Just a friendly reminder that if the people who abused power are not held "accountable," it's because they are being shielded by a major political party that holds a lot of power.
You can't say Schiff and Swalwell haven't been doing their best.
Underestimating how entrenched the anti-democratic forces are? Unreasonable expectations? Thinking change can be swift?
Think about what would be happening right now if Trump was in the White House and compare.
I've said: panic and despair can be positive IF it motivates people to stay engaged and do the work. terikanefield.com/things-to-do/
If it causes people to give up on democratic institutions we're in trouble. If both sides abandon democratic processes, democracy is in bigger trouble.
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“Is it too late to save democracy?”
“Will the fascists win?”
I answered these questions by talking about Susan B. Anthony.
(Talking for 10 minutes to my Ipad is feeling less weird each week)
Subtitle: Everything you never knew you wanted to know about Susan B. Anthony
If you prefer an [edited] transcript, it’s here: terikanefield.com/susan-b-anthon…
I’ll come back and do a brief Twitter summary.
But first, more ☕️
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I think we start with the fact that there will always be people trying to undermine democracy, and they are motivated and acting from fear and desperation.
Then, when they land a blow, instead of reeling with shock, we figure out how to respond.
See:
In this fabulous lecture, Harvard prof. Steven Levitsky explains that the Republicans are engaging in hardball tactics because they feel their backs are to the wall and they're desperate.
If this is the kind of thing I've been saying, it's because I've been reading Levitsky's work for years. He writes about democracies in Latin America, democratic erosion, and competitive authoritarianism. He's also a co-author of 👇
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Also, 👇
His point: For most of the 20th century, American politics "worked."
That’s because through the 1970s, both parties culturally and demographically similar.
Specifically, they were white. White men controlled all major American institutions.
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The legal question is whether Trump made the statement in the scope of his employment
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In other words, this case isn't about the rape itself (except that truth is a defense to libel)
I suspect that the issue will be appealed, and the appellate court will decide whether it agrees that the defamatory statements were uttered in the scope of Trump's employment.
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