The Topline: Democracy's Daily Digest
Monday was a historic, hopeful day for American politics. The Electoral College, amid all manner of threats, did its job, pursuant to the Constitution, reflecting the voters' will and officially electing Joe Biden the next President of the United States. In Georgia, the high voter turnout rates in November appear to have persisted into the Senate runoff elections. Early voting began for the Jan. 5 election, and requests for mail-in ballots have already topped 1 million, nearing the roughly 1.3 million who voted by mail in the general election. And the first of the nation's coronavirus vaccines were distributed to healthcare workers across the country—the first step toward emerging on the other side of a pandemic that has caused inconceivable loss. Particularly at a time when challenges appear to mount daily, let's savor the good news for a change. —Mindy Finn
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'Democracy prevailed'
Fresh off his win in the Electoral College yesterday, President-elect Joe Biden delivered a speech last night in which he spoke about the greatness of America and thanked all election workers. But he didn't mince words when calling out President Trump's "unprecedented assault" on democracy. "Every single avenue was made available for President Trump to contest the results. He took full advantage of each and every one of those avenues," Biden said. "[In 2016], President Trump called the Electoral College tally a landslide. By his own standards, these numbers represented a clear victory then. And I respectfully suggest they do so now." —CBS News
— State of denial. Trump's allies are still living in a delusional universe of widespread voter fraud and a stolen election. "The only date in the Constitution is Jan. 20. So we have more than enough time to right the wrong of this fraudulent election result and certify Donald Trump as the winner of the election," said senior White House adviser Stephen Miller. "As we speak, today, an alternate slate of electors in the contested states is going to vote, and we're going to send those results up to Congress." Hoo boy. —The Hill
— By the time they get from Arizona. A rogue Arizona group calling itself "sovereign citizens of the Great State of Arizona" sent notarized documents to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., last week intended to deliver, wrongly, the state's 11 electoral votes to Trump. The documents consisted of facsimiles of the "certificate of ascertainment" that is submitted to formally cast each state's electoral votes. Needless to say, the misguided stunt didn't work. —The Arizona Republic
— Texas tries again. Texas' 38 electors delivered their votes for Trump and defiantly urged the legislatures of four swing states to overrule the will of their voters and appoint their own electors. The Texas resolution passed 34-4, but it had no impact on the results. The four states—Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—had already cast their votes by that time, and soon thereafter, California pushed Biden over the 270 number he needed. —The Texas Tribune
MORE: Voting machine manufacturer demands retractions from conservative news networks over fraud claims —Forbes
Montanaro: Trump's support isn't going anywhere
"Taking Russian President Vladimir Putin at his word over U.S. intelligence agencies regarding election interference. Firing an FBI director. Children separated from their parents, many of whom still can't be found. Declaring there were good people on both sides of a white supremacist march and protests against them. Being impeached. Tear-gassing peaceful protesters for a photo op. 300,000 Americans dead from the worst pandemic in a century. All this might affect that president's base of supporters. But not Trump. It's not clear he really meant it when he said during the 2016 campaign that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any of his supporters. After four years of this presidency, it's uncertain he would lose anyone if he actually did. Conservative media would likely amplify Trump's reasoning and make it acceptable for his base to rationalize it." —Domenico Montanaro in NPR
Domenico Montanaro is NPR's senior political editor/correspondent, based in Washington, D.C.
MORE: 'This is the reality': Newsmax and One America grapple uneasily with Biden's Electoral College victory —The Washington Post
The Republican reckoning
There has been some positive fallout from the Electoral College vote among Republicans. Several GOP senators have formally acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden's win for the first time. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated Biden in a speech on the Senate floor this morning, saying the Electoral College "has spoken." McConnell called Biden someone "who has devoted himself to public service for many years," and congratulated Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, saying "all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time." Biden and McConnell also spoke by phone today. —Associated Press
— "It is unacceptable for political candidates to treat our election system as though we are a third-world nation." Republican Rep. Paul Mitchell announced yesterday that he would immediately sever his ties with the GOP over its refusal to accept the president's election defeat. In a letter to top party officials, Mitchell warned that elected Republicans could help Trump do "long-term harm to our democracy" by continuing to accommodate and amplify baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. —The New York Times
— "We must be held to a higher standard." Michigan Republican legislative leaders pulled State Rep. Gary Eisen from his committee assignments yesterday after Eisen threatened to disrupt or otherwise undermine the Electoral College vote at the Capitol in Lansing. "We as elected officials must be clear that violence has no place in our democratic process," said Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield. "Because of that, Rep. Eisen has been removed from his committee assignments for the rest of the term." —Detroit Free Press
— "It's an affront to our democratic process." Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan yesterday assailed the wide swath of Republicans on Capitol Hill who have refused to accept the outcome of the presidential election, casting their stance as "embarrassing" for the Republican Party. "I think it's bad for our party, bad for the country, and it weakens our position in the world." —CNN
MORE: Max Boot: The new (Kevin) McCarthyism is even worse than the old one —The Washington Post
Bye-bye, Barr
— "Attorney General Bill Barr: Lied to cover for Trump. Launched political investigations. Subverted justice and the rule of law. And violently cracked down on protestors. So good riddance. Now, the work of restoring a credible and independent justice system must begin," Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who led Trump's impeachment, tweeted.
— "Bill Barr is a friend and patriot. Despite the vilification in the media and attacks against his character, he has served his country with honor and distinction. His retirement—though a loss for the country—is well deserved. I wish him and his family well in this next chapter," said Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.— Fellow Republican Sen. Mitt Romney was a bit more nuanced. "It was clear that being part of the administration was a challenging responsibility for him, to say the least," he said. "I'm not surprised that he could no longer associate himself with the process that's going on now." —Newsweek
MORE: Will Jeffrey Rosen, William Barr's replacement, withstand White House pressure? —NPR
Marcus: Barr was awful. But we might miss him
"[Attorney General Bill Barr] stepped far outside his proper role as the nation's chief law enforcement officer to become a fervent advocate for Trump's re-election. Electing Biden, he warned, would mean the United States was 'irrevocably committed to the socialist path.' Barr's behavior in office managed to make us nostalgic for the good old days of Jeff Sessions. I shudder to think: In the uncertain month to come, will we find ourselves yearning for Barr?" —Ruth Marcus in The Washington Post
Ruth Marcus is deputy editorial page editor for The Washington Post.
MORE: Good riddance, Attorney General Barr —Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Probe finds FSB likely poisoned Navalny
— On Aug. 20, Navalny collapsed into a coma during a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow, resulting in an emergency landing and his hospitalization in the town of Omsk. Medical specialists flown in from Moscow claimed that they found no signs of poisoning. Two days later, Navalny was evacuated to a German hospital, where he was promptly diagnosed with severe poisoning with a cholinesterase inhibitor.
— Three FSB operatives traveled covertly alongside Navalny to Novosibirsk and then followed him to the city of Tomsk, where he was ultimately poisoned. The three were supported and supervised by at least five more FSB operatives, some of whom also traveled to Omsk.
— Unearthed telecoms and travel data strongly suggest the attempt on Navalny's life was mandated at the highest echelons of the Kremlin. The findings are particularly important due to the fact that no law enforcement agency in any country is currently investigating the poisoning, despite U.S. and European consensus that Russia was responsible. —Bellingcat
McMullin: Should NeverTrump conservatives form a new party?
"Eventually, we will have to make a decision: Will we return to a Republican Party liberated of fear, corruption, and authoritarianism, or will we attempt to replace it with a new conservative alternative? Our hope is that we can still help foment a broad rejection of extremism inside the GOP. But our immediate task is to build our home for either eventuality, and to continue the fight for liberty, equality, and truth." —Evan McMullin in The New York Times
Evan McMullin, executive director of Stand Up Republic, was a CIA operations officer and chief policy director for the House Republican Conference. In 2016, he resigned to run for president as an independent candidate.
A good 'Florida man' story
— Business was good in 2020 for 74-year-old Esmond, owner of Gulf Breeze Pools and Spas. It's something he says he's "almost ashamed" to tell people, because he knows how hard it's been for many. "We've had a good year, and that's why I want to share what I have with the people who need it," he said.
— Esmond donated $7,615.40 to pay for the past-due bills of 114 households—up from his $4,600 donation last year—and to save them from having their utilities disconnected. Many residents owed $100 or less. "That really impacted me—that people can't even afford to pay a $100 bill on their utilities, and things are so bad," Esmond said.
— "Even though our country and our city is currently going through probably the most difficult years of some of our lifetimes, there are still people out there who are generous and kind and really do want to help others," said Joanne Oliver, the city's utility billing supervisor. "To have others within the community wanting to reach out and help their neighbors now is more important than ever." —CNN
Thank you for your daily reminder that I'm not the only one disturbed by Trump and the new Republicans' shameless power grabs. It is so discouraging to know I have no real representation in the federal government anymore...the Democrats don't share many of my social or economic views, and the Republicans have done their spectacular swan dive into "Trumpism" (populism without any care for the populace, isolationism, party above country, sycophantic loyalty to a madman, and power above all). I have been flying the "Appeal to Heaven" flag these past four years to remind myself that this country was founded on something higher, that right and wrong still matter, and that good will triumph in the end. —Will C., Mississippi
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