Exploring McConnell’s 'calculated audacity' – Politics Weekly

+ an editor's tip for shutting out politics when necessary US Edition - Today's top story: When politicians use hate speech, political violence increases [View in browser]( US Edition | 1 October 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair I bet you don’t want to read one more thing about politics. (See the end of this message for how I manage to shut out politics when necessary.) But there are still things we all need to know as a consequential election nears. Our job is to give you the facts that help you cut through the confusion, yelling and handwringing that characterize much current election coverage – and to provide those facts without making you feel like you’re taking medicine. This week, we’ve had two stories that will help you understand the risk of election violence. One scholar examines [the connection between hate speech and violence](; another looks at the precursors of election violence around the world and [whether they exist in the U.S](. Senate leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky up for reelection this year, has forged a lasting legacy with his successful campaign to fill federal courts, including the Supreme Court, with conservative judges. Al Cross, a journalist and academic who has covered McConnell for 40-plus years, writes [in his profile of the powerful lawmaker]( that it’s McConnell’s “calculated audacity” that has enabled him to rise to power and remake the federal judiciary. So, my trick for escaping politics? Making preserves. Last weekend, it was turning 20 pounds of tomatoes into tomato jam – here’s the [link for the recipe](, but leave out the cloves. Too strong, and they drown out the rest of the ingredients – kind of like what happened in a [recent debate](. The election’s more than a month away, and I still have another 30 pounds of tomatoes to go. That should keep me sane. Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Society Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump have been accused of using hate speech. AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi [When politicians use hate speech, political violence increases]( James Piazza, Pennsylvania State University My research shows that when politicians use hate speech, it's not just empty rhetoric or political theater: Domestic terrorism increases, in the US and in other countries. A man carrying a club is seen as the Proud Boys, a right-wing pro-Trump group, gather with their allies in a rally against left-wing Antifa in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 26, 2020. John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images [Election violence in November? Here’s what the research says]( Ore Koren, Indiana University Are the conditions ripe in the US for violence before, during or after the presidential election? - [Mitch McConnell’s legacy is a conservative Supreme Court shaped by his calculated audacity]( Al Cross, University of Kentucky How an uncharismatic Kentucky lawyer came to rule the Senate and remake the federal judiciary from top to bottom. - [Trump’s encouragement of GOP poll watchers echoes an old tactic of voter intimidation]( Mark Krasovic, Rutgers University Newark The 2020 presidential election will be the first in nearly 40 years conducted without protections from a court order that forbid the GOP from using voter intimidation at the polls. - [Why there is no ethical reason not to vote (unless you come down with COVID-19 on Election Day)]( Scott Davidson, West Virginia University 'I don't like the candidates,' 'I don't know enough to make a decision,' 'I don't want to give this election legitimacy' – an ethicist takes on nonvoters. - [Partisan Supreme Court battles are as old as the United States itself]( John A. Tures, LaGrange College Many Supreme Court nomination battles depended on whether the president's party also had control of the US Senate. - [Trump and Biden clash in chaotic debate – experts react on the court, race and election integrity]( Alison Gash, University of Oregon; Alexander Cohen, Clarkson University; Rashawn Ray, University of Maryland They shouted, they interrupted, they insulted – and not entirely in equal measure. But Biden and Trump also touched on the issues occasionally. Our panel of experts analyzed three key exchanges. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451