It seems to me that the SCOTUS presidential immunity decision isn't a declaration of dictatorship. The Constitution clearly enumerates the official activities of the President, and they do not include treason, theft, fraud, perjury of oath, etc. The power of the presidency has been increasing since the administration of Calvin Coolidge ("the last 19th Century president"), building on the administrative reforms of Herbert Hoover. Granted that such a large country as the US can't reasonably be run in the same way as a small 18th Century upstart. And there is a long history of divided SCOTUS opinions ultimately being overturned by what was the minority opinion. ----Alan
Saw the front page NYT on the Dems “strong bench” that all took a pass on 2024 to avoid (as I would put it) Carter-Kennedy and “now we are stuck with Biden.” So let’s pivot to something constructive: let’s have that strong bench out there from now through November supporting a national campaign (and candidacy) based on preserving and extending reproductive freedom, protecting democracy (keeping a power-tripping maniac from the presidency), and celebrating economic stability and even prosperity. In other words, start the 2028 election cycle now: let Harris, Newsom, Pritzker, Whitmer, Beshear [Klobuchar, Warnock, Shapiro, Cooper?] start campaigning nationally. It’s not just a President we are selecting but a set of beliefs about America. Lots of would-be leaders need to be out there making the case. (I don’t mean to exclude Obama; his role is assumed, but he shouldn’t be the only other voice. Josh Marshall: This is so precisely right it’s not even funny.
(NYT) President Joe Biden has told a key ally that he knows he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he cannot convince the public in the coming days that he is up for the job after a disastrous debate performance last week.
The president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for reelection, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend must go well, particularly an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. --nordy
I do not credit the New York Times' speculation, even if they call it "analysis." Their business is to sell newspapers (or the electronic equivalent thereof), just as when they were misinforming the public in an attempt to bring about war with Spain. Yellow press and all that. -----Alan
Alan, I have to differ with your comment above. The story I excepted has now been picked up by other media in large part based on the NYT's reputation for accuracy and its avoidance of the kind of sensationalism that you, writing without evidence, charge it with.
If you knew more about newspaper journalism, you would know that sensationalism is not the standard. Newspapers rely on subscriptions for the bulk of their revenue. Newsstand sales account for only a small part. Thus papers sustain readership--and revenues--on sustained responsible coverage, not the kind of stories that are endlessly accused of writing to "sell newspapers." I did not go into journalism to make money, and anyone who enters the field to get rich is in the wrong line of work. For me, and for most other journalists I have known, journalism is public service. It is true that owners want to maximize profits. In what way does that make them different that other businesses in our capitalist society? Why is making money seen as a sin only in the newspaper industry?
The New York Times did not play a central role in the launching of the Spanish-American War in 1898, to which you appear to refer. In New York, most of the "yellow journalism" was practiced by the New York Journal and the New York World.
The NYT was not practicing yellow journalism then and is not practicing yellow journaism now. --nordy
Predicted high temperature today 110F, record for the date is 112. The longest hot spell I recall was fourteen days straight over 100F, forty-some years ago; looks like we may well exceed that. At least there is a slight breeze today. ——Alan
An economist speculates about labor and jobs supplies and their interaction [Click] Not clear as branch water to me, but several interesting ideas. Vermont mentioned. Also the Black Death. Also the “prime-age EPOP” as a measure of unemployment. From The Atlantic, but not behind the paywall. Includes link to the podcast version. Interestingly, the economist owns a bowling alley, which got me to thinking about my folks’ bowling alley, in the days before automated pin setting machines. Also got me to thinking about the inflation that resulted from the influx of silver and gold from the Americas into the global economy. Also the huge flow of money out of Japan after it opened to the world economy, because of the differing ratio of gold to silver. —Alan
Continuing Thoughts on the Turmoil by Josh Marshall
Two thoughts on our current predicament. The first is that while people are seizing on this or that bad poll — and there are some — we now have seven polls in which we have before and after data from individual pollsters, before the debate and after. This is the only real way to judge the public opinion of last week’s debate. Putting all those together you have Biden going down one point and Trump remaining unchanged. This data point is certainly not determinative in itself about what should happen next or anything about the campaign. But from what I can tell it is the best systematic and data-driven look at the impact of this event which has consumed the political world and especially the Democratic Party for a week. The slight shift could in fact quite easily be explained simply by non-response bias. By any measure it is very limited.
It seems to me that the SCOTUS presidential immunity decision isn't a declaration of dictatorship. The Constitution clearly enumerates the official activities of the President, and they do not include treason, theft, fraud, perjury of oath, etc. The power of the presidency has been increasing since the administration of Calvin Coolidge ("the last 19th Century president"), building on the administrative reforms of Herbert Hoover. Granted that such a large country as the US can't reasonably be run in the same way as a small 18th Century upstart. And there is a long history of divided SCOTUS opinions ultimately being overturned by what was the minority opinion.
ReplyDelete----Alan
From TPM Reader JG:
ReplyDeleteSaw the front page NYT on the Dems “strong bench” that all took a pass on 2024 to avoid (as I would put it) Carter-Kennedy and “now we are stuck with Biden.” So let’s pivot to something constructive: let’s have that strong bench out there from now through November supporting a national campaign (and candidacy) based on preserving and extending reproductive freedom, protecting democracy (keeping a power-tripping maniac from the presidency), and celebrating economic stability and even prosperity. In other words, start the 2028 election cycle now: let Harris, Newsom, Pritzker, Whitmer, Beshear [Klobuchar, Warnock, Shapiro, Cooper?] start campaigning nationally. It’s not just a President we are selecting but a set of beliefs about America. Lots of would-be leaders need to be out there making the case. (I don’t mean to exclude Obama; his role is assumed, but he shouldn’t be the only other voice.
Josh Marshall: This is so precisely right it’s not even funny.
—Alan
NYT is reporting that Biden is considering whether to drop out of the race. --nordy
ReplyDelete(NYT) President Joe Biden has told a key ally that he knows he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he cannot convince the public in the coming days that he is up for the job after a disastrous debate performance last week.
ReplyDeleteThe president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for reelection, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend must go well, particularly an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. --nordy
I do not credit the New York Times' speculation, even if they call it "analysis." Their business is to sell newspapers (or the electronic equivalent thereof), just as when they were misinforming the public in an attempt to bring about war with Spain. Yellow press and all that.
Delete-----Alan
Alan, I have to differ with your comment above. The story I excepted has now been picked up by other media in large part based on the NYT's reputation for accuracy and its avoidance of the kind of sensationalism that you, writing without evidence, charge it with.
DeleteIf you knew more about newspaper journalism, you would know that sensationalism is not the standard. Newspapers rely on subscriptions for the bulk of their revenue. Newsstand sales account for only a small part. Thus papers sustain readership--and revenues--on sustained responsible coverage, not the kind of stories that are endlessly accused of writing to "sell newspapers." I did not go into journalism to make money, and anyone who enters the field to get rich is in the wrong line of work. For me, and for most other journalists I have known, journalism is public service. It is true that owners want to maximize profits. In what way does that make them different that other businesses in our capitalist society? Why is making money seen as a sin only in the newspaper industry?
The New York Times did not play a central role in the launching of the Spanish-American War in 1898, to which you appear to refer. In New York, most of the "yellow journalism" was practiced by the New York Journal and the New York World.
The NYT was not practicing yellow journalism then and is not practicing yellow journaism now. --nordy
Correction: I meant excerpted, not excepted. --nordy
DeletePredicted high temperature today 110F, record for the date is 112. The longest hot spell I recall was fourteen days straight over 100F, forty-some years ago; looks like we may well exceed that. At least there is a slight breeze today.
ReplyDelete——Alan
Supposed to be 94 by Sunday, with no air conditioning.8-( nordy
DeleteAn economist speculates about labor and jobs supplies and their interaction [Click] Not clear as branch water to me, but several interesting ideas. Vermont mentioned. Also the Black Death. Also the “prime-age EPOP” as a measure of unemployment. From The Atlantic, but not behind the paywall. Includes link to the podcast version. Interestingly, the economist owns a bowling alley, which got me to thinking about my folks’ bowling alley, in the days before automated pin setting machines. Also got me to thinking about the inflation that resulted from the influx of silver and gold from the Americas into the global economy. Also the huge flow of money out of Japan after it opened to the world economy, because of the differing ratio of gold to silver.
ReplyDelete—Alan
Continuing Thoughts on the Turmoil
ReplyDeleteby Josh Marshall
Two thoughts on our current predicament. The first is that while people are seizing on this or that bad poll — and there are some — we now have seven polls in which we have before and after data from individual pollsters, before the debate and after. This is the only real way to judge the public opinion of last week’s debate. Putting all those together you have Biden going down one point and Trump remaining unchanged. This data point is certainly not determinative in itself about what should happen next or anything about the campaign. But from what I can tell it is the best systematic and data-driven look at the impact of this event which has consumed the political world and especially the Democratic Party for a week. The slight shift could in fact quite easily be explained simply by non-response bias. By any measure it is very limited.
Allan J. Lichtman: [Click] Talk of a debate performance making Biden incapable of winning the election is “all foolhardy nonsense.”
DeleteBrian Tyler Cohen video: Justice Department issues surprising announcement on Trump prosecution [Click] Works for me!
ReplyDelete——Alan
video: SCOTUS Justices perjured themselves in their confirmation hearings with respect to presidential immunity. [Click] Only one US Supreme Court Justice has been impeached: Samuel Chase in 1805 [Click]
ReplyDelete^^^^^Alan
DeleteAOC Will File Impeachment Articles Against Justices Following Immunity Ruling [Click] Might be more performance art than anything else with the present makeup of the House, but that doesn’t in my opinion mean it shouldn’t be done.
——Alan
Michael Popok video: DOJ Quickly Outmaneuvers SCOTUS After Ruling on Jan 6th Convictions. [Click]
ReplyDelete——Alan