Biden in command.

November 16, 2023

          After meeting with President Xi of China at the APEC conference in San Francisco, President Biden announced several new initiatives to improve the relations between the US and China, including,

• Restoration of military-to-military communications.

• Strengthening counternarcotics operations in China to reduce the fentanyl crisis in the US.

• Restarting efforts between the two countries to fight the climate crisis.

• Affirming the need to address the risks of advanced AI systems.

          For a full summary of the meeting, see The White House, Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China.

          Although the “agreements” were small and incremental (as opposed to ground-breaking), they relate to top-line, long-term issues that affect not only the US and China but the entire world. Biden was able to make substantial progress in “re-normalizing” relations between the US and China. That is no mean feat.

          After his meeting with President Xi, Biden held a press conference on a range of issues that lasted more than twenty minutes. During his remarks, Biden was clear, careful, and precise in dealing with difficult and delicate topics.

After Biden finished his remarks and formal answers to questions from reporters, he stopped on his exit from the briefing room to answer questions shouted by reporters. He gave direct, strong answers to “gotcha” questions—responses that clearly disappointed the reporters.

For example, Biden did not evade or deny his prior statement that President Xi is “a dictator,” noting that Xi rules in “a Communist country that has a form of government totally different from ours.”

          The entire press conference is available on YouTube, Biden holds news conference after meeting with China's Xi Jinping.

          Anyone watching the video with an open mind will see a president fully capable (and in command) of dealing with the US’s main competitor in trade, technology, and global security. On several occasions, Biden interrupted his remarks mid-sentence and noted that “I should stop here”—indicating that Biden has a keen sense of what information can be shared and what must remain confidential. Compare Biden’s sober discretion and self-control to Trump's repeated blabbing of national defense secrets to foes, friends, and complete strangers.

          At the 11’55” mark, a reporter asks a (nearly inaudible) question about the Israeli military operation in the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. Biden’s careful answer over the next two minutes demonstrates a command of the facts and sensitivity to the difficult balance between the US’s support for Israel and its desire for Israel to reduce civilian casualties. During that two-minute answer, Biden says that the US “told Israel”—and then Biden stops and says, “Let me be precise here: We discussed the need [for Israel] to be incredibly careful . . . .”

          [I will let you read between the lines, but a reasonable inference is that the US did more than “discuss the need” for Israel to avoid civilian casualties.]

          People can disagree with the substance of Biden’s answer about Israel’s military operations in the hospital, but Biden’s answer reveals detailed knowledge of the military operation and his requests to presidential staffers for more information. Even then, Biden was careful to limit his factual statements by with the preface, “I was told XYZ.”

          Anyone who is concerned that Biden is “too old” to handle the job of president isn’t paying attention. And there is simply no comparison between Biden’s carefully nuanced performance today and Trump's meandering, word-salad impersonations of James Joyce’s Ulysses minus the minimalist plot of the novel. (No offense intended toward James Joyce, Ulysses, or salads.)

Speaker Mike Johnson got one free pass from the Freedom Caucus; he may have used it too early.

          The euphoria over the passage of a continuing resolution under Mike Johnson’s leadership was short-lived. One day after Johnson used his “Get Out of Jail Free Card to pass a continuing resolution through February 2024, nineteen Republicans blocked Johnson’s effort to bring three spending bills to the House floor. See NYTimes, Conservatives Rebel Again Over Spending in the House.

          Speaker Johnson then threw in the towel. He told House members to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday, thereby losing ten calendar days during which members of Congress could have been working on the eleven spending bills that must pass by February 2, 2024, to enact a budget.

          The fact that nineteen Republicans blocked Johnson’s efforts to advance the three bills to a vote is worse than it seems at first blush. Johnson lost members from both the reactionary Freedom Caucus looking for deeper cuts and vulnerable New York Republicans opposed to the deep cuts already included in the three bills. It looks like the only path forward is through a bipartisan coalition with Democrats. That has been the only path forward for months. It’s about time that Republicans admitted that fact.

Univision’s Trump-friendly turn.

          Univision is the largest provider of Spanish-language content in the US, both on cable and public airwaves. Univision was a Trump critic during his first term. But due to a change in corporate ownership and serious elbow rubbing by Jared Kushner with the new owners, Univision has adopted a Fox-like Trump-friendly tone in recent coverage of Trump. Worse, Univision canceled advertising purchased by the Biden campaign, providing flimsy excuses. The situation is explained in detail by Joyce Vance in her Substack blog Civil Discourse, Trump on Univision.

          I acknowledge that there are grounds for concern over this turn of events. Democrats rely on Latino voters everywhere, but especially in swing states. Indeed, new-voter turnout by Latino voters was critical to Biden’s victory.

          So, rather than looking for a silver lining, I think the best course is to change the narrative in the Spanish-speaking community by reinforcing the themes that led to Trump's unpopularity in the Latino community in 2018 and 2020 (and simultaneously highlight Biden’s good work for Latino voters).

          As I read through the Comments section to Joyce Vance’s essay on Univision, I was struck by her reader Gary S. who said “we need to collectively respond to this” by engaging in the same grassroots efforts in the Spanish-speaking community that we are directing to all other communities.

          But, as Gary S. noted, we shouldn’t reinvent the wheel. There are terrific organizations that already focus on empowering the Latino community. Two examples are LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) and Voto Latino. Check out the impressive and informative websites for both organizations and sign up for their newsletters. There are undoubtedly other organizations we should be supporting and promoting. Please post a note in the Comment section or send me an email by “replying” to this newsletter.

          In short, we need to treat this challenge like every other challenge we face: Acknowledge the issue, identify strategies, and implement solutions. And, of course, when more people vote, Democrats do better (on average, over time). So, let’s help groups focused on the Latino community to drive turnout in 2024. I will bring more attention to the Latino community and the Democratic solutions that speak to the needs of the community. You can help me by identifying worthy organizations, events, and opportunities for engagement. Thanks!

More on Ohio.

          In response to my note on Ohio yesterday, reader Kathy R. posted the following Comment:

If you live in Ohio, make noise about the legislature’s move to subvert the will of the people in the recent election. Contact your legislators. Do it often. Tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. That’s what happened in Wisconsin and they backed off the impeachment idea. How to call your legislator | Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

          Another reader asked if the Ohio legislature could legally strip Ohio courts of jurisdiction to hear cases relating to the constitutional amendment passed as Issue 1. Without offering a final answer to that question, I have a few observations about the Ohio Constitution.

          The Ohio Constitution vests the judicial function in the courts—not the legislature:  

The judicial power of the state is vested in a supreme court, courts of appeals, courts of common pleas and divisions thereof, and such other courts inferior to the Supreme Court as may from time to time be established by law. (Art. IV, Section 1).

          Stripping the Ohio courts of the power to preside over suits challenging the constitutionality of Ohio statutes after the passage of Issue 1 seems to contradict the above provision of the Ohio Constitution.

          Moreover, the Ohio Constitution grants the Ohio supreme court original jurisdiction over cases involving issues arising under the Ohio Constitution. The Ohio supreme court has original jurisdiction over "Cases involving questions arising under the constitution of the United States or of this state." Art. IV, Section 2 (g)(2)(a)(ii).

          It is true that the state legislature can regulate the jurisdiction of trial courts (court of common pleas) in Ohio:

The courts of common pleas and divisions thereof shall have such original jurisdiction over all justiciable matters . . . as may be provided by law.

            Assuming the legislature stripped trial courts of jurisdiction over cases involving the amendment enacted by Issue 1, the Ohio supreme court would still have original jurisdiction to hear such matters. Indeed, the Ohio Constitution prohibit laws that restrict the power of the Ohio supreme court to hear cases within its original jurisdiction:

“No law shall be passed or rule made whereby any person shall be prevented from invoking the original jurisdiction of the supreme court.” Art. IV, Section 2(b)(3).

          I will let constitutional experts weigh in with more definitive guidance, but the GOP legislators who want to deny Ohio courts of the ability to hear cases arising under the amendment passed as Issue 1 will need to overcome express provisions of the Ohio constitution that seem to preclude that result.

Opportunity for reader engagement.

          I received the following from Aaron Frank of Focus for Democracy about an event on Thursday, November 16 at 5:00 PM Pacific / 8:00 PM Eastern:

In exactly one year, all votes will have been cast to elect the President of the United States. What we do between now and then can help determine that outcome. Join Focus for Democracy’s team that does deep analysis for evidence-based recommendations on Thursday, November 16 at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern to hear from two outstanding organizations - and learn how your donations now can make an outsized impact. Register here: The Road to 2024 our Recommendations

Concluding Thoughts.

          In response to yesterday’s Concluding Thoughts about engaging and honoring the elderly and senior members of the grassroots movement, reader Jean T. posted a comment that is worth sharing and adopting as my parting thoughts for today’s edition. I tried to edit Jean’s comment to take out most of the nice things she said about me but those comments were integral to her comments about the importance of community. As we work through these difficult times, Jean’s comment is a poignant reminder that community will sustain us. We forget that lesson at our peril.

          Here is Jean T.’s note:

To Robert’s ‘Concluding Thoughts.’ This morning wasn't the first time I was tearful while reading ‘Today’s Edition Newsletter,’ this place of community, of like-minded people.

I'm counted among the seniors whose life has changed dramatically since COVID, until now. It's been nearly four years since I've gathered with my family for the holidays, and outside of the holidays.

Over time, I've had masked contact with select family members, to support them in their medical and social needs. This year, I'm venturing out to be with family for (the day after) Thanksgiving. With several proud MAGA Republican family members, I am hoping (and attempting to prepare) that I maintain a degree of calm and civility and graciousness at our gathering. Somehow.

Has COVID given me cover to distance myself from my family? Without a doubt. Still, real fears remain, about COVID, and the unfolding story of White Christian Nationalism, and MAGA extremism. And for what’s at risk for the most vulnerable among us, and for us all.

So, today, I want to express what I feel day-to-day. To Robert and to his wife and managing editor, Jill, to your daughters and other family members, little ones included, and most especially—thank you. Your ‘continued dedication and persistence’ has served as an example through which this community has been built. And it has sustained me in some of the darkest of times, even now. It is through this community that I have witnessed the commitment of individual readers who engage in acts of courage and change; and where I look to those whose authentic expressions of curiosity contribute to this unfolding conversation.

This place has introduced me to individuals and communities beyond it, confronting the compelling questions of our time, as we witness and seek to respond to the suffering in our world. And it is within this community and extensions of it, that I attempt to move beyond despair – to small gestures of compassionate action, for all that is a stake, close in, as close as I am to myself, and very far from me and us all. As I read in a Buddhist community publication earlier, “community is essential for affecting social change.” So here we are. And I’m grateful to be here.

          Thank you, Jean.

          Talk to you tomorrow!