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Ben Wikler Profile picture
@benwikler
Sep 18, 2018 • 8 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
In the forthcoming book "An Uncivil War," by @ThePlumLineGS (out 10/16! Pre-order: goo.gl/oq9ZTj), I point out that elected Ds & Rs respond to very different media incentives. Ds hate criticism by mainstream media. For Rs, only Fox/Limbaugh matter. 1/
This plays out in a million ways. I tell the story of the DACA #TrumpShutdown in the book. But as @ThePlumLineGS notes, it particularly matters vis-a-vis "Constitutional hardball"—the extent to which each side is willing to flout norms in pursuit of substantive & political ends.
This dynamic is at play to a staggering extent in the Kavanaugh confirmation fight. Imagine of one of Obama's lawyers & top aides was nominated for SCOTUS, and a Dem prez refused to release >90% of White House papers. Media would scream. And Dems would buckle, & release it all.
With Kavanaugh, a mountain of papers remains locked away. Journalists have pointed it out. Editorialists have editorialized. But conservative press couldn't care less, and Republicans haven't batted an eyelash.

And then came Dr. Ford's allegations—& this dynamic is in overdrive.
Grassley's plan to have a hearing next week without the witness alleged to have been *in the room*, without two more people who were at the party, after Kavanaugh said he wasn't at the party & none of it happened—it's just breathtakingly cynical. But GOP senators are all silent.
For them, the pushback in the mainstream press is just noise. Something to be tuned out as they bulldoze forward. If the shoe were on the other foot, this wouldn't be the case; a nominee like Kavanaugh would long have been withdrawn even pre-allegations, due to lies in testimony.
So what do you do about it? You have to make so much noise that they can't tune it out. The election is so proximate that we might be able to remind Republican senators that they're not only running in a GOP primary. Call. Protest. Bird-dog. Vow to vote. Recruit voters. Be loud.
Mitch McConnell apparently got scared enough about senators being near DC reporters that he just sent everyone home for the week. Which means that, if you live in a state, your senators are heading your way. Call offices, ask where to find them, show up.

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More from @benwikler

Ben Wikler Profile picture
Oct 9, 2018
Tomorrow, Chuck Grassley is holding hearings for two Ohioan extremist Circuit Court nominees, Chad Readler and Eric Murphy. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) objects. For years, home-state senators had a courtesy veto over nominees from their states. But McConnell/Grassley eliminated that. 1/
Chad Readler leads the Civil Division in Trump's Department of Justice. He led DoJ's work to kill the Affordable Care Act, personally signing a brief so dishonest that the career attorneys wouldn't touch it. Now he's up for a lifetime appointment.
pfaw.org/blog-posts/jud…
Chad Readler defended family separation. He helped block millions of workers from overtime pay. He fought for 3d-printed guns, against DACA, for the military trans ban, for the Muslim Ban, and—in private practice—for Big Tobacco. He shouldn't be a judge.

afj.org/wp-content/upl…
Read 6 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Oct 5, 2018
In the Kavanaugh fight, nobody knows for sure what's going to happen. The conventional wisdom in DC is that the GOP will have Kavanaugh confirmed by Saturday afternoon, and he'll be on the bench by Monday. But you know what? That was the conventional wisdom a week ago, too. 1/
Politics is unpredictable. The one thing you can control is whether you try to do something about it. And people *are* doing something—they're doing everything they can think of. Right now, for example: there's a #PeoplesFilibuster protest @ the Capitol that will go *all night.*
If you're in the DC area, can't sleep, and wondering what to do, head out to the Capitol right now and look near the Senate steps on the NE corner. Or if you can't make it over there, here's the live video feed:
facebook.com/wedemandjustic…
Read 7 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Oct 3, 2018
Furious about Kavanaugh? Don’t just sit there. We need your power. The truth is, there’s a LOT you can do. We may only have four days until the final vote, and your voice is needed now. This is a thread about what’s coming, and how you can help. Please follow along and share. 1/
What's next with Kavanaugh? On Wednesday, McConnell sets wheels in motion by filing for cloture. Senate rules require an intervening day before cloture vote—so that vote will be Friday. Then 30 hours of debate & final confirmation vote as soon as Saturday night. Time is SHORT.
What about the FBI report? WSJ says it could end by Wed. Many potential corroborating witnesses won't be interviewed—nor Dr. Blasey Ford, nor Kavanaugh. Once background report is updated, only Senators will get to see it. Don't bet on it to end this fight.
thehill.com/blogs/floor-ac…
Read 31 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Sep 28, 2018
🚨KAVANAUGH VOTE MOVING FAST; PROTESTS @ NOON FRIDAY🚨
Fri AM: committee vote. Sat: procedural vote. Mon: cloture. Tue: final vote. CALL: 202-224-3121. Gather @ Senate offices 12p Fri to tell say VOTE NO. Bring signs. Wear black. Tweet photos. Spread word. All hands on deck.
Near Phoenix, AZ? Tell Jeff Flake to vote NO on Kavanaugh: meet at noon Friday 9/28 at his office at 2200 E Camelback Rd, Suite 120. Bring signs and friends, wear black, share photos.
facebook.com/events/3063639…
Near Anchorage, Alaska? Tell Lisa Murkowski to announce her opposition to Kavanaugh! Meet at noon (Alaska time) at her office at 510 L St, Suite 600. Bring signs, friends, wear black, tweet your photos, tag your senator—spread the word on Facebook here: facebook.com/events/1432400…
Read 10 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Sep 21, 2018
"The Trump administration says global slavery and child labor are bad — for American businesses
They give an “unfair advantage” to US competitors, according to the US Labor Department."
>> I see this as an instance of something good-ish. Lemme explain. 1/

vox.com/2018/9/21/1788…
What's happening with this report on global slavery & child labor is something that's happening throughout our government: mission-driven civil servants are figuring out how to keep pursuing their long-time goals by reframing them into language that resonates with Trump.
You'd think that Trump's government would simply stop working on stuff like forced labor. But the people actually doing the work? They care. So, like good bureaucrats everywhere, they figure out how to manage up.
Read 4 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Sep 20, 2018
GOP seems to think that if Dr. Blasey Ford doesn't speak at their 2-witness hearing on Mon, she'll disappear. But per @JRubinBlogger, "Ford has another option: Hold a news conference with her own experts and make the case directly to the American people."
washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/…
It is Dr. Blasey-Ford's right to decide how, whether, when, and where to share her story. It's unclear to me why Senate Republicans keep saying, and apparently believing, that they have the power to dictate terms to her. She doesn't have to play their game.
Media seem confused about this too. Axios quoted @JeffreyToobin on CNN saying "If she refuses to testify on Monday, Kavanaugh is getting confirmed." Why? If she chooses to make her case publicly on her own terms, it could be *more* powerful than in a GOP-controlled hearing.
Read 4 tweets

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