Brief: From the House General Counsel, a warning on a "gun battle" with Barr's FBI security detail
I'll be brief here, and link to Roll Call's write-up.
When I post about Bright Line Watch, or otherwise give you an assessment of American democracy, I try to give you not just my professional assessment as a political scientist, but some guidance on how to read that. Yes, I got's me some o' those fancy letters after my name-- "Ph.D." stands for "piled higher and deeper"-- and I've published some books with Oxford University Press, which only the reviewers have read, because that's how my profession works. Trees? Meh. So, if you were to fall prey to the logical fallacy of "argument by authority," you would believe me cuz' I'm, like, an authority, or somethin'. However, I am also an "outlier" among my colleagues. How do I know this? Every time Bright Line Watch conducts its "expert survey" on the state of American democracy, I can see where my rating sits relative to the other professors in the sample. I rate American democracy significantly more strained than my colleagues.
And just this morning, my primary post was on power and checks-and-balances. (And, of course, Game of Thrones.) I consistently tell you that two factors weigh heavily on my assessment-- the diminution of facts, and the disappearance of checks-and-balances from our political system. That brings me to Roll Call's write-up of Doug Letter's warning of a potential "gun battle" if the House Sergeant at Arms tries to confront Bill Barr's FBI security detail to enforce a congressional subpoena for documents and information.
Will that "gun battle" happen? Not likely. The House Democrats will cave. That's part of the disappearance of checks-and-balances. However, the fact that this discussion is even happening in our court system should tell you something.
Bullets will not be fired. House Democrats will not go that far. The fact that Barr, and Trump, know that means that there will be no such confrontation. However, that also means that congressional subpoenas for executive branch testimony and information no longer exist.
Oh, and nobody is paying any attention to this. I'm not conspiratorial enough to say Wag The Dog at this point, but nobody will notice any of the court fights on this.
Read Levitsky & Ziblatt.
When I post about Bright Line Watch, or otherwise give you an assessment of American democracy, I try to give you not just my professional assessment as a political scientist, but some guidance on how to read that. Yes, I got's me some o' those fancy letters after my name-- "Ph.D." stands for "piled higher and deeper"-- and I've published some books with Oxford University Press, which only the reviewers have read, because that's how my profession works. Trees? Meh. So, if you were to fall prey to the logical fallacy of "argument by authority," you would believe me cuz' I'm, like, an authority, or somethin'. However, I am also an "outlier" among my colleagues. How do I know this? Every time Bright Line Watch conducts its "expert survey" on the state of American democracy, I can see where my rating sits relative to the other professors in the sample. I rate American democracy significantly more strained than my colleagues.
And just this morning, my primary post was on power and checks-and-balances. (And, of course, Game of Thrones.) I consistently tell you that two factors weigh heavily on my assessment-- the diminution of facts, and the disappearance of checks-and-balances from our political system. That brings me to Roll Call's write-up of Doug Letter's warning of a potential "gun battle" if the House Sergeant at Arms tries to confront Bill Barr's FBI security detail to enforce a congressional subpoena for documents and information.
Will that "gun battle" happen? Not likely. The House Democrats will cave. That's part of the disappearance of checks-and-balances. However, the fact that this discussion is even happening in our court system should tell you something.
Bullets will not be fired. House Democrats will not go that far. The fact that Barr, and Trump, know that means that there will be no such confrontation. However, that also means that congressional subpoenas for executive branch testimony and information no longer exist.
Oh, and nobody is paying any attention to this. I'm not conspiratorial enough to say Wag The Dog at this point, but nobody will notice any of the court fights on this.
Read Levitsky & Ziblatt.
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