Change Comes to Washington

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CHANGE COMES TO WASHINGTON
A DIFFERENT 2020


Washington, D.C. - 2007 aerial view
Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

I'm interested

[BigVic]

Watched

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JOE BIDEN: "I WILL NOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT"


From GRANTaMUSED, Creative Commons

NEW YORK, NY - In an emotional interview on the last episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, former Vice President Joe Biden told Colbert that he will not be running for President of the United States in 2020. Colbert, widely seen as one of the closest media figures to Biden, due to their shared Roman Catholic faith and histories of familial tragedy, has frequently had Biden on the show, dating back to a well-received interview in Colbert's third episode.

While Biden was optimistic about the future of the nation, citing the examples of young Representatives-elect like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Colin Allred, Lauren Underwood, and Elissa Slotkin, all members who defeated incumbents as the Democrats regained control of the House, he said that "we need to find someone who can stand up to and challenge Donald Trump, and it's clear that I'm not the best messenger for that."

Widely thought of by many as one of the best options to be the Democratic nominee in 2020, Biden shared with Colbert his experience as the grandfather to his late son Beau's two children, claiming that "the best thing that I can do right now is to be there for my family and to support the best possible Democratic candidate we can find." With Biden out of the race, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leads potential polling, but over forty percent of those polls remain undecided. Failed Texas senatorial candidate Robert 'Beto' O'Rourke polls in second, at fifteen percent to Sanders's twenty-two percent.

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CORY BOOKER WINS DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT


From Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

Newark, NJ - New Jersey Senator Cory Booker won the Democratic nomination for President after Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders's withdrawal on June 23rd after the primaries in New York and Kentucky. What had started out as a competitive primary season dwindled down to just five candidates in the race at Super Tuesday - Booker, Sanders, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As the world was thrown for a loop by the coronavirus, Buttigieg dropped out after the Wyoming primary on April 17th with Klobuchar not dropping out until the end of May and Bloomberg withdrawing in early June.

Klobuchar and Buttigieg both stayed neutral, choosing not to endorse any candidate, but Mayor Bloomberg pledged his support and delegates to Booker in the lead up to the pivotal New York primary, after which point it became clear that Sanders did not have a way forward. Sanders enthusiastically endorsed Booker, who he counts as a friend and colleague, and promised to do "all in [his] power" to ensure a victory for Booker in November.

Booker was not widely seen as a major contender when the primary campaign started in earnest in June 2019. However, he rose up through the ranks thanks to strong debate performances and support from many Obamaworld alumni, led primarily by former Ambassador Patrick Gaspard. With the primary now over, Booker and his team are now turning towards the selection of a Vice Presidential candidate. Booker has committed to choosing a woman to be on the ticket with him. Candidates currently thought of as frontrunners for that are Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Representative Cheri Bustos of Illinois, and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.

2020 Democratic Party Presidential Primaries

[Utah Neolib]

Beto ran for governor in 2018 here?

[rpryor03]

Beto ran for governor in 2018 here?

clearly had 2022 on the mind, lmao. fixed!

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BOOKER NAMES NAPOLITANO AS VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

By Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons

NEWARK, NJ - Senator Cory Booker, the Democratic nominee for President, named former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as his nominee for Vice President. The former Governor of Arizona who has served as President of the University of California since 2013 has been seen as a strong pick that boosts Booker's national security credentials. Additionally, Napolitano has public health experience having helped lead the response to the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic, which sources indicated was a unique experience that weighed on the minds of the vetting committee and Booker himself.

Napolitano was not seen as one of the leading candidates for the role initially, but she ended up as one of the four finalists for the position, alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, and Governor Kate Brown of Oregon. The initial frontrunner, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, withdrew from consideration after criticism of her record as a prosecutor came under fire in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.

Booker's vetting process was led by a committee chaired by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Former Homeland Security Advisor to the President Lisa Monaco, former Governor of New Jersey Richard Codey, campaign Senior Advisor Matt Klapper, and former Senator Heidi Heitkamp were also members of the committee. Booker committed to selecting a woman for his running mate in a debate for the Democratic nomination.

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2020 ELECTION RESULTS






DEMOCRATIC PARTY - 233 (-3)
REPUBLICAN PARTY - 202 (+3)

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AFTER CERTIFICATION CONTROVERSY, BOOKER TRANSITION BEGINS IN EARNEST


Department of Homeland Security, Public Domain

WASHINGTON, DC - The Trump Presidency has, for many Americans, highlighted the importance of smaller roles in the federal bureaucracy. Emily Murphy, Administrator of the General Services Administration, became the most recent bureaucrat to receive national attention when she refused to certify Cory Booker as President-elect and give his transition team, headed by former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, the federal support they needed.  Appropriate Secretaries of State and elections officers had certified results in enough states by the morning of Thursday the 5th to ensure Booker's election, but Murphy chose not to sign the ascertainment decision, citing court cases relating to claims of electoral fraud. Murphy received significant criticism for this decision, including from three former Secretaries of Homeland Security and from a number of presidential transition leads. After a case in Georgia was proved to be false and Secretary Brad Raffensperger indicated that Georgia did vote for Booker, Murphy signed the letter on Saturday the 7th, allowing Booker's transition to begin in earnest.

Booker's first Cabinet appointments were announced at a Press Conference in Washington on November 30, the Monday after Thanksgiving. After previously announcing his appointments of Patrick Gaspard, former Ambassador to South Africa and President of the Open Society Foundations, as Chief of Staff; and former Ash Carter aide Sasha Baker as National Security Advisor; Booker announced his choices for the "big four" jobs, seen as the four most important roles in the Administration.

Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, who was defeated by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville at the start of the month, was named as Attorney General. Jones previously served as a US Attorney in Alabama, where he successfully prosecuted two Ku Klux Klan members for the 1963 16th Baptist Church bombing. Attorney Sarah Bloom Raskin of Maryland, a former Governor of the Federal Reserve and Deputy Treasury Secretary during the last three years of the Obama administration, was named Treasury Secretary. Raskin, married to Congressman Jamie Raskin, is unabashedly progressive and might be under threat should the Republican incumbents win in the Georgia runoff elections in January.

Booker also poached one current and one former member of Congress, after consultation with Senate Leader Chuck Schumer. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York was named Secretary of Defense. Gillibrand was in the House from 2007 until her 2009 appointment to the Senate. A resident of Brunswick in upstate New York, Gillibrand has worked with Booker on the Senate Agriculture Committee and has also had a significant interest in defense issues, having represented a district in the House with a strong military presence. Finally, Booker that announced Former Representative Tom Perriello of Virginia will be America's next Secretary of State. Perriello served one term in the House, but was appointed later to Obama's State Department, where he led the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, and then served as Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region. Perriello famously lost re-election in 2010 after supporting cap and trade legislation, citing its national security importance. Perriello's appointment received the support of his former boss, former Secretary of State John Kerry, who Tweeted an encouraging statement after the press conference.

DICK CODEY SERVES NEW JERSEY AGAIN - THIS TIME, AS SENATOR

TRENTON, NJ - Governor Phil Murphy announced his intention to appoint veteran State Senator Richard Codey as New Jersey's next Senator, replacing President-elect Cory Booker upon his resignation at the end of 2020. Codey, the longest-serving state legislator in New Jersey's history, spent over a decade leading the Democratic caucus in the State Senate and served two periods as Governor of the state after the resignations of both Christine Todd Whitman and Jim McGreevey. "Senator Codey has dedicated much of his life to serving the people of New Jersey. As we look to replace President-elect Booker in the Senate, New Jersey needs someone to lead in the Senate while we conduct a special election next November. Dick Codey is the most qualified person to slot into the Democratic Senate Conference - this will be yet another chapter in a memorable career." Additionally, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced that he would appoint State Senator Peter Harckham, a former aide of his, to replace Gillibrand.

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CABINET OF THE UNITED STATES
as of January 2021

President: Cory A. Booker, former Senator from New Jersey and Mayor of Newark

Vice President: Janet A. Napolitano, former President of the University of California, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Governor of Arizona

Secretary of State: Tom S. P. Perriello, former US Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes and Representative from Virginia
Secretary of the Treasury: Sarah Bloom Raskin, former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and Governor of the Federal Reserve
Secretary of Defense: Kirsten E. Gillibrand, former Senator and Representative from New York
Attorney General: G. Doug Jones, former Senator from Alabama and US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama
Secretary of the Interior: Debra A. Haaland, former Representative from New Mexico
Secretary of Agriculture: Toni Stanger-McLaughlin, former Director of Programs at the Native American Agriculture Fund and Director of Tribal Governance at the University of Arkansas School of Law
Secretary of Commerce: Thomas F. Steyer, founder of Farallon Capital and former candidate for President
Secretary of Labor: William E. Spriggs, PhD, former Chief Economist of the AFL-CIO and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Kenneth C. Frazier, former executive chairman of Merck & Co.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Diane Yentel, former President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Director of Public Housing Management and Occupancy at the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation: Phil A. Washington, former CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Secretary of Energy: Arun Majumdar, PhD, former Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and Jay Precour Professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University
Secretary of Education: Lily Eskelsen Garcia, former President of the National Education Association
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Eric K. Fanning, former Secretary of the Army and President of the Aerospace Industries Association
Secretary of Homeland Security: Vanita Gupta, former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Chief of Staff: Patrick H. Gaspard, former Ambassador to South Africa and President of the Open Society Foundations
National Security Advisor: Sasha N. Baker, former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense and Booker Campaign Advisor
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Heather McTeer Toney, former Region 4 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, national field director for Moms Clean Air Force, and Mayor of Greenville
Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Ann M. O'Leary, former Chief of Staff to the Governor of California and senior vice president of Next Generation
United States Trade Representative: Michael Wessel, former President of the Wessel Group and member of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors: Lisa D. Cook, PhD, former professor of economics and international relations at Michigan State University
Administrator of the Small Business Administration: Sameera Fazili, former Director of Engagement at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Director of the National Economic Council: Lily L. Batchelder, former Robert C. Kopple Family Professor of Taxation at New York University and deputy director of the National Economic Council
Director of the Domestic Policy Council: Heather McGhee, former President of Demos

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LEADERSHIP OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS
as of January 3, 2021

in the House of Representatives

Speaker of the House: Nancy P. Pelosi, Representative for California's 12th District since 1987, House Democratic Caucus Leader since 2003
House Majority Leader: Steny H. Hoyer, Representative for Maryland's 5th District since 1981, House Democratic Caucus Deputy Leader since 2003
House Majority Whip: Jim E. Clyburn, Representative for South Carolina's 6th District since 1993, Third-Ranking House Democrat since 2007
Assistant Speaker: Katherine M. Clark, Representative for Massachusetts's 5th District since 2013, newly-elected
Democratic Caucus Chair: Hakeem S. Jeffries, Representative for New York's 8th District since 2013, Chair since 2019
Democratic Caucus Vice Chair: Pete R. Aguilar, Representative for California's 31st District since 2015, newly-elected
DCCC Chair: Sean Patrick Maloney, Representative for New York's 18th District since 2013, newly-elected
Policy Committee Co-Chair: Matt A. Cartwright, Representative for Pennsylvania's 8th District since 2013, in role since 2019
Policy Committee Co-Chair: Debbie A. Dingell, Representative for Michigan's 12th District since 2015, in role since 2019
Policy Committee Co-Chair: Ted W. Lieu, Representative for California's 33rd District since 2015, in role since 2019
Policy Committee Co-Chair: Joe D. Neguse, Representative for Colorado's 2nd District since 2019, newly-elected
Steering Committee Co-Chair: Cheri L. Bustos, Representative for Illinois's 17th District since 2013, newly-appointed
Steering Committee Co-Chair: Barbara J. Lee, Representative for California's 13th District since 1998, in role since 2019
Steering Committee Co-Chair: Eric M. Swalwell, Representative for California's 15th District since 2013, in role since 2017
Senior Chief Deputy Whip: G. K. Butterfield, Representative for North Carolina's 1st District since 2004, newly-appointed
Senior Chief Deputy Whip: Jan D. Schakowsky, Representative for Illinois's 9th District since 1999, in role since 2019

House Minority Leader: Kevin O. McCarthy, Representative for California's 23rd District since 2007, House Republican Conference Leader since 2019
House Minority Whip: Steve J. Scalise, Representative for Louisiana's 1st District since 2008, House Republican Conference Deputy Leader since 2019
Republican Conference Chair: Elizabeth L. Cheney, Representative for Wyoming's At-Large District since 2017, Chair since 2019
Republican Conference Vice Chair: J. Mike Johnson, Representative for Louisiana's 4th District since 2017, newly-elected
Republican Conference Secretary: Richard L. Hudson Jr., Representative for North Carolina's 8th District since 2013, newly-elected
NRCC Chair: Tom E. Emmer, Representative for Minnesota's 6th District since 2015, in role since 2019
Policy Committee Chair: Gary Palmer, Representative for Alabama's 6th District since 2015, in role since 2019
Chief Deputy Whip: A. Drew Ferguson IV, DMD, Representative for Georgia's 3rd District since 2017, in role since 2019

in the Senate

President of the Senate: Mike R. Pence, Vice President since 2017, former Governor of Indiana
President pro tempore: Patrick J. Leahy, Senator from Vermont since 1975, senior Democratic Senator since 2012

Senate Majority Leader: Chuck E. Schumer, Senator from New York since 1999, Senate Democratic Caucus Chair since 2017
Senate Majority Whip: Dick J. Durbin, Senator from Illinois since 1997, Senate Democratic Whip since 2005
Assistant Leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus: Patty L. Murray, Senator from Washington since 1993, in role since 2017
Policy Committee Chair: Debbie A. Stabenow, Senator from Michigan since 2001, in role since 2017
Democratic Caucus Vice Chair: Mark R. Warner, Senator from Virginia since 2009, in role since 2017
Democratic Caucus Vice Chair: Elizabeth A. Warren, Senator from Massachusetts since 2013, in role since 2017
Steering Committee Chair: Amy J. Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota since 2007, in role since 2015
Outreach Committee Chair: Bernie Sanders, Independent Senator from Vermont since 2007, in role since 2017
Policy Committee Vice Chair: Kamala D. Harris, Senator from California since 2017, newly-elected
Policy Committee Vice Chair: Joe Manchin III, Senator from West Virginia since 2010, in role since 2017
Conference Secretary: Tammy S. G. Baldwin, Senator from Wisconsin since 2013, in role since 2013
DSCC Chair: Gary C. Peters Sr., Senator from Michigan since 2015, newly-elected
Outreach Committee Vice Chair: Catherine M. Cortez Masto, Senator from Nevada since 2017, newly-elected
Chief Deputy Whip: Jeff A. Merkley, Senator from Oregon since 2009, in role since 2017
Chief Deputy Whip: Brian E. Schatz, Senator from Hawaii since 2012, in role since 2017

Senate Minority Leader: A. Mitch McConnell III, Senator from Kentucky since 1985, Senate Republican Caucus Leader since 2007
Senate Minority Whip: John R. Thune, Senator from South Dakota since 2005, Senate Republican Deputy Leader since 2019
Republican Conference Chair: John A. Barrasso III, Senator from Wyoming since 2007, in role since 2019
Policy Committee Chair: Roy D. Blunt, Senator from Missouri since 2011, in role since 2019
Republican Conference Vice Chair: Joni K. Ernst, Senator from Iowa since 2015, in role since 2019
NRSC Chair: Rick L. Scott, Senator from Florida since 2019, newly-elected
Steering Committee Chair: Mike S. Lee, Senator from Utah since 2011, in role since 2015
Chief Deputy Whip: Mike D. Crapo, Senator from Idaho since 1999, in role since 2013

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ELECTORAL VOTE COUNT STOPPED OVER SECURITY CONCERNS

WASHINGTON, DC - Members of Congress were rushed into secure locations in the Capitol building as rioters outside breached their way into the building during the counting of the electoral votes. The count, which was paused after an objection to Arizona's electoral vote was raised by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, remains paused as the members are locked down. Rioters were egged on by speakers at a rally this morning, including President Donald Trump, who claimed that President-elect Cory Booker was a "harbinger of darkness and evil for this country."

VICE PRESIDENT SHOT IN LEG, MULTIPLE SECURITY OFFICERS PERISH IN FIREFIGHT

WASHINGTON, DC - With rioters breaching the Capitol building pushed out by the combined support of the Virginia and Maryland National Guard, reports have been confirmed that Vice President Mike Pence was shot in his left leg by a rioter, who was then shot and killed by a member of Pence's Secret Service detail. With a larger and angrier crowd than some expected, at least ten Capitol Police members have been killed, as rioters posted kill shots on Twitter, Gab, and other social media platforms using the hashtag #GotOne.

PENCE RETURNS TO CAPITOL BUILDING (VIRTUALLY); CONGRESS COMPLETES ELECTORAL VOTE COUNT

WASHINGTON, DC - After being evacuated and rushed to the George Washington University Hospital for emergency surgery on his leg, led by Adm. Dr. Brian Monahan, Attending Physician to the Congress, Vice President Mike Pence spoke to members of the Congress to ensure them of his safety and his thanks for their prayers for his safety. Pence then passed the gavel to President pro tempore Patrick Leahy for the remainder of the evening. While objections were raised to votes in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, both houses of Congress, as agreed to by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, suspended the rules to limit debate on each for no more than two speakers, meaning all Senators and Representatives were out of the Capitol complex before midnight. With no successful objections, Speaker Pelosi was able to affirm the election of Cory Booker and Janet Napolitano as President and Vice President.

RASKIN MOVES, HOUSE PASSES ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT

WASHINGTON, DC - Less than a day after the joint session of Congress adjourned, the House of Representatives passed Articles of Impeachment written and introduced by Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, alongside his colleagues Ted Lieu, David Cicilline, and Jerry Nadler. The Articles specify that Trump incited insurrection and treason against the duly-elected representatives of the United States. 46 Republican Representatives joined all 233 Democrats. Those Republicans included leading party figures, such as Liz Cheney, James Comer, Rodney Davis, John Katko, Michael McCaul, Steve Stivers, Fred Upton, Steve Womack, and Don Young. Pelosi has named Raskin as the lead impeachment manager.

Republicans who voted for impeachment - Amodei, Armstrong, Bacon, Balderson, Barr, Bentz, Bice, Bost, Buchanan, Bucshon, Cheney, Comer, Curtis, Davis, Feenstra, Fitzpatrick, Gallagher, Garbarino, Gonzalez, Grothman, Guest, Guthrie, Herrera Beutler, Hill, Hollingsworth, Jacobs, Johnson, Joyce, Katko, Kim, Kinzinger, McCaul, McKinley, Moore, Newhouse, Rice, Smith, Spartz, Steil, Stivers, Taylor, Turner, Upton, Valadao, Womack, Young

(Note: I did a RNG roll to determine how bad the storming would be. It rolled at a 98. It always was going to be worse than RL, I just didn't expect the roll to be that bad. I have always opposed the killing off of politicians for obvious reasons, so instead, we see some worse outcomes for some folks. Of course, I do not encourage or support violence against politicians.)