As the Political World Turns – “The Sunday Political Brunch”

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™

I’ll date myself here, but do you remember the old daytime soap opera, “As the World Turns?” It was filled with all kinds of drama, backbiting, broken promises, and intrigue. Kind of like the world of politics, right? Well, we’ve had all kinds of drama in recent days, so let’s “brunch” on that this week.

 

“The Georgia Bulldog” – Democrats have broken the two-year 50-50 logjam in the U.S. Senate, with Sen. Raphael Warnock’s win in last Tuesday’s Georgia runoff election. But it was close. Sen. Warnock (D) Georgia took 51.4 percent of the vote, compared to 48.6 percent for Republican Herschel Walker. It was a rare match-up of two African American candidates vying for the same seat in the Deep South. That, in itself, was historic.

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“Don’t Forget to Dance with the One Who Brung You.” – Former President Ronald Reagan used that line all the time, which meant, don’t ever forget where you came from and who helped you get where you are today. Warnock praised his elderly mom who was in attendance for his victory speech. Warnock said, “I am grateful that my mother, Pastor Verlene Warnock, is here tonight. A teenager growing up in Waycross, GA, she used to pick somebody else’s cotton and tobacco. Tonight, she helped pick her youngest son to be a United States Senator.” The line brought down the house!

 

“No Manchin is an Island” – At first blush, the Warnock win gives the Democrats clear control of the U.S. Senates as the huge clout of swing-vote Sen. Joe Manchin (D) West Virginia, is now greatly diminished. When it was a 50-50 partisan tie, Manchin either sided with Republicans, or Vice President Kamala Harris was called in to cast the deciding vote in a deadlock. So, Manchin is not the power broker he once was, but he still has influence. Remember on some key issues, equally independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona joined him, to thwart the Biden agenda. In fact, on Friday morning Sinema disaffiliated from the Democrats, but will still caucus with them as an independent. She and Manchin could form the “Gruesome Twosome” and cause fits for the White House. Just keep a close eye on the energy permitting bill that failed before and is about to return.

 

“Guilt By Association” – It was not a good week for former President Donald Trump. His hand-picked Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker lost, and the Trump companies were dealt a big setback, too. Two Trump-owned companies were found guilty on all counts they faced for criminal tax fraud. The charges stem from improper accounting and inadequate payment of taxes owed by highly compensated Trump company executives. To be clear, neither the ex-president nor anyone in his family was charged in this case. It was filed against the Trump Organization of companies. Still, you have to wonder how voters will judge this as they factor into consideration of votes in 2024. Trump led his companies, and some voters might feel hard-pressed to believe he was not aware of some of these employee sweetheart deals. It’s just more unwelcome baggage.

 

“January 6th Haunts Again” – Mr. Trump has more troubles looming. The Chairman of the House January 6th Committee hints there will be referrals for criminal prosecution to the U.S. Department of Justice. In fact, CNN is reporting that five people will be referred for criminal charges including President Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and former White House Chief of staff Mark Meadows. Now, I’m a practical man. On January 3, 2023, the new Congress will be sworn in and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) California will hand her gavel to new Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) California. Soon after that moment, the January 6th Committee will be terminated. But any criminal referrals to the Biden Justice Department before then are still prosecutable, though just a referral from Congress does not mean any charges will actually be filed. Will some be accused of obstruction or treason? This will be high drama on TV.

 

“Is Gay, OK?” – A bill has moved through Congress that is fascinating on a number of levels. The “Respect for Marriage Act” passed the Senate and House and heads to President Biden for his signature. In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages were legal in the United States. Now, many in Congress want to codify that into law. The concern from some quarters is that without Congress giving the stamp of approval, same-gender marriage could be nullified by a new Supreme Court decision, much like it overturned legal abortion, 49 years after the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion rights.

 

“How the LGBTQ Dynamics Have Changed Over Time” – The Senate vote to pass the Respect for Marriage Act was 62-38. Truth be told, that was a procedural vote to allow the bill to go through since you need 60 votes to end a bill-blocking filibuster. In a Senate tied 50-50, where did those twelve Republican yes votes come from? Well, retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R) Ohio was the chief sponsor of the bill. Portman has an openly gay son.

 

“Convincing Others to Come on Board” -- Portman had 11 other GOP allies, including Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R) West Virginia, who joined him. Capito said, "Quite honestly, I believe that there are a lot of relationships that have developed in marriages, that have developed since 2015, that have families that have a great deal of love in their homes." The House voted Thursday to approve it, and President Biden will sign it. Folks, whether you agree with it or not, times have changed, and with that, policies have changed, too, as the political world turns.

 

“Prisoner Swap” – Call me cynical, but would President Biden have made the prisoner swap with Russia involving WNBA star Brittney Griner and arms dealer Viktor Bout before the November 8 election? The outrage would have been palpable, and probably would have cost Democrats control of the Senate. In the meantime, American Paul Whelan remains in a Russian prison where he’s been for four years, and his family is left to wonder if Griner got to bypass him because she’s a celebrity.

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