Calling it "Politically Motivated"

[Markk]

Thanks,

I read the first four chapters in the book last night. His opening assertion that we are going to explore is that this is an organized scheme; he closes the fourth chapter with the following:

They had a motive; they had a plan; and now they had a man on the Court.

Whitehouse, Sheldon. The Scheme: How the Right Wing Used Dark Money to Capture the Supreme Court (p. 43). The New Press. Kindle Edition.

Before we get directly into these three specific items, I think we need to take a look at the real heart of W-H's assertion; the "secret" memo that Powell wrote, as a Lawyer, to the US Chamber of Commence, and just who Lewis Powell was. I have a few questions:

1. Have you read the Memo? W-H called this memo a "secret Manifesto" in chapter 3, do you believe that is a fair description of the memo, after reading the memo?
2. What party did Powell belong to. So far in my reading, and in W-H's short biography, he has not mentioned Powell's political party affiliation. He makes a claim as I pasted above, they (republicans) have their man in the court.
3. When a person asks an attorney to write them a memo, and that memo is leaked, is the word secret vs private more appropriate? The reason I ask, is this will become evident as we move forward, and if you have read the Memo, and more importantly the reason the memo was written, my question will make more sense.
4. Have you ever heard of Mr. Eugene B. Sydnor, Jr.? Who was he and what party was he affiliated with?

Gunnar, are we done here?

[Gunnar]

Gunnar, are we done here?

No. I'll get back to you later today.

[Gunnar]

Gunnar, are we done here?

No. I'll get back to you later today.

Thanks for showing me how to put things in a list format. I will do some practicing on that and get back to you with a more detailed answer tomorrow. I am preoccupied with something else at the moment.

[Markk]

No. I'll get back to you later today.

Thanks for showing me how to put things in a list format. I will do some practicing on that and get back to you with a more detailed answer tomorrow. I am preoccupied with something else at the moment.

Okay, but please keep in mind, no matter the format, the questions I am asking are very important in regard to what Whitehouse is trying to assert. His main assertion of many, is that there is an organized scheme, by the right wing to basically gain control of the the Supreme Court. In his video series and his book, W-H is claiming the the right wing came up with a scheme, and had an actual plan, back in 1971. This plan was to get Lewis Powell into the the Supreme Court to combat the left wings rise on their progressive agenda.

While in my listening and reading W-H's assertions, he has not stated what political party Powell was affiliated with, nor has he touched on, what he called a manifesto written by Powell, as to why it was written and who requested it be written, outside of his own theory.

These are a few very important questions that need to be understood. The so called manifesto by Powell is the plan according to Whitehouse, and Powell being appointed into the Supreme Court is as he refers to in his video series and in his book, over and over again, to genesis of the right wings "scheme" to gain control of the the Supreme Court.

So again, if we are going to objectively test what W-H is claiming, we need to start here.

Thanks.

[Gunnar]

Okay, but please keep in mind, no matter the format, the questions I am asking are very important in regard to what Whitehouse is trying to assert. His main assertion of many, is that there is an organized scheme, by the right wing to basically gain control of the the Supreme Court. In his video series and his book, W-H is claiming the the right wing came up with a scheme, and had an actual plan, back in 1971. This plan was to get Lewis Powell into the the Supreme Court to combat the left wings rise on their progressive agenda.

While in my listening and reading W-H's assertions, he has not stated what political party Powell was affiliated with, nor has he touched on, what he called a manifesto written by Powell, as to why it was written and who requested it be written, outside of his own theory.

These are a few very important questions that need to be understood. The so called manifesto by Powell is the plan according to Whitehouse, and Powell being appointed into the Supreme Court is as he refers to in his video series and in his book, over and over again, to genesis of the right wings "scheme" to gain control of the the Supreme Court.

So again, if we are going to objectively test what W-H is claiming, we need to start here.

Thanks.

I really don't understand the relevance of those questions. Certainly, Whitehouse knew that Powell was a Democrat. This doesn't change the importance and validity of what he is asserting. It is blazingly clear from the evidence Whitehouse is presenting that it is indeed an organized scheme organized by the right wing and their ultra wealthy would-be oligarch supporters and donors, who are now the most active perpetrators of the scheme. Whether you like it or not, the evidence Whitehouse has presented and is still presenting is pretty darned credible and damning! I am at a loss to understand how you think it is reasonable to question or deny that.

I have read Powell's memo which seems to have been, at least partially, instrumental, with right wing approval and cooperation, in kicking off this scheme, and after reading it I am more convinced than ever about the inherent evilness and selfishness of it and the danger it presents to democracy and our constitution. The people behind this scheme seem hell bent on eliminating any kind of regulations or limitations on maximizing their profits and power with little or no consideration or concern for what they are doing to the environment or the safety, health or even the life of the consumers of their products and of their own employees. The 27th of the video series particularly points out their callous disregard for environmental and safety issues.

And surely you can't fail to see the blatant corruption and immorality of some of the Justices (particularly Alito and Thomas) accepting millions of dollars in bribes and gifts from the wealthy oligarchs trying to use them as tools for their own selfish ends.

How far have you gotten so far in the video series, and have you finished reading the book yet? The questions you have raised lead me to suspect that you haven't really fully read or understood it, or, perhaps, are reluctant admit the dire implications and conclusions of what Sheldon Whitehouse is courageously trying to warn us about. He and his wife are subject to threats of violence and death from hard right conservatives because of the rot he is exposing. I would have no hesitation about voting for him, were he to run for President!

[Markk]

Gunner: I really don't understand the relevance of those questions. Certainly, Whitehouse knew that Powell was a Democrat. This doesn't change the importance and validity of what he is asserting.

Gunnar, it is very relevant. The name of his book and the series of presentations are called the scheme, and the back bone and baseline for both the book and the presentations is that the right wing conspired, by Powell being named to the the Supreme Court.

Yes he certainly knew that Powell was a democrat, 100%, and his not mentioning it, while implying that he was a leader and founder of this right wing conspiracy is just inexcusable. It is obvious you did not know it until I told you. Let me give you the quote again from his book.

They had a motive; they had a plan; and now they had a man on the Court.

Whitehouse, Sheldon. The Scheme: How the Right Wing Used Dark Money to Capture the Supreme Court (p. 43). The New Press. Kindle Edition.

"They" is the right wing according to W-H. So again, he is implying that Powell is a Republican, when he was not. Anyone listening to his presentations, or reading his book, that just blindly believed everything he said or wrote, would walk away with Powell being a member of the GOP, as you did.

I have read Powell's memo which seems to have been, at least partially, instrumental, with right wing approval and cooperation, in kicking off this scheme, and after reading it I am more convinced than ever about the inherent evilness and selfishness of it and the danger it presents to democracy and our constitution.

When? after I asked you to read it? But either way, with you having read this memo, which W-H claimed was secret, who was the memo addressed to, and why was it written? I asked you who Eugene B. Sydnor was, what role did he play in this so called scheme? I find it very deceiving that in the 16 episodes that I have listened to, and having read the book, and searched through the foot notes, and found his name only once stating that the memo was addressed to him. And, for what ever reason, W-H failed to mention Sydnor's name in the Index in the back of the book, why?

So it is apparent that you also do not want to discuss who Sydnor was, or you do not know. He was a democrat, and the Chairman, education committee, for the US Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Sydnor before this was a state of Virginia house member, and later a state senator, and again a democrat.

At the time Powell was a lawyer, and asked by Sydnor give his opinion of why the progressive part of the Democratic party, things like the media and colleges, were a threat to business, both small and large. So upon Sydnor's request, Powell addressed him as a lawyer with his opinions, which was later leaked.

The Memo starts out, again addressed to Sydnor stating:

"This memorandum is submitted at your request as a basis for the discussion on August 24 with Mr. Booth (executive vice president) and others at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The purpose is to identify the problem, and suggest possible avenues of action for further consideration."

The Memo was written by a democrat, to a democrat, at the request of that democrat. So how is the a rightwing conspiracy as Whitehouse claims?

These are very important questions, and test the baseline for Whitehouse's whole argument and assertion, and he clearly is being deceptive here.

I will keep listening to the presentations, and I am re-reading some of the chapters in the book, which is scattered and redundant, always pointing to this so called scheme; being framed that it with birthed by the GOP, when in fact it was a memo by a democratic lawyer to a democratic chairman of the US Chamber of Commerce. The word "scheme" is written 122 times in his book. And W-H sidesteps the the left as well as the right are big time into superpacs....for all sorts of power grabs. In fact the Democrat's doubled the GOP in Dark Monies received by double in the last election. And that is according to the liberal leaning Brennan Center.

If you have read something in the book, that somehow makes these facts, irrelative, please tell me what hey are and I will certainly address them, and you still have not explained how the GOP stacked the the Supreme Court, when it was by the luck of winning at the right time, when Justices either died, retired, and held the Senate.