Watching the news while watching it snow, I see that Trump, having maintained for weeks radio silence about congressional negotiations on a COVID relief package, revealed last night, after Congress had finally passed a bill, that he's with Rashida Tlaib and AOC on this one: the stimulus checks should be for two grand per person, not a mere $600, the amount Senate Republicans insisted upon but which Trump now terms "a disgrace." More 3-d chess by the author of Art of the Deal?
More likely it's just payback for Mitch McConnell having acknowledged that Biden won the election. Months ago the House passed a bill, the "Heroes Act," that would have cut us all a second $1200 check. The Republican Senate killed it—"dead on arrival," they chortled. Trump's announcement is therefore a gift to Democrats. Nancy Pelosi immediately tweeted that the House stood ready to consider the president's proposal. McConnell's turn for radio silence now. He's too busy trying to pull the knife out of his back to talk.
McConnell might be wishing he'd thought to distract Trump from COVID relief by sending him a list of vile criminals to consider for pardons. Probably wouldn't have worked, though, as our president is already all over that one. Chris Collins, the first congressional Republican to have endorsed Trump for president and a convicted inside trader of stocks—pardoned. Duncan Hunter, the second congressional Republican to have endorsed Trump for president, who indulged his epicurean impulses with funds suckers donated to his political campaigns—pardoned. Four murderers and war criminals in the employ of the brother of Trump's Secretary of Education—pardoned. More on the way, no doubt: he's president for four more weeks.
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