The Politics Thread

[janea4old]

Biden op-ed to Washington Post "My plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/29/joe-biden-reform-supreme-court-presidential-immunity-plan-announcement/

https://archive.is/yCEMX

Quote:
By Joe Biden
July 29, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
The writer is president of the United States.

This nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law. Not the president of the United States. Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one.

But the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on July 1 to grant presidents broad immunity from prosecution for crimes they commit in office means there are virtually no limits on what a president can do. The only limits will be those that are self-imposed by the person occupying the Oval Office.

If a future president incites a violent mob to storm the Capitol and stop the peaceful transfer of power — like we saw on Jan. 6, 2021 — there may be no legal consequences.

And that’s only the beginning.

On top of dangerous and extreme decisions that overturn settled legal precedents — including Roe v. Wade — the court is mired in a crisis of ethics. Scandals involving several justices have caused the public to question the court’s fairness and independence, which are essential to faithfully carrying out its mission of equal justice under the law. For example, undisclosed gifts to justices from individuals with interests in cases before the court, as well as conflicts of interest connected with Jan. 6 insurrectionists, raise legitimate questions about the court’s impartiality.

I served as a U.S. senator for 36 years, including as chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. I have overseen more Supreme Court nominations as senator, vice president and president than anyone living today. I have great respect for our institutions and the separation of powers.

What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach.

That’s why — in the face of increasing threats to America’s democratic institutions — I am calling for three bold reforms to restore trust and accountability to the court and our democracy.

First, I am calling for a constitutional amendment called the No One Is Above the Law Amendment. It would make clear that there is no immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office. I share our Founders’ belief that the president’s power is limited, not absolute. We are a nation of laws — not of kings or dictators.

Second, we have had term limits for presidents for nearly 75 years. We should have the same for Supreme Court justices. The United States is the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court. Term limits would help ensure that the court’s membership changes with some regularity. That would make timing for court nominations more predictable and less arbitrary. It would reduce the chance that any single presidency radically alters the makeup of the court for generations to come. I support a system in which the president would appoint a justice every two years to spend 18 years in active service on the Supreme Court.

Third, I’m calling for a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court. This is common sense. The court’s current voluntary ethics code is weak and self-enforced. Justices should be required to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest. Every other federal judge is bound by an enforceable code of conduct, and there is no reason for the Supreme Court to be exempt.

All three of these reforms are supported by a majority of Americans — as well as conservative and liberal constitutional scholars. And I want to thank the bipartisan Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States for its insightful analysis, which informed some of these proposals.

End quote

Edited July 29, 2024 by janea4old

[janea4old]

 

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Full fact sheet from the White House website on Biden's proposal for Supreme Court reform
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/07/29/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-bold-plan-to-reform-the-supreme-court-and-ensure-no-president-is-above-the-law/

Edited July 29, 2024 by janea4old

[DramatistDreamer]

This article from the Jamaica Gleaner (one of the world’s oldest newspapers) discusses the excitement among naturalized citizens, particularly those from the Jamaican diaspora, as well as the Caribbean communities in Florida for a VP Harris.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20240729/diaspora-excitement-harris-presidency-chart

[wonderwoman1951]

from the ny times:

deeply disturbing how little importance the new paper of record, at least east of the mississipi, attached to this existential threat to the american way of life. 

To the Editor:

“Trump Tells Christians, Vote ‘Just This Time’” (news article, July 29) contained critical information about the threat that Donald Trump poses to our democracy.

Mr. Trump’s quoted statement was an admission that his plan is to subvert the democratic process and lead our country into authoritarianism: “Christians, get out and vote. Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore, you know what? Four more years, it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”

The reporting was clear, concise and easy for any reader to understand. Unfortunately, this article was buried on Page A15 of your newspaper.

Can I ask, What is more important for a free press to publish on the front page than this direct and clear attack on our democracy by one of our two presidential candidates?

Robin Perls-Shultis
Shokan, N.Y.

 

Edited July 29, 2024 by wonderwoman1951

[Vee]

They did it:

 

[janea4old]

[Vee]

 

Meanwhile, Roy Cooper has withdrawn from the veepstakes.

[Vee]

The "weird" attack on the GOP (which is accurate) is a long time coming, and the freaked-out response by Republicans as well as the uncomfortable institutional reaction in the Beltway shows how incredibly effective it's been - the tiresome Thomas Friedman is clucking his tongue about it in the op-ed pages.

Meanwhile:

 

Oh lord. I'm not sure I've ever seen a longtime Fox anchor so disgusted with a Republican.

Edited July 29, 2024 by Vee

[Vee]

 

[JaneAusten]

I see Walz is an effective attack dog. But what he has is authenticity. Something not easy to come by in a politician.  He's 60 years old by the way.  I understand the optics point, but he's also a veteran. The only other one in the VP stakes is Kelly. Buttigieg is but I don't believe he's really a legit VP candidate sadly enough. I love the guy but this isn't his time.

Thanks for posting the clip of Whitmer.  I hope Lemire felt like an idiot. This is the third time she has publicly stated she's not in the VP race.  And maybe she knows a 2 woman ticket is not happening, maybe she's sincere, or maybe both.  

Edited July 30, 2024 by JaneAusten

[Vee]

 

 

I hate posting that grifter Yashar, but:

Article here.

[Khan]

You almost expect a black, female Democrat to say to the GOP, "Y'all are weird!".  And I, for one, am grateful for that, lol.

[Vee]

Mark Hamill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mayor Pete and many others are on there. I ain't goin' in there, Zoom gives me anxiety.

 

[DRW50]

Adam McKay along with various conservative black accounts on social media have all been pushing the line of how this is identity politics and shows how broken the party is and so on, which probably means they are worried over the success. 

Speaking of which:

I'm glad that Democrats are not as terrified of being seen as anything but serious at all times as they used to be. Yes, this has to stop at some point, and clearly it will, but this is the world Trump, and the media who would sell every organ in their body for a moment with him, created.

[janea4old]

 

source:
https://www.tiktok.com/@ladychayil/video/7396751623453740330