Republican News

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There is a population of foxes on San Juan Island in northwestern Washington state, where I live. They are non-natives who were brought here in the 1930s by island dwellers who were trying to come up with a solution for dealing with the island’s other main invasive species, rabbits (who seem to have arrived sometime in the 1850s with early British settlers). It didn’t really work—the foxes mostly just spread out across the whole island, while the rabbits remain centered at its southern end. But since foxes are not good swimmers, the species did not spread. They have remained here and have become accepted members of the island ecosystem, having survived some tough years in the 1990s.

These are red foxes, but there is a black/silver (technically, “melanistic”) variant among them. So some are red and some are black, sometimes in the same family. And every spring, fox mommas bear litters of their kits, and the island’s residents get to enjoy watching them grow up, while trying to keep them safe from passing cars. (It’s also taboo to feed them—naturalists dealing with the starving populations we saw in the ‘90s realized the problem was dependency on humans. They thrive when they’re on their own, because there’s plenty of prey for them here.) In any event, I was able to enjoy a couple of late afternoons this past month observing them from an appropriate distance with my telephoto lens in hand. Hope you enjoy the results.

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Following the conclusion of the 2020 congressional elections, Daily Kos Elections is pleased to unveil the most comprehensive guide you’ll find anywhere to the members of the new 117th Congress. This spreadsheet includes a wealth of demographic and electoral data on senators and representatives, as well as the states and districts they represent, providing key insight on the makeup of Congress and statistics that play a critical role in understanding both chambers. We’ve also visualized much of this data in maps and charts below.

The guide includes our own calculations of the 2008-2020 presidential elections by congressional district that we recently finished for 2020, the 2012-2020 House election results, and the most recent Senate elections by state. It also includes vital census demographic statistics, such as the racial breakdowns (including by citizenship status) to provide the most accurate estimation of the eligible voter population. It further contains statistics about college educational attainment, median household income, and an estimate of the share of eligible voters who are white without a college degree, a demographic marker that has become highly salient in the Trump era and beyond.

For each voting member of the House and Senate, we also have statistics on their gender, race or ethnicity, age, LGBTQ status, religious affiliation, and even a name-pronunciation guide. The 117th Congress will be both the most racially diverse and have the highest share of women on record, building on the record-breaking 116th Congress. Be sure to bookmark the 117th Congress Guide, since we will keep it updated as new information becomes available or whenever there are changes in congressional memberships. Below we’ll explore these new member demographics.

The chart below summarizes those stats by party for the House. (Note that we have assigned vacant seats to the party, if any, that last held them following the 2020 elections.)

The new House has more than 100 women for the second time in its history, though at 28% of the full chamber, women are still far from parity with men. As shown on the map below, 2020 saw a rebound for Republicans by doubling their proportion of the GOP after it had reached a historic low in 2018, though women are still only 14% of House Republicans compared to 40% of Democrats.

The next map below illustrates which members are new to the House and which are returning veterans. In a reversal of 2018, 2020 saw three times as many Republicans than Democrats who were elected for the first time. (Note that Republican Reps. Claudia Tenney, Darrell Issa, and David Valadao are included among the new members because their previous tenures in Congress were non-consecutive with their current terms.)

In a sharp contrast to 2018, when only one of the 30 newly elected Republicans was a woman, the map below shows that women represent 19 of the 46 Republicans first elected last November. Just as in 2018, a majority of newly elected Democrats were women, with nine out of a total 15.

And as shown on map below, which breaks down membership by race and ethnicity, 2020 saw a very small increase in the proportion of members who are people of color—now more than 27% of the total—but that means we’ve once again set an all-time record.

The partisan divide in race and ethnicity remains sharp, as shown on the two maps below: Among Democrats, just 56% are of solely white-European ancestry, but 91% of House Republicans are.

Our final maps illustrate the religious affiliation of the 117th House members, which the Pew Research Center authoritatively catalogs every two years. Christians comprise 88% of the House, Jews are 6%, those who refused to say or whose affiliation is unknown are 3%, and Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Unitarian Universalists are each 1% or less. Further breaking down the 88% of members who identify as Christians, 54% of House members are Protestants (including both mainline and evangelicals), 31% are Catholics, 2% are Eastern Orthodox, and 1% are Mormons.

As shown below in the final two maps, the partisan differences in religious affiliation are even starker than racial and ethnic differences. Christians make up only 79% of Democrats but are 99% of Republicans. All but three of the 50 members who don’t identify as Christians are Democrats.

In total, heterosexual, Christian, non-Hispanic white men still make up 49% of the House, roughly double their share of the total population according to estimates from the 2019 Cooperative Congressional Election Study. However, those numbers also sharply diverge by party: This group makes up just 25% of House Democrats but 79% of House Republicans.

Turning to the Senate, the upper chamber is much less demographically representative of the nation as a whole than the House, as shown in the chart below.

Women make up 24% of the total (a similar proportion to the House): 32% of Democrats and 16% of Republicans. The Senate is significantly whiter than the House: Only 11% of senators are people of color, including just 16% of Democrats and 6% of Republicans. Heterosexual, Christian, non-Hispanic white men comprise 60% of the Senate, but just like in the House, those numbers differ significantly by party: They make up 42% of Democratic senators but 78% of Republicans.

This guide was compiled by Daily Kos Elections’ Stephen Wolf and Daniel Donner. In addition to data from Pew, we owe a special thanks to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, the Center for Responsive Politics, the Forward, Indian Country Today, the Justice Education Technology Political Advocacy Center, the LGBTQ Victory Fund, and Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics for sharing a host of demographic data with us.

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We’re looking at it very strongly.

The likes of which no one’s never seen. 

ALL CAPS!

China China China.

Russia Russia Russia.

Losers and haters.

Fake news.

Stable genius.

Believe me. 

That’s just a brief glimpse of the rhetorical flourishes we’ll be missing out on as a nation come noon Eastern on January 20, 2021. It’s not that Donald Trump is suddenly going to crawl back under a rock on that glorious day, but at least anyone trying to follow the news in Washington won’t necessarily be tortured at every turn by his latest imbecilic utterance accompanied by a photo of his unfortunate mug. So in honor of the fact that not a single one of us in the Daily Kos community can wait for Trump to be booted from office, here’s a short photo essay celebrating some of what we’ll be bidding adieu in the New Year.

The Links

The Looks 

The Oval

The Kingpin

The Lean

The Hair

The Classics

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On Thursday, the United States racked up over 231,000 new cases of COVID-19. Over 3,200 people died. These are hideous numbers, not at all made better by the fact that Wednesday was worse. Right now across the country, the 7-day moving average puts the number of new cases at 220,000. That’s 40,000 cases a day higher than it was on the day before Thanksgiving. The 7-day average for deaths is 2,600. That’s 900 more each day than on the day before Thanksgiving.

And still, there are people pointing at the fall in reported cases in several states over that period and somehow breathing a sigh of relief. Sure, cases are up in places like Texas, California, and Florida. But smaller states like Iowa and South Dakota—both loaded down with COVID-19 right before the holiday—have actually seen case counts falling steadily for almost a month. Where is that Thanksgiving surge that concerned so many? 

The answer is that it’s right here, on Johns Hopkins test tracking site. In 47 out of 50 states, testing declined, not just last week, but the last two weeks straight. The CDC suggests that an adequate level of testing includes a rate of positive returns less than 3%. By that measure, the states that are currently testing at a level sufficient to describe what’s happening in their boundaries are: Vermont and Hawaii. That’s it. Every other state is operating in the dark about what’s really happening.

For some of them, like the supposedly improving South Dakota, week over week declines in testing rates have the state at 41% positive test rates. The actual rate of hospitalization in South Dakota, as reported by The Covid Tracking Project, remains above that of either California or Texas. As their nationwide data shows, the U.S. has seen an overall slight rise in testing since Thanksgiving (which can be spotted by the sharp recent dip on most of the charts below). While the peak on the daily new cases may appear to be somewhat blunted, the peak on hospitalizations and deaths is not. This is because the nation is once again test constrained. Many states are back to reporting numbers of COVID-19 cases that are roughly equivalent to those self-reporting illness.

The word for what the data is showing is a very high order of “bad.” And it’s not just that the current numbers are awful, they are also foreboding. Because when it comes to the numbers on the two charts to the right—hospitalizations and deaths—we are far from through seeing what Thanksgiving delivered. For everyone who picked up COVID-19 in that period following November 27, the first symptoms should have appeared by now. Median onset of first symptoms would have had those people getting sick last week. But severe illness typically comes later. From first symptoms to severe respiratory distress typically take 3 to 10 days (moving from onset to severe faster than a week is a bad sign when it comes to eventual outcome). Those people who were hospitalized for severe symptoms usually had a hospital stay of 10 days to two weeks. It’s around that same point—a total of 20 days after first symptoms—that patients either recover … or don’t.

The people who are dying today got infected before Thanksgiving. The price to be paid for those turkey dinners isn’t yet known. But it will be. Soon.

What is clear is that case counts and deaths are still at the highest levels they have been at any point since the pandemic began. Do not be fooled by a declining number of cases in specific locations, or reports of an improving “trend.” As the matching hooks in the testing and cases above indicate, the only sure trend is that less testing generates lower numbers. 

Right now, hospitalization rates in particular are a huge concern. Not only are there numerous states where capacity is being strained, this is happening after states have put in place both formal and informal standards that mean many of those who might have been hospitalized a month ago are being sent home. Vaccines for healthcare workers are great, and absolutely necessary, but they will not generate more healthcare workers, or alleviate the exhaustion generated from unbroken weeks of overwork.

This next week could bring a happy surprise, with cases genuinely beginning to drop. However, there is very little cause to think this is true. What is more likely is that the toll from Thanksgiving will become apparent, just in time for it to be compounded by Christmas. Joe Biden could easily walk into a situation in January in which Americans are dying at a rate of 5,000 or more each day. That may sound horrific, but what’s happening now would have sounded horrific to anyone a month ago. And what was happening then would have been horrific to anyone from a month before that.

We’re at a situation now where it can be assumed that every social situation involves exposure to the coronavirus. There is no such thing as a safe gathering. People who have been “pretty good” through this whole affair are not being good enough. Routines that have been good enough to protect most people to this point are no longer good enough.

The time to take extreme caution was weeks ago. But if you haven’t started, start now.

Friday, Dec 18, 2020 · 3:08:15 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

More so than at any time since the initial surge, the numbers being seen in the United States are being shaped not by the true level of infection, but by the availability of tests.

The high level of positive returns shows that, despite increasing tests in a few states, the level of testing has not been this inadequate since tests since tests became widely available.

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After video of the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha police in Wisconsin—which left Blake paralyzed from the waist down—made its way across the world, NBA players staged a walkout, shutting down the entire playoffs. Over the 48 hours, rumors and leaks came out in the media about what was and was not happening between ownership and the players to either begin playing again or scrapping the season entirely. While the players believed that demonstrations such as their walkout were important contributions to the national discussion, they wanted something more tangible to happen.

Then the NBA announced that the playoffs would begin again after three days of being shut down, and that ownership had agreed to expand the number of NBA arenas that would work with state governments to provide a safe place for people to cast their votes this November. Below you’ll find the list of arenas that will be available to registered voters come this most important election.

Atlanta Hawks

At the end of June, the Atlanta Hawks told Georgians that the State Farm Arena would become the single largest voting center in the history of the state. This came after the state’s primary was a catastrophe of voter-suppressing long lines and broken voting machines. Atlanta ownership released a statement at the time saying that the decision to open up their arena was a civic duty for a business that exists because of the community around them.

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets’ Barclay Center, the location of numerous Black Lives Matter protests over the past few months, will be the largest voting place in Brooklyn, New York on Nov. 3.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets were ahead of the curve, announcing that Hornets Sports & Entertainment would make Election Day a company-wide holiday, and they will be turning the Spectrum Center into an early voting site between Oct. 15 and Oct. 31.

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James’ original home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are setting up the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as a general election polling station on Nov. 3. They will also be hosting a National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, Sept. 22.  

Dallas Mavercks

Dallas County’s largest official polling location will be the American Airlines Center on Nov. 3. They are combining their announcement with a “7 days of action” voter registration drive and Get Out the Vote initiative.

Detroit Pistons

In the aftermath of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmed Arbery’s deaths, the Detroit Pistons, announced in early July that they were working with the Michigan secretary of state’s office and would open the The Henry Ford Pistons Performance Center for Nov. 3 voting. They also announced that voting days would be company-wide paid holidays to promote voting amongst their staff.

Houston Rockets

The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas will be open as a Vote Center for the general election in November. General Manager and Senior Vice President of Toyota Center Doug Hall released a statement, saying: “Voting is an extremely important right which many have fought hard for throughout the years and we want to thank the Harris County Clerk office for allowing the Rockets and Toyota Center to offer support.” 

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors announced “multiple initiatives in Oakland, San Francisco and Santa Cruz to support voter participation in the 2020 General Election.” The team’s Oakland Facility and the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz will be serving as drop-off locations on Election Day, with the Oakland Facility also being opened for poll worker training in the weeks leading up to the election.

Indiana Pacers

Bankers Life Fieldhouse, owned by Pacers Sports & Entertainment, will open its doors from 6 AM until 6 PM on Nov. 3, with free parking offered for registered voters.

L.A. Clippers

The Forum in Inglewood has already been letting its parking lot be used for COVID-19 testing. But, along with the Los Angeles Lakers’ Staples Center, it will be open for early voting starting Oct. 24 and continuing through Election Day.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Staples Center in Los Angeles, home to the Lakers, will be open for voting starting Friday, Oct. 30, through Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks’ Fiserv Forum will become an early voting site between Oct. 20 and Nov. 1. This move came before the players’ protest, in partnership with NBA star LeBron James’ voting rights group More Than A Vote. This move was matched by Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers announcing they would open Miller Park as well for early voting.

New York Knicks

Storied Madison Square Garden will serve as the largest polling site in the Big Apple this November, potentially serving upwards of 60,000 New Yorkers.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Chesapeake Energy Arena will serve as the site of voter registration drives on Saturdays from Sept. 12 to Oct. 4. The registration deadline in the state is Oct. 9.

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic, in partnership with the City of Orlando, Orange County, and the Orange County Supervisor of Elections will open the Amway Center to early voting beginning Oct. 19 through Nov. 1. They will also open starting Sept. 22 for voter registration, with the deadline for Florida registration being Oct. 5.

Phoenix Suns

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, while no longer the Suns arena, will become a voting center and early voting ballot drop-off location. The Phoenix Suns’ management worked together with the ownership of the Coliseum to make this happen, which is why they’re getting credit here. Their normal arena, the Talking Stick Resort Arena, was reportedly unable to be converted in time due to renovations that have been taking place there. 

Sacramento Kings

In partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Voter Registration and Elections, the Golden 1 Center became the first arena in Texas to announce—in July—that it would be open as a voting center, beginning Oct. 24 through Nov. 3.

San Antonio Spurs

The AT&T Center will become a “mega voting site” for early voting up through Election Day. The site of sporting events and live concerts will be turned into a voting place beginning in October. The announcement came after the players’ strike, though officials say that “conversations” about turning the arena into a safe voting site were taking place for a couple of months prior.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz’s Vivint Arena, as well as three Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres, will be open for the general elections on Nov. 3. Owner and chairman of the Larry H. Miller group of companies, Gail Miller, told reporters: “Exercising our right to vote allows us to share our voice and to act to preserve our rights and freedoms. We hope the use of our facilities provides voters with greater poll access and that the voter experience meets the highest standards of safety, security and election integrity.” 

Washington Wizards

Capital One Arena, in our nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C., where the Washington Wizards, Mystics, and Capitals play, will be open for early and day-of voting this November. The announcement was made in the middle of August.