Vox Media: on Principles & Values
Adam Schiff:
Trump accepting assistance from Russians is criminal
Schiff got to the core of why Russia's efforts, combined with the Trump campaign's links to Russians during the 2016 election, warranted investigation. Even if, as Mueller concluded, the probe did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump
campaign and the Russian government.Schiff, in his closing questions to Mueller, asked if "knowingly accepting assistance from a foreign government," to which Mueller responded "a crime."
Schiff continued, adding that if knowingly accepting
assistance from a "foreign government during a presidential campaign is an unethical thing to do."
"And a crime in certain circumstances," Mueller responded.
Schiff questioned whether public officials acting unethically "exposes them to compromise
particularly in dealing with foreigners."
"True," Mueller responded again.
Schiff, in that brief interaction, helped cut to the center of why the Russia investigation was so critical--and why America needs to pay attention to the results.
Source: Vox.com on Congressional Testimony on Mueller Report
Jul 24, 2019
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:
Trump represents fascism in the United States
Ocasio-Cortez's brief speech described the left as a mass movement not only fighting for "guaranteed health care, higher education, living wages, and labor rights" but also "striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization,
misogyny, and homophobia."Bernie Sanders argued that "at its most basic, this election is about preserving our democracy." Likewise, in a debrief following her comments, AOC said voting for Biden was about "stopping fascism in the United States--that
is what Donald Trump represents."
They are forming an alliance, however uneasy, with establishment Democrats to defeat Trump.
This type of multiracial coalition-building is something that Ocasio-Cortez has excelled at in her congressional career.
Regularly advocating for anti-racism, reparations, and police reform on her social media platforms and on the Hill, she has drawn comparisons to activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and politicians like Shirley Chisholm.
Source: A.R.Coleman on Vox.com on 2020 Dem. National Convention
Aug 22, 2020
Amy Coney Barrett:
Neutral laws may impact religious groups
Barrett's opinion, which Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined, is slightly to the left of Gorsuch's view. Though Barrett agrees with Gorsuch that "if a chorister can sing in a Hollywood studio but not in her church, California's regulations cannot be viewed
as neutral," she concedes that the "record is uncertain" regarding what rules apply to film studios. Significantly, Barrett's opinion also suggests that she does not want to tear down completely the
distinction between cases involving religious discrimination and cases involving universally applicable laws. "It remains unclear whether the singing ban applies across the board
(and thus constitutes a neutral and generally applicable law) or else favors certain sectors (and thus triggers more searching review)," Barrett writes.
Source: Vox.com on 2021 SCOTUS "First opinion"
Feb 6, 2021
Brett Kavanaugh:
Neutral laws may impact religious groups
Barrett's opinion, which Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined, is slightly to the left of Gorsuch's view. Though Barrett agrees with Gorsuch that "if a chorister can sing in a Hollywood studio but not in her church, California's regulations cannot be viewed
as neutral," she concedes that the "record is uncertain" regarding what rules apply to film studios. Significantly, Barrett's opinion also suggests that she does not want to tear down completely the
distinction between cases involving religious discrimination and cases involving universally applicable laws. "It remains unclear whether the singing ban applies across the board
(and thus constitutes a neutral and generally applicable law) or else favors certain sectors (and thus triggers more searching review)," Barrett writes.
Source: Vox.com on 2021 SCOTUS "First opinion"
Feb 6, 2021
Chris Christie:
Sometimes must tell constituents to sit down & shut up
In a twenty-minute Q&A session, Christie repeatedly argued that the media has given conservatives the wrong idea about him. Again and again, he trashed the media, suggesting that "when you do things that I've done, when you take on a lot of these
special interests that they [the media] support, they'll kill you." He also argued that he's much more conservative than you might expect, bragging about how he proved that a pro-life Republican could win in the Northeast. "Don't believe what the media
will tell you," he said.Christie tried to portray his fiery persona as just what Washington needs. When asked about his temper and specifically a past comment that a constituent should sit down and shut up, Christie answered, "Sometimes
people need to be told to sit down and shut up," to cheers and applause. "There should be more of that stuff in Washington, DC," he added. "Someone should say it's time to shut up."
Source: Vox.com coverage of 2015 Conservative Political Action Conf.
Feb 27, 2015
David Perdue:
Mocked Kamala Harris's first name at Trump rally
Perdue took the opportunity to mock Sen. Kamala Harris's name. "The most insidious thing that Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden are trying to perpetrate, and Bernie, and Elizabeth, and KAH-mah-la, or Kah-MAH-la, or KAH-mah-la or Kamala-mala-mala, I don't
know, whatever," he said. It's a move that framed Harris as someone who's different. "Senator Perdue simply mispronounced Senator Harris' name, and he didn't mean anything by it," said Perdue's campaign communications director, John Burke, in a tweet.
Source: Vox.com on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 18, 2020
Joe Biden:
Member of the same club: those who stutter
Perhaps the most moving moment of the night came when Brayden Harrington, a 13-year-old child with a stutter, described Biden's kindness to him. "A few months ago, I met him in New Hampshire," Harrington said. "He told me that we were members of
the same club. We stutter." Biden liked Harrington, shared with him the book of poems he himself had used to practice his speech. The comparison with Trump, who has publicly mocked people for their weight, their disabilities, their height, was sharp.
Source: Ezra Klein on Vox.com: 2020 Democratic National Convention
Aug 21, 2020
John Fetterman:
Beat establishment incumbent as Bernie Sanders progressive
Last week, John Fetterman was the mayor of a 2,000-person western Pennsylvania Rust Belt town, running in a hotly contested primary for statewide office. Today he's the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.Fetterman, 48, is unmistakable:
6-foot-8, with a goatee and tattoos. And he dealt incumbent Democrat Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, an established name in Pennsylvania Democratic Party politics, a major upset. He also happens to have the backing of Bernie Sanders.
Fetterman drew 40% of the
vote to clinch the nomination, emerging from a crowded field of four Democrats who were challenging Stack. The incumbent lieutenant governor has been mired in several scandals over excessive spending and mistreatment of staff.
Fetterman is now
Wolf's running mate, and the two will face Republican state Sen. Scott Wagner and real estate executive Jeff Bartos in November. But as stylistically different as Fetterman is to his running mate, there's not a lot of daylight between the two on policy.
Source: Vox.com on 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race
May 16, 2018
Ketanji Brown Jackson:
Thanked God, one can only come this far by faith
Jackson's own speech introducing herself to the nation at a White House event emphasized traits that are likely to appeal to conservatives. Jackson opened by "thanking God for delivering me to this point in my professional journey," and stating
that "one can only come this far by faith." She also mentioned her parents' 54-year-long marriage, and the fact that her brother and two of her uncles worked as police officers; one of those uncles, as chief of police in Miami, Florida.
Source: Vox.com on Supreme Court nominee
Feb 25, 2022
Ricky Rossello:
Leak of bigoted, vulgar messages leads to protests
Thousands of protesters demonstrated in the streets of San Juan calling for the resignation of the island's governor. The protests arose in response to the leak of Telegram app messages in which
Gov. Ricardo Rossello and his inner circle make light of the casualties caused by Hurricane Maria and disparage political opponents using vulgar, homophobic, and sexist language.
Source: Vox.com coverage of 2020 Puerto Rico Gubernatorial race
Jul 22, 2019
Rudy Giuliani:
Tweeted "quid pro quo" for Ukraine aid that Trump denied
Giuliani posted tweets explicitly acknowledging a link between ongoing US assistance to Ukraine and investigations into the Biden family. "The conversation about corruption in Ukraine was based on compelling evidence of criminal conduct by then
VP Biden that has not been resolved and until it is will be a major obstacle--to the US assisting Ukraine with its anti-corruption reforms," Giuliani claimed, despite the fact that no such evidence has emerged. In short, Giuliani tweeted the quid pro quo
Source: Vox.com on impeaching Trump
Dec 6, 2019
Ted Cruz:
I'm despised by GOP establishment, but so was Reagan
Though Cruz is loathed by the GOP establishment, conservative activists love him. Concerns about his electability are his biggest problem. After 8 years of Obama, conservatives are eager to win back the White House--and to many, Cruz just seems too
extreme to win a general election.His response: Essentially, Cruz argued that he is the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan, and that those foolish doubters would have impeded Reagan's rise. "It was 40 years ago at CPAC that
President Reagan said the path to victory is not pale pastels but bold colors," he said, as some in the crowd shouted those last two words along with him. "I am convinced 2016 is going to be an election very much like 1980," he said.
Translation? Don't worry about electability, because the glorious GOP landslide is imminent. "It's worth remembering, when Reagan ran, Washington despised Reagan," he added. The subtext--that Cruz himself is similarly despised--was obvious.
Source: Vox.com coverage of 2015 Conservative Political Action Conf.
Feb 27, 2015
Page last updated: Dec 02, 2023