– #Un(be)fitting queries at random on The American Soul’s Whereabouts of Exceptionalism –
The historical experiences of civil wars, reunifications and reconstructions are, of course, by no means always experiences of reckoning and retribution. The American War of Secession, fought bitterly over the division or unity of the state and the shape of American society, ended in reconciliation. In due course of the Civil War, trials were demanded in the North for Southern officers, officials and politicians having formerly taken the Oath of Allegiance to the Union, as much as for spies and for those having mistreated slaves and persecuted friends of the Union. When the War was over, there was only one trial concerning the commander of a Southern camp regarding his treatment of Northern prisoners of war. Criminal investigations against Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy had been put into operation but never came up to trial. (Bernhard Schlink, Rule of Law and Revolutionary Justice)
MISFIT 1: DEMOCRACY | TWO-PARTY REGIME | ELECTION | IMMUNITY
# Why doubt the Quality and Execution of Electoral Processes?[2]
# Are two sides of the same Coin an American Revolution?[3]
# How about the Law of Individual Disqualification in a Democracy?[4]
# What are the Limits to a President’s Immunity?[5]
# What are the Requirements to a Presidential Candidate‘s Disqualification from Election?[6]
MISFIT 2: COMMUNISM | RED SCARE | MCCARTHY | NIXON
# How and why did the United States ban The Third Party?[7]
# Who was afraid of the Red Scare?[8]
# How and why did McCarthy spread Nation-Wide Paranoia?[9]
# What ‘s been Nixon’s Impact to this day on coining the fundamental American (mis)understanding[10] of Capitalism, Communism, Socialism and Social Democracy?[11]
# How does the Young Generation view Socialism?[12]
# What are a Democracy’s Measures against its Subversion and what explains the Phenomenon of and Hype on Party Banning/Regulation?[13]
MISFIT 3: UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION | HISTORY | POLITICS | GOVERNMENT | WEALTH
# How unique is American Exceptionalism?[14]
# How about The US Historians‘ Say?[15]
# What are the Basics of American Government?[16]
# What ‘s The Great Depression’s Great Reverb?[17]
MISFIT 4: JUDICIAL CODE OF CONDUCT | SUPREME COURT
# How about Diligentia Quam In Suis?[18]
# How (in)dependent and (a)political are Supreme Court Judges?[19]
MISFIT 5: DEMOCRATS | REPUBLICANS | COMMONALITIES | ECONO-POLITICS | KEY ISSUES
# What ‘s Democratic?[20]
# What ‘s Republican?[21]
# How do Democrats and Republicans shake Hands?[22]
# How about the Convergence/Divergence of Democratic and Republican (Presidents‘/Voters‘) Approaches to defining and regulating Econo-Politics?[23]
# What ‘s gone wrong with Democratic/Republican Views on Immigration?[24]
MISFIT 6: REPUBLICANS | TRUMPLICANS
# How many Republicans (have) oppose(d) Trump?[25]
MISFIT 7: HISTORY OF POLITICAL DEBATES | TELEVISION
# Which Lessons (should)’ve been learnt?[26]
# What ‘s the Message in A Bottle … sorry ... Message of the Medium?[27]
MISFIT 8: REPLACEMENT AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES | PIED PIPERS
# How about the All-American Phantasmagoria?[28]
# How about White Supremacy, American Fear and Politics of Resentment?[29]
# Why do Democrats and Republicans argue over Paranoia?[30]
# How about Republican Hallucinations?[31]
# How about Trump’s Fata Morgana?[32]
# What ‘s The Psychology of Mass Conspiracy Theories?[33]
MISFIT 9: EXECUTIVE POWER | CULT | TRUMP | INSURRECTION
# What explains America's Strange Devotion to Executive Power?[34]
# Why do Americans increasingly subscribe to Totalitarian Propaganda?[35]
# Why ‘s Trump proven such a successful (Presidential) Liar?[36]
# What ‘s The Insurrection Act about?[37]
# How could Trump repurpose the Insurrection Act?[38]
MISFIT 10: CITIZEN TRUMP | WEALTH | ELITISM | MISOGYNY
# Is he a self-made Billionaire?[39]
# Does Trump feed on a Political Elite?[40]
# Why does Trump discriminate against Women?[41]
# How and why do Celebrities[42] support Trump?[43]
# To what extent has The Capitol Attack sparked Political Violence?[44]
Offical persual didn't take effect due to his role as President of the Confederacy, rather on regarding him a suspect of having participated in Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Not even the expulsion of Southern officers, civil servants and politicians from public office, having been demanded for and planned in the North during the War, eventually was not even enforced beyond the first year of peace. One reason for this policy of reconciliation and the renunciation of criminal reckoning was President Andrew Johnson's desire to reassure voters from the South, having remained in his favour. However against the backdrop of the political and social debate on the right kind of Reconstruction, two other implict motives became apparent. On the one hand it was felt, having been at war with the South like any other state – including exchange of prisoners, emissaries and conduct of negotiations – their state's and legal system's integrity could not be denied thereafter. Secondly, a moral reckoning with the South – such as would have been inherent in a penal persecution – seemed inappropriate, or at least precarious in the North. Whatever the political and economic issues of the War of Secession were, the moral issue was the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of blacks, so the victory of the North over the South was perceived as a moral victory. But the institution of slavery had long been supported by the North and in some Northern states had even been maintained through the War of Secession. There was a sense of shared moral entanglement to which reckoning and retribution would have been a poor fit. (Bernhard Schlink, Rule of Law and Revolutionary Justice)
Frame of Reference
An American Idiot’s Helter Skelter
When Reagan, Gorbachev, Kohl and Scorpions Altered The World's Destiny
When Trump said: "We're going to the Capitol!"
Eternal Return of The Vanishing Point
Ink Eradicators of The US Constitution
A Counterfeit World: Not only Trump’s
Julie, Nikki & Rikki, Don’t Lose Your Number
[1] Bernhard Schlink, Rule of Law and Revolutionary Justice (hu-berlin.de) ––– note: Thesis only available in German in various formats of publication. However, online-translation applications should be rendering sufficient insight into Bernhard Schlink’s train of thought. ––– Schlink’s frame of reference as follows: Reconstruction : America's Unfinished Revolution 1863-187 : Foner, Eric : Internet Archive ––– No treason in civil war : Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874 : Internet Archive
[2] Electoral Processes and Political Parties (legalaffairs.gov.in)
[3] The Two-Party System: A Revolution in American Politics, 1824 to 1860 (archives.gov)
[4] The Law of Individual Disqualification in a Democracy | Lawfare (lawfaremedia.org): The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has raised questions on whether consequences should be imposed on any of the elected officials responsible. A comparative analysis of the methods of discipline against politicians in different democracies can illustrate the costs and benefits of disqualification in the American context and opportunities for improvement.
[5] US Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit - Immunity Ruling on Trump (uscourts.gov) ––– The Trump Election Immunity Ruling, Annotated and Explained - The New York Times (nytimes.com) ––– Trump does not have presidential immunity in January 6 case, federal appeals court rules | CNN Politics
[6] Colorado Republican State Central Committee v. Anderson Cert Petition (supremecourt.gov)
[7] Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) | Britannica ––– related (1) as follows: Communist Labor Party of America | political party, United States | Britannica ––– Communist Party | Marxism, Revolution, Socialism | Britannica ––– related (2) as follows: Karl Marx | Books, Theory, Beliefs, Children, Communism, Sociology, Religion, & Facts | Britannica ––– Karl Marx - The Capital (usp.br)
[8] Red Scares, Political Repression, and Social Work (southernct.edu)
[9] United States - Red Scare, McCarthyism, Cold War | Britannica ––– McCarthyism | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica ––– Joseph McCarthy | Biography, Senator, McCarthyism, Communism, & Facts | Britannica ––– related (1) as follows: Point of order : a documentary of the Army-McCarthy hearings : De Antonio, Emile : Internet Archive ––– The Army-McCarthy hearings, April-June, 1954 : a Senator creates a sensation hunting communists : Cook, Fred J : Internet Archive ––– related (2) as follows: U.S. Senate: "Have You No Sense of Decency?" ––– “Have you no sense of decency?” Sen. Joseph McCarthy is asked in hearing | June 9, 1954 | HISTORY
[10] Capitalism: Capitalism | Definition, Characteristics, History, & Criticism | Britannica Money ––– Free market | Definition, Examples, & Facts | Britannica Money ––– | ––– Social Democracy: Social democracy | Definition, Principles & History | Britannica ––– Social market economy | Britannica ––– | ––– Socialism: Socialism | Definition, History, Types, Examples, & Facts | Britannica Money ––– Market socialism | Worker-Owned, Cooperative, Planning | Britannica Money ––– | ––– Communism: Communism | Definition, History, Varieties, & Facts | Britannica ––– Command economy | Definition, Characteristics, Examples, & Facts | Britannica Money
[11] Nixon on Communism and Socialism » Richard Nixon Foundation
[12] American Socialism - Pros & Cons - ProCon.org ––– What Is Democratic Socialism? How It Differs From Communism | TIME ––– Young Americans are increasingly embracing socialism over capitalism (axios.com)
[13] Defending Democracy: A New Understanding of the Party-Banning Phenomenon (vanderbilt.edu) ––– The dissolution of political parties - The problem of internal democracy (silverchair.com) ––– The Law of Democratic Disqualification (uchicago.edu) ––– Mapping ‘Militant Democracy’: Variation in Party Ban Practices in European Democracies (1945-2015) | European Constitutional Law Review | Cambridge Core ––– related (1) as follows: Florida Republican pitches bill to ban the state Democratic Party (nbcnews.com) ––– related (2) as follows: Ban (law) (Wikiped) ––– Guidelines on Political Party Regulation (osce.org)
[14] American exceptionalism (Wikiped)
[15] Three Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historians Aim To Put American Politics In Context : NPR ––– Leadership in Turbulent Times - Doris Kearns Goodwin - RSA Replay : theRSA.org : Internet Archive ––– Doris Kearns Goodwin (Wikiped) ––– | ––– Jon Meacham on The Soul of America : Knox County Public Library : Internet Archive ––– Jon Meacham, The Soul of America : CSPAN2 : March 16, 2019 1:10pm-2:01pm EDT : Internet Archive ––– ––– Jon Meacham (Wikiped) ––– | ––– Joseph Ellis, American Dialogue : CSPAN2 : November 11, 2018 11:01pm-11:59pm EST : Internet Archive ––– The Soul of America (Wikiped) –– Joseph Ellis (Wikiped)
[16] Basics of American Government (ung.edu)
[17] Politics - Great Depression Project (washington.edu)
[18] Code of Conduct for United States Judges - United States Courts (uscourts.gov) ––– related: Diligentia quam in suis (rebus) - Oxford Reference
[19] Since the United States Supreme Court held unconstitutional a clause in the Minnesota code of judicial conduct that prohibited judicial candidates from announcing their views on disputed legal and political issues in Republican Party of Minnesota v White (ncsc.org)
[20] Democratic Party | History, Definition, & Beliefs | Britannica ––– The Charter and Bylaws of the Democratic Party (democrats.org)
[21] Republican Party | Definition, History, & Beliefs | Britannica ––– The Rules of the Republican Party 2020 (gop.com) ––– related as follows: Republican Platform 2016 (nyt.com) ––– 2016 Republican Party Platform |
[22] 2016 Republican Party Platform | The American Presidency Project (ucsb.edu) ––– note: Donald Trump's Performance as a Member of the Republican Party and Achievements as a President(ial Candidate) contradicts his Party's Constitution and Credibility against the backdrop of the US Constitution. His fellow contenders could've made a difference, had they made it an issue. How come Nikki Haley doesn't have the guts to stand up to Trump, to stand up to her Republican Party, having regressed to a Cult nurturing conspiracy theories serving a political maniac?
[23] Republican and Democratic Approaches to Regulating the Economy (investopedia.com) ––– CBS News poll analysis looks at how Americans rate the economy through a partisan lens - CBS News ––– related (1) as follows: U.S. economic performance by presidential party (Wikiped) ––– U.S. economic performance under Democratic and Republican presidents - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ––– related (2) as follows: If Republican and Democratic presidencies have indeed reversed roles, what is the explanation (harvard.edu) ––– Political Parties in Power and U.S. Economic Performance by William T. Chittenden :: SSRN ––– The Democrat-Republican growth gap paradox (uc3m.es) ––– related (3) as follows: Presidents and the Economy Nov (princeton.edu) ––– Presidents and the US Economy: An Econometric Exploration (princeton.edu) ––– Stock Market, Economic Performance, And Presidential Elections (core.ac.uk) ––– related (4) as follows: Why Does Economy Grow More Under Democratic Presidents? - WSJ ––– Getting lucky: Why the economy has grown faster under Democratic presidents | PBS NewsHour ––– Why the economy performs better under Democratic presidents | Fortune ––– Which Presidents Have Been Best for the Economy? (usnews.com) ––– The Economy Under Democratic vs. Republican Presidents - The Economy Under Democratic vs. Republican Presidents - United States Joint Economic Committee (senate.gov) ––– American Economic Association (aeaweb.org) ––– Do Republican Presidents have Better Economic Records? - Progress-less (progressless.org) ––– Why Are Republican Presidents So Bad for the Economy? - The New York Times (nytimes.com) ––– U.S. Jobs, Income, GDP Growth 'Startlingly' Higher Under Democratic Presidents: Analysis (newsweek.com) ––– Republicans vs. Democrats: Who's Better at Managing the Economy? | The New Republic ––– Videographic: Does the American economy do better under the Democrats or Republicans? - video Dailymotion ––– related (5) as follows: Economic policy of the Donald Trump administration (Wikiped): The positive economic situation he inherited from the Obama administration continued, with a labor market approaching full employment and measures of household income and wealth continuing to improve further into record territory. Trump also implemented trade protectionism via tariffs, primarily on imports from China. During Trump's first three years in office, the number of Americans without health insurance increased by 4.6 million (16%) while his tax cuts were projected to worsen income inequality. ... Trump took office at the height of the longest economic expansion in American history. ... Despite saying during the 2016 campaign he would eliminate the national debt in eight years, Trump as president approved large increases in government spending, as well as the 2017 tax cut. As a result, the federal budget deficit increased by almost 50%, to nearly $1 trillion (~$1.13 trillion in 2022) in 2019. Under Trump, the U.S. national debt increased by 39%, reaching $27.75 trillion by the end of his term; the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio also hit a post-World War II high. Analysis has suggested that the economy would have grown without any intervention by the Trump administration. ––– The U.S. deficit hit $984 billion in 2019, soaring during Trump era - The Washington Post ––– Donald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years — ProPublica ––– The macroeconomic impact of Trump - ORA - Oxford University Research Archive ––– Donald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years — ProPublica ––– The macroeconomic impact of Trump - ORA - Oxford University Research Archive ––– The U.S. deficit hit $984 billion in 2019, soaring during Trump era - The Washington Post ––– Trump Is Right About One Thing: 'The Economy Does Better Under The Democrats' (forbes.com) ––– Trump's turn? Republican presidents rule recessions (usatoday.com)
[24] We Need to Get Back to 1980 on Immigration | NYT Opinion - YouTube
[25] Republican Voters Against Trump (rvat.org) ––– related as follows: List of Republicans who oppose the Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign (Wikiped) ––– List of Republicans who opposed the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign (Wikiped)
[26] Presidential Debates in Historical Perspective | C-SPAN.org ––– History of Televised Presidential Debates | C-SPAN.org
[27] Neil Postman | C-SPAN.org ––– Neil Postman | Media Theory, Social Criticism & Education | Britannica ––– Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (20th Anniversary Edition) (wordpress.com) ––– Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (wordpress.com) ––– related (1) as follows: Marshall Mcluhan Full lecture: New! The medium is the message - 1977 part 1 v 3 - YouTube ––– Marshall Mcluhan Full lecture: The medium is the message - 1977 part 2 v 3 - YouTube ––– Marshall Mcluhan Full lecture: The medium is the message - 1977 part 3 v 3 - YouTube ––– related (2) as follows: John G. Schneider - The golden kazoo - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library ––– Books: The 1960 Campaign - TIME ––– The programming of the president : Perry, Roland : Internet Archive ––– related (3) as follows: BBC Two - The Trap, F**k You Buddy – BBC Two - The Trap, The Lonely Robot – BBC Two - The Trap, We Will Force You To Be Free ––– The Trap (2007, Adam Curtis) - Cap. 1 Fuck you, buddy (Sub. español) - YouTube – BBC: The Trap - Part 2 of 3: The Lonely Robot - YouTube – BBC: The Trap - Part 3 of 3: We will force you to be free - YouTube
[28] Conspiracy theory (Wikiped) ––– Polls, Plots, and Party Politics: Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary America | Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them | Oxford Academic (oup.com) ––– Birtherism, Benghazi and QAnon: Why Conspiracy Theories Pose a Threat to American Democracy (depauw.edu) ––– Have beliefs in conspiracy theories increased over time? - PMC (nih.gov) ––– Conspiracy theories, election rigging, and support for democratic norms (archive.org)
[29] Supremacy: Why White Supremacists Love Tucker Carlson (forward.com) ––– | ––– Fear: White anxiety finds a home at Fox News | CNN Business ––– How Tucker Carlson Stoked White Fear to Conquer Cable - The New York Times (archive.ph) ––– | ––– Resentment: How Tucker Carlson became the voice of White grievance - The Washington Post ––– Politics of resentment (Wikiped) ––– related: Tucker Carlson | Biography, Education, Family, & Facts | Britannica ––– peripherally related: Putin’s most insane moments in Tucker Carlson interview - YouTube
[30] Democrats and Republicans differ on conspiracy theory beliefs (publicpolicypolling.com)
[31] Republican Senate candidates promote ‘replacement’ theory | PBS NewsHour ––– A List of MAGA Republicans Who Took the ‘Great Replacement’ Theory Mainstream - Center for American Progress Action
[32] List of conspiracy theories promoted by Donald Trump (Wikiped)
[33] The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories (sagepub.com) ––– The Social Psychology of Conspiracy Theories and the Study of Ideology (open.ac.uk) ––– The Social Determinants of Conspiratorial Ideation (asanet.org) ––– On Political Conspiracy Theories* (ask-force.org) ––– related (1) as follows |> Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann: Spiral of silence (Wikiped) ––– Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann (Wikiped) ––– related (2) as follows |> Bertolt Brecht: Stories of Mr. Keuner (monoskop.org) ––– Bertolt Brecht | Biography, Plays, Epic Theater, Poems, & Facts | Britannica ––– | ––– Franz L. Neumann: Behemoth : Franz Neumann : Internet Archive ––– Franz Neumann | German political scientist | Britannica ––– | ––– Heinrich Boell: Heinrich Boell - Something will the Done (hk.boell.org) ––– Heinrich Boll | Biography, Books, & Facts | Britannica ––– | ––– Gustave Le Bon: Gustave Le Bon - The Crowd of The Popular Mind (ethz.ch) ––– The Crowd | work by Le Bon | Britannica ––– The Psychology of Peoples | work by Le Bon | Britannica ––– Gustave Le Bon | Social Scientist, Sociologist, Anthropologist | Britannica ––– | ––– Josė Ortega y Gasset: The Revolt of the masses (archive.org) ––– The Revolt of the Masses | work by Ortega y Gasset | Britannica ––– The Revolt of the Masses | work by Ortega y Gasset | Britannica
[34] The Cult of the Presidency - America's Strange Devotion to Executive Power (cato.org)
[35] The Cult of Personality as an Important Feature of Totalitarian Propaganda (cejsh.icm.edu.pl) ––– I Am the State: Power, Politics, and the Cult of Personality | SpringerLink ––– related: Trump is explaining exactly how wild and extreme his second term would be | CNN Politics
[36] I, Trump: The cult of personality, anti-intellectualism and the Post-Truth era (researchgate.net) ––– related: How Newt Gingrich Destroyed American Politics - The Atlantic ––– related as follows: Cult | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica ––– Cult of personality | Meaning & History | Britannica
[37] Insurrection Act of 1807 (Wikiped) ––– The Insurrection Act Explained | Brennan Center for Justice ––– Guide to Invocations of the Insurrection Act | Brennan Center for Justice ––– Reference Sheet - Insurrection Act and Related Authorities (brookings.edu)
[38] Trump and the Insurrection Act: The Legal Framework (justsecurity.org) ––– Trump wants to send troops to the inner cities. A top senator wants to rein him in. - POLITICO ––– related as follows: Opinion | Trump Is Not the Only Reason to Fix This Uniquely Dangerous Law - The New York Times (nytimes.com) ––– Here is what Trump plans to do if he returns to the White House | AP News ––– Trump hints at expanded role for the military within the US | AP News
[39] Wealth of Donald Trump (Wikiped): Trump received gifts, loans, and inheritance from his father. His primary business has been real estate ventures, including hotels, casinos, and golf courses. He also made money from Trump-branded products including neckties and steaks. ––– Business: The Trump Organization (Wikiped) ––– Relating to the Executive Offce of the President as follows: The Executive Mr. Trump - POLITICO Magazine ––– The Federal Workforce and the Trump Administration • Partnership for Public Service (ourpublicservice.org) ––– Donald Trump’s Catastrophic and Devastating Anti-Labor Track Record | AFL-CIO (aflcio.org) ––– Trump's Anti-Worker Record | Communications Workers of America (cwa-union.org)
[40] Haley says ‘it’s not the party … it’s the political elite’ supporting Trump | The Hill
[41] A list of Trump's attacks on prominent women (axios.com)
[42] Note: American celebrities seem to love releasing Cooking Books as much as US Politicians enjoy cooking ... sorry ... re-writing History books. ––– related as follows: The Forgotten Ron DeSantis Book - The Atlantic ––– DeSantis's bad Founding Fathers book vanished online. We got a copy. - The Washington Post
[43] Celebrities who support Donald Trump (cbsnews.com)
[44] The Rise of Political Violence in the United States | Journal of Democracy
[45] Bernhard Schlink, Rule of Law and Revolutionary Justice (hu-berlin.de) ––– note: Thesis only available in German in various formats of publication. However, online-translation applications should be rendering sufficient insight into Bernhard Schlink’s train of thought. ––– Schlink’s frame of reference as follows: Reconstruction : America's Unfinished Revolution 1863-187 : Foner, Eric : Internet Archive ––– No treason in civil war : Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874 : Internet Archive
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