Dave Keating Profile picture
Feb 19 8 tweets 2 min read
An interesting discussion on The Weeds this week about the constitutional and electoral changes that are needed to save America's broken democracy, and whether a civilian government could push through those democratic changes.

It got me thinking. (🧵1/8)
open.spotify.com/episode/0Eoozr…
They talked about a much-derided Thomas Friedman column where he said a Biden-Cheney presidential ticket would save democracy

It's clear that any constitutional/electoral reform would need some kind of bipartisan alliance - but is this the right one?🧵2/8 nytimes.com/2022/01/11/opi…
In the podcast they discuss the problem: whoever proposes a change, the other party will resist it. It's a democratic system seemingly incapable of reforming itself democratically. (🧵3/8)
But who benefits from the current system? Far-right Republicans and center-right Democrats.

Who is most disadvantaged by the current system? center-right Republicans and Democrats on the left.

So isn't the better alliance Liz #Cheney and #AOC? Hear me out (🧵4/8)
I'm not talking about a presidential ticket, because as Drutman notes in the podcast, the thing that most urgently needs reform isn't the presidency but rather the congress, elections and the party system. (🧵5/8)
Drutman acknowledges that a proposal for electoral reform from the Democrats or Republicans seems doomed to failure

But, he posits, what if AOC teamed up with a Republican to propose reform? Fixing the system is in the interest of both the Cheneys and the AOCs right now. (🧵6/8)
The hurdles are extremely high and it's hard to see how meaningful change would be possible without constitutional changes, which require a currently impossible threshold of 2/3 of legislatures and states.

The only hope is some kind of Hail Mary pass, as Drutman notes. (🧵7/8)
But I think they're dancing around something in this podcast.

If a democratic system is no longer capable of making needed reforms democratically, there are other alternatives that are not democratic. Often times constitutions are changed under military administrations. (🧵8/8)

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More from @DaveKeating

Feb 19
🇺🇦 President @ZelenskyyUa at #MSC:

“Ukraine is longing for peace. Europe is longing for peace. The world is saying it doesn’t want any war, while Russia is claiming she doesn’t want to intervene. Someone here is lying.”
#Zelensky says he just visited the #Donbass separation line

"This is the line separating peace & war. The line with a kindergarten and the shell flying into it. Even with their elementary knowledge these children will know that alleging it was Ukraine that shelled is just silly"
#Zelensky:

"Now that the world is talking about the threat of a big war - it begs the question: is there anything left to pick up?"

"The security architecture of Europe and beyond is almost destroyed. It's too late now to talk about fixing it, it's high time for a new one."
Read 5 tweets
Feb 19
Former British diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall, former #Brexit advisor in DC who resigned saying she could no longer peddle lies for 🇬🇧 government:

"It wasn't the vote to leave 🇪🇺, it was the wilful shameful naked lying about the consequences of that choice" open.spotify.com/episode/2WLaee…
"It was how the government has delivered Brexit that really dropped the scales from my eyes," and made her rethink the huge problems UK is facing, she says.

"It's caused me to question, how was this allowed to happen, and is still happening as a sort of national gaslighting?"
"I think British people always had this idea - we're fundamentally decent, we stand in line, we're good fellows and we obey certain unwritten norms of our constitution," she says.

"What's been revealed in the last 5 years is that's only true if people are willing to abide by it"
Read 5 tweets
Feb 18
70 presidents and prime ministers from Europe and Africa are arriving right now for day 2 of the #EUAUSummit in Brussels.

The big-picture geopolitical context: #Europe is trying to convince #Africa to choose them as a partner instead of #China.
European and African leaders have just held a press conference announcing a compromise on the issue of #Covid19Vaccines and IP rights.

The EU will set up technology transfer hubs in Africa to scale up production. But this falls short of the #TRIPSwaiver African countries wanted.
"We’re doing this in the right order," insists Macron.

"We first donated doses, now we’re launching these technology transfer hubs so we can develop the manufacturing sites for MRNA manufacture...Then we need the purchasing commitment."
Read 8 tweets
Feb 17
#Mali is not officially on the agenda of today's #EUAUSummit summit in Brussels.

But given the question mark that now hangs over future EU military involvement in the #Sahel, it is sure to come up on the sidelines.
The #EUAUSummit is now underway.

@eucopresident Charles Michel starts the opening ceremony by saying the relationship needs to be rethought.

The context is Africa now has other partner choices than the West: China and Russia. Image
President #Macron is addressing the #EUAUsummit now.

"The summit we're having today comes at an exceptional crossroads in time, where we as Europeans need to decide whether we want to build a unique alliance with you in Africa." Image
Read 5 tweets
Feb 17
Here at the #EUAUsummit, the EU27 leaders are right now holding an emergency meeting on #Ukraine inside the bubble before meeting their African counterparts.

The Commission is said to be presenting a sanctions package against #Russia that will be triggered if there’s an invasion Image
This is an informal European Council meeting so there will be not vote on the EU sanctions package.

This is intended to be informational, so all countries are on the same page about the sanctions they’re ready to impose. In theory, there should be no debate.
As the EU prime ministers and presidents met on the sidelines of the #EUAUsummit, they were receiving breaking news about shelling in Eastern #Ukraine.

Did this stiffen resolve?
Read 5 tweets
Feb 17
We are imminently expecting a press conference with French President Macron and EU Council President Michel announcing a French pullout from #Mali.

The big question: will the EU #Takuba mission end as well? How will EU engagement continue? We're waiting for the details.
The #Mali pullout announcement is coming just hours before the start of the #EUAfrica Summit in Brussels.

Mali is not on the agenda, but given this morning's dramatic announcement, the implications of this withdrawal will certainly be discussed on the sidelines. #EUAUsummit
The press conference has just begun. Macron is taking quite a while to get to the actual withdrawal announcement. Image
Read 11 tweets

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