Juries have been at the center of some of the most emotionally charged moments of political life, especially in high profile cases like the trial of Derek Chauvin for George Floyd's murder in 2021. This episode explores juries as a democratic institution, while guest Sonali Chakravarti argues that juries provide an important site for democratic action by citizens and that their use should be revived. She says juries could be a forward-looking institution that nurtures the best democratic instincts of citizens like examining their own perceptions and biases and engaging in dialogue and deliberation.
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Weep on January 6, but celebrate January 7
Jan 06, 2025
It was after midnight, and I was exhausted from the events of the previous 24 hours. It was January 7, 2021, and I watched in horror the events of January 6. It was disgusting that the cradle of democracy would be so defiled. But at 12:01 AM, I was given hope again because, on my television, the most wonderfully boring reality show was playing out on CNN. The Vice President of the United States and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were presiding over the counting and certification of votes for the next president of the United States.
Democracy survived. Most Americans outside the Washington Capital beltway don’t realize that the wounds of January 6 are reopened almost on a daily basis for those of us who consider ourselves as congressional institutionalists. Every time the media report, another insurrectionist is arrested, every time another one is sentenced, and every time the former President pledges to pardon them, it hurts. For those of us who have dedicated our lives to improving and maintaining the United States Congress, reliving those terrible events is truly painful.
We will never be able to wash away the scars of January 6 in the same way we cannot erase the wounds caused by the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, or the incarceration of Japanese Americans in internment camps in World War II. Yet, we must also not let these events define us as a society and nation. In all these cases, America has rebounded, healed itself, and once again proved to the world it is still a shining city on a hill, a symbol of democracy, freedom, and human rights.
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Some look at the coming weeks and the four years that will follow with grim anticipation. And by no means do I wish to diminish or downplay the damage the next president may inflict on our nation and the world. But I’m also reminded that in his first term, the 45th President of the United States promised to ban Muslims from coming into the country, and he was stopped by the courts. He promised to overturn the Affordable Care Act, denying millions access to medical care, and the United States Senate thwarted him. And he threatened to unleash the military on peaceful protesters after the George Floyd murder, and he was blocked by the Pentagon.
America is much more resilient than we often give ourselves credit for. The checks and balance system that our Founders gave us has worked pretty well these last eight years, and it will work just as well in the next four years. With all this talk of being a dictator on day one, he cannot be. The Constitution gave us three equal branches of government. And while sometimes they don’t act like it, they still have the power to reign in excesses.
Perhaps it’s a byproduct of our cynical times that we focus on the negative and the day democracy was threatened instead of the day that democracy survived. We must not forget that January 6 was followed by January 7. And when the sun came up that next morning, American democracy was still alive. Indeed, you could argue it was thriving, as it had survived the most brutal attack on it since the Civil War.
While I will weep on January 6, 2025, just as I have on every January 6 since that fateful day, I will also smile, celebrate, and applaud January 7. Because that is the day democracy asserted itself and reminded us the American experiment goes on.
Bradford Fitch is a former congressional staffer, the former CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, and author of “Citizen’s Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials.”
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GOP Takes Charge, Faces Huge Fiscal Hurdles
Jan 06, 2025
The GOP has a tough task ahead: dealing with a looming financial crunch in Washington next year. Key parts of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will expire, adding to the national debt, which has already hit $36.1 trillion. Contributing to the problem, the spending ceiling under the Pay-As-You-Go Act will require $190 billion in cuts, and enforceable caps on discretionary spending will also end. If Congress doesn’t act, an additional $5 trillion could be added to the debt in the coming year, according to the Economic Policy Innovation Center.
Investors are growing increasingly concerned about the rising national debt. Despite the Federal Reserve cutting rates, economists are worried about climbing bond yields, while Treasury officials are concerned about weak bond sales this year. Meanwhile, new interest payments on the debt have leap-frogged over the defense budget as the fastest-growing item of the federal budget.
There is no easy fix. Congress must change its recent behavior and start acting responsibly. It must begin by weighing the long-term consequences of any decisions.
The TCJA has been credited with boosting economic growth and generating tax revenue. But, at the same it also helped to increase the national debt. As Congress reconsiders the law, it should keep the parts that spur investment and economic growth. For instance, the 20% tax deduction for pass-through businesses and the ability to write off capital investments immediately are keepers.
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Despite the GOP’s insistence to the contrary, not every tax cut in the TCJA should be continued. GOP proposals like cutting the corporate tax rate even further would add billions to the deficit. Another in the must-to-avoid category is universal tariffs, which are likely to send the economy into a tailspin by increasing inflation, alienating trade partners, and, generally, harming American consumers’ finances.
As usual, Congress is focused on the wrong culprit. What truly drives our debt problem is non-discretionary spending. Social Security and Medicare are predicted to grow rapidly as more Americans retire. While, at the same time, interest payments on the debt will continue to expand. Taken together, these three parts of the budget will account for 77% of total spending growth over the next ten years.
The types of reforms advocated by Elon Musk and others, like ending telework for federal workers, might save some money, but by themselves will not fix the larger problem. Congress must be willing to address the primary drivers of the ballooning debt: entitlements and interest payments. However, it must fix these problem areas without at the same time imposing undue burdens on middle-class families.
One area where Congress can make a big impact is by closing tax loopholes. These special exclusions, deductions, and credits add up to $1.8 trillion a year in foregone revenue and mainly help high-income earners and businesses. Examples include tax breaks for employer-provided health insurance, capital gains from home sales, and municipal bonds.
Another budget buster is the well-intentioned $7,500 electric vehicle subsidy from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. This government program could be adjusted to better target middle- and low-income Americans. The same reasoning applies to other tax benefits like the student loan interest deduction and housing credits, which should also focus on less affluent Americans.
The national debt is a complex problem that won’t be solved with glib rhetoric and fiscal band-aids. To get the country on the right track, Congress will need to do two things: responsibly reduce spending and improve the tax code to ensure everyone pays their fair share. Protecting critical programs like Social Security and Medicare must remain a priority. Still, reforms—like negotiating drug prices or lifting the income cap on payroll taxes—can help make these programs sustainable.
Besides closing loopholes that primarily help high-end taxpayers, reducing tax loopholes for special interests and big corporations, especially if they have used these benefits to their financial advantage in the past, should also be seriously considered.
The challenge will be balancing fiscal responsibility with the need to invest in healthcare, education, and infrastructure to support the economy long term.
The new GOP-led Congress has a tough road ahead. But with smart, fair decisions, lawmakers can help avoid a fiscal crisis while building a stronger foundation for future generations.
Robert Cropf is a professor of political science at Saint Louis University.
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MAGA and Immigration: The unstoppable force meets the immovable object
Jan 06, 2025
There’s an old saying about what happens when the unstoppable force meets an immovable object, a situation where two equally powerful and contradictory forces are in opposition to each other.
Such a situation is rapidly unfolding between two powerful forces within the Republican Party on the all-important issue of immigration. This issue played no small part in Donald Trump's election to a second term as President.
Throughout his campaign, Trump promised to sign deportation orders on day one of being back in the White House, and all indications are that Trump has no intention of backing off if recent comments by “border czar” Tom Homan are any indication of what lies ahead.
“What price do you put on national security? I don’t think it has a price tag,” Homan said. “What price do you put on the thousands of American moms and dads who buried their children? You want to talk about family separation; they buried their children because their children were murdered by illegal aliens that weren’t supposed to be here. I don’t put a price on that. I don’t put a price on national security. I don’t put a price on American lives.”
Homan further defended the mass deportations’ $86 billion price tag, saying it would save American taxpayers money in the future and went on to say:
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“As far as U.S. children, that’s going to be a difficult situation because we’re not going to change your U.S. citizenship,” he said. “Which means they’re going to be put in a halfway house or they can stay at home and wait for the officers to get the travel arrangements and come back and get the family. You know the best thing to do for a family is to self-deport themselves.”
Yet this seemingly immovable position of MAGA deportation enthusiasts who want “mass deportation” is already being met by the immovable object of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the high-tech billionaires who will be leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Shortly before Christmas, a battle erupted between Trump supporters over the comments Ramaswamy and Musk made in which they made it clear that immigration policy must have exceptions for highly skilled workers. This position is counter to the position of many MAGA supporters who are against this because they believe these workers, whether skilled or not, will take jobs away from American workers.
The internal battle has already begun as fellow Trump supporters accused the Tech billionaire of censorship on December 27th after several prominent conservatives who had criticized Musk’s views on immigration lost access to premium features on Musk’s social media app, X.
What is developing is an intriguing and complex confluence of two diametrically opposed forces, one economic and one cultural. Many Trump followers support him primarily for economic reasons, while others care more about the cultural issues that Trump has campaigned on. This unusual alliance, one economic and one cultural, will likely result in some contentious infighting and unpredictable outcomes.
The forces represented by Musk and Ramaswamy are driven by a focus on the advancement of technology, which is dependent on a greater reliance on globalization and the immigration of highly skilled workers. This is totally counter to the cultural beliefs of many MAGA enthusiasts.
For the cultural wing of the MAGA faithful, it is the deeply rooted religious values, traditions, and opposition to what they call “Woke” culture that draws them to support Trump. These cultural supporters are focused on resistance to progressive social issues related to LGBTQ, diversity, equity, and inclusion. They believe that only by preserving these “traditional” values will America be made great again.
Yet an analysis of the economic factors clearly shows why these two opposing forces must be resolved. The simple fact is that the United States is already relying heavily on foreign workers for high-tech jobs and must do so in greater numbers to sustain our technological lead in the global economy. According to a report by the National Science Board, 26% of workers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) occupations are foreign-born. This includes roles such as software developers, engineers, and scientists.
Add to this fact that the United States workforce is aging at an alarming rate, and it becomes even more clear how the labor shortage that is unfolding in America is diametrically opposed to the deportation policies based on cultural issues. The number of older workers (ages 55 and older) has been steadily increasing for years, and this group is projected to make up nearly one-quarter of the labor force by 2026, according to the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
So fasten your seatbelts as the debate unfolds among MAGA supporters. Will the economic reality of the crucial role immigrants play in the U.S. economy by filling essential jobs, driving innovation, and contributing to economic growth trump cultural concerns?
Key industries, such as agriculture, healthcare, and technology, rely heavily on immigrant workers. Without them, these sectors could face severe labor shortages. Additionally, immigrants contribute to economic growth by starting businesses that create jobs. The economic realities are clear, given the demographic challenges of an aging population and declining birth rates and the role immigrants play in maintaining a robust and dynamic workforce.
Which of these seemingly unstoppable forces wins?
David Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.
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A Salute to President Jimmy Carter’s Life and Untold Contributions to Humanity
Jan 03, 2025
At 100 years old, former President of the United States Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29, leaving a legacy of untold contributions to humanity. His tenure as Governor of Georgia was marked by denouncing the vestiges of racial segregation, strengthening the state's educational systems, and conducting governmental reform, which foreshadowed his combination of liberal social policies and fiscal conservatism as the 39th U.S. President.
Pat Merloe, contributor of many writings to the Fulcrum, shared this moving tribute:
"Upon founding The Carter Center, he and his wife and lifelong partner Rosalynn Carter championed causes for public health (including the eradication of the Guinea worm disease), promoted peaceful means for preventing and ending violent conflicts, and aided efforts to secure democracy through observing elections in numerous countries. I had the privilege of working closely with President Carter in elections on four continents, witnessing firsthand his ability to help opposing sides reconcile and peacefully accept credible electoral outcomes. That ability was based on his steadfast reputation for seeking truth through facts and pursuing the common good rather than seeking political favor or popularity. His strength was combined with warmth, and I always felt honored when he would greet me by saying, "There is my friend."
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President and Rosalynn Carter's contributions will endure through The Carter Center, Habitat for Humanity, and the incalculable number of people whose lives they touched. We can benefit from reflecting on these words from his 1981 farewell presidential address: "[W]e know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges." And from his 1977 inaugural address: "Because we are free, we can never be indifferent to the fate of freedom elsewhere." It is up to each of us to meet those injunctions."
As we pay tribute to President Jimmy Carter, let us capture the profound impact and humanity of this great man by sharing some quotes from those who knew him best:
Former President Bill Clinton: "Jimmy Carter has always been a beacon of hope and a champion for peace and human rights. His dedication to improving the lives of others, even after leaving office, is truly inspiring."
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter: "Jimmy and I have shared a remarkable journey together. His unwavering faith and commitment to service have made a lasting impact on the world."
Nobel Peace Prize Committee: "Jimmy Carter's tireless efforts in promoting peace, democracy, and human rights have earned him a place among the world's most respected leaders."
Habitat for Humanity Co-Founder Millard Fuller: "Working alongside Jimmy Carter on Habitat builds has been one of the greatest honors of my life. His humility and dedication to helping others are unmatched."
Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young: "Jimmy Carter's legacy is one of compassion, integrity, and a relentless pursuit of justice. He has set a high bar for all of us to follow."
Those words from those who admired and loved him indeed speak to the man President Jimmy Carter was. But some quotes from the man himself perhaps best convey the heart and soul of the 39th President of the United States.
"I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over. The test of a government is not how popular it is with the powerful and privileged few, but how honestly and fairly it deals with the many who must depend upon it."
— Inaugural address as Governor of Georgia. (Carter Presidential Library)
"Our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss. Without immediate action, we are at genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy. Americans must set aside differences and work together before it is too late."
— Carter in a New York Times op-ed, January 5, 2022.
"We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles."
— This one's actually from Carter's grade-school teacher, Julia Coleman. Carter quoted it during his Nobel Peace Prize address in 2002.
"The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices."
— Carter's closing remarks during that same Nobel Peace Prize address.
"I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I'm free to choose that something … my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can."
— Undated quote, cited by Carter's niece at Maranatha Baptist Church on February 19, 2023. (AP)
David Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.
Pat Merloe is a member of the Election Reformers Network Advisory Council and provides strategic advice on democracy and elections in the U.S. and internationally..
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