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2 Feb, 11 tweets, 5 min read
This morning we're asking why on earth Lindsay Graham is holding up the nomination of Merrick Garland?

Why is Graham still judiciary chair when Dems effectively won control of the Senate?
(THREAD)

thehill.com/homenews/senat…
(2) The short answer is Dems don't have committee control because an agreement hasn't been reached on power-sharing. I know we like to say Dems have "control" of the Senate but for all intents and purposes, the Senate is split evenly.

NO ONE HAS CONTROL

cnn.com/2021/02/02/pol…
(3) It's possible the Senate will pass a rules resolution on how the Senate will work today, but in the meantime, Durbin (the new judiciary chair) has been pushing Graham to schedule Garland's confirmation.

And Lindsey has found all sorts of excuses.

newsweek.com/lindsey-graham…
(4) First Graham's excuse was that there's an impeachment hearing next week and the Senate needs two days for a confirmation hearing. Then he said there was some "paperwork" missing.

It's clear he's stalling but why.

reuters.com/article/us-usa…
(5) After all, Lindsey was singing a pretty different tune in the aftermath of the Capitol Riots.

He condemned the President's actions and lay responsibility for the violence at his feet.

wbtv.com/2021/01/06/lin…
(6) But true to form, just two weeks ago, Lindsey pivoted quickly to claiming the impeachment trial is unconstitutional and even going so far as to publicly threaten Democrats if they dared to call witnesses.

washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/…
(7) The sudden obstruction on Garland's nomination is a weird flex from a dude who just two weeks ago praised Biden's choice for attorney general.

"I believe Judge Garland... is a man of great character, integrity, and tremendous competency in the law."

thehill.com/homenews/senat…
(8) So what's Graham plotting? Who even knows. It could be as simple as wanting to savor the last few days of his ability to wield power. It could be Graham's obvious love of grandstanding.

It could be that Trump is the only thing ole Lindsey has left.

rollingstone.com/politics/polit…
(9) It could also be something a little more sinister, like seeking to obstruct potential probes into Graham's role in Trump's election fraud.

Graham's pressuring of election officials in Georgia should be front and center of continued investigations.

newsweek.com/merrick-garlan…
(10) Whatever Lindsey's motives, it's clear he's scrambling to hold onto power. And obstructionism & threats are the only tools Republicans understand how to wield these days.

Against colleagues, against democracy, and against their own constituents.

mtdemocrat.com/letters/the-go…
(END) Thanks to @AndrewFmOregon for the #TuesdayThread suggestion. Come back Thursday and we'll do this again.

Like threads like this and want to keep them coming? You can support my work here:

paypal.me/kazweida
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More from @kazweida

Kaz Weida Profile picture
2 Feb
Look. As a survivor I still get anxiety attacks on the regular and that shit has been buried and done for me for thirty years.

Fuck anyone minimizing the trauma sexual violence leaves behind to score political points today. #MeToo
(THREAD)
(2) When I was a rape crisis counselor I heard a prosecutor once say that he thought rape was the crime that inflicted the most trauma.

I was kind of floored. What about murder I asked.

He said most of the time you don’t have to live with the trauma of murder. You’re just dead.
(3) But victims of rape and sexual assault have to live with this trauma for the rest of their lives. It’s in the way they have to struggle to stay present or be intimate.

It’s in the anxiety attacks. The eating disorders.
Read 7 tweets
Kaz Weida Profile picture
28 Jan
In today's #ThursdayThread, we're looking more closely at the Dem strategy moving forward. Will Democrats continue to fall for promises from the other side of the aisle or will they govern with the power of the mandate they've been given?

(THREAD)

washingtonpost.com/opinions/democ…
(2) There are some good indications that Schumer and Senate Democrats outmaneuvered Mitch McConnell quite neatly on the filibuster issue earlier this week and that they plan to move forward on stimulus without regard to GOP dissent.

thehill.com/homenews/senat…
(3) It's important to note that as much as the wins in Georgia provided Dems control of the Senate, they hold the slimmest of majorities in both chambers and that hampers their agenda.

Because of the filibuster, passing legislation requires 60 votes.

pbs.org/newshour/polit…
Read 11 tweets
Kaz Weida Profile picture
27 Jan
Ok but stay with me here.

What if it’s more like big tobacco where the industry obscured the fact that their product was dangerous for decades and now can be held responsible for the effects of continuing to market something dangerous to the public under false pretenses.
Hell, even alcohol has warning labels about health risks. And strict rules about who, where, and how they can market their product to the public.

Where’s the warning for Fox News?
I don’t know ANY industry where you can market something with demonstrably false claims. In other industries you’d face fines from the federal government for misleading the public about your product. (Think FDA, EPA enforcement, etc). It should be the same for media.
Read 4 tweets
Kaz Weida Profile picture
26 Jan
I’m facing a quandary

With large percentages of healthcare workers opting not to receive the vaccine, I called my son’s orthodontist and asked if their assistants were vaccinated ahead of his appointment this week

They said HIPA prevented them from disclosing that info
(THREAD)
(2) The ortho office said they couldn’t require the assistants to get the vaccine or disclose whether they had received it.

And while I get that, I’m starting to wonder how we are ever going to make it safe enough out there that people can get the healthcare they need.
(3) Utah is running a 20% daily average positive rate, and 25% of the population can’t be vaccinated because they are under 16.

Given current allotments, we’ll only be able to vaccinate the over 70 population for the next 3-4 weeks and people over 65 could take another month.
Read 5 tweets
Kaz Weida Profile picture
21 Jan
This #thursdaymorning we're taking a closer look at some of Trump's last-minute directives extending secret service protection to his family and members of his administration.

Can Biden reverse these directives?
(THREAD)

seattletimes.com/nation-world/n…
(2) To be clear, these sorts of extensions are not unprecedented, but presidents in the past such as Bush and Obama have only extended secret service protection to teenage and college-age children, not full-grown adults and their families.

theweek.com/speedreads/962…
(3) The cost to taxpayers for 24-hour protection details for the next six months for such a large group will likely be enormous, especially given the family's lifestyle and extensive travel.

It's estimated theTrumps took 4,500 trips between 2017-2019.

vanityfair.com/news/2021/01/t…
Read 11 tweets
Kaz Weida Profile picture
19 Jan
As the wheels of justice grind forward and we prepare for Biden to take office, it's worthwhile to get a bird's eye view of the mess we still have to clean up.

Who was responsible for the Capitol Riots and how will we hold them accountable?
Here's what we know so far.
(THREAD)
(2) First off, the arrests have really ramped up in the last few days. More than 100 have been arrested for their role in the Capitol Riots, but there are 200 or more open case files.

Prosecutors have been clear they plan to charge many with felonies.

bbc.com/news/world-us-…
(3) We're getting a clearer picture of the domestic terrorist groups that led the riot, including:

-Proud Boys
-Oathkeepers
-Three Percenters
-QAnon
-NSC-131
-No White Guilt

Prosecutors have already identified about 300 suspects from these groups.

voanews.com/2020-usa-votes…
Read 11 tweets

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