Everyday Erinyes #374

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 3:12 pm Politics

Jun 112023

Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”

Heaven knows what is happening with Donald Trump** these days is truly unprecedented in the history of the U.S., and maybe in any country’s history. There are plenty of nations which have been betrayed and/or abused by their leaders; some have faced accountbility, others not so much. Donald can be happy (if he even knows how to be happy) that he is not Charles I of England, nor Louis XVI of France, nor Nicholas II of Russia. But one thing there is a precedent for is running for President against a former colleague (I put it that was because this story includes a matchup between a former President against the prsimptive nominee his former VP rather than the other way around.)
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Mike Pence is jockeying against Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination – joining the ranks of just one vice president who, in 1800, also ran against a former boss

Former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence appear together in November 2020.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Shannon Bow O’Brien, The University of Texas at Austin

Former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork to declare his candidacy for president on June 5, 2023 – placing him in unusual ranks.

While 18 of the 49 former vice presidents have gone on to run for president, it’s rare for vice presidents to run against their former bosses. Six of these former vice presidents, including President Joe Biden, were ultimately elected president.

Pence, alongside other candidates, officially announced his bid on June 7.

Pence and former President Donald Trump have had a complicated relationship. Pence’s devout conservative evangelical Christianity was a crucial ingredient in helping carry Trump to victory in 2016.

But Trump blames Pence for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and has said he is angry with him for certifying the 2020 election results. Pence remained trapped at the Capitol during the attack, which Trump did nothing to try to end.

There are only a few other times in American history that are vaguely similar to the unfolding battle over who will become the Republican presidential nominee. Both were extraordinarily bitter, and centuries later, their strife still makes historians and experts on the presidency – including myself – raise eyebrows.

A man with white hair looks to his side at a man with an open mouth and light white hair who is speaking. — Mike Pence, left, is the second vice president to run against his former boss for election.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Name-calling in 1800

There is one other time in history when a vice president ran against the president he served with in office.

In the election of 1800, Vice President Thomas Jefferson challenged incumbent President John Adams. Adams had won the presidency in 1796, and Jefferson was runner-up, making him vice president. Until 1804, the person who came in first in a presidential election became commander in chief, while the person who brought in the second-most votes became vice president.

Jefferson, though, wanted the top job.

And so when Adams ran for reelection, Jefferson ran against him in one of the most notorious races in American history.

Jefferson’s allies called Adams “a hideous hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.”

An Adams ally with the pseudonym of Burleigh, meanwhile, offered an omen if Jefferson won the presidency: “Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will be openly taught and practiced, the air will be rent with the cries of the distressed, the soil will be soaked with blood, and the nation black with crimes,” Burleigh wrote.

The two used proxies to level vicious personal attacks against one another in the press. But neither one gained the advantage. The election ended in an Electoral College tie. This set up what is sometimes known as the Revolution of 1800 – the very first time one group in political power peacefully ceded that power to another group, based on the results of an election.

Jefferson emerged victorious from the election.

A black and white photo shows a large room filled with people, in a stadium like setting. — A view of the Republican National Convention in June 1912, when William Howard Taft was nominated to serve on the ticket.
PhotoQuest/Getty Images

‘Dumber than a guinea pig’ in 1912

But there is another point in history that is similar to the Trump vs. Pence race that is about to get underway.

Vice President Theodore Roosevelt assumed the presidency after the death of President William McKinley in 1901. Roosevelt was reelected in 1904 and decided to leave office in 1909, rather than seek another term.

Roosevelt endorsed William Howard Taft, his secretary of war, for president. And Taft won the race easily.

But Roosevelt grew unhappy with the Taft administration, as he felt it was not upholding his beliefs that the president should do what is necessary for the good of the country, as long as it is not explicitly forbidden by law.

In one instance, the Taft administration filed a lawsuit against U.S. Steel Corporation for violating antitrust laws that prevent unlawful mergers or other business practices.

Roosevelt went into a fury. Other factors were at play, but he had personally approved the steel company’s trust and viewed Taft’s actions as a personal attack against himself and his administration’s legacy.

Roosevelt challenged Taft for the Republican nomination and ran against him in 1912. The former president dusted off his bully pulpit and used his rhetorical knives to their maximum advantage against Taft.

In the spring of 1912, Roosevelt referred to Taft as a “fathead,” “puzzlewit” and “dumber than a guinea pig.”

Taft then used the term puzzlewit in a humorous, self-deprecating way to draw attention to what he felt were failures of Roosevelt. This included Roosevelt’s opposition to treaties with Great Britain and France.

Taft also said in a 1912 campaign speech in Ohio that, “I hold that the man is a demagogue and a flatterer who comes out and tells the people that they know it all. I hate a flatterer. I like a man to tell the truth straight out, and I hate to see a man try to honeyfuggle the people by telling them something he doesn’t believe.”

The 1912 Chicago Republican Convention, where the two faced off, was one of the most raucous in history. Taft and Roosevelt supporters even got into into fistfights.

The Republican Party leadership ultimately backed Taft. And Roosevelt, in dramatic fashion, removed his supporters from the convention after a speech, in which he declared, “… we stand at Armageddon, and we battle for the Lord!”

Then, Roosevelt formed the Progressive Party and split Republicans, paving the way for Democrat Woodrow Wilson’s presidential win.

No other time exactly like it

Pence’s decision to run against Trump has no direct equivalent in American history.

This election cycle will break new ground and help establish future expected norms – in part because Trump is the only candidate to have run while facing a criminal indictment and multiple other ongoing investigations of potential criminal activity.

However, if the past is a prologue, the Republican primary season will likely have more in common with the Roosevelt and Taft match-up than others, at least in terms of direct insults and attacks upon leadership style – things Trump is known for doing.

Shannon Bow O’Brien, Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, We can all be grateful the winner-President-second-place-VP system did not last, and the Adams/Jefferson Presidency must have been a big reason why it didn’t. It would have been a lot like having Trump as President and Hillary as VP. Adams was not evil, but he was about as opposite Jefferson in his politics as two people can be (and to top it off, Jefferson had a crush on Abigail.)

I realize this is not exactly the hottest news today, and what is hot is the full indictment, which Jack Smith has suggested that literally everyone should read. It’s a speaking indictment, so it could be a lot harder to get through, and it is at the bottom of the page at this link.

The Furies and I will be back.

Video Thread 6/11/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:49 am Open Thread, Politics

Jun 112023

Talking Feds with Harry Litman – Trump INDICTED in Most Important Federal Case in HISTORY

The Lincoln Project – Everything Woke

Thom Hartmann – Trump Didn’t Act Alone – Deadly Crimes, Treason & More!

Liberal Redneck – Canada, Climate Change, and Crazy People

Cat Is So Clingy With His Dad

Beau – Let’s talk about old men bumping their heads….

Open Thread June 11, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:05 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 112023

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Der Fliegende Holländer” (The Flying Dutchman”). This was the earliest of his operas to feature the theme of a man’s redemption through a woman’s love by means of her death. Yes, that’s totally nuts. But he wasn’t alone – literature, music and art all had influential practitioners in 19th century Europe who were obsessed with this idea. Most of his operas after this one riffed on the theme. Exceptios would be “Lohengrin” (he doesn’t need redeeming, and Elsa doesn’t die – maybe) and the Ring Cycle (unless Brynhilde’s immolation redeems Siegfried – but he’s already dead when that happens.) But I digress. In any case, the music of the Dutchman is impressive. It was written before he fine-tuned his “leitmotif” system but is already characterized by tone painting. A lot of music has been written by a lot of people purportedly depicting storms at sea, but Wagner’s in this opera is the one that convinces me. Senta is self-destructive and as dunb as a MAGAt, but at least she doesn’t take anyone else down with her, and her music convincingly depicts her obsession. And so on.

Also yesterday I received a petition from Move On titled “Convict Trump” I was shocked. I had to go to their website to send a message, but I thought it was necessary. Here’s what I said: “Have you lost your minds? No, I’m not going to sign a “convict Trump**” petition. Only a jury can convict Trump** (or anyone else), and they are not supposed to have any outside influence. Sending a jury a petition like this is jury tampering. Unless he makes a plea deal – that would result in a conviction – but do we really want that? Come back to me when you have a petition which is Constitutional. This one isn’t.”

Cartoon – 11 0611Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

Colorado Public Radio – Sen. Michael Bennet wants to strengthen the watersheds that help protect clean drinking water
Quote – The bill reauthorizes the USFS’s Water Source Protection Program (WSPP), which helps fund projects that prevent pollution at the source, usually by restoring forest health and watersheds. It would increase funding for the program to $30 million per year for the next five years for work done in partnership with local communities, water utilities or agricultural producers. WSPP also tries to prioritize projects that focus on drinking water or improve resilience to wildfire or climate change.
Click through for story. I’m certainly aware of watersheds. But it never occurred to me what, besides lack of precipitation, might threaten them, nor of what could be done to keep them strong. D’oh! So i’m very glad to know that I have been voting for a Senator who does know.

The Conversation – Forts Cavazos, Barfoot and Liberty — new names for army bases honor new heroes and lasting values, instead of Confederates
Quote – The renamings so far have come off without controversy – and with no one seriously defending why the bases should continue honoring Confederates. As Trevor Noah said on “The Daily Show,” “Imagine being a Black soldier training at a base that is named after somebody who didn’t even think of you as a human being.” Celebrities popular with conservatives have praised the base redesignations, too. For example, Mel Gibson applauded renaming Fort Benning for Col. Moore, whose memoir was the basis for “We Were Soldiers,” a 2002 film starring Gibson.
Click through for details. How many people know more than one or two names of Hitler’s henchment? Honoring Confederate generals is not history – it’s just disgusting. And if even Mel Gibson – not just a conservative favorite but a – not terribly nice person – doesn’t mind, then really no one should.

The 19th – Could access to child care be the key to helping parents clear arrest warrants?
Quote – Cierra was among dozens of people who came out in early June for the so-called warrant clinic, one in a series of nationwide events that aims to address active warrants, usually those tied to outstanding traffic violations and misdemeanors. The periodic one-day events can be life-changing. People with lifted warrants can get back a driver’s license. They can apply for jobs. They can seek services that help with housing and food insecurity. They can also vote. “We are adding capacity to the justice system,” said Anza Becnel, the creator of the warrant clinics and the founder and executive director of Growing Real Alternatives Everywhere (GRAE), a nonprofit that helps organize the clinics. “We are adding capacity to things that we’ve identified that the community needs.”
Click through for more. If you didn’t realize this was a problem … you’re not alone … and you’re probably white.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/10/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:50 am Open Thread, Politics

Jun 102023

Glenn Kirschner – The evidence detailed in the 44-page Trump indictment makes clear: Trump. Is. Done.

The Lincoln Project – More Biden Jobs

Thom Hartmann – You Won’t Believe The Power Behind The Most Corrupt SCOTUS Justice…?

Ring of Fire – Republican Says Trump Is Absolutely Terrified Of Chris Christie

Rescue Lamb Is Obsessed With His Dad’s Guitar

Beau – Let’s talk about the government removing the stigma….

SOUND OFF! 6/10/23 – Cop City

Posted by Freya at 6:04 am Politics

Jun 102023

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. -Elie Wiesel

You have probably heard about the controversy surrounding the proposed “Cop City” in Atlanta. Residents have been vigorously opposing this facility for a variety of reasons, including the location – in a beloved urban forest – and the training that will take place there is more in line with urban warfare than with protecting and serving.

Numerous protesters have been arrested. That is understandable, in a way. However, recently three people were arrested for collecting funds to bail out the demonstrators. What the Hades? Arresting people for civil disobedience is one thing, but going after those who got them out of the clink is definitely another.

On January 18, Atlanta police shot dead Manuel Paez Terán, aka “Tortuguita.” Police claim he fired on them first, but evidence for this is sketchy. In the autopsy report the chief medical officer wrote that there was no gunpowder residue on his hands. Terán had been shot 57 times, apparently while in a seated position. On top of all that, none of the officers had a body cam on. Apparently this had all been carefully planned. Instead of removing Terán nonviolently, which they could have done, they brutally gunned him down.

What is wrong with police in the US anyway? I could write a very long essay about the racist roots of policing in this country. Over the past decade or so, police departments have become increasingly militarized. Your “friendly neighborhood” officer is less and less Andy Taylor, and more and more Judge Dredd.

The knee-jerk reply to this is “But criminals are better armed than the cops!” OK, granted, some lawbreakers are heavily armed. However, 1) only a few actually are, and 2) we have this country’s lax gun laws and cowardly politicians to thank for that. For dealing with dangerous hoodlums we have SWAT and special-response teams. But we don’t need all cops to be like that. When your neighbor is running down the street drunk and naked, you don’t need an officer who’s armed like Rambo – you need someone who can de-escalate the situation.

Yes, police officers need training – and they need the proper facilities for that training. However, US cops need more training in nonviolent ways to handle situations. Currently it takes more hours of training to become a barber than to become a cop in the US. Police need to regard their guns as a last resort, not the first. We could learn a lot from other countries where officers seldom use their guns, and where police-involved deaths are rare.

“Defund the Police” was and is not about getting rid of police, but in spending less on militarizing them and more on programs that will ease the burden on their shoulders. What we need is a profound rethinking and reformation of law enforcement in this country.

Open Thread June 10, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 102023

Yesterday, the first Federal Trump** indictment was unsealed. I posted a “breaking news” update on the Open Thread as soon as i saw it, but in case you missied it, the news was 37 counts. (I presume 7 charges is still correct. It’s 49 pages and I didn’t go through it in full. But “conspiracy” was one, “obstruction of justice” was one, and “willful retention under the Espionage Act” was one. The Espionage Act, combined with the Federal rules for venue, explains why Florida. We now know that for certain.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

NPR “Shots” – For many, a ‘natural death’ may be preferable to enduring CPR
Quote – So why the controversy? It comes down to a widespread misconception of what CPR can, and can’t, do. CPR can sometimes save lives, but it also has a dark side…. The allure of CPR is that “death, instead of a final and irrevocable passage, becomes a process manipulable by humans,” writes Stefan Timmermans, a sociologist who has studied CPR…. “It seems too good to be true,” he said, and it is.
Click through for details. I won’t try to address every possible complication here – but this highlights the importance of Living Wills/DNR orders – and maybe even more the importance of respecting them.

Robert Reich – Should we be worried about RFK Jr.?
Quote – Were it not for his illustrious name, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would be just another crackpot in the growing number of bottom-feeding right-wing fringe politicians seeking high office. But the Robert F. Kennedy brand is political gold. RFK Jr. is now polling in the double digits against Biden. The latest CNN poll, taken less than three weeks ago, has him at 20 percent.
Click through for article. As always, click “keep reading” or whatever on the popup. His father would be APPALLED.

The New Yorker – The Legal Dynamics of Trump’s Second Indictment
Quote – Q – What are the considerations when the government approaches cases involving classified documents? A – There are a slew of them. From the government’s perspective, the crux of the matter is how much classified information they are willing to reveal, because the defendant has a constitutional right to confront the evidence against him. This means that the government cannot split the difference; it can’t convict someone based on evidence they are not allowed to see. So oftentimes how the government charges a case like this and how they try a case like this reflect decisions about what they are and aren’t willing to disclose.
Click through for full interview. The writer is not a lawyer, but the interviewee is, and is an expert on national-security law. I’ve already used the New Yorker once this month, so if you are paywalled out, email me and I’ll send it by return.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/9/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:54 am Open Thread, Politics

Jun 092023

Glenn Kirschner – Trump federally indicted! Here’s what we can expect in the coming days

The Lincoln Project – Our Flag

MSNBC – Jack Smith’s coup probe hits MAGA convict Steve Bannon

Thom Hartmann – You Won’t Believe The Power Behind The Most Corrupt SCOTUS Justice…?

Cat goes WILD for Trader Joe’s ciabatta!

Beau – Let’s talk about Ukraine, Kuwait, and supplies….

Open Thread June 9, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:59 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 092023

Yesterday, Pat Robertson died. He was 93. “I was always taught never to say anything about the dead unless it’s good. He’s dead. Good.” – Moms Mabley. You can read about it in lots of places (AP is one) but this Wonkette remembrance may be the most – satisfying. Also yesterday, it was dry enough to put the sticker om my car (and of course put a copy of the registration into the glove box). So I did. We’re expecting more rain, so I carped the diem. And one more thing: Trump** stated publicly that he has been indicted (in the documents case).

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – FL GOPers Panicking As Immigrants Flee Ahead Of New Law
Quote – Florida Republicans concerned about the state’s new anti-immigration law and its potential impacts on Florida’s economy… admit the bill is “100% meant to scare” immigrants and beg the crowd to “urgently” convince “your people” to not leave Florida since folks in the agriculture industry are mad workers are leaving.
Click through for story. Now that the debt ceiling is off the table for a while, the news stream is so fast and furious that I think I’ll have to do three a day for a while to catch up. Just for a while. I won’t be able to keep it up.

HuffPost – DHS Launches Major Effort To Stem Human Trafficking In Indigenous Communities
Quote – One of the “brutal realities” is that Native women command more money from sex traffickers, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who has been a leader in combating violence against Indigenous women, previously told HuffPost. “Native women, because of their looks, can be viewed as more exotic, more Asian, and apparently there is a higher market for women that are of Asian descent,” Murkowski said. “When I heard that, it just … It just sickens me.”
Click through for details. It’s no surprise that people who would profit from, or pay into, human trafficking objectify women. But this certainly brings that fact home.

Civil Discourse . Today in Trump
Quote – Venue, as a legal proposition, is the place or location where conduct that prosecutors want to charge took place—the judicial district where the crime was committed. Sometimes that’s obvious, like in a bank robbery. Other times, it can be more difficult to determine, and there may be more than one possible venue. Imagine a drug-dealing network that operates across a region of the country. There can be more than one proper venue for a case. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 18 provides that “Unless a statute or these rules permit otherwise, the government must prosecute an offense in a district where the offense was committed.[“]
Click through for more explanation and the news which prompted it. As usual, click “no” or “continue” on the popup(s). Venue decisions may be the most important ones that DOJ must make in these cases. I don’t want anyone here to be crying “foul!” if Jack Smith ends up trying the documents cse in Florida. If that happens, it will be because it was legally necessary.

Food For Thought

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