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Abcarian: How could voters choose both Trump and AOC? Pay attention, Democrats

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Abcarian: How could voters choose both Trump and AOC? Pay attention, Democrats

Could self-flagellating Democrats and their gleeful critics please calm down for one stinkin’ minute?

Before remaking an entire party based on one election loss — albeit a devastating one — let’s look at some numbers.

As the final votes are tallied, it appears that President-elect Donald Trump has received 75.1 million votes while Vice President Kamala Harris received 71.9 million. That is a victory margin of just about 2 percentage points.

In 2020, when President Biden beat then-President Trump, he received nearly 81.3 million votes to Trump’s 74.2 million, a victory margin of 4.5 percentage points.

Did Republicans call for introspection? Did they spill barrels of ink wondering where they went wrong? Did they slit their wrists in frustration and vow to start courting the college-educated “coastal elites” they’d spent years vilifying?

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Oh please. We all saw what happened next.

Led by Trump, Republicans engaged in a systematic and illegal scheme attempting to overturn the results of the election. To this day, they cling to the fantasy that Trump won. I laugh when Trump tells his rally-goers that he received more votes in 2020 than any other previous presidential candidate. That was true. But he failed to add that Biden received even more votes than Trump, something Trump is pathologically unable to accept.

(And, I hate to break it to the president-elect, but to this day, Biden has received more votes than any other single presidential candidate. Oh, and in case anyone has forgotten, Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration crowd was much, much bigger than Trump’s in 2017.)

Of course Democrats must engage in serious analysis about what went wrong and how to win back the young men, Latino men and so many working-class voters who deserted the party this year. But that does not mean all the fundamentals of the Democratic platform and philosophy are wrong.

Democrats were disadvantaged in a number of ways. Biden’s decision to stay in the race long after he should have bowed out proved disastrous. After he handed the nomination to Harris, she had a mere 100 days to establish herself, to differentiate herself from him and his deeply unpopular policies. She failed to do so in a way that was persuasive to voters.

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Her failure was also in thinking that positivity could counteract negativity. The failure was in not fully grasping the amnesia Americans were experiencing about Trump’s disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The failure was in not being able to convey the successes of the Biden administration.

Trump whipped up hatred, resentment and fear, which, ugly and disingenuous as it was, helped persuade voters that he cared about their struggles. Sure, inflation is down, wages are up and the economy is humming along strong. But high prices smack you in the face every time you shop for groceries.

And if someone tells you often enough that you are in pain, or that you were better off when the pandemic was in fact killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, you might actually start to believe him.

Bill Clinton, whose move to the right in 1992 felt like a betrayal to the left wing of his party, was able to persuade voters that he felt their pain. Harris was not.

And of course, Harris’ failure was in not being able to counteract the right-wing information sphere. Trump figured out how to court the bro vote. Harris did not. MAGA Republicans were immeasurably aided and abetted by social media algorithms — which trade on rage and anger for engagement — by billionaire tech bros such as Elon Musk, who turned X largely into an alt-right cesspool, and of course by the conservative-dominated media conglomerates that spout lies that rile up voters.

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Fox News, guiltier than any other single outlet for spreading the 2020 big election lie, ended up agreeing to pay Dominion Voting Systems nearly $800 million for defaming the company, whose ballot machines worked perfectly well. That is three-quarters of a billion dollars, folks. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, spread so many vicious lies about Georgia poll workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss that a court ruled he should pay them $148 million for defamation.

Countless other Trump believers are in jail, bankrupt or unable to practice their professions because Republicans simply could not bear the idea that they had lost.

Despite all of that, the Republican Party in its current form never, not even once, had a great public moment of introspection.

Instead, it doubled down on lies and on whipping up fear about vulnerable populations while exploiting Democrats’ weaknesses.

“The people who watched Trump’s television ads during sporting events had not been harmed by a transgender person, or by an immigrant, or by a woman of color,” wrote the historian Timothy Snyder in the New Yorker. “The magic lies in the daring it takes to declare a weaker group to be part of an overwhelming conspiracy.”

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Instead of the circular firing squad Democrats have formed post-election, they should hunker down for the fight against the cruel, inhumane and potentially earth-shattering policies coming our way. And be open to learning from the voters who deserted them, or split their votes between Trump at the top and a Democrat further down the ballot.

New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose progressive politics have made her a favorite target of Republicans, asked her social media followers to explain why they cast their ballots for both her and Trump.

“I actually want to learn from you and hear what you’re thinking,” she said.

The responses were enlightening.

“Real simple,” wrote one. “Trump and you care for the working class.”

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“I feel like Trump and you are both real.”

“Voted Trump, but I like you and Bernie. I don’t trust either party’s establishment politicians.”

Democrats should take these sentiments to heart and act accordingly. It’s not their policies — it’s their messaging.

Threads: @rabcarian

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Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

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Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

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Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.

“I’ve decided to step out of this race, and I’ll let others worry about the election while I focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year.” “All right, so this is Quality Learing Center — meant to say Quality ‘Learning’ Center.” “Right now we have around 56 kids enrolled. If the children are not here, we mark absence.”

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Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.

By Shawn Paik

January 6, 2026

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Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

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Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

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A San Francisco Democrat demanded the impeachment of President Donald Trump, accusing him of carrying out a “coup” against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, seen as the likely congressional successor to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, also took a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Wiener has frequently drawn national attention for his progressive positions, including his legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom designating California as a “refuge” for transgender children and remarks at a San Francisco Pride Month event referring to California children as “our kids.”

In a lengthy public statement following the Trump administration’s arrest and extradition of Maduro to New York, Wiener said the move shows the president only cares about “enriching his public donors” and “cares nothing for the human or economic cost of conquering another country.”

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KAMALA HARRIS BLASTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO AS ‘UNLAWFUL AND UNWISE’

California State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, speaks at a rally. (John Sciulli/Getty Images)

“This lawless coup is an invitation for China to invade Taiwan, for Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine, and for Netanyahu to expand the destruction of Gaza and annex the West Bank,” said Wiener, who originally hails from South Jersey.

He suggested that the Maduro operation was meant to distract from purportedly slumping poll numbers, the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, and to essentially seize another country’s oil reserves.

“Trump is a total failure,” Wiener said. “By engaging in this reckless act, Trump is also making the entire world less safe … Trump is making clear yet again that, under this regime, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are no norms – there is only whatever Trump thinks is best for himself and his cronies at a given moment in time.”

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GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION ‘DOESN’T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

In response, the White House said the administration’s actions against Maduro were “lawfully executed” and included a federal arrest warrant.”

“While Democrats take twisted stands in support of indicted drug smugglers, President Trump will always stand with victims and families who can finally receive closure thanks to this historic action,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

Supporters of the operation have pushed back on claims of “regime change” – an accusation Wiener also made – pointing to actions by Maduro-aligned courts that barred top opposition leader María Corina Machado from running, even as publicly reported results indicated her proxy, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the vote.

“Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela isn’t about drugs, and it isn’t about helping the people of Venezuela or restoring Venezuelan democracy,” Wiener added. “Yes, Maduro is awful, but that’s not what the invasion is about. It’s all about oil and Trump’s collapsing support at home.”

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EX-ESPN STAR KEITH OLBERMANN CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES THAT CAPTURED MADURO

Around the country, a handful of other Democrats referenced impeachment or impeachable offenses, but did not go as far as Wiener in demanding such proceedings.

Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., who represents otherwise conservative “Mountain Maryland” in the state’s panhandle, said Monday that Democrats should “imminently consider impeachment proceedings,” according to TIME.

McClain-Delaney said Trump acted without constitutionally-prescribed congressional authorization and wrongly voiced “intention to ‘run’ the country.”

SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’

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One frequent Trump foil, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., cited in a statement that she has called for Trump’s impeachment in the past; blaming Republicans for letting the president “escape accountability.”

“Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view,” Waters said. 

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“What we are witnessing is an unprecedented escalation of an unlawful invasion, the detention of foreign leaders, and a president openly asserting power far beyond what the Constitution allows,” she said, while appearing to agree with Trump that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and “collaborat[ion] with… terrorists.”

Wiener’s upcoming primary is considered the deciding election in the D+36 district, while a handful of other lesser-known candidates have reportedly either filed FEC paperwork or declared their candidacy, including San Francisco Councilwoman Connie Chan.

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California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress

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California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress

California Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) has died, GOP leadership and President Trump confirmed Tuesday morning.

“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House majority whip, in a post on X. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”

LaMalfa, 65, was a fourth-generation rice farmer from Oroville and staunch Trump supporter who had represented his Northern California district for the past 12 years. His seat was one of several that was in jeopardy under the state’s redrawn districts approved by voters with Proposition 50.

Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from LaMalfa’s residence at 6:50 p.m. Monday, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. The congressman was taken to the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he died while undergoing emergency surgery, authorities said.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned, according to the sheriff’s office.

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LaMalfa’s district — which stretches from the northern outskirts of Sacramento, through Redding at the northern end of the Central Valley and Alturas in the state’s northeast corner — is largely rural, and constituents have long said they felt underrepresented in liberal California.

LaMalfa put much of his focus on boosting federal water supplies to farmers, and seeking to reduce environmental restrictions on logging and extraction of other natural resources.

One LaMalfa’s final acts in the U.S. House was to successfully push for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act, a long-standing financial aid program for schools surrounded by untaxed federal forest land, whose budgets could not depend upon property taxes, as most public schools do. Despite broad bipartisan support, Congress let it lapse in 2023.

In an interview with The Times as he was walking onto the House floor in mid-December, LaMalfa said he was frustrated with Congress’s inability to pass even a popular bill like that reauthorization.

The Secure Rural Schools Act, he said, was a victim of a Congress in which “it’s still an eternal fight over anything fiscal.” It is “annoying,” LaMalfa said, “how hard it is to get basic things done around here.”

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In a statement posted on X, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said he considered LaMalfa “a friend and partner” and that the congressman was “deeply committed to his community and constituents, working to make life better for those he represented.”

“Doug’s life was one of great service and he will be deeply missed,” Schiff wrote.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement called LaMalfa a “devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented.”

“While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care,” Newsom said.

Flags at the California State Capitol in Sacramento will be flown at half-staff in honor of the congressman, according to the governor.

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Before his death, LaMalfa was facing a difficult reelection bid to hold his seat. After voters approved Proposition 50 in November — aimed at giving California Democrats more seats in Congress — LaMalfa was drawn into a new district that heavily favored his likely opponent, State Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat who represents the state’s northwest coast.

LaMalfa’s death puts the Republican majority in Congress in further jeopardy, with a margin of just two votes to secure passage of any bill along party lines after the resignation of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday evening.

Adding to the party’s troubles, Rep. Jim Baird, a Republican from Indiana, was hospitalized on Tuesday for a car crash described by the White House as serious. While Baird is said to be stable, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson from Louisiana, will not be able to rely on his attendance. And he has one additional caucus member – Thomas Massie of Kentucky – who has made a habit of voting against the president, bringing their margin for error down effectively to zero.

President Trump, addressing a gathering of GOP House members at the Kennedy Center, addressed the news at the start of his remarks, expressing “tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member” and stating his speech would be made in LaMalfa’s honor.

“He was the leader of the Western caucus – a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water. ‘Release the water!’ he’d scream out. And a true defender of American children.”

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“You know, he voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump added.

A native of Oroville, LaMalfa attended Butte College and then earned an ag-business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He served in the California Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and the California State Senate from 2010 to 2012. Staunchly conservative, he was an early supporter of Proposition 209, which ended affirmative action in California, and he also pushed for passage of the Protection of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, which banned same-sex marriage in California.

While representing California’s 1st District, LaMalfa focused largely on issues affecting rural California and other western states. In 2025, Congressman he was elected as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, which focuses on legislation affected rural areas.

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