House passes $2000 COVID checks for Senate vote
Trump heads to GA again to rally for runoff
YOU’RE SO $2000 AND LATE
House passes COVID payment bump from $600 to $2000, GOP splinters further
POLITICO
If you are a member of the congressional GOP, who do you pay attention to?
The super popular (in your party) president with three weeks left on the job? Or the leadership who will be there when he leaves? Enough of them voted with the president yesterday to send a bill bumping direct COVID stimulus payments from $600 to $2000.
But will Cocaine Mitch allow a vote on it?
Trump seems to think so:
The vote would need 60 in favor.
Will there similarly be a vote on Section 230? Is a focus on the things he can control a sign that Trump is removing his focus from trying to flip the election?
He also announced he’d be back in Georgia to rally for the runoff on January 5th.
Meanwhile, here are some questions and answers on when you can expect to see stimulus roll in.
Who is atop 2024 power rankings?
POLITICO
Includes a interesting pitch for this man…
Biden complains about “roadblocks” during transition
THE HILL
Specifically called out the Department of Defense.
ONE LAST CAMPAIGN
The Campaign Undertaker makes his final appearance of the 2020 Campaign on 1/1/21.
TSA screens highest number of passengers since pandemic
AXIOS
I’m honestly excited it took this long to start seeing these stories. Still, with cases beginning to level off in most areas of the country you have to wonder what the last jumble of the season will do.
EU member states formally approve UK trade deal
AXIOS
FREE POLITICAL FEEDBACK
JUST REPLY TO THIS EMAIL
Look Justin, if you’re too much of a coward to make predictions for 2021 then SOMEONE here has to do the hackneyed pundit stuff so it might as well be ME.
1) MSNBC and FoxNews will announce a merger of themselves and the WWE. Vince McMahon will say in a press conference he was glad to “lend them some credibility”. Pod Save America remains irritated.
2) The continuing COVID-19 pandemic will inspire “No-vid-ber”, where men across the world will grow soul patches on their lower lip to ensure that, should they die because of Sar-CoV-2, no one will miss them
3) Donald Trump will announce his 2024 run for President...AS A DEMOCRATIC. He’ll primary Sleepy Joe, eviscerate Little Macro and became the first two term, two party President. Vice President AOC will eat Kamala Harris whole in the Rose Garden.
And to everyone who thinks 2021 can’t possibly be worse, you are more optimistic than I. - OLD MAN SCOOPY
—
How much honesty should we expect from public servants? Near total. IMO, most of the anti-mask/anti-vax hysteria has been fueled by people, like Dr. Fauci, lying to them with good intentions. Early on Fauci said you don't need to wear a mask, then later admitted that was all so there would be enough for first responders frontline medical workers. There are two ways to react to that. One is to say, "well, other people are stupid and reactionary, so I accept being lied to, to protect them." The other is to say, "they think I'm stupid and reactionary, I'm going to assume that they are lying to me because they've lied in the past."
This happens on other issues too, life climate policy. People who want more government regulations regarding emissions and pollution have frequently exaggerated claims, or played up the worst case scenarios in hopes of getting people to act quickly and decisively, but a certain proportion of the populous sees that as being lied to, and disregards the whole message.
The bottom line is, you have to trust people to be able to work with them. If half of your audience justifiably feels lied to there is no way to build a consensus without alienating them. - JD
We are in a very peculiar era in our society where everything is recorded and we can see clearer than ever before the entire trail from spore of idea to spread to result. I can’t help but wonder if that leads us to try and create harmony through the dissemination of these ideas but also the ideas themselves.
This is why we obsesses over algorithms and shadow bans. But also why some are more forgiving about giving an order that is meant to inspire action than provide truth. The truth might get lost but order could cut through.
—
Of course legalizing weed was going to bring corruption. Look at the face of the (failed) movement in Ohio <gif of Boehener>. I want regulations on the product, but the sales licenses are making wealthy people more wealthy. How do we get to a free market with guaranteed minimum quality of product? - SEAN W
Brother, do I got a state for you…
According to this recent Politico article Oklahoma has done exactly what you asked for. Low cost of entry for a license and no caps on how many they can issue. This eliminates the graft that happens up top and has led to a huge free-market weed boom in one of the reddest states in the union.
—