The Midterm Elections

[AmazonGrace]

Flip Alert! Flip Alert! 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"The Daily 202: The far left is winning the Democratic civil war"

Spoiler

THE BIG IDEA: Tuesday was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Democratic moderates.

The success of very liberal candidates in primaries across four states is causing a new bout of heartburn among party strategists in Washington, who worry about unelectable activists thwarting their drive for the House majority. But it also reflects a broader leftward lurch among Democrats across the country since President Trump took office.

-- In Nebraska, a liberal social worker and political neophyte who built her campaign around “Medicare for All” scored a shocking upset in a Democratic primary to take on Rep. Don Bacon (R). Kara Eastman, 45, beat former congressman Brad Ashford, 68, in an Omaha-area district that national Democrats believed they could pick up in November.

Eastman advocated for universal background checks to buy guns, raising taxes and decriminalizing marijuana. “I’m tired of hearing Democrats don’t have a backbone, that we don’t stand for anything,” she said in a commercial that touted her support for universal health care. “That changes now!”

Ashford had the full-throated support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which must now reevaluate whether to invest in the race.

-- In Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, where GOP Rep. Charlie Dent’s retirement created a winnable open seat for Democrats, early front-runner John Morganelli — a district attorney who has been locally prominent for decades — lost the primary to attorney Susan Wild, who ran at him from the left. Morganelli, who opposes abortion rights and “sanctuary cities,” was attacked relentlessly on the airwaves for speaking positively about Trump and tweeting that he was open to taking a job in the administration during the transition.

-- In the Philadelphia suburbs, centrist Rachel Reddick — a 33-year-old Navy veteran endorsed by Emily’s List — lost the Democratic primary to take on Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R) after “proud progressive” Scott Wallace ran ads attacking her for being a registered Republican until 2016. Wallace, 66, is the grandson of Henry Wallace, who was Franklin Roosevelt’s vice president for a term and then ran against Harry Truman, who FDR dumped him for, from the far left in 1948. In a victory speech to supporters in Bucks County last night, Wallace declared: “Together, we can make America sane again.”

-- Statewide, John Fetterman — a small-town mayor with a bristly beard and tattoos on both of his arms — toppled Pennsylvania’s incumbent lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, thanks in part to the strong endorsement of Bernie Sanders, who stumped across the state for him on Friday and Saturday. Fetterman campaigned on universal health care and legalizing marijuana.

-- In the Pittsburgh area, two card-carrying members of the Democratic Socialists of America topped incumbent state representatives in Democratic primaries with 65 percent and 68 percent of the vote, respectively. (The New Yorker profiled one of the winners, Summer Lee, last week.)

“Since it was founded in 1982, the Democratic Socialists of America has played virtually no role the country’s elections,” Clint Hendler writes for Mother Jones. “That’s begun to change, fueled by the organization’s 2016 endorsement of Bernie Sanders and a growth spurt led by the activists and organizers he inspired. In Pittsburgh, the local DSA chapter is 500 members strong and hosts Marxist reading groups, organizes against controversial anti-abortion pregnancy centers, and works to reduce police stops by fixing residents’ brake lights. … Pittsburgh’s DSA group is one of the first chapters in the country to have launched a political action committee …”

-- In Idaho’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, Paulette Jordan defeated business owner and Boise school board member A.J. Balukoff, who had the backing of most of the state’s political establishment. Jordan, who has generated a lot of media coverage because she could become the first Native American governor in the country, built her campaign around protecting more public lands, as well as promising to expand Medicaid, relax marijuana laws, reduce incarceration and limit corporate tax loopholes. She garnered 58 percent of the vote.

“The election saw historic numbers of Democrats cast votes,” Carissa Wolf reports from Boise. “Boise area precincts, home to the state’s largest Democratic base, ran out of ballots due to unexpected turnout that more than doubled the number of Democratic votes statewide. In the 2014 primary, about 25,000 Democrats had cast votes for governor; last night, more than 64,000 did.” Jordan is still the underdog in the general election.

-- In the much bluer state of Oregon, liberals toppled an entrenched Democratic incumbent in the state Senate. Sen. Rod Monroe got crushed 62 percent to 25 percent by civil rights attorney Shemia Fagan. A Somali immigrant who works as a community organizer got another 13 percent of the vote. “Monroe, 75, a five-term senator, was vulnerable because the race centered on housing,” the Oregonian reports. “The owner of a 51-unit apartment complex in East Portland, Monroe alienated tenant advocates and fellow Democrats last year when he opposed a bill that would have restricted evictions and allowed some rent controls. Monroe spent heavily to defend his seat, raising nearly $385,000 -- much of it from the real estate industry -- and spent most of it. A group largely funded by the real estate industry also raised more than $360,000.” But a spending advantage was not enough to save him.

-- In a state House primary, the establishment favorite – a county commissioner who was endorsed by the retiring representative – lost to a child welfare worker after he said the state of Oregon should consider requiring employees to contribute into the public pension fund. The stakes are high because Democrats can achieve three-fifths supermajorities with just one additional seat in both the House and the Senate, which would let them raise taxes with no Republican votes.

-- Democratic enthusiasm was on display across the country: They cast about 100,000 more ballots than Republicans in Pennsylvania. In northwest Pennsylvania’s Erie County, a linchpin of Trump’s narrow 2016 victory in the state, 5,000 more Democrats voted than Republicans. In the race for Dent’s open seat in the Lehigh Valley, there were about 42,000 votes in the Democratic primary and 29,000 in the also competitive Republican contest.

-- But the sorting out between the two parties continues:

Democrats are making hay this morning out of the news that they flipped a state House seat in the Philly suburbs that Trump had carried by three points in 2016. The special election was called because the Republican incumbent had stepped down to become executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority. Democrat Helen Tai prevailed after getting endorsements from Joe Biden and other national figures. It’s the 41st state legislative district to flip from red to blue since Trump’s inauguration.

But Republicans also picked up a state House seat in a special election in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Democratic incumbent resigned to become a judge, and the area has been trending to the right and Trump carried it two years ago.

-- Last night also offered several fresh data points that 2018 will be another Year of the Woman.

All 20 of Pennsylvania’s House members are male. That’s been the case since the 2014 midterms. Before then, there was only one woman. But times are changing.

Two years after the state rejected Hillary Clinton, three Democratic women are now all but assured to represent Pennsylvania in Congress next year. “The retirement of Rep. Ryan Costello (R), the resignation of Rep. Patrick Meehan (R) and a revised map ordered by the state Supreme Court have led the GOP to effectively cede two House districts in the Philadelphia area,” Sean Sullivan, Elise Viebeck and David Weigel report. “Democrats Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon and Madeleine Dean were nominated in districts that Democrats are favored to win in November. … All told, Democrats nominated seven women for the House in Pennsylvania. Republicans nominated one.”

If Democrats are going to retake the House, Pennsylvania will be the keystone. It’s realistic that Democrats could pick up as many as a half-dozen seats of the 24 they need there. Most of those new members would be female.

-- Another important takeaway: It’s truly a terrible time to be a House Republican seeking a promotion.

Idaho Rep. Raúl R. Labrador will soon be out of a job after losing the Republican gubernatorial primary to Brad Little, the lieutenant governor. Labrador is no establishment squish: He was a founding member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus. But Little had the support of outgoing Gov. Butch Otter, and a third candidate had Mitt Romney’s endorsement.

Labrador joins four House Republicans who lost primaries last week: North Carolina Rep. Robert Pittenger went down in his quest for reelection, while Indiana Reps. Todd Rokita and Luke Messer and West Virginia Rep. Evan Jenkins lost Senate primaries.

In Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Rep. Lou Barletta won the GOP primary to challenge Sen. Bob Casey (D) but his performance was weaker than expected. Despite vocal support from Trump, and a last-minute robo-call, he only got 63 percent against an unknown, unfunded state representative. Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) similarly underperformed in a Senate primary last week.

“The media said that Donald Trump could not win in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania put Donald Trump in the White House,” Barletta told supporters in Hazleton last night. “They say I can’t beat Bob Casey, and I’m going to beat Bob Casey.”

Trump tweeted his support for Barletta this morning:

 

I'm thrilled about Raul Labrador getting his butt kicked. I can't stand him.

[GreyhoundFan]

"GOP builds massive shadow army in fight for the House"

Spoiler

TUSTIN, Calif. — Republicans have amassed a sprawling shadow field organization to defend the House this fall, spending tens of millions of dollars in an unprecedented effort to protect dozens of battleground districts that will determine control of the chamber.

The initiative by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), now includes 34 offices running mini-campaigns for vulnerable Republicans throughout the country. It has built its own in-house research and data teams and recruited 4,000 student volunteers, who have knocked on more than 10 million doors since February 2017.

The operation far eclipses the group’s activity in any previous election, when CLF didn’t have a single volunteer or field office. At this time last election cycle, the group had raised $2 million. As of Tuesday, CLF — which markets itself to donors as a super PAC dedicated to saving the House majority and can collect contributions with no dollar limit — had hauled in more than $71 million.

That war chest and new infrastructure could be a significant factor in an election year dominated by expectations of a Democratic wave fueled by a backlash against President Donald Trump.

“We have to do everything bigger and better to have a chance,” Corry Bliss, CLF’s executive director, said in a recent interview sandwiched between fundraising events with Ryan. (The speaker attends the events as a draw, but Bliss asks for cash later, in accordance with campaign finance law.) “If we do the same BS, cookie-cutter ads, we’re going to lose.”

CLF’s midterm strategy, which emphasizes long-term voter engagement, is not normal for a super PAC. Typically, lawmakers’ campaigns and the National Republican Congressional Committee deal with field work and get-out-the-vote efforts — then PACs like CLF swoop in to fill in the blanks with what Bliss often refers to as “shitty TV ads.”

But Ryan’s political allies decided last year that that model wasn’t working — and that CLF, with its seemingly endless resources, was a “sleeping giant,” as they called it. They agreed to turn the PAC into a massive, hyper-local grass-roots organization. And they tapped Bliss, a former campaign manager, to run the operation.

“There was a belief shared by many that super PACs had become bloated in their role and, in some cases, did more damage than good,” said Ryan’s national finance chairman, Spencer Zwick, who helped steer the group’s makeover. “Ryan allies said: ‘How could they become more effective?’ and thought, ‘Why can’t super PACs basically run a shadow campaign?’"

Turns out they can.

The organization’s expansive operation has surpassed even the NRCC in its first year, at least as far as satellite field offices are concerned. The House’s traditional campaign arm has only one such office. And unlike CLF, which can spend its war chest wherever it sees fit, the NRCC has to cater to the more 240 dues-paying House Republicans, spreading its resources much thinner.

CLF’s new, more targeted structure also overshadows that of its Democratic rival, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s House Majority PAC, which has no field locations. Still, House Majority PAC spokesman Jeb Fain said CLF represents no threat, arguing that Democrats partner with other progressive organizations with get-out-the-vote field programs.

“This stuff is largely for show,” Fain said. “The other side's candidates and campaigns suffer from a serious lack of grass-roots support, so they’re trying to manufacture a facade of enthusiasm.”

Whether CLF’s efforts can have a decisive impact in what's shaping up to be a Democrat-favoring election year remains to be seen: The Hillary Clinton campaign's daunting turnout organization was expected to make the difference against Trump in 2016.

But in a one-room office located in a downtown business district here in Orange County one recent evening, the group’s organizational muscle was apparent.

Two dozen high school and college kids crammed into the office, working the phones to help vulnerable GOP Rep. Mimi Walters’ reelection campaign. Flyers touting Walter’s achievements sat on counters, ready for those knocking doors. Signs on the wall read, “call, knock, win, repeat” and “Mimi Rocks.”

Working two phones at once, 18-year-old college freshman Liam Murphy prodded voters about their concerns. To one person anxious about the economy, he had ready an example of how Walters had worked on that very problem.

“Did you hear about the Tax Cut and Jobs Act [House Republicans] got passed in December?” Murphy told a voter concerned about the economy. “It was one of the biggest tax cuts in history.”

That, in a nutshell, is CLF’s strategy. While the group's new in-house research team digs for negative information on Democrats, its data department polls key swing districts to identify issues that high-propensity swing voters care about most. Then the group sends its volunteers to talk to those voters in person, armed with literature and talking points touting what GOP incumbents have done to advance those causes.

“Asking you who you are voting for this far out is meaningless,” Bliss said. “If you tell us what the two things are that you care about most, we should be able to get you.”

That means each of its field offices emphasizes different policies. In Illinois, it’s Reps. Peter Roskam’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. In Florida, Rep. Brian Mast’s work on Lake Okeechobee gets top billing. And in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, volunteers talk up Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s effort to clean water contamination wells.

It’s an iteration of Ryan and GOP leadership's political strategy in 2016, when they told swing-district members to go hyper-local. Technically, Ryan and lawmakers are not allowed to coordinate with super PACs, though their allies on the outside can.

When Ryan's political allies decided to remodel CLF mid-cycle in 2016, Bliss became the obvious choice to take over. He’d captured national attention for his aggressive ground game running Sen. Rob Portman’s reelection campaign, when he opened 20 field offices and staffed them with interns eager to participate in the electoral process.

Bliss brought three of those Portman campaign staffers with him to scale up the Ohio strategy, hiring them to oversee about 10 CLF offices each. The field program — which costs about $250,000 per office, or roughly the price of one TV ad for a few weeks — should give Republicans a 3-point boost in each race, Bliss predicted.

“In a close race, that’s the difference between winning or losing,” he said.

Not all Republicans were sold on Bliss’ strategy — particularly his pitch to start knocking on doors almost 20 months out from Election Day. But Bliss argued to donors — casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, have given tens of millions of dollars — that “doing field [work] in the fall before the election is a waste of time and energy … it doesn’t do anything to win,” he said.

“If I knock on your door one or two times, it’s not going to do anything,” Bliss said. “It’s that repetition that is required to really have an impact.”

The group opened its first field office in February 2017 in Rep. Don Bacon’s Nebraska district, quickly identifying 40,000 voters who cared most about supporting Offutt Air Force Base and then working to convince them that Bacon was its champion.

Students have become the focal point of the operation, staffing the offices Monday through Saturday in rotating shifts. CLF actually chose its field office locations by looking for the largest number of high schools within a 25-minute radius. Staff members recruit volunteers at career fairs or in civics classes, then give them a list of neighborhoods to hit over and over again.

In the Orange County office, one student touted Walters’ vote on the tax bill, encouraging an undecided voter to “look at your paycheck” to see whether he or she was receiving more money. Another told a voter concerned about national security that the congresswoman “is fighting for a stronger military.”

“There are people who I’ve started talking to who didn’t seem sure; then, after [I spoke with them] they were like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll support Mimi Walters,’” said Murphy, who dedicates 16 to 20 hours per week to the job and said it beats "flipping burgers.” "It’s cool. I actually feel like it’s making a difference."

The field offices have become the envy of the House Republican Conference. While CLF is not allowed to discuss its efforts with members and candidates under campaign law, lawmakers have taken notice and tried to signal a desire for help.

This week, CLF will announce three new offices, one each for vulnerable Reps. John Faso of New York and Fred Upton of Michigan and a third in Minnesota, where the party is vying for an open seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan.

"I welcome any help I can get," said Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.). Clinton carried his Central Valley district by 15 points, and CLF has set up a field office there.

"We've seen them around at local events,” Valadao said. “I hope they've been effective."

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Oh Rufus, please let it be so: "McConnell warns control of the Senate is ‘absolutely’ in play in midterm elections"

Spoiler

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned Thursday that control of the Senate is “absolutely” in play in the midterm elections, identifying the nine battleground states he believes will decide the outcome in November. 

In an interview with The Washington Post, McConnell also confidently predicted that the government will not shut down in September just weeks before the midterms, despite recent agitation from President Trump that there will be “no choice” but to shutter the government in September if he doesn’t get funding for his border wall. 

“I always think it’s better to be candid and not try to spin people into thinking this isn’t going to be a challenging election,” McConnell said in the Thursday morning interview. “I think the safest place to be is just to say that this is going to be a very challenging election, and I don’t think we know in May ... whether it’s Category 3, 4 or 5.”

McConnell’s comments about the midterms mark the latest alarms he has sounded about the prospect that Republicans could lose their House and Senate majorities this fall. Both are “absolutely” in play, he said. Trump’s low approval, an energized Democratic base and the struggles a president’s party historically experiences in his first midterm have concerned GOP strategists. 

Many have concluded the House — where Republicans are defending suburban and exurban districts where anger with Trump is intense — is all but gone. They feel better about the Senate, where the political landscape is more favorable for the GOP. 

McConnell’s warning also is a clear message to Republican donors that they need to start writing checks to help the party keep its Senate majority to protect Trump and the GOP’s agenda next year.

Republicans are defending a slim 51-49 advantage in November. McConnell listed the states he believes the battle for the Senate will run through: Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia and Florida. 

“By any objective standard, those are the seats that are likely to be in play,” McConnell said. 

Notably absent from his list were three states that were key to Trump’s 2016 win, in which Democratic senators are up for reelection this year: Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

McConnell said there are “credible candidates that could get onto the radar screen” in Ohio and Pennsylvania. But they are not yet in the tier of races he thinks will determine the majority.

Pennsylvania Republicans nominated Rep. Lou Barletta for the Senate on Tuesday. Last week, Ohio Republicans picked Rep. James B. Renacci. Trump endorsed both candidates. Wisconsin holds its primary in August. 

In three of the states McConnell mentioned, Republicans are playing defense: Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee. The retirements of Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker — two of the GOP’s most outspoken Trump critics — triggered competitive open races. 

The Arizona primary is shaping up as a three-way race involving Rep. Martha McSally and two candidates running to her right: former sheriff Joe Arpaio and former state legislator Kelli Ward. McConnell prefers McSally. Trump has not expressed a choice publicly. Democrats landed a top recruit for the race, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema. 

Rep. Marsha Blackburn is poised to be the Republican nominee in Tennessee. Democrats have recruited a formidable opponent in former governor Phil Bredesen. Corker has complicated the contest by heaping praise on Bredesen, prompting McConnell to urge Corker to stop doing that.

In Nevada, Dean Heller is fighting for his political survival as the sole Republican senator running for reelection in a state where Hillary Clinton defeated Trump in 2016.

The rest of the nine states McConnell highlighted are places where Trump won — in most cases by a wide margin — and a Democratic senator is on the ballot. In West Virginia, for example, the president defeated Clinton by about 42 points. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III has said he hopes Trump will stay out of the race. 

Trump has stepped up his attacks against Democratic senators in those states, heartening Senate Republican leaders. He recently campaigned in Indiana for the GOP nominee, Mike Braun. And he has lambasted Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. 

The president’s approval has ticked up in recent months and other polls have shown Republicans have improved their standing. McConnell didn’t put much stock in the recent data during the Post interview.

“The polls come and go. And recent polls have indicated, you know, kind of a movement in our direction. I expect to see that happen multiple times between now and November,” he said.

He also emphasized that historical trends do not bode well for his party, even though the Senate map looks favorable. 

“It’s pretty hard to deny the history of off-year elections, particularly off-year elections two years into the first term,” said McConnell. 

Republicans also face a tricky special election in Mississippi, where appointed Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is fighting back a challenge from state Sen. Chris McDaniel, a hard-right Republican who has criticized McConnell. Democrats believe there is a chance they could pick up the seat.

One major complicating factor that could emerge before the midterms is if the federal government shuts down when current funding expires Sept. 30.

Trump made it clear he was displeased with the $1.3 trillion spending measure he reluctantly signed into law in March, and he stressed he would never sign such a massive bill again. 

“None of us are happy about omnibuses, but there were no surprises in there,” McConnell said Thursday. Referring to the White House, he added: “They were totally involved in the negotiation with Democrats that we finally reached. We’ll not be shutting down the government in the fall, either.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters this week that he has been speaking to McConnell and leaders on the Appropriations Committee to advance government funding bills in the regular fashion. McConnell said he has spoken to Schumer and Trump about the prospect of potentially canceling a previously scheduled recess to complete work on appropriations and nominations, adding that he’ll have more to say on the matter next week.

“I believe we can get all the bills done by the time we have to, which is in September,” Schumer said this week. “Okay?”

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Cartmann99]

Don Blankenship is not going away:

He's going with the Constitution Party. For those not up on the various third-party offerings:

Quote

The Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to restore and preserve these United States.

This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions but on a foundation of Christian principles and values. For this very reason peoples of all faiths have been and are afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.

The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries.

The Constitution of the United States provides that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” The Constitution Party supports the original intent of this language. Therefore, the Constitution Party calls on all those who love liberty and value their inherent rights to join with us in the pursuit of these goals and in the restoration of these founding principles.

The U.S. Constitution established a Republic rooted in Biblical law, administered by representatives who are constitutionally elected by the citizens. In such a Republic all Life, Liberty and Property are protected because law rules.

We affirm the principles of inherent individual rights upon which these United States of America were founded:

• That each individual is endowed by his Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are the rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness;
• That the freedom to own, use, exchange, control, protect, and freely dispose of property is a natural, necessary and inseparable extension of the individual’s unalienable rights;
• That the legitimate function of government is to secure these rights through the preservation of domestic tranquility, the maintenance of a strong national defense, and the promotion of equal justice for all;
• That history makes clear that left unchecked, it is the nature of government to usurp the liberty of its citizens and eventually become a major violator of the people’s rights; and

That, therefore, it is essential to bind government with the chains of the Constitution and carefully divide and jealously limit government powers to those assigned by the consent of the governed.

https://www.constitutionparty.com/principles/platform-preamble/

For those who follow Doug Phillips aka DPIART, his father founded what eventually became the Constitution Party:

Quote

Howard Phillips founded the U.S. Taxpayers Party (USTP) in 1992 to offer America leadership committed to restoring the Federal Republic to its delegated, enumerated Constitutional functions and returning American jurisprudence to its original “common law” Biblical foundations. Phillips was nominated in 1992 and 1996 to be the USTP candidate for President of the United States. In 1999, the name of the US Taxpayer’s Party was changed to “Constitution Party” to better reflect the party’s primary focus of returning government to the U.S. Constitution’s provisions and limitations, and Howard Phillips was chosen to be its 2000 Presidential candidate.

Phillips also served as President of The Conservative Caucus Research, Analysis & Education Foundation.

Author of four books: The New Right at Harvard (1983), Moscow’s Challenge to U.S. Vital Interests in Sub-Saharan Africa (1987), The Next Four Years (1992), and Victory 2000 (1999).

Awards:

• The June 1982 Eagle Forum Award for leadership in the pro-family cause, and “steadfast opposition to the mischief of the federally-financed feminists.”
• The National Association of Pro-America 1983 Award for “promoting Constitutional government”.
• The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools Award, 1995.
• The Strategic Resource Group’s William Wilberforce Award for “Ministry to the Nation/Public Policy” in September, 1996.
• The Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty conferred upon him the title of “Patriot” in May 2002.

America truly lost one of her most valiant patriots with the passing of Howard Phillips in April of 2013.  Thank you, Howie, for carving the path for us to follow in re-establishing the American Constitutional Republic.  May we live up to your vision and the vision of the Founders of these United States of America.

https://www.constitutionparty.com/tag/howard-phillips/

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[candygirl200413]

I just love women right now!!

In addition, there was women winners in Texas too! Including a Lesbian latina woman Lupe Valdez

[Cartmann99]

28 minutes ago, candygirl200413 said:

I just love women right now!!

In addition, there was women winners in Texas too! Including a Lesbian latina woman Lupe Valdez.

I'm just gonna bask for a little while, as the attacks will begin soon enough for these women. 

[JMarie]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/22/politics/florida-republican-candidate-puerto-ricans-voting-registration/index.html

Quote

A Republican congressional candidate is facing a backlash after saying that Puerto Ricans who moved to Florida in the wake of Hurricane Maria last year should not be able to register to vote in the state.

In a video uploaded to YouTube by the campaign of a Republican rival, John Ward -- a candidate in the GOP primary for Florida's 6th Congressional District -- is asked by a voter how he would respond to Puerto Ricans who have "moved either temporarily or permanently to Florida" when "they say that they need more help and that the aid to Puerto Rico is not enough."

Ward replied by saying, "First of all, I don't think they should be allowed to register to vote. It's not lost on me that, I think, the Democrat party's really hoping that they can change the voting registers in a lot of counties and districts, and I don't think they should be allowed to do that."

 

[Audrey2]

10 hours ago, candygirl200413 said:

I just love women right now!!

In addition, there was women winners in Texas too! Including a Lesbian latina woman Lupe Valdez

I know many of us were horrified and saddened when Hillary wasn't elected President. Having more women start out in state and local offices means more women gaining experience to take to the Federal level. It would be my dream that one of the women pushed to run by their loathing of Trump would ultimately be the first female President.

I'm so proud of these amazing women!

[Cartmann99]

I'm hoping to be awakened early on the morning of November 7th because the Trumpublicans across our nation are sobbing too loudly for me to continue sleeping. 

[GreyhoundFan]

"The Daily 202: Primary results prove 2018 will be a breakthrough year for Democratic diversity"

Spoiler

THE BIG IDEA: This will not just be another year of the woman. Primaries across four Southern states on Tuesday showed that 2018 is the year of the minority woman.

Four years ago, Democrats nominated just two racial minorities for governor. Both were men: Anthony Brown in Maryland and David Ige in Hawaii.

This year, with the same 36 states holding gubernatorial contests, Democrats have already nominated three minority women. And it’s only May.

On Tuesday, Georgia Democrats gave former State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, 44, a shot to become the first black, female governor in American history. She crushed Stacey Evans, who is white and argued that the way to win is to appeal to the middle – not the left. “We are writing the next chapter of Georgia’s future, where no one is unseen, no one is unheard and no one is uninspired,” Abrams said at her victory rally in Atlanta.

In Texas, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez won the Democratic runoff to take on Gov. Greg Abbott. The 70-year-old, who is openly lesbian, would be the first Latina to lead the Lone Star State and only the second Hispanic woman ever elected governor. She defeated the son of former Texas governor Mark White, whose campaign was built around a promise to “continue my dad’s legacy.”

In Idaho, Paulette Jordan could become the first Native American governor in the country and her state’s first female governor. In a primary last week, the 38-year-old defeated a 72-year-old white man who was preferred by the local Democratic establishment.

All three women are underdogs. Abrams might be the best positioned to pull off an upset of the trio. She’ll face the winner of a Republican runoff between Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp. The two guys are trying to outdo each other on who can take the harder line against undocumented immigrants and express heartier support for President Trump.

Since suffrage, it’s proved much easier for women of both parties to get elected to legislatures than chief executive positions. Two years after Hillary Clinton failed to shatter the ultimate glass ceiling, however, there are tangible signs that her loss might have helped pave the way for women to get the keys to more governor’s mansions. And not as first lady. In addition to the three mentioned above, another 15 women could conceivably win Democratic gubernatorial nominations over the next few months.

The rising American electorate is making itself heard and demanding seats at the table. Democrats are on track to nominate their most diverse slate of candidates ever. By far.

-- There is a strong chance that Democrats will nominate people of color for governor in five other states:

• In New Mexico, a June 5 primary between three Latino candidates is likely to be won by Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is currently the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
• In California’s jungle primary on the same day, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is likely to finish in the top two to compete in the fall election.
• Maryland Democrats are expected to pick an African American on June 26: either Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker or former NAACP president Ben Jealous.
• Hawaii’s incumbent governor, Ige, and his challenger, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, are both Japanese American. The winner of the Aug. 11 Democratic primary will almost certainly win in November.
• Jay Gonzalez is likely to win the Massachusetts primary on Sept. 4 to face popular Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. The Latino served as Deval Patrick’s secretary of administration and finance.

-- There are also minority men competing in four other competitive Democratic primaries:

• Andrew Gillum, the African American mayor of Tallahassee, is locked in a four-way race in Florida, which votes Aug. 28.
• Mahlon Mitchell, the black president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, is in an even more crowded Aug. 14 primary for the chance to challenge Gov. Scott Walker (R).
• David Garcia, a professor, Army veteran and Latino, is facing a white state senator in Arizona on Aug. 28 to take on Gov. Doug Ducey (R) in a state that’s trending purple.
• They’re long shots, but Abdul El-Sayed and Shri ThanEdar are among the Democratic candidates for governor of Michigan.

-- Despite their very real problems appealing to minority voters, the GOP has in recent years done better at electing both female and minority governors than Democrats. In 2014, Republicans nominated five minorities: Gov. Susana Martinez in New Mexico, Gov. Brian Sandoval in Nevada, Nikki Haley in South Carolina, Allan Fung in Rhode Island, Mufi Hannemann in Hawaii and Neel Kashkari in California. This year, with Haley at the United Nations and Martinez and Sandoval moving on, it looks like there could be only two GOP nominees who are minorities. Both are male: Fung is running again in Rhode Island and Chris Sununu, an Arab American, is seeking reelection in New Hampshire.

“The Democratic candidates for governor look like America,” said Jared Leopold of the Democratic Governors Association, which is staying neutral in the aforementioned primaries. “The new crop of Democratic gubernatorial candidates will be a jolt of fresh leadership, energy and new voices into the Democratic Party nationwide.”

-- It’s not just gubernatorial contests. Women, minorities and minority women won several key House races on Tuesday, as well:

• In Kentucky, Amy McGrath – the first Marine woman to fly an F-18 fighter jet – defeated the two-term mayor of Lexington, Jim Gray, who was favored by party leaders, in a Democratic primary to face GOP Rep. Andy Barr.
• In Texas, a Filipina Air Force intelligence officer who is openly lesbian, Gina Ortiz Jones, won the runoff to face Rep. Will Hurd (R), who is black, in a district that stretches along the border with Mexico.
• A black civil rights attorney who once played in the NFL, Colin Allred, will take on Rep. Pete Sessions (R) in a Dallas district that Clinton carried in 2016.

Minority candidates received the most votes in Democratic primaries for two Atlanta-area House seats that could become pick-up opportunities if an anti-GOP wave materializes: African American gun-control activist Lucy McBath in the 6th District, where Karen Handel beat Jon Ossoff in last year’s special election to replace Tom Price, and Asian American education chief executive David Kim in the 7th District, represented by Rep. Rob Woodall (R). Both primaries look like they’re headed for runoffs.

-- Statistic of the day: In Senate, House and gubernatorial primaries so far this cycle, women have now won 47 of 68 Democratic primary matchups with male candidates where there was no incumbent, according to a tabulation by Nathaniel Rakich.

-- All told, it was a good night for the national Democratic establishment. Yes, Gray lost in Kentucky. But national party strategists believe McGrath can also win.

• In the Texas runoffs, lawyer Lizzie Fletcher defeated Laura Moser, the activist who the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee came out against publicly before the first-round primary.
• In the only Arkansas district that could be competitive this fall, the most electable candidate -- state Rep. Clarke Tucker – defeated several liberals who would have likely prompted the party to write off the seat by running a compelling commercial about his battle with cancer. He will face Rep. French Hill (R).

-- There were other down-ballot indicators that 2018 is going to be a change election and that the electorate remains restive – even in red states. For example, a math teacher who was angry that Kentucky’s GOP legislature cut his pension toppled the powerful leader of the state House in a primary. “Jonathan Shell had been widely considered a rising star in the Kentucky Republican Party,” the Louisville Courier Journal notes. “But he was part of the legislature’s Republican leadership team that crafted and passed pension, tax and budget bills late in the session before the public had a chance to read them. … While benefit cuts in the final pension bill were minimal, teachers continued to protest the pension bill. … Shell was one of several incumbent House members to fall…” Beware the wrath of a teacher scorned…

-- Another takeaway from last night is that Mike Pence has less juice with conservatives than his political team wants people to think. The vice president’s endorsement failed to drag Bunni Pounds, a political fundraising consultant, across the finish line in Texas’s 5th District. She lost in the Dallas-area race to succeed the retiring Jeb Hensarling to state Rep. Lance Gooden, 53 percent to 47 percent. This was the first open primary Pence involved himself in this year.

...

 

[JMarie]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

"The Daily 202: Primary results prove 2018 will be a breakthrough year for Democratic diversity"

  Hide contents

THE BIG IDEA: This will not just be another year of the woman. Primaries across four Southern states on Tuesday showed that 2018 is the year of the minority woman.

Four years ago, Democrats nominated just two racial minorities for governor. Both were men: Anthony Brown in Maryland and David Ige in Hawaii.

This year, with the same 36 states holding gubernatorial contests, Democrats have already nominated three minority women. And it’s only May.

On Tuesday, Georgia Democrats gave former State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, 44, a shot to become the first black, female governor in American history. She crushed Stacey Evans, who is white and argued that the way to win is to appeal to the middle – not the left. “We are writing the next chapter of Georgia’s future, where no one is unseen, no one is unheard and no one is uninspired,” Abrams said at her victory rally in Atlanta.

In Texas, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez won the Democratic runoff to take on Gov. Greg Abbott. The 70-year-old, who is openly lesbian, would be the first Latina to lead the Lone Star State and only the second Hispanic woman ever elected governor. She defeated the son of former Texas governor Mark White, whose campaign was built around a promise to “continue my dad’s legacy.”

In Idaho, Paulette Jordan could become the first Native American governor in the country and her state’s first female governor. In a primary last week, the 38-year-old defeated a 72-year-old white man who was preferred by the local Democratic establishment.

All three women are underdogs. Abrams might be the best positioned to pull off an upset of the trio. She’ll face the winner of a Republican runoff between Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp. The two guys are trying to outdo each other on who can take the harder line against undocumented immigrants and express heartier support for President Trump.

Since suffrage, it’s proved much easier for women of both parties to get elected to legislatures than chief executive positions. Two years after Hillary Clinton failed to shatter the ultimate glass ceiling, however, there are tangible signs that her loss might have helped pave the way for women to get the keys to more governor’s mansions. And not as first lady. In addition to the three mentioned above, another 15 women could conceivably win Democratic gubernatorial nominations over the next few months.

The rising American electorate is making itself heard and demanding seats at the table. Democrats are on track to nominate their most diverse slate of candidates ever. By far.

-- There is a strong chance that Democrats will nominate people of color for governor in five other states:

• In New Mexico, a June 5 primary between three Latino candidates is likely to be won by Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is currently the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
• In California’s jungle primary on the same day, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is likely to finish in the top two to compete in the fall election.
• Maryland Democrats are expected to pick an African American on June 26: either Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker or former NAACP president Ben Jealous.
• Hawaii’s incumbent governor, Ige, and his challenger, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, are both Japanese American. The winner of the Aug. 11 Democratic primary will almost certainly win in November.
• Jay Gonzalez is likely to win the Massachusetts primary on Sept. 4 to face popular Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. The Latino served as Deval Patrick’s secretary of administration and finance.

-- There are also minority men competing in four other competitive Democratic primaries:

• Andrew Gillum, the African American mayor of Tallahassee, is locked in a four-way race in Florida, which votes Aug. 28.
• Mahlon Mitchell, the black president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, is in an even more crowded Aug. 14 primary for the chance to challenge Gov. Scott Walker (R).
• David Garcia, a professor, Army veteran and Latino, is facing a white state senator in Arizona on Aug. 28 to take on Gov. Doug Ducey (R) in a state that’s trending purple.
• They’re long shots, but Abdul El-Sayed and Shri ThanEdar are among the Democratic candidates for governor of Michigan.

-- Despite their very real problems appealing to minority voters, the GOP has in recent years done better at electing both female and minority governors than Democrats. In 2014, Republicans nominated five minorities: Gov. Susana Martinez in New Mexico, Gov. Brian Sandoval in Nevada, Nikki Haley in South Carolina, Allan Fung in Rhode Island, Mufi Hannemann in Hawaii and Neel Kashkari in California. This year, with Haley at the United Nations and Martinez and Sandoval moving on, it looks like there could be only two GOP nominees who are minorities. Both are male: Fung is running again in Rhode Island and Chris Sununu, an Arab American, is seeking reelection in New Hampshire.

“The Democratic candidates for governor look like America,” said Jared Leopold of the Democratic Governors Association, which is staying neutral in the aforementioned primaries. “The new crop of Democratic gubernatorial candidates will be a jolt of fresh leadership, energy and new voices into the Democratic Party nationwide.”

-- It’s not just gubernatorial contests. Women, minorities and minority women won several key House races on Tuesday, as well:

• In Kentucky, Amy McGrath – the first Marine woman to fly an F-18 fighter jet – defeated the two-term mayor of Lexington, Jim Gray, who was favored by party leaders, in a Democratic primary to face GOP Rep. Andy Barr.
• In Texas, a Filipina Air Force intelligence officer who is openly lesbian, Gina Ortiz Jones, won the runoff to face Rep. Will Hurd (R), who is black, in a district that stretches along the border with Mexico.
• A black civil rights attorney who once played in the NFL, Colin Allred, will take on Rep. Pete Sessions (R) in a Dallas district that Clinton carried in 2016.

Minority candidates received the most votes in Democratic primaries for two Atlanta-area House seats that could become pick-up opportunities if an anti-GOP wave materializes: African American gun-control activist Lucy McBath in the 6th District, where Karen Handel beat Jon Ossoff in last year’s special election to replace Tom Price, and Asian American education chief executive David Kim in the 7th District, represented by Rep. Rob Woodall (R). Both primaries look like they’re headed for runoffs.

-- Statistic of the day: In Senate, House and gubernatorial primaries so far this cycle, women have now won 47 of 68 Democratic primary matchups with male candidates where there was no incumbent, according to a tabulation by Nathaniel Rakich.

-- All told, it was a good night for the national Democratic establishment. Yes, Gray lost in Kentucky. But national party strategists believe McGrath can also win.

• In the Texas runoffs, lawyer Lizzie Fletcher defeated Laura Moser, the activist who the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee came out against publicly before the first-round primary.
• In the only Arkansas district that could be competitive this fall, the most electable candidate -- state Rep. Clarke Tucker – defeated several liberals who would have likely prompted the party to write off the seat by running a compelling commercial about his battle with cancer. He will face Rep. French Hill (R).

-- There were other down-ballot indicators that 2018 is going to be a change election and that the electorate remains restive – even in red states. For example, a math teacher who was angry that Kentucky’s GOP legislature cut his pension toppled the powerful leader of the state House in a primary. “Jonathan Shell had been widely considered a rising star in the Kentucky Republican Party,” the Louisville Courier Journal notes. “But he was part of the legislature’s Republican leadership team that crafted and passed pension, tax and budget bills late in the session before the public had a chance to read them. … While benefit cuts in the final pension bill were minimal, teachers continued to protest the pension bill. … Shell was one of several incumbent House members to fall…” Beware the wrath of a teacher scorned…

-- Another takeaway from last night is that Mike Pence has less juice with conservatives than his political team wants people to think. The vice president’s endorsement failed to drag Bunni Pounds, a political fundraising consultant, across the finish line in Texas’s 5th District. She lost in the Dallas-area race to succeed the retiring Jeb Hensarling to state Rep. Lance Gooden, 53 percent to 47 percent. This was the first open primary Pence involved himself in this year.

...

 

None of this matters, because Republicans will win "four to six" seats in the Senate, according to Newt.

http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/05/22/republicans-will-gain-4-6-senate-seats-newt-gingrich-says

Quote

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich reacted to what he sees as Republicans' improving electoral outlook for November 2018.

Gingrich (R-Ga.) said his fellow Republicans can gain as many as four to six seats in the U.S. Senate.

He said a new Reuters poll shows the GOP in the lead by one point on a generic ballot between a Republican and Democratic candidate going into the midterms.

"All the political analyst establishment and the talking heads have a bias," the Hummelstown, Pa. native said. "If Republicans are anywhere near to even on the generic [ballot], they could gain seats."

Gingrich told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that President Donald Trump could also be gaining African American support.

He said Trump has overseen conditions that amount to the "best situation for black unemployment in American history."

He said that by Democratic leaders Charles Schumer of New York and Nancy Pelosi of California borrowing Trump's "swamp" terminology for their own campaigning is an "enormous psychological victory" for the president.

 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

39 minutes ago, JMarie said:

Gingrich told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that President Donald Trump could also be gaining African American support.

He said Trump has overseen conditions that amount to the "best situation for black unemployment in American history."

Newt has been sampling too much of the sacramental wine there at the Vatican.

[fraurosena]

2 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

I know many of us were horrified and saddened when Hillary wasn't elected President. Having more women start out in state and local offices means more women gaining experience to take to the Federal level. It would be my dream that one of the women pushed to run by their loathing of Trump would ultimately be the first female President.

I'm so proud of these amazing women!

Personally, I'm rooting for Emma González.

First female, Latina, openly gay President. Now wouldn't that be something?

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Newt has been sampling too much of the sacramental wine there at the Vatican.

Newt owes me a new bullshit detector. 

[fraurosena]

Word.

In the words of the inimitable Jean-Luc Picard: Make it so.

[AmazonGrace]

Dana thinks gays should be homeless: 

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

 

[formergothardite]

What was the reasoning behind the law to put all republicans first on the ballot?I know the real reason, but what bullshit excuse did they come up with?

[AmazonGrace]

 

[fraurosena]

A wonderful example of what it means to be a Repugliklan. 

 

 

[Destiny]

On 5/23/2018 at 10:23 AM, fraurosena said:

Personally, I'm rooting for Emma González.

First female, Latina, openly gay President. Now wouldn't that be something?

She's got my vote. <3

[Cartmann99]

48 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

A wonderful example of what it means to be a Repugliklan. 

 

 

I just don't get these people. I enter a public restroom because:

1. I need to relieve myself.
2. I am experiencing the joys of menstruation.
3. I am having a wardrobe malfunction.
4. I need to wash my hands or do something that requires a mirror.

How sad is your life that you hang out in public restrooms to assess what genitalia the other patrons are sporting? As long as you don't hold up the line or harass other patrons, you can have a damn Tupperware party in the next stall as far as I'm concerned.