In appealing to ‘give each other a chance,’ Biden recalls the democratic charity of Abraham Lincoln

On Nov. 7, in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Joe Biden delivered his first speech as president-elect. In declaring victory, Biden spoke directly to those who didn’t support him. 

“And to those who voted for President Trump, I understand your disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of elections myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric. To lower the temperature. To see each other again. To listen to each other again. To make progress. We must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans.”

I am a scholar of democracy and ethics, and Biden’s words call to mind Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address. Delivered on March 4, 1865, after his reelection and at a time when Union victory was in sight, that speech – like Biden’s – called for a new beginning after a time of extreme division. Continue reading.

Sullivan wins reelection in Alaska, giving Republicans 50 seats in Senate

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Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) on Wednesday was projected to have won a second term representing Alaska, securing 50 seats in the Senate for Republicans in the next Congress.

CNN and NBC News both called the race shortly before 10 a.m. EST.

The projection confirms that control of the Senate will come down to two Jan. 5 runoffs in Georgia, one between Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) and the Rev. Raphael Warnock (D) and the other between Sen. David Perdue (R) and Jon Ossoff (D). Continue reading.

As states press forward with vote counts, Trump advisers privately express pessimism about heading off Biden’s win

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Six states where President Trump has threatened to challenge his defeat continued their march toward declaring certified election results in the coming weeks, as his advisers privately acknowledged that President-elect Joe Biden’s official victory is less a question of “if” than “when.”

Trump began the day tweeting about “BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE” as he and his allies touted unproven claims that fraud had tainted the election in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Vice President Pence gave a presentation to Republican senators on Capitol Hill about new litigation expected in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia — imploring them to stick with the president, according to several Republicans in the room.

But even some of the president’s most publicly pugilistic aides, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and informal adviser Corey Lewandowski, have said privately that they are concerned about the lawsuits’ chances for success unless more evidence surfaces, according to people familiar with their views. Continue reading.

Trump Said Market Would Tank If Biden Won — But It’s Soaring

Throughout the campaign, Donald Trump claimed multiple times that if former Vice President Joe Biden were elected to the presidency, the stock market would crash and Americans’ retirement funds would be wiped out.

But on Monday — the first day the stock market was open since Biden was declared the winner — the Dow Jones surged by nearly 1,400 points, setting a new record after AstraZeneca announced the success of its new coronavirus vaccine.

It’s proof that one of Trump’s most frequent lines of attack against Biden was demonstrably false. Continue reading.

Senate roadblocks threaten to box in Biden

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The Senate is looming as a roadblock for several of President-elect Joe Biden‘s policy priorities as Democrats start to assemble their 2021 agenda.

Biden and congressional leaders pledged to tackle a bold, aggressive slate of legislation when they felt bullish about their chances for a Democratic trifecta for the first time since 2010 and amid fierce pressure from their base to go big after four years of President Trump.

But in a setback, Biden will at best have a 50-50 Senate majority or, more likely, find his party in the minority by a seat or two, a significant hurdle that will test his ability to cut bipartisan deals while making it difficult if not impossible to pass several Democratic priorities for at least two years. Continue reading.

Biden behaves as the incoming president, even as Trump balks at giving up power

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WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden sought to project the authority of an incoming president Monday as he dealt with matters domestic and international, even as the defeated incumbent continued to balk at turning over the reins.

Biden began taking calls from foreign leaders, speaking Monday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He also was weighing whom to appoint to top White House positions, with several of his longtime advisers expected to take senior roles. And he turned his attention to the coronavirus, dispatching a key aide to brief Senate Democrats this week and making a strong pitch to Americans of every ideology to follow public health recommendations.

Biden urged Americans to wear masks, at one point holding one up during a speech in Wilmington, and sought to depoliticize the act of putting one on. Continue reading.

Postal worker recanted allegations of ballot tampering, officials say

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A Pennsylvania postal worker whose claims have been cited by top Republicans as potential evidence of widespread voting irregularities admitted to U.S. Postal Service investigators that he fabricated the allegations, according to three officials briefed on the investigation and a statement from a House congressional committee.

Richard Hopkins’s claim that a postmaster in Erie, Pa., instructed postal workers to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day was cited by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) in a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal investigation. Attorney General William P. Barr subsequently authorized federal prosecutors to open probes into credible allegations of voting irregularities and fraud before results are certified, a reversal of long-standing Justice Department policy.

But on Monday, Hopkins, 32, told investigators from the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General that the allegations were not true, and he signed an affidavit recanting his claims, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe an ongoing investigation. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee tweeted late Tuesday that the “whistleblower completely RECANTED.” Continue reading.

Leaked call audio shows Trump officials denying election results

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Top Trump loyalists are trying to cling to power by firing critics, rehiring other loyalists, instructing federal government employees that the election isn’t over yet, and threatening appointees that their future work prospects could get crushed if they try to abandon ship now.

Driving the news: In leaked audio of a Monday conference call with USAID staff, obtained by Axios, the agency’s top-ranking official John Barsa told staff to “play until the whistle blows” and that “DC, at the end of the day, is a really small town” — which participants read as a threat to anyone who starts job hunting. 

The big picture: Monday’s leaked call came as Trump and his inner circle continued to publicly deny the reality that rival Joe Biden has won the election. Continue reading.

Most Republicans avoid challenging Trump on election

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Republicans are largely avoiding any challenges of President Trump over his refusal to concede the election to Democrat Joe Biden.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled the game plan during a Monday address on the Senate floor while giving his members cover.

McConnell’s remarks were disparaging of Democrats and the media, who have projected Biden as the winner but have no constitutional role in the process, the Kentucky Republican noted. McConnell, who is poised to be his party’s top official in Washington when Biden takes office, also said Trump was well within his rights of challenging the close results and asking for recounts. Continue reading.

NEW POLL: Vast Majority Of Americans Recognize Biden Won The Election

More than half to American’s votes were for Vice President Biden and now nearly 80 percent recognize him as the duly elected president, despite Trump’s refusal to concede and baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

An overwhelming majority of Americans, including half of Republicans, recognize President-Elect Biden as the winner of the election.

Reuters: “Nearly 80% of Americans, including more than half of Republicans, recognize President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the Nov. 3 election after most media organizations called the race for the Democrat based on his leads in critical battleground states, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.”

Continue reading “NEW POLL: Vast Majority Of Americans Recognize Biden Won The Election”