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In the days after the January 6 insurrection, top House Republican Kevin McCarthy was ready to dump Donald Trump. “I’ve had it with this guy,” he said, and pondered whether to ask him to resign, the New York Times reported.
It didn’t take long for McCarthy’s anger to subside. By the end of the month, he was with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, taking a picture together that made clear the now-former president was back on good terms with his party. While some Republicans never lost sight of the serious threat the January 6 insurrection posed to American democracy, many have since taken to downplaying the deadly attack on the Capitol, as today’s CNN report about McCarthy’s meeting with officers who fought the rioters makes clear.
Perhaps it was worth it for McCarthy and his party. They are favored to pick up the few seats necessary in the upcoming midterms to win a majority in Congress’s lower chamber, putting McCarthy on track to be elected speaker.
Key events
Senator Bernie Sanders has written a column for The Guardian, warning Democrats against campaigning exclusively on abortion in the midterms, and arguing that Republicans have plenty of vulnerabilities to seize on when it comes to their view of the economy:
As someone who has a lifetime 100% pro-choice voting record, and is outraged by the supreme court’s horrific decision to overturn Roe v Wade, there is no question but that Democrats must continue to focus on the right of women to control their own bodies. This is a fight that most Americans want us to wage and, given the Republicans’ extremist position on the issue, makes them genuinely vulnerable.
But, as we enter the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections, I am alarmed to hear the advice that many Democratic candidates are getting from establishment consultants and directors of well-funded Super Pacs that the closing argument of Democrats should focus only on abortion. Cut the 30-second abortion ads and coast to victory.
I disagree. In my view, while the abortion issue must remain on the front burner, it would be political malpractice for Democrats to ignore the state of the economy and allow Republican lies and distortions to go unanswered.
The details of Kevin McCarthy’s recollection of January 6 come from Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop’s Battle for America’s Soul, by Michael Fanone, a Washington DC police officer who responded to the Capitol as it was being attacked.
He’s since left the city police force and become outspoken about the events of that day, and spoke to CBS News about his book set for release on Tuesday:
McCarthy isn’t the only Republican the book cast in an unfavorable light. Fanone also recounts a bizarre remark senator Lindsey Graham made when they met:
Spare a thought today for Matthew Cantor, who went on what must have been a tiring journey into the neediest corner of the Republican and Democratic parties:
“Is your phone off, Patriot?”
“Are you still a Republican?”
“This is getting SAD!”
“HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK?”
The midterm elections are approaching, and political messaging teams are hard at work overwhelming inboxes across America. And while Republicans and Democrats rely heavily on guilt trips to squeeze money out of voters, the language they employ is markedly different – and says a lot about what’s wrong with each of them.
But what are the midterms? The Guardian’s David Smith has all the answers you need about the 8 November elections that will decide control the House and Senate for the next two years:
American elections are like Olympics. Presidential votes happen every four years in step with the summer Games: 2020, 2016, 2012, 2008, 2004 and so on.
Midterms, meanwhile, happen every four years in line with the winter Games: 2022, 2018, 2014, 2010, 2006, 2002 and so on.
“Midterms” is therefore an apt name because they take place halfway through a president’s term of office. They are often regarded by pundits as a referendum on the incumbent president.
Indeed, this year’s midterms on 8 November will be voters’ the first opportunity to render a national verdict on the presidency of Joe Biden. But his name will not be on the ballot and other factors can come into play such as specific candidates, local dynamics or national issues.
In the days after the January 6 insurrection, top House Republican Kevin McCarthy was ready to dump Donald Trump. “I’ve had it with this guy,” he said, and pondered whether to ask him to resign, the New York Times reported.
It didn’t take long for McCarthy’s anger to subside. By the end of the month, he was with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, taking a picture together that made clear the now-former president was back on good terms with his party. While some Republicans never lost sight of the serious threat the January 6 insurrection posed to American democracy, many have since taken to downplaying the deadly attack on the Capitol, as today’s CNN report about McCarthy’s meeting with officers who fought the rioters makes clear.
Perhaps it was worth it for McCarthy and his party. They are favored to pick up the few seats necessary in the upcoming midterms to win a majority in Congress’s lower chamber, putting McCarthy on track to be elected speaker.
Poised to lead House, new book shows McCarthy denying reality of January 6
Good morning, US politics blog readers. The United States has witnessed a bizarre spectacle over the past year and a half, as Republicans who were themselves in the Capitol when it was stormed by insurrectionists on January 6 try to downplay the severity of the attack. CNN reports that Kevin McCarthy, the GOP leader in the House of Representatives who stands a good chance of becoming its speaker next year, told officers who fought with the mob that then-president Donald Trump had no idea it was his supporters causing the violence – even though he addressed them just prior to the attack. McCarthy has been an ardent supporter of the former president and his statement isn’t much of a surprise, but the detail underscores the mental gymnastics Republicans are doing to avoid acknowledging what their embrace of Trump means for America.
Here’s what else is happening today:
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Not a ton! Why? Because it’s Columbus Day, or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, depending on which state you are in. It’s a federal holiday, so many government offices are closed.
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The United Nations General Assembly will discuss Russia’s annexation of four regions in Ukraine beginning at 3 pm eastern time, and vote on a resolution to condemn the move.
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Joe Biden is coming back to the White House after spending the weekend in Delaware.
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