TIME makes their pick, a few Republicans speak out, and Dolly Parton's going to save us all. Plus: Some good news about the Pfizer vaccine.

THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
A Woefully Short List of Congressional Republicans

One noteworthy feature of President Donald Trump's tenure in office has been the steadfast allegiance shown to him by virtually all Republican members of Congress.

The strategic reasons behind such lockstep marching are unsurprising: Trump remains popular with a significant percentage of the Republican base, and congressional Republicans know there's a real risk of a primary challenge from a Trumpier candidate.

That's what makes the few Republicans who have publicly criticized the lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton all the more remarkable. The case seeks to overturn the election results in four swing states, and more than 100 House Republicans signed an amicus brief supporting the effort.

Criticism from Democrats and certain members of the media is expected, as CNN's Jake Tapper did in memorably scathing fashion. But the handful of Republicans who are risking presidential wrath to step into the media spotlight on this issue deserve special commendation.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is a key standout, tweeting that he was unable "to understand the legal theory" justifying the lawsuit -- and as a former Texas Attorney General and former Texas Supreme Court Justice, that says something.

Another Texan, Rep. Chip Roy, also took to Twitter to voice his concerns, calling the case a "dangerous violation of federalism." Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) has been an outspoken critic of the election challenges as well, telling CNN's John Berman, "Covid is real; the Kraken is not."

It's a woefully short list, which makes these members' willingness to speak out and put country over party all the more admirable.

MEDIA LOSERS:
Anand Giridharadas

There are legitimate criticisms of how the Trump administration has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, and Congress' lack of action on any additional stimulus relief since the last bill passed in March. In some cases, it might even be fair to point out that certain government policies may have contributed to negative consequences, like the tragic number of Americans who have died from Covid-19.

That isn't the same thing, however, as saying that elected officials are deliberately making people die.

But that's just what MSNBC analyst Anand Giridharadas did on Thursday.

“The country is awash in pain right now,” Giridharadas said during a segment of MSNBC host Craig Melvin’s morning program. “We’re having these technocratic conversations about committees, this and that. I understand that. The real blame is Mitch McConnell, the Republicans, the president, a party that does not want to help people, that is working, on one side, to actually make sure the pandemic kills as many people as possible.

“That seems to be the logical sequence of their policy,” he continued. “And to make sure all of the people who manage to survive it, despite their policy, suffer economically and beyond.”

Every government policy has a tradeoff, and some of the restrictions meant to reduce the spread of the pandemic have had serious economic consequences. Accusing Republicans of purposefully trying to make Covid kill "as many people as possible" is outlandish hyperbole and makes it easy to dismiss Giridharadas' more reasonable critiques.

Congressional gridlock has become a feature, not a bug, of our political system, and accusing one side of committing premeditated murder doesn't help.

The A-Block

Person(s) of the Year

TIME Magazine announced their winner for the 2020 Person of the Year, selecting both President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to share the annual honor.

The decision, naturally, wasn't without controversy. Mediaite's Colby Hall laid out some of the criticisms of the pick in an op-ed.

A literal angel

Perhaps a more unifying Person of the Year would have been Dolly Parton. The country music icon has donated millions of books to children, gave $1 million to help fund the research that led to one of the coronavirus vaccines, and now has saved the life of a 9-year-old actress on the set of her new Netflix Christmas movie, pulling the little girl out of the way of a moving vehicle.

Our bad!

The Orlando Sentinel issued a stunning apology to their readers for endorsing Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), one of the GOP representatives supporting the Texas election challenge lawsuit. “We had no idea, had no way of knowing at the time, that Waltz was not committed to democracy," the Sentinel editorial board wrote.

Packing up

Her husband may be insisting that he won the election and is getting a second term, but First Lady Melania Trump seems to be cut from a more practical cloth. CNN reports she's packing up her things and preparing to move out of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The one and only

Marvel has confirmed that they will not be casting a new actor in the role of T'Challa for Black Panther 2, choosing to instead follow the story arcs of other characters. The role was originally played by Chadwick Boseman, who died earlier this year after a long battle with colon cancer.

A concession? Sort of?

Two words in a Trump tweet had everyone in a tizzy Friday morning: "Biden Administration."

Trump's tweeted plea for the Supreme Court to intervene and "Save the USA!!!" from the Biden administration was yes, pretty dang nuts, but also the first acknowledgment that there is going to be such an administration.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern struggled for words trying to spin Trump's tweet when asked about it by a West Wing driveway press gaggle.

Vaccine!

An FDA advisory panel voted to approve emergency use authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, and other companies' vaccines are expected to be approved soon as well.

The news is especially welcome as cases -- and worst of all, death counts -- are spiking as we roll into winter. CDC Director Robert Redfield is predicting the next 60 to 90 days will see more deaths per day than died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Slap yo mama

CNN's John Harwood said Republicans would smack their own mothers in the face if Trump asked them to.

Let them fight!

Trump has been increasingly critical of his former favorite channel, Fox News, tweeting an article Thursday evening that accused the cable news network of committing "media suicide."

But a report by the Washington Post says that Trump is privately admitting he is deliberately pitting Newsmax and OAN against Fox News in order to gain more favorable coverage from Fox.

Heartbreaking

The pandemic has been tough for many Americans, perhaps children most of all. CNN's New Day shared some poignant letters that children have been writing to Santa, expressing their grief over grandparents who have died, stress from online school, and worries about their parents being out of work.

New weekend lineup on MSNBC

MSNBC is launching two new weekend shows, The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross hosted by Tiffany Cross and The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart hosted by Jonathan Capehart that will premiere this Saturday and Sunday respectively. Both shows will air from 10 am to 12 pm ET.

Tiffany Cross is also the featured guest on this week's episode of The Interview, Mediaite's podcast. Cross’ episode will drop on Saturday here.

Must See Clip

A good question

CNN's John Berman had a very good question for the 106 House Republicans who signed on to the amicus brief supporting Texas AG Paxton's lawsuit seeking to overturn the election in four states: why haven't the members from those four states resigned, or refused to serve, if they really believe the election was fraudulent and invalid?

"How could they live with themselves staying in Congress when they feel so passionately that they won a fraudulent election?" asked Berman.

Of course, as Berman noted, none of those members have actually resigned, and they aren't going to do so. Instead, they'd rather play "this dangerous game with your democracy."

Watch the video here.

Links We Like

A scorching reply to the awful Texas lawsuit frames the stakes of the moment
- Greg Sargent, via Washington Post
What’s a Little Abuse of Power Among Friends?
- Amanda Carpenter, via The Bulwark
What's Worse Than Pumpkin Spice? Cops Pulling People Over To Give Them Gift Cards
- via Reason
Why staying cold is so important to a Covid-19 vaccine
- via Vox

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