No Panic at the Supreme Court

By Mark Naison (July 27, 2019)

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend time with someone who just left a position as a law clerk to a Supreme Court Justice. There are many things I learned from the conversation that I can’t share publicly, but two things stood out that I can pass along

First, an atmosphere of civility still prevails. Law clerks serving conservative and liberal justices socialize together and get along well.

Secondly, there is no atmosphere of panic about the nation’s direction. Most of the Republican law clerks, like their Democratic counterparts, think Donald Trump is a clown and a fool, but are convinced the nation will survive his Presidency, whether it lasts 1 year or 5.

On the one hand, I found this reassuring. Those involved in our federal courts- at the highest level- feel confident that Donald Trump will not shatter the separation of powers and take us down the road to Presidential Dictatorship

One the other hand, there is a deficit of courage when it comes to speaking out against the President’s words and actions which spread hatred and division, especially within the Republican Party.

Either way, it gave me an insight into the thinking of very smart young people within the Republican Party trying to walk a tightrope during the Trump Presidency.

naison-color-qinrui-hua

Why Are the Standards of Human Decency So Low for White Men?

By Teka Lark (September 27, 2018)

I remember back when I had my newspaper and a blog and commented on Laist for making a comment on the coverage of Watts that was not only plagiarized from Wikipedia with photos from a moving car, but was also amazingly racist. I was called a stupid bitch and banned from ever commenting again, even though that was almost 10 years ago.  When I tried to comment last year I was still banned.

My partner who was a white guy, got zero static (he wasn’t banned from anything) for our various actions, but me I was painted as an aggressive troublemaker.

Then in life being in more radical circles, I’m regularly tested. I have to be way nicer, do way more, and I am questioned more frequently than my white male comrades.

If I don’t prostrate myself, my name is bandied about, “Well why isn’t Teka fixing this?”

No one is paying me, but who cares, I’m a Black woman, and I can fix everything.

BUT when I do help and do it too enthusiastically, you know I use my name, someone mentions me and I actually get credit (very unBlack ladylike) my offers of help are viewed as power plays. My heels are used as proof as my allegiance to the bourgeoisie. My socioeconomic background does not only make people suspicious of me, but also makes people quite angry. The idea of the uppity Black person has been behind the burning down of many Black US cities and that anger is still very much present in modern day, especially if you’re characterized as uppity and you let it be known that you like other Black people.

People have arguments with me that aren’t conversations on things that I have said, but on things that other people, who are Black, have written, the frequency of this is frightening.

I remember once I was told that I needed to apologize for Farrakhan, because I said gatekeeping is a real problem in regards to agency. Now, those of you who know me, know that I am an atheist and I just don’t generally bring up religious leaders of any stripe, so this interaction was simply a continuation of a conversation that this person had with another Black person, who clearly was not me.

And that brings me to this: why is the standard for Black women so high for white and white passing progressives/radicals/moderates, and why for white men the standards for just human decency so low?

I look at a guy like Kavanaugh. I look at his life and I bet no one has ever called him an elitist to his face. I bet no one has ever viewed his initiative as some sneaky power play. I bet everyone in his life, before this, generally thought he was a nice guy.

But OK possibly comparing myself to Kavanaugh isn’t an example that seems reasonable, but you know I think about white/white-passing guys in art, poetry, radical movements; they can talk to people like they are dogs, they can threaten to kill people, not shower, they can have conversations peppered with “fuck” and there will be no consequences, and not only that, people will think they are cool.

They can get book deals, tenure, speaking gigs, and they can be completely incorrigible, and if they are just kind of decent (like only rape one person and it was statutory rape, so not as bad right, –clearly this is sarcasm–) and be kind of pleasant and get kudos and accolades for just doing what they are supposed to do, the rock bottom bare minimum of what everyone else is expected to do, but for white men, the bar is really low for not just being a radical, but for being a decent human being.

Kavanaugh is so cocky, so sure he’s not going down, because never in his life has he ever had to worry about people not liking him and not supporting him, because for a white guy to be viewed as an OK guy, whether it is in liberal circles, radical circles, conservative circles all he has to do is smile and make a joke and all the bad stuff goes away.

How wonderful must that be?

teka

Campaign Against Kavanaugh is Already Lost

By Todd May (July 12, 2018)

Here’s something I don’t understand: a campaign against Kavanaugh. I get that Democrats are supposed to vote against him. But a real campaign against him? That’s where our energy is supposed to go? I think folks who want this don’t realize that they’re getting played. Kavanaugh is conservative Republican establishment. Is he awful? Yes, he’s awful. But suppose the forces against him prevail and he isn’t confirmed. Then Trump nominates somebody worse and your capital is already spent opposing this guy. That’s the strategy: put a more “reasonable” guy up first and either force an acceptance of him or a rejection of him that gives Trump the opening to nominate someone worse who will be confirmed.

You’ll never get the Senate to reject two people in a row. It’s not going to happen. There is so much that requires our energy right in through here. Don’t waste your time on a battle you can’t win.

Some people will counter with the Bork nomination. But Bork was an outlier to begin with. Instead, the “moderate,” Kennedy was nominated and confirmed. But Trump is not making the same mistake. Reject Kavanaugh, and the next one, who will probably be an outlier, will get confirmed.

Other people will counter with the idea that the Senate may turn Democratic in November. Maybe, but I wouldn’t count on it. And two things to keep in mind: rejecting Kavanaugh will bring out a lot of Republican voters in November and there are Democratic Senators in red states are not going to vote against Trump’s nominee twice.

We’ve lost this one. Let’s put our energy toward something we can win. It’s not as though we’re casting about to find struggles worth engaging in.

todd