Today’s Edition: Outlasting the heat wave.

June 29, 2021.

          The temperature reached 115° in Portland, Oregon on Monday, an all-time record. Is the heat wave in Portland proof of man-made climate change? Not by itself. The weather is not the climate, and “data” is not the plural of “anecdote.” But the record-breaking heat in the Pacific Northwest is part of a long-term trend of extended droughts and temperature extremes in the United States. See Business Insider, “America's New Climate 'Normal' Is Hotter, Wetter, and More Extreme.” And, yet, only last week, Republicans stripped all funding to fight climate change from Biden’s proposed infrastructure bill (with an assist from Senators Manchin and Sinema). The GOP’s opposition runs counter to the strong support among Americans for efforts to fight man made climate change. See NYTimes, “Climate Change Survey: Majority of Voters Support Initiatives.” (“66 percent of respondents said that developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority.”)

          The problem with political solutions to combat climate change is that politics runs on a 24-hour news cycle, while climate change occurs over decades and centuries. Extreme weather events like the record-breaking temperature in Portland are a signal in the noise of climate variability. We should pay attention—and not merely until the heat wave dissipates. Fighting climate change requires vision and discipline. Biden’s original infrastructure proposal had both; the bipartisan version has neither.

          Unfortunately, it appears that Biden agreed to support the bipartisan bill without securing commitments from Manchin and Sinema to support his reconciliation bill. Or perhaps he did but is keeping their assurances confidential to prevent Republicans from abandoning the bipartisan bill. As I said yesterday, I am confused about the state of play on the infrastructure bill. So is Joe Biden. See his official statement trying to clarify the confusion he created last Friday: Whitehouse.gov, “Statement by President Joe Biden on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework.”

          As Biden tries to pass his reconciliation bill with climate change provisions intact we should fight the false narrative that climate change will affect only parts of the nation or some Americans. That’s simply not true. In our integrated world, everyone and everything is interconnected. The extended drought in California’s Central Valley is not just bad news for California; it will also affect the food supply nationwide. See NYTimes, “It’s Some of America’s Richest Farmland. But What Is It Without Water?” Per the Times, California provides two-thirdsof the nation’s fruit supply. If the current drought lasts beyond 2040, nearly 20% of the farmland in the Central Valley will lie fallow. Farmers in the Central Valley are already bulldozing mature orchards and replanting new trees that consume less water as they mature. Their hope is that by the time the trees mature, the drought will be over. It is a gamble that will affect food supplies across the nation in less than a decade.

          Biden’s original infrastructure plan was bold and visionary when he first proposed it. He should remain true to his original vision, which is supported by two-thirds of Americans. Time is running out. We must keep up the pressure on Biden and Congress, even after the current heat wave dissipates.

Toyota Doesn’t Give a Damn About Being a Good Corporate Citizen

          A recent report revealed that Toyota is the largest contributor to members of the Sedition Caucus—those members of Congress who voted to block certification of electors in the 2020 presidential election. When Toyota was confronted with its unenviable position, it issued the following in-your-face statement:

          Toyota supports candidates based on their position on issues that are important to the auto industry and the company. We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification.

See Talking Points Memo, “Toyota Leans in Amid Furor Over Donations To GOPers Who Challenged Election Results.”

          I suggest that American consumers reply to Toyota with the following:

          American consumers buy from automakers who support democracy. They do not believe it is appropriate to buy cars from manufacturers who fund politicians who try to overthrow democracy.

          Whoever is running Toyota’s public relations office just made a BIG mistake. For a company that makes money by listening to consumers, Toyota just told American consumers to go take a hike. Until Toyota reforms its policy on donations and apologizes for its insensitive statement, check out the fine offerings from other carmakers who do not support lawmakers who tried to overthrow the U.S government.

Is the Ground Shifting Under Trump’s Feet?

          Trump is on a roll—and not a good one. His first post-insurrection rally in Ohio was a Castro-like affair with a 97-minute speech that reprised old grievances—including the anti-Hillary chant of “Lock her up.” Trump has drifted to the extremes of his conspiracy theory base, using Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green and My Pillow Guy Mike Lindell as his warmup act. Those are some of the people that Bill Barr referred to as the “clown show” that was attempting to prove that the 2020 election was stolen. See Daily Beast, “Former Attorney General William Barr Told Trump His Election Fraud Team Was a ‘Clown Show’.” Whatever Trump’s populist message was in 2016, it has been replaced by a list of grievances suffered by Trump. That is not a message likely to encourage turnout among Republican voters.

          Trump released a statement on Monday that viciously attacked two of his staunchest allies over the last four years, Mitch McConnell and Bill Barr. See HuffPost, ‘Utterly Deranged’ Trump Has Full Meltdown Over William Barr, Mitch McConnell.”          More unflattering revelations are emerging from interviews and upcoming book releases. Trump screamed at General Milley over his refusal to use force against protestors in D.C. after the murder of George Floyd. See “Trump screamed at Milley over military crackdown on protests: book.” Trump was also dismayed by the people who stormed the Capitol at his instruction. As video of the insurrectionists began to appear on his television screen, Trump said to aide Jason Miller, “Who are these people? These aren’t our people, these idiots with these outfits. They look like Democrats.” Ouch! That description won’t win Trump many friends.

          Meanwhile, Trump is hurling insults at Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr., who will reportedly indict the Trump Organization this week. Trump claimed that Vance will not indict Trump. Not true. What Vance said was that “When this indictment comes down, he won’t be charged. Our investigation is ongoing.” See Politico, “Trump lawyer: Manhattan DA won't charge former president.” (“But for now, according to Trump’s lawyer, those charges [against Trump] do not appear to be immediately forthcoming.”) Regardless of whether Vance ever charges Trump personally, the indictment of the Trump organization will be a distraction and drain on Trump’s attention—and a new source of grievances. The more that Trump focuses on his bruised ego, the less effective he will be in 2020 and 2024. He remains the leading contender for the 2024 GOP nomination, so his legal troubles will be a drag on the Republican field of contenders for years to come. Good. And, of course, we can always hope that Merrick Garland will bring federal charges against Trump for obstruction of justice.

Supreme Court denies review of lower court victory for transgender bathroom access.

          In a victory for transgender students, the Supreme Court denied review of an appeal by a school that prohibited a transgender student from using the boy’s bathroom. See The Hill, “Supreme Court won't hear school's appeal in transgender bathroom access fight.” The ruling left in place the appeals court opinion that granted Gavin Grimm access to the bathroom that matched his gender identity. LGBTQ advocates hailed the procedural move as a positive step forward for trans students.

Concluding Thoughts.

An advantage that Democrats have going into the 2022 elections is Trump’s lack of self-awareness. He doesn’t understand that his appearances on the campaign trail for GOP candidates are ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst. But don’t try to tell him otherwise. He craves the limelight and the money that he raises from such appearances. In the meantime, he seems increasingly unhinged, pathetic, and irrelevant to Independents and the segment of the GOP that Trump brands as RINOs. See Real Clear Politics, “Romney: Many People Realize The Trump Show Is Like Pro-Wrestling; "It's Entertaining, But It's Not Real".”

          We face serious challenges in 2022 in both the House and the Senate. But every GOP candidate is running on a ticket with Trump at the top. That may be an advantage in some deep red districts but it is a disadvantage in purple districts. We should leverage that advantage for all it is worth. Of course, we need a positive message, but it would be a mistake not to attack the GOP’s weak underbelly. So, as you listen to reports about Trump’s latest crazed rally, relax. He is doing damage to the GOP brand and to himself. That fact should give everyone confidence as we support Democratic candidates in every congressional district in the country.

          Talk to you tomorrow!