Let the Juneteenth celebrations begin

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Happy Juneteenth (one day early)! For the first time, the nation will formally celebrate this important date in American history with the establishment of a federal holiday. But while the federal holiday is new, the observance isn't. Juneteenth has been celebrated annually on June 19 in communities throughout the country since 1866. It memorializes the date in 1865 when Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom for slaves in Texas, three years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation outlawed slavery in the U.S. Texas was the first state to recognize the date in 1980, and by 2020, most states and some municipalities had followed suit. Now, with President Biden's signing yesterday of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, the nation will finally observe Juneteenth together as one. Have a great weekend, everybody! —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

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** Opal: What the Constitution says about voting
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"Our fundamental laws didn't just stop in 1787 or 1791. Instead, they improved with the destruction of slavery in the 1860s, the triumph of women's suffrage in the 1910s, and the Civil Rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Our Constitution now embraces a much larger and more generous definition of 'the people' than what the leading men of the 1780s could have imagined or would have allowed. Democrats should embrace this fact. They should make a national constitutional issue of any state or local effort to inhibit democratic rights." —Jason Opal in New York Daily News ([link removed])

Jason Opal is an associate professor of history at McGill University.

MORE: Manchin proposes changes to Democrats' voting rights bill —CBS News ([link removed])


** Torsner & Harrison: Pandemic weakens freedom of the press
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"The wide spectrum of assaults on press freedom covers a range of restrictive measures on journalistic reporting on COVID-19. These are many and varied. In Iran, authorities imposed measures to prevent news media from scrutinizing the pandemic-related death toll. In Hungary and elsewhere, anti-fake news laws effectively criminalize legitimate journalistic reporting on the pandemic in those countries. In Egypt, the government has banned the dissemination of any pandemic-related statistics except the ones produced and released by the government. In some countries, including Serbia and Zimbabwe, new legislation restricting the right of the media to inform on sensitive topics such as the pandemic has led to the detention of some journalists." —Sara Torsner & Jackie Harrison in Milwaukee Independent ([link removed])

Sara Torsner is a research fellow at the Centre for Freedom of the Media, University of Sheffield. Jackie Harrison is a professor of public communication at the Centre for Freedom of the Media, University of Sheffield.

MORE: Biden Administration to invest $3.2 billion for COVID-19 antiviral pills —NBC News ([link removed])


** Rauch: It's not an audit. It's propaganda
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"The best way to think of the Arizona audit is as an example of what Russian intelligence operatives—masters of the dark arts of disinformation—call 'active measures.' Their goal is to manipulate the social and media environments and thereby divide, disorient, and demoralize a target population." —Jonathan Rauch in The Arizona Republic ([link removed])

Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of "The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth."

MORE: His cybersecurity firm is working on the Arizona 'audit'. But people who know him have questions —CNN ([link removed])


** Landau: Populism proves tough to part with
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"Israel said no to authoritarianism, but the danger of populism remains. Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid may have replaced the Netanyahu government, but in many ways, they are still caught in the confines of the discourse that he shaped. This is a discourse in which there is a constant need to prove patriotism by means of right-wing positions that supposedly represent 'the people,' and whoever doesn't hold these positions, like the left and Arab citizens, is a traitor, or at the very least, illegitimate." —Noa Landau in ([link removed]) Haaretz ([link removed])

Noa Landau is a reporter and a member of the editorial board at
Haaretz.

MORE: Naftali Bennett's new Israeli government has its work cut out —The Economist ([link removed])
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** WaPo Ed Board: Why we can't forget Jan 6
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"Given Mr. Trump's reckless actions after losing the 2020 vote, and the violence they spurred, the newly released emails are unsurprising. But consider that fact for a moment: It is unsurprising that the President of the United States leaned on the Justice Department to help him try to steal an election. The country cannot forget that Mr. Trump betrayed his oath, that most Republican officeholders remain loyal to him nonetheless—and that it could be worse next time." —The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: New videos show police getting punched during U.S. Capitol riot —CNN ([link removed])


** Drutman: The parties are the problem
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"A politics defined by hatred of political opponents is a politics ripe for hateful illiberalism. The new scholarship on comparative polarization is crucial in understanding this dynamic. Given the current binary structure of American party politics, this conflict is mostly locked in. No level of social media regulation or media literacy or exhortation to civility is going to make much of a difference. But it also offers a kind of master key: If the structure of a party system is as crucial as these studies suggest it is, then the solution is obvious: The U.S. may want to change its voting system to become more proportional." —Lee Drutman in ([link removed]) FiveThirtyEight ([link removed])

Lee Drutman is a senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America and the author of "Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America."

MORE: Rep. Ritchie Torres: It's time for ranked-choice voting nationwide —Newsweek ([link removed])


** Karabell: Becoming a more perfect union
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"Of course, we must constantly and critically question the breezy, arrogant belief that the U.S. is a most perfect union of freedom, democracy, and openness. Yet, another form of American exceptionalism—the notion that the U.S. is not the best of countries but the worst—is equally distorted and, in its way, just as toxic and conceited. Confronting our complex history and ultimately embracing a more equitable, balanced, and humble culture may be a tall order in these fractious times. But that makes it even more imperative that we fully reckon with who we are and who we are capable of becoming." —Zachary Karabell in Project Syndicate ([link removed])

Zachary Karabell is the founder of The Progress Network and the author of "Inside Money: Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power."

MORE: Black Americans laud Juneteenth holiday, say more work ahead —Associated Press ([link removed])
No matter how much Republicans disliked Obama, this is unimaginable 5 years ago. Favoring a dictator who regularly attacks America over the U.S. president? Truly the party of Trump—and we know whom he favored. These are the wages of toxic partisanship and why Putin aggressively fans the flames of extremism and hatred in countries he fears. It can weaken them to the point of self-destruction. —Garry Kasparov, chair of the Human Rights Foundation and the Renew Democracy Initiative, responding to two polls that show Russian President Vladimir Putin has a better net favorable rating among Republicans than President Biden (@kasparov63)

The best comment of all was by Tim P., and his example was the most basic and on point I have heard about the danger of Trump and his criminal activity. No better explanation is needed. —Donna C., California

Leadership is a responsibility, a burden, and requires courage. Being in a position of leadership is not about the accolades or seeing your name in lights or the temporary trappings of this world that many find appealing. The pursuit and possession of titles do not define leadership. Higher standards of morals, ethics, and principles are required of our leaders. At times, this morally obligates individuals in positions of leadership to adopt views that are painful to accept for those that look to them for direction.

The temptation though remains undoubtedly strong to satisfy those that an individual has not only received financial and political support from but also has shared years or even decades of genuine friendship with. The stress is understandable when one's conscience runs counter to the beliefs of individuals or groups that carry long-lasting mutual affection, especially if public decisions may essentially lead to exile at a social and professional level. Each avenue of life may be full of distrust and awkwardness. But conscience must prevail over popular pressure for those in leadership, or those individuals must endure scandal of the soul. —Leonard C., Texas
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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