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Reports of protests are overblown. A few incidents around the country, but nothing major.

5 (45.5%)

A few major incidents in capitals, but nothing much in DC.

5 (45.5%)

A major incident in DC, but nothing much around the country.

0 (0%)

More than 10 capitals have major upheavals, but nothing much in DC.

0 (0%)

A major incident in DC plus more than 10 capitals with significant upheavals.

1 (9.1%)

More than half the capitals around the country have problems with protesters, but DC is quiet.

0 (0%)

DC has major problems, while more than half the capitals around the country also have considerable trouble with protesters.

0 (0%)

Huge disruption to the day.

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Voting closed: January 19, 2021, 10:49:21 PM

[oilcan]

My state has had a voter ID law for well over a decade. It does not require a voter to have a picture ID yet poll workers ask for one when the voter is signing in. Absent a picture ID the voter can present a bank statement, utility bill and other forms to prove identity. Voting is easy and fast.

Bully for you, mate!  Laws like you describe are not the Voter ID laws that are at issue.  Yes, in states where a utility bill or bank statement suffices to establish your address and identity, it's not a big deal.  It's the ID laws that require a driver's license or similar photo ID that, as others patiently explained, sets up a barrier to poorer demographics, the demographics that tend to vote Democrat. 

[Yankguy1]

Red got a tax cut. 

[bodiddley]

I was hoping Bernie wouldn't run and would remain a backstage power broker of sorts instead.  His endorsement would be valuable.  And he'd still have a voice.  I just don't think he's electable. 

Dems really need a voice out there detailing all of the Trump awfulness, putting it succinctly.  Can't just talk about the stupidity du jour, but need to present it as a whole, in context.

Also the Dems need a broader message.  Look at the bigger picture.  The last 2 GOP presidents were W Bush and Trump.  Don't forget to bring the errors and sins of Bush into it.  And combine that disaster with the ineptitude and corruption of Trump.
 
Talk about the Clinton Boom and Surplus, talk about Obama rescuing the economy for a near-Depression and greatly expanding health care.
Talk about Bush getting into trillion dollar wars and wrecking foreign countries, cratering the economy, insulting our allies, etc.  Trump pursuing the same economic policies.  And the same rifts with our best allies.

Talk about how both Bush and Trump give huge tax breaks to the wealthy and how that harms the economy.  The GOP program equals tax cuts for the rich plus Medicare and SS cuts for the poor -- giveaways to the wealthy and takeaways from the poor.  Hammer that home.  That's what they are about, and it's hugely unpopular.

W. Bush was terrible.  Don't let people forget.  Trump is an awful, corrupt, disorganized jerk.  People know that, but the details need to be organized and presented.   How many from the Trump Admin have been indicted?  How many convicted?  Harp on Trump coziness with Russia and ties to Saudi Arabia (where the 9/11 attackers were from, where fundamentalist Islam was spread, where they murder journalists in their consulate .. Russia also good at murdering journalists).

My point is Dems can't just be reactive, but need to make a case and put that case into historical perspective.  Clinton and Obama were enormously competent and successful compared to Bush and Trump.  That makes the case for electing a DEM.  Remind folks with specifics.

Also, absolutely have to stress the need for a DEM Senate.  Discuss what will get done if the DEMs control the gov't.  Universal health care, massive infrastructure projects, taxing the wealthy and corporations (15% minimum tax on corp profits), environmental protection, consumer protection, financial regulation, doing away with hedge fund managers pretending their income isn't income, good government, the end of scandals and corruption (look how clean the O Admin was), working with our allies and Europe, sanctioning Russia, protecting our elections, etc.

[facilitatorn]

There will be a lot of people moving around the field, but there will also be numerous choke points which will determine who are actually players. If you aren’t polling well, raising well, and already staking out space in holiday ad markets by October or November, you may be an issue or vanity project, but you aren’t really a candidate. It looks like as many as twenty people are making moves. Ten or more of those will have come to grips with being out and having better ways to spend their energies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/19/us/politics/trump-investigations.html

Meanwhile the patriotic productive thing is to tear down Cheeto Caligula and all who sport his cap and rally to his flag.

[REDSTATEWARD]

The Kamala Harris make-over to progressivism is fascinating. Her tough on crime credentials  as California Atty General don’t sit well with the Black Lives Matter crowd. Nor does her now-walked-back desire to eradicate private health insurance sit well with most Americans. Her rush to judgement on the Jussie Smollett kerfuffle could be embarrassing.  But fear not!  She denies she is a “ Democratic Socialist” as she begins a trip to  New Hampshire.
Whoops! She no longer got that out of her mouth before the Bern announced he is in the race. Sanders, who is a democratic Socialist creamed Hillary in New Hampshire two years ago.  But it is early. Kamala’s standards may not play well but she has lots of time to adopt new ones.

[bambu-wisdom]

Bambu, I hope that your wife has a great visit to the USA.

I hope that she does not plan to visit Disneyland, more rain is on the way.

Salute,

Tony V.

Thanks.

She visited Disney-Tokyo and Disney-Hong Kong last year...not the 'real thing' like in America, but good enough to get the idea.
She had the chance to go to USA with a group, in US winter, probably her only chance to ever go, so she took it.

What is hilarious is you actually believed that story. If she comes back you will probably believe that the muscular handsome and toothy Antonio was a "tour guide".

LOL

You know how the saying goes;

"If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were hunt them down and kill them."

What, and spend the rest of one's life in prison?
Not worth it.

Has it ever occurred to you that spending your life in prison represents the natural end of your world view worked out to its logical conclusion?

Not sure what you actually mean.
Plain English please.

[LarryBnDC]

Who doesn't have a driver's license (or passport).
People who live in cities and poor people and poor people who live in cities.  Gee, who tends to vote Democratic.  Poor people and people who live in cities.

It's been obvious that the GOP targets DEM voters and tries to reduce overall turnout.  I think going forward turnout will be affected by ID laws.  I think that's primarily there purpose.  Just because it wasn't when Trump polarized America, or there was a mid-term election voter surge to repudiate Trumpism doesn't mean that voter suppression didn't occur and won't be observable in a more normal election year.

The GOP is worried about its shrinking base, and has been playing hardball to hold on to power.  Whether it's severe gerrymandering, voter ID laws, reducing early voting, trying to prevent easy/late registration, not supporting election day as a holiday, making it hard for college students to vote, etc.  Voter suppression is a key part of the GOP game plan. 

Along with non-competitive House districts, I think GOP undermining of gov't and doing a shitty job of governing when in office seems like a plan to get people to give up on the political process and not vote.

“Government IS the problem!”

“The days of big government... are over.”

[LarryBnDC]

Cummings told Pence Flynn was shady back in November 2016...


https://oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/cummings-requests-documents-relating-to-michael-flynn-s-apparent-conflicts-of

[barton]

Harris's past enthusiasm for mass incarceration and heavy handed prosecution of truancy and drug offenses does not make her a promising progressive candidate. 

[FlyingVProd]

Back in the days of the New York Times forums, the South America forum would be very busy right now with the issue in Venezuela. 

There were communists on the South America forum who wanted all of Latin America to be like Cuba. They pointed out all of the bad aspects of capitalism, and they believed that the Americans were imperialistic, and they embraced communism.

I pointed out the things that helped capitalism to work, such as labor laws, and labor unions, and anti-trust, anti-monopoly rules, and worker safety administrations, etc, etc, etc. And programs to help the poor with housing, and food, etc. And equal opportunities when it comes to things such as education, and also equal opportunity on business loans, etc. 

I pointed out that the USA has the largest middle class in the world because of labor unions, and labor laws, etc. 

I pointed out that we have a healthy framework of rules that the businesses in the USA operate within that helps everything to work for everyone. You cannot have just freedom with no rules, you need a healthy framework of rules. With the right rules, everything works out great for everyone.

Religion helps, the Christians have rules which benefit society, but not all people are Christians, so you need rules for everyone no matter if they are Christian or not. The Christians are supposed to help the poor, and treat people fairly, etc, but there needs to be a framework for the people who are not Christians. 

There are things that we do that makes freedom more fair, and it works. Capitalism works great with the right framework of rules to operate within.

Venezuela can learn a lot from the USA, after they get past this crisis and elect a President whom they can all support, and like with Colombia, the President of Colombia studied at Harvard.

Salute,

Tony V.  

[whiskeypriest]

Bambu, I hope that your wife has a great visit to the USA.

I hope that she does not plan to visit Disneyland, more rain is on the way.

Salute,

Tony V.

Thanks.

She visited Disney-Tokyo and Disney-Hong Kong last year...not the 'real thing' like in America, but good enough to get the idea.
She had the chance to go to USA with a group, in US winter, probably her only chance to ever go, so she took it.

What is hilarious is you actually believed that story. If she comes back you will probably believe that the muscular handsome and toothy Antonio was a "tour guide".

LOL

You know how the saying goes;

"If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were hunt them down and kill them."

What, and spend the rest of one's life in prison?
Not worth it.

Has it ever occurred to you that spending your life in prison represents the natural end of your world view worked out to its logical conclusion?

Not sure what you actually mean.

That it would be easier and safer for you to wall yourself in than to wall the world out.

[facilitatorn]

The GOP primary is wide open considering there is no serious incumbent.

[REDSTATEWARD]

Harris's past enthusiasm for mass incarceration and heavy handed prosecution of truancy and drug offenses does not make her a promising progressive candidate.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris’ husband sold off potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars of investments in banks, oil companies and a controversial agribusiness giant, according to financial disclosures released by the state Wednesday.

Forms filed this week by Harris, the state attorney general, show her husband, Douglas Emhoff, held interests in a wide range of companies, including Citigroup and Wells Fargo, Valero Energy and Hess Corp. as well as the firm Monsanto.

Can’t be a progressive with a capitalist’s portfolio!
LOL

[barton]

If only every candidate with a large portfolio would sell off their investments before they head out to drain the swamps.  Good god, man, it could be the end of plutocracy as we know it! 

[josh]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/19/politics/dnc-candidate-affirmation/index.html

Ill-considered move by the Dems.

What will they do if Bernie wins the nomination and then disavows the affirmation?

Or if he becomes president?!

Take the nomination away? Pout?