Monday, November 15, 2021

Just An Inch Away

Democracy’s a very fragile thing. You have to take care of democracy. As soon as you stop being responsible to it and allow it to turn into scare tactics, it’s no longer democracy, is it? It’s something else. It may be an inch away from totalitarianism.


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It may be a bit early to focus too much on next year's mid-term elections in the U.S., but as things stand currently it doesn't look good for the Democrats.

Traditionally, the party controlling the White House loses seats in Congress in the midterms, so that in itself is not surprising.

But gerrymandering at the state level has once again reduced the number of competitive races so that both parties should be able to preserve most of their seats quite easily. And it is in the new swing districts where the GOP may have an advantage.

Meanwhile, President Biden's approval rating has fallen to the lowest level since his election, as his administration has struggled to exploit its razor-thin advantage in Congress to get meaningful legislation passed.

In the ugly process of legislative combat, many of the progressive elements of Biden's ambitious social agenda have been chipped away, while others -- like significant college debt relief -- remain unaddressed.

The severe partisan divide leads to overheated rhetoric on both sides suggesting that the very essence of democracy may hinge on the results.

That is probably an exaggeration when it comes to the midterms but the 2024 Presidential election could be another matter.

We are still learning details of how close the country came to a true constitutional crisis as key Trump administration officials plotted to overthrow the results of the 2020 election. But as various investigations uncover new details, the publics attention is elsewhere.

The days of ethical county election officials resting political pressure to throw out legitimate election results may be coming to an end. Trump may have failed to convince enough of them to do so in 2020 to steal the election, but there are numerous signs that the result could be different next time around.

The question is how many of us will be paying close enough attention to prevent that from happening?

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MONDAY HEADLINES:

* The Desperate Scramble to Stop an Insider Election Threat--Trump loyalists could be running polling places across Pennsylvania in 2024. (Atlantic)


Republicans Gain Heavy House Edge in 2022 as Gerrymandered Maps Emerge  -- On a highly distorted congressional map that is still taking shape, the party has added enough safe House districts to capture control of the chamber based on its redistricting edge alone. (NYT)

Retiring Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) predicted former President Donald Trump may be laying the groundwork to steal the 2024 election. He slammed Trump as an "enormous political loser" who led the GOP "into a ditch." "It looks to me ... that he has evaluated what went wrong on Jan. 6. Why is it that he wasn’t able to steal the election? Who stood in his way?” Gonzalez said. He was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the Capitol riot. [HuffPost]

‘Ghost Guns’: Firearm Kits Bought Online Fuel Epidemic of Violence -- They are untraceable, assembled from parts and can be ordered by gang members, felons and even children. They are increasingly the lethal weapon of easy access around the U.S., but especially California. (NYT)

15% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have occurred in the past decade (WP)

The High Stakes of Infrastructure -- It has been, it seems, “infrastructure week” in Washington since the Truman Administration. (New Yorker)

* Why is Europe returning to the dark days of Covid? (Guardian)


Rep. Schiff: Bannon’s indictment will ‘without a doubt’ lead others to comply with Jan. 6 panel (Politico)



Japan's economy shrinks more than expected as supply shortages hit (Reuters)


* Exasperation and dysfunction: Inside Kamala Harris' frustrating start as vice president (CNN)

A Purple Heart medal was stolen from a Vietnam veteran nearly 40 years ago. He just got it back. (WP)

Crunch at Ports May Mean Crisis for American Farms -- Backlogs and cancellations are hitting growers as costs rise, profits slump and overseas customers shop elsewhere. (NYT)

The robots behind the bar that want to pull your next pint (BBC)

What the Taliban’s youngest fighters tell us about the future of the movement (WP)

* Democrat Beto O’Rourke running for Texas governor in 2022 (AP)

China accuses the EU of threatening global trade (Financial Times)

Birds in the Amazon rainforest have gotten physically smaller over the last four decades, and scientists believe that a warming planet may be the reason. While birds’ bodies have gotten smaller over time, their wings have gotten longer. The researchers believe this may be an adaptation to hotter temperatures. [HuffPost]

3G shutdowns could leave most vulnerable without a connection (WP)

Harry Potter turns 20: where are stars of the film franchise now? (Guardian)

Yellen says inflation will stay high until Covid is under control (Financial Times)

* On SNL, Taylor Swift Stopped Time -- 

The singer’s 10-minute performance of “All Too Well” was a dazzling reminder of how far she has come as an artist. (Atlantic)

No Amount Of Training Could Have Prepared Cat For First Experience Seeing Mouse In Real Life (The Onion)

***

"Slip Slidin' Away
By Paul Simon

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away
I know a man
He came from my home town
He wore his passion for his woman
Like a thorny crown
He said Delores
I live in fear
My love for you's so overpowering
I'm afraid that I will disappear
Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away
I know a woman
Became a wife
These are the very words she uses
To describe her life
She said a good day
Ain't got no rain
She said a bad day's when I lie in bed
And think of things that might have been
Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away
And I know a father
Who had a son
He longed to tell him all the reasons
For the things he'd done
He came a long way
Just to explain
He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping
Then he turned around and headed home again
He's slip slidin'
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away
God only knows
God makes his plan
The information's unavailable
To the mortal man
We work our jobs
Collect our pay
Believe we're gliding down the highway
When in fact we're slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

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