THE SHOW NOTES: Trump 2024, McConnell vs Scott, DeSantis Wins Again, & Artemis I
Welcome! Artemis I is heading to the moon.
HEADLINE #1: Liberal dark money network hauled in more than $1.5B in anonymous donations for left-wing causes in 2021 - Fox News
HEADLINE #2: ‘Vicious and Venomous’: Raphael Warnock Says Critics of His Church’s Evictions Are Attacking Jesus - Washington Free Beacon
OUCH: Ben there, Don that. - NY Post
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Clip of the day #1:
Clip of the day #2:
Trump IS Running
Donald Trump announced his 2024 candidacy at Mar-a-Lago last night. The biggest criticism of the event? Low energy. This is from Politico:
But for many of those in the room and watching at home, the supposed spectacle was a dud. Where was the buzz, the energy, the thrill? Trump appeared tired, and worst of all, many thought his 63-minute speech was plain-old boring.
You know it was bad when Jeb Bush calls it low energy.
The speech was so boring people tried to leave but the Mar-a-Lago staff would not let them.
The New York Post scooped yesterday that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump did not want to be a part of a 2024 campaign. While Jared made an appearance at the event, Ivanka did not and issued the following statement:
“I love my father very much. This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics.”
To make matters worse, major GOP donors are backing other candidates. Ken Griffin - a GOP megadonor who gave Republicans over $100 million this cycle - is backing Ron DeSantis. Andy Sabin, a Trump megadonor in 2020 said “I’m not going to give (Trump) a f---ing nickel” and plans on backing DeSantis. Go read the full stories at Axios and CNBC.
Rick Scott vs Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell is facing his first leadership challenge in 15 years from Florida’s Rick Scott. The former hospital executive made his plans known in a 3-hour closed-door Senate meeting yesterday as Republican senators gripped about their party’s poor performance on election day. Mitt Romney said, “It was like Festivus from Seinfeld. The airing of grievances.” The leadership vote takes place today unless the majority decides to punt the leadership election until after the Georgia runoff.
Proxy battle: McConnell’s Senate Leadership Fund PAC has called into question decisions made by the Scott-led National Republican Senatorial Committee with regard to candidate quality and financial allocation in the 2022 cycle. Both organizations are helping Herschel Walker in the Georgia runoff despite shots being fired between senior leadership in each organization yesterday. Scott has faced an avalanche of criticism in recent months for his leadership of the NRSC.
Two takeaways: 1) If Herschel wins, both McConnell and Scott will take the credit. If he loses, they will blame the other. 2) Rick Scott likely does not have the votes to become Minority Leader.
Another DeSantis Win
This is from Politico:
“All six school board members endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis won their runoffs Tuesday, results that deliver the Republican governor a total of 24 wins out of 30 local education candidates he backed this year.
Led by DeSantis, the GOP in Florida — and Democrats to a lesser extent — pumped thousands of dollars into campaign donations and offered up political endorsements during the midterms to help score school board seats. Those efforts have led to reshaped boards in key areas such as Sarasota and Miami-Dade counties, which now have more Republicans elected to local education posts.”
Americans For Prosperity
My friends at Americans for Prosperity hate dysfunctional government almost as much as I do. Unlike think tanks that produce esoteric term papers, Americans for Prosperity is focused on policy solutions that will directly improve people’s lives. They have the largest network of community activists in the country and need your help. Learn more at AmericansForProsperity.org/Erick
The rest of the news:
Biden said Ukraine air defence missile responsible for Poland blast - NATO source - Reuters
Thanksgiving meal prices rise to new record high - Axios
Qatar officials threaten to ‘smash’ reporter’s camera during live World Cup broadcast - NY Post
Elon Musk gives ultimatum to Twitter employees: Do ‘extremely hardcore’ work or get out - CNN
Judge overturns Georgia’s ban on abortion around 6 weeks - AP News
No Longer Flush With Cash, TV News Enters Belt-Tightening Era - Hollywood Reporter
FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried collapse compared to Enron, Madoff - Fox News
Trump’s Drag on Republicans Quantified: A Five-Point Penalty - NYT (paywall)
More Homeowners Using Helocs as Financial Safety Net - WSJ (paywall)
Kari Lake’s Loss in Arizona Destroys ‘Stop the Steal’ - WSJ (paywall)
Why Murdoch dumped Trump - Spectator (paywall)
Tweets that caught my eye:
Market snapshot:
I don’t have to be “excited” about Walker to be highly motivated to remove Warnock from our Senate seat.
I'm exasperated that no one understands the importance of voting in the run off. Not changing the immediate results of the Senate is a moot point. We should be holding our nose, voting for Walker, waiting for the day when a Senator has to resign, god-forbid passes away, etc., and, hopefully, a Republican Governor gets to flip the Senate by appointing a Republican Senator.