Biden Is Elected President

No, we did not accidentally re-run an item from November. The presidential electors met yesterday in their respective state capitols (and D.C.) and cast their votes, formally anointing Joe Biden as the next President of the United States and Kamala Harris as the next Vice President of the United States.

This year, an occasion that is generally pro forma was anything but. Certainly, it's the first time that CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, etc. had a running tracker of EVs as reports came in. Ultimately, with officials on both sides taking great care to choose their electors this year, there were no faithless electors, and the total ended up exactly as expected, 306-232. So much for the once-promising presidential careers of Colin Powell, Ron Paul, and Faith Spotted Eagle. The state that officially put Biden over the top—not surprising, since it is large and in the West—was California. Salt, meet wound.

White House Senior Advisor Stephen Miller was on Fox News Monday morning, so that he could explain to a sympathetic audience that "alternate slates" of electors were meeting in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona so that they would be ready to go once Team Trump starts winning lawsuits by the bushel. They're certainly persistent in their delusions; you gotta give 'em that. Needless to say, no lawsuit victories are coming, particularly since: (1) there are virtually no lawsuits left that haven't already been tossed, (2) Team Trump has yet to overcome the twin problems of lack of evidence and specious legal arguments, and (3) overturning already-cast EVs is an even bigger hill than overturning millions of already-cast ballots.

Once Biden's victory was official (again), the President-elect delivered remarks that were unusually forceful, by his standards. He first noted his victory, observing that "The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power, can extinguish that flame." He then made a call for unity, saying that it is time to "turn the page, to unite, to heal." And finally, Biden ripped into Donald Trump and his enablers: "This legal maneuver was an effort by elected officials and one group of states to try to get the Supreme Court to wipe out the votes of more than 20 million Americans in other states and to hand the presidency to a candidate who lost the Electoral College, lost the popular vote and lost each and every one of the states whose votes they were trying to reverse. It's a position so extreme, we've never seen it before."

Despite Stephen Miller's protestations, Trump may have difficulty sucking up much more oxygen with his quixotic quest. Oh, he'll still shake his followers down for every nickel he can squeeze out of them (six e-mails yesterday, several promising "1000% MATCHING!"). But the Republican senators in Congress, excepting a Ron Johnson (WI) here or a Lindsey Graham (SC) there, already aren't buying what he's selling. And the 126 Republican members of the House who signed the Texas amicus brief can surely only live in fantasy world for so long before it becomes embarrassing (well, except for the truly shameless ones like Matt Gaetz, FL, Louie Gohmert, TX, and Jim Jordan, OH). The holidays are another problem; people aren't going to be paying attention to politics, courts will largely be closed, and GOP politicians who don't want to cross Trump can hide behind their Christmas trees/menorahs/Festivus poles and wait out most of the rest of his presidency. They say "it ain't over 'til it's over," but the fact is, it's over. (Z)

Dis-Barred

Attorney General Bill Barr was on the cusp of getting fired, his sin being that he failed to flip the election to Donald Trump. The possibility was discussed in White House meetings this weekend, and last weekend, and Trump could have gotten his phone out and swung the axe on Twitter at any moment. To spare himself that ignominy, Barr resigned on Monday, with his final day on the job to be Dec. 23.

When all is said and done, Barr will go down as the most corrupt attorney general in history, outpacing A. Mitchell Palmer (of Palmer Raids infamy), John N. Mitchell (who went to prison for his role in the Watergate scandal), and Alberto Gonzales, who rode roughshod over civil liberties, suborned torture, and set the template for politicizing the Dept. of Justice. Barr, for his part, helped kill the Mueller Report, stepped in to get convicted felons like Roger Stone and Michael Flynn off the hook, and did his very best to deliver an "October Surprise" for his boss. And that is in addition to numerous other ethical lapses, not to mention Barr's role in burying the Iran-Contra scandal during his first term as AG.

Interestingly, Barr seemingly found his moral compass in the last month or so, announcing that there was "no evidence" of widespread vote fraud in November's election, and also taking steps to make sure that the ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden did not go public until after the ballots were cast. Only the AG knows the reason for his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act, but it means—as CNN's Chris Cillizza points out—that the next guy could plausibly be a step backward. The next guy is going to be Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, who will have about a month on the job; we shall see what he does with it. (Z)

Trump Is Already Waffling on 2024

Donald Trump has made clear to anyone who is listening that he plans to be a candidate for president in 2024. That promise (threat?) affords him everything he wants for the next couple of years: attention, the ability to fundraise, a reason to hold rallies. So, of course he's signaling his intent to run. And he will continue to do so until at least 2023.

We continue to be skeptical that he actually will run, however. He doesn't actually like being president, and by the time 2024 rolls around he'll be pushing 80. And then there are all the things in the next four years that could drag his and his family's name through the mud, and that could land one or more of them behind bars. Plus, keeping a reality show going for another four years is no small feat. See the ratings for the last four seasons of "The Apprentice," for example.

It turns out that we're not the only ones who are skeptical. Trump himself is already hedging his bets on another run. During phone calls to supporters, he keeps asking how he can "remain relevant" for another two years. Note that is a very different question from "How can I put myself in a position to win the White House back?" Further, he has conceded that if he doesn't feel another run is wise, he will bow out in early 2023.

Hard to say if this is good news or bad news for the Republicans. On one hand, Trump clearly gets voters to the polls that other Republicans cannot, and so the GOP may be sorry not to have him on the ballot in 2024. On the other hand, he got crushed as an incumbent, and presumably would lose even worse as a non-incumbent. On the third hand, if he's going to exit anyhow, it's better for him to do it ASAP, so the Party can adapt and figure out its way forward. On the fourth hand, if he's going to jerk them around, better to do it for only 2 years as opposed to 3 or 3-½. In short, Trump's waffling must surely leave Republican pooh-bahs with mixed feelings. (Z)

Over 1 Million Absentee Ballots Have Been Requested in Georgia

It would seem that interest is sky-high when it comes to Georgia's two U.S. Senate runoffs. Yesterday, the day that early voting got underway, the total number of mail-in ballots requested surpassed 1.2 million, with 260,000 of those already returned. By way of comparison, 1,782,580 mail-in ballots were requested for November's general election, with 1,320,154 of those eventually returned.

There is so much about this election that is unprecedented, from the pandemic to the possibility of electing the state's first Black senator to the record-setting spending on advertising, that trying to figure out what this all means is something of a fool's errand. That said, there were at least a couple of pieces of bad news for the Republicans in the last few days. To start with, a bunch of Trump supporters descended on Washington this weekend for a rally, and chants of "destroy the GOP" and booing of the names of the two Georgia senators (Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both R) were common. Most of the folks at that rally were not Georgians, of course, but this certainly suggests that "punish the Republican Party by sitting out the election" (a.k.a. shooting yourself in the foot, twice) is a real phenomenon. Given how close it's expected to be, even a few thousand GOP boycotters could be decisive.

The other bit of bad news specifically involves Kelly Loeffler, who got caught posing for a selfie with prominent white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader Chester Doles. The Senator said on Monday that she had no idea who Doles was when the photo was taken. That's certainly plausible; political candidates pose for lots and lots of pictures with lots and lots of people whom they don't know. On the other hand, Doles is pretty prominent, enough so that he was once thrown out of a Loeffler rally, and the candidate has engaged in a few racial dog whistles in the past, so maybe she is lying. Either way, fair or not, there's now a picture out there of Loeffler smiling and posing with one of the nation's most prominent racists. That's going to hang over her head in an election where Black turnout will be key. (Z)

Newsom May Get to Appoint Two Senators

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is on something of a cold streak lately. Her handling of the Amy Coney Barrett hearings, up to and including her hug of Lindsey Graham, infuriated Democrats and compelled her to announce her resignation from her position as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Then, during a hearing on Nov. 17, she read a tweet from Donald Trump and then asked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey if his staff had done enough to make clear the tweet is a lie. After he answered, Feinstein read the exact same tweet again, and asked the exact same question again, seemingly unaware that she was repeating herself. Dorsey, after recovering from his case of déjà vu, graciously answered the question again.

Needless to say, everyone is entitled to a brain lapse or two. After all, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) once repeated himself three times in one minute during a debate. However, the 87-year-old Feinstein has also reportedly had additional incidents behind the scenes, leaving friends and colleagues wondering if she's up to the rigors of her job anymore.

Perhaps most instructive, however, is this: When asked if she would commit to serving out her current term (which ends in 2025, at which point she would be 91), she refused. Given that there have been senators with one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel who nonetheless insisted they would soldier on until the end, that is very close to saying "expect my resignation, sooner or later." So, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) may be given the unusual honor of filling both of his state's U.S. Senate seats, since he will already be filling Kamala Harris' seat in the next few weeks.

This would be a fantastic stroke of good luck for Newsom if it happens. Many groups are clamoring for one of their own to be appointed to the Senate. If he picks California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) for Harris' seat, Black voters may be unhappy, for example. If he gets two picks, he could choose Padilla (thus making Latinos happy) and possibly also the Black 67-year-old Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) with the tacit understanding that she will just fill out the term and not run for election. That would not only satisfy Blacks, but also the many other Democrats who would like to run for an open seat in a couple of years. In other words, Newsom's new motto is: Go Dianne, go. (Z)

Curtain Pulled Back on The Federalist's Funding

The Federalist has undergone an interesting transformation in the past five years. They were once very libertarian, and extremely anti-Trump. Now, they are nominally libertarian and extremely pro-Trump. There was much suspicion that their change in editorial policy was bought and paid for by someone with deep pockets and pro-Trump leanings. And now, we know who it is: shipping magnate and billionaire Richard Uihlein and his family.

Exactly when the relationship between the Uihleins and The Federalist was consummated is not knowable from the public records, since the outlet's foundation acquired non-profit status (and thus a legal duty to make their tax returns public) just last year. It is nonetheless clear that the Uihlein Family was already donating generously by then, and lining up the editorial positions of the website with the public statements of the Uihleins makes for a compelling circumstantial case that the partnership has been in place for 3-4 years.

This is hardly the only key player in the right-wing media environment that operates like this. In fact, pretty much all the biggies have at least one wealthy backer they are beholden to, including Fox News/The Wall Street Journal (the Murdochs), The Daily Wire (Dan and Farris Wilks), The Daily Caller (Foster Friess), OAN (Robert Herring), Newsmax (Chris Ruddy), and Breitbart (the Mercers). In some of these cases, profit comes first, and promoting a political agenda comes second. In other cases, it's the other way around. In any event, it's worth remembering that keeping the money men (and women) happy is another lens through which these sites' coverage is filtered. (Z)

The Biden Cabinet: Secretary of Transportation

We had to pause this series for a short while, due to illness on the part of the fellow who writes them. But (Z) is back in the saddle now, and fortunately, Joe Biden did not beat us to the punch on any post during the delay. Here are the positions we've already written up:

• Secretary of State (Nov. 11)
• Secretary of the Treasury (Nov. 13)
• Secretary of Defense (Nov. 17)
• Attorney General (Nov. 18)
• Secretary of the Interior (Nov. 20)
• Secretary of Agriculture (Nov. 24)
• Secretary of Commerce (Nov. 27)
• Secretary of Labor (Dec. 1)
• Secretary of Health and Human Services (Dec. 2)
• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Dec. 4)

And now: Secretary of Transportation.

• The Job: By the terms of the statute that created the job (the Department of Transportation Act), the secretary is expected "to develop and coordinate policies that will provide an efficient and economical national transportation system, with due regard for need, the environment, and the national defense." Over time, "need" has emerged as the main priority of the secretary, with "the environment" a distant second. In terms of national defense, those transportation needs are much more the concern of the Dept. of Defense and the Dept. of Homeland Security.
  
  There is quite a lot of transportation infrastructure in the United States, and so the Secretary has plenty to do, even without worrying about national defense. By budget, the largest portion of the Dept. of Transportation is the Federal Highway Administration, which builds, repairs, and ensures the safety of the nation's 164,000-plus miles of federal highways. By staffing, the largest portion of the Dept. of Transportation is the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates the nation's airways (including air traffic control, pilot licensing, inspecting airplanes, investigating crashes, noise abatement, and encouraging the development of new technologies). Other responsibilities include managing the country's internal waterways, its railroads, and many of the pipelines that carry hazardous waste.
  
  
• Considerations: As a general rule, presidents play musical chairs with their cabinet, and then fill this seat near the end, in a manner that checks whatever box remains to be checked. That is to say, there is less expectation of expertise, or of specific relevant experience, than there is with, say, State or Defense or Treasury. It's a big bureaucracy, and so "competent manager" is generally seen as qualification enough.
  
  That said, Joe Biden has ambitious plans for America's transportation infrastructure, including not only reinvestment and rebuilding, but also the adoption of green technologies. If he can get funding, he'll need someone good to implement his ideas. Also someone incorruptible; this is another department where a secretary on the take could enrich themselves enormously.
  
  
• Candidate 1, Pete Buttigieg: This is exhibit #1 in "we're going to use Transportation to squeeze someone we want into the Cabinet," as the former South Bend mayor and Democratic presidential candidate is reportedly the frontrunner for the job, despite a lack of relevant experience. Biden, as part of his pledge to build a Cabinet that "looks like America," appears determined to break the glass ceiling of having the first openly LGBTQ cabinet secretary. Also, the President-elect wants to groom at least a few future presidential candidates, and thus far his picks have not been of that sort. A rising star who might plausibly win Indiana would certainly help stock the Democratic cupboard.
  
  That said, one wonders if Kamala Harris might get involved here. She would prefer that she be the only member of the administration with future presidential aspirations. And so, she might try to put the kibosh on someone who could become a future rival.
  
  
• Candidate 2, Sarah Feinberg: Feinberg is almost as "Democratic insider" as it gets. Few rank-and-file Democrats know her name, but she's got PR experience, having served as press secretary for several Democrats in Congress, beginning with then-Sen. Tom Daschle. She worked in several capacities in the Obama White House, including as chief of staff for Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, and then as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. Currently, she is interim president of the New York City Transit Authority. In short, if Biden wants someone whom he knows, and who is actually qualified for the job, Feinberg could be the pick.
  
  However, a white woman doesn't check too many boxes. Further, Feinberg spent time in the private sector following the Obama years, working for Bloomberg and Facebook. That may make the progressive wing a little unhappy, and could make the current anti-trust case against Facebook positively awkward.
  
  
• Candidate 3, Rahm Emanuel: He's even more "insider" than Feinberg. Clearly, he is an impressive fellow, as he served as a member of the House of Representatives, as Barack Obama's first chief of staff, and then as mayor of Chicago. If Biden wants someone with whom he's intimately familiar, and who knows how to get things done, Emanuel is that guy.
  
  On the other hand, Emanuel stepped on many toes while chief of staff, and he stepped on many more while mayor of Chicago. In particular, he alienated Black voters with his handling of several racially charged incidents, most notably the shooting of Laquan McDonald. Black voters may be the single most important component of Biden's base; it's hard to imagine he is willing to alienate them in order to have the Secretary of Transportation of his dreams.
  
  
• Candidate 4, Mayor Eric Garcetti (D-Los Angeles): Garcetti is a long-time Biden loyalist, and served as co-chair of the VP search committee. Also, while his name might sound Italian, he's actually Latino on his father's side (which is politically useful) and Jewish on his mother's side. Plus, as you may have heard, Los Angeles has freeways, so he does have some relevant job experience.
  
  Of course, the reason you've heard about Los Angeles' freeways is that they are really bad—deteriorating, crowded, often dangerous. In fact, they often rate as the worst in the nation. So, this might not be the guy to assume management of another 160,000 miles in freeways.
  
  
• Candidate 5, Elaine Chao: The current Secretary, Chao obviously has relevant experience. Biden wants to get at least one Republican into his cabinet, and he hasn't got one yet. Picking the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) could potentially loosen things up in the Senate. And finally, Chao is Asian American, and so would also help diversify the Cabinet.
  
  On the other hand, many Democrats would howl over the selection of someone with ties to the hated Donald Trump and ties to the hated McConnell. Further, Chao has been accused of being on the take, both in this job, and during her tenure as Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush.

Next in line is the Secretary of Energy. (Z)

---

If you wish to contact us, please use one of these addresses. For the first two, please include your initials and city.

• questions@electoral-vote.com    For questions about politics, civics, history, etc. to be answered on a Saturday
• comments@electoral-vote.com   For "letters to the editor" for possible publication on a Sunday
• corrections@electoral-vote.com To tell us about typos or factual errors we should fix
• items@electoral-vote.com            For general suggestions, ideas, etc.

To download a poster about the site to hang up, please click here.

---

Email a link to a friend or share:

---The Votemaster and Zenger