Speaker Pelosi Appoints A Second Republican To Committee

When the Select Committee to investigate the January 6th Capitol riots was created, Speaker Pelosi was to appoint 8 members and Minority Leader McCarthy was to appoint 5 members.

Pelosi evened the odds just a bit by appointing 7 Democrats and 1 Republican -- Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

But McCarthy was obviously trying to subvert the committee. He delayed appointing anyone until a few days before the committee was to meet -- and then appointed a couple of members that everyone knew would turn the committee into a circus.

But Pelosi banned two of the 5 members that McCarthy selected -- the two (Rep. Banks and Rep. Jordan) most likely to disrupt the committee's proceedings. Angered, McCarthy then withdrew all 5 of his committee picks.

McCarthy had hoped that the move would make the committee look unfair. He has failed in that. There was already one Republican on the committee (Cheney), and now Pelosi has appointed a second. It is Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. Kinzinger, like Cheney, has been opposed to Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

I don't like the politics of either Cheney or Kinzinger, but I think both will be good members of the Select Committee -- members that will search for the truth instead of spreading Trump lies.

Why Conservatives Oppose Everything

Political Cartoon is by Robert Waldo Brunelle, Jr. at MRBRUNELLE.com.
 

Most Republicans Think Voting Is A privilege - Not A Right

This chart is from the Pew Research Center. It shows that most Republicans (67%) don't consider voting to be a fundamental right of all Americans, but a privilege that comes with responsibilities. Most Democrats (78%) consider voting to be a fundamental right.

I found it shocking that most Republicans don't think voting is a fundamental right, but it explains why they find it OK to suppress the votes of those they think will vote against them.

Not A Loving Crowd

Political Cartoon is by Ed Hall at Artizans.com.
 

Trump Is Now Discouraging People From Being Vaccinated

Donald Trump had a serious bout with COVID-19, and was saved by getting the best medical care available from one of the best hospitals. And he and his family have all now been vaccinated against COVID-19. It is both mean-spirited and stupid that he is now trying to discourage people from getting vaccinated.

The following is part of an article by Steve Been at MSNBC.com: 

On March 1, as public access to COVID-19 vaccines became more common, Donald Trump appeared at a far-right gathering and eventually said the right thing. After insisting that he wanted credit for the development of the vaccines, the former president told a CPAC audience, "So everybody, go get your shot."

About a week later, the Republican issued a related statement that meandered, and was annoyingly whiny, but which was nevertheless pro-vaccine: Trump called the shots "beautiful" and suggested that "everyone" would be receiving them.

As we discussed at the time, much of the former president's statement was pitiful -- his goal was clearly to seek acclaim for himself, prioritizing his ego over public needs -- but the underlying point remained the same: Trump framed the distribution of vaccines as fundamentally a good thing.

Four months later, the Republican's message has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Trump issued this written statement yesterday:

"Joe Biden kept talking about how good of a job he's doing on the distribution of the Vaccine that was developed by Operation Warp Speed or, quite simply, the Trump Administration. He's not doing well at all. He's way behind schedule, and people are refusing to take the Vaccine because they don't trust his Administration, they don't trust the Election results, and they certainly don't trust the Fake News, which is refusing to tell the Truth."

The shift in posture is unmistakable: In March, the former president encouraged people -- most notably his own conservative followers -- to do the right thing, roll up their sleeves, and get vaccinated. In July, Trump's new message implicitly suggests that only those who believe President Biden, election results, and independent news organizations are getting the shots.

As infection numbers inch higher, this is plainly dangerous. The more vaccinations are politicized, the more it undermines public health.

Also note the degree to which Trump is blaming Biden for far-right vaccine opponents' refusals. The rhetoric introduces the possibility of a twisted incentive: Those who want to keep the Democratic White House "behind schedule" suddenly have another reason to avoid vaccinations. . . .

No good can come of this. The Biden administration is engaged in a desperate campaign to protect public health and save lives -- without regard for party or ideology. Everyone would benefit if the president's Republican critics at least tried to be responsible.

Killing Off Their Viewers

 Political Cartoon is by Bill Day at FloridaPolitics.com.

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Nearly Half Of Olympic Athletes Are Women This Year

 

Most Unvaccinated Not Confident In Vaccine Effectiveness

The chart above is from the AP-NORC Poll -- done between July 15th and 19th of a national sample of 1,308 adults, with a 3.7 point margin of error.

It shows that a substantial majority (64%) of the unvaccinated say they are not confident in the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. We're going to have to somehow convince them of its effectiveness if we are to reach herd immunity and conquer the virus.

"Cancel Culture" Hypocrisy

Political Cartoon is by Jimmy Margulies at jimmymargulies.com.
 

The FBI's "Investigation" Of Kavanaugh Was Just A Joke!

 I doubt this surprises most Democrats. We always thought the FBI didn't really put much effort into investigating Kavanaugh after he was nominated to the Supreme Court (and accusations of sexual abuse were leveled against him). Did the FBI make their own decision to do only a cursory investigation, or were they following orders from the Trump White House? I suspect the latter.

The following is what Steve Been of MSNBC.com had to say about it:

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings in the fall of 2018 were highly controversial for a variety of reasons, including the scope of the FBI background check that was supposed to be part of the process.

Two days before the Senate's confirmation vote, with the FBI review ostensibly complete, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said it appeared to be "a very thorough investigation." Nearly three years later, there's ample evidence to the contrary.

A group of Democratic senators is demanding more answers from the FBI after the agency revealed new details about the limited scope of its supplemental investigation into Brett Kavanaugh's background when he was a nominee for the Supreme Court. In a letter June 30 to Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Chris Coons, D-Del., made public Thursday, Jill Tyson of the FBI's congressional affairs office acknowledged that the department conducted only 10 additional interviews in its supplemental investigation, even though it had received over 4,500 tips.

According to the FBI's Tyson, said "relevant tips" from phone calls and messages were forwarded to the counsel's office in the Trump White House.

To be sure, it's impossible to say with confidence how many of the 4,500 tips had any legitimacy, but the fact that "relevant tips" were directed to the White House raises questions about the volume and seriousness of the possible leads and how they were treated.

Just as importantly, NBC News' report added, "It's unclear what became of the tips after that."

How reassuring.

The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus, who called the FBI review "laughable," made a compelling case against an incomplete process:

What did then-White House Counsel Donald McGahn do with the "relevant tips?" That, we do know: not a damn thing. McGahn had no interest in discovering what his handpicked nominee had done, or not done. He had every interest in ensuring that Kavanaugh be confirmed, facts be damned. If there was any follow-up within the FBI itself, there's no indication of that. And that is the outrage here. The FBI's investigation into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh wasn't designed to uncover the truth.

Donald Trump recently said, in reference to Kavanaugh, "I saved his life. He wouldn't even be in a law firm. Who would have had him? Nobody. Totally disgraced. Only I saved him.... I saved his life, and I saved his career."

It was a curious quote, which is now seen in a new light.

Jordan's Invitation

Political Cartoon is by Dave Whamond at Cagle.com.
 

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They Chose To Kill People Over Politics