The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
It Was Failed Election Meddling, Not Absence of Election Meddling
English Summary
The article refutes the notion that political actors failed to attempt election interference during the midterms, detailing a sustained pattern of meddling efforts. Key evidence includes multiple executive orders asserting powers beyond constitutional limits, dozens of lawsuits aimed at compelling states to purge voter rolls, and last-minute litigation to interfere with vote tabulation in various states. The analysis concludes that while these attempts were extensive, the judiciary and state election administrators successfully blocked nearly all efforts, underscoring the resilience of democratic institutions. This suggests that maintaining institutional integrity and judicial independence remains critical to mitigating politically motivated threats to democratic processes.
中文摘要
本文駁斥了「政治行為者在中期選舉期間未能嘗試干預選舉」的觀點，詳細闡述了持續不斷的干預行為模式。關鍵證據包括多項超越憲法限制的行政命令、數十起旨在迫使各州清理選民名冊的訴訟，以及針對各州投票計數進行干預的最後一刻訴訟。分析結論指出，儘管這些干預嘗試極為廣泛，但司法機構和州選舉管理員成功地阻止了幾乎所有行動，突顯了民主制度的韌性。這表明，維持制度的完整性與司法獨立性，對於緩解政治動機對民主進程的威脅，仍然至關重要。
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