A revolutionary in a sea of sycophants

As expected, Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from her leadership role as House Republican Conference chair by voice vote this morning. But the highlight of the day wasn't that cowardly and ignominious decision. It was Cheney's words preceding the vote. "Our nation needs this Republican Party as a strong party based on truth so we can shape the future," she said.

• — "To do that, we must be true to our principles and to the Constitution," she continued. "We cannot let the former president drag us backward and make us complicit in his efforts to unravel our democracy. Down that path lies our destruction, and potentially the destruction of our country."
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• — "If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I'm not your person; you have plenty of others to choose from. That will be their legacy," Cheney concluded. "But I promise you this: after today, I will be leading the fight to restore our party and our nation to conservative principles, to defeating socialism, to defending our republic, to making the GOP worthy again of being the Party of Lincoln."
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• — Cheney delivered a soaring defense of democracy and truth on the House floor last night as well. Republican lawmakers mostly cleared out of the chamber, with Rep. Ken Buck being the sole GOP member who remained on the floor for her remarks. "It's not about right or wrong, it's about the focus of our conference," Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, said. That about sums it up. —CNN

Flake: Liz Cheney does not stand alone

"Cheney has proved her fitness, and today it seems that adherents to the 'big lie' will cast her out. Hold your head high, Congresswoman. Those of us who believe in American democracy and who live in objective reality are grateful that you have chosen to take a stand for truth—self-evident truth—regardless of the consequences." —Jeff Flake in The Washington Post

Jeff Flake represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

MORE: 'Rationals' vs. 'radicals': Anti-Trump Republicans threaten third party —Reuters

For the hundredth time...

Once again, the Justice Department is confirming that, following a review, it saw no evidence to undercut President Biden's election win in November. Jeffrey Rosen, the acting attorney general at the time of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, told the House Oversight Committee today that the DOJ "had been presented with no evidence of widespread voter fraud at a scale sufficient to change the outcome of the 2020 election." The real fraud is the man who insists he won a race that he soundly lost. —The New York Times

MORE: 'Hype' over military coup fears delayed troops' Jan. 6 response, Miller to tell Congress —Defense One

'A clear and worrying degree of democratic backsliding'

The Council of Europe warned yesterday that threats to democratic rights and personal freedoms have worsened during the coronavirus pandemic, with some European countries using health restrictions as a pretext to advance undemocratic political agendas. Among the countries cited were Russia, Turkey, Moldova, Hungary, and Azerbaijan. The practices included intimidation and arbitrary detention of government critics, journalists, and members of civil society, as well as changes to the judiciary that threaten its independence. Marija Pejcinovic Buric, the council's secretary-general, said, "The danger is that our democratic culture will not fully recover." —ABC News

MORE: CDC chief defends pandemic guidance —The New York Times

Calma: The cybersecurity pandemic

"Until some basic problems are solved, the threat of cyberattacks will loom large over the energy system and other critical infrastructure. And while the attacks are virtual, the consequences can be quickly felt on the ground. The longer the Colonial Pipeline stays out of commission, the bigger the risk of gas stations, jet fuel, and even home heating oil running dry." —Justine Calma in The Verge

Justine Calma is a science reporter at The Verge, covering the environment and climate change.

MORE: Biden races to get ahead of gasoline crunch —Politico

Focus on voting rights

The typically staid Senate Rules Committee hosted a rare dramatic showdown yesterday between the majority and minority leaders, sparring over Democrats' expansive election and ethics bill, S. 1. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell each accused the other's party of trying to weaponize voting laws to expand its political power. Markup lasted hours as Republicans offered more than 100 amendments; fewer than a dozen made it through.

• — Schumer argued that the legislation is particularly vital in the wake of a series of Republican state laws that he said "carry the stench of oppression" by limiting voting availability. He implored the GOP: "Are you going to stamp it out, or are you going to allow it to be spread? I plead with my Republicans, think twice. I plead with Leader McConnell: think twice."
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• — "Our democracy is not in crisis, and we're not going to let one party take over our democracy under the false pretense of saving it," McConnell retorted, accusing Democrats of writing the bill in response to the 2016 election. "The Democratic Party wants to rewrite the ground rules of American politics for partisan benefit." You could cut the irony with a knife.
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• — Joe Manchin is the only Senate Democrat who hasn't signed on to the bill. But even with him on board, it won't have the votes to overcome a filibuster. Manchin and some Congressional Black Caucus members are urging the party to focus instead on a voting-rights-only bill named for the late Rep. John Lewis that has a higher chance of winning GOP support. The Senate Democratic caucus will meet again tomorrow about the election package. —Politico

Wolf: The cause of democracy goes on

"Biden is playing for huge stakes—and knows it. This is not just about securing a strong post-Covid economic recovery for the U.S. It is not just about restoring the U.S. position in the world as ally and as actor on crucial issues, such as climate. It is not just about proving that the U.S. government is capable of doing important things. It is now about protecting the core of democracy—peaceful acceptance of electoral outcomes. If that were to go in the U.S., would-be autocrats everywhere would have carte blanche to do as they pleased." —Martin Wolf in Financial Times

Martin Wolf is the chief economics commentator at Financial Times.

MORE: Michael Hais, Doug Ross & Morley Winograd: Democracy's battle against autocracy —The Brookings Institution

"Foxitis"...the most recent defense for some of the traitors who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. So here's how the MAGA mind works. The sycophants believe the election was filled with fraud. They provide NO proof, no evidence, just words and allegations. Then there's repercussions in the way of arrests, charges, and court. Their defense becomes the following in a nutshell: they are delusional to the point that they believe the BS they are fed by Fox, day in and day out, so they act on it. They are not at fault; Fox is to blame for feeding them lies. So Fox folks tell lies, and their viewers admit to it once they are faced with possible jail time. And the brass at Fox even admits they spew garbage and not real news.

Yes, a lot to unpack there. But it all fits. Fox feeds them garbage, and though they claim to believe the BS, once it comes to possible jail time, they are not to blame for their own craziness because the Fox folks lied to them. It is so warped it is difficult to even document clearly. Bottom line, a lot of crazy is based upon lies spewed on Fox. And that is, or will be, the defense in a court of law. —Bill T., Arizona

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