101-528: In American politics , " Sedition Caucus ", " Treason Caucus ", or " Seditious Caucus " is a pejorative term for the Republican members of the 117th United States Congress who voted against the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election . The votes, triggered by representatives objecting to the electoral results from Arizona and Pennsylvania , occurred hours after rioters supporting incumbent president Donald Trump stormed
202-588: A Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1991 and Yale University with an MA in Diplomatic History in 1992. He began his career in journalism writing columns for the Berkeley student newspaper The Daily Californian . He later said that he believes he is the only conservative writer in that paper's history. As of 2005 , Boot and his family lived in the New York area. Max Boot's spouse
303-579: A conservative anti-Trump political action committee , announced it would run ads against Sedition Caucus members. On January 21, the progressive advocacy group Public Citizen reported that Big Tech companies and employees had given nearly $ 2 million (~$ 2.49 million in 2023) to Sedition Caucus members since 2016. Six days later, Public Citizen reported that fossil fuel companies and executives had donated $ 8.8 million to Sedition Caucus members. In July 2021, Toyota announced it would no longer donate to members of Congress who voted against certifying
404-483: A faithless elector ). Both federal and state laws regulate elections. The United States Constitution defines (to a basic extent) how federal elections are held, in Article One and Article Two and various amendments . State law regulates most aspects of electoral law, including primaries, the eligibility of voters (beyond the basic constitutional definition), the running of each state's electoral college, and
505-426: A plurality of votes cast (i.e. more than any other candidate, but not necessarily a majority). Suffrage is nearly universal for citizens 18 years of age and older, with the notable exception of registered felons in some states. The United States is a constitutional federal republic , in which the president (the head of state and head of government ), Congress , and judiciary share powers reserved to
606-491: A sole commissioner , who is assisted by boards to supervise taxes and elections. Town or township governments are organized local governments authorized in the state constitutions and statutes of 20 Northeastern and Midwestern states, established as minor civil divisions to provide general government for a geographic subdivision of a county where there is no municipality. In New York, Wisconsin and New England, these county subdivisions are called towns . In many other states,
707-491: A "natural contrarian ". He identifies as a conservative , once joking that "I grew up in the 1980s, when conservatism was cool". He is in favor of limited government at home and American leadership abroad, believing America should be "the world's policeman ". Boot was one of the earliest proponents of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq . In October 2001, in an article titled "The Case for American Empire", he proposed that
808-475: A Republican who did not vote to object to Biden's win, said she was considering a presidential run. She also indicated a belief that such objecting should be seen as "disqualifying" other presumptive Republican nominees, "particularly the senators who led the unconstitutional charge". Even before the Capitol riot, some political commentators began using the term "Sedition Caucus". One of the earliest known uses of
909-411: A bulwark against extremist groups like Al Qaeda". He concluded that "American leadership on Syria could improve relations with key allies like Turkey and Qatar" as well as "end a terrible human-rights disaster". Another well received book by Boot, titled Invisible Armies (2013), is about the history of guerrilla warfare , analyzing various cases of successful and unsuccessful insurgent efforts such as
1010-621: A candidate for office, but deciding who will be the party's candidate in the general election is usually done in primaries open to voters who register as Democrats or Republicans. Furthermore, elected officials who fail to "toe the party line" because of constituent opposition said line and "cross the aisle" to vote with the opposition have (relatively) little to fear from their party. Parties have state or federal committees that act as hubs for fundraising and campaigning (see Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee ) and separate campaign committees that work to elect candidates at
1111-648: A countrywide no-fly zone reminiscent of NATO 's role in the Kosovo War . He stated first and second that "American intervention would diminish Iran's influence in the Arab world" and that "a more muscular American policy could keep the conflict from spreading" with "sectarian strife in Lebanon and Iraq". Third, Boot argued that "training and equipping reliable partners within Syria 's internal opposition" could help "create
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#17328011699911212-511: A defined area, generally corresponding to a population center rather than one of a set of areas into which a county is divided. The category includes those governments designated as cities, boroughs (except in Alaska ), towns (except in Minnesota and Wisconsin), and villages. This concept corresponds roughly to the " incorporated places" that are recognized in by the U.S. Census Bureau, although
1313-507: A different gender or sexuality or skin color have suffered because of it." In March 2019, Boot proposed to retire the neoconservative label, saying that the term "neocon thinking" is falsely associated with the advocacy of the United States invasion and occupation of Iraq: The misuse of the "neocon" label reached an absurd extreme in a Post op-ed by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), [who wrote:] "I have been consistent of talking about
1414-695: A man without a party", in the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. presidential election . His newest book, released in September 2024, is Reagan: His Life and Legend . Boot was born in Moscow. His parents and grandmother, all Russian Jews , emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1976 to Los Angeles , where he was raised and eventually gained naturalized U.S. citizenship. Boot attended the University of California, Berkeley where he graduated with honors with
1515-657: A mass base, although appeals for small donations over the Internet have been successful. Opponents of campaign finance laws allege they interfere with the First Amendment 's guarantee of free speech. Even when laws are upheld, the complication of compliance with the First Amendment requires careful and cautious drafting of legislation, leading to laws that are still fairly limited in scope, especially in comparison to those of other developed democracies such as
1616-538: A part of the county government. In others, survey townships are non-governmental. Towns in the six New England states and townships in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are included in this category by the Census Bureau, despite the fact that they are legally municipal corporations , since their structure has no necessary relation to concentration of population, which is typical of municipalities elsewhere in
1717-418: A political party or seek public office as independents. Each state has significant discretion in deciding how candidates are nominated and thus eligible to appear on a given election ballot. Major party candidates are typically formally chosen in a party primary or convention , whereas candidates from minor parties and Independent candidates must complete a petitioning process. The current two-party system in
1818-703: A political scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists , argued that the Sedition Caucus showed the need for legislation aimed at curbing political power, such as the For the People Act and a renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , as well as additional political parties and different voting systems. The public outcry reduced some donors' willingness to fund Republican candidates associated with
1919-666: A portion of Syrian territory from Russian and Iranian domination and give the United States a strong say in that country's future. Boot has suggested that if conservative television news channels— Fox News Channel , One America News and Newsmax —do not "stop propagating lies", "large cable companies such as Comcast and Charter Spectrum need to step in" and "boot" them off, dealing with them "just as we do with foreign terrorist groups ". Mark Ames of The Nation , Adam Johnson of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , Tucker Carlson and Glenn Greenwald have denounced Boot as
2020-411: A specific level but do not direct candidates or their campaigns. In presidential elections, the party's candidate serves as the de facto party leader, whose popularity or lack thereof helps or hinders candidates further down the ballot. Midterm elections are usually considered a referendum on the sitting president's performance. Some (e.g., Lee Drutman and Daniel J. Hopkins before 2018) argue that, in
2121-503: A world leader: I believe it is in our own self-interest to promote and defend freedom and free markets as we have been doing in one form or another since at least 1898." In December 2017, also in Foreign Policy , Boot wrote that recent events—particularly since the 2016 election of Donald Trump as president—had caused him to rethink some of his previous views concerning the existence of white privilege and male privilege . "In
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#17328011699912222-524: Is Sue Mi Terry . On July 16, 2024, Terry was indicted and arrested for allegedly acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the South Korean government. Boot co-authored an opinion piece with Terry for the Washington Post in 2023. According to prosecutors, the article was written at the behest of South Korean officials and used information they provided without disclosing the involvement of
2323-654: Is a Russian-born naturalized American author, editorialist , lecturer, and military historian . He worked as a writer and editor for The Christian Science Monitor and then for The Wall Street Journal in the 1990s. Since then, he has been the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributor to The Washington Post . He has written for such publications as The Weekly Standard ,
2424-409: Is a strong supporter of Israel and opposed the dismantling of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank . He wrote in 2008 that "the reason Israelis aren't dismantling the settlements (and that President Bush isn't pressing them to do so) has nothing to do with the views of American Jewish groups and everything to do with the dismal record of recent Israeli concessions in southern Lebanon and
2525-1078: Is dominated by two parties , which since the American Civil War have been the Democratic Party and the Republican Party , although other parties have run candidates . Since the mid-20th century, the Democratic Party has generally supported left-leaning policies, while the Republican Party has generally supported right-leaning ones. Both parties have no formal central organization at the national level that controls membership, elected officials or political policies; thus, each party has traditionally had factions and individuals that deviated from party positions. Almost all public officials in America are elected from single-member districts and win office by winning
2626-672: Is not only fascinating reading, but didactic as well". Robert M. Cassidy in Military Review labeled it "extraordinary". Boot's book also won the 2003 General Wallace M. Greene Jr. Award from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation as the best non-fiction book recently published pertaining to Marine Corps history. Boot wrote once again for the CFR in 2003 and 2004. The World Affairs Councils of America named Boot one of "the 500 most influential people in
2727-592: The Los Angeles Times , and The New York Times , and he has authored books of military history. In 2018, Boot published The Road Not Taken , a biography of Edward Lansdale , which was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for biography, and The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right , which details Boot's "ideological journey from a 'movement' conservative to
2828-412: The deficit and get entitlement spending under control. I am pro-environment : I think that climate change is a major threat that we need to address. I am pro- free trade : I think we should be concluding new trade treaties rather than pulling out of old ones. I am strong on defense: I think we need to beef up our military to cope with multiple enemies. And I am very much in favor of America acting as
2929-561: The American Civil War , although other parties have existed . There are major differences between the political system of the United States and that of many other developed countries , including: The federal entity created by the U.S. Constitution is the dominant feature of the American governmental system, as citizens are also subject to a state government and various units of local government (such as counties , municipalities , and special districts ). State governments have
3030-589: The Army War College and the Command and General Staff College . Boot worked as a writer and as an editor for The Christian Science Monitor from 1992 to 1994. He moved to The Wall Street Journal for the next eight years. After writing an investigative column about legal issues called "Rule of Law" for four years, he was promoted to editor of the op-ed page. Boot left the Journal in 2002 to join
3131-529: The Capitol building to disrupt the vote. The term, referring to a Congressional caucus , does not refer to a formal group. Rather, it implies that the members of Congress who voted to object are in favor of or guilty of sedition , and had a direct or indirect role in the Capitol storming. It originated with the media, and has been used by political opponents of the Republicans, but also by scholars. While
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3232-547: The Council on Foreign Relations as a Senior Fellow in National Security Studies. His initial writings with the CFR appeared in several publications, including The New York Post , The Times , Financial Times , and International Herald Tribune . Boot wrote Savage Wars of Peace , a study of small wars in American history, with Basic Books in 2002. The title came from Kipling 's poem " White Man's Burden ". James A. Russell in Journal of Cold War Studies criticized
3333-743: The Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Opinion Journalism that year. In an April 2007 episode of Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg , Boot stated that he "used to be a journalist" and that he currently views himself purely as a military historian . Boot served as a foreign policy adviser to Senator John McCain in his 2008 United States presidential election bid. He stated in an editorial in World Affairs Journal that he saw strong parallels between Theodore Roosevelt and McCain . Boot continued to write for
3434-615: The Farmer-Labor Party , Wisconsin Progressive Party , Conservative Party of New York State , and the Populist Party ); or continued to run candidates for office to publicize some issue despite seldom winning even local elections ( Libertarian Party , Natural Law Party , Peace and Freedom Party ). Factors reinforcing the two-party system include: Max Boot Max Boot (born September 12, 1969)
3535-638: The Gaza Strip . In both cases (as well as at the Camp David negotiations in 2000) Israelis thought that territorial concessions would lead to peace. Instead they led to the empowerment of terrorists." In 2017 Boot supported President Trump's controversial decision to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem: "he got this one right. My only complaint is that this move is more symbolic than substantive". In January 2024, he criticized South Africa's ICJ genocide case against Israel . In 2011, Boot supported
3636-524: The Insular Cases , which were a series of 1901 Supreme Court cases that some consider to be reflective of imperialism and racist views held in the United States. Unequal access to political participation in US territories has also been criticized for affecting US citizens who move to territories, as such an action requires forfeiting the full voting rights that they would have held in the 50 states. As in
3737-584: The NATO -led military intervention in Libya . In 2015 and 2016, Boot was a campaign advisor to Marco Rubio for the 2016 United States presidential primaries and strongly opposed Trump's 2016 presidential candidacy . Boot said in March 2016 that he would "sooner vote for Josef Stalin than he would vote for Donald Trump ". In August 2016, after Trump won the presidential nomination, he became highly critical of
3838-553: The New Deal , and increasingly since the 1960s, the Democratic Party has generally positioned itself as a center-left party, while the Republican Party has generally positioned itself as center-right ; there are other factions within each. Unlike in many other countries, the major political parties in America have no strong central organization that determines party positions and policies, rewards loyal members and officials, or expels rebels. A party committee or convention may endorse
3939-532: The Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico , and the U.S. Virgin Islands ; as well as minor outlying islands such as Baker Island , Howland Island , Jarvis Island , Johnston Atoll , Kingman Reef , Midway Atoll , Navassa Island , Palmyra Atoll , Wake Island , and others. American Samoa is the only territory with a native resident population and is governed by a local authority. Despite
4040-713: The Progressive Era ; they are written into several state constitutions, particularly in the Western states, but not found at the federal level. The United States Census Bureau conducts the Census of Governments every five years, categorizing four types of local governmental jurisdictions below the level of the state: In 2010, there were 89,500 total local governments, including 3,033 counties, 19,492 municipalities, 16,500 townships, 13,000 school districts, and 37,000 other special districts. Local governments directly serve
4141-571: The Republican Party and endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election . Boot was critical of the nomination of Rex Tillerson to the position of Secretary of State , believing him to be problematically pro-Russian, and subsequently called on Tillerson to resign. In an opinion piece for Foreign Policy in September 2017, Boot outlined his political views as follows: "I am socially liberal : I am pro- LGBTQ rights , pro-abortion rights, pro-immigration. I am fiscally conservative : I think we need to reduce
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4242-587: The U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legislative body comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate ; the executive branch , which is headed by the president of the United States , who serves as the country's head of state and government ; and the judicial branch , composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, and which exercises judicial power . Each of
4343-509: The United Kingdom and in other similar parliamentary systems , in the U.S. Americans eligible to vote, vote for an individual candidate (there are sometimes exceptions in local government elections) and not a party list. The U.S. government being a federal government, officials are elected at the federal (national), state and local levels. All members of Congress , and the offices at the state and local levels are directly elected, but
4444-498: The United Kingdom , France or Canada . The United States Constitution never formally addressed the issue of political parties , primarily because the Founding Fathers opposed them. Nevertheless, parties—specifically, two competing parties in a " two-party system "—have been a fundamental part of American politics since shortly after George Washington's presidency. In partisan elections, candidates are nominated by
4545-408: The executive powers, including law enforcement and provision of services, to a highly trained and experienced professional city manager. The council-manager plan has been adopted by a large number of cities. Under this plan, a small, elected council makes the city ordinances and sets policy, but hires a paid administrator, also called a city manager, to carry out its decisions. The manager draws up
4646-462: The power to make laws on all subjects that are not granted to the federal government nor denied to the states in the U.S. Constitution . These include education , family law , contract law , and most crimes . Unlike the federal government, which only has those powers granted to it in the Constitution, a state government has inherent powers allowing it to act unless limited by a provision of
4747-552: The second impeachment trial of Trump in 2021, which was related to the insurrection, journalist John Nichols used the term to describe the 43 Republican senators who voted not to convict Trump. A total of 147 members of Congress voted in some form to invalidate the electoral college vote count of the 2020 presidential election: 139 in the House of Representatives, and 8 in the Senate. The eight Republican senators who would be part of
4848-512: The 'Dirty Dozen', if you prefer." Use of the term is highly critical. Conservative columnist Max Boot compared Sedition Caucus members to Senator Joseph McCarthy and he argued that they should similarly "see their careers crash and burn". Rubin argued that the senators should be expelled from the Senate or removed from the Republican caucus and Senators Ted Cruz , Josh Hawley , and John Kennedy should be disbarred , and that members of
4949-649: The 2020 election. Toyota again resumed donations in April 2022. Following the events at the U.S. Capitol, the editorial board of The Capital Times , a newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin , argued that the Wisconsin Legislature has its own Sedition Caucus: 15 state legislators who signed a letter to Vice President Mike Pence asking him to reject the Electoral College vote certification. After
5050-567: The 21st century, along with becoming overtly partisan , American politics has become overly focused on national issues and "nationalized" that even local offices, formerly dealing with local matters, now often mention the presidential election. "Third" political parties have appeared from time to time in American history but seldom lasted more than a decade. They have sometimes been the vehicle of an individual ( Theodore Roosevelt 's "Bull Moose" party , Ross Perot 's Reform Party ); had considerable strength in particular regions ( Socialist Party ,
5151-414: The 50 individual state governments has the power to make laws within its jurisdiction that are not granted to the federal government nor denied to the states in the U.S. Constitution. Each state also has a constitution following the pattern of the federal constitution but differing in details. Each has three branches: an executive branch headed by a governor , a legislative body, and a judicial branch. At
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#17328011699915252-739: The British thought about their deployment on the North West Frontier (today's Pakistan-Afghanistan border ), which lasted 100 years (1840s-1940s). U.S. troops are not undertaking a conventional combat assignment. They are policing the frontiers of the Pax Americana . In 2018 he argued for the United States to help the Syrian Democratic Forces establish an 'autonomous zone' in Syria as "this would protect at least
5353-445: The CFR in several publications in 2008 and 2009. Boot wrote for the CFR through 2010 and 2011 for publications such as Newsweek , The Boston Globe , The New York Times and The Weekly Standard . He particularly argued that President Barack Obama 's health care plans made maintaining U.S. superpower status harder, that withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq occurred prematurely while making another war there more likely, and that
5454-445: The Census Bureau excludes New England towns from their statistics for this category, and the count of municipal governments excludes places that are governmentally inactive. About 28 percent of Americans live in cities of 100,000 or more population. Types of city governments vary widely across the nation. Almost all have a central council, elected by the voters, and an executive officer, assisted by various department heads, to manage
5555-515: The House should be primaried or face third party opponents. Some members of the Sedition Caucus have faced calls for their resignation. In February, a Democratic super PAC called the Sedition Caucus PAC was formed to pursue negative campaigning against House Republicans in swing districts. In June 2021, Democratic U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly used the term, saying he thought McCarthy "would probably appoint people from
5656-651: The Korean government. Boot has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Boot has been the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard and the Los Angeles Times , and a regular contributor to other publications such as The Wall Street Journal , The Washington Post and The New York Times . He has blogged regularly for Commentary since 2007, and for several years on its blog page called Contentions . He has given lectures at U.S. military institutions such as
5757-502: The Sedition Caucus by the original definition include: The 139 Republican members of the House of Representatives who would be part of the sedition caucus by the original definition include (alphabetically by each state): American politics [REDACTED] [REDACTED] In the United States , politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal republic . The three distinct branches share powers :
5858-407: The Sedition Caucus saying, 'adults don't point a loaded gun at the legitimate government.'" The next day, The Atlantic published a column by Tom Nichols where he used the term, referencing Tapper. In a January 5 column entitled "A really bad day for the 'Sedition Caucus'", political columnist Jennifer Rubin used the term to refer to the group of senators, calling them "the 'Sedition Caucus' — or
5959-478: The Sedition Caucus" to a proposed January 6 commission . Scholars have also used the term when analyzing the objections of these Republicans as a norm-breaking political phenomenon. Political scientist Sarah Binder noted that the majority of Sedition Caucus members come from very red districts , while Republicans in swing districts mostly voted against the objection. Binder also noted a divide between Senate Republican leadership, which overwhelmingly voted against
6060-520: The Sedition Caucus. On January 11, several major corporations pulled political funding for candidates who objected to Biden's victory. By June, however, many of these corporations had resumed donations, according to a report by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). The most generous of these was Toyota , which gave more than double that of the second-highest donor, Cubic Corporation . On January 21, The Lincoln Project ,
6161-605: The U.S. military may lose its edge if it does not become flatter, less bureaucratic, and more decentralized. The book received praise from Josiah Bunting III in The New York Times , who called it "unusual and magisterial", and criticism from Martin Sieff in The American Conservative , who called it "remarkably superficial". Boot wrote many more articles with the CFR in 2007, and he received
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#17328011699916262-568: The United States in the field of foreign policy" in 2004. He also worked as member of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) in 2004. Boot published the work War Made New , an analysis of revolutions in military technology since 1500, in 2006. The book's central thesis is that a military succeeds when it has the dynamic, forward-looking structures and administration in place to exploit new technologies. It concludes that
6363-425: The United States is made up of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party . These two parties have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the United States Congress since at least 1856. From time to time, a third party , such as the Green and Libertarian Parties , has achieved some minor representation at the national and state levels. Since the Great Depression and
6464-413: The United States must greatly increase its military engagement against other countries and compared his proposal to invade Afghanistan and Iraq with the American role in defeating Nazi Germany . He wrote: Once Afghanistan has been dealt with, America should turn its attention to Iraq ... Once we have deposed Saddam , we can impose an American-led, international regency in Baghdad , to go along with
6565-546: The United States. In particular, towns in New England have considerably more power than most townships elsewhere and often function as legally equivalent to cities, typically exercising the full range of powers that are divided between counties, townships, and cities in other states. Township functions are generally overseen by a governing board, whose name also varies from state to state. Municipal governments are organized local governments authorized in state constitutions and statutes, established to provide general government for
6666-446: The book, saying that "Boot did none of the critical research, and thus the inferences he draws from his uncritical rendition of history are essentially meaningless." Benjamin Schwarz argued in The New York Times that Boot asked the U.S. military to do a "nearly impossible task", and he criticized the book as "unrevealing". Victor Davis Hanson in History News Network gave a positive review, saying that "Boot's well-written narrative
6767-414: The city budget and supervises most of the departments. Usually, there is no set term; the manager serves as long as the council is satisfied with their work. Some states contain unincorporated areas , which are areas of land not governed by any local authorities below that at the county level. Residents of unincorporated areas only need to pay taxes to the county, state and federal governments as opposed to
6868-414: The city's affairs. Cities in the West and South usually have nonpartisan local politics. There are three general types of municipal government: the mayor-council , the commission, and the council-manager . These are the pure forms; many cities have developed a combination of two or three of them. This is the oldest form of city government in the United States and, until the beginning of the 20th century,
6969-461: The city), and often is responsible for preparing the city's budget. The council passes city ordinances, sets the tax rate on property, and apportions money among the various city departments. As cities have grown, council seats have usually come to represent more than a single neighborhood. This combines both the legislative and executive functions in one group of officials, usually three or more in number, elected city-wide. Each commissioner supervises
7070-425: The county; in the larger ones, supervisors represent separate districts or townships. The board collects taxes for state and local governments; borrows and appropriates money; fixes the salaries of county employees; supervises elections; builds and maintains highways and bridges; and administers national, state, and county welfare programs. In very small counties, the executive and legislative power may lie entirely with
7171-450: The district's charter or other founding document, and with sufficient administrative and fiscal autonomy to qualify as separate governments; known by a variety of titles, including districts, authorities, boards, commissions, etc., as specified in the enabling state legislation . The United States possesses a number of unincorporated territories , including 16 island territories across the globe. These are areas of land which are not under
7272-623: The fact that an organic act was not passed in Congress, American Samoa established its own constitution in 1967, and has self governed ever since. Seeking statehood or independence is often debated in US territories, such as in Puerto Rico, but even if referendums on these issues are held, congressional approval is needed for changes in status to take place. The citizenship status of residents in US unincorporated territories has caused concern for their ability to influence and participate in
7373-753: The fighting during the American war of independence , the Vietnam War , and the current Syrian Civil War . He states that traditional, conventional army tactics as employed by the American military under the administrations of President Bush and President Obama against guerrilla organizations have produced strategic failures. Boot has discussed his book in various programs such as the Hoover Institution 's Uncommon Knowledge series, appearing on it in January 2014. Boot considers himself to be
7474-432: The first senator to announce he would object to the vote certification, meaning the objection would need to be considered by Congress. Several Republican members of Congress who previously stated that they would object, including Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, who had announced her intention to object at a campaign rally with Trump, chose not to do so following the Capitol riot. In April, Representative Liz Cheney ,
7575-596: The initial U.S. victory in Afghanistan had been undone by government complacency though forces could still pull off a victory. He also wrote op-eds criticizing planned budget austerity measures in both the U.S. and the U.K. as hurting their national security interests. In September 2012, Boot co-wrote with Brookings Institution senior fellow Michael Doran a New York Times op-ed titled "5 Reasons to Intervene in Syria Now", advocating U.S. military force to create
7676-469: The jurisdiction of any state, and do not have a government established by Congress through an organic act . Citizens of these territories can vote for members of their own local governments, and some can also elect representatives to serve in Congress—though they only have observer status. The unincorporated territories of the U.S. include the permanently inhabited territories of American Samoa , Guam ,
7777-426: The last few years, in particular, it has become impossible for me to deny the reality of discrimination, harassment, even violence that people of color and women continue to experience in modern-day America from a power structure that remains for the most part in the hands of straight, white males. People like me, in other words. Whether I realize it or not, I have benefited from my skin color and my gender—and those of
7878-523: The local level, governments are found in counties or county-equivalents , and beneath them individual municipalities , townships , school districts , and special districts . Officials are popularly elected at the federal, state and local levels, with the major exception being the President, who is instead elected indirectly by the people through the Electoral College . American politics
7979-736: The municipal government as well. A notable example of this is Paradise, Nevada , an unincorporated area where many of the casinos commonly associated with Las Vegas are situated. In addition to general-purpose government entities legislating at the state, county, and city level, special-purpose areas may exist as well, provide one or more specific services that are not being supplied by other existing governments. School districts are organized local entities providing public elementary and secondary education which, under state law, have sufficient administrative and fiscal autonomy to qualify as separate governments. Special districts are authorized by state law to provide designated functions as established in
8080-443: The municipality and the county have been merged into a unified, coterminous jurisdiction —that is to say, these counties consist in their entirety of a single municipality whose city government also operates as the county government. Some counties, such as Arlington County, Virginia , do not have any additional subdivisions. Some states contain independent cities that are not part of any county; although it may still function as if it
8181-408: The national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. The federal government is divided into three branches, as per the specific terms articulated in the U.S. Constitution: The federal government's layout is explained in the Constitution. Two political parties , the Democratic Party and the Republican Party , have dominated American politics since
8282-681: The needs of the people, providing everything from police and fire protection to sanitary codes, health regulations, education, public transportation, and housing. Typically local elections are nonpartisan — local activists suspend their party affiliations when campaigning and governing. The county is the administrative subdivision of the state, authorized by state constitutions and statutes. The county equivalents in Louisiana are called parishes , while those in Alaska are called boroughs . The specific governmental powers of counties vary widely between
8383-591: The neocon thinking that led to the Iraq blunder and what followed." That actually isn't much of an improvement, because Khanna is repeating the canard that neocons were responsible for the Iraq War. Boot is a proponent of perpetual deployment : We need to think of these deployments [in Afghanistan and Syria] in much the same way we thought of our Indian Wars , which lasted roughly 300 years (ca. 1600-1890), or as
8484-573: The objection, and House Republican leadership, which overwhelmingly voted in favor of it, arguing that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy "led the Sedition Caucus" and attracted Republican votes to object. Political scientist Hans Noel said he believed the Sedition Caucus and their "progenitors" come from a common strain of racism, comparing their beliefs to Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories , Shelby County v. Holder , poll taxes , literacy tests , and white primaries . Michael Latner,
8585-549: The one in Kabul ... It is a matter of self-defense: [Saddam] is currently working to acquire weapons of mass destruction that he or his confederates will unleash against America ... To turn Iraq into a beacon of hope for the oppressed peoples of the Middle East ... This could be the chance to right the scales, to establish the first Arab democracy , and to show the Arab people that America is committed to freedom for them. Boot
8686-592: The politics of the United States. In recent decades, the Supreme Court has established voting as a fundamental right of US citizens, even though residents of territories do not hold full voting rights. Despite this, residents must still abide by federal laws that they cannot equitably influence, as well as register for the national Selective Service System , which has led some scholars to argue that residents of territories are essentially second-class citizens. The legal justifications for these discrepancies stem from
8787-590: The president is elected indirectly, by an Electoral College whose electors represent their state and are elected by popular vote. (Before the Seventeenth Amendment was passed, Senators were also elected indirectly, by state legislatures.) These presidential electors were originally expected to exercise their own judgement. In modern practice, though, the electors are chosen by their party and pledged to vote for that party's presidential candidate (in rare occurrences they may violate their pledge, becoming
8888-547: The results of the election for two months, promoting the Stop the Steal conspiracy theory that he had won, and filing dozens of lawsuits at the state level that were ruled against or dismissed. On December 2, 2020, Politico reported that Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama was planning to object to the counting of the electoral votes from several states won by Biden . On December 30, 2020, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri became
8989-498: The right to choose any political figure outside their respective areas and can only elect a non-voting delegate to serve in the House of Representatives . All states and the District of Columbia contribute to the electoral vote for president. Successful participation, especially in federal elections, often requires large amounts of money, especially for television advertising. This money can be very difficult to raise by appeals to
9090-451: The rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government, and are generally more detailed. At the state and local level, the process of initiatives and referendums allow citizens to place new legislation on a popular ballot, or to place legislation that has recently been passed by a legislature on a ballot for a popular vote. Initiatives and referendums, along with recall elections and popular primary elections, are signature reforms of
9191-405: The running of state and local elections. Who has the right to vote in the United States is regulated by the Constitution and federal and state laws. Suffrage is nearly universal for citizens 18 years of age and older. Voting rights are sometimes restricted as a result of felony conviction , depending on the state. The District, and other U.S. holdings like Puerto Rico and Guam , do not have
9292-413: The state or national constitution. Like the federal government, state governments have three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The chief executive of a state is its popularly elected governor , who typically holds office for a four-year term (although in some states the term is two years). Except for Nebraska , which has unicameral legislature, all states have a bicameral legislature, with
9393-457: The state) does not operate under a county-level government at all. In areas that do not have any county governmental function and are simply a division of land, services are provided either by lower level townships or municipalities, or the state. Counties may contain a number of cities , towns, villages, or hamlets . Some cities—including Philadelphia , Honolulu , San Francisco , Nashville , and Denver —are consolidated city-counties , where
9494-532: The states. In some states, mainly in New England , they are primarily used as judicial districts. In other states, counties have broad powers in housing, education, transportation and recreation. County government has been eliminated throughout Connecticut , Rhode Island , and in parts of Massachusetts ; while the Unorganized Borough area of Alaska (which makes up about a half of the area of
9595-465: The term town does not have any specific meaning; it is simply an informal term applied to populated places (both incorporated and unincorporated municipalities). Moreover, in some states, the term town is equivalent to how civil townships are used in other states. Like counties, the specific responsibilities to townships vary based on each state. Many states grant townships some governmental powers, making them civil townships , either independently or as
9696-433: The term is from an Orlando Sentinel editorial on December 31, which noted that "about a dozen senators declared they're joining what's disparagingly being called the Sedition Caucus to overturn the election, despite Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 's warnings against such a move." Another early use of the term is by CNN host Jake Tapper on January 3, who said "Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska slammed Hawley and others of
9797-475: The term was originally used to describe members of Congress who voted against the certification of the electoral vote in the 2020 presidential election, its use has since become somewhat broader (but still related to the aftermath of the 2021 Capitol attack). For example, it was used to describe the senators who voted "not guilty" in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump . Before the Electoral College certification vote, Donald Trump had attempted to overturn
9898-461: The upper house usually called the Senate and the lower house called the House of Representatives , the Assembly or something similar. In most states, senators serve four-year terms, and members of the lower house serve two-year terms. The constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution, including a statement of
9999-453: The work of one or more city departments. Commissioners also set policies and rules by which the city is operated. One is named chairperson of the body and is often called the mayor, although their power is equivalent to that of the other commissioners. The city manager is a response to the increasing complexity of urban problems that need management ability not often possessed by elected public officials. The answer has been to entrust most of
10100-477: Was a consolidated city-county, an independent city was legally separated from any county. Some municipalities are in multiple counties ; New York City is uniquely partitioned into five boroughs that are each coterminous with a county. In most U.S. counties, one town or city is designated as the county seat , and this is where the county government offices are located and where the board of commissioners or supervisors meets. In small counties, boards are chosen by
10201-425: Was used by nearly all American cities. Its structure is like that of the state and national governments, with an elected mayor as chief of the executive branch and an elected council that represents the various neighborhoods forming the legislative branch. The mayor appoints heads of city departments and other officials (sometimes with the approval of the council ), has the power to veto over ordinances (the laws of
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