Sing a Song of Mike Pence

Among Donald Trump's many betrayals on January 6--of the Constitution, of the Congress, of the Capitol staff, and of the American people--was his betrayal of his devoted vice president.  No one can deny that the insurrectionists came close to murdering Mike Pence, and no one can deny that Donald Trump did nothing to stop them.  Moreover, after hearing the facts presented in the impeachment trial, no one should deny that Donald Trump incited the mob in the first place.  

Maintaining the spirit of Mother Goose rhymes, which were often political parodies, here's a new version of "Sing A Song of Six Pence."

Sing a song of Mike Pence, a martyr to the cause,
Three and forty votes cast, trashing US laws;
When the votes were counted, the right began to sing,
This is what we do because we want to please our king.

The king was in the White House, watching all with glee,
He tried to call Tom T'ville, instead he got Mike Lee;
He hoped to get the count stopped, to force Joe B to lose;
While all along the rioters sought Mike to fit their noose.

Harrowing indeed.

Shame on those 43 senators.

A Wink and a Nod?

How will Republican lawmakers censure Donald Trump for his incendiary role in Wednesday's attack on the US Capitol?  Will they encourage the use of the 25th Amendment?  Pressure him to resign?  Support impeachment?

So far, as the Washington Post reported yesterday, "Republicans [are] largely silent about [the] consequences of [the] deadly attack and Trump's role in inciting it . . . Republican leaders [have] yet to hold anyone accountable."  True, Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania have called for Trump's resignation, and Politico notes that several Republicans have expressed private support for Trump's removal.  Still, the collective response is silence . . . 

. . . for which Eliana Johnson, guest host of today's edition of the newsletter "Politico Playbook," offers an answer.  She describes a strategy one Republican operative called "wink, wink, nod, nod," in which "lawmakers simply treat VP Mike Pence as president."  It's already been used, she notes, when Congressional leaders on Wednesday called Pence, not Trump, to employ the National Guard.  Moreover, Mitch McConnell has apparently told others that "he does not plan to speak to Trump again."

Big whoop. 

McConnell has enabled Donald Trump's malfeasance since the start of this presidency.  He's winked and nodded for four years so that he could secure judgeships and tax cuts for the rich.  Congressional Republicans, a few notable exceptions notwithstanding, have joined him.  When Joe Biden won the election in November, these same Republicans once again remained silent.  What harm, they asked, in allowing Trump to claim a fraudulent, stolen election?

I hope they found out.

Remaining silent, winking and nodding at Mike Pence, should not be an option for Republicans, certainly not for their leadership.  They should be speaking on talk shows, posting to social media, and interviewing with newspapers--wherever they might reach uninformed citizens--to tell them the truth: Joe Biden won this election.  No fraud.  No steal.  They should further speak out against their president: Donald Trump was wrong to incite violence.  Finally, they should be doing whatever they can to get Trump out of office and to speak publicly about their efforts.

Clear, consistent messages could make a difference, at least for the future.  If Republicans can't get rid of Trump now, maybe they can undo some of the damage they've caused.  For we cannot expect to preserve our democracy as long as election results remain in doubt for so many citizens.  The angry, armed mob already broke through the gates, and we can't afford for them to do so again.

Dump the Debates, or Do Them Better

When Abraham Lincoln debated Stephen Douglas in 1858, the two men held a series of public events in seven Illinois cities that attracted "droves of citizens" across the Midwest.  The first candidate spoke for an hour; the second for an hour and a half; and the first again for thirty minutes to rebut his opponent.  The transcripts show that they spoke uninterrupted by each other, though the crowd cheered and laughed throughout.

Imagine such a debate today, where our national candidates engage in serious discourse about serious policy.  It doesn't happen.  Not when a fly on the vice president's head gets the most attention.

No, the 2020 national debates haven't been worth our time.  Not even the fly's. 

The first event between Donald Trump and Joe Biden featured a bullying president unconstrained by the moderator and too much crosstalk, while the second debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris left questions unanswered and lies unchallenged.  In both events the format didn't work: the moderators couldn't control the contenders, and the participants--especially Trump and Pence--flouted the rules established by the Commission on Presidential Debates, despite their campaigns having agreed to abide.

As soon as President Trump began speaking beyond his allotted time and interrupting Joe Biden, he should have been shut down--by either turning off his microphone or awarding extra time to his opponent.  As a matter of fact, the debate shouldn't even have been allowed to begin when Trump's family and friends in the audience removed their masks, violating the Commission's rules.  Karen Pence should have been escorted from the stage when she did the same.  Rules are rules, and the Commission needs to enforce them.

If the final debate is to go forward, and I wish it wouldn't, we need substantive change in the format.  I propose the following:

1. Ask each candidate the same questions, focused on policies and proposals, such as "Explain three specific steps you would recommend to address climate change, and, if you have none, why not?"  Substitute "climate change" with other current issues--the coronavirus, the criminal justice system, health insurance, public education--you get the idea.  

2. Give the first candidate three minutes to answer, the second candidate five minutes to answer and rebut, and the first candidate two minutes for a final rebuttal, alternating speaking order with each topic.  Display questions on the screen the entire time so that viewers can see for themselves if candidates provide answers.

3. Support the moderator by adding a timekeeper and a fact checker.  The timekeeper must have the authority and the tools to maintain control and can stop the debate if disorder breaks through. At the conclusion of each round, the fact checker will project onto a screen the most salient lies, giving thirty seconds for the contenders and audience to view.  (This proposal couldn't possibly cover Donald Trump's lies, as they're all salient, but at least it's a start.)

4. Eliminate the split screen showing the opponent's face, which distracts viewers and trivializes the debate.

Even with these proposals, the upcoming debate will still give Donald Trump free air time to spew hatred and lies, which he uses to incite violence and chaos.  The connection between his attacks on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer earlier this year and the subsequent arrest of domestic terrorists who plotted to kidnap her is one recent example. Another is the role that his continued dismissal of scientific information plays in our nation's handling of the pandemic.

The format for national debates has been problematic for years.  What's different now, though, is that Donald Trump has brought these events to a new low as an agitator and a liar.  If his tactics can't be countered on stage, we need to ask ourselves if presidential debates today are even worth having.

Coming Round to Kamala

Though Kamala Harris initially struck me as an excellent choice for Attorney General, based on her piercing examinations of Brett Kavanaugh and William Barr, she didn't impress me as the best candidate for Vice President.  Throughout the Democratic primary, I found her smug and condescending.  I didn't like her disrespectful take-down of Joe Biden in the first debate, and her performance in subsequent debates seemed equally artificial and staged. 

Here's why I've changed my mind:

1. Senator Harris has the experience for the job.  As a US senator, she serves on key committees, including Intelligence, Homeland Security, and Budget; and as California's Attorney General for six years, she headed up law enforcement for the most populous state in the nation.

2. She's tough and commanding, certainly more so than her milquetoast opponent Mike Pence, but also stronger than both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.  Biden's appeal comes more from his conciliatory and welcoming manner, whereas Donald Trump fails as a commander though his meandering, senseless speech and derogatory treatment of others.

3. Though President Trump calls Kamala Harris "phony" and "nasty," she's avoided the labels that have dogged women candidates in the past.  Hillary Clinton evoked for many the image of the stern school teacher.  Sarah Palin, unprepared for her role in 2008, became a caricature of a silly, incompetent woman.  And Geraldine Ferraro ended up mired in her husband's finances in 1972, as if she were an extension of his career and not a solid candidate in her own right.

4. With an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a law degree from the University of California, Hastings, Senator Harris brings a refreshing education to the campaign.  In fact, both she and Joe Biden break a long tradition of Democratic candidates boasting Ivy League and elite New England school backgrounds--offering an understanding of ordinary Americans.

5. Kamala Harris holds the confidence of her running mate.  Regardless of the process that Joe Biden undertook in his selection, he nonetheless sees in her a partner ready to govern.  We all benefit from their compatibility in that we'll have two smart leaders making joint decisions.

Kamala Harris isn't perfect.  Her record as a prosecutor concerns many, and the rapid collapse of her primary campaign troubled others.  Still, she can do the job and she will do it well.  We've accepted for far too long the incompetence of Donald Trump and Mike Pence.  Senator Harris will serve our country with honor and distinction, and we must give her the chance to do so.