The Conversation -- December 4, 2024
Historian Timothy Snyder has been thinking about the parallels between South Korea's "Dictator for a Day" Yoon Suk Yeol and ours. "But Yoon failed, and very badly. His dictatorship for a day lasted only about six hours. What can Americans learn from his less-than-a-day dictatorship?... The Senate, in confirmation hearings, has an obvious question to ask all of Trump's appointees with any responsibility for national security or intelligence: if Trump attempts to invoke the Insurrection Act to stifle domestic political life, just as Yoon attempted to do in South Korea, would you take part?... Are American legislators capable of defending their roles and their republic? The evidence thus far is very mixed; it remains to be seen. But South Koreans have shown the attitude and the resolve that is necessary.... Would Fox and Newsmax rise to the occasion, as did Chosun Ilbo [the major conservative newspaper]? Probably not.... But the crucial element in South Korea was the reaction of citizens themselves" who defied martial law & resisted.
All the Best People, Ctd. Trump Hires Another Ex-Con. Chris Megerian of the AP: "... Donald Trump is bringing Peter Navarro, a former adviser who served prison time related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, back to the White House for his second administration. Navarro will serve as a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Trump announced on Truth Social, his social media website.... Navarro, a trade adviser during Trump's first term, was held in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated Jan. 6. Sentenced to four months in prison, he described his conviction as the 'partisan weaponization of the judicial system.'"
Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's support for Pete Hegseth, whom he announced as his nominee for defense secretary shortly after Election Day, is wobbling after a crush of controversy over a rape allegation and a 2018 email from Mr. Hegseth's mother accusing him of a pattern of abuse toward women. How Mr. Hegseth fares through a series of tests on Wednesday will be critical for his chances. He is set to continue his meetings with key senators, including Joni Ernst of Iowa, a combat veteran who has spoken about being sexually assaulted herself, and his mother is expected to sit for an interview on Fox News. He is also set to start defending himself on television. Mr. Trump has made clear to people close to him that he believes Mr. Hegseth should have been more forthcoming about the problems he would face getting confirmed.... Mr. Trump is openly discussing other people for the job, including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, whom he defeated in the Republican presidential primaries and with whom he has had a contentious relationship.... He talked about it with Mr. DeSantis on Tuesday at a service honoring three Florida sheriff's deputies who were killed in a car crash."
digby cites a Bluesky account called "SocialSecurityWorks.org," which reports that "[Tuesday] night, Sen. Mike Lee [R-Utah] wrote a blueprint for destroying Social Security. Lee's thread was quickly amplified by Elon Musk, who Donald Trump has put in charge of slashing our earned benefits. This is a declaration of war against seniors, people with disabilities, and the American public." If you want to know who's behind Social Security Works, their "About Us" webpage is here. Thanks to RAS for the link. Just bear in mind, if you're of a certain age (or if you hope to live so long), that Mike Lee's little "reforms" could happen. Republicans have been trying to destroy Social Security since the first weak version of it went into effect in the mid-1930s. Past failures do not ensure future failures.
John Miller, et al., of CNN: "The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan Wednesday morning in an apparent targeted attack as he was about to attend the company's annual investor conference, a law enforcement official tells CNN. The gunman remains on the loose. Brian Thompson was walking toward the New York Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, dressed in a suit and tie, to attend UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference being held in the ballroom. A gunman, who investigators tell CNN was masked in the freezing temperatures, waited for about 10 minutes before Thompson's arrival, before opening fire from 20 feet away shooting multiple times, striking Thompson. The gunman fled, cutting through an alleyway and hopping on to a bicycle, the official told CNN. Investigators are continuing to canvas the area. Police currently believe that the suspect fled into Central Park." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the manhunt for the shooter.
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Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's transition operation announced on Tuesday that it had belatedly signed an agreement with the Justice Department that will allow the F.B.I. to conduct background checks on people Mr. Trump intends to appoint as senior officials in his new administration. F.B.I. background checks have long been a routine part of transitions.... But Mr. Trump, who is hostile to the F.B.I. because of its role in various criminal and counterintelligence investigations into him, had let weeks pass without signing the agreement.... Despite the signing of the agreement, it remains unclear whether Mr. Trump's team plans to send the names of all officials requiring a security clearance or Senate confirmation to the F.B.I. for vetting." Read on for a brief report on Trump's now-rejected Plan A, pushed by "his top legal adviser, Boris Epshteyn."
Marie: I guess this is what can happen when Trump accidentally nominates someone who might be a decent guy: ~~~
Alejandra Jeramillo & Jack Forrest of CNN: "Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff, has withdrawn from consideration as ... Donald Trump's pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, he announced Tuesday. 'Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I've concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,' Chronister, the sheriff of Hillsborough County, posted on X.... The Trump transition team declined to comment. Trump's choice of Chronister had received backlash from the MAGA corner of the Republican Party, some of whom took to social media to lambast the sheriff. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky critichtmlized Trump's selection in a post on X on Sunday, saying the sheriff 'should be disqualified' over his enforcement of Covid-19 protocols. Reacting to Chronister's withdrawal Tuesday, Massie said in a separate post that he was 'glad to see him withdraw from consideration.' There was also a belief among some allies of th president-elect that Chronister was not a true Republican, let alone a Trump loyalist. It is not clear whether this pushback to his selection led to him withdrawing his name." (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ Marie: I was wondering how Trump happened to choose Chronister in the first place, and I'd guess this is it: fromthe CNN report: "Chronister's wife, Nicole DeBartolo, is the daughter of former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. During his first term, Trump granted Chronister's father-in-law a presidential pardon after he pleaded guilty in 1998 to failing to report a felony in a bribery case, which led to former Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards' federal prison sentence." So Chronister is not a celebrity; but he's related to one who's been in trouble with the law. Good enough.
Donald Trump, International Diplomat. James Liddell of the Independent: "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Trump for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, for what Trump called a 'very productive' three-hour dinner between the two leaders. Sources told Fox News that, during the dinner, Trump joked that there is a way around the looming [taxes Trump planned to impose on our closest neighbor and ally]: Canada becoming America's 51st state. Trudeau, among others at the meeting, responded to the quip with nervous laughter, the source said." MB: At least he was going to pay for Greenland; Canada, he'll merely threaten into oblivion. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ David Gilmour of Mediaite: “Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself standing beside the Canadian flag on a snow-capped mountain Tuesday.” Oddly, that snow-capped mountain is the Matterhorn, which even kids who went to Disneyland know is not in Canada but forms part of the border between Switzerland and Italy. Is Trump planning to take over those countries, too? ~~~
~~~ Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump ... is once again threatening to annex a peaceful neighbor for unclear reasons.... I, for one, am not afraid to say: I don't think annexing Canada is a good idea." Petri gives her reasons: something about the War of 1812, Napoleon in Russia, hostile Canadian geese and some other stuff. "Finally, perhaps most ominously, it would remove any last smidgen of doubt that Ted Cruz is eligible to run for president."
Sarah Ferris, et al., of CNN: "Donald Trump's choice of Pete Hegseth to run the Defense Department is in jeopardy amid questions from some key GOP senators over whether he's fit for the job. The pressure is forcing the president-elect's team to maneuver behind the scenes to avoid a second Cabinet pick from collapsing amid a Republican revolt, all while alternate names for Defense secretary, should Hegseth falter, begin to emerge.... The incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, told CNN that he expects to see a whistleblower report outlining allegations of misconduct during Hegseth's time running a veterans' group. The New Yorker this week detailed the allegations in the report. [Heather Cox Richardson outlines some of those allegations below.]... Other reports have also emerged about Hegseth's conduct while employed at Fox News." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I don't know. A perpetually-drunken sexual predator and abuser who loves him some convicted war criminals seems like just the person to run the massive Defense Department. ~~~
~~~ Heather Cox Richardson on Substack: "... Jane Mayer of the New Yorker reported that Trump's choice for secretary of defense, Fox News Channel weekend host Pete Hegseth, had been forced to leave previous leadership positions at the advocacy groups Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America because of serious allegations of 'financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.' Under his direction, Veterans for Freedom ran up huge debt for what appears to have been inappropriate expenses; the group's donors squeezed Hegseth out of his job and then shuttered the organization. He moved to Concerned Veterans for America. A whistleblower for Concerned Veterans for America reported that Hegseth was repeatedly so drunk at events that he had to be carried out, and that he once tried to join dancers on stage at a strip club to which he brought his work team. Their report said that Hegseth and other members of his team ... sexually pursued [female staffers], leading to allegations of sexual assault. Another complaint said that at a bar in the early hours of May 29, 2015, Hegseth began to chant drunkenly: 'Kill All Muslims! Kill All Muslims!' An email from one of the whistleblowers ... detailed Hegseth's 'history of alcohol abuse' and said he had 'treated the organization funds like they were a personal expense account -- for partying, drinking, and using CVA events as little more than opportunities to "hook up" with women on the road.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ And Pete Keeps on Drinking. Chloe Males, et al., of NBC News: "Pete Hegseth ... drank in ways that concerned his colleagues at Fox News, according to 10 current and former Fox employees who spoke with NBC News. Two of those people said that on more than a dozen occasions during Hegseth's time as a co-host of 'Fox & Friends Weekend,' which began in 2017, they smelled alcohol on him before he went on air. Those same two people, plus another, said that during his time there he appeared on television after they'd heard him talk about being hungover as he was getting ready or on set. One of the sources said they smelled alcohol on him as recently as last month and heard him complain about being hungover this fall. None of the sources with whom NBC News has spoken could recall an instance when Hegseth missed a scheduled appearance because he'd been drinking."
Gary Fineout, et al., of Politico: "... Donald Trump is considering nominating Republican presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Defense secretary, according to two people familiar with the situation. DeSantis would replace Pete Hegseth, whose prospects for confirmation appear to be dimming amid allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse." ~~~
~~~ Marc Caputo of the Bulwark: "Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have personally discussed the possibility of the Florida governor becoming the next secretary of defense amid concerns that sexual assault allegations could engulf the president-elect's current nominee for the post, Pete Hegseth. The talks, relayed by four sources briefed on them, are in their advanced stages.... DeSantis is weighing whether to appoint Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill [Marco] Rubio's Senate seat. The possibility that the governor himself could end up at the Pentagon may factor into that decision."
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Brian Stelter of CNN: "What's a media outlet supposed to do when its longtime host is picked to run the Pentagon, and then a series of eyebrow-raising news stories trigger doubts about his appointment? If you're Fox News, evidently, you just pretend the stories don't exist. Fox News, which employed Pete Hegseth for a decade, has not covered the past week's controversies involving ... Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, according to SnapStream and TVEyes database searches. The omission is potentially significant because Fox is the top TV outlet for Republicans, and Hegseth's confirmation hinges on Republican senators. On Fox, Hegseth's former colleagues aren't raising alarms about the allegations or defending him -- they're just not talking about the issue at all."
Return of the Kleptocracy. John Hudson of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump offered billionaire investor Stephen Feinberg the job of deputy defense secretary, said people familiar with the matter, a decision that could elevate a longtime political supporter with investments in defense companies that maintain lucrative Pentagon contracts. A spokesman for Feinberg declined to say if the private-equity investor has accepted the potential nomination.... During the first Trump administration, Feinberg led the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, which provides the U.S. leader advice on intelligence assessments and estimates and counterintelligence matters....
"The search for a capable No. 2 has taken on heightened significance as lawmakers weigh the nomination of former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to lead Trump's Pentagon as defense secretary. Hegseth, who has not run a large organization or held a senior Pentagon role, has faced scrutiny about his leadership abilities as opponents surface claims that he promoted a reckless drinking and party culture, and mismanaged the finances at veterans organizations he was involved with in recent years, both of which he denies."
Thanks, Joe! Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's felony conviction for falsifying business documents is tainted by the same corruption in the justice system that President Joe Biden decried when he announced his son's pardon, Trump's attorneys wrote in a document released Tuesday. The attorneys pointed to comments by Biden in defending his pardon of his son Hunter, in which he alleged the younger Biden was targeted by the president's detractors for political payback. Biden said in a statement that his son was 'selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted' and 'treated differently' than most. Trump's lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in their court filing that the same corruption Biden described extended to the state court case handled by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. Merchan has rejected past claims by Trump lawyers that the case was tainted by political bias." An NBC News story is here.
Danny Hakim & Alessandro Sassoon of the New York Times: "Lawyers for Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, and the Georgia legislature clashed in court on Tuesday as Republican lawmakers seek to force Ms. Willis to testify and turn over records as part of their review of her prosecution of ... Donald J. Trump and his allies for 2020 election interference. Since the U.S. Justice Department dropped its two cases against Mr. Trump..., Ms. Willis has the last active prosecution of the president-elect.... The case was upended after revelations in January that Ms. Willis had a romantic relationship with the private lawyer she hired to run the case. Mr. Trump and other defendants are seeking to disqualify Ms. Willis and her entire office.... Republican lawmakers in the State Senate have seized on the revelations about Ms. Willis's relationship and are seeking to force her to testify about it as part of their own review, even though she has already testified about it in court. Ms. Willis is fighting to avoid that."
In the Substack essay also linked above, Heather Cox Richardson goes on to discuss Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter. Besides running down a list of the usual reasons to favor the pardon as well as blaming the media for their double standard, Richardson writes, "As legal commentator Asha Rangappa noted: 'People criticizing the Hunter Biden pardon need to recognize: For the 1st time, the FBI and Justice Department could literally fabricate evidence, or collaborate with a foreign government to "find" evidence of a "crime," with zero accountability. That's why the pardon goes back to 2014.'" Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Read Richardson's post because she covers a number of points I haven't seen elsewhere. Richardson herself does not specifically endorse the pardon, but her explanation as to who it was necessary is compelling. Nonetheless -- with the exception of Trump's horrifying appointments of Gaetz & Patel -- everything she reports in this regard is old news. Some of it is very old news. Yet Joe Biden himself said in June 2024 (after Hunter was found guilty in his first trial), and his team said even after the November election that he would not pardon Hunter. Why was that??? Joe Biden knew full well what Trump was capable of and reportedly his team's own internal polling going all the way back to this past summer showed that Trump would win the election. The more I dig into the nitty-gritty of it, the more I move from "disappointed" to "angry" at Joe Biden's behavior.
Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post subjects President Biden's pardon of his son to the Pinocchio test: "If you take the White House's word, Biden only came to this decision in recent days -- even though the statements he marshals in defense of a pardon could have been made back when he firmly stated, twice, that he would not pardon his son. It's possible that Trump's nominations of loyalists at the Justice Department and the FBI might have played a role in changing Biden's mind.... The White House has only hinted at that possibility. We can certainly see a good case for a Four-Pinocchio rating. Many pundits have accused Biden of lying. But we have not yet seen evidence that Biden made his statements in June knowing he would eventually reverse course.... Biden never addresses the fact that he once pledged not to pardon his son -- easily meeting our definition of a clear but unacknowledged 'flip-flop' from a previously held position." Kessler ends up giving Biden one upside-down Pinocchio.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins & Van Jones agree: since Joe Biden was willing to protect his son from political prosecutions, why not grant blanket pardons to others who are on Trump's hit list -- like Andrew McCabe & Mark Esper? Good question. (Mediaite link.)
Oh, leave it to Devlin Barrett, now sharing his thoughts on the pages of the New York Times, to take Joe Biden's pardon of his son and run with a front-page both-sides extravaganza. Sorry, kids, even though you read it in the New York Times, one of these things is not like the other. ~~~
~~~ Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: "Over a few days, the American justice system was buffeted by raw exercises of power from the current Democratic president and the incoming Republican president....The special counsel appointed to investigate ... Donald J. Trump is wrapping up his work without the charges he brought in two cases ever going in front of a jury. The special counsel named to lead the inquiry into Hunter Biden, the president's son, has just seen the two convictions he secured wiped away by a presidential pardon. Mr. Trump ... is trying to install a new F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, dedicated to turning the nation's premier law enforcement agency upside down. And President Biden, who for years cast himself as the principled defender of democratic norms and the rule of law, defended his grant of clemency to his son by saying Hunter had been 'selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted' in a process infected by 'raw politics.'" ~~~
~~~ In fairness to Barrett, a ways down the page he finds an ethics expert, Kathleen Clark, who says, "that in her view the Hunter Biden pardon was 'political malpractice' but not a broadside against the Justice Department. She is far more concerned, she said, about Mr. Trump's effort to install Mr. Patel at the F.B.I.... 'If we actually want someone who will administer the agency well, who has good judgment about law enforcement and intelligence issues, and who can stand up to and say no when appropriate, Kash Patel is exactly the wrong person.'" Further down the page, he reports that another professor, Michael Greenburger, who also was a DOJ official, "called the pardon 'a small, selfish act on Biden’s part, and I do not hold it against him.' By comparison, Mr. Greenberger argued, the planned pick of Mr. Patel 'is potentially a devastating blow' to the F.B.I." But we are still left with the impression that Barrett thinks he is comparing apples to apples when in fact he's comparing apples to the Orange Jesus.
Mitch Is Not Amused. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vented his displeasure Monday after two Democratic-appointed federal judges reversed their decisions to retire in what appear to be efforts to stop ... Trump from nominating their successors. McConnell called the unusual decisions to forgo retirement following Trump's sweeping victory last month a 'partisan' gambit that would undermine the integrity of federal courts." MB: Thank goodness Mitch would never do anything partisan-y in confirming judges: like when he refused to give Merrick Garland a hearing for Supreme Court Justice when President Obama nominated Garland ten months before his presidential term expired but then McConnell pushed through Amy Phoney Barrett four months before Trump's term ended. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I would say Scott Lemieux agrees with me. He writes, "It is dispositive evidence of a morally indifferent universe that Mitch McConnell can say this stuff without immediately being struck by lightning[.]"
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China/U.S. David Pierson, et al., of the New York Times: "China said on Tuesday that it would begin banning the export of several rare minerals to the United States, an escalation of the tech war between the world's two biggest powers. The move comes a day after the Biden administration tightened Chinese access to advanced American technology. The ban signals Beijing's willingness to engage in supply chain warfare by blocking the export of important components used to make valuable products, like weaponry and semiconductors. Sales of gallium, germanium, antimony and so-called superhard materials to the United States would be halted immediately on the grounds that they have dual military and civilian uses, China's Ministry of Commerce said. The export of graphite would also be subject to stricter review." (Also linked yesterday.)
⭐South Korea. Hyung Jin-Kim & Kim Tong-Hyung of the AP: "South Korea's opposition parties Wednesday submitted a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over the shocking and short-lived martial law that drew heavily armed troops to encircle parliament before lawmakers climbed walls to reenter the building and unanimously voted to lift his order. Impeaching Yoon would require the support of two-thirds of parliament and at least six justices of the nine-member Constitutional Court would have to support it to remove him from office. The motion, submitted jointly by the main opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties, could be put to a vote as early as Friday. Yoon's senior advisers and secretaries offered to resign collectively and his Cabinet members, including Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, were also facing calls to step down, as the nation struggled to make sense of what appeared to be a poorly-thought-out stunt.... Martial law lasted only about six hours, as the National Assembly voted to overrule Yoon and the declaration was formally lifted around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday are here. CNN's live updates of developments Wednesday are here. ~~~
~~~ Jack Kim & Ju-Min Park of Reuters: "President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night, creating the most serious challenge to South Korea's democracy since the 1980s as lawmakers rejected the move in a vote and protesters gathered outside parliament. Yoon's declaration, which he cast as aimed at his political foes, was vocally opposed by the speaker of parliament and even the leader of Yoon's own party, Han Dong-hoon, who has clashed with the president over his handling of recent scandals. Under South Korean law, the president must immediately lift martial law if parliament demands it by a majority vote. Live television footage showed helmeted troops apparently tasked with imposing martial law attempting to enter the National Assembly building.Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers. Yoon said in a TV broadcast that opposition parties had taken the parliamentary process hostage. He vowed to eradicate 'shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces' and said he had no choice but to take the measure to safeguard constitutional order." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Yesterday, the New York Times liveblogged developments here. CNN live-updated developments here. (Also linked yesterday.)
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Reader Comments (9)
Yeah, the Times Barrett piece was more journalistic malpractice. It raised my hackles.
I commented thusly:
"The headline suggests another false equivalence.
It is the Right that has weaponized the Justice Department and then, of course, indulged in massive projection. Such is their way.
The charges filed against Trump were obviously justified, as were his two impeachments. He did what the charges said he did, much of it on television for all to see. That the Senate was too weak-kneed to convict him led us the the regrettable present.
I wish Biden had not pardoned his son but he did. But he did not hide mountains of public property in his home, he did not direct the Justice Department to drop charges on his friends, he did not encourage a violent insurrection....the list goes on.
That distinction should be the headline and the lede."
Of the other comments I read last night, most were of a similar vein.
I don't get it. What is the Times trying to accomplish with dreck like this? Whatever it is, it's not news. Propaganda lite, maybe?
I almost laughed at this one, but like too many things, I guess it's not funny.
Is the Pretender running out of loyalists?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/12/04/trump-administration-transition/?
Sounds familiar
"PPP openly appealed to incels (“idaenam”) even installing a vituperative, combative 32 year old incel as their Party spokesperson and a 36 year old incel as Party Leader. They ran a hyper-male focused campaign that ended up creating one of the craziest youth vote splits ever. 18-29 year old men voted 59%-36% for Yoon, 18-29 year old women voted 58%-34% for Lee (the center-left guy). What’s crazy is that there was no gender split above 39 years old. As in, men 40-49 voted Lee 61%-35%, women 40-49 voted Lee 60%-36%.
The exit polling indicated that the two biggest issues for Yoon voters were high housing costs and opposition to the “Me Too” movement, and female equality in general."
Mike Lee
"Last night, Sen. Mike Lee wrote a blueprint for destroying Social Security.
Lee’s thread was quickly amplified by Elon Musk, who Donald Trump has put in charge of slashing our earned benefits.
This is a declaration of war against seniors, people with disabilities, and the American public."
"Democrats’ Policies Help Americans. The Right Wing Echo-Chamber Drowned Them Out
Those pundits’ failed to historically contextualize this election. Not one of their appraisals is taking into account how disinformation, dehumanization, and the multi-billion-dollar, multimedia right-wing-echo chamber impacted this election. That echo chamber effectively, if not hypocritically, used the populist trick of dubbing the Democratic Party as “the elites” while anointing the GOP as “regular guys” who just happen to have gold toilets and are funded by billionaires with spaceships."
Naughty List
Franklin Foer, in The Atlantic, describes how "a small coterie of wonks and lawyers—and a few farsighted Democratic governors—have been working in anticipation of this moment.
...
Within progressive think tanks and the foundations that fund them, the most influential manifesto for this fledgling movement is a 170-page unpublished memo by Sarah Knight, a veteran of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, and Arkadi Gerney, who ran Michael Bloomberg’s national gun-control organization. What makes their memo, which they began researching more than a year ago, so intriguing is that they want Democrats to filch tactics from a political foe, Texas Governor Greg Abbott."
The Coming Democratic Revolution
Uncouth
Dave Karpf
"This [freakout over Hunter Biden’s pardon] is of a piece with a broader pattern. Our political and media elites have made it clear through their actions that they value the appearance of order and propriety over anything else.
Donald Trump was elected President. Ergo he is legitimate, and must be afforded the same polite treatment offered to any other President-elect. Wipe the slate clean, so as to not sully the office he is set to occupy. We must all hope against hope that he behaves himself better his time around. And, if he does not, then it is our duty to cluck our tongues and register respectful, muted disapproval.
There is a right and proper way for Presidents to behave."
Jodi Kantor and Abbie VanSickle
"Inside the Supreme Court Ethics Debate: Who Judges the Justices?
Weeks later, as a united front, they announced the results: the court’s first-ever ethics code. “It’s remarkable that we were able to agree unanimously,” Justice Neil M. Gorsuch said in a television interview this year.
But a New York Times examination found that behind the scenes, the court had divided over whether the justices’ new rules could — or should — ever be enforced.
Justice Gorsuch was especially vocal in opposing any enforcement mechanism beyond voluntary compliance, arguing that additional measures could undermine the court. The justices’ strength was their independence, he said, and he vowed to have no part in diminishing it."