Pages

Advertising

Thursday News: "Donald Trump is the GOP now;" Dominion Power CEO Joins "JEB" Campaign

Thursday, December 10, 2015

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, December 10. Also, note that hatemonger and extremist Laura Ingraham is scheduled as a featured speaker at the upcoming Republican Party of Virginia "Advance." 'Nuff said about that party.
Posted by Lowell at 6:44 AM

More Idiocy from NC Repubilcans: Donald Trump Edition

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

by Kathy in Blacksburg

We were returning from a rousing noon-time symphony and a fantastic lunch with friends in Raleigh last Friday when my cell phone informed me the route home was 1 hour and 52 minutes. What? It normally takes about 25 minutes to get home. Add ten minutes for heavy traffic. Waze told me the interstate was socked in. So we took surface streets. We rolled right into the congestion anyway. My original hypothesis for what was going on was the ACC women's soccer finals. I should have known better. Surprisingly, soccer doesn't draw crowds like that here. At Blue Ridge Road traffic slowed to a stop. Police were everywhere. They looked inside of the cars as we approached slowly. Hmmm.

You see, Blue Ridge Road passes by the state fairgrounds. And there, unknown to me until later, were the our-of-their-minds supporters of one, Donald J Trump waiting for their candidate to arrive. We learned later that a full house of under 8,000 turned out to see him. Bernie can do better than that on a bad day. But, you know, it's the South. And the media aren't into Bernie. At. All. But they latched onto the supposed "big crowd." And the news of Trump's visit were all over local media that evening and the next day. And, you know the way media cover these events has an effect. They can build support by how they cover it. It is no surprise, then, that Trump is growing support in this newly backward upside-down state, were notions of freedom, constitutional rights and liberty have been turned on their heads. It's embarrassing.

But, yes, PPP polling now shows that his numbers are up here. And that's not all. To quote PPP Polling:

Read more »
Posted by KathyinBlacksburg at 9:51 PM

Audio: Mike Signer, Author of Book on Demagogues, Rips Donald Trump and His Supporters as "Definitively Not OK"

For Charlottesville City Council member, former Democratic LG candidate, author and UVA lecturer Mike Signer's interview on NPR this morning, see below. For the book on demagogues see here.
In the great majority of the cases, especially when [demagogues] are attacking a constitutional democracy - which is what Trump is - I liken them to an autoimmune disorder, where the body's defenses turn against itself...the Founding Fathers were extremely worried about demagogues, because basically what [demagogues] do is they create a substate that is accountable to them alone. And that state, by breaking...the rules of government...can grow and grow and grow and ultimately can topple a democracy. That's what happened in Weimar Germany, where Adolph Hitler came up from the democracy and then attacked the democracy... 
The problem is that [Trump] is now turning on the basic precepts of American constitutional government -- freedom of religion, an open society, the state having a monopoly on violence, he's getting close to encouraging violence...I don't think it's ok [for Trump supporters] to say well, I know about the principles of separation of church and state; I know about not having violence in our politics, but I'm going to go with Trump anyway because I'm so angry at the system. It's not ok; It's definitively not ok in the United States of America and it needs to be condemned.
Posted by Lowell at 11:01 AM

Are Rubio or Cruz (or the Republican Base) Any Less Bigoted Than Trump?

by Lowell

All the media coverage regarding the Republican 2016 presidential field these days seems to be about Mussolini impersonator Donald Trump. To an extent, that's justified, given Mussol...er, Trump's months-long campaign of bigotry against pretty much every group in America, culminating with his fascistic, un-American proposal to ban Muslims from coming into the U.S. Yet what the media's ignoring, in its obsession with Trump (and the ratings he brings) are several things.

1. The Republican "base" largely agrees with Trump (e.g., see Trump Getting Stronger in NC; Islamophobia Helps Fuel That Strength), so simply condemning Trump isn't getting at the root causes of Trump's popularity.
2. The Republican Party and its right-wing echo chamber has been pushing bigotry and intolerance for years, even decades (e.g., its infamous "Southern Strategy" of appealing to racism among working-class whites).
3. So far, very few Republicans have stated point blank that they won't vote for Trump if he's the party's nominee. Nor have Republicans told Trump he's not welcome at their debates, forums, etc.
4. The corporate media is so focused on Trump that it's ignoring the heinous statements - in some cases, equally disgusting as Trump's; in some cases possibly even worse - by Trump's top Republican rivals -- Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

On that last point, here are just a few examples to give you a flavor.

Read more »
Posted by Lowell at 8:33 AM

Wednesday News: Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) to Vicious/Ugly Anti-Muslim Bigot -- "I appreciate your observations and I share your frustration"

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, December 9. Also listen as Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), appearing yesterday on bigoted extremist E.W. Jackson's weekly "emergency" call, is questioned by an absolutely vicious/ugly anti-Muslim bigot. Note that Wittman could have denounced the guy's insane questions about what Muslims' "birth rate" is and "how many Muslims are in different levels of government," but instead he treats the bigot with respect, even says "I appreciate your observations and I share your frustration." Beyond pathetic.
Posted by Lowell at 6:40 AM

Video: White House Rips Trump Campaign and Republicans Who Support Him As Heading to the "Dustbin of History"

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

by Lowell

This sums up my feelings exactly (although I'd add that Trump is a fascist, as is anyone who supports him or pledges to support him). With that, here's what White House Spokesman Josh Earnest had to say a few minutes ago:
...the Trump campaign for months now has had a "dustbin of history"-like quality to it, from the "vacuous sloganeering" to the "outright lies" to even the "fake hair," the whole "carnival barker routine" that we've seen for some time now.
The question now is about the rest of the Republican Party, and whether or not they're going to be dragged into the dustbin of history with him? And right now, the current trajectory is not very good. Earlier this year, House Republicans elected to their leadership somebody who famously bragged to a reporter that he's David Duke without the baggage. Earlier this month, we saw that the executive director of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee was advising candidates about how they could ride the Trump wave. And just today - today - the newly elected Speaker of the House said that he would vote for Donald Trump for president if he's the party's nominee. 
Now, I know that each of the Republican candidates has already taken an oath pledging to support Donald Trump for President of the United States if he wins the nomination. But the fact is, the first thing a president does when he or she takes the oath of office is to swear an oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States. And the fact is that what Donald Trump said yesterday disqualifies him from serving as president. And for Republican candidates for president, to stand by their pledge to support Mr. Trump? That, in and of itself, is disqualifying.
Posted by Lowell at 2:07 PM

Del. "Sideshow Bob" Marshall (R, Of Course) Fights to Keep Anti-LGBT Discrimination Legal in Virginia

by Lowell

Sadly, the latest crazy/nasty bill by Del. "Sideshow Bob" Marshall (R, of course) is nothing new for this raving anti-LGBT bigot. Remember, this is the same "Sideshow Bob" who "Suggested that children born with disabilities are God’s punishment to women who have previously had abortions;" " Warned homosexual behavior “undermines the American economy” in an angry letter to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond after it flew a rainbow flag;" "After DADT was repealed, introduced legislation banning “active homosexuals” from joining the Virginia National Guard;" "Warned repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) will “jeopardize our alliances,” especially with Muslim countries, because foreign troops will refuse to fight alongside gay Americans;" etc., etc.

Well, now the Virginia General Assembly is gearing up for its 2016 session, and Sideshow Bob is baaaaack....with more crazy, hateful, bigoted legislation. This time, it's HB77 on "sex or gender discrimination; applicable federal law," which "[p]rovides that for the purposes of the Virginia Human Rights Act, an 'unlawful discriminatory practice' shall not include conduct that violates any federal administrative policy, rule, or regulation adopted on or after January 1, 2012." Why January 1, 2012?  It's hard to know for sure, but check out a couple things that happened after that date.
  • According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) website: "In 2012, the EEOC held that discrimination against an individual because that person is transgender (also known as gender identity discrimination) is discrimination because of sex and therefore is prohibited under Title VII. See Macy v. Department of Justice, EEOC Appeal No. 0120120821 (April 20, 2012). The Commission has also held that discrimination against an individual because of that person's sexual orientation is discrimination because of sex and therefore prohibited under Title VII. See David Baldwin v. Dep't of Transportation, EEOC Appeal No. 0120133080 (July 15, 2015)."
  • From the U.S. Department of Labor: "On July 21, 2014, President Obama signed Executive Order 13672, amending Executive Order 11246, to prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Executive Order directed the Secretary of Labor to prepare regulations implementing the new protections. As a result, the Department of Labor published a Final Rule in the Federal Register on December 9, 2014, changing OFCCP’s regulations to require federal contractors and subcontractors to treat applicants and employees without regard to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The amended regulations took effect on April 8, 2015."
In other words, "Sideshow Bob" wants Virginians to continue being able to discriminate against people based on their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. And yes, this really is what the guy's focused on, along with his relentless crusade against a woman's right to choose, his concern that Virginia might need to create its own currency, etc. What a guy, huh? 
Posted by Lowell at 11:13 AM

Tuesday News: "Booker floats Tim Kaine as veep pick;" Gillespie Already Fundraising Hard for 2017 Governor's Race

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, December 8.
Posted by Lowell at 6:34 AM

Kudos to Senators Kaine, Warner for Voting No on Repealing the "Cadillac Tax"

Monday, December 7, 2015

by Lowell

I'm not a big fan, generally speaking, of the Washington Post's editorial page, but today's editorial on the so-called "Cadillac" tax nailed it.
AFTER DECADES of intolerable coverage gaps and seemingly uncontrollable cost increases, the country’s health insurance system is moving toward resolving both issues. Thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act, only 11.6 percent of adults lack insurance, according to the Gallup Organization, as compared with 14.6 percent before the Great Recession. Health spending as a percentage of the economy, meanwhile, held steady at 17.5 percent from 2009 through 2013, according to the federal government. Cost-growth resumed in 2014 , driven partly by expanded coverage and partly by short-term drug-price hikes, but the increase was in line with forecasts and even a tad more modest than expected.

You’d think there’d be no way the Senate would even consider doing away with a law that would help keep the favorable momentum going. You would be wrong: On Thursday, 90 of 100 senators voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s most important coverage-expanding, cost-controlling provision. We refer to the 40 percent excise tax on the value of employer-paid health plans that exceeds $10,200 for individuals or $27,500 for families, which is scheduled to take effect in 2018.
So why did 90(!) Senators vote to kill this "most important coverage-expanding, cost-controlling provision" in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the so-called "Cadillac tax" on gold-plated, super-expensive health plans? Very simple: as the editorial explains, Republicans would oppose anything with President Obama's name on it, suffering as they do from a severe (fatal?) case of "Obama Derangement Syndrome." But what about Democrats? Why did all of them but seven -- including both U.S. Senators from Virginia, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner -- vote with the Republicans on this? Again, very simple: the unions oppose it (wrongly, IMHO), and the Democrats caved, especially since this bill is going nowhere anyway.

Anyway, I've got to say I was pleasantly surprised to see both Senator Warner and Kaine vote the right way on this one - kudo! I checked with Senator Kaine's office to better understand his thinking on his vote, and I completely agree with him that repeal of the "Cadillac tax" would harm the ACA by depriving it of an important funding source. Sure, go ahead and reform/improve the "Cadillac tax," but certainly don't kill it; that makes no policy sense whatsoever.

P.S. For a great explanation as to why the "Cadillac tax" makes so much sense on so many levels, see Don't Repeal the Cadillac Tax by Ezekiel Emanuel and Bob Kocher in the Oct. 2, 2015 edition of the New York Times). Among the key reasons: repealing it would cost tens of billions of dollars; it would be regressive; it could lead to more health care inflation.
Posted by Lowell at 5:22 PM

The Democratic Party’s Urgent Need for a Deeper “Bench”

by Andy Schmookler

The first Democratic national convention to which I paid rapt attention was in 1960. The outcome, going in, was uncertain, but what a splendid field of possibilities was in contention.

There was the eventual winner – JFK – who squeaked by at the end of the first ballot. And his main rival, and soon-to-be running-mate, the Senate Majority Leader—LBJ.

But also three others, including two other big-time Senators: Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota and Stuart Symington of Missouri.

And finally, but not least, there was the Democratic nominee from 1952 and 1956, Adlai Stevenson (who was favored by Eleanor Roosevelt, an adored figure from a glorious past visible high up in the arena, and whose name was put into nomination by Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota with a thrilling speech that ignited perhaps the most passionate demonstration from the convention).

The Party had five candidates of undisputed stature available at that moment, after two terms of Eisenhower’s Republican presidency. An embarrassment of riches.

 Compare that with the Democratic Party of today. In Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party has a reasonably likely winner for the upcoming presidential election. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders – at 74 – is performing a most useful role, and performing it brilliantly. But one has to say: the Democratic Party today is woefully, almost unprecedentedly, without “bench strength.”

Read more »
Posted by Lowell at 1:21 PM
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)