If you've seen extra vitriol on my social media, here's why: the "Q" persona dropped a statement targeting me, citing the discredited NRCC (GOP SuperPAC) attacks on me & my resolution condemning QAnon.
In my first debate with Tom Kean, I warned him that he was playing with a dark and dangerous current in our politics with these vile attacks. He and the NRCC have refused calls from fact checkers, religious leaders, even local Republicans, to disavow them.
Now QAnon, an anti-Semitic conspiracy mongering cult that the FBI views as a potential terrorist threat, is directly amplifying the NRCC's press releases to its millions of online followers.
I'm done asking Kean to do the responsible thing - he's had his chance and owns whatever consequences come.
Meanwhile, I'll continue working with responsible Democrats and Republicans in Congress to combat this and all forms of extremism.
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This was Biden's deal, but as much as I hate to say it, he couldn't have done it without Trump -- not so much Trump's performative threats to Hamas, but his willingness to tell Bibi bluntly that the war had to end by Jan. 20.
Biden was the best president I've ever seen at building our alliances w/European & Asian democracies, and mobilizing them against Russia and China.
Our interests will suffer from a successor who threatens economic war with Canada while inviting China to his inauguration. 2/
But Biden was lousy at dealing with leaders who only speak "thug" - repeatedly signaling fear of what they might do if we asserted our power (that they might escalate a war, or jilt us for China, or walk away from negotiations), rather than making them fear what we might do. 3/
In my last campaign, I knocked the door of a retired firefighter. He said he rarely voted for Democrats, but we had a long, good talk.
His #1 issue was that he was paying $5K a year for a single prescription drug.
And he understandably doubted I could do anything about it. 1/
Most seniors on Medicare don't have out of pocket costs quite that high, but in my time in Congress I heard from many who did, for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and many others. For them, the burden could be crushing. 2/
I'm thinking about this because yesterday, Medicare's $2000 annual cap on out of pocket drug costs for seniors - which we passed in the Inflation Reduction Act - finally kicked in.
It will save the retired firefighter I met around $3,000 a year. 3/
Trump's tariffs may prove performative (and corrupt) - he may relent when countries hire lobbyists & promise to buy more US wheat, weapons or Trump bitcoin, exempt connected industries, etc. But if he means it, our economy will take multiple hits. 1/cnb.cx/40S9e7y
First, most obviously, a 20% tax on all imports from all countries will spike inflation. 98% of clothes sold in America are imported. So are over 40% of fruits and vegetables, and 90% of consumer electronics. All these things and more will instantly become more expensive. 2/
Second, goods produced in the USA will also become more expensive because even domestic manufacturers import parts and materials - aluminum for cars, chips for electronics, ingredients for pharmaceuticals - for which they'll have to pay 20% more. 3/
When you get beat, you've got to listen to people who weren't sold on your arguments, so I listened to this from Dave Portnoy with an open mind. I'm sure a lot of folks who view themselves as moderates and voted for Trump feel this way. But I have some questions. 1/
First, Harris never once called Trump backers "Nazis," "fascists" or anything similar. Trump's Marine general former chief of staff did say Trump admired Hitler and many of us cited that (how could we ignore it?), but that was not about his supporters. 2/
Meanwhile, at multiple rallies, Trump referred to people like me - whether Democrats or his Republican critics - as "scum" and "vermin" and "domestic enemies" who are worse than our foreign enemies. Are we going to talk about Dems offending Trump supporters and ignore that? 3/
I've avoided commenting on college protests because they matter way less than the real horror people in Israel/Gaza are experiencing. But there are principles worth defending here, both from the extremism of the far left and the blood lust of partisans on the right. For example:
1. The right to peaceful expression and protest should be sacrosanct, even if the ideas being expressed make people uncomfortable. Many of our elite colleges have unfortunately forgotten this in recent years. Their right wing critics forget it, too, when it suits them.
2. There's a long tradition in America of protestors violating laws that protect access to streets or buildings. That's not violence, but if you do it, you have to accept consequences. If negotiation fails, colleges are right to break up encampments that cause disorder.
As a former State Department official responsible for enforcing the Leahy Laws, which prohibit US assistance to units of foreign militaries that commit gross human rights abuses, here are a few thoughts on what's going on with the Leahy Laws and Israel. 1/
First, we've enforced the Leahy Laws all over the world, including with close allies. They work because they allow a surgical approach of cutting off individual units instead of denying aid to entire countries. Foreign governments often make changes to avoid getting "Leahied." 2/
Second, it's true that till now the State Dept has in practice not applied Leahy to Israel. This is wrong - while Israel shouldn't be held to a higher standard than other countries on human rights, it shouldn't be held to a uniquely low bar either. 3/ theguardian.com/world/2024/jan…