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Books by and about 2024 presidential candidates |
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Hillbilly Elegy,
by JD Vance (2017) |
Crippled America,
by Donald J. Trump (2015) |
Fire and Fury,
by Michael Wolff (2018) |
Trump Revealed,
by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher (2016) |
The Making of Donald Trump,
by David Cay Johnston (2016) |
Promise Me, Dad ,
by Joe Biden (2017) |
The Book of Joe ,
by Jeff Wilser (2019; biography of Joe Biden) |
The Truths We Hold,
by Kamala Harris (2019) |
Smart on Crime,
by Kamala Harris (2010) |
Becoming,
by Michelle Obama (2018) |
Higher Loyalty,
by James Comey (2018) |
The Making of Donald Trump,
by David Cay Johnston (2017) |
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Book Reviews |
(from Amazon.com) |
(click a book cover for a review or other books by or about the presidency from Amazon.com)
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January 6, 2021 riot at United States Capitol and follow-up investigations
January 6th Scorecard:
We looked into three key votes to characterize each member of Congress' views on the events of January 6th. For each key vote, we scored the votes as follows on a scale from "-2" indicating support of the events of January 6th, to "+2" indicating opposition of the events of January 6th:
Electoral Decertification: This vote took place on January 6th, after a long interruption by rioters entering the Capitol building. The vote was to block certification of the vote of the Electoral College:
- YEA to block certification scores as -2 (support Jan. 6 events)
- NAY to block certification scores as +2 (oppose Jan. 6 events)
H.R. 24 Impeachment: President Trump was impeached for inciting insurrection. The impeachment vote, on bill #24, took place separately for the House and Senate:
- NAY on impeachment in House vote scores as -2 (support Jan. 6 events)
- NOT GUILTY on removal from office in Senate vote scores as -2 (support Jan. 6 events)
- YEA on impeachment in House vote scores as +1 (oppose Jan. 6 events)
- GUILTY on removal from office in Senate vote scores as +2 (strongly oppose Jan. 6 events)
- SPONSOR on impeachment bill H.R. 24 scores as +2 (strongly oppose Jan. 6 events)
H.R. 503 Commission: Congress created a Commission to investigate the events of Jan. 6th. The Senate rejected a bipartisan commission; that vote counts for Senators. Members of the House them created a separate commission without the Senate; that vote counts for House members:
- NAY on creating a Jan. 6 Commission scores as -2 (support Jan. 6 events)
- YEA on creating a Jan. 6 Commission scores as +2 (oppose Jan. 6 events)
| Legislator category
| Count
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| Hard-core J6 supporter (score -6)
| 105
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| J6 supporter (score -3/-4/-5)
| 27
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| Leaning toward J6 support (score -2)
| 104
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| Mixed views on Jan. 6 (score -1/0/+1/+2/+3)
| 26
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| Opposes Jan. 6 events (score +4/5)
| 17
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| Hard-core against Jan. 6th (score +6)
| 261
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| Grand Total
| 540
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The grid above totals the scores for each legislator, and then counts the number of legislators in each score category. These votes were spread over a few months, so some members didn't have the opportunity to cast all three votes -- those are reflected by omissions which count as zero in the score.
A score of "-6" indicates that the legislator voted three times to support the Capitol riots -- 105 legislators did so, all Republicans. A score of "+6" indicates that the legislator three times opposed the Capitol riots -- 261 legislators did so, 257 Democrats and 4 Republicans. The mixed votes are the most interesting cases-- the 174 legislators who indicated some support and some opposition to the events of Jan. 6.
The lowest-scoring Democrats all scored "+4" -- Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib. In all three cases, the legislator abstained or was absent from one of the key votes. There were 10 additional Democrats scoring below "+5", but those were all legislators who left office, or who were sworn in after the earliest vote. There were 6 additional Democrats who voted YEA on impeachment but chose not to co-sponsor the House Bill; they scored "+5". In other words, there were zero Democrats who actively voted against the consensus Democratic view of opposing the Capitol riots of January 6th.
That was not the case among Republican legislators. There were five Republican Senators who scored "+6": Cassidy; Collins; Murkowski; Romney; and Sasse. In addition, two Republican House members scored "+5": Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both of whom voted to impeach but didn't co-sponsor H.R. 24. Those seven Republicans have become the political targets of former President Trump and his ardent supporters. Over 120 Republican legislators scored in the range of "-2' to "+3" -- some of that group will draw Republican primary opponents because of these votes.
You can draw your own conclusions by downloading or reviewing details....
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January 6th Citations:
Articles about the january 6th Capitol riots:
- Politico.com, "Unaired footage shows chaos, anger of congressional leaders amid Jan. 6 evacuation," by Jordain Carney & Kyle Cheney, 06/09/2024, (Link
- CNN Politics, "Trump calls for the termination of the Constitution in Truth Social post," by Kristen Holmes, December 4, 2022, (Link)
- 2022 Colorado Senate race: "Demings in new ad stresses independence from Democratic Party", by Brad Dress, 10/11/22, (Link)
- 2022 Iowa Senate race: "Chuck Grassley, Mike Franken clash on abortion, inflation in US Senate debate," by Stephen Gruber-Miller, 10/6/22, (Link)
- AdWatch in 2022 Wyoming At-Large House race: Liz Cheney: "He Knows It", 8/4/2022
- 2022 Hawaii Senate race: "Schatz Warns Against Ongoing Threats To American Democracy", Senate press release, 01.04.2022, (Link)
- The Hill: "Pence fuels speculation of 2024 presidential bid," by Julia Manchester & Brett Samuels, 12/12/21
- Mother Jones magazine, "Trump Continues to Glorify the January 6 Insurrection," by Mark Follman, December 8, 2021
- Christian Broadcasting Network CBN News, "'I Believe There Were Irregularities' in the 2020 Election: What Pence Says to Angry MAGA Fans About What He Did on Jan. 6," by David Brody, 12-01-2021
- The Hill, "The GOP's post-1/6 playbook is clear--and it's dangerous," by Jamie Neikrie, 11/24/21
- ABC17 KMIZ Fox-22 News, "Chris Christie blames Trump's rhetoric about stolen election for January 6 insurrection," by Rachel Janfaza, November 15, 2021
- Newsweek magazine, "Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls January 6 Riot Defendants 'Political Prisoners of War'," by Brendan Cole, 11/11/21
- Associated Press, "Rep. Liz Cheney says Trump is at war 'with the rule of law'," by Michael Casey, November 9, 2021
- Rolling Stone magazine, "Tucker Carlson Is a 'Manipulative Son of a B--', and Other Thoughts from Adam Kinzinger," by S.E. Cupp, November 8, 2021
- U.S. News & World Report: "No, Election Day Wasn't the Real Insurrection," Oct. 21, 2021
- CNN, "What Liz Cheney just said about January 6 is *really* important," by Chris Cillizza, October 20, 2021
- Midnight in Washington, by Adam Schiff, 10/12/2021
- MarketWatch, "No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise refuses to say on Fox News that 2020 presidential election wasn't stolen," by Associated Press, Oct. 10, 2021
- CNN, "Ohio Republican who voted to impeach Trump says he will not run for reelection in 2022," by Dan Merica and Simone Pathe, September 17, 2021
- The Guardian (United Kingdom), "US faces 'real battle for democracy' against far right, says Hillary Clinton," by Julian Borger, 13 Sep 2021
- The White House, "Statement by President Joe Biden on the Six-Month Anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection on the Capitol," July 06, 2021
- Newsweek, "Chuck Schumer Makes Passionate Call To Renew Capitol Insurrection Commission," by Darragh Roche, 6/9/21
- CTV News (Canadian TV Network), "What insurrection? Growing number in GOP downplay Jan. 6," by Mary Clare Jalonick, May 13, 2021
- National Public Radio: "GOP Ousts Cheney From Leadership Over Her Criticism Of Trump," by Barbara Sprunt, May 12, 2021
- CNN, "McConnell says he'll 'absolutely' support Trump in 2024 if he's the GOP nominee," by Paul LeBlanc, February 25, 2021
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Ron Johnson on Jan. 6 Capitol attack: 'This didn't seem like an armed insurrection to me'," by Molly Beck, 2/15/21
- Politico e-zine: "GOP Sen. Burr censured by North Carolina GOP after Trump conviction vote," by Myah Ward, 02/15/2021
- NPR News: "After Voting To Acquit, McConnell Torches Trump As Responsible For Riot," by Barbara Sprunt, February 13, 2021
- Associated Press: "Louisiana GOP censures Cassidy for vote to convict Trump," February 13, 2021
- CNN Politics, "Read McConnell's remarks on the Senate floor following Trump's acquittal," February 13, 2021, (Link)
- Louisville Courier Journal, "Rand Paul roasts Reps. Jamie Raskin, Eric Swalwell on Twitter during impeachment trial," by Morgan Watkins, 2/10/21
- Business Insider, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned critics who accused her of lying about her experience during the Capitol siege," by Lauren Frias, Feb 4, 2021
- The List blog, "Kamala Harris Reveals Where She Was During Capitol Violence," by Hope Ngo, Jan. 17, 2021
- Associated Press, "Noem blames Capitol insurrection on lack of civics education," by Stephen Groves, January 15, 2021
- South Florida Sun Sentinel, "DeSantis calls insurrection 'really unfortunate' and 'really a sad thing to see'," by Anthony Man, Jan 12, 2021
- KXAN, "Gov. Abbott says calls for President Trump to resign after Capitol riot are 'political machinations'," by Will DuPree, Jan 11, 2021
- The Daily Beast: "Chris Christie: 'If Inciting to Insurrection' Isn't Impeachable, 'I Don't Really Know What Is'," by Justin Baragona, Jan. 10, 2021
- Alaska Public Media, "'I can't just be quiet right now': Murkowski says Trump needs to resign," by Liz Ruskin, January 8, 2021
- WLL-TV (Associated Press), "Louisiana congressmen vote to overturn election results after deadly 'insurrection'," by Kevin Dupuy, January 7, 2021
- Detroit Metro Times, "U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib calls for Trump's immediate impeachment for inciting violence at the Capitol--and she's not alone," by Jerilyn Jordan, Jan 7, 2021
- Senate office Press release, "Romney Condemns Insurrection at U.S. Capitol," romney.senate.gov, January 6, 2021
January 6th Excerpts...
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| OnTheIssues.org excerpts: (click on issues for details)
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Civil Rights
Chris Christie: Trump fed the stolen election lie leading to insurrection.
Jody Hice: It was Trump supporters who lost their lives that day.
Josh Hawley: Raised fist in support of Jan. 6 rioters; blamed Pelosi.
Marjorie Taylor Greene: Insurrection defendants are political prisoners of war.
Ron DeSantis: Those who got violent need to be held accountable.
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Crime
Adam Kinzinger: I knew there was going to be violence.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Congressional lives were at risk; it can't be minimized.
Andrew Clyde: You would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.
Jamie Raskin: 14th Amendment might prevent Trump from holding office again.
Liz Cheney: Privilege claims suggest Trump personally involved.
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Education
Kristi Noem: Root cause of insurrection was lack of civic education.
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Government Reform
Adam Schiff: Congress responsible for allowing new authoritarianism.
Charles Schumer: We need independent commission on insurrection.
Chris Christie: If inciting an insurrection isn't impeachable, what is?
Darren Bailey: Opposed bipartisan insurrection commission; it's nonsense.
Ilhan Omar: Removing Trump is a matter of preserving our Republic.
James Lankford: Opposed bipartisan commission on Capitol insurrection.
Jamie Raskin: We cannot have presidents inciting mob violence.
Joe Biden: Our democracy is under unprecedented assault.
Joe Biden: An existential crisis, a test of whether democracy survives.
Joe Biden: Former president wants to suppress vote & subvert elections.
Joe Biden: Won't allow a dagger at the throat of democracy.
John Neely Kennedy: Ensuring election transparency is a noble goal.
Lisa Murkowski: Trump encouraged Jan. 6 rioters; he should resign.
Liz Cheney: Trump is at war "with the rule of law and the Constitution".
Mitch McConnell: Trump practically, morally responsible for riots.
Mitt Romney: It was an insurrection against the Constitution.
Phil Scott: The fabric of our democracy is under attack.
Rashida Tlaib: Impeach Trump for giving insurrection marching orders.
Republican Party: 2021: it was an assault, 2022: it was not an insurrection.
Chuck Grassley: Update Electoral Count Act to avoid another January 6th.
Mitch McConnell: Would absolutely vote for Trump if renominated in 2024.
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Gun Control
Ron Johnson: Jan. 6 didn't seem like an armed insurrection to me.
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Homeland Security
Hillary Clinton: January 6 insurrection at our capitol was a terrorist attack.
Liz Cheney: Calling Jan. 6 a "false flag" is un-American dangerous lie.
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Principles & Values
Adam Schiff: Wore gas mask in Congress when tear gas deployed on Jan. 6.
Anthony Gonzalez: Retiring due to "toxic dynamics" in GOP after impeachment.
Bill Cassidy: Censured by LA GOP for declaring that Trump was guilty.
Chuck Herbster: Attended Jan. 6 Trump rally; left before insurrection.
Dick Cheney: Disappointed we don't have better leadership in GOP.
Donald Trump: You will never take back our country with weakness.
Donald Trump: FactCheck: Incorrectly claims "insurrection was on Nov. 3".
Doug Ose: Riot: For 'patriots to do that,' that really pisses me off.
Geoff Diehl: 2020 election not stolen, supports investigation of riot.
Jeff Bartos: Disturbed by Jan. 6 violence, but gave $1000 for bus to DC.
Jimmy Carter: What we fought for globally has become fragile at home.
Jimmy Carter: We must resist polarization around politics.
Jo Rae Perkins: We are much closer to a communist-style take over.
Joe Biden: Former president created web of lies; can't accept he lost.
Kamala Harris: Dual nature of democracy -- fragility and strength.
Lee Zeldin: Impeachment: voted against second trial for Trump.
Lindsey Graham: 2021:Enough is enough; 2022:Brazen politicization of Jan. 6.
Mark Walker: Capitol riot: don't put all this on Trump.
Mitt Romney: Insurrection due to a selfish man's injured pride.
Nancy Pelosi: It's not a normal day when people threaten to hang the Veep.
Pat Fallon: In Congress for 3 days before Jan. 6 insurrection.
Paul Gosar: At podium when Jan. 6 riot started; urged to call Trump.
Richard Burr: Censured by NC GOP for declaring that Trump was guilty.
Ruben Gallego: Wore gas mask in Congress when tear gas deployed on Jan. 6.
Ted Cruz: January 6 terrorists were only those who attacked police.
Doug Steinhardt: Citing personal obligations, quits race after insurrection.
Doug Steinhardt: I support President Trump; I always have .
Mark Holland: Biden won in 2020 and dozens of lawsuits agreed.
Michael Franken: Too many Republicans sympathize with riot on Jan. 6.
Peter Welch: Jan. 6 was a serious threat to our democracy.
Joe Biden: There is no place for political violence in America.
Donald Trump: The Big Lie was the Election itself.
Liz Cheney: Removed from House leadership for criticizing Trump & Jan. 6.
Kamala Harris: Jan. 6 was an exposure of the vulnerability of our democracy.
Joe Biden: You can't love your country only when you win.
Joe Biden: Jan.6 was greatest threat to democracy since the Civil War.
Donald Trump: January 6 commemoration is political theater: a distraction.
Adam Schiff: As impeachment leader: felt targeted by January 6 rioters.
Kamala Harris: January 6th, 2021 will echo throughout history.
Donald Trump: Senate Leader OpEd: Trump morally responsible for Jan. 6.
Donald Trump: OpEd: Ineligible for impeachment; eligible for prosecution.
Mitch McConnell: Trump morally responsible for incitement of Jan. 6 riot.
Mitch McConnell: Trump ineligible for impeachment; eligible for prosecution.
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The above quotations are from January 6, 2021 riot at United States Capitol and follow-up investigations.
Books by and about 2020 Presidential hopefuls:
- Commentary on events of January 6th (2021)
- Midnight in Washington, by Adam Schiff (2021)
- The Room Where It Happened, by John Bolton (2020)
- Reason To Believe, by Deval Patrick (2011)
- Bloomberg By Bloomberg, by Mike Bloomberg (2001)
- United, by Cory Booker (2016)
- The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris (2019)
- Smart on Crime, by Kamala Harris (2010)
- Guide to Political Revolution, by Bernie Sanders (2017)
- Where We Go From Here, by Bernie Sanders (2018)
- Promise Me, Dad, by Joe Biden (2017)
- Conscience of a Conservative, by Jeff Flake (2017)
- Two Paths, by Gov. John Kasich (2017)
- Every Other Monday, by Rep. John Kasich (2010)
- Courage is Contagious, by John Kasich (1998)
- Shortest Way Home, by Pete Buttigieg (2019)
- The Book of Joe, by Jeff Wilser (2019; biography of Joe Biden)
- Becoming, by Michelle Obama (2018)
- Our Revolution by Bernie Sanders (2016)
- This Fight Is Our Fight by Elizabeth Warren (2017)
- A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren (2014)
- The Two-Income Trap by Elizabeth Warren (2007)
- Higher Loyalty by James Comey (2018)
- The Making of Donald Trump by David Cay Johnston (2017)
- 2020 Presidential Hopefuls by OnTheIssues.org
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