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Democrats have a limited window to protect American democracy from multiple different threats, but right now the biggest obstacle seems to be themselves getting in their own way. Call it a crisis of their own Manching.
- On Wednesday, Senate Democrats will hold a long-awaited test vote on their revised democracy-protection bill, the Freedom to Vote Act. Among other things, the bill would ban partisan redistricting, expand access to the polls, and protect career election officials from partisan interference. It is also, importantly, coauthored by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and festooned with enough bipartisan olive branches to test his theory that there are 10 good Senate Republicans who will help him insulate elections from Trump-driven efforts to subvert them.
- [Spoiler alert] There are not 10 good Senate Republicans. Wednesday’s test vote is to overcome a Republican filibuster, which would require at least 10 Republicans to join all Senate Democrats, but instead we should anticipate at most one (1) Senate Republican to vote with the majority and more likely zero (0) Senate GOP support whatsoever. That means the bill can’t clear the Senate tomorrow unless Democrats unilaterally change the Senate filibuster rules. And that would allow the government to protect the 2022 election before Republicans lock in election subversion efforts and partisan redistricting maps that allow them to win the House back in the midterms even with or without electoral majorities.
- [Spoiler alert] Democrats are not going to change the filibuster rules, at least not tomorrow. It’s unlikely that they’ll even vote on changing the filibuster rules Wednesday, even if only to expose Democrats like, uh, Manchin as the main obstacles to democracy protection. That’s because Democrats need Manchin’s vote to pass President Biden’s economic agenda, which still hasn’t passed thanks in part to slow-walking by, uh let’s see, yup, Manchin again. And they don't want to antagonize him.
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With so much on the line, where is the White House, you ask? Great question!
- Perhaps to avoid endangering Biden’s agenda, or to avoid associating themselves with a doomed effort, the White House has taken a backseat. Activists, who will be asked to turn out voters even if Democrats do nothing to stop Republicans from rigging elections, have been frustrated by the White House’s decision to prioritize infrastructure legislation over democracy protection for months. And the fact that the White House has lumped protecting the franchise in with other forms of policy advocacy probably won’t help. “Every constituency has their issue,” one White House official told the Atlantic.
- As if to prove that antidemocratic forces feel bound by no such constraints, disgraced former president Donald Trump has sued the House January 6 select committee in an effort to block it from obtaining documents pertaining to his involvement in the insurrection from the executive branch. In a statement, White House spokesman Mike Gwin said Biden had “determined” that "the constitutional protections of executive privilege should not be used to shield information that reflects a clear and apparent effort to subvert the Constitution itself,” but it’s unclear what steps if any Biden will take to make sure the information, which he controls, becomes public.
If it becomes law, the Build Back Better Act will be Biden’s big legacy accomplishment. But if the artificially drawn-out process by which it passes crowds out democracy protection (allowing Republicans to undermine or repeal it in the future) Democrats might also plant the seeds of its own destruction—alongside those of American democracy. The agenda items are linked, and to protect the former, they need to pass both, quickly.
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In the final episodes of 544 Days, host Jason Rezaian remains hostage as the clock ticks down on the possible nuclear deal between Iran and the Obama Administration. If you don’t already know, 544 Days is a podcast from Crooked, Gimlet, and A24 that follows the true story of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian who was held hostage in Iran and wrongfully accused of being an American spy. You can catch the full season—all nine episodes—right now. Listen and follow for free only on Spotify.
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While we’re on the subject, the Texas legislature has already approved new maps that erode minority representation, despite the fact that people of color overwhelmingly drove the state's population growth in the past decade. The new maps are thus likely to face multiple legal challenges for amounting to unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. A coalition of civil-rights groups has already sued, and Democratic superlawyer Marc Elias promised “Texas will be sued” as soon as Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) signs “this illegal map.” Texas Republicans used the process both to shore up increasingly vulnerable GOP representatives and to make at least one Democratic district newly vulnerable, but in sum the maps give white Texans (who represent 40 percent of the state’s population) control over 60 percent of districts, and Texas Latinos (who represent an almost identical 39 percent of the state’s population) control over just 18 percent of districts. Fortunately, blue states with control over redistricting aren’t unilaterally disarming. In Illinois, Democrats are currently weighing whether to gerrymander one or two of the state’s Republican members of Congress out of power.
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- The House January 6 committee has voted to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress for defying his subpoena. Once the full House follows suit (likely on Thursday) the matter will be in the hands of the Justice Department. You can read the committee’s report on Bannon’s contempt here.
- Unfortunately, according to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Merrick Garland has decided not to investigate any of the crimes disgraced former president Donald Trump committed, effectively—but intentionally—placing him above the law.
- The Los Angeles U.S. Attorneys Office has indicted Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) for lying to and concealing evidence from law-enforcement officials investigating illegal foreign contributions to his 2016 campaign.
- Ransomware attackers have targeted Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates a large network of television stations that run right-wing local-news programming.
- Facebook had a full-on meltdown about the fact that journalists are doing journalism to help the public learn the truth about Facebook.
- Disgraced former president and current leader of the Republican Party Donald Trump commemorated the death of Colin Powell by calling him “a classic RINO, if even that, always being the first to attack other Republicans,” and complaining that Powell got more favorable media coverage than him.
- Trump also bragged about making Louisiana unsafe for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), after Cassidy said he wouldn’t vote for Trump (at least in the GOP primary) and that Trump might well lose the primary because even many of his supporters realize he’s unelectable.
- The FBI raided the Washington, DC, and New York homes of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a former client of Paul Manafort, whom Manafort sought to provide sensitive Trump-campaign data in 2016.
- Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) will retire at the end of his term.
- The Vatican will relaunch its “Click to Pray” app, in case you, uh, missed it the first time around?
- Ye is Kanye West no longer.
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Lawmakers from both parties believe Amazon executives, including former CEO Jeff Bezos, misled or lied to Congress, and they’ve demanded answers. At issue is whether Amazon uses seller information to mimic their products and then use its power over it’s behemoth e-commerce website to promote those knockoffs and similar off-brand products all to the detriment of original creators. In a letter to Amazon’s current CEO Andy Jassy, Democratic and Republican members of the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee claim credible news reports contradict sworn testimony on this topic from Amazon’s leadership, and encouraged the company to either correct the record or provide the panel with exculpatory evidence by November 1, or face a criminal referral to the Department of Justice. In a statement denying any wrongdoing, Amazon did not promise to meet the November 1 deadline, but suggested the committee will receive its answers sooner if it enrolls in Prime.
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In 2021 mental health is finally a thing, especially as people are not feeling like their normal selves. Let’s support one another and talk openly. Whether or not therapy is your thing, knowing it’s available and affordable is important, for you or perhaps a loved one.
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It’s always a good time to invest in yourself, because you are your greatest asset. See if online therapy is for you by heading to BetterHelp.com/crooked for 10% off your first month.
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