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This week, we discuss the trap of assessing threats to democracy solely through a legal prism, choose this week's celebrity, and share what we can learn from tennis.
Former President Donald Trump, who has been indicted four times, faces a significant number of criminal charges (88), as well as three major civil judgments (two E. Jean Carroll cases and one New York real estate appraisal fraud case). His threats, lies, attacks, and various acts of outrageous behavior are often framed in purely legalistic terms. Well, his attack on New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Marchan's daughter didn't actually violate the original gag order, since the family was not mentioned. Oh, and reposting a doctored photo of President Biden bound and gagged in the bed of a pickup truck is technically a violation of 18 U.S.C. 871, since he did not incite the action. No violation.
Such an approach is very wrong. Not all situations require “naming the crime.” Framing the argument in this way eliminates President Trump's morally reprehensible behavior and minimizes his threat to democracy. And if his actions cannot be characterized as a violation of a specific statute or court order, he will eventually get a pass.
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When voters consider his suitability for the presidency, Trump's actions, legal or otherwise, will weigh against the democratic norms and moral principles that apply to all candidates for office, especially those running for president. should be evaluated based on Someone who targets a judge's daughter on social media or reposts violent images of a sitting president has no place in the Oval Office. (As a historian Ruth Ben Guiat complained:“Wake up, people. This is an emergency. This is what authoritarian thugs and terrorists are doing. Trump is targeting the President of the United States.”
The responsibility for raising red flags shouldn't fall solely on both the judge handling Trump's case and the judge hearing it, as it did when Marchand expanded the gag order. (“Threats to the integrity of the judicial process are no longer limited to vacillations of the mind, but instead rest on the willingness of individuals, private and public, to fulfill their legal obligations before this court,” he wrote.) ) The obligation shall be imposed on the following persons: Citizens, political leaders, and the media defend the rule of law and democracy itself, regardless of whether a particular order has been violated. In short, Trump's attacks on our democracy should not be seen as “mere” violations of the law. The response need not only come from the judge.
Limiting all of President Trump's reprehensible criminal acts to legitimate ones also gives Republicans an excuse to avoid condemning President Trump's actions. (Well, a judge will decide whether he violated a court order.) Even when Trump attacks democratic norms, Republicans rarely come forward and condemn him. Too many interviewers don't push candidates to take responsibility for their actions. (How can you support someone who targets a judge's daughter? In what world is it acceptable to show a picture of a bound and gagged president?)
Most of the people who criticize Trump are former Republican officials. “This is one of those things that you just can't avoid the headlines,” said former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh. I shared the image.” CNN. “I mean, stop there. … This is way beyond politics. This is incitement to violence.” Now, this is the framework for discussing Trump's string of outrages.
Democrats and supporters alike are encouraged to put pressure on their opponents. “Are there any lines that President Trump might cross that you won't follow?” How can voters expect you to honor your oath in the face of his threats and complaints? Meanwhile, the media, elected leaders, and voters should not ignore that Trump's actions do not have to be illegal to be disqualifying.
This week's celebrities
To cite a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as a reason for the tragic bridge collapse in a city run by African-American Mayor Brandon Scott and other African-American officials. , requires some degree of extraordinary racism. Never mind that the bridge opened before Scott was born. Logic and facts don't matter when a MAGA bigot slanders his DEI. This horrific accident, which claimed the lives of six workers and could cause severe economic damage to the entire country, simply serves as fodder for the spread of white supremacy.
Scott faced the attack directly. “I know what they really mean when they say DEI mayor,” he told local news outlet The Baltimore Banner. “Whether it's DEI or clowns. They really want to say the N-word. But nothing they can do to me or say to me is any worse than how they treated my ancestors.”
Similarly, Scott was generous with his appearance on “Face the Nation.” “We know there's [is] A lot of racism, people who think I shouldn't have this job. I know that. “I’ve been black my whole life,” he said. “I didn't want to be there that night to ask or answer questions about DEI. I'm afraid lives will be lost. We all know how ridiculous that is. He reiterated that this is no different than calling him the n-word. He swore: “We will continue to focus on the mission at hand and work in the best way that I can, giving my advantage to prove people wrong about people who look like me.” We have to continue from there.”
Scott rightly denounced the opaque language that hides racists. Replacing “black” with “DEI” (similar to replacing “Jew” with “Zionist”) should not exempt bigots from condemnation. Scott's outspokenness forces the nation to confront racist right-wing rhetoric. It is essential to denying the thin veneer of respectability offered by purveyors of hate.
Another week and another great professional tennis tournament begins. Rising Italian star Jannik Sinner and elegant American Daniel Collins, who announced his retirement, won the singles titles at the Miami Open last weekend. Listening to their comments courtside after the match, I was reminded that tennis has become a true team sport, not just doubles.
With courtside coaching now allowed and high-profile coaches helping develop good players into great players (e.g. Darren Cahill at Sinner, Brad Gilbert at Coco Gauff), fans are at their best. We have come to know that behind each player there is a team of skilled professionals. Many athletes have a strategist and lead coach, another day-to-day coach, a hitting partner (or two), a nutritionist, a fitness coach, and sometimes a sports psychologist or physical therapist. It takes a village to make a champion.
After games, polite players like Sinner and Collins not only praise their own team and salute their opponents, but also recognize the opposing team. It's a rare display of humility in sports, an honest recognition that no one can reach that level on their own. Such generosity does not take anything away from the skill, diligence and tenacity of the athletes themselves. In fact, fans will be able to see that these stars not only play great tennis, but also effectively run small businesses with staff of different personalities that they have to work with.
If politicians and business tycoons had the same level of humility and civility, perhaps the myth of the “novelty man'' would undergo a long-overdue shift. None of us achieve success entirely on our own.
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