A Cure for Political Disaffection

Was watching the 1964 movie "Seven Days in May" on TCM and heard this bit of astute political dialogue between a fictional President of the United States and the military general who intends to supplant him in a planned insurrectional take-over of the government. The general refers to himself by his full name as be begins talking:

General James Mattoon Scott: James Mattoon Scott ...  hasn't the slightest interest in his own glorification. But he does have an abiding interest in the survival of this country.
President Jordan Lyman: Then, by God, run for office. You have such a fervent, passionate, evangelical faith in this country - why in the name of God don't you have any faith in the system of government you're so hell-bent to protect?

(The entire confrontational scene between president and treasonous general -- with Burt Lancaster as the general -- is available on YouTube.)

Why has the general organized an armed rebellion to put the president out of office and himself into power? Because President Lyman has signed an arms treaty with the Russians, something that the general thinks weakens us to the point of being sitting ducks for Communist take-over.

This movie came out less than a year after the assassination of President John Kennedy, when possible conspiracies were very much in the air, and it plumbed a certain civic paranoia in a very realistic way. Plus it featured a great cast, including Fredric March as the president, Ava Gardner, Kirk Douglas, and a whole bunch of great character actors.

There was considerable conservative disaffection in the air in those days, particularly in the South and particularly over forced integration. Forget forced health-insurance reform, which in the scheme of things is but a blip of controversy compared to what the Kennedy and then the Johnson administrations were working to achieve ... actual racial justice.

Run for office, sez the fictional president. That's the way our Republic is supposed to work. Let the people decide whether your vision of America is their vision too.

If you think the country is being taken over by socialism, run for office and say so. If you think government will eventually figger a way to confiscate all firearms (including Great-Grandpap’s Civil War musket) and homo-sex-ewe-alls are evidence of the eternal damnation that God Almighty is even now meting out to the United States, run for office and say so.

If you can't run for office and say what you actually want, or fear, then that might tell you something about your own problems, and your own warped perceptions.

Developing...

From SCOTUSblog:

In the most significant federal appeals court ruling so far on the new federal health care law’s contraceptives mandate, the Seventh Circuit Court on Friday night temporarily barred the federal government from enforcing that requirement against an Illinois construction company whose Roman Catholic owners see it as a threat to their religious freedom. In a two-to-one ruling, the panel of the Chicago-based court acted two days after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor had refused – for different reasons — to block enforcement of the mandate against an Oklahoma family and its businesses. 

The Seventh Circuit decision was of potentially major significance, because it marked the first time that a federal court at that level had accepted — at least temporarily — the argument that a profit-making company owned and run by people of strong religious faith fully shares their right to protection of their religious principles. 

North Carolinians, You're Gonna Have To Sacrifice More for the Rich

What can we expect from the Gov. Art Pope regime in North Carolina? Since Mr. Pope is now in charge of the state's budget, we need look no further than Mr. Pope's own Civitas Institute for the blueprint. It's the long-form version of this formula: tax the rich less, tax the poor and middle class more. Period. (There's a bunch of extra blah-blah about job-creators needing to be freed up from the social safety net, and then everything will be just peachy-keen. But we get the message.)

Economist Dave Ribar has taken a hard look at the Civitas outline and has written a compelling analysis of how it's regressive, moving the tax burden from the rich to the poor and middle class, and how it's otherwise full of shit.

This is what you voted for, North Carolina. Enjoy your crap sandwich.

Losses to the Body Politic

These interviews with retiring Congressmen give me new respect for Republican Steven LaTourette of Ohio and Democrat Brad Miller of North Carolina. LaTourette speaks frankly about the Tea Party Republicans who've strong-armed the Republican Conference, and Miller speaks frankly about the cluelessness of the Obama White House.

The loss of such men from our deliberative bodies is a blow to our democracy. As we prepare to cascade over that famous cliff, we wonder if this country has simply become irrevocably ungovernable. That's as dark a thought as one can have approaching a New Year.

We Knew This Would Come Out Eventually

Craptastic retail god and political manipulator Art Pope, who was elected governor of North Carolina last November via his surrogate, Pat Whatisname, is now revealed to have been the Dark Lord behind the redistricting of both the state's General Assembly as well as our U.S. congressional districts. (Hattip: Sharon McCloskey)

Stuff about Pope's hands-on manipulation of redistricting is coming out because of discovery in the lawsuit currently advancing toward the NC Supreme Court which challenges that redistricting:

Documents show that national Republican operatives, funded by dark money groups, drew the crucial lines which packed as many Democrats as possible into three congressional districts. The result: the state's congressional delegation flipped from 7-6 Democratic to 9-4 in favor of Republicans. The combination of party operatives, cash and secrecy also existed in other states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan.

While supposedly the new maps were being drawn by a committee of Republicans in the General Assembly, "the real maps" were being drawn at Republican Party HDQs in downtown Raleigh with Art Pope very much in the room. Not only in the room but sitting at the right-hand of the technician who was manipulating the mouse.

How could the non-elected Art Pope get such a prominent role? This is where it gets downright conspiratorial:

Art Pope, the most influential conservative donor in the state, was appointed "co-counsel" to the legislative leadership and allowed in the room to give direct instructions to the technician. 

"We worked together at the workstation," said Joel Raupe, the technical expert paid by Fair and Legal Redistricting, in a deposition. "He sat next to me." 

Pope, who is a lawyer but does not actively practice, was made co-counsel to the state legislature, offering his services pro bono. Now, because he was technically a legal adviser to the state, he says any information about his involvement in the redistricting is privileged.

Got that? The man's always thinking how he can both run state government and evade any accountability for his involvement. And now ... now, come February, Paul Newby, elected to the state Supreme Court with money pumped in by the same dark forces, will get to decide the legality of the Pope's redistricting.

Nice!

The Gov. McCrory Scorecard

The Winston-Salem Journal says that Lyon Gray is a moderate Republican. We don't know. But Gov.-Elect Pat McCrory has appointed him as his revenue chief.

How will a moderate Republican get along with Art Pope, who ain't a moderate Republican and who will be writing McCrory's budget?

"Moderate McCrory," "Hyper-Conservative Ideologue McCrory"? Which will govern North Carolina?

Pat McCrory Seals the Deal: "I'm a Puppet!"

The folks who made this video before the election had no idea how prophetic they were being.