How Virtue Sustains the Individual and a Nation, According to Our Founding Fathers
Jefferson's draft was discussed, debated, and edited over the coming days by the other members of the Committee of Five, which included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston; and then by the Second Continental Congress. When it came to those 'inalienable rights,' the men, whom posterity would herald as the Founding Fathers, understood perfectly what was meant by life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The last of these three, however, has, over the last century, been slowly and completely redefined.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
19 hours ago
- Politico
What Kamala Harris can learn from John Kerry
HISTORY LESSON — A failed Democratic presidential nominee who's thinking about running again. A party that isn't thrilled about the prospect of a repeat bid. It sounds a lot like the situation currently facing Kamala Harris, but it's actually the dilemma that confronted Democrat John Kerry after his 2004 presidential defeat. And for Harris, what came next for Kerry could prove instructive as she weighs her options ahead of 2028. Back then, Democrats were reeling after George W. Bush's election to a second term. Many in the party expected the race was theirs for the taking; in the end, Bush won both a majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College. Kerry, however, kept the door open to a second White House bid long after Bush's victory. It wasn't until Jan. 2007 that Kerry announced he would not make a second run. While his experience offers a roadmap for Harris, it's also a cautionary tale about the hurdles facing failed candidates. For much of the two years before the 2006 midterms, Kerry actively campaigned across the country like a potential presidential candidate. He gave a formal speech on patriotism at Grinnell College, the elite liberal arts institution in Iowa, and was the guest of honor at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in 2006. And all throughout, he stumped for candidates in swing races across the country in places from rural Iowa to south Florida. Yet what doomed Kerry was the first time he put his foot in his mouth. Speaking to students on the eve of the midterms, Kerry said, 'Well, you know, if you make the most of it, and you study hard, and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you — you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.' Critics immediately seized on the remark as an insult to the troops, and candidates in both parties called on him to apologize. His aides insisted that it was a botched joke about George W. Bush and that he meant to say 'you get us stuck in Iraq.' It didn't matter. Coming only days before the midterms, Democrats panicked as Republicans raced to condemn the former presidential nominee. Kerry was abruptly dropped from an event in Iowa where he was scheduled to appear with Bruce Braley, a Democrat running in a swing district and canceled other campaign trips as well. It was a fresh reminder of Kerry and his various blunders on the 2004 campaign trail, but also a sign of how little room for error he had within his own party after losing to Bush. Harris is in a far stronger position than Kerry ever was. The former vice president consistently leads Democratic polls in advance of the 2028 primary — Kerry, on the other hand, lagged behind Hillary Clinton in public polls. And Harris isn't held entirely culpable for the party's 2024 defeat — an abbreviated campaign marked by Joe Biden's abrupt, mid-campaign decision to bow out — the same way that Kerry was held responsible for blowing a lead against Bush. However, Harris has been far less visible so far than Kerry at a similar point. Part of that is simply a function of the fact that Harris is no longer in public life — she announced recently she would not run for California governor in 2026 — while Kerry remained in the Senate. But the Massachusetts Democrat also kept a far more active schedule than Harris did after his loss — within five weeks of his general election loss, Kerry had already returned to both Iowa and New Hampshire to thank supporters who had backed him in his primary campaign. All of that could change with Harris' coming book tour. The book, titled '107 Days,' is set to release Sept. 23. Even if she isn't campaigning with state Senate candidates in the suburbs of Webster City, Iowa, Harris is still likely to get more than sufficient eyeballs on the late night talk show circuit. The return to the spotlight risks opening up all the old wounds. It's hard to dodge questions about past decisions when promoting a book that is intended to be a chronicle of her 107-day presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton utilized a simple yet very effective putdown of Kerry after his 2006 gaffe. 'No one wants to have the 2004 election replayed,' she said, prompting bad memories among Democrats about the devastating loss two years earlier. For Harris, that will be the first challenge if she wants to mount a presidential bid — erasing fears that her nomination would look like a re-run. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@ Or contact tonight's author at bjacobs@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Bencjacobs. What'd I Miss? — Trump places DC police under federal control, deploys National Guard: President Donald Trump said today he would place the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control and deploy the National Guard, an escalation of federal power in his campaign to tighten control over the nation's deep-blue capital city. 'This is liberation day in D.C. and we're going to take our capital back,' Trump said. Although crime in Washington hit a 30-year low last year, Trump on Monday said he was declaring a public safety emergency in the District. The president in recent days has seized on violence against a Trump administration staffer to cast the city as dangerous, pledging earlier today that 'Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR.' — House Republicans back Trump on DC crime push: House Republicans moved quickly today to follow President Donald Trump's lead as he took unprecedented action to target Washington's locally elected government — further heightening the GOP's scrutiny of the capital city and its Democratic elected leaders. Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said he would haul Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb to Capitol Hill next month for a hearing. The public grilling is likely to come as Trump's takeover of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department approaches a 30-day expiration date, requiring congressional action to continue. — Trump: Russia and Ukraine peace requires 'land swapping': President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine will engage in 'land swapping' that will be 'good' and 'bad' for both countries, a key part of his push to end the years-long war. The president's comments on today follow insistence from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his country would not trade land for peace, and underscore Trump's focus on making a deal with Putin. President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine will engage in 'land swapping' that will be 'good' and 'bad' for both countries, a key part of his push to end the years-long war. — Trump defends deal to sell Nvidia export control license: President Donald Trump defended a deal he struck with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to waive national security concerns blocking the sale of certain semiconductor chips to China in exchange for the company giving the U.S. government 15 percent of the revenue. 'I said, 'I want 20 percent if I'm going to approve this for you,' Trump told reporters Monday during a White House press conference. 'For the country, for our country. I don't want it myself ... And he said, 'Would you make it 15?' So we negotiate a little deal.' Trump appeared to brush off concerns that he was weakening national security by approving the sale. He said the H20 chip manufactured by Nvidia is 'obsolete,' even though there is still a market for it in China and other places. — Judge denies DOJ bid to unseal grand jury material in Ghislaine Maxwell case: A federal judge today denied the Justice Department's effort to unseal grand jury material in the Ghislaine Maxwell case, calling the 'entire premise' of the government's move 'demonstrably false.' U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, in a 31-page decision, chided the Justice Department for its bid to make the material public because, he said, the public would learn virtually nothing new from the documents and 'would come away feeling disappointed and misled.' AROUND THE WORLD LAST MINUTE SUMMIT — U.S. President Donald Trump will join European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an emergency virtual summit on Wednesday. The call, organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, comes ahead of Friday's summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine. The virtual summit will focus on pressure options against Russia, questions about Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the sequencing of potential peace talks, a German government spokesperson told POLITICO. JOURNALISTS KILLED IN GAZA — Israel killed five journalists during an airstrike in Gaza, news outlet Al Jazeera reported. Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera reporter, was killed in a tent alongside four colleagues and two bystanders, the Qatari-owned network said. He shared a video of Israel's 'relentless bombardment' of Gaza shortly before he died. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strike, claiming that al-Sharif, who is Palestinian, headed a Hamas terrorist cell and led 'advanced rocket attacks' against Israel. Al Jazeera has repeatedly denied allegations about al-Sharif's links to Hamas, and the United Nations special rapporteur for freedom of expression, Irene Khan, said last month that the claims were unsubstantiated. Nightly Number RADAR SWEEP THE ATOMIC BOWL — Less than five months after the U.S. bombed Nagasaki in 1945, the U.S. military returned to stage a New Year's Day football game. In an attempt to normalize the U.S. occupation of Japan, some 1,500 people gathered at a debris-riddled middle school to watch professional football players-turned-servicemen play. The long-forgotten game in a city where most of bombings' victims were non-combatants was emblematic of the American military and public's takeaways from the second nuclear bombing, argues Greg Mitchell. He reports on the game and its legacy for Mother Jones. Parting Image Jacqueline Munis contributed to this newsletter. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
President Midas' Terrible Touch
When I was little, my mom told me a Cinderella story that happened to be true. Once upon a time, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson held a competition for the design of the house of our presidents. Well-established architects submitted proposals, but the winner was a young Irishman, James Hoban. He also supervised construction of part of the Capitol. My dad, another Irishman, worked at the Capitol. And sometimes my mom and I would drive down and gaze at the White House and Capitol, so proud that an up-and coming Irishman could have beaten out all the other architects to play such a central role in conjuring the seats of our new Republic. I would think about that when I grew up to be a White House reporter, interviewing President George H.W. Bush in the Oval Office. The room where it happens was a place of wonder, baked in history — good and bad. A famous old ivy, which had lasted through so many administrations and eavesdropped on so many remarkable conversations, was the main item on the mantel, flanked by porcelain vases. (Now there are nine gold decorative objects and counting.) Back then, the room was understated and overwhelming. As Michael Douglas's chief executive said in 'The American President,' showing off the Oval Office, 'The White House is the single greatest home court advantage in the modern world.' Real power doesn't need to shout. In fact, it can whisper. But Donald Trump was shouting down to reporters on Tuesday as he surveyed his desecration from the White House roof. He looked at his Brutalist Rose Garden renovation, a stone slab with Florida-esque patio furniture and the site of the proposed $200 million ballroom, encroaching on the East Wing and encompassing 90,000 square feet, nearly twice the size of the White House residence. Trump vowed to pay for the ballroom with private funds, which means, of course, that someone else will curry favor and pay. (Trump bulldozed the Rose Garden, which Melania helped renovate, just so reporters covering his outdoor pronouncements and White House staffers would not sink into the grass.) Trump has long been a human wrecking ball, but now his chaos has splattered onto the usually serene White House. He's obsessively terraforming the place to be an extension of his attention-crazed id. Ever since he escaped what he considered a drab existence in Queens, Trump has bedazzled his life — everything from tweezers to seatbelts to TV remotes were gilt. Even as president, he's selling gold sneakers, gold watches and gold phones. Now he has tarted up the Oval; it's the modern version of worshiping the golden calf and just as profane. Trump's tacky rococo gold adornments are growing exponentially. He's piling on more and more garish features — from cherubs to mantelpiece swirls — and sycophants add to the gold rush by bringing offerings to truckle to King Midas. A groveling Tim Cook came to the Oval on Wednesday with a gift for the president: a glass plaque with a 24-karat gold base. Trump is trying to turn the people's house into a Saudi palace — 'dictator chic.' It is symbolic of this president: He's refashioning our democracy as an autocracy. 'In one year, we'll celebrate 250 years of independence from a mad king,' David Axelrod told me. 'Would you not give anything to invite Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln back to comment on what they're seeing? It's blasphemous.' Trump is making the Justice Department a wholly owned subsidiary of Trump Inc., turning the F.B.I. into his personal, political police force, pursuing his foes with a Javert-like fever. Justice is investigating Letitia James and Adam Schiff, and another agency is investigating Jack Smith. After Democratic legislators left Texas to block Trump's gerrymandering power grab there, and after Trump said the F.B.I. 'may have to' get involved, a Republican senator from Texas said the bureau agreed to help locate the lawmakers. Trump sent his former lawyer, now deputy attorney general, to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, who was then summarily transferred to Club Fed amid whispers of a possible pardon. Brian Driscoll, who briefly served as acting head of the F.B.I., was dismissed because he tried to protect agents from Trump's purge of anyone involved in investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. This, even as Jared Wise, a rioter who egged on the mob that day to 'kill' the police, has been named an adviser to the Justice Department task force seeking vengeance against Trump's perceived political foes. Trump slapped Brazil with a 50 percent tariff because the government is prosecuting his far-right buddy Jair Bolsonaro, known as 'the Trump of the tropics,' for trying to overturn the election he lost. The president's unbridled gilt reflects his unbridled greed. King Midas of legend paid for his vanity. He was horrified that he could not control the golden touch. He turned his daughter, his food and his drink into gold. Aristotle said his 'vain prayer' led to starvation. It is a lesson Trump will never learn: The flashiest is never the truest. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here's our email: letters@ Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp and Threads.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Check state election list to ensure voter registration is valid
Aug. 7—Keep an eye on your mailbox this week to find out it you're one of the challenged voters, which could make it more difficult to vote in next year's election if not fixed. Earlier reporting by The Mountaineer contacted random sample of Haywood voters who were on the list. Many had been voting for years, were long-time Haywood residents and shocked to learn their voter legitimacy had been challenged over a missing number More than 100,000 voters statewide are missing a field on their voter registration form and must fill in the blank: either a driver's license number or last four of their Social Security. The issue became fodder for a lawsuit by unsuccessful Republican N.C. Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin. Griffin challenged the election outcome in hopes of tossing out votes to tip the scales in his favor and flip his narrow loss into a win. It didn't work. But the court case outcome directed the state election board to fill in the missing information. That process is under way. A project dubbed Registration Repair aims to fill in the missing data before the 2026 elections. In Haywood, the legal challenge called out 146 Haywood voters for missing information. Haywood Elections Director Robert Inman immediately began searching registration records. He found some on the list were wrongfully challenged and didn't have a missing number. Others had changed registration, and the missing number was on an older card. Now, only 46 Haywood voters remain on the list, thanks to Inman and his staff sorting through it. State Elections Director Sam Hayes said voters who lack certain information did nothing wrong. Earlier registration forms were unclear about whether certain information was required or optional, he added. Hayes said any voters who remain on the list and show up at the polls to vote in 2026 won't be turned away. They will be allowed to cast a provisional ballot as long as they provide either the last four of their Social or their driver's license number. To find out if you're on the list, check Solve the daily Crossword
