A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
After four years of criming, scheming, plotting and conspiring, it seems like we’ll never get to the bottom of everything that went down during the Trump presidency. But damn this is a good one!
If, unfortunately, Kevin McCarthy does actually become Speaker of the House, he may soon imagine himself as the star of a 1983 Toshiro Mifune Japanese samurai (ronin) movie entitled Namida ni Kieta Mikka Gokuraku (The 3-Day Paradise that Ended in Tears)…
First Second
Dump on Trump, Don’t Say “Dobbs”
Interesting the way MM is bookended today with examples of how in every way, from large to small, that family is trash.
Over the summer the New York Times reported that James Comey and Andrew McCabe, at one time the No. 1 and 2 at the FBI, were subjected to rare, highly intrusive audits by the IRS. It was fishy because the odds were very long of two highly public foes of Donald Trump each getting unusual treatment from the IRS.
And what will be done about it? I mean, seriously, what can be done about this? The IRS has been a tool in the pocket of authoritarians dating back to J. Edgar Hoover. So what? Yes, it needs to stop but how and by whom?
GOP Starts To Abandon Trump LOLs
I’ve seen and heard this enough before - they’ll abandon him until the bright spotlight of his failings on his endorsements fades into the background. They’ll come running back. InSantis doesn’t have enough support to remove the mantle from TFG with the MAGAts.
With the midterms over, Senate control settled, and House control nearly decided, the Justice Department is free once again to take overt investigative steps in its various investigations into Donald Trump.
We continue to wait.
“The president’s words that day at the rally endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building,” former Vice President Mike Pence said in a sit-down interview with ABC News.
If someone tried to kill me and my family, I wouldn’t wait around to publish a book on the accusation. Pence is a loser.
~ House GOP to hold leadership elections, where we’ll get our first taste of what a colossally weak and simpering speaker Kevin McCarthy will be.
It’ll be real and it’ll be fun, but it won’t be real fun. Frankly, I bet he keeps the seat and they’ll all fall in line, because that’s what they do.
And OT: winter has arrived here. It’s snowing as I watch out the deck door.
Any reports on the remaining margin?
And this will most certainly go to the courts, so it’s not getting decided this week.
Tantrums continue
Trump Launches Attack Blaming Mitch McConnell, Calls His Wife “Coco Chow” (tampafp.com)
I hope Hobbs gets a bump from whatever vote count AZ reports today.
Wouldn’t “China Chow” work better as a slam?
Yes, agreed. And his “true believers” will stick with Trump the whole time, and other Republicans will be forced back (like after Jan 6th)
If Trump is indicted, this will boost his support with his hardest core supporters as he will sell himself as a martyr.
This will force smarter Republicans to see its the “beginning of the end”, but force those same Republicans to outwardly support Trump as to not Alienate the Base they need (killing support from independents)
They should read the book.
“Petards, a guide to hoisting” by U.R. Fukked 
A recount is triggered in AZ if the margin is less than or equal to 0.5% of total votes cast, so that might slow down the results. There is no request for recount available.
Lake could contest the results in court, but after the final tally (and recount if required) I think the results will be assumed to stand by the media, and she can go pound sand.
I feel pretty safe in saying that Mr. McCarthy will be the weakest and most ineffectual Speaker of all time. He has no integrity, courage or charisma, and he doesn’t seem to be particularly bright. Also, given the margins he will have to work with, he won’t be able to sponsor legislation to rename a post office without approval from the craziest members of the Freedom Caucus. He will excel, however, in thunderous annoucements of how the next investigation is going to be the one that ‘brings down the Biden administration’*.
I think in 2015–2016 he was working at the top of his game with wittiness like “Crooked Hillary.” I mean, it was crude and stupid, but the best he could do. He fancied himself quite the clever guy, that much was obvious. Now he’s noticed that “Chao” is pronounced like “chow” and somehow “Cocoa” got pulled into the machinery and what came out is garbled and makes no sense and he doesn’t realize it. 
Three dead and two wounded on the grounds of the University of Virginia, with a gunman still on the loose in Charlottesville.
I dunno why anyone gets upset about this. Just like taxes are the price of civilization, mass shootings are the price of freedom…
He should just refuse to appear like all the Trumpsters
The Guilfoyle tweet is gone. I guess that’s new-Twitter’s Number 1 rule. Criticize not the Trumps.
As for AZ, “unglued” is kind. I’m putting “never read the comments” on my tombstone, but w/r/t Finchem and Lake, even the publicly available facebook comments are beyond batshit. Maybe worth checking out, so at least you’ll already be familiar with the Bull Connor-sized Water Cannon of Bullshit that will be unspooled soon.
If Mccarthy actually gets the Gavel it will be because they realize having MTG or Gym up there standing behind Joe at the SOTU will go badly.
That said, i think he’ll be forced out within 3 Scaramucci’s
TFG also name-checked Governor Fleece Vest, cuz when you insert a hypen, Yong-kin sounds kinda Chinese-ish.
