1/ Fine.
Let's look at 1798.

The US was in a "quasi-war" with France.
Not a full war.
But the US was semi-preparing.

And Federalists--in power & not so comfy with democratic politics--passed the Alien & Sedition Acts.

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1848455185066000803

2/ In a time of war, the Federalists argued, they could deport dangerous "aliens" if necessary. "Aliens" would have to register their presence.

And it would be illegal to criticize political leaders.
Nothing like a quasi-war to quash the opposition press.

1/ Some basic context concerning presidential immunity.

The Revolution that created this nation was against a monarch—and monarchy.

Tyrannical executive power was a central—even THE central—concern of the revolutionaries.

They distrusted it. 2/ When newly created states created their first constitutions during the Revolution, most of them reduced the power of their governor.

Why?
Distrust of executive power.

A John Adams moment on your July Fourth -- which has become a Thomas Jefferson kind of day, rather than a John Adams kind of day. Adams tho't he'd never get credit for his Revolution work. In 1790, he said:

The History of our Revolution will be one continued Lye from one End to the other. The Essence of the whole will be that Dr Franklins electrical Rod, Smote the Earth and out Sprung General Washington.

OK.
I've been holding off on this for a bunch of reasons, but it feels as tho it's time.

Many of you may know of the wonderful early American historian Richard Bernstein (R. B. Bernstein).

A prolific writer, a dedicated teacher, a generous colleague, and the truest of friends. He just died--unexpectedly.
I'll write an obituary soon, but for now something more personal.

Richard was the most kind-hearted person I've ever known. He wanted his friends to thrive. He wanted his historian friends to thrive & produce great scholarship.

He loved it all.

1/Being indicted and tried for alleged crimes is due process under our judicial system.

Trump deserves a fair trial.

But to call for warfare against this process is to declare war against America’s constitutional system. 2/Endorse Trump.
Vote for him.
Support him.
Campaign for him.
Whatever you like.

But he can’t commit (alleged) crimes with no accountability.

And these are serious crimes that put our nation in jeopardy.

A Short Thread

1/ This proposed bill is about intimidating & silencing people--bloggers--who want to critique the governor or state officeholders.

I won't call it fascism--which it is--because the word has no meaning for some.

Instead, let's look at the 1798 Sedition Act...

https://twitter.com/WFLA/status/1631346032574439449

2/ The Sedition Act of 1798, passed by the Federalist-controlled nat'l government, made it a crime for US citizens to "print, utter, or publish... any false, scandalous, and malicious writing" about the government."

"Scandalous" and "malicious" are NOT specific terms.

1/ Just recorded a webcast episode on generational change in American politics--inspired by Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn and others stepping aside as leaders in Congress, and Hakeem Jeffries and others stepping forward. 2/ It's easy to see generational change in the past (the post-Founding 1820s generation, anyone?). It's easy to underestimate it in the present.
Now is a moment to watch for patterns of change--to consider implications and interventions before things become set in place.

1/ So…in the same way that the DJT presidency revealed the profound vulnerabilities of “norms,” the erosion of Twitter is revealing a vulnerability of democracy. 2/ It certainly isn’t THE public square. But it has acted as an important one.

I’ve been saying for quite some time that we’re in the midst of a crisis of “we.”

For better and worse—sometimes much worse—Twitter was a “we”-creator.

Some #Midterms2022 Election Lessons:
A Thread

1. We really need to rethink how we—and how others—use polling data. Sometimes it’s not aimed at reporting. It’s an attempt to persuade—an electoral strategy—more than anything else.

For more: cafe.com/now-and-then/p… 2. The youth vote matters. A lot.

THIS THIS THIS

The party in power often loses in the midterm, unless there’s a major issue or event with sweeping (and in this case deadly) repercussions.

The overturning of Roe.

https://twitter.com/davidpepper/status/1583992202765533184

Republicans know this.

They removed anti-choice statements from campaign websites.

As the thread below states, they distracted us w/planes of asylum seekers sent to other states—this election’s “caravans.”
(“Non-white people coming to get us”—a visceral non-fail prod for some)

This is what I'm interested to see--how Biden's address balances the dire need to discuss threats vs democracy vs how it deals w/issues of partisanship

They're related but not identical

Having a president directly address the preservation of American democracy is a big event.

https://twitter.com/protctdemocracy/status/1565427774633959430

It will be important to consider who he's talking about, when he talks about "MAGA Republicans" but not Republicans as a whole.

1/ A few words on honor and the founders -- that relate to politics today. (Trust me.)

Elite men in early America DID worry about their honor - a combination of their reputation and their "value" as men -- particularly, public men (i.e. politicians).

https://twitter.com/MelissaJPeltier/status/1554248879285084161

2/ The fact that the founders--generally--worried about their honor DOESN'T mean that they were all honorable.

It means they were focused on their reputations & the public impact of their actions.

In a way, worrying about your honor is selfish; it's about you protecting you.

Starting now—a panel with secondary school teachers talking about teaching history during the “History Wars.”

We need to have their backs!

#SHEAR2022 Great line up of secondary school history teachers. Interested to hear their insights on teaching in the here and now.
#SHEAR

1/ We have been in this situation for several years: we assume—w/o even realizing it—that the US will be ok in the end because it always has been.

That is wrong—& dangerous.

https://twitter.com/Rschooley/status/1538286707065294854

2/ As I’ve said countless times, the idea of American exceptionalism—the idea that the US can’t & won’t fall because it’s special—is blinding us to what’s happening all around us.

I disagree.

In one night alone, we had DJT insiders acknowledging in no uncertain terms that The Big Lie was a lie.

Did we know that? Yes.

Did we have this kind of proof? No.

The members of Congress who sought pardons for what they did?

We did NOT know that.

https://twitter.com/politico/status/1535327647915458564

Already seeing “it’s pointless & should have been better” — it has nothing new—claims from some on the left.

I’m not sure what hearing they were watching. There were some bombshells last night, with more to come.

I AM sure that that’s a lazy take.

1/ This Friday on "History Matters," I'll be talking about why the coming congressional hearings are vitally important.

Yes, there is performance involved.
Yes, there is a partisan dimension.
But without them, we condone and normalize what happened on January 6. 2/ The hearings will accomplish sev'l imp't things regardless of any ultimate decisions.

1.They show Congress in action defending the political process & itself as an institution.

2. They display evidence so the public can ask questions, weigh possibilities, & draw conclusions.

One of the problems inherent in not holding people accountable for political crimes is that it erodes public faith in our institutions of government.

Rapidly.

A fair trial.
Valid evidence.
And if guilty, accountability. It’s one thing to believe that there’s corruption in government.

It’s quite another to dismiss the entire kit-&-kaboodle as ENTIRELY corrupt.

The latter jeopardizes the entirety of the rule of law.

The former offers tools for fighting corruption. Tools for improvement.

OK. Turned to #pbsFranklin to watch while I'm running around.

Tuned in to see Clay Jenkinson (my senior essay advisor in college!) So funny when you hear voices of friends coming from your TV.

Ellen Cohn!

#PBSFranklin

The little bug crawling around under the fake bug exterminator tent...

The details.

#BreakingBad THROWING SKYLER UNDER THE BUS.

Man.

#BreakingBad

1/ A podcaster asked me what insight my last book #TheFieldOfBlood offers about politics now.

My answer:
* It shows how violence has been woven into even high politics for generations.

* It shows the power of emotion in moving political mountains, for better & worse. 2/ * It shows what bullying can accomplish in politics: the power of threats in gaining submission

* It shows how people who fear defeat by demographics often grasp at violence to maintain power

*It shows how a nation can be torn in 2, how Americans learn to turn on each other

Hey folks.

Over the course of the last year, I've been asked to speak about the historical context and implications of the events of January 6.

Here's a thread of some of that commentary, going all the way back to January 6, 2021 itself. On January 6, 2021, I was asked to speak about the day's events on the @realTrumpcast podcast from Slate.

slate.com/transcripts/Mk…