New Home

Hello Everyone: This is Yours Truly and The Blogger Candidate Forum with a quick note. We have a new home. You can now find href="historicpca.blogspot.com"> at its new home In addition to the usual posts, you can also find links to articles on architecture, historic preservation, urban planning and design. Hope to see you all there.

Blogger Candidate Forum: "I'm Speaking"

 

Bugging the debate
popbuzz.com

Hello Everyone:

The Blogger Candidate Forum is tapping for a weekend edition with a fly vice presidential debate wrap up.  How would The Candidate Forum describe the contest between California Senator Kamala Harris (D) and incumbent Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN)?  Boring.  In 2020 terms, that is a good thing.  After the dumpster fire that was the first, and so far only, presidential debate, a boring conversation between two adults is a good thing.

Typically, vice presidential debates do not really have much impact on voters however this year is different.  Both incumbent president Mr. Donald Trump (R-NY) and former Vice President Joe Biden (D-DE) are in their seventies: Mr. Trump is 74 and VPOTUS Biden is 77 years-old.  The incumbent president recently tested positive for COVID-19 and spent a measly few days in at Walter Reed Military Hospital, being treated with experimental drugs before returning to the White House.  As of right now, despite the incumbent president's insistence that he is recovered, questions linger about his health.  If elected, the Gentleman from Delaware will be 78-years-old on Inauguration Day and has not committed to running for a second term.  Also, the debate between Senator Harris and VPOTUS Pence highlighted the sharp contrast between each party's agendas for the economy, health care, racial inequality, climate change, and more.  This leaves The Candidate Forum with one question: Have you voted yet?

Voting is under way and already six million registered voters have cast their ballots.  The Candidate Forum has received its ballots and will send by Friday, October 16th in order to ensure that the United States Post Post Office has enough time to process and deliver it.  If you prefer to drop your ballot off at a voting center, check your state's secretary of state website for information.  If can you safely vote in person, pack provisions, get in line, and stay in line.  You cannot be denied a ballot if you remain in line after the polls officially close.  Now then, what were the candidates buzzing about?

news.berkeley.edu

The COVID-19 pandemic was front and center.  The candidates were seated 12-feet apart, shielded with plexiglass, and the audience at the University of Utah's Kingsbury Hall were told not to remove their mask Second Lady Karen Pence.  It was also the first topic of the debate.

The Lady from California seized on her party's central thesis that Trump administration's pandemic management was

...the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country (npr.org; Oct. 8, 2020; date accessed Oct. 10, 2020).

Senator Harris went on to accuse the current administration of covering up information about the pandemic following a briefing in January by the national security team.  She added "that Trump still didn't  have a plan to combat the disease" (Ibid).

Always the good soldier, the incumbent Vice President gamely defended his running mate's decision to limit travel from China as an example that he took the threat seriously.  The incumbent Vice President pointed out that the Biden-Harris plan for combating COVID-19 with testing and developing a vaccine was similar the current administration's plan.  In an apparent reference to the plagiarism charges that ended VOPTUS Joe Biden's first run at the presidency in 1988, the incumbent Vice President said,

It looks a little bit like plagiarism (npr.org; Oct. 8, 2020).

VPOTUS Mike Pence attempts to portray the Lady from California's criticism of the administration's pandemic management as a comment on the sacrifices Americans continue to make as the pandemic wears on fell flat.  The Lady from California was able to connect other topics--e.g. the economy and health care--back to the administration's pandemic response.  The Gentleman from Indiana echoed his running mate's enthusiasm over "record-setting progress on developing a vaccine and pledged, as the president has before, that millions of doses would be available by the end of the year" (Ibid).

When asked if she would roll her sleeve for a COVID vaccine, the Lady from California replied "she would take a vaccine approved by medical professions, but if Donald Trump tells us that we should take, I'm taking it" (Ibid).  To this, the incumbent Vice President accused Senator Harris of trying to undermine public confidence in an effort to develop and approve a vaccine.  Without the slight trace of irony he said, Stop playing politics with people's lives (Ibid).

USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page
news.yahoo.com

Moderator, USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page, did a markedly better job of keeping the debate from spiraling out of control than Fox News' Chris Wallace.  At the top of televised and live streamed event, Ms. Page called for "respectful exchange" and regularly reminded both candidates that their responses should be uninterrupted (npr.org; Oct. 8, 2020).  

Both candidates did not always comply with Ms. Page's admonitions.  Senator Kamala Harris pushed backed whenever incumbent Vice President Mike Pence interrupted her with the now-famous retort

Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking.  I'm speaking (Ibid).

She made it abundantly clear, to the cheers of women around the globe, that was not going to let her male opponent get away with playing the intimidation game.

Both candidates frequently avoided answering questions posed by Ms. Page altogether.  Rather than pursue an answer or ask follow up questions, the moderator opted to move on another subject.  This was a lost opportunity for the candidates to clarify or elaborate their positions on key issues. Both ignored a key question that is central in voters' minds: Given the ages of the men at the top of the ticket and the president's recent bout with COVID-19, what they do if the president became incapacitated?

Another missed opportunity for the incumbent Vice President was an explanation of how the Trump-Pence administration would protect preexisting conditions if the Affordable Care Act was struck down by the Supreme Court.  He also dodged the question of a peaceful transfer of power should the Biden-Harris ticket prevail.

For her part, the Lady from California refused to answer the question posed by the incumbent Vice President and Ms. Page about whether she supported adding justices to the Supreme Court--court packing.  This was a question that VPOTUS Biden also avoided in the first debate.  Both candidates also avoided the question of if the Supreme Court also struck down Roe v. Wade, how should the individual states write abortion laws.

An exchange from the presidential debate
latimes.com

Do you really need a reminder that the first presidential debate was a complete dumpster fire?

Thus, the candidates strategies reflected the current state of the campaign: the incumbent Vice President painting his opponent as an extremist and the Lady from California frequently bringing up the administration's pandemic management record.

VPOTUS Pence's debate is more disciplined and smooth than his running mate.  He arrived ready to portray the Biden-Harris ticket as hostage to the "Far Left Radicals" of the Democratic Party, specifically on the subject of the economy.

The economy, thus far, has been the Republican Party's strongest issue with voters but that strength has diminished as the economy continues to shed jobs and endure business closures.  The incumbent vice president cited an analysis that the Lady from California "in 2019 was the U.S. Senate's most liberal member, and he repeatedly linked the Democratic ticket with the Green New Deal, a proposal pushed by progressives in Congress to remake the economy with a new energy infrastructure" (npr.org; Oct. 8, 2020).  For the record, Senator Kamala Harris supported the Green New Deal prior to her nomination, and VPOTUS Joe Biden has not (Ibid).

Senator Harris has had less experience with one-on-one debates and leaned into her prosecutor skills, ready to hammer the case against the administration's inept management of the pandemic and the economic fallout.  The Lady from California made the incumbent Vice President the stand-in for the president on the subject.

The Fly
esquire.com

Finally, The Candidate Forum would be completely derelict in its duties if it did not mention The Fly.  True story, The Candidate Forum was in the middle of supper during the debate.  At first The Candidate Forum thought it was a food speck and instinctively tried to brush it off the screen before realizing it was not food, it was a fly.

Fun art history fact: in Renaissance period art, the fly represented decay.

You can make your own interpretations.  What is next?

There was supposed to be another presidential debate this Thursday, October 15th, in Miami, Florida.  Concerns over the president's health and outbursts led the Commission on Presidential Debates to change the format of the town hall-style debate from in-person to virtual.  The incumbent president rejected this idea and decided to hold a rally.  VPOTUS Biden suggested the debate be pushed back a week; an idea rejected by the Trump campaign.  Therefore, no debate on Thursday but there is a debate tentatively scheduled on October 22nd and The Candidate Forum will bring you the highlights.

Tightening The Grip On Anarchist Jurisdictions

 

Don't cry for him Argentina
theguardian.com

Hello Everyone:

Blogger is back today, still aghast over Mr. Donald Trump's early release from Walter Reed Hospital.  Yours Truly finds it absolutely hard to believe that someone, anyone, suffering from COVID-19, could be released from the hospital, still ill, after a few days.  Yours Truly can say with some certainty that you cannot recover from the virus that quickly.  It is impossible, even for someone with access to the very best medical care, like the President of The United States.  Blogger can only surmise that Mr. Trump's vehement disdain of illness and germs, coupled with his obsession with projecting the image of a strong, macho man led to his doctors agreeing, albeit grudgingly, to release him from care.  Call it toxic masculinity, Trump the invincible conquerer, or being loaded on remdesivir and dexamethosone, leaving the hospital too early and parading around the White House without a mask eschewing common sense virus prevention protocol is a recipe for disaster.  Alright then, onward

Anarchist Jurisdiction of New York
teenvogue.com

What is an "Anarchist Jurisdiction?"  A jurisdiction where the "Radical Left Wing" and Antifa run amok, terrorizing ordinary citizens?  Where the police and sheriffs departments are cowering in a corner, without the means to put down the angry mobs?  The Department of Justice outlined the criteria for designating an anarchist jurisdiction:

• Whether a jurisdiction forbids the police force from intervening to restore order amid widespread or sustained violence or destruction.
• Whether a jurisdiction has withdrawn law enforcement protection from a geographical areas or structure that law enforcement officers are lawfully entitled to access but have been officially prevented from accessing or permitted to access only in exceptional circumstances, except when law enforcement officers are briefly withheld as a tactical decision intended to resolve safely and expeditiously a specific and ongoing incident posing an imminent threat to the safety of individuals or law enforcement officers.
• Whether a jurisdiction disempowers or defunds police departments
• Whether a jurisdiction unreasonably refuses to accept officers of law enforcement assistance from the Federal Government.
• Any other related factions the Attorney General deems appropriate (syracuse.com; Sept. 21, 2020; date accessed Oct. 6, 2020)

Attorney General William Barr and Mr. Trump
slate.com

Using these criteria, the American Department of Justice issued a press release on September 22 designating three cities--Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington, and New York City, New York-- as "anarchist jurisdictions."  This announcement caught the mayors of the designated cities by surprise.  Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued this statement,

The Trump administration's threats to defund Seattle, Portland, and New York are a gross misuse of federal power and blatantly unlawful,... Trump, the Department of Justice, and Barr's obsession with Seattle and me is irrational and most importantly, a huge distraction (bloomberg.com; Sept. 23, 2020; date access Oct. 6, 2020).

Neither Attorney General William Barr or any DOJ official had been in contact with civic officials prior to the September 22nd press release, to discuss the possibility of withholding federal funds from these cities.  Yet, that is the proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over Seattle, Portland, and New York City.  The press release was the first step toward fulfilling a memo, signed on September 2nd by the president, that "seeks to review federal funding for any state or local jurisdiction deemed to be permitting anarchist violence" (Ibid), according to, quite frankly, vague guidelines.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durken
seattletimes.com

The presidential memo states, "these cities could lose their eligibility for federal funds as early as next week [Sept. 28, 2020]" (Ibid).  The memo asks the director of the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance within a month's time to the administrators of federal agencies on

...restricting eligibility or otherwise disfavoring

localities named by the administration from receiving federal funds (Ibid).

The Trump administration's arbitrary actions is part of its overall program to punish the Black Lives Matter campaign by penalizing the cities where the protests take place, most of which are led by Democrats.  The White House's bluster has been met with ridicule, confusion, and disbelief, prompting self-professed anarchist to tell Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz,

...anarchists don't do jurisdictions  

At stake are billions of federal money that cities desperately need right now for schools, infrastructure, and other functions such as law enforcement.  It is money that could be used to right local economies turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using the power of the purse to force local leaders to bend to its will is not a uniquely Trump thing.  Republican law makers, at all levels of government, are threatening to withhold money from cities, with law enforcement agencies at the heart of it.  One example, in August Texas Governor Greg Abbot "threatened to freeze property taxes for any Texas cities that defund police departments" (bloomberg.com; Sept. 23, 2020).  The proposed legislation "would stifle spending for Texas cities, which are particularly dependent on property taxes and currently face massive budget shortfalls" (Ibid).  Thus far, on the Texas capital city of Austin has moved to defund police; last month the city council voted to divert $150 million from the city's police department toward other community services (bloomberg.com; Sept. 23, 2020).

Austin, Texas Mayor Steve Adler
en.wikipedia.org 

Mayor Adler said at an August 18th press conference,

Any kind of cap that's imposed at the state level on local communities is a problem... I think it takes away fundamental and basic freedom, rights, from local communities to be able to decide what their priorities are in that community (Ibid)

Since then, Texas state Republicans have increased pressure on Austin.  Governor Abbot tweeted on September 3 "that Texas is considering taking over the Austin Police Department entirely"(bloomberg.com; Sept. 23, 2020).  Jolie McCullogh reported in The Texas Tribune, "a separate bill before the next Texas legislature would give the Texas Department of Public Safety the power to consolidate authority over the police of any city with more than 1 million people and fewer than 2 police officers per 1,000" (bloomberg.com; Sept. 23, 2020).  Which describes only one Texas city, Austin.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has gone further.  On September 21st, Gov. DeSantis pledged that any jurisdiction that targeted the local police department for defunding would lose its state funding.  He announced the plan as introduced a larger bill that "would attach severe criminal penalties to protest actions deemed disorderly by the state, making it a felony to destroy a statue or monument and setting a mandatory six-month minimum sentence for anyone convicted of striking an officer during an unlawful protest" (bloomberg.com; Sept. 23, 2020).  This bill could come before Florida lawmakers as early as March 2021, when the legislature is set to begin its next session.

en.wikipedia.org

Without directly referencing the Republican's diminishing reputation as the the party that prioritizes "local control," the National League of Cities has been quick to note that the administration's campaign is

...in direct violation of the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which gives the states and local government the power of policing to establish and enforce laws protecting the welfare, safety, and health of the public (bloomberg.com; Sept. 23, 2020).

In a letter to the president date September 9th, signed with other NLC officials, Los Angeles City Councilmember and NLC president Joe Buscaino wrote:

When out nation is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, the economic recession caused by the epidemic, and ongoing protesting of police brutality, instead of working with cities, your memorandum seeks to undermine the very foundation of our federalist system.  Local government leaders will not acquiesce to your efforts to threaten our local authority to police our communities and provide public safety services to our residents (bloomberg.com; Sept. 23, 2020).

Here is the contradiction: "While Republicans are positioning themselves as defenders of police budgets, there's a twist: It's Republicans in the Senate who are making those cuts more likely, by refusing to pass another coronavirus relief bill" (Ibid).  Instead, Senate Republicans have proposed a "skinny" stimulus bill but it contained no new funds for state or local government and went down in the Senate.

Cuts to law enforcement are coming given the severity of the economic damage caused by the pandemic,  This means that African American communities hurt most by over-policing and under-policing stand to face the consequences from the federal government should racial justice protests erupt and consequences from the state government if local authorities try to resolve the issues themselves.  If Congress refuses to do anything, the status quo can do as much damage.