蜜柚直播

Even when voters do effectively change policy, as 蜜柚直播ns did in November by enshrining a right to abortion in the Constitution through the citizens鈥� initiative process, legislators immediately get to work trying to weaken, thwart or undo what the voters chose, says author Amanda Becker.

Political forces in effect today in the U.S. have been building for a long time 鈥� in the case of threats to free speech, ever since President John Adams used a Sedition Act to arrest political opponents, says author Jonathan Turley; in the demonizing of immigrants, throughout our history, notes author Juan Williams; and in conservatives鈥� modern influence on redistricting, the courts and other institutions, 50 years 鈥渙f a very determined and orchestrated process,鈥� Daley says.

The rapidly changing media landscape, the echo chambers we retreat to that reinforce what we already believe, and the 鈥渞hetorical battles鈥� won or lost through political messaging can mean, as author Zeke Hernandez puts it, 鈥渢he truth doesn鈥檛 prevail even when there is so much evidence.鈥� Joe Rogan鈥檚 interview with Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign had 26 million views within 24 hours, author Paola Ramos notes, adding, 鈥淭his election was won through feelings, not facts,鈥� feelings including fear, anger and resentment.

And when we are afraid, angry or confused, we turn on each other, attack 鈥渢he other,鈥� 鈥渢ry to silence those we disagree with,鈥� and 鈥渢he villain image prevails,鈥� Hernandez and Turley point out.

These are some of the themes that emerged in two discussions on current events by author panels Saturday at the 蜜柚直播 Festival of Books, 鈥淔reedoms Under Fire鈥� and 鈥淩ace, Ethnicity and the Election,鈥� both of them popular events for advance tickets, and both aired by CSPAN 2鈥檚 Book TV from the University of 蜜柚直播 campus.

On their panel, Hernandez, Ramos and Williams analyzed why Trump, after pledging mass deportations, for example, got 45% of the Latino vote, or why one in four Black men voted for Trump, according to exit polling.

When Trump talked about immigrants being criminals, many Latino voters thought 鈥淗e鈥檚 not talking about me,鈥� said Ramos, a journalist who contributes to Telemundo 蜜柚直播 and MSNBC, was deputy director of Hispanic media for Hillary Clinton鈥檚 2016 presidential campaign, a political appointee during the Obama administration, and is the author of 鈥淒efectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America.鈥�

But now that they鈥檙e seeing Trump鈥檚 sweeping policies playing out, with family separations and the closing of legal pathways, more might be thinking, 鈥淚s he talking about you or not?鈥� she said.

What voters hear is 鈥渟o divorced from the facts,鈥� said Hernandez, a professor at the Wharton School who studies how immigration affects the economy and is the author of 鈥淭he Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers.鈥�

People are told one of two stories about immigrants, he said, that they are villains or victims, 鈥渘eedy outsiders who deserve your pity,鈥� when in fact, they 鈥減ositively contribute to everything you want to prosper in an economy,鈥� he said.

Immigrants provide talent, investment, consumption, innovation and pay taxes, and 鈥渨ho doesn鈥檛 want those things?鈥� Hernandez said.

Now, with Trump鈥檚 tariffs and 鈥渁ttempt to kick out 13.7 million undocumented people 鈥� workers, consumers, taxpayers鈥� 鈥� local officials in both political parties are very worried about the effects on local economies, he said. For many people it鈥檚 a surprise to hear undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are taxpayers, he said, but 鈥渢hey pay an estimated $100 billion per year in taxes.鈥�

Rather than 鈥渟tealing your job鈥� or holding down your wages, 鈥渋t鈥檚 the opposite of that 鈥� they actually increase wages because they grow the economy,鈥� Hernandez emphasized.

However, 鈥渂ecause the villain message is winning in the court of public opinion, immigrants absorb that message, too,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut they believe there鈥檚 got to be 鈥榯hose others鈥� out there,鈥� which 鈥減its immigrants against immigrants.鈥�

Ramos agreed, saying 鈥渘o one is immune to xenophobia and racist beliefs,鈥� and also pointing out that third-generation Latino Americans are the fastest-growing group, the majority of them native-born English speakers 鈥渨ho are feeling more and more removed from that original immigrant story.鈥�

It鈥檚 part of the American experience to want to prove you belong here, she noted.

That resonated with Williams, too, the journalist and historian who wrote the civil rights history 鈥淓yes on the Prize,鈥� which accompanied a PBS series, and his new 鈥淣ew Prize for these Eyes.鈥� Misinformation and caricatures are rampant, and 鈥渟o many of the Trump administration鈥檚 initiatives target minorities,鈥� he said.

He pointed to the of federal documents and politics under Trump, as reported by the New York Times and others, which include Black, women, race and ethnicity. "Blacks, gone. Women, gone. Wow, can you believe it, is this a joke, what's going on here?" Williams said.聽

鈥淚f you want to be accepted in America,鈥� there鈥檚 a 鈥渂andwagon of grievance and finger-pointing鈥� to join, he said.

鈥淭his is where the energy is鈥� and it 鈥渄rove a lot of the male attitude鈥� in the electorate, he said, pointing to social media, Rogan and others he said celebrate masculinity by blaming women for a lot of issues. Young men of color wanted to be 鈥減art of the clubhouse, too,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 a very toxic place.鈥�

Added to this, Hernandez said of the 2024 presidential campaign, 鈥淭he evidence goes against everything Trump says. But the Democrats did not have a message on immigration. And if they did, it was a terrible message, the pity message. Democrats need to have a soul-searching and a better message. 鈥� Stop with the pity, and appeal to self-interest鈥� 鈥� that immigrants are a boon to the economy you depend on.

Ramos said the theory of the Clinton campaign in 2015 was that 鈥渋n the face of someone like Donald Trump, Latinos would turn up in these unprecedented numbers.鈥� When she and others would urge more outreach, they were told, 鈥淣ah, we鈥檝e got it.鈥� Then, less than 50% of Latino voters showed up at the polls.

That point was followed up by a similar one, in the next panel discussion, 鈥淔reedoms Under Fire,鈥� when Daley said that with Barack Obama鈥檚 victory in 2008, 鈥淒emocrats thought demographics are destiny,鈥� and that a coalition had formed that would carry political strength into the future.

But while Democrats were concentrating on 鈥渉ow do we keep the White House,鈥� conservatives behind the scenes were focused on 鈥渉ow do we control the levers of power?鈥� said Daley, former editor-in-chief of Salon. His book 鈥淎ntidemocratic鈥� recounts what he calls 鈥渢he 50-year campaign by the Republican right to roll back the Voting Rights Act of 1965.鈥�

As a result of various machinations of those levers, he said the U.S. Supreme Court has become 鈥渢he bastion of Republican political power.鈥� Chief Justice John Roberts is 鈥渢he most effective Republican politicians in many ways of the last 25 years,鈥� Daley said, achieving big changes from 2005 to today on voting rights, reproductive rights, presidential immunity, and the regulatory state when it comes to the environment, health care and more, 鈥減ulling the U.S. in a direction that polls suggest could not have happened at the ballot box.鈥�

Turley, speaking on the same panel, who said he testified on behalf of Neil Gorsuch鈥檚 nomination to the high court, countered that the justices 鈥渁re just trying to get it it right鈥� on issues and constitutional requirements.

A law professor at George Washington University, a television analyst for multiple networks (currently for Fox), and a litigator, Turley wrote the bestselling book 鈥淭he Indispensible Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.鈥�

A staunch proponent of free speech, Turley was asked for examples from the Biden and Trump administrations of threats to the First Amendment. He said 鈥渢he censorship system grew鈥� under the 鈥渁nti-free-speech鈥� Biden administration, as evidenced by 鈥�,鈥� the select releases of 2022-2023 internal Twitter, Inc. documents, that show 鈥済overnment coordinating with social media and targeting groups.鈥�

As for Trump, Turley said the recent with intent to deport Mahmoud Khalil for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, who has not been charged with any crime at this point, is concerning. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e allowed to protest in this country, you鈥檙e allowed to be pro-Palestinian,鈥� a right shared not just by citizens but by people legally residing in the country, as Khalil is, Turley said. 鈥淭hat is not a basis for deportation.鈥�

On the other hand, Turley said he agrees with 鈥渆very part鈥� of what Vice President about 鈥渢he robust censorship system鈥� in Germany. While neo-Nazis are thriving there, one poll said only 17% of Germans felt they could speak out about their beliefs, Turley said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e silencing the wrong people.鈥�

鈥淚 believe the solution to bad speech is good speech,鈥� he said.

Becker, who wrote 鈥淵ou Must Stand Up, The Fight for Abortion Rights,鈥� which focused in part on 蜜柚直播鈥檚 policies and voter decisions, built on Daley鈥檚 points about gerrymandering, especially after 2010, and dilution of voting rights.

She also said that in 蜜柚直播, although the electorate is made of up roughly equal thirds of independents, Republicans and Democrats, the partisan primary election system means, 鈥渟ome candidates for statewide office are being nominated by less than 10 percent of the electorate.鈥�

Add to that, she said, the efforts by the Republican-controlled Legislature to roll back voters鈥� decision in November on abortion rights, and also what she said is happening under the U.S. Justice Department 鈥� 鈥渨hich has stopped arguing for emergency medicine laws鈥� and might go after the abortion pill.

Voters in 蜜柚直播 cannot simply trust that the law they enacted is safe, Becker said.