The Topline: Democracy's Daily Digest
Most of our readers were likely not impressed by the appearance of Donald Trump at CPAC yesterday, but the timing was apropos. His reappearance on the political scene occurred as Congress takes up a potentially landmark voting rights bill, and the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in two ballot collection cases. Naturally, the ex-president trashed these efforts, because increased voting access is a direct threat to him, and by extension, the party that embraces him. That's reprehensible. Every American should support increased voting access. Not only does it welcome more of us into the political process, but it ultimately creates a more competitive market for ideas. That's as American as it gets. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor
Love THE TOPLINE? Help us spread the word and earn TOPLINE rewards here.
Voting could get a makeover
Congress begins debate this week on the Democrats' H.R. 1, which, if passed, would usher in the biggest overhaul of U.S. elections law in at least a generation. Also known as the For the People Act, the legislation would institute practices like early voting and same-day registration nationwide, strike down hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, curb partisan gerrymandering, and curtail the influence of big money in politics. Republicans say the measures would limit the power of states to conduct elections and ultimately benefit Democrats, through higher turnout among minority voters. —ABC News
— Meanwhile, in the states... Republican-led legislatures in 43 states are considering 253 bills that could make it harder to vote, according to the Brennan Center. The bills would create barriers to voting by reducing early voting days and limiting access to voting by mail, among other measures. Some of the bills explicitly mention election security concerns generated by disinformation spread by Donald Trump while trying to overturn the election. —NPR
— A role for SCOTUS. Beginning tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a pair of cases related to "ballot harvesting." Twenty-six states allow voters to designate a third party to turn in their ballots, though 12 limit how many ballots a person may collect. Supporters say ballot collection enfranchises low-income voters who work multiple jobs or can't access transportation. Critics see a potential for ballot tampering and voter intimidation. Stay tuned. —USA Today
— Bipartisanship. What a concept. In Wisconsin, state lawmakers agree on at least one thing—ranked-choice voting. They have introduced bipartisan legislation that, if passed, would allow voters to rank their favorite candidates, regardless of party affiliation, for U.S. Senate and House elections. "The system as it's currently designed rewards behaviors in the tail of bell curves," says Sen. Dale Kooyenga. "What this reform does is give a broader segment of our population...a say in who the representatives are." Sounds good to us. —Wisconsin State Journal
MORE: Voting machines in Phoenix weren't rigged, audit finds —Forbes
Wehner: Kinzinger fights for the GOP
"No one can doubt [Rep. Adam] Kinzinger's courage—demonstrated in war zones, in risking his life on a city street to save a woman whose throat had been cut by an assailant, in risking his once-safe House seat, and now in forcefully calling out those in his own party who have compromised their moral principles and turned their party into a menace. But demonstrating that courage while also humanizing our politics, and even humanizing those who consider him their enemy, may be his greatest service to our nation." —Peter Wehner in The Atlantic
Peter Wehner is a former speechwriter for three U.S. presidents and is a vice president and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
MORE: Democrats and Kinzinger call for investigation of Republican state representative who had far-right militia decal on his truck Jan. 6 —Chicago Sun-Times
The military's white supremacy problem
A Pentagon report highlighting disturbing examples of white supremacy inside the military calls for changes in how the Defense Department screens recruits for possible ties to domestic extremism. The report was written prior to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which several service members and veterans took part, but wasn't made public until now. The report does not estimate the number of white supremacists in the military, but warns that even a small number poses a threat to national security. Domestic extremist groups highly prize the membership of active-duty service members because it brings "legitimacy" to their cause. —NBC News
MORE: Homeland Security refocuses grants toward fighting domestic extremism —The Wall Street Journal
Make America...Myanmar?
Some supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory now expect that a military coup similar to Myanmar's recent coup will put Donald Trump back in the White House. Security officials in Washington, D.C., are on alert for potential activity from extremists on March 4, the previous date of presidential inaugurations, which is when conspiracists believe false allegations of mass voter fraud and other election irregularities will be proven. "The military is in charge. It's going to be like Myanmar, what's happening in Myanmar," said one QAnon adherent. "At the right time they're going to be restoring the republic with Trump as president." Hoo boy. —Newsweek
MORE: 'Myanmar is like a battlefield': UN says at least 18 dead as security forces fire on protesters —The Guardian
Marques: Navalny's movement deserves support
"The reality is that support for Russian democracy campaigners is sorely needed at one of the country's darkest times in recent memory. Western champions, governments, and other observers would do well to focus less on the individual—tempting as that may be, especially when opposing a highly personalized regime—and more on the wider movement by backing civil society writ large. That would have the benefit of avoiding falling into the trap of lionizing deeply flawed figures, as has happened in the past." —Clara Ferreira Marques in Bloomberg
Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg columnist covering commodities and environmental, social, and governance issues.
MORE: Kremlin critic Navalny moved to penal colony outside Moscow to serve jail term —Reuters
Focus on President Biden
A little over a month into office, President Biden has been widely praised for his actions on the pandemic and for a return to civil discourse in the White House. But he's not without his critics—and some of the loudest are within his own party. For example, Senate Democrats have criticized his decision not to confer with all members of Congress, rather than congressional leadership only, prior to launching airstrikes in Syria on Friday. A full classified briefing on the situation is expected this week. —CNBC
— ICC sanctions. The Biden Administration so far has declined to lift U.S. sanctions imposed by the previous administration on war crimes prosecutors at the International Criminal Court. The sanctions were levied in retaliation for the ICC's investigation into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The lack of action has provoked unease among European allies, who are staunch supporters of the ICC. Israel, however, is in favor of continued sanctions. —The Guardian
— Government transparency. The Biden White House has received kudos for keeping the American public informed, primarily by resuming daily press briefings, and committing to releasing visitor logs, which the previous administration refused to do. But open government advocates say there's more work to be done—schedules for the president and vice president aren't posted online, the White House comment line is shut down, and there are no citizen petitions on the White House's website. —Politico
— The Jamal Khashoggi murder. Biden is facing criticism for thus far not directly punishing Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite a declassified intelligence report that says MBS ordered agents "to capture or kill" the Washington Post journalist. "The United States has not historically sanctioned the leaders of countries where we have diplomatic relations—or even some countries where we don't have diplomatic relations," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. —USA Today
MORE: Three names mysteriously removed from Khashoggi intelligence report after initial publication —CNN
Dionne: The GOP's Catch-22
"The resumption of the Trump Show reminded the GOP that it has the worst of all worlds: a cult of Trump without any of the benefits that might have come from a serious inquiry into why the old conservatism had been unable to stop him. Party leaders in their hearts know that they can't win with Trump and Trumpism—and they can't live without him and his followers." —E.J. Dionne in The Washington Post
E.J. Dionne is a Washington Post columnist covering national politics.
MORE: Allies of Rep. Kinzinger launch new super PAC to support Republicans who have bucked Trump —The Washington Post
"'If it's instead driven by fear and lies—and single-minded devotion to a person who perpetuates both—then it becomes devoid of ideas and solutions and cannot govern. If it can't govern, it will struggle to compete. And if it can't compete, it will reject liberty.'"
IF it's instead driven by fear and lies? IF?
No "ifs" about it. Fear and lies have been the M.O. of the GOP for as long as I can remember. Yes, the Democrats aren't as pure as the driven snow, but racist and xenophobic lies are a GOP specialty, among its other various nasty lies.
IF it can't compete?
The GOP's main concept of "competing" is voter suppression by various and sundry means. It can't win under fair election conditions. And we've already seen the "rejecting liberty" part. The GOP has become a seditionist cult, a tumor on the body politic that somehow needs to be excised. —Barry L., Massachusetts
Much luck with the issues related to the 2021 version of the GOP. MAGA is now a cult. —John W., Georgia
The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
Got feedback about THE TOPLINE? Send it to Melissa Amour, Managing Editor, at editor@thetopline.com.
CARE ABOUT DEMOCRACY? SHARE SOME DEMOCRACY.
If you love THE TOPLINE, share it with your friends and reap the rewards—from a shoutout in an issue of TL, to exclusive swag, to a call with Evan and Mindy.
Your Dashboard has everything you need to easily share THE TOPLINE
and track your progress.