Long-Weekend Reading: The Compelling Nonpartisan Case For A Boycott February 17, 2018February 17, 2018 The indictment. Turns out, while the hacking may have been done by some 400-pound guy sitting on his bed (this indictment doesn’t deal with the hacking), that’s looking increasingly less likely. We’ve been attacked. Our democracy is still very much under attack. And our president — and the overwhelming majority of Republicans who enable him — are doing nothing about it. (The “more than $1 million a month” the Russians are now said to have been spending on this was likely much more. But even if not, $1 million buys the equivalent of perhaps $4 million of talent and labor in Russia, where wages are lower. For perspective, the budget of the entire DNC, net of fundraising costs, was not much more than $4 million a month last year. Injecting even a little foreign money into our political system — in cash or “in kind” — is strictly illegal. But this? This is the cyber equivalent of an aircraft-carrier-sized sneak attack.) A review of the political thriller I told you about last February (The People’s House), by the chair of the Ohio Democratic Party who used to work in St. Petersburg with a young Vladimir Putin, whose sequel (The Wingman) comes out Monday. The only thing I didn’t like about David Pepper’s THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE is that it ended. And – spoiler alert – justice had not entirely been done. Really? This made me crazy. Jack would let this happen? Jack Sharpe? I was sure he wasn’t finished. How could he be?! Well, thankfully, with THE WINGMAN, we find out he was not. Why Is It So Hard For Democracy To Deal With Inequality. Thomas Edsall makes the case that both political parties have abandoned the working class (hence the appeal of Bernie and Trump). But I don’t buy it. Bernie was seen as a populist, but Hillary’s policy positions were nearly the same — just (her supporters would argue) a little more fiscally and politically realistic. (E.g.: debt-free college rather than entirely-free college.) Many Democratic funders and leaders are rich elitists, just as Roosevelt was. But we fight for a higher minimum wage, universal health care, debt-free college, more generous overtime rules, worker safety regulations, the right to organize, consumer protections . . . and higher tax rates on the uber-wealthy, preserving the estate tax. Which I suppose is one more reason to highlight the argument of these two staunch independents, Jonathan Rauch and Benjamin Wittes — “the article we never thought we’d write” — Boycott The Republican Party. “If conservatives want to save the GOP from itself, they need to vote mindlessly and mechanically against its nominees.” . . . We’re suggesting that in today’s situation, people should vote a straight Democratic ticket even if they are not partisan, and despite their policy views. They should vote against Republicans in a spirit that is, if you will, prepartisan and prepolitical. Their attitude should be: The rule of law is a threshold value in American politics, and a party that endangers this value disqualifies itself, period. In other words, under certain peculiar and deeply regrettable circumstances, sophisticated, independent-minded voters need to act as if they were dumb-ass partisans. . . . Florida Has A Gun Problem, And Governor Rick Scott Is To Blame: “In 2014, the NRA’s Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) praised Scott, stating, ‘Rick has signed more pro-gun bills into law in one term than any other governor in Florida history.'” In Florida, you can buy a near military grade assault weapon — with no waiting period! — before you are legally old enough to buy a beer. (A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. So how about we have a militia — call it “the National Guard” — and anyone who serves has the right to keep and bear arms? Others, who like to hunt or target shoot, absolutely get to do so, but with sensible gun safety regulations? Surely if the Militia is meant to be well regulated, the general population can be subject to sensible regulation as well?) Want to help? Click here.