;)
The Conversation -- November 27, 2023
E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post attempts to address "two distinct threats" to American democracy: "Preventing Trump from overthrowing liberal democracy is certainly a necessary step, but it's not sufficient. Renewing the fight for a new Voting Rights Act and the access-enhancing reforms in the Freedom to Vote Act is essential. But it's also time to address one of the major flaws of our Constitution: It does not contain an explicit, affirmative guarantee of every citizen's right to vote." Dionne goes into some detail about how the Supreme Court & state legislatures have been chip, chip, chipping away at voting rights. ~~~
~~~ Marie: You know what Dionne never specifies? That both of these threats to democracy are the schemes of the Republican party and its supporters. This is sort of ironic in that Dionne acknowledges the fault of journalism for failing to cover Trump's fascism, then avoids nailing Republicans at all levels for their anti-democratic projects.
Kayla Guo of the New York Times: "More than three dozen members of Congress have announced they will not seek re-election next year, some to pursue other offices and many others simply to get out of Washington. Twelve have announced their plans just this month. The wave of lawmakers across chambers and parties announcing they intend to leave Congress comes at a time of breathtaking dysfunction on Capitol Hill, primarily instigated by House Republicans." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Robert Jimison of the New York Times: "Heres a look at the retirements that have been announced so far."
A Crook Grants a Crook a Last-Minute Commutation. Other Crooks Help Out. Michael Schmidt, et al., of the New York Times: "Jonathan Braun of New York had served just two and a half years of a decade-long sentence for running a massive marijuana ring, when [Donald] Trump, at 12:51 a.m. on his last day in office, announced he would be freed. Mr. Braun was, to say the least, an unusual candidate for clemency.... Mr. Braun's family had told confidants they were willing to spend millions of dollars to get him out of prison. At the time, Mr. Trump's own Justice Department and federal regulators, as well as New York state authorities, were still after him for his role in an entirely separate matter: his work as a predatory lender.... Just months after Mr. Trump freed him, Mr. Braun returned to working as a predatory lender, according to New York State's attorney general.... Nearly three years later, the consequences of Mr. Braun's commutation are becoming clearer, raising new questions about how Mr. Trump intervened in criminal justice decisions and what he could do in a second term.... A New York Times investigation ... found there were even greater ramifications stemming from the commutation than previously known and revealed new details about Mr. Braun's history and how the commutation came about." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Michael Schmidt, et al., of the New York Times: "Here are the main takeaways from our investigation, which is based on documents and interviews with current and former officials and others familiar with Mr. Braun's case: The Commutation Undercut a Federal Criminal Investigation.... The Case Exposed Shortcomings in the Justice System.... The Kushners Had a Role in the Pardon Process."
Gary Fields of the AP: Donald "Trump has not spelled out precisely how he might use the military during a second term, although he and his advisers have suggested they would have wide latitude to call up units.... A law first crafted in the nation's infancy would give Trump as commander in chief almost unfettered power to do so, military and legal experts said.... The Insurrection Act allows presidents to call on reserve or active-duty military units to respond to unrest in the states, an authority that is not reviewable by the courts.... Congress passed the act in 1792. [Joseph Nunn of the Brennan Center] said it's an amalgamation of different statutes enacted between then and the 1870s, a time when there was little in the way of local law enforcement. 'It is a law that in many ways was created for a country that doesn't exist anymore,' [Nunn] said.... Trump already has suggested he might bring back retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.... Flynn suggested in the aftermath of the 2020 election that Trump could seize voting machines and order the military in some states to help rerun the election."
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Vermont. Abigail Hauslohner & Hannah Allam of the Washington Post: "Police in Vermont are investigating the possibility of a 'hate-motivated' crime in the shooting Saturday evening of three Palestinian college students in downtown Burlington, Vt. Burlington police on Sunday said that a 'white male with a handgun' approached the three students as they walked through downtown and, 'without speaking,' shot the three men at least four tims before fleeing on foot. 'All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities,' the Burlington Police Department said in a statement. All three remain hospitalized, one with very serious injuries, the department added. In a later statement, Burlington police said Jason J. Eaton, 48, had been arrested in connection with the shooting.... The [American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee] said the three men are students at Brown University, Haverford College and Trinity College, respectively, and had gathered in Burlington to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Awartani's grandmother. The ADC also said the students were wearing kaffiyehs, the traditional Arab scarf associated with Palestinians, when they were attacked." CNN's story is here.
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Israel/Palestine
The Washington Post's live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "As the end of the fragile four-day pause in fighting nears in Gaza, officials on both sides have said they are open to extending it to exchange more of the hostages taken by Hamas for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.... Under the terms of the agreement, the pause could be extended by a day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas beyond the initial 50. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday evening that this 'would be welcome,' though he also vowed to continue the war after the pause, with the aim of 'eradicating Hamas.'... Abigail Edan, 4, was released by Hamas on Sunday, the first American hostage freed as part of the deal. She was the youngest of the 10 Americans believed to have been taken hostage after the militant group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 'She's been through a terrible trauma,' President Biden said." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times live updates for Monday are here. CNN's live updates are here.
Marie: Only a very stupid person would think the way to "eradicate" a widespread, broadly-popular terrorist organization like Hamas is to inflict the kind of mass murder and destruction that gave the terrorist group acceptance in the first place. Netanyahu isn't stupid, so he has a different agenda. Update: See Akhilleus' commentary below.
Peter Baker & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "President Biden on Sunday hailed the release of Avigail Idan, who turned 4 years old during her seven weeks in Hamas captivity and was the first American citizen to be freed by the group in recent days. The president vowed to keep working to secure freedom for others in captivity and extend the pause in the fighting.... Avigail, whose name has been rendered as Abigail in American media, is a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen and was seized on Oct. 7 after Hamas fighters killed her parents. She was among the 17 people held captive who were turned over on Sunday as part of a temporary cease-fire deal. Her case became the focus of widespread international attention and concern as she turned 4 on Friday. Mr. Biden said Avigail's mother was killed in front of her when Hamas fighters stormed their kibbutz. The child then ran to her father, who was shot and killed while using his body to shield her, and she then ran to neighbors for help, Mr. Biden said." CNN's story is here.
Ben Brasch & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "U.S. naval forces on Sunday thwarted the attempted hijacking of a tanker owned by an Israeli billionaire as the vessel transited near Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, according to U.S. officials and the tanker's parent company. Five people, all armed, were detained in the incident, according to a news release issued by U.S. Central Command. Officials said the USS Mason, along with other ships and aircraft, responded to a distress call from the M/V Central Park, and that the Mason pursued the unidentified 'attackers,' who attempted to flee. The chase ended with their 'eventual surrender,' the news release says. After the attempted hijacking was disrupted, two ballistic missiles were fired toward the Mason and the Central Park from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, officials said. Both missiles landed in the water about 10 nautical miles from the vessels, and no one was injured, the news release says."
Ukraine, et al. Matthew Bigg of the New York Times: "A Ukrainian strike on a power station in Russian-held territory in eastern Ukraine overnight cut power to towns and cities, the pro-Russian authorities there said on Sunday, less than a day after Moscow launched a record number of attack drones toward Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. The overnight attack was another sign of Kyiv's determination to inflict damage on its adversary's electricity infrastructure before what many in Ukraine expect will be a renewed wintertime assault by Russia on Ukraine's power grid."
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Reader Comments (16)
Marie suggests that Netanyahu has a different agenda. He does.
A Carthaginian Peace.
The Hamas attack was horribly successful largely because he was asleep at the switch, and now, in order to evade responsibility, he must beat his chest and say mass murder is the only avenue to peace.
We haven’t heard much out of Carthage for the last 2,169 years, right? That’s the goal here as well. People ask “What’s the end game here? How does this end?”
Carthaginian Peace. That’s how.
Bibi Gazacanus?
Thinking about the coming imposition of a Carthaginian Peace in Gaza, I’m reminded of the differences (and similarities) between the Punic Wars and the current clash between Israel with Hamas.
Like Israel’s settlement expansion into occupied Palestinian territories, Rome decided that they wanted land claimed by Carthage, thus triggering the First Punic War.
A huge difference involves that word “occupied”. At no time did Rome occupy Carthage. They didn’t have it surrounded and cut off from food, supplies, and fuel (although several siege attempts met with varying outcomes). Carthage was an independent state.
The Second Punic War (that’s the one with Hannibal, the elephants, and the Alps) ended after a Roman general named Publius Scipio defeated the Carthaginian forces. His victory was so revered by the Romans that he was forever after known as Scipio Africanus for his defeat of that army from Northern Africa.
Hoping to glom on to his renown, Roman military leaders began adopting the name Scipio.
Perhaps Netanyahu sees himself as a sort of Bibi Gazacanus. Will Israeli leaders adopt his name when Gaza lies in ashes?
Speaking of the region's history, I recently read Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff. Fascinating, beautifully written, wonderfully relevant.
Not long ago, two justices of the Supreme Court, Clarence (No Tell Vacations) Thomas and Neil (Die for your Masters) Gorsuch signaled their huge antipathy to the Voting Rights Act, specifically Section 2 of the act which allows groups and individuals to sue in cases where voting rights have been curtailed or seriously attacked (meaning in a shitload of red states).
Righty-right appeals court judges saw the flare go up (Kill the VRA! We’re with You!) and went into action: Section 2 must be eradicated, otherwise Americans who believe in democracy can challenge our hostile takeover of the country! Sieg heil!
But the evisceration of Section 2, which has long been considered inviolable, bodes a much broader attackon judicial precedent as a legal concept.
“If the [appeals court] decision does stand, it isn’t just a disaster for voting rights. It signals open season on judicial precedent. It would no longer matter how long the meaning of a law has been settled, or how many cases have settled it. Instead, the consequences of judges upending decades of law stretches far beyond the area of voting rights.”
Those who suggest there’s no way the Supreme Court could countenance such a wholesale gutting of the importance of longstanding precedents haven’t been paying attention. These guys treat precedents the way most people treat popsicle wrappers. They’re only useful until you want to make what they protect disappear.
Been a long time since I read Harold Lamb's account of Hannibal and the Punic Wars. I'd guess I was 13 or so.
That was when I was young enough to accept accounts of war in romantic trappings. I haven't seen war that way since Vietnam, when I learned that the accepted causes of war are often questionable, that once begun they ride their own momentum and that their outcomes are unpredictable.
While I can see war as necessary when people are protecting themselves from an imperialist invasion--what else can one do but stand up to a bully?--but win or lose, I still take war as a sign or moral failure.
All easy to say from my armchair, I know, but I can't see any imminent peaceful outcome to the situations in either Ukraine or Israel/Gaza.
In both cases, the conflicts are closely tied to the fate of political leaders, Putin and Netanyahu, and neither is in a political or personal position to call it quits.
I'm no fan of the Great Men of History notion, because it ignores too many of the variables that determine our history, but when it comes to war, there's something to be said for it.
Vietnam was Johnson's and Nixon's war, just as Iraq was Bush II's.
We know why Republicans have been chip, chip, chipping away at
the Voting Rights Act: too many minorities have been voting and
R's think they're voting the wrong way.
In Michelle Obama's book 'Becoming', there's a bit about Barack
being part of something called Project VOTE in 1992.
It was estimated that there were about 400,000 blacks in and around
Chicago who were eligible to vote but were not registered. The goal
was to register about 10,000 voters per week. They registered 110,000
new voters (minority voters).
That's part of the reason Bill Clinton carried Illinois.
Hopefully the next presidential election won't be our last.
More worms gnawing at the American apple.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/27/supreme-court-tax-case-offshore-earnings/
Read the comment from "not a tax lawyer" who quotes from the Constitution...
We've all seen and read a good deal about the Rainbow Bridge Bentley crash, but Tom Sullivan's take on Digby's Hullabaloo does a good job of showing how the conservative media hot-takes such events into "Biden bad, border unsafe, terrorists at border, be afraid". Even after the facts come out, the fear message is implanted in susceptible brains, and fear purveyors know that they are doing that.
And ... although the article does not mention this ... if a reporter asks the FBI in the first hour after a violent event like this, "is this terrorism?", the FBI will say "we treat it as terrorism until shown otherwise." If you ask the local cops, they will probably say "it is probably not terrorism" (assuming the event seems to be an accident or a non-terror crime). The reason for the difference is that if the event is terrorism, the FBI has jurisdiction and control of the site, evidence and witnesses, and judicial actions go to federal courts. The FBI learned early in the Global War On Terrorism (GWOT) to claim jurisdiction immediately and only let go when the event can be clearly ascribed to other-than-terrorism. Which sometimes presents a problem because, hard to believe, there is no uniform definition of terrorism in the federal law codes. Why? First and Second Amendment bafflegab.
Media falsehood purveyors know that, and will start out saying that the FBI says its terrorism, knowing that the FBI is just gaming their jurisdictional primacy.
"Team Biden plots attack on Trump over Obamacare
Donald Trump said Saturday that he’s “seriously looking at alternatives” to Obamacare.
“The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “I’m seriously looking at alternatives. We had a couple of Republican Senators who campaigned for 6 years against it, and then raised their hands not to terminate it. It was a low point for the Republican Party, but we should never give up!"
Can't wait to hear about his newest, new and better healthcare.
The Pretender has never "seriously consider(ed)" anything or anyone but himself.
https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/issue-brief/as-aca-marketplace-enrollment-reaches-record-high-fewer-are-buying-individual-market-coverage-elsewhere/
Big hill for the Pretender to climb---and it's getting bigger.
BTW, ranked by number of ACA enrollees, Florida is first, Texas second or third;
So many existential threats, might as well ask an Existentialist
Trump’s alternative to the ACA: nothing
A car hits an embankment: terrorism!
Scores depart from Congress: more room for idiots
Things are terrible: both sides are to blame
Speaker of the House finds root of all evil: gays and abortion
The way to peace: more war
The way to a safer life: more guns
The PoT way to truth: more lies
The PoT way to democracy: fewer voters
Gigantic icebergs floating away: a hoax
Ethics code for the Supreme Court: Ice water in hell
Fix it, or fuck it?
I’m starting to think Kierkegaard might have been right when he said “Hang yourself, you’ll regret it. Don’t hang yourself, you’ll regret it.”
D,
Good recommendation. I remember reading a review of this book when it came out but it never made the “to be read soon pile” (as opposed to the “to be read at some point” pile).
Marc Antony’s downfall at the Battle of Actium has often been ascribed to his dalliance with the Egyptian queen, cherchez la femme, oui? Mais history is almost never so neat. So it’s off to the bookstore.
Merci.
AK,
Enjoy. Biography is my favorite way of reading history, and Stacey has been one of my favorite biographers.
@Ken,
The ranking you mention from KFF is true, but it's based on just the raw quantity of people that signed up for the ACA. Based on the overall total population of the states, it would be expected that more populous states signed up a greater number of participants.
Here are the top five by number of enrollees:
1 Florida 3,225,435
2 Texas 2,410,810
3 California 1,739,368
4 Georgia 879,084
5 N. Carolina 800,850
6 S. Carolina 382,968
7 Pennsylvania 371,516
8 Tennessee 348,097
9 Virginia 346,140
10 Illinois 342,995
The picture is a little different when the number of enrollees is compared to the size of the state's total population. Again, the top ten of ACA enrollees by % of their state's population:
1 Florida 14.23%
2 Utah 8.63%
3 Georgia 7.96%
4 Texas 7.90%
5 N. Carolina 7.39%
6 S. Carolina 7.13%
7 Wyoming 6.61%
8 Mississippi 6.26%
9 S. Dakota 5.15%
9 Nebraska 5.15%
10 Alabama 5.07%
I seem to notice a feature common to them all...
(California comes in 16th at 4.47%, New York is 50th at 1.10%)
@unwashed
Thanks for the additional info with its clarification of the ACA numbers
There does seem to be a similarity.
Those "Takers" taking again.