alternet--2020-10-31--Collins closes out campaign badly, with a blown debate and shadows over her campaign funding

Sen. Susan Collins , the embattled Maine Republican , is not closing out the final week of her campaign with glory .
Pretty much the opposite , in fact .
In the final debate with Democrat Sara Gideon Wednesday night , Collins totally blew off the existence of systemic racism in Maine .
Granted , Maine is pretty darned white , but it 's not that white .
There 's a sizable population of refugees and immigrants in the state .
So when Susan Collins , their senator , says `` I do not believe systemic racism is a problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and `` it 's clear that in some parts of our country there is systemic racism or problems in police departments '' but `` we are very fortunate in the state of Maine because we have terrific members of law enforcement , '' she might seem just a little bit out of touch to those residents .
Especially compared to Gideon .
`` It does n't matter how white our state is—it still exists .
When we look at the incidences , for example , of the number of people of color who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a positive COVID infection rate and how outsized that was compared to the rest of the population .
We see it in terms of access to education for people of color , access to health care , rates of poverty , rates of incarceration , and we do have to do something about it , '' Gideon said .
That 's the answer of someone living in the 21st century and not in a Republican bubble .
And not someone who is being bankrolled by private equity firms .
That 's the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for herself this week .
Defeating Republicans will require all of us to get plugged in to GOTV efforts .
On Mobilize , hundreds of Democratic campaigns are recruiting volunteers for all sorts of get-out-the-vote activities .
Just click here , and search via zip code to find an event nearest you , and sign up to volunteer ProPublica reports that she is the `` No .
1 Senate recipient of private equity donations . ''
Which is n't a good look .
It 's even worse when her work on the 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , trying to justify what was going to be her total capitulation in voting for the bill , offered an amendment the day before the vote to expand a child care tax credit , paid for by ending a tax break for the private equity industry .
Within hours , though , she backed down and withdrew the amendment .
`` Her retreat was a significant victory for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , '' ProPublica reports .
`` Collins put aside her opposition and voted for the bill , which passed 51-49 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amendment , and how the private equity industry prevailed , has remained a mystery .
But now we have a clue : the more than half a million dollars she 's received from the private equity industry in this cycle for her reelection .
There 's also the $ 2 million Steve Schwarzman , the billionaire chairman and chief executive of the private equity giant Blackstone , has given to one of the Collins Super PACs as well as the $ 20 million he 's giving to another Super PAC supporting Collins and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told ProPublica that Collins amendment probably would have cost Schwarzman tens of millions in taxes .
So lucky him that Collins changed her mind about that .
Another donor to the Collins 1820 PAC is Ken Griffin , who 's given $ 1.5 million .
Griffin heads up the hedge fund giant Citadel .
So his potential tax liability would have been significantly rosier without Collins ' amendment to close the carried interest loophole .
Remember way back in 2017 when Collins was insisting that she was holding out her vote on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitch McConnell that he 'd allow votes on protecting people 's health care ?
And then he broke that promise when he got her vote ?
And how she insisted that it was still going to happen , that the Senate would have those healthcare votes in 2018 ?
Somehow in retrospect , the millions she got from these hedge fund guys seem to be the promise that really secured her vote .
It 's awfully rich for the person who said this in 2018 about a grassroots funding effort against her : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundraising to be the equivalent of an attempt to bribe me to vote against Judge Kavanaugh . ''
Please , Senator Collins , tell us all about bribes and quid pro quo .
We 'd really like to hear it .

Sen. Susan Collins, the embattled Maine Republican, is not closing out the final week of her campaign with glory. Pretty much the opposite, in fact. In the final debate with Democrat Sara Gideon Wednesday night, Collins totally blew off the existence of systemic racism in Maine. Granted, Maine is pretty darned white, but it's not that white. There's a sizable population of refugees and immigrants in the state. So when Susan Collins, their senator, says "I do not believe systemic racism is a problem in the state of Maine," and "it's clear that in some parts of our country there is systemic racism or problems in police departments" but "we are very fortunate in the state of Maine because we have terrific members of law enforcement," she might seem just a little bit out of touch to those residents.
Especially compared to Gideon. "It doesn't matter how white our state is—it still exists. When we look at the incidences, for example, of the number of people of color who here in the state of Maine had a positive COVID infection rate and how outsized that was compared to the rest of the population. We see it in terms of access to education for people of color, access to health care, rates of poverty, rates of incarceration, and we do have to do something about it," Gideon said. That's the answer of someone living in the 21st century and not in a Republican bubble. And not someone who is being bankrolled by private equity firms. That's the other bad bit of press Collins has gained for herself this week.
Defeating Republicans will require all of us to get plugged in to GOTV efforts. On Mobilize, hundreds of Democratic campaigns are recruiting volunteers for all sorts of get-out-the-vote activities. Just click here, and search via zip code to find an event nearest you, and sign up to volunteer
ProPublica reports that she is the "No. 1 Senate recipient of private equity donations." Which isn't a good look. It's even worse when her work on the 2017 GOP Tax Scam is reviewed. Collins, trying to justify what was going to be her total capitulation in voting for the bill, offered an amendment the day before the vote to expand a child care tax credit, paid for by ending a tax break for the private equity industry. Within hours, though, she backed down and withdrew the amendment. "Her retreat was a significant victory for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell," ProPublica reports. "Collins put aside her opposition and voted for the bill, which passed 51-49." Her decision to yank the amendment, and how the private equity industry prevailed, has remained a mystery.
But now we have a clue: the more than half a million dollars she's received from the private equity industry in this cycle for her reelection. There's also the $2 million Steve Schwarzman, the billionaire chairman and chief executive of the private equity giant Blackstone, has given to one of the Collins Super PACs as well as the $20 million he's giving to another Super PAC supporting Collins and other Republican Senate candidates. Tax experts told ProPublica that Collins amendment probably would have cost Schwarzman tens of millions in taxes. So lucky him that Collins changed her mind about that. Another donor to the Collins 1820 PAC is Ken Griffin, who's given $1.5 million. Griffin heads up the hedge fund giant Citadel. So his potential tax liability would have been significantly rosier without Collins' amendment to close the carried interest loophole.
Remember way back in 2017 when Collins was insisting that she was holding out her vote on the tax scam and getting ironclad promises from Mitch McConnell that he'd allow votes on protecting people's health care? And then he broke that promise when he got her vote? And how she insisted that it was still going to happen, that the Senate would have those healthcare votes in 2018? Somehow in retrospect, the millions she got from these hedge fund guys seem to be the promise that really secured her vote.
It's awfully rich for the person who said this in 2018 about a grassroots funding effort against her: "I consider this quid pro quo fundraising to be the equivalent of an attempt to bribe me to vote against Judge Kavanaugh." Please, Senator Collins, tell us all about bribes and quid pro quo. We'd really like to hear it.


alternet--2020-10-31--Trump aides preparing for a election day wipe-out as donors regret donating to president's campaign:

Trump aides preparing for a election day wipe-out as donors regret donating to president's campaign: report

According to a report from the Daily Beast , a dark cloud has descended over close associates of Donald Trump as well as White House officials as they prepare for a disastrous Election Day where they expect the president to be soundly defeated .
In interviews , multiple officials indicated they see no way the president can pull off his re-election , with the Beast characterizing their responses as `` Our guy blew it . ''
Choosing to go on the record , occasional Trump adviser Stephen Moore lamented the prospect that the president will go down to defeat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ markets , which say there 's a 60 percent chance that Biden wins , and a 40 percent chance that Trump does , '' before adding , `` I really do n't have a good feeling about this . ''
One major donor , Dan Eberhart , chief executive at Canary , said he regrets donating to the president 's campaign , adding he would change it all if he could .
“ I think Trump has a 25 percent chance of winning the election .
His campaign focused on exciting his base @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
COVID was a massive headwind that minimized the roaring Trump economy , '' he said in an interview earlier this week .
“ The president has struggled to maintain message discipline .
And the left is highly motivated to vote , as seen by the record turnout so far .
That 's not to say there 's not a window for the president to win .
It 's just being realistic that he 's the underdog in this contest . ''
According to Eberhardt , given a second chance , he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ save the Republican-controlled Senate rather than contribute to the president who looks to be a one-termer .
“ Honestly , I would have put all my donations towards holding the Senate .
I never thought the Senate would be in play , '' he explained .
According to the report , the president still believes he can win and cites the size of crowds at his rallies to his close associates , but they are unconvinced with one admitting , `` If it were anyone else , I 'd call it denial .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ House officials are now casting an eye to a post-Trump presidency .
`` Two Trump administration officials working on foreign policy told The Daily Beast in the past week that they 're convinced the president will lose , and have instead prioritized making it harder for a President Biden to reverse their policy advancements—including with regards to re-entering the Iran nuclear deal , '' the report states .
You can read more here .

According to a report from the Daily Beast, a dark cloud has descended over close associates of Donald Trump as well as White House officials as they prepare for a disastrous Election Day where they expect the president to be soundly defeated.
In interviews, multiple officials indicated they see no way the president can pull off his re-election, with the Beast characterizing their responses as "Our guy blew it."
Choosing to go on the record, occasional Trump adviser Stephen Moore lamented the prospect that the president will go down to defeat, saying, “I believe the betting markets, which say there's a 60 percent chance that Biden wins, and a 40 percent chance that Trump does," before adding, "I really don't have a good feeling about this."
One major donor, Dan Eberhart, chief executive at Canary, said he regrets donating to the president's campaign, adding he would change it all if he could.
“I think Trump has a 25 percent chance of winning the election. His campaign focused on exciting his base not on pursuing people in the center. COVID was a massive headwind that minimized the roaring Trump economy," he said in an interview earlier this week. “The president has struggled to maintain message discipline. And the left is highly motivated to vote, as seen by the record turnout so far. That's not to say there's not a window for the president to win. It's just being realistic that he's the underdog in this contest."
According to Eberhardt, given a second chance, he would have used his money to work to save the Republican-controlled Senate rather than contribute to the president who looks to be a one-termer.
“Honestly, I would have put all my donations towards holding the Senate. I never thought the Senate would be in play," he explained.
According to the report, the president still believes he can win and cites the size of crowds at his rallies to his close associates, but they are unconvinced with one admitting, "If it were anyone else, I'd call it denial."
The Beast report adds that White House officials are now casting an eye to a post-Trump presidency.
"Two Trump administration officials working on foreign policy told The Daily Beast in the past week that they're convinced the president will lose, and have instead prioritized making it harder for a President Biden to reverse their policy advancements—including with regards to re-entering the Iran nuclear deal," the report states.
You can read more here.


alternet--2020-10-31--Here's why you don't want to live in a Republican-run state

As infection rates surge , Democrats still are outpacing Republicans in thwarting coronavirus spread according to my interpretation of data .
A few weeks back I noted in a post that states governed by Republicans had the highest positive COVID-19 test rates , while the states with the lowest positive rates mostly were governed by Democrats .
I argued that positive test rates are a good measure of how serious , or not , governors are in trying to bring the pandemic under control .
While leaders can take measures to limit the actual spread , such as longer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors determining the spread are outside their control .
By contrast , they do have control over the amount of testing , although legislatures can play a role since they can appropriate or restrict funding .
Testing also has become a political issue since Donald Trump explicitly said that he wanted to see testing slowed to reduce the number of cases identified .
I thought it was worth an update to see what the story looks like as the country is experiencing a huge surge in infections .
Here 's the more recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest infection rates and the 10 states with the lowest rates , based on the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center , seven-day moving averages .
( Data are for Oct. 26 , 2020 . )
Eight of the 10 states with the highest rates have Republican governors .
Kansas and Nevada , which come in eighth and ninth , both have Democratic governors .
[ 1 ] While Democrats also control the legislature in Nevada , the legislature in Kansas is overwhelmingly Republican .
The story is more mixed among the states with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having Democratic governors and five having Republican governors .
However , it is worth noting that all five of the states with Republican governors have legislatures that are controlled by Democrats .
In short , by this measure of efforts at getting the pandemic under control , Democrats seem far more serious than Republicans .
[ 1 ] The 100 percent positive rate shown for Mississippi is the result of the way John Hopkins reports the data .
It shows the number of positives as a percentage of the tests given in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the results reported that day .

As infection rates surge, Democrats still are outpacing Republicans in thwarting coronavirus spread according to my interpretation of data.
A few weeks back I noted in a post that states governed by Republicans had the highest positive COVID-19 test rates, while the states with the lowest positive rates mostly were governed by Democrats.
I argued that positive test rates are a good measure of how serious, or not, governors are in trying to bring the pandemic under control.
While leaders can take measures to limit the actual spread, such as longer and stronger lockdowns and mask requirements, many factors determining the spread are outside their control.
By contrast, they do have control over the amount of testing, although legislatures can play a role since they can appropriate or restrict funding.
Testing also has become a political issue since Donald Trump explicitly said that he wanted to see testing slowed to reduce the number of cases identified.
I thought it was worth an update to see what the story looks like as the country is experiencing a huge surge in infections.
Here's the more recent picture showing the 10 states with the highest infection rates and the 10 states with the lowest rates, based on the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, seven-day moving averages. (Data are for Oct. 26, 2020.)
Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
Eight of the 10 states with the highest rates have Republican governors. Kansas and Nevada, which come in eighth and ninth, both have Democratic governors.[1] While Democrats also control the legislature in Nevada, the legislature in Kansas is overwhelmingly Republican.
The story is more mixed among the states with the lowest positive rates, with five having Democratic governors and five having Republican governors. However, it is worth noting that all five of the states with Republican governors have legislatures that are controlled by Democrats.
In short, by this measure of efforts at getting the pandemic under control, Democrats seem far more serious than Republicans.
[1] The 100 percent positive rate shown for Mississippi is the result of the way John Hopkins reports the data. It shows the number of positives as a percentage of the tests given in the period, not as a percentage of the results reported that day.


alternet--2020-10-31--Mark Cuban compares Trump to fictional mobster Tony Soprano: The minute you aren't loyal 'you get wh

Mark Cuban compares Trump to fictional mobster Tony Soprano: The minute you aren't loyal 'you get whacked'

Listen Now : Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen on Spotify Click here to listen on Google Podcasts In an exclusive interview with Raw Story 's Mike Rogers and Shannyn Moore — the co-hosts of Raw Story 's new weekly podcast — Mark Cuban , owner of the Dallas Mavericks and star of television 's Shark Tank , unloads on Donald Trump , likening him to Tony Soprano and suggesting that his presidency may serve as `` political chemotherapy , '' a reset of America 's party `` duopoly . ''
`` After military service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patriotic thing that you can do is un-affiliate with any political party , regardless of which one , '' Cuban tells Raw Story .
`` That duopoly — the Republicans and the Democrats — is the greatest undermining of our political system , ever , more so than Donald Trump .
Donald Trump is political chemotherapy . ''
`` If we ca n't withstand Donald Trump , '' Cuban says , `` then we really have to question our political system and its foundation , but I think Trump is more a symptom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuban also likened Trump to the mob boss of the popular HBO drama , `` The Sopranos . ''
`` He doesn ’ t care about actual knowledge , '' he says .
Trump `` cares about connections and relationships .
It ’ s no different than Tony Soprano , if you watch The Sopranos .
As long as you are useful to me you are of value , as long as you are loyal , you are of value .
The minute you aren ’ t you get whacked . ''
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so close to family , that ’ s why you never hear about business partners that he invested in or gave money to and trusted , '' he adds .
`` You never hear of anyone he mentored or someone he helped in business .
You never hear those stories at all , that ’ s because he ’ s more like Tony Soprano than anything else .
The minute you are not of use to him , you are whacked . ''
`` Just look at Trump University and how he sold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is selling to the American people , '' Cuban continues .
`` He created this target and said ' I am going to give you a piece of paper , a graduation certificate that says you are able to buy and sell real estate if you pay me $ 25,000 . '
'' `` In the end that certificate was worthless ; he didn ’ t even know who was doing the teaching or what was being taught and he didn ’ t care , '' he adds .
`` He was just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to politics is just the same way .
He finds these bogeymen , or he finds this aspirational thing for people who really have these concerns and it ’ s not that the people he is selling to , that their concerns aren ’ t valid , it ’ s just that he doesn ’ t care what those concerns are .
He just tried to take advantage of them and that ’ s what he did with Trump University .
And that is what he ’ s tried to do in politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lauds ranked choice voting as a system that might have avoided Trump winning the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 .
Raw Story hosts Mike Rogers and Shannyn Moore also talk to Cuban about his involvement with H. Ross Perot 's presidential campaign and the seating of Justice Amy Corey Barrett on the Supreme Court .
Subscribe and listen to The Raw Story Podcast here : Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen on Google Podcasts ( The Raw Story Podcast is produced by Raw Story Media and is editorially @ @ @ @ @

In an exclusive interview with Raw Story's Mike Rogers and Shannyn Moore — the co-hosts of Raw Story's new weekly podcast — Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and star of television's Shark Tank, unloads on Donald Trump, likening him to Tony Soprano and suggesting that his presidency may serve as "political chemotherapy," a reset of America's party "duopoly." "After military service and paying your taxes, the most patriotic thing that you can do is un-affiliate with any political party, regardless of which one," Cuban tells Raw Story. "That duopoly — the Republicans and the Democrats — is the greatest undermining of our political system, ever, more so than Donald Trump. Donald Trump is political chemotherapy." "If we can't withstand Donald Trump," Cuban says, "then we really have to question our political system and its foundation, but I think Trump is more a symptom of this duopoly we have." Cuban also likened Trump to the mob boss of the popular HBO drama, "The Sopranos." "He doesn’t care about actual knowledge," he says. Trump "cares about connections and relationships. It’s no different than Tony Soprano, if you watch The Sopranos. As long as you are useful to me you are of value, as long as you are loyal, you are of value. The minute you aren’t you get whacked." "It’s why he’s so close to family, that’s why you never hear about business partners that he invested in or gave money to and trusted," he adds. "You never hear of anyone he mentored or someone he helped in business. You never hear those stories at all, that’s because he’s more like Tony Soprano than anything else. The minute you are not of use to him, you are whacked." "Just look at Trump University and how he sold there, that is exactly how he is selling to the American people," Cuban continues. "He created this target and said 'I am going to give you a piece of paper, a graduation certificate that says you are able to buy and sell real estate if you pay me $25,000.'" "In the end that certificate was worthless; he didn’t even know who was doing the teaching or what was being taught and he didn’t care," he adds. "He was just about closing the sale and his approach to politics is just the same way. He finds these bogeymen, or he finds this aspirational thing for people who really have these concerns and it’s not that the people he is selling to, that their concerns aren’t valid, it’s just that he doesn’t care what those concerns are. He just tried to take advantage of them and that’s what he did with Trump University. And that is what he’s tried to do in politics." The Dallas Mavericks owner also lauds ranked choice voting as a system that might have avoided Trump winning the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. Raw Story hosts Mike Rogers and Shannyn Moore also talk to Cuban about his involvement with H. Ross Perot's presidential campaign and the seating of Justice Amy Corey Barrett on the Supreme Court. Subscribe and listen to The Raw Story Podcast here: Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen on Spotify Click here to listen on Google Podcasts (The Raw Story Podcast is produced by Raw Story Media and is editorially independent from RawStory.com.)


alternet--2020-10-31--Texas leads fight to end protections for Native American children

The top legal officers of Texas , Louisiana and Indiana—all Republicans—are trying to end legal protections that make it more difficult for child welfare agencies to tear apart Native American families .
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the Indian Child Welfare Act violates the equal protection guarantee of the Fifth Amendment because children are put into one of two child welfare systems based on whether they are Native American .
`` The ICWA unlawfully attempts to coerce state agencies and courts to carry out an unconstitutional and illegal federal policy of deciding custody based on race , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dual system in 1978 after decades of native American families being destroyed by child welfare agencies .
Twenty-five percent to 35 % of all Native American children had been separated from their families and placed in adoptive homes , foster care or institutions .
The act , signed by President Jimmy Carter , requires that state agencies use `` active efforts '' to try to prevent the breakup of Native American families , notify people of pending proceedings and their right to intervene and keep records and make them available for inspection .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , preference in placing the child must be given to the child 's extended family , then to the child 's tribe and then finally to other Native American tribes .
Chad and Jennifer Brackeen , a Fort Worth couple who have adopted a Native American boy and are trying to adopt his half-sister , are also plaintiffs in the suit .
Chad Brackeen said in a court hearing that he had concerns about the Native American relative who also wanted to adopt the baby girl , including her smaller house .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like—if she needs space , if she [ the child ] needs privacy , '' he said .
`` I 'm a little bit concerned with the limited financial resources possibly to care for this child , should an emergency come up . ''
In October 2018 , federal judge Reed O'Connor ruled the act was unconstitutional , but that decision was reversed by a panel of three Fifth Circuit judges .
Paxton asked for all the judges of the Fifth Circuit to hear the case ; oral arguments were held in January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presided over losing track of the migrant parents of 545 children , supports the Indian Child Welfare Act , writing that Native American children were removed by `` abusive practices '' by state and private agencies .
Psychiatrist Joseph Westermeyer told Congress before the act was passed that Native Americans he treated who had been removed from their families often did reasonably well in early childhood .
But as teenagers , they frequently tried to kill themselves , used drugs and ran away .
`` It 's been my own experience that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assist Indian families when there is a crisis or distress , do a very poor job , '' Westermeyer said .
`` They do not work to keep the family intact . ''
The act widely is considered a '' gold standard '' in child welfare policy and provides rights to Native American families that other families in our country do n't have such as requiring expert witness testimony before a judge approves placing a child in foster care .
Even with the extra protections , Native American children are still more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state child welfare systems .
Our nation 's Children 's Bureau founded more than a century ago under President William Howard Taft , spends about $ 9.8 billion a year to support and monitor child welfare agencies .
All that money has n't done much to improve justice for children and families in the child welfare system , said law professor Vivek Sankaran .
More than 250,000 children were removed from their parents in fiscal 2019 , many who may have never needed to be separated from their parents .
Less than half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and judges are terminating parental rights at a higher rate .

The top legal officers of Texas, Louisiana and Indiana—all Republicans—are trying to end legal protections that make it more difficult for child welfare agencies to tear apart Native American families.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the Indian Child Welfare Actviolates the equal protection guarantee of the Fifth Amendment because children are put into one of two child welfare systems based on whether they are Native American.
"The ICWA unlawfully attempts to coerce state agencies and courts to carry out an unconstitutional and illegal federal policy of deciding custody based on race," Paxton said.
Congress set up this dual system in 1978 after decades of native American families being destroyed by child welfare agencies. Twenty-five percent to 35% of all Native American children had been separated from their families and placed in adoptive homes, foster care or institutions.
Native American children are still more likely to be removed from their families by state child welfare systems.
The act, signed by President Jimmy Carter, requires that state agencies use "active efforts" to try to prevent the breakup of Native American families, notify people of pending proceedings and their right to intervene and keep records and make them available for inspection.
When a Native American child is removed, preference in placing the child must be given to the child's extended family, then to the child's tribe and then finally to other Native American tribes.
Chad and Jennifer Brackeen, a Fort Worth couple who have adopted a Native American boy and are trying to adopt his half-sister, are also plaintiffs in the suit. Chad Brackeen said in a court hearing that he had concerns about the Native American relative who also wanted to adopt the baby girl, including her smaller house.
"I don't know what that looks like—if she needs space, if she [the child] needs privacy," he said. "I'm a little bit concerned with the limited financial resources possibly to care for this child, should an emergency come up."
In October 2018, federal judge Reed O'Connorruled the act was unconstitutional, but that decision was reversed by a panel of three Fifth Circuit judges. Paxton asked for all the judges of the Fifth Circuit to hear the case; oral arguments were held in January. Even Team Trump, which has presided over losing track of the migrant parents of 545 children, supports the Indian Child Welfare Act, writing that Native American children were removed by "abusive practices" by state and private agencies.
Psychiatrist Joseph Westermeyer told Congress before the act was passed that Native Americans he treated who had been removed from their families often did reasonably well in early childhood. But as teenagers, they frequently tried to kill themselves, used drugs and ran away.
"It's been my own experience that the vast majority of social workers called to assist Indian families when there is a crisis or distress, do a very poor job," Westermeyer said. "They do not work to keep the family intact."
The act widely is considered a"gold standard" in child welfare policy and provides rights to Native American families that other families in our country don't have such as requiring expert witness testimony before a judge approves placing a child in foster care.
Even with the extra protections, Native American children are still more likely to be removed from their families by state child welfare systems.
Our nation's Children's Bureau founded more than a century ago under President William Howard Taft, spends about $9.8 billion a year to support and monitor child welfare agencies.
All that money hasn't done much to improve justice for children and families in the child welfare system, said law professor Vivek Sankaran.
More than 250,000 children were removed from their parents in fiscal 2019, many who may have never needed to be separated from their parents. Less than half of children are reunified with their parents, and judges are terminating parental rights at a higher rate.


alternet--2020-10-31--How Trump gets away without paying taxes

To understand how Donald Trump got away with paying little to no income taxes for many years , even after he forged at least one income tax return , it helps to first understand the risks wealthy Americans face for cheating .
Let 's start with IRS audits of the 23,400 richest American households , average income $ 30 million each .
In 2018 the Trump administration audited seven .
You read that right—seven .
That 's an audit rate of 0.03 % .
If American police detected murders at the same rate it would mean that they would become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported homicides that year .
Of course , not everyone is a tax cheat , but audits are about detecting taxes due , whether through error or intent .
It also helps to know that about 1 million rich Americans did n't even bother to file income tax returns during Barack Obama 's last years in office .
America 's tax police , the near toothless Internal Revenue Service , are so short-staffed that the inspector general says they are n't even trying to make the scofflaws pay the estimated $ 47.5 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is a tax cheat because he has done it again and again .
He cheated on New York City sales taxes in 1983 , for which Mayor Ed Koch said Trump should have served 15 days in jail .
He went to extreme , even farcical lengths to evade $ 3 million of payments he owed in lieu of taxes to New York City .
Trump has been tried twice for civil tax fraud .
He lost both times , a story I broke four years ago but you may not know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have not reported it except for one passing mention in the wedding announcement section of The New York Times .
Two years ago , however , that newspaper did an exhaustive report showing years of calculated gift tax cheating by two generations of Trumps .
In recent weeks income tax information that newspaper reported revealed many badges of tax fraud .
So why has n't Donald Trump been brought to justice ?
After all , everyday radio and television commercials tell us of the power the IRS has to garnish our wages , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our homes .
Surely brazen tax cheats live in fear of arrest and losing their mansions , jets and yachts , right ?
This is the first of four articles examining the failure of our country to adequately tax and police the wealthy , like Donald Trump .
Next : The suspected tax cheats our Justice Department does pursue , and why .
Now let 's compare the audits of people in Trump 's income class with the working poor , defined as households with incomes under $ 25,000 .
They were the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IRS audits even though average income was just $ 12,600 .
The audit rate for poor families is 0.28 % .
That 's nine times the audit rate for the richest Americans .
This is a dramatic shift from the recent past .
Under Obama in 2015 , America 's richest households were 270 times more likely to be audited than under Trump , my analysis of IRS Data Book tables data shows .
That year 8.16 % of these households had their tax returns audited , not 0.03 % .
These vast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many-sided story about the myth of the all-powerful IRS and how a particular class of rich Americans , a class that includes Trump , almost always wins when they play what in tax world is called audit roulette .
The cold hard truth is that the richest Americans today face a teensy-weensy risk of being detected if they cheat .
The hardest tax cheating to detect involves people in a particular class .
It is a class with privileges Donald Trump lobbied for and testified about to Congress .
The taxpayers who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheats share these characteristics the IRS is ill-equipped to address : • Own their enterprises lock , stock and barrel , giving them total control with no independent verification of revenue • File tax returns that appear on the surface to be accurate , even clean as a whistle • Make use of hundreds and in some cases thousands of separate corporations and partnerships in many different locations , a tax evasion helper that will be explained later in this series • Operate domestically and abroad where tax treaties , rules on delaying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between rules of different governments create opportunities to hide money • Own commercial real estate because the gains from selling property are not automatically reported to the IRS , unlike wages and dividends Trump fits those conditions to a T. Later in this series , we 'll explore just how he always benefitted from the ways our Congress has instructed the tax police to operate .
Now add to all this Trump 's powers as president .
He appoints the Treasury secretary and the IRS commissioner , who had been a Beverly Hills @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indictment .
Trump also recommends how much money the IRS gets and how it will be allocated among various functions such as processing refunds and collecting unpaid taxes .
This and more means Trump exercises enormous power and influence over which potential tax cheats , if any , will be found .
Because he also appoints America 's attorney general , Trump influences which suspected tax cheats will be prosecuted .
In addition , Trump 's administration is violating an anti-corruption law enacted 96 years ago after the Teapot Dome scandal .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same right he has to inspect any income tax return .
At least three staffers on the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation work at the IRS just to inspect tax returns , especially those seeking individuals refunds of $ 2 million or more , for badges of fraud .
Trump got a nearly $ 73 million refund ; he recently confirmed the IRS wants it back .
Trump refuses to allow the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee , which writes our tax laws , to inspect his tax returns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is the only known case of a tax return being withheld by any president since 1924 when Calvin Coolidge was president .
That sentence is qualified only because the IRS is stalling on DCReport 's Freedom of Information Act request for a single number – how many times has the IRS refused or declined to turn over a tax return request in writing by the appropriate lawmakers and staff .
That 0.03 % audit rate for America 's richest families is misleading .
It overstates the risks to people in Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group have very limited opportunities to cheat .
About a sixth of these rich Americans are CEOs of publicly traded companies or otherwise employed at huge salaries .
Their pay is independently reported to the IRS .
This means that they are more like Joe and Joan Sixpack whose taxes are withheld before they get paid .
Opportunities for workers to cheat almost nonexistent , even for those making more than $ 50 million in salary and bonus as more than 200 workers have each year under Trump .
We cite these facts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to focus as this DCReport series examines the state of Trump 's taxes and the capacity of the Internal Revenue Service , our national tax police department , to enforce the tax laws .
DCReport 's investigation into how Trump and others like him enjoy robust opportunities to cheat on their taxes with little risk of detection shows how for decades Congress has handcuffed our tax police .
It 's as if your local mayor and city council told their police officers to focus on tricycle thefts , not violent crimes , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chemicals in the crime lab .
We relied in part on a database maintained by the TRAC , the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University .
DCReport donors generously contributed money to purchase access to that database and to pay a Rochester Institute of Technology student to organize the data for analysis .
Much of the data TRAC gets had to be extracted from our government through litigation over the public 's right to know what our government is doing .
From various official documents and interviews with tax officials , tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government operates a system of tax law enforcement with these features : • Tax prosecution , never a major government activity and generally slipping for decades , collapsed under Trump • In 2016 , the last Obama year , the IRS referred 2,744 tax cases for prosecution .
Since Oct. 1 , 2019 , the IRS has referred just 231 cases • Justice rejected 162 of those cases , or 70 % , for `` insufficient evidence , '' an extraordinarily and hard to believe justification since on average each case involved more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Department 's own data shows it is pursuing just 29 new cases • More than half of IRS criminal cases in the last decade were about illicit proceeds from narcotics trafficking , money laundering and other criminal activity , not tax cheating by people who underreport their income from lawful activities or overstate their deductions • Last year Justice Department prosecutors obtained just 530 guilty pleas and convictions after trial , making the odds of an American adult being found guilty of a federal tax crime about one in 473,000 • The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases because the Justice Department failed to publicize them • Almost 900,000 high-income Americans did n't even file a tax return in the last three years of Obama • Virtually no effort is being made to collect the estimated $ 47.5 billion these prosperous-to-rich Americans owe .
An Inspector General report says the IRS already dropped 42,600 cases and it is unlikely that any of the others will be pursued The reality is Congress has defunded America 's tax police .
The IRS in 2018 had less than half the resources it did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy , as when Ronald Reagan was president in 1988 , my analysis of federal budget data shows .
Over several decades , as anti-tax activist Grover Norquist persuaded Republicans to sign ironclad pledges to never raises taxes , these same officeholders have worked to make sure the IRS does n't have the tools or staff to make sure people and companies pay what the law says they owe .
Trump personally lobbied for one key change creating an entitlement program for real estate investors that lets them live tax-free if they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making his own tax behavior all the more curious .
The beneficiaries of this throttling of the tax police budget and hobbling its operations have been the thin and increasingly rich slice of Americans at the top , especially people who like Trump exert total control of their business affairs .
Republicans persuaded enough Democrats to go along in handcuffing our tax police through laws , some of them based on bogus testimony by people who said they were victims of abusive IRS tactics .
By law , the IRS could not respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government Accountability Office later wrote a secret report that showed the hearings were unreliable , Ryan Donmoyer of Tax Notes Magazine revealed in 2000 .
However , subsequent investigations by The Wall Street Journal , Tax Notes Magazine , The Virginian-Pilot and by me when I was the tax reporter for The New York Times showed the hearings were a sham from start to finish .
In response to the 1997 and 1998 Senate Finance Committee hearings led by the late Sen. William Roth of Delaware , and other hearings , Congress imposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Here are three telling examples we will explore later in this series : • IRS auditors who notice that a taxpayer reports income of under $ 100,000 but has mansions , fine art and more can not use that to begin a `` lifestyle audit . ''
One man was caught only because a mistress , furious that he did n't keep a promise to buy her a condo , ratted him out to the IRS • Corporations must be told in advance what issues will be examined .
If auditors find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for other reasons they can not expand the audit unless they uncover clear evidence of criminality • While Congress authorizes what look to be major cash awards to whistleblowers who report tax cheating the program has added less than $ 1 to every $ 5,000 in taxes Uncle Sam collects and it takes more than a decade on average to pay these awards The costs of these favor-the-rich policies even when they cheat are borne by the other 99 % of taxpayers .
Tax burdens could otherwise be eased through reductions in government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal debt .
The Framers of our Constitution were concerned deeply with corruption , but not the way they think of it today .
They were well aware of the personal venality that today permeates the news from supermarket tabloids to the network news programs .
But the Framers focused on how to ensure against institutional corruption ruining our democracy and our society .
Law professor Zephyr Teachout explained it in plain English in her book Corruption in America : From Benjamin Franklin 's Snuff Box to Citizens United .
Congress pretty much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutionally corrupt approach that New Jersey casino regulators employed when Trump dominated Atlantic City gambling .
New Jersey officials created the impression of zealous law enforcement by noisily going after small fries and others who lack the resources to fight back .
Or the regulators announced actions raising questions about the behavior of casino owners in dealings with mobsters , cocaine traffickers and money launderers while working hard to avoid making inquiries that would expose wrongdoing by those at the top .
My first book , Temples of Chance , revealed this institutionally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novice roulette players at one Trump casino .
Another tack was giving favors to gamblers connected to the Yakuza criminal gangs in Japan or the Medellín drug cartel .
Casinos owned by Trump and others even extended credit , comped suites , provided liquor and sent limousines to empty the trust accounts of rich child gamblers .
Actually , Congress has gone much further to hobble America 's tax police .
The IRS is so short-staffed it can not even send refunds it acknowledges are owed from 2017 tax returns .
Instead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have shown me form letter after form letter directing them to not ask about their refund for yet another 60 days .
An IRS that is not even staffed to refund people 's overpayments is going to have a much harder time enforcing the tax laws when it comes to sophisticated tax cheating .
E.R .
Brydalski analyzed the TRAC data used in this report .

To understand how Donald Trump got away with paying little to no income taxes for many years, even after he forged at least one income tax return, it helps to first understand the risks wealthy Americans face for cheating.
Let's start with IRS audits of the 23,400 richest American households, average income $30 million each. In 2018 the Trump administration audited seven. You read that right—seven. That's an audit rate of 0.03%.
If American police detected murders at the same rate it would mean that they would become aware of just five of the 16,214 reported homicides that year. Of course, not everyone is a tax cheat, but audits are about detecting taxes due, whether through error or intent.
Under Obama in 2015, America's richest households were 270 times more likely to be audited than under Trump.
It also helps to know that about 1 million rich Americans didn't even bother to file income tax returns during Barack Obama's last years in office. America's tax police, the near toothless Internal Revenue Service, are so short-staffed that the inspector general says they aren't even trying to make the scofflaws pay the estimated $47.5 billion they owe.
There's no question Trump is a tax cheat because he has done it again and again. He cheated on New York City sales taxes in 1983, for which Mayor Ed Koch said Trump should have served 15 days in jail. He went to extreme, even farcical lengths to evade $3 million of payments he owed in lieu of taxes to New York City.
Trump has been tried twice for civil tax fraud. He lost both times, a story I broke four years ago but you may not know about because America's major news organizations have not reported it except for one passing mention in the wedding announcement section of The New York Times. Two years ago, however, that newspaper did an exhaustive report showing years of calculated gift tax cheating by two generations of Trumps. In recent weeks income tax information that newspaper reported revealed many badges of tax fraud.
So why hasn't Donald Trump been brought to justice? After all, everyday radio and television commercials tell us of the power the IRS has to garnish our wages, seize our bank accounts and even take our homes. Surely brazen tax cheats live in fear of arrest and losing their mansions, jets and yachts, right?
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This is the first of four articles examining the failure of our country to adequately tax and police the wealthy, like Donald Trump. Next: The suspected tax cheats our Justice Department does pursue, and why.
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Auditing the Working Poor
Now let's compare the audits of people in Trump's income class with the working poor, defined as households with incomes under $25,000. They were the subject of almost a third of all IRS audits even though average income was just $12,600.
The audit rate for poor families is 0.28%. That's nine times the audit rate for the richest Americans.
This is a dramatic shift from the recent past. Under Obama in 2015, America's richest households were 270 times more likely to be audited than under Trump, my analysis of IRS Data Book tables data shows. That year 8.16% of these households had their tax returns audited, not 0.03%.
These vast disparities are just one aspect of a many-sided story about the myth of the all-powerful IRS and how a particular class of rich Americans, a class that includes Trump, almost always wins when they play what in tax world is called audit roulette.
The cold hard truth is that the richest Americans today face a teensy-weensy risk of being detected if they cheat. The hardest tax cheating to detect involves people in a particular class. It is a class with privileges Donald Trump lobbied for and testified about to Congress. The taxpayers who are by far the hardest to identify as cheats share these characteristics the IRS is ill-equipped to address:
Own their enterprises lock, stock and barrel, giving them total control with no independent verification of revenue
File tax returns that appear on the surface to be accurate, even clean as a whistle
Make use of hundreds and in some cases thousands of separate corporations and partnerships in many different locations, a tax evasion helper that will be explained later in this series
Operate domestically and abroad where tax treaties, rules on delaying reporting income on tax returns and mismatches between rules of different governments create opportunities to hide money
Own commercial real estate because the gains from selling property are not automatically reported to the IRS, unlike wages and dividends
Trump fits those conditions to a T. Later in this series, we'll explore just how he always benefitted from the ways our Congress has instructed the tax police to operate.
Presidential Powers
Now add to all this Trump's powers as president. He appoints the Treasury secretary and the IRS commissioner, who had been a Beverly Hills specialist in helping suspected tax cheats avoid indictment. Trump also recommends how much money the IRS gets and how it will be allocated among various functions such as processing refunds and collecting unpaid taxes. This and more means Trump exercises enormous power and influence over which potential tax cheats, if any, will be found. Because he also appoints America's attorney general, Trump influences which suspected tax cheats will be prosecuted.
In addition, Trump's administration is violating an anti-corruption law enacted 96 years ago after the Teapot Dome scandal. That law gives certain people in Congress the same right he has to inspect any income tax return. At least three staffers on the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation work at the IRS just to inspect tax returns, especially those seeking individuals refunds of $2 million or more, for badges of fraud. Trump got a nearly $73 million refund; he recently confirmed the IRS wants it back.
Trump refuses to allow the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which writes our tax laws, to inspect his tax returns. The committee is suing for access. It is the only known case of a tax return being withheld by any president since 1924 when Calvin Coolidge was president. That sentence is qualified only because the IRS is stalling on DCReport's Freedom of Information Act request for a single number – how many times has the IRS refused or declined to turn over a tax return request in writing by the appropriate lawmakers and staff.
Who Gets Audited
That 0.03% audit rate for America's richest families is misleading. It overstates the risks to people in Trump's situation.
Many in that highest income group have very limited opportunities to cheat. About a sixth of these rich Americans are CEOs of publicly traded companies or otherwise employed at huge salaries. Their pay is independently reported to the IRS. This means that they are more like Joe and Joan Sixpack whose taxes are withheld before they get paid.
Opportunities for workers to cheat almost nonexistent, even for those making more than $50 million in salary and bonus as more than 200 workers have each year under Trump.
We cite these facts to give you a lens through which to focus as this DCReport series examines the state of Trump's taxes and the capacity of the Internal Revenue Service, our national tax police department, to enforce the tax laws.
DCReport's investigation into how Trump and others like him enjoy robust opportunities to cheat on their taxes with little risk of detection shows how for decades Congress has handcuffed our tax police. It's as if your local mayor and city council told their police officers to focus on tricycle thefts, not violent crimes, and wouldn't pay for testing equipment and chemicals in the crime lab.
We relied in part on a database maintained by the TRAC, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. DCReport donors generously contributed money to purchase access to that database and to pay a Rochester Institute of Technology student to organize the data for analysis. Much of the data TRAC gets had to be extracted from our government through litigation over the public's right to know what our government is doing.
Tax Prosecutions Vanishing
From various official documents and interviews with tax officials, tax defense lawyers and accountants we found our government operates a system of tax law enforcement with these features:
Tax prosecution, never a major government activity and generally slipping for decades, collapsed under Trump
In 2016, the last Obama year, the IRS referred 2,744 tax cases for prosecution. Since Oct. 1, 2019, the IRS has referred just 231 cases
Justice rejected 162 of those cases, or 70%, for "insufficient evidence," an extraordinarily and hard to believe justification since on average each case involved more than a year of detective work
Justice rejected an additional 28 cases because prosecuting suspected tax criminals isn't a "national priority"
Justice Department's own data shows it is pursuing just 29 new cases
More than half of IRS criminal cases in the last decade were about illicit proceeds from narcotics trafficking, money laundering and other criminal activity, not tax cheating by people who underreport their income from lawful activities or overstate their deductions
Last year Justice Department prosecutors obtained just 530 guilty pleas and convictions after trial, making the odds of an American adult being found guilty of a federal tax crime about one in 473,000
The public never heard about most of those cases because the Justice Department failed to publicize them
Almost 900,000 high-income Americans didn't even file a tax return in the last three years of Obama
Virtually no effort is being made to collect the estimated $47.5 billion these prosperous-to-rich Americans owe. An Inspector General report says the IRS already dropped 42,600 cases and it is unlikely that any of the others will be pursued
Defunding America's Tax Police
The reality is Congress has defunded America's tax police. The IRS in 2018 had less than half the resources it did, relative to the size of the economy, as when Ronald Reagan was president in 1988, my analysis of federal budget data shows.
Over several decades, as anti-tax activist Grover Norquist persuaded Republicans to sign ironclad pledges to never raises taxes, these same officeholders have worked to make sure the IRS doesn't have the tools or staff to make sure people and companies pay what the law says they owe. Trump personally lobbied for one key change creating an entitlement program for real estate investors that lets them live tax-free if they are rich enough and follow the rules, making his own tax behavior all the more curious.
The beneficiaries of this throttling of the tax police budget and hobbling its operations have been the thin and increasingly rich slice of Americans at the top, especially people who like Trump exert total control of their business affairs.
Republicans persuaded enough Democrats to go along in handcuffing our tax police through laws, some of them based on bogus testimony by people who said they were victims of abusive IRS tactics. By law, the IRS could not respond to the Senate testimony. Congress' Government Accountability Office later wrote a secret report that showed the hearings were unreliable, Ryan Donmoyer of Tax Notes Magazine revealed in 2000. However, subsequent investigations by The Wall Street Journal, Tax Notes Magazine, The Virginian-Pilot and by me when I was the tax reporter for The New York Times showed the hearings were a sham from start to finish.
In response to the 1997 and 1998 Senate Finance Committee hearings led by the late Sen. William Roth of Delaware, and other hearings, Congress imposed all sorts of restrictions on IRS audits. Here are three telling examples we will explore later in this series:
IRS auditors who notice that a taxpayer reports income of under $100,000 but has mansions, fine art and more cannot use that to begin a "lifestyle audit." One man was caught only because a mistress, furious that he didn't keep a promise to buy her a condo, ratted him out to the IRS Corporations must be told in advance what issues will be examined. If auditors find along the way evidence of tax owed for other reasons they cannot expand the audit unless they uncover clear evidence of criminality While Congress authorizes what look to be major cash awards to whistleblowers who report tax cheating the program has added less than $1 to every $5,000 in taxes Uncle Sam collects and it takes more than a decade on average to pay these awards
The costs of these favor-the-rich policies even when they cheat are borne by the other 99% of taxpayers. Tax burdens could otherwise be eased through reductions in government spending for their benefit and in added federal debt.
Institutional Corruption
The Framers of our Constitution were concerned deeply with corruption, but not the way they think of it today. They were well aware of the personal venality that today permeates the news from supermarket tabloids to the network news programs. But the Framers focused on how to ensure against institutional corruption ruining our democracy and our society. Law professor Zephyr Teachout explained it in plain English in her book Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United.
Congress pretty much has imposed on the IRS the same institutionally corrupt approach that New Jersey casino regulators employed when Trump dominated Atlantic City gambling.
New Jersey officials created the impression of zealous law enforcement by noisily going after small fries and others who lack the resources to fight back. Or the regulators announced actions raising questions about the behavior of casino owners in dealings with mobsters, cocaine traffickers and money launderers while working hard to avoid making inquiries that would expose wrongdoing by those at the top.
My first book, Temples of Chance, revealed this institutionally corrupt strategy with many examples like cheating novice roulette players at one Trump casino. Another tack was giving favors to gamblers connected to the Yakuza criminal gangs in Japan or the Medellín drug cartel. Casinos owned by Trump and others even extended credit, comped suites, provided liquor and sent limousines to empty the trust accounts of rich child gamblers.
Actually, Congress has gone much further to hobble America's tax police.
The IRS is so short-staffed it cannot even send refunds it acknowledges are owed from 2017 tax returns. Instead of a refund check, some beleaguered taxpayers have shown me form letter after form letter directing them to not ask about their refund for yet another 60 days. An IRS that is not even staffed to refund people's overpayments is going to have a much harder time enforcing the tax laws when it comes to sophisticated tax cheating.
E.R. Brydalski analyzed the TRAC data used in this report.


alternet--2020-11-01--‘Uncharacteristically glum’ Trump speech surprises historian Beschloss: The president ‘does not look

‘Uncharacteristically glum’ Trump speech surprises historian Beschloss: The president ‘does not look happy’

Donald Trump put on an uncommonly sad face at his rally today in Pennsylvania , and it 's triggering his minions ' fear that the monarchy is in jeopardy .
Their fears may not be irrational , based on early accounts of the rally 's dour tone from reputable sources .
Trump was speaking from Newton , PA , the first of four rallies planned for Trump in the critical state of Pennsylvania today .
Historian Michael Beschloss , as credible and circumspect as it comes , offered multiple tweets describing Trump 's `` dejected speech . ''
`` President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said one of Beschloss ' tweets .
`` President 's speech at this Pennsylvania rally sounds uncharacteristically glum and past tense , '' said a second .
`` President sounding very sad at this Pennsylvania rally , '' said a second .
`` When has Trump in public sounded as sad as this ?
asked a third .
The Philadelphia Inquirer concurred , `` Trump was notably subdued for his typical rallying style , but hit on common themes he brings up in the state , including a baseless claim that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter fraud , '' the Inquirer reported .
`` We have to be very very careful in this state , '' Trump said .
`` What happens in Philadelphia , we have to be very careful .
Everyone has to watch . ''
He again encouraged his supporters to go to Philadelphia and scrutinize polling places there , the Inquirer reported .
`` Only official campaign poll watchers certified by the city can do that .
He suggested that Gov .
Tom Wolf , a Democrat , would be tampering with mail ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the Wolf administration .
And he signaled that if results are n't known the night of the election , they ca n't be trusted . ''
The paper also reported that Trump darkly `` drew an ominous parallel to the 2020 election , the stakes of which both parties have framed in apocalyptic terms .
`` It was a tough night , '' Trump said in Newtown .
`` It was a violent night .
… It turned the entire tide of the war . ''
Trump was speaking , blasphemously , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stage his crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War .
In its reporting of the rally in a muddy field , where an unusually small crowd packed together largely without masks , the Wall Street Journal did n't note the somber mood , but reported this less-than-uplifting focus of the president : '' Mr. Trump again criticized the Supreme Court for declining to disturb ballot deadlines in Pennsylvania and North Carolina , '' the Journal reported .
`` That is a terrible , political horrible decision that they made , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be waiting .
November 3 is going to come and go and we 're not going to know and you 're going to have bedlam in our country . ''
The president suggested that the public could be waiting for weeks and said `` many bad things '' can happen with ballots , the paper reported .
Trump did predict victory in Pennsylvania .
`` Three days from now , this is the state that will save the American dream , '' Trump said , according to a local television station @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania to save the election did not sound like that confident of much a victory .
Some friendly commenters at Breitbart 's website even picked up on the theme in real-time .
They , too were whiny : '' He looks exhausted .
The man keeps a schedule like no one else , especially his age , can keep .
Look at Biden , so sure the fix is in that he 's hardly said boo and refuses to answer questions .
We need him to win . ''
`` OMG is he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schedule , but , he keeps on plowing through it . ''
Trump 's dour mood Saturday was not well-received by some fans on Twitter .
Trump fans were not the only ones who picked up on his dejected demeanor :

Donald Trump put on an uncommonly sad face at his rally today in Pennsylvania, and it's triggering his minions' fear that the monarchy is in jeopardy.
Their fears may not be irrational, based on early accounts of the rally's dour tone from reputable sources. Trump was speaking from Newton, PA, the first of four rallies planned for Trump in the critical state of Pennsylvania today.
Historian Michael Beschloss, as credible and circumspect as it comes, offered multiple tweets describing Trump's "dejected speech."
"President does not look happy at this rally," said one of Beschloss' tweets. "President's speech at this Pennsylvania rally sounds uncharacteristically glum and past tense," said a second. "President sounding very sad at this Pennsylvania rally," said a second. "When has Trump in public sounded as sad as this? asked a third.
The Philadelphia Inquirer concurred, "Trump was notably subdued for his typical rallying style, but hit on common themes he brings up in the state, including a baseless claim that Philadelphia will be a hot spot for voter fraud," the Inquirer reported. "We have to be very very careful in this state," Trump said. "What happens in Philadelphia, we have to be very careful. Everyone has to watch."
He again encouraged his supporters to go to Philadelphia and scrutinize polling places there, the Inquirer reported. "Only official campaign poll watchers certified by the city can do that. He suggested that Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, would be tampering with mail ballots. County elections officials process ballots, not the Wolf administration. And he signaled that if results aren't known the night of the election, they can't be trusted."
The paper also reported that Trump darkly "drew an ominous parallel to the 2020 election, the stakes of which both parties have framed in apocalyptic terms. "It was a tough night," Trump said in Newtown. "It was a violent night. … It turned the entire tide of the war."
Trump was speaking, blasphemously, outside the house George Washington used to stage his crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.
In its reporting of the rally in a muddy field, where an unusually small crowd packed together largely without masks, the Wall Street Journal didn't note the somber mood, but reported this less-than-uplifting focus of the president:
"Mr. Trump again criticized the Supreme Court for declining to disturb ballot deadlines in Pennsylvania and North Carolina," the Journal reported.
"That is a terrible, political horrible decision that they made," Mr. Trump said. "We're going to be waiting. November 3 is going to come and go and we're not going to know and you're going to have bedlam in our country."
The president suggested that the public could be waiting for weeks and said "many bad things" can happen with ballots, the paper reported.
Trump did predict victory in Pennsylvania. "Three days from now, this is the state that will save the American dream," Trump said, according to a local television station.
That public concession of relying upon Pennsylvania to save the election did not sound like that confident of much a victory.
Some friendly commenters at Breitbart's website even picked up on the theme in real-time. They, too were whiny:
"He looks exhausted. The man keeps a schedule like no one else, especially his age, can keep. Look at Biden, so sure the fix is in that he's hardly said boo and refuses to answer questions. We need him to win."
"OMG is he tired! He's got an incredible schedule, but, he keeps on plowing through it."
Trump's dour mood Saturday was not well-received by some fans on Twitter.
Trump fans were not the only ones who picked up on his dejected demeanor:


alternet--2020-11-01--Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows accused of campaign finance crimes: watchdog complaint

The government ethics watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ( CREW ) filed a complaint on Friday accusing White House chief of staff Mark Meadows of campaign finance crimes for allegedly spending thousands of dollars in campaign funds on personal expenses , including clubs , gourmet cupcakes , a jeweler in Washington and lodging at the president 's hotel .
The complaint , which draws from Salon 's exclusive reporting last week , urges the Federal Election Commission ( FEC ) to administer any and all appropriate fines and to take further action , `` including , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution . ''
In the document , CREW isolates suspicious transactions among nearly $ 75,000 in campaign expenditures after Meadows announced his retirement from Congress last December , payments which extended well after his official resignation when he joined the White House on March 30 .
`` One of the clearest rules in campaign finance is you ca n't spend your campaign 's finances on yourself , '' Noah Bookbinder , director of CREW , said in a statement announcing the complaint .
`` That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it must be thoroughly investigated . ''
Across the course of 2020 , Meadows ' campaign committee , Meadows for Congress , continued to rack up expenses , including more than $ 6,500 in spending at numerous clubs and restaurants , including the Capitol Hill Club , the Trump International Hotel and its in-house restaurant BLT Prime .
Other charges included grocery stores and Lavender Moon cupcakery in Washington .
As Salon first reported , the complaint also shows that the Meadows campaign dropped $ 2,650 at Ann Hand jewelry in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resigned from Congress .
It also paid out more than $ 5,800 to a campaign aide for `` field representative '' mileage months after the former North Carolina representative announced he would no longer be campaigning — timing which CREW flags as suspicious .
At the time of the mileage charges , across a few weeks in February , Meadows ' hand-picked successor and friend of his wife Lynda Bennett had been conducting fundraising events in Meadows ' western North Carolina district .
Salon on Friday reported that Meadows appears to have used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congressional aide for travel `` mileage '' accrued across the exact days of one of Bennett 's fundraising swings with Debbie Meadows .
According to campaign finance law , funds are improperly converted to personal use `` if the contribution or amount is used to fulfill any commitment , obligation or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate 's election campaign or individual 's duties as a holder of federal office . ''
Despite the spending , Meadows for Congress does not appear to have been actively fundraising during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a total of $ 786.00 in contributions from Jan. 1 to March 31 , 2020 , and $ 0 in contributions between April 1 and June 30 , 2020 , after which Meadows and McMichael converted the entity to the Freedom First PAC .
The alignment of expenditures , the complaint says , makes them `` unlikely to be legitimate campaign expenses '' and raises `` serious questions about whether Meadows and Meadows for Congress violated legal prohibitions against converting campaign funds for personal use . ''
Meadows , who drew fire recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' in Atlanta in May in violations of state coronavirus restrictions , continued to report questionable expenses after the campaign converted to Freedom First PAC on July 2 .
Payments included more than $ 1,300 in food and beverage spending , including a $ 1,000 charge at Capitol Hill Club — a popular haunt for Republican officeholders — and nearly $ 400 at Trump 's Washington Hotel .
The PAC raised $ 0 from July 2 through October 14 , 2020 , again making the committee 's spending unlikely to be legitimate campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Accordingly , '' the CREW filing says , `` an FEC investigation of Meadows , Meadows for Congress , Freedom First PAC and McMichael is in order . ''
The day Meadows formally tendered his resignation from Congress , March 30 , 2020 , his campaign reported a $ 2,650 expenditure on `` printed materials '' from Ann Hand jewelry , which does not advertise stationery or other `` printed materials '' on its website , as Salon reported .
The closest item would be American Eagle Silk Scarves in three different colors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An Ann Hand representative told Salon on Friday that the store does not sell anything which could be characterized as `` printed materials . ''
The complaint says that this payment `` strongly suggests personal use . ''
Debbie Meadows has been photographed multiple times in Ann Hand jewelry , including at the Republican National Convention in August .
Some of the spending appears to intersect with Bennett 's campaign , which the Meadows campaign gave a maximum donation to in March , weeks before he stepped down .
On June 23 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and nearly three months after Meadows had resigned — his campaign paid aide Henry Mitchell an additional $ 2,300 for `` Management Consulting . ''
' Mitchell was also the individual who received the $ 5,800 in `` field mileage '' that winter .
It is not clear what those costs may entail , and the complaint alleges they appear to constitute unlawful spending .
Seven days later , after Bennett lost the primary , Meadows for Congress spent $ 600 at Safeway grocers .
The complaint itemizes $ 5,577.50 spent on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including $ 84 to Lavender Moon Cupcakery on Feb. 12 , and $ 1,583.12 to the Capitol Hill Club on Jan. 13 , Jan. 17 , Feb. 11 and March 13 .
Other food and beverage charges include a $ 500 payment to Trump International Hotel in early March , as well as multiple expenditures to its in-house BLT Prime restaurant totaling $ 581.40 .
Despite these expenses in this period , the complaint notes that Meadows for Congress does not appear to have been actively fundraising , as Salon reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ PAC on July 2 , Meadows reported more than $ 1,300 on `` PAC food/beverage , '' including $ 1,000 at the Capitol Hill Club on July 21 and $ 69 at Lavender Moon Cupcakery .
The PAC spent an additional $ 400 on lodging at Trump 's Washington hotel in September .
FEC rules give the agency the authority to judge whether expenditures constitute personal use , including meal and travel expenses .
On Friday , Salon furthered its reporting on Meadows ' spending , detailing possible use of federal taxpayer resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign .

The government ethics watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint on Friday accusing White House chief of staff Mark Meadows of campaign finance crimes for allegedly spending thousands of dollars in campaign funds on personal expenses, including clubs, gourmet cupcakes, a jeweler in Washington and lodging at the president's hotel.
The complaint, which draws from Salon's exclusive reporting last week, urges the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer any and all appropriate fines and to take further action, "including, but not limited to, referring this case to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution."
In the document, CREW isolates suspicious transactions among nearly $75,000 in campaign expenditures after Meadows announced his retirement from Congress last December, payments which extended well after his official resignation when he joined the White House on March 30.
"One of the clearest rules in campaign finance is you can't spend your campaign's finances on yourself," Noah Bookbinder, director of CREW, said in a statement announcing the complaint. "That is what it looks like happened here, and it must be thoroughly investigated."
Across the course of 2020, Meadows' campaign committee, Meadows for Congress, continued to rack up expenses, including more than $6,500 in spending at numerous clubs and restaurants, including the Capitol Hill Club, the Trump International Hotel and its in-house restaurant BLT Prime. Other charges included grocery stores and Lavender Moon cupcakery in Washington.
As Salon first reported, the complaint also shows that the Meadows campaign dropped $2,650 at Ann Hand jewelry in Washington on the day that Meadows officially resigned from Congress. It also paid out more than $5,800 to a campaign aide for "field representative" mileage months after the former North Carolina representative announced he would no longer be campaigning — timing which CREW flags as suspicious.
At the time of the mileage charges, across a few weeks in February, Meadows' hand-picked successor and friend of his wife Lynda Bennett had been conducting fundraising events in Meadows' western North Carolina district. Salon on Friday reported that Meadows appears to have used taxpayer-backed congressional allowance funds to reimburse a congressional aide for travel "mileage" accrued across the exact days of one of Bennett's fundraising swings with Debbie Meadows.
According to campaign finance law, funds are improperly converted to personal use "if the contribution or amount is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate's election campaign or individual's duties as a holder of federal office."
Despite the spending, Meadows for Congress does not appear to have been actively fundraising during the same period. The campaign reported a total of $786.00 in contributions from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2020, and $0 in contributions between April 1 and June 30, 2020, after which Meadows and McMichael converted the entity to the Freedom First PAC.
The alignment of expenditures, the complaint says, makes them "unlikely to be legitimate campaign expenses" and raises "serious questions about whether Meadows and Meadows for Congress violated legal prohibitions against converting campaign funds for personal use."
Meadows, who drew fire recently for having hosted a "lavish wedding" in Atlanta in May in violations of state coronavirus restrictions, continued to report questionable expenses after the campaign converted to Freedom First PAC on July 2. Payments included more than $1,300 in food and beverage spending, including a $1,000 charge at Capitol Hill Club — a popular haunt for Republican officeholders — and nearly $400 at Trump's Washington Hotel. The PAC raised $0 from July 2 through October 14, 2020, again making the committee's spending unlikely to be legitimate campaign expenses, the complaint says.
"Accordingly," the CREW filing says, "an FEC investigation of Meadows, Meadows for Congress, Freedom First PAC and McMichael is in order."
The day Meadows formally tendered his resignation from Congress, March 30, 2020, his campaign reported a $2,650 expenditure on "printed materials" from Ann Hand jewelry, which does not advertise stationery or other "printed materials" on its website, as Salon reported. The closest item would be American Eagle Silk Scarves in three different colors, which go for $350.
An Ann Hand representative told Salon on Friday that the store does not sell anything which could be characterized as "printed materials."
The complaint says that this payment "strongly suggests personal use." Debbie Meadows has been photographed multiple times in Ann Hand jewelry, including at the Republican National Convention in August.
Some of the spending appears to intersect with Bennett's campaign, which the Meadows campaign gave a maximum donation to in March, weeks before he stepped down. On June 23, the day of Bennett's district primary — and nearly three months after Meadows had resigned — his campaign paid aide Henry Mitchell an additional $2,300 for "Management Consulting."'
Mitchell was also the individual who received the $5,800 in "field mileage" that winter. It is not clear what those costs may entail, and the complaint alleges they appear to constitute unlawful spending.
Seven days later, after Bennett lost the primary, Meadows for Congress spent $600 at Safeway grocers.
The complaint itemizes $5,577.50 spent on food and beverage from January through March, including $84 to Lavender Moon Cupcakery on Feb. 12, and $1,583.12 to the Capitol Hill Club on Jan. 13, Jan. 17, Feb. 11 and March 13.
Other food and beverage charges include a $500 payment to Trump International Hotel in early March, as well as multiple expenditures to its in-house BLT Prime restaurant totaling $581.40.
Despite these expenses in this period, the complaint notes that Meadows for Congress does not appear to have been actively fundraising, as Salon reported.
After converting the campaign to Freedom First PAC on July 2, Meadows reported more than $1,300 on "PAC food/beverage," including $1,000 at the Capitol Hill Club on July 21 and $69 at Lavender Moon Cupcakery. The PAC spent an additional $400 on lodging at Trump's Washington hotelin September.
FEC rules give the agency the authority to judge whether expenditures constitute personal use, including meal and travel expenses.
On Friday, Salon furthered its reporting on Meadows' spending, detailing possible use of federal taxpayer resources to support his wife's friend's campaign.


alternet--2020-11-01--Early votes in Texas surpass 2016 total — is that a sign the state could flip?

Ahead of the end of Texas ' early voting period on Friday evening and as Democrats including members of Joe Biden 's presidential campaign fight to flip the Lone Star State blue , multiple reports revealed that by Thursday more Texans had already cast ballots in this cycle than the total number of state residents who voted in 2016 .
As of early Friday more than nine million people in Texas had voted , according to the Associated Press , the Texas Tribune , and the U.S .
Elections Project at the University of Florida .
That means Texans represent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 86 million Americans who have voted early by mail or in person for the November 3 presidential election .
`` Through Thursday , 9,009,850 have voted so far this year , with one day of early voting left , '' reported the Tribune , which also shared a graph of the state 's 2020 turnout .
`` In 2016 , 8,969,226 Texans cast a ballot in the presidential race . ''
The AP put those data points into context : Earlier this month , Biden poured $ 6.3 million into an advertising blitz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and state Democrats to point out that he was the first party nominee in decades to make a serious push in Texas .
That move came shortly after a Washington Post opinion piece by former Democratic presidential primary candidate and Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke and Tory Gavito , president and co-founder of Way to Win and the former executive director of the Texas Future Project .
Urging Biden to invest in their state , O'Rourke—also known nationally for narrowly losing to incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz ( R-Texas ) in 2018—and Gavito noted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Biden victory on Election Day , `` because Texas ' 38 electoral college votes are the most up for grabs of any swing state . ''
Though securing Texas ' electoral votes would be no easy feat for the former vice president—Trump beat 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by 9 % in the state and most local polls this month have favored the president—there is some anticipation of a long-sought shift .
On Wednesday , the nonpartisan Cook Political Report declared Texas a `` Toss Up '' in terms of the presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writing `` it is clear that it 's more competitive than ever . ''
`` Texas ' shift from Lean Republican to Toss Up should n't come as a surprise , '' Walter added .
`` Recent polling in the state—both public and private—shows a 2-4 point race .
That 's pretty much in line with the hotly contested 2018 Senate race in the state where Sen. Ted Cruz narrowly defeated Rep. Beto O'Rourke 51 % to 48 % . ''
Biden and his supporters , including O'Rourke , are still hard at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His primary rival-turned-running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) , campaigned in the state on Friday , starting in Fort Worth before heading to McAllen and Houston , according to the Tribune .
`` So listen , today is the last day of early voting in Texas and you all have been doing your thing , '' Harris told a mostly Black , socially distanced , and seated crowd , during an event at the First Saint John Cathedral in Fort Worth .
`` Now we know this is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though , right ? ''
Reporting for Politico Friday , Will Ford detailed how left-leaning Texans are now also targeting some of the reddest areas of the state .
`` For years , Democratic orthodoxy has maintained that flipping Texas Democratic in statewide races—this year for presidential candidate Joe Biden and Senate candidate MJ Hegar , most prominently—means increasing turnout in urban areas and swing suburbs , '' Ford explained .
`` But that strategy alone has n't worked yet—even as favorable demographic changes , especially in urban areas , suburbs , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state in play . ''
These days , people like Hannah Horick , chair of the Ector County Democratic Party , and David Logan , a data analyst for Jon Mark Hogg , the Democratic candidate for Texas ' 11th Congressional District , `` are part of an effort by Democrats to broaden their strategy by targeting the most Republican areas of the state as well , '' he continued .
`` If they can boost Democratic support in places like Odessa just slightly , then , together with the unprecedented early vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might finally get enough votes to flip the state .
It 's not about winning in these deep-red counties and districts—it 's about cutting into Republican margins , no matter how large . ''
O'Rourke , who campaigned all across the state during his bid to oust Cruz from the Senate , spoke with Ford about this approach : On Friday , with a possible Biden win just days away , O'Rourke was back to knocking on doors—this time , urging residents of Mission , Texas to cast their votes for his former @ @ @

Ahead of the end of Texas' early voting period on Friday evening and as Democrats including members of Joe Biden's presidential campaign fight to flip the Lone Star State blue, multiple reports revealed that by Thursday more Texans had already cast ballots in this cycle than the total number of state residents who voted in 2016.
As of early Friday more than nine million people in Texas had voted, according to the Associated Press, the Texas Tribune, and the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida. That means Texans represent over 10% of the more than 86 million Americans who have voted early by mail or in person for the November 3 presidential election.
"Through Thursday, 9,009,850 have voted so far this year, with one day of early voting left," reported the Tribune, which also shared a graph of the state's 2020 turnout. "In 2016, 8,969,226 Texans cast a ballot in the presidential race."
The AP put those data points into context:
Voters statewide don't register by party affiliation, so no one can yet know which side will benefit from the surge. Turnout has also been inflated by Texas' booming population. More than 16.9 million Texans are registered to vote in 2020, a roughly 1.8 million increase from 2016's about 15.1-plus million. The number of early votes so far accounts for only about 53% of statewide registered voters, while about 59% of registered voters cast early and Election Day ballots in 2016.
Earlier this month, Biden poured $6.3 million into an advertising blitz in the state, prompting local media and state Democrats to point out that he was the first party nominee in decades to make a serious push in Texas. That move came shortly after a Washington Postopinion piece by former Democratic presidential primary candidate and Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke and Tory Gavito, president and co-founder of Way to Win and the former executive director of the Texas Future Project.
Urging Biden to invest in their state, O'Rourke—also known nationally for narrowly losing to incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2018—and Gavito noted that defeating President Donald Trump there could cause a Biden victory on Election Day, "because Texas' 38 electoral college votes are the most up for grabs of any swing state."
Though securing Texas' electoral votes would be no easy feat for the former vice president—Trump beat 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by 9% in the state and most local polls this month have favored the president—there is some anticipation of a long-sought shift. On Wednesday, the nonpartisan Cook Political Reportdeclared Texas a "Toss Up" in terms of the presidential election, with national editor Amy Walter writing "it is clear that it's more competitive than ever."
"Texas' shift from Lean Republican to Toss Up shouldn't come as a surprise," Walter added. "Recent polling in the state—both public and private—shows a 2-4 point race. That's pretty much in line with the hotly contested 2018 Senate race in the state where Sen. Ted Cruz narrowly defeated Rep. Beto O'Rourke 51% to 48%."
Biden and his supporters, including O'Rourke, are still hard at work to win over voters in Texas. His primary rival-turned-running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), campaigned in the state on Friday, starting in Fort Worth before heading to McAllen and Houston, according to the Tribune.
"So listen, today is the last day of early voting in Texas and you all have been doing your thing," Harris told a mostly Black, socially distanced, and seated crowd, during an event at the First Saint John Cathedral in Fort Worth. "Now we know this is no time to let up on the pedal though, right?"
Reporting for Politico Friday, Will Ford detailed how left-leaning Texans are now also targeting some of the reddest areas of the state. "For years, Democratic orthodoxy has maintained that flipping Texas Democratic in statewide races—this year for presidential candidate Joe Biden and Senate candidate MJ Hegar, most prominently—means increasing turnout in urban areas and swing suburbs," Ford explained. "But that strategy alone hasn't worked yet—even as favorable demographic changes, especially in urban areas, suburbs, and now even exurbs, have put the state in play."
These days, people like Hannah Horick, chair of the Ector County Democratic Party, and David Logan, a data analyst for Jon Mark Hogg, the Democratic candidate for Texas' 11th Congressional District, "are part of an effort by Democrats to broaden their strategy by targeting the most Republican areas of the state as well," he continued. "If they can boost Democratic support in places like Odessa just slightly, then, together with the unprecedented early vote surge in cities, Democrats think they might finally get enough votes to flip the state. It's not about winning in these deep-red counties and districts—it's about cutting into Republican margins, no matter how large."
O'Rourke, who campaigned all across the state during his bid to oust Cruz from the Senate, spoke with Ford about this approach:
"I think it's a false choice," O'Rourke told me, of the traditional thinking that parties have to choose between targeting rural and urban voters. "You can do both. In Texas, there were really two populations left uncontested—rural red counties written off and urban ones taken for granted." For Republicans, he added, the same was true, though in opposite directions.
But when I asked whether he received pushback against this strategy in Democratic circles, he almost laughed. "Tons. They all said, 'Your vote's in Houston and the cities.'" West Texan voters were equally surprised: O'Rourke said some voters in West Texas told him they hadn't seen a statewide Democratic candidate visit since LBJ.
On Friday, with a possible Biden win just days away, O'Rourke was back to knocking on doors—this time, urging residents of Mission, Texas to cast their votes for his former primary competitor.