The Right Side of the News

I think in the case of choosing his advisors and executive appointments maybe "prerogative" is a better choice.On the other hand, maybe it's still too strong a word when the choice still needs to be approved by the Senate or Congress?

Yeah, what the electoral college does is give a lot of power to that very thin slice of voters who may go either way in the very few swing states.All voters in California, even the Democrats, can be ignored since the California vote is already determined.All voters in Mississippi, even the Republicans, can be ignored since that state's vote is pretty much determined.Most voters in, say, Wisconsin can be ignored since who matters are the 1% or 2% of Wisconsin voters who can swing either way and bring their state's entire electoral votes with them.

I will be the first one to say we need checks and balances to prevent the majority from enacting policies based on momentary whims and fears.But surely the way to do this isn't to give a minority control of the government? What protects the majority when its a minority which is behaving like a mob?

I'll say this at the outset that I doubt very much there was any intention of "protecting the rural areas" or "protecting small states" when the Electoral College was set up.One of the main goals of the Electoral College was that citizens would elect the electors who would then meet and discuss the possible choices before voting. It was never intended to be the bizarre proxy for the popular vote that it has become.The intent was to elect delegates who would meet as a deliberative body (actually, several bodies since each states' electors would meet separately in their respective capitols) to discuss, debate, and finally vote on their choice for President.I also doubt that apportioning the electors according to Congressional representation was meant to provide a floor of three electors for the small states. My feeling is that it was meant to make sure there were several people to provide an actual debate. Added by edit: This wasn't meant to be specifically a reply to Percy's message - more of a general reply.Edited by Chiroptera, : No reason given.

The article was written by Steve Usdin. I want to say I've heard the name before, but an internet search didn't bring up anything I remember. Perhaps the name was mentioned in articles I've read about Alger Hiss or the Verona project.At any rate, Usdin's apparent certainty that Alger Hiss spied for the Soviet Union and that I F Stone's relationship with the KGB needs some kind of explanation. Although a very good case can be made that Hiss did, in fact, spy for the Soviet Union, the case is not absolutely clear and the Vassiliev documents (the subject of the linked article) have turned out to be as murky as everything else in the Alger Hiss case.Nonetheless, as I said, there is good evidence that Hiss was a spy and I could just accept Usdin's certainty as "people taking sides," but the allegations against Stone are extremely weak tea. That Usdin seems certain that Stone had some 'splainin' to do does, I think, show that Usdin does let partisan leanings cloud his judgement, and that he doesn't seem to realize that bringing up Stone would bring into question his judgement makes me doubt somewhat his reliability,On the other hand, Usdin has had a book published by Yale University Press which is no small thing, so there's that.Be that as it may, Usdin isn't justifying Mccarthy -- just the opposite. He's concerned that acknowledging the existence Communist spies in the US government is unreasonably dismissed because some think it would be seen as justifying McCarthy's witch hunt. There are some in the anti-Communist movement who criticize Mccarthy precisely because his excessive circus badly discredited the anti-Communist movement.Edited by Chiroptera, : No reason given.

Unfortunately, we have Trump.Paul Krugman's column this morning: Step Aside for Powell and PelosiThe Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans haven't really been active in trying to figure out how to handle the economic fallout from coronavirus - not surprising since they've long ago sidelined actual economic experts - along with anyone who has any expertise in any field - in favor of charlatans purveying their favored mythologies.All movement on this has been due to action taken by the Fed and the Democratic leadership. Edited by Chiroptera, : Fixed tags.

Oops! That should be Venona, not Verona.My fault. I made the typo.

Just a reminder that coronavirus hasn't slowed down Republican shenanigans.From the New York Times: McConnell Has a Request for Veteran Federal Judges: Please QuitI wonder how many of these judges would deliberately wait until after the elections to retire because they have too much integrity to want to be replaced by political hacks?

Is this real? Trump's poll numbers start to improve due to his recent play-acting as a stateman, and he's going to squander it by reminding people he's a lunatic?

At least, if I'm reading the tweets correctly, not without properly fact checking it first.

Yeah, New York City doesn't usually resort to mass burial sites during flu season.