Lincoln ignored the court, and you can too πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§
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thirdreconst.bsky.social
Lincoln ignored the court, and you can too πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§
@thirdreconst.bsky.social
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Hell is empty, and all the segregationists are once again here. πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦πŸ‡²πŸ‡½πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡΅πŸ‡ΈπŸ³οΈβ€βš§ The Age of John Crow: the Fall of the Fourth American Republic, 2000-2028 (available May 2070). The Third Reconstruction: the Birth of Multiracial Democracy, 2029-2036 (March 2072).
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The regime is falling apart at the seams, has failed to consolidate power, is wildly unpopular, and is careening towards >35% by the midterms.

Commanding majorities in Congress and the electoral college are live possibilities in the next few years.

Major reconstruction is on the table.
Reposted by Lincoln ignored the court, and you can too πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§
One time. The GOP has won more than 50% of the popular vote <one time> since 1992. And yet, every day, you are bombarded with Takesℒ️ from Ezra Douthglesias about how deeply unpopular The Democrats and their policy platform are, without any reflection on how the same standard applies to the GOP.
The Dems have won the popular vote in presidential elections six times since 1992 by roughly 5.5%(1992), 8.5%,(1996) .5%(2000), 7.3%(2008), 4%(2012), 2%(2016),and 4.5%(2020).
In that period the GOP presidential candidate has won the popular vote twice: 2.5%(2004) and 1.5%(2024).
Douthat writes that 2024, when Harris lost by 1.5% of the popular vote, was "an ideological referendum and progressivism lost." I wonder why he didn't view the 2020 election, when Trump lost by 4.5% of the popular vote, as a far more significant loss for conservatism.
bsky.app/profile/larr...
Reposted by Lincoln ignored the court, and you can too πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§
Holy shit.
Early vote numbers in NYC paint a picture of an electorate I don’t think anyone could have predicted.
Reposted by Lincoln ignored the court, and you can too πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§
My only thing about the Pelosi/broader corruption issue is that I’m not convinced that actually cleaning house would solve it. Until the media asymmetry is addressed, it doesn’t really matter how elected Democrats actually behave except in the broadest/most salient strokes (like the budget/hc fight)
Reposted by Lincoln ignored the court, and you can too πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§
NYC is going to have the world's biggest media-manufactured crime panic in history the second Mamdani is elected. They aren't even going to wait until he is inaugurated. Whether or not you like the guy, you need to start preparing now for the fire hose of disinformation that is about to activate.
Would a Senate rule giving the House a role in appointments and treaties violate Art. I. Sec. 3 and Art. II. Sec. 2(2)?

Art. I. Sec 5(2) makes such a rule unreviewable, but this whole project is useless if it isn’t lawful. Democratic, within the plain meaning and spirit of the law, above all.
The AG and the DAG would unfortunately need to remain presidential appointments, but would be subject to removal rule and DOJ would be a semi-independent agency (although Brazil makes me wonder about the wisdom of having DOJ be one of the fully independent agencies).
Something I’ve been thinking re: the DOJ is going beyond having the courts control the Marshals Service/district courts appointing their Marshal, and having all USAs and AUSAs appointed by their district courts as well. Associate AGs and the SG appointed by the DC Circuit.
Lastly, for now, and also part of the imperial Congress project (shoutout to @leedrutman.bsky.social), we need to radically expand Congress’ governance capacity. Massive staffs for committees and members, expanded congressional agencies. Expanded oversight and use of the subpoena power.
We’ll need to explicitly overturn Chadha (shoutout @joshchafetz.bsky.social) and give the House a legislative veto over any use of military force.

And we need to kill the nuclear presidency; no defensive or offensive launches without the concurrent approval of the Speaker and the SecDef.
First steps here are stripping the president of all emergency powers; remaking most of the federal bureaucracy into independent agencies + removal subject to congressional approval; scrapping the AUMF and giving the War Powers resolution teeth. Criminal penalties for violating.
Lots of historical precedent for neutering the presidency and putting it under Congress’ effective control, but the constitutional design makes implementing a de facto parliamentary system harder.
The third step is an important part of an imperial Congress reform, as well: neutering the federal courts as political actors. 24+ judge supreme court, selected randomly from the circuits for two year terms. Large swaths of federal law removed from jurisdiction. Tripling of district/apel judgeships.
The second step is proportional elections for the House. My preferred system would be an adaptation of the Irish system: geographic districts electing five members each by single transferable vote. Thinking 1200 representatives, 240 districts.

The Senate would be elected by ranked-choice voting.
A draft rule:

I. Bills passed by the House shall receive the assent of the Senate three hours after the final vote of the House. A two-thirds majority of Senators may suspend this rule for a bill within the three hour limit, after which the Senate shall immediately begin debate on the bill.
Per Bouie, the first step is neutralizing the power of the Senate over legislation. The Senate’s power over appointments and treaties (and it’s role in the amendment process) are constitutional, but a rule change can give the House total control over regular legislation.
A comment that @jamellebouie.net made recently (I can’t see to find it, sigh) on here has re-sparked the idea that we might need to go even further, and jerry-rig the federal government into a parliamentary democracy as far as the Constitution allows
Excellent post by @samuelmoyn.bsky.social reminiscent of where @jamellebouie.net is going. The stirrings are there; the calls for a restoration, for an β€œimperial Congress” grow stronger on the left! πŸ™πŸ™πŸ™
Opinion | Resistance to Trump Isn’t Enough
www.nytimes.com
I’m unfortunately very aware (we’re working on it *cries*), but what’s going on in the NJ election right now just feels like a category of its own? I don’t know. Every time I read observations from people I follow re: Sherrill I can’t help but make a strangled noise of pain