The Friday Incision is exclusive to Full Subscribers. But this month alone, we’re opening it up! I hope you’ll participate in our live discussion board on the stories of the day. Leave comments below, or come back at 12 when I’ll be jumping in. I hope you’ll join our community to keep receiving the Friday Incision!
Here’s what’s on my mind this Friday:
House impeachment managers rested their case yesterday in Trump’s impeachment trial. It was forceful, gut-wrenching, and incisive. But will it actually move Senate Republicans (many of whom were in on it from the jump)?
America needs a functional conservative party. As much as I’m likely to disagree with them on most things, at least we might be able to agree on democracy itself—because this version doesn’t even believe in that. What is the GOP’s path to sanity? Does it have one? What sacred cows will it have to sacrifice—racism, anti-science, climate denialism (hey, a brown Muslim scientist can dream right?)?
COVID-19 cases continue to plummet—and governors are opening back up. But more transmissible and potentially deadly variants are spreading quickly. How should policymakers be handling this moment in the pandemic?
Post your thoughts now or later. I’ll be here live from 12-1 EST to jump in!
We may end up with 4 political parties. First, it is clear that a number of Republican senators want to form a new party, to get away from the POT (party of Trump).
Second, the more progressive members of The Democratic Party may soon tire of usual payola politics game, and break off to form their own party.
Like with The Republicans, if they take a number of house members and at least one Senator with them, I see a good chance that this venture could succeed.
If this happens, there is at least some chance that all would agree to a ranked-choice ballot--at least for the presidential election.
The new Center Right party and the old Democratic Party would be sure to dominate, as these elections will likely be decided by 2nd choice votes.
This will do nothing to deal with the 8 ton elephant in the room (large campaign contributors), but it may make things a little less certain for them.
If we want to slay this 8 ton elephant, we are going to have to insist on some sort of share-the-wealth campaign finance system. We are going to have to make a lot of noise. And we are going to have to do it for a very long time. Congress critters like things as they are. It gives them much better job security.
I think if the reality of our first-past-the-post voting system weren't the case, you're probably right that this is the reality of where we are in our politics. It's not just that we're "polarized" but that there are deep fissures inside each of our parties along the lines you're drawing. I think as we start watching FPP fall by the way side, particularly in local contexts as people support rank-choice, we might see that divergence.
The big question is what our system might look like if we didn't even have two parties?
The other is so long as the structure of our system maintains two parties, what will the GOP look like. I worry that with today's vote, we're watching it captured by its white nationalist populist element before our eyes as we speak.
I met you a few times during your campaign in Charlotte and at the capitol. I supported you and I was disappointed there wasn’t a position for you. I hope there will be in the future! Now more than ever, science needs to be involved in government.
Personally—and I think we will see at the impeachment vote—I see no hope for the Republican Party. They’ve proven they are not for the people and only for their own personal power.
Yes, America does need a functional Conservative party, but also more. The GOP has a long road ahead if they are going to be it. One of the long-standing issues with the two party system is single-issue voters. There is no alternative for someone who picks, say abortion or education, as “their”issue. The two party system simply makes it more of a “us vs them.” All that to say, they will have to “give” on many issues and from what has been shown over and over again it is unlikely to be racism, but that is likely their best path to gaining support at least in the short term.
The point you're making about the way the two party system tribalizes our politics around single issues is a really interesting one. Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for letting me log in today I appreciate it. I supported your campaign and still support Southpaw MI but feel I can't afford to pay out more than I do, so I'm grateful for the newsletters you generously send out. I can't actually stay for long but as I said, I appreciate and support your efforts to make the world a better place.
I have just written my County Commissioner(3) MI State Senator (22) and MI State Representative (47) concerning their beliefs about Jan 6th and Trump and the election. I live in Livingston Cty. I think it is important for those of us who are being represented by Republicans to find out what their stance is on Jan 6th.
Hey Abdul, I'm a lifelong resident of southeast Michigan and I'm concerned with some of Governor Whitmer's administration's decisions throughout this pandemic. Overall, I think she has our best interests in mind, but her admin has direct oversight over the county jails and Wayne County Jail is a disturbing inhumane place for anyone to have to exist with fecal matter being passed between toilets, etc. I also take issue with the lack of oversight regarding the nursing homes with plastic sheets separating COVID wings from non-COVID wings. I've written and called her admin and my reps on every level, but action has not been taken to remedy any of that. Do you have any other suggestions of how I might get through to the Governor? Also, is there anything that you would be doing differently as Governor right now in this situation?
Chris - thanks for your advocacy on behalf of incarcerated people. Our Dept of Corrections--frankly our entire criminal legal system--has a ton of work to do. A group at Columbia that I work with and I have a paper coming out showing that county jail incarceration predicts overall mortality. That's because jail stays are transient, and they pull people out of society and then place them back in, only after wrecking their lives and livelihoods. The risks are manifold, particularly during COVID. I would work with some of the like-minded orgs that are facing down this issue together--Detroit will breathe is a leader on these issues. I would also look at Survivors Speak.
Hi Abdul! I am a senior public health student at Boston University. I would love to hear more about what you think policymakers and future public health leaders should be doing about the new variants? Currently, the narrative around varients reminds me of the early pandemic's fear-mongering and not led by science. I worry that we are opening up too quickly as cases are finally starting to decrease. Yet, I know pandemic fatigue is genuine for so many people, and health continues to suffer as we stay apart. I would love your thoughts about how public health leaders and policymakers should be balancing these two different needs when the light at the end of the tunnel feels so close? Also, any advice you have for a graduating public health student would be appreciated!
Wes - thanks for your thoughtful question. We have to remember that the nature of the news is to highlight what's different about a situation, and it tends toward more alarm and less serious consideration. I've got a piece on this coming out on Sunday I hope you'll read, but in short, we need to make sure we are NOT opening up too early. We can't pretend like the vaccines are the answer ALONE. We still need basic public health to do its work to prevent spread of these variants. And yes, there is real risk here, P1 in particular emerged in Manaus Brazil, where 76% of people had had COVID19 already, meaning it has evaded natural immunity. We're going to HAVE to keep doing good (or perhaps start )public health containment. We also need more genomic surveillance. It's not just that we have more transmissible variants, but the threat that we can have yet more that we need to pay attention to. Lastly, more more more vaccinations.
Thank you so much for this fantastic answer!! I agree with you that doing the basics of testing, tracing, and isolating is even more necessary now and that vaccines alone will not "fix" the pandemic! Thank you for your thoughtful explanation!
Hey Abdul - thanks so much for starting this and for all that you do! I also have been thinking about if there is a path to sanity for the GOP. It seems, though, that they will do literally anything for power. That keeping or getting more “power” is their only currency... what can we do about that right now? (Besides fight like hell to ensure we win in 2022)
That's what I'm struggling with. What can we do *right now.* On the one hand, I find comments like the ones Nikki Haley made today to Politico--that Trump was wrong and led them down the wrong path--self-serving and hypocritical given that politicians like here were "leading" right alongside him. But at the same time, if there is going to be a "molting" of the GOP, it's got to start somewhere, even with folks like her. I'm not sure what to make of it.
But they've got to figure their future out--because this is unsustainable for them and more importantly for America. Hopefully, they can take a great leap leftward--embrace science, anti-racism, climate policy, even if they hold on to (awfully broken and regressive) notions of the private enterprise and the market being solutions to these things (which again, I find to be a non-starter).
I have been calling the 17 Senators who are thought to possibly join the Democrats to vote to impeach and also writing to each one via www. Last name.senate.gov and not only appealing to their big hearts and reason and sense of morality and going beyond all partisanship but also stating that our democracy is in shreds and no longer respected in the global world community if Trump is not held accountable. I urge them to recognize that people were killed and injured and his loyalist Vice President , if left unprotected, would have been hanged, lunched, because of Trump’s words denigrating him. I also sent the video you can all Google of Trump and family celebrating gleefully while watching the mob on TV and Don Jr interviewed there saying happily that what they were hoping for was close and Kimberly popped in and said @we have to FIGHT’! Please speak up and tell McConnell especially that his reputation in history is at stake along with our democracy and a word from him to his colleagues - more than just “ vote your conscience” is needed. He needs to be adamantly for impeachment. Thanks for listening. All the videos plus the one I mentioned prove beyond the shadow of a doubt the Pre planned complicity and intent of Trump and his family and must end this delusional evil and narcissistic threat to our Constitution and our democracy. Never allow him to run for office again or get security and pay for life by taxpayers’ money. Accountability now is demanded. Thanks for welcoming comments on this.
Thank you. You're right--I wrote this out in yesterday's newsletter, but we HAVE to get this right. Others are waiting in the wings and watching--and they could be much worse.
We may end up with 4 political parties. First, it is clear that a number of Republican senators want to form a new party, to get away from the POT (party of Trump).
Second, the more progressive members of The Democratic Party may soon tire of usual payola politics game, and break off to form their own party.
Like with The Republicans, if they take a number of house members and at least one Senator with them, I see a good chance that this venture could succeed.
If this happens, there is at least some chance that all would agree to a ranked-choice ballot--at least for the presidential election.
The new Center Right party and the old Democratic Party would be sure to dominate, as these elections will likely be decided by 2nd choice votes.
This will do nothing to deal with the 8 ton elephant in the room (large campaign contributors), but it may make things a little less certain for them.
If we want to slay this 8 ton elephant, we are going to have to insist on some sort of share-the-wealth campaign finance system. We are going to have to make a lot of noise. And we are going to have to do it for a very long time. Congress critters like things as they are. It gives them much better job security.
I think if the reality of our first-past-the-post voting system weren't the case, you're probably right that this is the reality of where we are in our politics. It's not just that we're "polarized" but that there are deep fissures inside each of our parties along the lines you're drawing. I think as we start watching FPP fall by the way side, particularly in local contexts as people support rank-choice, we might see that divergence.
The big question is what our system might look like if we didn't even have two parties?
The other is so long as the structure of our system maintains two parties, what will the GOP look like. I worry that with today's vote, we're watching it captured by its white nationalist populist element before our eyes as we speak.
I met you a few times during your campaign in Charlotte and at the capitol. I supported you and I was disappointed there wasn’t a position for you. I hope there will be in the future! Now more than ever, science needs to be involved in government.
Personally—and I think we will see at the impeachment vote—I see no hope for the Republican Party. They’ve proven they are not for the people and only for their own personal power.
Unfortunately, Lorna - it looks like you're right given what we just saw today.
And thank you for your support :)
Yes, America does need a functional Conservative party, but also more. The GOP has a long road ahead if they are going to be it. One of the long-standing issues with the two party system is single-issue voters. There is no alternative for someone who picks, say abortion or education, as “their”issue. The two party system simply makes it more of a “us vs them.” All that to say, they will have to “give” on many issues and from what has been shown over and over again it is unlikely to be racism, but that is likely their best path to gaining support at least in the short term.
The point you're making about the way the two party system tribalizes our politics around single issues is a really interesting one. Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for letting me log in today I appreciate it. I supported your campaign and still support Southpaw MI but feel I can't afford to pay out more than I do, so I'm grateful for the newsletters you generously send out. I can't actually stay for long but as I said, I appreciate and support your efforts to make the world a better place.
Thank you, Kent. Grateful for your support!!
I have just written my County Commissioner(3) MI State Senator (22) and MI State Representative (47) concerning their beliefs about Jan 6th and Trump and the election. I live in Livingston Cty. I think it is important for those of us who are being represented by Republicans to find out what their stance is on Jan 6th.
YES! Thank you :)
Hey Abdul, I'm a lifelong resident of southeast Michigan and I'm concerned with some of Governor Whitmer's administration's decisions throughout this pandemic. Overall, I think she has our best interests in mind, but her admin has direct oversight over the county jails and Wayne County Jail is a disturbing inhumane place for anyone to have to exist with fecal matter being passed between toilets, etc. I also take issue with the lack of oversight regarding the nursing homes with plastic sheets separating COVID wings from non-COVID wings. I've written and called her admin and my reps on every level, but action has not been taken to remedy any of that. Do you have any other suggestions of how I might get through to the Governor? Also, is there anything that you would be doing differently as Governor right now in this situation?
Thanks,
Chris
Chris - thanks for your advocacy on behalf of incarcerated people. Our Dept of Corrections--frankly our entire criminal legal system--has a ton of work to do. A group at Columbia that I work with and I have a paper coming out showing that county jail incarceration predicts overall mortality. That's because jail stays are transient, and they pull people out of society and then place them back in, only after wrecking their lives and livelihoods. The risks are manifold, particularly during COVID. I would work with some of the like-minded orgs that are facing down this issue together--Detroit will breathe is a leader on these issues. I would also look at Survivors Speak.
Hi Abdul! I am a senior public health student at Boston University. I would love to hear more about what you think policymakers and future public health leaders should be doing about the new variants? Currently, the narrative around varients reminds me of the early pandemic's fear-mongering and not led by science. I worry that we are opening up too quickly as cases are finally starting to decrease. Yet, I know pandemic fatigue is genuine for so many people, and health continues to suffer as we stay apart. I would love your thoughts about how public health leaders and policymakers should be balancing these two different needs when the light at the end of the tunnel feels so close? Also, any advice you have for a graduating public health student would be appreciated!
Wes - thanks for your thoughtful question. We have to remember that the nature of the news is to highlight what's different about a situation, and it tends toward more alarm and less serious consideration. I've got a piece on this coming out on Sunday I hope you'll read, but in short, we need to make sure we are NOT opening up too early. We can't pretend like the vaccines are the answer ALONE. We still need basic public health to do its work to prevent spread of these variants. And yes, there is real risk here, P1 in particular emerged in Manaus Brazil, where 76% of people had had COVID19 already, meaning it has evaded natural immunity. We're going to HAVE to keep doing good (or perhaps start )public health containment. We also need more genomic surveillance. It's not just that we have more transmissible variants, but the threat that we can have yet more that we need to pay attention to. Lastly, more more more vaccinations.
Thank you so much for this fantastic answer!! I agree with you that doing the basics of testing, tracing, and isolating is even more necessary now and that vaccines alone will not "fix" the pandemic! Thank you for your thoughtful explanation!
Hey Abdul - thanks so much for starting this and for all that you do! I also have been thinking about if there is a path to sanity for the GOP. It seems, though, that they will do literally anything for power. That keeping or getting more “power” is their only currency... what can we do about that right now? (Besides fight like hell to ensure we win in 2022)
That's what I'm struggling with. What can we do *right now.* On the one hand, I find comments like the ones Nikki Haley made today to Politico--that Trump was wrong and led them down the wrong path--self-serving and hypocritical given that politicians like here were "leading" right alongside him. But at the same time, if there is going to be a "molting" of the GOP, it's got to start somewhere, even with folks like her. I'm not sure what to make of it.
But they've got to figure their future out--because this is unsustainable for them and more importantly for America. Hopefully, they can take a great leap leftward--embrace science, anti-racism, climate policy, even if they hold on to (awfully broken and regressive) notions of the private enterprise and the market being solutions to these things (which again, I find to be a non-starter).
I have been calling the 17 Senators who are thought to possibly join the Democrats to vote to impeach and also writing to each one via www. Last name.senate.gov and not only appealing to their big hearts and reason and sense of morality and going beyond all partisanship but also stating that our democracy is in shreds and no longer respected in the global world community if Trump is not held accountable. I urge them to recognize that people were killed and injured and his loyalist Vice President , if left unprotected, would have been hanged, lunched, because of Trump’s words denigrating him. I also sent the video you can all Google of Trump and family celebrating gleefully while watching the mob on TV and Don Jr interviewed there saying happily that what they were hoping for was close and Kimberly popped in and said @we have to FIGHT’! Please speak up and tell McConnell especially that his reputation in history is at stake along with our democracy and a word from him to his colleagues - more than just “ vote your conscience” is needed. He needs to be adamantly for impeachment. Thanks for listening. All the videos plus the one I mentioned prove beyond the shadow of a doubt the Pre planned complicity and intent of Trump and his family and must end this delusional evil and narcissistic threat to our Constitution and our democracy. Never allow him to run for office again or get security and pay for life by taxpayers’ money. Accountability now is demanded. Thanks for welcoming comments on this.
This is great. Thanks for your calls!
Thank you. You're right--I wrote this out in yesterday's newsletter, but we HAVE to get this right. Others are waiting in the wings and watching--and they could be much worse.
Thank you for doing this.