Set so many fires

Yesterday I mentioned the GOP members of the Board of Canvassers in Wayne County, Michigan who refused to certify the election results in Detroit. They are William Hartmann and Monica Palmer. After being harangued for two hours on Zoom (lots of Detroit residents took the opportunity to tell them off), the relented and signed. The compromise was that the Detroit results would be audited. Mark Sumner of Daily Kos has round three of the saga. The nasty guy contacted Hartmann and Palmer directly with gratitude for their support. Also, the Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said audits aren’t done after certification. So the two signed an affidavit saying they rescind their certification. Benson had an answer for that as well – you signed, everything has been turned over to me, there’s no legal mechanism to unsign, we’re done. The fun and games … uh, election subversion … continues into another round. Dartagnan of Kos discussed an article in the New York Times that reported the nasty guy has invited Michigan’s GOP legislative leadership to the White House on Friday. No doubt to twist arms. Dartagnan wrote this is sedition or “‘conduct or speech’ calculated to incite rebellion against our Constitutional process” and is grounds for impeachment. Not that anyone is going to bother. Thankfully, Mike Shirkey has already stated replacing the state’s Electoral College Biden electors with a GOP slate is “not going to happen.” Olga Lautman monitors activities between Russia, Ukraine, and America. She tweeted that Chris Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and his deputy Matthew Travis, have been fired by the nasty guy.

Trump is really intent on leaving our infrastructure, hospitals, and govt agencies open to cyber attacks. Part of his plan along w providing US sources and methods to the Kremlin. Everyone who allows this are traitors. … This is the chaos I have been worried about. Trump will use the next few months to attempt to destroy our agencies and purge federal employees in key positions. Trump shouldn't be allowed to serve out his term w intent to destroy America.

Ben Collins, a reporter for NBC News, tweeted a link to an article in CNN about the nasty guy administration, and included a quote:

A second official tells CNN their goal is to set so many [foreign policy] fires that it will be hard for the Biden administration to put them all out.

Mark Sumner of Kos added a few details. Yeah, there is the chaos of the pandemic on the home front. Sumner wrote and also …

As CNN notes, creating hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths may seem like a pretty big fire, but it’s not the only one that Trump intends to set. Trump is making moves in Afghanistan, and Iraq, and potentially in Iran, not out of an intention to deliver increased national security, but to intentionally create instability. Trump has ordered the latest acting defense secretary to engage in cyber warfare with China. He’s looking to make new terrorist designations that would hogtie future diplomatic actions. And, of course, he’s rushing through massive arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia that could completely upset the balance in a region that’s been notoriously fragile. All of this reflects something that Trump did immediately after the 2016 election—he began running for 2020. That’s exactly what Trump is doing again. Except this time he is using his ability to wreck the government to position himself for a run in 2024. Trump’s plan breaks down to: try to destroy democracy now, but if that doesn’t work, make sure the nation is so broken that you can destroy democracy next time. How Republicans will handle this is best summed up by what the Senate did in its last hours before going on a break—completely shatter past traditions by continuing to hand lifetime appointments to unqualified judicial nominees put forward by the loser of the national election. Trump is doing everything he can to leave Joe Biden a nation that is sick and divided at home, weak and besieged abroad. And he’s doing it for the same reason he decided to not engage in a serious attempt to stop COVID-19. He believes that a little death and disaster will be good political strategy.

Marissa Higgins of Kos reported an interesting possibility for Joe Biden’s cabinet, in particular the Department of the Interior. This department handles federal land, including oil and gas rights on land and offshore. It also handles environmental issues, including endangered species preservation, and it handles the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education. It’s easy to guess what a nasty guy crony has been doing as the head of this department. But that’s not what this post is about. The rumor is that a Native American is being considered for the job. Yeah, an Indian to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs – what a concept! And about time. The particular person is Deb Haaland, Representative from New Mexico, and a member of Laguna Pueblo. She was elected in 2018 as one of the first two Native women elected to Congress. Related to that, Moscow Mitch and several other GOP senators have said that they would not confirm any cabinet picks that are liberal. Proposing Sen. Bernie Sanders for Labor Secretary got a laugh and a no. Which makes it all the more important that we win the two runoff races in Georgia. SemDem of the Kos community lays out ways the court system, including the Supreme Court, can be rebalanced, even if membership can’t be expanded. SemDem first lays out the need, including the number of judges that are being quickly pushed onto the court – something occupying Moscow Mitch even in this lame duck season. Then come the suggestions: Investigate and remove judges who committee perjury. There have been several who allegedly lied during confirmation hearings – including Supreme justice Brett Kavanaugh. A citizens brigade could observe judges and fill out a complaint of judicial misconduct when a judge makes overly partisan statements. Write legislation to require unanimous, or nearly so, decisions if they come before a court. Congress can also eliminate judicial review for some federal actions or require it go through state courts. Defy the court – at least the hyperpartisan rulings. That’s being done now. Establish an inter-branch disputes court, a non-partisan body to handle conflicts between Congress and the President. And, of course, try to expand the courts.