MORNING MESSAGE
2016
should be a caution to Democrats. The Obama coalition works only if Democrats
don’t throw white working people out of the boat. Obama won majorities of those
who were not college graduates; Clinton did not ... Obama’s
coalition will continue to grow in number. But Democrats better learn how to
sing from Bernie Sanders’ gospel to have any hope of becoming a majority party
again.
People Rise Up
Anti-Trump
protests sweep country. NYT: "The crowds swelled as the night went on but
remained mostly peaceful. Protests were reported in cities as diverse as Dallas
and Oakland and included marches in Boston; Chicago; Portland, Ore.; Seattle and
Washington and at college campuses in California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
... In New York, crowds converged at Trump Tower, on Fifth Avenue at 56th Street
in Midtown Manhattan, where the president-elect lives."
"Liberal
groups vow all-out war with Trump" reports McClatchy: "Rhea Suh, head of the
Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington [said] 'If Donald Trump thinks
he can launch a big polluter assault on our air, waters, wildlife and lands,
we’ll build a wall of opposition to stop him,' ... 'If you do not reverse course
and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to
contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step,' [Executive Director
Anthony] Romero said ... People’s Action, based in Obama’s hometown of Chicago,
launched a frontal attack ... LeeAnn Hall and George Goehl said[,] ''We commit
ourselves to unwavering resistance to Trump and his agenda.'"
"Obamacare
defenders vow 'total war'." Politico: "'We've got the battle of our lifetime
ahead of us,' Ron Pollack, executive director of advocacy group Families USA ...
options are limited. They have enough votes to block a total repeal of the law
on Day One of a Trump administration. But they can’t block Republicans from
passing targeted legislation in the coming months, and Trump — like Obama before
him — can pick up a pen as early as Jan. 20 and use executive powers to block,
change, or put on hold key elements of the massive six-year-old legislation.
People
of color fear for their futures. NYT: "Some Latinos already felt threatened
on Wednesday and feared that Mr. Trump would pursue his mass deportation pledge,
tearing apart their families and communities. Black voters anticipated an era
under Mr. Trump in which intolerance would become acceptable. And Muslims
worried that they would be branded as terrorists because of their beliefs."
Democrats
must rebuild. NYT: "... it was the Democrats who found themselves bereft of
high-profile leaders ... Mr. Sanders is 75, Mr. Biden is 73 and Senator
Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who also declined to run for president with
Mrs. Clinton in the race, is 67..."
What Will Trump Do?
What
Trump will actually do is a mystery. NYT: "In Donald J. Trump’s private
conversations and public commentary, one guiding principle shines through: The
world is a zero-sum place ... Yet he also is the ultimate pragmatist, perfectly
willing to dispense with seemingly core beliefs in return for negotiating
advantage ... His economic policy might best be described as 'Big Government
Conservatism,' a mix of major tax cuts, mostly for businesses, and a massive
infrastructure program ... So far, those proposals do not add up to a coherent
strategy."
Will infrastructure-repatriation deal be first? Politico: "Trump, Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will be, roughly, in the same ideological space in reforming the tax code. Trump is a former donor to and acquaintance of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the future Democratic leader who has worked with Ryan on tax reform. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wants an infrastructure package -- and has already said so. The infrastructure package actually spooks Republicans more than it spooks Democrats."
Will infrastructure-repatriation deal be first? Politico: "Trump, Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will be, roughly, in the same ideological space in reforming the tax code. Trump is a former donor to and acquaintance of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the future Democratic leader who has worked with Ryan on tax reform. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wants an infrastructure package -- and has already said so. The infrastructure package actually spooks Republicans more than it spooks Democrats."
Trump
could scrap Obama policies. Politico: "On the chopping block will be
regulations to address climate change ... to implement Obamacare ... and to rein
in Wall Street ... Gone, too will be President Barack Obama’s executive actions
protecting the children of undocumented immigrants and tightening restrictions
on gun sales."
Sanders
reaches out. Politico quotes: "To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about
pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I
and other progressives are prepared to work with him ... To the degree that he
pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will
vigorously oppose him."
Paul
Ryan appears safe, for now. Roll Call: "A chorus of House Republicans on
Wednesday came out in support of Speaker Paul D. Ryan remaining in leadership,
signaling that a movement to oust him is not on the horizon ... The big
unanswered question is whether Trump can get over his grudge with Ryan."
Japan
PM to meet Trump next week. NYT: "Mr. Abe is seeking to gauge the sincerity
of Mr. Trump’s campaign rhetoric on Japan. As a candidate, he repeatedly
excoriated the country, along with other American allies, for not paying what he
called its fair share to support American military bases ... Mr. Abe will also
probably want to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership ..."
NYT's
Linda Greenhouse previews the next Supreme Court: "A Trump nominee will now
take the place of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, leaving Chief Justice Roberts
more or less in charge of the Roberts court ... [the Chief Justice] needs to
make it clear that the Roberts court is not a tool of partisan politics ... Does
the chief justice understand this? The signs are not encouraging. "
"Donald
Trump Will Face Unprecedented Ethics Decisions" reports Time: "..., Trump
would be legally allowed to do far more than simply brag about his newest
buildings or branding efforts from the White House. 'There would be nothing that
would preclude him from making a decision on trade or otherwise that could
impact, for better or worse, those interests,' says Don Fox, former general
counsel and acting director of the Office of Government Ethics. 'It simply would
not be a violation of law.' ... There are two main legal issues he would have to
avoid, ethics experts say: traditional prosecution under government bribery laws
and a little-noticed provision in the Constitution known as the emoluments
clause, which prohibits U.S. officials from taking money from foreign sources
without the consent of Congress."
How Big Was Trump's Win?
Northern
whites gave White House to Trump. NYT: "Mr. Trump’s coalition comprised not
just staunchly conservative Republicans in the South and West. They were joined
by millions of voters in the onetime heartlands of 20th-century liberal populism
— the Upper and Lower Midwest — where white Americans without a college degree
voted decisively to reject the more diverse, educated and cosmopolitan
Democratic Party of the 21st century ... Mr. Trump won his biggest margins among
middle-income white voters, according to exit polls, a revolt not only of the
white working class but of the country’s vast white middle class."
Not
new voters, notes The Atlantic's Ronald Brownstein: "Those are the older and
blue-collar whites, evangelical Christians, and non-urban voters who in polls
have consistently expressed both the most economic pessimism and cultural unease
about a changing America ... the exits showed the white share of the total vote
continuing its decades-long decline as America diversifies. Instead, those who
did vote stampeded to Trump in insurmountable numbers."
"Not
a realignment, says W. Post's Larry Bartels: "...the national election
outcome was consistent with forecasts based on 'fundamental' factors like
incumbency and the state of the economy ... it would be a mistake to read too
much into Trump’s victory, remarkable as it was — and remarkable as his
presidency may well be."
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