Democrats re-establish the peaceful transfer of power
January 6, 2025
The holiday period ends for our household on Sunday evening as I make the last pickup at LAX for family members returning from holiday travel (to see grandparents in Tennessee). The process will take most of the evening and involve multiple car seats and strollers to be picked up at the luggage carousel, a necessary consequence of traveling with toddlers. So, I am writing this edition (in part) from an airport parking lot. Accordingly, I ask for more than the usual amount of indulgence for errors. Thanks!
I have been watching airline traffic throughout the day as the “polar vortex” begins to wobble southward, settling over a vast swath of America. Most US states will face extreme cold—perhaps historic cold. Be careful, stay inside to the extent possible, and keep an eye out for neighbors in need of help—especially the elderly.
New wave of articles “blaming Democrats” for losing.
Over the weekend, readers sent a stream of the same handful of articles asserting the current mess American democracy finds itself in is the fault of Democrats for running elitist, out-of-touch campaigns that ignored the working class.
I have addressed these specious claims in the past and had hoped there would be no further need to do so again. But political commentators are not yet done beating up Democrats. And for reasons that escape me, many Democrats fall for their flawed analyses. I don’t get it.
Let’s be clear about this: Democrats are not to blame for Trump. They opposed him with everything they had—and more. They raised the alarm about democracy and were told (by the media and pollsters), “No one cares about the threat to democracy” and “But the price of eggs!” Democrats pivoted to Project 2025 and were told, “Trump is his own man; he takes direction from no one!” Democrats then focused on the monumental legislative achievements of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of working Americans and were told, “Too much information! Boring!”
You can feel my frustration, especially when commentators fail to mention leading issues in the campaign—like reproductive liberty and the relegation of women to second-class status. And no one—not one of the “Blame the Democrats” commentators—mentions Trump's overt calls to racism, sexism, and white supremacy. Any alleged analysis of the election outcome that fails to discuss—let alone acknowledge—the cornerstones of Trump's campaign is incomplete and misleading.
I stopped counting how many copies I received of Jonathan Weisman’s analysis in the NYTimes, How the Democrats Lost the Working Class, but it was a lot. I reluctantly thought about dragging myself (and readers) through a point-by-point rebuttal of Weisman’s “just so” telling of the election outcome, and then a reader forwarded an essay by Paul Krugman in his Substack, Krugman Wonks Out, Bothsidesing, With a Republican Slant: Here We Go Again.
Krugman writes,
I found a lot to agree with in Jonathan Weisman’s big piece on how Democrats lost the working class, although he barely mentions the extent to which Republicans have followed anti-worker policies, including attempts to privatize Social Security and kill the Affordable Care Act. Reagan, in particular . . . did a lot to crush unions while cutting taxes on high incomes and raising them on most workers . . .
Krugman then writes,
Biden, however, was the most pro-worker president we’ve had in generations, only to find his political prospects dimmed by inflation. So whose fault was that?
Weisman ends his article with a quote that blames Biden for inflation—quoting a source who says that the American Rescue Plan was “the worst thing they could have done” because it “poured gasoline on the smoldering embers of post-pandemic inflation.”
Never mind that the American Rescue Plan literally saved millions of Americans and small businesses from financial ruin during the pandemic, Mr. Weisman is displeased that the life-saving legislation (allegedly) caused inflation.
But, in fact, the American Rescue Plan did not exacerbate inflation. As Krugman writes,
Shouldn’t readers at least be told that cumulative inflation since the start of the pandemic has been pretty much the same in all advanced countries, which sure seems to support the Democratic narrative that Biden’s policies weren’t responsible?
Indeed, as the chart in Krugman’s article shows, inflation in the US has decreased more quickly than in other industrialized nations, many of which did not have an equivalent of the American Rescue Plan.
This is only one point in a lengthier rebuttal that could be written about Weisman’s “blame the Democrats” article. But I make it to show that a central premise in Weisman’s article is incomplete at best and misleading at worst. And yet, dozens of readers sent the article with a note that endorsed the article with glowing adjectives.
It’s time for Democrats to stop beating up on one another. Yes, we must understand why we did not win in 2024. But the election involved two candidates with highly divergent messages. Focusing only on Democratic messages and strategies to analyze the reasons for our loss is incomplete and will (therefore) lead to erroneous conclusions.
It is a painful thing to say, but we must accept that Trump's hateful rhetoric gained traction in a portion of the electorate—enough to allow him a narrow victory with a plurality of those who voted on November 5. Failing to consider how Trump's messages affected the outcome is a profound analytical error.
If readers are motivated to amplify articles that criticize Democrats for perceived failings in 2024, it would be a healthy exercise to include a statement that goes something like this, “. . . and this is my suggestion for remedying the deficiency.”
Indeed, some readers have done so but, so far, most of the suggestions have seemed unwise and counterproductive. One of the most common suggestions is, “Stop talking about trans / LGBTQ / women’s reproductive rights” or “Stop talking about them so much.”
Democrats have plenty of problems to address, but abandoning constituencies that are under attack by religious fundamentalist extremists is not the way forward. The suggestion box is open for positive recommendations that do not involve party purges. Democrats are not the problem, and the only way forward is through unity.
Apologies that it took so long to make this simple point. But it is an important one.
“Open borders” were not responsible for the New Orleans and Las Vegas terror attacks
If you obtain your news only from Fox, you likely believe that the attacks on New Years Day in New Orleans and Las Vegas were the result of “open borders” by Joe Biden. See NBC News, Trump and GOP allies falsely blame New Orleans attack on immigration failures. (Fox has removed its articles falsely blaming immigration, so I link to the NBC News article instead.)
The person responsible for the apparent suicide bombing in Las Vegas left two short “manifestos” that I have avoided amplifying. He was an active-duty military person suffering from PTSD due to lengthy deployments in combat zones. Whatever he chose to say in his suicide notes seemed outside the realm of political discourse.
But because the right-wing news media continues to falsely attribute the two incidents to immigration; it is appropriate to note that the Las Vegas suicide bomber left notes making clear that he was a strong supporter of Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. His choice of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas and a Tesla truck were deliberate efforts to amplify his plea for others to support Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr.
The suicide bombing was a personal tragedy that should cause introspection about how we care for the men and women we send into combat. But it was not a result of alleged “open borders” under the Biden administration.
As Professor Laurence Tribe posted on BlueSky today, everyone should read the “manifestos” to understand the depth of devotion the suicide bomber demonstrated to Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. A link to those short manifestos (with a summary) is included in Josh Marshall’s analysis in Talking Points Memo, Why Are Publications Sugar-Coating Livelsberger’s Political Minifestos?
Jeff Bezos goes “full obedience” to Trump
Last October, Jeff Bezos prevented the WaPo editorial board from endorsing Kamala Harris. After Trump's election, he donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural slush fund. WaPo’s editors then killed a political cartoon that criticized billionaires and corporations (including Bezos) for prostrating themselves before Trump. See Andy Borowitz on Substack, “Democracy Dies in Bezos.”
Just when you thought Bezos could go no lower, Fox reported that Amazon Studios had agreed to produce and distribute (into theaters!) a documentary on the life of Melania Trump! As Joe Biden would say, “No joke!” See The Daily Beast, Melania Goes to Hollywood Courtesy of Jeff Bezos and a #MeToo Director.
It appears that Trump and Bezos had difficulty finding a director for the documentary. As noted in The Daily Beast, they settled on a director who has not worked in 10 years:
The film will also be the first project directed by [Brett] Ratner . . . in 10 years. Ratner was accused by multiple women—including Olivia Munn and Natasha Hensridge—in 2017 of sexual misconduct, leading Warner Bros. to sever all ties with him.
In the contest to see who can cozy up closest to an aspiring tyrant, Jeff Bezos has the inside track and a three-length lead. My guess is that Musk will counter with an offer to buy Truth Social for $100 billion.
Watch Democracy Docket / Marc Elias on “What people should do in 2025”
Marc Elias led much of the voting rights litigation for Democrats from 2016 to 2024 through the vehicles of his law firm and Democracy Docket. Under Marc’s leadership, Democracy Docket transformed itself after the 2024 election from a litigation powerhouse to a proud and loud leader of the opposition. Marc is quickly emerging as one of the most important voices in the new opposition. Subscribe to Democracy Docket here: Democracy Docket.
Democracy Docket is also producing YouTube video podcasts that complement its newsletter and website. A reader forwarded this video to me: Democracy Docket, Marc Elias: What I’m Worried About for 2025 And What People Should Do.
I expend a lot of effort trying to encourage, fortify, and reassure readers during these challenging times. So, the highest praise I can give is to say Marc Elias’s video encouraged, fortified, and reassured me. Set aside 15 minutes to watch it. You will be glad you did!
Concluding Thoughts
First, there is no traffic like LAX traffic.
Second, January 6, 2025, will be a bittersweet day filled with conflicting emotions. Against great odds, the nation will experience the beginning of a peaceful transfer of power—exactly as prescribed by the Constitution. That is no small achievement given what happened on January 6, 2021.
But we must be forthright in recognizing that the peaceful transfer of power that will occur on Monday is due to the fealty to the Constitution demonstrated by Democrats. We will never know what would have happened if Trump had lost, but we do know that he would not commit during the campaign to accepting the outcome of the electoral college vote if he did not win.
It is maddening that only one party in our two-party system can be relied upon to honor the Constitution and follow the rule of law. But contemplate the alternative: If neither party adhered to the rule of law, we would devolve into chaos. However resentful we feel about the asymmetry of the situation, Democrats must continue to be the anchor that moors our nation to the Constitution.
If we continue to honor the Constitution as we outlast Trump, we can look forward to the day when the successor to the Republican Party helps reestablish a political system in which both parties honor the Constitution.
On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris will announce the electoral vote totals, which will show that Donald Trump received a majority of the votes cast by the electors. According to the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, the announcement of the vote totals showing that one candidate received a majority “shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the person . . . elected President.”
It continues to a singular achievement of our of democracy that power is transferred between political opponents peacefully (except for January 6, 2021). Democrats should take pride on January 6, 2025, that they are responsible for continuing the tradition of peaceful transfer of power.
None of the above takes away the sting of unfairness over the asymmetry of Democratic and Republican dedication to the Constitution. The only cure for that psychic injury will be to defeat the Republican candidate in 2028 by such an overwhelming margin that the GOP dare not raise their hands in protest on January 6, 2029. I look forward to that day with eagerness and hope.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Daily Dose of Perspective
Driving home from the airport, my daughter and I saw a bright green meteor streak through the sky above Los Angeles. A good omen, perhaps? I will take it as such.
Below is a repeat image of the comet designated C-2023/ A3. The comet is hundreds of millions of miles from Earth. The best estimate is that it will return to the general vicinity of our solar system in 80,000 years. See Everything You Need To Know About Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS AKA Comet C/2023 A3 - Adler Planetarium.
Let’s be honest about what is happening to people in America and all over the world; the age of telecommunications, including the rise of social media, has shortened attention spans, reduced critical thinking and revealed an emotional receptiveness to hate, fear and bigotry and a tendency to embrace purported simple solutions to complex problems. Therein lies the bulk of the answer regarding the outcome of the election. Yes, Democrats need to do a better job of communicating to people who are prone to be swayed by demagoguery. Yes, we must reintroduce civics and critical thinking skills into our educational systems. Yes, we should consider laws to deal with malign actors who seek to play on human weaknesses to subvert our society. It seems to me that we need to learn how to better defend ourselves and our society from our own worst impulses as human beings.
Republicans, alas,are masters at getting people to vote against their own interest by creating their own false reality.