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Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Race, abortion, scandal and the hurtling away from the center [1]

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Date: 2023-04-08  

x .@MichaelSteele's message for @brotherjones_: "You stand for something bigger than what happened today on so many levels... Your generation will mark this moment and every last one of those bastards who voted you out will rue that moment." pic.twitter.com/2daPg34mto — 11th Hour (@11thHour) April 7, 2023

Axios:

The GOP's epic losing streak [after listing the losing streak, which is quite long] By the numbers: For all his growing popularity among Republicans, Trump remains wildly unpopular nationally. Polls show Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who trails Trump by an average of 26 points among Republicans — would fare far better than Trump in a matchup against President Biden.

trails Trump by an average of 26 points among Republicans — would fare far better than Trump in a matchup against President Biden. Biden's approval rating has hovered around 42%, a dismal figure — but still better than Trump's. The bottom line: Put polls aside. How likely does it seem that Trump will do better with persuadable voters than his 2020 loss when you toss Jan. 6, a 34-count Manhattan indictment and possible federal indictments into the mix?

x This is just what the doctor ordered for a party having a hard time winning over persuadable normie voters.https://t.co/wbg2hTRfpF — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) April 7, 2023

Old GOP Conventional Wisdom: So I don't know if abortion really has the salience and staying power it would need to really matter.

New GOP CW: Omg KS and the midterms and WI. We have to put this behind us somehow or we'll get crushed. We need to change the subject.

Newest: Federal judges say listen, we got some news...

WaPo:

Texas judge suspends FDA approval of abortion pill; second judge protects access It seems inevitable the issue will move to the Supreme Court, and the dueling opinions and appeals could make that sooner rather than later.

x The ruling is stayed for a week, so nothing changes now. But Kacsmaryk is absolutely prepared to pull mifepristone off the market. He also says that mailing medication abortion is a federal crime. Just a totally off-the-walls opinion. https://t.co/WgpMwkKUOW — Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) April 7, 2023

CNN:

Early struggles of new House Republican majority raise anxiety over high-stakes fights to come In a sign of how difficult things could get for GOP leaders, members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus are already talking about the cudgels they have at their disposal to use in those upcoming fights – namely, the power of any single member to force a floor vote on ousting the speaker. Restoring the procedural tool, known as the “motion to vacate,” was one of the key concessions Kevin McCarthy made in his bid to become speaker. “It hasn’t come up as far as in a serious conversation, as this needs to be enacted. But as we look at these issues … It does come up from time to time, as we game plan and we look at all of the alternatives and contingency plans that could play out over the next two years,” said freshman Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona, one of the McCarthy holdouts who ended up voting “present” on the last ballot.

x Check out Scott Walker over here calling for reeducation to "undo years of liberal indoctrination."



These guys are such unbelievable weirdos. Sorry, younger voters think your weird-ass policies suck. That's your problem, not "liberal indoctrination." https://t.co/vkMaZIE4Hn — Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) April 6, 2023

Benjy Sarlin/Semafor:

You won’t be talking about Donald Trump’s arrest for long Media spectacles require tinder, sparks, and a constant supply of fresh logs to keep the fire burning. This one doesn’t have it. As the charging documents made clear, almost all of the facts were established by 2018. The next court date is in December, an eternity away, and the actual trial could easily end up delayed. Nor is this a story that partisans on either side are especially eager to try and force back into the news. There’s a visceral desire among Democrats to see Trump held accountable for his alleged crimes, but almost none of it has been focused on the Stormy Daniels affair. The White House is keeping silent. Left-leaning legal experts in the press are waving their audiences away from what they regard as a weak case — you mostly have to turn to hardcore #Resistance figures like Norm Eisen to find a strong Alvin Bragg defender. Republicans who dislike Trump are apoplectic that the charges keep him in the spotlight. Trump visibly isn’t enjoying it either. But what about this huge political backlash we keep hearing about? For all the explosive warnings of mass unrest on the right ahead of the indictment, the reaction has been fairly mild. A CNN poll found only 25% of respondents “strongly disapprove” of the charges, an unusual “meh” for a figure who is practically synonymous with extreme polarization. Other polls have found most Americans are willing to buy that the charges are partly motivated by politics — but also unperturbed to see them brought against Trump.

Yes but if 'he's probably guilty' sinks in anyways despite/because of coverage (and when more indictments hit), it won't matter if it’s covered every day. See John Stoehr above.

x Trump indictments are like buses. If you don't like this one, another will be along soon enough. — Rick Perlstein (@rickperlstein) April 6, 2023

Jake Lahut/Daily Beast:

Trail Mix: Abortion Is Still a Potent Political Weapon Wisconsin proved that abortion isn’t going anywhere as an issue, and Republicans still haven’t learned how to navigate the topic. Wisconsin isn’t normally known for seismic political activity. The Badger State is far more likely to be on the cutting edge of brats than abortion politics. But one state Supreme Court race sent shockwaves through the political consultant and field organizing worlds on Tuesday. The court’s conservative majority flipped for the first time in 15 years, and it was the clearest sign since the 2022 midterms that abortion is still a potent issue for driving Democratic turnout. “They didn’t listen to the 2022 midterm metrics,” a seasoned GOP strategist told The Daily Beast. “You need women and independents or centrists to win, and they are running away from the Republican Party in droves on a two-fold note.” Abortion, the strategist said, remains the GOP’s Achilles’ heel among moderates and independents, particularly among women. “And, they don’t like Trump’s craziness,” the presidential campaign veteran added. “You can take them apart or lump them together, but we keep alienating any effort to try and grow the consumer base.”

x What I saw today was a naked display of power, an utter disregard for the basics of due process, and a window into the country waiting for all of us unless we fight. And b/c this process has been so shoddy and cavalier, I don’t think this fight is over for Rep. @brotherjones_ . https://t.co/kOAMomcemi — Sherrilyn Ifill (@SIfill_) April 6, 2023

Teri Kanefield:

The People of New York v. Donald J. Trump (documents explained + some helpful hints for understanding legal pundits) You’ve gotta hand it to Trump. He’s good at figuring out how to promote lies and a false image of himself. The scheme and falsifying of records continued into 2017, after he was president, which partly explains why he spent almost no time actually governing. When you’re busy creating and maintaining lies, you don’t have time for much else. Here’s the thing about a crime like falsifying records: The evidence is mostly documentary and therefore easy to prove. For example: Each check was processed by the Trump Organization, and each check was disguised as a payment for legal services rendered in a given month of 2017 pursuant to a retainer agreement. The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records. In truth, there was no retainer agreement, and Lawyer A was not being paid for legal services rendered in 2017. In general, documentary evidence is stronger than testimonial evidence, which can be more easily discredited. The best is to have documentary evidence backing up the testimonial evidence, which is what we have here. Also, the fact that some of these facts were offered as part of plea agreements helps establish them as facts (meaning, already proven): Two parties to this agreement have admitted to committing illegal conduct in connection with the scheme. In August 2018, Lawyer A pleaded guilty to two federal crimes involving illegal campaign contributions, and subsequently served time in prison. In addition, in August 2018, American Media, Inc. (“AMI”), a media company that owned and published magazines and supermarket tabloids including the National Enquirer, admitted in a non-prosecution agreement that it made a payment to a source of a story to ensure that the source “did not publicize damaging allegations” about the Defendant “before the 2016 presidential election and thereby influence that election.”

x Hard to beat this argument: "We had a member pee in another member's chair. No expulsion. In fact, they're in leadership." https://t.co/Z3u91FzrmD — Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) April 7, 2023

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern/Slate:

Clarence Thomas Broke the Law and It Isn’t Even Close It probably won’t matter. But it should. If there is a single image that captures this seedy state of affairs, it is a painting of Thomas hanging out with Leonard Leo (Federalist Society co-chair and judicial power broker) and Mark Paoletta (who has served as chief counsel to former Vice President Mike Pence and general counsel of Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget). Both are political operatives, though Crow assures us that they would never dare talk about Thomas’ work. This image should be enough to shock anyone into taking action against the spigot of dark money that flows directly from billionaire donors into the court, its justices, and their spouses’ pockets. Continuing to live as though there is nothing to be done about any of this is a choice. We make it every day.

A thread:

x It’s really no wonder Republicans stopped letting Democrats speak. Most political parties are smart enough not to do a day long infomercial showcasing all the ways their opponents are awesome and how racist and smug they are. Not our GOP, though. — Betsy Phillips (@AuntB) April 7, 2023

x This does not surprise me, though, because there’s clearly no one in the TNGOP who gives a shit about messaging anything other than “white people get guns, Black people get back, women get in the kitchen.” — Betsy Phillips (@AuntB) April 7, 2023

And there’s more.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/8/2162707/-Abbreviated-Pundit-Roundup-Race-abortion-scandal-and-the-hurtling-away-from-the-center

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