Daily Archives: February 7, 2022

To the Editor:

Re G.O.P. Calls Riot Legitimate Political Discourse (front page, Feb. 5):

The decision by the Republican Party to declare the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, legitimate political discourse cannot be minimized or ignored. The G.O.P. has declared itself the party of mob rule.

The modern Republican Party was founded on March 20, 1854. I have been an enrolled member and active supporter for more than 50 years. No more.

On March 20, 2022, I will cancel my enrollment and register as an independent. I simply cant have the letter (R) next to my name any longer. I hope it sets a national trend.

Robert S. CarrollStaten Island

To the Editor:

The Republican Party should not be able to get away with its usual bait and switch tactic dog whistling to its extreme elements while pretending some benign purpose. The insurrection is a package. The evidence publicly available exposes it as a coordinated campaign of legal maneuvers, abuse of power, appeals to loyalists and, finally, the raw mob violence that took at least seven lives, desecrated the Capitol and defiled democracy.

There can be no mistake. A cabal intended to override the vote of the people, seize power and impose its rule. The Republican Party must wear its defense of that effort like a scarlet letter until saner minds can prevail.

Sharon MorrisonWhitefish, Mont.

To the Editor:

Since when did killing, desecration of and defecation on national property and racial slurs become legitimate political discourse? How much further can the Republican Party sink?

Nina MillerIthaca, N.Y.

To the Editor:

Now that the G.O.P. Calls Riot Legitimate Political Discourse, the logical next steps are for it to declare that the earth is flat and that the sun orbits around the earth. Of course, none of these pronouncements will change the fundamental truths.

Tom LouisSt. Michaels, Md.

To the Editor:

Re Trump Is Wrong, Pence Says of His Jan. 6 Powers (news article, Feb. 5):

Could Mike Pences speech prove to be an early manifestation of a house of cards thats finally, finally about to collapse? Let us fervently hope so!

Nancy StarkNew York

Visit link:

Opinion | The Republicans and a Legitimate Riot - The New York Times

Many of todays Republicans thus came of age at a time when hawkishness on behalf of liberal values was understood as conservative. Yet the values lying at the foundation of that worldview and shaping our institutions are antithetical to everything conservatives claim to cherish: a ruthless market ideology that puts short-term shareholder gains and the whims of big finance above the demands of the national community; a virulent cultural libertinism that dissolves bonds of family and tradition.

What conservatives revile as woke capital is just this acidic combination of a market-centric economics and liberal cultural arrogance. Yet as conservatives tub-thump for NATO expansion in Europe and hawkishness elsewhere, they seem clueless as to what these things entail: the integration of evermore geographic space into the same socioeconomic order they find so oppressive at home.

From the post-Cold War Washington consensus (the idea that privatization, deregulation and free trade would lead to broad prosperity) to the post-9/11 regime-change wars, crusader foreign policy immiserated ordinary people: Thoughtless NATO expansion bred resentment in a wounded-but-still-strong Russia, setting the stage for recurring crises; economic shock therapy applied by disciples of Milton Friedman empowered predatory oligarchs in post-Soviet lands; the shattering of Arab states in the name of freedom created ungoverned spaces across vast swaths of the Middle East and North Africa, kindling terrorism and sending millions of migrants into Europe.

Like soldiers who havent realized the old war is over, Republicans must grasp the current state of play: Liberal imperialism ought no longer to be mistaken for a conservative cause. It is time to repurpose older conservative foreign-policy values.

The first pillar of such a foreign policy should be a sound restraint, especially where the United States doesnt have formal treaty obligations, and a general retrenchment of the Western alliances ambitions. Senator Josh Hawley, a lawmaker sympathetic to the new right, showed a better path on Wednesday by calling on President Biden to rule out admitting Ukraine into NATO. Mr. Hawley suggested his move would help Washington shift resources to East Asia. But even there, Americans should beware of mindless China hawkism. Yes, the United States has real differences with Beijing. We must punish industrial espionage. We must defend treaty allies. And we must seek a more balanced trade relationship. But we should also find areas of cooperation, exchange and shared interests, seeking to avoid any future wars and instead communicating with mutual respect for a civilizational equal.

Domestic industrial prowess and energy independence should be the second pillar. Without factories manufacturing all sorts of goods, we wont be able to shift production to defense or to P.P.E. and vaccines when a real crisis hits. Moreover, as Michael Lind has emphasized, the industrial-military blocs of the future spheres of influence led by America, Europe, China and India will be only as strong as their regional supply chains and their internal stability allow.

Many G.O.P. leaders couldnt be happier if the impulses toward Republican realignment were limited to mere jingoism. That, after all, has sated the Republican base while keeping economic policy firmly neoliberal. The party establishment would far rather talk about Ukraine than about declining working-class life expectancy and the Fentanyl crisis.

Here is the original post:

Opinion | Hawks Are Standing in the Way of a New Republican Party - The New York Times

Anumber of GOP figures on Sunday said they backed former Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceFormer top Pence aide says he 'did not see a lot of legitimate political discourse' on Jan. 6 Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election McMaster pushes back on RNC, calls events of Jan. 6 'illegitimate political discourse' MORE in his rebuke of former President TrumpDonald TrumpAbrams fires back at Perdue, Kemp over criticism of maskless photo Biden to visit Israel later this year Manchin crosses party lines in officially endorsing Murkowski MORE's claim that he had the authority to overturn the 2020 election results.

Pence made headlines on Friday when he broke from Trump in the clearest terms yet, saying the former president was wrong in believing he had the right to overturn the election when he oversaw the official count of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. The former vice president called Trumps suggestion un-American.

I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone, Pence said at a Federalist Society event on Friday.

His comments came days after Trumpissued a statementsaying he believedPence had the authority to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Trump's favor.

Pence refused to give in to Trumps pressure and block the certification of the Electoral College results in January 2021.Pence has indicated that he did not know if he and Trump wouldever see eye to eye on that day.

Several Republicans on Sunday came to Pence's defense, saying they agreed he had no authority to single-handedly give Trump asecond term.

Sen. Marco RubioMarco Antonio RubioRepublicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election Rubio says Putin's 'economy should be crippled and hurt badly' if Russia invades Ukraine Sunday shows - Trump-Pence division in the spotlight MORE (R-Fla.) told CBSs Face the Nation that vice presidents can't simply decide not to certify an election when asked if he agreed with Pence.

Pressed on if he believes the former presidents suggestion was wrong, Rubiosaid he would not want Vice President Harris to overturn the results if Trump were to win reelection in the future.

Sen. John BarrassoJohn Anthony BarrassoRepublicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election Sunday shows - Trump-Pence division in the spotlight GOP senator says Pence did his 'constitutional duty' in certifying 2020 election MORE (R-Wyo.) told Fox News Sunday that Pence did his constitutional duty that day.

It's not the Congress that elects the president, it's the American people, he added.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris ChristieChris ChristieRepublicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election Christie: RNC resolution noting 'legitimate political discourse' on Jan. 6 a mistake Chris Christie: RNC chair 'carrying water for Donald Trump' MORE (R) said the actions the vice president took on Jan. 6 spoke loudly, adding that he was glad Pence finally put words to it.

I don't know why it took him so long, but I'm glad that he did, Christie said.

Christie, who served as a Trump adviser,called the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol an effort bythe former president to intimidate Mike Pence and the Congress into doing exactly what he said in his own words last week, overturn the election.

And during an appearance on "Face the Nation," H.R. McMaster, who served as national security adviser under Trump,said he "absolutely" agreed with Pence's take on Trump's comments when asked about the remarks.

All Americans should agree with Vice President Pence,McMaster said.

Its time I think, to demand more from our political leaders, demand that they stop compromising confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes to score partisan political points. And as you know, this happens across both political parties and it's just time to stop, he added.

Trumps statement in question specifically pointed to Congresss push to reform the Electoral Count Act as proof that Pence had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The 1887 statute outlines how Electoral College votes are counted.

The effort to reform the decades-old law is gaining momentumon Capitol Hill, with members from both parties viewing the initiative as a bipartisan compromise to addressing voting reform a top legislative initiative among Democrats that has since stalled amid internal party clashes regarding Senate rules.

A coalition of Senate Democrats rolled out legislation on Tuesday that would clarify that the vice presidents role in overseeing the electoral vote count is ceremonial andincrease the number of House and Senate lawmakers needed to back an objection before a vote is triggered in the chamber. Under the law now, only one member in each chamber is required.

The legislation also calls forupping the threshold for upholding the objection from a simple majority in both chambers to three-fifths in the House and Senate.

At the same time, a separate, bipartisan group of senators comprised of 16 lawmakers is working on its own proposal to reform the arcane law. That group is led by Sens. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret CollinsManchin crosses party lines in officially endorsing Murkowski Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election Trump, hurdles loom for Senate election reform talks MORE (R-Maine) and Joe ManchinJoe ManchinManchin crosses party lines in officially endorsing Murkowski Manchin: Social spending bill elements must go through committee process Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election MORE (D-W.Va.).

Manchin on Sunday told CNNs State of the Union that the true source of the Jan. 6 insurrection was the ambiguity behind the rules for counting of the Electoral College vote, noting that the regulations were not clear.

He said the bill the bipartisan group is working onwould fix that issue.

What really caused the insurrection? They thought there was a kind of ambiguity ambiguity, if you will, and there was an avenue they could go through and maybe overturn the election, because there was. It was not clear, Manchin said.

And when one congressman and one senator can bring a state's authentic count to a halt, it's wrong, and basically not protecting the electors, and you can change electors before you send the here, after the election, all these things. This is what we're going to fix. And we have a group right now that's continuing to grow, he added.

Link:

Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election | TheHill - The Hill

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Amid the ongoing Republican freakout over Critical Race Theory and the teaching of other supposedly objectionable material in public schools, an Iowa Republican has introduced a bill that would take the policing of the states teachers to a whole new level.

Earlier this week, Republican state Rep. Norlin Mommsen introduced a bill to place cameras at the back of public school classrooms so parents can monitor whats being taught there. The seemingly Orwellian idea would function in a similar way to a body camera on a police officer, Mommsen told The Center Square, a conservative news site.

A camera takes away the he said, she said or he said, he said, type argument and lets parents know hey, we are doing a good job,' Mommsen said.

He is not the first to introduce the idea of recording classrooms, which the Iowa State Education Association president said should not even be considered. In Nevada, a right-wing family alliance promoted this concept in June as a way to ensure teachers stick to traditional teaching.

Mommsens bill, he told The Center Square, was actually intended to address the concerns of Iowa State Senate president Jake Chapman, who has said teachers should be charged with felonies for distributing obscene material to students. One doesnt have to look far to see the sinister agenda occurring right before our eyes, Chapman said last month in an address to the Iowa Senate. The attack on our children is no longer hidden. Those who wish to normalize sexually deviant behavior against our children, including pedophilia and incest, are pushing this movement more than ever before.

Mandatory cameras in the classroom would eliminate this sinister plot chatter because the video shows theres not a sinister plot, Mommsen said.

If the past several weeks are any clue, the sinister plot chatter is actually just beginning. Conservatives have long fought to purge school curriculums of material deemed too critical of the United States. The obsession over critical race theory, a once-niche academic idea that has come to encompass any sprawling focus on racism, has led Republican-led school districts to crack down on the books in school libraries such as Toni Morrisons Beloved.

In November, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged the top state education official to investigate the availability of pornography in public schools. Last month, a Tennessee school board bannedMaus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, because of its sexual content. We dont need all the nakedness and all the other stuff, board member Mike Cochran said. (In the book, all characters are represented as animals.) And earlier this week, legislation introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives would require educators to provide a public list of their curriculum, textbooks, planned field trips, and research projects before the start of the school year, part of a curriculum transparency movement already adopted in other states.

The outrage over what materials teachers use and how they use them can obscure other, more pressing problems affecting students in public schools. Instead of wasting public funds on monitoring equipment, we should employ additional qualified professionals, reduce class sizes, and provide more programming that helps students acquire the skills they need, National Education Association president Becky Pringle toldNBC News.

Originally posted here:

Iowa Republican Introduces Bill to Put Cameras in Every Public School Classroom Mother Jones - Mother Jones

There's an old saying in Florida's Capitol that "once a senator, always a senator."But when it comes to changing some Republican votes, one former Republican senator is finding that no longer seems to be the caseat least, when it comes to election law.

More big changes are coming to Florida voting laws, just in time for the 2022 election. But one of the loudest voices of caution is coming from former Senator Alan Hays, who is Lake County's supervisor of elections. Hays recently pleaded with his former Republican colleagues to not make it more difficult for people to vote. It's complicated enough already, he said.

"Getting voters to follow instructions is not easy," Hays said. "Because they [voters] don't simply even follow the instructions -- the illustrated instructions -- to darken the oval."

Hays spent 12 years in the Florida Legislature before term limits forced him out in 2016. He was a dentist in the small town of Umatilla before he won a House seat in 2004, and soon moved to the Senate, where he opposed term limits and political correctness and was known for a blunt, outspoken style. Because of his past ties to the Senate, his new colleagues chose him to represent their views before a Senate committee this week.

"We're here today to say, please, use us as your election information source," Hays said. "Don't depend on the Internet. Don't depend on social media. Don't depend on anybody but the elections professionals here in Florida that inarguably, as far as I'm concerned, executed the best election in the nation in the year 2020."

Hays is one of four former legislators who now oversee local elections. The others are Mike Hogan in Duval County, Mike Bennett in Manatee and Lori Edwards in Polk.

This is the second year in a row that Hays has railed against his former colleagues for their proposed changes to the election laws. Last session he called it, "a travesty for them to crack down on the use of convenient drop boxes during the COVID-19 pandemic." This year it's cumbersome new requirements for returning vote by mail ballots.

Republican politics at the state capitol has changed, but Hays hasn't. When he left the Senate six years ago, a former colleague, Democratic Sen. Maria Sachs of Boca Raton, praised him for his style.

"You are what we need more of in politics," Sachs said. "Political correctness is nice, but people are tired of it. They want to hear what you really believe in, and damn the consequences."

Hays sees very serious problems ahead if Senate Bill 524 becomes law. When he recently testified on the bill he bluntly predicted that angry voters will be calling to complain, and he told the committee chairman, Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, that he will refer calls from angry voters to him.

"When they call me, I'm going to tell them to call you, Senator Baxley, because you're my senator," Hays said.

That's not what senators want to hear, which is why Hays said it.

Read more:

Former Republican lawmaker tries to curb the worst of GOP-led election law changes - WFSU

Republicans didn't need a cash influx to pick up a dozen seats: In 2020, their candidates were outspent on TV and still managed to cut down the Democratic advantage in the House. Not all of those candidates who raised large sums last quarter are in competitive races, but the fact that they have tapped the online fundraising spigot is an ominous sign for the Democratic majority.

Here are the other major takeaways from the latest round of campaign finance numbers in the battle for the House.

House Democratic incumbents still have a large cash-on-hand advantage in many key districts, including those held by Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who has a whopping $16.1 million; Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.), who has $5.5 million; and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), with $4.5 million.

And only a few of Democrats' most vulnerable incumbents were outraised by a GOP challenger: Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.). Meanwhile, Democratic candidates also managed to raise more than GOP Reps. Nicole Malliotakis in New York and Andy Harris in Maryland two prime pickup Democratic pickup opportunities in blue states.

GOP candidates were the top-raising candidates in many of the most competitive open seats, including Colorado's newly drawn 8th district and the districts held by retiring Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) and Charlie Crist (D-Fla.).

The reports also made clear that swing-seat retirements have left Democrats in a tough place.

In the northwest Illinois district of retiring Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, Republican Esther Joy King raised $640,000 but no Democratic candidate cleared $115,000. In Rep. Ron Kinds (D-Wis.) now-open battleground, Republican Derrick Van Orden raised over $830,000, more than double the total of any of the Democratic candidates.

Another problem spot for Democrats: the purple South Texas district that Rep. Vicente Gonzalez left open when he moved to a neighboring district. Republican Monica De La Cruz raised some $560,000 last quarter; no Democrat raised more than $110,000.

None of the seven pro-impeachment Republicans seeking reelection were outraised by a challenger. Many or all will have tough primaries to contend with, but money shouldn't be a problem for them.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) pulled in the most, with a staggering $2 million, nearly five times as much as challenger Harriet Hageman. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who still hasnt revealed whether he will retire in 2022 and could be in a member-vs-member race with Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), raised $726,000.

Fellow Michigan Republican Rep. Peter Meijer raised $529,000. Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) was the lowest of the pack, with a $155,000 quarter but hes got some $1.9 million in the bank. Former President Donald Trump endorsed one of his challengers, state Rep. Russell Fry, on Tuesday.

Some 10 incumbents are potentially facing off in member-versus-member primaries, thanks to redistricting drawing them into the same seats and most are not evenly matched financially.

In West Virginia, GOP Rep. David McKinley trounced fellow Republican Rep. Alex Mooney in fourth-quarter fundraising, raising $1.1 million to Mooneys $200,000 though Mooney does still have more cash on hand.

In Michigan, Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens outraised Democratic Rep. Andy Levin and has some $900,000 more in cash-on-hand. In Illinois, Democratic Rep. Sean Casten doubled the haul of fellow Democratic Rep. Marie Newman and has $1 million more in the bank.

And in suburban Atlanta, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) outraised Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.) by $315,000 and she has about $450,000 more in her campaign account.

Another cash dash to watch: In South Texas, embattled Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar outraised his liberal challenger Jessica Cisneros, $697,000 to $362,000, ahead of their March 1 primary.

Read more from the original source:

House Republicans close money gap in hunt for the majority - POLITICO

Ohiolawmakers will take a second crack at drawing a congressional map that adheres to voter-approved language to curb partisan gerrymandering.

But passing a map that appeases voters, Republicans and Democrats will be atall order if not a downright impossibletask. If lawmakers can't pass a map by Super Bowl Sunday, they will hand the line-drawing power to the Ohio Redistricting Commission,a group that has yet to approve a map that Republicans and Democrats agreed on.

"I think we all fully anticipate that this is something that's going to come to the redistricting commission. I think even Republicans anticipate that," said House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington. "So the question is: once it comes to the Ohio Redistricting Commission, will the process play out in a way that's similar or better than what we saw with the state legislative maps?"

Ohio congressional maps: The Ohio Supreme Court just rejected a GOP-drawn congressional map. What happens next?

The Ohio Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, rejected the GOP-controlled Legislature's first map, which could have given the GOP a 12-3 advantage in the state. That rejectedmap was drawn by Republican staff members with little to no Democratic input.

The court ruled that mapmakers unduly favored Republican candidates over Democratic ones. "When the dealer stacks the deck in advance, the house usually wins," wrote Justice Michael Donnelly in the court's majority opinion.

Hamilton County, for example, was divided into two GOP districts despite votingDemocraticin many recent county and presidential elections. Advocates of redistricting reform say mapmakers can and should draw a map that gives Republicans an 8-7 or 9-6 advantage.

Fair Districts Ohio, a coalition of good government groups advocating for redistricting reform, proposed a model map that would give the GOP an 8-7 advantage in the state with three safe Democratic seats and six safe Republican ones. The map could serve as a starting point for lawmakers or if ignored, an exhibit in a future legal challenge.

"We are hoping, as the state Legislature tackles this challenge, that they will be very focused on the voters rather than on partisan interests," said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio.

Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told reporters to expect "some action" on a congressional map on Monday or Tuesday after Senate Republicans returnedfrom a Florida fundraiser. Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, had introduced Senate Bill 286 as a placeholder.

Republicans won't be able to do it alone. They'll need votes from Democrats in the House. Why? Normally a bill takes effect after 90 days too late for the scheduled May 3rd primary.

For a bill to take effect right away, 66% of lawmakers in each chamber need to approve it. Republicans control more than 66% of the seats in the Ohio Senate, but not in the Ohio House.

"If this is a map that is not something that achieves the 10-year map goal that doesn't unduly favor one party, they will not get the votes needed for that emergency clause," Russo said.

Bills can also take effect right away if they include an appropriation of money.

The normal rules for a map also apply: if the planreceives support from 60% of lawmakersand 33% of Democrats in each chamber, it could last for 10 years. Anything that passes short of that would last for four years.

Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima, wouldn't say whether he'd prefer lawmakers or the commission to pass the maps.

"We're going to be formulating a reasonable approach, and I am not sure which way would be best at this time," he said.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Read the rest here:

Ohio GOP lawmakers to introduce a new congressional map. The odds of it passing are slim - The Columbus Dispatch