Monthly Archives: March 2022

What Cheney doesnt know until now is that a band of Trump-loving Republicans will be on hand to greet her. They snapped up roughly a quarter of the 350 tickets, at $10 apiece, to give the embattled congresswoman a piece of their minds.

I was here when the Democrats dragged her fathers effigy down a village road behind a truck at one of their rallies, and those are the people who are supporting her now, that shes embraced, an angry Rebecca Cloetta, 66, said over breakfast at a greasy spoon called the Virginian.

Can you believe it? Charging for a ticket! Its a slap in the face, said Rebecca Bextel, 41, another Trump-backing Republican planning to attend the voting event. We have one person representing us Wyoming has a single House member and she shows up in town and it costs $10 to see her. Its embarrassing.

She is not, Bextel vowed, going to get reelected.

Bextel may well be correct. Though theres been scant public polling of her primary campaign against Trump-backed Harriet Hageman, its apparent that Republicans in Wyoming which voted for Trump over Joe Biden, 70 to 27 percent, in 2020 have turned against Cheney en masse since Jan. 6, 2021.

Republican U.S. House candidate Harriet Hageman talks to a supporter at a campaign event on March 7, 2022, in Cheyenne, Wyo.|Mead Gruver/AP Photo

Just as obvious is that Cheney needs Democrats and independents to change their party registration and cast their vote for her in the Aug. 16 primary. Her campaign is loath to talk strategy publicly, but the math doesnt lie and neither do Cheneys actions on the ground here in recent months.

She has shunned town halls and other voter forums in Wyomings overwhelmingly red counties in favor of controlled events. At the March 22 event, which is being hosted by Issue One, a bipartisan organization that advocates for sweeping reforms to fix our broken political system, Cheney will answer pre-selected questions.

When Cheney was censured by the state Republican Party in February 2021, three of the eight votes against the move were by officials from Teton County, which encompasses Jackson. The dissenters included Mary Martin, now the countys GOP chair.

Since then, however, Martin has soured on Cheney. She said the congresswoman is rarely in the state, despite having been urged to explain why she voted to impeach Trump.

She was absolutely invited to come and present what her facts were, to defend why you are doing this and instead she opted to call the Republicans radicals, which has made people upset within the party, Martin said from the Jackson mansion of Nancy Donovan, a prominent Republican donor in Wyoming.

Shes not in the state, she has not been anywhere, maybe one or two places, Donovan echoed. She doesnt show up shes very entitled. Her parents have events at their house, Ive spent money to go to her house to fund her. I truly will never vote for her again. Donovan and Bextel are both members of Hagemans grassroots leadership team.

Martin went further, calling Cheneys work on the Jan. 6 committee duplicity.

Shes been MIA since Jan. 6. And what we all truly believe is that the Wyoming seat is a stepping stone to running for president in 2024 and she needs to get Trump out of the way. And to raise money, shes using the anti-Trump commentary, Martin speculated.

An empty chair labeled "Representative Cheney" sits in front of a meeting room in Rawlins, Wyo., on Feb. 6, 2021. The Wyoming Republican Party central committee voted to censure Rep. Liz Cheney for voting to impeach President Donald Trump. Republican officials said they invited Cheney, but she didn't attend.|Mead Gruver/AP Photo

Cheney declined to be interviewed for this story. But she told The New York Times last month that she will not openly court Democrats by supporting a Democrats for Cheney group or encourage an existing political action committee, dubbed Switch for Wyoming, that encourages Democrats to vote in Republican primaries.

Without an aggressive campaign strategy to win over Democrats, it might seem like a tough sell: Cheney, after all, voted with Trump 93 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. But some Democratic voters in Jackson are embracing her. They appreciate Cheneys work in Congress prosecuting Trump and theyre ready to switch parties to vote for her.

Even if theyre not ready to admit it publicly.

I think her politics are crap, but I like how much hate she gets from the people of Wyoming, said a 27-year-old event planner who will register as a Republican for the first time to vote for Cheney. He asked not to be named because its a small town.

There are a lot of things about her that dont appeal to me as a gay man, he said. She was not supportive of her sister until it came out in the news, and that is a big red flag. At the same time, its Wyoming, a population of 500,000. Every vote counts. Wyomings population is just under 579,000, according to U.S. Census figures.

Pete Jenkins, 54, a contractor whos lived in Wyoming for three decades, said he identifies personally as a Democrat he did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020 but is registered as a Republican just to have some influence in Wyoming politics. He said he intends to vote for Cheney and has heard from lots of other Democrats planning to do the same.

I think its a fairly popular thing, he said of the party-switchers-for-Cheney movement.

Cheney needs as many of them as she can get.

Wyoming political strategists say the only path to victory for Cheney is with the help of Democrats and independents. The states 2018 Republican primary for an open governors seat is instructive. Mark Gordon, the GOP state treasurer at the time, was facing stiff competition from the right. More than 10,000 voters switched parties or registered as Republicans for the first time between the primary and general elections.

Gordon won the primary by 9,000 votes against candidates that included Hageman. Turnout was 116,000 and Gordon received just shy of 39,000 votes.

While Cheney has yet to overtly court Democrats, her decision to aggressively investigate Trump as a leader of the select Jan. 6 House committee naturally appeals to voters who detest the former president.

Cheney allies are hopeful that crossover voters will bail her out this time. They are counting on a primary with at least two pro-Trump GOP candidates that will divide the anti-Cheney vote. With the help of even half of the 73,000 Democrats who voted for Biden in 2020, they believe Cheney could pull it off.

That theory isnt lost on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has told members that hes worried that the numbers add up for Cheney and that she might be back in Congress next session, according to a source with direct knowledge of the discussions. McCarthy did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump, too, is worried that Democrats will help reelect Cheney. He backed a bill in the Wyoming legislature that would have barred voters from switching parties on the day of a primary election in order to vote for a candidate of another party.

But that proposal died in the Wyoming legislature last week.

At an event in Cheyenne earlier this month where nearly 200 people in cowboy hats and boots showed up to support Hageman, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) urged voters to call their legislators to back the measure.

Ill tell you this, theres only one way Liz Cheney wins, and thats if you let Democrats vote in your primary, so you need to call your state rep and let them know, he said just days before the bill died.

After the event, Hageman told reporters, Im fully confident I can win this race whether the crossover bill happens or not. Its something thats been an issue in our state for many years, its not just 2020.

A progressive organizer who helped get the Democratic vote out for Gordon in 2018 crunched the numbers based on a hypothetical three-way race between Hageman, Cheney and Republican state Sen. Anthony Bouchard. The person said Bouchard because he remains popular among the MAGA set even after Trump endorsed Hageman could play spoiler by drawing as much as 15 percent of the vote.

That could open the door just enough for Cheney to slip through, the organizer said.

It will depend on Cheneys on-the-ground voter engagement not high-priced advertising campaigns that will quickly saturate Wyomings small markets, the person said. We know at least some of these voters will vote if they think their vote will make a difference in a race that means something to them.

More here:

Liz Cheney turns to Democrats to save her hide - POLITICO

Why this Democratic Party official attend a Republican-leaning conference: I wanted to help

Matt Grodsky| Arizona Republic

By Matt Grodsky

With the threat of authoritarianism looming and a hostile faction threatening a democratic nation, it is incumbent upon us to support and coordinate with the insurgency.

Im not talking about Ukraine. I am describing Democrats supporting Republican refugees within the insurgency of the GOP, people who belonged to the party of Reagan and now find themselves impressed into the party of Trump.

Thats why I traveled to Washington, D.C., to take part in the Principles First conference, a gathering of moderate Republicans many of whom are actively working to restore the GOP and cleanse it of Trumpism.

Some of my Democratic colleagues might wonder why this was a worthwhile endeavor for someone working to elect Democrats?

Shouldnt I be enjoying the implosion of the GOP?

No.Our democracy works best with a two-party system, in which both bodies operate in good-faith for the best of our nation. One-party dominance is not the answer. So while I work to elect Democrats, I also want to help eliminate extremists from the GOP.

Both parties have their bad eggs, but only one has been hijacked by them. Yes, there has been political warfare since the founding of America. Political parties have shifted and evolved throughout our history, but members of both sides ultimately always worked together for our common interests.

We have never had one party with such blatant anti-American sentiment as the modern GOP. The party of George H.W. Bush has been overrun by Putinites, insurrectionists and conspirators.

They have isolated the moderates in their ranks who still believe in our democratic-republic. This has led to the Democratic Party being the only safe option for voters. This is not sustainable for our government.

It impairs our ability to legislate and puts us on a burning high-wire every election cycle, repeatedly presenting the stark choice between authoritarianism and democracy.

You wouldnt want a professional basketball team to play in the finals against a team of suicide bombers. Yet thats what we have been seeing in our elections one party endeared to our democratic norms, the other overrun by fanatics.

One bad performance for Democrats could send us into the abyss. In that scenario, we had better be sure the right kind of Republican is holding key elected offices when democracy is threatened.

Had someone like Arizonastate Rep. Mark Finchem been handling things in Georgia, 2020 would have ended with substantially more drama.

The reality is the GOP is not a monolith. Many Republicans are being held hostage within their party by radical elements. It should not be assumed that they identify with them.

Most of these hostages are willing and able to build a coalition. In fact, when I was the director of communications for the Arizona Democratic Party in 2020, speaking to this audience,was a key component of our strategy and it paid off.

It is not inevitable that the Republicans of yore will reclaim their party without help. So I went to engage with Republicans in hopes of identifying collaborative ways to elevate moderates in their party primaries - funding PACs, working together to dismantle radical candidates and elected officials, establishing sound communications strategies, nationwide candidate recruitment, and more.

There were many like-minded people at Principles First.

Several voiced support for President Joe Biden and democratic policies. The event included Rep. Adam Kinzinger, David Frum, Bill Kristol, Charlie Sykes, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, and it honored heroes like U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.

Most of the people I interacted with identified themselves as being lost in the political wilderness, cut out of todays GOP but still beholden to the traditional principles of their pre-Trump party.

Most notably, they recognized the value of a strong two-party system. When I asked people why they didnt just leave their party to become Democrats or independents, many of them, like my Republican colleague Adrian Bakke, answered Because I was here first. This is my party, I cant abandon it to this.

I had plenty of disagreements with attendees on a myriad of issues. But our most concrete areas of common ground were that Jan. 6 was an insurrection, Trumpism is bad, Putin is evil, and Lets go Brandon is a dumb slogan.

In the event the Trump fever doesnt break before 2024, forgotten Republicans in their party should reach out to Democrats. I encourage Democrats to reach back across the chasm.

We need to help them reclaim their party so that we can get back to competing against people we disagree with, not people hell bent on upending democracy. Coalitions are what bring change, not one-party messaging.

Trust me, I want Democrats to win. Im not doing this because I support the policies of the traditional Republican Party, nor am I doing this because I want more obstructionists in moderate clothing (see our senior senator).

I want us to have a voter registration advantage in Arizona, I want our commonsense policies adopted at the state and federal level. But I also want whats best for our republic in the long term.

Matt Grodsky is vice president and director of public affairs at Matters of State Strategies. He previously served as the director of communications for the Arizona Democratic Party from 2019 to 2021. He is a Democratic precinct committeeman in Legislative District 28 and an Arizona Democratic Party state committee member. Follow him Twitter: @mattgrodsky.

Follow this link:

I'm a Democrat who infiltrated the Republicans - The Arizona Republic

The Democratic Party is perceived by voters as being both ineffective and out of touch and, as a result, stands to suffer substantive seat losses in the midterm elections,new pollingby Schoen Cooperman Research indicates.

Indeed, the findings of our survey which was conducted among likely 2022 midterm election voters show that the electorate is increasingly pessimistic about the direction in which President BidenJoe BidenUngar-Sargon: Working class hit hardest by inflation Nevada county to consider counting all ballots by hand Biden to announce B in Ukraine military aid: report MORE and Democrats are steering the country and feel that the partys priorities do not align with their own.

In order to have a fighting chance in the midterms as well as a shot at holding on to the presidency in 2024 Democrats need to embark on a broader course correction back to the center. The party needs to show voters that they are focused on solving problems and addressing quality-of-life issues and that they reject the progressive lefts embrace of big government spending and identity politics.

Indeed, a majority of voters (54 percent) including 56 percent of independents explicitly say that they want Biden and Democrats to move closer to the center and embrace more moderate policies versus embracing more liberal policies (18 percent) or staying where they are politically (13 percent).

Most voters (61 percent) also agree that Biden and Democrats are out of touch with hardworking Americans and have been so focused on catering to the far-left wing of the party that theyre ignoring Americans day to day concerns such as rising prices and combatting violent crime.

Equally concerning for Democrats, there is a clear sense among the 2022 electorate that the state of the country has deteriorated since Biden became president and that he has not lived up to expectations.

Bidens net approval rating is 9 points underwater (54 percent disapprove, 45 percent approve), which marks a 4-point drop since our December poll (51 percent disapprove, 46 percent approve). A plurality of voters (43 percent) also say that Biden has done worse as president than they expected, rather than better (19 percent).

As inflation has risen, the economy has become a particular area of vulnerability for Democrats. Indeed, voters growing economic pessimism is one of the driving forces behind their dissatisfaction both with the current state of the country as well as with Biden.

Bidens approval rating on handling the nations economic recovery is 21 points underwater (59 percent disapprove, 38 percent approve). This marks a notable 17-point decline from our December polling, when Bidens approval rating on the recovery was negative 4 points, 50 percent to 46 percent.

In addition to harboring negative views about the economy generally, two-thirds of voters (68 percent) blame the Biden administrations policies for inflation either fully or partially.

Indeed, inflation which is at its highest level in 40 years is the top issue (51 percent) for voters, followed by the economy and creating jobs (32 percent). Yet only 16 percent of voters believe that Bidens main focus is on the economy. Thus, voters trust Republicans over Democrats to manage the economy (47 percent to 41 percent) and control inflation (48 percent to 36 percent).

In addition to the economy, voters see Biden and Democrats as underperforming on other important issues and in key roles, notably on policing and crime.

As violent crime surges across the country a trend that voters are nearly universally concerned about (85 percent) by a 2-to-1 margin, voters blame Democrats over Republicans for rising crime rates (52 percent to 25 percent). Further, Republicans are trusted over Democrats to reduce crime (49 percent to 34 percent).

Despite Bidens more moderate rhetoric on law enforcement and policing lately, most voters still agree that Biden and Democrats are soft on crime (56 percent) and a plurality agree that Democrats in Congress support the radical defund the police movement (46 percent).

Notwithstanding Democrats weaknesses on the economy and crime, our data on the COVID-19 pandemic is relatively encouraging for the party. Indeed, a majority of voters (53 percent) approve of the way Biden is addressing the pandemic.

To be sure, Democrats success in the midterms hinges partly on Americans feeling like COVID-19 is under control by Novemberand, positively, nearly one-half of voters (46 percent) now say that the pandemic is either completely or mostly under control, while just 12 percent say it is not under control.

Voters are also notably less concerned about the pandemic now than they were in December. Currently, voters are concerned, rather than not concerned, about the pandemic by a 24-point margin compared to December, when voters were concerned by a 50-point margin.

That being said, these improving dynamics vis--vis the COVID-19 pandemic will likely not be enough to tip the scales in Democrats favor, given the enormity of the challenges Biden faces at home and of course, the crisis hes facing in Eastern Europe.

Collectively, our data paints a picture of a Democratic Party that is unable to connect with voters on basic "kitchen table" issues, namely the economy and crime.

In his State of the Union address, Biden attempted to refashion his economic agenda in light of the Build Back Better plans failure and tried to sell some of the same big-spending proposals as anti-inflationary and deficit-reducing measures.

Instead of repackaging a failed progressive spending bill one that most voters either dont prioritize or oppose the president should make a commitment to reducing inflation by practicing fiscal discipline while also ruling out any new spending initiatives that lack bipartisan support.

At the same time, though it was encouraging to hear Biden call to fund the police, rhetoric is just a first step. Absent a Democratic effort to approach criminal justice legislation in a bipartisan manner, the GOP will be able to weaponize the issue against Democrats in the midterms.

Ultimately, if Democrats do not embrace a strategic shift to the political center, they risk historic defeats worse than 1994 or 2010 in this years midterm elections.

Douglas E. Schoen and Carly Cooperman are pollsters and partners with the public opinion company Schoen Cooperman Research based in New York. They are co-authors of the book, America: Unite or Die.

Here is the original post:

New polling confirms Democrats' left-leaning policies are out of touch | TheHill - The Hill

In recent weeks, President Joe Biden has tried to resurrect the legislation formerly known as Build Back Better, the social spending and climate bill Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) effectively killed in December when he said he wouldnt support it.

So far, not much has changed. Bidens efforts include ditching the name and rebranding the policies as measures to curb inflation. Senate Democrats are also holding hearings on issues like prescription drug prices to try to keep talks going. And Democrats, on the whole, have signaled a willingness and political motivation to get something done while they remain in control of Congress.

Few lawmakers, however, seem to have any clue how to actually move it forward. The answer is I dont have the foggiest idea, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) told Vox.

Because no Republicans support the bill and because Democrats have a very narrow Senate majority, all 50 members of the caucus need to be on board to pass it via a process known as budget reconciliation. And Democrats are still struggling to piece together a bill that could get this degree of support, given longstanding opposition from holdouts like Manchin.

Earlier this month, Manchin indicated that there were provisions hed potentially be open to including reducing prescription drug prices, reforming the tax code, and addressing climate policy but theres no explicit agreement yet about what a plan could look like.

I hope that we will do some of the bill and that well get some key investments in, said Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Look, folks ought to get in the room and figure out what that is.

Here are three possible routes Democrats could take as they try to salvage the legislation.

Much like the previous bill, any potential agreement hinges on Manchin.

In early March, Manchin effectively put a new offer on the table, saying hed be willing to consider legislation that focuses on prescription drug prices, tax reforms, and climate investments as long as half the revenue it raises is targeted to paying down the deficit.

Half of that money should be dedicated to fighting inflation and reducing the deficit, he told reporters. The other half you can pick for a 10-year program, whatever you think is the highest priority. Right now, it seems to be the environment.

If Manchin is serious about his proposal, its possible that Democrats could come together on a plan that counters the deficit and funds a smaller slate of new policies.

Thus far, however, Manchin has only outlined this plan in broad strokes stopping short of offering details regarding changes to the tax code that hed like to see and declining to say whether hed back the House bills approach to reducing prescription drug prices.

In the House bill, the prescription drug and tax provisions would raise $1.5 trillion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Were half this revenue dedicated to deficit reduction and combating inflation, there would still be $750 billion left over to cover new spending. This funding would be sufficient to pay for the $555 billion in clean energy tax credits and job investments that were previously part of BBB.

Already, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has said shes willing to engage in negotiations on this proposal, though she wants specifics before moving forward.

Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) echoed this support. I think we can work with it, he told Vox regarding Manchins plan.

The big question, however, is whether Manchin will stick by this position. Previously, Manchin had offered his own proposal to the White House, only to retract it when negotiations got dicey. Last summer, too, he laid out certain provisions hed consider including support for opioid addiction treatment and authority over a clean electricity standard but found other problems once several of those conditions were met.

And even if Manchin is actually on board with this approach, there are questions about whether Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) would be willing to support it since the provisions shes previously pushed back on were those addressing prescription drug prices and corporate taxes.

Unlike Manchin, however, Sinema backed both the prescription drug policies in the House bill and the White Houses framework on BBB, which included many of the tax provisions that made it into the final bill.

We need to get together on the parts we agree on and pass it, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told Vox. We have a lot that we still need to pass before the midterms.

If Democrats arent able to reach a deal on a reconciliation bill, its possible they turn to bipartisan alternatives on some of the issues they hoped to address, like lowering prescription drug prices.

Previously, Sens. Wyden and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) had reached an agreement on legislation that would limit the out-of-pocket prices seniors on Medicare would have to pay for drugs. Warnock is also leading a bill that could cap the monthly price of insulin at $35, a proposal that has gotten positive feedback from some Republicans, according to Kaiser Health News. And Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) has expressed an interest in working on the expanded child tax credit and bringing back direct monthly payments for families.

There are major risks, however, to going this route.

For one, the policies that Democrats will be able to pass will likely be much narrower. Wyden and Grassleys bill did not enable Medicare to negotiate drug prices like the budget bill would, for example. Thats a major reform that could significantly curb drug prices given the bodys negotiating power. Romneys child tax credit policy would also impose more work requirements for people to receive the benefit, which Democrats proposal did not.

Additionally, theres no guarantee any bipartisan bills would be able to secure the 60 votes they need to advance in the Senate. Even though several of these bills have Republican support, getting 10 GOP members to sign on in the Senate will still be a challenge.

The follow-up to voting rights legislation has underscored these hurdles.

Because Democrats werent able to pass a voting rights bill on their own, the focus has shifted toward bipartisan talks to reform the Electoral Count Act. That measure is expected to be far more limited than the bill Democrats proposed, and it has yet to move forward in either the House or the Senate.

The darkest scenario for Democrats is that no version of Build Back Better, or any of the policies it includes, is able to pass.

This option could be the most likely one given how the party has struggled to agree on a bill since talks began last June. After expressing his opposition to the previous version of the bill, Manchin has yet to support another concrete proposal, meaning any new discussions could have the same outcome as the ones that took place last year.

Democrats also have a packed spring schedule and a limited window to get legislation done before this falls elections.

In the coming weeks, the Senate will be focused on the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, so it probably wont revisit BBB until mid-April at least. Congress also has to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the US Innovation and Competition Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at investing in the US supply chain. And lawmakers are still weighing additional action sanctioning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine along with a standalone bill that provides more pandemic relief.

That doesnt leave much time for Democrats to work out their differences on BBB.

With BBB in flux, Democrats increasingly appear to be pointing to their other achievements like the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan infrastructure bill as they try to make their case to voters ahead of the midterms.

Weve already passed the huge infrastructure bill and notice that it was not with the support of the majority of Republicans and, of course, the Rescue bill, which did not get a single Republican, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) said.

More:

Three ways Democrats Build Back Better bill could go from here - Vox.com

But Democrats can respond in a way that at least doesnt sound tone deaf, Lake added. One is to acknowledge that it exists, she said. All that language about its transitional, its temporary, that doesnt work at all because people think, Well, Im not getting a temporary raise to make up for my temporary inflation. And to say that it didnt really exist, that it wasnt that bad, that wages were keeping upits just not peoples real-world experience. So [its] very, very important to have the kind of language that the president had during the State of the Union, where he said, Families are struggling, inflation is serious. Were very concerned about it, were doing everything we can.

Polling that Lakes firm has done found that the best ways to ease Americans worries about inflation is negotiating prescription drug prices, making big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, bringing American jobs back to America, and pushing buy American, along with reiterating that nobody whose income is under $400,000 a year is going to receive a tax increase. Because people are worried that their taxes, as well as their cost of living, [are] going up.

Democrats have been introducing bills aimed at fighting inflation. Representative Jan Schakowsky introduced a bill to fight price-gouging in relation to Covid-19. Arizona Senator Mark Kellys first reelection campaign ad featured him talking about families experiences during times of economic hardship. Congressional Democrats have held hearings on supply bottlenecks and corporate profiteering related to inflation. Senator Elizabeth Warren has targeted big corporations and their role in leveraging prices during a high inflationary period to make profits.

View original post here:

The Democrats Can't Ignore Inflation in the Midterm Elections - The New Republic

I dont think it's too much to ask to say, if youre running our elections you cant lie about our elections, said Democratic Senate President Steve Fenberg who is the main sponsor of SB22-153.

While the measure had been in the works for a while, it was officially introduced just two days after Peters was charged with breaching the security of her countys voting equipment.

In the words of the grand jurys indictment, Peters and her deputy Belinda Knisley allegedly devised and executed a deceptive scheme to give an unauthorized person access to the county's voting machine hard drives and to sit in on a software update. Photos of passwords and copies of data were later leaked online by election conspiracy theorists.

The sweeping new bill requires counties to store all voting equipment in a secure area only accessible by key card and under constant, year-round video surveillance. It also bans anyone, even election office employees, from going into that area alone.

Currently, cameras only have to be on for a set number of days around each election, and only on certain pieces of election equipment.

The proposal also aims to speed up the legal process when a potential security breach occurs and increases the penalty if found guilty. It would make it a felony to tamper with voting equipment or publish information like passwords, and adds whistleblower protections for employees who reveal misbehavior.

Its important for Coloradans to hear that we wont stand for this kind of thing. Insider threats have no place in our elections, said Matt Crane, the head of the Colorado County Clerks Association and a former Republican county clerk.

Clerks from both parties overwhelmingly support the legislation, according to Crane. He noted it would expand training and certification requirements for election workers, clerks and certain employees within the secretary of states office, everything from election security and misinformation to risk-limiting audits, and accessibility and voter registration.

I think what we saw in Mesa County was a low-information clerk, which made her susceptible to grifters and bad actors, said Crane. Peters did not have experience in elections administration before being elected clerk in 2018.

Pueblo Clerk and Recorder Gilbert Bo Ortiz is the current chair of the clerks association. The Democrat called Peters alleged actions a breach of public trust and said clerks across the state have since pushed for more accountability for election officials.

The bill also budgets a half-million dollars for grants to help countys comply with the new security measures.

But despite broad support in the election world, in the world of politics, SB-153 has been met with some partisan skepticism. It passed its first hearing on a party-line vote Tuesday evening.

Seeing a bill like this being run immediately, in response to what happened in Mesa County, is troubling, said Republican Rep. Matt Soper, who represents most of the county in the House. Quite frankly (it) angers me because I don't think we ought to be writing legislation for just one particular element that has occurred out in society, knowing that the law that's currently on the books has been playing out.

Soper said hes open to voting for the bill, if its amended to address some of his concerns. But he also noted that its hard for Republicans to embrace a proposal when Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold is championing it.

She's made the office incredibly partisan, and it didn't have to be that way, he said. It makes the politics around this very difficult to vote for, even if reading through the bill theres a lot of things that Republicans and Democrats could agree with here.

Griswold is running for reelection and her fundraising emails have routinely highlighted her investigation of Peters, who also recently entered the race. She has also developed a national profile as a critic of Republican-led voting policies.

The Colorado GOP is already organizing against the bill. Hours before the measures first hearing, the Party emailed its members with an action alert urging Republicans lawmakers to oppose it.

Jena Griswold not only wants to be the Secretary of State; she wants to become judge and jury as well. The extreme portions of this bill are a transparent attempt to stoke fear and distrust in local elections and center all the power with Jena -- all without checks or balances, said GOP State Party Chair Kristi Burton Brown in the message.

At the same time the party leaders have asked Peters to suspend her campaign for Secretary of State in the wake of the criminal charges.

Whats shaping up to be the most controversial element of the bill is a section that would ban those who oversee elections from knowingly or recklessly disseminating misinformation or disinformation about elections.

Peters has long maintained she was well within her authority to investigate what she came to believe was voter fraud in the 2020 election, doubts which she said started with simply trying to answer questions many of her constituents had.

They just kept bringing it to me and bringing it to me, Peters told CPR last November. I get emails and people wanting to meet with me. I tried to defend that we were, we had pure and fair elections.

Peters said she could no longer defend the system. I can't unsee what I've seen and it's disturbing to me.

Peters has also participated in events and broadcasts hosted by prominent purveyors of false claims about the 2020 election, including Trump associates Steve Bannon and Mike Lindell.

Thats the kind of misinformation bill sponsors want to prevent in the future. Lawsuits and hand recounts in other states, as well as Colorados required post-election audits have consistently shown that the 2020 election results were accurate.

But for one prominent first amendment attorney, this aspect of the bill is problematic, no matter what the motives of its backers are.

Steve Zansberg heads the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. He also provides legal representation to members of the Colorado Broadcasters Association, including CPR. He said he wonders who gets to decide whether a statement was knowingly or recklessly false.

It raises serious constitutional questions because of the ambiguity in how it could be enforced, said Zansberg. He added that its incredibly disconcerting for the state to potentially use the things someone says as a condition and qualification for overseeing elections.

He said if lawmakers do pass this provision, it should require a high standard of evidence and a clear process for determining whether someone actually broke the law.

For supporters, though, the idea is just common sense. Sen. Fenberg told members of the Senates State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee that he is fully aware that false information about election fraud will continue to spread on social media, talk radio and other platforms. He said his bill isnt trying to curtail that kind of speech.

That's why, in a lot of ways, our democracy is so great and frustrating and messy. But for people who administer the elections, there should be some basic standards, said Fenberg.

And I don't think this bill does anything above and beyond what is a normal, basic security protocol that should be followed for any sensitive information, especially for something as important as our elections and our democracy.

This measure is part of a package of voting bills Democrats have introduced this session that they say are needed to respond to the upheaval around the 2020 election. Those include a bill to ban the open carry of firearms within 100 feet of voting locations, and a bill that would increase penalties for threatening and harassing election workers.

But Secretary Griswold said Colorado is the first state she knows of to propose this latest type of action. She said she recently briefed other Secretaries of State on the bill and hopes states across the country follow Colorados lead.

I do believe that we'll see further insider attacks, as a way to destabilize American elections and push disinformation. So every state should be getting ready for this evolving threat, she said.

Read the rest here:

What if the threat is coming from inside? Democrats push for tighter rules for Colorado's election officials - Colorado Public Radio

Do Utah Democrats send a candidate to Novembers ballot in the U.S. Senate race, which most likely extends the partys five-decade-long losing streak? Or, should they compromise their values to make an uneasy alliance with a conservative candidate in hopes of denying Sen. Mike Lee another term in Washington?

Its certainly not the most exciting Choose your own adventure book on the shelf, but its on the spring syllabus for Utahs Democrats.

Distilled to its essence, it is a choice between principles and practicality, and neither are particularly great choices for Utahs minority party.

Kael Weston is unopposed in the Democratic Party, so giving him the nomination should be nothing more than a formality. Traditionally, lone candidates are nominated by acclamation at the partys convention without the need for a formal vote by delegates.

Not this year, though.

A group of prominent Democrats, fronted by former Rep. Ben McAdams and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, say the party should withhold its nomination to increase the chances for independent Evan McMullin to defeat Lee.

Wilson admits its a gamble, but Democrats havent won a U.S. Senate election in Utah for 50 years, and she would like to try something different, even if it results in electing someone who is much farther to the right on the political spectrum.

Im well aware Evan McMullin would not be as good as a Democrat in terms of my values and what I believe. But I expect he would invite us into the room when hes making tough decisions. Thats not an opportunity Mike Lee is affording me right now, Wilson says.

Its a brutally pragmatic argument and one you dont often see in todays hyperpolarized political culture. Even if Democrats decide to kick party politics aside, there is no guarantee McMullin can beat Lee in November.

McAdams also says he would willingly trade McMullin for Lee, even if their politics rarely align.

Youll never have a candidate who agrees with you 100% of the time, and losing accomplishes nothing, McAdams says.

McAdams says he is on board with the plan because he believes Lee is an obstructionist who is unwilling to compromise.

Washington, D.C., is a dumpster fire. I personally know how broken and dysfunctional it is, and Mike Lee is the ringleader of that dysfunction. He cant even find his way to bipartisanship on things like roads and bridges, McAdams says. We have got to start sending people to Washington who are going to be constructive and work to fix whats broken.

But what of Weston? Doesnt he deserve the opportunity to represent the Democratic party? This clinical assessment of the race shoves him and his political ambitions aside.

Longtime Utah Democrat Quang Dang, who is helping Weston plot his political strategy, says the gambit put forward by McAdams and Wilson will do lasting damage to the party.

This whole plot to not have a Democratic candidate on the ballot is absurd. Never in the history of this party has this been done, Dang says. We have to deal with this gimmick, and gimmicks dont work in politics, especially Utah politics.

Weston is not a rookie candidate. He ran against Rep. Chris Stewart in 2020, losing to the Republican by 22 points in Utahs 2nd Congressional District.

Dang says Democrats who want to push Weston aside for McMullin are making many assumptions. First, Lee likely faces a primary against one or two other Republicans. Both Becky Edwards and Ally Isom are gathering signatures to avoid elimination at the GOP convention. Although Lee is the presumptive favorite, Dang says thats not a fait accompli, and the political winds could shift.

Politics is not sports betting. We ought to vote for the candidate that best represents our values and principles, not on who we think is most likely to win, Dang says.

The problem for Weston or any Democrat running statewide in Utah is simple math. You have to get more votes than your opponent.

Longtime political strategist Reed Galen says the numbers are more favorable for McMullin than Weston, but its still a long shot.

Are there enough Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents in Utah to beat Mike Lee? Are there enough Republican voters who dont like Mike Lee to cross over and vote for a Democrat? I think the answer to all of those questions is an unequivocal no, Galen says.

The former Republican and Park City resident helped form the Lincoln Project in 2020 as part of the effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning another term in the White House. He says Democrats are not known for looking at politics pragmatically.

They lead with their hearts a lot, not with their heads. When it comes to cold calculations, theyre not very good at it. For Democrats who dont like Mike Lee, there are only two choices in this race: Mike Lee or Evan McMullin, Galen says.

While this strategy is very rare, it is not unprecedented. In the 2014 Kansas U.S. Senate race, the Democratic nominee, Chad Taylor, dropped out to clear the way for independent businessman Greg Orman. According to Smart Politics, Orman lost by nearly 11 points to Pat Roberts, but the race was much closer than in the past as Republicans won the previous nine U.S. Senate races by an average of 37 points.

The United Utah Party has already thrown its weight behind McMullin, endorsing his candidacy against Lee.

How this plays out will depend on the whims of Democratic delegates who will be selected at the Democratic caucus meetings next week. All of this culminates at the state convention at the end of April.

Read more here:

Utah Democrats face dilemma: help an independent to try to beat Sen. Mike Lee or stand with the party - Salt Lake Tribune

Some lawmakers, like Norton and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, still lay the blame solely at Republicans feet. Clearly the dysfunction that exists in Congress means that they need Republicans on board to move spending bills, says Mendelson, adding that he doesnt blame Democrats for trying to move legislation. Norton notes that the House was able to easily eliminate the budget riders in its draft spending bill because the chamber has a more comfortable Democratic majority; it was a tougher sell in the Senate, where the party has less leverage.

They are nevertheless frustrated by what the Harris Rider means in practice for the city, where a robust market of cannabis gifting and delivery services has developed in the wake of residents 2014 vote to legalize weeda market that the Harris Rider makes it illegal to regulate in any way, from banking to quality control and public safety. And that says nothing of the fact that residents can hop over the D.C. border to Maryland, home of Andy Harris and Republican Governor Larry Hogan, where lawmakers are in the middle of passing a framework to create a recreational weed market. In the citys other neighbor, Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, while skeptical of legalizing weed sales, has conceded that he isnt interested in recriminalizing the drug.

Democrats need to just get real clear and real serious. What is the partys policy when it comes to cannabis? Because we have been nibbling around the edges with this hodgepodge patchwork system amongst the states, and all it takes, really, is one presidential administration with an overzealous attorney general who disagrees, Henderson says. This is incoherent. The Democratic Party has an incoherent message when it comes to cannabis policy. (Mendelson is more blunt in his assessment: Congress is dealing with this half-assed. Make it legal, make it illegalnot that I want them to make it illegalbut do something rather than this purgatory.)

Here is the original post:

The Democrats Betrayed the People of D.C. - The New Republic

Democratic group Opportunity Wisconsin launched a new ad hitting incumbent Sen. Ron JohnsonRonald (Ron) Harold JohnsonDemocratic group runs ad hitting Ron Johnson over Trump 2017 tax bill Juan Williams: Biden must rebut GOP attacks on war Lawmakers fear Ukraine could spiral into US-Russian war MORE (R-Wis.) over his support for former President TrumpDonald TrumpNevada county to consider counting all ballots by hand Omarosa hit with K penalty over failure to file financial disclosure Trump says he's 'surprised' Putin ordered Ukraine invasion MORE's 2017 tax legislation.

The group, which spent $4.5 million on ads hitting Johnson last year, specifically takes issue with changeshe championed for the legislation that would enact lower tax rates for businesses whose owners report their profits on their individual tax returns.

The ad,first viewed by The Hill, alleges the changes to the legislation that were pushed by Johnson benefited his own family business.

It will air on broadcast, cable and digital platforms in the Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay and Wausau media markets.

Everything seems to be more expensive these days. Everything costs more. Ron Johnson should be helping families like us, but he seems to have helped himself instead, the 30-second ad's narrator, a mother from the Madison area, says.

An investigation found that Ron Johnson pushed through a special tax loophole that benefited his own familys business," she continued. "Then he cashed out of the company for 5 million dollars. Hes doubled his wealth since taking office."

The investigation referred to in the ad was conducted by the Congressional Integrity Project, which suggested in 2020 that Johnson's changes to the 2017 tax legislation would have benefited businesses likePacur LLC, which Johnsonpreviously owned and held a financial stake in until 2020.

Last week, Johnson hit back against claims that he tried to carve out a tax deal, calling it "absurd and false."

"My actions were not targeted to benefit a few, but designed to help the many, the roughly 95% of all Wisconsin and U.S. businesses and the tens of millions of hard working people they employ," Johnson wrote on WisFacts.com, a website powered by his reelection campaign.

"Had it not been for me, Main Street businesses would have been left behind and found it very difficult to compete with the big guys," Johnson continued.

The ad is the latest to hit the Wisconsin airwaves ahead of November's midterm elections. Last week, Johnson released two new ads touting his work with a Milwaukee-based faith initiative. And on Monday, Democratic Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski released her first television ad of the campaign.

Johnson is facing whatstands to be a competitive reelection bid in Wisconsin. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as a "toss-up." AMarquette University surveyreleased last week showed Johnson with a 33 percent favorable rating and a 45 percent unfavorable rating.

However, Johnson has a strong support baseamong the state's conservative grassroots, and the crowdedSenate Democratic primary, which is set to take place in August, could leave the incumbent in a stronger position.

The same Marquette survey showed Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) leading that primary field with 23 percent support,withMilwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry trailing at 13 percent support, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson garnering 5 percent support and state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski 3 percent.

See the original post here:

Democratic group runs ad hitting Ron Johnson over Trump 2017 tax bill | TheHill - The Hill