More subpoenas, Facebook's woes, and a challenge to Mike Lee

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For nearly five years, it has been my honor to work with Stand Up Republic to help build a vibrant democracy movement in America. We've fought against difficult odds, made a principled stand for America, and ultimately won the day for truth and decency. Our work has been a testament to the fact that in America, we the people have the power to chart a new course for the future. If we hope to renew our politics, we must put ourselves forward as the instruments of that change. That's why I've decided to run as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in Utah. I'll be stepping back from SUR for this campaign, but I am by no means leaving the fold. While you may not see me as often in THE TOPLINE, I will continue on as a senior adviser to the Stand Up Republic Foundation, doing the critical work of uniting Americans around foundational ideals that support our system of self-government and freedom. That work is never ending, and we all have our roles to play in different seasons. Thank you
for continuing to be a part of this important work and a member of the TOPLINE community of readers! —Evan McMullin

Ed. Note: The TOPLINE team will be off on Monday in observance of Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day. THE TOPLINE will return on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

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** Bauer & Goldsmith: Congress should seize this change
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"The Protecting Our Democracy Act contains vital presidential reforms that have the potential to attract bipartisan support, and that should attract that support, despite our splintered polity and a 50-50 Senate. The moment is also propitious for reform because the president has indicated openness to these constraints on presidential powers where other presidents typically have not. According to press reports, Democratic lawmakers have consulted with the White House on PODA, and while it is not on board for everything, it apparently supports many of the reforms. In short, this is a rare moment where consequential reform of the presidency not seen since the 1970s might be possible." —Bob Bauer & Jack Goldsmith in ([link removed]) Politico ([link removed])

Bob Bauer served as White House counsel to former President Barack Obama and as senior adviser for the Biden campaign. Jack Goldsmith served in the George W. Bush Administration as an assistant attorney general and as special counsel to the Department of Defense. They are co-chairs of the Presidential Reform Project.

MORE: Biden declines Trump request to withhold White House records from Jan. 6 committee —NBC News ([link removed])


** NYT Ed Board: Fix this law before 2024
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"A small minority of legal scholars have argued that key parts of the Electoral Count Act are unconstitutional, which was the basis of Mr. Eastman's claim that Mr. Pence could simply disregard the law and summarily reject electors of certain key battleground states. Nothing in the Constitution or federal law gives the vice president this authority. The job of the vice president is to open the envelopes and read out the results, nothing more. Any reform to the Electoral Count Act should start there, by making it explicit that the vice president's role on Jan. 6 is purely ministerial and doesn't include the power to rule on disputes over electors. The law should also be amended to allow states more time to arrive at a final count, so that any legal disputes can be resolved before the electors cast their ballots." —The New York Times ([link removed])

MORE: Jan. 6 committee issues new subpoenas for two leaders of 'Stop the Steal' group —CNN ([link removed])


** SLPD Ed Board: Lies are creating a volatile situation
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"Republicans who still care about democracy need to ask themselves how much of this destructive talk is enough, and whether the stolen-election drumbeat by candidates and elected officials—who know better—is encouraging talk among rank-and-file Republicans to support acts of political violence. Republican politicians are playing with a loaded gun, recklessly aiming it at America's democratic future." — ([link removed]) St. Louis Post-Dispatch ([link removed])

MORE: Arizona Republicans tell Congress: Maricopa County held 'free, fair, and accurate election' that Biden won —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** Sullivan: Facebook should be reined in
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"Facebook has built a business model that it knows full well relies on the anger and outrage of its nearly 3 billion users to keep them engaged and clicking ('Misinformation, toxicity, and violent content are inordinately prevalent among reshares,' its own data scientists concluded, according to the Journal report.) As [Facebook whistleblower Frances] Haugen explained, this phenomenon motivates politicians not just to communicate differently but to govern differently, by embracing less reasonable, more outrage-inducing policy positions. You can see this playing out in extreme rhetoric on emotional issues like immigration policy. Facebook's practices, she believes, even propelled the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol by allowing misinformation to flourish and organizers to congregate on its sites." —Margaret Sullivan in ([link removed]) The Washington Post
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Margaret Sullivan is the media columnist for
The Washington Post.

MORE: There's a brewing battle among conservatives over Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen —Forbes ([link removed])
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** Esarey: Pandemic democracy vs. pandemic autocracy
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"Democracies face criticism of their vaccination campaigns precisely because they are democracies: They have cultures of open discussion and free media. But when it comes to developing and administering the lifesaving vaccines that can stop the virus, democratic governance is working." —Justin Esarey in ([link removed]) The Atlantic ([link removed])

Justin Esarey is an associate professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University who specializes in political methodology.

MORE: A look at who is still not vaccinated against COVID-19 —Yahoo! News ([link removed])


** Gehrke: Move over, Mike Lee
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"We're about to witness a very interesting test of Utah's political status quo. Evan McMullin, who won more than 21% of Utahns' votes for president in 2016, will challenge Sen. Mike Lee as an independent candidate for Utah's Senate seat next year. An announcement of his candidacy is likely to come soon—perhaps very soon—a source in the McMullin camp told me over the weekend. If McMullin is elected…it could pose the most definitive rebuke to date to Donald Trump's Republican Party and serve notice to leaders of both parties that there is a wide swath of American voters who care less about cultish partisan allegiances and more about results." —Robert Gehrke in ([link removed]) The Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])

Robert Gehrke is a
Salt Lake Tribune news columnist covering government and politics in Utah and the West.

MORE: Jennifer Rubin: Mike Lee may finally pay for his Trump sycophancy —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** The Economist: How far apart are we really?
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"Political scientists have several hypotheses for why partisan sorting has occurred [in the U.S.]. One explanation is America's two-party system, which makes it easier to form strong political identities than in countries with several major parties, where holding views that cross party lines is more common. Another is the growth of media outlets that increasingly appeal to partisan viewpoints. Fox News was started in 1996, and social polarization accelerated sharply in the years afterwards. Political scientists also point to inequality and the growing population of racial minorities in America, but a consensus has yet to emerge. So has political polarization grown in America? In one sense, yes. The link between someone's social identity, political ideology, and party appears to be growing stronger. But in terms of their positions on many issues, Americans have not grown to be as extreme. This has led to a paradox of polarization. Despite agreeing on much, Americans dislike each other more
than ever." — ([link removed]) The Economist ([link removed])

MORE: Here are the 11 Senate Republicans that joined Democrats to break the debt limit deal filibuster —CNN ([link removed])

Thank you, Bill T. of Arizona, for your excellent comments on Thursday, Oct. 7! I always appreciate what you write… —Alice L., Arizona

There is a word that describes total freedom for everyone. It is "chaos."—Tom A., Oregon

I agree with the piece about the hit-and-run driver. So many seem to think that "they" are the No. 1 thing in existence. They have no regard for the lives, property, protection, security, or truth that others have. The truth is that, at 76 years old, in my entire lifetime I have never seen such discourse, such hatred, such self-centeredness, so many lies, and such violence. I will say this with absolute conviction: this is all part of the horrible evil that has been perpetrated by Donald Trump and his sycophants.

The rules we live by are the same, but Trump and his lies and domestic terrorist activities have infected the minds of many. I do not understand how intelligent, accomplished people cannot see him for the liar, criminal, con, and fraud he is. It is my firm belief that the Jan. 6 committee will prove beyond a doubt that he is a domestic terrorist. There are consequences, and his chance of ever being in government again will end. He must be imprisoned for treason as well as all those who helped him with this coup. The evidence of his misdeeds and his effort to overthrow our elections are well-documented, by people in the White House with him and by all the records in the National Archives. —Donna C., California

I really resonated with the "red light runner" letter from prolific What's Your Take author Bill T. (We see you, Bill!) While I hope justice finds the driver, I'm glad they were uninjured.

Had they been injured, the driver would likely have said the same thing we hear from many hospitalized unvaccinated COVID-19 victims: "I didn't think it would happen to me." Like an injured at-fault driver, these accounts often include tragic regret and a plea for others not to repeat their mistake. "I should've been more careful." "I was wrong, get the shot."

Sadly, these pleas increasingly ring hollow to me. I find their surprise at unsafe behavior disingenuous and incredible. The consequences of refusing the vaccine are as foreseeable as those of reckless driving. So many Americans have lost perspective and won't consider the consequences to anyone or anything beyond their six-foot bubble and their immediate present. This is the creed preached by the leaders of our country's far-right autocratic movement.

In their preference for the "needs of the few, or one" over "the needs of the many," they are twisting our nation's "freedoms and rights to choose" into "freedom from consequence." We must turn back from becoming such a selfish country. (Apologies for the Star Trek reference.) —Mark M., Ohio
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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