A Spring Potluck of Diverse Political Stories - “The Sunday Political Brunch”
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Politics is all over the map this weekend. We have scandals and campaign announcements, and more people wanting to get on the presidential stage. Another pol is in hot water, so what we have here is a collective “political stew!” Let’s “brunch” on that this week!
“So Long, Santos?" – Even though they are in the minority, U.S. House Democrats have petitioned the House Ethics Committee to compel the expulsion of controversial first-term Rep. George Santos (R) New York. Making matters worse, the Republican majority caucus has backed the measure which passed 221 to 204. Santos pitched a resume filled with lies about his family background, his academic record, and his employment history. It’s one thing when the opposing party lines up against you, but when people from your own party bolt, it’s usually a death knell. Just ask Richard Nixon. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) California has already signaled he would not back Santos’s reelection bid next year. And Santos is facing federal criminal indictments. That makes him toast!
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“A Big Trump Triumph” – This past week former President Donald Trump received something of an exoneration from the U.S. Department of Justice, which had investigated his alleged ties to Russia. The Associated Press reported, “A special prosecutor found that the FBI rushed into its investigation of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and relied too much on raw and unconfirmed intelligence.” Remember this is the Biden-led Justice Department reviewing the actions of the Obama-led Justice Department. But a lot of this stuff is in the weeds, “political inside baseball” type stuff. Can Trump leverage it to any political advantage in 2024?
“The Trump Response” – Special Justice Counsel John Durham said the Justice Department never should have launched the investigation in the first place saying it was based on, “raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence.” Of course, Trump seized on that, on his social media platform Truth Social, saying, "The Durham Report spells out in great detail the Democrat Hoax that was perpetrated upon me and the American people." The ex-president said in another post, "This is 2020 Presidential Election Fraud, just like 'stuffing' the ballot boxes, only more so. This totally illegal act had a huge impact on the Election. With an honest Media, we are looking at the Crime of the Century!” But there was no evidence of 2020 election fraud, and Trump brought no new evidence forward in any of his claims.
“DeSantis Declares?” – Numerous news outlets reported this week that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Florida will soon announce he is indeed running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2014. I am not surprised and consider him a force to be reckoned with. He’s the governor of a “must-win” Republican state, but former President Donald Trump now makes his home here. It’s a geographical stand-off. A poll out this week from www.fivethirtyeight.com has Trump at 53 percent to DeSantis at 21 percent. Former Vice President Mike Pence was at 5.7 percent, with former United Nations Ambassador Nicki Haley at 4 percent. Others are in the weeds. Lots could change as it’s early. Remember in 2012, we had five or six different Republican frontrunners. Trump’s biggest advantage is that many Republicans who are “never-Trumpers,” simply don’t want to see another Biden term. If Trump is ultimately the nominee, I predict few will sit home on their hands.
“Pipeline Politics Prevail” – There continues to be a big battle over the energy future of this country. Fossil fuel energy versus clean, green energy. Congress is trying to speed up the permitting procedure for many fossil fuel energy projects, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which runs from northern West Virginia, into central Virginia and then on to North Carolina. This would distribute two percent of the natural gas in America. There is more natural gas under West Virginia than under the entire Saudi Arabian peninsulas. Lower prices and better national security are the promise. “It’s not only important to the state, it’s important to the country. I mean right now you see the cost of living going up, energy costs going up. We’re in economic doldrums not seen since the Carter Administration,” said Jason Huffman, West Virginia State Director of Americans for Prosperity.
“Debt Ceiling Doldrums” – It’s the final week of May and Congress and the White House are still debating a raise in the debt ceiling on Capitol Hill. The country is already $31 trillion dollars in debt. Republicans want significant spending cuts, to help offset increases in the debt. So far there is no deal, which is frustrating fiscal hawks in the GOP. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, (R) West Virginia called out President Biden for being slow to negotiate. “And they (House Republicans), have the only plan that we see, that raises our debt limit, but also responsibly brings in fiscal sanity. Plain and simple, the president who prides himself on being a great negotiator, has refused to negotiate for 97 days. And so here we are on the brink of a Biden default,” said Senator Capito.
“But When?” – The BIG question on the debt ceiling bill is, “When?” “We’re not there, we haven’t agreed to anything yet,” Speaker McCarthy told reporters. “I see the path that we can come to an agreement. And I think we have a structure now and everybody’s working hard. And I mean we’re working two or three times a day, then going back getting more numbers.” So, it’s dicey and unpredictable.
“On the Mend but for How Long?” – Sen. John Fetterman (D) Pennsylvania and Sen. Diane Feinstein (D) California are now back at work, after serious health crises. Without them, Democrats temporarily and theoretically lost control of the U.S. Senate. But their feeble health leads me to believe the U.S. Senate is going to flip to the GOP in 2024.
Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states and the entire Washington, DC media market. He is also a MINDSETTER™ contributing political writer and analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.
