Politics: The Gift that Keeps on Giving – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – December 5, 2021
Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™
Politics: The Gift that Keeps on Giving – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – December 5, 2021
We are nearing the end of the year and are focused a lot more on presents than politics. But even though we are in a relatively slow political season, there is still a lot to chew on. Let’s “brunch” on that this week!
“Cuomo Did a No-No!” – People that know me, know I live by a “Family First” policy. No matter what, loyalty to your blood relatives is crucial and is a priority. But loyalty can’t be blind, although it can sometimes be blinding to our good judgment. CNN host Chris Cuomo has now been suspended, for helping his brother, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) New York, deal with communications strategies in the improper sexual allegations involving the ex-governor and female staffers. The ethical lapse in the world of journalism is simply inexcusable. Cuomo was found to have leveraged inside information from other CNN staffers, about coverage plans and strategy. The line was crossed, game, set and match. Would I have done the same thing for a family member in trouble? I hope not, but maybe I would have. As reporters, we all need to reflect on that temptation. I’m trying to be more humanly honest here, than judgmental.
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“The Ethics of COVID-19” – The real tongue-wagger from Washington, DC this week is a memoir from former President Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. In the new book, Meadows says Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on September 26, just three days before his debate with Democrat nominee Joe Biden. Trump was 74 at the time, and Biden, 77, indicating a high risk for both men. “Stop the president from leaving,” Meadows says White House Doctor Sean Conley told him, “He just tested positive for COVID.” Trump went anyway. Meadows says Trump later tested negative for COVID, suggesting the first test was a false positive. Trump, as you might guess, denied the whole Meadows story calling it, “Fake news.” But he was in fact then hospitalized on October 2, for COVID-19.
“Meadows Overshadows” – The former Congressman, turned White House Chief of Staff, made other big headlines this week, by indicating he would cooperate, to some extent, with the House Committee investigating the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol. Meadows, and his White House memos and emails, could prove crucial in establishing, once and for all, how involved Trump was (or was not), in the effort to violently overturn the election. The mistake a lot of public officials have made about internet communications is that such missives are private messages. They are not. If you are using an official government computer to convey information, those messages do not belong to Donald Trump or Mark Meadows. The messages belong to U.S. taxpayers, the only exceptions usually being the protection of national security, or executive privilege, which are decided in federal court.
“The Politics of Celebrity” – This week Dr. Mehmet Oz, of TV’s “Dr. Oz,” announced he would seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania being vacated by Sen. Pat Toomey (R) Pennsylvania (who is a Rhode Island born and educated pol). In Ohio, “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance is seeking the Republican nomination to replace retiring U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R) Ohio. Both seats are critical to the GOP winning control of the U.S. Senate in 2022. Look, both men are larger-than-life characters who have a national and not just statewide audience. That means lots of campaign cash from out of state. These are two key races to watch in the midterms.
“Supreme Court Abortion Hearing” – We probably won’t know the final decision for months, perhaps as late as June 2022, but the U.S. Supreme Court held one of the most consequential hearings ever this week, over the future of abortion rights. At issue is a Mississippi state law that outlaws abortion after 15 weeks, much earlier than the current standard of prior to the third trimester. The High Court currently consists of six conservatives (including three appointed by former President Trump), and three liberals. Even if conservatives lose the possible swing vote of Chief Justice John Roberts, they can still prevail on a 5-4 vote, which is entirely plausible. There are those who believe the 5-4 majority could overturn Roe v. Rade outright. No matter how it plays out, this will be a huge issue in the 2022 midterms. Stay tuned.
“The Market Fallout” -- The COVID-19 Omicron variant has arrived. On Friday, even before the first U.S. case, the Dow Jones dropped 800 points. Then it had similar drops on Monday and Tuesday this week. On Wednesday, the first U.S. case was announced in California, and the Dow fell another 450 points, but bounced back 617 points Thursday. Is it a legitimate concern, or just market panic from the unknown? From what I hear, the biggest concerns are whether the three existing vaccines are effective in preventing the spread of Omicron. It’s too early to know. The jury is still out.
What races do you think are key, or that you are closely watching as the 2022 campaign shapes up? Click the comment button and let us know!
