The Plight of Democrats in Talking the Politics of Democracy in Public and in Court
As Taken from Letters from an American:
Yesterday, David Roberts of the energy and politics newsletter Volts noted a Washington Post article illustrated how right-wing extremism is accomplishing its goal of destroying faith in democracy. Examining how “in a swing Wisconsin county, everyone is tired of politics,” the article revealed how right-wing extremism has sucked up so much media oxygen that people have tuned out, making them unaware that Biden and the Democrats are doing their best to deliver precisely what those in the article claim to want: compromise, access to abortion, affordable health care, and gun safety.
One person interviewed,
“I can’t really speak to anything [Biden] has done because I’ve tuned it out, like a lot of people have. We’re so tired of the us-against-them politics.”
Roberts points out that “both sides” are not extremists, but many Americans have no idea that the Democrats are actually trying to govern, including by reaching across the aisle.
November 20, 2023, Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson.
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As Taken from Civil Discourse:
A skillful lawyer knows when the judges aren’t buying an argument and moves on. You can build credibility by conceding obvious problems in your argument. Then you explain how the panel can work around them to reach your desired result. There’s no point in standing on arguments that are obviously wrong—for instance Trump’s lawyers’ insistence today that as a candidate, he has an absolute First Amendment right that means he can say whatever he wants to, wherever he wants to, free of consequence.
That’s simply not the case. There are relative rights and concerns that need to be balanced here. Like many cases where different equities need to be balanced, the decision comes down to a line-drawing exercise. Where should the court draw the line that demarcates Trump’s right to engage in political speech from the need to protect the integrity of the trial and the safety of people involved?
But Trump’s lawyer ducked the hypotheticals on what is and isn’t protected speech. What if Trump said that patriots don’t cooperate with prosecutors? Would that be okay, the panel asked? What if Trump called a witness and said that? What if he said it with a megaphone knowing a witness in the case was in the audience? And if he posted on social media knowing that the person he was posting about follows him? Trump’s lawyer declined to concede that any conduct would be objectionable, a poor strategic call when there are lines that are going to be drawn. Trump’s lawyers left it entirely up to the court.
Gag Order. Appealed and Argued, Civil Discourse, Joyce Vance
HCR, from a few days ago…
THUGS AND VERMIN: POLITICAL SYCOPHANTS DOWNPLAY TRUMP’S UNHINGED SPEECH ECHOING NAZI PROPAGANDA
Milwaukee Independent – Heather Cox Richardson – Nov 16
Personally, I think the ‘Left’ is frustrated with Liberals (more accurately Centrists, perhaps, or Moderates if you prefer) for not coming around to the Progressive POV.
That is, the ‘Left’ that HRC refers to are more comfortable being thought of as Progressives. I think she is being too hard on them. They are much more mild-mannered after all.
Fred:
Topic . . . And his First Amendment rights?
‘Trump’s lawyers’ insistence today that as a candidate, he has an absolute First Amendment right that means he can say whatever he wants to, wherever he wants to, free of consequence.’
This has come up often. This is not an ‘absolute right’. Trump (& his lawyers) would have us believe it is.)
He was not a candidate when he incited this insurrection. He was just about to become an officially un-elected President, against his wishes.
Which county in Wisconsin? Just curious if it might be either Ozaukee or Waukesha or some other place further from Milwaukee, like Outagamie or Winnebago? Can’t get to the article itself and the links just call it a county.
Eric:
If you Google “in a swing Wisconsin county, everyone is tired of politics,” you will find it. The link works off the piece I put up on Letters from an American and scrolling down will take you to her citation authority. In which case, she cites a link (which in the address) well-known to Wiconsinites.
Door. Great place. Winter hiking is awesome and close to home. The “complaint” feels a little forced. Wisconsin is very unlikely to play a significant role in the nomination process of either party. It is easy enough to claim lack of interest at this moment and quite unimportant. Come back in September 2024.
The ruling by Judge Wallace in Colorado that trump engaged in insurrection has not been discussed in another posting yet, so I will rick being off topic. If he is legally the instigator, is he guilty of manslaughter?
Arne:
No, don’t do such. Give me a paragraph and I will reference your comment in a post. Just ask and don’t just do which puts me in a difficult position.
Accomplishing its goal sums it right up …
TB,
So does “be careful what you wish for.” Never start a civil war that you cannot possibly win. The South should have learned that lesson over 150 years ago, but obfuscated it instead. Even our side has the foolish tendency to assume that their side has the larger, better armed, and more brutal army of thugs. We look at the history of fascism and remark “Here they come again,” without recognizing that is only the prelude to “There they go again.” Democracy remains irrelevant, but “Sic semper tyrannis” remains as relevant as ever, at least among the wealthier tribes of humanity. Sure, freedom is elusive where poverty rules, but that ain’t US. Besides, the attractiveness of power itself may corrode when time to pay the climate bill approaches.
On other important news, has anyone heard the fat lady sing yet?
Reminds me of the old Richard Pryor comedy bit where he exchanges racial slurs with a white guy (1st with Chevy Chase on SNL and later in a movie with Gene Wilder) wherein Pryor gets in the last words (“Dead honkey”). Pryor is deeply missed.
I have long argued that anthropologically it hasn’t necessarily been the strong, or the well-provisioned, or smart … that survive. I remember those Pryor skits, pretty tame stuff today
I have also on occasion shared my somewhat humorous anecdote about the best laid plans of mice and men … of spending generations, centuries, millennia even nose to the grindstone to pursue an established end and just as it is about to come to fruition WHAM! out of nowhere something completely overlooked scatters it like so much paper in the wind
For example: climate changed …
TB,
My problem with that is that the best laid plans of men are never followed. While settling the peace after our two world wars, anyone that should have been laying the plans was ignored and bankers and proto-neoliberals called the shots. So, WWII was a direct consequence of the peace of WWI and our long running middle east problems as well as the Clinton’s Balkan Wars were consequences of both peace settlements. Wells’s Outline of History told the tale as well as Keynes’s Economic Consequences of Peace. I forget the name of the 19th century scientist, but “The World Set Free” episode of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey recounts how a research scientist foretold of our present climate change in the 1890’s.
Perhaps the most universal truth is that power corrupts and following close behind in second place is that you cannot fix stupid.
The Man Who Predicted Global Warming 125 Years Ago
Fred,
Thank you so much and muchas gracias and all that stuff.
The fact is, it seems to me, that even if efforts to halt global warming prove to be useless, we have no real choice but to keep making them, because to do so would be suicide. Ironic, sure.
Fred,
Yes sir, damned either way. Irony is one of the few things in which the US leads in global production.
Don’t thank me too soon.
Trump’s Rage
NY Times – Nov 22
“The Case for Amplifying Trump’s Insanity”