Abusing power and assaulting the separation of powers was a hallmark of the Trump administration.

If I recall, he was even impeached for abusing his powers and the Republicans gave him a pass.
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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More from @Teri_Kanefield

13 Jun
(Thread) Susan B. Anthony

“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 ☕️

2/
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:

3/
Read 7 tweets
12 Jun
Anti-Hardball Tactics

The GOP is an anti-system party willing to torpedo democratic institutions to retain dominance.

Q: Should Democrats fight like Republicans?

Georgetown Law prof. David Pozen offers an answer and a solution. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…
1/ If you haven’t noticed, Republicans have been engaging in hardball tactics.

I'm being ironic. Of course, you noticed.

Constitutional Hardball tactics are technically within the rules, but shocking, norm-breaking, and destructive.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf… Image
2/ Hardball tactics are carried out within the law, but subvert the spirit of the law.

Example: McConnell refusing to allow Obama to appoint a Supreme Court justice.
Read 12 tweets
11 Jun
Wait. I thought these were the people complaining that their First Amendment rights were violated by demands for political correctness.

I'm so confused.
Mask mandates are tyranny, but teachers wearing body cameras is perfectly reasonable.
😕

I'm making jokes, even though it isn't funny (well, it sort of is)

This is how Fox and Newsmax keep their base riled up and engaged.
Read 4 tweets
10 Jun
Just pointing out that for a conspiracy to be a crime, the goal didn't have to be a violent attack.

A conspiracy to stop or interfere with the voting in Congress would be enough to make it a crime.

reuters.com/world/us/three…
You can see this is what they're charged with: Conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding.

This, I think, is the flaw in Giuliani's First Amendment defense. He says you there isn't evidence he intended violence.

But did he intend to interfere with the counting of the votes?
Interfering with the counting of the votes is "lawless" under the Brandenburg v Ohio standard.

The standard doesn't require violence. It requires "lawlessness."

A subtle distinction, but a distinction.
oyez.org/cases/1968/492
Read 5 tweets
10 Jun
(Thread) Fear and Desperation

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 👇

1/
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.

2/
Read 22 tweets
9 Jun
For people asking me about Merrick Garland's decision in the defamation case, I'll refer you to this article by
@BradMossEsq.

politico.com/magazine/story…

This is a defamation case.

The legal question is whether Trump made the statement in the scope of his employment

1/
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.

2/
The legal issue, from the government's brief: documentcloud.org/documents/2079…

This is how the DOJ would answer a lot of the questions I'm getting.

It's easy to check the DOJ's legal reasoning.

3/
Read 20 tweets

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