dailykos--2020-06-23--With Hearts Like Lions, We Will Save The Country - June 23 GNR

Good day , Gnusies !
I ’ ll get straight to the point .
If I see one more tweet , post or story telling us we should be “ terrified ” , I am going to For crying out loud , we know that demented donny is a loose cannon with far too much power and we know that things are likely to get very tense between now and November .
We know this !
There is nothing to be gained by running around with hair on fire being terrified and yelling at other people that if they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Everyone knows the dangers we face !
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND PRECIOUS , KNOCK IT OFF !
!
!
Tell others to knock it off , too .
It ’ s not helpful and by giving in to panic — or worse , being a panic-monger — progressives are weakening each other .
It ’ s got to stop .
Yes , scary stuff may yet happen — and then again , haven ’ t we been through a ton of really scary shit already ?
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children still in cages ?
Are there not Black people still being brutalized by our so-called law and order ?
Is there not egregious wealth inequality and people still struggling to provide food , housing and healthcare for their families ?
We need to get a very firm grip on our emotions — and it ’ s hard because just about everyone is exhausted and traumatized by nearly 4 years of unremitting horror .
I don ’ t mean it ’ s not OK to share our legitimate fears in comments , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prepare to weather the storms of the next few months and face into it with steadfast determination .
Because it is up to us to save ourselves — to rescue the children , stand by our Black neighbors , insist on a better , more just and equal world for everyone .
And we CAN do it .
As someone very wise once said , YES WE CAN !
The first step is realizing that trump is not all-powerful .
He is a weak , sniveling , whiner and bully .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent people — but these people have always been out there .
So , now we face that threat openly and maybe we can defeat it once and for all .
Don ’ s criminal backers are of course even more scary , and yet they are few in number compared to the millions of us — both here in the USA and around the world ( billions , in fact ) and if we keep our wits about us we can defeat them , too .
If you don ’ t already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her blog or twitter .
She has a terrific way of breaking down the complex into simple language that really hones in on the point .
So I will defer to her to finish this intro : The illegitimate *president is not invincible .
It ’ s time to stop even giving that idea any attention at all .
So Gnusies , one of our jobs is to encourage other progressives to stop doing the Pubs work for them !
For pete ’ s sake , stop fellow Democrats from feeding into that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And if you can ’ t , then don ’ t participate in that self-defeating behavior .
Walk/scroll away and do something useful , like write 5 more postcards , make more calls , or do whatever suits your skillset to GOTV !
It is the prize .
Keep your eyes on it !
And now , here ’ s the news : 💪🏿🏈 The Kids Are All Right 🏀💪🏿 Young people are starting to decline to be used in the evangelical school-to-voting-booth pipeline : TAYVION LAND AND KEI ’ TREL CLARK HAVE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ASOR Football , June 22 , 2020 .
Ruth Graham ’ s article in Slate last week revealed that Black faculty are also leaving AND that the “ university ” is having trouble recruiting minority students , even with scholarship offers : “ I Suppressed So Much of My Humanity in Being Here ” What it ’ s like to be Black at Liberty University , Ruth Graham , Slate , June 16 , 2020 .
In Starchia ’ s resignation letter , which he quoted to Slate , he wrote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Falwell Jr. ’ s ] leadership at this current time as a black employee of the university.
” In response , he said , Falwell Jr. and multiple upper-level administrators called him directly to ask him to reconsider ; Falwell Jr. “ encouraged and pushed ” him , in Starchia ’ s words , to read Falwell Jr. ’ s apology tweets .
Starchia said he would think it over but ultimately decided he had to leave .
“ I suppressed so much of my humanity as a black and queer man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me .
He remembered being called an “ Oreo ” to his face , being introduced as “ the black friend , ” and being asked during Black History Month why there ’ s no White History Month .
“ I want to be hopeful , but until the university recognizes their past history with racism , apologizes for it , and enacts significant policy implementation from the board level , ” he wrote to me , “ I do not foresee any changes for students or staff.
” At least two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly since Falwell Jr. tweeted the racist image .
Keyvon Scott , an online admissions counselor , resigned June 8 .
“ I can not in good faith encourage people to attend a school with racially insensitive leadership and culture , ” he tweeted .
“ It is a poor reflection of what Jesus Christ requires of us.
” Christopher House , an online instructor teaching a course on intercultural communications , resigned from Liberty the day after Falwell Jr. ’ s tweet .
A friend who is a Liberty graduate sent him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , and he decided immediately to leave his part-time teaching job at the school .
“ In that moment it was as if my ancestors rose up within me and I knew I need to resign , ” he told me .
“ It was an automatic deal breaker.
” House said he has not received any communication from anyone at the school since he stepped down .
In the video posted by Whitehead , Falwell responded dismissively to a question about House , at first saying he had not heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that House “ teaches two courses.
” There are indications that the turmoil may affect Liberty ’ s ability to recruit and retain minority students , too .
Star basketball player Asia Todd , a sophomore , announced on Thursday that she is planning to transfer out of the school .
“ Due to the racial insensitivities shown within the leadership and culture , it simply does not align with my moral compass or personal convictions , ” she said in a video posted to Twitter .
“ Therefore , I had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my heart and stand up for what is right.
” A source with connections to the Liberty athletic community told me that several high school football players in Georgia declined scholarships to Liberty in early June because of Falwell ’ s racial insensitivity .
👀 And who would ever have pegged NASCAR as a champion for Black Lives Matter ?
Or NASCAR banning the confederate flag ?
Almost unbelievable , but it is true !
NASCAR was urged to ban the treason flag by Bubba Wallace , driver of car 43 ( Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they agreed to do it .
When racist confederates were outraged and flew the flags anyway around and above the venue , NASCAR pushed back stalwartly .
Those remarks and that pushback was included in a story about a noose being left in Bubba Wallace ’ s garage stall at Talladega race track .
Nascar also responded to that ugly threat with full-throated support for Wallace and launched an investigation to find the perpetrators ( which has since also been referred to the FBI and the US Attorney ’ s office ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we also learned that 82 -year old Richard Petty and his fellow drivers planned to surround and support Bubba Wallace before the race : NASCAR Drivers Reportedly Planning to Stand Around Bubba Wallace 's Car for National Anthem Ahead of Geico 500 , Brian Jones , PopCulture , June 22 , 2020 .
Too many of the people standing up bravely to racism are people of color .
I hope we will see more and more white people standing up , too .
The times they are a-changing , people , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is : To quote Joyce White Vance ’ s tweet last night : “ America is full of surprises .
We are capable of transformation.
” It was always about power for the magachurch movement , not Christian agape .
The co-opting of Christian identity , the lobbying for more and more control at local levels , so that people were herded into magachurch communities as their former community resources were eliminated or taken over by the evangelicals — all of it was a means to an end : to secure a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure Republican dominance in American politics ( with similar movements in other countries — oh and by the way , who financed the magachurches ? )
.
With the election of trump , mainly thanks to conservative Christians , that ugly truth has been laid bare , thank goodness .
The powerseekers behind the magachurch movement ( and Christian dominionism/evangelicism ) can not control every one of their followers ( though not from lack of trying ) .
And it turns out that many people who were drawn into the evangelical movement were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rather than for seeking theocratic power like the movement ’ s leaders .
How inconvenient for the ambitions of leadership !
SInce the conservative Christian movement had succeeded in becoming the only game in town in many ( especially rural ) places , if one wanted community and fellowship , they had little choice but to join the local magachurch for their social and spiritual needs .
But that doesn ’ t mean they all hold the extremist views the leadership hoped to inculcate in them .
Perhaps the time is just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message for all people of good will who want a better world for everyone : A Tale of Two Speeches , Robert L. Borosage , The Nation , June 22 , 2020 .
This interview conducted by Brianna Keilar of CNN is pure 🔥 .
She did not let the trump lackey off with his sneering deflections ; she was ready !
CNN Anchor Corners Trump Campaign Spox : Are Dead Americans ‘ Funny to You ?
’ , Justin Baragona , Daily Beast , June 22 , 2020 .
Rep. Nadler preparing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testimony , Haley Talbot and Leigh Ann Caldwell , NBC News , June 22 , 2020 .
Texas Democrats have not given up on getting everyone in Texas the right to vote absentee/by mail .
They have asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the case , and if SCOTUS does , and if it upholds the district court ’ s decision , then that could have ramifications for several other states as well : Texas Dems Turn To SCOTUS In Push To Expand Absentee Voting , Tierney Sneed , TPM , June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D-TX ) plans to introduce legislation to create a Dept .
of Reconciliation , which could be a start on repairing the damage wrought by 400 years of institutional and systemic racism : Revelers and Protesters Gather in DC to Celebrate the Day the Last Slaves Were Freed , Brandi Buchman and Jack Rodgers , Courthouse News , June 19 , 2020 .
How a West Baltimore nursing home has zero COVID-19 infections , Dan Rodricks , Baltimore Sun , June 18 , 2020 .
GOP strategists go on profane rants about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 2020 ‘ wipeout ’ “ BRAD REALLY S -- T THE BED SATURDAY NIGHT ” : AFTER TULSA CATASTROPHE , PARSCALE—AND KUSHNER—IS AT THE TOP OF TRUMP ’ S HIT LIST , Gabriel Sherman , Vanity Fair , June 22 , 2020 .
For Now , Donald Trump and William Barr Are Losing Their Way , David Rohde , The New Yorker , June 23 , 2020 .
And Barr may really be skating on thin ice with CJ John Roberts : The Supreme Court May Be Tired of Bill Barr , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2020 .
Here ’ s a headline that frankly made my blood run cold .
It says a lot about trump and the Pubs that a headline like this instantly made me think they meant targeting women as scapegoats , victims , etc .
However , they only mean focusing on women as a voting bloc .
And it looks like it hasn ’ t been going well ... because trump simply can not stop himself from effing up .
As Trump slumps , his campaign fixes on a target : Women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Post , June 22 , 2020 .
And what is this even about ?
Utter chaos , as usual , in the conservative ranks : Plus !
While we are waiting for the SCOTUS decisions on trump ’ s taxes and financial information , don ’ t forget that there are other cases in federal courts upon which numerous trump associates are anxiously waiting ( cough Alan Dershowitz cough ) !
Today is Primary day in Kentucky and New York .
Both states allow early and absentee ( mail ) voting .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kentucky SOS ( R of course ) reducing the number of polling places in that state from 3700 to 200 .
Terrible , yes and not going to stop determined Americans from voting .
We know the Rs are going to pull every stunt they can as they are desperately trying to hang on to power .
But we are the majority and we will come out in such numbers that even their voter suppression tactics will not be able to overcome the wave .
The Primaries are a dress rehearsal for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be in place .
In others , Rs will double sown to try to prevent us from voting .
It won ’ t stop us .
Meanwhile , if you ’ re seeing people monging panics about this , here ’ s some calming perspective from an actual expert in Kentucky : 📈 Ignore the Polls !
( Except the good ones ! )
📉 Polls must be taken with a big scoop of salt — because they are only as good as flawed human pollsters can measure : at best , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reactions to carefully worded questions meant to elicit evidence for a trend in public opinion .
A cleverly worded question could get an “ approves of trump ” response from a liberal !
Seriously .
It ’ s not that they don ’ t tell us anything , but bear in mind that part of the work of polling is to help shape public opinion as much as to measure it .
( This is why campaigns have their own “ internal polling ” by which they hope to measure public opinion more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are designed to do ) .
Still , the polling business has an interest in providing at least some useful information so they can hold the interest of the public ( and of course keep the public willing to participate in polls ! )
, so it ’ s OK to feel encouraged by “ good ” polls , and it ’ s understandable to feel a little let down by “ bad ” ones .
Let ’ s try to temper our enthusiasm ( or disappointment ) by remembering that polls can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often by media ) to ensure a horse race narrative , which means they will of course “ narrow ” as the election draws near , they will show ups and downs for each party after a particularly good or bad week for one or the other to help them bounce back and keep the horse race going .
That ’ s how pollsters stay in business and grow their businesses .
The only poll that matters is the one on November 3rd .
GOTMFV .
OK , having said all that — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s very nice to see Biden polling well above 50 % .
Go ahead and enjoy it ( responsibly 😉 ) !
( Click on the link to read all the stuff they polled — it ’ s interesting ) .
⚡ Yer Wonkette : Mopey Loser Moping About Losing Election Four Months In Advance , Evan Hurst , Wonkette , June 22 , 2020 .
⚡ Bonus Wonkette !
Blessed Day !
John Bolton Is In A Heap Of Sh*t. Liz Dye , Wonkette , June 22 , 2020 .
⚡ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic — and how we can stop it , Katherine Harmon Courage , Vox , June 22 , 2020 .
⚡ Interesting longer read : What Fiona Hill Learned in the White House , Adam Entous , The New Yorker , June 22 , 2020 .
“ We ’ re doing this to ourselves now .
The Russians don ’ t have to do a thing.
” ⚡ 🔥 Americans Need to Know the Truth About William Barr 's Friday Night Massacre .
We Ca n't Afford to Wait , Joyce White Vance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
⚡😀 Some wins Trump can extract from his Tulsa rally , Alexandra Petri , Washington Post ( humor ) , June 22 , 2020 .
⚡Couldn ’ t happen to 2 more deserving fellas : As Bill Barr Flails , Trump Is Losing His Roy Cohn , Joan Walsh , The Nation , June 22 , 2020 .
⚡ The Lincoln Project , explained : George Conway-backed Lincoln Project hopes to make Trump 's `` worst nightmare '' come true , Roger Sollenberger , Salon , June 22 , 2020 .
⚡ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s primaries , Bridget Bowman , et al , RollCall , June 22 , 2020 .
⚡ A positive collective experience !
The Black Lives Matter Protests Are Running on Much More Than Anger | Opinion , Joan Cook , Newsweek , June 19 , 2020 .
⚡Popular mystery department : Why it feels like there are a lot more fireworks this year , Matthew Yglesias , Vox , June 22 , 2020 .
⚡ Important background for coming SCOTUS decisions : The right v. John Roberts , Sam Baker , Axios , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : You can still help save the world in self-isolation !
Here ’ s a bunch of links to help you stay involved at home : Act Blue — fundraising for Democratic candidates in one easy site .
Vote Forward — whether organizing an effort to encourage voter registration , including providing addressees with voter registration forms — or working toward the BIG SEND ( millions of letters to voters arriving in mailboxes in late October ) , this is one of several “ do it at home ” projects through which many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Voter to voter initiatives have a track record of increasing voter turnout .
The Vote Forward letter system is ideal for those who want to contribute but can ’ t write too much .
The letter templates are provided and all you do is put in a line or two of your own and make sure the letters get to the voters on your list !
Postcards to Voters — Our own gnusie , Progressive Muse posts most days with information about PtV and updates on current campaigns and progress .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home ” contribution especially suited to those who enjoy getting a little creative and connecting with fellow voters around the country .
Fair Fight — Stacey Abrams ’ initiative which has already made a difference in several elections !
Find out how you can help out at this link .
Spread the Vote — wonderful organization which works hard to help eligible voters obtain valid ID so they can register and vote .
From Kat at Spread the Vote : And finally , for one-stop all-purpose voter information ( check your registration !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote — This site covers everything any eligible voter needs to know , from how to register , how to check that you are still registered , how to obtain an absentee ballot and what to do if your right to vote is challenged or you are stopped from voting .
There ’ s been a lot going on , Gnusies , and it ’ s important to keep our eyes on the prize .
We must pour all our available time and energy into GOTV efforts .
It ’ s also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loved ones .
Eat nutritious food , get enough rest and try to spend some time outdoors each day , if you are able .
When you need to take a break , take a break .
The rest of us will carry on and then when you come back someone else can take a break .
Together , we will get through these last months of the nightmare and we will save our country .
I ’ m rushing to beat the deadline now , and the Curlygirl is sound asleep here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the city .
Happy Tuesday , Newsies — let ’ s see what the day has in store for us !

Good day, Gnusies! I’ll get straight to the point. If I see one more tweet, post or story telling us we should be “terrified”, I am going to
For crying out loud, we know that demented donny is a loose cannon with far too much power and we know that things are likely to get very tense between now and November. We know this! There is nothing to be gained by running around with hair on fire being terrified and yelling at other people that if they are not terrified they are not paying attention. Everyone knows the dangers we face!
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND PRECIOUS, KNOCK IT OFF!!! Tell others to knock it off, too. It’s not helpful and by giving in to panic — or worse, being a panic-monger — progressives are weakening each other. It’s got to stop.
Yes, scary stuff may yet happen — and then again, haven’t we been through a ton of really scary shit already? And worse than that — Are there not children still in cages? Are there not Black people still being brutalized by our so-called law and order? Is there not egregious wealth inequality and people still struggling to provide food, housing and healthcare for their families?
We need to get a very firm grip on our emotions — and it’s hard because just about everyone is exhausted and traumatized by nearly 4 years of unremitting horror. I don’t mean it’s not OK to share our legitimate fears in comments, but we have to get ahold of ourselves, prepare to weather the storms of the next few months and face into it with steadfast determination. Because it is up to us to save ourselves — to rescue the children, stand by our Black neighbors, insist on a better, more just and equal world for everyone. And we CAN do it. As someone very wise once said, YES WE CAN!
The first step is realizing that trump is not all-powerful. He is a weak, sniveling, whiner and bully. His supporters include some mad people and some violent people — but these people have always been out there. So, now we face that threat openly and maybe we can defeat it once and for all. Don’s criminal backers are of course even more scary, and yet they are few in number compared to the millions of us — both here in the USA and around the world (billions, in fact) and if we keep our wits about us we can defeat them, too.
If you don’t already read Teri Kanefield, I highly recommend her blog or twitter. She has a terrific way of breaking down the complex into simple language that really hones in on the point. So I will defer to her to finish this intro:
The illegitimate *president is not invincible. It’s time to stop even giving that idea any attention at all.
Trump’s Greatest Con, Teri Kanefield, Musing About Law, Books and Politics, June 22, 2020.
Here’s how the invincibility con works: First, Trump does outrageous and shocking things. He politicizes the DOJ. He openly violates laws. The rule-breaking stokes his base. They think: “Our team will win!” Trump woke up his bored audience in Tulsa when he said, “dumb son of a bitch.” They want a rule breaker because they want to own the libs and win. The rule-breaking creates panic meltdown in the opposition. With hair on fire, they ask questions like: (From my FAQs) ← (gloom and doom “terrified” questions, can’t link in GNR) Trump supporters see the panic and think, “Wow! Trump is all-powerful!” GOP leaders see the panic and think “I’d better stay in line! I need to be on the winning side!” Trump critics also have a strong reaction. They say: ‘They’re down in the polls but they seem confident, so they must know they’ve got this in the bag.” It’s easy to panic when dealing with cheaters, but our panic helps Trump by feeding into the “he’s all powerful” narrative. (I’ve often felt frustrated by fear-mongering on the left, which increases the panic.) So rule-breaking accomplishes three things for Trump: It stokes his base, and it panics the opposition, which creates a myth of invincibility. People totally forget that the GOP lost the midterms by 8 points and have sunk further since then. x Oh, for goodness sake.
They couldn't even manage a rally in Tulsa.
The only thing Trump knows how to do is manipulate people, which he does regularly. https://t.co/XJe1EOGKGs Ã¢ÂÂ Teri Kanefield (@Teri_Kanefield) June 22, 2020
So Gnusies, one of our jobs is to encourage other progressives to stop doing the Pubs work for them! For pete’s sake, stop fellow Democrats from feeding into that self-destructive cycle, if you can! And if you can’t, then don’t participate in that self-defeating behavior. Walk/scroll away and do something useful, like write 5 more postcards, make more calls, or do whatever suits your skillset to GOTV! It is the prize. Keep your eyes on it!
And now, here’s the news:
💪🏿🏈 The Kids Are All Right 🏀💪🏿
Young people are starting to decline to be used in the evangelical school-to-voting-booth pipeline: TAYVION LAND AND KEI’TREL CLARK HAVE ENTERED THE TRANSFER PORTAL, Jon Manson, ASOR Football, June 22, 2020.
Land and Clark are both rising sophomores who were part of Coach Freeze’s first recruiting class at Liberty. Land is the highest rated recruit in school history, joining the program as a 4-star rated prospect. He played in 11 games as a true freshman last season, including starter at nickel, and finished with 23 tackles. Clark developed into a starter at corner as a true freshman in 2019. He played in all 13 games, recording 38 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack, 6 PBUs, and 1 blocked kick. Both were expected to start in 2020. Their decision comes on the heels of Liberty women’s basketball player Asia Todd who transferred, also citing racial insensitivities.
Ruth Graham’s article in Slate last week revealed that Black faculty are also leaving AND that the “university” is having trouble recruiting minority students, even with scholarship offers:
“I Suppressed So Much of My Humanity in Being Here” What it’s like to be Black at Liberty University, Ruth Graham, Slate, June 16, 2020.
In Starchia’s resignation letter, which he quoted to Slate, he wrote, “I cannot submit myself under [Falwell Jr.’s] leadership at this current time as a black employee of the university.” In response, he said, Falwell Jr. and multiple upper-level administrators called him directly to ask him to reconsider; Falwell Jr. “encouraged and pushed” him, in Starchia’s words, to read Falwell Jr.’s apology tweets. Starchia said he would think it over but ultimately decided he had to leave. “I suppressed so much of my humanity as a black and queer man in being here,” he wrote to me. He remembered being called an “Oreo” to his face, being introduced as “the black friend,” and being asked during Black History Month why there’s no White History Month. “I want to be hopeful, but until the university recognizes their past history with racism, apologizes for it, and enacts significant policy implementation from the board level,” he wrote to me, “I do not foresee any changes for students or staff.” At least two other black employees at Liberty have resigned publicly since Falwell Jr. tweeted the racist image. Keyvon Scott, an online admissions counselor, resigned June 8. “I cannot in good faith encourage people to attend a school with racially insensitive leadership and culture,” he tweeted. “It is a poor reflection of what Jesus Christ requires of us.” Christopher House, an online instructor teaching a course on intercultural communications, resigned from Liberty the day after Falwell Jr.’s tweet. A friend who is a Liberty graduate sent him the tweet in a text message, he said, and he decided immediately to leave his part-time teaching job at the school. “In that moment it was as if my ancestors rose up within me and I knew I need to resign,” he told me. “It was an automatic deal breaker.” House said he has not received any communication from anyone at the school since he stepped down. In the video posted by Whitehead, Falwell responded dismissively to a question about House, at first saying he had not heard about the resignation and then correctly noting that House “teaches two courses.” There are indications that the turmoil may affect Liberty’s ability to recruit and retain minority students, too. Star basketball player Asia Todd, a sophomore, announced on Thursday that she is planning to transfer out of the school. “Due to the racial insensitivities shown within the leadership and culture, it simply does not align with my moral compass or personal convictions,” she said in a video posted to Twitter. “Therefore, I had to do what I felt was best within my heart and stand up for what is right.” A source with connections to the Liberty athletic community told me that several high school football players in Georgia declined scholarships to Liberty in early June because of Falwell’s racial insensitivity. 👀
While in Mississippi...
x Mississippi State's star running back. https://t.co/fGVSr00G1j Ã¢ÂÂ Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 22, 2020
x Wow. Things are changing, yÃ¢ÂÂall. https://t.co/y4AVUXqAKF Ã¢ÂÂ Andrew Exum (@ExumAM) June 19, 2020
and...Nascar? 😮
And who would ever have pegged NASCAR as a champion for Black Lives Matter? Or NASCAR banning the confederate flag? Almost unbelievable, but it is true! NASCAR was urged to ban the treason flag by Bubba Wallace, driver of car 43 (Richard Petty Motorsports) who is Black, and they agreed to do it. When racist confederates were outraged and flew the flags anyway around and above the venue, NASCAR pushed back stalwartly.
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace This month, NASCAR, a bedrock of Southern culture, banned the Confederate flag from all of its events. The stunning action was taken in the wake of George Floyd's death, which has sparked worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. ✄ NASCAR's move to ban the Confederate symbol has not been embraced by all fans. Earlier in the day, a plane flying over the track dragged a Confederate flag and the message: "Defund NASCAR." The aerial protest was taking a jab at Black Lives Matter supporters who want cities to divert money from police departments and into other social programs that could prevent crime. Afterward, NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O'Donnell called the person who paid for the stunt a "jackass." O'Donnell tweeted a picture of a white and a Black hand shaking. "You won't see a photo of a jackass flying a flag over the track here...but you will see this...Hope EVERYONE enjoys the race today," O'Donnell wrote. x Hope Bubba wins it tomorrow. Ã¢ÂÂ Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) June 22, 2020
Those remarks and that pushback was included in a story about a noose being left in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall at Talladega race track. Nascar also responded to that ugly threat with full-throated support for Wallace and launched an investigation to find the perpetrators (which has since also been referred to the FBI and the US Attorney’s office). Before Monday’s race, we also learned that 82 -year old Richard Petty and his fellow drivers planned to surround and support Bubba Wallace before the race: NASCAR Drivers Reportedly Planning to Stand Around Bubba Wallace's Car for National Anthem Ahead of Geico 500, Brian Jones, PopCulture, June 22, 2020.
NASCAR drivers are going to stand with Bubba Wallace before the start of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday. According to motorsports reporter Dustin Albino, all the drivers are planning to support Wallace by "pushing [his car] to the front of the grid in unison." Everyone will then stand around the car at the start of the national anthem. This comes one day after a noose was found at Wallace's garage at Talladega Speedway. Fellow NASCAR driver Matt DiBenedetto announced on Twitter NASCAR has something special planned pre-race, but didn't mention anything about Wallace's car. NASCAR released a statement on the situation on Sunday night and already started an investigation. "Late this afternoon, NASCAR was made aware that a noose was found in the garage stall of the 43 team. We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act," NASCAR stated. "We have launched an immediate investigation, and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport." Wallace didn't see the noose but went to social media to express his disappointment that something like this happened. x NEWS: NASCAR industry sources tell me Richard Petty will attend todayÃ¢ÂÂs race at Talladega, to stand in solidarity w @BubbaWallace.
Petty, 82, has not attended a race since COVID-19 halt.
Sources told me Petty commented: Ã¢ÂÂThe most impt thing for me right now is hugging my driver.Ã¢ÂÂ Ã¢ÂÂ Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) June 22, 2020
Too many of the people standing up bravely to racism are people of color. I hope we will see more and more white people standing up, too. The times they are a-changing, people, and it is a beautiful thing.
ETA Here it is:
To quote Joyce White Vance’s tweet last night:
“America is full of surprises. We are capable of transformation.”
Magachurch power in decline?
It was always about power for the magachurch movement, not Christian agape. The co-opting of Christian identity, the lobbying for more and more control at local levels, so that people were herded into magachurch communities as their former community resources were eliminated or taken over by the evangelicals — all of it was a means to an end: to secure a psychologically captivated and reliable voting block to ensure Republican dominance in American politics (with similar movements in other countries — oh and by the way, who financed the magachurches?). With the election of trump, mainly thanks to conservative Christians, that ugly truth has been laid bare, thank goodness.
x I think most Christians would agree that Satan is an important part of Christian history, but if you put up a bunch of statues of him in your church, people might start to make assumptions about who you worship and what ideals you glorify Ã°ÂÂ¤Â·Ã°ÂÂÂ»Ã¢ÂÂÃ¢ÂÂÃ¯Â¸Â Ã¢ÂÂ Andy Ryan (@AndyBoyStory) June 16, 2020
The powerseekers behind the magachurch movement (and Christian dominionism/evangelicism) cannot control every one of their followers (though not from lack of trying). And it turns out that many people who were drawn into the evangelical movement were motivated by sincere Christian belief and principles, rather than for seeking theocratic power like the movement’s leaders. How inconvenient for the ambitions of leadership! SInce the conservative Christian movement had succeeded in becoming the only game in town in many (especially rural) places, if one wanted community and fellowship, they had little choice but to join the local magachurch for their social and spiritual needs. But that doesn’t mean they all hold the extremist views the leadership hoped to inculcate in them.
x It's obviously hard to pinpoint what specific events drive public opinion, because the protests were dominating the news coverage the last week of May.
But, that Trump picture in front of St. John's happened the day before the last tracking poll. pic.twitter.com/4f4VYgAfgw Ã¢ÂÂ Ryan Burge Ã°ÂÂÂ (@ryanburge) June 22, 2020
Trump allies see a mounting threat: Biden’s rising evangelical support, Gabby Orr, Politico, June 21, 2020.
Biden, a lifelong Catholic, has performed better in recent polling among white evangelicals — and other religious groups — than Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton did in 2016, and is widely perceived as more religious than the current White House occupant. A Pew Research study conducted earlier this year showed that a majority of U.S. adults (63 percent) think Trump is “not at all” or “not too religious,” versus 55 percent who said they believed Biden is somewhat or very religious. Many conservative evangelical leaders have argued that Biden’s positions on cultural issues — like abortion, judges and religious freedom — are disqualifying. Still, anxiety is growing inside Trump’s orbit about the former vice president’s ability to peel off Christian voters who supported him in 2016, including the 81 percent of white evangelicals he carried, according to eight administration officials, White House allies and people involved with the Trump campaign. Such an outcome could deal a fatal blow to the president’s reelection, which largely hinges on expanding his support with religious voters to compensate for enthusiasm gaps elsewhere.
Saturday’s great Speech — Rev. Dr. William Barber ii
Perhaps the time is just right for a different, better Christian message for all people of good will who want a better world for everyone:
A Tale of Two Speeches, Robert L. Borosage, The Nation, June 22, 2020.
Barber, a visionary man of the cloth in the tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is the realist. He depicts an America scarred by a “long train of abuses,” in which 140 million poor and low-income people suffer in the midst of unprecedented wealth. This is a choice, he argues, that “things don’t have to be kept the way they are.” This reality is not the product of “a single individual or a single political party alone.” It comes from a “culture cultivated since the death of Dr. King or longer.” The Poor People’s Campaign released a detailed budget and platform to address “systematic racism, poverty, ecological devastation and the false moral narrative.” Barber takes time to detail vital reforms—from universal child care to the Green New Deal, from baby bonds to the right to health care—and sensible priorities that could free up the resources to pay for them. We don’t want to go “back to normal,” Barber argues. “Normal in America got George Floyd…murdered.” It would be a mistake to “demand too little” at this time. Instead of division, Barber calls for a politics of “moral fusion,” for people to come together in a nonviolent movement. Poor and low-income people, he argues, can move the nation. In 2016, 23 million did not vote. It is time, he argues to “rise up.” Yes, Barber notes, America has a long history of dividing people, but when people come together, they can change the course. Love, he asserts, is still greater than hate. Truth is still greater than lies.
x YouTube Video
🔥🔥🔥
This interview conducted by Brianna Keilar of CNN is pure 🔥. She did not let the trump lackey off with his sneering deflections; she was ready! CNN Anchor Corners Trump Campaign Spox: Are Dead Americans ‘Funny to You?’, Justin Baragona, Daily Beast, June 22, 2020.
“You can ask it 100 different ways,” Murtaugh retorted, causing the CNN host to fire back: “And you won’t answer it.” The Trump flack would go on to repeat his talking points about the president making a factual point about increased testing resulting in more confirmed cases, leaving Keilar with the final word. “You are aware that hospitalization numbers disprove what you are saying,” she proclaimed. “That testing does not solely account for the numbers we’re seeing, including in Florida, a state you just held up as a model when it certainly is not.” “It is not funny that Americans are dying, she concluded as a stone-faced Murtaugh stood silent. “It’s not funny that they’re unemployed. Tim Murtaugh, thank you for coming on.” x Trump campaign spox Tim Murtaugh: Trump's hitting the campaign trail while Dems are telling Biden to stay in the basement.
CNN anchor Brianna Keilar: "IÃ¢ÂÂm surprised you bring it up. Because thereÃ¢ÂÂs only one person who sought refuge in a basement recently." pic.twitter.com/pYrmKdMioN Ã¢ÂÂ Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) June 22, 2020
💐 Congratulations, Dr. Obama! 💐
x CONGRATULATIONS....DR. Michelle Obama. Since her husband has been out of office, and her children out of the house, Mrs. Obama decided to complete her PHD in law. The most educated 1st lady ever, is a Black Queen! Ã¢ÂÂÃ°ÂÂÂ¾RESPECTÃ¢ÂÂÃ°ÂÂÂ¾ pic.twitter.com/HXviQWFLfd Ã¢ÂÂ Lisa Bethel-Young (@LisaBethelYoun1) June 20, 2020
🇺🇸 Democrats are Great 🇺🇸
Rep. Nadler preparing to subpoena Attorney General William Barr for testimony, Haley Talbot and Leigh Ann Caldwell, NBC News, June 22, 2020.
x BREAKING: House Judiciary Committee to subpoena Attorney General Barr, use DOJ budget as leverage to encourage appearance pic.twitter.com/kCsbJkARlc Ã¢ÂÂ Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) June 23, 2020
Texas Democrats are great!
Texas Democrats have not given up on getting everyone in Texas the right to vote absentee/by mail. They have asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the case, and if SCOTUS does, and if it upholds the district court’s decision, then that could have ramifications for several other states as well:
Texas Dems Turn To SCOTUS In Push To Expand Absentee Voting, Tierney Sneed, TPM, June 16, 2020.
Texas’ Democratic Party on Tuesday asked for the Supreme Court to intervene in the federal case it has brought against Texas’ restrictions on absentee voting. Democrats argue that Texas’ current regime — which allows any voter 65 or older to vote absentee, but restricts the practice for voters younger than that unless they meet certain requirements — is a violation on the Constitution’s 26th Amendment, which bars age-based voter discrimination. A federal district court judge agreed with the Dems’ arguments, but that decision was formally put on hold earlier this month by the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Texas Democrats are now asking for the Supreme Court to either immediately reinstate the trial judge’s decision expanding absentee voting or to hear the case on the merits as soon as possible, even before the appeals court hands down its final judgement. Around eight states have age-based absentee restrictions similar to Texas’ on their books, according to Dunn, but many of them have expanded absentee voting due to the pandemic. Louisiana and Mississippi have similar age restrictions on absentee voting, and have not yet said how they will handle pandemic voting in November.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) plans to introduce legislation to create a Dept. of Reconciliation, which could be a start on repairing the damage wrought by 400 years of institutional and systemic racism: Revelers and Protesters Gather in DC to Celebrate the Day the Last Slaves Were Freed, Brandi Buchman and Jack Rodgers, Courthouse News, June 19, 2020.
Democratic resolve. Democratic hero. “I do believe that what started as a moment of action … the Black Live Matter actions that took place, has become a movement,” Green said, noting that it has reached into “corporate personalities” and resulted in an about face from the NFL. “It is so pervasive now that it has taken on the proverbial life of its own. It’s growing exponentially,” he said. For the lawmaker, the next step is to execute some of the demands laid out by Black Lives Matter and “augment” it with a federal watchdog. “The movement can go on and we can’t say how long but if we can get a Department of Reconciliation, it will promote the continuation of the movement,” Green said. The proposed cabinet level-department would be staffed with a secretary just like other federal agencies such as the Department or Education or the Department of Defense. Under the proposed legislation, which has 22 cosponsors, the Reconciliation Department would be funded through 10% of the Defense Department’s overall budget. In that office, Green noted, a strategy could be developed to “eliminate racism and invidious discrimination” and by funding it this way, it’s less likely to be “starved to death.” x Reconciliation.
Human rights and dignity.
Transformative change.
Freedom, liberty, equity.
Joy. Empowerment.
The arc of the moral universe is indeed long. And there are those applying the above to bend it toward real justice.
More inside by me & @JackRodgersCNS https://t.co/ps4bDbp5oI pic.twitter.com/lac5j0SdUS Ã¢ÂÂ Brandi Buchman (@BBuchman_CNS) June 20, 2020
Illinois Dems are great!
In a Wednesday press conference, Gov. JB Pritzker announced the ban on evictions is being extended until July 31. Pritzker said one in three people missed their rent or mortgage payments last month due to financial losses from COVID-19. This prompted him to allocate $900 million in relief funds with help from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. A third of this money will go toward two housing relief programs: the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program and the Emergency Mortgage Assistance (EMA) Program. x According to Gov. Pritzker, one in three people missed their rent or mortgage payments last month due to financial losses from COVID-19.
(Photo: Getty Images)https://t.co/mNo1pVzMXU Ã¢ÂÂ WICS ABC 20 (@wics_abc20) June 19, 2020
Maryland Dems are great!
How a West Baltimore nursing home has zero COVID-19 infections , Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, June 18, 2020.
Masks were dispensed to all the residents. Community meals were eliminated, and residents ate in their rooms. Employees were provided food so they would not have to go out for lunch or dinner. Rooms with one television and two residents got a second TV to help meet social distancing. The nursing home hired an extra activities coordinator to visit with residents, coach them through daily exercises, play board games with them or take them for walks. This was particularly important because, says DeWitt, up to half of his residents have no relatives who visit them, and he was concerned they would feel even more isolated during the pandemic. DeWitt and his staff did all this before seeing directives from government agencies. “We didn’t wait for guidance from the Centers for Disease Control or from the Maryland Department of Health or from Baltimore City,” he says. “We did what we thought was prudent at the very beginning of the pandemic.”
Down Ballot and State Races MATTER!
x We are done with Ã¢ÂÂShoot First,Ã¢ÂÂ or Ã¢ÂÂStand Your Ground.Ã¢ÂÂ You can defend yourself all day long, but if you want to chase down a 17-year-old boy with a bag of Skittles in his hand & murder him, youÃ¢ÂÂll have no ground to stand on.
Dropped today Ã¢ÂÂ bill number coming soon! pic.twitter.com/xiTwe37ZGv Ã¢ÂÂ Bee Nguyen Ã°ÂÂÂ (@BeeForGeorgia) June 15, 2020
x YouTube Video
🐘‼ Pubs in a Panic ‼🐘
GOP strategists go on profane rants about Trump’s campaign as they panic about 2020 ‘wipeout’
All the strategists interviewed by Vice said that they’ve been seeing Trump’s approval numbers plunge in states across the country, which they warned would lead to a massive defeat this fall unless things started changing drastically. “The environment really sucks for us right now,” one strategist working on GOP congressional races said. “We’ve got a worldwide pandemic, the economy is slipping and now we have a race war tacked on. If the election were held today, we’d be talking about a wipeout. We’d be in landslide territory.” “Trump has to get his sh*t together and his campaign has to get their sh*t together, or it’s going to be really problematic,” they said. “It would be catastrophic.” And another GOP strategist feared that, as bad as the environment is now, it’s possible that it will get worse for the president in the coming months.
“BRAD REALLY S--T THE BED SATURDAY NIGHT”: AFTER TULSA CATASTROPHE, PARSCALE—AND KUSHNER—IS AT THE TOP OF TRUMP’S HIT LIST, Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair, June 22, 2020.
The blame game has shifted into high gear. Trump insiders told me Trump was presented with five options of where to hold his rally. “The president chose Tulsa,” a source said. Sources also told me that if Parscale is forced out, he likely won’t be the only casualty of the rally fiasco. Trump is debating revoking his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s control over the campaign, sources said. As I previously reported, Trump has been frustrated with Kushner’s oversight of the campaign in light of polling that consistently shows Trump losing to Joe Biden. Another source of friction has been campaign spending and reports Trump has gotten that Parscale is making millions of dollars. “Did Jared allow this?” Trump asked advisers recently, according to a source. (Kushner declined to comment.) One way to measure Kushner’s diminished influence will be found in whom Trump would choose to replace Parscale. Top candidates include 2016 veterans Miller, David Bossie, and Corey Lewandowski, all of whom Kushner successfully kept on the outer fringe of Trumpworld. “We can’t allow Jared’s stupid disagreements to get in the way,” Trump recently told advisers, according to a source briefed on the conversation. Other Trump insiders are skeptical that Lewandowski would be put in charge of such a vast operation. “Corey was great when it was just Trump and an airplane. But let’s face it, he couldn’t manage a 7-Eleven,” a person close to Trump said. “The serious operation will be run by serious people.” The Tulsa debacle takes on added resonance given that a return to rallies is central to Trump’s reelection strategy. With COVID cases spiking across Trump country, it’s unlikely that Trump will be able to pack an arena anytime soon. Deprived of the oxygen his legions of fans provide, Trump is struggling to fight political wars on multiple fronts. He’s also lost the attack line that Biden is too old for the job. “There is something off about Trump,” a West Wing official told a top Republican a few days after Trump shakily descended the ramp at West Point. “He doesn’t have the stamina.”
For Now, Donald Trump and William Barr Are Losing Their Way, David Rohde, The New Yorker, June 23, 2020.
In a sign of how quickly Trump and Barr’s political standing is shifting, one of Trump’s most fawning backers in the Senate, Lindsey Graham, indicated on Saturday that he would not support the nomination of Clayton, who has no experience as a prosecutor. Graham is locked in a tight reëlection race with Jaime Harrison, the Democratic challenger, in South Carolina. After other Senate Republicans declined to support Clayton, Barr agreed to appoint Berman’s deputy, Audrey Strauss, as an interim U.S. Attorney, following standard practice. Former federal prosecutors in New York said that Strauss, like Berman, would defy pressure to quash politically embarrassing investigations. “None of the office’s work will be compromised,” Samidh Guha, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the office, told the Washington Post. ✄ Meanwhile, Trump’s handling of the pandemic, the concurrent recession, and the nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd have, for now, driven his poll numbers down. Bolton, the former Defense Secretary James Mattis, and other former senior Administration officials have publicly declared Trump a danger to American democracy. Barr, for his part, continues to double-down on enabling and defending Trump. Last Monday, Barr dismissed Bolton’s claim that the President intervenes in criminal cases to aid autocrats and allies. Five days later, Barr tried to remove Berman. On Sunday, Barr again defended Trump in a Fox News interview, warned of mob rule, and said that mail-in voting “opens the floodgates to fraud.” On Monday morning, Trump tweeted a link to Barr’s interview and then exaggerated his claim, falsely stating that foreign governments are printing millions of fake mail-in ballots, and that the November vote is already “FIXED.” The Justice Department official told me that the Attorney General is defending the Presidency, not merely this particular President, and that Barr is taking the actions because he feels they are right, not because of pressure from Trump. The official added that Barr has no regrets and intends to serve through the November election, noting that “Bill Barr is his own man. He would not say something that he doesn’t believe.” Who finds Bill Barr convincing? Increasingly, not the judges, not the prosecutors, and not, if one believes the polls, the American public.
And Barr may really be skating on thin ice with CJ John Roberts: The Supreme Court May Be Tired of Bill Barr, Dahlia Lithwick, Slate, June 22, 2020.
The endless end of term will reveal the extent of Roberts’ disdain for a DOJ that wants the court to do the unpopular work of allowing LGBTQ discrimination, gutting DACA, and punishing sanctuary cities, all as DOJ lawyers turn in shoddy work and indefensible analysis. Roberts was already bored of such conduct in last year’s census cases. It remains to be seen whether he will sign off on the extreme work product behind the president’s financial records claims. For those who were sorely disappointed by Roberts’ refusal to use the Senate impeachment trial to slap back at Trump and Trumpism, that ask was, at least in my view, always too public and too dramatic of a man who doesn’t want to be in the limelight any more than necessary. John Roberts was never one to go mano a mano against the president. But just as Barr seems to be happy to dismantle the rule of law brick by brick, in the dark of night, over years, the chief justice may be prepared to thwart him, case by case, brick by brick, in narrow opinions that draw little attention in the moment but land a body blow in the aggregate. Right now, Barr appears to be unstoppable simply because he is determined to use the power and prestige of the Justice Department to fight Trump’s most trivial and demeaning personal battles. But as lawyers inside the DOJ and throughout the country give voice to their concerns, they may have an ally on the inside who hates the corrosion of justice and law as much as they do. It’s easy to characterize Barr as unstoppable simply because no amount of public outrage seems to stop him. But at some point, Barr will possibly go too far for John Roberts, and that may be the beginning of the end—and it may have already begun.
Here’s a headline that frankly made my blood run cold. It says a lot about trump and the Pubs that a headline like this instantly made me think they meant targeting women as scapegoats, victims, etc. However, they only mean focusing on women as a voting bloc. And it looks like it hasn’t been going well...because trump simply cannot stop himself from effing up.
As Trump slumps, his campaign fixes on a target: Women, Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, June 22, 2020.
At the core of the erosion is a dramatic abandonment of Trump by key demographic groups. The rebellion by college-educated women against the president in 2018, which gave Democrats control of the U.S. House via victories in the suburbs, has begun to register more deeply in recent months among non-college-educated and older women. ✄ Just 4½ months from the election, an already historic partisan gender gap appears to be solidifying, with Biden enjoying a 23-point lead over Trump among female voters, up from the 14-point edge for Hillary Clinton in 2016, according to a Washington Post average of current national polls, 2016 exit polling and a Pew survey of confirmed voters. Trump still has an advantage among white non-college-educated women, winning them by 14 points, compared with college-educated women, whom Biden wins by 28 points. But both groups have moved in the Democrats’ direction since 2016, by 11 points among those without college degrees and 12 points among those with degrees.
And what is this even about? Utter chaos, as usual, in the conservative ranks:
x Navarro says the U.S.-China trade deal is dead. Larry Kudlow says no, it isnÃ¢ÂÂt. Trump tweets that the deal is intact 20 minutes later. Meanwhile, Mnuchin says Trump is considering decoupling the U.S. and Chinese economies. What is happening? Ã¢ÂÂ Daniel DePetris (@DanDePetris) June 23, 2020
Plus! While we are waiting for the SCOTUS decisions on trump’s taxes and financial information, don’t forget that there are other cases in federal courts upon which numerous trump associates are anxiously waiting (cough Alan Dershowitz cough)!
x In case you were wondering why the Dershbag was tweeting today, a federal judge may rule on unsealing documents that could describe involvement in crimes of other prominent figures besides Epstein.
If his name comes up, let me just say: Couldn't happen to a Dersher bag. Ã¢ÂÂ Dean Gloster (@deangloster) June 23, 2020
✔ Primary Elections ✔
Today is Primary day in Kentucky and New York. Both states allow early and absentee (mail) voting.
There have been some alarmed headlines about the reduced number of polling places in that state from 3700 to 200. Difficult, yes and it’s not going to stop determined Americans from voting (who were also given good guidance by their Dem governor). We know the Rs are going to pull every stunt they can as they are desperately trying to hang on to power. But we are the majority and we will come out in such numbers that even their voter suppression tactics will not be able to overcome the wave. The Primaries are a dress rehearsal for November. In many states, improvements will be in place. In others, Rs will double sown to try to prevent us from voting. It won’t stop us.
Meanwhile, if you’re seeing people monging panics about this, here’s some calming perspective from an actual expert in Kentucky:
x KENTUCKY PRIMARY ELECTION THREAD:
There have been so many national "takes" about the "debacle" that will surely occur on Tuesday in KY. How about we use real numbers and real facts: a thread 1/ Ã¢ÂÂ Josh Douglas (@JoshuaADouglas) June 22, 2020
📈 Ignore the Polls! (Except the good ones!) 📉
Polls must be taken with a big scoop of salt — because they are only as good as flawed human pollsters can measure: at best, a brief snapshot in time of human reactions to carefully worded questions meant to elicit evidence for a trend in public opinion. A cleverly worded question could get an “approves of trump” response from a liberal! Seriously. It’s not that they don’t tell us anything, but bear in mind that part of the work of polling is to help shape public opinion as much as to measure it. (This is why campaigns have their own “internal polling” by which they hope to measure public opinion more accurately than the “public” polls are designed to do).
Still, the polling business has an interest in providing at least some useful information so they can hold the interest of the public (and of course keep the public willing to participate in polls!), so it’s OK to feel encouraged by “good” polls, and it’s understandable to feel a little let down by “bad” ones. Let’s try to temper our enthusiasm (or disappointment) by remembering that polls can be designed to be tools used (often by media) to ensure a horse race narrative, which means they will of course “narrow” as the election draws near, they will show ups and downs for each party after a particularly good or bad week for one or the other to help them bounce back and keep the horse race going. That’s how pollsters stay in business and grow their businesses.
The only poll that matters is the one on November 3rd. GOTMFV.
OK, having said all that — check out this poll! 😜 It’s very nice to see Biden polling well above 50%. Go ahead and enjoy it (responsibly 😉)! (Click on the link to read all the stuff they polled — it’s interesting).
⚡ Lightning RoundUp ⚡
⚡ Yer Wonkette: Mopey Loser Moping About Losing Election Four Months In Advance, Evan Hurst, Wonkette, June 22, 2020.
⚡ Bonus Wonkette! Blessed Day! John Bolton Is In A Heap Of Sh*t. Liz Dye, Wonkette, June 22, 2020.
⚡ Helpful: How superspreading is fueling the pandemic — and how we can stop it, Katherine Harmon Courage, Vox, June 22, 2020.
⚡ Interesting longer read: What Fiona Hill Learned in the White House, Adam Entous, The New Yorker, June 22, 2020. “We’re doing this to ourselves now. The Russians don’t have to do a thing.”
⚡ 🔥 Americans Need to Know the Truth About William Barr's Friday Night Massacre. We Can't Afford to Wait, Joyce White Vance, Time, June 22, 2020.
⚡😀 Some wins Trump can extract from his Tulsa rally, Alexandra Petri, Washington Post (humor), June 22, 2020.
⚡Couldn’t happen to 2 more deserving fellas: As Bill Barr Flails, Trump Is Losing His Roy Cohn, Joan Walsh, The Nation, June 22, 2020.
⚡ The Lincoln Project, explained: George Conway-backed Lincoln Project hopes to make Trump's "worst nightmare" come true, Roger Sollenberger, Salon, June 22, 2020.
⚡ Black Senate candidates could make history in 2020, Alexi McCammond, Axios, June 22, 2020.
⚡ 6 things to watch in Tuesday’s primaries, Bridget Bowman, et al, RollCall, June 22, 2020.
⚡ A positive collective experience! The Black Lives Matter Protests Are Running on Much More Than Anger | Opinion, Joan Cook, Newsweek, June 19, 2020.
⚡Popular mystery department: Why it feels like there are a lot more fireworks this year, Matthew Yglesias, Vox, June 22, 2020.
⚡ Important background for coming SCOTUS decisions: The right v. John Roberts, Sam Baker, Axios, June 21, 2020.
🔗 Helpful Links 🔗
Good News: You can still help save the world in self-isolation!
Here’s a bunch of links to help you stay involved at home:
Joe Biden’s Action Website
Act Blue — fundraising for Democratic candidates in one easy site.
Don’t you think it’s too hot to cook, brother?
I think it is too hot to cook!
Vote Forward — whether organizing an effort to encourage voter registration, including providing addressees with voter registration forms — or working toward the BIG SEND (millions of letters to voters arriving in mailboxes in late October),this is one of several “do it at home” projects through which many of us can really make a difference. Voter to voter initiatives have a track record of increasing voter turnout. The Vote Forward letter system is ideal for those who want to contribute but can’t write too much. The letter templates are provided and all you do is put in a line or two of your own and make sure the letters get to the voters on your list!
Postcards to Voters — Our own gnusie, Progressive Muse posts most days with information about PtV and updates on current campaigns and progress. This is the ideal “do it at home” contribution especially suited to those who enjoy getting a little creative and connecting with fellow voters around the country.
Fair Fight — Stacey Abrams’ initiative which has already made a difference in several elections! Find out how you can help out at this link.
Spread the Vote — wonderful organization which works hard to help eligible voters obtain valid ID so they can register and vote.
From Kat at Spread the Vote:
There are a few ways you can help from home (please stay home!!!!!): . These items are going to our partners on the ground (shelters, food banks, etc.) who are still serving our clients and communities. Buy an item or two from our AMAZON WISH LIST . These items are going to our partners on the ground (shelters, food banks, etc.) who are still serving our clients and communities. Donate to Spread The Vote so that we can keep working today and, most importantly, have the funds we need to hit the ground running when this crisis is over. 12 states , ! We’ll be hosting regular training sessions and we’re moving up our bi-annual Volunteer Virtual Summit so that everyone is ready to go on day one. If you live in one of our sign up to volunteer ! We’ll be hosting regular training sessions and we’re moving up our bi-annual Volunteer Virtual Summit so that everyone is ready to go on day one. If you don’t live in one of our states, follow us at @spreadthevoteus on all of the social media channels and help spread the word about how this pandemic is affecting the most vulnerable people in the country. I can’t thank you enough for always standing by us and I really really beg you to please stay home, #flattenthecurve, and watch as much Netflix as humanly possible. We will get through this together.
And finally, for one-stop all-purpose voter information (check your registration!):
Everything you need to know to vote — This site covers everything any eligible voter needs to know, from how to register, how to check that you are still registered, how to obtain an absentee ballot and what to do if your right to vote is challenged or you are stopped from voting.
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
There’s been a lot going on, Gnusies, and it’s important to keep our eyes on the prize. We must pour all our available time and energy into GOTV efforts.
Zzzzzzzzzz!
It’s also important to look after yourself and your loved ones. Eat nutritious food, get enough rest and try to spend some time outdoors each day, if you are able. When you need to take a break, take a break. The rest of us will carry on and then when you come back someone else can take a break. Together, we will get through these last months of the nightmare and we will save our country.
I’m rushing to beat the deadline now, and the Curlygirl is sound asleep here on the floor as dawn is stealing across the city. Happy Tuesday, Newsies — let’s see what the day has in store for us!
💙 Happy Tuesday, Gnusies! 💙


dailykos--2020-06-24--In light of recent events I need help.

In light of recent events I need help.

I have not been feeling mentally well , and recent events are not helping me feel positive or optimistic about @ @ @ @ @ like something bad is going tot happen and I am afraid of another traumatic experience @ @ @ @ @ I know there is still problems in creating social gatherings due to covid-19 but I @ @ @ @ @ from my fellow kossacks to keep myself sane .
is there some way of socializing @ @ @ @ @

I have not been feeling mentally well, and recent events are not helping me feel positive or optimistic about the future. I feel like something bad is going tot happen and I am afraid of another traumatic experience like the 2016 elections.
I know there is still problems in creating social gatherings due to covid-19 but I feel like I need help from my fellow kossacks to keep myself sane. is there some way of socializing that we could do?


dailykos--2020-06-25--Military units cannot fundraise for politicians, nor endorse them. Why can police unions?

One of the greatest strengths of our nation is that our military , by tradition and law , does not engage in politics , because the dangers of doing so are far too high .
But police unions , who view themselves as a sort of military , frequently referring to citizens as “ civilians ” , despite the fact they themselves are civilians , do so as a matter of course , in order to influence elections in their favor .
There are many examples of police unions threatening political candidates with “ soft on crime ” smear campaigns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less oversight from elected officials .
Most of the calls for reform are resisted by police , frequently violently .
Most attempts at reform are rendered toothless by police unions .
Police unions , like the military and for the same reasons , should be barred from engaging in political activities of any sort , and to criminalize threats to politicians made in order to influence policies , because as with the military engaging in politics the results are very negative to society .
Police officers would be free to exercise their political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in allowing their unions the freedom to intimidate candidates or elected officials must end .
Police unions are unique among unions , as they exist more to protect their members from legal and moral accountability than to address normal union concerns .
They enjoy protected status from right-wing politicians because they are almost exclusively right-wing anti-democratic organizations .
In every state where state employees are forbidden to unionize , police are the one set allowed and supported , hardly equal treatment before the law .
As a union member myself , while I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I can see the clear differences between my union and the destructive activity of police unions .
Of course the other solution is to ban police unions altogether as terrorist organizations .
There is ample evidence in the current police riots against peaceful protesters that their intent is to terrorize citizens to prevent them from exercising their constitutional rights .
In that they protect clearly criminal cops who violate policy , laws , and morals , they could rightfully be regarded as criminal organizations .
No reform will ever work so long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power for personal protection from justice by co-opting politicians to do their bidding .

One of the greatest strengths of our nation is that our military, by tradition and law, does not engage in politics, because the dangers of doing so are far too high.
But police unions, who view themselves as a sort of military, frequently referring to citizens as “civilians”, despite the fact they themselves are civilians, do so as a matter of course, in order to influence elections in their favor. There are many examples of police unions threatening political candidates with “soft on crime” smear campaigns in order to extract greater budgets and less oversight from elected officials.
Most of the calls for reform are resisted by police, frequently violently. Most attempts at reform are rendered toothless by police unions.
Police unions, like the military and for the same reasons, should be barred from engaging in political activities of any sort, and to criminalize threats to politicians made in order to influence policies, because as with the military engaging in politics the results are very negative to society.
Police officers would be free to exercise their political rights as individuals, but the dangers in allowing their unions the freedom to intimidate candidates or elected officials must end.
Police unions are unique among unions, as they exist more to protect their members from legal and moral accountability than to address normal union concerns. They enjoy protected status from right-wing politicians because they are almost exclusively right-wing anti-democratic organizations. In every state where state employees are forbidden to unionize, police are the one set allowed and supported, hardly equal treatment before the law. As a union member myself, while I support unions in principle and in general, I can see the clear differences between my union and the destructive activity of police unions.
Of course the other solution is to ban police unions altogether as terrorist organizations. There is ample evidence in the current police riots against peaceful protesters that their intent is to terrorize citizens to prevent them from exercising their constitutional rights. In that they protect clearly criminal cops who violate policy, laws, and morals, they could rightfully be regarded as criminal organizations.
No reform will ever work so long as police unions continue to wield outsized power for personal protection from justice by co-opting politicians to do their bidding.


dailykos--2020-06-25--Former Republican Presidential Candidate Carly Fiorina Endorses Biden

Carly Fiorina is a life-long Republican and her Republican pedigree credentials are as good as you will find .
The @ @ @ @ @ in charge of fund raising for the Republican National Committee in 2008 .
She unsuccessfully @ @ @ @ @ the Republican nominee against Barbara Boxer in 2010 .
She is a former co-chair of @ @ @ @ @ Caucus ) .
Fiorina ran for President as a Republican in 2016 .
When her @ @ @ @ @ accepted Ted Cruz 's offer to be his Vice Presidential candidate .

Carly Fiorina is a life-long Republican and her Republican pedigree credentials are as good as you will find. The former head of Hewlitt-Packard was in charge of fund raising for the Republican National Committee in 2008. She unsuccessfully ran for the Senate as the Republican nominee against Barbara Boxer in 2010. She is a former co-chair of CPAC (Conservative Political Action Caucus). Fiorina ran for President as a Republican in 2016. When her own campaign failed, she accepted Ted Cruz's offer to be his Vice Presidential candidate.


dailykos--2020-06-26--America's Coronvirus Story: Wasted Pain

America's Coronvirus Story: Wasted Pain

On Facebook I regularly post graphs of my own creation relating to Coronavirus issues .
On Sunday I told friends on Facebook that : “ The coming week could see new national records in new cases per day.
” Yesterday I told you we just missed that record on Wednesday and could break the record with Thursday ’ s figures .
Say whatever else you want about me , but I know what I ’ m doing .
Yesterday saw an all time high in new Coronavirus cases for the United States .
With over 40,000 new cases we blew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 37,000 set on April 24th .
This is infuriating and every American who made sacrifices to prevent it should be furious at our national leadership who did not merely allow this to happen , he made it happen .
It did not have to be this way .
Every other nation has done better as proven by this graph prepared by CNN .
If you support Trump , if you think as he claims , that he did the best that could be done in this crisis , ask yourself why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better than America .
Now we find ourselves , not back to where we were , but worse and getting even worse .
All that pain of social isolation , staying at home for weeks and weeks , all the ravaging of our economy with thousands of businesses ruined and tens of millions out of work , has been wasted .
Our national policy on this is the biggest failure in the world .
The reason is that our national leader has produced that failure .
Last night Donald Trump appeared on Hannity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , “ if we didn ’ t do testing , we ’ d have no cases.
” Notwithstanding the self evident insanity of that statement , sycophant Hannity did not challenge it at all in this staged propaganda session .
Do you think those EU nations eliminated their cases by not testing ?
No .
They tested so much that they found asymptomatic cases and informed those positive individuals to self isolate and they did extensive contact tracing to find other at risk individuals who were then tested and isolated as needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Instead , our President is pleading with health officials to “ slow down testing ” and is closing testing centers in states like Texas that now lead the nation in new cases .
Those other nations did it by banning indoor mass meetings completely , and requiring wearing masks when out in public , particularly when indoors .
Their leaders led by example , wearing masks themselves and making a point to be seen social distancing .
Instead Donald Trump mocks those who wear masks .
He suggests that not wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters to show their loyalty for him .
He refuses to wear a mask himself .
He holds mass , indoor political rallies where almost no one wears masks because of the above messages from our President .
It is America that is now being subject to travel bans .
Our President has made us China .
Worse than China .
He lied to you months ago as this problem built .
He lies to you now as it surges to record levels , still telling you in defiance of plain facts that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may not believe this reality-defying insanity is not the point .
Enough do that they abandon the common sense precautions of social distancing and wearing a mask .
They heed Trump ’ s call to show their loyalty to him by not wearing a mask and going out .
In doing so they put not just themselves but everyone else at risk .
States are already beginning to backtrack on reopening .
The economic recovery , so desperately needed by so many millions of Americans , is imperiled .
And it did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I fear it is too late .
I ’ d say the Coronavirus horse is out of the barn , but it was never put in the barn to begin with .

On Facebook I regularly post graphs of my own creation relating to Coronavirus issues. On Sunday I told friends on Facebook that: “The coming week could see new national records in new cases per day.” Yesterday I told you we just missed that record on Wednesday and could break the record with Thursday’s figures.
Say whatever else you want about me, but I know what I’m doing. Yesterday saw an all time high in new Coronavirus cases for the United States. With over 40,000 new cases we blew past the prior record of a bit more than 37,000 set on April 24th.
This is infuriating and every American who made sacrifices to prevent it should be furious at our national leadership who did not merely allow this to happen, he made it happen. It did not have to be this way. Every other nation has done better as proven by this graph prepared by CNN.
If you support Trump, if you think as he claims, that he did the best that could be done in this crisis, ask yourself why every nation in the EU did much better than America.
Now we find ourselves, not back to where we were, but worse and getting even worse. All that pain of social isolation, staying at home for weeks and weeks, all the ravaging of our economy with thousands of businesses ruined and tens of millions out of work, has been wasted. Our national policy on this is the biggest failure in the world. The reason is that our national leader has produced that failure.
Last night Donald Trump appeared on Hannity for a “town hall” and said, “if we didn’t do testing, we’d have no cases.” Notwithstanding the self evident insanity of that statement, sycophant Hannity did not challenge it at all in this staged propaganda session.
Do you think those EU nations eliminated their cases by not testing? No. They tested so much that they found asymptomatic cases and informed those positive individuals to self isolate and they did extensive contact tracing to find other at risk individuals who were then tested and isolated as needed. That’s how they did it. Instead, our President is pleading with health officials to “slow down testing” and is closing testing centers in states like Texas that now lead the nation in new cases.
Those other nations did it by banning indoor mass meetings completely, and requiring wearing masks when out in public, particularly when indoors. Their leaders led by example, wearing masks themselves and making a point to be seen social distancing. Instead Donald Trump mocks those who wear masks. He suggests that not wearing a mask is a means for his supporters to show their loyalty for him. He refuses to wear a mask himself. He holds mass, indoor political rallies where almost no one wears masks because of the above messages from our President. It is America that is now being subject to travel bans. Our President has made us China. Worse than China.
He lied to you months ago as this problem built. He lies to you now as it surges to record levels, still telling you in defiance of plain facts that it has gone away. That you may not believe this reality-defying insanity is not the point. Enough do that they abandon the common sense precautions of social distancing and wearing a mask. They heed Trump’s call to show their loyalty to him by not wearing a mask and going out. In doing so they put not just themselves but everyone else at risk.
States are already beginning to backtrack on reopening. The economic recovery, so desperately needed by so many millions of Americans, is imperiled. And it did not have to be this way. Sadly I fear it is too late. I’d say the Coronavirus horse is out of the barn, but it was never put in the barn to begin with.


dailykos--2020-06-27--Richard Thripp for Congress (Florida’s 6th District): WJXT News4Jax Voter's Guide 2020 Responses

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office can not ?
I am well-organized and disciplined .
I 'm a published author and academic editor with an eye for details .
I work well with others and get stuff done .
I 'll take the same skills and work ethic to Congress .
I 'm an advocate for hard-working Central Floridians .
I 've studied our government , and I 've researched financial education and our economy .
I talk with Ambassador Nancy Soderberg regularly .
I take advice from experts .
I adjust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We need to expect this from our politicians !
I 'm a local born and raised in Daytona Beach who actually knows the district , unlike the incumbent .
I will put a district office in mid-town Daytona Beach to help our underserved communities there .
We wo n't be hiding in an unmarked office building in DeLand like the incumbent .
We will set a national example for constituent service !
Turning the tide on the climate crisis so kids and grandkids have an inhabitable earth .
Restoring the American dream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fully funding K–16 education .
I will be a champion for racial justice .
We need to do it comprehensively .
People of color have the deck stacked against them from the beginning .
In addition to overhauling the way we do policing , we need bold federal funding and action on items like healthcare , education , childcare , and housing .
We need to fully staff and fund our IRS , close our $ 450 billion annual tax gap , repeal and replace the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inequality is out of control in this country and has only gotten worse in the past few years .
I support a universal basic income for all Americans ( Andrew Yang 's freedom dividend ) , which is a part of the 2016 Black Lives Matter platform .
COVID-19 is a wake-up call .
We ca n't elect incompetent blowhards who lie , attack everyone , and treat a pandemic like a public relations problem .
Politicians should not be for sale to the highest bidder .
We need facts , truth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hatred , and propaganda .
We could have contained COVID-19 early if this administration would have listened to reason .
Instead , it spread to every county and state , costing us trillions of dollars , tens of millions of jobs , and hundreds of thousands of American lives .
Locking down our economy was a last-ditch maneuver .
We did n't do it right , and it should never have been an unfunded mandate for our middle class and small businesses .
When we needed leadership , we got abdication and destruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seat our failed excuse for a governor , Ron DeSantis , previously held .
All of America , and Florida in particular , is now seen as pitiable , weak , and pathetic due to failed Republican leadership .
We must never let this happen again !

My answers to the WJXT News4Jax TV station's Election 2020 Voter's Guide. Enjoy!
June 27, 2020
Name: Richard Thripp
Seeking which office: U.S. House, 6th district
Party affiliation: Democratic
Age: 28
Candidate's family: Not notable
Occupation: Adjunct Faculty
Education: PhD in Education
Political experience: Neophyte
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
Change for the Many: Restore the American Dream for All Americans
Protect and Expand Our Social Safety Nets: Social Security, Medicare, & Beyond
Look to the Future: Fully Fund Education & a Green New Deal (A Bright Future for Our Kids)
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I am well-organized and disciplined. I'm a published author and academic editor with an eye for details. I work well with others and get stuff done. I'll take the same skills and work ethic to Congress. I'm an advocate for hard-working Central Floridians. I've studied our government, and I've researched financial education and our economy.
I talk with Ambassador Nancy Soderberg regularly. I take advice from experts. I adjust course and apologize when I'm wrong. We need to expect this from our politicians!
I'm a local born and raised in Daytona Beach who actually knows the district, unlike the incumbent. I will put a district office in mid-town Daytona Beach to help our underserved communities there. We won't be hiding in an unmarked office building in DeLand like the incumbent. We will set a national example for constituent service!
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
Turning the tide on the climate crisis so kids and grandkids have an inhabitable earth. Restoring the American dream through progressive reforms such as universal healthcare and fully funding K–16 education.
If elected how would you address the calls for racial justice?
I will be a champion for racial justice. We need to do it comprehensively. People of color have the deck stacked against them from the beginning. In addition to overhauling the way we do policing, we need bold federal funding and action on items like healthcare, education, childcare, and housing. We need to fully staff and fund our IRS, close our $450 billion annual tax gap, repeal and replace the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, and end insane military campaigns. Wealth inequality is out of control in this country and has only gotten worse in the past few years. I support a universal basic income for all Americans (Andrew Yang's freedom dividend), which is a part of the 2016 Black Lives Matter platform.
What challenges does COVID-19 present to the office you are seeking?
COVID-19 is a wake-up call. We can't elect incompetent blowhards who lie, attack everyone, and treat a pandemic like a public relations problem. Politicians should not be for sale to the highest bidder. We need facts, truth, and expert advice, not division, hatred, and propaganda.
I would be doing big events, shaking hands, and meeting thousands of voters if COVID-19 didn't occur. We're a scrappy underdog campaign with enthusiastic volunteers all over the district and country. We've had to improvise with a big focus on social media, text banking, and contactless canvassing (items like door hangers).
We could have contained COVID-19 early if this administration would have listened to reason. Instead, it spread to every county and state, costing us trillions of dollars, tens of millions of jobs, and hundreds of thousands of American lives. Locking down our economy was a last-ditch maneuver. We didn't do it right, and it should never have been an unfunded mandate for our middle class and small businesses. When we needed leadership, we got abdication and destruction. I'm running for the congressional seat our failed excuse for a governor, Ron DeSantis, previously held. All of America, and Florida in particular, is now seen as pitiable, weak, and pathetic due to failed Republican leadership. We must never let this happen again!


dailykos--2020-06-27--Supreme Court DACA Decision – It was about politics – of providing a “reasonable” executive order

On June 17 , 2020 , the Supreme Court ruled that the 700,000 immigrants , who were minors when they were brought into the US without immigration papers , would continue to be protected from being deported .
The media largely focused on the humane impact the decision would have on the many lives whose future depended on it .
But the decision seemed to rely more on a nuanced legal interpretation of the Trump Administration ’ s failure to follow the proper procedures to invalidate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program ( DACA ) .
A reading of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And , as President Trump tweeted that it was about politics - it did come into play .
Since President Obama established DACA in 2012 by Executive Order , these immigrants have had a temporary legal status if they graduated from high school or were honorably discharged from the military , and if they passed a background check .
Thereby they have been allowed to work and attend school legally in the U.S. One government study found that more than 90 percent of DACA recipients are employed and 45 percent were in school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having 200,000 children of their own who are U.S. citizens , and they collectively pay $ 60 billion in taxes each year .
Donald Trump campaigned for president on eliminating the DACA program .
After he was elected , Trump issued his own Executive Order doing so .
While court ’ s decision maintains DACA , the ruling by the majority of five justices , which consisted of the four liberals and the conservative Chief Justice John Roberts , made very clear that this was not an endorsement of DACA .
Their majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies .
“ The wisdom ” of those decisions “ is none of our concern.
” We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action.
” The ruling found that the Trump administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act ( APA ) in rescinding DACA by failing to meet its arbitrary-and-capricious standard requiring that an agency action be reasonable and be reasonably explained .
Importantly this approach did address a humane element , when Roberts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show what , if anything , would be done to address the hardship to the DACA recipients if the program were eliminated .
From a more strictly procedural approach , he cites that a memo from Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen justifying the recension of DACA , that was released nine months after the decision to rescind DACA was made , consisted “ primarily of impermissible “ post hoc rationalization.
” Justice Brett Kavanaugh , in his concurring minority judgement , expects that the Court ’ s decision will allow the Homeland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reiterate the same substance that was presented in Nielsen ’ s memo .
However , that memo failed to address Robert ’ s concern about providing a reasoned plan “ to address the hardship to the DACA recipients ” when that program is eliminated .
Kavanaugh does not address that need in his opinion .
It would seem that another attempt to rescind DACA would have to provide a reasonable one .
Otherwise that necessary condition would not have been met , despite as Kavanaugh bluntly stated that “ all nine Members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DACA plaintiffs themselves , that the Executive Branch possesses the legal authority to rescind DACA and to resume pre-DACA enforcement of the immigration laws enacted by Congress.
” Trump said that the Supreme Court ’ s decision was about politics .
Perhaps in a way it was , just as his executive orders are about politics , as all past president ’ s executive orders have been .
Trump appears to be the more engaged in politics than previous presidents , given that he has been the most prolific in issuing executive orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on a per year basis , than Presidents Bill Clinton , George W. Bush and Barak Obama , whom he has surpassed by over 30 percent .
In the instance of the DACA decision , it may come down to the politics of not reasonably taking care for the welfare of people living in the U.S. who are contributing through work , community activities and paying taxes , but who lacked the proper paperwork when they were brought into the country as children .
A Pew Research Center surveyconducted June 4-10 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. adults say they favor granting permanent legal status to immigrants who came illegally to the United States when they were children ” It might not be the wisest political strategy for Trump to continue pushing to rescind DACA so near the November elections .
For one thing the past lower court decisions have gone against Trump ’ s efforts to dissolve DACA , which could easily push court appeals into the midst of the final month of the presidential campaign .
This strategy would hinder Trump winning the following critical states that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high percentage of eligible Latino voters : Texas 30 % , Arizona 24 % , and Florida 20 % .
Justice Clarence Thomas begins the lead minority opinion saying that “ Between 2001 and 2011 , Congress considered over two dozen bills that would have granted lawful status to millions of aliens who were illegally brought to this country as children .
Each of those legislative efforts failed.
” The politics of his decision can be seen in how he lays out his arguments .
He references “ millions of aliens ” being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimated has come from the Migration Policy Institute , and that was 1.3 million .
However , those actually included in DACA topped out at just under 800,000 and has leveled off to around 700,000 , which is the amount that Chief Justice John Roberts used in his majority opinion .
Thomas also bases his argument on a 2017 opinion written by Attorney General Jeff Sessions , who concluded that DACA was illegal and be rescinded .
It is interesting to note that as a Senator , Sessions strongly opposed Democratic efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any applicant who was in the United States illegally .
Roberts found that the application of Sessions decision to eliminate DACA fell apart because of faulty logic .
Thomas does not substantially respond to Roberts ’ critique .
Thomas was right in pointing out that Congress has to provide a workable immigration plan .
As Congress is currently configured , it is unlikely to reach one with Republicans in charge of the Senate opposing legislation allowing for a path forward for DACA recipients to become citizens .
If Trump is re-elected , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court justice who would be confirmed by a Republican Senate .
That new appointed justice would most likely eliminate the legal requirement that the federal government must come up with a plan to address any hardship resulting from the demise of DACA .
It is about politics , whether they are in fact reasonable or not .
Nick Licata is author of Becoming A Citizen Activist , and has served 5 terms on the Seattle City Council , named progressive municipal official of the year by The Nation , and is founding board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network of 1,000 progressive municipal officials .
Subscribe to Licata ’ s newsletter Urban Politics

On June 17, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the 700,000 immigrants, who were minors when they were brought into the US without immigration papers, would continue to be protected from being deported. The media largely focused on the humane impact the decision would have on the many lives whose future depended on it.
But the decision seemed to rely more on a nuanced legal interpretation of the Trump Administration’s failure to follow the proper procedures to invalidate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA). A reading of the decision reflects both were considered. And, as President Trump tweeted that it was about politics - it did come into play.
Since President Obama established DACA in 2012 by Executive Order, these immigrants have had a temporary legal status if they graduated from high school or were honorably discharged from the military, and if they passed a background check. Thereby they have been allowed to work and attend school legally in the U.S.
One government study found that more than 90 percent of DACA recipients are employed and 45 percent were in school. Meanwhile many have started families, having 200,000 children of their own who are U.S. citizens, and they collectively pay $60 billion in taxes each year.
Donald Trump campaigned for president on eliminating the DACA program. After he was elected, Trump issued his own Executive Order doing so. While court’s decision maintains DACA, the ruling by the majority of five justices, which consisted of the four liberals and the conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, made very clear that this was not an endorsement of DACA.
Their majority ruling states: “We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies. “The wisdom” of those decisions “is none of our concern.” We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action.”
The ruling found that the Trump administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in rescinding DACA by failing to meet its arbitrary-and-capricious standard requiring that an agency action be reasonable and be reasonably explained. Importantly this approach did address a humane element, when Roberts wrote that the Trump Administration failed to show what, if anything, would be done to address the hardship to the DACA recipients if the program were eliminated.
From a more strictly procedural approach, he cites that a memo from Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen justifying the recension of DACA, that was released nine months after the decision to rescind DACA was made, consisted “primarily of impermissible “post hoc rationalization.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in his concurring minority judgement, expects that the Court’s decision will allow the Homeland Security Department on remand to relabel and reiterate the same substance that was presented in Nielsen’s memo. However, that memo failed to address Robert’s concern about providing a reasoned plan “to address the hardship to the DACA recipients” when that program is eliminated. Kavanaugh does not address that need in his opinion.
It would seem that another attempt to rescind DACA would have to provide a reasonable one. Otherwise that necessary condition would not have been met, despite as Kavanaugh bluntly stated that “all nine Members of the Court accept, as do the DACA plaintiffs themselves, that the Executive Branch possesses the legal authority to rescind DACA and to resume pre-DACA enforcement of the immigration laws enacted by Congress.”
Trump said that the Supreme Court’s decision was about politics. Perhaps in a way it was, just as his executive orders are about politics, as all past president’s executive orders have been. Trump appears to be the more engaged in politics than previous presidents, given that he has been the most prolific in issuing executive orders. He has averaged more of them, on a per year basis, than Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barak Obama, whom he has surpassed by over 30 percent.
In the instance of the DACA decision, it may come down to the politics of not reasonably taking care for the welfare of people living in the U.S. who are contributing through work, community activities and paying taxes, but who lacked the proper paperwork when they were brought into the country as children. A Pew Research Center surveyconducted June 4-10, 2020 found that “about three-quarters of U.S. adults say they favor granting permanent legal status to immigrants who came illegally to the United States when they were children”
It might not be the wisest political strategy for Trump to continue pushing to rescind DACA so near the November elections. For one thing the past lower court decisions have gone against Trump’s efforts to dissolve DACA, which could easily push court appeals into the midst of the final month of the presidential campaign. This strategy would hinder Trump winning the following critical states that have considerable electoral college votes and a high percentage of eligible Latino voters: Texas 30%, Arizona 24%, and Florida 20%.
Justice Clarence Thomas begins the lead minority opinion saying that “Between 2001 and 2011, Congress considered over two dozen bills that would have granted lawful status to millions of aliens who were illegally brought to this country as children. Each of those legislative efforts failed.”
The politics of his decision can be seen in how he lays out his arguments. He references “millions of aliens” being included under DACA. The largest number estimated has come from the Migration Policy Institute, and that was 1.3 million. However, those actually included in DACA topped out at just under 800,000 and has leveled off to around 700,000, which is the amount that Chief Justice John Roberts used in his majority opinion.
Thomas also bases his argument on a 2017 opinion written by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who concluded that DACA was illegal and be rescinded. It is interesting to note that as a Senator, Sessions strongly opposed Democratic efforts to establish of a path to citizenship for any applicant who was in the United States illegally. Roberts found that the application of Sessions decision to eliminate DACA fell apart because of faulty logic. Thomas does not substantially respond to Roberts’ critique.
Thomas was right in pointing out that Congress has to provide a workable immigration plan. As Congress is currently configured, it is unlikely to reach one with Republicans in charge of the Senate opposing legislation allowing for a path forward for DACA recipients to become citizens.
If Trump is re-elected, then he will certainly appoint a new Supreme Court justice who would be confirmed by a Republican Senate. That new appointed justice would most likely eliminate the legal requirement that the federal government must come up with a plan to address any hardship resulting from the demise of DACA.
It is about politics, whether they are in fact reasonable or not.
Nick Licata is author of Becoming A Citizen Activist, and has served 5 terms on the Seattle City Council, named progressive municipal official of the year by The Nation,and is founding board chair of Local Progress, a national network of 1,000 progressive municipal officials.
Subscribe to Licata’s newsletter Urban Politics