Wiretap: Twitter rants, the Electoral College and the long view of Castro’s revolution

Pants on fire

Donald Trump baselessly claims — via Twitter, of course — that the reason he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton is because “millions” had voted illegally. As the New York Times notes, he offered no evidence for his claim. As the Washington Post Fact Checker notes, Trump’s “bogus” claim is deserving of four Pinocchios.

Conflicts of interest

The more cynical among us might suggest that Trump’s tweet-storm may have been to deflect attention from the New York Times’s extraordinary article detailing the many potential Trumpian conflicts of interest that literally span the globe.

Inside job

In other president-elect news, Mitt Romney is being publicly trashed by Trump advisers in what may be an unprecedented inside-job attack on a potential cabinet pick. Via Politico.

Sorry not sorry

What an apology from Mitt Romney for all the terrible things he said about Donald Trump would sound like. Via Jonathan Chait at New York magazine.

Not their job

Sorry, but it’s not the Electoral College’s job to overturn a bad result in a presidential election. Via the Atlantic.

The next generation

Milbank: If Democrats are to recover, it’s time for Nancy Pelosi and her team to make way for a new generation. Via the Washington Post.

Industrial revolution

Michael Lind says the future of Republicanism should be as the party of industry. Via the National Review.

Castro’s paradox

Millions cheered when Fidel Castro arrived in Havana. Millions more fled Castro’s police state. The essential paradox of Castro was that many of those millions were in both groups. Castro dies at 90. Via the Miami Herald.

The long view

A view of Castro’s revolution and its aftermath from three generations of one family. Via the New York Times.

Stepping up

How the election of Donald Trump has turned a reluctant China into a leading voice on trade and climate change. Via the Los Angeles Times.

Foresight 20/20

Chris Cillizza lays out his six potential candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. If you had John Hickenlooper in the pool, you can collect your reward now. Via the Washington Post.

 

Photo credit: Marcelo Montecino, Creative Commons, Flickr