Post-Thanksgiving re-entry.

November 26, 2022

Hi, all.

          As a way of easing back into the news cycle after the Thanksgiving holiday, I am sending a short weekend edition newsletter. There is nothing in this newsletter that can’t wait (and won’t be around on Monday), so if you are enjoying the afterglow of Thanksgiving, I strongly recommend that you continue to relish in the break. As always, to those who continue to work on the Warnock run-off or ballot curing in other states, thank you for your tireless efforts!

          Let’s start with some good news for those hoping that the appointment of a special counsel by Merrick Garland was a positive development. Count me among the skeptics who doubted the wisdom of the appointment and its effect on the pace of the investigation. But special counsel, Jack Smith, has already demonstrated that he is capable of getting up to speed on a personal level while motivating his staff to pick up the pace. In the last week, there have been three small developments that suggest that Smith intends to drive the investigations to conclusions on an expedited basis.

          In the last week, Smith

• Entered an appearance in the 11th Circuit appeal relating to Judge Cannon’s appointment of a special master in the Mar-a-Lago search. In that notice of appearance, Smith stated that he had “reviewed the filings in this litigation and approves all of the arguments that have been presented in the briefs and will be discussed at the oral argument in this case.” Smith could have merely filed a notice of appearance. Instead, he represented that he was “up to speed” and approved of the government’s arguments. In that brief statement, Smith spoke volumes. He is not fooling around.

• Former Vice President Mike Pence leaked news that the DOJ wants to interview him in connection with the January 6th attack. That leak came days after Smith was appointed as special counsel, although the request for an interview pre-dated Smith’s appointment. It is reasonable to infer that Smith told DOJ staffers to increase the pressure on Pence to agree to the interview or accept a grand jury subpoena. Pence then ran to the press to preview the news that he would be receiving a subpoena shortly.

• Smith sent a letter to the 11th Circuit after oral argument noting that Trump’s attorney, Jim Trusty, misrepresented the holding in a case cited by Trusty during oral argument. Such post-argument correspondence to an appellate panel are unusual—unless the panel requests additional briefing. Smith’s move was aggressive but appropriate given the expedited nature of the appeal.

          Each of the above moves by Smith signals that he is taking a more public-facing stance in communicating the status of the investigation. And each move suggests that Smith is acting with greater urgency than Merrick Garland.

The radicalization of Elon Musk.

          Musk may drive Twitter out of business. His management of Twitter seems chaotic, destructive, and testosterone-supplement-fueled rage. While many may say “good riddance” to Twitter, Musk is undergoing an online radicalization that will affect the American political landscape, like it or not—and Twitter’s continued existence notwithstanding.

          Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo discusses what is happening with Musk in his paywalled “Editor’s Blog,” but I believe this link will give you one-time access: Elon Musk and the Narcissism/Radicalization Maelstrom.

          Here is Marshall’s thesis:

Let’s start with the simple observation that it’s not ideal to have the owner of one of the world’s largest and most influential communication platforms operating in a social and political milieu of white nationalists and international outlaws. What captures my attention, though, is the process, the trajectory. It’s what we might call a narcissism/radicalization maelstrom and it’s at least somewhat similar to what you could observe with Donald Trump in 2015 and 2016.

          In the process of his online radicalization, Musk is endangering not only Twitter but his other businesses, as well. Let’s hope that at some point, the pain of losing tens of billions of dollars (or more) will cause others to impose some restraint on Musk.

Trump’s dinner guests.

          Trump apparently dined at Mar-a-Lago with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes—both of whom are known for their antisemitic views, while Fuentes is also known for his white nationalism. See Axios, Trump talks with white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago dinner. Trump will not fade away quietly, and in the meantime, he is further damaging the GOP brand going into 2024.

Georgia Supreme Court reinstates six-week abortion ban.

          With less than two weeks before the Georgia Senate run-off, the Georgia Supreme Court has reinstated a six-week abortion ban. See CNN Politics, Georgia Supreme Court reinstates six-week abortion ban. Political “experts” in Georgia claim that ruling will have little effect on the runoff. See Channel 11alive.com, Political impacts of Georgia abortion ban and Senate runoff. Per Political strategist Brian Robinson,

Voters have been tuned out, traveling, seeing family, watching football, not necessarily talking about politics or reading about politics . . . And people aren't going to vote in a referendum on an abortion issue.

          That’s right, a male political strategist believes that women voters are too busy “watching football” to worry about the criminalization of reproductive liberty. Spoken like a man who is being paid to suppress turnout. Mr. Robinson apparently missed the results of the 2022 midterms.

Concluding Thoughts.

          As bitter cold settles across much of the US, nearly 6 million people in Ukraine are without electricity heading into the coldest part of the winter—the result of a campaign by Russia to freeze the Ukrainian people into submission. It will not work—because the Ukrainians are fighting for their homeland. Never underestimate the will of people who are fighting for something bigger themselves. That is a lesson we should never forget.

          Talk to you on Monday! Comments open to everyone for the weekend!