Beltway Insider: Biden, Trump, GOP Disruptors, Georgia, COVID, George Floyd, Fauci, Larry King

President Donald Trump has gathered the support of eleven GOP Senators, in an on-going attempt to disrupt the electoral certification of President-Elect Joe Biden on January 6, 2021 and overturn the November 3, 2021 election results.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending January 3, 2021, decreased by .01% to 42.6% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by .02% percentage points to 53.2%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.


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Trump's Hail Mary Gains Steam 

President Trump, continuing to press the message of election fraud, spent an unprecedented hour-long phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to attempt to coerce him to overturn the Georgia election results before the upcoming certification.

"Raffensperger refused demands from Trump to overturn the election results, telling him that the "data you have is wrong" as he pushed back on Trump's sham theories of "stuffed ballot boxes" that the president said would reverse Joe Biden's roughly 12,000-vote victory in Georgia," reported The Atlanta Constitution.

Countdown to January 6, 2021 and the GOP Disruptors

As we do not live-in usual times, the January 6 joint Congress certification is generally a formality. An acceptance and official confirmation of the election results on a state-by-state roll call which certifies the States declared winners in the electoral college.

"The National Archives and Records Administration and the Office of the Federal Register act as administrators for the electoral college. In January, Congress sits in joint session to certify the election of the President and Vice President," Archieves.gov states.

Lead by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), a planned disruption of the process which will then call for a suspension of the process, and a ten-day investigation into baseless allegation of voter fraud, which has been denied by the President's former Attorney general William Barr.

"Barr told the AP that U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific complaints and information they've received, but "to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election," reported The Associated Press on December 20, 2020.

Ten additional GOP Senators joining Senator Cruz and his grandstanding attempt to have an election commission created to delay the certification of President Elect Biden include Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, Oklahoma's James Lankford, Montana's Steve Daines, Louisiana's John Kennedy, Tennessee's Marsha Blackburn, and Indiana's Mike Braun. Four Senator's-elect Wyoming's Cynthia Lummis, Tennessee's Bill Hagerty, Alabama's Tommy Tuberville, and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

The Parties three highest profile Senators, Senate Majority Leader Mitt McConnell (R-KY), Senator Lindsay Graham, (R-SC) and Senator Mitt Romney of Utah have all called on party members to accept the results.

Former Presidential candidates Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a ranking member of the Senate Rules and Regulations Committee said, "The demand for "an additional federal 'commission' to supersede state certifications when the votes have already been counted, recounted, litigated, and state-certified, amounts to nothing more than an attempt to subvert the will of the voters," said Bloomberg.com.

Trump's Magic Eight Ball

By shaking up the system, the president's thirst for winning and building a political dynasty must be his main message, a constant through line, to continue his newly minted brand campaign message of election fraud. He must carry it through to the end and allow the Secret Service to escort him out of the oval office after his tenure has expired.

Whether he acknowledges the results or not, his brand message and the message he will carry over throughout the upcoming four years, remains a divide and conquer divisive message: the democrats targeted him from 2016 based on the belief, and subsequent proof (whether it is believed or not) that he stole the election through the use of Russian hackers and a misinformation campaign targeting then Democratic Challenger Hillary R. Clinton, and now, four years later, he is the target of their continued wrath and subsequent election fraud resulting in the "stolen election."

Will he win this fight, Magic Eight Ball says "not today."


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Georgia Senate Run-Off

Georgia's run-off election between incumbent David Perdue, 70 and Jon Ossoff, 33, and incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler, 50, and Reverend Raphael Warnock, 51, will determine which party controls the senate and if the democrats prove victorious will provide trifecta power to the new administration.

The democratic trifecta, what many expected after the November 3, 2020 election, will be determined on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, when in-person voting in Georgia begins. With three million early votes recorded, the largest in the state's history, the poll workers are preparing for an onslaught of Georgians to vote in the Senate run-off election.

How did Georgia become the center of the political universe? Each state, essentially, is a mini-federal government, creating and adopting the laws for its state. In the state of Georgia, the State Constitution provides ground rules for election winners. For the Senate candidates each must have a majority vote, more than 50 percent to be certified the winner. In the November general election neither candidate received the majority.

Every state is represented by two senators. On January 5, the run-off election is to determine senate representation. Of course, Georgia once considered a Republican stronghold has redefined its population, with a younger urban professional demographic moving into the state's major cities. This demographic is primarily democratic based.

The recent Biden-Harris victory solidified the new Georgia and demolished age-old beliefs of a republican, primarily male, white, hold on the state. This was enforced by the failure of either Republican incumbent senate candidate to secure the necessary 50 percent.

A Democratic sweep adds two senate seats, bringing the democratic total to 48 total seats. Two independent senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine usually vote democrat, which brings the total to an even 50-50 split.

The Vice-President casts the deciding vote in any Senate tie. The upcoming administration tie breaking vote would be cast by a democrat making any debated policy, such as $2000 stimulus checks, or wide sweeping social reforms to assist citizens manage through the pandemic or any number of issues which have been sidelined by the Republican lead White House, would be passed, and sent to the President's desk for signing.

Should the republicans win the State Senate seats, the Republicans would continue to hold the majority in the Senate and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) would remain the Senate Majority Leader. New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer, the senate minority leader would retain his position. If the Democrats win, the two will flip with Schumer as the majority leader and McConnell the minority leader.

Nancy Pelosi Elected Speaker of the House

Nancy Pelosi has been re-elected, to her fourth, non-consecutive, term, as the Speaker of the House for the 117th Congress, in what is expected to be her last term in office. Pelosi, 80, is the only woman to have held the position as speaker and as lead the house since 2003.

"The House of Representatives has narrowly reelected Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, after the California Democrat received 216 votes. The result was announced with fanfare at 4:49pm by the House Clerk, Cheryl Johnson, who declared Pelosi "duly elected" Speaker at 4:50pm. Pelosi stood at the Democratic leadership desk as her colleagues applauded her achievement," reported ABCNews.go.com.

Coronavirus Totals

The infection rates of the coronavirus have alarmingly increased around the world. The weekly account confirms that a second wave is building with European nations enforcing shutdowns for, at minimum, one month.

A new strain, a mutation, has created global concern leaders around the world are determining the best direction for the protection of the population. The importance of maintaining personal protective practices is imperative to controlling the spread.

For the week ending January 3, 2021, coronavirus cases globally increased by 4,226,600 confirmed cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases worldwide to 84,563,500 people with a total worldwide death toll of 1,834,900 deaths, an increase of 78,100 over the past week.

Infections rates in the United States are also on the rise. For the week ending January 3, 2021, the total confirmed cases rose to 20,464,700 people with new confirmed cases increasing by 1,441,000 this week alone with an average of 205,857 cases per day. The coronavirus has claimed 350,300 total deaths, a weekly increase of 18,300 deaths. (Data from The New York Times).

COVID Turns a Year Older

The New Year has passed, and if there is any indication from the sheer volume of social media postings, the turning of the calendar was a welcome sign and belief that this new year, 2021, will bring life, as we once knew it, back around.

Many believe the rough seas are behind us, the future even as the Coronavirus has not released the world from its death grip, is hopeful. With renewed strength and courage, the people of the world rise to the challenge of the silent enemy.

The single most important act, any person, in any part of the world can do to protect themselves against the virus is wear a mask. WEAR A MASK, thorough handwashing, cough into the elbow, stay home if possible and limit outside activities. The next protective act is to follow the mandates as directed by the supervising governing body.

For most nations 2021 may well be a limited repeat of 2020 in terms of lockdowns and societal protections. But by mid-2021 we will begin to hear new terms such as "herd immunity" replacing "flattening the curve."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's most senior official for infectious diseases explains, '"I would say 50% would have to get vaccinated before you start to see an impact. But I would say 75 to 85% would have to get vaccinated if you want to have that blanket of herd immunity." Herd immunity occurs when enough people become immune to the disease that the spread of the virus from person to person becomes unlikely. Fauci pointed to polio and measles as examples of herd immunity," NPR.org reported.


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Pandemic Rage and George Floyd

The second half of 2020 became known for a single incident, the murder of George Floyd, that ignited a global movement to recognize the Black Lives Matter movement.

Floyd died on the asphalt beside the Minnesota police car, after four police officers responded to 911 call of a black man allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit $20 used an illegal knee-to-the-neck restraint maneuver. For eight minutes, all captured on cell phones, Floyd repeated explained he couldn't breathe.

The four officers have been charged with murder.

Coupled with the Black Lives Matter movement the idea of Police Accountability, which is rare. Police officers may be fired, which is becoming the normal accepted process after an internal investigation. Criminal charges are rare as many grand juries fail to indict police officer.

Street throughout the United States were filled with protestors, some peaceful and others not. Once it became clear the protests would continue, the bad actors, those who were deemed the criminal element took over creating widespread looting and rioting. Curfews were ordered in most major cities.

The national and international protests over George Floyd's murder became the catalyst for continued protests with each escalating event. Atlanta was rocked with days of protests, after a black man was shot and killed by police after running from the scene, Louisville finally admitted fault in Breonna Taylor, a EMT who died during a botch, no-knock, police raid.

Soon the 2020 Election took over the headlines and the media, and the protests by the Black Live Matter movement and demands for police accountability faded.


Nashville Christmas Day Explosion Injures Three


Nashville Christmas Day Bomber

Federal authorities closed the Christmas Day bomber case indicating the only person of interest, Anthony Q. Warner, 63, died in the attack.

Larry King Hospitalized with COVID

Former CNN talk show host Larry King, 87, has been hospitalized for COVID-19. He has reportedly been admitted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for more than a week.

For more information on President Donald Trump www.whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection

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