In Case You Missed It (v62)

Let's dive in to the recap of last week's post, starting with Sunday School and Chuck Todd's interview with Mitt Romney. 

Among other things, Todd talked about the confusing logic with the thinking that only the presidential line on all of those ballots was rigged, but all of the down-ballot races, which saw Republican gains across the country, were not. 

Romney acknowledged the point, noting

I think you make an important point, which is a lot of Republicans, a lot of voters, voted for Republicans but did not vote for the president. And that suggests to me that conservative principles are still in the majority in our country.

He reiterated that, with a little more detail, when he said

...I think if you look at the numbers and look at the pickup that Republicans had in statehouses across the country, in Congress and holding the Senate so far, versus our loss in the presidency, you'd suggest that the presidential race was more a matter of a referendum on a person. And that when it came to policy, we did pretty well.

I agree with Mittens on that.

Moving on to last week's Extra Credit, I sat in on the panel discussion in the This Week classroom. Here are a couple of points, from Matthew Dowd, who worked on the Bush-Cheney campaign and is a commentator for ABC, and Chris Christie, former NJ gov and also a commentator for ABC. 

• Dowd, on what people were thinking: I'm tired of the chaos. I want calm. I really don't want to hear from the president every single day about every single thing. I think - a year and a half ago, somebody asked me what the slogan should be for a candidate running against Donald Trump and I said, Make America Boring Again.

• Christie, on how Rs are still sticking with Trump: I'm hoping that more Republicans more in the direction of saying, not that we don't support the president, he's been a friend of mine for 20 years, but friendship doesn't mean you're bling. Friendship means that you will listen to somebody, give them their opportunity, and if they don't come forward with the, with the proof, then it's time to move on.

More agreement with the Rs from me...

I offered a Quick Take on two groups of international observers of our election. One of them was from the Organization of American States (OAS), who spent some physical and virtual time across the country, including in battleground states. Among other things, they offered this in their preliminary report.

While the OAS Mission has not directly observed any serious irregularities that call into question the results so far, it supports the right of all contesting parties in an election, so seek redress before the competent legal authorities when they believe they have been wronged. It is critical however, that candidates act responsibly by presenting and arguing legitimate claims before the courts, not unsubstantiated or harmful speculation in the public media.

And, I agree with that as well. 

When it came to the Email of the Week post, I confess I wasn't as agreeable with a couple of the former rivals who offered post-election 'congratulatory' notes to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. For example, here's part of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's note; this came after her specific references to  what the Biden/Harris administration will bring to the White House and the country.

Warren, a capitalist, makes it boldly clear she's going to be staying in the game and pushing the Dems to not cave to lobbyists and big money.

Yes, our country is divided, but whenever they are asked, voters of both parties make it clear in overwhelming numbers that they don't want a government controlled by giant corporations and their lobbyists. In the past, steps to build unity and consensus in Washington have often meant turning over the keys to those corporations and lobbyists. We must resist this. 

The message I was looking for came via tweet, not email, from the democratic socialist in the race - That Guy from Vermont.  

And finally, the congratulatory note that I was most looking forward to? It wasn't in the form of an email, but rather in a tweet - but I'm still handing this one the coveted Email of the Week award. Not for what it says, but for what it doesn't. 

Unsurprisingly, I don't agree with TGFV on much at all. 

And then it was Friday and time for your TGIF fun and games - picking good-week and bad-week listers.  Which list would you put these folks on?

What else do we have today?  Oh -- Four Seasons Total Landscaping is selling shirts and stickers saying "Make American Rake Again" and "Lawn and Order," capitalizing on its new-found fame after hosting Rudy Giuliani's press conference the other day. Fun stuff, for sure -and good for them. No word yet on whether Rudy will make another appearance, maybe to autograph shirts to raise money for the president's legal fund. 

That's it -- your week in review. See you later for Sunday School.