January 2021 - Page 9 of 10

— President Trump, at a rally in Georgia, on Mike Pence overseeing the electoral vote tally in the U.S. Senate.

Why Raffensperger Released the Call

January 5, 2021 Buck Banks

“If President Trump wouldn’t have tweeted out anything and would’ve stayed silent, we would’ve stayed silent as well. If you’re going to put out stuff that we don’t believe is true, then we will respond in kind.”

— Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) told WATL that he considered his phone call with President Trump to be a “private conversation” and would not have shared details of it if the president had not sent a false tweet about it.

They’re Either Traitors or Patriots

January 5, 2021 Buck Banks

“We invited each of the 12 senators involved in plotting this disgraceful effort to come on the show this morning, to try to defend and explain their position. Each of them declined or failed to respond. It all recalls what Ulysses Grant once wrote in 1861: ‘There are but two parties now, traitors and patriots.’ How would you describe the parties today?”

— Jake Tapper, on CNN.

GOP Senator Says Trump Has Reached a New Low

January 5, 2021 Buck Banks

“President Trump’s call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger represents a new low in this whole futile and sorry episode.”

— Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), in a statement.

Business Leaders Call on Congress to Certify Election

January 5, 2021 Buck Banks

200

Almost 200 of the country’s top business leaders urged Congress to certify the electoral results for President-elect Joe Biden in a letter Monday, arguing that “attempts to thwart or delay this process run counter to the essential tenets of our democracy,” the Washington Post reports.

Trump takes his extremes further and further,
Like his 19th phone call to Georgia’s Raffensperger.
With cretinous conspiracies
And hairebrained heresies,
He pursues one cynical goal — U.S. democracy’s murder.

U.S. Surpasses 350,000 COVID-19 Deaths

January 4, 2021 Buck Banks

350,000

More than 350,000 people have died of the coronavirus in the U.S., with another surge of cases and deaths expected in the coming weeks as a result of holiday gatherings.

Republicans Inciting Riots, Sedition

January 4, 2021 Buck Banks

“But if bottom line is, the court is saying, ‘We’re not going to touch this. You have no remedy’ — basically, in effect, the ruling would be that you gotta go the streets and be as violent as Antifa and BLM.”

— Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), on Newsmax, on his attempts to overturn the electoral vote.

Trump’s Georgia Rally Likely to Be a Super-Spreader Event

January 4, 2021 Buck Banks

20,000

Organizers are anticipating as many as 20,000 people at President Trump’s rally for Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue on Monday, the eve of the U.S. Senate runoffs, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. In the run-up to November’s election, Trump crisscrossed the nation, holding mass rallies — sometimes in spite of objections from local authorities — and in defiance of guidance from his coronavirus task force.

3 Million Voted Early in Georgia Senate Runoffs

January 4, 2021 Buck Banks

3 million

“A record 3 million Georgia voters cast their ballots before early voting ended for the U.S. Senate runoffs, setting up a showdown that will be decided on election day Tuesday,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“And I hope Mike Pence comes through for us, I have to tell you. I hope that our great Vice President comes through for us, he’s a great guy. Of course, if he doesn’t come through, I won’t like him quite as much ….”

— President Trump, at a rally in Georgia, on Mike Pence overseeing the electoral vote tally in the U.S. Senate.

“If President Trump wouldn’t have tweeted out anything and would’ve stayed silent, we would’ve stayed silent as well. If you’re going to put out stuff that we don’t believe is true, then we will respond in kind.”

— Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) told WATL that he considered his phone call with President Trump to be a “private conversation” and would not have shared details of it if the president had not sent a false tweet about it.

— Jake Tapper, on CNN.

“President Trump’s call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger represents a new low in this whole futile and sorry episode.”

— Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), in a statement.

200

Almost 200 of the country’s top business leaders urged Congress to certify the electoral results for President-elect Joe Biden in a letter Monday, arguing that “attempts to thwart or delay this process run counter to the essential tenets of our democracy,” the Washington Post reports.

350,000

More than 350,000 people have died of the coronavirus in the U.S., with another surge of cases and deaths expected in the coming weeks as a result of holiday gatherings.

“But if bottom line is, the court is saying, ‘We’re not going to touch this. You have no remedy’ — basically, in effect, the ruling would be that you gotta go the streets and be as violent as Antifa and BLM.”

— Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), on Newsmax, on his attempts to overturn the electoral vote.

20,000

3 million

“A record 3 million Georgia voters cast their ballots before early voting ended for the U.S. Senate runoffs, setting up a showdown that will be decided on election day Tuesday,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

— Miami Herald

“We care more about the safety of our staff than a name attached to an article.”

— Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX), on CNN.

— Rick Wilson

— Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) on the “resign or be fired” ultimatum from the GOP’s Freedom Caucus just 174 days into his tenure as sp[eaker, reported by Punchbowl News.

Numerati

77%

A new Siena poll finds that by a 54% to 30% margin, New Yorkers say Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial is “legitimate” — the view of 77% of Democrats and 44% of independents — rather than a “witch hunt,” the view of 66% of Republicans.

51% to 48%

300 million

Spotify said Taylor Swift’s new album was the first to have over 300 million streams in a single day on Friday.

28%

15% to 7%