Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: The consequences of decisions made because of optics

[Brexiter]

Casey Burgat/Mischiefs of Faction:

Why Republicans are Ousting Liz Cheney

But, why is this happening now? …

The answer to the why now question stems from a big misconception about political leaders in Washington: they only are leaders if they have followers. Leaders hold their jobs so long as a majority of the caucus lets them. If they no longer serve the party’s goals—political, electoral, messaging—they are usually forced out, often with a resignation that says they want to spend more time with their families. One need to look no further back than the forced resignations of former Speakers Boehner and Ryan.​

The 2020 elections were run w/ integrity, the results certified by the county & state were accurate, & the 2 independent audits conducted by the County are the true final word on the subject. We know auditing. The Senate Cyber Ninja audit is not a real audit. #azsenateaudit

— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) May 14, 2021

If the GOP’s civil war keeps up, voters are likely to flee https://t.co/qtjHVvwAAz

— Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) May 17, 2021

AP via Politico:

Republican Arizona election official says Trump 'unhinged'

“We can’t indulge these insane lies any longer," Stephen Richer tweeted.

“Enough with the defamation. Enough with the unfounded allegations,” Richer tweeted Thursday. “I came to this office to competently, fairly, and lawfully administer the duties of the office. Not to be accused by own party of shredding ballots and deleting files for an election I didn’t run. Enough.”

This is the Maricopa County, AZ official who is in charge of elections - a *Republican* - calling out Trump’s lies, calling him ‘unhinged.’ https://t.co/2Z1Cvda7HW

— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) May 16, 2021

David Rothkopf/Daily Beast:

The World Braces for the Virus as America Begins to Move On

Americans are heading back to the beaches as people in India are fighting for their lives.

Already, as Americans are shedding their masks and starting to book summer travel plans, the contrast with the wholesale catastrophe in, for example, India is stark. We have seen the shots of Americans partying on the beach presented almost alongside those of bloated Indian victims of the virus washing ashore on the Ganges illustrating the horrors faced by many Indians who cannot find vaccines or oxygen, doctors, or even affordable funerals.

Where will we be come autumn, as the virus spreads out of control in South Asia, Africa, and parts of Latin America? What will be the consequences of the already vast gap between rich and poor nations grows even wider

80% of GOP voters say the party was right to vote Liz Cheney out of leadership. 57% say she's wrong about the 2020 election https://t.co/Bma6OV3liC pic.twitter.com/wVklXuHXZm

— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) May 16, 2021

Too much focus on the 80 and 57 and not enough on the 20 and 43.

AJC:

A surge of newcomers pack Georgia GOP meetings across state

The grassroots effort to punish Gov. Brian Kemp largely fizzled at key Republican meetings across the state this weekend even as record crowds of activists continued a relentless focus on former President Donald Trump’s lies about Georgia’s election results.

Fury over Trump’s narrow defeat combined with anger at President Joe Biden’s administration helped bring a surge of new faces to the weekend meetings, held in 13 of Georgia’s 14 congressional districts. Many speakers repeated Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud in Georgia, which have been repeatedly debunked.

The uptick in participation evoked memories of the round of Republican meetings in 2016, when Trump brought legions of new conservative supporters to sleepy party gatherings often dominated by establishment figures or long-standing volunteers.

A lot of folks wondering since I'm fully vaccinated, why would I wear a mask at a grocery store? Every action we take is a weighing of costs and benefits So lets talk about fully-vaccinated me in a grocery store Am I a risk to others? No Am I at risk? Not much Thread https://t.co/6TnoxQsPpa

— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) May 16, 2021

NBC News:

'A sea change': Subsidies and White House push leads to surge in Obamacare sign-ups

“It’s like a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m blown away,” said a woman who was able to afford health insurance for the first time in 12 years.

[Sheryl] Hagen is one of more than a million people who have signed up for Obamacare plans since the Biden administration opened up the special enrollment period, which began Feb. 15 and ends on Aug. 15. With the new subsidies and the limits the Covid-19 relief bill placed on health care costs, many are also paying much less for Obamacare plans than they have in the past.

82 percent of Democrats but only 43 percent of Republicans say that they’ve already been vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/IfG2YWSP52

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) May 16, 2021

NY Times:

Jail Time and Big Fines: G.O.P. Seeks Harsh Penalties for Poll Workers


Republicans seeking to restrict voting are proposing strict punishments for election officials and workers who make errors or violate the rules.

“It’s just so taxing,” Ms. Phillips said. “And if me — I’m in my 40s, and I’m having this much stress — imagine every election worker and election judge that is 65 and over with severe health issues. This is supposed to be a way for them to give back. And it’s supposed to be something that makes them feel good about what they’re doing, but now they’re starting to feel like, ‘Are we going to be safe?’”

Ms. Phillips is one of millions of citizens who act as foot soldiers of the American democratic system, working long hours for low pay to administer the country’s elections. Yet this often thankless task has quickly become a key target of Republicans who are propagating former President Donald J. Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. In their hunt for nonexistent fraud, they have turned on those who work the polls as somehow suspect.

ABC's Jon Karl: "When you say 'dangerous' — dangerous how? Are you suggesting that Jan. 6 could happen again, or maybe something worse?" Liz Cheney: "I think there's no question."

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 16, 2021

Adam Wren/Business Insider:

The demise of 'thoughts and prayers': How the clichéd greeting-card condolence died amid a rash of mass shootings

"Cody," Obama asked Keenan that week, "do you have anything to say?"

"I don't because we have exhausted the words," Keenan responded.

"There are only so many times we can eulogize victims," Keenan, who is writing a book about the week leading up to Obama's "Amazing Grace" remarks, said in a recent interview.

"I don't have anything left to say," Obama said earlier this year, reliving that moment in an interview with Bruce Springsteen in an episode of the duo's podcast, "Renegades: Born in the USA."​

Trump has released yet another statement attacking Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell for not trying to steal the election he lost. Maybe House Republicans will respond by censuring Liz Cheney. pic.twitter.com/3RoM6EMs6r

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) May 15, 2021

Mitch Smith/NY Times:

Mask? No Mask? New Rules Leave Americans Recalibrating, Hour by Hour


The C.D.C. said fully vaccinated people could safely go most places without a mask. Not everyone was sure, or ready.

In interviews this weekend with dozens of residents from Los Angeles to Atlanta, people said they were mostly encouraged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s finding that masks were no longer needed for fully vaccinated people in most indoor and outdoor situations.

But the details, many said, were perplexing, and had stirred new questions about science, but also about trust, social norms and even politics. How can one be certain that people no longer wearing masks have actually gotten a vaccine? What will the neighbors think if you take yours off? (And what will they think if you don’t?) And what if, some asked, you just feel more comfortable in a mask?

Donald Trump solicited help from Russia in 2016. Putin helped him, and Trump eagerly accepted that help, KNOWING it was coming from Russia. The End https://t.co/OJthq2Oztm

— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) May 16, 2021

EJ Dionne/WaPo:

Democracy depends on two guys named Joe


Two Joes will determine whether we protect the voting rights of all Americans. And one may have to persuade the other to get the job done.


These are no ordinary Joes. I am, of course, speaking of President Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.).


At stake is the For the People Act, which already passed the House. It would guarantee broad access to the ballot; a more transparent, democratic political money system; and an end to partisan gerrymanders.


Its chances of passing the Senate hang largely on Manchin’s willingness to acknowledge that there is no way that enough (or even any) Republicans will support comprehensive reform of our politics.

In a matter of days, the US covid death rate will drop to the lowest level since the start of the pandemic pic.twitter.com/uP3QqIt1a5

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 16, 2021

Jennifer Jacquet/WaPo:

The meat industry is doing exactly what Big Oil does to fight climate action

Last month, JBS, the world's largest meat company, took out a full-page ad in the New York Times promising to reach "net zero by 2040," and announced commitments to both "net zero greenhouse gas emissions" and no deforestation. This was a startling shift from a company that, as recently as 2019, discussed emissions reduction only in terms of energy use, without mentioning methane or land use. The notion of a "net zero" JBS is reminiscent of BP's rebrand as "Beyond Petroleum" more than 20 years ago.

Needs someone with an advanced degree too @GretaThunberg. How about Doctor Strange? https://t.co/MPHfaya11O

— Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) May 16, 2021

Doctor Strange could not be reached for comment.