Middleboro Review 2: 11/08/22

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Jordan Klepper Fingers the Midterms - America Unfollows Democracy - Full Special | The Daily Show

For nearly 250 years, the peaceful transfer of power has been a cornerstone of American Democracy. But with a large percentage of Republicans denying that Joe Biden is president, and capitol rioters running for office across the country, Jordan Klepper wonders: Is America unfollowing democracy? In this new half-hour special, Jordan goes back on the campaign trail before the midterms to find out who’s defending America’s elections, who is denying them, and just how civil we can keep America’s next civil war.

FOCUS: Musk Shares a Nazi Meme and Then Tells Twitter to Vote Republican

08 November 22

Live on the homepage now!
Reader Supported News

PLAUDITS FOR RSN: I believe very strongly in what you are doing. I am a retired high school teacher of 85 years young on a public library computer making a donation. I regret I cannot do more. Thank for what you do. Your work is essential and so much more forthright than much of the so-called "democratic/republican/independent factual media".
Clarence, RSN — Reader-Supporter

Sure, I'll make a donation!

FOCUS: Musk Shares a Nazi Meme and Then Tells Twitter to Vote Republican
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The Daily Beast
Houghtaling writes: "Life comes at you fast. Six months ago, Elon Musk wrote, 'For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally.'"

The new Twitter boss was having another totally normal one on Monday morning.

Life comes at you fast. Six months ago, Elon Musk wrote, “For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally.”

On Monday morning, weeks after buying the platform for $44 billion, he shared a meme featuring a Nazi soldier and then told his 115 million followers to vote Republican in Tuesday’s midterms.

“To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” he wrote.

Musk has faced criticism for firing roughly 50 percent of the company’s employees last week, including those responsible for monitoring disinformation days ahead of Election Day. The purge was likened by some critics to a Category 5 hurricane.

“Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side,” Musk added on Monday, “so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!”

The CEO’s tweet on voting red garnered over 43,000 retweets and nearly 180,000 likes a couple of hours after posting. His Nazi meme, which used a photo of a German Wehrmacht soldier with a cage of carrier pigeons during the Nazi invasion of France, had about 14,000 retweets in the three hours after it was posted.

Musk, who in late 2021 surpassed Jeff Bezos in wealth with a reported net worth of $219 billion, has had a rocky start in his latest tech foray, blaming a recent “massive drop in revenue” on “activist groups pressuring advertisers,” rather than his own antics.

At a campaign event in Chicago on Friday, President Joe Biden called out the site after Musk shared—then deleted—a baseless conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi, calling Twitter “an outfit that spews lies all across the world.”

In an effort to change his fortune and turn a profit at the historically unprofitable social media platform, Musk has proposed a pay-to-play verification system and an end to permabans, including one on Donald Trump.

But the new plan didn’t stop the thin-skinned billionaire from suspending comedian Kathy Griffin on Monday after she changed the name on her profile to Musk’s and encouraged people to vote Democrat.

“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” he tweeted.

Contribute to RSN

Update My Monthly Donation

PO Box 2043 / Citrus Heights, CA 95611

POLITICO NIGHTLY: 50 numbers you need to know tonight

View in browser

BY NAOMI ANDU , CHARLIE MAHTESIAN AND CALDER MCHUGH

Presented by

POLITICO illustration/Photos by Getty Images/AP Photo

DECISION DAY — By now, you probably know the basics of Election Day 2022: There are 435 House races, 35 Senate races and 36 governors races across the nation.

We’ve rolled out a full menu of election previews for you at POLITICO Nightly — including Q&As on governors races , the House and the Senate , overviews of ballot measures and the contests affecting education policy , the races political pros are watching and the places the midterms will be won and lost .

For this edition, we’re bringing you 50 numbers that help explain the 2022 midterm election cycle — and will shape the most important numbers of all: the final vote tallies.

1. Early votes cast — 45.9 million (up from 39.1 million in 2018)
2. Top 3 media markets for ad spending — Los Angeles ($400 million); Phoenix ($382 million); Washington, D.C. ($346 million)
3. Voters who say the U.S. is currently in a recession — 65%
4. Statewide ballot initiatives on Election Day — 132

6. House retirements — 34 (22 Democrats, 12 Republicans)
7. Current number of women governors — 9
8. Women nominees for governor — 25 (up from 16 in 2018)
9. Black Senate nominees — 11
10. Most ad spending in a governor’s race — $214 million (Illinois)
11. House seats lost by president’s party, 2018 — 42
12. House seats lost by president’s party, 2014 — 13
13. House seats lost by president’s party, 2010 — 64
14. House seats lost by president’s party, 2006 — 30

16. Top donor to Democratic outside groups — George Soros ($127 million)
17. Top donor to Republican outside groups — Richard Uihlein ($77 million)
18. Fortune 500 companies that donated to the 147 congressional Republicans who objected to 2020 Electoral College vote, despite pledges to stop those contributions after the Capitol attack — 228
19. Senate campaign donations that came from out-of-state contributors — 65%

20. Most ad spending on a ballot initiative — $272 million (California Proposition 27 to legalize online sports betting)
21. House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump — 10
22. House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump who went on to lose their primary — 4
23. House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump who are on the general election ballot — 2
24. House nominees present at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — at least 7

26. Republicans who worry the November election results could be manipulated — 62%
27. Democrats who believe the November election results can be trusted to be fair and accurate — 76%
28. Republican registered voters who expressed “high interest” in the midterm election — 73%
29. Democratic registered voters who expressed “high interest” in the midterm election — 73%

30. Top Senate advertiser: Warnock for Georgia Senate ($85 million)
31. Registered voters who think President Joe Biden “won the presidency legitimately” — 60%
32. Registered voters who think Biden “did not win the presidency legitimately” — 33%
33. Contacts reported as hostile or harassing by election officials and workers — Over 1,000
34. Recorded threats against members of Congress in 2022 — 9,625

36. Biden approval ratings — Approve 41.4%, Disapprove 53.4%
37. Trump favorability ratings — Favorable 39.9%, Unfavorable 54.3%
38. Months since Biden’s approval ratings were above 50% — 16
39. Direction the country is headed — Right direction 21%, Wrong track 72%
40. Number of states that lost a congressional district in reapportionment — 7
41. States that restricted mail voting access since the 2020 election — 11
42. States that expanded mail voting access since the 2020 election — 20
43. House members who lost their primary — 14 (8 Republicans, 6 Democrats)
44. House rematches between the same candidates as in 2020 — 51

46. Average price of gas in California (as of Nov. 3) — $5.38
47. Fed rate hikes in 2022 — 6
48. Average 30-year fixed mortgage rate — 6.95%

Ad spending data is compiled by AdImpact , unless otherwise indicated.

A message from Bank of America:

United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) elevates and supports the voices of young Native Americans as they work to strengthen their communities. During the pandemic, Bank of America funding helped UNITY enhance the technology that allowed them to stay connected with members.

WHAT'D I MISS?

(Left to right) Precinct 3, Ward 21 co-chair Bria Bush and greeters Da’Vayah Jordan and Gabriel Byrd Johnson assist voters during the U.S. midterm election at the welcome desk at Alfreda Schmidt Community Center today in Lansing, Mich. | Erin Kirkland for POLITICO

— POLITICO’s hour-by-hour guide to watching election night: POLITICO’s senior campaigns and elections editor Steve Shepard breaks down an hour-by-hour guide to the 2022 midterm elections — outlining all the big races as voting concludes from east to west, including where we expect to see the bulk of the votes counted tonight and where we expect to have to wait for the full picture. A preview: it could be a long night.

NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID .

— Election officials look to harden tabulation centers against 2020-type chaos: Election officials have looked to bolster security at the major vote tabulation sites across the country after supporters of former President Donald Trump sowed chaos at them in 2020. With some of that mess in mind, officials in key states said they’ve moved to work to secure those facilities, both to protect the election workers inside and to ensure that the count continues unabated until every ballot is tabulated. Part of the new emphasis on security, officials say, is just being aware of the possibility that tabulation centers could be the site of demonstrations or more insidious disruptions this go around, which largely caught officials flat-footed in 2020.

— Florida pushes back against DOJ election monitors inside polling sites: Florida is seeking to prevent Department of Justice election monitors from entering polling centers in several counties after the DOJ expanded in-person monitoring in 24 states. Florida officials late Monday sent a letter to the DOJ objecting to the possibility of federal poll watchers entering local facilities. Department of Justice monitors, according to Florida, are not included on the list of personnel allowed in polling places, Brad McVay, general counsel for the Florida Department of State, wrote to the feds.

DON’T MISS POLITICO’S 2nd ANNUAL DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/16: The United States is facing a defining moment in the future of its defense, national security and democratic ideals. The current conflicts and developments around the world are pushing Washington to reshape its defense strategy and how it cooperates with allies. Join POLITICO for our second annual defense summit, “At a Crossroads: America’s Defense Strategy” on November 16 in person at the Schuyler DC or join online to hear keynote interviews and panels discussing the road ahead for America’s national security. REGISTER HERE .

AROUND THE WORLD

A voter drops their ballot into a drop box in Mesa, Ariz. today. | David Butow for POLITICO

VIEW FROM ABROAD — Media outlets across the globe are reacting to midterms in America with a mixture of trepidation and confusion.

POLITICO EU is reporting that there is mounting anxiety in Ukraine over the midterm results. Ukrainian officials and lawmakers are scrutinizing the opinion polls and parsing the comments of their counterparts, fearing that a Republican wave could mean less material support for the war effort.

The French daily newspaper Le Monde editorialized about democracy being under attack in the United States, writing “the denialism within part of Republican party is not limited to the conspiracy theory regarding Mr. Trump’s defeat. It pivoted toward the midterm elections weeks ago.” Le Monde columnist Gilles Paris also explained redistricting to a mostly French audience, and how gerrymandered districts can reduce the power of a vote.

The BBC dispatched reporters to survey voters about their feelings ahead of the midterms in the U.S., with a Democrat reporting she’s “scared” and a Republican reporting he’s “petrified.”

And in the Times of India, they’re making predictions — that based on U.S. midterm history, the results are expected to “ turbocharge Trump for another White House bid .”

A message from Bank of America:

PARTING IMAGE

Michael Pechter and his daughter Naomi Pechter, 3, emerge from a voting booth at the Lovett Memorial Library in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pa. today. | Francis Chung/E&E News/POLITICO

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here .

A message from Bank of America:

United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) takes a stand on issues facing Native communities today. Members have identified a range of causes, including protecting the environment, maintaining cultural identity, providing access to mental health resources, and ensuring the safety of women and girls.

“With all of these causes, our young people are stepping up and coming up with ways to meet the challenge,’” says Mary Kim Titla, executive director of UNITY. “Part of UNITY’s mission is to motivate youth to think of what could be.”

Bank of America has partnered with UNITY for more than a decade, and the organization is one of many national and local nonprofits serving the Native community that received a total of $3.1 million in philanthropic grants in 2020, aligned with Bank of America’s commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity.

Follow us on Twitter

Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie

Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh

Naomi Andu @naomiandu

FOLLOW US

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

Saving the planet does not end on Election Day

Today’s midterm elections are extremely important. I urge everyone to get out to vote and make your voice heard – the survival of our democracy depends on it.

But voting is just one way you can make a difference today. I’m going to give you another.

In just nine days, Attorney General Merrick Garland must respond to a stunning order from the US Supreme Court demanding the DOJ explain how it allowed Chevron to directly prosecute and detain me for almost one thousand days after I helped Indigenous Amazon communities win a historic $9.5 billion pollution judgment against the company.

You probably know by now that I was targeted by a Chevron lawyer with the nation’s first corporate prosecution. The fact Garland did not intervene – despite thousands of prominent people demanding the DOJ take over the case – speaks very poorly of his commitment to the rule of law.

This is especially infuriating given that Garland's inaction led to being shoved into a federal prison for six weeks during the COVID outbreak when I really thought my life was in danger.

We must get louder. We must ensure that both Garland and President Biden actually hear us so they will address this easily solvable problem.

Demanding that AG Garland join forces with my legal team to nullify my Chevron prosecution will have a lasting and permanent impact on a critical issue: ensuring that private corporate prosecutions targeting climate lawyers and activists never happen again.

This is a vital component of any smart strategy to protect the planet. If we are unable to confront the fossil fuel industry face to face like I did without being jailed, humanity and all of life’s ecosystems will stand little chance of long-term survival.

Our goal is to raise $50,000 by November 16 to fund our campaign to pressure AG Garland and to continue our work to enforce the pollution judgment. One person already committed $10,000 on the condition we match that amount by Thursday – an excellent start. That means anything you give today (or up to midnight on November 10) is likely to be worth double.

Regardless of what happens tonight, the fight for climate justice and human rights does not end on Election Day. In fact, given the existential stakes and the insatiable greed of Chevron and the fossil fuel industry, we have no choice but to keep battling on every front available.

For the sake of our planet and our democracy, let’s make this happen. Help us honor the important values so dear to all by making sure AG Garland hears us loud and clear and that he never again looks away.

Please contribute today.

Thank you,

Steven

P.S. Last week, we launched a petition to demand that Attorney General Merrick Garland join my request that the Supreme Court reverse my contempt conviction in a case filed by a pro-Chevron judge and prosecuted privately by a Chevron law firm. Please help us by adding your name to the petition today.

Steven Donziger is a U.S. human rights attorney who helped communities in Ecuador’s Amazon win a historic multibillion-dollar pollution judgment against Chevron for the dumping of billions of gallons of cancer-causing oil waste onto Indigenous ancestral lands. Since the judgment issued in 2013, Chevron has used dozens of law firms and 2000 lawyers to carry out a demonization campaign targeting Steven to send a message of intimidation to all environmental advocates. Steven served 993 days of detention at home and in prison after being prosecuted directly by a Chevron law firm in the nation's first corporate prosecution; he still faces the threat of additional jail time after he appealed an order to turn over confidential information held by his Indigenous clients.

Donate NOW to help support Steven as he and the Ecuadorian communities continue their fight for corporate accountability, environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and Free Speech.

All funds are administered by the Friedman Rubin law firm in Seattle.

DONATE NOW