This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1250610
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1250610
Great article. Not sure I wanted to start my morning this way, however.
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Not a great start to the day.
However, on the other side of the pond, BoJo the Clown was slapped down by the British Supreme Court and his prorogation of Parliament declared unlawful and nullified. Calls from all sides for him to resign (he previously claimed he wouldn’t, even if he lost). MPs are returning to Parliament tomorrow without BoJo who’s in NYC for the climate conference.
Wonder at what point he turns from Cheatolini’s best bud, “brother from another mother” into just another Covfefe Guy (“loser I never knew/met”)…?
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The whole board system is pretty much broken in the U.S. Similar dysfunction or inability to function has occurred in other national boards, such as the NLRB or the SEC. I don’t see a way forward for these agencies in which they can’t be sabotaged by Republican inaction.
Instead, remove the restriction against private individuals for suing for violations. For example, currently if your employer retaliates against you for trying to start a union, you can’t sue them but have to make a complaint to the NRLB and hope they investigate/fine the company. Allowing the harmed candidate/campaign to directly sue the individual/group who violated election law would at least provide one avenue for justice.
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I have mixed feelings about the private right of action, because rich republicans. It may be the only way forward, but it would have to be accompanied by some fairly strong anti-SLAPP measures. Otherwise you’d get privately-funded equivalents of all those voter-suppression and anti-voter-registration laws that are percolatingthrough red states.
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No doubt that’s a real risk and I’m not sure what the best way to minimize the potential damage. However, I think that alternative is better than the current system where large scale illegal action is either not punished or lightly fined. One of the not well publicized reasons for the drop in Unionization is the fact that union busting is so profitable. At worst, you get a slap on the wrist fine from the NLRB. Same thing with election violations from the FEC or financial crimes with the SEC.
Threaten an endless string of multi-million dollar jury awards and voluntary compliance would vastly increase
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Steve Bannon let the cat out of the bag right at the beginning: the goal is the deconstruction of the administrative state.
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Agreed. For the most part with union busting, you have to agree to follow the law and reimburse people for lost wages when you fire them unlawfully. Even without punitive jury awards (which the Supremes, surprise, surprise, have been workingto rein in), triple damages would be nice. Same thing for wage theft: steal from your employees, and the worst that happens is you have to give the money back. Steal from your employer, give the money back plus fines plus costs, and go to jail. You have to wonder where the incentives are.
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Anyone think the resignation of that GOP FEC Commissioner in August was just a personal decision and not one ordered by the Trump White House?
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The GOP knows its days are numbered and its existence is truly in danger; therefore, it’s an all-out attempt to do any an all things to rig our voting system in its favor. Disenfranchisement. Gerrymandering. Poll Taxes. Voter Roll Purges (illegally). Crippling the FEC. This is all the last-ditch effort to stave off death by demographics…and the corrupt, criminal GOP knows it. Let us hasten its demise.
This strikes to the heart for Trump the way Ghaddafi’s end gnawed at Putin.
They could do that to me.
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Yup.
Is it wrong that I am rubbing my hands with glee?
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Ach, no! Best days we’ve had for a long time. And I hope the really best is yet to come.
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The FEC Is Paralyzed. It Couldn’t Come At A Worse Time.
I am pretty sure that headline displays a liberal bias, because there is not a Republican running for any office in the country who does not think that this total failure of the FEC couldn’t come at a better time.
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FWIW, I’ve been saying for years that I grapple w/ which is the more-useless entity in DC–the FEC or Log Cabin Republican’ts?
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Yeah, this is the Republican plan, paralyze all of the governmental functions, then use that to talk about how “government doesn’t work” and “socialism is giving government that doesn’t work control of everything”, in order to take control with authoritarian tools (blocking any investigations, capturing the justice system, shutting down the media). They openly say it now, their goal is to make entities like the FEC, that are meant to oversee the system, either ineffective or lapdogs; it’s why the CFPB pisses them off so much, they can’t control it if a Warren or Cordray takes over and actually tries to hold the wealthy and corporations accountable.
The only solution is to take the government back from Republicans, and then make the government effective and accountable again. It will be difficult until Republicans are either swept out of power completely (as happened in CA where things actually function again) or the next generation comes along and is interested in recreating the party. We can only hope that the Republicans lose badly in 2020 so the Democrats can put some of this back together, and then that the Democrats keep pushing for government that works and the people go along with it instead of forgetting and allowing the Republicans to trash the system all over again.
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Wouldn’t the republicans have to be the ones to remove the restriction? Falls well into the fat chance category.
You’re right, it would have to be done when Dems control Congress + the Presidency. But once done, I suspect it’ll be hard to reverse.