Daily Archives: January 9, 2022

I was raised in a Republican household. I remember my mom sending me, as a 10-year-old, to school in red, white and blue on Election Day 1972, with a white elephant on a pendant around my neck. I didnt have any idea of the significance at the time, and none of us could have known how that election would shape our countrys political landscape.

I have always been particularly interested in what I now know are social justice issues. As a teenager I just thought of it as living the Christian gospels, caring for the poor, the needy the homeless and immigrants among us. So I registered as a Democrat on my 18th birthday because of the social justice leanings of the party.

Jennifer Jenkins (right), seconds after finding out she won the Brevard School Board District 3 seat, hugs her husband, Sam, and her campaign manager, Pamela Castellana.

The election of Donald Trump in 2016 brought a lot of people out of their armchairs and into the realm of politics from both political divides for so many reasons. Blame social media, blame the exceptionally unique candidacy Trump provided. Whatever the reason, we are different today. The average voter is much more aware of issues involving them, but not always how their vote matters.

I spent the last four years learning the ins and outs of our local politics, and was elected to the position of chair of Brevard Democrats in November 2020. Since then Ive seen both the best and worst Brevard has to offer.

Ive seen our long-term congressman, a man who ran as a moderate (and for whom I voted in the past) dissent in the certification of Arizonas fair election results, a choice that contributed to The Big Lie and the disastrous events of Jan. 6, 2021. Ive seen that same man utter a juvenile, veiled pejorative of our president from the congressional floor. Ive seen him vote over and over in ways that hurt the citizens of Brevard County.

Ive seen locally elected state representatives run roughshod over average citizens as well as other equally elected officials, using their bully pulpit to indeed, bully their constituents. Ive seen them lie, cheat and attempt to steal our free and fair elections right here in Brevard County.

Story continues

Ive seen vulgarities at once-boring school board meetings and more.

And yet I remain hopeful.

Pamela Castellana is chair of Brevard Democrats.

Ive seen my Republican neighbors share from their abundance with others in need. Ive seen my Republican family mourn in love as we lost our patriarch and matriarch. Ive shared meals with dearly beloved Republican friends. I know we can work together for the betterment of our community.

Looking into 2022, I see political battle lines being drawn, but they dont have to be actual battle lines.

Ive spent 26 years here in Brevard County, listening to my friends, to new friends and strangers, listening to their hopes and fears, their dreams and aspirations. It is my concerted goal to provide Democratic candidates for every level of government who will work with their Republican counterparts to meet the needs of their communities. Working with a team of super-dedicated patriotic Americans, including several military veterans, retired teachers, defense contractors in short, Brevardians from every walk of life we will fight fiercely for our values of equal economic, criminal and educational justice. We will fight to defend access to and improve our public school system. We will fight to save our manatees and our entire lagoon. We will fight for economic justice so that no one wants for basics such as food, shelter and affordable health care in our county.

Brevard Democrats chair Pamela Castellana, right, pictured before the 2020 election, says: "Not voting for candidates Brevard Democrats promote does not make you my enemy, in spite of what a very loud, very small group of voices says. It simply makes you my political opponent. In this new era, I will listen to anyone with a goal of joint solutions."

All the same, not voting for candidates Brevard Democrats promote does not make you my enemy, in spite of what a very loud, very small group of voices says. It simply makes you my political opponent. In this new era, I will listen to anyone with a goal of joint solutions. I will meet with anyone with good intentions for our community and Ill listen without prejudging. Anyone.

No matter how hard and loud my political opponents try and push me and my party down, Im not pushing back. Im pushing ahead and Im not quitting.

Because our beautiful, unique county deserves far better than the ugliness its been served in our partisan infighting.

Pamela Castellana is chair of Brevard Democrats.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Our county deserves more than this ugly partisan infighting| Opinion

More here:

Democrats will fight for our values, but we're open to joint solutions, too | Opinion - Yahoo News

OPINION:

The wheels of justice sometimes grind very slowly.

Or not at all.

In our current system, it appears that the only thing that matters is which party you belong to.

Corrupt Democrats almost never face punishment for their crimes. It doesnt matter how glaring the evidence.

IRS official Lois Lerner retired with full benefits after getting caught using the IRS to target conservative groups such as tea parties during the Obama years. Likewise, FBI officials who pushed the false Russian collusion hoax against former President Donald Trump before and after the 2016 election have never faced justice. Nor have congressional Democrats like Adam Schiff, who got caught in blatant lies, saying he had proof of Russian collusion when he did not. Or Hillary Clinton for her 33,000 lost emails and smashed cellphones.

No one in the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, which paid for the fake dossier that launched the first impeachment of Mr. Trump, is facing any serious charges.

Republicans, on the other hand, such as former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn, who a politicized FBI entrapped, are guilty before they are proven innocent.

This past week, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office dropped its investigation of Democrat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over thousands of deaths in his states nursing homes. Cuomos state Health Department had issued March 25, 2020, directive ordering nursing homes to take in COVID-19-positive patients.

State officials then withheld data on the full number of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents, and aides to Mr. Cuomo successfully pushed to use a lower tally in a Health Department report on the matter, reported The Wall Street Journal. Nothing to see here.

Democrat state health officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania also issued disastrous orders to nursing homes and have faced no consequences. This includes the celebrated transgender now-Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Rachel Levine, who moved her mother out of a Pennsylvania facility before her order took effect.

Mr. Cuomo also ducked more bullets when prosecutors in Albany and Rochester dropped charges related to his alleged groping and sexual harassment of aides. He had been threatened with impeachment and resigned in August after New York State Attorney General Letitia James issued a report accusing him of harassing 11 women.

Still, Mr. Cuomo is out and about doing whatever. While Mr. Cuomo celebrates his good fortune to be a Democrat, Ms. James is still pursuing a four-year inquiry against Mr. Trump, his businesses and even the business dealings of his children.

Another glaring difference that defies the concept of equal justice is the treatment of hundreds of Trump supporters in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as opposed to the thousands of left-wing peaceful protesters who committed crimes during the Black Lives Matter/Antifa race riots that ripped through more than 140 cities in 2020.

An updated tally sheet at realclearinvestigations.com reveals the blatant disparities in destruction, crimes, costs and consequences.The 2020 race riots, with 574 instances of violent acts, resulted in some 15 times more injured police officers, 23 times as many arrests, and estimated damages in dollar terms up to 1,300 times more costly than those of the Capitol riot.

In most of a dozen major jurisdictions, more than 90% of charges/citations were dropped or not filed, even though the crimes included explosions, shootings, arsons, assaults and looting. In Minneapolis, rioters burned down a police station. In Seattle, terrorists blocked exits while trying to burn down a police facility with people inside. Overall, at least 20 people were killed in the urban riots. The only person actually killed in the Capitol riot was unarmed Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot to death by a Capitol Hill Police officer.

The Capitol riot cost an estimated $1.5 million in damages, whereas the leftist riots backed by Democrats (Vice President Kamala Harris actually raised bail for rioters) cost $1 billion to $2 billion. The vast majority of charges against 16,241 defendants were dismissed. Similarly, few faced sentencing after the violent left-wing riots in Washington during Mr. Trumps 2017 inauguration. Somehow, that didnt count as an insurrection. Neither was St. Johns Churchs burning near the White House in May 2020 nor the subsequent riot in which 50 Secret Service agents were injured, and Mr. Trump was moved to a secure bunker.

A year after the Jan. 6 riot, which was condemned from all quarters, more than 725 people have been arrested. About 40 are still languishing in the District of Columbia jail system, according to the office of Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert.

As of Jan. 1, some 71 defendants from Jan. 6 have been sentenced, 64 of whom were convicted of misdemeanors.

With no evidence of violence of any kind, and no criminal record, the Buffalo Hat Guy, Jacob Chansley, also known as the QAnon Shaman, was slapped with a 41-month prison sentence after serving most of 317 days in solitary confinement for one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland gave a speech promising an endless pursuit of charges involving Jan. 6. He actually claimed this central norm in our criminal investigations: There cannot be different rules depending on ones political party or affiliation. There cannot be different rules for friends and foes. We follow the facts and enforce the law in a way that respects the Constitution and protects civil liberties.

Sure, they do. Thats why Mr. Garlands DOJ is investigating Texas for gerrymandering while ignoring Maryland, where Democrats are openly eliminating the last Republican congressional district.

The outsized reaction about the Jan. 6 insurrection smacks of political desperation on the part of a Democrat Party that will face voters in November. They are desperately trying to nationalize elections, get rid of voter ID laws and hype Jan. 6 as an attack on our democracy. Ms. Harris even compared it to Pearl Harbor and 9/11.

With massive illegal immigration, 7% inflation, an endless COVID-19 nightmare, the return of energy dependency and foreign disasters like the Afghanistan surrender, what else do they have going?

Oh, right. Their fake justice system.

Robert Knight is a columnist for The Washington Times. His website is roberthknight.com.

Continued here:

Corrupt Democrats and their fake 'justice' - Washington Times

The assault on democracy didnt start when Donald Trump fired up a mob of fanatics on the National Mall last Jan. 6. High ranking Republicans have been trashing the legitimacy of elections for years, priming supporters to believe that they have to literally fight for their freedom.

At some point, the party went from hating Democrats to hating democracy, and that gave Trump all the fuel needed to light a fire.

In Maine, you can find these unfounded attacks going back a decade or more, and not just from anonymous cranks or marginal legislators. The rigged-election fantasies come straight from the top: from party leaders, a secretary of state and twice-elected Gov. Paul LePage, who wants to recapture his old office this November.

When Republicans took control of the Maine House, Maine Senate and governors office in 2011, they seemed poised to pass some of the voting restrictions used in other Republican-controlled states, which disproportionately affect minority and young voters. They installed as secretary of state Charlie Summers, who announced an investigation into widespread voter fraud, based, he claimed, on records proving that hundreds of out-of-staters were illegally voting in Maine elections.

He turned up exactly one noncitizen, who had voted a single time in Maine, nine years earlier. Those suspicious voters on his list turned out to be people who had moved to Maine and registered to vote here after voting elsewhere in a previous election.

Technically, its not a violation of the law, Summers admitted, adding, Im not sure exactly how patriotic it is when people are moving from one state to the next state and one state to the next state, like that. Summers, who himself had moved to Maine from another state, was not punished for the embarrassing report. He went on to be his partys nominee for U.S. Senate in 2012.

When Republicans lost their majorities in the House and Senate that fall, state Republican Party Chair Charlie Webster went on television to say he smelled a rat.

In some parts of rural Maine, there were dozens, dozens of Black people who came in and voted on Election Day, he fumed. Everybody has a right to vote, but nobody in (these) towns knows anyone whos Black. How did that happen? I dont know. Were going to find out.

If Webster ever did find out, he never told us, but the damage was done. It was neither the first nor the last time that a Maine Republican made clear that when they say fraudulent voting, they mean Black voting.

LePage took antidemocratic trutherism to a new level. Weeks before Election Day in 2016, Maines then-governor claimed without evidence that Im not confident of a clean election in Maine.

After the votes were counted, he sent a formal letter to legislators whod won their races, writing with no supporting evidence I maintain strong concerns regarding the integrity of Maines ballot and accuracy of Maines election results and I cannot attest to the accuracy of the tabulation certified by the Secretary of State.

He was more succinct in 2018 when Republican Bruce Poliquin lost his congressional race to Jared Golden. In the official document certifying the results, LePage scribbled stolen election.

His lack of support for democratic ideals followed him out of office. In a talk radio appearance in 2019, LePage said that we need the Electoral College, which gives a voter in Wyoming four times as much influence in a presidential race as a voter in California, to maintain white political power. Without it, white people will not have anything to say, he explained. Its only going to be the minorities who would elect.

You could write these off as mean, petty or stupid comments that dont really matter in a nation of laws. But if you wonder how so many Republicans believe that Trump won the 2020 election, or why thousands of them stormed the Capitol last year to take back what they thought was rightfully theirs, these mean, petty and stupid statements add up.

It didnt end with LePage. In the days after the 2020 election, Maine Republicans joined the Trump administration in claiming that the election had been stolen.

We will not rest until the truth about the 2020 election is revealed and we return trust to American elections, wrote state Republican Chairwoman Demi Kouzounas in an email seeking donations for a dubious Trump legal fund.

The vote had been crooked, illegal and unconstitutional, claimed Oxford County Republican Peter LaVerdiere, as he cast Trumps one Electoral College vote in the State House on Dec. 14, 2020.

On Jan. 4, two days before the insurrection, state Republican Vice Chair Nick Isgro claimed that the election had been hijacked by the Chinese Communist Party. I dont think theres any circumstance right now where (Trump) should step out of office.

Are they lying or delusional? Does it really matter?

Between their attacks on the legitimacy of elections and the meek silence of other Republicans who ought to know better, we have an authoritarian movement in this country thats not going away.

Invalid username/password.

Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

Previous

See more here:

The View From Here: From hating Democrats to hating democracy - Press Herald

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Sunday said the Democratic Party has to be radically practical if it wants to win Novembers midterm elections.

Asked by co-anchor Jake TapperJacob (Jake) Paul TapperEx-McCarthy staffer: GOP leader's strategy dictated by 'most extreme' wings of party The Hill's 12:30 Report: Capitol Hill marks dark anniversary of Jan. 6 attacks COVID-19 cases in UK exceed 100K for first time MORE on CNNs State of the Union about comments Adams made in June critiquing theparty's strategy, the New York City mayor saidDemocrats should focus on kitchen table issues that everyday individuals care about in the upcoming midterm races.

I think we can reset the message and we can put the ship on its right course. We have to be radically practical, radically practical. We need to deal with those kitchen table issues that are important to everyday Americans and New Yorkers, Adams said.

I strongly feel that we can't allow social media to dictate what happens. I say it all the time, its people on social security we need to be focusing on and they're focusing on healthcare, educating their grandchildren and children, theyre focused on affordable housing and jobs. These are the issues that we are, we must be looking at and ensuring that we are living in a safe city and a safe country, he added.

Adams made headlines in June for offering commentary on his party as his lead in the mayoral race was growing.

The then-Brooklyn borough president told reporters that he was "the face of the new Democratic Party, adding, If the Democratic Party fails to recognize what he did here in New York, then theyre going to have a problem in the midterm elections, and theyre going to have a problem in the presidential elections.

He went on to say at the time that the mayoral race results showed that America wanted to have justice, safety and end inequality, before evaluating the type of candidates constituentswere looking to support.

We dont want fancy candidates; that nails are not polished, they have calluses on their hands and theyre blue-collared people that understand a blue-collared country, Adams said. Thats what we want.

The newly minted mayor on Sunday said that if his party focuses onkitchen table issues and letsthem cascade throughout this entire country, Democrats will flock to the polls in November.

And we have that message homed in and let it cascade throughout this entire country, you're going to see those Democrats come to the polls, polling places, because they understand we're dealing with those real issues that impact them, Adams said.

On the campaign train in the Big Apple, Adamsportrayed himself as a moderate candidate who would work to tame the citys increasing violent crime. He did not, however, embrace, calls to defund the police, which have been touted by some more liberalmembers of the party.

See original here:

Adams says Democratic Party has to be 'radically practical' in midterms | TheHill - The Hill

AUSTIN (KXAN) Gov. Greg Abbott officially announced Saturday during the Hispanic Leadership Summit that he will run to keep his job as governor of Texas. Several vocal Republicans have already stepped up to challenge him, so has Democrat Beto ORourke.

Brian Smith, a professor of political science at St. Edwards University, expects Abbott and former El Paso Congressman ORourke will end up on top of their respective parties, which could make Texas the center of national political attention down the road.

If things get close, and ORourke and Abbott are close like Cruz and ORourke were (in their 2018 Senate race), thats going to get a lot of attention and a lot of outside money, Smith said. There would nothing better for the Democrats in terms of boosting their morale than saying we flipped Texas at the governor level.

Texas has not had a Democratic governor since 1994, when then-gubernatorial candidate George W. Bush outed incumbent Democratic governor Ann Richards.

Heres a look at everyone in the race for Gov. Abbotts job.

This list is the people currently certified by the Secretary of State to appear on the primary ballot, in the order they appear on the states website.

Gov. Greg Abbott

The current governor of Texas officially announced Saturday that he will run for re-election. On Monday the governor will launch his statewide media blitz where he plans to appear at 60 campaign events with an objective to raise the turnout in the GOP primary.

During his term, the governor advocated for a stronger southern border, staunchly opposed vaccine and mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, instead pursuing testing and monoclonal antibody treatment centers, and signed into law one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

A poll published in November by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation found that despite the crowded Republican primary, Gov. Abbott is poised to win the GOP race by a significant margin. The same poll showed that Abbott and ORourke are virtually tied among voters.

Meanwhile, the University of Texas and KXANs partners at the Texas Tribune found that Abbott leads ORourke by a larger margin than that, 9 percentage points, despite only 48% of respondents saying they thought the governor was doing a good job. You can read more about that poll on the Texas Tribunes website.

Paul Belew

A lifelong criminal defense attorney from Wise County in north Texas says hes running to make Texas more Texas again. On Belews campaign website, he says he wants to see the state cut ties with the federal government and pursue revenue from other sources, including from the legalization of marijuana and from gambling at casinos.

Belew says he wants to make Texas a destination state again, which he believes has not been the case over the past couple years as a product of the pandemic. His website says Texas needs someone who can say whats on their mind.

Danny Harrison

Harrison, a north Texas landscape business owner, is running on the platform, defending Texas first. As for core issues, Harrison is running on incentives and protections for small businesses, defending Texas property rights, keeping Texas beaches open despite the pandemic and securing the southern border.

Harrisons campaign website doesnt pull punches when it comes to how Harrison thinks Gov. Abbott has led the state of Texas.

Where was Greg Abbott on January 6, 2021? He was hiding from the issues. He was not out there defending the President or democracy. He remained silent. Where was Governor Abbott when the election was stolen from back in November? Again, he was silent, his campaign website says in part.

Kandy Kaye Horn

Horn, a Houston-area woman who lists her occupation in election filings as a philanthropist, does not appear to have an official campaign website or social media pages.

According to the Baroness Kandy Kaye Horn Foundations website, which Horn is listed as chairman and founder of, she attended and graduated from Texas Christian University and received her MBA from UT in Arlington. The foundation is a Christian organization which aims to improve the world, according to that website.

Don Huffines

Arguably Abbotts most vocal contender, Huffines has made a lot of noise on social media, during interviews and even during an advertisement which aired during a Dallas Cowboys game. Smith says during this race, the governor isnt likely to bite back against Huffines, or Allen West, another vocal Republican candidate.

He goes after them it legitimizes one of those two candidates and turns it from a three-person race into a two-person race, explained Smith.

During a Sunday night Cowboys game, viewers in Texas saw an ad paid for by the Don Huffines Campaign, where Huffines himself promises a Super Bowl win for the Cowboys if hes elected Governor.

When Im your Republican Governor, Texas will stop the illegal invasion at our border. And Im not asking permission from the federal government. We will put prayer back in our schools, restore our culture, and that Cowboys would get another ring, Huffinessaid in the ad.

The Huffines ad saying the Cowboys are going to win the Super Bowl was fantastic in terms of getting a lot of attention, but neither of them have the credentials or experience in the Republican party that Greg Abbott does, Smith said.

Rick Perry

Its Rick Perry, but its probably not the Rick Perry youre thinking of. Rick Lynn Perry, a computer engineer from Springtown, drew eyebrows by throwing his name in the hat.

The Texas Republican Initiative, a political organization that formed last year in response to party infighting, took to Twitter to imply Perrys campaign is a political trick from detractors of Abbott.

The Abbott Derangement Syndrome crowd has spent many months and millions of dollars making bogus attacks against Governor@GregAbbott_TXand has gotten absolutely nowhere, the groups tweet read. Now, out of desperation, theyre resorting to gamesmanship in a pathetic attempt to confuse voters.

Chad Prather

Prather, a conservative YouTube talk show host, lists his top issues as election integrity, human trafficking, and right to life among other issues listed on Prathers official campaign website.

Prather has been outspoken about the countrys response to the COVID-19 pandemic and says on his website that we cant kill an economy over a virus with a 99% survival rate. He also addressed his lack of political experience on his website.

Do you know that I pastored three churches? Do you know that I spent over a decade in third world countries doing mission, humanitarian, and medical work? Do you know that I was an executive with a Fortune 300 company?

I could continue but I think you get the point. For a guy thats never done anything and has no experienceIve done a few things.

Allen West

West, another top Republican contender to Abbotts seat, said in his campaign announcement that even though he hasnt held a political seat for around a decade he can no longer sit on the sidelines and see what has happened in these United States of America andthe place that I call home.

Wests campaign launch came about a month after he announced his resignation as state party chairman, a position where West regularly criticized Abbotts response to the COVID-19 pandemic and his unwillingness to push the states legislative agenda further to the right.

Abbott has mostly ignored Wests attacks, though Smith says Abbott has appeared to cater more to his right flanks over the past few months.

Theyll [West and Huffines] be interesting and they might open up some avenues of attack for ORourke, but I dont see either of them being able to take it to a runoff or beating Greg Abbott head-to-head right now, Smith said.

Again, this list is the people currently certified by the Secretary of State to appear on the primary ballot, in the order they appear on the states website.

Inocencio (Inno) Barrientez

Aside from being listed as a candidate on the Texas Secretary of State website, and being named in a Texas Democratic Party candidate congratulations news release, Barrientez does not appear to have an official campaign website or official social media channels.

Michael Cooper

The Beaumont native, pastor and father of seven is running on education, climate change, and criminal justice reform, among other platforms listed on Coopers official campaign website.

In his campaign announcement, Cooper talked about helping teachers, making their profession a calling again and said education was his top priority.

Cooper, who has a masters degree in psychology, has been an automobile executive for decades, according to his website. Cooper is also the chapter president for his local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Cooper has run as a democrat in other high-level races in Texas including previous runs for the senate and for Lieutenant Governor.

Joy Diaz

In former public radio journalist Joy Diaz announcement video, she said there are three issues that would be top of mind for her campaign: the border, public education and state preparedness.

Our current leadership has forgotten that their mission is to serve us, she said in her video announcement. Yes, conventional wisdom may say that its unlikely for an average person even a qualified one, even one with expertise, even one with a huge heart to become the next governor of this great state, but Texans dont solely rely on conventional wisdom. We believe in miracles.

Diazs voice may sound familiar to many Texans since she worked for KUT in Austin and would often guest host the statewide Texas Standard radio news program. Thepublic radio station announced in Novemberthat Diaz would leave to run for public office, but at that time she did not disclose which position she would seek.

Beto ORourke

Former El Paso Congressman Beto ORourkeofficially announced his bid for governor in November. He is the only major Democrat with political experience to challenge Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott.

ORourke previously came within two percentage points of the incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. He then jumped into the crowded Democratic presidential primary in March 2019, before suspending his campaign eight months later.

What Beto ORourke needs to do is try to reassemble some of that 2018 coalition that almost defeated Ted Cruz. So that means going after younger voters, going after people with more education, going after the big cities, Smith said. He also said ORourke will need to swing independents if he wants to beat Abbott.

Hes got to find new voters and convince people that Governor Abbott isnt right for Texas.

ORourke sat down with Nexstars Maggie Glynn for his first TV interview to discuss his bid. You can find the full transcript here.

Rich Wakeland

Aside from being listed as a candidate on the Texas Secretary of State website, and being named in a Texas Democratic Party candidate congratulations news release, Wakeland does not appear to have an official campaign website or official social media channels.

Read the original:

Meet the candidates for Texas governor 2022 - KXAN.com