New Rule: "Until Donald Trump Is No Longer President, Don't Talk To Me About Any Cause Except Democrats Winning Elections"

The hell with Kirsten Gillibrand-- Bill Maher endorsed Al Franken for president on his HBO show Friday night. He explained why in the video above but, clearly, "he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people still like him!"

Then Bill goes after #MeToo excesses. You don't need me to reiterate it or even weigh in. Just listen to it yourself. Besides, I've made it clear who I'm backing for the Democratic nomination in 2020. And that stands.

Maher was right-- "people still like him." But you know who people don't like? Lots of rotten Republican politicians who want to take their healthcare away and who want to lock children up in cages and who rubber-stamp and enable Trump. And, more specifically, they don't like Ted Cruz. According to bother the NY Times and the Washington Post yesterday, former Congressman Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), now Trump's Budget Director, was at a closed door meeting with GOP fat cats with RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel (Trump forced her to change her name from Ronna Romney before he would allow her to take the RNC job). The Times was given an audio recording of Mulvaney's remarks, apparently by another member of the #NeverTrump Republican "Resistance."

"There's a very real possibility," said Mulvaney, "we will win a race for Senate in Florida and lose a race in Texas for Senate, O.K.?" He put the blame square on how dislikable Cruz is, especially in comparison to Beto O'Rourke. Mulvaney understands there is no Blue Wave-- "They want you to think there's a blue wave when there's not," he said-- but he doesn't understand that there's a massive anti-red wave headed in their direction, one that will take down the unlikable and the likable. Mulvaney asked "How likable is a candidate? That still counts." It does-- but not as much is a wave election.

The Times reported that Mulvaney "conceded that Republicans had nominated poor candidates in places and might struggle to defend a huge number of open House seats where Republican incumbents decided not to run for re-election." That's an understatement. The GOP has actual bona-fide Nazis running in some districts and criminals in others. Here's an example, Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley district was redrawn to be slightly bluer, just slightly. The well-liked incumbent, Charlie Dent, had had it with Trump and with the congressional GOP's decision to enable him instead of stand up to him. So he decided to retire. He would would probably have won reelection-- he's likable and respected and sane. His old PA-15 had a PVI of R+2 and the new 7th (71.6% of Dent's old district) has a PVI of D+1. Under the new boundaries, Hillary would have beaten Trump 48.7% to 47.6%.

Nothstein-- big ego problems, sexual predator... & GOP candidate

So the GOP really needed to recruit someone outstanding in order to hold the seat against a top notch Democrat, Susan Wild. Instead Instead they wound up-- by a hair-- with a dreadful candidate, Marty Nothstein. Nothstein, a cyclist, has been working as executive director of the Lehigh Valley velodrome (an arena for track cycling) for a decade. The velodrome board put him on unpaid leave in February-- something he's hidden from voters-- after it came to their attention that he has been credibly accused of sexual misconduct. Since then, they fired him. Nothstein, like every single Republican politician accused of sexual impropriety in history, denies everything and claims it was a "political hit job." He was able to hide the scandal for 6 months and flipped out when the Morning Call, after a 3-month investigation, blew the whistle. The other Republican in the primary, Dean Browning, who lost by just 318 votes, says he was unaware of the scandal and had no idea Nothstein had been put on leave (and then fired) because of it. When the Lehigh County GOP, asked Nothstein if he had any skeletons in his closet he lied and said he didn't, according to Browning, who added "If I was in his situation if an allegation came up, I would take it upon myself to explain to voters whether any of it is true or not." Paul Ryan's shady SuperPAC has been funding Nothstein's race but is refusing to comment on the scandal and a spokesman won't say whether or not they will continue their activities on his behalf.

So, whether you're talking about grotesque, toxic incumbents like Cruz-- like Devin Nunes (CA), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Dana Rohrabacher (Moscow), Steve King (IA)-- or new recruits like Lyin' Bryan Steil (WI), Mark Harris (NC), or Seth Grossman (NJ)-- the actual candidates themselves are adding to the momentum of an anti-red wave, particularly with women voters who are paying close attention as Republican candidates reenact scenes from the 1950s on the hustings.

Susan Wild's Lucky Break In Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley: Another GOP Sex Scandal

The board complained Nothstein had "ego" problems but didn't fire him until after the sex scandal

When the Pennsylvania Supreme Court oversaw the redrawing of the state's gerrymandered congressional districts, Charlie Dent's 15th district got somewhat friendlier for Democrats. Dent had already decided he couldn't stand working in a Trumpified Washington and had announced his premature retirement. The new 7th district is 71.6% from Dent's 15th CD, 24.8% from Matt Cartwright's old 17th district and a tiny bit from Tom Marino's old 10th district. The 15th was an R+2 district. The new 7th is a D+1. In this Trumped-up political environment, it's nearly unimaginable that a Republican could win it this year. Under the new boundaries, Hillary beat Trump 48.7% to 47.6%.

6 Democrats ran in the primary May 15. There was tremendous apprehension because among the top three candidates there were 2 progressives-- Greg Edwards and Susan Wild-- and one Republican-lite candidate, John Morganelli. Morganelli was financed by GOP billionaires through a network of shady SuperPACs controlled by No Labels-- a right-wing group that works to elect conservative Democrats. In the end, though Wild won:

• Susan Wild- 15,262 (33.45%)
• John Morganelli- 13,754 (30.15%)
• Greg Edwards- 11,602 (25.43%)

The GOP primary was very close and now we're getting to Wild's good luck.

• Marty Nothstein- 16,241 (50.49%)
• Dean Browning- 15,923 (49.51%)

First note that 45,622 voters participated in the Democratic primary, while only 32,164 participated in the Republican primary, a great sign for November. But, even better, at least from a partisan perspective is that the local media this week is filled with a Nothstein scandal. Nothstein, a cyclist, has been working as executive director of the Lehigh Valley velodrome (an arena for track cycling) for a decade. The velodrome board put him on unpaid leave in February, something he's tried to hide from voters, after it came to their attention that he has been credibly accused of sexual misconduct. Since then, they fired him. Nothstein, like every single Republican politician accused of sexual impropriety in history, denies everything and claims it was a "political hit job." Nothstein has been able to hide the scandal for 6 months and flipped out when the Morning Call, after a 3-month investigation blew the whistle. The other Republican in the primary, Dean Browning, who lost by just 318 votes, says he was unaware of the scandal and had no idea Nothstein had been put on leave (and then fired) because of it. When the Lehigh County GOP, asked Nothstein if he had any skeletons in his closet he lied and said he didn't, according to Browning, who added "If I was in his situation if an allegation came up, I would take it upon myself to explain to voters whether any of it is true or not."

A source with direct knowledge said Nothstein’s being placed on leave came within days of the board receiving the email indicating he was under investigation for alleged misconduct by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an independent wing of the congressionally sanctioned U.S. Olympic Committee.

SafeSport has “exclusive authority” to conduct internal investigations of “actual or suspected sexual misconduct” and underlying problems related to sexual misconduct at 47 Olympic-sanctioned sports programs no matter how old the claim may be. It was created in 2014 following mounting abuse complaints and public pressure.

...Jonathan Whiteman, a USA Cycling risk protection manager who fields abuse claims, said his office received the complaint about Nothstein on Oct. 30. That was 11 days after Nothstein publicly announced his bid for Congress.

Whiteman forwarded it to SafeSport on Nov. 1. Before referring it, Whiteman said he gathered “enough specificity to allege a policy has been violated,” as is required.

“What I can confirm is USA Cycling received an allegation involving Marty Nothstein that included sexual misconduct,” Whiteman said in a May phone interview. “When USA Cycling receives an allegation of sexual misconduct, we are not making any determination of validity before reporting it to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.”

...The February timing of the decision matches a big drop in the salary Nothstein listed on his most recent congressional candidate filing. The May 15 filing shows Valley Preferred paid Nothstein $23,781 this year-- which equaled two months of his gross $148,688 salary.

Neither the nonprofit’s board nor Nothstein publicly announced his departure from the velodrome or the reasons behind it even as the nonprofit labored to get the track ready for its opening season.

...Two weeks before the May 15 primary election, Nothstein would only say he was campaigning full time when repeatedly questioned by a reporter about his employment status at the velodrome. Board members declined to comment or did not return requests for a comment this spring.

...Nothstein and velodrome officials publicly ended their relationship this month. That’s when the velodrome started to advertise on its website a job listing for executive director. Nothstein said Thursday he received no financial settlement from the velodrome.

Paul Ryan's shady SuperPAC has been funding Nothstein's race but is refusing to comment on the scandal and a spokesman won't say whether or not they will continue their activities on his behalf.