Our feature story: The Crimson Tide turned blue this week as Alabama decided to send demagogue, scofflaw, and accused child molester Roy Moore packing (and the horse he rode to the polls on), handing the win to Democrat Doug Jones, a man who made his mark defending a little girl against the KKK in 1963. While we might hope that the spread between decency and depravity had been greater than 1.5 points—even in Alabama—it’s a positive sign: the victory narrows the GOP majority in the Senate to just 2, and sends the first Democrat to Congress from Alabama since 1992.
Austin City Council took a step toward police reform by rejecting the police union contract that Campaign Zero called one of the worst in the nation.
The FCC voted to roll back net neutrality rules, despite that it places control over end users’ internet access and costs in the hands of corporations, despite that the large majority of Americans—including three-quarters of Republicans—support net neutrality rules, and despite that 18 attorneys general asked the FCC to delay the vote until allegations of widespread commenting fraud could be investigated. But the ACLU, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and other groups have already announced they will sue to oppose the rollback and defend a free and open internet.
Two of Donald’s more controversial federal judge nominees—and that’s saying something—will not be confirmed, says Chuck Grassley, head of the committee responsible for confirming them. Jeff Mateer—who called a transgender first grader part of “Satan’s plan”—and Brett Talley have made public comments that were racially and gender discriminatory, and Talley—who has practiced law for just three years and never tried a case—was nominated in a party-line vote despite being rated as “not qualified” by the American Bar Association. Donny, who hates it when he is doing so much losing, pulled his nominees—and may wind up pulling another, who couldn’t answer even the most basic legal questions in his nomination hearing.
A federal judge smacked down Donald’s attempt to ban transgender people from military service, and beginning January 1 all people have equal rights to serve our country.
Meanwhile, while the GOP attacks Mueller and his investigation and tries to make it a partisan battle, in his testimony Wednesday, Deputy Director Rod Rosenstein, asked directly whether he had reason to fire Robert Mueller, stated simply and categorically, “No.”
And Donald Jr. spent nine hours (yep, nine) in cloistered testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee answering questions about Russia.
Donald’s campaign adviser (and conspiracy theorist) Roger Stone is working on a book called The Fall of Trump, predicting that Mueller and the many (17 at last count) sexual-harassment allegations against Donald will bring him down.
Donald’s own UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, weighed in against Donald to state that the women accusing him of sexual harassment should be heard. That didn’t sit well with the pussy-grabber-in-chief, who continues to deny the accusations brought by 13 women against him so far…despite his own admission to sexually predatory behavior on the Access Hollywood tapes.
Meanwhile, in the wake of senators Conyers and Franken leaving office over sexual harassment allegations, three senators have asked Donald to step down as result of all of his. Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas—accused sexual predator and harasser—has announced he will not seek reelectionin 2018.
And—dare we hope it?—Paul Ryan is allegedly making rustlings about retiring from office as well.
Five Native American tribes are suing the federal government to prevent the stripping of 85 percent the formerly protected Bears Ears monument in Utah.
Donny’s approval ratings continue to tank, now down to 32 percent. Here’s a fact the hyperbole-loving Donald might appreciate: these are the lowest ratings for Donny ever. Tremendously low. Sad!
His popularity might be summed up by the normally neutral USA Today, who joined the chorus of voices declaring Donald is unfit for office, but went even further in an editorial, saying he is “uniquely awful. His sickening behavior is corrosive to the enterprise of a shared governance based on common values and the consent of the governed…. A president who’d all but call a senator a whore is unfit to clean toilets in Obama’s presidential library or to shine George W. Bush’s shoes.”
And with that, happy holidays to you all, and may Robert Mueller bring us something we all really, really want this year.
