Lindsey is pulling a new stunt ahead of midterms, and even Republicans aren't with him.

Thursday, September 15, 2022
BY JULIA CLAIRE & CROOKED MEDIA

- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ([link removed]) (R-GA) losing the thread on the House floor talking about her belief in a president's right to fire anyone at any time as if they were at-will employees

Two roads diverged in the midterm-election strategy wood, and Republicans unsurprisingly took the most destructive one.

* Abortion rights opponents have been saying for decades that strong support for Roe vs. Wade in polls was overstated. The anti-choice crowd held that people didn’t really understand what overturning the decision meant, and when it happened, they would actually come to see this stripping of a fundamental right as a good or acceptable thing. Well, that didn’t happen. ([link removed]) Can you believe it? Three months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe, the Dobbs decision has only grown more unpopular. Americans now oppose the decision by a two-to-one margin, and crucially, that number remains unchanged when those polled are told that the Court’s decision means states can decide the issue for themselves. While that number reflects the majority of Americans, Republican support for overturning Roe has jumped since the decision, likely a political rallying effect.

* Many Republican candidates have thus tried to quietly scrub their websites. But other high-profile Republican lawmakers have charged ahead. On Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a nationwide abortion ban, reigniting the debate and surge of anger over the issue ([link removed]) weeks before midterms. Graham’s legislation would ban the procedure after 15 weeks with exceedingly rare exceptions. Obviously, such a bill has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled House and Senate. It’s an offer to frothing MAGA voters: “This is what we’ll give you if you put us back in charge.”

* Unfortunately for them, they are a small minority of the country. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre correctly called it “wildly out of step with what Americans believe.” Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to embrace Graham’s legislation, perhaps sensing what a bad idea it is, with even worse political timing? Further still, veteran Republican strategist Chris Wilson noted what a foolhardy move this was, saying that the bill ([link removed]) , “gives the Dems the chance to talk about abortion more. And right now Republicans are losing when talking about abortion.” Now’s the time for hiding the GOP’s real agenda; Graham must’ve missed the memo.

Meanwhile, Democrats have their own challenges to face this November, despite their recent polling surge.

* The Senate will delay voting on a measure to enshrine federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages until after the midterm elections ([link removed]) , as Republican support for the measure in the chamber remains uncertain. The decision comes after weeks of bipartisan negotiations in which a small group of senators worked to alleviate “concerns” of Republican senators [eyes roll so hard I get rushed to the emergency room]. The House passed the bill with the support of all Democrats and 47 Republicans back in July, but unlike Graham’s hastily-introduced national abortion ban bill, Republican Senators who are waffling on this bill do not want to make their stance known until it’s too late for voters to turn back. It’s unclear why Chuck Schumer wouldn’t put them on the record now anyhow? Chuck? Are you there?

* Invigorated by President Biden’s student-debt cancellation plan, House Democrats proposed new legislation today that would increase federal student aid, lower interest rates on loans, and take other steps to make college more affordable ([link removed]) . Democrats say their plan would tackle the root causes behind America’s $1.6 trillion in federal student debt by making loans cheaper to take out and easier to pay off, though it still does not address the rising cost of college itself. It does increase Pell Grants, which is an extremely successful federal student-aid program, but one that has failed to keep pace with inflation.

The parties’ strategies could not be more different: Republicans are waging culture war to make America the theocratic ethno-state of their dreams, while Democrats are trying to bring constituents over by delivering benefits to working Americans. I hope the choice is as obvious to swing voters as it is to us.

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President Biden helped broker a tentative agreement between rail carriers and union leaders to avert a national rail strike ([link removed]) . To celebrate, Biden appeared in the Rose garden surrounded by Department of Labor officials including Secretary of Labor and former Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh (go Sox). But the agreement is an uneasy one, as many labor negotiations are. Union leaders had pushed for 15 days of paid sick leave, but the proposed deal landed on just one day. It does win related concessions that remove penalties for missing time due to illness or a medical emergency. And it allows workers to take time off for doctor’s appointments, hospitalizations, and surgical procedures without penalty. As of this afternoon, many workers remained confused about exactly which new benefits have been won, which could make it difficult for union leaders to sell this compromise to their membership. But the wage increases
in the agreement are less opaque. If ratified, the deal would include the biggest increase in pay for railroad workers in more than four decades ([link removed]) , with an immediate 14 percent raise, and a 24 percent pay increase by 2024. The Biden administration launched an all-out effort in recent days to avert a crisis threatening two of his favorite things: trains and unions. The significance of the agreement is not necessarily that it delivers big wins for labor per se (though there are some badly-needed improvements) but that it sidesteps the economic catastrophe that a rail shutdown would create.

Now-infamous Trump appointee Aileeen Cannon has denied the Justice Department’s request to exclude documents with classified markings from her order halting the use of seized materials in the ongoing criminal probe ([link removed]) , and has appointed New York federal judge Raymond Dearie (first appointed by Ronald Reagan) to serve as the “special master”.


Two buses full of migrants from the U.S. Mexico border were dropped off near Vice President Kamala Harris’s Washington home this morning ([link removed]) , a repulsive stunt coordinated between Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), Fox News, and disgraced former president Donald Trump.


Relatedly, Gov./man who wears his father’s suits, Ron DeSantis (R-FL), claimed credit for sending two planes carrying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard ([link removed]) in Massachusetts under false pretenses. No low is too low!


Conspiracy theorist and Arizona GOP secretary of state nominee Mark Finchem recently upped his own crazy ante by accusing Mike Pence of orchestrating a “coup” to unseat Trump ([link removed]) and scheming to “steal” the 2024 presidential election. These guys are nothing if not creative storytellers!


Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has rented billboards in six states with abortion bans ([link removed]) emphasizing that “you do not need to be a California resident to receive abortion services.”


Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has complied with a subpoena ([link removed]) from the Justice Department’s January 6th investigation.


Planet Earth just experienced one of its warmest summers on record ([link removed]) . Sounds bad!
A longtime-losing political candidate from Montana who was once denied admission to the bar association because of his criminal record and “connections to white supremacy groups” named Roger Roots (okay, sure) has been assisting in the legal defense of the Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes ([link removed]) , who faces criminal conviction for his role as one of the alleged main organizers of the January 6th insurrection. Yes, that all checks out.

A loose coalition of right-wing parties has narrowly defeated Sweden’s center-left government in a general election ([link removed]) , which promises to upend Swedish politics and the country’s reputation as a haven for progressive ideals. The Swedish right was hoisted to victory with strong support for the Sweden Democrats, a once-fringe anti-immigrant party which will now be the second-largest party in the country’s legislature. The SD, which was founded in 1988 by right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis, is today led by 43-year-old Jimmie Akesson, who wrote on Facebook following the victory: “It is time to make Sweden good again.” Come on you guys, get a new line!! Of course, the SD victory was hailed by other far-right reactionaries like France’s Marine Le Pen, who tweeted, “Everywhere in Europe, people aspire to take their destiny back into their own hands!” This surprising rightward lurch in a country known for progressivism
comes on the heels of the ascent of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, whose leader Giorgia Meloni is poised to become the first female head of state in her country’s history, and it’s first fascist since Mussolini. Across Europe, right-wing parties have galvanized support by stoking racial animosity and blaming immigrants for their country’s socio-economic ills. Sound familiar?
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The founder of the outdoor apparel giant Patagonia will give away his $3 billion company to a trust specifically designed to ensure all profits will be used to combat climate change ([link removed]) .


President Biden’s approval rating has jumped substantially since July ([link removed]) , a much-needed boost going into midterms. Keep delivering on those promises, Joe!!


Biden signed an executive order today designed to sharpen the federal government’s powers to block Chinese investment in technology in the U.S. ([link removed]) and limit its access to private data.


Russia’s war in Ukraine may be entering a decisive new phase as the success of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the northeast of the country continues ([link removed]) to back Russian troops into a corner.

The Supreme Court reversed course yesterday and ruled that Yeshiva University must comply with New York State’s court order to recognize a campus gay-rights organization ([link removed]) .
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