Rashida Tlaib & Friday 8/10 Open Thread

Good piece on Rashida Tlaib posted on The Guardian by Khaled Beydoun, a man with solid credentials (whom I follow on Twitter).

My friend Rashida: far more than the first Muslim American congresswoman

I walked into Rashida Tlaib’s election watch party shortly after midnight.

Rashida sounds like the sort of candidate we need to pull this country back from the brink.

Hip-hop, salsa, Detroit house and Arabic music thumped from the speakers. The cafe walls, where the party was being held, were adorned with the work of local artists. There were no suits or gowns, just the squeak of sneakers and blue campaign T-shirts filling the room. Tlaib’s party felt like a real party, where millennials of all races mingled naturally with middle-aged and elderly supporters that were celebrating as the results rolled in.

When I read about her primary win I was surprised that I’d never heard of her before. How did I miss her?

Her message was intersectional long before “intersectionality” was catapulted into the prevailing social justice lexicon. Fighting American Islamophobia was her mandate before the phenomenon became a catchy buzzword. She tenaciously challenged anti-black racism years before the Black Lives Matter movement mainstreamed it into popular consciousness. Rashida defiantly stepped up against the state, and land-seizing billionaires, to defend the rights of vulnerable elements in her community, south-west Detroit, which was predominantly Latinx.

“brilliantly diverse sea of people”

Twelve years later, this commitment to social justice and grassroots organizing is what fueled Rashida to knock down the ultimate door, and make history as America’s first Palestinian and Muslim congresswomen. And indeed, that was the very spirit represented by the brilliantly diverse sea of people that celebrated until Rashida was ready to declare victory, at 2.46am on Wednesday morning.

And she has such a positive message that resonates:

Flanked by her son, Adam, her younger brother Rachid, and her campaign staff, Rashida, in tears, shouted: “I love this campaign and what it represents. It inspired people around the country to know that you do not need to sell out, you do not need to change who you are, to run for office. Be who you are – it’s what our country needs right now.”

Khaled is doing his part on pushing back on the hate and the fear (two negative forces that so often seem bound together). That is also what this country “needs right now”.

Please share anything you’ve picked up on the beaches of our media below!

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jcitybone

Thanks Mags I was just going to open one.

https://theintercept.com/2018/08/10/ohio-special-election-ranked-choice-voting/

But even if we were to credit the assessment that Green Party candidates are responsible for spoiling multiple presidential elections, and now, Ohio’s 12th District, it remains true that the Democratic Party has shown little interest in addressing the underlying cause of the spoiler effect: our first-past-the-post voting system.

In our current system, the person who wins the most votes wins the election. As a result, if a third-party candidate who is ideologically similar to one of the main two parties enters a race, they can split the vote, causing the less popular platform to cary the day. However, in a ranked-choice voting system, voters “rank” the candidates in order of preference. If none of the parties get to 50 percent of the vote, the least popular candidate is stricken, and their votes are allocated according to the second choice of the voter. Meaning that if Stein voters had ranked Clinton second on their ballots, the votes cast by Stein voters would have gone to Clinton once it became clear that Stein finished last.

In 2017, a group of House Democrats, led by Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, introduced H.R. 3057, the Fair Representation Act, which would require every congressional district in America to use ranked-choice voting. It would also require districts to be redrawn by independent redistricting committees, which would diminish the effects of partisan gerrymandering, and it would require the installation of multimember districts — a reform that would allow voters in each district to elect multiple lawmakers instead of just one, so that more people would be represented.

The law would make congressional elections much more competitive and also make it so that voters who feel unrepresented by the major parties, or disenfranchised because they live in a district that is staunchly in favor of one party or another, would have a greater incentive to vote.

When it was introduced, the bill had a total of three sponsors: Beyer; Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

A year later, it has only gained two additional sponsors: Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.

magsview

Thank you so much for this jcitybone! I’d seen the ripples of this situation on twitter, with the latest round of Green Party-bashing, and wondered what was going on over there in OH.

magsview

I found a ‘discussion’ about ranked choice voting. There are some strong opinions on the matter under this tweet, I’m still mulling the concept over myself.

New from @ZaidJilani and I about how all those upset about "spoiler candidates" after the Ohio-12 election (and 2016) should put up – by backing a ranked-choice voting bill proposed last year – or shut up. https://t.co/rszzSBZBb2

— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) August 10, 2018

Democrats Complain About Green Party “Spoilers,” but Few in Congress Back a Solution: Ranked-Choice Voting

Ballots are still being counted in Ohio’s nail-biting special election in the 12th Congressional District, but it looks like Republican Troy Balderson will narrowly defeat Democrat Danny O’Connor.

As of the time of publication, the vote tally is 101,772 for Balderson and 100,208 for O’Connor. But with Green Party candidate Joe Manchik garnering 1,129 votes votes, some Democrats have projected their frustration about their loss onto third parties.

Of course, even with all of Manchik’s votes, O’Connor would still come up 435 votes short. But math hasn’t stopped Democrats from blaming the Green Party.

Actress and activist Alyssa Milano lamented that Green Party votes were evidence of “Russian meddling,” while the political blog Palmer Report tweeted, “Green Party voters are even worse than Trump supporters” because “Green Party voters know Trump is destroying everything, yet they choose to vote in a way that hands him more power.”

Needless to say, the Palmer Report is nothing more than a propaganda arm of the Democratic party, so it’s very disconcerting to me to hear them accuse GP voters as being “even worse” than Trump supporters.

Dems just can’t seem to stop blaming everyone but themselves.

Maybe O’Connor just didn’t have the chops! This is from his web page:

In Congress, Danny will fight to protect access to quality health care.

When will the Democratic party wake up and realize that the word “access” in that context is a total turn-off for progressive voters??!! I have “access” to health care right now! I just don’t happen to have $12,500 sitting in the bank to spend in order to get actual health care! Too many Dems treat us like idiots who don’t see what they’re doing with that crap. 🙁

wi61

Maybe if the DNC would open their eyes and figure out that their so called big tent isn’t as big as they think it is. they need to embrace Berniecrat ideas and support them. Funny some Dem talking head on CNN the other night said this years mid terms and 2020 are to important to vote for Berniecrats. He said that we need to suck it up and hold our noses for the lesser of to evils dem wise–couldn’t believe that bullshit and i’m done with that scenario as evil is still evil no matter what.

jcitybone

Same old same old ????

TheLeftistheCenter

Its not their eyes that need opening as much as their wallets that need shutting.

orlbucfan

I’m very uneasy with this new ranked voting system. So, the top 2 vote getters are it (regardless of party). They go into the general election with no other opposition? Correct me if I’m wrong. T and R, mags!! 🙂

magsview

Yes, I share jcitybone’s reservations.

On its surface ranked voting sounds promising. But it also sounds like the sort of thing that can be…finangled. Still mulling.

jcitybone

I think its unequivocally good in the general election. The primary—it depends.

magsview

Another snippet for anyone who doesn’t have time to click on the article right now:

Everybody in the room, black and White, Muslim and Jew, young and old, citizen and undocumented hung on to her every word. Her tears met with the joyful tears of so many more in the old office space converted into campaign headquarters. And people in the room celebrated Tlaib’s landmark moment as if they were headed to Washington DC to serve in Congress. Her message was broader than her proud identity as a Palestinian and Muslim American woman, and her mission went beyond serving specific ethnic or religious communities.

Everything was homegrown at Rashida’s party – from the place, to the people, and most vividly, the politics. A bona fide progressive, who sowed her commitment to fighting for immigrants and the poor as a community organizer in south-west Detroit, and against the meddling arms of corporate millionaires as a state congresswomen. This is the same woman who told Matty Maroun, a Michigan billionaire seeking to build a bridge in her congressional district in 2013, “to get out of my backyard,” and exposed the pattern of sexual abuse and harassment by a (once) respected head of an Arab civil rights organization.

That fearlessness, and the fight behind it, is what defined Rashida when I first met her and what continues to defines her when she made history on 8 August. Stepping up for the most vulnerable, and speaking unfiltered truth directly to power, the essence of leadership that Michigan and I have known for a long time, and that Washington DC and Donald Trump will come to know very well in January 2019.

It sounds wonderful. 🙂

jcitybone

Under ranked choice voting, Jones likely would have beaten Tlaib in the regular primary, so ranked choice doesn’t always bring a result we would hope for.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2018/08/08/brenda-jones-congress-conyers-race/934566002/

As to why the outcomes may have been different, one reason may be that with two primaries for the same seat, some voters may have been confused. It may be more likely, however, that the smaller four-person field in the special election was the culprit, since two other candidates with key support in the black community — Young and Jackson — were not in that race.

jcitybone

I think she probably should have ignored this one. No need to engage this asshole. It did make me LOL though.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-conservative-commentator-ben-shapiro_us_5b6d3267e4b0bdd06208193c?utm_source=reddit.com

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shot back at a conservative commentator on Twitter Thursday, comparing his invitation to debate him with a solicitation from a catcaller on the street.

“I don’t owe a response to unsolicited requests from men with bad intentions,” Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 14th District, wrote. “And also like catcalling, for some reason they feel entitled to one.”

Her comments came after Ben Shapiro, a conservative commentator, challenged Ocasio-Cortez to a debate and offered her campaign $10,000 if she participated. Shapiro, called a “provocative gladiator” by The New York Times, has embraced deeply conservative views and built his image as a millennial firebrand.

magsview

I agree jcitybone. She’s giving that asshole, as you say, way more attention than he deserves.

But, hopefully, it’ll just make the MSM talking point shows want her on some more and give Alexandria more of a platform to talk about the real issues? That’s what I’m hoping anyway. 😉

magsview

Do you remember this fellow from TOP’s BNRs? He’s even saltier now. 😉

Ben shapiro is the rich kid at school who beligerately restates his point 1000 times without listening to a word you say, demands unrequited civility from you, obnoxiously talks over and past you, and when you walk away because you've had enough of the asshole he claims victory.

— Gallifreyan Jedi (@JediofGallifrey) August 10, 2018

jcitybone

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/08/floridas-plan-bullied-lgbtq-kids-send-christian-schools/

This past March, Florida became the first state to create a private school voucher program just for bullied students.

The Hope Scholarship Program gives students who report being bullied $6,700 towards tuition at a private school, or $750 for transportation to another public school.

Anti-bullying activists in Florida opposed the bill, pointing out that bullying occurs in private schools at about the same rate as it does in public schools, that bullies will just pick new targets if their victims leave, and that private schools aren’t closely regulated when it comes to bullying so students will find they have few tools to remedy a situation at a private school.

Now a new analysis by the Huffington Post found that many of the private schools that students can attend in the program would just join in the bullying of LGBTQ students.

Around 70 private schools have signed up for the program to take in bullied public school students. Of these schools, 10% have explicit “zero tolerance” policies when it comes to homosexuality.

For example, Trinity Christian Academy’s student handbook says students are required to refrain from “Any action involving pornography or homosexuality.” Harvest Academy calls homosexuality an “abomination” in its parent/student handbook.

An LGBTQ student is unlikely to find much help at these schools.

Moreover, 30% of the schools use curricula that teaches that homosexuality is wrong. For example, some of these schools use textbooks from Abeka. The company’s 8th grade U.S. history textbook calls gay rights a “moral evil.”

jcitybone

(Wrong place for this post)

orlbucfan

The so-called teacher pre-employment background checks don’t exist at these ‘schools.’ There are already scandals brewing over ex-felons including sex offenders ‘teaching’ at these places. Central FL is the second ground zero for the DeVos infestation.

magsview

Sometimes it seems like you are at ‘ground zero’ over there in Florida, orlbucfan.

How long have you lived there? What happened??

When I was a kid Florida was a place to vacation, to retire to, to enjoy, but now it seems like it’s a political cauldron with corruption rising to the top in some kind of stinky froth.

Good luck!!!!

orlbucfan

Hi mags! 🙂 I guess you could say that about me living at ground zero here in east central FL. LOL. I have spent more than 50 of my 65 years here. My father was one of the very first American civilian scientists tapped for NASA back when it was established. It was the military’s answer (funded by the Navy and Air Force) to Sputnik. I was born in Washington, D.C. The fledgling agency needed the brain power of civilian scientists. The MICC didn’t have it. My family was a civilian one mirroring a military family. We moved back and forth between the research centers like Goddard in Greenbelt, MD. and the launch sites in Cape Canaveral. So, I’ve lived in the 3 counties in the area: Brevard, Volusia, and Orange. I graduated from HS in So. Florida. I’m married to a proud Democratic FL cracker. I’ve been a rock solid ecology nut and political Futurist my whole life. Thanks for asking. 🙂 🙂

polarbear4

Sounds like a wow! kinda life. 🙂

magsview

Wow. As a kid who loved science and NASA growing up in Canada, I’m somewhat envious! My dad had a white collar job which I doubt was very fulfilling, but he made the best of it I think.

But I would have been ecstatic to grow up near Cape Canaveral. Did you hear stories about the goings on there and at Goddard? It sounds like you could probably write a book!

Thanks for sharing. So interesting! 🙂

jcitybone

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/401250-trump-administration-calls-current-endangered-species-protections-a

Interior Department deputy secretary David Bernhardt says the way the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is implemented today causes an “unnecessary regulatory burden” on U.S. taxpayers and companies.

Bernhardt makes the case for the administration’s recently proposed changes to ESA implementation in a Washington Post op-ed on Friday, arguing that plans to strip “threatened” species of the same protections as listed “endangered” ones would clean up the “muddle” of the current state of the law.

While Bernhardt promises that the Fish and Wildlife Service will consider the “best science” when determining endangered species act protections, he also pushes an administration idea of incorporating the economic impact of listing a species — calling it a “hallmark of good government.”

That concept has received pushback from conservation groups, who think species protections should be determined based on need, not economic impact.

In the editorial, Bernhardt, a former energy lobbyist who worked at the Interior Department under President George W. Bush, also appears to speak directly to those environmental groups who largely oppose the administration’s new measures, calling them “familiar faces” and saying that their opposition is “hyperbolic and unhelpful in promoting constructive discussion.”

polarbear4

My late friend worked for Fish and Wildlife, and they already do take into account the economic impact, often to the detriment of the species. This might make it more prominent and more of a priority.

magsview

Sorry about your friend, polarbear. 🙁

I recently lost a dear friend suddenly. She was only 55 yrs old. It was quite a shock, they don’t even know what felled her. I miss her.

Thanks for sharing. I truly appreciate your perspective. XO

polarbear4

Thanks, mags. I still talk with her. 🙂 She was my best friend and went way too soon. Hep C. When I talk about Sabina coming up for the weekend, that’s her daughter (and her son) who moved up here from Tucson. So that’s a really nice connection. She calls me her aunt so i call her my niece. :O)

Sorry about your friend, too. It’s hard.

I have to say, the earth and all living things will be happy when we elect a progressive in 2020. Seems like we already have some mighty mo!

jcitybone

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/10/millions-of-government-workers-paid-poverty-wages-study-says

The federal government employs more workers making less than $15 an hour than any other employer in the US, a new report has revealed.

The study, compiled by pro-union group Good Jobs Nation, analyzed federal data and showed that the government spends more than $1.6tn on federal contractors employing more than 12.5 million people with 4.5 million of those workers making below $15 an hour.

Many of these workers are employed by contractors as janitors, cafeteria workers, call center workers, administrative assistants and healthcare aides, and union campaigners say they are being kept on poverty wages.

Under the Obama administration, the federal government began to take steps to lift the wages of federal contractors. In 2012, Barack Obama signed an executive order raising the minimum wage for all workers employed on federal contracts to $10.10 an hour. In 2014, Obama signed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order, which prevented contractors who violate labor law from receiving federal contracts.

Organized labor applauded the orders as some of the most far-reaching reforms for workers achieved under Obama, though they fell short of their aim of establishing a $15 minimum wage.

The Trump administration has already started clawing back the moves. In 2017, the administration repealed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order. Then, in June of this year, the White House exempted contractors employed by the National Park Service from having to pay their workers the $10.10 minimum wage rate.

polarbear4

Many of these workers are employed by contractors as janitors, cafeteria workers, call center workers, administrative assistants and healthcare aides, and union campaigners say they are being kept on poverty wages.

Let me count the ways I love you, private/public partnerships.

magsview

Since I first mentioned the desire to do a full piece focusing on public-private partnerships I have yet to see any evidence of any real good that has come from them.

Considering how enthusiastic Hillary Clinton was for them, I really hope that whomever attains the 2020 Democratic nomination does not favor them any more than you and I do polarbear!!

TheLeftistheCenter

Maybe this is why…

“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power” ― Benito Mussolini

polarbear4

M2!

magsview

This article is from 2013, but it’s pretty good:

Warnings about the deplorable shape of America’s roads and bridges have convinced the public of the need to build. But in the wake of the recession, state and local governments continue to struggle financially. Raising taxes is a nonstarter in many places, as is the notion of taking on additional debt through bonds.

“Politicians are at the point where people are crying out for enhancements to infrastructure, but they don’t want to hear any proposals for new public revenues,” says Phineas Baxandall, a senior budget policy analyst at the nonprofit U.S. PIRG. “So anything that makes it sound like the money’s coming out of thin air is a win-win.”

The most attractive aspect of a P3 for many lawmakers is that the borrowed money may not count as debt the same way a municipal bond does. The distinction is hard to grasp since the same citizens ultimately pay for the project, either through tax dollars or tolls.

I think this is a great point. Ultimately the people do have to pay for those projects…somehow. It might be through the loss of what used to be common ground, or “through tax dollars” or through something as relatively benign-sounding as tolls.

But tolls, for example, can hit the less well-off much harder, and are far from progressive.

A worker who has to drive through $20 worth of tolls every day who only makes $25k/year feels the financial effects much more keenly than the person who makes $75k/year.

And then there’s the way that (often local) governments seem to always shoulder the risk:

When Indiana faced flooding in 2008, tolls were waived to evacuate people quickly, but the state had to pay the Indiana Toll Road’s private concessionaire $447,000 for the lost revenue.

http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-public-private-popular.html

wi61

How bad are our roads when Dominos pizza runs an ad campaign to fix pot holes!!!

magsview

True that.

How bad are things when we are supposed to be glad that a pizza company is driving around filling potholes (very badly) and then stamping their corporate logo on top??? Crazy!

polarbear4

Yes, we pay MORE in the long run. Hey, how about using some of that MIC money? They are even similar products much of the time.

wi61

Not surprised about this as you can go on the Wisconsin jobs website for state jobs and you can apply for a 40 hour a week job as a janitor for the uw system at the wage of $11.52 an Hr. so if your a single parent of one child you qualify for all sorts of state benefits snap ,assisted living ect. and your working for the state of WI. That’s life in walkers Wisconsin unbelievable that you can work for the state and qualify for these programs!!!!!

magsview

Yes! In CT it used to be that state jobs were at least a TINY bit better than many others due to pensions and a little bit higher wage. The idea that when you’re working at a state job AND you have to take advantage of SNAP? That’s mental!

wi61

Its actually worse now in WI for state jobs, Walker/ALEC cost each state employee any where for $100-$200 a month for health care and an $200 a month increase in pension contributions which was unnecessary for the pension as its one of the best funded and solvent in the nation. Its well managed- state workers are still worried that Walker is going to privatize it if he wins reelection. Then you can throw in the first raise of 2% for state workers in 8 years since Walker took office. Wi is so short on correctional officers they are offering signing bonus’s if you stick around x amount of time. But its now helping as forced 80 hour work weeks for low entry wages isn’t helping retention. Most study’s for the Midwest say entry level wages for correctional officers are around $2.50 and hour more than what Wi is offering. Of course Walker ignores the woe’s that are going on for the DOC and wont set for in a prison as he would piss himself like Percy in the green mile

magsview

80 hour work weeks??! Does that mean that the hours over 40 hours are time and a half? That’s ridiculous, I’m pretty sure I’d snap.

wi61

From what my friends tell me yes and its been reported that the state has shelled out over 50 million in OT wages due to staff shortages this year alone and then the media here sensationalizes it when a few correctional officers make 80 to 100 thousand a year but they neglect to tell the pubic the hours that are worked to earn that salary. The missed family functions, sleep deprivation, hypertension high divorce rates,alcoholism assault’s on staff by inmates are increasing and kept quiet by the DOC unless an letter reaches the media and an FOIA is requested by the media. The media and the public ignore the inherent danger that any prison worker faces on a daily basis– will I get shanked or assaulted today? a guard was recently killed by an inmate in Minnesota last month. Mortality rates are higher due to poor working conditions as the results of walkers ACT 10. My two friends are due to retire in the spring earlier than they wanted to but they’ve had enough they say its not worth the stress and long hours. They tell my employee retention is like reverse thunder dome, 4 new employees start then 5 retire or quit over the working condition. The sad thing is Walker doesn’t give a damn about this or the fiasco at the Lincoln hills youth prison where and inmate won a settlement for about 20 million dollars against the Wi DOC for abuse of an inmate. As governor Walker is the so called leader of the DOC– yeesh

magsview

I see in the comments of Khaled’s twitter post that there are some Arabs who are not as thrilled about her as Khaled is, and bring up her ties to J Street.

Why does Rashida Tlaib support US military aid to Israel?

The euphoria over Tlaib reminds me of the ecstasy when Barack Obama was elected president.

People assumed that despite his cautious and even reactionary political positions, his identity as a Black man, the son of a Kenyan immigrant father, and his history as a community organizer in Chicago would somehow seep through into his policies.

Rashida Tlaib is endorsed and supported by the liberal Zionist Israel lobby group J Street through its political action committee JStreetPAC.

On its page soliciting donations to support Tlaib’s campaign, JStreetPAC states: “When it comes to the peace process, she believes that the US should be directly involved with negotiations to reach a two-state solution.”

Some have understandably questioned whether J Street is accurately reflecting Tlaib’s views.

According to a 15 July filing with the Federal Election Commission, the Rashida Tlaib for Congress committee had received $3,000 this cycle from JStreetPAC.

True, that is a small portion of the more than $1 million she has raised, but it’s also a low price to tie yourself to an organization with clear anti-Palestinian views. It is perhaps only a downpayment.

Uh, yah, $3,000 is a tiny amount of money these days. So hopefully her critics from the left are overreacting. Who could blame them after all? Political realities do not tend to favor them.

polarbear4

Troubling, though. Remember, lots of morphing starts with seemingly small concessions to aforesaid “realities.”

I’m not even going to be here to keep discussing, so i guess this is a drive-by. 😉 thx.

magsview

Yes, I think that might be why the writer said that the $3,000 might be only a “downpayment”.

jcitybone

?? Not getting the objection to supporting US involvement in negotiations for a two state solution. Right now, Trump is supporting the one state Israel solution. What do the objectors prefer? The one-state Palestine solution? That’s not going to happen. J Street is pro-Israel but is definitely not pro-Netanyahu, and it’s certainly not AIPAC. For example, JStreet was a big proponent of the Iran deal

magsview

If you read the article you may understand better. I also have a relatively favorable view of J Street. But it would seem that many Arabs are suspicious of them.

Do you really think, though, that a two-state solution is even possible at this point? Life in Gaza just keeps getting worse, and worse, Gaza is getting to the point that it’s barely habitable-I can’t imagine that Gazans won’t all have to leave at some point, and the settlers just keep stealing more and more land in the occupied West Bank.

jcitybone

Yeah it definitely is but maybe Netanyahu and certainly Trump won’t be here for ever. The alternative is scary.

magsview

I don’t see the situation for Palestinians getting any better under, let’s say, Kamala Harris. Therefore I’m feeling discouraged about their fate.

Btw, while I was up in Canada this past week, my somewhat politically-involved sister mentioned Kamala as a possible remedy to Trump. I really don’t see Kamala Harris as an option. The people need someone with a much more hopeful vision, imo. Kamala very quickly aligned herself with Netanyahu. I sure do hope TPTB don’t try to push her, or Bloomberg, or Biden, or so many others on us. Otherwise Trump will get re-elected in 2020.

jcitybone

Well I’m not pro Harris, but she is better than Biden and definitely Bloomberg. She’s not all that we want, but she’s on the record for M4A and no corporate donations. (Thank you Bernie)

magsview

I always appreciate your feedback jcitybone. You seem to have your experienced fingers on the pulse and have serious political chops.

I did not know that Harris claims to be against receiving corporate donations. The images of her visit to the Hamptons are still seared in my brain, not to mention her cozy meeting with Netanyahu. So forgive me, but I have some serious reservations about her sincerity.

Btw, I thought of you this past week up in Canada. That same sister of mine brought Gillibrand up as a possible contender against Trump. Perhaps you and my sister would be able to have a genial chat! 🙂

wi61

Once Trumpcorp is out of office (2020) the next president is going to have on hell of a mess to clean up foreign relations wise!!!

polarbear4

Ah, my ignorance blossoms yet again. More research needed, as always.

My impression is that “2-state solution” is often cover for doing nothing.

magsview

You are so NOT ignorant! You’re one of the savviest people I know.

There’s only so much time in a day. Personally, I’m always learning and, to me, it’s amazing that it’s taken me this long to even gain the knowledge that I have attained so far. And by that I mean that I’ve still got so far to go.

For me, when it comes right down to it, I’m just hoping that whoever ends up being the Dem candidate to oppose Trump is able to pull it off.

Kamala still has a ways to go to endear herself to enough voters to do it, imo. But there’s still time, I suppose, for her to reveal an inner progressive eager to shake off establishment ties that would compromise any real reforms.

polarbear4

Aww, thanks, but I do tend to speak from a rather entrenched place often. Working (playing) on it. I have distanced myself a bit from a long time obsession that was becoming unhealthy.

But yeah, I could say it without putting myself down. As could we all. I will work to ensure that Kamala is not the candidate. Then she can really shine as a progressive working to elect progressives, if she chooses. I will welcome her with open arms.

orlbucfan

I may be jaded but I start from a taking-them-with-a-grain-of-salt stance on DINO/Democrats. I’m also focused on this November, NOT 2020!! 2020 is 2 years off, and we could be dead from thermonuclear war by then. 🙁

polarbear4

thanks for brightening my day, orlbucfan–LOL. :O)

orlbucfan

Uh oh. 🙁

magsview

Hey orl, you’re just revealing that you grew up during the cold war like I did! The bastards traumatized an entire generation with their threats of nukes in the back of our minds constantly. (bastards!)

wi61

I have a vague memory of hiding under desks in school or moving into a hallway but not understanding the significance of it being that young

polarbear4

I was serious–i LOLed! :O)

polarbear4

I’d like to see a full out boycott like we did in Africa.

magsview

Me too. It worked, after all.

magsview

Okay, this made me feel a bit better about Whitmer, and I appreciate this tweet, although with the uproar over the tweet it could be argued that it was a relatively safe stance to take on Whitmer’s part:

I'm proud to have shared the stage with @AbdulElSayed in one of the most diverse Democratic primaries in Michigan history.

This language is hateful and divisive, and @CoreyStewartVA doesn't belong anywhere near the U.S. Senate.https://t.co/uWDLnpDMxG pic.twitter.com/YDwg2zznZR

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) August 10, 2018

Corey Stewart called Michigan gubernatorial candidate ‘ISIS commie’ in since-deleted tweet

Stewart said the tweet was sent from a vendor and that as soon as he saw it, he took it down. He added that his campaign terminated the individual’s Twitter access as a result, but did not discipline the person any further.

“One of my vendors put out a tweet last night that attempted to link a Michigan gubernatorial candidate to ISIS, because he apparently received support from purported extremists,” Stewart said in a statement to The Hill. “I don’t believe in guilt by association. I have been the target of very similar smears, and I don’t believe in using such tactics against others.”

Stewart has been a controversial figure in Virginia politics for alleged ties to white nationalists and his past defense of Confederate monuments.

He also reportedly praised Virginia’s decision to secede from the U.S. at the Civil War’s outset, during a speech in 2017.

I think it’s a good sign that the uproar was loud enough that Stewart felt the need to disavow the tweet (and potentially lie and/or throw some “vendor” under the bus). The xenophobic racism (not to mention the anti-left rhetoric) currently running rampant (here, in the UK and, unfortunately, even in Canada) surely needed some serious pushback!

The attached screenshot, from The Hill’s piece linked above, includes the tweet that was supposedly written by Stewart’s “vendor”.

Benny

But it took her over 24 hours, and after it was mentioned on Morning Joe.

magsview

I’m thinking that she was urged by a decently savvy political operator to send that tweet.

I’d love to know who is running things behind her campaign.

polarbear4

T& R mags and jcitybone! just dropping in for a sec….

la58

A email I got from my Rep. Debbie Dingel

Friend,

Michigan’s primary is now behind us. But as our team traveled the district this week to polling locations throughout the day on Tuesday to victory events that night and the Unity lunch on Wednesday – one thing is clear – momentum is on our side!

But first – a big thank you for being a part of Team Dingell! In fact – we’ve got 102,565 reasons to be thankful at our campaign headquarters because that’s the number of votes our campaign received – almost double what we received in 2016 – a Presidential year!

Everywhere you look – there are more and more signs that Democrats are serious about taking our country back this November. More women are running for office than ever before and right here in Michigan – women nominees will hold the top slots on the ballot, half of our Congressional nominees are women and the first Muslim woman is poised to be elected to Congress.

But the energy is happening all across America from a near upset in Ohio in a seat held by Republicans for over 3 decades to Democrats nearly beating sitting incumbents in Washington State in their open primary earlier this week!

But – you’ve heard me call myself Debbie Downer before. While the excitement we all feel is real, we simply can’t take anything for granted! We’ve got to double down and knock more doors, make more calls, raise more money and talk to more family and friends in the next 90 days than we ever have before!

It’s no secret that the Republicans have more big moneyed interests on their side – dark money that is sure to flow into races we least expect in the final days of this campaign. Right here in Michigan’s 12th District – we face multiple opponents this fall including a Republican and Socialist – and any sign of weakness will send up flare signals to come spend money and try to shut us down.

Our campaign makes one promise – no one is going to work harder than we will over the next 3 months to turn Michigan blue and take back the majority in the United States House of Representatives. Every progressive value we care passionately about is on the line – from making healthcare affordable and accessible to ALL Americans to protecting Social Security and Medicare to stopping the attack on our nation’s clean air and water laws.

And friends – big ideas like Medicare for All can’t even be put on the table unless we win back the Congress!

Not sure what to make of this

Right here in Michigan’s 12th District – we face multiple opponents this fall including a Republican and Socialist

magsview

Who do you suppose she means by the “Socialist”?

Here in CT there is an actual, real-deal, Socialist running against Chris Murphy. I’ve met him. He’s a young Iraq veteran, very likeable and polite, knowledgeable, intelligent, and passionate.

But, he’s unlikely to get many votes, and very unlikely to be a real challenge to Murphy.

Fred ‘Mitch’ Linck: Why I am running for U.S. Senator from Connecticut

I want to talk a little about what I learned from my time in Iraq, and how it can help us understand our situation today.

By the time I was 17, there was no one who could tell me that joining the military was not the best thing I could do with my life. I joined shortly after high school, and it was not long before I was living my dream of going to Iraq to free a people from a “brutal dictator” and to bring them democracy. After I arrived, however, it was not long before I realized that everything I had been told, believed, and held as obvious, was simply lies.

to win our emancipation, working people cannot simply put a few top hats in jail and call it a day. We are compelled by our situation to create a new society. This means realizing the liberation of women, of African Americans, of LGBTQI people, of Latinxs, the colonized, the immigrants, and the First Nation people. It means taking the great productive forces we have created together and placing them under public ownership and the management of workers.

The Democrats and the Republicans do not care about us. My opponent, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, does not care about us. He does not care about you. He is a professional politician. Chris Murphy and politicians like him make policies for the ultra-wealthy, not workers.

We need a party of our own—a party that fights every day for the interests of those most exploited by capitalism. A party that has at its very core the idea of taking power from the capitalist class and putting it in the hands of workers.

That’s why I’m running as a socialist candidate for U.S. Senate against Chris Murphy. My party, Socialist Action, believes workers and oppressed people can build a truly democratic society organized to satisfy human needs, rather than corporate profit.

jcitybone

The scary socialist must be the Green Party candidate Steve Young who appears to be running a threadbare campaign. Not crazy about Dingell equating the threat from Republicans to that from Socialists. Actually, in her district, neither are threatening.

orlbucfan

Unknowns have to get their name out so the public/voters know who they are. I’ve mentioned this fact before. If you’re not a money bag and/or some scion of a political family, it’s a must! It may take him a couple of cycles to get elected depending on what he runs for. He’s got to have name recognition, just basic common sense.

magsview

It sounds like we may be in for another tumultuous year in the world of professional football!

'Stay strong brothers': Kaepernick hails players as NFL preseason starts with protestshttps://t.co/Xy4F3neWoZ

— 🔥FireGoddessBeth #NeverAgainIsNow🔥🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈✌🖖✊ (@FireGoddessB) August 10, 2018

“It’s not necessarily about the anthem, that’s where everybody’s messing up,” Tennessee Titans star defensive end Jurrell Casey told CNN last month. “The way that the justice system treats minorities is the issue that we have.”

And, of course, Trump always has something to say about NFL protests, and he seems to see it as a winning issue for him politically. He can rage about it, pleasing the most racist of his supporters, and pretend that he’s willing to talk to the protesting players about it, and address it:

“I am going to ask all of those people to recommend to me — because that’s what they’re protesting — people that they think were unfairly treated by the justice system,” Trump told reporters in June before boarding Marine One. “And I understand that. And I’m going to ask them to recommend to me people that were unfairly treated — friends of theirs or people that they know about — and I’m going to take a look at those applications. And if I find, and my committee finds that they are unfairly treated, then we will pardon them or at least let them out.”

The President sees the issue as a political winner, using the protests to fire up his base. He told attendees of a private dinner last year, “It’s really caught on. It’s really caught on.”

orlbucfan

What a dumb dipshite the Orange Blob is!! BTW, that photo is the pregame activity between the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Bucs (my team LOL) in Miami. There was no uproar. It is the preseason anyway. 🙂

magsview

I used to work with a rabid Tampa Bay Bucs fan, lol, up here in CT. He used to give me a lot of grief until one day when I gave him a Bucs baseball cap a sales rep had offered to me. I had the choice of teams, chose the Bucs so I could give it to him as a peace offering. The cap was gorgeous! That was about 4-5 years ago & the colors then were I gather that brown-ish grey (very sort of ‘classy’ color) along with a nice dark orange. Really nice as far as sports caps go.

Honestly? I think he liked the Bad Boy look of their logo. 😉

magsview

An apt illustration of how fear plus ignorance can equal hate.

I’d like to throw insecurity into the mix.

pic.twitter.com/AtGHkvKRsx

— I am that 🌹🐦 (@Workingman711) August 10, 2018

magsview

I just found a couple of inspiring videos of Samoan firefighters from last fall.

The “Singing Samoan Fire Crew” in Northern California

The crew is from the National Park of American Samoa, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean. They travel to the United States during fire season to help contain fires.

https://activenorcal.com/the-singing-samoan-fire-crew-in-northern-california/

and this link from facebook, not sure if that will post properly, facebook so annoying sometimes.

We were able to go up and see a Samoan fire crew, they were just ending their 10 hour day. You could hear them coming through the forest because they were singing the whole time! Then they performed 2 songs for us! It was just amazing! The crew boss said they work like that all day! And those yellow shirts were literally soaking wet from sweat working up on that mountain! Did not keep them from entertaining and sharing their culture with us! #samoanfirecrew #helenafirenorcal

Posted by Jeri Bridgen on Thursday, September 28, 2017

p.s. the second link, the one from fb, did post for me, but I had to refresh my page first to see it! It’s worth the trouble, imo.

jcitybone

???. So great

magsview

🙂

orlbucfan

May they be and stay safe! Hopefully, the singing will protect them. 🙂

magsview

Democratic National Committee Proposes Reversing Its Ban On Fossil Fuel Donations

The move comes just two months after the party adopted a resolution to prohibit oil, gas and coal company contributions.

The Democratic National Committee plans to vote on a resolution Friday afternoon that activists say effectively reverses a ban on fossil fuel company donations, HuffPost has learned.

The proposal introduced by DNC Chair Tom Perez states that the party “support[s] fossil fuel workers” and will accept donations from “employers’ political action committees,” just two months after adopting a resolution prohibiting donations from fossil fuel companies in a unanimous vote. The resolution nods to “forward-looking employers” that are “powering America’s all-of-the-above energy economy and moving us towards a future fueled by clean and low-emissions energy technology, from renewables to carbon capture and storage to advanced nuclear technology.”

DNC executives could vote as early as at 5 p.m. Eastern time

In about an hour? That certainly gives plenty of time for citizens input..

polarbear4

Because that is so where the future is.

jcitybone

Big UGH!! US campaign financing is the root of all evil ?

From Kate Aronoff

To put a fine point on it: This proposal isn’t to let union members keep donating to the DNC. It’s to let fossil fuel executives keep donating and selling influence among Democrats. Certain unions (incl some building trades) see their interests as aligned with those of executives

magsview

Rashida Tlaib Wants To ‘Humanize’ Palestinians Once She’s In Congress

Tlaib shared that her family members still living in the West Bank ― where her roots are “still very strong” ― were “absolutely proud” of her win, particularly her grandmother.

“I’m going to be a voice for them,” Tlaib said, lamenting the “walls and fences” that separate Palestinians and Israelis, “two people who have so much more in common.”

“I look forward to being able to humanize so many of them that have felt ‘less than’ for so long,” she added.

What do you hope to change in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once you’re in Congress?

It’s so hard to watch the walls go up, the checkpoints go up, the “us versus them.”

Going to the beach in Tel Aviv and people getting out of the water because we got in … That kind of experience is what I bring. Those are the stories and human impact that hasn’t been told.

When we start talking about those things, you see barriers go down and start understanding the approach by leadership right now is not going to help get us closer to peace in that region.

magsview

I saw a lot of buzz on twitter this morning about their interview of this fool. I’m not surprised that they were forced to defend it!

NPR Defends Interview With White Supremacist Jason Kessler Following Backlash

The broadcaster aired an interview with Kessler in which he claimed white people are under attack and listed races in order of supposed intelligence.

critics of NPR’s segment said it gave Kessler a platform that legitimized his racist ideology and set up a false equivalency between two “sides.”

“After the nearly 7-minute interview ended, NPR transitioned to an interview with a Black Lives Matter activist, a setup implying that white supremacists and people advocating for racial justice are two sides of the same coin,” ThinkProgress editor Aaron Rupar wrote in a column.

polarbear4

I’m uneasy when we protest these things. I say lets bare their ignorance and cruelty for all to see. Those that feel encouraged by it are thinking those thoughts anyway and we are strong enough to handle a vast diversity of ideas. Once those ideas are truly out there, we can see how far they are from our own, hopefully.

At least that’s where i am now. Argumentative today, too. 😉

jcitybone

Sometimes it’s not the fact of the interview but how the interview is conducted. I’m all for interviewing everyone, but please no deference to white supremacists.

polarbear4

Definitely. I didn’t listen and yeah, just the facts, m’aam, really no matter who your interviewing.

magsview

I hear you on that one. That’s the sort of thing that tends to bite us on the backside.

But it sure does sound like the interview was overly deferential and light on context and facts. That’s the part that I hope doesn’t become the benchmark.

p.s. as you might be able to tell, I have not listened to the actual interview (and I have no plans to do so). So my perspective is suspect on this. All I saw was the ripples, if you will, from those who did listen to it (and they were pissed!).

orlbucfan

The First Amendment does not cover language explicitly used to incite violent behavior and/or worse. The classic example is yelling Fire! in a crowded theater for no reason.

magsview

That poor girl is going to wear that blue dress out!! 😀

#FightforAloha! pic.twitter.com/QB3u7AVXFZ

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 10, 2018

Benny

They spoke to an overflow crowd first at the rally. Both did well!

magsview

tfw @SenSanders calls your cell phone#yuge pic.twitter.com/x5MBblLLCo

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) August 9, 2018

magsview

Rashida Tlaib Is the Left’s Way Forward

She wasn’t the flashiest candidate in Tuesday’s primaries, but her steady, unapologetic progressivism is the movement’s future.

Keep in mind that this story is from politico.com, but:

(Rashida Tlaib) represents the most logical path for the left to claim its seat at the table, both within the Democratic Party and in national politics: a candidate unabashed in her progressivism, politically skilled enough to implement it, and, most importantly, savvy enough to identify a constituency ready for her brand of unapologetic socialist politics. Tlaib is just as passionate as Sayed and Ocasio-Cortez, but far more poised and knowledgeable—and that makes her far readier to make her mark on Washington.

magsview

Tlaib was even for #AbolishICE before it was cool. In early 2011, amid reports and complaints that ICE agents were conducting illegal searches in her heavily Hispanic district, Tlaib stood with protestors and accused the agency of illegal searches and seizures.

“Without warrants, they stalked parents from across southwest Detroit,” she declaimed, according to a Detroit News report at the time.

magsview

I’m suspicious of some of the kudos that Rashida is accumulating tbh (politico??), so that makes me somewhat wary. Some seem to be raising Rashida up while simultaneously trying to claw Bernie and Alexandria down. And that makes me suspicious. But I’m not totally cynical (yet) and really hope that Rashida makes some waves.

orlbucfan

Even RW rags like Politico get it right sometimes. It’s that old saying about a broken clock…..:-)

The Progressive Wing

You Are The Revolution

Rashida Tlaib & Friday 8/10 Open Thread