DOCSLIB.ORG

President Trump's Refusal to Concede the Election

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
President Trump's Refusal to Concede the Election President Trump’s Refusal to Concede the Election: A Lesson Plan on the Peaceful Transfer of Power in a Democracy Text 1: The Daily | A Non-Transfer of Power (Listen from 0:00-8:36 or read the ​ ​ transcript excerpt below.) Hosted by Michael Barbaro; produced by Andy Mills, Michael Simon Johnson, and Leslye Davis; and edited by Lisa Tobin and Alix Spiegel Archived Recording (CROWD CHANTING) Thank you, George! Archived Recording (George H.W. Bush) Thank you so much. Now, here’s the way I see it. Here’s the way we see it, and the country should see it, that the people have spoken and we respect the majesty of the democratic system. [MUSIC] I just called Governor Clinton over in Little Rock and offered my congratulations. He did run a strong campaign. I wish him well in the White House. Archived Recording (John Mccain) Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences and he has prevailed. No doubt, many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face. I urge all Americans — [APPLAUSE] — to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together. Michael Barbaro From The New York Times, I’m Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today — Archived Recording I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction. But the nation chose another leader. And so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation. Michael Barbaro — Maggie Haberman on why the traditional transfer of power is not happening this year, and the implications of that delay. It’s Friday, November 13. Maggie, what usually happens when someone has been declared the winner of a presidential election in the United States? Maggie Haberman So Michael, normally what happens is the media, various outlets, make calls on election night, or shortly after, declaring a winner. Archived Recording (Richard Nixon) My congratulations to Senator Kennedy for his fine race in this campaign. Maggie Haberman The person who has lost concedes. Archived Recording (Herbert Humphrey) I have lost. Mr. Nixon has won. The democratic process has worked its will. So now let’s get on with the urgent task of uniting our country. Maggie Haberman There is usually a phone call between the two. Archived Recording A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him — [CROWD BOOING] Please. — To congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love. Maggie Haberman And then that concession allows the formal transfer of power to begin. Archived Recording (George H.W. Bush) I want the country to know that our entire administration will work closely with his team to ensure the smooth transition of power. There is important work to be done, and America must always come first. So we will get behind this new president and wish him well. Maggie Haberman Within days, there is often a formal meeting between the outgoing president and the incoming president. Archived Recording (George W. Bush) Last night I extended an invitation to the president-elect and Mrs. Obama to come to the White House. Maggie Haberman These kinds of meetings have happened even after the hardest-fought contests. Archived Recording (George W. Bush) It’ll be a stirring sight to watch President Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their beautiful girls step through the doors of the White House. Maggie Haberman In 2008, when you had President Obama running against George W. Bush’s record, Bush still invited Obama in when he won. Archived Recording (George W. Bush) I told the president-elect he can count on complete cooperation from my administration as he makes the transition to the White House. Archived Recording (Barack Obama) I had a chance to talk to President-elect Trump last night — Maggie Haberman In 2016 — Archived Recording (Barack Obama) — to congratulate him on winning the election. And I had a chance to invite him to come to the White House tomorrow. Maggie Haberman — after Donald Trump questioned whether President Obama was a legitimate president by creating a lie about his birthplace — Archived Recording (Barack Obama) We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country. Maggie Haberman — President Obama still sat with him for a 90-minute meeting in the Oval Office to demonstrate his continuity of government. Archived Recording (Barack Obama) Now, it is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences. But remember, eight years ago, President Bush and I had some pretty significant differences. But President Bush’s team could not have been more professional or more gracious in making sure we had a smooth transition so that we could hit the ground running. Archived Recording (Al Gore) I say to President-elect Bush that what remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside. And may God bless his stewardship of this country. Maggie Haberman Even in elections where there have been bitter court fights — Archived Recording Neither he nor I anticipated this long and difficult road. Certainly neither of us wanted it to happen. Maggie Haberman — like the 2000 recount election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. Archived Recording Yet, it came, and now it has ended — resolved, as it must be resolved, through the honored institutions of our democracy. Maggie Haberman You had Al Gore accept the results, even though Democrats were incredibly upset about them. And this acceptance of the result is a hugely important signal to voters that people should have faith in the process and that democratic norms are being respected. Michael Barbaro So Maggie, these are the rituals around the transfer of power meant for public consumption. What usually happens behind the scenes during this time period? Maggie Haberman When there is a concession, the administrator of the General Services Administration of the federal government puts forward what’s called an ascertainment. And that means they have ascertained who the next president will be, who the president-elect is. And that puts in place a pot of money being available to the incoming president, incoming administration, and allows agencies to begin the process of the transfer of power — briefing books, meetings, so-called “landing teams” or “beachhead teams,” as they are often called for the incoming administration, meeting with agency officials to talk about what work needs to be done, how they want to handle the transfer of power. In the case of Joe Biden, there are a lot of people who have been in government before, which always helps. But they still need to figure out where things stand on a whole range of issues going forward. Michael Barbaro And what has been happening this year in the now six days since Joe Biden was declared the president-elect? Maggie Haberman So basically, Michael, everything that I just described as what normally happens has not happened. None of it. Michael Barbaro And what has happened instead? Maggie Haberman What’s happened, instead, Michael, is President Trump has refused to concede. He has been in the Oval Office tweeting, very frequently, news clips or things he sees on Twitter that he insists affirm his belief that he has won the election. But that has meant that everything is in limbo. Joe Biden has not started getting intelligence briefings. There has not been agency handoffs with the incoming team. There has been a delay in the number of appointments that Biden has announced. And we don’t have full clarity on this, because of security reasons. But there might have been a delay in Joe Biden getting the full complement of Secret Service protection that an incoming president gets. Michael Barbaro So suffice it to say, this is not the usual transition. This is, in fact, the complete opposite of the usual transition. In fact, this isn’t really a transition at all. Maggie Haberman Correct. There is, so far, no transition. There is just a standstill. Archived Recording (Lindsey Graham) I’m here tonight to stand with President Trump. He stood with me. He’s the reason we’re going to have a Senate majority. He helped Senate Republicans who are going to pick up House seats because of the campaign that President Trump won. Maggie Haberman And so far, the president is being supported in this by a number of top Republican officials. Archived Recording Senator, have you congratulated Vice President Biden yet? Archived Recording (Mike Pompeo) No. Archived Recording There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. Maggie Haberman That includes Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority leader. Archived Recording (Mitch Mcconnell) Let’s not have any lectures about how the president should immediately, cheerfully accept preliminary election results from the same characters who just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last election. Maggie Haberman That includes a number of 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls. Archived Recording (Ted Cruz) By throwing the observers out, by clouding the vote counting in a shroud of darkness, they are setting the stage to potentially steal an election. It is lawless and they need to follow the law. Maggie Haberman The vast majority of Republicans are either not contradicting what the president is doing or mouthing words that sound as if they’re being supportive, because most Republicans are afraid to go against him on this.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Beyond the Bully Pulpit: Presidential Speech in the Courts
    SHAW.TOPRINTER (DO NOT DELETE) 11/15/2017 3:32 AM Beyond the Bully Pulpit: Presidential Speech in the Courts Katherine Shaw* Abstract The President’s words play a unique role in American public life. No other figure speaks with the reach, range, or authority of the President. The President speaks to the entire population, about the full range of domestic and international issues we collectively confront, and on behalf of the country to the rest of the world. Speech is also a key tool of presidential governance: For at least a century, Presidents have used the bully pulpit to augment their existing constitutional and statutory authorities. But what sort of impact, if any, should presidential speech have in court, if that speech is plausibly related to the subject matter of a pending case? Curiously, neither judges nor scholars have grappled with that question in any sustained way, though citations to presidential speech appear with some frequency in judicial opinions. Some of the time, these citations are no more than passing references. Other times, presidential statements play a significant role in judicial assessments of the meaning, lawfulness, or constitutionality of either legislation or executive action. This Article is the first systematic examination of presidential speech in the courts. Drawing on a number of cases in both the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts, I first identify the primary modes of judicial reliance on presidential speech. I next ask what light the law of evidence, principles of deference, and internal executive branch dynamics can shed on judicial treatment of presidential speech.
    [Show full text]
  • Majority and Minority Leaders”, Available At
    Majority and Minority Party Membership Other Resources Adapted from: “Majority and Minority Leaders”, www.senate.gov Available at: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Majority_Minority_Leaders.htm Majority and Minority Leaders Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Majority and Minority Leaders Chapter 3: Majority and Minority Whips (Assistant Floor Leaders) Chapter 4: Complete List of Majority and Minority Leaders Chapter 5: Longest-Serving Party Leaders Introduction The positions of party floor leader are not included in the Constitution but developed gradually in the 20th century. The first floor leaders were formally designated in 1920 (Democrats) and 1925 (Republicans). The Senate Republican and Democratic floor leaders are elected by the members of their party in the Senate at the beginning of each Congress. Depending on which party is in power, one serves as majority leader and the other as minority leader. The leaders serve as spokespersons for their parties' positions on issues. The majority leader schedules the daily legislative program and fashions the unanimous consent agreements that govern the time for debate. The majority leader has the right to be called upon first if several senators are seeking recognition by the presiding officer, which enables him to offer motions or amendments before any other senator. Majority and Minority Leaders Elected at the beginning of each Congress by members of their respective party conferences to represent them on the Senate floor, the majority and minority leaders serve as spokesmen for their parties' positions on the issues. The majority leader has also come to speak for the Senate as an institution. Working with the committee chairs and ranking members, the majority leader schedules business on the floor by calling bills from the calendar and keeps members of his party advised about the daily legislative program.
    [Show full text]
  • AMERICAN P VERSIGHT
    AMERICAN p VERSIGHT January11,2021 VIA ONLINE PORTAL DouglasHibbard Chief,InitialRequestStaff OfficeofInform ationPolicy DepartmentofJustice 441GStNW,6thFloor Washington,DC20530 ViaOnlinePortal Re: Expedited Freedom of Information Act Request DearFOIAOfficer: PursuanttotheFreedomof InformationAct(FOIA),5U.S.C.§552,andthe implem entingregulationsof youragency,Am ericanOversightmakesthefollowing requestforrecords. OnJanuary6,2021,PresidentTrumpinciteda mtoob attackCongresswhile mbers em werecertifyingtheelectionforPresident-electJoeBiden. 1 Theapparent insurrectionistsattackedtheCapitolBuilding,forcedtheirwaypastreportedly understaffedCapitolPolice,andultim atelydelayedtheCongressionalsessionbyforcing lawmakersandtheirstaffstoflee. 2 Fourpeoplediedduringthisassaultandafifth person,aCapitolPoliceofficer,diedthefollowingdayfrominjuriesincurredwhile engagingwithrioters. 3 Whilem ilitia mbers em roamedthehallsofCongress,Trum preportedlyfoughtagainst deployingtheD.C.NationalGuard, 4 andtheDefenseDepartm entreportedlyinitially 1 PressRelease,OfficeofSen.MittRom ney,Rom neyCondemInsurrectionatU.S. ns Capitol, Jan.6,2021, https://www.romney.senate.gov/rom ney-condem ns-insurrection- us-capitol. 2 RebeccaTan,etal., TrumpSupportersStormU.S.Capitol,WithOneWomanKilledand TearGasFired, Wash.Post(Jan.7,2021,12:30AM), https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trum p-supporters-storm -capitol- dc/2021/01/06/58afc0b8-504b-11eb-83e3-322644d82356 story.html. 3 EricLevenson, WhatWeKnowAboutthe5DeathsinthePro-TrumpMobthatStormedthe Capitol, CNN(Jan.8,2021,5:29PM),
    [Show full text]
  • May 8, 2020 the Honorable Richard Shelby the Honorable Patrick
    May 8, 2020 The Honorable Richard Shelby The Honorable Patrick Leahy Chair, Senate Committee on Appropriations Ranking Member, Senate Committee on 304 Russell Senate Office Building Appropriations Washington, DC 20510 437 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4502 The Honorable Roy Blunt The Honorable Patty Murray Chair, Subcommittee on Labor, Health Ranking Member, Subcommittee on and Human Services, Education Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies Education and Related Agencies 347 Russell Senate Office Building 154 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Shelby, Senator Leahy, Senator Blunt, and Senator Murray: On behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney diseases, including the more than 750,000 with kidney failure, thank you for your efforts to advance kidney health. Our organizations are deeply appreciative of the continued investments Congress has made into basic kidney science research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and other key institutes, as well as the investment in innovation through KidneyX. As you continue responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, we ask that you provide $100,000,000 in emergency supplemental funding for NIDDK and $200,000,000 for KidneyX to meet the unique challenges facing people with kidney diseases for the current and future crises. People with kidney diseases are among the most vulnerable to infectious diseases and there is mounting evidence that COVID-19 poses a unique risk: hospitalized COVID-19 patients with kidney diseases are two and half times more likely to die from the virus1. The risks posed by COVID-19 are especially salient among people with kidney failure receiving in-center dialysis or living with a kidney transplant2.
    [Show full text]
  • Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES SENATE 135Th Anniversary
    107th Congress, 2d Session Document No. 13 Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES SENATE 135th Anniversary 1867–2002 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 2002 ‘‘The legislative control of the purse is the central pil- lar—the central pillar—upon which the constitutional temple of checks and balances and separation of powers rests, and if that pillar is shaken, the temple will fall. It is...central to the fundamental liberty of the Amer- ican people.’’ Senator Robert C. Byrd, Chairman Senate Appropriations Committee United States Senate Committee on Appropriations ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS ROBERT C. BYRD, West Virginia, TED STEVENS, Alaska, Ranking Chairman THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi ANIEL NOUYE Hawaii D K. I , ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania RNEST OLLINGS South Carolina E F. H , PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico ATRICK EAHY Vermont P J. L , CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri OM ARKIN Iowa T H , MITCH MCCONNELL, Kentucky ARBARA IKULSKI Maryland B A. M , CONRAD BURNS, Montana ARRY EID Nevada H R , RICHARD C. SHELBY, Alabama ERB OHL Wisconsin H K , JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire ATTY URRAY Washington P M , ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah YRON ORGAN North Dakota B L. D , BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado IANNE EINSTEIN California D F , LARRY CRAIG, Idaho ICHARD URBIN Illinois R J. D , KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas IM OHNSON South Dakota T J , MIKE DEWINE, Ohio MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana JACK REED, Rhode Island TERRENCE E. SAUVAIN, Staff Director CHARLES KIEFFER, Deputy Staff Director STEVEN J. CORTESE, Minority Staff Director V Subcommittee Membership, One Hundred Seventh Congress Senator Byrd, as chairman of the Committee, and Senator Stevens, as ranking minority member of the Committee, are ex officio members of all subcommit- tees of which they are not regular members.
    [Show full text]
  • If It's Broke, Fix It: Restoring Federal Government Ethics and Rule Of
    If it’s Broke, Fix it Restoring Federal Government Ethics and Rule of Law Edited by Norman Eisen The editor and authors of this report are deeply grateful to several indi- viduals who were indispensable in its research and production. Colby Galliher is a Project and Research Assistant in the Governance Studies program of the Brookings Institution. Maya Gros and Kate Tandberg both worked as Interns in the Governance Studies program at Brookings. All three of them conducted essential fact-checking and proofreading of the text, standardized the citations, and managed the report’s production by coordinating with the authors and editor. IF IT’S BROKE, FIX IT 1 Table of Contents Editor’s Note: A New Day Dawns ................................................................................. 3 By Norman Eisen Introduction ........................................................................................................ 7 President Trump’s Profiteering .................................................................................. 10 By Virginia Canter Conflicts of Interest ............................................................................................... 12 By Walter Shaub Mandatory Divestitures ...................................................................................... 12 Blind-Managed Accounts .................................................................................... 12 Notification of Divestitures .................................................................................. 13 Discretionary Trusts
    [Show full text]
  • Mcconnell Announces Senate Republican Committee Assignments for the 117Th Congress
    For Immediate Release, Wednesday, February 3, 2021 Contacts: David Popp, Doug Andres Robert Steurer, Stephanie Penn McConnell Announces Senate Republican Committee Assignments for the 117th Congress Praises Senators Crapo and Tim Scott for their work on the Committee on Committees WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the 50-50 power-sharing agreement finalized earlier today, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced the Senate Republican Conference Committee Assignments for the 117th Congress. Leader McConnell once again selected Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) to chair the Senate Republicans’ Committee on Committees, the panel responsible for committee assignments for the 117th Congress. This is the ninth consecutive Congress in which Senate leadership has asked Crapo to lead this important task among Senate Republicans. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) assisted in the committee selection process as he did in the previous three Congresses. “I want to thank Mike and Tim for their work. They have both earned the trust of our colleagues in the Republican Conference by effectively leading these important negotiations in years past and this year was no different. Their trust and experience was especially important as we enter a power-sharing agreement with Democrats and prepare for equal representation on committees,” McConnell said. “I am very grateful for their work.” “I appreciate Leader McConnell’s continued trust in having me lead the important work of the Committee on Committees,” said Senator Crapo. “Americans elected an evenly-split Senate, and working together to achieve policy solutions will be critical in continuing to advance meaningful legislation impacting all Americans. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit our nation, our economy was the strongest it has ever been.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise and Fall of Richard Nixon
    T H E R I S E A N D F A L L O F... The Rise and Fall of Richard Nixon What events influenced Richard Nixon’s rise to and fall from power? Introduction This photograph was taken of vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon relaxing with his pet dog, Checkers, in 1952. In his famous “Checkers” speech, Nixon refuted accusations that he had misused campaign contributions. He emphasized his family’s modest means, claiming that his wife, Pat, wore not a mink coat but “a respectable Republican cloth coat.” On September 23, 1952, California senator Richard Nixon reserved a spot on television to deliver the most important speech of his career. With this address, Nixon hoped to squash rumors that he had accepted $18,000 in illegal political contributions to finance personal expenses. The Republicans had recently nominated Nixon to run for vice president on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s ticket. When these charges against Nixon became public, Eisenhower was noncommittal — he did not drop Nixon from the ticket, but he also did not defend him. In his speech, Nixon said, “Not one cent of the $18,000 or any other money of that type ever went to me for my personal use. Every penny of it was used to pay for political expenses that I did not think should be charged to the taxpayers of the © 2020 Teachers' Curriculum Institute Level: A T H E R I S E A N D F A L L O F... United States.” But, he did confess to accepting one personal gift: A man down in Texas heard [my wife] Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog.
    [Show full text]
  • Trump University a Look at an Enduring Education Scandal
    Trump University A Look at an Enduring Education Scandal By Ulrich Boser, Danny Schwaber, and Stephenie Johnson March 30, 2017 When Donald Trump first launched Trump University in 2005, he said that the program’s aim was altruistic. Coming off his success as a reality television show host, Trump claimed that the Trump University program was devoted to helping people gain real estate skills and knowledge. At the Trump University launch event, Trump told reporters that he hoped to create a “legacy as an educator” by “imparting lots of knowledge” through his program.1 Today, it’s clear that Trump University was far from charitable. In fact, Trump University’s real estate seminars often didn’t provide that much education; at some seminars, it seemed like the instructors aimed to do little more than bilk money from people who dreamed of successful real estate careers. As one person who attended the program wrote on a feedback form examined by the authors, “Requesting we raise our credit limits on our credit cards at lunch Friday seemed a little transparent.”2 Lawyers eventually filed three separate lawsuits from 2010 to 2013 against Trump University for, among other claims, “deceptive practices.”3 Donald Trump has agreed to pay a $25 million settlement to the people who attended Trump University in 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010.4 Founded in 2005, Trump University began by offering online courses but eventually transitioned into offering in-person seminars and mentorship services.5 Overall, Trump University functioned from 2005 until 2010 with thousands of students, 6,000 of whom are covered for damages under the settlement agreement.6 Over time, as Trump sought higher profits, the company’s model shifted to offering more in-person seminars.
    [Show full text]
  • April 9, 2020 the Honorable Henry J. Kerner Special Counsel U.S. Office of Special Counsel 1730 M Street, NW, Suite 218 Washing
    April 9, 2020 The Honorable Henry J. Kerner Special Counsel U.S. Office of Special Counsel 1730 M Street, NW, Suite 218 Washington, DC 20036-4505 Re: OSC File No. HA-20-000136 (Jared Kushner) Dear Special Counsel Kerner: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (“CREW”) respectfully requests that the Office of Special Counsel (“OSC”) reconsider its March 20, 2020, decision regarding Jared Kushner, who is both a Senior Advisor to the President and President Trump’s son-in-law. OSC concluded that Jared Kushner did not violate the Hatch Act during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria; however, OSC’s conclusion did not flow from its findings of fact. Most troubling was OSC’s refusal to consider some of his remarks because, instead of airing them on television, CNN published them in an article—an approach to Hatch Act enforcement for which there is no basis in the law. OSC made three key findings but failed to consider two of them. First, OSC found that Mr. Kushner participated in the interview in his official capacity.1 Second, OSC found that some of his remarks were inappropriate for an employee appearing in an official capacity.2 Third, OSC found that Mr. Zakaria indicated the second segment of the interview was about President Trump’s campaign for reelection,3 which Mr. Kushner was running.4 However, OSC expressly declined to consider the remarks that it deemed inappropriate because CNN published them in an article instead of airing them on television.5 CNN aired other troubling remarks by Mr. Kushner on television, but OSC evaluated them as though they had not been made in the context of a discussion with Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • “Mcconnell Majorities” in Supreme Court Decision-Making
    PRESIDENT-SHOPPING FOR A NEW SCALIA: THE ILLEGITIMACY OF “MCCONNELL MAJORITIES” IN SUPREME COURT DECISION-MAKING J. Stephen Clark* WASHINGTON, June 29—By the slimmest of margins, the Supreme Court today ended its decades of protecting abortion rights and overruled Roe v. Wade,1 the 1973 decision that established abortion as a constitutional right.2 The breaking news one day in June 2019 is the demise of Roe v. Wade. By a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court has overruled the precedent and left the protection of abortion rights to the sole discretion of lawmakers. There had been no majority for such a decision until President Trump had the chance to make two appointments to the Court. One of those appointees wrote the majority opinion. Perhaps fittingly, the author of the opinion was the successor to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who strove for this goal more vigorously than any member of the Court since 1973. Of course, every supporter of abortion rights realizes that the Trump appointee now sits on the High Court only because President Obama’s nominee for the same seat was ignored by the Senate for eleven months. The overruling of Roe is directly traceable to that stonewalling and its mastermind—the majority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Why should supporters of abortion rights accept the legitimacy of a Court decision handed down by a bare majority that owes its fifth vote to Mitch McConnell’s Supreme Court Justice? The answer is that they would not, nor should they. Contrary to McConnell’s repeated claims, his posture of determined inaction * Professor of Law, Albany Law School.
    [Show full text]
  • More Than Elections: How Democracies Transfer Power
    JOURNALURNALUSA More Than Elections HOW DEMOCRACIES TRANSFER POWER U.S. DEPARTMENT 0F STATE / BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS The Bureau of International Information Programs of the U.S. Department of State publishes a monthly electronic journal under the eJournal USA logo. These journals examine major issues facing the United States and the international community, as well as U.S. society, values, thought, and institutions. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE / JanuarY 2010 VOLUME 15 / NUMBER 1 One new journal is published monthly in English and is http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournalusa.html followed by versions in French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Selected editions also appear in Arabic, Chinese, and Persian. Each journal is catalogued by volume and International Information Programs: number. Coordinator Daniel Sreebny The opinions expressed in the journals do not necessarily Executive Editor Jonathan Margolis reflect the views or policies of the U.S. government. The Creative Director Michael Jay Friedman U.S. Department of State assumes no responsibility for the content and continued accessibility of Internet sites to which the journals link; such responsibility resides Editor-in-Chief Richard W. Huckaby solely with the publishers of those sites. Journal articles, Managing Editor Lea Terhune photographs, and illustrations may be reproduced and Production Manager/ translated outside the United States unless they carry Web Producer Janine Perry explicit copyright restrictions, in which case permission must be sought from the copyright holders noted in the Designer Chloe D. Ellis journal. The Bureau of International Information Programs maintains current and back issues in several electronic Copy Editor Jeanne Holden formats, as well as a list of upcoming journals, at Photo Editor Maggie Johnson Sliker http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournals.html.
    [Show full text]