Crooked Media: What A Day: Hope Dose

KEEP KAMALA, CARRY ONALA

By now you’ve seen a ton of reporting about how disastrous Donald Trump’s second term could be — hell, we’ve contributed our share. But hope isn’t extinguished, and even this gloomy election had its bright spots.

• Millions of Americans watched in horror and disbelief as former President Donald Trump not only dominated the Electoral College, but won the popular vote by 3.5 points, as the count stands right now.. It’s the first time in two decades that a Republican nominee has won the popular vote in this country. What’s more, they voted for a convicted felon and pathological liar who ran a campaign tainted by racism and misogyny, driven by hate and fear, fueled by a promise to roll back reproductive rights and measures to address climate change. It’s bleak for anyone on the left — there’s no way around that.
• I asked several Biden administration officials how they’re feeling and what they’re hopeful for moving forward, if anything. One described his emotion today as “numb.” Another simply responded: “Oof.” But a handful of them pointed to the same trend: This election was a historic showing for women in Congress. State Sen. Sarah McBride (D-DE) will become the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress. And next year will mark the first time that two Black women — Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and prosecutor Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland — will serve in the Senate. State Rep. Julie Johnson (R-TX) will become the state’s first openly LGBT person to serve in Congress. Climate activist Yassamin Ansari of Arizona also became the first Iranian-American Democrat elected to Congress.
• “Super exciting stuff in a news cycle that is not all that exciting or happy,” Hysteria co-host Erin Ryan says on an episode of the podcast airing tomorrow, which breaks down the chaos and the good things to come out of this election. “These are all really good, positive things that, in the darkness, we can be like, okay, some good things are still happening,” co-host Alyssa Mastromonaco adds.

There were a handful of other wins for the left across the country that signal that Americans, even in states that voted for Donald Trump, favor progressive policies over far-right ones.

• In Arizona, voters approved a measure enshrining the right to abortion in the state’s constitution, a major win for pro-choice advocates there who have been working tooth-and-nail to battle the state’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Six other states — Colorado, New York, Maryland, Missouri, Montana and Nevada — also voted to protect abortion access. Four of those states voted for Trump, the guy who helped take away reproductive rights in the first place. Make it make sense!
• Missouri in particular has us scratching our heads, voting for Trump by an 18-point margin while also passing its abortion rights measure, approving a $15 minimum wage, and requiring employers to create requirements for paid sick leave. Nebraska voters also overwhelmingly approved a paid sick leave measure. Democrats had hoped that getting these measures on ballots in contested states would drive base turnout and, in turn, votes for the Democratic nominee. It didn’t quite work out like that. Still, good policy is good policy.
• Democratic lawmakers now face the monumental task of holding the party together to keep challenging MAGA’s far-right vision for America. That starts with people organizing and caring for each other, while fighting through the fear and anger, Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) wrote on X. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a powerful message while conceding the election today: “The light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up, and as long as we keep fighting,” she said. “Do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged.”

We’re living in a crazy time. To lift his mood, my editor Greg’s brother, Doug, bought an RC truck. “Gonna be resilient and have fun. Gonna exercise, meditate, do therapy, drink water, and safeguard my joy,” he texted. We highly recommend you all do the same. You can’t fight for democracy if you’re dehydrated.

CHAMBER OF DEEP RIFTS

Donald Trump promised to be a “dictator” on the first day of his new term. But for the entire four-year stint, he’ll have to deal with Congress.

Republicans have secured control of the Senate. There are still some races outstanding, but the GOP is looking at a majority likely between 52 and 55 seats after all the votes are counted. That’s short of the 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster — a tactic to delay or block a vote — on legislation or confirmations. So, Democrats will keep the power to battle some of the GOP’s impulses.

Here’s the bleak news: Judicial and cabinet nominations are no longer subject to the filibuster in the Senate. Republicans’ expected majority is well north of what it takes to churn out nominees for federal agencies or lifetime judgeships with little more than token opposition from Dems.

Many of Trump’s former cabinet members either refused to endorse him or warned that he’s unfit for office. Where might he turn for a new crop of more sycophantic advisors? Vaccine-denier and brain-worm sufferer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS Secretary? Judge Aileen Cannon for Attorney General? A GOP Senate majority would be in a position to approve them — easily — if they choose.

We don’t know yet who will control the House, but both sides are coveting a majority: For Republicans, it would mean a free hand for Trump to pursue a hard-right agenda — things like funding immigration roundups or passing a national abortion ban — to the fullest. Even a narrow Democratic majority in the House would allow a Speaker Hakeem Jeffries to effectively block, or at least exert control over, most legislation like that.

A Dem House majority would also be vital beyond legislative nuts and bolts: It would give Democrats committee gavels and the investigative power that comes with them.

As of tonight there are still more than 35 House races yet to be called, up to 20 of them potentially competitive. Winning many of those races may now come down to the laborious work of helping voters who cast defective ballots correct, or “cure,” those ballots. It may be weeks before we know the outcome.

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