Dem
47
GOP
53
Time for another quick review of news of interest:
He's Venal, Not Stupid...: Texas AG and wannabe U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton (R) is one of the most wildly corrupt office-seekers in recent memory (which is really saying something, given the current state of the GOP). He knows that the GOP leadership sees him as less electable than Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), and that there is enormous pressure on Donald Trump to act like a party leader, and back the more viable candidate. Over the weekend, it was reported that the Trump endorsement of Cornyn was imminent. That would probably be fatal for the hopes of the very MAGA Paxton. So, he announced an "offer": He would drop out of the race entirely if the Senate passes the SAVE America Act.
Our Take: This was a pretty shrewd move from Paxton. He knows full well that the SAVE America Act can't pass while the filibuster is in place, and that the Senate Republican Conference is not willing to do that, with Cornyn being among the most outspoken members on that point. In other words, the AG has written a check that he will never, ever have to cash, while reminding Trump that Cornyn is just not loyal enough to do whatever the President wants with no questions asked.
...But HE Is Venal AND Stupid: Trump is also venal, but he's nowhere near as smart as Paxton. And so, as part of his ongoing push to ram the SAVE America Act through the Senate, Trump announced this weekend that he will not sign any other bills until the Senate passes the legislation.
Our Take: Trump really, really wants the SAVE America Act, even though it might end up hurting MAGA voters quite a bit. And he tends to dig his heels in on things like this, because they become extensions of his ego. That said, surely Chief of Staff Susie Wiles or someone else will impress upon him that Senate Republicans are not going to kill the filibuster because they are scared witless of what the Democrats will do once they get the keys to the kingdom, and that following through on this promise/threat would be a giant gift to the blue team heading into the midterms.
Kiley Takes the Plunge: Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) is officially a former Republican, as of yesterday. He had already filed to run for reelection as an independent, and now he's advised the clerk of the House to list him as "I" and not "R."
Our Take: We are not especially interested in Kiley's future prospects, which are close to zero. This business of kinda pretending to be simpatico with both parties does not tend to satisfy voters from either party, unless you've been an (I) for your whole career. What we are interested in is how Kiley will vote moving forward. He says he will still caucus with the GOP, and he's gotta vote with them sometimes, to keep his conservative bona fides. But he's also got to cross the aisle on at least a few high-profile votes, to show that he's an "independent thinker." Put another way, Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) life just got a little harder—exactly how much harder remains to be seen.
Blue Cheese: We had an item yesterday about how Rebecca Bradley, one of the three right-leaning judges on the seven-person Wisconsin Supreme Court has decided to retire, raising the distinct possibility that the 4-3 liberal majority will become a 5-2 liberal majority. Well, yesterday, the next judge scheduled to be up for reelection—conservative Annette Ziegler, whose term ends in 2027—announced that she too will retire, so she can spend more time with her grandkids.
Our Take: Ziegler has been on the court for 20 years, so she may indeed have had enough. She might also see the writing on the wall, with three lefty-judge electoral wins in a row, and a fourth a real possibility. In any case, Democrats may soon have as firm a grip on the Wisconsin Supreme Court as Republicans have on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Warm Smell of Colitas: Yesterday, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz announced that Obamacare enrollment fell much less than expected, declining by only 2 million people rather than 5 million, despite higher premiums. He declared that this is because roughly 5 million people are enrolled who should not be, either due to error or fraud. Experts who do not depend on Donald Trump to keep their jobs say that there are certainly some people who should not be enrolled, but that the 5 million figure is laughable.
Our Take: They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast.
Trump 250™: Fresh off of trademarking a bunch of variants of "Trump International Airport," the Trump Organization has just filed paperwork for trademarks on a bunch of variants of Trump 250, in advance of the United States' 250th birthday celebrations later this year.
Our Take: As crazy as it sounds, we think it just might be possible that Trump's rah-rah stuff about the bisesquicentennial is more about grift than it is about patriotism.
Good Riddance: Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is the fellow who tried to shut down the (hostile) legislature by declaring martial law and trying to use soldiers to arrest his opponents. It did not work, and not only was he stripped of power, but now he's been sentenced to life in prison.
Our Take: It would seem that, in some countries, it is a crime for the leader to incite an insurrection. How quaint.
And that's the way it is. (Z)