Don’t be naive. McConnell and Barr are not trying to soothe Trump’s feelings. They want him to remain in power and they want the Senate to remain controlled by Republicans. Those are their goals and as with their other goals they will abandon norms and laws to realize them. 1/
The only deterrents to men like Barr, McConnell, and Trump is the personal cost of taking any given step to stay in power. Going to jail or being unable to support themselves financially are the only operable disincentives. So ... 2/
...we have to protect the results of the Presidential race and fight for free and fair runoffs in GA in such a way that the only workable counterefforts by Barr, McConnell, and Trump would be likely to land them in jail (as they have too much money to fear destitution). 3/
Relatively early in this awful, awful Trump administration I helped organize, attended, spoke at a protest here in DC. Good-sized crowd, strong local Indivisble presence, interesting assortment of speakers. 1/
Walking home, I phoned my husband to remark on how people, including myself, faced with a political disaster, were learning new forms and habits of collective action, and seeing that was giving me hope. 2/
Here are some photos from that rally, which was protesting Trump’s Muslim ban, if I recall correctly. 3/
As I have stated repeatedly, my objection to Barrett is her willingness to accept nomination from a President expressly counting on her to keep him in power and her willingness to participate in events that seriously jeopardize others’ health for her own advancement. 1/
In fact, I think it may be legitimate for Supreme Court justices to be activists, even sometimes overruling precedents. 2/
But do not jive me by painting Barrett as somebody unlikely to explicitly overrule Roe or limit it into nothingness. (Oped in NYT making this case this morning. nytimes.com/2020/10/12/opi…) 3/
Concerned about universities acting like public health approaches that don't include air refreshment in buildings are going to be safe enough for resuming instruction and residence on campus for next semester. 1/
I watched as universities over the summer had to face the fact that they could not have even the most minimal use of campus without extensive, frequent testing and contact tracing, measures. 2/
Just as universities thought they could reopen without such testing and tracing, they now think they can operate in the winter months so long as they have done this, along with masking and cleaning. 3/
I had real reservations about efforts to expand the Supreme Court, right up to the moment when Trump and McConnell said they are rushing through Barrett’s nomination and confirmation to ensure a 5th vote to keep Trump in power. 1/
With a president and senate majority leader expressly putting somebody on it to throw the election, the Supreme Court cannot enjoy legitimacy in its current composition and structure. 2/
Even if Biden wins and Dems control the Senate, I don’t see them impeaching Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and, assuming she’s confirmed, Barrett, which would be one way to restore legitimacy to the court. So expanding the number of justices is the most realizable fix. 3/
I’m deliberately breaking a thread and picking it up here because as I wrote tweet 7, quoted below, I realized it pinpoints the basis for the specific egregiousness of Trump and Graham holding gatherings in the middle of a surging pandemic. 1/
In addition to their shocking selfishness, holding rallies and hearings without taking basic health precautions, electeds like Trump and Graham are revealing they have no place in any legitimate government. They are attacking our common project at its most basic level. 2/
Trump and Graham are perverting their offices. They don’t just disagree on methods for protecting our health, they are actively willing to sacrifice the health of Americans with whom they are in direct contact to serve their own agendas. 3/