Category Archives: Democrat

It isnt getting colder in Hell just yet, but the Democratic National Committee and its Rules and By-laws Committee does seem to be getting warmer in its efforts to create a new primary calendar for selecting delegates to its 2024 National Convention. As everyone knows, the early states are critical to the presidential nomination system. And, according to a draft resolution circulating before the next Rules Committee meeting, the DNC looks like it will seriously consider changing the traditional opening sequence of the nomination system.

As things stand right now, the first state to hold a delegate selection process in 2024 would be Iowa, whose 80% white electorate hasnt voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in a decade. As Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party said of the current primary calendar, as it was getting underway in Iowa in 2020, It is bizarre. It makes absolutely no sense except for tradition, and sometimes tradition doesnt get us anywhere. The second state would be New Hampshire, which may have more of a historical and legal claim to be first in the nation but whose electorate is even whiter, 90%, than Iowas. At least it can claim a greater tendency to vote Democratic in statewide contests. Most importantly, neither state voted for Joe Bidens candidacy in 2020, thus depriving them of the ability to use their loyalty to the incumbent President to block this latest effort to restructure the calendar as has happened so often in the past.

Under the committees proposal, states wishing to help kick start the 2024 campaign would have to apply to the DNCs Rules and By-laws committee, which would base their final decision on which states get to go early from among those who:

Iowa loses on all three counts; New Hampshire is on shakier grounds but could take a simple step to solidify their claim.

Since the party will want to get an early reading on the preferences of all four regions in the country, if the party passes over Iowa, their biggest decision will be on which Midwest state to choose to take Iowas place on the calendar. The most likely choice, given the criteria, would be Michigan, whose attempt to go early in 2008 resulted in each of the delegates selected in the primary held outside the window of the partys primary calendar being given only a half of a vote at the Denver convention that nominated Barack Obama. Despite that punishment and Hilary Clintons primary victory in Michigan, the former President carried Michigan in the general election by over 800,000 votes, but it has become much more competitive lately. That, along with its diversity and strong labor presence will allow Michigan Democrats to make a strong case that they are the Midwest state that best meets the DNCs proposed criteria of diversity and general election competitiveness.

The only other real choice facing the DNC, should it adopt the co-chairs proposal, is which eastern state to choose to go early, if not New Hampshire. South Carolina and its powerful spokesperson, Congressman James Clyburn, will successfully argue for their continued inclusion as the early southern state, not just because of the states large percentage of African American voters but, more quietly, their key role in President Bidens nomination. Nevada has already taken steps to change their early caucus to a primary. Even without the recently departed Senator Harry Reid around to argue their case, the strong union and Latino presence in this western region states electorate makes them almost a shoo in for an early spot. That leaves the question of New Hampshires early status on the table.

As was argued back in the 1980s when I chaired the partys rules commission, one of the reasons for having a few states go early is the opportunity it provides for a relatively unknown candidate, such as Jimmy Carter, to campaign on a smaller budget until they become better known. New Hampshires traditional primary style of campaigning in small gatherings in small towns may be more myth than reality, but the stories the national press corps files every day during their primary does allow candidates to become better known nationally. However, their media market, which is mostly driven by Boston television, is relatively expensive for the size of their electorate.

This potential weakness is, however, not a problem if the competing eastern state is New Jersey, which it appears to be at this stage of the deliberation. To reach New Jersey voters, candidates have to buy time on New York media, the most expensive market in the country. Add to that New Jerseys lack of any history of effective one on one campaigning for statewide office and New Hampshire still looks like it will survive this new process. There is, however, one thing New Hampshire can do to assure their first in the nation status, at least for 2024.

To deal with the states lack of diversity, the party should permit only registered Democrats to vote in its primary in 2024, abandoning their tradition of allowing voters from one party to vote in the other partys contest. The courts have given the Democratic party the authority to enforce such a rule, in a case that tested that very provision (Rule 20B) in the rules written by what is generally known as the Winograd Commission for the 1980 nominating process. (Yes, I was the Chair of that Commission and, full disclosure, also the Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party.) The policy argument in favor of enacting such a rule is easily made by citing the potential for mischief if Trump voters are given a chance to vote against President Biden in the primary. But in terms of the DNCs proposed criteria for being an early state, such a Democrats only electorate would be more proportionally diverse and give greater weight to the states burgeoning suburban vote that will be so crucial for victory in the general election. If the New Hampshire Democratic party enacts such a provision as part of their application to the DNC, their already good chances to remain first in the nation, increase to almost a certainty.

As I wrote for Brookings almost two years ago, although no set of rules can guarantee the selection of a presidential nominee who is prepared to meet the challenges the country now faces, by increasing the participation of as many Democrats as possible in a process that better reflects the makeup of todays Democratic coalition, the party can improve the odds that its next nominee will win the prize national politicians dream about. Lets hope for the sake of our American democracy the party surprises the pundits and does the right thing this time.

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Democrats have a chance to get their rules right for 2024 - Brookings Institution

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, called Sunday for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot based on his wifes leaked texts, and some Democrats went even further.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, tweeted Thursday that Clarence Thomas needs to be impeached, while Rep. Nydia Velazquez, New York Democrat, said in a Friday tweet that the conservative justice needs to resign.

At the bare minimum, Justice Thomas needs to recuse himself from any case related to the January 6th investigation, and should Donald Trump run again, any case related to the 2024 election, said Sen. Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat, in a Friday statement.

The demands followed reports Thursday of leaked texts sent by Virginia Ginni Thomas to Mark Meadows, Mr. Trumps White House chief of staff, urging him to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential race.

This is unbelievable. You have the wife of a sitting Supreme Court justice advocating for an insurrection, advocating for overturning a legal election to the sitting presidents chief of staff, said Ms. Klobuchar on ABCs This Week. She also knows this election, these cases, are going to come before her husband.

The senator called it a textbook case for removing him, recusing him from these decisions.

SEE ALSO: Klobuchar calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from 2020 election cases over wifes texts

The 29 texts sent in 2020-21 between Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Meadows first reported by CBS News include comments from her such as Do not concede and The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History.

Ms. Klobuchar said that the Supreme Court needs to respond publicly to the leaked texts, which were reportedly handed over by Mr. Meadows to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, saying the entire integrity of the court is on the line here.

Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Republican, said Sunday he was confident Justice Thomas would act appropriately.

Well, first off, I admire and respect Clarence Thomas, he said on Fox News Sunday. I think hes been a great Supreme Court justice. And Clarence Thomas, in my opinion, will always do the right thing.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have also expressed confidence in Justice Thomas ability to make impartial decisions.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board came out against recusal, saying that Mrs. Thomas can believe all the crank theories she wants, and she has the right to participate in politics even as the spouse of a Justice.

Mrs. Thomass text messages are embarrassing but amount to an outsider kibitzing and commiserating with the White House chief of staff, said the Friday editorial. They are no reason for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from cases involving the Trump Administration.

Critics on the left pointed to Justice Thomass lone dissent in the courts Jan. 19 ruling against Mr. Trumps bid to stop the National Archives from releasing documents to the select committee.

Ms. Klobuchar noted that Justice Thomas and other justices have recused themselves from cases in the past involving family members. Even so, she called for Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to adopt formal ethics rules.

I would hope Justice Roberts, who I respect, will stand up and get those ethics rules in place, she said. Theyve got to do that, they should do it themselves.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of only two Republicans on the House select committee, declined Sunday to confirm the existence of the Thomas-Meadows texts, saying we have thousands of text messages from lots of people.

Asked whether the committee would subpoena Mrs. Thomas, Mr. Kinzinger said he wanted to make sure the investigation was not driven by political motivation.

So when it comes to any potential future calling in of Ms. Thomas, well take a look at what the evidence is, Mr. Kinzinger said on CBS Face the Nation. Well make a decision and you all will know as soon as we do. What I dont want to do is get into speculating too much.

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Democrats call for sidelining Justice Thomas over wife's post-election texts - Washington Times

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Rep. Ro KhannaRohit (Ro) KhannaSunday shows preview: US, allies up pressure on Russia; Jackson undergoes confirmation hearings Gas prices lead to tensions within Democratic Party A chance to improve research MORE (D-Calif.) on Sunday sought to clarify President BidenJoe BidenRussian rocket attacks wound five in western Ukraine city of Lviv If we de-list the IRGC, what will the dictators think? Biden to propose minimum tax on billionaires in budget MORE's recent off-the-cuff remarks concerning Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinRussian rocket attacks wound five in western Ukraine city of Lviv If we de-list the IRGC, what will the dictators think? Putin's war against Ukrainian civilians is not new nor will it work MORE remaining in power, stating that there was no policy for regime change among congressional Democrats.

On Saturday, Biden gave a speech in Warsaw, Poland in which he said Putin "cannot remain in power." This comment drew widespread international attention, with observers wondering if Biden was calling for a regime change. The White House quickly walked back Biden's remark, sayingthe president meant that Putin should not have power over countries outside of Russia.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Khanna said the president was likely "frustrated" after meeting with refugees who fled Ukraine.

"Look, when Putin inMariupol is bombing theatres with 300 kids there,where there's a sign saying 'children' and he's bombing that, any human being would express frustration," Khanna said. "And the president was speaking from his heart, but it's not the U.S. policy to seek regime change."

"Fox News Sunday"hostJohn Roberts noted that Biden has a "propensity to sometimes say the quiet part out loud."

"The president, I think, is a straight shooter. He's deeply empathetic. I'm sure he's so frustrated with these scenes of children, women being killed," Khanna said.

"It's not the policy of regime change there's no support in the Democratic Congress for regime change. We've been the party against regime change for the past 20 years."

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Khanna: 'There's no support in the Democratic Congress for regime change' | TheHill - The Hill

If you want an indication of how completely the Democrats have been transformed from the workingmens party to the party of affluent professionals, consider how intensely progressives are pressuring President Biden to extend for the sixth time the freeze on college-loan repayments.

This is class war and the folks with 21st-century versions of monocles and top hats are winning.

The people who have college loans to pay back are, on average, pretty well-off. Thats no surprise: Only one in three working-age Americans are college graduates, and college graduates earn more money than people who have only high-school diplomas. So do people who go to college but dont get a degree. College-loan forgiveness is first and foremost a government handout to people who have higher-than-average incomes.

If you know anything about higher education, you will not be surprised to learn that the people with the most college debt are the people with the highest incomes. Those big loans usually dont come from financing a liberal-arts degree at an Ivy League college: The elite schools have big money of their own, which is why, for example, the vast majority of Princeton graduates finish with no student debt at all, while the small share who do take out loans typically finish with less with debt less than $10,000.

Instead, the big loans usually go toward financing graduate studies, especially professional education: law school, medical school, MBAs, and other preparation for high-paying careers. Americans sometimes forget where the money actually lands in our economy: Your local junior-high principal doesnt have Jeff Bezos money, but he makes nearly $20,000 a year more than the typical architect, earning just shy of $100,000 on average in 2020,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That guy can afford to pay his student loans. So can his lawyer ($126,930 average salary) and the local nurse practitioner ($117,670), who earns about as much money as the typical aerospace engineer ($118,610).

Policy analysts, including progressives, who take the time to run the numbers consistently, come to the same conclusion: Every program for college-loan forgiveness under serious consideration disproportionately benefits high-income people. Astudy by the University of PennsylvaniasSylvain Catherineand the University of Chicagos Constantine Yannelisfinds that a universal debt-forgiveness program would benefit earners in the top 10% five times as much as those at the bottom; capping forgiveness at $50,000 or even at $10,000 would produce similar results, providing much more benefit to the well-off than to those who are struggling. As the scholars note, this is true in large part because big student loans go along with big incomes.

The poorest Americans wont benefit much from college-loan forgiveness for the same reason they dont benefit from income-tax cuts the same affluent people who pay most of the income taxes also have most of the college debt.

The COVID-era freeze on repayments already has provided$200 billion in benefitsfor borrowers who have relatively high incomes. Thats $200 billion out of the pockets of U.S. taxpayers including low-income taxpayers. If we want to relieve the debts of the poor, we could pay off the credit-card balances of the lowest-earning 20% of US households for half that much money. For the full $200 billion, we could buy a $350,000 house for everyhomeless person in the United States. Instead, we are transferring that money to the nations poor, struggling personal-injury lawyers, suburban dentists, and generously compensated McKinsey dorks.

Why?

Because Democrats prefer to use your money when buying votes. In the United States, the cities are Democratic and the countryside is Republican the real political contest is in the suburbs, which is where those affluent, college-educated professionals live and vote.

The Democrats are happy to help the rich get richer, as long as they vote the right way.

Kevin D. Williamson is the author of Big White Ghetto: Dead Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Woolly Wilds of the Real America.

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Student loan forgiveness proves Democrats are the party of the rich - New York Post

High school students across New Jersey, take note. You would get to sleep in a little later before class under a new proposal spurred by what experts and officials say is a growing mental health crisis among young people.

Two lawmakers, including the leader of the state Assembly, introduced a bill this week that would require classes start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. at New Jersey high schools, beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

The measure would apparently not apply to elementary or middle schools.

Delaying school start times has been debated for years in the Garden State. Its now one of many issues that have been revisited in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, and state Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, said the new bill (A3816) is inspired by concern over the mental health of children and teens after two years of upheaval because of COVID-19. Many were already reporting alarming rates of depression and anxiety even before the pandemic.

Earlier this month, experts and advocates told state lawmakers New Jersey students are suffering amid a national mental health crisis.

Ensuring students are getting enough rest is an important first step toward addressing the alarming rise in student mental health issues were seeing in New Jersey, Gopal said.

Coughlin said students are better prepared to succeed in school when they are well rested and eat nutritious meals.

Overwhelmingly, the research and success stories out of other states school districts show that the benefits of later start times to students holistic well-being, in terms of both mental health and academic performance, easily outweigh the costs, he said.

One of the biggest arguments against the idea: Opponents say later start times could disrupt extracurricular activities, including sports, and cause problems for child care and busing schedules.

Gov. Phil Murphy told Politico New Jersey on Friday morning that he is open to the proposal.

Theres a fair amount of research that suggests its a better way to go to start later, Murphy said after an unrelated event at a school in Chatham. Im absolutely open-minded to that.

The bill would need to be passed by both the state Senate and Assembly and signed by Murphy to become law.

The vast majority of New Jersey middle and high schools currently begin before 8:30 a.m.

The average start time for New Jersey schools is 7:51 a.m., compared to the national average of 8 a.m., according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

California a state Murphy has often sought to emulate enacted a law in 2019 pushing start times to 8 a.m. for middle schoolers and 8:30 a.m. for high schoolers.

Then-Gov. Chris Christie signed a law in 2015 requiring the New Jersey Department of Education of study the feasibility and possible benefits or consequences of starting the day at middle and high schools no later than 8:30 a.m.

The education department released a report in 2019 saying teenagers would likely benefit from later start times, but the state shouldnt force the change because it would cause a logistical nightmare.

The same year, Murphy signed a law that required the state to experiment with starting classes after 8:30 a.m. at five high schools.

A number of organizations including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have suggested delaying school start times to align school schedules to the biological sleep rhythms of adolescents.

Experts say those rhythms cause teenagers to go to bed later and thus, school would need to start later to accommodate their need for 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep on school nights. Those who are deprived of sleep can suffer physical and mental health problems and experience a drop in academic performance, experts say.

The new proposal has the support of New Jerseys chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Jeanne Craft, the chapters president, said research show later start times for adolescents contribute to better academic performance, quality of life, mental health, and school attendance.

Still, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators has said schools that delayed start times received complaints from parents. One major concern is how much longer students will stay up if classes begin later in the morning.

State Sen. Richard Codey, a former governor, has long supported later start times and said he is all in on the new bill.

Theres not too many pediatricians who wont say were right, Codey, D-Essex, told NJ Advance Media. Their safety and their ability to learn is impacted negatively. Thats the biggest issue.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Matt Arco contributed to this report.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @johnsb01.

Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com.

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N.J. high schools would start later in the day under top Democrats bill. Murphy is open to it. - NJ.com

(Piscataway) A special meeting of the Piscataway Democratic Organization (PDO) was held this month to screen candidates for the ward council seats.

Incumbents Frank Uhrin (Ward 1), Jim Bullard (Ward 2) and Michele Lombardi (Ward 4), along with Sharon Carmichael (Ward 3) were overwhelmingly endorsed by the PDO committee members. Uhrin, Bullard, Carmichael and Lombardi are committed to delivering exceptional services and programming, ensuring fiscal stability, government transparency, protecting our environment and delivering real results for all residents of Piscataway.

The special meeting was presided over by Councilwoman Gabrielle Cahill, new Democratic Chair. After decades of dynamic leadership, former Mayor and PDO Chairman, Ted Light retired from his official role in the organization at the January meeting passing the torch to Cahill. Together, we have built a strong local grassroots Democratic Party of inclusion, diversity and shared values here in our community and I am honored to have been able to work with dedicated people every step of the way, said Light. It is time for a new chapter and Gabrielle brings new ideas and motivational leadership while maintaining the core Democratic values that our organization has long stood for, Light added.

Ted has led us through two very challenging elections during the height of the pandemic never missing a beat. As the Covid-19 public health crisis raged Ted worked to make sure that voters rights were protected as he led the team to victory delivering big Piscataway numbers for President Biden in 2020 and Governor Murphy in 2021 and all our state, county and local candidates including myself, said Cahill. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his tireless leadership and devotion to our township, this organization, Cahill concluded. Cahill will now lead the organization through the next campaign cycle that has Piscataway favorite, Congressman Frank Pallone topping the ticket along with the Middlesex County County candidates, two of which are former Piscataway council members, Sheriff Millie Scott and Chanelle Scott McCullum.

Locally, the Ward 3 Council vacancy was created by the retirement of long-time Councilman Steve Cahn, an attorney and former Marine. Cahn spearheaded the groundbreaking ordinance prohibiting the sale of guns and ammunition near schools garnering nationwide acclaim and the support of the Brady Campaign to end gun violence. Cahn supporting his successors candidacy said, Sharon Carmichael is a brilliant professional who is dedicated to our community. Her experience and proven leadership qualities will be an asset to our Mayor and Council and I am looking forward campaigning door to door with her, Cahn said. Carmichael, a senior level professional working in voice recognition technology at AT&T holds degrees in mathematics and computer science. She has lived in town for 36 years and was active in PTO, Little League, Pop Warner and the Superchief Band Parents Association while raising her three very accomplished children. Carmichael is a steward and long-standing member of the North Stelton AME Church. Carmichael spoke passionately about her work with the church and with NJ Orators, an organization devoted to training youth in public speaking where she served as a volunteer coach and competition director.

The PDO members are excited to work on behalf of the entire team for the upcoming June 7th Primary Election. Joining Cahill on the PDO leadership team as PDO Vice- Chair is Ward 2 District 2 Committee Member Dennis Espinosa. Dennis brings energy, enthusiasm and the keen ability to move our organization forward. He is a team builder who embodies Democratic ideals and we all are looking forward to an exciting campaign cycle, said Cahill.

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A special meeting of the Piscataway Democratic Organization (PDO) was held this month to screen candidates for the ward council seats. - InsiderNJ

The Yolo County Office of Education hosted its Yolo County Elected Leaders & Officials Forum this week, which provided an update on the state of education in the county.

The forum, held Friday morning, included updates from all five school districts within Yolo County and an introduction of Congressman Mike Thompson who will represent most of Yolo County excluding West Sacramento due to redistricting.

Congressman John Garamendi, who has represented Yolo County for nearly a decade, attended the event to reintroduce Thompson to the community.

Joining you today is a brother that I know is dedicated to getting it done, Garamendi emphasized. Mike Thompson has represented this area previously and hes back to represent Yolo and a good portion of Solano County.

Garamendi noted that although he still represents a portion of Solano County he wont be able to represent Yolo County in all the ways he has in the past.

Ill work with Mike to make sure that youre well represented and the things that weve worked on over the years will be able to continue, Garamendi assured.

Thompson reassured Garamendis remarks and noted he will work to ensure that education in the county gets what it needs.

Everybody knows how tough the last couple of years have been and teachers, staff and administrators have been faced with just unimaginable hurdles, he highlighted. Nonetheless, you pulled through, youre working hard and youre providing the education that our students deserve.

However, he stressed that times are still tough as the school districts continue having to maneuver through the pandemic.

We need to make sure that were there for our students, for our staff and for our teachers and thats the commitment that I made to you, Thompson emphasized. I love Yolo County and look forward to working with all of you so thank you again for all that you do.

Elodia Ortega-Lampkin, superintendent for Woodland Joint Unified School District, delivered a presentation detailing the districts board-approved local control and accountability goals:

These goals had a lot of input from our community and many stakeholders and we have not had any controversy on the focus of these goals, Ortega-Lampkin emphasized. Were working on making these goals a reality.

Additionally, Ortega-Lampkin remarked on the difficulties that the pandemic has created for her district and others around the county while commending the work that has been done to keep students engaged and learning.

I hope that we continue to address the needs of our students with the same urgency that we have done with the pandemic, she began. I think that if we continue working together in that same manner with that same urgency and that some focus we will make a difference.

Maria Arvizu-Espinoza, associate superintendent for the Yolo County Office of Education, also highlighted the problem of absenteeism and lower enrollment rates that the pandemic has caused across schools in California.

Average Daily Attendance (ADA) is down by 9% among California school districts when comparing the 2019-2020 school year to this year with an ADA of 4.7 million students compared to 5.2 million students two years ago, according to Arvizu-Espinoza.

Certainly the pandemic is a large part of the chronic absenteeism and lower average daily attendance that were experiencing, Arvizu-Espinoza explained. Its really important to get kids back in school, enrolled and actually showing up again. We know that attendance is critical and its the number one signal of dropouts and graduation rates.

Garth Lewis, Yolo County superintendent of schools, thanked all of the speakers who attended the event for their enthusiasm and spirit in serving the countys students.

The future is bright for Yolo County children and I just want to express our gratitude for our partnership and the ability for all of us to share the responsibility in the health and the well-being and education of our students, Lewis stressed.

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Elected leaders discuss the future of education in Yolo County - Woodland Daily Democrat

New Jersey is a wallflower during presidential primary season.

Its June primary comes too late to help choose the nominee, so candidates skip the state and campaign elsewhere. And the last two New Jerseyans to seek the presidency, Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, long had dropped out before their home state voters even got to go to the polls.

Now some state Democrats want to make New Jersey a player in presidential politics.

State Party Chair Leroy Jones Jr. asked the Democratic National Committee to make New Jersey one of the first primary states as the committee looks at changing its calendar, and state Sen. Richard Codey, a former governor, said he would introduce legislation that would move the states primary to the third week in February.

Our party cannot cling to outdated traditions that do not help us reach new voters and motivate the diverse coalition of supporters needed to win elections and enact our pro-middle class agenda, Jones wrote to national party chair Jaime Harrison, who attended Yale University with Booker. New Jersey has everything that our party needs to fulfill this important role.

Jones cited the states diversity, with double-digit percentages of Black, Latino and Asian residents; and its geography that includes large cities, suburban towns and rural counties.

And Codey, D-Essex, said moving the primary up would help build relationships with the presidential candidates, which could translate into more federal aid and other support.

The state traditionally has been one of the last to vote, except in 2008, when the primary was held on Super Tuesday in February and Democratic voters picked Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama. Four years later, the primary was returned to June.

Giving New Jersey an early primary slot isnt such a far-fetched idea, said Chris Lehane, a veteran of Al Gores 2000 presidential run.

Lehane wouldnt replace Iowa and New Hampshire, which he said force candidates to engage in retail politicking and therefore deserve their early spots.

What Iowa and New Hampshire do really, really well is demonstrate whether a candidate has the retail skills to be successful, he said. These retail skills are really important in terms of how you can actually work with Congress, your ability to work with world leaders.

But New Jersey could provide another key test for candidates, Lehane said.

If you think running for office is like cultivating a garden, the Garden State would make a lot of sense, he said.

Lehane said the states primary could serve as an arbiter of how well a candidate can communicate to a large audience, especially one as diverse as New Jerseys, an audience that reflects what the nation looks like.

New Jersey is sandwiched between two major media markets: New York City and Philadelphia.

Its a visual age that we live in, Lehane said. The modern presidency is really running a content platform. Theres a lot to be said, in addition to the retail stuff, for having a state or subset of states that would be able to prove that ability to run a content machine or a content platform.

Jones said New Jerseys compactness would make Iowa superfluous.

Our state is noteworthy for its compact size as the fourth-smallest state in the nation, which would save candidates valuable travel time and resources and encourage the kind of retail campaigning that has always been a hallmark of the Democratic presidential primary process, he said.

Besides, candidates would get to meet a lot more potential voters, Codey said.

I have more people on my block where I grow up that vote in a primary than Iowa, he said.

Codeys bill would need to pass both the Democratic-controlled state Senate and Assembly and be signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.

Murphys office deferred comment to Jones on Thursday.

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @johnsb01.

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Top Democrat pushes for N.J to hold one of the earliest presidential primaries in 2024 - NJ.com

If you believe the talking points of Congressional Democrats and the Biden administration, Americans are seeing high gas prices through no fault of theirs but because of two reasons Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinRepublican senators introduce bill to ban Russian uranium imports Hillicon Valley Invasion complicates social media policy Defense & National Security Blinken details Russia's possible next steps MORE's invasion of Ukraine and the price gouging of selfish American oil and gas producers.

This outrage is laughable because Democrats areactively pursuingat least 17 energy tax increases that would raise prices for families and small businesses.

President BidenJoe BidenRepublican senators introduce bill to ban Russian uranium imports Energy & Environment Ruling blocking climate accounting metric halted Fauci says officials need more than .5B for COVID-19 response MORE's fiscal year 2022 budget includes a dozen tax increases on American energy. The Democrats' socialist tax-and-spend bill,Build Back Better, includes several tax hikes on energy including a home heating tax. Progressives like Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - What now after Zelensky's speech? Senate panel advances Biden Fed nominees to confirmation votes On The Money Fed starts hiking rates as prices climb MORE (D-Mass.) and Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseGas prices lead to tensions within Democratic Party Senate unanimously approves making daylight saving time permanent Carole King to discuss forest fires before Oversight subcommittee MORE (D- R.I.) want a 50 percentwindfall profits taxon oil and gas businesses.

Higher taxes do not just hit businesses they are also passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices. Raising taxes on corporations as Democrats have repeatedly proposed will hit families and businesses through the increased costs of basic goods and services.

The Democratic push for higher taxes on American energy producers and manufacturers will see the price of gasoline and energy increase, despite the fact that consumers are already facing record-high gas prices. In the past 12 months, gasoline has increased by38 percent, while energy has increased by25.6 percent.

However, things would be much, much worse if Democrats have their way.

First, Bidens FY 2022 budgetincluded30 tax increases totaling $3.5 trillion. This included roughly a dozen tax increases on American energy, which the left routinely characterized as tax loopholes.

However, these provisions promote manufacturing jobs and American energy independence. Repealing them would only lead to higher prices, less investment and fewer jobs. For instance, the deduction for intangible drilling costs (IDCs) allows independent producers to immediately deduct business expenses related to drilling such as labor, site preparation, repairs and survey work.

Asnotedin a 2014 study by Wood Mackenzie Consulting, repealing the deduction for IDCs would cost 265,000 jobs in the long-term.

The study notes the elimination of IDCs would also result in a $407 billion reduction in investment, or roughly 25 percent of the capital used by producers to continue investing in new projects. This would mean even less oil andhigher pricesfor American consumers.

The Democrats trillion dollar socialist Build Back Better proposal doubles down on this approach with several tax increases on American energy including a 16.4 cents per barrel tax on crude oil and petroleum products that would raises taxes by nearly $13 billion and an $8 billion home heating tax.

Americans understand that these taxes will increase energy costs according topolling conducted by HarrisX, 66 percent of voters believe these energy taxes will increase energy costs, compared to just 12 percent of voters who do not think it will increase costs.

This is not the only way prices would go up the legislation also includes $800 billion in tax increases on American businesses that would further exacerbate inflation and raise prices for consumers.

More recently, Democratsproposeda windfall profits tax which would impose a 50 percent tax on the difference between the current price of a barrel of oil and the average price per barrel between 2015 and 2019. This could raise taxes by as much as $450 billion over the next decade and would be used to finance a new welfare payment, that in combination with other Democratic policies, will pay people not to work and drive inflation.

A windfall profits tax has been tried and failed in the past. It was signed into law in 1980 by Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterWhy it's time for Black women state supreme court justices Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Walter Mears dead at 87 Administration eyes re-regulation of rail industry; would magnify supply chain problems MORE but was repealed eight years later. The Congressional Research Service hasnotedthat the windfall profits tax was an extremely complicated tax to comply with and administer, that it generated a fraction of the revenue projected and that it raised the cost of gasoline and increased dependence on foreign oil.

The Democrat's tax obsession is not limited to energy they want to use higher taxes as the solution for everything. They have pushed a global minimum tax agreement based on thebeliefthat we should be partnering with Europe, China, Russia and the rest of the world to ensure businesses pay their fair share. They havepusheda 95 percent tax on American pharmaceutical manufacturers as a solution to lower the cost of medicines. They have pushed afinancial transactions taxon every single stock trade as a solution to get tough on Wall Street and even proposed atax on businessesthat do not pay their workers $15 per hour.

While Democrats are playing politics with high energy prices and rampant inflation in general, the bottom line is their policies of higher taxes, more spending and more regulations make these problems worse, not better.

Alex Hendrie is director of Tax Policy at Americans for Tax Reform.

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If Democrats have their way, gas prices will surge even higher | TheHill - The Hill