Rushed to read today’s letter. My husband and I are leaving for our second day to help as volunteer “election specialists” at our city hall. We live in a first ring, very blue Minnesota suburb where early voting began at the end of September. We certify and witness that the voter’s ID number on the outside envelope (which encloses their ballot) matches the number on their application form which had been given to an election judge to certify that they were eligible to vote. Then we put the envelopes into the locked ballot box. Voters want to see us do that. We had a steady trickle of voters all day yesterday, with an expected lunch time surge. Several people commented on what an important election this is (the significance of the comment was not lost on us) and thanked us for helping out.
Thought you’d enjoy a report from the trenches of early voting.
Thank you for serving your community like this; I will be working the polls for the first time in my 74 years (here in Maricopa County, AZ...yes, we’ve been in the news lately!) Good luck to you, like to hear from the “trenches”
The Beto for Texas Campaign staff does scientific data analysis for all their grassroots actions, and are even inviting and hosting - shepherding - out-of-towners from outside Texas to join their veritable army on-the-ground to visit every city, every town, every rural area (where possible), canvassing, knocking on doors for GOTV and helping Texans to vote. Phenomenal work. Today one poll puts Beto within 2 points of Abbott.
I live in a "red zone" just south of a "blue zone." Last spring when I had my first opportunity to vote (by mail) with our new ridiculous Draconian laws, I was very, very careful to follow all the tricky and confusing instructions to the "t." I carefully signed the carrier envelope with all the additional information required and sealed it. Only then did I realize I had not enclosed the BALLOT envelope - and there was no undoing what had been done. I called our county election office (run by a GOP woman whose husband also runs the county GOP) and after closing hours, a young Black man showed up at my back door with a hand-completed, but unsigned and unsealed new carrier envelope. He told me that he had done this at least 40 times in a previous election, but that now he was down to only 13 in the current election. What a genuinely good man. I was reassured that our elections would be run with the due diligence you describe in your first-hand account, regardless of party affiliation. Ann, its people like you and your husband and like this young man who will ensure that our votes are counted and our voices heard. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the amazing zoom last night with Cheri Beasley who is the Democratic candidate for US Senate from North Carolina. It was fantastic and former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley showed how caring, informative and knowledgeble she is. She will represent all of NC as well as the U.S. She will vote for reduced drug prices, gun safety, women's reproductive rights, etc.
Robert - thank you so much for including the link for Women for Beasley in today's newsletter - I am Chair for Women for Beasley and heading up the postcard campaign. After the zoom ended my emails exploded with many wanting to write postcards from all over the country. Please continue to request addresses (let me know how many) and I will email you back the sample script and addresses asap. patlevitin@gmail.com
We must win this seat and canvassing is #1 but postcards are becoming #2 to get voters to the polls!
Right?! Humans lie and are imperfect. I thought the entire idea with the Supreme Court is that they sit there and make judgements based on the Constitution and leave their own crap out of it.
Oct 25, 2022·edited Oct 25, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Thank you Robert. I have reposted this on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Also, a truly powerful piece in support of President Biden is this from Politics Girl. Share is everywhere. I repost on the twitter feeds of McCarthy, Graham, Cruz, Paul et al things like this as well as news articles that debunk the lie of the second.
I agree 100% with your comments of perspective regarding the self appointed vigilante "poll watchers" in Arizona. Media outlets are completely irresponsible and are driven to destroy our democracy by chasing after ratings and sensational headlines. I firmly believe it is the media that are responsible for delivering TFG to the White House in the 2016 election, with the non stop coverage they gave him every single day starting with his birther movement in 2014. I'm not sure how we maintain a democratic state without some kind of oversight regarding media coverage of events.
" firmly believe it is the media that are responsible for delivering TFG to the White House in the 2016 election, with the non stop coverage they gave him "
Good morning, Lynn, and thank you for this clear, bold statement of what I consider fact. And the non-stop coverage was followed, of course, by the front-page headline that the investigation into Secretary Clinton's emails had been re-opened. No qualifiers. As you suggest, the mainstream media not only control the news. They create the news. I'm also thinking about the stay that Clarence Thomas just granted Lindsey Graham which, while reported, was certainly not bold black headlines sprawled across the front page of the most respected and most read newspaper in this country.
There are days when I feel as if we already have a media that belongs to this incredibly powerful minority of madmen.
But Mr. Hubbell does pull us out of these morning dreads with his one clear statement--it is safe to vote in America. Now there's a billboard we should invest in.
Good morning, and thank you Dean for validating my observations. While Robert does help keep us focused, (and for me, keeping me sane) I feel he is also gathering a community of respectful and concerned citizens, that will continue to move forward together to achieve our goals. I am often just as inspired by thoughts, ideas and observations mentioned in these comments. Together, we have great power to bring on the will of the people.
Well, thank you back, because that is really the exact thing that Robert does that is really characteristic of him--he not only gathers us together to inspire us to clearer ways of thinking but he sends us out into the world to take specific action.
And action changes thoughts and feelings.
It's a win-win situation in Today's Edition world.
Yep. They've been doing it for a long time but with the advent of the 24 hour news channels and online editions of the newspapers it has become both more intense and more obvious. The main reason I cancelled my subscription to the NYTimes nearly a year ago was that I stared to recognize what they were doing. It honestly is right out there once you know what you're looking for. The current focus, of course, is President Biden. They turned against him. It has gotten worse, but there was no mistaking it even in the early stages. And because the Times has the very finest journalists and writers they are especially skillful. In the beginning, it was a matter of sentence structure and the order of paragraphs. When Biden was at the height of his public accomplishments, the sentence that could have began, "Today Biden passed the bi-partiisan bill that will relieve...." in fact was more likely to begin, "As the abandoned citizens clung to planes....Biden signed the..." It's a simple matter of the order of words or, larger, the order of paragraphs." It's a subtle shift at first, hardly noticeable, until one day the subtlety is gone and the media are just blatantly down on Biden and the Democrats.
I'm not so sure I agree with you, Lynn. While the media reported trump's every repugnant move, in a sane and moral society, trump's candidacy would have self-imploded. From his racist comments to his disgusting "grab them by the...", in a society that respects women and repudiates racism and anti-semitism, trump would have never made it to the debate stage, much less the presidential podium. But we're not living in a sane country any more. 50% of the US population is angry and afraid and believes bullying, racism, anti-semitism and misogyny should no longer disqualify a candidate if that candidate will protect THEIR white Christian entitlement and their wallet or pocketbook.
The move by Thomas should be the number one headline and discussion. It is so blatantly partisan and his position so powerful that none of the other items in Today's Edition are worthy of more than a passing thought. The Supreme Court is now fully corrupt. Thomas should be arrested with his wife. The charge? Accessory to sedition.
Several observations. I live in NC and Cheri Beasley is a class act and I am glad some of you are supporting her candidacy. The ads for Ted Budd against Beasley are filled with underlying racism and using the legendary Willie Horton type ad approach focusing on letting sex offenders free with no cash bails. It’s a total distortion of the case and findings.
Secondly the Clarence Thomas decision regarding Lindsey Graham to me is Clarence Thomas giving the finger to the DOJ, Democrats and protecting his wife knowingly that he will not face any accountability or sanctions for his actions. With the addition of the three Trump appointed judges the Supreme Court is another institution that has been corrupted and requires corrective measures.
There are two major challenges facing our country that this election needs to address. Can the Democrats mount a majority to make the necessary changes to the filibuster to codify Wade and expand the court and will the Democratic Senators take the political risks associated with making these monumental decisions?
There is so much at stake in this election and never before in my lifetime has my vote had as much importance and significance as it does this year. I hope millions of voters feel the same way. Cheri Beasley is running an excellent campaign and messaging well. Voter turnout out is the way she can win. Early indications are that the early voting turnout is much greater than previous years. The key is people showing up at the polls.
I agree this election is of vital importance but I would not be surprised if after we win a Democrat majority (thinking positively here), our elected majority still does not increase the size of the Supreme Court, only limits the filibuster, and does little further about the electoral college. So many of our dems seem to behave in a toothless way when assertiveness is needed while we have the chance.
I cannot count how many times I am exasperated to hear that we mustn't do x because then "they" may do it when they are in power. That's a loser's thinking.
As to a set of ethics rules, apparently there are already ethics rules (eg the one Mr. Hubbell mentions) for all justices, but without enforcement, rules are meaningless. We are left as if we were children on a playground with no teachers or coaches. Rules without honor aren't aspirational. Rules without enforcement aren't just decorative - they are mockery.
Yesterday I walked over to my local grocery store and dropped my ballot in a ballot box. At 4 pm I received a text that my ballot had been received. That’s the voting experience in Colorado and assume in much of the country. No drama. Nothing to report on the news.
The amateur psychologist in me says that Clarence Thomas just doesn't care about how he is viewed by the majority of the country. In fact, I'd go even further. He went through a searing experience in his confirmation hearings 31 years ago and now he is gleefully getting his chance at payback.
I had included a sentence that said Thomas had given the American people the equivalent of the judicial middle finger with his ruling. But I took it out because I thought it was too crass. I kind of regret that editorial decision this morning.
Don't hold back, Robert. You often say what we want to say, but, oh, so much better. You would have done it with class, not crass. We love it when you let fly a zinger. All the more potent because you time them appropriately.
I tend to agree about Thomas's venom. But I wonder if one bad experience can turn a fundamentally sound man into the monster we see today. And, if you recall, it wasn't Clarence Thomas who got the worst of it during those hearings. As with Kavanaugh and Blesey-Ford, it was the woman . And there my thinking needs to stop. Midterms ahead
Re: Justice Thomas. He and his religious GOP brethren sit on the packed court because of the machinations of Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) and the Federalist Society. Reforming the Senate to be once again more representative of the population has great appeal. In that vein, I thought the attached from NPR was very, very interesting:
Oct 25, 2022·edited Oct 25, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
As to the 30 embarrassments'
The House "progressives" made the mistake when they described their "support for Ukraine" of not defining it specifically as "Ukraine restored to its borders of February 2014, with all Russian forces removed from stolen territory."
The fact they had to go out and explain themselves afterwards left them looking like the standard issue clueless Chardonnay-swilling Volvo drivers (you know the kind I'm thinking of).
"When you're explaining yourself, you're losing."
When I looked at the list, I was only surprised to find the otherwise-competent Jaime Raskin on it. The others can be categorized as "the usual suspects." I hate being embarrassed by idiots.
Hi, TC. I think I agree with you, but do you mean "restored to its borders as of February 2014," before Russia invaded Crimea in March? Or are you saying that recognizing Crimea as part of Russia should be on the table in a settlement?
Would you care for a small virtual wager that someone from the staff of one of the other Caucus members called someone on Raskin's staff and asked if he'd want his name on a letter favoring a rapid end to the Ukraine war? Sans details, that's something almost all of us would like to see but, when the devilish part of the conversation became clear it was 1) too late and 2) time to backtrack and hide in order to avoid looking even dumber than they already were.
Jamie Raskin was among the small group of progressives who stood at the podium in a press conference to announce the letter. I don't think it was an oversight on his part. I think it was a serious error in judgment.
Btw running photos just to be eye candy when the photo wasn't taken at the time indicated or implied is something serious press needs to just swear off. We need facts more than pictures.
It was one of those moments where I end up remembering his heritage as a "red diaper baby." Such raising leaves one with serious blind spots. (I knew of his father "back in the day")
Covid prevented my attending the training session to be an election officer in Santa Clara County, so instead of working at the polls for the weekend and election day, I am now deciding for which out of state candidate I can be the most helpful. GOTV is critical.
I have urged my grandchildren in college to make sure each of their friends is registered and votes. They assured me their friends are voting. That's encouraging.
I believe it is also correct that Chief Justice Roberts “lied” his way onto the Court. His claim to be an umpire, simply calling balls and strikes, was demonstrably inconsistent with much that he had written and acted upon in his career, prior to that testimony. It is noteworthy that the recent Court appointees by Biden, Omaha and Clinton artfully but accurately answered the same questions posed to the Republican appointees about Roe and other precedents.
Oct 25, 2022·edited Oct 25, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
The Screaming Goat Syndrome. Remember a few years back the Super Bowl ad with the first time startling, the second time totally obnoxious screaming goat ad. Other advertisers immediately copied it making the airways even more obnoxious and toxic. Today, the screaming goat is celebrity coverage. DT still gets orders of magnitude more coverage on his legal shenanigans while we never hear more than a passing comment on say the Inflation Reduction Act and very little coverage of President Biden. I turned off Morning Joe this morning because they were spending the A block on Kanye West and his antisemitism ad nauseum. What is the underlying cause of this? It's the fact that our media is largely owned by people like Rupert Murdoch and a handful of very conservative rich people who are using their money to control the "free press". It is caused by the sequence of covering hate which causes clicks which causes ad buys resulting in more money leading to higher profits leading to the conservative rich getting even richer while draining the rest of us of hope and well-being. Now let's move into the solution which is positive journalism. That doesn't mean a Pollyanna response to the world. While our brains are wired to react to the negative as a short term survival mechanism, overall our brains will choose the longer view of a path of hope and well-being. Positive journalism is a branch of Positive Psychology which instead of focusing on what is broken and deficit in a person looks at enhancing the potential of the whole person, the good person we have the potential to be. It focuses on the good things we can do to enhance the well-being of all. What would good journalism look like? It would be more balanced reporting. The inflation reduction law would get instead of the kind of coverage we get every day on DT's legal problems. Why do we need to have the daily analysis of DT's shenanigans at the almost complete absence of, for example, how the Inflation Reduction act will make us feel our government is doing some good things to assure the next few years will see even more improvements in our economy rather than the doomsday approach of particularly the right media. Civilization makes progress when people feel they individually can make a difference. We, the People, all of us this time with Hope and Expectation for a more Perfect Union and a future of well-being for all.
Agree 100%. I was speaking with Susan Tilson yesterday, and she noted what a counterfactual assertion it was to say that "inflation" is a "Republican issue." Remember the Inflation Reduction Act, passed less than 90 days ago? It was THE largest investment in the climate in history, which will bring hundreds of thousands (millions?) of new jobs as America enters to 21st Century of energy. Inflation is a Democratic issue--because Democrats have done more to fight inflation than the GOP will ever dream of.
I wish I could hit heart twice. This is all completely true. The need for better press is probably most apt to be met in the current reality by multiple local papers and stations (like college stations) in an informational parallel to the way democracy needs multiple grass root small donors to help counter the small numbers of large dark money donations to the republicans... and yet government should supplement small stations across the country, and most especially in poor and rural areas where the listening population is spread too thinly or otherwise is not apt to be financially rewarding and there is a lack of trustworthy factual - and positive - information.
I include the full text of the statute. Clarence Thomas violated the statute. Read Section (b)(4) and (b)(5)(iii).
28 U.S. Code § 455 - Disqualification of justice, judge, or magistrate judge
U.S. Code
(a) Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.
(b) He shall also disqualify himself in the following circumstances:
(1)Where he has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party, or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding;
(2)Where in private practice he served as lawyer in the matter in controversy, or a lawyer with whom he previously practiced law served during such association as a lawyer concerning the matter, or the judge or such lawyer has been a material witness concerning it;
(3)Where he has served in governmental employment and in such capacity participated as counsel, adviser or material witness concerning the proceeding or expressed an opinion concerning the merits of the particular case in controversy;
(4)He knows that he, individually or as a fiduciary, or his spouse or minor child residing in his household, has a financial interest in the subject matter in controversy or in a party to the proceeding, or any other interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding;
(5)He or his spouse, or a person within the third degree of relationship to either of them, or the spouse of such a person:
(i)Is a party to the proceeding, or an officer, director, or trustee of a party;
(ii)Is acting as a lawyer in the proceeding;
(iii)Is known by the judge to have an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding;
(iv)Is to the judge’s knowledge likely to be a material witness in the proceeding.
(c)A judge should inform himself about his personal and fiduciary financial interests, and make a reasonable effort to inform himself about the personal financial interests of his spouse and minor children residing in his household.
(d)For the purposes of this section the following words or phrases shall have the meaning indicated:
(1)“proceeding” includes pretrial, trial, appellate review, or other stages of litigation;
(2)the degree of relationship is calculated according to the civil law system;
(3)“fiduciary” includes such relationships as executor, administrator, trustee, and guardian;
(4)“financial interest” means ownership of a legal or equitable interest, however small, or a relationship as director, adviser, or other active participant in the affairs of a party, except that:
(i)Ownership in a mutual or common investment fund that holds securities is not a “financial interest” in such securities unless the judge participates in the management of the fund;
(ii)An office in an educational, religious, charitable, fraternal, or civic organization is not a “financial interest” in securities held by the organization;
(iii)The proprietary interest of a policyholder in a mutual insurance company, of a depositor in a mutual savings association, or a similar proprietary interest, is a “financial interest” in the organization only if the outcome of the proceeding could substantially affect the value of the interest;
(iv)Ownership of government securities is a “financial interest” in the issuer only if the outcome of the proceeding could substantially affect the value of the securities.
(e)No justice, judge, or magistrate judge shall accept from the parties to the proceeding a waiver of any ground for disqualification enumerated in subsection (b). Where the ground for disqualification arises only under subsection (a), waiver may be accepted provided it is preceded by a full disclosure on the record of the basis for disqualification.
(f)Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this section, if any justice, judge, magistrate judge, or bankruptcy judge to whom a matter has been assigned would be disqualified, after substantial judicial time has been devoted to the matter, because of the appearance or discovery, after the matter was assigned to him or her, that he or she individually or as a fiduciary, or his or her spouse or minor child residing in his or her household, has a financial interest in a party (other than an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome), disqualification is not required if the justice, judge, magistrate judge, bankruptcy judge, spouse or minor child, as the case may be, divests himself or herself of the interest that provides the grounds for the disqualification.
Rushed to read today’s letter. My husband and I are leaving for our second day to help as volunteer “election specialists” at our city hall. We live in a first ring, very blue Minnesota suburb where early voting began at the end of September. We certify and witness that the voter’s ID number on the outside envelope (which encloses their ballot) matches the number on their application form which had been given to an election judge to certify that they were eligible to vote. Then we put the envelopes into the locked ballot box. Voters want to see us do that. We had a steady trickle of voters all day yesterday, with an expected lunch time surge. Several people commented on what an important election this is (the significance of the comment was not lost on us) and thanked us for helping out.
Thought you’d enjoy a report from the trenches of early voting.
Wonderful! Thank you for the report, and keep up the good work! I’m gonna pin this to the top of the comment section so that others can see.
Thank you for serving your community like this; I will be working the polls for the first time in my 74 years (here in Maricopa County, AZ...yes, we’ve been in the news lately!) Good luck to you, like to hear from the “trenches”
The Beto for Texas Campaign staff does scientific data analysis for all their grassroots actions, and are even inviting and hosting - shepherding - out-of-towners from outside Texas to join their veritable army on-the-ground to visit every city, every town, every rural area (where possible), canvassing, knocking on doors for GOTV and helping Texans to vote. Phenomenal work. Today one poll puts Beto within 2 points of Abbott.
I live in a "red zone" just south of a "blue zone." Last spring when I had my first opportunity to vote (by mail) with our new ridiculous Draconian laws, I was very, very careful to follow all the tricky and confusing instructions to the "t." I carefully signed the carrier envelope with all the additional information required and sealed it. Only then did I realize I had not enclosed the BALLOT envelope - and there was no undoing what had been done. I called our county election office (run by a GOP woman whose husband also runs the county GOP) and after closing hours, a young Black man showed up at my back door with a hand-completed, but unsigned and unsealed new carrier envelope. He told me that he had done this at least 40 times in a previous election, but that now he was down to only 13 in the current election. What a genuinely good man. I was reassured that our elections would be run with the due diligence you describe in your first-hand account, regardless of party affiliation. Ann, its people like you and your husband and like this young man who will ensure that our votes are counted and our voices heard. Thank you.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you so much for the amazing zoom last night with Cheri Beasley who is the Democratic candidate for US Senate from North Carolina. It was fantastic and former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley showed how caring, informative and knowledgeble she is. She will represent all of NC as well as the U.S. She will vote for reduced drug prices, gun safety, women's reproductive rights, etc.
Robert - thank you so much for including the link for Women for Beasley in today's newsletter - I am Chair for Women for Beasley and heading up the postcard campaign. After the zoom ended my emails exploded with many wanting to write postcards from all over the country. Please continue to request addresses (let me know how many) and I will email you back the sample script and addresses asap. patlevitin@gmail.com
We must win this seat and canvassing is #1 but postcards are becoming #2 to get voters to the polls!
Pinning to the top for all to see.
Ultimately, what is most shocking is that we have a bunch of SUPREME COURT JUSTICES who are liars.
Right?! Humans lie and are imperfect. I thought the entire idea with the Supreme Court is that they sit there and make judgements based on the Constitution and leave their own crap out of it.
Six, according to my count (although not all lied about Roe; only five of them.)
And shocking is the word. I guess we'll know we're in real trouble the day we are no longer shocked
Thank you Robert. I have reposted this on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Also, a truly powerful piece in support of President Biden is this from Politics Girl. Share is everywhere. I repost on the twitter feeds of McCarthy, Graham, Cruz, Paul et al things like this as well as news articles that debunk the lie of the second.
https://twitter.com/IAmPoliticsGirl/status/1582175918411304961?s=20&t=eRk5Jj1xqf_gUA715pnItA
Politics Girl is such a treasure. Thanks for the link - just what I needed before my door knocking adventures today! Thanks, Gailee.
Very well done. I will follow. Reminds me of Jessica Craven's TikTok videos.
Wow!!! This is such a wonderful review of why Biden has been terrific! Thanks for sharing. Let’s go viral , Politics Girl!!
I just posted it on the twitter feed of Jaimie Harrison, who needs to wake up and start using this.
I needed that! 🤗
I agree 100% with your comments of perspective regarding the self appointed vigilante "poll watchers" in Arizona. Media outlets are completely irresponsible and are driven to destroy our democracy by chasing after ratings and sensational headlines. I firmly believe it is the media that are responsible for delivering TFG to the White House in the 2016 election, with the non stop coverage they gave him every single day starting with his birther movement in 2014. I'm not sure how we maintain a democratic state without some kind of oversight regarding media coverage of events.
" firmly believe it is the media that are responsible for delivering TFG to the White House in the 2016 election, with the non stop coverage they gave him "
Good morning, Lynn, and thank you for this clear, bold statement of what I consider fact. And the non-stop coverage was followed, of course, by the front-page headline that the investigation into Secretary Clinton's emails had been re-opened. No qualifiers. As you suggest, the mainstream media not only control the news. They create the news. I'm also thinking about the stay that Clarence Thomas just granted Lindsey Graham which, while reported, was certainly not bold black headlines sprawled across the front page of the most respected and most read newspaper in this country.
There are days when I feel as if we already have a media that belongs to this incredibly powerful minority of madmen.
But Mr. Hubbell does pull us out of these morning dreads with his one clear statement--it is safe to vote in America. Now there's a billboard we should invest in.
Good morning, and thank you Dean for validating my observations. While Robert does help keep us focused, (and for me, keeping me sane) I feel he is also gathering a community of respectful and concerned citizens, that will continue to move forward together to achieve our goals. I am often just as inspired by thoughts, ideas and observations mentioned in these comments. Together, we have great power to bring on the will of the people.
Have a wonderful day!
Well, thank you back, because that is really the exact thing that Robert does that is really characteristic of him--he not only gathers us together to inspire us to clearer ways of thinking but he sends us out into the world to take specific action.
And action changes thoughts and feelings.
It's a win-win situation in Today's Edition world.
"... the mainstream media not only control the news. They create the news." 💯
Yep. They've been doing it for a long time but with the advent of the 24 hour news channels and online editions of the newspapers it has become both more intense and more obvious. The main reason I cancelled my subscription to the NYTimes nearly a year ago was that I stared to recognize what they were doing. It honestly is right out there once you know what you're looking for. The current focus, of course, is President Biden. They turned against him. It has gotten worse, but there was no mistaking it even in the early stages. And because the Times has the very finest journalists and writers they are especially skillful. In the beginning, it was a matter of sentence structure and the order of paragraphs. When Biden was at the height of his public accomplishments, the sentence that could have began, "Today Biden passed the bi-partiisan bill that will relieve...." in fact was more likely to begin, "As the abandoned citizens clung to planes....Biden signed the..." It's a simple matter of the order of words or, larger, the order of paragraphs." It's a subtle shift at first, hardly noticeable, until one day the subtlety is gone and the media are just blatantly down on Biden and the Democrats.
💯
I'm not so sure I agree with you, Lynn. While the media reported trump's every repugnant move, in a sane and moral society, trump's candidacy would have self-imploded. From his racist comments to his disgusting "grab them by the...", in a society that respects women and repudiates racism and anti-semitism, trump would have never made it to the debate stage, much less the presidential podium. But we're not living in a sane country any more. 50% of the US population is angry and afraid and believes bullying, racism, anti-semitism and misogyny should no longer disqualify a candidate if that candidate will protect THEIR white Christian entitlement and their wallet or pocketbook.
The move by Thomas should be the number one headline and discussion. It is so blatantly partisan and his position so powerful that none of the other items in Today's Edition are worthy of more than a passing thought. The Supreme Court is now fully corrupt. Thomas should be arrested with his wife. The charge? Accessory to sedition.
Several observations. I live in NC and Cheri Beasley is a class act and I am glad some of you are supporting her candidacy. The ads for Ted Budd against Beasley are filled with underlying racism and using the legendary Willie Horton type ad approach focusing on letting sex offenders free with no cash bails. It’s a total distortion of the case and findings.
Secondly the Clarence Thomas decision regarding Lindsey Graham to me is Clarence Thomas giving the finger to the DOJ, Democrats and protecting his wife knowingly that he will not face any accountability or sanctions for his actions. With the addition of the three Trump appointed judges the Supreme Court is another institution that has been corrupted and requires corrective measures.
There are two major challenges facing our country that this election needs to address. Can the Democrats mount a majority to make the necessary changes to the filibuster to codify Wade and expand the court and will the Democratic Senators take the political risks associated with making these monumental decisions?
There is so much at stake in this election and never before in my lifetime has my vote had as much importance and significance as it does this year. I hope millions of voters feel the same way. Cheri Beasley is running an excellent campaign and messaging well. Voter turnout out is the way she can win. Early indications are that the early voting turnout is much greater than previous years. The key is people showing up at the polls.
----->>>> "The key is people showing up at the polls." <<<<----
I agree this election is of vital importance but I would not be surprised if after we win a Democrat majority (thinking positively here), our elected majority still does not increase the size of the Supreme Court, only limits the filibuster, and does little further about the electoral college. So many of our dems seem to behave in a toothless way when assertiveness is needed while we have the chance.
I cannot count how many times I am exasperated to hear that we mustn't do x because then "they" may do it when they are in power. That's a loser's thinking.
As to a set of ethics rules, apparently there are already ethics rules (eg the one Mr. Hubbell mentions) for all justices, but without enforcement, rules are meaningless. We are left as if we were children on a playground with no teachers or coaches. Rules without honor aren't aspirational. Rules without enforcement aren't just decorative - they are mockery.
Yesterday I walked over to my local grocery store and dropped my ballot in a ballot box. At 4 pm I received a text that my ballot had been received. That’s the voting experience in Colorado and assume in much of the country. No drama. Nothing to report on the news.
Same voting experience here, in Ann Arbor! So impressed with the county clerk. Hanging tough for democracy ❣️
Same experience in Washington State! What's the excuse for the other states?!?
My husband & I recently received confirmation (by snail mail) that our absentee ballots had been received in WI, an easy experience!
UM grad here!
Go Blue!
And it's the very story that should be in bold headlines
The amateur psychologist in me says that Clarence Thomas just doesn't care about how he is viewed by the majority of the country. In fact, I'd go even further. He went through a searing experience in his confirmation hearings 31 years ago and now he is gleefully getting his chance at payback.
I had included a sentence that said Thomas had given the American people the equivalent of the judicial middle finger with his ruling. But I took it out because I thought it was too crass. I kind of regret that editorial decision this morning.
Don't hold back, Robert. You often say what we want to say, but, oh, so much better. You would have done it with class, not crass. We love it when you let fly a zinger. All the more potent because you time them appropriately.
Hey! We can take it! Maybe even welcome it 😈
I tend to agree about Thomas's venom. But I wonder if one bad experience can turn a fundamentally sound man into the monster we see today. And, if you recall, it wasn't Clarence Thomas who got the worst of it during those hearings. As with Kavanaugh and Blesey-Ford, it was the woman . And there my thinking needs to stop. Midterms ahead
Re: Justice Thomas. He and his religious GOP brethren sit on the packed court because of the machinations of Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) and the Federalist Society. Reforming the Senate to be once again more representative of the population has great appeal. In that vein, I thought the attached from NPR was very, very interesting:
http://www.wnyc.org/story/30-issues-house-unrepresentatives-how-fix-united-states-senate/
Thanks for the link!
As to the 30 embarrassments'
The House "progressives" made the mistake when they described their "support for Ukraine" of not defining it specifically as "Ukraine restored to its borders of February 2014, with all Russian forces removed from stolen territory."
The fact they had to go out and explain themselves afterwards left them looking like the standard issue clueless Chardonnay-swilling Volvo drivers (you know the kind I'm thinking of).
"When you're explaining yourself, you're losing."
When I looked at the list, I was only surprised to find the otherwise-competent Jaime Raskin on it. The others can be categorized as "the usual suspects." I hate being embarrassed by idiots.
Hi, TC. I think I agree with you, but do you mean "restored to its borders as of February 2014," before Russia invaded Crimea in March? Or are you saying that recognizing Crimea as part of Russia should be on the table in a settlement?
My mistake about the date. Changed!
The former is how I took the comment
Would you care for a small virtual wager that someone from the staff of one of the other Caucus members called someone on Raskin's staff and asked if he'd want his name on a letter favoring a rapid end to the Ukraine war? Sans details, that's something almost all of us would like to see but, when the devilish part of the conversation became clear it was 1) too late and 2) time to backtrack and hide in order to avoid looking even dumber than they already were.
Jamie Raskin was among the small group of progressives who stood at the podium in a press conference to announce the letter. I don't think it was an oversight on his part. I think it was a serious error in judgment.
Thanks Robert, I hadn't seen the press conference and wasn't aware. On that basis, definitely an error in judgement.
I was wrong. Politico ran a picture of an earlier press conference with the story about the letter. Apologies.
Thanks Robert. Does that mean that the bet's on?
Ooo! How are you going to find out?
Btw running photos just to be eye candy when the photo wasn't taken at the time indicated or implied is something serious press needs to just swear off. We need facts more than pictures.
It was one of those moments where I end up remembering his heritage as a "red diaper baby." Such raising leaves one with serious blind spots. (I knew of his father "back in the day")
Another important Politics Girl post to get out there regarding the ReMags plan to ´sunset´ social security and medicare. https://twitter.com/philnurenberg/status/1584778272327356416?s=20&t=eRk5Jj1xqf_gUA715pnItA
Covid prevented my attending the training session to be an election officer in Santa Clara County, so instead of working at the polls for the weekend and election day, I am now deciding for which out of state candidate I can be the most helpful. GOTV is critical.
I have urged my grandchildren in college to make sure each of their friends is registered and votes. They assured me their friends are voting. That's encouraging.
I believe it is also correct that Chief Justice Roberts “lied” his way onto the Court. His claim to be an umpire, simply calling balls and strikes, was demonstrably inconsistent with much that he had written and acted upon in his career, prior to that testimony. It is noteworthy that the recent Court appointees by Biden, Omaha and Clinton artfully but accurately answered the same questions posed to the Republican appointees about Roe and other precedents.
The Screaming Goat Syndrome. Remember a few years back the Super Bowl ad with the first time startling, the second time totally obnoxious screaming goat ad. Other advertisers immediately copied it making the airways even more obnoxious and toxic. Today, the screaming goat is celebrity coverage. DT still gets orders of magnitude more coverage on his legal shenanigans while we never hear more than a passing comment on say the Inflation Reduction Act and very little coverage of President Biden. I turned off Morning Joe this morning because they were spending the A block on Kanye West and his antisemitism ad nauseum. What is the underlying cause of this? It's the fact that our media is largely owned by people like Rupert Murdoch and a handful of very conservative rich people who are using their money to control the "free press". It is caused by the sequence of covering hate which causes clicks which causes ad buys resulting in more money leading to higher profits leading to the conservative rich getting even richer while draining the rest of us of hope and well-being. Now let's move into the solution which is positive journalism. That doesn't mean a Pollyanna response to the world. While our brains are wired to react to the negative as a short term survival mechanism, overall our brains will choose the longer view of a path of hope and well-being. Positive journalism is a branch of Positive Psychology which instead of focusing on what is broken and deficit in a person looks at enhancing the potential of the whole person, the good person we have the potential to be. It focuses on the good things we can do to enhance the well-being of all. What would good journalism look like? It would be more balanced reporting. The inflation reduction law would get instead of the kind of coverage we get every day on DT's legal problems. Why do we need to have the daily analysis of DT's shenanigans at the almost complete absence of, for example, how the Inflation Reduction act will make us feel our government is doing some good things to assure the next few years will see even more improvements in our economy rather than the doomsday approach of particularly the right media. Civilization makes progress when people feel they individually can make a difference. We, the People, all of us this time with Hope and Expectation for a more Perfect Union and a future of well-being for all.
Agree 100%. I was speaking with Susan Tilson yesterday, and she noted what a counterfactual assertion it was to say that "inflation" is a "Republican issue." Remember the Inflation Reduction Act, passed less than 90 days ago? It was THE largest investment in the climate in history, which will bring hundreds of thousands (millions?) of new jobs as America enters to 21st Century of energy. Inflation is a Democratic issue--because Democrats have done more to fight inflation than the GOP will ever dream of.
I wish I could hit heart twice. This is all completely true. The need for better press is probably most apt to be met in the current reality by multiple local papers and stations (like college stations) in an informational parallel to the way democracy needs multiple grass root small donors to help counter the small numbers of large dark money donations to the republicans... and yet government should supplement small stations across the country, and most especially in poor and rural areas where the listening population is spread too thinly or otherwise is not apt to be financially rewarding and there is a lack of trustworthy factual - and positive - information.
I include the full text of the statute. Clarence Thomas violated the statute. Read Section (b)(4) and (b)(5)(iii).
28 U.S. Code § 455 - Disqualification of justice, judge, or magistrate judge
U.S. Code
(a) Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.
(b) He shall also disqualify himself in the following circumstances:
(1)Where he has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party, or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding;
(2)Where in private practice he served as lawyer in the matter in controversy, or a lawyer with whom he previously practiced law served during such association as a lawyer concerning the matter, or the judge or such lawyer has been a material witness concerning it;
(3)Where he has served in governmental employment and in such capacity participated as counsel, adviser or material witness concerning the proceeding or expressed an opinion concerning the merits of the particular case in controversy;
(4)He knows that he, individually or as a fiduciary, or his spouse or minor child residing in his household, has a financial interest in the subject matter in controversy or in a party to the proceeding, or any other interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding;
(5)He or his spouse, or a person within the third degree of relationship to either of them, or the spouse of such a person:
(i)Is a party to the proceeding, or an officer, director, or trustee of a party;
(ii)Is acting as a lawyer in the proceeding;
(iii)Is known by the judge to have an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding;
(iv)Is to the judge’s knowledge likely to be a material witness in the proceeding.
(c)A judge should inform himself about his personal and fiduciary financial interests, and make a reasonable effort to inform himself about the personal financial interests of his spouse and minor children residing in his household.
(d)For the purposes of this section the following words or phrases shall have the meaning indicated:
(1)“proceeding” includes pretrial, trial, appellate review, or other stages of litigation;
(2)the degree of relationship is calculated according to the civil law system;
(3)“fiduciary” includes such relationships as executor, administrator, trustee, and guardian;
(4)“financial interest” means ownership of a legal or equitable interest, however small, or a relationship as director, adviser, or other active participant in the affairs of a party, except that:
(i)Ownership in a mutual or common investment fund that holds securities is not a “financial interest” in such securities unless the judge participates in the management of the fund;
(ii)An office in an educational, religious, charitable, fraternal, or civic organization is not a “financial interest” in securities held by the organization;
(iii)The proprietary interest of a policyholder in a mutual insurance company, of a depositor in a mutual savings association, or a similar proprietary interest, is a “financial interest” in the organization only if the outcome of the proceeding could substantially affect the value of the interest;
(iv)Ownership of government securities is a “financial interest” in the issuer only if the outcome of the proceeding could substantially affect the value of the securities.
(e)No justice, judge, or magistrate judge shall accept from the parties to the proceeding a waiver of any ground for disqualification enumerated in subsection (b). Where the ground for disqualification arises only under subsection (a), waiver may be accepted provided it is preceded by a full disclosure on the record of the basis for disqualification.
(f)Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this section, if any justice, judge, magistrate judge, or bankruptcy judge to whom a matter has been assigned would be disqualified, after substantial judicial time has been devoted to the matter, because of the appearance or discovery, after the matter was assigned to him or her, that he or she individually or as a fiduciary, or his or her spouse or minor child residing in his or her household, has a financial interest in a party (other than an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome), disqualification is not required if the justice, judge, magistrate judge, bankruptcy judge, spouse or minor child, as the case may be, divests himself or herself of the interest that provides the grounds for the disqualification.