.”

“Hey Jared! POTUS wants to trademark/own rights to below, I don’t know who to see — or ask…I don’t know who to take to,” the email states, before providing two bolded terms: “Save America PAC!” with an exclamation mark and “Rigged Election!”

Max Cohen @maxpcohen
1h
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, who’s poised to be chief deputy whip, on what could possibly swing the 19 Jordan voters: “We’ll see what happens when Tucker and Sean Hannity and Ben Shapiro start beating up on these guys. Maybe that'll move it.”