* “Our democracy–pushed, tested, threatened–proved to be resilient, true and strong.”–President-elect Joe Biden, after the Electoral College chose him as America’s next president.
* Call it karma or schadenfreude or a “Saturday Night Live” preview, but it will be interesting—and perversely appealing—to watch the official Congressional count of electoral votes on Jan. 6. That’s because the person presiding–and formally announcing the results–will be the president of the Senate, otherwise known as the vice president of the United States. That means Mike Pence will officially declare Joe Biden the winner. Yes.
* For those hoping—and expecting—Biden to name Susan Rice as his secretary of state, the disappointment is understandable. She has serious foreign-policy chops and is a former national security adviser and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She’s been a secretary of state finalist twice—and was in the running for Biden’s vice president. But confirmation could have been dicey. Republicans have never forgiven her for downplaying terrorism as a motive for the 2012 Benghazi attack on the U.S. Libyan consulate that cost four American lives. Rice instead will become the director of the Domestic Policy Council, which, not coincidentally, does not require Senate confirmation.
* Jill Biden has been criticized by some for being affected in her use of “Doctor” that references her non-medical-degree doctorate in education. That’s petty. She earned it. She doesn’t just talk a good game of educational value. It’s a proud reminder that a woman of credentialed learning—think Michelle Obama, not Melania Trump—is part of this Administration’s inner circle. But if we must start parsing courtesy titles, let’s first consider “Honorable” for members of Congress.
* Andrew Yang, no surprise, is still a player. The former tech executive, who attracted a following during his presidential candidacy, is a likely 2021 candidate for mayor of New York. The New York native—and former resident of Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood—created Humanity Forward, a New York-based non-profit that distributes money to needy families in the Bronx.
* “The Democratic Party is a Star Wars bar of contentious special interest groups.”–Republican strategist Mac Stipanovich—now registered NPA.