December 3, 2020

Grifter-In-Chief Continues Post-Election Fund-Raising Telethon

December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

Now that Attorney General William Barr has asserted there was no widespread fraud associated with the 2020 election, that should put an end to Trump’s shameless post-election shenanigans, right? Hardly.

Trump has only amped up his ongoing rigged-election claims, which lay at the heart of his biggest White House scam yet. Indeed, he posted to Facebook a 46-minute speech — one he called “the most important” he’s ever given — in which he claimed, again without evidence, that the presidenttial election is “under coordinated assault and siege.” He failed to note that it’s his assault and siege, and it’s on American democracy.

Some have questioned why, after losing 39 meritless lawsuits and wasting millions of dollars on pointless recounts and helplessly watching all battleground states certify their election results, Trump continues to deny and attack. Some say it’s because he is simply incapable of admitting defeat, but the real reason is simpler still — MONEY!
[…]

McEnany Won’t Say Trump Has Faith in Barr — Sure Sign Barr’s Time Is Short

December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

“If we have any personnel announcements, I’ll let you know.”

— President Trump’s spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany refusing to say whether Trump still has faith in Attorney General William Barr, a day after Barr said there was no significant evidence to support the president’s claim that widespread ballot fraud led to his defeat by President-elect Joe Biden, CNBC reports.

Dems Slightly Ahead in Georgia Runoffs

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

2 and 7 points

A new SurveyUSA poll in Georgia finds Jon Ossoff (D) leading Sen. David Perdue (R) in their U.S. Senate runoff, 50% to 48%. In the other U.S. Senate runoff, Raphael Warnock (D) leads Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R), 52% to 45%.

Sen. David Purdue Trade Securities Over 2,500 Times in Six Years

December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

2,596

Sen. David Purdue (R-GA) has made 2,596 trades during his Senate term — about as much as the next five most active traders in the Senate combined, the New York Times reports. Many trades were in companies with stakes in policy matters before committees he served on.

Georgia Runoff Spending Tops $300 Million

December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

+$300 million

Bloomberg: “Including TV, radio, and digital ad space already purchased over the past month or reserved through Jan. 5, Republicans are set to spend more than $177 million, compared to about $130 million for Democrats… The numbers are likely to increase.”

Stacey Abrams Is Relentless

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

“I’m nothing special. I’m just — I’m kind of relentless.”

— Stacey Abrams, in an interview with Rolling Stone, on what she did to turn out the vote and turn Georgia blue for the first time in 30 years.

Biden Now Has Nearly 7 Million Vote Lead

December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

6.94 million

The Cook Political Report notes the U.S. has surpassed a record-shattering 158 million votes counted. Joe Biden’s national popular vote lead is now up to 6.94 million votes or 4.4 percentage points.

A Plea Falls On Deaf Trump Ears

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

“Mr President, it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia. We’re investigating, there’s always a possibility, I get it. You have the rights to go to the courts. What you don’t have the ability to do – and you need to step up and say this – is stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed, and it’s not right. It’s not right.”

— Georgia elections offiial Gabriel Sterling, making an impassioned plea to President Trump to tone down his rhetoric disputing the election results.

Biden Building ‘First-Rate Team’

December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

“A first-rate team that’s going to get us through this ongoing economic crisis and help us build the economy back, not just build it back, but build it back better than before… Our message to everybody struggling right now is help is on the way.”

— President-elect Joe Biden, quoted by CBS News, while introducing his economic team.

Republican Silence Hearkens Back to McCarthy Era

December 3, 2020 Buck Banks

“The silence of congressional Republican leaders as President Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud grow wilder and more venomous increasingly resembles the party’s deference to Sen. Joe McCarthy during the worst excesses of his anti-Communist crusade in the early 1950s.”

“If we have any personnel announcements, I’ll let you know.”

2 and 7 points

A new SurveyUSA poll in Georgia finds Jon Ossoff (D) leading Sen. David Perdue (R) in their U.S. Senate runoff, 50% to 48%. In the other U.S. Senate runoff, Raphael Warnock (D) leads Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R), 52% to 45%.

2,596

Sen. David Purdue (R-GA) has made 2,596 trades during his Senate term — about as much as the next five most active traders in the Senate combined, the New York Times reports. Many trades were in companies with stakes in policy matters before committees he served on.

+$300 million

Bloomberg: “Including TV, radio, and digital ad space already purchased over the past month or reserved through Jan. 5, Republicans are set to spend more than $177 million, compared to about $130 million for Democrats… The numbers are likely to increase.”

“I’m nothing special. I’m just — I’m kind of relentless.”

— Stacey Abrams, in an interview with Rolling Stone, on what she did to turn out the vote and turn Georgia blue for the first time in 30 years.

6.94 million

The Cook Political Report notes the U.S. has surpassed a record-shattering 158 million votes counted. Joe Biden’s national popular vote lead is now up to 6.94 million votes or 4.4 percentage points.

— Georgia elections offiial Gabriel Sterling, making an impassioned plea to President Trump to tone down his rhetoric disputing the election results.

“A first-rate team that’s going to get us through this ongoing economic crisis and help us build the economy back, not just build it back, but build it back better than before… Our message to everybody struggling right now is help is on the way.”

— President-elect Joe Biden, quoted by CBS News, while introducing his economic team.

“The silence of congressional Republican leaders as President Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud grow wilder and more venomous increasingly resembles the party’s deference to Sen. Joe McCarthy during the worst excesses of his anti-Communist crusade in the early 1950s.”

— Ron Brownstein

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

— Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson said that now that former President Trump is out of office, he intends to turn the super-PAC’s attention to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), The Hill reports.

“I want to thank your families for the sacrifices, but I’m not joking when I say this. If you are ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot. On the spot. No ifs, ands or buts.”

— President Joe Biden, quoted by ABC News, swearing in his senior staff.

— New York Times

— New York Times

“There is a myth around that Jared and Ivanka will be rejected socially. The rich are never rejected — until they go to prison or lose their money.”

— Tina Brown, quoted by Town & Country.

Numerati

3 days

400,000

The John’s Hopkins tracker shows more than 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

32%

47%

As President Trump prepares to leave the White House, 47 percent of Americans say he will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in American history, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll.

$850,000