‘Be there, will be wild!’

A few weeks ago, my former department, Homeland Security, released a memo warning of a potential spike in political violence leading up to the midterm elections. Following the assassination of former prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray voiced deep concerns about the exponential rise in domestic extremism in the U.S. Today, at the House select committee hearing, we heard more about the ties between Donald Trump and his allies and far-right extremist militias like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Is this really what the majority of Americans want—a political environment in which differences aren’t resolved civilly at the ballot box, in the halls of Congress, or in a courtroom, but through threats, intimidation, and worse? No, it’s not. Yet, homegrown political violence is now one of the leading national security threats in the U.S. It will take all of us working together to oppose this rising tide and renew respect for democracy, tolerance, and the rule of law in America. Wray expressed it best. “[In] our system, under the First Amendment, [it] doesn't matter what you're upset about, who you’re upset with, or what side of an issue you're on. There's a right way under our Bill of Rights to express yourself, and violence, threats of violence, destruction of property—those kinds of things are not it,” he said. “That's the rule of law. That’s what the rule of law is all about.” —Miles Taylor, Executive Director, Renew America Movement

• Biden hails passage of new bipartisan gun law: ‘We’ve finally moved that mountain’ —CBS News

• Biden Administration discussing Covid boosters for everyone —Politico

• U.S. health dept. says doctors must offer abortion if mother's life is at risk —Reuters

• What to watch for during President Biden’s trip to the Middle East —NBC News

• James Webb Space Telescope images released by NASA after first color photo unveiled at White House —CBS News

‘Trump cannot escape responsibility’

It was another dramatic day on Capitol Hill, as the House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection focused on the connections between Donald Trump and violent extremist groups in the run-up to Jan. 6, 2021. The committee demonstrated how Trump summoned these groups to D.C. via social media and how his allies interacted with them during the planning of the rally that preceded the riot. The panel heard live testimony from former Oath Keeper spokesman Jason Van Tatenhove, who said he is worried about the next election, and Capitol rioter Stephen Ayres. Following his testimony, Ayres, who now regrets his actions, shook hands with D.C. Metropolitan Police Officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges and U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, all of whom were injured fighting to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6. —CNN

• "That’s not how we do things in the United States.” The committee revealed testimony from witnesses, including former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who attended a Dec. 18, 2020, Oval Office meeting. The gathering devolved into chaos as Trump allies clashed with White House lawyers over various plans for overturning the presidential election. It was after this heated meeting that Trump made his infamous tweet urging supporters to come to D.C. on Jan. 6.

• Republican lawmakers were worried. As Trump’s calls to his followers to come to D.C. to “stop the steal” spread widely, even some of his own supporters began to fret. “I'm actually very concerned about this,” Rep. Debbie Lesko said on Jan. 5. “We…have, quite honestly, Trump supporters, who actually believe that we are going to overturn the election. And when that doesn't happen—most likely will not happen—they are going to go nuts.” 

• He knew what he was doing. A series of text messages exchanged between Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale and campaign spokesperson Katrina Pierson demonstrated how those closest to Trump felt about what he was doing on Jan. 6. Parscale said Trump was "asking for civil war," and that he felt "guilty for helping him.” Parscale also said he believed Trump's rhetoric resulted in someone getting killed.

• Who is the mystery witness? Toward the end of the hearing, Vice Chair Liz Cheney teased that a witness from whom the public has not yet heard received an intimidating phone call from the president or one of his associates. The matter has been turned over to the Justice Department. —CNN

MORE:

• Jan. 6’s tangled web of extremism —FiveThirtyEight

• Judge won't delay Steve Bannon's trial after his last-minute offer to cooperate with Jan. 6 panel —NBC News

• Bill Barr subpoenaed in Dominion's defamation suit against Fox News —Axios

• Sen. Graham ordered to testify in front of grand jury in Trump election probe —Reuters

• Michael Flynn cited for unauthorized foreign payments —The Washington Post

Kleinfeld: When political violence is normalized

“Violence is overwhelmingly concentrated on the right. But as Justice Brett Kavanaugh has discovered, once violence has been legitimated as a tool of politics, no one is safe. Violence begets violence—once its use mainstreams, moderates who espouse non-violence appear anemic and unable to offer protection to their side. The middle weakens, while violence eventually takes on a rhythm of reprisal far removed from the original causes.” —Rachel Kleinfeld in Just Security

Rachel Kleinfeld is a member of the editorial board of Just Security, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the author of “A Savage Order.”

MORE: Aquilino Gonell: Political violence destroyed lives on Jan. 6. I should know —The New York Times

New election, same choice?

A just-released New York Times/Siena College survey is devastating for President Biden. The new poll highlights rising concerns over Biden's age and performance as we hurtle towards the midterms, and indicates that Democratic voters prefer that Biden, whose approval rating sits at just 33%, not run for re-election in 2024. There is one silver lining for the president: he slightly edges out his predecessor in a hypothetical 2024 matchup, 44% to 41%. But the real question is, if Joe Biden and Donald Trump are so broadly unpopular, why is there even a chance that we have to choose between them again in 2024? Blame an electoral system that limits rather than expands choice. —CNN

• In his defense… David Graham of The Atlantic argued this week that Biden isn’t nearly as bad as his polls suggest. “Perhaps this negative reaction to Biden is unfair. Even with narrow control of Congress, Democrats have passed blockbuster legislation, such as the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and a major Covid relief package, though they made the mistake of promising a Build Back Better plan that they have been unable to pass. Experts have widely praised Biden’s handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last week’s unemployment report beat expectations. Gas prices are falling.” —The Atlantic

• Say it ain’t so, Joe. Nevertheless, a progressive grassroots organization that supported Sen. Bernie Sanders in his 2016 and 2020 White House bids announced yesterday that it will launch a campaign to oppose Biden’s re-election in 2024. RootsAction says Biden has been “neither bold nor inspiring” since taking office early last year. And because his “prospects for winning re-election appear to be bleak,” it will launch a #DontRunJoe campaign on Nov. 9, one day after the midterm elections. —The Hill

• All is not well in Trumpworld either. Whether the Jan. 6 hearings are having an effect, or people are just getting sick of Trump’s tired act, the ex-president’s popularity with key demographics is flagging too. A clear majority of GOP primary voters under 35 years old (64%), as well as 65% of those with at least a college degree, told pollsters they would vote against Trump in a presidential primary. Overall, 49% of Republicans said they would support Trump in a 2024 GOP primary. —The New York Times

MORE: The vanishing moderate Democrat —The New York Times

Wooldridge: Populism will survive Johnson and Trump

“[British Prime Minister Boris] Johnson may be retreating to his former career as a writer and entertainer. Trump may be forced into angry retirement. But populism is here to stay—a vital force that, by combining the power of new technology with ancient tribalism, can destroy institutions, convulse economies, overturn corporate plans, and generally plunge the world back into chaos.” —Adrian Wooldridge in Bloomberg

Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist at Bloomberg and the author of “The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World.”

MORE: Gideon Rachman: Johnson, Trump, and how to get rid of a strongman leader —Financial Times

Temko: Our global challenges require a new course

“[G]ladiatorial partisan politics are corroding democracies at a time when the issues governments are facing are too complex, and too politically fraught, to be resolved by any one side’s slogans, rhetorical flourishes, or easy promises. That will require developing and implementing new, forward-looking policies equal to those challenges.” —Ned Temko in The Christian Science Monitor

Ned Temko is an author and foreign correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor. Over a decades-long career, he has covered a wide range of stories, including the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran, the fall of the Berlin wall, and Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.

The case for civic participation

The tiny New Hampshire town of Croydon recently experienced a renewed appreciation for something its residents had taken for granted: democracy. Calling the community’s proposed budget a “ransom,” a resident recently moved to cut it by more than half. To everyone’s shock, the budget-slashing amendment passed, 20 to 14. Why? Annual town meetings—a direct-democracy tradition common in New England,  when residents gather to approve, deny, or amend proposed municipal budgets—draw increasingly low turnouts. The new budget would require parents to come up with thousands of dollars to keep their children in public schools. That jolted the community. “I was practically kicking myself in the ass for not being there,” said resident Ed Spiker. “I guess I assumed our town would take care of it.”

Working together, a nonpartisan group of conservatives, liberals, and independents began meeting to undo what they considered a devastating mistake. Under New Hampshire law, citizens can petition for a special meeting where the budget cut could be overturned—if at least half the town’s voters were present and cast ballots. A date was set, and volunteers began to spread the word, knocking on doors, conducting phone banks, and planting lawn signs. The group needed at least 283 voters to show up; the turnout was 379. The vote in favor of overturning the cut budget? 377. It was a victory for civic participation. Community members met again a couple of weeks ago to discuss future plans, including how to confront that central threat to democracy, complacency. “Showing up. That’s the big lesson,” said Chris Prost, a Croydon resident. “And not just showing up, but also knowing what’s going on.” —The New York Times

Can anyone follow the bouncing ball as to who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021? One moment it’s Antifa and BLM folks, when that narrative works. The next moment, it’s patriotic Trump supporters—who were armed but would not hurt him, according to Donald Trump—and Trump will pardon them. Yet if it fits the next story, it’s back to BLM and Antifa folks. So Trump is going to pardon Antifa and BLM folks? Anyone else find it odd that BLM and Antifa folks would be members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys? I wish Democrats and talking heads in the media would actually confront the contradictions Trump and his allies spew all the time. It just seems so simple to do. —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.