Autocracy Has Come To America And It Won’t Be Pretty

INSIDE: Jack Smith ... Kamala Harris ... KSM

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.

It’s Happening Already

The most chilling moment of the election night carnage came a little before 1 a.m. ET.

It wasn’t yet confirmed that Donald Trump would win, but the writing was on the wall.

Assessing the newly transformed MAGA-friendly political landscape, the pro-Trump lobbyist and political commentator David Urban said on CNN: “Democracy is a luxury when you can’t pay your bills.”

Democracy as a luxury. Democracy in good times only. Democracy when it suits you.

This mindset – a precursor to fascist regimes in other countries – is why it feels like a white-wash to ascribe Trump’s victory to economic issues. It feels like a safe, socially acceptable reason to cite for rejecting Kamala Harris and the Biden baggage she carried.

It’s easy for political reporters and TV commentators to slip into gentle analysis of the election results by focusing on the economic factors (to the exclusion of misogyny, racism, and host of other drives of the electorate). But it doesn’t necessarily follow that Biden-era inflation and post-pandemic backlash means jettisoning democracy. That’s a choice.

When we talk about democracy as a luxury that means everything that comes with democracy: free and fair elections, majority rule, and the rule of law.

And so America’s experiment in autocracy begins …

Jack Smith Prepares To End Trump Prosecutions

In the most stinging post-election development, the Justice Department let it be known publicly Wednesday that it plans to wind down the prosecutions of Donald Trump in the Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago cases before Inauguration Day. The move is a reflection of a long-standing DOJ position that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, a position cited favorably by the Supreme Court in its horrendous decision on presidential immunity.

Among the developments:

• “Justice Department officials began signaling that they are eyeing how best to shut down the cases.”–Politico

• “Now that Trump will become president again, DOJ officials see no room to pursue either criminal case against him — and no point in continuing to litigate them in the weeks before he takes office, the people said.”–NBC News

• “The mechanics of how the cases will wind down will become clear in the coming days as court deadlines approach.”–Bloomberg

• While it’s not clear if Smith will issue a final report on his investigations, Attorney General Merrick Garland has said he would make special counsel reports public if they reached his desk.–WaPo

Jan. 6 Defendants Seek Delays In Hope Of Trump Pardons

Some Jan. 6 defendants seized on Trump’s election victory to seek delays in their cases so that they can be pardoned once Trump is sworn into office. One such request has already been already denied by a federal judge in DC.

Hush Money Conviction May Go Away, Too

It’s not clear whether Donald Trump will ever be sentenced for his conviction in the New York state hush money case. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 26. Judge Juan Merchan is expected to issue his decision Tuesday on whether to throw out the conviction.

Who’s To Blame For Trump Dodging The Law?

Ankush Khardori: “We have just witnessed the greatest failure of federal law enforcement in American history.”

‘An Already Battered Democracy’

“Donald Trump’s return to the White House signals a significant breakdown of an already battered democracy, experts say. Almost as dangerous, they contend, much of the electorate sees him as democracy’s savior.”–WaPo

Quote Of The Day

“America has revealed to us her true self, and we have to decide what we do with her from here.”–Waikinya Clanton, founder of the organizing group Black Women for Kamala

THE TELL: MAGA Election Denialism Disappeared

“As soon as it started to look like Trump was going to win, the election denialism went very, very quiet,” said Welton Chang, CEO of a company that monitors fringe social networks, told the NYT.

Biden Extends Courtesy Trump Never Gave Him

In a phone call Wednesday, President Biden invited President-elect Donald Trump to the White House for a transition meeting in the next few days. Trump accepted.

Harris Concession Speech

Hard to watch:

House Prospects Not Looking Good For Democrats

It’s increasingly looking like Donald Trump will return to office with Republican control of both chambers of Congress:

• “House state of play: Republicans have a more robust path to 218 seats than Dems. Roughly 15 races left w/ a decent amount of uncertainty, and the midpoint outcome is pretty close to the current House breakdown, 221R-214D.”–Dave Wasserman

• “Democrats’ path to retaking the House now hinges on winning nearly all of the still-uncalled races, mostly in the West.”–Semafor

• “Democrats are increasingly concerned that California may not bring the wins they need.”–WaPo

Picking Through the Wreckage

• White women: Trump won a majority of white women.

• Latinos: Harris barely won majority support among Latinos.

Silver Linings?

• Abortion: “Seven of the 10 states with abortion on the ballot chose to protect the right Tuesday — and Florida would have too, if it wasn’t subject to a 60-vote supermajority threshold.”–TPM’s Kate Riga

• VA-07: Former Army Lt. Col Eugene Vindman, a key figure in the first Trump impeachment, won election to the House.

Says It All

Trump win sparked a record $64 billion gain in the fortunes of the world’s 10 richest people as U.S. stock values soared.

GOP Biggest Win: Extending Trump’s Tax Cuts

“With full control of Congress, [Republicans] could push through tax changes without needing Democratic votes, just as they did in 2017. Back then, they set the bulk of those tax cuts to expire after eight years—at the end of 2025—teeing up next year’s debate and gambling that a future Congress would extend them. That bet is on the brink of paying off.”–WSJ

Gitmo Pleas For 9/11 Plotters Are Back In Effect

A military judge ruled that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin acted too late and beyond his authority in cancelling the plea agreements of three accused 9/11 plotters housed at Guantánamo Bay, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

ICYMI

“North Korean troops have entered the fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, clashing for the first time with Ukrainian forces who are occupying a large chunk of Russia’s Kursk region, according to a senior Ukrainian official and a senior U.S. official.”–NYT

The Biggest Election Impact Of All

Trump’s victory is a catastrophic development for the energy transition and the effort to avert the most cataclysmic effects of climate change. As if on cue, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service announced Wednesday that 2024 is almost certain to surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record.

Not The Fight We Wanted

I went on Greg Sargent’s podcast to discuss yesterday’s Morning Memo, the election results, and the threats posed by a Trump II presidency. You can listen here:

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