“The filibuster demands a 60-vote supermajority in the 100-seat Senate in order to shut off debate and vote on most legislation. Yet, in recent times, both parties, when in the majority, have carved out exceptions. To be clear, the majority party could at any time kill the filibuster. It is simply a Senate rule — not a law, not a constitutional provision. … Either the United States Senate should have a filibuster rule or not. Let’s debate and decide. But one thing is clear: the Senate should not have a 60-vote majority requirement that either majority party can jettison whenever it so desires. Put the filibuster into the Constitution. Or — because an amendment is such a long, arduous process — pass a statute establishing the filibuster in law. This would at least provide a presidential check on Congress monkeying around with it.” (11/13/24)
“While legacy media bemoans X as a failing cesspool of misinformation, savvy users know it as a rare source of truth. The same goes for Rumble — a crucial platform because video is king. Over 2.5 billion people tune in to Youtube monthly. That’s five times X’s monthly scrollers. Rumble, the newcomer, is doing less than 2% of Youtube’s numbers, but with 26% growth over the last quarter, it’s proving itself a serious contender in the video format media race. But why does Rumble matter? For those who care about the free exchange of ideas, Rumble offers a unique space.” (11/13/24)
“At a time when Americans worry — for good reason — that the apparatus of the state is used to punish the political enemies of those in charge, a government employee just got caught doing what many people fear has become common practice: politicizing the use of government power. A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official who ordered workers to deny assistance to Trump supporters affected by Hurricane Milton powerfully bolstered the arguments of those of us who want government kept small and out of the way to minimize the danger it represents.” (11/13/24)
“This election offers plenty of lessons for those listening to the voices of the voters – but will the politicians listen? First, conservatives and moderates took their country back: Only about 25% of the voters classify themselves as liberal compared to 75% who are moderate and conservative. Out went progressive DAs, marijuana referendums, and ranked voting efforts (except in D.C.). Moderates and conservatives are done with being ruled by the 25 percent. Second, middle class economics mattered: Trump won a majority of the working- and middle-class voters, while Harris won only those making under $30,000 and those earning over $100,000 a year. Third, most voters felt worse off under Biden, suffering from inflation and wages that failed to keep up with the rising costs of food, gasoline and housing.” (11/13/24)
“Europe’s novel set of solutions to deal with waves of migrants arriving without papers may now pivot on a handful of individual cases in Italy. On Monday, a court in Rome ruled that seven asylum-seekers held in an Italian-run detention center in the nearby country of Albania must be brought to Italy. That follows a similar ruling last month involving 12 other migrants detained under similar circumstances. The two cases go to the crux of a problem affecting two parallel approaches to managing the influx of people seeking access to Europe without authorization. One rests on European countries processing asylum applications outside the boundaries of the European Union prior to arrival. The other depends on third countries detaining migrants and vetting their applications.” (11/12/24)
“Before he was inviting comparisons with Hitler and Mussolini, America’s 45th and now 47th president favored himself like another, decidedly more American demagogue. Andrew Jackson. In his first term, Trump hung Jackson’s portrait in his Oval Office, praised Jackson’s populism, and declared his own victory over Hillary Clinton to be ‘greater than the election of Andrew Jackson.’ And so for this reason, among many others, I want to turn for inspiration ahead of the election to the man and former president forever linked to Jackson in the American historical imagination: John Quincy Adams.” (11/13/24)
“Since the Daniel Penny trial kicked off, witness after witness has described the abject terror they felt while riding the uptown F train as unhinged homeless man Jordan Neely entered the car, snarling and threatening straphangers. One teen testified that she was so frightened, she thought she’d pass out. An older woman was ‘scared shitless.’ A 29-year-old man said he was ‘pretty terrified.’ All testified that they’d never before experienced that type of acute panic while riding the train. But on Tuesday, one was visibly petrified to be in that courtroom, with protesters outside and multiple Neely supporters inside. Scared to be on the stand. To be a party to a potential acquittal of Penny and what that would mean for the witness’s personal safety.” (11/12/24)
“As the Israeli assault on Gaza passes the 13-month mark, and as Hezbollah reels under the massive Israeli bombing campaign on its leaders and operational centers in Lebanon, it has become clear that militant political Islam has run out of steam. Concurrently, Iran’s defense strategic doctrine has been deprived of a major component; namely, its ‘proxy’ militia groups. As a U.S. government senior analyst, I followed political Islam and Islamic activism since the early 1990s. Now nearly 30 years later, it’s safe to judge with confidence that if this phenomenon is to survive, leaders of Islamic parties must jettison violence and militancy and return to participatory politics.” (11/13/24)
“Ten states had abortion issues on the ballot on Election Day. Several of them voted on the issue — and on the top of the ticket — precisely as you would expect. Deep blue Maryland and Colorado, for example, voted to protect pro-choice initiatives, and voted heavily for Kamala Harris. Reliably red states did the exact opposite, defeating abortion initiatives, and voting heavily for Trump: Florida and South Dakota, for example. But it is the smattering of other states that shows just how right Trump was politically on returning the issue of abortion to the states. Voters approved abortion rights protections in initiatives in Montana, Nevada and Arizona, and the exact same electorates in those states also gave the White House to Trump.” (11/13/24)
