16 Comments
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Margaret Weant's avatar

Can someone please explain to me how to read this graphic? There’s no explanation on the website - is mostly white good…..?

As a quick piece of info I think this is not very successful.

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Johnny Canuck's avatar

I am puzzled too. It is a completely meaningless graphic without some indication of what the scale means.

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Margaret Weant's avatar

I’m relieved I’m not the only one. And I do policy data/research for a living…..

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Loraine's avatar

I agree. This graphic needs a legend.

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Just Sayin''s avatar

agreed...graphics without labels or explanatory keys are amateurish efforts. It's like advertisements saying "now less expensive"....than what?

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Frank Franklin's avatar

The Democracy Index measures the stress reaction of Professor Vance during reading the headlines in the daily NY Times. It is the sum of her heart rate, systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate and neck muscle tension.

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Ferbie's avatar

Yeah, strange. Click on each category within the graphic and pop-up windows appear that contain the latest synopsis on that topic.

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NanceeM's avatar

While the concept that the fate of the country rests in our hands, it must be noted that the mechanisms to exercise that control have been severely damaged, likely rendering them inadequate and ineffective in undertaking this task. I find the graphic hard to interpret, but just based on the status of the various categories, think your characterization of where the country is, is much too optimistic.

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Anewseemliness's avatar

6/3, 6/3, 6/3! One doesn’t have to be a bloodhound to smell something stanky. And with the same ‘absolute immunity’ that the Court has bestowed upon the executive branch, and the ‘qualified immunity’ granted to police, any suggestion that we live in a democracy and/or representative government is patently absurd. Stop deluding yourselves, readers.

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Pat Jones Garcia's avatar

Good essay. I cannot believe, however, that the majority of people want the middle and working classes to pay for the taxes that the wealthy should pay, or that the majority of people are so cruel as to cause many others to go without medical care, or to destroy our air and waters and lands, and so on.

Nor can I believe that the president and his kind have been able to destroy so much of what made our country a good and safe place.

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Phyllis Logan's avatar

They are dismantling and destroying everything that makes us 'America'.

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Gordon Berry's avatar

Thank you for your expert and clear review...

I think that

House Democrats should make some sweet offers to the Republican Congressmen - If Trump can do it, so can we....

e.g. offer them a free run in the next election - make promises to help the voters in their Disrict - new construction programs, special programs for their kids...

We only need to swing 3 or 4 Republicans - we should have done the same for the Senator from Alaska...

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Lisa Petersen's avatar

This is supposedly a “constitutional” court. So where in the Constitution does the president rise above the law, and where in the Constitution does he have the right to overturn the law with the strike of a pen? How can Barrett, who above the others claims to be a constitutional lawyer, justify these decisions as being constitutional? And why has nobody confronted her on these grounds?

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Marlene Lerner-Bigley (CA)'s avatar

When the Dems/Independents get a chance to orchestrate things in the WH after the fortunate demise of the trump and his “Party”, I take comfort in Roberts’ decision that “a president is immune”. This, of course, means that our Dem/Independent prez will also have that luxury. This means all of Trump’s pardons would be revoked, J6’ers, the thugs who are ICE now, and that we could roll back the worst of the worst. The Dems better use this time to fully explore and educate themselves because we need real change, not just in the party, but in the government.

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Bill terKuile's avatar

The Constitution places the ultimate power in the people.

MAGAts on both the federal and state level are working hard to neuter that power, using now familiar tactics to strip the right to vote from as many as possible.

Should they succeed, the last rampart will be swept away.

Stopping this plot, is where our effort must be focused

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D Schmitt's avatar

For easy reference see:

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

The 4th will survive, if we can keep it. (Nod to Mr. B. Franklin)

From this Contrarian a genuine wish of the best for all.

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