* * *
The other aspect of yesterday’s sadness is how it
illustrates the failure of democracy to provide governance that is in the hands of
those it governs, and which acts in their interests. Millions of Americans still support that
former president, ignoring the fact that we live in a nation governed by laws
that he felt it was acceptable for him to ignore. Worse than selling their souls to him, they
sold their votes to him and in return received only pain. That is so sad.
JL
* * *
JL
* * *
Democracy, Neo-Cons, and Originalists
At its best, democracy provides for, as Abraham Lincoln put it, ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people,’
Some of those dissatisfied with the self-destructive potential of democracy seek to temper it with a measure of authoritarian leadership. Unfortunately, history shows that for every benevolent monarch, there have been a dozen despots. Those who retreat from democratic principles to less egalitarian conservative positions have been called ‘Neo-Cons.’ Eventually though, they feel unwelcome and unhappy with their new compatriots, and will return to the philosophy of our sixteenth president, as quoted above from his Gettysburg Address.
Some even find justification for soft-pedaling the ‘equality’ promised by the Declaration of Independence with the more conservative approach of the Constitution, taking its every word in its precise, original meaning, carefully crafted in 1789 to ignore slavery and maintain leadership by propertied white males, still affecting us today despite the three post-Civil War amendments, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth. These folks are ‘Orignalists.’ Until the Neo-Cons and the Originalists open their eyes, democracy is at risk.
JL
* * *
Actions and Dangerous Reactions (Political or Constitutional), the ‘Debate,’ and a Suggested Solution
For every action, physicists say, there is a reaction. And in resolving the current crisis in our democracy, there will be a reaction to whatever action is taken.
Among the ‘actions’
you might see over the next few months are convictions
of the indicted former president in one or more of the trials in which he is
involved, convictions of some of his advisors, the imposition of sentences on
those convicted, refusal of some States to include the defeated former
president on the 2024 ballot, or the failure of Federal and State prosecutors to successfully win these
cases against the defeated former president and his advisors, setting them
free, and
court decisions, including that of the Supreme
Court, either supporting, negating, or
modifying any of these actions.
Whichever of these actions takes place, they will arouse those who disagree with them. Their disagreements would be Constitutional rather than political, but this distinction would not be noticeable. The reactions, unavoidable, would range from peaceful demonstrations to acts of violence. Such reactions will in turn result in further reactions. And media on either side will be there to stoke the fires. It is conceivable that at some point, law enforcement will be unable to maintain the peace without National Guard or even regular military support. Things must not be allowed to reach that point.
I cannot see red-hatted MAGA supporters sitting idly by when the sentencing or imprisonment of the false idol from whom they believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen, despite reams of evidence and court decisions to the contrary, takes place. Nor can I see those who have followed his undemocratic and unconstitutional actions since 2016 allowing him to go unpunished, due to some misguided legal hocus-pocus by lawyers, some of whom will have been indicted too. From these groups will come reactions.
* *
A Few Words about The Debate: Minus the defeated and now indicted former president, eight Republicans desirous of being their party’s presidential candidate in 2024 held a debate on Fox the other evening. None demonstrated any serious fitness for the job, other than attacking the Biden administration, often with lies and half-truths. Former governor and U.N. delegate Nikki Haley summed up what the G.O.P. was doing by saying at one point that ‘We can’t win a general election that way.’ Those were the wisest words spoken during the entire two hour event. Republicans must change. The evening did conclusively demonstrate why, in addition to the absent former president (about whom negative comments by several of the debaters drew booing from the live audience there), neither ‘businessman’ Vivek Ramaswamhi nor Florida governor Ron DeSantis should be allowed anywhere near the White House, even on a bus tour.
But getting back to actions and reactions, there still are cool heads in Washington (and even in Atlanta and New York) who recognize that we must short-circuit this ‘action-reaction’ spiral before it destroys our nation. Opposing viewpoints can be resolved politically only through cooperation between the Democratic and the Republican Parties. This must be done right now, before it is too late. Some consensus must be reached.
The
problem with that is that there is no longer a Republican Party, just a bunch
of misfits, many of whom depend on lies believed by the gullible to remain in
office and who kneel before the big dollar donors who keep their party’s ghost
alive in name only. They no longer constitute a real political party. Anyway, for what it is worth, …
I PROPOSE A SOLUTION - The solution is for the Republican Party to support the Constitution and denounce the indicted and defeated former president right now, and then decide on someone else to lead their party. And that someone cannot support any of the lies which at this moment remain the foundation of the G.O.P. (Wealth never did and never will ‘trickle down.’) They must rid themselves of the fascists, bigots, white supremacists, racists, and believers in economic and social fairy tales that today dominate their party, including the phony users of Constitutionally-provided ‘States Rights’ to suppress democracy. One might ask why the Republicans would go along with this. Well, for one thing, they would get their party back from the scoundrel who stole it. And just maybe, their big donors would approve such a move. It might be a generalization, but such donors would prefer a party loyal to the Koch family and the businesses they control rather than a party loyal to the titular head of the Trump family and the dangerous extremists who blindly follow him.
As for the indicted former president himself, as part of the deal, he would plead guilty to everything, be sentenced to permanent lifetime probation, avoiding establishing the dangerous precedent of jailing a former president, with the conditions that he be restricted to an area no further than twenty miles from Mar-a-Lago for the rest of his life, turn all of his assets over to his family (who could be sued by his creditors), be forbidden to engage in any political discourse whatsoever, and of course, never run for any political office. In short, he would become no more than a golf-playing tourist attraction. One might ask why he would go along with this. One reason: It is better than prison.
As for those indicted along with him, they would agree to plead guilty and their punishment would be that same lifetime probation, limiting their travel outside of their home States, and being similarly forbidden from engaging in political discourse. None should be allowed to hold public office and if lawyers, they should be disbarred, if it were found that they crossed the line between defending criminals and being criminals themselves.
(Those who have already been tried, sentenced, or imprisoned for invading the Capitol on January 6, 2021, or are somewhere along in that process, comprise a separate group, a group that physically committed acts of violence for which proper punishment, according to law, cannot be excused. They neither deserve nor should get a ‘deal.’)
One might ask why the Democrats would go along with this. Certainly, some of them will object to what they will call a sweetheart deal, in view of other convicted criminals usually having to serve their time in jail. But these other criminals didn’t get 70 million votes in a presidential election as the head of this ‘crime family’ did in 2020 in losing the election. That happened and that difference just cannot be disregarded, so the Democrats will have to swallow and accept such generously compassionate sentencing as something essential to defuse the present ‘action-reaction’ spiral. That is what is important today.
But remember, the Republican Party must do its part too, as described above, or as they say while the casino was burning down, ‘all bets are off.’ REPUBLICANS MUST CHANGE. OR THIS DEAL WILL BE CANCELLED.
The generous sentences described above that the convicted former president and those who worked with him to destroy democracy would receive in the courtroom ought to serve to convince them, and the entire Republican Party leadership to change. What is important today is that the ‘action-reaction’ spiral be short-circuited immediately. If it is not, the alternative for the nation is frightening.
And
it would enable Democrats, along with the Republicans who will have reclaimed
their party, to get to work on climate change which is an even greater threat
than the former president was.
JL
* * *
Trivia
Quiz #2 – Which or Who Came First?
The NBA or the NHL
Frank
Sinatra or Bing Crosby?
Hitler
or Mussolini?
Proctor
& Gamble or Colgate
The
National League or the American League
Hot
Dogs or Hamburgers
(Look for answers in the next posting.)
Answers to Trivia Quiz #1 – Short-Term
Presidents
These
presidents served less than the only full term to which they were elected: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, James Garfield,
Warren Harding, and John Kennedy.
These
presidents, all of whom were vice-presidents, served only to complete the terms
of their predecessors, and never were elected to terms of their own: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester
Arthur, and Gerald Ford.
JL
* * *
Housekeeping on Jackspotpourri
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There’s another, perhaps easier,
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Either way will work, sending
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JL
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