A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

The Jan. 6 select committee is in the process of gathering reams of documents, hours and hours of videos, and hours and hours of testimony. By the time they report to the American people, they will have amassed sufficient evidence to be able to make decisions concerning responsibilities for the January 6 insurrection.

So far it has been a bad week for the former President. It is likely to get worse.

NBC reports, "A federal judge on Monday shot down a request from former President Donald Trump to prevent the National Archives from releasing documents requested by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

"Trump filed a lawsuit last month to block the records but that case is still ongoing. Trump filed an emergency motion late Monday, asking Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to grant a stay in the case pending appeal or an administrative injunction. Chutkan, however, quickly denied the request on Tuesday, calling the move “premature.”

"The judge explained that she hasn’t issued a ruling in the case yet and would only consider a motion for a stay only after she reaches a final judgment. During oral arguments earlier this month, she seemed skeptical of Trump's request."

"Are you really saying the president's notes, talking points, and records of telephone conversations on January 6 have no bearing on the investigation" asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.

"The judge seemed equally skeptical of the claim by Trump's lawyers that the material is protected by executive privilege and that the judge should review each document before it can be turned over to Congress," NBC.

CNN reports, "Essentially, Trump's request for an emergency injunction was an attempt to get ahead of Chutkan's ruling in the coming days. The judge is expected to decide soon on whether the National Archives should turn the tranche of Trump documents over to the House committee, possibly ahead of Friday -- the deadline for the Archives to hand the documents over."

The Archives has already said it will turn over the records on Friday unless a court order prevents it.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

So far it has been a bad week for the former President. It is likely to get worse.

ABC reports, "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection issued 10 subpoenas on Tuesday to former members of the Trump administration -- including West Wing aides and senior officials who were in or around the Oval Office and former President Donald Trump when the riot unfolded on Capitol Hill.

"They include senior adviser Stephen Miller, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, personnel director John McEntee, deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell, and Keith Kellogg, who served as former Vice President Mike Pence's national security adviser and was with Trump watching coverage of the riot on television.

"The panel has asked for documents to be produced by Nov. 23, and for the recipients to appear for closed-door depositions in late November to mid-December.

"On Monday, the committee issued six subpoenas to senior Trump campaign officials and advisers, including campaign manager Bill Stepien and spokesman Jason Miller."

Fox News headlines for today on the internet makes no mention of the ten subpoenas to those close to Trump. Nor did Fox mention the key judicial decision denying Trump a vital emergency injunction. This is not at all unusual for Fox, and it explains why grassroots Republicans know so little. Many primarily watch Fox and wouldn't be caught dead watching ABC or CNN.

The incredibly lunatic activities of M.J. Greene and Paul Gosar, both Republican lawmakers in the House, are designed to make headlines to divert attention away from Trump and the decisive actions of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

All of this illustrates how far down the Republican Party has fallen, and Republican leaders remain completely silent about Trump and the developing scenario.

The only thing the GOP has going for it is that grassroots Republicans are clueless ... as this thread clearly illustrates.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Fox News headlines for today on the internet makes no mention of the ten subpoenas to those close to Trump. Nor did Fox mention the key judicial decision denying Trump a vital emergency injunction. This is not at all unusual for Fox, and it explains why grassroots Republicans know so little. Many primarily watch Fox and wouldn't be caught dead watching ABC or CNN.

Instead we get this from Fox.

"Former President Donald Trump in remarks at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner Monday openly blasted the 13 congressional Republicans who supported President Biden’s infrastructure bill in a vote Friday.

"Fox News Digital has confirmed from sources at the dinner that the former president criticized the 13 Republican defectors in a lengthy speech Monday night."

Are Trump Republicans going to cheer, or are they going to pick up a shovel and contribute because they were just given a job?

Apparently, Trump thinks providing jobs for Americans and fixing our roads and bridges is a bad thing. Little wonder why the party's leaders stay mum about the clueless Trump.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

So far it has been a bad week for the former President. It is likely to get worse.

"Presidents are not kings," Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote, adding: "And Plaintiff is not President."

CNN reports, "A federal judge sent a message to Donald Trump Tuesday that he cannot outrun the rule of law and the Constitution.

"A late-night ruling eviscerated the ex-President's assertion of executive privilege to prevent the National Archives from turning over hundreds of documents pertinent to the House probe examining the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

"Although Trump is already mustering an appeal, the ruling represented a huge win for the House select committee probing one of the most alarming assaults on democracy in US history. It also came as a swift blow to Trump's efforts to run out the clock.

"It upheld a core principle because it represents the first test of Trump's ability to use the court system to defy Congress when he is not shielded by the office of the presidency itself."

For Trump it only gets worse.

CNN continues, "The House select committee investigating January 6 is interested in gathering information from at least five members of former Vice President Mike Pence's inner circle, according to three sources familiar with the effort.

"Among them is Pence's former national security adviser, Keith Kellogg, who was subpoenaed by the committee on Tuesday and was with former President Donald Trump most of the day on January 6.

"Multiple sources tell CNN that some individuals close to Pence may be willing, either voluntarily or under the guise of a "friendly subpoena," to provide critical information on how Trump and his allies tried to pressure the former vice president to overturn the results of the 2020 election."

The list also includes, "former chief counsel Greg Jacob and former chief of staff Marc Short. Jacob played a critical role in countering efforts to persuade the former vice president not to certify the electoral results."

Trump is decidedly not happy with these developments.

Neither are Trump's fans, but they say nothing. There is nothing they can say. Their savior is going down. It's only a matter of time.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Great news. The appeals court consisting of three judges appointed by Democratic Presidents delayed the handover of Trump's White House records.

At issue is this, the capsule version.

In December Trump circled Jan. 6 for his far right followers. The Times reports, "For weeks, President Trump and his supporters had been proclaiming Jan. 6, 2021, as a day of reckoning. A day to gather in Washington to “save America” and “stop the steal.”

“Big protest in D.C. on January 6th,” Trump tweeted on Dec. 19, just one of several of his tweets promoting the day. “Be there, will be wild!”

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”

“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."

“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country,” President Trump, Jan. 6.

Politico reports, "A federal appeals court on Thursday granted a short-term delay in the Jan. 6 select committee’s access to Donald Trump’s White House records.

"A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit — including President Joe Biden’s first and only appointee to that court, Ketanji Brown Jackson — will instead hear arguments in the matter on Nov. 30.

"Despite claims of urgency, the House did not object to Trump’s request for a temporary injunction while the appeals court considers the broader issues. The Justice Department also took no position on the temporary stay.

"The composition of the appeals court panel is likely to hearten House investigators. The order issued on Thursday indicates that, in addition to Jackson, the panel includes Judges Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins, who were appointed by former President Barack Obama to the court.

"The court’s order emphasized that the move to freeze the status quo for the time being should not be seen as reflecting what the court will end up deciding about Trump’s attempt to block disclosure of files from his former White House."

Trump was never known for his brilliance. He actually has done the Democrats a favor. Had the House select committee gotten the records on Friday, they may have been able to present their final report in March or April. Now there is a delay of two to four months. So, the final report will be delayed by two to four months, coming out just in time for the heavy lifting of 2022 mid-term election campaign.

This is not about Trump. It is about the Republican Party. The Republican Party actively sought to overturn the 2020 election, thus dismissing the will of the American people.

They should not be rewarded with victories in the 2022 election.

As is their custom, the forum's Republicans will remain silent about all this.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

So far it has been a bad week for the former President. It is likely to get worse.

Sure enough, matters just got worse.

For Trump ... that is.

Steve Bannon was just charged with contempt of Congress and is facing jail time, giving other Trump miscreants like Mark Meadows a reason to pause and ask, "What the hell am I doing?"

The Post reports, "Former White House adviser Stephen K. Bannon was charged Friday with two counts of contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on Congress.

"He was indicted by a grand jury in Washington — a rare move by the Justice Department to escalate the consequences of a dispute involving Congress. Court records indicate only three such cases have been filed in D.C. since 1990."

As always, Putin's protégé, Trump, is the exception. How many private citizens do you know who lost reelection by seven million votes, incited an insurrection, and is now claiming executive privilege?

The Post continued, "The charges against Bannon each carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail and may serve as a warning to others seeking to avoid or defy the Jan. 6 committee."

My point exactly. As an example, Mark Meadows just gave the Jan. 6 Select Committee the finger. "Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows did not show up his 10 a.m. deposition with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, prompting calls from the panel to have Congress hold him in contempt," ABC News.

There are at least fifteen other Trump associates who face the same threat. Going back to 2016, it is funny how so many of Trump's close associates have faced jail time.

Is it worth it?

Stephen Collinson writes, "Ex-President Donald Trump is planting his flag on a logical absurdity in his transparent bid to run out the clock on the January 6 investigation and avoid accountability for his unprecedented bid to steal power in a coup.

"A President who refused to accept the result of a free and fair election and who incited a mob that invaded the US Capitol is arguing that he is acting to protect the republic, the presidency and constitutional norms. That argument is hard to read with a straight face."

I couldn't agree more. Trump is a buffoon. Even his fans know it, although, for some strange reason, lack of awareness (?), they support him anyway. They can't say why.

A federal court has already ruled that Trump does not have executive privilege (see posts above). Next stop, the appeals court with three judges appointed by democratic Presidents, one by Biden. The appeals court has already shown a tendency to agree with the lower court.

Someone like Meadows is hanging on a tenuous thread. If a former President can't obtain executive privilege, what are the odds that Meadows -- or someone like him -- can get it from the courts in a decision involving Trump?

You do the math.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

In today's headlines from Fox there was no mention of the DOJ's crucial decision to indict a former chief strategist for Trump, Steve Bannon, for contempt of Congress.

Fox did nave time for these stories, though.

Britney Spears’ conservatorship officially ends after 13 years​

Paris Hilton shows off stunning wedding dress after marrying Carter Reum​

In addition, there were stories about the Durham investigation concerning events that happened five years ago.

This is what Trump's fans watch. This is what grassroots Republicans with limited education in the rural counties of America watch.

That explains a lot.

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www.foxnews.com

 

[Sandy Shanks]

“My message for the American people is this: America’s moving again, and your life’s going to change for the better,” our President said during remarks at the White House.

The Times reports, "President Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law on Monday afternoon, a bipartisan victory that will pour billions into the nation’s roads, ports and power lines.

"While the bill stopped short of realizing his full-scale ambitions for overhauling America’s transportation and energy systems, Mr. Biden pointed to it as evidence that lawmakers could work across party lines to solve problems in Washington.

"Administration officials and a wide range of outside economists and business groups largely agree that the measure is the most important step in a generation toward upgrading critical infrastructure — and that it could soon begin to pay dividends for a wide range of businesses and people, from electric vehicle manufacturers to rural web surfers."

It is a step in the right direction. Is it enough to convince Americans that the President is doing what he can?

Probably not. Presidents get blamed for everything these days, inflation, driver shortage, supply chain difficulties, the pandemic, even for vaccine protocols aimed at reducing the effects of the pandemic.

 

[ConserveGuy]

We have officially entered the Biden Depression after the flawed inflation bill that just got passed. Get ready trying to survive, folks.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

There are times today's Republicans can be damn peculiar. Of course, a good many of them were elected by intelligence challenged voters. Apparently, such is the case in an Arizona district.

Last week Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar posted an anime video on Twitter depicting him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and swinging a sword at President Joe Biden.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he called Gosar. "I called him when I heard about the video, and he made a statement that he doesn't support violence, and he took the video down."

We don't really know what their problem is. Republicans don't respond intelligently to the important issues on this thread.

 

[Indeependent]

There are times today's Republicans can be damn peculiar. Of course, a good many of them were elected by intelligence challenged voters. Apparently, such is the case in an Arizona district.

Last week Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar posted an anime video on Twitter depicting him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and swinging a sword at President Joe Biden.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he called Gosar. "I called him when I heard about the video, and he made a statement that he doesn't support violence, and he took the video down."

We don't really know what their problem is. Republicans don't respond to the important issues on this thread.

Yo, retard, check out YouTube to discover the 1,000 ways your hero Biden is messing up the US economy.
I know, I know, you're on welfare and everything is great.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

President Biden quietly goes about doing his job. As is the case with any country as large and as economically successful as ours, there are always problems.

The ones today would include inflation, a deadly pandemic contributing to the inflation woes and supply chain problem further contributing to inflation, and economic prosperity which exacerbates inflation. More payroll+more spending=inflation.

Add to that, a strange problem, a worker shortage as workers think they have the upper hand with employers and can pick and chose the work they want to do. Maybe the latter is a myth, but many workers believe it, hence a worker shortage in some areas of opportunity.

Add to this, another very strange problem making life difficult for our President, a strained relationship with his vice president, Kamala Harris.

"The buck stops here!" President Truman was the first to say that, and it is quite true with our current President.

What exactly does it mean?

Because of their horrible experience with former President Trump, Republicans are desperate to find fault with President Biden. So, they blame him for all our economic woes plus the border problem. The latter problem has been around for seven decades at least, but Republicans blame Biden anyway. They are desperate, after all.

"The buck stops here" does not mean the President caused the problem.

"The buck stops here" means the President will do everything within his power to alleviate the problem.

Which is exactly what our President is doing without fanfare and without conspiracies that so bedeviled the previous President ... conspiracies of his own making.

 

[Indeependent]

President Biden quietly goes about doing his job. As is the case with any country as large and as economically successful as ours, there are always problems.

The ones today would include inflation, a deadly pandemic contributing to the inflation woes and supply chain problem further contributing to inflation, and economic prosperity which exacerbates inflation. More payroll+more spending=inflation.

Add to that, a strange problem, a worker shortage as workers think they have the upper hand with employers and can pick and chose the work they want to do. Maybe the latter is a myth, but many workers believe it, hence a worker shortage in some areas of opportunity.

Add to this, another very strange problem making life difficult for our President, a strained relationship with his vice president, Kamala Harris.

"The buck stops here!" President Truman was the first to say that, and it is quite true with our current President.

What exactly does it mean?

Because of their horrible experience with former President Trump, Republicans are desperate to find fault with President Biden. So, they blame him for all our economic woes plus the border problem. The latter problem has been around for seven decades at least, but Republicans blame Biden anyway. They are desperate, after all.

"The buck stops here" does not mean the President caused the problem.

"The buck stops here" means the President will do everything within his power to alleviate the problem.

Which is exactly what our President is doing without fanfare and without conspiracies that so bedeviled the previous President ... conspiracies of his own making.

No to mention Biden farting and shitting in his pants.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is very good news for the Republican Party.

It is good news for me, too. I was a Republican for over a quarter of a century. That ended when Trump drove me out of the party, and I officially became a conservative Independent. Perhaps I will rejoin the Republican Party providing the conditions are right. We'll see.

ABC News reports, "Many Republican elected officials developed selective hearing and Tweet-reading in choosing when and how to respond to Donald Trump when he was president.

"It's a skill that remains on display in his post-presidency. For all the spot-on talk of how Republicans fear crossing Trump, signs of defiance or simply ignoring his statements have emerged anew inside the GOP.

"Trump is churning out statements fuming at McConnell, with no apparent impact on McConnell's chances of continuing to lead his conference. Likewise, Trump's not-so-kind words about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy -- as reported by ABC's Jonathan Karl -- are doing little to diminish his standing."

On the other hand, there is this from ABC. "The never-Trump wing of the GOP is not ascendant -- far from it. But at least around the edges, Republicans see a way to win that doesn't involve fealty to the former president."

The Wyoming GOP no longer recognizes Liz Cheney as a member of the Republican Party.

House GOP leaders turned a blind eye to Gosar's depiction of him killing AOC and threatening the President.

Republican leaders in the House want to punish the 13 Republicans who voted for President Joe Biden's extremely popular $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill by stripping them of committee assignments. The infrastructure bill was popular with American voters and Republicans alike. Ironically, those who voted against the well liked bill will see marked improvements in their state.

Okay, so its a work in progress.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

President Biden quietly goes about doing his job. As is the case with any country as large and as economically successful as ours, there are always problems.

"The buck stops here" does not mean the President caused the problem.

"The buck stops here" means the President will do everything within his power to alleviate the problem.

The unpopularity of President Biden is a mystery.

Perhaps it is based upon the internecine squabbling within the Democratic Party, and the tactics of the House progressives to use the popular infrastructure bill as extortion as it relates to the far more expensive social economic bill. The House progressives finally relented and the infrastructure bill passed into law two months late on Nov. 8.

Biden certainly did not cause the inflation or the supply chain shortages. However, it is being suggested that our President is being blamed for both. It is an old American tradition to credit the President when the economy is doing well, and blame the President when the economy is not doing so good. In actuality, unless the President makes a colossal mistake, Presidents have little impact on the economy.

That is not to say our President is not working his butt off to solve the inflationary and supply chain woes. He is.

That said, our economy is doing well. Don't take my word for it. Listen to the economic experts at CNN.

CNN reports, "The Biden economy is a walking contradiction.

"Consumer sentiment is at a 10-year low, tumbling in November to levels unseen even during the height of Covid-19. A staggering 70% of Americans rate the economy negatively in an ABC News-Washington Post poll.

"And yet Americans are shopping up a storm, with retail sales soaring in October at the fastest pace since stimulus checks were sent out in March. Walmart, Target (TGT) and Home Depot are booming.

"Hiring is strong (much stronger than the government initially thought). And workers are quitting their jobs at a record pace, in large part because they are very confident they can easily find a better job."

However, there is a downside as CNN explains.

"Gas prices are at seven-year highs. Food prices are soaring. New car prices surged in October the most since 1975. Simply put, the cost of living is going up, and Americans aren't happy about it. Inflation is overshadowing real bright spots in the US economy."

"The economic news is generally good. But inflation is in your face, every day. Some of the most visible prices are up and that makes it seem like the inflation problem is worse than it is," said Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC.

The good news is that despite elevated inflation and the supply chain crisis, Americans are still shopping. That's crucial because consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the economy. CNN

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The House voted Wednesday to censure Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., after he posted an animated video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and attacking President Joe Biden.

Also, Gosar was remove from his committee assignments.

Gosar never apologized for his dangerously provocative video. He said he wanted to motivate young people.

He then compared himself to Alexander Hamilton, Disney, and Hollywood. "The Cartoon Network, Disney and all of Hollywood must be shut down and 'punished' for all the cartoon and film violence they portray," Gosar said.

The House voted 223-207.

What does that mean exactly? It means that 207 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives looked the other way when a Republican member depicted the murder of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and threatened the President.

Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened Democrats with retribution if Republicans win the House in 2022.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The unpopularity of President Biden is a mystery.

Perhaps it is based upon the internecine squabbling within the Democratic Party, and the tactics of the House progressives to use the popular infrastructure bill as extortion as it relates to the far more expensive social economic bill. The House progressives finally relented and the infrastructure bill passed into law two months late on Nov. 8.

Finally!

It's about time. House progressives who held up passage of the popular infrastructure bill for over two months are finally going to get their wish. It appears there will be a vote on the $1.75 trillion social economic package today or tomorrow. At this writing, Pelosi is planning a vote before close of business today.

She ought to know.

NBC reports, "House Democrats on Thursday moved closer to holding a long-awaited floor vote on President Joe Biden's social safety net and climate package, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicating lawmakers might take action before Friday.

"Pelosi had been awaiting a final cost estimate by the Congressional Budget Office, which released an analysis Thursday evening.

"CBO estimates that enacting this legislation would result in a net increase in the deficit totaling $367 billion over the 2022-2031 period, not counting any additional revenue that may be generated by additional funding for tax enforcement," the nonpartisan agency said on its website.

"The bill includes a provision for beefed-up tax enforcement by the IRS."

On the other hand, ABC reports, "According to the CBO's latest projections, the proposal in the package to beef up IRS enforcement of tax-dodging would yield an additional $207 billion in revenue. That's less than the Biden administration's own projections that the provision would raise $400 billion to help pay for the larger package, but in line with what lawmakers have expected."

So, according to the CBO, the package will have a $160 billion shortfall over a period of ten years.

In the grand scheme of things, that is chump change.

The bill faces tough sledding in the Senate as two Democratic Senators have some qualms about the bill. The bill can pass in the Senate without the benefit of Republican votes.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Kamala Harris became the first female acting President in U.S. history.

President Joe Biden transferred power to Vice President Harris on Friday for a brief period of time when he was under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy, the White House said. By noon Biden had returned to his duties as President.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is an historic day.

The House narrowly passed the centerpiece of President Biden’s domestic agenda, approving the landmark $2.2 trillion Build Back Better bill to battle climate change, expand health care and reweave the nation’s social safety net, over the unanimous opposition of Republicans. It is one of the most consequential bills in decades.

For the first time in America's history we had a female President for a short period of time.

For the first time in American history a jury approved of vigilante justice enforced by assault rifles, as a Wisconsin jury declared Kyle Rittenhouse innocent of all charges. Rittenhouse killed two men and wounded another as he was defending the town ... or so he said. Far right extremist across the country are cheering madly. Rittenhouse is their hero.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

More good news for the Republican Party as it distances itself from Donald Trump, his Big Lie, and the repercussions of his speech inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6.

ABC reports, "Fresh off a national upset win in Virginia and a near-miss in New Jersey, the group of high-profile Republican governors and their strategists are now tasked with replicating their momentum across the map in some of the most highly competitive midterm races in decades -- a goal actively complicated by former President Donald Trump's continued endorsement of primary challengers to incumbent governors who have fallen out of his personal favor. And plans on how they navigate the minefield of remaining undistracted by Trump while not alienating him or his supporters remain fuzzy.

"Rather than embracing or denouncing the former president, the over a dozen governors present who spoke publicly at the conference stressed that their path to winning lies in drilling down on issues-based campaigning -- focusing on things like increasing police funding, combating higher taxes, curbing immigration, etc.

"And to the highly confident Republican Governors Association, there is no more perfect blueprint than freshly-elected Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, who pulled off a gubernatorial win in a reliable blue state in part by nationalizing local issues while keeping the former president, and his continued gripes surrounding the 2020 election, at arm's length."

The governors are encouraged by influential conservatives like Rupert Murdoch. The statements from Murdoch -- who controls a media empire that includes, among other properties, the shamelessly pro-Trump Fox News -- may serve as a test for Republicans who understand just how harmful Trump's dominance of the GOP is, and how it could ultimately sink the party.

Murdoch, addressing the annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, said that the United States faces a number of major political decisions that conservatives will fail to shape unless Trump moves on. "The current American political debate is profound," he said, citing education, welfare and economic opportunity. "It is crucial that conservatives play an active, forceful role in that debate," he added, "but that will not happen if President Trump stays focused on the past."

Republican governors are not the only ones abandoning Trump. So are many of his supporters. Trump is still being supported by his intelligence challenged cult and his endorsement may be important to some Republican candidates in 2022.