Spygate and Anti-Democracy

A few links that go together in my mind.

One: A summary of yesterday's NYT story about spies being deployed against Trump campaign figures; and another, separate story about Ukraine admitting that they were asked for damaging information about Trump's campaign.

Two: Both California and Washington state have bills aimed at forcing Trump either to release his tax returns, or not appear on the ballot. California tried this once before, but the bill was vetoed as unconstitutional. Since it was declared so by the governor rather than a court, however, they're free to try again.

Three: Facebook and its allied platforms banned a host of conservative voices, as well as Louis Farrakhan. While the latter is far from my favorite person, defending his freedom of speech is important just because it is how you defend the principle that speech should be free. Loathsome speech has to be defended in order to secure the whole.

Four: Anti-populism as anti-democracy. This last really should be read in full.

4 comments:

Assistant Village Idiot said...

I would have liked to have seen Kerry's DD-214, Bill Clinton's medical records, and Obama's course work myself. But we have decided by long practice that requiring such things creates more problems than it solves.

Liberty is a bitch, ain't it?

Grim said...

I would have liked to have seen birth certificates, since there are only two Constitutional requirements and that answers both of them. But it’s still up to the voters in corner cases, like McCain’s, as to what they’ll accept. I think even if Obama has been born in Kenya most Americans would have accepted him as adequately “natural born,” since on his mother’s side he was many generations American and kin to George Washington. Others wouldn’t.

Christopher B said...

Jerry Brown may be many things but he's not dumb. Getting the tax return requirement ruled unconstitutional will expose a whole host of state ballot requirements used to keep 3rd parties off the ballot to heightened scrutiny.

ymarsakar said...

McCain's war history has been exposed a few times. It explains why he gets angry at survivors of Vietnam POWs and at Bush II, for so long.

It also explains why Demoncrats liked to push him out front. They knew they had control and leverage over McCain because of his secrets. Unlike Petraeus, McCain was not going to come forth and fall on his sword to remove the Sword of Damocles over his head.