Category Archives: Democrats

Republicans are right: democracy is rigged. But they are the beneficiaries | Stephen Holmes

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Conservatives relish the irony of Trump’s audacious reversal of the truth around rigging – because it distracts attention from their minority rule

The Republican establishment, despite being unfairly advantaged by the skewed composition of the electoral college, by over-representation in the House due to partisan gerrymandering and in the Senate due to equal State suffrage, has been in no hurry to reject Donald Trump’s ludicrous allegation that the American electoral system is rigged to favor Democrats. Sweating the make-or-break Georgia runoffs, the party’s leaders are apparently frightened to cross the mad king, who owns their voters, lest he cause their ratings to plummet as he is doing with Fox News. But Republican complicity with this unprecedented attack on American democracy is not a matter of short-term expediency or fear of reprisals. It is much worse than that. Mitch McConnell and the others are not merely humoring the president until his mania subsides. Trump’s voters are the Republicans’ voters and the Republican party cannot easily cut them, and their deranged conspiracy theories, loose even after 20 January.

Related: How do we avoid future authoritarians? Winning back the working class is key | Bernie Sanders

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Biden says ‘America is back’ at the head of the table – but is that a good thing?

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After four years of Trump, many diplomats are hopeful – but US critics say the idea of a return to a ‘golden age’ is a delusion

For most of the world’s diplomats, Joe Biden’s foreign policy slogan “America is Back” is no metaphor.

On global issues from climate change, to non-proliferation and human rights, the US under the Trump administration had literally gathered up its papers and pens and left the meeting room. Biden’s election victory and choice of committed internationalists to lead the foreign policy team, means that there will actually be someone sitting in what has been an empty chair.

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‘This is not a third Obama term’, says Joe Biden in first sit-down interview – video

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President-elect Joe Biden says his presidency would not be 'a third Obama term' after announcing a slew of cabinet nominees that included many former Obama administration staffers. In his first sit-down interview since the election, Biden said the appointments reflected the spectrum of the American people and the Democratic party. 'This is not a third Obama term. We face a totally different world than we faced in the Obama-Biden administration,' he told NBC's Lester Holt, adding that Donald Trump's 'America first' approach meant 'America alone'. He also said he would consider appointing a Republican in upcoming appointments.

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Gary Younge on minority voters and the future of the Republican party – podcast

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A look at the history of US voting rights and what the changing demographics of the country mean for Republicans

Black and Latino voters overwhelmingly favoured the Democrats in the 2020 US election. Without their huge margins in key states, Joe Biden could not have won, the journalist Gary Younge tells Anushka Asthana. By 2045, white voters will be in the minority. These changing demographics are a concern for the Republican party. In 2013, just a year after turnout rates for black voters surpassed those for white voters for the first time, the supreme court gutted the Voting Rights Act, which affected poor, young and minority voters.

It’s important to remember, Gary tells Anushka, that the US was a slave state for more than 200 years; and an apartheid state, after the abolition of slavery, for another century. It has only been a non-racial democracy for 55 years. And that now hangs in the balance. If Biden does not produce something transformative, the disillusionment among voters may grow and people may once again look for someone who can disrupt the status quo, which is how Donald Trump won in 2016.

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The shadow of Obama: what influence will the ex-president have on Biden?

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The president-elect knows that he will always be able to call on his old boss for advice – but he has big shoes to fill and could suffer by comparison

He’s back with a vengeance. After four years lying low as Donald Trump occupied the White House, Barack Obama is suddenly everywhere again – on TV, on radio, online and in bookshops.

Related: Barack Obama: ‘Donald Trump and I tell very different stories about America’

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‘Dollars don’t vote’: Ocasio-Cortez and the ‘Squad’ rally for action on climate crisis – video

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The New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among members of the 'Squad', a group of progressive Democrats, who spoke at a Sunrise Movement rally in Washington to push Joe Biden on tackling the climate emergency.

AOC said they would urge Biden to 'keep his promises' to working families, women, minorities and climate activists as he fills his cabinet.

In July, Biden outlined an ambitious climate plan that would spend $2tn over four years investing in clean-energy infrastructure while vowing to cut carbon emissions from electrical power to zero in 15 years

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‘Pathetic’ Trump denounced over Krebs firing as campaign presses for recounts

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  • Senior House Democrat says Trump ‘views truth as his enemy’
  • Campaign seeks recounts and investigations in key states

Donald Trump was condemned by opponents on Wednesday for firing the senior official who disputed his baseless claims of election fraud, as the president pressed on with his increasingly desperate battle to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.

Related: Biden to consult with frontline workers as US approaches 250,000 coronavirus deaths – live

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End the odes to political ‘civility’. Do you really think Republicans will reciprocate? | Jan-Werner Mueller

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If they’re going to achieve anything the next two to four years, Democrats must not fall for the trap of ‘bipartisanship’

For four years, Donald Trump and the Republican party have been riding roughshod over long-established norms of American democracy. They have pushed to the legal limits of what they can do (and sometimes beyond). They have not so much ignored any opposition as declared it illegitimate. In response, and in the face of intense national polarization, politicians and pundits have appealed to moderation, civility and the common good. One of the biggest proponents of that attitude is President-elect Joe Biden, who, in his victory speech, said, “We must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans.” Now that Trump has lost, the political survivors of the Republican party may rush to join that chorus.

Related: Obama scolds 'petulant' Trump but reveals conservative sympathies

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Brazilian leftists seek to emulate US Democrats’ unity to beat Bolsonaro

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Removing far-right president is top priority for many Brazilian leftists – but can they build the united front needed to defeat him?

When glad tidings of Donald Trump’s undoing reached Flávio Dino’s 18th-century palace in north-eastern Brazil, he felt delight.

“Trump was such a toxic figure,” said the Communist party governor of Maranhão state, a leading light of the Brazilian left. “Trump’s defeat is a victory for humanity.”

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Biden warns ‘more people may die’ if Trump refuses to cooperate on transition – live

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According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, if Donald Trump wants a statewide recount, he will have to pay $7.9m.

The president lost the state by more than 20,000 votes - which means a recount is very unlikely to change the fact that he lost. Even if a recount, miraculously, left Trump ahead in the state, Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes are not enough to change the election outcome.

Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, told the Washington Post that senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina was among several members of his party who pressured him to toss out legally cast ballots so that Trump could win the state.

From the Post:

In a wide-ranging interview about the 2020 election, Raffensperger expressed exasperation with a string of baseless allegations coming from Trump and his allies about the integrity of the Georgia results, including claims that Dominion Voting Systems, the Colorado-based manufacturer of Georgia’s voting machines, is a “leftist” company with ties to Venezuela that engineered thousands of Trump votes not to be counted.

The atmosphere has grown so contentious, Raffensperger said, that both he and his wife, Tricia, have received death threats in recent days, including a text to him that read, “You better not botch this recount. Your life depends on it.”

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We’re being told Biden won’t be able to achieve much. We must reject that idea | Astra Taylor

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If Joe Biden is going to accomplish anything, we need to start thinking differently about power and our political system

One thing we have learned from this election is just how crazy our democratic system is. Many crucial victories came down to slim margins in swing states and the idiosyncrasies of the electoral college.

Moving forward, progressives need to rally around serious democracy reform. Every issue we care about, from heathcare to climate justice, flows from that. Without a major intervention – and even with radical candidates winning office here and there – our political system is becoming less and less representative and responsive.

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Trump insists ‘I concede nothing’ after tweeting that Biden ‘won’ – live coverage

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The president’s scattershot comments came in a morning Twitter blitz in which he also lashed out at Fox News

Many New York City parents breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday, as Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that public schools would remain open next week, as Covid-19 testing rates remain below the threshold for closures.

Increasing positivity rates in New York City and state have prompted rollbacks of reopening initiatives, spurring De Blasio to warn on Friday that schools could close again. De Blasio said classrooms would close if the seven-day test positivity rate exceeded 3%.

Today’s indicators are similar to yesterday:

• 117 patients admitted to the hospital
• 937 new cases
• The test positivity 7-day average is 2.57%

Thankfully, schools will remain open on Monday, but we have to keep fighting back with everything we’ve got.

While his aides seek to turn up the pressure on Donald Trump, to force his co-operation with the presidential transition, Joe Biden is going about his business as the president-elect:

JUST IN: President-elect Joe Biden will address the nation on Monday about the state of the economy.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will join Biden from Wilmington, Delaware.

Related: Trump faces growing pressure to start transition as Covid surges across US

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Trump supporters rally in Washington as president refuses to concede – live

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Joe Biden is reportedly poised to choose a woman to lead the Pentagon, an historic decision.

The president-elect’s expected selection, Michele Flournoy, is described by the Associated Press as a “a politically moderate Pentagon veteran … regarded by US officials and political insiders as a top choice for the position.”

Out of his bunker for a second straight day, Donald Trump made a deliberate pass by his supporters in town for today’s Maga rallies in his presidential motorcade before veering off toward Trump National in Sterling, Virginia.

More details from the White House pool report:

POTUS emerged from the south portico at 10am wearing a red hat, blue jacket and blue trousers. He appeared to be holding a newspaper. He got inside the presidential limousine and the motorcade headed out to Pennsylvania Avenue.

It was greeted by applause, cheers, waving and whistles from hundreds of Trump supporters lining both sides of the street. They punched the air, took pictures with phones and held signs that included ‘Best prez ever’ and ‘Stop the steal’.

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‘They know their vote matters’: the Georgia Senate runoffs battle is already on

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Trump’s defeat in the reliably red state has shown Democratic voters the power of their ballot, activists say as they focus on Ossoff and Warnock’s races

Donald Trump may have forced a recount of the votes in Georgia that helped end his presidency, but the activists who organised the surge in turnout that helped defeat him have already turned their attention to two elections that will decide who controls the US Senate and the course of Joe Biden’s presidency.

Tens of millions of dollars are pouring in to the Georgia runoff races, which can be expected to draw Biden back to the campaign trail as voters have the opportunity to make history by defeating the state’s two Republican senators to give the new president control of both houses of Congress.

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Trump repeats false Covid claims and attacks New York governor Cuomo in first remarks since election loss – live

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Congressional dinner shifts to to-go meals after outrage

The dinner for new members of Congress being held by Democrats will be modified, shifting to a to-go food model, after outrage over an indoor meal, said Nancy Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill on Friday evening.

Pelosi and other Congress members slammed for holding indoor dinner during pandemic

Congress members are being hit with intense blowback for holding indoor banquets as the coronavirus pandemic worsens and health experts advise Americans against social gatherings.

House Dem and GOP leaders are holding respective dinners for new members.

.@SpeakerPelosi told me it’s safe. “It’s very spaced,” she said and there is enhanced ventilation and the Capitol physician signed off. pic.twitter.com/ZXjf72lnrP

Cancel this event, @SpeakerPelosi — it sets a deadly example while COVID is the worst it's ever been. https://t.co/7HTzFVlhBg

Imagine telling families not to hold Thanksgiving (we shouldn’t) and then doing this. Come. On. https://t.co/ws9k2QDBLU

California, among other states, is begging people not to travel for Thanksgiving, and counties — including Pelosi's district — are shutting down all indoor dining.

This needs to be moved outside, at least. Even if it can be made safe indoors, it's a terrible example. https://t.co/2nabkx5QpZ

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Who might figure in Joe Biden’s cabinet? Six names tipped for top jobs

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Susan Rice, Michele Flournoy, Doug Jones, Lael Brainard, Vivek Murthy and Heidi Heitkamp are some of the most frequently mentioned in Washington

Cabinet appointment speculation is a time-honored tradition in Washington DC – and despite everything else going on is US politics at the moment, 2020 is no different.

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Joe Biden ignores Trump obstruction to press ahead with cabinet selection

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The president-elect is likely to value Washington experience but must balance the wings of his party and a possibly hostile Senate

Joe Biden’s team is pressing forward with preparations to take over the federal government when his term starts despite virtually no help from Donald Trump’s outgoing administration.

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Nancy Pelosi tells Republicans to ‘stop the circus’ as Trump still refuses to concede – live

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Pope blesses president-elect

Joe Biden spoke with Pope Francis on Thursday, and Biden thanked him for his “blessing and congratulations,” his transition team said in a statement.

Related: Soul of the nation: how Joe Biden's faith will shape his presidency

Here’s where the day stands so far:

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Trump under growing pressure to accept election defeat – US politics live

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Some of Donald Trump’s advisers now say he will likely never concede that he lost the presidential race, according to NBC News.

NBC reports:

‘Do not expect him to concede,’ one top aide said. More likely, the aide said, ‘he’ll say something like, ‘We can’t trust the results, but I’m not contesting them.’’

Another adviser said that after the legal battles and recounts, the closest the president is likely to get to a concession is, ‘he’ll acknowledge the results and that we’ll never know how accurate they are.’

Joe Biden’s lead in Pennsylvania has now surpassed 50,000, after the latest batch of ballots from Allegheny county were posted.

As of this afternoon, Biden leads Donald Trump in Pennsylvania by 50,483, or 0.7% of the total vote in the state.

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‘An embarrassment’: Biden responds to Trump’s refusal to concede election – video

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President-elect Joe Biden says Donald Trump's refusal to concede the presidential election is 'an embarrassment'. Biden was outlining plans for the transition period before he takes office in January 2020 when he was asked what he would say to Americans anxious over Trump's refusal to concede and what it would mean for the country. "Well, I just think it's an embarrassment, quite frankly," Biden said. "I think it will not help the president's legacy." Biden has promised to "get right to work" despite alarm over whether there would be a smooth transition of power


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