Morning Ed: United States {2016.11.23.W}
Colorado, Utah, Idaho, California, Texas, and stories from other of the forty-five states.
Monthly Archive: November 2016
How Bad Can Trump’s Victory Get?
A mediation upon history and the cultural impact of Donald Trump’s electoral victory.
Confession of a Liberal Gun Owner
Why an Obama voter made it a point to acquire one of those guns that politicians argue about.
Introducing the First Three Montauk Catamaran Company Post-Apocalypse Freedom and Creativity Fellowship Awardees
An Artist Colony Meets the Algonquin Round Table Meets Water World
Slate: Pat McCrory is trying to steal the North Carolina governorship.
McCrory can, and probably will, still ask for a statewide recount. But he must know that a recount will not close such a sizable gap. His real goal appears to be to delegitimize the results to such an extent that the state legislature—which holds a Republican supermajority—can step in and select him as the winner. North Carolina state law states that when “a contest arises out of the general election,” and that contest pertains “to the conduct or results of the election,” the legislature “shall determine which candidate received the highest number of votes” and “declare that candidate to be elected.” By alleging fraud, mishandling of ballots, and irregular vote-counting, McCrory is laying the groundwork for the legislature to proclaim that a “contest” has arisen as to “the conduct or results of the election.” At that point, it can step in, assert that McCrory received “the highest number” of legitimate votes, and “declare [him] to be elected.”
The best part? Under the law, the legislature’s decision is “not reviewable” by the courts. Republican legislators can simply step in, overturn the decision of the voters, and grant McCrory another term. The courts have no authority even to review the legality of their actions.
From: Pat McCrory is trying to steal the North Carolina governorship.
Cancel the Midterms
There are few offices, at any level of government, with two-year terms. Here in Durham, we elect members of the school board and the county sheriff to terms that are double that length. Moreover, Twitter, ubiquitous video cameras, 24-hour cable news and a host of other technologies provide a level of hyper-accountability the framers could not possibly have imagined. In the modern age, we do not need an election every two years to communicate voters’ desires to their elected officials.
But the two-year cycle isn’t just unnecessary; it’s harmful to American politics.
The main impact of the midterm election in the modern era has been to weaken the president, the only government official (other than the powerless vice president) elected by the entire nation. Since the end of World War II, the president’s party has on average lost 25 seats in the House and about 4 in the Senate as a result of the midterms. This is a bipartisan phenomenon — Democratic presidents have lost an average of 31 House seats and between 4 to 5 Senate seats in midterms; Republican presidents have lost 20 and 3 seats, respectively.
The realities of the modern election cycle are that we spend almost two years selecting a president with a well-developed agenda, but then, less than two years after the inauguration, the midterm election cripples that same president’s ability to advance that agenda.
Obama Is Warning America About Trump’s Presidency. Are You Listening? | New Republic
Obama may be subtly trying to communicate to the Trump transition team that they need to make massive strides, and quickly, or they will be, in Obama’s words, “swamped.” But his expectation that Trump...
Introducing Bank Shot
The editorial staff very generously gave me my own subblog! Time to ruin my reputation in a whole new space!
Joel Winston — How the Trump Campaign Built an Identity Database and Used Facebook Ads to Win the Election
You don’t know the power of the dark post.
USAT: Twitter suspends alt-right accounts
Twitter suspended high-profile accounts associated with the alt-right movement, the same day the social media service said it would crack down on hate speech.
Among those suspended was Richard Spencer, who runs an alt-right think tank and had a verified account on Twitter.
The alt-right, a loosely organized group that espouses white nationalism, emerged as a counterpoint to mainstream conservatism and has flourished online. Spencer has said he wants blacks, Asians, Hispanics and Jews removed from the U.S.
Twitter on Tuesday removed Spencer’s verified account, @RichardBSpencer, that of his think tank, the National Policy Institute @npiamerica, and his online magazine @radixjournal.
On Reversing the Tide
Musings on the inherent struggle between self-righteousness and empathy, and what it means to be privileged in a complex world.
This Guy Got In An Uber And Discovered His Driver Was A US Senator – BuzzFeed News
After accepting the ride, Silva walked over to where the senator was waiting in his vehicle along with an aide, who explained Sasse was driving an Uber for the day to spend time with...
