* Erik’s Editorial: The Guilty Parties Who Put American Democracy At Risk In The Name Of Donald Trump

US White House upside down (public domain).

I do not fault stupid people for making the stupid decision to elect Donald Trump in 2016.

I do fault smart people for making stupid decisions. These include:

1. Senators who voted to acquit Donald Trump in his no-witnesses-allowed impeachment trial, including primarily Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell:

* Impeachment of Donald Trump (2020-02-05)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Donald_Trump#Acquittal

* Mitch McConnell (2020-02-05)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_McConnell#Impeachment_trial

2. Members of the GOP who voted to disenfranchise voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – before, during, and AFTER the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol – including Paul Gosar (AZ-04), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Jody Hice (R–GA-10), Mo Brooks (R–AL-05), Scott Perry (R–PA-10), Josh Hawley (R–MO), and Louie Gohmert (R–TX-01).

* 2021 Storming Of The United States Capitol (2021-01-06)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_storming_of_the_United_States_Capitol

* 2020 United States Presidential Election Electoral College Count (2021-01-06 – 2021-01-07)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_Electoral_College_count

3. Donald Trump’s cabinet, who could have invoked the 25th Amendment to remove POTUS at any time:

* Cabinet Of Donald Trump (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Donald_Trump

4. Social media, including especially Facebook and Twitter, for allowing their social networks to be used as platforms for hate speech.

* Donald Trump On Social Media (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_on_social_media#2021

5. Mainstream media, including especially CNN (on the left) and Fox News (on the right) for not doing their jobs – asking questions until they get answers – and allowing POTUS to lie unchecked.

* Veracity Of Statements By Donald Trump (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veracity_of_statements_by_Donald_Trump

6. Lawmakers at all levels, for failing to fix bad laws and for failing to enact good laws. Changes that must be made going forward include:

Limiting POTUS power:

  • Executive order power must be limited.
  • All cabinet members (acting/interim/actual) must be confirmed by Senate.
  • Treaties and tariffs must be the role of Congress so that POTUS cannot engage in trade wars.
  • War Powers Act must be updated to limit POTUS power to deploy the military.
  • Special Counsel Act must be updated to make clear that POTUS cannot fire special counsel.

Writing better and new laws:

  • Impeachment Act of 2021, to define how impeachment is conducted, including the requirement to have witnesses.
  • Follow the lead of The Restatements Of The Law project (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restatements_of_the_Law) and codify major SCOTUS cases, including especially Roe v. Wade.
  • Fix the Census.
  • Fix immigration.
  • Fix SCOTUS processes, such as limiting appointments to 2 per POTUS with the number of SCOTUS justices fixed at the number of Federal Circuits (currently 13).
  • Election reform, including who is qualified to run for POTUS and that tax forms must be disclosed to do so.

Just to name a few.

Stupid people, bad laws, and lies got us into this mess.

Smart people, good laws, and the truth can get us out of this mess.

LAW >> MAN.

#FailedPols
https://www.failblog.com/

Democratic Socialism and Socialism: Are They the Same?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ win over Rep. Joe Crowley in the New York Democratic Congressional primary last week has people talking for several reasons. First, Crowley was a long-standing incumbent. Second, Ocasio-Cortez is a millennial; she’s only 28 years old. But most notable (and disturbing, to some) may be the fact that she’s a Democratic Socialist.

As with Bernie Sanders, many Americans simply refer to Ocasio-Cortez as a socialist, not acknowledging the differences between socialism and democratic socialism. Since Socialism has historically had a negative connotation (to say the least) in American politics, and remains misunderstood by many, some are alarmed at Ocasio-Cortez’ victory. Though it’s true that both socialism and democratic socialism share the goal of reducing economic inequality, they also differ significantly.

Many Americans jump to the conclusion that all socialists (including democratic socialists) advocate an authoritarian government. They envision a tyrannical, state-controlled society with oppressive central government control of business and industry, and forced redistribution of wealth.

Though socialism aspires to fully replace our capitalist economy with a socialist economy, democratic socialism does not list this as its goal. It would, however, aim to grant employees more rights and a higher minimum wage, as well as place some limitations on corporations and large business owners, such as how much CEOs can make in comparison with their employees.

And though socialists hold that all parts of the economy should be centrally run, democratic socialists support the idea that some parts of an economy are better democratically run. Hence, the word democratic as a modifier of socialist.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) stress that they are committed to Democracy. They hold that changes in government and policy should be a result of fair elections. They also support the empowerment of workers in the workplace and in the economy, and they aim to create more equitable gender and cultural relationships.

Generally, “socialists believe the government should provide a range of basic services to the public, such as health care and education, for free or at a significant discount” (Business Insider).

Ocasio-Cortez, in fact, sees housing as a right, advocates Medicare for all, and calls for tuition-free college. It also calls for the de-militarization of police departments and the abolishment of for-profit prisons.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democratic socialist, said, “I think [democratic socialism] means the government has got to play a very important role in making sure that as a right of citizenship all of our people have healthcare; that as a right, all of our kids, regardless of income, have quality childcare, are able to go to college without going deeply into debt; that it means we do not allow large corporations and moneyed interests to destroy our environment; that we create a government in which it is not dominated by big money interest.”

Though Americans, particularly conservative Americans, find the idea of democratic socialism in the U.S. to be horrifying, we should note that a number of successful democratic socialist nations exist, including Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Not all democratic socialist countries have been successful at remaining democratic, however. Whether we’re on board with democratic socialism, or whether we feel it should be avoided at all costs, it would be wise to observe and examine the spectrum of democratic socialism in practice.

Judge Jeanine: The rise of socialism | Fox News [2018-06-30]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: There’s Room For Democratic Socialists In The Democratic Party  | (HBO)  VICE News [2018-06-28]