‘Constitutional mischief’

I served as a homeland security and national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, a man who faced down threats to his life to do what he knew to be right for our country. I knew President Donald Trump, my boss' boss, could be a relentless bully. But I never could have imagined him signaling approval for our vice president's execution. The former president’s refusal to honor the will of the voters and of our nation's Founders, who fought a brutal tyrant to ensure that the people would rule, has bullied most of his own political party into dishonoring their oaths and their commitment to country over party. While Americans are worried about gas prices and inflation, about polarization and fear, we risk making these even worse if we refuse to honor the rule of law and the will of the voters. The American voters have the wisdom to elect their leaders and make choices for their future. It's time to reset ourselves around these shared values. If we lose our democracy, we won't be able to solve any of our kitchen table issues. We will lose our voice and our vote, and all that our Founders fought to secure. —Olivia Troye, Chief Strategy Officer, Renew America Movement

Ed. Note: There will be no edition of The Topline on Tuesday, June 21. We’ll be back on Friday, June 24.

• Two dead in church shooting in Vestavia Hills, Alabama —NBC News

• European leaders back Ukraine’s bid to apply for EU membership —Financial Times

• House OKs Spanberger bills to cut grocery and gas costs, help farmers —Culpeper Star-Exponent

• Bipartisan bill aims to curb foreign influence in U.S. democracy —The Washington Post

• 11 former Republican members of Congress call for federal LGBTQ protections —On Top Magazine

‘Tantamount to a revolution’

No matter what you think of former Vice President Mike Pence, you couldn’t help but feel shaken by the testimony at yesterday’s House select committee hearing. By all accounts, Pence displayed incredible courage on Jan. 6, 2021, upholding his oath, even as an angry mob chanting “hang Mike Pence” came within 40 feet of him. He spent nearly five hours in an underground loading dock. And the president called him a “wimp” and essentially abandoned him to his crazed supporters, whom he was well aware were out for blood. Conservative Judge J. Michael Luttig testified that Pence helped prevent “the first constitutional crisis since the founding of the republic.” Luttig also offered a solemn warning: “Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy.” —The New York Times

• Read Judge Luttig's full statement to Jan. 6 committee —CNN

• Four takeaways from the Jan. 6 hearing —The New York Times

• The Jan. 6 select committee makes a criminal referral—its own way —Politico

• Tensions escalate as DOJ renews request for Jan. 6 panel transcripts —Politico

• Ginni Thomas agrees to talk to Jan. 6 committee to ‘clear up misconceptions’ —Indepedent

• Select committee has footage of GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s Jan. 5 Capitol tours —CNN

• Before Jan. 6, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was given plans to occupy congressional buildings, Supreme Court —CBS News

• Peter Navarro pleads not guilty to Jan. 6 contempt of Congress charges —ABC News

• Trump says he would look ‘very, very seriously’ at pardons for Jan. 6 defendants if reelected —The Hill

• How Americans feel about the Jan. 6 hearings so far —The Washington Post

Jacobson: Can a unity ticket unify us?

“Today…we should consider…whether what the country would glean from substance and symbolism of unity finally outweighs the political and ideological reasons nominees have chosen not to reach across the aisle. The central challenge of our time is how to slice through a constellation of incentives that drives the parties apart. The one salve we have may well be drawn from the legacy of Abraham Lincoln—a presidential ticket that combines an honorable figure from each major party.” —Nancy Jacobson in The Hill

Nancy Jacobson is the CEO and founder of No Labels. 

MORE: Poll: Half of Americans now predict U.S. may 'cease to be a democracy' someday —Yahoo! News

Now this is really uncool

C’mon, Democrats, really? Dems who crossed over to vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 primaries—thinking he’d be a cinch to beat in the general—apparently didn’t learn their lesson. A number of far-right candidates running for office this year are benefiting, either directly or indirectly, from Democratic groups spending millions of dollars in contested Republican primaries. The groups are attacking moderate Republicans and amplifying messages from election-denying candidates, betting that the latter will be easier to defeat in November. But some Democrats warn that this precarious strategy could result in the election of candidates who would use powerful posts to disrupt future elections. “I think it’s very dangerous and potentially very risky to elevate people who are hostile to democracy,” says Democratic strategist Howard Wolfson. “You don’t play cute in a crisis.” We agree. —The Washington Post

MORE: New Mexico election crisis intensifies as deadline looms —Associated Press

Regular Order

By Roger Bolton

The bipartisan deal on gun control offers a rare ray of hope that our national debate can return to what the late Sen. John McCain called “regular order.” In a dramatic Senate floor speech delivered the week he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, McCain pleaded with his colleagues to honor this seemingly arcane procedure.

It refers to following the Senate rules, which provide for open process and debate, ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to be heard, to offer amendments, and to call for votes under the rules. It provides that committees hold hearings, that members consider the merits of each issue, that they debate and vote and let the majority rule while respecting the rights of the minority.

In short, it’s about inclusion.

The American system of government, with its three equal branches and the rules which govern each, was designed to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, and that no single person or party could dominate.

The extremists on both sides in our dysfunctional polarized system have equated the act of compromise with a violation of sacrosanct principles, essentially ensuring that nothing gets done. Or if something does get done, that it lasts only until the other side can muster a majority to overturn it. Perhaps worst of all, it keeps good ideas that can make things better from seeing the light of day.

It wasn’t always this way. Most of the major legislative achievements that form the bedrock of the success of the American experiment resulted from the arduous process of seeking consensus among well-intended, but often highly partisan and ideological opponents.

The Social Security Act of 1935, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Clean Air Act of 1970, the National Energy Act of 1978, the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the Welfare Reform Act of 1996—all of these were subjected to months or even years of hearings and debate. Amendments were offered and defeated or passed as members sought to bend the process toward their preferred result.

In the end, almost no one was completely satisfied, but there was enough support in both parties to ensure that the focus became how to ensure the success of, rather than to repeal, the new law. The adoption of the Affordable Care Act with votes from only one party, and the attempt to repeal it with votes only from the other party, actually is an anomaly.

There are lessons here for all of us: When we are willing to listen to opposing views, to take into account ideas advanced by disparate stakeholders, rather than to push forward in the arrogant belief that we are always right, we not only gain support, but we often achieve better outcomes.

We find that we are able to adopt the good ideas from others and to abandon positions that made sense from a parochial point of view, but actually failed to consider the impact on people we should care about.

The polarization in public discourse is having a devastating effect on our society. The Edelman Trust Barometer for 2022 found that the default tendency for most people is distrust, making it harder to debate or collaborate.

It also found that business is the most trusted institution, ahead of NGOs, government and media. This may be because businesses increasingly are dedicated to stakeholder capitalism, which involves honoring and listening to the views of all stakeholders, not just those who agree with us.

Many businesses now take a formal approach to stakeholder engagement that encompasses stakeholder mapping—essentially taking inventory of the stakeholders who have an interest in the company—and establishing formal mechanisms to engage with them. This includes tracking and responding to their activity on social media, as well as face-to-face dialogue in which both sides have an opportunity to listen and be heard.

These processes are analogous to the Congressional hearings, legislative markups and floor debates that are referred to with the term, regular order. There are two obvious benefits: 1) When people feel heard, they are more likely to support the organization. 2) Honoring diverse views leads to better outcomes.

As a proud original signatory of the Renew America Movement, I’m fully committed to its founding Principles, which support this approach, including Constitutional Order, Rule of Law, and Pluralism, and I’m working for a return to civil discourse and responsible compromise.

Roger Bolton served in senior roles in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. He later was chief communications officer (CCO) at Aetna and head of global media relations at IBM. He is currently president of the Arthur W. Page Society, a global professional association for corporate CCOs.

Rep. Loudermilk (R-GA) initially stated he gave no tour of the Capitol on 1/5/2021. Evidence came out that contradicted that story, and he went to version two. He did show some visitors around, and some folks wore red hats, but not MAGA hats, and none of those folks went to the Capitol. Evidence (video) comes out that disputes this story, so now onto version three. As simple as it is to refute his story with video, at least a couple people on his tour had MAGA hats on. Now he claims he's never been contacted to appear in front of the 1/6 committee, which is clearly a lie. So, yes, he's been lying all along, and he knows it. Imagine what would be said and done by the GOP if people wearing Black Lives Matter or Antifa garments were in the Capitol on 1/5.

But laying all that aside, it has been stated over and over that the buildings were closed to ANY visitors and tours. So how did those people get in? Who let them in? Where was security? It sounds too simple, yet I have not read or heard of anyone focused on those very simple questions for Mr. Loudermilk, for security, or for anyone else. —Bill T., Arizona

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Renew America Foundation.