For Sunday School, I did my brain a favor and only visited the CNN State of the Union classroom. Jake Tapper had Bill Gates as one of his guests. You know -- Bill Gates the guy who invented the coronavirus with Dr. Fauci so they can make money off the vaccine they're developing, which will have a microchip implanted in your arm so they can track you? Yeah, no -- not that Bill Gates, the Bill Gates who has devoted many of his billions of dollars to improving public health around the world through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Here's a portion of their discussion.
And, Tapper wondered, what does Gates think about Trump's Executive Order on prioritizing Americans getting the vaccine over folks in other countries?
Well, I think we need to help all of humanity here. You know, we want the world economy be going. We want to minimize the deaths. And, you know, the basic technology is a German company. And so blocking international sharing and cooperation has been disruptive and a mistake during this entire pandemic. So, we need to ramp up the capacity of all the vaccines. There will be some additional ones approved in the months ahead that are easier to scale up the manufacturing. But the U.S. has benefited from other countries' work here, and we shouldn't be entirely selfish in how we go forward.
And, when Tapper asked, "So, in your view, America first, as the president might call it, not the right approach?"
Well, the extreme idea that everybody should die until we have the very last American vaccinated, that's hardly the appropriate response.
For your Extra Credit last week, I dropped in on Chris Wallace and Rep. Steve Scalise (WH via LA), a member of the (ahem) GOP House leadership, in the Fox News Sunday classroom. For this one, I suggested questions I would have asked Scalise; they were not the same as the ones Wallace asked, I can assure you. For example, Scalise babbled about massive vote swings "in the days and weeks since the election" which is a bunch of hogwash.
At this point, I would have asked Rep. Scalise to name a single state that had a "massive vote swing" in the 'weeks' since the election. Wallace didn't ask that, but he did push back.
But -- but -- but -- but -- but -- but, Congressman Scalise -- Congressman Scalise -- There -- the reason that there were these votes swings was because in a lot of states they weren't able to count the millions of mail-in ballots until election night. And everybody knew that -- and, in fact, it happened in Florida, it went the other way. They were able to count the mail-in ballots early, so it favored Biden early and then it swung to Trump. In Pennsylvania, they had to count the mail-in ballots late, so it started pro-Trump and then it swung to Biden.
Now, that's an opportunity for Scalise to take a deep breath, grab himself by the whatever, and admit that Wallace was right - that yes, everyone knew that the absentee ballots were going to go for Biden and that Election Day voting would favor Trump. Did he do that? Of course he didn't.
Well, Chris, first of all, look at New York, right? The Claudia Tenney race in New York. She's up by 12 votes. Just the other day they found 55 votes in a desk drawer. You know, this kind of stuff – people look at this and go, what is going on? This is the United States of America, it's not Venezuela. That's what gets people irate. You know, why is this still going on?
"Well, Steve, " I would have said, "what on earth does New York's 22nd Congressional District race have to do with the presidential race, the Electoral College, or the ongoing assault on our country by the Republicans? That's what gets people irate. You know, why is this still going on?"
I also offered up a Sidebar for Sunday School, which included in full Jake Tapper's closing remarks. Other than Tapper's show, I don't watch CNN. I honestly think only right-wingers watch it, since they seem to know every word uttered - other than Tapper's. It's too bad; they're missing out. Here's a bit of why Tapper is thanking the outgoing president.
But president Trump made House Republicans go on the record. He made them stand and be counted and 126 of them, including Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican Whip Steve Scalise, they actually signed their names to this, this unconservative, un-Democratic, un-American mendacious joke of a lawsuit that would disenfranchise millions of their fellow Americans. (I expect very little from most of the Rs; my expectations are usually met, or, as in this case, exceeded - that congressional leaders would find a way to justify this is appalling.)
These House Republicans raised their hands. They said sign me up. The hope that most Republicans in the House were better than this - that has been destroyed. For those of us who believe in standards and norms and the US Constitution, we need to thank President Trump for bringing this fact to light.
After the Electoral College voted last Monday to confirm the Biden-Harris win, the President-elect spoke to the country; here's a bit of that.
You know, respecting the will of the people is at the heart of our democracy, even we find those results hard to accept. But that's the obligation of those who've taken on a sworn duty to uphold the Constitution. Four years ago, when I was the sitting Vice President of the United States, it was my responsibility to announce the tally of the Electoral College votes to the joint session of Congress, had voted to elect Donald Trump. I did my job. And I'm pleased but not surprised by the number of my former colleagues in the Senate who have acknowledged already the results of the Electoral College. I thank them. And I'm convinced we can work together for the good of the nation on many subjects. That's the duty owed to the people, to our Constitution, to our history.
Last week's Wondering on Wednesday meandered around election-related stuff, and included some polling data from Rasmussen Reports; they're pretty reliable and generally well-liked on the right because they have a slight slant in the red direction. Their polls include likely voters only, rather than just anyone who answers the phone.
That's why I thought this data is interesting in helping the president understand why he lost the election.
The president has had only six days with a positive approval rating in the past three months: September 20th (+4), November 9th-12th (+1, +3, +4, +2) and November 17th (+2). This year, the president's total approval rating has at least 50% only 51 days, and it was never more than 53%.
On Election Day? 49% total approval, 50% total disapproval, and a -4 difference between his strongly approve and strongly disapprove scores (39% and 43%, respectively). So, as he continues to wonder why he didn't win the election, he can go to Rasmussen and look at the entire year of proof: we don't love him as much as he has convinced himself we love him.
We're thankful for our local leaders, who have done everything they can to maintain public health and promote local businesses, who have let data dictate their decisions, who have asked us to do what's right, who have been open with us, who have cried alongside us when community members, our neighbors, were lost.
Today is the last day of Hanukkah; it's a week before Christmas; 8 days until Kwanzaa; five days before Festivus.
However you celebrate, whatever you celebrate, whenever you celebrate, and even if you don't, warm wishes to you and yours.
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