What I'm reading this weekend:
Worth your time...
The Bulwark: Don't Despair Just Yet - Save It For Monday
Monday isn’t Trump’s day. It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day. So I hope again to watch King’s great 1963 I Have a Dream address, and also his very moving final speech, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, delivered on April 3, 1968, to striking sanitation workers in Memphis, the day before his assassination. And I’ll also try to watch Robert F. Kennedy’s remarkable impromptu remarks the next day in Indianapolis on learning that Rev. King had been shot. Those are my non-Trump and actually better-than-Trump plans for the weekend. Of course everyone should do what suits them. It’s (still!) a free country. Then, after this weekend, we can turn our attention back to keeping it that way.
Trump’s Deportation Plan Is Said to Start Next Week in Chicago
Hundreds of agents were asked to volunteer and participate in the “post-inauguration” operation targeting immigrants in the United States illegally. ICE is planning on sending roughly 150 agents to Chicago for the raids.
How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days
Hitler had campaigned on the promise of draining the “parliamentarian swamp”—den parlamentarischen Sumpf—only to find himself now foundering in a quagmire of partisan politics and banging up against constitutional guardrails. He responded as he invariably did when confronted with dissenting opinions or inconvenient truths: He ignored them and doubled down.
Heather Cox Richardson - Letters from an American - January 17
Aaron Zitner and Xavier Martinez of the Wall Street Journal reported today on a new Wall Street Journal poll revealing that American voters want what they call “MAGA lite, rather than extra-strength MAGA.” More than 60% oppose Trump’s plan to replace nonpartisan civil servants with loyalists. More than 60% also oppose Trump’s plan to eliminate the Department of Education. Almost 75% of voters oppose his plans for sweeping deportation raids, wanting only those with criminal records to be removed from the country. More than two thirds oppose calls to take control of Greenland, and only 46% approve of his choices for cabinet positions.
Apparently the Felon-In-Chief has been living in Florida for too long and can’t handle the cold anymore…
CNN: An Arctic blast will give Trump the coldest inauguration in 40 years Temperatures could be almost 30 degrees below normal by Monday for millions across the Lower 48 in what’s already the coldest part of the year. NYT: Trump Says Inauguration Will Take Place Indoors Because of Extreme Cold - The change, a rare break with tradition, denies President-elect Trump the pomp and large audience he hoped for at his second swearing-in.
And if you want to “protest” the inauguration, leave your TV turned all day to the Food Channel. Apparently it helps show the number of people NOT watching CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC, etc.
The Bulwark -Team Trump Promises ‘Shock and Awe.’ Do They Know What That Means?
Unlike Homan, Barrasso, and other members of Trump’s team and party, I have never been involved in electoral politics or domestic policy. But I think the point stands: If your plan calls for your side being all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect in execution, and immune to surprise—when you’re working with human beings and you presume your enemy is stupid, weak, and all but inanimate—the plan probably isn’t worth all that much.
The Carolina Journal - Should NC reform its primary system? The case to return to 40% threshold
Compared to other states, North Carolina’s threshold stands out as exceptionally low. For instance, the next lowest is South Dakota’s 35%, while eight states require a candidate to secure a majority (50% + 1) to win outright. However, runoff elections are more likely under a 50% threshold requirement, creating a higher cost for taxpayers and increased voter fatigue. For example, turnout in this year’s primary was 24%, while turnout for the runoff elections dropped to just 2.7%. Fewer than 3% of voters would likely decide many more runoff elections and set their party’s candidate in the general election. The previous 40% threshold seems to be more of a sweet spot. It’s certainly more politically achievable and gives a candidate a clearer base of support in the general election, although more runoffs are likely.
The Weekly Dish: Regime Change Or Another Shit-Show?
At the same time, of course, I have what can only be called intermittent waves of nausea and panic triggered by the memory of the last, long four years of being tethered to a mercurial, malevolent bully who wouldn’t ever shut up or leave us alone. But attached to that nausea is something else: boredom. He just doesn’t get to me the way he used to. When I read about his provocations toward Canada and the Panama Canal, for example, I merely found my eyes rolling gently backward. Good one, Donnie. But you’re not gonna trigger my amygdala this time. You busted it already.
Axios: Preemptive Trump Approval
Reality check: Trump hasn't made any economic policy since Election Day. And the quantifiable signs that the economy is good — low unemployment, inflation well below its peak and strong consumer spending — haven't materially changed since before Election Day.
Pete Hegseth Wants to Wage War—Against the Left
As Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Hegseth has set a partisan tone from the outset. He met individually with Republican senators but declined or ignored all such requests from Democratic senators. At Tuesday’s hearing, Democratic Senator Gary Peters asked Hegseth why he had spurned these requests. Hegseth answered preposterously, “Schedules get full.”
Huffington Post - Trump Is Walking Back His Biggest Campaign Promises Before Taking Office
Donald Trump made lots of big promises on the campaign trail about what he would do as president. But in the weeks since he won the election, Trump and his transition team have been quietly walking back some of his most significant commitments — a reflection of how unrealistic they were to begin with.
Donald Trump’s first big spectacle
Trump, a man who delights in extravaganzas of any kind, will be president during them all. For proof, just look to his personnel announcements for the upcoming term. High up in his announcement of Joe Popolo as his pick for ambassador to the Netherlands, Trump noted that “he helped transform the Freeman Company into the World’s leading live event brand experience company.” His next-to-last Truth Social post of 2024 was a salute to Justin Caporale, who helped produce events such as the Madison Square Garden rally and the viral McDonald’s and trash truck moments from the campaign and will take an external role in producing further events post-inauguration. And of course, Mark Burnett’s role as special envoy to the UK came complete with references to his work producing the television hits “Survivor” and “The Apprentice.”
Russian Disinformation Campaigns Eluded Meta’s Efforts to Block Them
In addition to propagating Russia’s views on Ukraine, the agency posted ads in response to major news events, including the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and a terrorist attack in a Moscow suburb last March that killed 145 people. The ads would often appear within 48 hours, trying to shape public perceptions of events.
How Biden Destroyed His Legacy
Aides and lawmakers almost always noted his age. Oftentimes, they did so with admiration. One of the virtues of an old president is experience, and the wisdom that comes with it. During the most impressive stretch of his administration, he leveraged his long history of working in the Senate and traveling to foreign capitals. He didn’t need on-the-job training. His closest political confidantes, most of whom have worked with him for decades, regarded Biden as a father figure, which meant that they suffered from a very human problem: the difficulty of judging the decline of an aging parent.
Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.
Quote of the day:
“Wanting a child born is pro-birth. Wanting a child fed, housed, educated with parents who earn a living-wage is pro-life.”