Is Democracy a Dirty Word - Once it Was

Important Announcement:   There are some changes taking place in the way this blog operates.  I will continue to post new “editions” periodically (probably weekly) of which this is one, but as new items come up, rather than start a fresh posting every few days, I plan on adding them to the most recent posted version, showing the date the item was added.  They will appear at the bottom of that posting.  Scroll down right now to read the ones already added to this particular posting, if any.  (And see recent prior postings as well.)

When "Democracy" was Almost a Dirty Word 

Years ago, when my local library up north had a book sale to clean out its overcrowded shelves, I bought a copy of Saul Padover’s 1963 masterpiece, “The Meaning of Democracy,” for twenty cents.  What a bargain!  And look at this bit of history that I found on pages 18 through 20 and the insight it provides into how ‘democracy’ was viewed by the nation’s founders. 

Frequently today, one hears those on the right state that we are a republic and not a democracy.  They are correct if democracy is defined as it was by those who wrote the Constitution.  But today, the definition of democracy has expeanded to encompass the idea of a democratic republic, which is what we have.  Over the years, Hamilton’s “Consent of the People” has increasingly grown to be derived directly from the people, but even now, it is still derived through republican representation in lingering undemocratic institutions like the Electoral College and was in the Senate until 1913, when Senators first became popularly elected.  But getting back to Padover,

“Americans of the latter part of the eighteenth century, including those who created the U.S. Government, believed in self-government but retained skepticism in regard to ‘democracy.’  To them, self-government meant representative government, a republic, guided by carefully chosen representatives.  When they referred to ‘democracy,’ it was usually as ‘pure democracy’ or ‘pure republic’ – meaning unrestrained popular majorities – which they rejected on the traditional ground that it could be nothing but a nursery of chaos.

‘Democracy,’ John Adams wrote in his Defense of the Constitution of the United States of America  (1787), ‘never has been and never can be so desirable as aristocracy or monarchy, but while it lasts, is more bloody than either … It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself.”

Padover points out that even Alexander Hamilton, who believed that our government was based on ‘the consent of the people, had his doubts when he bluntly attacked the ‘turbulent and uncontrolling’ passions of the people and advocated a Senate elected for life in order to serve as a check on the ‘imprudence of democracy.’ Hamilton is quoted as saying that ‘the ancient democracies, in which the people themselves deliberated, never possessed one feature of good government.  Their very character was tyranny, their figure, deformity. When they assembled, the field of debate presented an ungovernable mob, not only incapable of deliberation, but prepared for every enormity.’

Madison

Padover continued: “The general attitude of liberals and moderates toward ‘democracy’ was perhaps best reflected in James Madison, whose influence on the shaping of the Federal Constitution was unrivaled.  Madison’s prime concern was with political freedom and social stability.  He dreaded equally aristocracy and democracy, the former as the tyranny of the few and the latter as the despotism of the many.  Madison was not opposed to democracy as we understand it today, as manifested by our democratic republic.  He was a dedicated republican, an eloquent champion of freedom and self-government.  He preferred the term ‘republic’ to ‘democracy,’ because he thought that the latter applied strictly to what he called ‘pure democracy,’ meaning direct rule by all the people which he regarded as unrestrained mischief.” 

Madison would have considered the January 6 assault on the Capitol as an example of ‘unrestrained mischief,’ democracy at its worst, "the despotism of the many."  The invasion of the Capitol that day by insurrectionists should serve as an example of why the Constitution’s framers feared what they called ‘pure democracy.’ 

When a president like Donald Trump, with autocratic ambitions takes advantage of such a ‘nursery of chaos’ to further his own ends under the guise of democracy, it seems to justify the framers’ fear of the dangers of democracy as a form of government.   Thus, they were very cautious in adopting some of its features in the Constitution of the new nation.

 JL

 (More from Padover at a later date.  I am still re-reading it.)

 

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Excerpts from my postings on "Letters to an American."

Next insurrection? On its way! Of course, Trump will be acquited and the 14th Amendment's Sec. 3 ignored as well. Former FBI agent and Ass't Director Frank Figliuzzi (on MSNBC) says that self-regulation by social media isn't enough to police the messaging and promulgation of lies on which the insurrectionists depend. It will remain a continuing threat which only Congressional legislation can deal. The First Amendment was never intended to justify the acts of criminals.

Trump's latest lawyer, in his slick $2.000 suit, was the perfect example of why many people dislike lawyers. Attorney van der Veen did everthing possible to make his client look good. That's what any client who knows he is guilty wants in his lawyer. He even said that what he personally thought of the issues didn't matter! If I were suing an insurance company for a personal injury (which was van der Veen's firm's stock in trade for years), I would want him pleading my case.

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(Items added Feb. 14, 2021)

Hypocrisy Defined Anew

As I predicted in the additional item added to this blog’s prior posting on February 11, the 45^th president was indeed acquitted by the Senate of the impeachment charges brought against him by the House.  Oddly, after the vote, GOP Senate leader McConnell said that Trump was indeed guilty as charged, but for some questionable legalistic and procedural reasons, he voted not to impeach.  He was the one, incidentally, who prevented the impeachment from coming before the Senate during those last few days of Trump’s presidency, which would have significantly weakened his questionable justification for his ‘no’ vote.  But Mitch had his reasons.

1.    If Trump is to be punished for what he was impeached for, with which all but 43 GOP Senators agreed, (the vote to impeach was 57-43, well short of the required 2/3), it will be the Democratic administration which would carry that out through the legal system in regular courts.  Opposing their doing so would give some meat to the pro-Trumpers still in the party’s base, blind to the fact that Mitch was convinced of Trump’s guilt, but not willing to impeach him.  Ignorance and gullibility survived the impeachment hearings among Republican voters and that party does not hesitate to use both.

2.   Many big donors to the GOP  (personal, PACs, organizations and corporate) will only start donating again if the party has rid itself of Trump.  Most consider him a cancer on the party.  They want his base’s votes but not him. Whether Mitch’s hypocrisy is enough to convince them, and whether the rest of the GOP buys it, is still uncertain.  Separating Trump’s base from him will not be easy.

This is a clear demonstration that 43 Republican Senators, many of whom like McConnell knew Trump was guilty as charged but who nonetheless voted to acquit him, put party before country. For years, McConnell’s behavior will be the best answer when a teacher asks a student for an example of hypocrisy. 

But justice will triumph.  I believe that someday, somewhere, DJT will spend time behind bars for his crimes against the Constitution, the nation, New York State and the hundreds of people and companies to whom he owed money but never paid, preferring to walk away saying "So sue me."  The nation will have learned that no matter how successful a businessman appears to be and no matter how great his ability to get around laws are, these “skills” do not qualify him or her for public office.  Ever! 

JL

Quote from George Will

In a column written last week, George Will wrote that "the Republican Party will wither if the ascendant "Lout" Caucus (which he earlier defined as Senators Cruz, Hawley, Graham, Johnson and others of that ilk) is the face it presents to this nation of decent, congenial people."  

In my opinion, the Republican Party which rose from the ashes of the Whig Party primarily over the expansion of slavery westward, has switched its allegiances and it is that same issue in today's terms (voter suppression, minimum wages, immigration, economic safety nets) which will cause it to wither and return it to ashes sooner than anyone expects.

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(Item added Feb. 15, 2021)

Vaccine Information

In a “sponsored content” (I suppose that’s a fancy word for an ad that isn’t selling anything) full page in today’s Palm Beach Post about two Scripps Research employees well known as “Coronavirus Fighters,” the following important information appeared and is excerpted from the full page’s content:

“They know the more the pandemic virus spreads, the more likely it is to mutate and eventually resist the vaccine.  Work to design next-generation vaccines, ones that protect against many coronavirus strains, is underway.”

Scripps scientists are quoted as saying:  “The rate at which the virus changes is dependent on the number of people infected, and we have an awful lot of people infected around the world.”

“These new strains are going to be an ongoing problem.”

“We’re not protected until the entire world is protected.”

The "Rabbit Hole," a Letter and a Defense of Liars

Important Announcement:   There are some changes taking place in the way this blog operates.  I will continue to post new “editions” periodically (probably weekly) of which this is one, but as new items come up, rather than start a fresh posting every few days, I plan on adding them to the most recent posted version, showing the date the item was added.  They will appear at the bottom of that posting.  Scroll down right now to read the ones already added to this particular posting.  (And see recent prior postings as well.)

The Liars’ Defense

If one honestly believes that what they are saying, without a shred of doubt, because that’s the way their mind works, is that person lying? 

If someone who did poorly in math at school honestly believes that two plus two is anything other than four and repeats that to others, is that person lying?  And if someone honestly and fully believes the untruths that some politicians spout, no matter how ridiculous and disproven they might be, and repeats them, are they lying?  Thus, one cannot call the author of Mein Kampf a liar.  For a variety of reasons, all heinous, he honestly believed that the racial garbage he wrote was true.  As much of a monster that he was, he was not a liar.

If Donald Trump honestly and fully believes without a shred of doubt that he did not incite the January 6 Capitol invasion, and sincerely feels that he was not its cause, and repeatedly claims that to be the case, is he a liar?

If Donald Trump honestly and fully believes without a shred of doubt that he won the 2020 presidential election, and claims that to be the case, is he a liar?  He may be stupid or crazy or malicious or a bit of all three, but if he honestly believes what he claims, he is not a liar. 

The problem is that many American voters are willing to follow and vote for stupid and crazy and malicious people, even when doing so comes back to hurt them.  Even when they believe liars who do not themselves recognize that they are liars.

 

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The "Rabbit Hole"

I have heard the expression “rabbit hole” used to explain where some of those who believe in the QAnon philosophy of lies and wacko conspiracies get their ideas.   Actually, It resembles some of the things I do with my blog, www.jackspotpourri.com. That’s why I recognize it.

I have a list of about 45 people to whom I occasionally send emails about something, usually political, which I feel might be of interest to them.  Some open my email, which is at the opening of the “rabbit hole” I have created.  All of my emails always contain a suggestion to click on a link to my blog. I might even suggest that doing so will tell them more about the subject of the email they are reading.  Those that click on that link to the blog (like you just did) slip a few inches further down my “rabbit hole.”  Once on my blog, they frequently encounter my opinions (not conservative) and references to articles from various liberal and progressive media sources to which they can access with a click of their mouse.  (There is one further down on this posting.)  Those that do so get still further down into the “rabbit hole.”  Where they end up may contain mention of other articles, of topics, of books or of individuals, which can be reached by clicking on those usually underlined words in blue.  Clicking on those links takes the reader still further into the “rabbit hole,” where they may spend hours reading the progressive or liberal ideas their clicking has brought to them, if they wish to. 

That’s the way my “rabbit hole” works and I believe that is the way QAnon’s does as well.  Those sites down deep in any “rabbit hole” sometimes are capable of capturing the email addresses of its visitors so they might send them messages directly.  (I don't do that with my blog, but I cannot speak for others.)

Let’s dig a bit deeper as to how this works with QAnon.  It is not as innocent as is my “rabbit hole.” The first click, usually on an email someone has sent them, as I send to my list of 45, offers information which might seem innocuous at first.  This message may have originated on a supposedly legitimate conservative website such as Newsmax, Fox or OAN, offering to provide information on vaccinations, abortion, gun control, American history, the Constitution, and so forth.  

The links they reach from there, however, as they click on suggested sites which provide more information, take them deeper into the “rabbit hole” and gradually take on a more conservative approach to these subjects and, like the links down in my “rabbit hole,” offer referral to further more opinionated links. Eventually, the deep level of QAnon conspiracy theory is reached.  This is where the QAnon “rabbit hole” differs from that of www.jackspotpourri.com.  It detours from the real world and leads to an “alternate reality.”

Along the way down the “hole,” the reader is encouraged to forward the links to others, spreading it further.  Some of those who spend enough time deep down in that “rabbit hole” can become fair game for recruiters for causes which involve domestic terrorism, but many merely end up believing in or giving unwarranted credence to an ‘alternate’ reality which is based on fictitious conspiracy theories.  Some of this material is passed on to popular sites such as Twitter or Facebook (as does liberal and progressive material as well) and especially the site which is the current favorite of those well down that extremist “rabbit hole,” Parler.  And that’s how QAnon grows.

The “rabbit hole” problem facing America today is that many Republicans have crawled down to the QAnon “rabbit hole’s” conspiracy-believing level and find it a comfortable place to be.  This is reflected by their leadership taking control of State and local Republican parties, which formerly were in the hands of more traditional conservatives.  Attempting to crawl back up out of that “rabbit hole” is difficult for that Republican leadership which still has touch with reality because of the number of Republican voters who for a variety of reasons find it very comfortable down at the bottom of the QAnon “rabbit hole.”

And while you are down the “rabbit hole” of which this site is a part, you might want to check out Michelle Goldberg’s New York Times column where she describes what in effect is what happens when an entire political party, the G.O.P., stumbles down a “rabbit hole.”  JUST CLICK RIGHT HERE.   If that doesn't work, I leave it to you to find your way to:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/opinion/marjorie-taylor-greene-gop.html?algo=combo_lda_unique_clicks_norm_20&block=2&campaign_id=142&emc=edit_fory_20210203&fellback=false&imp_id=278501726&instance_id=26731&nl=for-you&nlid=78918068&rank=1&regi_id=78918068&req_id=890518007&segment_id=50948&surface=for-you-email-regular&user_id=02fa158150d34dc186b01b1b8ec7a224&variant=1_combo_lda_unique_clicks_norm_20

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A Letter I Wrote

Here’s a text of a letter I sent to the Palm Beach Post the other day.  I doubt that they will print it.

"How long will the working people of the State of Florida, especially in the northern parts of the State, keep electing Republican legislators?  Anyone who reads the papers knows that Florida Republicans are against (1) raising the minimum wage as approved by the State’s voters, (2) improving the nation’s worst unemployment benefit program and (3) accepting increased Federal support for the State’s Medicaid program.  These measures are not “socialism” any more than are Social Security and Medicare for seniors nor are they efforts to redistribute wealth.  They are simply government efforts to provide minimal benefits to working people who might need them.  Any working person who votes for Republicans should have their head examined.  I guess they don't read the papers."

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Fox News Interlude

Last night, I watched a bit of Sean Hannity on Fox.  Believe it or not, he was criticizing and mocking Michael Beschloss, the noted historian who appears occasionally on MSNBC,   Historians record, interpret and comment upon history.  They deal with reality and not "make believe" as most right wingers, including Sean, do. This was too much for him.  He's in his own world, which in the absence of Donald Trump, will become increasingly lonely.

JL

(Added on Feb. 6, 2021)

A comment I posted the other day on Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters from an American” website.        

I am against handling these domestic terrorists with kid gloves. Letting them out on bail (like Rittenhouse), particularly in jurisdictions where the local authorities might be sympathetic to them, is very risky. These terrorists, and those who enable them, like Trump, have been around for years, but never before elected to Congress nor with the support of those already there. That's a danger to our democratic republic never to be underestimated. When they see their convicted co-conspiritors sentenced to long jail terms, they will begin to understand that their alternate reality has a very limited horizon which may reach only so far as the presently empty cells at Guantanamo Bay. 

 

A comment I posted on the New York Times website yesterday concerning the failure of law enforcement at the Capitol on January 6.

It is time for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to pursue domestic terrorists with the same ardor, and budget, that enabled them to pursue foreign terrorists after 9/11. The first thing that must be remedied is the removal of domestic terrorists and their sympathizers from local law enforcement throughout the country and Federal agencies as well, and the military. All of these entities have been infiltrated. The First and Second Amendments should not be used as excuses to stop this from happening. Since private militias are illegal in all fifty States, they should be disbanded immediately by the National Guard in those States where they exist, without bloodshed if possible. It is time to play hardball. The danger has not passed.

(Added on Feb. 7, 2021)

This is a touchy area which I am now entering.  I hope no one is offended.

Scoundrels have been known to wrap themselves in the American flag.  It lessens the chance of what they are saying being criticized.  But the flag is only one part of a quotation often inaccurately attributed to Sinclair Lewis, “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." 

McEnany

That is close to what was happening during the Trump administration.  In addition to his wrapping himself in the American flag at every opportunity, with a few dozen more in the background, it never went unnoticed that Trump’s final press spokesperson, Kayleigh McEnany, always conspicuously wore a cross.  And FoxNews anchor Laura Ingraham often makes sure her viewers see her religion hanging around her neck as she spouts the Trumpublican line.  Most recently, super Trump supporter Congressperson Marjorie Taylor Greene is always seen wearing a cross and of course, “pillow man” Mike Lindell, another wannabe Trump spokesperson, sometimes wears one on his lapel as well as around his neck.  C’mon.  He probably is similarly tattooed!

It is written in the Bill of Rights that Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of a religion in this country, but Republicans seem bent on letting Americans know where they stand in regard to matters of faith.  Granted that they very well may be as personally religious as is President Biden, who conspicuously made the sign of the cross at the ceremony honoring the Capitol police officer murdered by domestic terrorists on January 6, they certainly do not hesitate to display their faith whenever they can.

Might politics be involved in their choice of jewelry?

(Added on Feb. 10)

Text of my most recent emails to Senators Rubio and Rick Scott:

PLEASE EXCUSE MY EMAILING YOU REPEATEDLY BUT APPARENTLY YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE MESSAGE AMERICA IS SENDING TO YOU!  SUGGEST YOU IMMEDIATELY MAKE APPOINTMENTS WITH AN OPTHAMOLOGIST AND AN AUDIOLOGIST BECAUSE YOU ARE EITHER BLIND, DEAF OR BOTH, OR PERHAPS A CLOSET NAZI!  BUT YOU CAN REMEDY THIS BY WAKING UP AND VOTING FOR IMPEACHMENT.  (In doing so, you just might save the Republican Party from its imminent demise.)

(Added on Feb. 11)

If the Senate’s vote on impeachment were secret, the vote would probably be overwhelmingly in favor of impeachment, perhaps 85 to 15.

But the Senators’ votes will not be secret and their constituents will know how they vote. Many Senators fear the loss of the votes of the Trumpublican base in their States and the vengeance of the State GOP organizations, mostly controlled by Trumpublicans. 

As it stands today, I expect that Trump will not be impeached by the Senate based on the pathetically weak excuse that his words of encouragement to the mob were not sufficiently explicit to qualify as incitement, an argument on which Republican Senators will hang their hats. But that is the way he has always talked, with his true message hidden among innuendo, inferences, nods, silences, euphemisms, body language and signals. This will change only when enough Republicans desert the present GOP and form a new right-centrist party so that they no longer will depend on the Trumpublicans. And that will require a lot of weed killer sprayed on the GOP's grass roots. Don’t hold your breath.

Courage in 1776  (I just emailed this to my two GOP Senators)

The fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence risked their lives when they signed that document.  The death penalty was the price paid for treason committed against the English Crown.  But they did what they believed was right.   Certainly, Republican Senators can vote the way they honestly feel is right in the ex-president’s impeachment trial, the way they would vote if it were a secret ballot.  With their hearts.  The penalties they face from their local Republican party and from the Trumpublican base when next they run are far less severe than what the signers of the Declaration of Independence faced.  Unless, of course, these Republicans are spineless and gutless.

Problems of American Democracy and What's Wrong with Florida

Important Announcement:   There are some changes taking place in the way this blog operates.  I will continue to post new “editions” periodically (probably weekly) of which this is one, but as new items come up, rather than start a fresh posting every few days, I plan on adding them to the most recent posted version, showing the date the item was added.  They will appear at the bottom of that posting.  Scroll down right now to read the ones already added to this particular posting.  (And see recent prior postings as well.)

Problems of American Democracy

Back in my high school many years ago, seniors could take a social studies course called "P.A.D."  (Problems of American Democracy).  Well, today we indeed have a problem.  American democracy isn’t working the way it should.  Domestic terrorist mobs should not be attacking the Capitol, attempting to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a presidential election.  But it happened.

Even Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy initially blamed Trump for inciting that Jan. 6 insurrection. Ultimately though, he backed off and ran to Mar-a-Lago to pledge his loyalty.  (Sort of like 'going to Canossa.’   See Note Below )  He recognized that without the Trump loyalists at the extreme right of his party, including those who aided and abetted the insurrection, the Republicans had no party left.  Most State and local Republican party organizations are in the hands of Trump loyalists and this is what Trump might have thrown in McCarthy's face, I suspect. 

Mar-a-Lago, McCarthy's Canossa. 

There is a parallel with what happened in Germany during the last century even though it has been 89 years since that country's conservatives shook hands with an extreme right-wing rattlesnake, supposedly to defeat the left-wing parties.  Soon after, when they realized what they had done, it was too late.  The snake’s fangs were embedded and the poisonous venom released. Same goes for Neville Chamberlain, betraying Czechoslovakia.  Lesson: You cannot shake hands with rattlesnakes and that is what today’s Republican Party has done. 

The slogan "Never Again" has meaning today.  Some Jews and others recognized what was happening in 1932 and got out of Germany in time.  Most did not.  Some of today's right-wing extremists, often organized and armed, mean business and are not just fooling around.  The role of local law enforcement, particularly in places which support the ex-president and still believe his lies about the election results, is uncertain and adds to the problem.

A possible solution was added to the prior blog posting on January 29.  Check it out below somewhere. It recommends prompt and severe sentencing of convicted domestic terrorists, making it clear that laws cannot be broken with impunity.

Note:   (In the 1500s, the Holy Roman Emperor was excommunicated by the Pope.  To avoid the eternal damnation this would bring, he went on his knees to the Pope's winter residence at Canossa and stayed outside in the freezing cold and snow for three days to beg forgiveness for whatever he had done.)

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Florida Diseases

There are two diseases prevalent in the State of Florida.  One is the Covid19 pandemic which we all hope will subside as more and more become vaccinated. 

The other disease is the Republican Party.  It is a cancer on most of the citizens of the State, many of whom are too blind to realize it.  It endeavors to promote State regulation rather than local regulation where it can get away with it.  It emasculates the concept of free public education by encouraging and financing private, often religious, schools.  It gerrymanders Congressional Districts so that a disproportionate number of Republicans are elected.  It fails to provide unemployment and Medicaid programs which meet the needs of the State’s residents.  It flirts with banning free speech.  I have been living here in retirement for twenty years and can tell you when this disease will be remedied. Never!  Floridians, for a variety of reasons, are too stupid or gullible or bigoted to accomplish that. 

There are many wonderful things about the State of Florida.  They include its benign climate, its beaches and recreational facilities, its boating and fishing opportunities, its golf courses, its restaurants, some of its educational institutions, its museums and its numerous entertainment venues.  All of these explain why so many choose to live here despite the State being diseased by the Republican Party.  It’s a trade-off with which we manage to put up. 

But the tipping point might be the presence of Donald Trump in Florida and all the maggot-like creatures, like a decaying body, he will attract.  Then the vast emigration of Floridians, who originally came here from other, colder, places to other States (or countries) will begin.  

JL

 

(Added Jan. 31, 2021)

Unrecognized Historic Times

The people who lived in what the future eventually recognized to have been historic times may not have recognized the historic significance of what was happening around them at the time.  There are many examples of what at the time did not seem to have much significance turning out to be very important historic landmarks. 

A few examples:  the crucifixion of Jesus, the invention of the printing press, Martin Luther tacking his opinions on a church door; the introduction of slavery to the ‘new world,’ the Boston Tea Party, the firing on Fort Sumter, the Pearl Harbor attack, the 9/11 attacks.  While all of these events marked real turning points in world, and American, history, that was not evident for certain at the time they took place.

We are living in such times right now.  Our country has survived under its Constitution for 232 years.  It was tested by some of the events mentioned above, but it always survived.  Conceivably, it might not have survived the Civil War or the Second World War but it did, fueled by a strength from within the nation. Today’s threat is different because it is based on belief in a fictitious alternate reality which millions of Americans are sufficiently gullible or ignorant enough to believe.

Those who have bought into an alternate reality range from those who simply will not accept the 2020 presidential election results to those who believe in wild conspiracy theories and who confuse criminal behavior deserving punishment with heroism leading to martyrdom.  Some of these invaded the Capitol on January 6. There are varying levels of alternate reality.  Not all are the same.  But once accepting one level, it is easier to be convinced of others.

If we look at the numbers from the 2020 presidential election, 81 million voters voted for President Biden and 74 million voted for Donald Trump. There is no question as to the veracity of these numbers except in the minds of those who live in an alternate reality, and those that go along with them for various reasons.  Seventy-four million Americans who are convinced that their alternate reality is the real thing cannot just be ignored or told to leave.  “Re-education,” as it is called in China, on that scale is impossible in our democracy. 

The only course of action is to find and address the reasons why those who have accepted a fictitious alternate reality have chosen to do so. These may be social, demographic or economic in nature.  That is what must be done.  It may sound overly simple, but what we do will be viewed in the future as historic.  It may not seem obvious to us today, but I believe we live in historic times, times which will turn out to be as significant to our nation as are 1492, 1619, 1776, 1789 and 1861.

JL

(Added Feb. 1, 2021)

Today's New York Times included a lengthy article about what Trump did between the election and Biden's inauguration.  It's enough to warrant not only impeachment of the ex-president but his criminal prosecution as well, and that of others.   Read the article by CLICKING HERE.  

If it moves you enough, Sen. Rubio's phone # is 202 224 3041 and Sen. Rick Scott's is 202 224 5274.  

Won't help much though.  Scott was the CEO of the health care company which stole milllions from Medicare.  Only by 'taking the fifth' did he avoid conviction and likely, imprisonment.  He probably has advised Trump to do the same.

JL

(Added Feb 2, 2021)

What Alexander Hamilton Wrote

A few blog postings ago, a column dealing with the filibuster by the New York Times’ David Leonhardt was mentioned in which he briefly quoted Alexander Hamilton.   I wrote that I would get back to that later in greater detail, which I am now doing.

In campaigning in New York State for the passage of the new nation’s Constitution back in 1788 and 1789, three of its advocates, James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, wrote pieces explaining why the State should approve it.  They were all signed “Publius” and collectively form what is known as the “Federalist Papers.”  Number 22 of the series, written by Hamilton, contained many ideas worthy of note today.

“Every idea of proportional and every rule of fair representation conspire to condemn a principle which gives to Rhode Island an equal weight in the scale of power with Massachusetts or Connecticut or New York; and to Delaware an equal voice in the national deliberations with Pennsylvania or Virginia or North Carolina. Its operation contradicts the fundamental maxim of republican government which requires that the sense of the majority should prevail.”

“To give a minority a negative upon the majority is, in its tendency, to subject the sense of the greater number to that of the lesser.”

“Its real operation is to embarrass the administration, to destroy the energy of the government, and to substitute the pleasure, caprice, or artifices of an insignificant, turbulent or corrupt junto, to the regular deliberations of a respectable majority.”

“Hence, tedious delays, continual negotiations and intrigue; contemptible compromises of the public good.”

“We are apt to rest satisfied that all is safe, because nothing improper will be likely to be done, but we forget how much good may be prevented … by the power of hindering the doing what may be necessary.”

The writers of the Constitution addressed Hamilton’s concern by having two separate legislatures, the less democratic features he cited being permitted to continue in the Senate, but to a far lesser extent in the House of Representatives.

Hamilton was also concerned with the powers granted to the head of state and what to do to limit them.  Let’s listen to him again:

“A hereditary monarch has so great a personal interest in the government ... that it is not easy for a foreign power to give him the equivalent for what he would sacrifice by treachery.”

“In republics, persons elevated from the mass of the community to stations of great pre-eminence and power, may find compensations for betraying the trust.”

Obviously, Hamilton believed in impeachment.  And that was written into the new Constitution.  But a law isn’t very much if it cannot be enforced;  therefore, he also bemoaned the lack of a judiciary power in the Articles of Confederation and wanted a “Supreme Court.”

“Laws are a dead letter without courts to expound and define their true meaning and operation.”

“There are endless diversities in the opinions of men.  We often see not only different courts but the judges of the same court differing from each other … all nations have found it necessary to establish one court paramount to the rest … authorized to settle and declare in the last resort a uniform rule of civil justice.

Finally, Hamilton seems to have wanted more government positions filled by popular vote rather than by State legislatures.  In that, he failed, the prime example being the Electoral College, and until 1913, even the Senate.  He concludes Federalist Paper Number 22 with these mighty words (and the CAPS are Hamilton’s, not mine):

“It has not a little contributed to the infirmities of the existing federal system that it never had a ratification by the PEOPLE.  Resting on no better foundation than the consent of the several legislatures, it has been exposed to frequent and intricate questions concerning the validity of its powers … The fabric of American empire ought to rest on the solid basis of THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE. The streams of national power ought to flow immediately from that pure, original fountain of all legitimate authority.

I believe that Hamilton, were he alive today, would be a strong advocate of the direct election of the president by national popular vote.

JL

 

Patriotism and Slavery

Important Announcement:   There are some changes taking place in the way this blog operates.  I will continue to post new “editions” periodically (probably weekly) of which this is one, but as new items come up, rather than start a fresh posting every few days, I plan on adding them to the most recent posted version, showing the date the item was added.  They will appear at the bottom of that posting.  Scroll down right now to read the ones already added to this particular posting.  (And see recent prior postings as well.)

Patriotism

What is patriotism?  A dictionary definition might be “the love of or devotion to one’s own country.” That might be expanded to include the institutions which are basic to that country.  And further, it might include things that serve to represent that country. 

Following this reasoning, an American patriot clearly loves the United States of America, its Constitution and the American flag.  From elementary school on, Americans “pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands.”  Those words mean a lot, but they may mean different things to different people.  There are differing interpretations as to what the Constitution says.  That’s why we have a Supreme Court to interpret it.  And some disagree that that Court should even be doing that.  But that’s alright!

That Constitution guarantees the right of free expression and this opens the gateway to many different interpretations of what “the Republic for which it stands” actually means.  Are adherents of some of these differing interpretations less patriotic than those who interpret them differently?  Certainly not.

All are entitled to honor the flag, and consequently, the “Republic for which it stands,” even if their ideas of what that Republic is, or should be, differ.  But those of one belief are not entitled to claim to be more patriotic than others believing otherwise, no matter how closely they associate themselves with things that represent the country, such as the American flag.

Wrapping oneself in the flag, or having many of them fluttering in the background, doesn’t make anyone more patriotic than if the flags weren’t there.  And using the flag to hide unpatriotic ideas is wrong.  Traditionally, soapbox orators in New York’s Union Square Park have a flag posted on their platform.  That doesn’t necessarily make what they are saying patriotic, but it does celebrate the Constitution’s First Amendment, allowing them to speak there.

The misguided thugs who invaded the Capitol during the Trump-inspired insurrection on January 6, in an effort to prevent the Electoral College votes from being certified, draped themselves in American flags, to give their unpatriotic acts the appearance of legitimacy.  They were a disgrace to those flags, and “to the Republic for which they stand.”   Some carried the Confederate flag with them, representing sedition and insurrection, further debasing any patriotism on their part.  Yet, they thought themselves to be patriots in some perverted way.

Look around you.  Notice the American flag on the shoulders of many Americans other than government employees identifying them as such.  Notice the flag decals on the helmets of college and professional football players.  Look at the flags, often very large, flying from the sides of pick-up trucks.  What does that have to do with patriotism?  What do they stand for? Sometimes it gives legitimacy to individuals who are not patriotic at all and think the flag represents their ideas exclusively.  In an incident during the recent presidential campaign, vehicles attempting to drive a Biden campaign bus off the road were draped in American flags. They were not driven by patriots.

  *   *   *

Slavery

Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833.  If we had lost the Revolutionary War, and remained a part of Great Britain, slavery would have been abolished here much earlier than it was, and the Civil War, our tragically unsuccessful Reconstruction period and much of our present unrest, might have been avoided.  If we were still part of the British Empire in 1833 when they abolished slavery, I doubt that Americans would have then rebelled against the Crown for the sake of preserving slavery here … although even today rightwing extremists still continue to do all they can to see that many descendants of slaves are deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

JL

(Added on 1/25/2021)

A Column You Should Read

In her column of January 19, distributed by Creators Syndicate, Mona Charen concludes by saying that “The damage to the nation must be repaired by a chastened Republican Party.” That damage consists of their perpetuating the lies which led to the January 6 Trump insurrection attempt at the Capitol. 

Charen is no flaming liberal.  Her conservative Republican credentials are beyond reproach.  That is why it is important that you read this column, and more importantly, that Republicans do.  

Check out the column by CLICKING HERE.

JL

(Added on 1/28/2021)

Democratic Florida Candidates in 2022

In 2022, Florida will elect a Senator and a Governor.  In the 2020 presidential election, the Republicans defeated the Democrats by 300,000 votes.  Despite this, the Democrats have a tremendous opportunity to win both of these 2022 races because of the split in the Republican Party between the extremists, loyal to Trump and who still will control the State Party and the more traditional “business” Republicans who may defect from “Trumpublican” candidates.  

Rubio’s refusal to go along with a Trump impeachment and DeSantis’ failure to properly organize the Covid19 vaccine distribution properly will work against both of them, reducing their Republican support.  The key is having Democratic candidates who not only represent and will appeal to Democrats, but to defecting Republicans as well.  In 2022, who the Democrats run in these two races will determine their results.

 

 

Hamilton is More than a Musical  

In writing about the filibuster in today’s (1/27/21) New York Times, David Leonhardt quoted Alexander Hamilton. “What at first sight may seem a remedy,” referring to supermajority rule, “is in reality a poison.”  If a majority could not govern, he explained, it would lead to “tedious delays; continual negotiation and intrigue; contemptible compromises of the public good.”   This comes from Federalist Papers #22 by Hamilton.  More about that to come!

 

All Politics is Local – Curse of the G.O.P.

Former House Speaker Tip O'Neill once said that "all politics are local." In local politics, regardless of party (town, city, county, even State), it's the activists who hold leadership roles and call the shots. The Trumpublicans still control their party on that local basis. That's why the nation should not ignore those 74 million voters who voted Republican in November and the reason President Biden is proceeding carefully to reduce that vile number which certainly included many Republicans who might not be so extreme as their party's local leadership is.

Therefore, Because the Republican Party seems to be becoming the party of the domestic terrorists, and of those Republicans in Congress and in many State Governments who in varying degrees are sympathetic to them, it's time for the rest of the Republicans to become Democrats, Independents or form a new, Lincoln Project-based, new party.

And Speaking of the Lincoln Project, there are Billboards up to Impress the Senators

The “Meidas Touch” which is associated with the Lincoln Project has erected virtual billboards outside the Senate showing video of the Capitol insurrection 24-hours a day with plans to put additional billboards up. Keeping the visuals alive! It is worth a look if you want to see it: https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1354573211392856070

 

Accountability Counts

Let not musings over the future of the Republican Party and its anticipated attempts to sabotage legislation in the Democratic Congress divert our attention from the continuing threat to democracy in America presented by those who incited and carried out the January insurrection. We cannot ignore that. It cannot be underestimated. There must be full Republican accountability. The other day, Connecticut Senator Murphy pointed out that robbers of banks are not arrested for merely trespassing there, but face more serious charges.  And trashing the Capitol, with five resulting deaths, is as least as serious as bank robbery.

JL

 

Added on 1/29/21

No Kid Glove Treatment of Domestic Terrorists

Republicans in Washington react to their base as manifested by local Party leadership in towns, counties and even States.  And that leadership is still loyal to Donald Trump.  Republican House leader McCarthy’s “flip-flop” on the cause of the January 6 insurrection is an example of this.  

The best way to take away control of local Republican Party leadership from domestic terrorists and those that aid and abet them is to throw the book at those convicted of “trespassing” and worse in the Trump-incited insurrection on January 6.  Conceivably, their number can include elected officials who encouraged these criminal acts, and make no mistake about it, they were criminal acts.  

Once they see that such violations of law for those convicted can mean ten years or so in a place like Guantanamo Bay, local Republicans will back off from aiding and abetting these criminals now secured in the G.O.P.’s midst.  But it must be done quickly, while the crimes are fresh in the minds of Americans.  Even now, “insurrection-deniers” are at work blaming it on “Antifa.”

JL