I quite agree with your lament. However, I think you are mistaken on one point. Convicted felons are barred by statute in various states from running for public office, even quite minor ones. Many of them are also barred from voting, even when their right to vote has been restored by state referendums or legislatures (see De Santis’s Florida). The presidency is held to be an exception only because of the case of Debs, no doubt the most decent, honorable, and compassionate man ever to run for the office, with the possible exception of Lincoln.(Not everyone agreed; The New York Times, commenting on his confinement, said that “He is where he belongs.” Woodrow Wilson refused to pardon him. Warren Harding did, and invited him to the White House—the closest he ever came to it.)
Vol. 30: McConnell’s misjudgment
From reader Len Lear:
To answer your question at the end, the Ottomans are now in some pretty fashionable homes being featured in Architectural Digest.
From reader Myra Chanin:
Good column, Dan. I would welcome more Ottomans as long as they leave their accompanying armchairs in Otto, wherever it may be.
From reader Robert Zaller:
I quite agree with your lament. However, I think you are mistaken on one point. Convicted felons are barred by statute in various states from running for public office, even quite minor ones. Many of them are also barred from voting, even when their right to vote has been restored by state referendums or legislatures (see De Santis’s Florida). The presidency is held to be an exception only because of the case of Debs, no doubt the most decent, honorable, and compassionate man ever to run for the office, with the possible exception of Lincoln.(Not everyone agreed; The New York Times, commenting on his confinement, said that “He is where he belongs.” Woodrow Wilson refused to pardon him. Warren Harding did, and invited him to the White House—the closest he ever came to it.)