Yesterday the official account of the Republican National Committee tweeted Independence Day greetings with a graphic of the Liberian flag, which has one star, rather than that of the United States, which has fifty.
A dispiriting reminder of the constant creep towards fascism that we need to resist. I just got an e-mail tonight from a group of progressives concerned about the unwillingness of the Democratic National Committee even to permit discussion about dark money in the party's elections. Not, perhaps, as egregious as the RNC using the wrong flag, but still, a self-imposed silence by the leaders of the Democratic Party, leading me to wonder what we can do to restore our democratic values to our party.
Yes, the fight against oligarchy is deep. Too many Democratic electeds receive major funding from what we used to call “special interests.” We need to clean house by electing Democrats to their seats who transparently use their legislative power for the wellbeing of their constituency and the nation. For instance, I don’t want a senator misrepresenting me by opposing universal healthcare because a major donor is big pharma. And if we live in a glass house we can’t attack the corrupt GOP opposition.
Added 7/6: How many votes did Hilary Clinton lose when it was revealed that she and Bill received over $125M in speaking fees after he left the presidency, 1/5 of it in the two years before her presidential run, including $675K for three speeches to Goldman Sachs? Was it legal, yes. But how could people trust her to advocate for them rather than Wall Street? Did that stop me from voting for her against Trump? No. But Democrats can and must do better. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/us/politics/in-race-defined-by-income-gap-hillary-clintons-wall-street-ties-incite-rivals.html
If we take "government of the people, by the people, for the people" seriously, and I think it is crucially important that we do, we need to be as a whole, far better informed and far more engaged (myself included) to realize that famous phrase in a meaningful sense. WE need to know what's going on, WE need to think about and discus consequences, and what kind of world we want to live in.
Picking the best representatives in the world won't bring that vision to fruition if we are not adequately aware and frankly riding herd on what our hired agents are doing in our name. It not just, elect Biden, or whoever, and he or she will figure it out for us. As we might engage any sort of expert, we definitely need to offload some of the horse work and engage the special expertise required in governing to fiduciaries. But a manager who snoozes while a project drifts off its mission, or is co-opted by self-serving opportunists, is simply not doing the job. WE collectively, are the ultimate managers of our own society's fate. Isn't that what democracy means? And a career in public service needs to be a calling, not a power play; by the people, for the people. No?
If you can't consistently and resolutely serve the public's interests, don't even think about taking a public sphere position. WE the People have too much at stake.
JL, I concur that being a public servant is (or can be) “a calling” of sorts. You are not in it for the money—public servants (the vast majority) likely make close to a living wage—just enough—there are no riches in public service, unless you leverage/take advantage (ick!) of your position (then, to me, you’ve stopped being a public servant & have become an opportunist). There are legions of folks working in the public sector that diligently, some even passionately, do their job to little or no fanfare….but then again, fanfare is not why they do the job…an occasional nod of approval or thanks is quite enough to know you are appreciated. I suggest books by Michael Lewis, such as The Fifth Risk & The Premonition that speak, in part, to the worker-bee public servants that most Americans don’t know have their backs. IMHO it can be a right livelihood.
Trump is the perfect example being the absolute antithesis of public servant. He being the perfect symbol for all that is wrong in the country. A grifter rises to the highest office? Impossible! Proof of something seriously wrong. He unleashed the worst element of our fellow Americans. Our job as patriotic citizens is to counter that hate with information and concerns for what is underlying such discontent.
Yes, we have no idea the constant drip, drip, drip of subtle pressure on local government to favor special interests, but when it isn't resisted, it becomes a fait accompli.
I once had a telephone appointment with a parent regarding her kid’s student aid…we had a lengthy conversation and I outlined information, made suggestions, I got specific and detailed, etc. Toward the end of our time, she said to me that I should be “a consultant” with the information & expertise I had & that folks would certainly be interested in what I had to offer. I paused for a beat or two before I replied that most of our “clients” (students/parents) seeking student aid for college were not in the position to pay for consultations and that I did what I did for free to whomever made an appointment with me. She was quiet for a moment (awareness dawning no doubt) and said, to paraphrase from memory, “oh, yes, of course”. I wasn’t upset, really, at what she suggested, but it was just such an anathema thought to me as not to ever be entertained….I mean, really, what???? Would have never occurred to me!
J.L..picking up on that thread, it reminds me of Lincoln's clear statement about what the Civil War meant: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."
Right now we are in fact engaged in a second civil war. We need to realize that. When more than 50 million Americans still support a person who actively tried to topple the government, we're involved in a "civil war." Some of the "Confederates" are on the inside, to wit: Jim Jordan, Josh Hawley and other MAGA members. What can we do as individuals? Get involved with the local Democratic Party and work like hell to get people registered to vote and to the polls on election day.
Josh Hawley, " sprinting like Bambi" away from the mob he saluted hours before on Jan. 6, is now sprinting into the arms of "virulent antisemitic white" supremicists. Run, Josh, run. And disappear.
Kids of a certain age become skilled at detecting BS, and aspiration. We often lose our edge when we become routinized and invested in the status quo, but all ages need to be collaborating for democracy to work.
When Democrats, pushed by social movement could no longer reconcile their egalitarian aspirations with smug, oppressive "DIxiecrats", the former "Party of Lincoln" saw an opportunity to recruit fanatical, angry army of would-be Confederates who wouldn't let it go. The R party has since fanned the embers of the first Civil War. Old Scratch himself might just as well have appeared in a puff of pink smoke, "Soul for Power" contract in his hand. "Truth and Reconciliation" never let the fire out of the first conflict, sustained to this day though too much winking at the supremacist impulse.
The larger conflict, the tension between compassion and narcissistic abuses of power is likely as old as our species, probably older.
"It is the eternal struggle between these two principles -- right and wrong -- throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time, and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity and the other the divine right of kings" - Lincoln
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-brief-but-spectacular-take-on-knowing-your-power This link takes you to a segment of PBS NewsHour called "Brief but Spectacular", where a young man named Ben Sheehan talks about our woeful ignorance, which he hopes to help correct. According to a survey he cites (Pew, I think?) less than 50% of Americans queried could name the three branches of government. Civics is only a required course in 8 of the 50 states!! That is outrageous, but totally believable.
The pressure from Republicans like Lynn Cheney, wife of Dick and mother of Liz, to eliminate civics as unnecessary was strong when she was president of the National Council of the Humanities from 1986=1993. That's one reason I was astounded with Liz stood up against Trump's disregard for the Constitution. A lot of people in political office are clueless about public education, especially in poorly funded areas. A student who has weak reading skills can't infer how the government should function by studying American history. It has to be taught.
I am repeatedly reminded of Orwell's Newspeak. I recall my mother reading of somewhere in the States where it was a capital offense to teach a native American to read. Those obsessed with attaining absolute power want Orcs, not engaged citizens.
We hear a lot of words, such as "liberty" and "free market", etc.. without much discussion of the details of what they mean, how they work, and what is necessary to achieve or refine them. So much of our public political dialog feels like the empty puffery of commercial advertising, meant to skirt serious scrutiny. What, in terms of detail, does a phrase such as "Make America Great Again" even mean? Or is it an insubstantial slogan? It's not entirely the "GOP" doing it either. Even the email I get from politicians I support seems too much of a sales pitch and to little a substantive report. Replies to what I send to them often seem quite oblique to what I wrote about.
Thanks for this. I don't have tv, so find news on my computer when I can, and tend to radio and written forms. I had no idea this brilliant series was on PBS. This young (to me) man has really pinpointed the problem at root of the the problems we have. I've heard these things before but here he puts it in a context that connects some dots. So already today I have been made more fully aware, and now I recognize one of the things I might be able to make a difference about. BTW: our select board made a shuffle earlier this summer that resulted in a man being chair who is as uninformed about the structure and function of government as anyone I've met.
A group of us are attending meetings and calling him out on his errors, because the board itself is tippy-toing to keep the peace. I think he might be waking up, but I suspect his pride will result in his not running for re-election. He has stated himself that he is not really suited for "this being available all the time to deal with things". It is unfortunate that he has been put in the position he is in, because, gosh, that's part of the deal when you become a public elected official.
Amazing, the dirth of civics courses. I remember mine really well. Victor Wattner used the word "facetitous," the first time I had heard that word, to describe a politician's words. But, more to the point, James Loewen's "Lies My Teacher Told Me" is amazing. It was my daughter's high school history book (2002.) I have it and am reading it again. No wonder we don't know nuthin'. Many of us were taught nuthin'. I recommend this book for every one of us. Loewen died in 2021. I regret not writing to him to thank him for that book. [The older I get (83) the more regrets pile up.]
We all need to supplement our school experience with writings and talks by people like Loewen; we actually need to un-learn some of what we were taught - sometimes by distortion, sometimes by omission - and fill in some of the many intentional blanks left in our schooling at a critical point in our lives. It's eye-popping, as the real truth often is, but we can't be 'educated' or 'well-informed' without learning the un-edited version of what passed for education decades ago.
As though a driving school introduced you how to work the stereo and not the accelerator, steering wheel, and brakes. Part of this seems to me to be a push from corporatism to drop any school-based preparation for life in general, and focus on vocational training. They don't want the impediment of robust democracy and certainly don't want "woke".
Public service is a calling. If a job requires some education to toil long and hard for a barely adequate wage because that job is necessary for the common good, that job is a calling.
The member of the sedition caucus who represents my House district in NC is a political opportunist. He has never had a thought not put into his head by the RNC. My district is rural and poor, but he thought he could be an adequate representative because he had a vacation place at the beach in our district. He has since moved down here. Vacation places on the NC coast have never been cheap. He could not imagine trying to raise a family on the pay of a teacher and an auto mechanic working to pay the mortgage on a 3 bed, 2 bath house. Those are the fortunate ones. My rep is just interested in his own wellbeing, the rest of us are just a means to an end for him. BTW, he isn't married and isn't raising a family.
Sounds like an RNC plant. We have one in our Norther Michigan/Upper Peninsula district. U.S. Rep Jack Bergman is from Louisiana (where he and his wife still pretty much live), and he is owned by Enbridge to keep Line 5 running oil and gas through Lake Michigan. We have TWO excellent Democratic candidates to oppose him - I am contributing to and rooting for both, while explaining to "good" Republicans why Bergman is so bad for them.
What did he do to win the election? Misdirection plays, away from his constitutents' social and economic needs with abortion, immigration, racism, etc.?
And so many people just don't give a "damn". They don't want to care about their lively hood. I hate the term, "God will provide. And, I give it to the Lord."
The corporate buying of legislators and judges permitted by Citizens United has much to do with the moral rot we are witnessing in Washington. I don't see the House Judiciary Committee taking up that concern under Gym Jordan's extraordinarily partisan leadership.
I have a friend who was teaching a college class in China on the American political system. He was explaining about lobbyists when the class broke out in laughter. He asked why they were laughing. The Reply? They said that it was nothing more than legalized bribery.
In today’s climate I think more and more of Winston Churchill’s response when someone asked him whether the German attack on the Soviet Union made that country an ally of Britain. Churchill, a lifelong, virulent anti-Communist, said, “If Hitler invaded Hell, I should at least make a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.” I advise against litmus tests or examination of purity among those on our side in a fight to save the national, literally.
Making sure our stables are safe and clean is sound maintenance. But training and grooming and running good races with strong horses is the business of politics. I worry when our talking about the cleanliness of our candidates or restrooms, seemingly, gets the press coverage. I'd reu the day when our concession speechs brag that at least you can eat off the stable floors and our defeated candidate got 5-star approval from the "Citizens for No Dark Money."
The un-healthcare industry only makes money when we are sick and the food industry supplies foods that are highly addictive to make us sick so the un-healthcare industry can stay profitable. And they feed our politicians MONEY and that keeps politics sick, that is not representing their constituents.
This seems either naive, or right off the chaos agent script. "We can't deal with the corrupt fascist GOP until all Democrats are squeaky clean and ideologically pure" is utter bullshit. .
I say how about we DON'T paralyze Democrats with eternal infighting while the GOP runs roughshod over democracy. Rather, how about we immediately get to work purging government of the worst hypocritical, corrupt, anti-democratic fascists from the bottom up, regardless of which political party they claim to belong to.
It's said that herding Dems is like herding cats, and this "we can't criticize them unless/until we're perfect" is exactly the kind of divisive crap that proves the pudding
I certainly agree with you about the need for transparent funding, especially of Democratic party candidates who purport to serve the people rather than the oligarchs. Questionable funding from moneyed interests results in two things: people who refuse to vote for the leading candidate, for instance Hillary Clinton in 2016, despite the obvious consequences; and people who, seeing this dynamic, incessantly blame Democrats who made that choice instead of working on raising standards for fundraising, or on promoting viable and uncorrupted candidates for 2024 and beyond.
The start of authoritarianism is when common sense withers away and get replaced with misinformation. And this, some Republicans seems to have borrowed a leaf from the authoritarian regimes who have considered digital superhighway as a tool for misinformation to breed unrest and sway voters. Internet can disrupt democracies and at the same time, destabilise dictatorships. In April 2018, Facebook was embroiled in a Cambridge Analytica Scandal where personal information of almost 87 million was targeted for political gain. Since then, it has been established that data breaches of 50 million Turkish, 198 Americans, 55 million Filipino, and 93 million Mexicans have occurred.
Russians have Internet Research Agency, backed by GRU military intelligence and uses tactics like narrative laundering (legitimization of created narratives through repetition citations across media), and boosterism (repetitive content reinforcing the perception that a certain narrative represents a popular point of view).
These are digital tools that Republicans have mastered in the recent past and have created their own repeated narratives.
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By using Twitter, right-wing Republicans want to cut off their attention from the public and divert it to FBI and DOJ, and brand them as liars. This digital tool was used by Iran recently.
Iran, as per the Atlantic Council, has deployed digital influence tools. Iranian sock puppets started operating in 2010 and have grown gradually in recent years, with Facebook identifying (recently in 2020) that approximately "2,200 assets directly affected six million users. Similarly Twitter identified 8,000 Twitter accounts responsible for roughly 8.5 million messages.
"During the January 2018 nationwide protests in Iran, Twitter bots attempted to discredit widely shared videos of rallies, while pro-regime accounts guided protestors to the wrong locations and sought to convey that protests were small and localized."
Edwin - I think I got my first memorable taste of dis-information during the first Iraq war, when Saddam Hussein filled the news feeds with lie after lie, spin on top of spin. It occurred to me that if one can change truth, turn lies into facts in the eyes of enough people to matter, then you have power. An ill gotten power, a corrupt power corrupt to its core. Hard to explain, but I felt a senses of alarm. I guess I place alot of importance on evidence-based reality (part of the reason I am not religious), and that serious danger lurks when nations alter truth for their own interests. Since then, I have watched the Republican Party swallow this tactic hook, line, and sinker. As I have stated before, a political party whose whole platform is based on something other than modern reality (climate denial being the most important example), such skullduggery is necessary to convince a voting public that it is right. It is a test of the literacy of the voting electorate - do they collectively have a good BS meter. I am afraid that they (we?) may fail that test. Already did once in 2016.
And "Fahrenheit 451." There are people and places banning books or trying to, following in the steps of totalitarian countries. Look at Germany under Hitler. Look at the Soviet Union and Russia today. Look at Belarus. Look at China. Look at Kyrgyzstan. Look at Iran. Look at Florida. Wait until they build a wall to keep people in. Right now they lure retirees with their no taxes, so that people's retirement money is stretched further. That is until the sea wall washes over their property destroying it or just floods them out. Then they say they cannot have certain books or thoughts taught in universities and schools, so Floridians can be ignorant. Will they start banning reading books? Will they ban reading the internet? Apparently a Federal Court Judge just gave credence to the idea that a Federal Court cannot restrict books, but can they make sure that that same court will not uphold Florida banning books? [In]Justice Terry A. Dougherty is the name of this man. Congress needs to pass laws restricting social media anyway. Then, the President doesn't have to.
True. Remember once something is accepted and normalised, it becomes part of the society and norms of the society are hard to break-it takes ages. Now with the digital superhighway, politicians can easily reach thousands of people in a few minutes with fabricated information and convince the public without proof. The main tool is appealing to emotions of the people and not their logic. With this, they can win them with ease with the use of misinformation. In Kenya, the opposition told their supporters that their results were stolen despite the Supreme Court deciding and concluding the case. And worse, they believed them and demonstrated.
In Kenya, I would expect that kind of thing to happen from time to time. The average Kenyan still has far less education than the average American, and presumably less understanding of the political system. Perhaps, also, many in the electorate have been burned before with corrupt politicians. Am I wrong? I am not a Kenya expert by any means. I believe the ignorant mind (willful or not) is ripe for a dis-information campaign. This is what baffles me with the political situation in the USA. We should know better. The forces of dis-information should be no more than background radiation here, but instead it is a force that can take hold of the nation.
James, and yet, we educated Americans accepted Donald Trump as a presidential candidate and were dumb enough to elect him.
I do not think we have anything over anyone!!!!
Obviously, we as humans are vulnerable to "mob" influence and less likely to really look at the total candidate.....observing character, experience in governing, general respect for women and other humans, ability to work with all Americans and world leaders....FOR FREEDOM!
Somehow. An average Kenya is less educated than the average American, but the millenials are burgeoning in numbers in terms of those who are educated. Recently, the highest number of tiktik users comes from Kenya at 54% more than any other country across the world. But, I have realized that no matter what level of education, disinformation can hit anyone like a plague. The only difference is that when someone thinks for the second time, they may obliterate themselves from misinformation. But, only a few people can do that. Trump tried in 2021 and almost succeeded in selling lies were it not for Facebook and Twitter to ban him.
I agree that norms are hard to break. I was watching a show in Germany, where they were discussing how hard a time many East Germans had adapting when Germany reunified East and West into one nation again. They discussed that it would take 3 generations to really move beyond the cultural differences of the two parts of Germany. I have seen this in action. Three generations is 60 years, so that is kind of what we are looking at in terms of breaking norms.
I remember that very well and I screamed to High Heaven: Even if Saddam had WMDs he wouldn't use them because he knew that he would be irradiated by superior forces and that would cost him everything. Saddam was cruel, but not stupid, like us. We were stupid to buy into Bush's Big Lie. Millions of humans are now dead or suffering because of Bush and the gang around him.
Perhaps the biggest lie of the Iraq War was the eventually proven-false propaganda about the Kuwaiti baby incubators, which whipped up American public hatred against Iraq and support for Bush's evil war:
Interesting perspective on how wrong testimony and campaign propaganda ignited Iraq War. But, what happened to intelligence? Did the then president believed in false media reports? How did the secret service carry out its work? Did Bush only wanted to test its might?
My understanding is that this was deliberate propaganda to get the American people to support Bush's plan to crush Iraq, because Iraq under Saddam Hussein was successfully industrializing.
If you are interested and have the time, you might be interested in the book "The Fire This Time: U.S. War Crimes in the Gulf."
Around the same time, with George H.W. Bush as President, was the Shock Therapy genocide against Russia. This killed all the old people and more. If you have the interest and the time, you might check the book "Genocide: Russia and the New World Order" by a Russian minister under President Boris Yeltsin:
This happened during the ongoing I.M.F. genocide against almost all of the Third World countries. Quoting from the 100-page resignation letter of senior I.M.F. official Davison Budhoo:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
HCR refers to "the removal of disinformation during the pandemic." Did such "removal" go far beyond disinformation and suppress any public talk that questioned the party line that the new, experimental covid vaccines were "safe and effective"?
John - my wife is part of the medical community, and she is in the know. She watched in an overwhelmed hospital how people died horribly from that disease, one after another, and felt how helpless we were for a time. When you are in that position, you have a unique perspective on something like Covid 19, as opposed to those who poo-poo'd it saying it was a liberal ploy. The Covid-19 virus was a very scary thing, at the beginning especially. It was looking like it might be similar to some of the fictional movies made where huge swaths of human population were wiped out. Surely you recall hospitals in Italy racking and stacking corpses in the hallways. Meat locker trucks in the streets of New York storing the dead. There was every reason for the pharmaceutical community to pull out all the stops and get a vaccine developed without a moment to lose. That they did so as quickly as they did is just amazing. Were shortcuts taken? Yes as I understand it. Was it worth it - hell yes. Upwards of 4000 persons per day were dying at the time, in the US alone. Did it put humans at risk? No reliable evidence that is the case. There was also every reason for nations to lock up, and protect its citizens from something that was going to kill them. That Trump resisted this is a crime against humanity that will unfortunately go unpunished. And importantly, there was every reason to go after those who would misuse the free speech rights we have to endanger everyone. Like you. Your continued efforts here to deny the seriousness of that pandemic and attack the actions of a nation to try to get on top of it are despicable. You have decided in your own mind what went down, and seek anything you can find to back it up. You will not find any institution with any credibility that shares the crap you link to. I do not have time for covid deniers of any color or flavor. None of us should.
James, love and appreciation to your wife, and to all medical professionals who endured this horror!!!! COVID damaged all of us in one way or another as well as our "worldwide family".
I remember the piles of bodies....so many dying that they could not be cared for in a timely manner. Our whole world experienced this horror.
@John Schmeeckle, thank you for identifying the kind of disinformation that needs to be suppressed. The articles you cite are bullpucky, full of pseudo science, intended to stir fear and distrust. Your post demonstrates the problem of disinformation perfectly.
Unfortunately, the digital rules and regulations are still inconsistent with how to deal with misinformation. Social media completely closed public discourse on jow safe and effective vaccines were. I don't know now how digital stakeholders will regulate varying opinions given that only mainstream companies are mostly not questioned because they are known. The unknowns with tested and proven methods are censured strictly. The articles that you shared reflects the non-uniformity of tackling misinformation from a large swamp of data in the Internet.
I understand that Africa has coped with Covid-19 without the widespread use of the experimental western vaccines. Perhaps you might have a comment on the following:
The first article I linked reported on a research paper co-written by the Director of a Center at the Harvard Medical School.
@James Wheaton:
If you pack a lot of people with a respiratory infection together in an enclosed space, deaths accelerate dramatically. The real culprit is the ongoing shutting of hospitals, so we no longer have the resources to deal with this type of epidemic.
Your false statements about my point of view and what I have posted here are defamatory. I have reported your post.
@John R: There is no intellectual content in your foam-at-the-mouth tirade. You speak like a Silly McCarthyist Orwellian Troll (SMOT).
@John Schmeeckle. You continue to be the perfect exemplar of the spreaders of disinformation that social media hope to eliminate. You link to articles from fringe conspiracy theorists, whose claims have not held up to scientific scrutiny. These “experts” you cite have been dismissed by the scientific community because they use pseudo-science to generate fear and ignorance. They threaten to do real damage to communities by leading them to doubt life-saving medical care. Promoting such quackery is immoral, and dangerous. I’d say you should know better, but perhaps this is all you know. You are a reflection of that of which you accuse others, “There is no intellectual content in your foam-at-the-mouth tirade. You speak like a Silly McCarthyist Orwellian Troll”. I wouldn’t have put it like that, it’s a bit too Monty Python in it’s absurdity. But those are your words. Why do you do this?
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Edwin, I could appreciate your contributions a lot better if I didn't feel constantly pressured to join your newsletter. If you are interesting enough, I will, but I also need to be careful not to overload. I would love to know more specifics about how your observations of African history and current affairs can help us understand our own better. I am not as well-versed in African affairs as I feel I should be and as I learn, I am realizing how much more connected to Africa we are than our history tells us. I truly appreciate your expanding on that in your posts. But I have a resistance to the "hard sell". Your posts will draw people in. No need for hard sell.
Wooow! I really appreciate your feedback and I am grateful having you here. Actually, am currently researching on African affairs (perhaps that you don't know). From history, politics, economy, social life, local culture, language, individuals, to technology, I will expound them. I am sorry that I haven't written enough because I have been working on them for some days because research is time-consuming and indeph. Expect more and welcome once again.
Andrew Korybko's substack focuses on Russia, and he has a lot to say about Russia and Africa. Sometimes he is persuasive, but I've had occasion to publicly disagree with him. He says that Russia has been fighting a proxy war with France in northwestern Africa. Whether you agree or disagree with his assessments, it might be useful for you to know what others are thinking about:
In the aftermath of the 2016 election, I registered as a Democrat (after decades of being unenrolled, voting in Democratic primaries, and voting for Democrats because the Republicans were so awful) and got involved in the Democratic Party politics at the local level. It's been interesting and educational, but I'm on my way out. All the best candidates are Democrats, but the Democratic Party in my state (same as yours, Betsy: MA) is bloated and hidebound, while the state legislature, with Dem supermajorities in both houses, is a national embarrassment (especially the House of Representatives) . It now looks to me as if the most effective way to restore (or maybe create from scratch) democratic values to the Democratic Party is by organizing outside it to kick its butt. (Still haven't decided if I'm going to the MassDems convention in September, but I did send in my registration.)
2024 is NOT the year to be withdrawing support from Democrats unless you are ready for autocracy and mayhem. Republicans have NOTHING to offer. The House of Representatives is a fine example. Please don’t let the perfect you search for be the enemy of the good. Massachusetts is more flexible than most states, but at the national level, we need all the Dems we can get.
Virginia , I agree, we need to support the "DEMS". Not only do the Repubs. have nothing to offer but they have completely lost their way. All they are doing is shooting arrows at the Dems.
I hear of nothing from the Republicans about policies to improve our care of the earth, air and waters. I hear nothing about support for teachers and schools. I hear nothing about rebuilding our infrastructure, etc, etc..... I hear nothing about working with democracies world-wide to promote freedom. Forget the Republicans supporting control over the purchasing of guns that should only be used by the military or support for those who need ongoing care with mental struggles leading to violent behavior.
In contrast we are experiencing a Democratic Party led by President Joe Biden who is promoting "Build back Better" which is underway. He has improved our relationships with our allies and communicates even with those countries who do not support Democracy.
Real governance is difficult. We have to work together in this country if we want to continue growing as a great nation. Freedom is not free. It takes each of us.
All I hear and see is news full of anti- Biden gossip. The members of the Republican Party are doing little to nothing for our country, or its people....or to promote freedom throughout the world.
There is so much work that needs to be done for our country.....where is the Republican Party? ......and YET, our President talkes about the work that can be done by both political parties working togrther....following protocol, giving and taking....showing us how Democracy is supposed to work.....being a great example!!!!!
Who's talking about withdrawing support from Democrats? As you may have noticed, priorities differ depending on what state you're in. MA is in effect a one-party state, and that party is the Democrats. We have two outstanding senators (Warren and Markey) and an outstanding congressional delegation (IMO the 1st Congressional District could do better than Richard Neal, but he'd do credit to plenty of other states). I do believe we can manage to keep electing them and at the same time bring pressure to bear on our un-democratic state legislature.
One party rule is never successful for more than four years. The Mass legislature has too many developers who limit progress on housing and education. BUT, not only is our full Congressional delegation people who I strongly support, but our new governor and the new mayor of Boston are trying hard to push the rock up the hill and keep it there.
I love that Mass put billboards in Texas and Florida inviting gay couples to move to Mass where they can enjoy their lives in safety and freedom.
The MA legislature has been one-party rule for a long time -- decades? -- but you've got a point there: I wouldn't call it exactly successful if the measure of success is dealing creatively with pressing issues.
Lol about those billboards. Gotta hope that any gay couples who accept the invitation are well-off; otherwise, they're going to have a hard time finding housing they can afford.
This takes us off topic, but why do you claim the MA legislature is a "national embarrassment?" Even with a string of consecutive MA House speakers dislodged for various corrupt actions at the individual self-dealing level, I'll stack our legislature against the one that convenes in Albany any day. The legislatures that truly and repeatedly show themselves to be embarrassments on a national scale are in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Wisconsin - these are the foremost of the ones who would see democracy dislodged entirely. Massachusetts works really very well, nationally speaking.
What a sad list for Wisconsin to be on! While it's uncontrovertably true Wisconsin has a terrible legislature right now, I take pride that in statewide elections we are taking baby steps to fix the problem. It will take our new supreme court addressing the gerrymandered elections to begin to move back to a more balanced legislature. When I look back at Wisconsin political traditions, I am disgusted at the embarrassing cult currently in control.
Susanna & John, you comments are interesting & puzzling to me to me, as I know next to nothing about MA’s legislature. Guess I’ll have to read up on it, hard to keep up will all that’s going on nationally, let alone in all 50 states!
Thanks for sharing this report, Susan. You're not wrong about the disfunction on Beacon Hill, and in another context I'd love to discuss. It's in the current context of the American Experiment being under immediate threat that I take issue with the "national embarrassment" characterization of Massachusetts' legislature. Taken from a wonk (term of endearment) perspective, your statement is fair enough. My own popular politics perspective informs me otherwise. So it's apropos to find this in the Executive Summary of your linked study:
"Characterizing legislatures... is highly subjective. The lens of personal political beliefs alters the picture."
As the late Tip O'Neill and many others have advised, "Think globally, act locally." You're probably aware of the many times in U.S. history that some activists (often non-male and/or non-white) have been advised to defer their goals until after Goal X is achieved? When Goal X is achieved, however, everyone goes home. It really is possible to walk and chew gum at the same time.
Isn’t Gianforte the governor in MT? The body slam guy that DT encouraged? Where Jon Tester, the only practicing farmer (think climate change) in the Senate, is up for re-election?
Yes. Senator Tester is running a very uphill battle. R Senator Daines was part of the group that went to Moscow on July 4th. The state has a R super majority and moderate R are being called RINO . MT has an outstanding state constitution & it is under attack as well. To me it seems with the viciousness of attacks, R are behaving like cornered animals
Thank you very much for the information about Daines. That’s traitorous behavior! What will Montanans gain from his trip to Moscow? The symbolism is appalling. What is being taught in Montana’s schools?
John, you're mostly looking at the surface -- and if you take those states as standards of comparison, MA is going to come off relatively well. Shouldn't we aim a little higher than that? The MA legislature ranks close to the bottom on several key issues, like accountability and transparency. It concentrates too much power in leadership, especially in the House. Unlike many state legislatures, it has no legislative research bureau that can do the research that leads to effective legislation. The result is that legislators depend on well-funded lobbyists to get too much of their information. You may have noticed that the House especially likes to put off important bills to the end of each two-year session, which causes a traffic jam that makes it easy for leadership to avoid acting on whatever it doesn't want to act on.
Aim as high as we want but there is just one existential crisis facing American democracy today and it doesn't hinge on the success or failure of a Good Government movement in MA. Anyone can walk and chew gum at the same time but should we? MAGA will cause you to either trip and fall flat or swallow that gum. Gotta keep your eye on the critical path.
Given all the back-and-forth here about the two parties, I invite you all to look at the legislation that Minnesota Democrats have accomplished in this 2023 session. We Democrats are mighty proud of them. Democrats hold both the Minnesota House and Senate and with Democratic Gov. Walz at the head, we have a bushelful of good new policies. The party in charge matters.
Many of us here in MA look at MN with awe and admiration. Having a Democratic governor helps. MA voters collectively like to elect moderate Republican governors like former governor Charlie Baker (who decided not to run for a third term last year, at least in part because he might not have survived the Republican primary -- the MA GOP has gone MAGA). I've got high hopes for Gov. Maura Healey, who took office in January, and I'm especially impressed by our new lieutenant governor, Kim Driscoll (who was a standout mayor of Salem for about 16 years). But Healey and Driscoll have to work with our state legislature, and that is going to be, to put it mildly, a challenge.
Susan, I understand your frustration, but, we’re in a life and death struggle for democracy. If Democrats don’t win in 2024, we may find ourselves in a country we no longer recognize. Winning will require an all hands on deck effort. If you think Massachusetts is bad, imagine living in Florida, where our party is toothless and unfocused. Florida has become the poster child for American fascism, thanks to DeSantis. While bellowing “freedom” at every rally, he quietly takes our rights away. He uses lies and disinformation to frame his actions and few dare argue with him; they know how vindictive he is.
We've been in a life and death struggle for democracy for decades now (or maybe centuries?). A lot of middle-class-and-up white people just caught on when Trump was elected. This is good, though one does wish they'd caught on earlier. Not sure why you think I'm frustrated, but hey, if it helps you make sense of your world, carry on. ;-)
Guess I misread your message. You only like Democratic candidates, but, find the Massachusetts Democratic Party “bloated and embarrassing” and therefore you’re thinking of leaving it. I read that as frustrated with the party. Now I’m not sure what you really intended to convey, carry on.
Do you understand the difference between being a Democrat and being a member of the party structure? I was secretary of a regional Dem group for the last 6 years and I'm currently chair of my Democratic Town Committee. Based on this experience, I don't think this is an effective use of my time and energy -- I've got better alternatives for making a difference.
I think Diane sensed that you might support a third party candidate, which, in our bifurcated system, could throw the presidency to the Republicans. Of course, the opposite sometimes works. At this very dangerous time, any perceived loss of solidarity is disconcerting. Thanks for the clarification; and may all of us make a difference, before it's too late.
Your choice mostly means that you don't get to participate in choosing who runs, since you cannot vote in a primary. You are also an example that most "independents" really aren't. You're a pissed-off Democrat, not an "independent." And there *is* a difference.
I'm NPP (No Party Preference) and sometimes Rs let me vote in their primaries and sometimes Ds do. But you get to vote in the main elections, regardless, so you still have a say overall.
I'm originally from England and was a card-carrying member of the Labour Party there. I voted Lib Dem in locals, Labour in nationals, and Green in Euros (the European Green Party is sane and reasonable -- unlike the crazies here in the US). For me, the Democrats are a center-right party that I have to hold my nose to vote for -- but I do, every time, because the alternatives are either idiots or fascists!
And the "GOP" provides us with the worst of both worlds. I have registered with the Democrats since my first vote, but I don't consider myself loyal to any party. It's just that in my lifetime, save for a couple of minor offices back when Republicans weren't all bad, there is no other responsible choice.
MisTBlu, I learned that the hard way by “voting my conscience” (tho we SHOULD be able to IMHO!) and voted for Nader back in the day. Recently read an interesting archived article about him (sorry, can’t put my finger on it at the moment), but basically said he’s been relentlessly excoriated due to the outcome of that election—despite all the good, even great, service he’s done. While reading the article I kept thinking that I don’t blame HIM, I put the onus on the voter (like me!) who made the choice, not really understanding in our system what the impact would/could be. I recently found (linked from something I was reading) a TicTok vid explaining ranked-choice-voting using Legos as a visual….simple, effective, explanation. I think if we had local/state/national ranked-choice-voting we could all express our choices and be pragmatic at the same time. https://www.tiktok.com/@nycvotes/video/7249447480872553770
In 2000, I voted for Nader, too, but only because I was in a safe Democratic state (NY). Had I been in somewhere like, say, Florida, my vote would have gone to Gore for sure.
Fun fact: Nader actually outpolled Bush in the town I lived in at the time (Ithaca, NY)
Barbara, like you, I’ve voted my conscience in the past based “on principle”. That is a luxury no longer pragmatic in our fascist MAGA infected Republic
Ranked choice voting seems like a good way to improve the current two party debacle; in both the General Election AND in State and Local primaries
Although I never voted for Nader, I give him credit for saving the lives of both my brother and son-in-law who recently survived auto accidents this year that would have killed them had Nader not taken on the auto industry.
I have so many emotions about Nader, the Greens and the 2000 election that I can't form a coherent paragraph. Suffice it to say that Nader went from hero to zero when he broke his promise to not run in Florida.
I'm afraid I can't agree. Being independent is not the same as voting third party. You can be independent and vote a straight Democratic ticket, just as we Democrats can.
I don't personally see the value in being an independent, but being one doesn't help the Republicans. You just miss out on primaries.
The political landscape has changed a lot in the last couple of decades. Not participating in the primary elections for partisan offices leaves the choice of candidates in the general to others. That's fine if you really truly don't care about the general. Also, in jungle primary states, having a large number of Independent voters could lead to two candidates from the party you don't want to win being your only option. On a more practical level, primary votes allow candidates to raise money, recruit volunteers and gain "mojo."
Our neighbor, a former R pol, is an Independent although I know he votes mostly for Ds. He can't quite make the switch to D and it perhaps it gives him some cover if he is trying to influence certain Rs.
That's a ridiculous thing to say -- NPP doesn't mean "voting third party", it just means you're not locked into one party's _primary_ voting.
I've voted in every election since I became a citizen here (early 2005) and I've never voted third party for President, for exactly this reason: it's a (broken) two-party, winner-take-all system.
I agree that the system is broken but it is what is. You're correct that NPP is not third party but it means that those who don't vote in the primary leave the choice of the candidates that they can choose in the general up to others. To me, in these times, that's dangerous.
MA is an open-primary state, which means that if you're unenrolled in any party, you can take any party's primary ballot. Local elections, where one's vote can have the greatest impact, are nonpartisan. On the whole, I think party affiliation is like wearing a T-shirt declaring your preferences: it's a personal statement that doesn't have much political effect. To have some political effect, you've got to do more than vote, e.g., support primary candidates, follow what's going on in local and state government, and communicate regularly with your elected officials.
In Vermont, party affiliation is not part of registering to vote, period. Most of us vote by mail. When we receive our ballots, we get three (there are 3 parties in VT who use the ballot system to select candidates). We select the ballot we wish to use, and put it in the designated official envelope for the marked ballot (on the outside of which is the required signature and oath that affirms that the ballot was marked of free will). The other two unused ballots are placed in another envelope, and both envelopes are put in the mailing envelope to be mailed to the town clerk together (to ensure that each person marks only one ballot).
Vermont has just voted to allow ranked choice elections at local level. It is not compulsory, but it is expected to gradually be adopted generally, with exceptions for very small towns where counting is done by hand. The bill also sets up a commission to examine how ranked choice might work for state level positions; the process will include public input, as well as evaluating places where ranked choice is already in use. They will make recommendations back to the legislature. So we'll see. This seems to me a sound approach to the issue.
This is useful info, Annie. Thanks. Do you mean that in VT, no record is kept of party affiliation? How do party primaries work? In MA we've finally got no-fault mail-in voting, but since I'm a poll worker I always vote in person and am not sure how the primary works. In MA, registered Dems get the Dem ballot and registered Republicans get the GOP ballot, but I'm not sure what unenrolled voters -- who aren't enrolled in any party and who can vote in either primary -- get. Gotta ask my town clerk!
Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) seems to be catching on in more and more places. As it proves itself at the municipal level, I think it'll move up to, e.g., congressional district and state levels. Republicans don't like it, for obvious reasons: extremist or otherwise unqualified candidates tend not to fare all that well. Take Sarah Palin for instance . . .
I addressed this somewhat in my first paragraph, but perhaps I didn't frame it well enough. You are correct: no record is kept of party affiliation. One registers only as a voter, not as a party member. The individual makes the choice of party during primaries when they receive all three ballots: they choose one to mark and put in an envelop by itself. The other two ballots are placed unmarked in a special envelope. All are put in a larger envelope together to be mailed or dropped off. The unused ballots are destroyed. The envelope for the marked ballot has a signature and code which is read and the envelope discarded. The ballot is placed in a special machine to be scanned. The machine has a secure chamber with a lock box, in which all the ballots are retained in case a manual recount is needed (which does sometimes happen). Local elections (in my town, anyway) are on a separate ballot and placed in it's own box.
I should add that Vermont has many other parties besides the major 3 (Dem, Repub, Progressive). They usually select state level candidates by caucus or petition, and their candidates will appear on the main ballot in November along with the three main parties. I am not sure of this, but I believe that names on petitions and attending caucuses are recorded to ensure that they are not also voting in the balloted primary.
This year I became a Justice of the Peace in my town and will be part of the crew overseeing the elections and helping out where needed. I have other duties as well (mostly having to do with reviews of tax appeals and that sort of thing). Not exciting, but an essential part of ensuring the equitable application of the law at the local level. I worked in the public servant part of the government, and never felt the draw to elected office. But in retirement, with my intense interest in politics and governance, I finally applied to fill a vacated Justice of the Peace slot that originally was on the state ballot. Law provides a mechanism for filling a vacated position. Though we work at the local level, we are technically a part of the state Judiciary, and so I was appointed by the governor after being chosen as a candidate by my town party caucus.
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Phd is the California Secretary of State: sos.ca.gov. California & Texas have decentralized voting status down to the County level.
Dr. Weber's official CA Secretary of State website provides a useful "KNOW YOUR VOTING STATUS" with a Link and/or phone number for every County in CA. To verify your voting status to 'VOTE in '24', check your voting status now in July 2023.
You can clearly see, I am preparing to be a local, volunteer, CA voting monitor :)
I’m an election official too. I’ve been considering the right time to tell ppl to make sure they are still able to vote, what with purges and other nefarious activities.
When you replied to my comment I was curious about your reason. This seems like a safe space to discuss difficult decisions, so I'm hoping that you'll change your mind and give us something to think about.
I prefer not to share that information. And I certainly would not want my own decision-making to influence anyone else’s.
We are all thinking and seemingly curious adults here. Sometimes it’s more powerful to seek internally and find what would make oneself make a change like that.
Mzlizzi, personal insights are valuable tools for others that may not have imagined someone else's path to decision making. If someone is influenced by my thinking process, I’m happy to act as an example of “how I arrived at my conclusion”. People can agree or disagree freely, and at the same time, their disagreement can better inform my perspective.
“Finding” myself in my own head risks confirmation bias and dependency on “me” thinking I know it all
We all have value. Contributing that to society makes us Society
Mzlizzi please share why you switched. As TCINLA stated, by being independent, I think that, in many states, you give up your right to vote in the primaries and help determine which Democrats are on the general election ballot.
Mary, mzlizzi shared that she switched. She has no obligation to anyone to reveal why or what. It is her right under the law. I don't think you are saying anything she is not aware of. By pressuring her, you are risking shutting her out of the discussion. Please don't.
Annie, I figured that she had a good reason to switch that outweighed the reason I stated to stay a Democrat. I thought that it might be sufficient for me to want to switch as well. That’s why I asked—I’m sorry that it came across as pressuring her. That was not at all my intention.
The right wing Attorneys General of many states are flooding the court with suits to undo civil rights and environmental protection. Louisiana AG Landry leads this pack of wolves in efforts to undermine democratic protection. Given how effectively the GQP has manipulated voting the danger they represent can be very entrenched.
That depends on what state you live in if you can vote as an independent in primaries. There are independents who are from the R party as well. Many independents have joined together to focus on issues rather than party politics. Also for those R who will not vote for a D, they may vote for an I.
I was an independent until I learned I couldn't vote in the primaries here in NV, so I switched to dem.
I figured why should I sit out part of the election process by being independent and besides, party affiliation doesn't define me, it just gives me the chance to make my voice heard through the whole process.
Don't understand why people would choose not to have their voice heard.
I, too , am an independant. However, I can change my party affiliation to suit the voting party. In other words, I will change my status to Rep. so I can vote in the primary.
I did year’s ago. But I’d been a registered Republican for years. Over time it just did not fit my values. Decided I wanted to feel free to vote the issue and candidate on each “independent” issue and candidate.
You know, Betsy, if you were running for office what would you do? Renounce dark money and gifts from large donors? I think you would, because like most people we find it to be wrong. Why wouldn’t the DNC follow suit? Don’t they think we notice their reticence? Hey, DNC people... We Notice!!!
The game of politics here in America would benefit greatly from strong campaign finance laws and regulations; it’s been talked about for as long as I can remember. Why do people with lots of money want so much power and control? That’s one of the big questions asked in “Citizen Kane” and in so many other great works of art. George Washington was so happy when the Revolutionary War ended.... he just wanted to go home afterwards like many of his fellow veterans. That’s a good attitude... My Dad had the same one after he served in WWII.
I think by virtue of our very human nature, and by growing up in our democratic meritocracy, that we Americans are not power crazed people. We don’t want to be and we don’t need to be, in order to live good, fulfilling and largely happy lives. The people who want more and more and more ...? Sure, it’s America.... it doesn’t make them bad people unless they become unmoored by their own “amazingness” and then like Charlie Kane become Charles Foster Kane the savior of humanity or some similar permutation. I’m sure that Mark Twain would have liked the movie and appreciated its humor and tragedy very much; Herman Mankiewicz, the writer of Citizen Kane was one brilliant guy.... Orson Welles was, too.
As Dr Richardson so eloquently points out ( when isn’t she eloquent? ) disinformation, lies purported to be true and then amplified as our Yellow Journalists and others did long ago and continue to do today, is a real problem. As the character, Jedediah , played so well by Joseph Cotton in Citizen Kane might say about our current situation: “Sure, pass more laws and prosecute the guilty but don’t expect it to stop. As much as I tried to convince my old friend, Charlie Kane not to destroy himself, he just couldn’t help it.... “Rosebud”, indeed....But take heart you people today and keep your wits about you... things will be Okay as long as you all remain grounded and suspicious of your own hubris!” Jedediah was a modest, tough, very smart, funny and loyal guy... like most of us Americans. I liked his style and his attitude and like him, I’m a bit of a philosopher, too. We need to take threats to our democracy seriously, dispense with villainy whenever possible and continue to accept too much, for too long, that isn’t perfect or even good at all, as we work steadily towards a better democracy.
We need to get rid of the Citzens United abomination. Another means of attack could be shortening the time politicians are allowed to politic, er, campaign. An acquantance in Australia said their limit is 8 weeks - no one can run ads, go on talk shows, whatever, and do any campaigning until 8 weeks ahead of election day. That would limit some of the money being raised. How about closer scrutiny of all politicians financial affairs, as in audits, IRS or otherwise?
While I think this is entirely unlikely, we would all be a lot healthier. Mostly, these long run-ups to elections distract us from governing and paying attention to who's doing what.
Money has almost always ruled politics and the economy. From the long world history of monarchs to dictators. And it is the money that is the root of our undemocratic problems. Money, greed underlie all the efforts to keep the worlds oldest democracy from being a democracy.
Betsy Smith--So sadly true. Ironically I received an email survey from the Nevada Democratic Party and the last question was, "What do you like about being a Democrat in Nevada." Knowing that the purpose of the question was a manipulative way to harvest quotes for PR, I left it blank rather than responding that incompetence was less odious than pure evil. Just like Schiff running against Porter in CA, we've got two great primary candidates--finally!--an African American male and a Jewish female--running against each other for Las Vegas mayor. The only result will be uneven more divided community. A loss for all of us.
Is there a way to encourage the Democratic National al Party to change "dark money" into "bright money"? Bring it out of the darkness by openly praising its donor supporters. As long as it takes (apparently) millions of dollars to get a candidate elected, and the thugs are spending that kind of money, I don't want to lose by default solely as the consequence of declining so-called "dark money". As long as we have to live in the climate of Citizens United, we need to make sure viable Democratic candidates can compete against hugely-funded thugs. Not a single Democrat can get the work done if they can't even get into office.
Judges should not be ruling the US. Challenge their statements and counter them. This is especially true for the corrupt Trump-centered followers, including SCOTU$
Or just acting like bullies. It seems to me that the core of the whole authoritarian thing is about glorifying being a bully, in a pyramid of bullying, with scapegoats at the bottom. The technically once "party of Lincoln" has gone a long way down that road. The daily news is full of it.
Judges need to review what John Marshall said in the used-to-be-famous case of Marbury v. Madison: the courts have no power to supervise the executive. They can only act within their own sphere. The best answer to a ruling like this is to follow Andy Jackson's example, and ask the judge how he plans to enforce his decision.
Marbury vs Madison: the Courts 'say what the law is'. Court's are not a super legislatures nor are they policymakers but, Courts do have equitable powers which is why some litigators sign off with the mantra: "All rights reserved in law & equity". Regardless, all judicial remedies require sound judicial procedure backed by ADMISSIBLE evidence, As HCR explained accurately that was not the case in one matter appealed immediately to the 5th Circuit.
What does the Supreme Court have to decide before President Biden takes action?
‘Biden has harshly criticized the Supreme Court’s sharp pivot to the right, but he has stayed away from endorsing any of the broad array of reforms — including court expansion, term limits and mandatory retirements — ‘
___’After the court last Friday blocked Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt, Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) reintroduced legislation to institute 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices.’
___’ The Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of more than 100 lawmakers, recently renewed its push to expand the court. Several Democratic senators, including Sens. Tina Smith (Minn.) and Edward J. Markey (Mass.), have voiced support.’
“The court is already in a very unhealthy state,” said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, a liberal advocacy group that backs court expansion. “The public’s confidence in the court has never been lower, and the court’s legitimacy derives from the public having a belief that its rulings are nonpolitical. The crisis is already here.”
___’In another illustration of the issue’s growing potency within the party, three leading Democratic candidates for a U.S. Senate seat from California — Reps. Adam B. Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter — have all embraced expanding the court.’
‘“If we start the process of trying to expand the court, we’re going to politicize it, maybe forever, in a way that is not healthy,” Biden told MSNBC.
‘Once Biden became the Democratic nominee in 2020 and began facing pressure from other Democrats to embrace the expansion push, he promised to create a commission to study proposals for reforming the court when he became president, which he did.’
‘The commission submitted a 294-page report in December 2021, but Biden has said little about it.’
‘ Caroline Fredrickson, who was a member of the commission and is a professor at Georgetown Law, said the commission only interacted with the president once after submitting its report. In December 2022, its members were invited to the White House and met briefly with Biden in the Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. But Fredrickson said the meeting was largely an opportunity for the president to thank the members for their work, not to discuss the report or its recommendations.'
‘Fredrickson, who supports court expansion and term limits, said the court’s latest term only confirmed her view that it is in “desperate need” of reforms.'
“We have a very problematic system in which we have a court that can assert these incredible powers that affect all of our lives and they’re not of momentary import, but they can affect generations,” she said. “It’s a very radical approach to governing, to have a court that can act like a monarchy. It does destabilize our democracy quite a bit.’
___”But Democrats, who have been infuriated by the lax rules for the Supreme Court, have vowed to try to tighten ethics rules for the justices, vowing to push legislation if the justices do not adopt an ethics code on their own.'
“The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards. But for too long that has been the case with the United States Supreme Court. That needs to change,” Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a joint statement with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who chairs a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the federal judiciary.’(WAPO) See gifted link below.
Many Democrats are trying to make changes in the Supreme Court.
I totally agree, Fern. Democrats used to be bold, but somehow the leadership has lost that courage when we are at the helm. Anita Hill warned us about Thomas, and he has been rogue for his entire career on the bench; somehow his wife's abetting of the overthrow of the government is overlooked. Then there's Kavanaugh, another credibly excused predator who never recuses himself. And then Roberts' wife is revealed to be gobbling up fees to place attorneys who will argue before the court. Sweet Amy with her chosen family is revealed to have been influenced by a religious cult. And now, we learn about Alito, they guy who positioned himself to be above the fray is on the take from wealthy donors. The ghost of Abe Fortas is having a big belly laugh. While I am deeply grateful for Biden's presidency, by announcing so early, he undermined our ability to propose alternatives. And now those Trump appointed judges are doing what they were chosen to do, to shut down government information.
‘Two years after John Roberts' confirmation as the Supreme Court's chief justice in 2005, his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, made a pivot. After a long and distinguished career as a lawyer, she refashioned herself as a legal recruiter, a matchmaker who pairs job-hunting lawyers up with corporations and firms.’
‘And life was indeed good for the Robertses, at least for the years 2007 to 2014. During that eight-year stretch, according to internal records from her employer, Jane Roberts generated a whopping $10.3 million in commissions, paid out by corporations and law firms for placing high-dollar lawyers with them.’
‘That eye-popping figure comes from records in a whistleblower complaint filed by a disgruntled former colleague of Roberts, who says that as the spouse of the most powerful judge in the United States, the income she earns from law firms who practice before the Court should be subject to public scrutiny.'
"When I found out that the spouse of the chief justice was soliciting business from law firms, I knew immediately that it was wrong," the whistleblower, Kendal B. Price, who worked alongside Jane Roberts at the legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, told Insider in an interview. "During the time I was there, I was discouraged from ever raising the issue. And I realized that even the law firms who were Jane's clients had nowhere to go. They were being asked by the spouse of the chief justice for business worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and there was no one to complain to. Most of these firms were likely appearing or seeking to appear before the Supreme Court. It's natural that they'd do anything they felt was necessary to be competitive."
‘Roberts' apparent $10.3 million in compensation puts her toward the top of the payscale for legal headhunters. Price's disclosures, which were filed under federal whistleblower-protection laws and are now in the hands of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, add to the mounting questions about how Supreme Court justices and their families financially benefit from their special status, an area that Senate Democrats are vowing to investigate after a series of disclosure lapses by the justices themselves. ‘ (INSIDER) See link below.
Once again, I say it all comes down to the VOTE. We don’t have sufficient majorities to pull this off...vote like your life depends on it, because it does.
Your repeated calls for Americans to vote, along with the voices of many others, is as an echo to the a chorus of likeminded people. Are you open to other civic responsibilities as well? I shall assume you have read the comment. Do you have a opinion about Biden, so far, being all talk and no action with regard to the conduct of the Supreme Court?
Actually, Fern, I am unclear about what point you are actually trying to make here. Your question is impertinant. And, I believe that your thoughts on Biden are opinionated, not opinion (opinion is generally based on something other than one's prejudices). What "action" do you think Biden should take? The options are limited and have repercussions that you don't seem to have given much thought to.
But since Schiff, Lee, and Porter are all running for the same Senate seat, currently held by Dianne Feinstein, we'll only get one vote from the three of them for reform of the Supreme Court.
I was so disheartened when I heard President Biden respond to the question of expanding the Supreme Court during Nicole Wallace’s interview. He was worried it would “politicize” the court further. Amazing. What does he think is happening now? I am a Biden supporter, but disagree with him on this critical matter.
I love that we have Joe Biden as President now ... but I am dismayed that he refuses to engage with Supreme Court reforms at this point in time. There is an obvious need for reforms - more now than ever - and he's missing his moment. (Nicole also seemed stymied that he responded as he did.)
Does he need Obama (or some other person he respects) to whisper in his ear? How can we make him aware that this is his one moment in time? HELP!
speech is protected so that people are legally free to express themselves. but what if, when you speak, you are not expressing yourself? can you claim first amendment protection? tucker carlson did not believe the things he was saying on tv. he was a mouthpiece for his bosses and his audience. can he claim first amendment protection? the first amendment does not protect propaganda, or libel, or fraud. why would it protect disinformation? the founding fathers feared the urban mob, because it was so easy to stir up the people in a city. it was much harder back then to "organize" the countryside, which was thought to be more stable. nowadays, half of the country is potentially one large urban mob. meanwhile whatever happened to 'don't believe everything you read and even less of what you hear?'
I’m writing “thank you,” Professor, because you’re telling us the Truth and we trust you in a time that seems impossible to trust. Where do we go from here? Will we trust any future election or official connected to the repubs? Even with a billboard of truth, diehard supporters of tfg want him as president. I and my friends and family and my fellow Democrats will continue to work for Justice. But the rest of this country? For all our grandchildren I’m not giving up.
Irenie, I’ve posted this link to my “resistance” theme song, Jackson Browne’s ‘Til I Go Down a number of times on LFAA in the past….I listen to it when I need some juice to keep on (more frequently since ‘16!)…AND you can dance to it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmzimxfqgfw
Barbara, Great JB reference. When Jackson’s career was at its popular peak in the 70’s he decided to begin writing about political issues at the risk of diminishing his audience numbers. He continued and his album sales did fall. His conscience kept him at it as he created a more focused social awareness in his remaining base
Truly a master songwriter and folk hero followed closely by Steve Earle
Gratitude, Barbara. This is my Anthem! ‘Til I go down! I’m not going to shut my eyes! Or my mouth. We empower each other. I understand also that Bernie Sanders is a hero. And Elizabeth Warren. And those who know we have to stay together to grow. There are winners. Big sigh!
Why do elected officials, who take an oath to serve and protect the Constitution, so flagrantly show contempt for the government in which they serve and disdain the people they have sworn to serve? Josh Hawley, Jim Jordan etc, etc, I’m looking at you. I’m so sad.
It's frightening to be expected to regard Hawley, Jordan, plus etc etc, as righteous authority figures. They aren't. They must be halted, the way a plant wilts and dies without water.
They were swearing to serve and protect their own version of the Constitution, and they very effectively serve their own people and the government they have created.
This is exactly their goal, to destroy the government’s ability to serve the people, especially the people the likes of Hawley and Jordan consider ‘less than’ themselves and their extremist adherents.
My perspective is that they don't see themselves as being a part of the same system that we are in, therefore, they don't consider what they're doing as perversion. From their point of view, we are dangerous "woke" renegades determined to destroy THEIR country. (Just as the North "decided" to destroy the South. . . )
I agree. But their definition of integrity is a solid belief that we (the "woke") actually want all Americans to have equal rights and opportunities. They don't.
They see diversity as danger. We see it as a feature. They are the inheritors of the cultural DNA that piloted slave ships and owned plantations.
Marg, so many questions always. We ask even though deep down we recognize evil. Still, I don’t want to believe it. I like the song Barbara shared, Jackson Browne’s “Til I Go Down.” Let’s stay together.
Sadly, this sounds a lot like the near take-over of America by fascists in the late 1930's and early 1940's as reported in Rachel Maddow's "Ultra" blog. All of the Congressmen involved and most if not all of the other perpetrators got off without punishment. At least one prosecutor's reputation was ruined.
In the face of this threat to democracy, a significant number of Republicans who will not vote for Trump are looking for a third-party candidate if Trump is the Republican nominee. They delude themselves that this is the best thing for America, ignoring the fact that a third party candidate would almost surely throw the election to Trump, since his MAGA cult base will stick with him.
Do you have a specific "third party" candidate that worries you right now? The only candidate that seems to be getting traction other than Biden or Trumps is named Kennedy.
I am not convinced that RFK, Jr would draw more Democrats than Republicans. Why? Because I think more Republicans are deluded and just plain misinformed. The man is certifiably nuts. His conspiracy theories are right out of the "Q" playbook. That's not where most Democrats live.
And who else might do the Third Party dance? If he or she attracts Republicans who can't stomach Trump, doesn't Biden win?
Let's hope so. And in the meantime, get behind the Dems at all levels. Activating Dems is a whole lot more important and effective than fussing over what the Republicans, such as they are, are doing.
Tonight, Laurence O’Donnell gave a heavy piece on how he has “lost faith with Roberts and his court”. I feel we are in the throws of GOP fascism yet we must fight and resist. Heather, your incites/explanations are scary yet straightforward. We must fight for our democracy.
Laurence O'Donnell's broadcasts have been getting more heavy recently. He is clear and focused (and passionate) in his presentation, but I'm almost afraid he'll break down before our eyes. Or maybe it's just that I am ready to break down after he tells us his tale of the day. His words are passionate, powerful.
Heather, thanks again for highlighting the important stories that aren’t click bait.
The flag mistake on the NRC tweet and the deliberate misinformation in the Josh Hawley tweet (both ignored by the Musk-led content police) seem to show that they believe that their base don’t know or don’t care about the truth. There’s a reason that the social media content police have responded more to conservative posts—alternative”facts” in those posts putting people’s lives in danger through medical information and posts urging violence. It has nothing to do with partisan politics.
Heather, you have brought something to everyone’s attention that’s going on across this country on a daily basis. It’s pathetic how these justices, at every level, have seemed to forgotten what their jobs are.
I was under the impression/belief that a justice, as I’d law enforcement officers, are ti uphold the law. These justices are violating the constitution with every ruling they are making.
This isn’t making any sense at all. How, or why, are they doing this? How are they allowed to do this? Why are these justices allowed to stay sitting on their respective benches?
If we don’t get a strict Ethics commission for these justices, this country is in trouble. It’s in trouble now, but it will be totally lost if this behavior is allowed to continue. It has to be stopped!
You have identified the core misunderstanding that so many of us have had. We feel as if only we could better explain our views (equal justice and opportunity) that somehow these justices and Republican voters will see the light.
But they have their own light. And that "light" is to destroy the democracy that gives opportunity to the "others". This is an attack on the very premise of our nation. This is about legitimizing bigotry and hate. This is an attempted rollback to a time of a not too distant past when White Males dominated.
This is the battle royal. Oligarchs teamed with bigots against everyone else.
Daniel, we swear (well, we swore; my oath is binding still to retain my “retired” status under LEOSA) to uphold the law. Part of being a judge is to determine what the law is (in its application). We never had that ability; only the enforcement of laws as written.
So what do we do about a Supreme Court that provides a litigant with the ability to resist serving an imagined customer who disagrees with her religious prejudices?
"Disinformation " can be quite sophisticated or driven by malevolent algorithms founded on behaviorial science data. As HCR noted, one notorious Troll Farm manipulator has been exiled ... for now.
UPDATE: Per the NYT. Lukashenko says Prigozhin is still in Russia apparently in St Petersburg.
I have much respect for what the 18-30 year olds have already done at the Voting Booth. But, your Reply highlights the need for "critical thinking" . As a trial Attorney, I looked for "deductive reasoning" skills & I LOVED Librarians but, I kept my ears & eyes out for prospective jurors whose answers demonstrated they could solve a multistep problem.
These skills can be taught. How about "Deep Fake Puzzles"?
Red Thread: I am going to take my time & research your Links. carefully. Thx.
You may know that NPR is running a series called " Untangling Disinformation".
A good way to start is NPR SHANNON BOND's "4 Minue Lesson" which demonstrates a Deep Fake 30 second AI generated Ad manufactured by the Repiblican Nation Committee aka " RNC" targeted at President Biden raising Federal Campaign violation & civil tort issues.
The Ad depicts doomsday scenarios such an invasion of Taiwan & the demise of San Francisco, CA. Having had a Medical Appointment yedterday,7/5, with an expert physician at UCSF, I can assure you that the 49 square miles of San Francisco is just fine. FYI, Shannon's NPR piece was posted on 4/27/23 at 6:11 PM Eastern
I am not learning fast enough but, already I have learned What's Ap fakes may have the wrong color scheme & political Ad fakes have a fine print disclaimer in the upper left hand corner of the frame.
I will be monitoring Federal & State litigation on AI Fakes.
Thanks for these links, will pass them along to parents of school age kids I know. Seems like a struggle to keep up with the pace of technology blowing past our ability to understand/integrate it in a timely manner.
That first couple of paragraphs. Those are so important, many won’t understand why. Shame on Josh Hawley for using Tactics perfected by Putin’s political advisor Solkov, that helped Putin consolidate power. “To take bible versus and invert their meaning”, to distort the truth, to manipulate Christians and in order to get them on the Putin disinformation/propaganda campaign.
Who is advising Hawley, Jordan, and the GOP on how to do manipulate American people this way? And why?
Yup. It is deplorable. Pandering to a radicalized/indoctrinated/personality cult. When we turn out to defeat the crazies again, will he/they stop and adopt a new sane political strategy?
It is as if R’s do not choose to lead at all. There is no acknowledging facts that naturally bring feelings of discomfort that are necessary for human growth. The Greeks new this and discomfort was a part of civic’s. The Greeks understood how pandering, avoidance of discomfort lead to social division and extremism. There are dangerous consequences to community. Truth, knowledge, leading people towards understanding and tolerance create community. This involves discomfort by acknowledging uncomfortable truths. I’m discouraged that so few R’s get leadership. But to do so would involve acknowledging our biggest issue. Equality of opportunity in every facet of American life. We are on the 1930’s/1850’s/other? Inequality envelope once again.
Lauren Boebert did the same thing claiming she heard directly from God that Biden should be impeached. How did that happen? By text? “Bo Bo this is Yahweh…”
People who read my blog, on Word Press, asked why there is such a pandemic of uncaring. From Judge Doughty to Vladimir Putin, the answer is clear- Power is king and spirituality is seen as an impediment to amassing that power. As long as the Right to Lie is paramount, our work is cut out for us.
Reading these links, especially the Univ Mich one, made me wonder if there is also an intersection of this w/ far-too-easy to obtain guns & explosion of gun violence in America.
No question, Barbara. Between the anonymity of the on-line world and the phrase you quoted, the impact on all of us (not just youth, but the danger there is they won’t know any other way of being.)
HCR, you are a hard worker and I for one appreciate what you do so well. But, boy, do I miss you when you take a day off. Anyway, my comment today is prefaced with the line... "...instead of civilization you get chaos and destruction." That, friends, is a good descriptive of today's Repub Party. Chaos and destruction. Another is the magaists and Repubs overwork the missinformation and disinformation practices. They all should remember none of them are above the law... and when the next election comes around, with the work of folks like HCR, those who cast their ballots will be aware. The Repub unConstitutianists will have to answer to the people.
So much for July 4th. Reality is July 5th....may America stay strong with your words of concern and wisdom. Thank you Professor for the truth, always. Be it as it may, we shall overcome.
Hawley and his wife are proving again and again to be traitors to our nation. She must be disbarred due her cases brought before SCOTUS and he must be ejected from Congress for subversive words and actions. The Jan 6 “sprinter” supported the insurrection until he ran for his life from the same mob. They are both disgraceful. The GOP are becoming bolder and more traitorous as each day passes.
My head is spinning! Biden said, I believe in 2021, that he did not trust Zuckerberg as he felt Facebook was spreading disinformation. I agree. Now, as a retaliation to Elon’s Twitter screw-ups, Facebook has launched Threads. I won’t be going there.
In the meantime, Vlad looks very very weak in comparison to Prigozhin. Looks like their argument became a kind of a “double dare” and Putin lost. All I want is the war in Ukraine to end, Putin and Prigozhin brought to trial for their crimes against humanity.
Actually, according to Julia Ioffe, who I think knows more about Russia than I do, Putin is in fact more in control because possible opponents are now happy they didn't connect with Prigozhin and are becoming more quiet. It's problematic for Putin that he has fewer active supporters rather than possible supporters remaining quiet. Prigozhin's companies are being appropriated, and it looks like he'll be allowed to move to the Central African Republic. Not someplace most Russians would care to visit. In most dictatorships, it can be useful to "kill" the dissident and leave him walking around as a demonstration of power.
Marlene, thanks for reminding me what Biden said about Zuckerberg. I'm trying to coax my friends and followers toward Substack rather than Threads. I'm uneasy about it.
A dispiriting reminder of the constant creep towards fascism that we need to resist. I just got an e-mail tonight from a group of progressives concerned about the unwillingness of the Democratic National Committee even to permit discussion about dark money in the party's elections. Not, perhaps, as egregious as the RNC using the wrong flag, but still, a self-imposed silence by the leaders of the Democratic Party, leading me to wonder what we can do to restore our democratic values to our party.
Yes, the fight against oligarchy is deep. Too many Democratic electeds receive major funding from what we used to call “special interests.” We need to clean house by electing Democrats to their seats who transparently use their legislative power for the wellbeing of their constituency and the nation. For instance, I don’t want a senator misrepresenting me by opposing universal healthcare because a major donor is big pharma. And if we live in a glass house we can’t attack the corrupt GOP opposition.
Added 7/6: How many votes did Hilary Clinton lose when it was revealed that she and Bill received over $125M in speaking fees after he left the presidency, 1/5 of it in the two years before her presidential run, including $675K for three speeches to Goldman Sachs? Was it legal, yes. But how could people trust her to advocate for them rather than Wall Street? Did that stop me from voting for her against Trump? No. But Democrats can and must do better. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/us/politics/in-race-defined-by-income-gap-hillary-clintons-wall-street-ties-incite-rivals.html
If we take "government of the people, by the people, for the people" seriously, and I think it is crucially important that we do, we need to be as a whole, far better informed and far more engaged (myself included) to realize that famous phrase in a meaningful sense. WE need to know what's going on, WE need to think about and discus consequences, and what kind of world we want to live in.
Picking the best representatives in the world won't bring that vision to fruition if we are not adequately aware and frankly riding herd on what our hired agents are doing in our name. It not just, elect Biden, or whoever, and he or she will figure it out for us. As we might engage any sort of expert, we definitely need to offload some of the horse work and engage the special expertise required in governing to fiduciaries. But a manager who snoozes while a project drifts off its mission, or is co-opted by self-serving opportunists, is simply not doing the job. WE collectively, are the ultimate managers of our own society's fate. Isn't that what democracy means? And a career in public service needs to be a calling, not a power play; by the people, for the people. No?
If you can't consistently and resolutely serve the public's interests, don't even think about taking a public sphere position. WE the People have too much at stake.
JL, I concur that being a public servant is (or can be) “a calling” of sorts. You are not in it for the money—public servants (the vast majority) likely make close to a living wage—just enough—there are no riches in public service, unless you leverage/take advantage (ick!) of your position (then, to me, you’ve stopped being a public servant & have become an opportunist). There are legions of folks working in the public sector that diligently, some even passionately, do their job to little or no fanfare….but then again, fanfare is not why they do the job…an occasional nod of approval or thanks is quite enough to know you are appreciated. I suggest books by Michael Lewis, such as The Fifth Risk & The Premonition that speak, in part, to the worker-bee public servants that most Americans don’t know have their backs. IMHO it can be a right livelihood.
Trump is the perfect example being the absolute antithesis of public servant. He being the perfect symbol for all that is wrong in the country. A grifter rises to the highest office? Impossible! Proof of something seriously wrong. He unleashed the worst element of our fellow Americans. Our job as patriotic citizens is to counter that hate with information and concerns for what is underlying such discontent.
Harvey Kravetz: He's the ex Self-Servant in Chief!
Hahahahaha….thanks for this!
Yes, we have no idea the constant drip, drip, drip of subtle pressure on local government to favor special interests, but when it isn't resisted, it becomes a fait accompli.
I once had a telephone appointment with a parent regarding her kid’s student aid…we had a lengthy conversation and I outlined information, made suggestions, I got specific and detailed, etc. Toward the end of our time, she said to me that I should be “a consultant” with the information & expertise I had & that folks would certainly be interested in what I had to offer. I paused for a beat or two before I replied that most of our “clients” (students/parents) seeking student aid for college were not in the position to pay for consultations and that I did what I did for free to whomever made an appointment with me. She was quiet for a moment (awareness dawning no doubt) and said, to paraphrase from memory, “oh, yes, of course”. I wasn’t upset, really, at what she suggested, but it was just such an anathema thought to me as not to ever be entertained….I mean, really, what???? Would have never occurred to me!
The Premonition is a superb book about the public health people who worked to fight COVID. It's also a good read. I haven't read The Fifth Risk.
J.L..picking up on that thread, it reminds me of Lincoln's clear statement about what the Civil War meant: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."
Right now we are in fact engaged in a second civil war. We need to realize that. When more than 50 million Americans still support a person who actively tried to topple the government, we're involved in a "civil war." Some of the "Confederates" are on the inside, to wit: Jim Jordan, Josh Hawley and other MAGA members. What can we do as individuals? Get involved with the local Democratic Party and work like hell to get people registered to vote and to the polls on election day.
Josh Hawley, " sprinting like Bambi" away from the mob he saluted hours before on Jan. 6, is now sprinting into the arms of "virulent antisemitic white" supremicists. Run, Josh, run. And disappear.
YES! WOrk like hell to register folks (especially high school students) to vote!
And get them interested in politics and the truth!
Kids of a certain age become skilled at detecting BS, and aspiration. We often lose our edge when we become routinized and invested in the status quo, but all ages need to be collaborating for democracy to work.
When Democrats, pushed by social movement could no longer reconcile their egalitarian aspirations with smug, oppressive "DIxiecrats", the former "Party of Lincoln" saw an opportunity to recruit fanatical, angry army of would-be Confederates who wouldn't let it go. The R party has since fanned the embers of the first Civil War. Old Scratch himself might just as well have appeared in a puff of pink smoke, "Soul for Power" contract in his hand. "Truth and Reconciliation" never let the fire out of the first conflict, sustained to this day though too much winking at the supremacist impulse.
The larger conflict, the tension between compassion and narcissistic abuses of power is likely as old as our species, probably older.
"It is the eternal struggle between these two principles -- right and wrong -- throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time, and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity and the other the divine right of kings" - Lincoln
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-brief-but-spectacular-take-on-knowing-your-power This link takes you to a segment of PBS NewsHour called "Brief but Spectacular", where a young man named Ben Sheehan talks about our woeful ignorance, which he hopes to help correct. According to a survey he cites (Pew, I think?) less than 50% of Americans queried could name the three branches of government. Civics is only a required course in 8 of the 50 states!! That is outrageous, but totally believable.
The pressure from Republicans like Lynn Cheney, wife of Dick and mother of Liz, to eliminate civics as unnecessary was strong when she was president of the National Council of the Humanities from 1986=1993. That's one reason I was astounded with Liz stood up against Trump's disregard for the Constitution. A lot of people in political office are clueless about public education, especially in poorly funded areas. A student who has weak reading skills can't infer how the government should function by studying American history. It has to be taught.
I am repeatedly reminded of Orwell's Newspeak. I recall my mother reading of somewhere in the States where it was a capital offense to teach a native American to read. Those obsessed with attaining absolute power want Orcs, not engaged citizens.
We hear a lot of words, such as "liberty" and "free market", etc.. without much discussion of the details of what they mean, how they work, and what is necessary to achieve or refine them. So much of our public political dialog feels like the empty puffery of commercial advertising, meant to skirt serious scrutiny. What, in terms of detail, does a phrase such as "Make America Great Again" even mean? Or is it an insubstantial slogan? It's not entirely the "GOP" doing it either. Even the email I get from politicians I support seems too much of a sales pitch and to little a substantive report. Replies to what I send to them often seem quite oblique to what I wrote about.
J L--Our country's zeigtest is governed by bumper stickers and memes.
Progwoman: To paraphrase Rogers and Hammerstein, Civics like hate, "has to be carefully taught."
Thanks for this. I don't have tv, so find news on my computer when I can, and tend to radio and written forms. I had no idea this brilliant series was on PBS. This young (to me) man has really pinpointed the problem at root of the the problems we have. I've heard these things before but here he puts it in a context that connects some dots. So already today I have been made more fully aware, and now I recognize one of the things I might be able to make a difference about. BTW: our select board made a shuffle earlier this summer that resulted in a man being chair who is as uninformed about the structure and function of government as anyone I've met.
A group of us are attending meetings and calling him out on his errors, because the board itself is tippy-toing to keep the peace. I think he might be waking up, but I suspect his pride will result in his not running for re-election. He has stated himself that he is not really suited for "this being available all the time to deal with things". It is unfortunate that he has been put in the position he is in, because, gosh, that's part of the deal when you become a public elected official.
Amazing, the dirth of civics courses. I remember mine really well. Victor Wattner used the word "facetitous," the first time I had heard that word, to describe a politician's words. But, more to the point, James Loewen's "Lies My Teacher Told Me" is amazing. It was my daughter's high school history book (2002.) I have it and am reading it again. No wonder we don't know nuthin'. Many of us were taught nuthin'. I recommend this book for every one of us. Loewen died in 2021. I regret not writing to him to thank him for that book. [The older I get (83) the more regrets pile up.]
Here's Loewen a few years ago talking about this: https://www.google.com/search?q=Richard+Lowen+More+Lies+My+Teacher+Taught+Me&oq=Richard+Lowen+More+Lies+My+Teacher+Taught+Me&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l2.27320j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:7855392e,vid:9sNUczwsrw8
We all need to supplement our school experience with writings and talks by people like Loewen; we actually need to un-learn some of what we were taught - sometimes by distortion, sometimes by omission - and fill in some of the many intentional blanks left in our schooling at a critical point in our lives. It's eye-popping, as the real truth often is, but we can't be 'educated' or 'well-informed' without learning the un-edited version of what passed for education decades ago.
Wow! Thank you for this. I am going out onto the patio, light up a cigar, and have a great experience with Jim Loewen.
I've always bristled at the snarky title of that book. Teachers are required to adhere to the curriculum as decided by the school board.
Granted, the title could have been better, such as "How our history books misled us" or "How you were lied to by your history books."
As though a driving school introduced you how to work the stereo and not the accelerator, steering wheel, and brakes. Part of this seems to me to be a push from corporatism to drop any school-based preparation for life in general, and focus on vocational training. They don't want the impediment of robust democracy and certainly don't want "woke".
Public service is a calling. If a job requires some education to toil long and hard for a barely adequate wage because that job is necessary for the common good, that job is a calling.
The member of the sedition caucus who represents my House district in NC is a political opportunist. He has never had a thought not put into his head by the RNC. My district is rural and poor, but he thought he could be an adequate representative because he had a vacation place at the beach in our district. He has since moved down here. Vacation places on the NC coast have never been cheap. He could not imagine trying to raise a family on the pay of a teacher and an auto mechanic working to pay the mortgage on a 3 bed, 2 bath house. Those are the fortunate ones. My rep is just interested in his own wellbeing, the rest of us are just a means to an end for him. BTW, he isn't married and isn't raising a family.
Sounds like an RNC plant. We have one in our Norther Michigan/Upper Peninsula district. U.S. Rep Jack Bergman is from Louisiana (where he and his wife still pretty much live), and he is owned by Enbridge to keep Line 5 running oil and gas through Lake Michigan. We have TWO excellent Democratic candidates to oppose him - I am contributing to and rooting for both, while explaining to "good" Republicans why Bergman is so bad for them.
Dr. Bob Lorinser:
https://www.votedrbob.com/
Callie Barr:
https://callieforcongress.com/
What did he do to win the election? Misdirection plays, away from his constitutents' social and economic needs with abortion, immigration, racism, etc.?
President Obama said much the same thing. We the People have gotten a bit lazy as citizens. It’s time to wake up.
Well stated and critically important for us all. I am nudging more emphatically the friends who employ the ‘head in the sand’ method.
And so many people just don't give a "damn". They don't want to care about their lively hood. I hate the term, "God will provide. And, I give it to the Lord."
J L Graham--So true. The only caveat is that there aren't very many qualified people who want to subject themselves to the miseries of public office.
Gary, getting rid of, overturning, Citizens United would be a start…..now THAT’S one SCOTUS “take back” I’d support!
The corporate buying of legislators and judges permitted by Citizens United has much to do with the moral rot we are witnessing in Washington. I don't see the House Judiciary Committee taking up that concern under Gym Jordan's extraordinarily partisan leadership.
I have a friend who was teaching a college class in China on the American political system. He was explaining about lobbyists when the class broke out in laughter. He asked why they were laughing. The Reply? They said that it was nothing more than legalized bribery.
Richard, maybe the Chinese students are more insightful and honest about our political system than we are.
They are very intelligent and have no stake in the matter, therefore complete objectivity.
We've known that at least since I was in junior high in the 50s. And it's been addressed, to no avail. It works too well for those who benefit.
As long as SCOTUS is overturning established law why not revisit the interpretation of the 2nd amendment.
In today’s climate I think more and more of Winston Churchill’s response when someone asked him whether the German attack on the Soviet Union made that country an ally of Britain. Churchill, a lifelong, virulent anti-Communist, said, “If Hitler invaded Hell, I should at least make a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.” I advise against litmus tests or examination of purity among those on our side in a fight to save the national, literally.
Making sure our stables are safe and clean is sound maintenance. But training and grooming and running good races with strong horses is the business of politics. I worry when our talking about the cleanliness of our candidates or restrooms, seemingly, gets the press coverage. I'd reu the day when our concession speechs brag that at least you can eat off the stable floors and our defeated candidate got 5-star approval from the "Citizens for No Dark Money."
The un-healthcare industry only makes money when we are sick and the food industry supplies foods that are highly addictive to make us sick so the un-healthcare industry can stay profitable. And they feed our politicians MONEY and that keeps politics sick, that is not representing their constituents.
This seems either naive, or right off the chaos agent script. "We can't deal with the corrupt fascist GOP until all Democrats are squeaky clean and ideologically pure" is utter bullshit. .
I say how about we DON'T paralyze Democrats with eternal infighting while the GOP runs roughshod over democracy. Rather, how about we immediately get to work purging government of the worst hypocritical, corrupt, anti-democratic fascists from the bottom up, regardless of which political party they claim to belong to.
John M. Kelly: Yes. Exactly. Sacrificing the pragmatic and possible for a quixotic commitment to perfection.
It's said that herding Dems is like herding cats, and this "we can't criticize them unless/until we're perfect" is exactly the kind of divisive crap that proves the pudding
So true--and so frustrating. The aging Naderites are still self-righteously blind to the damage their sophomoric idealism has done to this country.
I think the last sentence should read "And if we don't live a glass house (transparency) we can't ..." .
I certainly agree with you about the need for transparent funding, especially of Democratic party candidates who purport to serve the people rather than the oligarchs. Questionable funding from moneyed interests results in two things: people who refuse to vote for the leading candidate, for instance Hillary Clinton in 2016, despite the obvious consequences; and people who, seeing this dynamic, incessantly blame Democrats who made that choice instead of working on raising standards for fundraising, or on promoting viable and uncorrupted candidates for 2024 and beyond.
And if we live in a glass house we can’t attack the corrupt GOP opposition.
WELL SAID!
I come from a family of far left Democrats. Both the Democrats and the Republicans were full spectrum, right to left.
We were and are always active in politics. I am now unaffiliated.
The "leadership" of the DNC is leading us down a path toward what was Republican left status.
You know how many Republicans are leftist.
The start of authoritarianism is when common sense withers away and get replaced with misinformation. And this, some Republicans seems to have borrowed a leaf from the authoritarian regimes who have considered digital superhighway as a tool for misinformation to breed unrest and sway voters. Internet can disrupt democracies and at the same time, destabilise dictatorships. In April 2018, Facebook was embroiled in a Cambridge Analytica Scandal where personal information of almost 87 million was targeted for political gain. Since then, it has been established that data breaches of 50 million Turkish, 198 Americans, 55 million Filipino, and 93 million Mexicans have occurred.
Russians have Internet Research Agency, backed by GRU military intelligence and uses tactics like narrative laundering (legitimization of created narratives through repetition citations across media), and boosterism (repetitive content reinforcing the perception that a certain narrative represents a popular point of view).
These are digital tools that Republicans have mastered in the recent past and have created their own repeated narratives.
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By using Twitter, right-wing Republicans want to cut off their attention from the public and divert it to FBI and DOJ, and brand them as liars. This digital tool was used by Iran recently.
Iran, as per the Atlantic Council, has deployed digital influence tools. Iranian sock puppets started operating in 2010 and have grown gradually in recent years, with Facebook identifying (recently in 2020) that approximately "2,200 assets directly affected six million users. Similarly Twitter identified 8,000 Twitter accounts responsible for roughly 8.5 million messages.
"During the January 2018 nationwide protests in Iran, Twitter bots attempted to discredit widely shared videos of rallies, while pro-regime accounts guided protestors to the wrong locations and sought to convey that protests were small and localized."
Political class historically use lies and digital tools have amplified who they are. Truth is an alien in politics.
Absolutely 💯
Edwin - I think I got my first memorable taste of dis-information during the first Iraq war, when Saddam Hussein filled the news feeds with lie after lie, spin on top of spin. It occurred to me that if one can change truth, turn lies into facts in the eyes of enough people to matter, then you have power. An ill gotten power, a corrupt power corrupt to its core. Hard to explain, but I felt a senses of alarm. I guess I place alot of importance on evidence-based reality (part of the reason I am not religious), and that serious danger lurks when nations alter truth for their own interests. Since then, I have watched the Republican Party swallow this tactic hook, line, and sinker. As I have stated before, a political party whose whole platform is based on something other than modern reality (climate denial being the most important example), such skullduggery is necessary to convince a voting public that it is right. It is a test of the literacy of the voting electorate - do they collectively have a good BS meter. I am afraid that they (we?) may fail that test. Already did once in 2016.
That is what makes Orwell's 1984 such a powerful book. It illuminates how we can just switch the information and create a new reality.
And "Animal Farm."
And "Fahrenheit 451." There are people and places banning books or trying to, following in the steps of totalitarian countries. Look at Germany under Hitler. Look at the Soviet Union and Russia today. Look at Belarus. Look at China. Look at Kyrgyzstan. Look at Iran. Look at Florida. Wait until they build a wall to keep people in. Right now they lure retirees with their no taxes, so that people's retirement money is stretched further. That is until the sea wall washes over their property destroying it or just floods them out. Then they say they cannot have certain books or thoughts taught in universities and schools, so Floridians can be ignorant. Will they start banning reading books? Will they ban reading the internet? Apparently a Federal Court Judge just gave credence to the idea that a Federal Court cannot restrict books, but can they make sure that that same court will not uphold Florida banning books? [In]Justice Terry A. Dougherty is the name of this man. Congress needs to pass laws restricting social media anyway. Then, the President doesn't have to.
Linda: A emphatic "yes" to each of your points.
True. Remember once something is accepted and normalised, it becomes part of the society and norms of the society are hard to break-it takes ages. Now with the digital superhighway, politicians can easily reach thousands of people in a few minutes with fabricated information and convince the public without proof. The main tool is appealing to emotions of the people and not their logic. With this, they can win them with ease with the use of misinformation. In Kenya, the opposition told their supporters that their results were stolen despite the Supreme Court deciding and concluding the case. And worse, they believed them and demonstrated.
In Kenya, I would expect that kind of thing to happen from time to time. The average Kenyan still has far less education than the average American, and presumably less understanding of the political system. Perhaps, also, many in the electorate have been burned before with corrupt politicians. Am I wrong? I am not a Kenya expert by any means. I believe the ignorant mind (willful or not) is ripe for a dis-information campaign. This is what baffles me with the political situation in the USA. We should know better. The forces of dis-information should be no more than background radiation here, but instead it is a force that can take hold of the nation.
James, and yet, we educated Americans accepted Donald Trump as a presidential candidate and were dumb enough to elect him.
I do not think we have anything over anyone!!!!
Obviously, we as humans are vulnerable to "mob" influence and less likely to really look at the total candidate.....observing character, experience in governing, general respect for women and other humans, ability to work with all Americans and world leaders....FOR FREEDOM!
Anyone who accepted Trump as a presidential candidate and was dumb enough to vote for him was not educated.
Somehow. An average Kenya is less educated than the average American, but the millenials are burgeoning in numbers in terms of those who are educated. Recently, the highest number of tiktik users comes from Kenya at 54% more than any other country across the world. But, I have realized that no matter what level of education, disinformation can hit anyone like a plague. The only difference is that when someone thinks for the second time, they may obliterate themselves from misinformation. But, only a few people can do that. Trump tried in 2021 and almost succeeded in selling lies were it not for Facebook and Twitter to ban him.
Perhaps, when you get a chance, you might take a look at my reply to James Wheaton's post:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-5-2023/comment/18201098
Yes, I reply. Let me read
I agree that norms are hard to break. I was watching a show in Germany, where they were discussing how hard a time many East Germans had adapting when Germany reunified East and West into one nation again. They discussed that it would take 3 generations to really move beyond the cultural differences of the two parts of Germany. I have seen this in action. Three generations is 60 years, so that is kind of what we are looking at in terms of breaking norms.
I remember that very well and I screamed to High Heaven: Even if Saddam had WMDs he wouldn't use them because he knew that he would be irradiated by superior forces and that would cost him everything. Saddam was cruel, but not stupid, like us. We were stupid to buy into Bush's Big Lie. Millions of humans are now dead or suffering because of Bush and the gang around him.
Perhaps the biggest lie of the Iraq War was the eventually proven-false propaganda about the Kuwaiti baby incubators, which whipped up American public hatred against Iraq and support for Bush's evil war:
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/12/5/how_false_testimony_and_a_massive
Interesting perspective on how wrong testimony and campaign propaganda ignited Iraq War. But, what happened to intelligence? Did the then president believed in false media reports? How did the secret service carry out its work? Did Bush only wanted to test its might?
My understanding is that this was deliberate propaganda to get the American people to support Bush's plan to crush Iraq, because Iraq under Saddam Hussein was successfully industrializing.
If you are interested and have the time, you might be interested in the book "The Fire This Time: U.S. War Crimes in the Gulf."
https://www.amazon.com/Fire-This-Time-U-S-Crimes/dp/1560250712
Around the same time, with George H.W. Bush as President, was the Shock Therapy genocide against Russia. This killed all the old people and more. If you have the interest and the time, you might check the book "Genocide: Russia and the New World Order" by a Russian minister under President Boris Yeltsin:
https://www.amazon.com/Genocide-Russia-New-World-Order/dp/0943235162
This happened during the ongoing I.M.F. genocide against almost all of the Third World countries. Quoting from the 100-page resignation letter of senior I.M.F. official Davison Budhoo:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Brilliant analysis. This should distributed widely
Thanks @seth you can share
I welcome you to my newsletter
Edwin Kiptoo Ngetich,
HCR refers to "the removal of disinformation during the pandemic." Did such "removal" go far beyond disinformation and suppress any public talk that questioned the party line that the new, experimental covid vaccines were "safe and effective"?
Over at Twitter, I have been compiling a thread with links to articles by or about credentialed medical researchers who question or challenge this party line: https://twitter.com/john_schmeeckle/status/1571451172744994817
Links to some of these articles:
'Unethical’ and up to 98 Times Worse Than the Disease: Top Scientists Publish Paradigm-Shifting Study About COVID-19 Vaccines
https://archive.ph/2022.09.11-161633/https://www.theepochtimes.com/unethical-and-up-to-98-times-worse-than-the-disease-top-scientists-publish-paradigm-shifting-study-about-covid-19-vaccines_4723122.html
And from the Netherlands:
Vaccine Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (VAIDS): “We should expect this immune erosion to become more widespread”
https://www.frontnieuws.com/vaccin-verworven-immuun-deficientie-syndroom-vaids-we-moeten-verwachten-dat-deze-immuunerosie-zich-op-grotere-schaal-zal-voordoen/
Toxicology expert warns that mRNA COVID jabs could ‘sterilize an entire generation’
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/molecular-biology-expert-warns-mrna-covid-jabs-could-sterilize-an-entire-generation/
Explosive Increase in Cardiac Symptoms after Second Injection
https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/explosive-increase-in-cardiac-symptoms
John - my wife is part of the medical community, and she is in the know. She watched in an overwhelmed hospital how people died horribly from that disease, one after another, and felt how helpless we were for a time. When you are in that position, you have a unique perspective on something like Covid 19, as opposed to those who poo-poo'd it saying it was a liberal ploy. The Covid-19 virus was a very scary thing, at the beginning especially. It was looking like it might be similar to some of the fictional movies made where huge swaths of human population were wiped out. Surely you recall hospitals in Italy racking and stacking corpses in the hallways. Meat locker trucks in the streets of New York storing the dead. There was every reason for the pharmaceutical community to pull out all the stops and get a vaccine developed without a moment to lose. That they did so as quickly as they did is just amazing. Were shortcuts taken? Yes as I understand it. Was it worth it - hell yes. Upwards of 4000 persons per day were dying at the time, in the US alone. Did it put humans at risk? No reliable evidence that is the case. There was also every reason for nations to lock up, and protect its citizens from something that was going to kill them. That Trump resisted this is a crime against humanity that will unfortunately go unpunished. And importantly, there was every reason to go after those who would misuse the free speech rights we have to endanger everyone. Like you. Your continued efforts here to deny the seriousness of that pandemic and attack the actions of a nation to try to get on top of it are despicable. You have decided in your own mind what went down, and seek anything you can find to back it up. You will not find any institution with any credibility that shares the crap you link to. I do not have time for covid deniers of any color or flavor. None of us should.
Well said, Jay. Give your wife my “thank you for your service” regards.
I replied here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-5-2023/comment/18200589
James, love and appreciation to your wife, and to all medical professionals who endured this horror!!!! COVID damaged all of us in one way or another as well as our "worldwide family".
I remember the piles of bodies....so many dying that they could not be cared for in a timely manner. Our whole world experienced this horror.
I replied here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-5-2023/comment/18200589
Agree 💯
I replied here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-5-2023/comment/18200589
I replied here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-5-2023/comment/18200589
@John Schmeeckle, thank you for identifying the kind of disinformation that needs to be suppressed. The articles you cite are bullpucky, full of pseudo science, intended to stir fear and distrust. Your post demonstrates the problem of disinformation perfectly.
Credentialed by whom? Too easy to label someone an "expert" or a "top scientist"; depends on who is doing the labeling in the first place.
I replied here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-5-2023/comment/18200589
Unfortunately, the digital rules and regulations are still inconsistent with how to deal with misinformation. Social media completely closed public discourse on jow safe and effective vaccines were. I don't know now how digital stakeholders will regulate varying opinions given that only mainstream companies are mostly not questioned because they are known. The unknowns with tested and proven methods are censured strictly. The articles that you shared reflects the non-uniformity of tackling misinformation from a large swamp of data in the Internet.
I replied here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-5-2023/comment/18200589
@Edwin Kiptoo Ngetich:
I understand that Africa has coped with Covid-19 without the widespread use of the experimental western vaccines. Perhaps you might have a comment on the following:
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-united-nations-fcf28a83c9352a67e50aa2172eb01a2f?fbclid=IwAR2Ot49B7h2NyhE876AiQ1ojOhX2zAQazUvHmGlcwdmbwdhNjgxO2J56N3c
@Ann W:
The first article I linked reported on a research paper co-written by the Director of a Center at the Harvard Medical School.
@James Wheaton:
If you pack a lot of people with a respiratory infection together in an enclosed space, deaths accelerate dramatically. The real culprit is the ongoing shutting of hospitals, so we no longer have the resources to deal with this type of epidemic.
Your false statements about my point of view and what I have posted here are defamatory. I have reported your post.
@John R: There is no intellectual content in your foam-at-the-mouth tirade. You speak like a Silly McCarthyist Orwellian Troll (SMOT).
@John Schmeeckle. You continue to be the perfect exemplar of the spreaders of disinformation that social media hope to eliminate. You link to articles from fringe conspiracy theorists, whose claims have not held up to scientific scrutiny. These “experts” you cite have been dismissed by the scientific community because they use pseudo-science to generate fear and ignorance. They threaten to do real damage to communities by leading them to doubt life-saving medical care. Promoting such quackery is immoral, and dangerous. I’d say you should know better, but perhaps this is all you know. You are a reflection of that of which you accuse others, “There is no intellectual content in your foam-at-the-mouth tirade. You speak like a Silly McCarthyist Orwellian Troll”. I wouldn’t have put it like that, it’s a bit too Monty Python in it’s absurdity. But those are your words. Why do you do this?
The SMOT blathers absurdly about "fringe conspiracy theorists."
Interesting. Let me read and respond accordingly
I have a 70-year old nephew who believes that Dr. Fauci created Covid-19 and that he is a heavy investor in Pfizer.
Why? Because that is the info he gets from Fox, Newsmax and OAN. He believes that all the other outlets are Fake News.
For those whom we are engaging through my newsletter, I am greatly indebted to you. You are on 🔥. I wholeheartedly welcome you too by subscribing for free.
Edwin, I could appreciate your contributions a lot better if I didn't feel constantly pressured to join your newsletter. If you are interesting enough, I will, but I also need to be careful not to overload. I would love to know more specifics about how your observations of African history and current affairs can help us understand our own better. I am not as well-versed in African affairs as I feel I should be and as I learn, I am realizing how much more connected to Africa we are than our history tells us. I truly appreciate your expanding on that in your posts. But I have a resistance to the "hard sell". Your posts will draw people in. No need for hard sell.
Wooow! I really appreciate your feedback and I am grateful having you here. Actually, am currently researching on African affairs (perhaps that you don't know). From history, politics, economy, social life, local culture, language, individuals, to technology, I will expound them. I am sorry that I haven't written enough because I have been working on them for some days because research is time-consuming and indeph. Expect more and welcome once again.
Andrew Korybko's substack focuses on Russia, and he has a lot to say about Russia and Africa. Sometimes he is persuasive, but I've had occasion to publicly disagree with him. He says that Russia has been fighting a proxy war with France in northwestern Africa. Whether you agree or disagree with his assessments, it might be useful for you to know what others are thinking about:
https://korybko.substack.com/p/russias-newfound-appeal-to-african
Yes, i want to get different perspectives. Let me check and get back to you.
In the aftermath of the 2016 election, I registered as a Democrat (after decades of being unenrolled, voting in Democratic primaries, and voting for Democrats because the Republicans were so awful) and got involved in the Democratic Party politics at the local level. It's been interesting and educational, but I'm on my way out. All the best candidates are Democrats, but the Democratic Party in my state (same as yours, Betsy: MA) is bloated and hidebound, while the state legislature, with Dem supermajorities in both houses, is a national embarrassment (especially the House of Representatives) . It now looks to me as if the most effective way to restore (or maybe create from scratch) democratic values to the Democratic Party is by organizing outside it to kick its butt. (Still haven't decided if I'm going to the MassDems convention in September, but I did send in my registration.)
2024 is NOT the year to be withdrawing support from Democrats unless you are ready for autocracy and mayhem. Republicans have NOTHING to offer. The House of Representatives is a fine example. Please don’t let the perfect you search for be the enemy of the good. Massachusetts is more flexible than most states, but at the national level, we need all the Dems we can get.
Virginia , I agree, we need to support the "DEMS". Not only do the Repubs. have nothing to offer but they have completely lost their way. All they are doing is shooting arrows at the Dems.
I hear of nothing from the Republicans about policies to improve our care of the earth, air and waters. I hear nothing about support for teachers and schools. I hear nothing about rebuilding our infrastructure, etc, etc..... I hear nothing about working with democracies world-wide to promote freedom. Forget the Republicans supporting control over the purchasing of guns that should only be used by the military or support for those who need ongoing care with mental struggles leading to violent behavior.
In contrast we are experiencing a Democratic Party led by President Joe Biden who is promoting "Build back Better" which is underway. He has improved our relationships with our allies and communicates even with those countries who do not support Democracy.
Real governance is difficult. We have to work together in this country if we want to continue growing as a great nation. Freedom is not free. It takes each of us.
All I hear and see is news full of anti- Biden gossip. The members of the Republican Party are doing little to nothing for our country, or its people....or to promote freedom throughout the world.
There is so much work that needs to be done for our country.....where is the Republican Party? ......and YET, our President talkes about the work that can be done by both political parties working togrther....following protocol, giving and taking....showing us how Democracy is supposed to work.....being a great example!!!!!
YES Emily, you nailed it!
Right on, Emily!! Thank you!!!
Who's talking about withdrawing support from Democrats? As you may have noticed, priorities differ depending on what state you're in. MA is in effect a one-party state, and that party is the Democrats. We have two outstanding senators (Warren and Markey) and an outstanding congressional delegation (IMO the 1st Congressional District could do better than Richard Neal, but he'd do credit to plenty of other states). I do believe we can manage to keep electing them and at the same time bring pressure to bear on our un-democratic state legislature.
One party rule is never successful for more than four years. The Mass legislature has too many developers who limit progress on housing and education. BUT, not only is our full Congressional delegation people who I strongly support, but our new governor and the new mayor of Boston are trying hard to push the rock up the hill and keep it there.
I love that Mass put billboards in Texas and Florida inviting gay couples to move to Mass where they can enjoy their lives in safety and freedom.
The MA legislature has been one-party rule for a long time -- decades? -- but you've got a point there: I wouldn't call it exactly successful if the measure of success is dealing creatively with pressing issues.
Lol about those billboards. Gotta hope that any gay couples who accept the invitation are well-off; otherwise, they're going to have a hard time finding housing they can afford.
Can you find Democrats to run against the entrenched developers? To add Republicans in the House is a terrifying thought.
This takes us off topic, but why do you claim the MA legislature is a "national embarrassment?" Even with a string of consecutive MA House speakers dislodged for various corrupt actions at the individual self-dealing level, I'll stack our legislature against the one that convenes in Albany any day. The legislatures that truly and repeatedly show themselves to be embarrassments on a national scale are in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Wisconsin - these are the foremost of the ones who would see democracy dislodged entirely. Massachusetts works really very well, nationally speaking.
What a sad list for Wisconsin to be on! While it's uncontrovertably true Wisconsin has a terrible legislature right now, I take pride that in statewide elections we are taking baby steps to fix the problem. It will take our new supreme court addressing the gerrymandered elections to begin to move back to a more balanced legislature. When I look back at Wisconsin political traditions, I am disgusted at the embarrassing cult currently in control.
I'm rooting for you and Wisconsin!
Susanna & John, you comments are interesting & puzzling to me to me, as I know next to nothing about MA’s legislature. Guess I’ll have to read up on it, hard to keep up will all that’s going on nationally, let alone in all 50 states!
Check out the 2021 report prepared by Progressive Democrats of MA: "The Massachusetts Legislature: Democracy in Decline." I recommended it to John S above, but here's the URL again: https://www.progressivedemsofmass.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/PDM_democracy_in_decline_final.pdf
Thanks for sharing this report, Susan. You're not wrong about the disfunction on Beacon Hill, and in another context I'd love to discuss. It's in the current context of the American Experiment being under immediate threat that I take issue with the "national embarrassment" characterization of Massachusetts' legislature. Taken from a wonk (term of endearment) perspective, your statement is fair enough. My own popular politics perspective informs me otherwise. So it's apropos to find this in the Executive Summary of your linked study:
"Characterizing legislatures... is highly subjective. The lens of personal political beliefs alters the picture."
As the late Tip O'Neill and many others have advised, "Think globally, act locally." You're probably aware of the many times in U.S. history that some activists (often non-male and/or non-white) have been advised to defer their goals until after Goal X is achieved? When Goal X is achieved, however, everyone goes home. It really is possible to walk and chew gum at the same time.
Include MT in that list!
Isn’t Gianforte the governor in MT? The body slam guy that DT encouraged? Where Jon Tester, the only practicing farmer (think climate change) in the Senate, is up for re-election?
Yes. Senator Tester is running a very uphill battle. R Senator Daines was part of the group that went to Moscow on July 4th. The state has a R super majority and moderate R are being called RINO . MT has an outstanding state constitution & it is under attack as well. To me it seems with the viciousness of attacks, R are behaving like cornered animals
Thank you very much for the information about Daines. That’s traitorous behavior! What will Montanans gain from his trip to Moscow? The symbolism is appalling. What is being taught in Montana’s schools?
John, you're mostly looking at the surface -- and if you take those states as standards of comparison, MA is going to come off relatively well. Shouldn't we aim a little higher than that? The MA legislature ranks close to the bottom on several key issues, like accountability and transparency. It concentrates too much power in leadership, especially in the House. Unlike many state legislatures, it has no legislative research bureau that can do the research that leads to effective legislation. The result is that legislators depend on well-funded lobbyists to get too much of their information. You may have noticed that the House especially likes to put off important bills to the end of each two-year session, which causes a traffic jam that makes it easy for leadership to avoid acting on whatever it doesn't want to act on.
Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts released an excellent report in late 2021: "Massachusetts Legislature: Democracy in Decline." Very readable and well worth reading: https://www.progressivedemsofmass.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/PDM_democracy_in_decline_final.pdf
Aim as high as we want but there is just one existential crisis facing American democracy today and it doesn't hinge on the success or failure of a Good Government movement in MA. Anyone can walk and chew gum at the same time but should we? MAGA will cause you to either trip and fall flat or swallow that gum. Gotta keep your eye on the critical path.
Given all the back-and-forth here about the two parties, I invite you all to look at the legislation that Minnesota Democrats have accomplished in this 2023 session. We Democrats are mighty proud of them. Democrats hold both the Minnesota House and Senate and with Democratic Gov. Walz at the head, we have a bushelful of good new policies. The party in charge matters.
https://www.startribune.com/historic-progress-for-generations-to-come/600278284/
Many of us here in MA look at MN with awe and admiration. Having a Democratic governor helps. MA voters collectively like to elect moderate Republican governors like former governor Charlie Baker (who decided not to run for a third term last year, at least in part because he might not have survived the Republican primary -- the MA GOP has gone MAGA). I've got high hopes for Gov. Maura Healey, who took office in January, and I'm especially impressed by our new lieutenant governor, Kim Driscoll (who was a standout mayor of Salem for about 16 years). But Healey and Driscoll have to work with our state legislature, and that is going to be, to put it mildly, a challenge.
Susan, I understand your frustration, but, we’re in a life and death struggle for democracy. If Democrats don’t win in 2024, we may find ourselves in a country we no longer recognize. Winning will require an all hands on deck effort. If you think Massachusetts is bad, imagine living in Florida, where our party is toothless and unfocused. Florida has become the poster child for American fascism, thanks to DeSantis. While bellowing “freedom” at every rally, he quietly takes our rights away. He uses lies and disinformation to frame his actions and few dare argue with him; they know how vindictive he is.
We've been in a life and death struggle for democracy for decades now (or maybe centuries?). A lot of middle-class-and-up white people just caught on when Trump was elected. This is good, though one does wish they'd caught on earlier. Not sure why you think I'm frustrated, but hey, if it helps you make sense of your world, carry on. ;-)
Guess I misread your message. You only like Democratic candidates, but, find the Massachusetts Democratic Party “bloated and embarrassing” and therefore you’re thinking of leaving it. I read that as frustrated with the party. Now I’m not sure what you really intended to convey, carry on.
Do you understand the difference between being a Democrat and being a member of the party structure? I was secretary of a regional Dem group for the last 6 years and I'm currently chair of my Democratic Town Committee. Based on this experience, I don't think this is an effective use of my time and energy -- I've got better alternatives for making a difference.
I think Diane sensed that you might support a third party candidate, which, in our bifurcated system, could throw the presidency to the Republicans. Of course, the opposite sometimes works. At this very dangerous time, any perceived loss of solidarity is disconcerting. Thanks for the clarification; and may all of us make a difference, before it's too late.
Well, not sure if it’s effective, but I switched to Independent.
Your choice mostly means that you don't get to participate in choosing who runs, since you cannot vote in a primary. You are also an example that most "independents" really aren't. You're a pissed-off Democrat, not an "independent." And there *is* a difference.
I'm NPP (No Party Preference) and sometimes Rs let me vote in their primaries and sometimes Ds do. But you get to vote in the main elections, regardless, so you still have a say overall.
I'm originally from England and was a card-carrying member of the Labour Party there. I voted Lib Dem in locals, Labour in nationals, and Green in Euros (the European Green Party is sane and reasonable -- unlike the crazies here in the US). For me, the Democrats are a center-right party that I have to hold my nose to vote for -- but I do, every time, because the alternatives are either idiots or fascists!
And the "GOP" provides us with the worst of both worlds. I have registered with the Democrats since my first vote, but I don't consider myself loyal to any party. It's just that in my lifetime, save for a couple of minor offices back when Republicans weren't all bad, there is no other responsible choice.
Like it or not, ours is a two-party, winner-take-all system. Playing cutesy with NPP is, IMHO, voting Republican.
MisTBlu, I learned that the hard way by “voting my conscience” (tho we SHOULD be able to IMHO!) and voted for Nader back in the day. Recently read an interesting archived article about him (sorry, can’t put my finger on it at the moment), but basically said he’s been relentlessly excoriated due to the outcome of that election—despite all the good, even great, service he’s done. While reading the article I kept thinking that I don’t blame HIM, I put the onus on the voter (like me!) who made the choice, not really understanding in our system what the impact would/could be. I recently found (linked from something I was reading) a TicTok vid explaining ranked-choice-voting using Legos as a visual….simple, effective, explanation. I think if we had local/state/national ranked-choice-voting we could all express our choices and be pragmatic at the same time. https://www.tiktok.com/@nycvotes/video/7249447480872553770
In 2000, I voted for Nader, too, but only because I was in a safe Democratic state (NY). Had I been in somewhere like, say, Florida, my vote would have gone to Gore for sure.
Fun fact: Nader actually outpolled Bush in the town I lived in at the time (Ithaca, NY)
Barbara, like you, I’ve voted my conscience in the past based “on principle”. That is a luxury no longer pragmatic in our fascist MAGA infected Republic
Ranked choice voting seems like a good way to improve the current two party debacle; in both the General Election AND in State and Local primaries
Although I never voted for Nader, I give him credit for saving the lives of both my brother and son-in-law who recently survived auto accidents this year that would have killed them had Nader not taken on the auto industry.
I have so many emotions about Nader, the Greens and the 2000 election that I can't form a coherent paragraph. Suffice it to say that Nader went from hero to zero when he broke his promise to not run in Florida.
I'm afraid I can't agree. Being independent is not the same as voting third party. You can be independent and vote a straight Democratic ticket, just as we Democrats can.
I don't personally see the value in being an independent, but being one doesn't help the Republicans. You just miss out on primaries.
The political landscape has changed a lot in the last couple of decades. Not participating in the primary elections for partisan offices leaves the choice of candidates in the general to others. That's fine if you really truly don't care about the general. Also, in jungle primary states, having a large number of Independent voters could lead to two candidates from the party you don't want to win being your only option. On a more practical level, primary votes allow candidates to raise money, recruit volunteers and gain "mojo."
Our neighbor, a former R pol, is an Independent although I know he votes mostly for Ds. He can't quite make the switch to D and it perhaps it gives him some cover if he is trying to influence certain Rs.
Exactly, don’t we all know that…
Too many people don't.
That's a ridiculous thing to say -- NPP doesn't mean "voting third party", it just means you're not locked into one party's _primary_ voting.
I've voted in every election since I became a citizen here (early 2005) and I've never voted third party for President, for exactly this reason: it's a (broken) two-party, winner-take-all system.
I agree that the system is broken but it is what is. You're correct that NPP is not third party but it means that those who don't vote in the primary leave the choice of the candidates that they can choose in the general up to others. To me, in these times, that's dangerous.
MA is an open-primary state, which means that if you're unenrolled in any party, you can take any party's primary ballot. Local elections, where one's vote can have the greatest impact, are nonpartisan. On the whole, I think party affiliation is like wearing a T-shirt declaring your preferences: it's a personal statement that doesn't have much political effect. To have some political effect, you've got to do more than vote, e.g., support primary candidates, follow what's going on in local and state government, and communicate regularly with your elected officials.
In Vermont, party affiliation is not part of registering to vote, period. Most of us vote by mail. When we receive our ballots, we get three (there are 3 parties in VT who use the ballot system to select candidates). We select the ballot we wish to use, and put it in the designated official envelope for the marked ballot (on the outside of which is the required signature and oath that affirms that the ballot was marked of free will). The other two unused ballots are placed in another envelope, and both envelopes are put in the mailing envelope to be mailed to the town clerk together (to ensure that each person marks only one ballot).
Vermont has just voted to allow ranked choice elections at local level. It is not compulsory, but it is expected to gradually be adopted generally, with exceptions for very small towns where counting is done by hand. The bill also sets up a commission to examine how ranked choice might work for state level positions; the process will include public input, as well as evaluating places where ranked choice is already in use. They will make recommendations back to the legislature. So we'll see. This seems to me a sound approach to the issue.
Many are happy with ranked choice voting here in Alaska but Republicans are trying to dismantle it.
They're pissed off that Mary Peltola got elected. Good job, Alaska!
This is useful info, Annie. Thanks. Do you mean that in VT, no record is kept of party affiliation? How do party primaries work? In MA we've finally got no-fault mail-in voting, but since I'm a poll worker I always vote in person and am not sure how the primary works. In MA, registered Dems get the Dem ballot and registered Republicans get the GOP ballot, but I'm not sure what unenrolled voters -- who aren't enrolled in any party and who can vote in either primary -- get. Gotta ask my town clerk!
Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) seems to be catching on in more and more places. As it proves itself at the municipal level, I think it'll move up to, e.g., congressional district and state levels. Republicans don't like it, for obvious reasons: extremist or otherwise unqualified candidates tend not to fare all that well. Take Sarah Palin for instance . . .
I addressed this somewhat in my first paragraph, but perhaps I didn't frame it well enough. You are correct: no record is kept of party affiliation. One registers only as a voter, not as a party member. The individual makes the choice of party during primaries when they receive all three ballots: they choose one to mark and put in an envelop by itself. The other two ballots are placed unmarked in a special envelope. All are put in a larger envelope together to be mailed or dropped off. The unused ballots are destroyed. The envelope for the marked ballot has a signature and code which is read and the envelope discarded. The ballot is placed in a special machine to be scanned. The machine has a secure chamber with a lock box, in which all the ballots are retained in case a manual recount is needed (which does sometimes happen). Local elections (in my town, anyway) are on a separate ballot and placed in it's own box.
I should add that Vermont has many other parties besides the major 3 (Dem, Repub, Progressive). They usually select state level candidates by caucus or petition, and their candidates will appear on the main ballot in November along with the three main parties. I am not sure of this, but I believe that names on petitions and attending caucuses are recorded to ensure that they are not also voting in the balloted primary.
This year I became a Justice of the Peace in my town and will be part of the crew overseeing the elections and helping out where needed. I have other duties as well (mostly having to do with reviews of tax appeals and that sort of thing). Not exciting, but an essential part of ensuring the equitable application of the law at the local level. I worked in the public servant part of the government, and never felt the draw to elected office. But in retirement, with my intense interest in politics and governance, I finally applied to fill a vacated Justice of the Peace slot that originally was on the state ballot. Law provides a mechanism for filling a vacated position. Though we work at the local level, we are technically a part of the state Judiciary, and so I was appointed by the governor after being chosen as a candidate by my town party caucus.
Actually, in CA Independents can vote in the Democratic Primary not the Republican!
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Phd is the California Secretary of State: sos.ca.gov. California & Texas have decentralized voting status down to the County level.
Dr. Weber's official CA Secretary of State website provides a useful "KNOW YOUR VOTING STATUS" with a Link and/or phone number for every County in CA. To verify your voting status to 'VOTE in '24', check your voting status now in July 2023.
You can clearly see, I am preparing to be a local, volunteer, CA voting monitor :)
I’m an election official too. I’ve been considering the right time to tell ppl to make sure they are still able to vote, what with purges and other nefarious activities.
Just need a computer even a small, hand-held computer that some folks still call a "cell phone" works fine. :)
My choice is what it is. For my reason. And you don’t know what that is.
For sure, I would not use ‘pissed-off’ to describe my carefully thought-out decision to make the switch.
When you replied to my comment I was curious about your reason. This seems like a safe space to discuss difficult decisions, so I'm hoping that you'll change your mind and give us something to think about.
I prefer not to share that information. And I certainly would not want my own decision-making to influence anyone else’s.
We are all thinking and seemingly curious adults here. Sometimes it’s more powerful to seek internally and find what would make oneself make a change like that.
Mzlizzi, personal insights are valuable tools for others that may not have imagined someone else's path to decision making. If someone is influenced by my thinking process, I’m happy to act as an example of “how I arrived at my conclusion”. People can agree or disagree freely, and at the same time, their disagreement can better inform my perspective.
“Finding” myself in my own head risks confirmation bias and dependency on “me” thinking I know it all
We all have value. Contributing that to society makes us Society
Spoken like a non-Republican. 'Dems want to fall in love, Repubs fall in line'.
Mzlizzi please share why you switched. As TCINLA stated, by being independent, I think that, in many states, you give up your right to vote in the primaries and help determine which Democrats are on the general election ballot.
Mary, mzlizzi shared that she switched. She has no obligation to anyone to reveal why or what. It is her right under the law. I don't think you are saying anything she is not aware of. By pressuring her, you are risking shutting her out of the discussion. Please don't.
Annie, I figured that she had a good reason to switch that outweighed the reason I stated to stay a Democrat. I thought that it might be sufficient for me to want to switch as well. That’s why I asked—I’m sorry that it came across as pressuring her. That was not at all my intention.
The right wing Attorneys General of many states are flooding the court with suits to undo civil rights and environmental protection. Louisiana AG Landry leads this pack of wolves in efforts to undermine democratic protection. Given how effectively the GQP has manipulated voting the danger they represent can be very entrenched.
That depends on what state you live in if you can vote as an independent in primaries. There are independents who are from the R party as well. Many independents have joined together to focus on issues rather than party politics. Also for those R who will not vote for a D, they may vote for an I.
That is fine, but in states where only party members are allowed to choose the leading candidates it can lead to extreme candidates being nominated.
How do you know I wouldn’t have voted for the extreme candidate anyway?!
I was an independent until I learned I couldn't vote in the primaries here in NV, so I switched to dem.
I figured why should I sit out part of the election process by being independent and besides, party affiliation doesn't define me, it just gives me the chance to make my voice heard through the whole process.
Don't understand why people would choose not to have their voice heard.
It's our only power.
I, too , am an independant. However, I can change my party affiliation to suit the voting party. In other words, I will change my status to Rep. so I can vote in the primary.
I did year’s ago. But I’d been a registered Republican for years. Over time it just did not fit my values. Decided I wanted to feel free to vote the issue and candidate on each “independent” issue and candidate.
Since when does your party registration control what do you when marking your secret ballot?
If in Colorado, the term is “Unaffiliated,” as there in an actual party with candidates dubbed “Independent.”
"Effective" in what sense?
Refers to your wondering in your last sentence.
You know, Betsy, if you were running for office what would you do? Renounce dark money and gifts from large donors? I think you would, because like most people we find it to be wrong. Why wouldn’t the DNC follow suit? Don’t they think we notice their reticence? Hey, DNC people... We Notice!!!
The game of politics here in America would benefit greatly from strong campaign finance laws and regulations; it’s been talked about for as long as I can remember. Why do people with lots of money want so much power and control? That’s one of the big questions asked in “Citizen Kane” and in so many other great works of art. George Washington was so happy when the Revolutionary War ended.... he just wanted to go home afterwards like many of his fellow veterans. That’s a good attitude... My Dad had the same one after he served in WWII.
I think by virtue of our very human nature, and by growing up in our democratic meritocracy, that we Americans are not power crazed people. We don’t want to be and we don’t need to be, in order to live good, fulfilling and largely happy lives. The people who want more and more and more ...? Sure, it’s America.... it doesn’t make them bad people unless they become unmoored by their own “amazingness” and then like Charlie Kane become Charles Foster Kane the savior of humanity or some similar permutation. I’m sure that Mark Twain would have liked the movie and appreciated its humor and tragedy very much; Herman Mankiewicz, the writer of Citizen Kane was one brilliant guy.... Orson Welles was, too.
As Dr Richardson so eloquently points out ( when isn’t she eloquent? ) disinformation, lies purported to be true and then amplified as our Yellow Journalists and others did long ago and continue to do today, is a real problem. As the character, Jedediah , played so well by Joseph Cotton in Citizen Kane might say about our current situation: “Sure, pass more laws and prosecute the guilty but don’t expect it to stop. As much as I tried to convince my old friend, Charlie Kane not to destroy himself, he just couldn’t help it.... “Rosebud”, indeed....But take heart you people today and keep your wits about you... things will be Okay as long as you all remain grounded and suspicious of your own hubris!” Jedediah was a modest, tough, very smart, funny and loyal guy... like most of us Americans. I liked his style and his attitude and like him, I’m a bit of a philosopher, too. We need to take threats to our democracy seriously, dispense with villainy whenever possible and continue to accept too much, for too long, that isn’t perfect or even good at all, as we work steadily towards a better democracy.
We need to get rid of the Citzens United abomination. Another means of attack could be shortening the time politicians are allowed to politic, er, campaign. An acquantance in Australia said their limit is 8 weeks - no one can run ads, go on talk shows, whatever, and do any campaigning until 8 weeks ahead of election day. That would limit some of the money being raised. How about closer scrutiny of all politicians financial affairs, as in audits, IRS or otherwise?
While I think this is entirely unlikely, we would all be a lot healthier. Mostly, these long run-ups to elections distract us from governing and paying attention to who's doing what.
Money has almost always ruled politics and the economy. From the long world history of monarchs to dictators. And it is the money that is the root of our undemocratic problems. Money, greed underlie all the efforts to keep the worlds oldest democracy from being a democracy.
Betsy Smith--So sadly true. Ironically I received an email survey from the Nevada Democratic Party and the last question was, "What do you like about being a Democrat in Nevada." Knowing that the purpose of the question was a manipulative way to harvest quotes for PR, I left it blank rather than responding that incompetence was less odious than pure evil. Just like Schiff running against Porter in CA, we've got two great primary candidates--finally!--an African American male and a Jewish female--running against each other for Las Vegas mayor. The only result will be uneven more divided community. A loss for all of us.
How I wish the DNC would take a loud and proud leadership stance for meaningful campaign finance reform!
Is there a way to encourage the Democratic National al Party to change "dark money" into "bright money"? Bring it out of the darkness by openly praising its donor supporters. As long as it takes (apparently) millions of dollars to get a candidate elected, and the thugs are spending that kind of money, I don't want to lose by default solely as the consequence of declining so-called "dark money". As long as we have to live in the climate of Citizens United, we need to make sure viable Democratic candidates can compete against hugely-funded thugs. Not a single Democrat can get the work done if they can't even get into office.
Thanks Betsy! How can we respond locally? Doesn’t it start there?
Judges should not be ruling the US. Challenge their statements and counter them. This is especially true for the corrupt Trump-centered followers, including SCOTU$
These "judges" are behaving like high priests of antiquity. The populace prostrates itself? It must stop.
Or just acting like bullies. It seems to me that the core of the whole authoritarian thing is about glorifying being a bully, in a pyramid of bullying, with scapegoats at the bottom. The technically once "party of Lincoln" has gone a long way down that road. The daily news is full of it.
Pyramid of bullying, says it all
Mudsills all.
Judges need to review what John Marshall said in the used-to-be-famous case of Marbury v. Madison: the courts have no power to supervise the executive. They can only act within their own sphere. The best answer to a ruling like this is to follow Andy Jackson's example, and ask the judge how he plans to enforce his decision.
Marbury vs Madison: the Courts 'say what the law is'. Court's are not a super legislatures nor are they policymakers but, Courts do have equitable powers which is why some litigators sign off with the mantra: "All rights reserved in law & equity". Regardless, all judicial remedies require sound judicial procedure backed by ADMISSIBLE evidence, As HCR explained accurately that was not the case in one matter appealed immediately to the 5th Circuit.
What does the Supreme Court have to decide before President Biden takes action?
‘Biden has harshly criticized the Supreme Court’s sharp pivot to the right, but he has stayed away from endorsing any of the broad array of reforms — including court expansion, term limits and mandatory retirements — ‘
___’After the court last Friday blocked Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt, Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) reintroduced legislation to institute 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices.’
___’ The Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of more than 100 lawmakers, recently renewed its push to expand the court. Several Democratic senators, including Sens. Tina Smith (Minn.) and Edward J. Markey (Mass.), have voiced support.’
“The court is already in a very unhealthy state,” said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, a liberal advocacy group that backs court expansion. “The public’s confidence in the court has never been lower, and the court’s legitimacy derives from the public having a belief that its rulings are nonpolitical. The crisis is already here.”
___’In another illustration of the issue’s growing potency within the party, three leading Democratic candidates for a U.S. Senate seat from California — Reps. Adam B. Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter — have all embraced expanding the court.’
‘“If we start the process of trying to expand the court, we’re going to politicize it, maybe forever, in a way that is not healthy,” Biden told MSNBC.
‘Once Biden became the Democratic nominee in 2020 and began facing pressure from other Democrats to embrace the expansion push, he promised to create a commission to study proposals for reforming the court when he became president, which he did.’
‘The commission submitted a 294-page report in December 2021, but Biden has said little about it.’
‘ Caroline Fredrickson, who was a member of the commission and is a professor at Georgetown Law, said the commission only interacted with the president once after submitting its report. In December 2022, its members were invited to the White House and met briefly with Biden in the Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. But Fredrickson said the meeting was largely an opportunity for the president to thank the members for their work, not to discuss the report or its recommendations.'
‘Fredrickson, who supports court expansion and term limits, said the court’s latest term only confirmed her view that it is in “desperate need” of reforms.'
“We have a very problematic system in which we have a court that can assert these incredible powers that affect all of our lives and they’re not of momentary import, but they can affect generations,” she said. “It’s a very radical approach to governing, to have a court that can act like a monarchy. It does destabilize our democracy quite a bit.’
___”But Democrats, who have been infuriated by the lax rules for the Supreme Court, have vowed to try to tighten ethics rules for the justices, vowing to push legislation if the justices do not adopt an ethics code on their own.'
“The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards. But for too long that has been the case with the United States Supreme Court. That needs to change,” Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a joint statement with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who chairs a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the federal judiciary.’(WAPO) See gifted link below.
Many Democrats are trying to make changes in the Supreme Court.
President Biden, on the other hand!
https://wapo.st/3O22r4j
I totally agree, Fern. Democrats used to be bold, but somehow the leadership has lost that courage when we are at the helm. Anita Hill warned us about Thomas, and he has been rogue for his entire career on the bench; somehow his wife's abetting of the overthrow of the government is overlooked. Then there's Kavanaugh, another credibly excused predator who never recuses himself. And then Roberts' wife is revealed to be gobbling up fees to place attorneys who will argue before the court. Sweet Amy with her chosen family is revealed to have been influenced by a religious cult. And now, we learn about Alito, they guy who positioned himself to be above the fray is on the take from wealthy donors. The ghost of Abe Fortas is having a big belly laugh. While I am deeply grateful for Biden's presidency, by announcing so early, he undermined our ability to propose alternatives. And now those Trump appointed judges are doing what they were chosen to do, to shut down government information.
‘Two years after John Roberts' confirmation as the Supreme Court's chief justice in 2005, his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, made a pivot. After a long and distinguished career as a lawyer, she refashioned herself as a legal recruiter, a matchmaker who pairs job-hunting lawyers up with corporations and firms.’
‘And life was indeed good for the Robertses, at least for the years 2007 to 2014. During that eight-year stretch, according to internal records from her employer, Jane Roberts generated a whopping $10.3 million in commissions, paid out by corporations and law firms for placing high-dollar lawyers with them.’
‘That eye-popping figure comes from records in a whistleblower complaint filed by a disgruntled former colleague of Roberts, who says that as the spouse of the most powerful judge in the United States, the income she earns from law firms who practice before the Court should be subject to public scrutiny.'
"When I found out that the spouse of the chief justice was soliciting business from law firms, I knew immediately that it was wrong," the whistleblower, Kendal B. Price, who worked alongside Jane Roberts at the legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, told Insider in an interview. "During the time I was there, I was discouraged from ever raising the issue. And I realized that even the law firms who were Jane's clients had nowhere to go. They were being asked by the spouse of the chief justice for business worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and there was no one to complain to. Most of these firms were likely appearing or seeking to appear before the Supreme Court. It's natural that they'd do anything they felt was necessary to be competitive."
‘Roberts' apparent $10.3 million in compensation puts her toward the top of the payscale for legal headhunters. Price's disclosures, which were filed under federal whistleblower-protection laws and are now in the hands of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, add to the mounting questions about how Supreme Court justices and their families financially benefit from their special status, an area that Senate Democrats are vowing to investigate after a series of disclosure lapses by the justices themselves. ‘ (INSIDER) See link below.
https://www.businessinsider.com/jane-roberts-chief-justice-wife-10-million-commissions-2023-4
Once again, I say it all comes down to the VOTE. We don’t have sufficient majorities to pull this off...vote like your life depends on it, because it does.
Your repeated calls for Americans to vote, along with the voices of many others, is as an echo to the a chorus of likeminded people. Are you open to other civic responsibilities as well? I shall assume you have read the comment. Do you have a opinion about Biden, so far, being all talk and no action with regard to the conduct of the Supreme Court?
Actually, Fern, I am unclear about what point you are actually trying to make here. Your question is impertinant. And, I believe that your thoughts on Biden are opinionated, not opinion (opinion is generally based on something other than one's prejudices). What "action" do you think Biden should take? The options are limited and have repercussions that you don't seem to have given much thought to.
Your rudeness doesn't surprise me. I've received it before and doesn't merit more of a response that this.
But since Schiff, Lee, and Porter are all running for the same Senate seat, currently held by Dianne Feinstein, we'll only get one vote from the three of them for reform of the Supreme Court.
I was so disheartened when I heard President Biden respond to the question of expanding the Supreme Court during Nicole Wallace’s interview. He was worried it would “politicize” the court further. Amazing. What does he think is happening now? I am a Biden supporter, but disagree with him on this critical matter.
I love that we have Joe Biden as President now ... but I am dismayed that he refuses to engage with Supreme Court reforms at this point in time. There is an obvious need for reforms - more now than ever - and he's missing his moment. (Nicole also seemed stymied that he responded as he did.)
Does he need Obama (or some other person he respects) to whisper in his ear? How can we make him aware that this is his one moment in time? HELP!
speech is protected so that people are legally free to express themselves. but what if, when you speak, you are not expressing yourself? can you claim first amendment protection? tucker carlson did not believe the things he was saying on tv. he was a mouthpiece for his bosses and his audience. can he claim first amendment protection? the first amendment does not protect propaganda, or libel, or fraud. why would it protect disinformation? the founding fathers feared the urban mob, because it was so easy to stir up the people in a city. it was much harder back then to "organize" the countryside, which was thought to be more stable. nowadays, half of the country is potentially one large urban mob. meanwhile whatever happened to 'don't believe everything you read and even less of what you hear?'
We are in a war of truth and the evil keeps growing and growing. The is painful to read but keep sending the pain Heather.
I feel the same pain Christopher. It’s like the evil empire is everywhere and insanity rules
Very widespread (across the globe) and a very clear and present danger, but not everywhere and sanity is, so far, in the other corner.
I agree Pat. Feel the same way.
I’m writing “thank you,” Professor, because you’re telling us the Truth and we trust you in a time that seems impossible to trust. Where do we go from here? Will we trust any future election or official connected to the repubs? Even with a billboard of truth, diehard supporters of tfg want him as president. I and my friends and family and my fellow Democrats will continue to work for Justice. But the rest of this country? For all our grandchildren I’m not giving up.
MOTTO
In the dark times, will there also be singing?
Yes, there will be singing
About the dark times.
~Bertolt Brecht
Irenie, I’ve posted this link to my “resistance” theme song, Jackson Browne’s ‘Til I Go Down a number of times on LFAA in the past….I listen to it when I need some juice to keep on (more frequently since ‘16!)…AND you can dance to it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmzimxfqgfw
Barbara, Great JB reference. When Jackson’s career was at its popular peak in the 70’s he decided to begin writing about political issues at the risk of diminishing his audience numbers. He continued and his album sales did fall. His conscience kept him at it as he created a more focused social awareness in his remaining base
Truly a master songwriter and folk hero followed closely by Steve Earle
Gratitude, Barbara. This is my Anthem! ‘Til I go down! I’m not going to shut my eyes! Or my mouth. We empower each other. I understand also that Bernie Sanders is a hero. And Elizabeth Warren. And those who know we have to stay together to grow. There are winners. Big sigh!
Jackson Browne is my favorite singer/ songwriter!
We must not lose hope. We can stand for the better.
Why do elected officials, who take an oath to serve and protect the Constitution, so flagrantly show contempt for the government in which they serve and disdain the people they have sworn to serve? Josh Hawley, Jim Jordan etc, etc, I’m looking at you. I’m so sad.
It's frightening to be expected to regard Hawley, Jordan, plus etc etc, as righteous authority figures. They aren't. They must be halted, the way a plant wilts and dies without water.
They were swearing to serve and protect their own version of the Constitution, and they very effectively serve their own people and the government they have created.
Seems like they are aiming to pervert the system from within, perhaps hoping the rest of us won’t notice, or notice in time to counter their efforts.
This is exactly their goal, to destroy the government’s ability to serve the people, especially the people the likes of Hawley and Jordan consider ‘less than’ themselves and their extremist adherents.
My perspective is that they don't see themselves as being a part of the same system that we are in, therefore, they don't consider what they're doing as perversion. From their point of view, we are dangerous "woke" renegades determined to destroy THEIR country. (Just as the North "decided" to destroy the South. . . )
Yeah, that’s when I think of the Dylan lyrics “you were right from your side, I was right from mine”…..the never ending yin-yang of it all….
Musicians often have the ability to say things in a way that we can’t seem to muster. Music informs
Not sad here. Disgusted, angry yes. What you ask here is very similar to “if you hate the government so much, why are you in it?”
They lack integrity
I agree. But their definition of integrity is a solid belief that we (the "woke") actually want all Americans to have equal rights and opportunities. They don't.
They see diversity as danger. We see it as a feature. They are the inheritors of the cultural DNA that piloted slave ships and owned plantations.
Marg, so many questions always. We ask even though deep down we recognize evil. Still, I don’t want to believe it. I like the song Barbara shared, Jackson Browne’s “Til I Go Down.” Let’s stay together.
Sadly, this sounds a lot like the near take-over of America by fascists in the late 1930's and early 1940's as reported in Rachel Maddow's "Ultra" blog. All of the Congressmen involved and most if not all of the other perpetrators got off without punishment. At least one prosecutor's reputation was ruined.
In the face of this threat to democracy, a significant number of Republicans who will not vote for Trump are looking for a third-party candidate if Trump is the Republican nominee. They delude themselves that this is the best thing for America, ignoring the fact that a third party candidate would almost surely throw the election to Trump, since his MAGA cult base will stick with him.
"All of the Congressmen involved and most if not all of the other perpetrators got off without punishment."
The more they get away with, the worse they get.
Do you have a specific "third party" candidate that worries you right now? The only candidate that seems to be getting traction other than Biden or Trumps is named Kennedy.
I am not convinced that RFK, Jr would draw more Democrats than Republicans. Why? Because I think more Republicans are deluded and just plain misinformed. The man is certifiably nuts. His conspiracy theories are right out of the "Q" playbook. That's not where most Democrats live.
And who else might do the Third Party dance? If he or she attracts Republicans who can't stomach Trump, doesn't Biden win?
Let's hope so. And in the meantime, get behind the Dems at all levels. Activating Dems is a whole lot more important and effective than fussing over what the Republicans, such as they are, are doing.
You see the threat clearly, sad to say
Tonight, Laurence O’Donnell gave a heavy piece on how he has “lost faith with Roberts and his court”. I feel we are in the throws of GOP fascism yet we must fight and resist. Heather, your incites/explanations are scary yet straightforward. We must fight for our democracy.
Laurence O'Donnell's broadcasts have been getting more heavy recently. He is clear and focused (and passionate) in his presentation, but I'm almost afraid he'll break down before our eyes. Or maybe it's just that I am ready to break down after he tells us his tale of the day. His words are passionate, powerful.
Heather, thanks again for highlighting the important stories that aren’t click bait.
The flag mistake on the NRC tweet and the deliberate misinformation in the Josh Hawley tweet (both ignored by the Musk-led content police) seem to show that they believe that their base don’t know or don’t care about the truth. There’s a reason that the social media content police have responded more to conservative posts—alternative”facts” in those posts putting people’s lives in danger through medical information and posts urging violence. It has nothing to do with partisan politics.
Heather, you have brought something to everyone’s attention that’s going on across this country on a daily basis. It’s pathetic how these justices, at every level, have seemed to forgotten what their jobs are.
I was under the impression/belief that a justice, as I’d law enforcement officers, are ti uphold the law. These justices are violating the constitution with every ruling they are making.
This isn’t making any sense at all. How, or why, are they doing this? How are they allowed to do this? Why are these justices allowed to stay sitting on their respective benches?
If we don’t get a strict Ethics commission for these justices, this country is in trouble. It’s in trouble now, but it will be totally lost if this behavior is allowed to continue. It has to be stopped!
Daniel Cooper--From my dark perspective, these judges haven't forgotten anything. They are absolutely doing the "jobs" for which they were "hired."
You have identified the core misunderstanding that so many of us have had. We feel as if only we could better explain our views (equal justice and opportunity) that somehow these justices and Republican voters will see the light.
But they have their own light. And that "light" is to destroy the democracy that gives opportunity to the "others". This is an attack on the very premise of our nation. This is about legitimizing bigotry and hate. This is an attempted rollback to a time of a not too distant past when White Males dominated.
This is the battle royal. Oligarchs teamed with bigots against everyone else.
Daniel, we swear (well, we swore; my oath is binding still to retain my “retired” status under LEOSA) to uphold the law. Part of being a judge is to determine what the law is (in its application). We never had that ability; only the enforcement of laws as written.
So what do we do about a Supreme Court that provides a litigant with the ability to resist serving an imagined customer who disagrees with her religious prejudices?
That case shouldn’t have been heard by the Supreme Court. It was a farce all the way through the legal system.
True. Evidence of a rigged agenda, IMO.
I wish we had something that could be done.
Thanks Heather ! We certainly need a well crafted tool to teach ways to expose and identify these disinformation platforms for the everyday consumer
"Disinformation " can be quite sophisticated or driven by malevolent algorithms founded on behaviorial science data. As HCR noted, one notorious Troll Farm manipulator has been exiled ... for now.
UPDATE: Per the NYT. Lukashenko says Prigozhin is still in Russia apparently in St Petersburg.
Although I understand that it has actually been taken over by the Kremlin.
And, republished by others.
That works. They haven't been able to get much of anything else right, why should this be any different?
I have much respect for what the 18-30 year olds have already done at the Voting Booth. But, your Reply highlights the need for "critical thinking" . As a trial Attorney, I looked for "deductive reasoning" skills & I LOVED Librarians but, I kept my ears & eyes out for prospective jurors whose answers demonstrated they could solve a multistep problem.
These skills can be taught. How about "Deep Fake Puzzles"?
Red Thread: I am going to take my time & research your Links. carefully. Thx.
You may know that NPR is running a series called " Untangling Disinformation".
A good way to start is NPR SHANNON BOND's "4 Minue Lesson" which demonstrates a Deep Fake 30 second AI generated Ad manufactured by the Repiblican Nation Committee aka " RNC" targeted at President Biden raising Federal Campaign violation & civil tort issues.
The Ad depicts doomsday scenarios such an invasion of Taiwan & the demise of San Francisco, CA. Having had a Medical Appointment yedterday,7/5, with an expert physician at UCSF, I can assure you that the 49 square miles of San Francisco is just fine. FYI, Shannon's NPR piece was posted on 4/27/23 at 6:11 PM Eastern
I am not learning fast enough but, already I have learned What's Ap fakes may have the wrong color scheme & political Ad fakes have a fine print disclaimer in the upper left hand corner of the frame.
I will be monitoring Federal & State litigation on AI Fakes.
Thanks for these links, will pass them along to parents of school age kids I know. Seems like a struggle to keep up with the pace of technology blowing past our ability to understand/integrate it in a timely manner.
Yes the southern poverty law center has some wonderful programs for teens/ schools
That first couple of paragraphs. Those are so important, many won’t understand why. Shame on Josh Hawley for using Tactics perfected by Putin’s political advisor Solkov, that helped Putin consolidate power. “To take bible versus and invert their meaning”, to distort the truth, to manipulate Christians and in order to get them on the Putin disinformation/propaganda campaign.
Who is advising Hawley, Jordan, and the GOP on how to do manipulate American people this way? And why?
And Hawley knows exactly what he is doing!
Yup. It is deplorable. Pandering to a radicalized/indoctrinated/personality cult. When we turn out to defeat the crazies again, will he/they stop and adopt a new sane political strategy?
It is as if R’s do not choose to lead at all. There is no acknowledging facts that naturally bring feelings of discomfort that are necessary for human growth. The Greeks new this and discomfort was a part of civic’s. The Greeks understood how pandering, avoidance of discomfort lead to social division and extremism. There are dangerous consequences to community. Truth, knowledge, leading people towards understanding and tolerance create community. This involves discomfort by acknowledging uncomfortable truths. I’m discouraged that so few R’s get leadership. But to do so would involve acknowledging our biggest issue. Equality of opportunity in every facet of American life. We are on the 1930’s/1850’s/other? Inequality envelope once again.
Lauren Boebert did the same thing claiming she heard directly from God that Biden should be impeached. How did that happen? By text? “Bo Bo this is Yahweh…”
Thanks, Chris, for the humor (made me laugh out loud) on such a day of gravity.
Chris, I imagine it like this: “who dis? new phone” “oh BoBo, K” “whatsup”
People who read my blog, on Word Press, asked why there is such a pandemic of uncaring. From Judge Doughty to Vladimir Putin, the answer is clear- Power is king and spirituality is seen as an impediment to amassing that power. As long as the Right to Lie is paramount, our work is cut out for us.
Reading these links, especially the Univ Mich one, made me wonder if there is also an intersection of this w/ far-too-easy to obtain guns & explosion of gun violence in America.
No question, Barbara. Between the anonymity of the on-line world and the phrase you quoted, the impact on all of us (not just youth, but the danger there is they won’t know any other way of being.)
HCR, you are a hard worker and I for one appreciate what you do so well. But, boy, do I miss you when you take a day off. Anyway, my comment today is prefaced with the line... "...instead of civilization you get chaos and destruction." That, friends, is a good descriptive of today's Repub Party. Chaos and destruction. Another is the magaists and Repubs overwork the missinformation and disinformation practices. They all should remember none of them are above the law... and when the next election comes around, with the work of folks like HCR, those who cast their ballots will be aware. The Repub unConstitutianists will have to answer to the people.
So much for July 4th. Reality is July 5th....may America stay strong with your words of concern and wisdom. Thank you Professor for the truth, always. Be it as it may, we shall overcome.
Hawley and his wife are proving again and again to be traitors to our nation. She must be disbarred due her cases brought before SCOTUS and he must be ejected from Congress for subversive words and actions. The Jan 6 “sprinter” supported the insurrection until he ran for his life from the same mob. They are both disgraceful. The GOP are becoming bolder and more traitorous as each day passes.
My head is spinning! Biden said, I believe in 2021, that he did not trust Zuckerberg as he felt Facebook was spreading disinformation. I agree. Now, as a retaliation to Elon’s Twitter screw-ups, Facebook has launched Threads. I won’t be going there.
In the meantime, Vlad looks very very weak in comparison to Prigozhin. Looks like their argument became a kind of a “double dare” and Putin lost. All I want is the war in Ukraine to end, Putin and Prigozhin brought to trial for their crimes against humanity.
Actually, according to Julia Ioffe, who I think knows more about Russia than I do, Putin is in fact more in control because possible opponents are now happy they didn't connect with Prigozhin and are becoming more quiet. It's problematic for Putin that he has fewer active supporters rather than possible supporters remaining quiet. Prigozhin's companies are being appropriated, and it looks like he'll be allowed to move to the Central African Republic. Not someplace most Russians would care to visit. In most dictatorships, it can be useful to "kill" the dissident and leave him walking around as a demonstration of power.
TC, do you read anything by Lucian Truscott IV? Here’s tonight’s newsletter that is very interesting about Putin and Prigozhin. https://open.substack.com/pub/luciantruscott/p/whither-russias-two-ps?r=3ff5b&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Marlene, thanks for reminding me what Biden said about Zuckerberg. I'm trying to coax my friends and followers toward Substack rather than Threads. I'm uneasy about it.
Spoutible looks possible
I've heard that too. The idea of having to start over on any platform, though....
I know