Peter Schorsch
On June 1, 1950, U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith delivered a speech on the Senate floor known as the Declaration of Conscience in which she took to task her fellow Republican, Sen. Joe McCarthy, a populist forebear of Donald Trump. In doing so, she was fearlessly leaning into the rising storm of anti-communist paranoia and persecution that was McCarthy’s stock in trade.
With Harry Truman in the White House and Dwight Eisenhower running to unseat him, Smith said, “The nation sorely needs a Republican victory. But I don’t want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny — Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry and Smear.”
And with a handful of exceptions among her Republican colleagues — six Senators to be exact — she stood alone for almost four years to the day, until June 9, 1954, when Joseph Welsch, a private attorney representing the Army, which was under attack by McCarthy, called him out at a televised committee hearing.
“You have done enough,” Welsch said. “Have you no sense of decency?” And with that, the fever of McCarthyism broke, and a nation wearied by McCarthy’s excesses turned their backs on him.
Historical parallels have their uses, but they should not be belabored. There probably will not be a Joseph Welsch, who brings Trump to heel and America to its senses at just the right moment with just the right words. It is certain no Welch will be found among the Republicans in the Florida Congressional delegation, nine of whom lent their names to the seditious attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election that was the laughable Texas lawsuit curb-stomped by the U.S. Supreme Court last Friday night, and all of whom have since 2016 distinguished themselves by either active collaboration with Trump or sotto voce cowardice when their oaths of office demanded better from them.
Add to this nine Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and Attorney General Ashley Moody, and you have a baker’s dozen of disappointments.
Little was to be expected in this matter of DeSantis, a Trump creation, and Rubio and Scott, Trump thralls. Still, Moody had the opportunity Bull Halsey had in mind when he said, “There are no great men, there are only great challenges, which ordinary men … are forced to meet.”
Moody, a former Circuit Court judge and the daughter of a federal judge, promised as a candidate that she would not politicize the office of the people’s lawyer.
There was every reason to believe her, and believe her we did.
But she lied.
Since being sworn in two years ago, Moody has missed no opportunity to toady to Trump. Apparently bereft of the principles and conscience that Sen. Smith exemplified, General Moody has totally jumped the shark since Election Day, abusing the prerogatives of her office by gratuitously joining in legal attempts to subvert a manifestly open and fair election that even U.S. Attorney General William Barr, a loyal Trump caporegime, has said was free of significant fraud.
Why? Because political survival is the prime directive for the morally challenged. All of the Florida 10 are likely to be reelected provided they do not skate onto thin ice with Trump and get primaried from the right, which is why they never fail to demonstrate obeisance to Trump regardless of right and wrong. It is such a demeaning and dispiriting spectacle, and, again, for no one more than Ashley Moody.
And therein lays Moody’s tragedy. She could have been a Margaret Chase Smith. Still, she failed to meet the great challenge of her time, and she did so in spectacular fashion, abandoning any pretense of fidelity to American democracy for naked partisanship.
Whereas Smith rode to the sound of gunfire when the country was in danger, Moody proved to be the danger.
It is a stain she can never wash off; whatever her political future is.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
Tweet, tweet:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1338325735778476035?s=20
—@JakeTapper: I don’t think we as a nation have ever seen someone lose so spectacularly, decisively, pathetically, over and over. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a leader lose so methodically, so ridiculously, so masochistically.
—@ChrisLHayes: Trump and much of the GOP will now just pivot to other tactics to overturn the election. There is literally never going to be a moment where he says “OK, ya got me!”
—@NateSilver538: It’s gonna be a while before we’ve had a chance to vaccinate everyone who wants one. But once that’s happened, I’m going to be vehemently against any lockdowns, restrictions on association, etc. If you’ve turned down the chance to protect yourself and others, the burden is on you.
—@steve_vladeck: Just a reminder that the President of the United States fired the head of the federal agency responsible for the government’s (civilian) cybersecurity last month for having the temerity to tell the truth about the election — and hasn’t replaced him.
—@MDixon55: On average, December public records requests released by @GovRonDeSantis office took 122 days (just over four months) to fulfill. These do not include unfulfilled requests in process for months. I’ve got one, for instance, they claim has been in legal review since August
—@AnnaForFlorida: FYI: For the vaccine coming to FL right now, one dose is seen to provide about 52% protection — that’s not enough to go about your day thinking you’re safe. If you or a loved one is getting this vaccine, please do both shots for maximum protection (estimated at 95%)
Tweet, tweet:
When New Coke didn’t work, the company wised up and we got real Coke back. It’s time for @MiamiDolphins to acknowledge their mistake and go back full time to these beauties. Listen, we all make mistakes-own it and move on. There are others in @nfl but this one is most pressing. pic.twitter.com/IFWt6Uq4XF
— Rob Bradley (@Rob_Bradley) December 13, 2020
— DAYS UNTIL —
NBA 2020-21 opening night — 8; “The Midnight Sky” with George Clooney premieres on Netflix — 9; “Wonder Woman 1984” rescheduled premiere — 11; Pixar’s “Soul” premiere (rescheduled for Disney+) — 11; Greyhound racing ends in Florida — 17; Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association human trafficking compliance training deadline — 18; Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections — 22; WandaVision premieres on Disney+ — 32; the 2021 Inauguration — 37; Super Bowl LV in Tampa — 55; Daytona 500 — 62; “No Time to Die” premieres (rescheduled) — 119; Children’s Gasparilla — 117; Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest — 124; “A Quiet Place Part II” rescheduled premiere — 130; “Black Widow” rescheduled premiere — 144; “Top Gun: Maverick” rescheduled premiere — 199; Disney’s “Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” premieres — 217; new start date for 2021 Olympics — 221; “Jungle Cruise” premieres — 229; St. Petersburg Primary Election — 253; St. Petersburg Municipal Elections — 323; Disney’s “Eternals” premieres — 327; “Spider-Man Far From Home” sequel premieres — 329; Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” premieres — 361; “Thor: Love and Thunder” premieres — 425; “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” premieres — 478; “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” sequel premieres — 659.
— SCOTUS —
“Supreme Court dismisses bid led by Texas attorney general to overturn the presidential election results, blocking Donald Trump’s legal path to a reversal of his loss” via Robert Barnes of The Washington Post — The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a long-shot bid by Trump and the state of Texas to overturn the results in four states won by Democrat Joe Biden, blocking the President’s legal path to reverse his reelection loss. The court’s unsigned order was short, and it denied Texas’s request to sue Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin over how they conducted their elections. Texas has not shown it has a legal interest “in the manner in which another state conducts its elections,” the order said. It dismissed all pending motions about the case.
“After Supreme Court dismisses Texas case, Trump says his efforts to challenge election results are ‘not over’” via Felicia Sonmez of The Washington Post — Trump signaled over the weekend that he would continue to challenge the results of the 2020 election, even after the electoral college meets Monday in most state capitols to cast its votes. In an interview, Trump repeated his false claims of election fraud and said his legal team will keep pursuing challenges despite the Supreme Court’s dismissal of a long-shot bid led by the Texas attorney general to overturn the results in four states that President-elect Biden won. “No, it’s not over,” Trump said in the interview, which was taped Saturday at the Army-Navy game at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Asked whether he plans to attend Biden’s inauguration next month, Trump declined to say.
“Most Republicans say Trump was robbed” via Dana Blanton of Fox News — Sixty-eight percent of Republicans believe the election was stolen from Trump. Among Trump voters, 77% think he actually won. And, so do 26% of independents and even 10% of Democrats. Overall, 36% of voters say the election was stolen from Trump, while 58% disagree. And, by a 56-36% margin, voters think Trump is weakening rather than strengthening American democracy by contesting state vote counts. Most Republicans (66%) say the President’s actions, which include filing lawsuits against some states that voted for Biden, are helping American democracy, while majorities of Democrats (84%) and independents (56%) think he is harming it.
—”Too many Americans believe utter rubbish” via Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post
“Bill Posey: The most outspoken of Florida’s delegation in calling for election investigations” via Joshua Solomon of TCPalm — U.S. Rep. Posey doesn’t regularly make the rounds of TV talk shows like some of his Florida congressional counterparts. But he’s somewhat quietly become the leading voice here to call for investigations into the 2020 election. Of the 10 members of Congress from Florida who signed onto an amicus brief for a Texas lawsuit trying to get to the U.S. Supreme Court, none has pushed harder and used his bully pulpit more aggressively in the past month than the Rockledge Republican. While others, such as Reps. Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz cite concerns over election fraud and integrity of the results; Posey directed nearly all his public messaging at “ensuring transparent and fair elections.”
“Gus Bilirakis explains (sort of) his support of Texas lawsuit to overturn election results” via William March of the Tampa Bay Times — Rep. Bilirakis is one of more than 100 Republican members of Congress who have signed a legal brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a Texas lawsuit to overturn the presidential election results. Bilirakis, of Palm Harbor, was one of 10 Florida members of Congress who are joining in the last-ditch attempt to subvert Biden’s defeat of Trump in November. Outgoing Rep. Ross Spano also signed the “friend of the court” brief. Also supporting the Texas litigation are 17 Republican attorneys general, including Florida Attorney General Moody.
—”These Republicans may not be capable of shame, but you should know who they are” via Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post
—“‘Friend of the court’ brief, or friend of Trump?” via Bill Cotterell of the Tallahassee Democrat
— THE VACCINE —
“FDA authorizes the first coronavirus vaccine, a rare moment of hope in the deadly pandemic” via Laurie McGinley, Carolyn Y. Johnson and Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post — The FDA gave emergency use authorization to the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine, launching what scientists hope will be a critical counteroffensive against a pathogen that has killed more than 290,000 Americans, shredded the nation’s social and political fabric and devastated the economy. The historic authorization of the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech for people age 16 and older, just 336 days after the genetic blueprint of a novel coronavirus was shared online by Chinese scientists, sets in motion a highly choreographed and complex distribution process aimed at speeding vaccines throughout the United States to curb the pandemic.
“What NIH chief Francis Collins wants religious leaders to know about the coronavirus vaccines” via Sarah Pulliam Bailey of The Washington Post — Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, is a physician-geneticist who talks openly about his Christian faith and its compatibility with science. Now he’s on a mission to talk to people of faith about the coronavirus vaccines that are expected to become widely available in 2021. Since the early days of the pandemic, Collins, who watches McLean Presbyterian Church in Northern Virginia services online, has urged churches to avoid holding services indoors and done interviews with religious leaders like theologian N.T. Wright and pastor Timothy Keller on how people can protect themselves. Most recently, he spoke with pastor Rick Warren and Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore about the vaccines.
“Cargo carriers are poised to begin deliveries of the coronavirus vaccine” via Lori Aratani of The Washington Post — They’ve spent months preparing, investing millions in new systems, running test flights, meeting with government officials on logistics, and now cargo carriers and commercial airlines are poised to begin delivering the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine to communities across the country. According to officials at Operation Warp Speed, shipments of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech are expected to begin within 24 hours after the FDA gives emergency authorization for its use. The FDA authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Friday night. The vaccines will be shipped in custom containers that can be tracked throughout their journey.
—”How much is being shipped? Your questions about vaccine distribution, answered” via The Associated Press
“Donald Trump delays a plan to fast track vaccines for White House staff members” via Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman of The New York Times — President Trump said he would delay a plan for senior White House staff members to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the coming days. The shift came just hours after The New York Times reported the administration was rapidly planning to distribute the vaccine to its staff at a time when the first doses are generally being reserved for high-risk health care workers. Trump, who tested positive for the coronavirus in October and recovered after being hospitalized, also implied he would get the vaccine himself at some point in the future, but had no immediate plans.
“Fear, wariness among Blacks, Latinos could limit reach of vaccines” via Wayne Washington of The Palm Beach Post — Medical care is often financially out of reach for Black Americans. And, in instances when it can be accessed, surveys have shown that concerns Black patients raise about their health are frequently dismissed by medical professionals who are often white. It is in that atmosphere, with that history, where the U.S. government will attempt the broadest vaccination program in the nation’s history, hoping the variety of vaccines in the approval pipeline will be administered to all and trusted by all, including by Black Americans and other minorities who have their own histories of being treated cruelly and dismissively by the federal government.
“U.S. airline workers seeking priority for COVID vaccine” via Bloomberg — Airline employees should move near the front of the line for receiving the coronavirus vaccines to ensure its smooth shipment by air cargo, a coalition of 17 industry groups told U.S. health officials. Airline workers face higher risks of infection because they must interact with the public or work in close proximity to co-workers, and therefore deserve to be treated the same way as other critical infrastructure workers, the groups said. “Given the scientific, implementation, and ethical considerations, we ask that you prioritize these front-line aviation workers in the next phase of vaccine allocation,” the letter to the CDC said.
“Ron DeSantis had hoped for more initial COVID-19 vaccines than Florida got” via Christine Sexton of The Orlando Sentinel — With nearly 180,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses slated to head this way, DeSantis acknowledged on Friday that the amount coming to Florida is less than what he initially anticipated. Nevertheless, the Governor expressed optimism as he explained the state’s plan to distribute the first round of vaccines to front-line workers at five hospitals across the state and long-term care facility residents and staff. It was not clear whether the initial vaccine amount will prevent the state from being able to vaccinate all long-term care residents against COVID-19 by the end of the year, as DeSantis had said earlier this week. DeSantis’ office didn’t immediately comment.
“Florida to send ‘strike teams’ to long-term care facilities for COVID vaccines” via Ben Conarck of The Miami Herald — DeSantis offered new details on the state’s plan to allocate an initial 179,400 doses of likely-to-be-approved Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, saying the health department will send strike teams into long-term care facilities to vaccinate those at greatest risk of contracting the disease. The Florida Department of Health will send 21,450 doses of vaccine, using teams from the department as well as the Division of Emergency Management and National Guard, to areas with a “high concentration of [long-term care] facilities,” DeSantis said. He added that those vaccination efforts would “supplement” those of CVS and Walgreens, which are partners in the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed and are set to receive 60,450 of Florida’s Pfizer vaccine doses in the first round, which will also be used for long-term care facilities.
“Some Florida hospitals won’t require COVID-19 vaccinations, even as they require flu shots” via Frank Gluck of the Fort Myers News-Press — Some of Florida’s top hospitals, including those expected to soon get the first shipments of vaccines to prevent COVID-19, won’t require medical and support staff to get the shots even though they require inoculations against the far-less-deadly flu virus. Health center administrators, the nation’s leading nursing union, and Florida’s hospital lobbying organization argue that it should be an individual’s choice, especially since the vaccine was so recently developed and tested. But, they add, vaccines will be an important tool for health center workers, patients and the general public to help deal a death blow to a pandemic that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 300,000 Americans.
—”Tallahassee Memorial prepared if selected for second shipment of vaccine” via James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat
—”Polk’s 1st COVID-19 vaccines ‘expected shortly,’ as hospitals prepare for distribution” via Sara-Megan Walsh of The Lakeland Ledger
“The next six months will be vaccine purgatory” via Sarah Zhang of The Atlantic — With the FDA’s emergency authorization of the first COVID-19 vaccine imminent, the biggest and most complex vaccination campaign in the nation’s history is gearing into action. Planes are ferrying vaccines around the country, hospitals are readying ultracold freezers, and the very first people outside of clinical trials will soon get shots in their arms. The end of the pandemic is in sight. But vaccines are not an off switch. It will take several months to vaccinate enough Americans to resume normal life, and this interim could prove long, confusing, and chaotic. The next six months will almost certainly bring delays in vaccine timelines, fights over vaccine priority, and questions about how immune the newly vaccinated are and how they should behave. We’ve spent 2020 adjusting to a pandemic normal, and now a strange, new period is upon us. Call it vaccine purgatory.
“Hollywood’s next big hit should be a vaccine campaign” via Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post — For too long, the entertainment industry has tolerated stars who used their platforms to stoke vaccine skepticism, even as declining childhood vaccination rates contributed to a resurgence of measles and tetanus. That complacency should have ended years ago; now, it must end immediately. Vaccines are the quickest way to end the coronavirus pandemic and, with it, the existential danger COVID-19 poses to the movie business. Hollywood should go big on a COVID-19 vaccination campaign, both in its own self-interest and because it’s the right thing to do. Before the global pandemic, Hollywood seemed to tolerate anti-scientific attitudes as an unpleasant eccentricity rather than as the serious threat to public health they are.
— CORONA FLORIDA —
“Florida adds almost 9,000 new COVID cases — Miami-Dade tops 2K for 11th time in December” via David J. Neal of the Miami Herald — The State of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 8,958 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Sunday, a count under 10,000 after six of the previous days had been above 10,000. However, for a Sunday, which tends to have lower case and death counts because there’s less data collection and entry on the weekends, it’s the highest case number since Nov. 15’s 10,105. The daily death toll stayed in the 80 to triple digits range that it’s been in since Nov. 30. With another 84 total deaths, Florida’s novel coronavirus pandemic totals stand at 1,125,931 cases, 19,866 resident deaths, and 20,133 total deaths.
At the top of Drudge — “Angry Florida Governor defends police raid on COVID-19 data whistleblower” via Alexander Nazaryan of Yahoo! News — DeSantis angrily defended the handling of a search warrant at the Tallahassee home of Rebekah Jones, the data scientist who ran the state’s coronavirus dashboard until she was fired in May. State police officers entered her home with guns drawn on Monday, and Jones can be heard on body camera footage loudly pleading, “Do not point a gun at my children!” She later likened the officers to agents of the Gestapo, the secret police in Nazi Germany. In a whistleblower lawsuit, Jones alleged that her firing was in retaliation for her refusal to manipulate data to make the state’s COVID-19 outbreak last spring appear less severe.
Happening tonight — “DeSantis to host holiday party at Governor’s Mansion, and Democrats accuse him of ignoring COVID-19 warnings” via Skyler Swisher of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel — DeSantis is hosting a holiday party at the Governor’s mansion for state legislators, despite objections from Democrats that it will send the wrong message to Floridians as the pandemic worsens. DeSantis has invited 160 state legislators and their guests to a holiday reception Monday night, despite warnings from health experts that Americans avoid large holiday gatherings. “At the very worst time for our country, he is hosting parties at the mansion with no masks,” state Sen. Tina Polsky said during a news conference. That event for legislators comes a week after a reception for GOP supporters at the Governor’s Mansion.
“‘I didn’t make it’: A Disney World waitress struggles to hold onto her middle-class life amid a pandemic and catastrophic layoff” via Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post — “Dear Cast Member,” the late October layoff notice began. Flaviana Decker, 44, retreated to her living room couch and tried to stop her tears before her eldest daughter, due home from school any second, burst through the door. Her 14-year career as a Disney World waitress was over. Flaviana wasn’t angry at Disney. She was too scared for her girls and herself to be anything other than worried. The hardest parts for Flaviana were accepting the reality that her Disney job was gone; that the modest middle-class life that she had built was no longer sustainable; that she wouldn’t be able to provide for Victoria, a bright and imaginative teenager whose autism made everyday tasks difficult.
“COVID-19 in schools: Sarasota County posts highest one-week increase” via Ryan McKinnon of The Sarasota Herald-Tribune — The Sarasota County School District posted its highest one-week increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases in schools this week, with 69 new cases as of Friday morning. The increase mirrors what is happening across the county, as numbers have gone up and hospitalizations have increased. The average number of new cases per week in Sarasota schools in September and October hovered around 26. Since the second week of November, that weekly average has more than doubled. County health officials have reminded school leaders throughout the pandemic that whatever is taking place in the community is likely to be mirrored within schools, even as schools have mask mandates and safety measures in place.
— CORONA NATION —
“COVID-19’s U.S. toll: Nearly 300,000 dead and a stalemate between fatalism and hope” via Marc Fisher, Scott Wilson and Arelis R. Hernández of The Washington Post — It took 2½ months for the virus to claim its first 50,000 Americans, then just one month for the death toll to climb to 100,000. The pace of death eased somewhat with warmer weather and more-concerted efforts to encourage mask use. But with the arrival of autumn and the holiday season, the virus surged anew in California, Texas and the South, and then in the Plains and the Midwest. Few safe havens remain. Between late September and mid-November, the death tally climbed from 200,000 to 250,000. Now it has nearly reached the 300,000 mark in less than half that time even though the treatment of the most severe cases has improved. The year of the coronavirus is ending much as the pandemic began, with overwhelmed hospitals and thousands of deaths each day.
“Vaccine politics, skewed by Trump’s polarizing approach, will complicate Joe Biden’s path to a unified pandemic response” via Christopher Rowland of The Washington Post — Cold, hard science powered the race that produced the first coronavirus vaccine, which was given emergency use authorization Friday evening after the FDA said earlier in the day it would “rapidly work toward” the authorization. The challenge next moves to more-fraught terrain, getting impatient Americans to understand that, while a vaccine is here, most will have to wait. Hospital systems are experiencing a surge of COVID-19 this month, and it will almost certainly take several months or longer in 2021 before people can resume their pre-pandemic lives. Indeed, now is the time to be more careful than ever.
“American elites still don’t understand how COVID-19 works” via Derek Thompson of The Atlantic — The United States has been overwhelmed by vectors of misinformation throughout the pandemic. But it’s not just Trump, many Republican state leaders, and several thousand COVID-19 deniers who have waged war against scientific comprehension. America’s virus illiteracy spans the partisan divide. DeSantis chirped about his state’s superior performance and mocked COVID-19 worriers, only for Florida to become the site of one of America’s worst outbreaks several weeks later. Federal health guidance has oscillated between being a vacuum and being an epistemic horror show. In the absence of federal leadership, many major cities are restricting outdoor gatherings.
“Young people have less COVID-19 risk, but in college towns, deaths rose fast” via Danielle Ivory, Robert Gebeloff and Sarah Mervosh of The New York Times — When college students returned to campuses around the country this fall, spurring a spike in new coronavirus infections nationwide, people like Phyllis Baukol seemed at little risk. A classical pianist who, at 94, was ill with Alzheimer’s, she lived tucked away in a nursing home in Grand Forks, North Dakota, far from the classrooms, bars and fraternity houses frequented by students at the University of North Dakota. But the surge of the virus in Grand Forks, first attributed to cases among students and then ballooning through the community, eventually reached Ms. Baukol. She tested positive this fall, and three days later, staff members pushed her bed up against a window at the nursing home so her daughter could say goodbye.
— CORONA ECONOMICS —
“Virus wrecks budgets in red, blue states” via The Associated Press — No “blue state bailout” is a rallying cry for many congressional Republicans as attempts to provide more federal aid to a nation stricken by an ever-worsening coronavirus pandemic remain stuck in neutral. Yet it’s not just Democratic states asking for help amid plunging tax revenue, rising joblessness and a stuttering economy. Plenty of Republican-led states are feeling the pain, too. Just this past week, five GOP Governors made a joint statement calling for Congress to pass a relief package to help their states deal with the fallout from the fast-spreading pandemic. “The people in our states continue to pay a high price for Congress’ inaction,” said the statement from the Republican Governors of Arkansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Hampshire said. “There is no more room for partisan positioning and political gamesmanship.”
“U.S. poised for wave of evictions in January as federal ban expires” via Will Parker of The Wall Street Journal — More American renters could be evicted from their homes in January than in any month ever, as protections put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic expire unless a last-minute deal is reached to extend them. That month is when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s ban on evictions is set to expire. The moratorium protects tenants who have missed monthly rent payments from being thrown out of their homes if they declare financial hardship. The CDC ordered a halt on evictions under the Public Health Service Act, which allows the federal government to enact regulations that help stop the spread of infectious diseases. Between 2.4 million and 5 million American households are at risk of eviction in January alone.
“‘What’s coming is much more dire’: COVID-19-caused evictions may be next crisis for Tallahassee” via Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat — Keeping people from being evicted in the middle of the pandemic means including landlords in coronavirus relief efforts, local officials say. The specter of mass evictions once a federal moratorium sunsets on Dec. 31 prompted the Tallahassee City Commission last week to approve a $250,000 program aimed at landlords. It’s a small piece of the eviction puzzle, an admittedly complex one, but one that aims to keep usually reliable tenants under a roof by offering landlords help. “We need to partner with our landlords. They are finding themselves between a rock and a hard place,” said Aben Ojatayo, the director of the city’s Housing and Community Resilience Department. “While the issues are dire and the situation is indeed a crisis, I do think we have the tools in our community to innovate.”
— MORE CORONA —
“Failed by distance learning, more students plan to return to school” via Scott Travis of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Distance learning has failed many South Florida students during the pandemic, leading to a push by local schools to get kids back on campus. Schools are trying to persuade more parents that schools are safe places in the age of COVID-19 and that online learning may not be the best option, as data shows the number of student absences and F grades have more than doubled since last year. Broward plans to overhaul its on-campus experience so that students spend more time interacting with teachers in the same room and less time on a computer. Broward found that the number of students getting two more F’s during the first quarter of this semester was about 20,000, up from 8,000 a year ago.
— PRESIDENTIAL —
“When electors meet at Florida Capitol, Trump will gain victory in lost election” via John Kennedy of The Lakeland Ledger — In a brief ceremony Monday at the Florida Capitol, Trump will win a victory in the election he has lost. Trump, who has contested President-elect Biden’s seven million-plus vote victory in the nation’s popular vote and 306-232 Electoral College win, will be officially awarded Florida’s 29 electoral votes. Trump carried Florida by 374,852 votes in the Nov. 3 presidential election, more than three times his victory margin in the state four years earlier, when he captured the White House. This time, despite Florida’s support, he’ll be exiting office on Jan. 20. In state capitals across the nation, 538 electors are scheduled to meet Monday to cast their votes, with Congress slated to vote on certifying these results Jan. 6. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be inaugurated two weeks later.
“Georgia high court rejects latest Trump election appeal” via AP News — Trump has lost his latest legal challenge seeking to overturn Georgia’s election results, with the state Supreme Court’s rejection late Saturday of a case from Trump’s campaign and Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer. Similar to other Trump team legal challenges, which made baseless allegations of widespread fraud in Georgia’s presidential election, the suit was initially filed on Dec. 4, then rejected by the Fulton County Superior Court. In a brief order, justices wrote that “petitioners have not shown that this is one of those extremely rare cases that would invoke our original jurisdiction.”
“‘Fail as a matter of law and fact’: Trump loses federal Wisconsin case while arguing another before state Supreme Court in rare Saturday session” via Scott Bauer of the Orlando Sentinel — Trump lost a federal lawsuit Saturday while his attorney was arguing his case before a skeptical Wisconsin Supreme Court in another lawsuit that liberal justices said “smacks of racism” and would disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters only in the state’s most diverse counties. U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig, a Trump appointee, dismissed Trump’s federal lawsuit asking the court to order the Republican-controlled Legislature to name Trump the winner over Democrat Biden. The judge said Trump’s arguments “fail as a matter of law and fact.” The ruling came as Trump attorney Jim Troupis faced a barrage of questions about his claims from both liberal and conservative justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
“Lamar Alexander: Trump needs to ‘put the country first’ and accept election results” via David Cohen of POLITICO — Sen. Alexander said in an interview that aired Sunday he hopes Trump “puts the country first” and congratulates President-elect Biden on his victory. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Alexander said there should not be any doubt “after Monday,” when the Electoral College casts its votes across the nation, about the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election. “The states have counted, certified their votes,” the Tennessee Republican told host Chuck Todd. Alexander, who is retiring from the U.S. Senate after three terms, is among the minority of Republicans on the Hill who have been receptive to the idea that Biden actually won the election.
— TRANSITION —
“Biden is picking a Cabinet built for comfort. What he needs is vision.” via David Ignatius of The Washington Post — Biden’s challenge is that after cooling the national fever, literally and figuratively, he needs to shake things up. The federal government is a mess. The distribution of economic rewards is so palpably unfair that it embarrasses even Wall Street tycoons. Military strategy and procurement need to be reinvented to cope with a rising China. Similarly, the intelligence community needs visionary leadership for the future, not just a repair job after the abusive Trump years. If he and his team are going to inspire enthusiasm for the future, we’ll need to see some boldness once the electoral college has voted on Dec. 14, and this is truly a done deal.
Assignment editors — President-elect Biden will deliver remarks in Wilmington, Delaware on the Electoral College vote certification, 8 p.m. Eastern time. Media interested in viewing the pooled events should visit the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Twitter page to access the livestream. Media interested in receiving print pool reports of the events should sign up for the press list here.
— D.C. MATTERS —
“Congress requires cruise ships to have a doctor on board in big year-end defense bill” via Taylor Dolven and Alex Daugherty of The Miami Herald — Parts of a federal bill meant to strengthen safety standards on cruise ships are set to become law. The regulations from the Cruise Passenger Protection Act, sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, require ships to have a trained physician on board and install video cameras in all public places. The provisions are part of a $741 billion year-end defense bill passed Friday by the U.S. Senate after clearing the House on Tuesday. It is the first time Congress has passed new regulations for the cruise industry since 2010. A spokesperson for the industry’s lobbying group, Cruise Lines International Association, Bari Golin-Blaugrund, said in an email that the group supports the new rules. Advocates for more industry oversight are happy, too.
— DATELINE TALLAHASSEE —
“Lauren Book, Evan Jenne push lawmakers to formally apologize for ‘Johns Committee’” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Sen. Book and Rep. Jenne are once again proposing a formal apology for the Legislature’s role in operating the “Johns Committee,” a Cold War-era body which sought to oust communists and homosexuals, among other groups. Sen. Book and Rep. Jenne have introduced companion measures pushing the Legislature to offer a formal apology for that committee, which lasted from 1956 to 1965. Formally titled the “Florida Legislative Investigation Committee,” the organization was created after a Special Session in July 1956 to operate as a state-level version of the House Un-American Activities Committee U.S. Rep. McCarthy of Wisconsin.
“Book commends Etsy for delisting child sex dolls” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Earlier this week, Etsy quickly stamped out product listings for childlike sex dolls after it received a flood of reports from users. The online marketplace allows people the world over to sell niche, often handmade items. The childlike sex dolls were being sold by an account based in Australia, not Etsy itself. The action earned the company praise from Sen. Book, who sponsored a bill in the 2019 Legislative Session making it a third-degree felony to “sell, lend, give away, distribute, transmit, show, or transmute” a childlike sex doll in Florida. Florida is one of only three states that ban such dolls. Sen. Book recently endorsed a federal bill, sponsored by Sarasota Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, that would institute a nationwide ban.
“‘A bull’s-eye.’ Booze-to-go law draws cheers from Florida restaurants” via Austin Guller of Florida Politics — For Ryan Manning, 2020 has been like throwing 90 darts at a board of ideas to see what sticks. One that Manning called a “bull’s-eye” was serving quarts of sangria as well as canned beer for customers to take home from his Orlando eatery MX Taco. Early in the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants were allowed to serve takeout booze by DeSantis’ executive order. Now, two state senators have come up with bills to make that temporary order a permanent law if the alcohol is in a sealed container and purchased with food from restaurants.
“Why ‘black flag dead’ is a good thing in Tallahassee” via Steve Bousquet of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel — The vast majority of ideas that spring from the minds of Florida legislators will never become law. In the last legislative session alone, 3,518 bills were filed, and a grand total of 210 became law as stand-alone bills. That’s a passage rate of about 0.6%. A politician in Tallahassee stands a better chance of winning the lottery. It’s much easier to kill a bill than it is to pass one, by design. But one problem with that system is that it’s very difficult for a good idea to become law. The good news is that there’s virtually no chance that lawmakers will pass a bill that would require all future changes to the Florida Constitution to pass by a two-thirds supermajority.
— STATEWIDE —
“DeSantis appoints Travis Cummings, Jim Waldman, Glen Gilzean to ethics commission” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — DeSantis on Friday appointed former Reps. Cummings and Waldman, as well as Central Florida Urban League President and CEO Gilzean to the Florida Commission on Ethics. The Florida Commission on Ethics “functions as an independent commission responsible for investigating and issuing public reports on complaints of breach of the public trust by public officers and employees,” their website says. Cummings, whose eight-year stint in the House ended this year, is The Bailey Group’s Vice President of Benefits. His public service background also includes time as the Clay County Commission Chairman and Orange Park Mayor. While in the House, Cummings served his last two years as Appropriations Committee Chairman.
“DeSantis appoints Lisa Scott-Founds to Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — DeSantis appointed Scott-Founds to the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council. The council advises the Department of Economic Opportunity and the Florida Office of Film & Entertainment on “industry insight and expertise related to developing, marketing, promoting and providing services to Florida’s entertainment industry,” the council’s website says. Scott-Founds is the president and CEO of Winterfest. She’s also the executive producer of the Winterfest Boat Parade. The event bills itself as “The World’s Most Watched Boat Parade,” the news release said. It was also named one of the Top 20 Best Parades in the World by the International Festival and Events Association.
“Governor reappoints Carlos ‘Charlie’ Martinez to SFWMD board” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — DeSantis is reappointing Martinez to the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board, according to a Friday evening release. Martinez earned a spot on that body in February 2019. He was a part of several appointments DeSantis made after calling for the previous board members to resign. The previous term for Martinez ended in March 2020. DeSantis will look to place him back on the board by filling one of two vacant slots on the nine-person panel. Martinez is based out of Miami. He’s the president of CEM Investments and a partner in the Grove Bay Group.
“Republicans are coming around to climate change, poll shows” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics — Florida Republicans’ views on environmental policy are shifting and supporting pro-environment initiatives no longer poses a threat to their support among the party’s base. North Star Opinion Research polled 600 registered voters in Florida and found support for environmental policies would have a net positive effect on voting, even among Republicans who, historically, have been reluctant to support climate change policy. The poll found that 48% of Republican voters would be more likely to cast a ballot for a GOP candidate who supports environmental policies, while only 10% would be less likely to vote for that candidate. The same percentage, 48%, said their opinion of a candidate would not change if that candidate supported any of the pollsters’ tested messages.
“Manatee GOP chair candidate wants more conservative elected officials who embrace Trumpism” via Zac Anderson of The Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Trump may be on his way out of office, but his success steering the Republican Party toward a more anti-establishment and aggressive form of conservative politics is likely to be lasting. Recent political developments in Manatee County are an example of how Trump’s influence continues to trickle down to the local level. A trio of conservative county commissioners who tied themselves closely to Trump during the campaign recently took steps to oust the Manatee County administrator. They were cheered on from the sidelines by conservatives talking about purging the “deep state” from county government, before backtracking in the face of public opposition.
“Florida on pace to break record for weapon applications” via The Associated Press — Floridians are on pace to break a record for the number of applications for concealed weapons licenses this year. State officials said this week that license applications typically go up in an election year, but the pandemic is likely to drive the higher volume of applications. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is on pace to process 305,043 new applications and 143,749 renewal applications in 2020, according to Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. The agency is currently processing approximately 10,000 applications for concealed weapons licenses per week. By comparison, there were 202,698 new concealed weapons license applications last year and 188,900 new applications two years ago.
Personnel note: Pierce Schuessler moves to Florida Department of State — Schuessler, most recently a senior policy adviser with Metz Husband & Daughton, is taking a key leadership role under Secretary of State Laurel Lee. Previously, he served as a senior legislative assistant and aide to Senate President Tom Lee, director of legislative affairs at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and began his career in 2009 as a legislative director at the Department of State under then-Secretary Kurt Browning.
— FRANK’S BACK —
Rep. Paul Renner gets the keys to the House Republican campaign arm from House Speaker Chris Sprowls at the end of 2020.
Renner has nothing but praise for Sprowls and his team, whom he commended for an “outstanding performance” in the 2020 cycle.
“It is worth repeating what we learned on election night: Speaker Sprowls led an extraordinary effort in the 2020 election that saw our Republican caucus defend every incumbent and also win five seats held by Democrats, defying the promises of the media, the pollsters, and the Democrats,” Renner said.
But when Renner takes the reins, he’ll be turning to Frank Terraferma to direct House Majority.
Terraferma is a Republican campaign veteran, having directed the campaign arm from 1997-2004 and again from 2011-2014.
“Frank was part of the team that won our House majority in 1996 (for the first time since the 1870s) and went on to work over many cycles to greatly expand our majority,” Renner said.
Terraferma will repeat as Director of House Campaigns for 2020-2022, working to ensure that when Renner takes over as Speaker, he’ll enjoy the same GOP advantage built under Sprowls and the Republicans who led the chamber in years past.
Renner also announced hires for a slew of top-level positions:
— Faron Boggs, who Renner said was “instrumental in our tremendous victories this year,” will continue on as Political Director.
— Andres Malave, formerly of Americans for Prosperity and the RNC, will join as Communications Director.
— Kevin Reilly, a former staffer at the House Majority Office and a former legislative affairs director under then-Gov. Scott, will take over as Finance Director.
— Katie Ballard, whom Renner extolled as a “phenomenal fundraiser,” joins as a fundraising consultant.
— Kay Linton, who served as an accountant at RPOF for nearly two decades, is the new administrative director.
— Eli Menton, who assisted on field operations for many candidates and coordinated Renner’s travel and schedule, will serve as the political aide.
Additionally, Renner said Marc Reichelderfer of Landmarc Strategies, David Johnson of The David Johnson Group, and Christina Johnson of On 3 Public Relations will continue serving as has general consultants.
— LOCAL NOTES —
“Clerk’s office execs got cash after vowing never to ‘disparage the Clerk’” via Andrew Marra of The Palm Beach Post — Outgoing Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Sharon Bock gave five-figure payments to three top executives this year for resigning and promising never to sue or talk negatively about her or her office. The senior officials’ unusual payouts were among 14 separation agreements Bock arranged this year for departing employees. The agreements awarded employees with extra severance pay if they agreed never to sue or “disparage the Clerk” in the future. Bock’s administration insisted on the non-disparagement provisions despite a state law barring government agencies from using severance pay to restrict employees’ ability to discuss the disputes that prompted their departures.
“Facebook donates $1 million to Miami Foundation to tackle racial inequity” via Rob Wile of The Miami Herald — Miami’s racial divisions run deep. One of the most powerful businesses in the world wants to help close the gap. On Friday, Facebook announced it was donating $1 million to The Miami Foundation’s Racial Equity Fund, created earlier this year to tackle racial injustice. “We’re providing funding directly to The Miami Foundation to build on their track record of supporting Black-led nonprofits and ensure that people locally are making the decisions about where these dollars are most needed and can have the most impact,” said Marcy Scott Lynn, director of global impact partnerships at Facebook. Miami Foundation President and CEO Rebecca Fishman Lipsey said Facebook’s contribution would be used to bolster local leaders and organizations focused on addressing systemic racism.
— INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY —
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIwFfogsNvK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
— TOP OPINION —
“Republicans faced a simple choice: For or against democracy.” via The Washington Post editorial board — House Republicans have faced what amounts to a choice between standing for or against democracy: whether to sign on to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s delusional lawsuit to overturn the presidential election. A large majority of them failed the test. More House Republicans signed an amicus brief supporting Paxton, just hours before the Supreme Court unceremoniously rejected the suit. This is a disheartening signal about what these members of Congress might do on Jan. 6, when at least some Republicans probably will object to the counting of President-elect Biden’s electoral votes. Their recklessness raises the once-unthinkable possibility that a Congress controlled by one party might one day flip a presidential election to its candidate in defiance of the voters’ will.
— OPINIONS —
“Vaccines are coming but they won’t end COVID-19 anytime soon” via Feliz Solomon of The Wall Street Journal — As COVID-19 vaccine development picks up pace, the Philippines has drawn up an immunization plan. The bottom line, officials say: Getting doses to enough of the population to rein in the virus will take two to five years. Manila’s early blueprint is a reality check for those expecting a swift vaccine-driven end to the pandemic and revival of global trade and travel. While some countries may be able to get shots to large portions of their populations in 2021, some in the developing world may be years away from protecting more than their highest-risk populations. That means the virus will continue to circulate and claim lives in various corners of the map.
“We apologize for endorsing Michael Waltz, who wants to overturn the election” via the Orlando Sentinel editorial board — We apologize to our readers for endorsing Waltz in the 2020 general election for Congress. We had no idea, had no way of knowing at the time that Waltz was not committed to democracy. During our endorsement interview with the incumbent congressman, we didn’t think to ask, “Would you support an effort to throw out the votes of tens of millions of Americans in four states in order to overturn a presidential election and hand it to the person who lost, Trump?” Our bad. Waltz, to our horror, was one member of Congress who signed up to support a lawsuit brought by Texas in the U.S. Supreme Court that attempted to throw out election results.
— ON TODAY’S SUNRISE —
The Electoral College meets in Tallahassee this afternoon for a lost cause … to cast votes for Trump and Mike Pence.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— The state reports 84 more fatalities and almost 9,000 cases of COVID-19. Bad as that is, it’s the first day in a week with fewer than 10,000 new infections.
— Gov. DeSantis appears from his bunker to talk about the arrival of COVID vaccines and defend the state raid on a COVID-19 whistleblower. He wishes people would stop using the R-word.
— What else you call it when officers walk into a private home with guns drawn to investigate a nonviolent crime … so we’ll stick with “raid” for now
— Some have accused the Governor of spinning the COVID-19 data and withholding information that doesn’t support his agenda, but every once in a while, he says the right thing — in the wrong context. Call these “DeSantis’s unintentional moments of truth,” and here are four examples.
— A Florida couple is in jeopardy after accusations of stealing the questions and the answers to Florida’s teacher test and selling them in study guides and test prep tutoring. On Sunrise Soapbox, U.S. Attorney Larry Keefe says the case has international implications. Florida’s Education Commissioner calls the allegations “abhorrent, unacceptable and embarrassing.”
— And finally, a Florida Man is vowing to rebuild his roadside snake exhibit after a fire killed all of his reptiles.
To listen, click on the image below:
— ALOE —
“UCF Knights QB McKenzie Milton says he is transferring to Florida State Seminoles” via Andrea Adelson of ESPN — Milton plans to transfer to Florida State, he told ESPN on Sunday. Milton, who has been unable to play for the past two years while rehabbing a devastating right leg injury, said he chose the Seminoles because “it’s a great opportunity to play at the biggest level on one of the most historic teams in college football.” Last week, Milton announced that he was transferring for his final year of eligibility, seeking an opportunity to compete for a starting quarterback job. Though he has never visited the campus in person, Milton took a virtual tour and decided fairly quickly he wanted to go play for the Seminoles to help get the program headed in the right direction.
— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —
Celebrating today are Julie Ingoglia, Kyra Jennings, Judge Terry Lewis, Dinah Voyles Pulver, former Rep. David Santiago, and Ian Whitney.
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Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, A.G. Gancarski, Renzo Downey and Drew Wilson.
