election

Election Connection – Buckle Up, 2022!

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NOTE: After writing this and scheduling it for publication for this morning, late last night I read this article from Rolling Stone about Sen. Joe Manchin’s constant reversal on voting rights, some of which I witnessed in real time through news reports and interviews. In addition to what I’ve written below, we need to ensure that ONE Senator, even one from our side doesn’t have so much control over somethng as fundamental as voting rights.

I also want to note that Joe Manchin (along with Sen. Sinema) torpedoed the Build Back Better bill that they had continuously supported with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (that passed and was signed into law by President Biden.) Build Back Better was the main bill that would help more working class Americans. Manchin needs to be made irrelevant by adding to our Senate majority.

How Joe Manchin Knifed the Democrats…

It looks like I chose an appropriate quote to begin my original subject.

Politics don’t corrupt people; people corrupt politics.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson

I’m not sure people realize the gravity of the upcoming election situation. It may seem as thought everything is standing still it’s important to recognize that in the first year of the Biden Administration an enormous amount of work has been done, and is continuing to be done. (* See graphics below.*) We need to call out the Republican hypocrisy and fascism (and yes, that’s exactly what it is) whenever and wherever we see and hear it. We need to call out the lies and misinformation whenever and wherever we see and hear it. It doesn’t matter whose feelings it hurts. Lies are lies and their lies are killing us.

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Election Connection – 2022 Mid-Terms

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I know we’ve been saying this is the most consequential election for the last three elections, and each time it’s been true. If you watched even a small amount of the disgusting, racist display put on by the Republicans during Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court, you can see there is a disconnect with the American majority and an appalling lack of morals and integrity. There is not one Republican member of the Judiciary Committee who is exempt from this. I will have more on this subject in next week’s Election Connection.

Today is a call to arms.

We need to be prepared for voter suppression and illegal and legal tactics that keep people from voting.

Vote Save America is out with their Mid-Term Madness. Go here and sign up for your region. There is an action to be taken by anyone, no matter how small or how large.

Work locally and be vigilent.

We need to keep the House and the Senate. If Republicans take over the Senate, it’s over for us. We need a solid supermajority so we don’t have to rely on the whims of two Senators getting their money from out of their states and against our interests.

Democracy is literally at stake, and we all need to do our parts

Inspire. November.

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November is full of opportunities for gratitude – Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, colorful fall leaves, the smell of apples and cinnamon. We don’t think so much of Election Day as a day of gratitude, but for those of us who cherish our representative democracy, it is definitely a day to count our blessings.

After the last seven months of isolating and after 230,000 covid deaths (and rising), those of us who have been spared have much to be grateful for in addition to respecting the sacrifice made by others, not only the dead, but the frontline workers – in the health care field, in the food field and the fields that grow the food, our first responders, our teachers, and our parents, and so many other unsung heroes.

Tomorrow is Election Day.

It is the final day to vote for the candidate that best represents us, ALL of us. We have the opportunity to vote for the man (this time) who cares; who epitomizes decency and character; who truly feels the empathy this country needs right now. On a more pragmatic note, he also knows how to get things done without divisiveness, without distruct, with honesty and dedication to service, and that is Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris. I proudly voted for them more than a week ago during early voting. You can join the majority of this country in turning around the hate train, the white supremecists who in the last two days tried to run the Biden bus off the road in Texas and closed highways in New Jersey and bridges in New York and today blocking polling places in California. We can take our country back, and it begins tomorrow.

“May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight as love and hope and light joined in the battle for the soul of the nation.“ – Joe Biden

What we do, we do together.

Election Connection: One Week. Seven Days. We’ve Got Work To Do.

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I’ve already voted. I made my plan and followed through. I voted on Saturday. In a typical year, that would mean I’m done for the next twelve months. But this is not a typical year.

Even though I’ve cast my vote for Joe Biden, my work (and yours) is not finished until the end of Election Day.

At that point, others may take up the baton, but hopefully the landslide and mandate will express crystal clearly the will of the American people.

As I was working on what this post was going to be eight days before Election Day, and even as I was writing my notes late last night, things happened that need to be brought to light for prospective voters.

The first is the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court. This was an illegitimate process to confirm a justice whose beliefs are so far opposite of the American people that that alone should disqualify her. Her lack of litigation experience is a second disqualification. Confirming her eight days before the end of an election after sixty million people have already voted is a despicable act by the Senate GOP and especially the evil*, hypocritical Majority Leader McConnell.

Clicking this photo will take you directly to Vote Save America’s Voting Plan. Twitter. (c)2020

The second big item was a Supreme Court ruling that while ballots in Wisconsin can be postmarked by Election Day, they cannot be counted after Election Day. What this means in the real world is that if you mail your ballot in, it may not be counted. Again, McConnell (evil hypocrite) and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have consistently kept Congress from including voter security monies for the post office and have sabotaged key sorting equipment nationwide. Because of this partisan hackery, please, either vote early  or on Election Day in person or hand deliver your absentee ballot to an official ballot box, to your board of elections, or at the polls on Election Day.

To be sure your vote is counted, have a plan. The following are resources to help you from now through Election Day.

Remember – speak to your family and friends about voting. Be prepared to answer any questions. Direct them to the Biden website to read up on his policy proposals and priorities.

Make sure they’re voting.

Offer to drive people to the polls.

Volunteer – it’s not too late to help (see the links below).

*see his debate with Amy McGrath in Kentucky laughing about not bringing covid relief to the floor for a vote.

Clicking this photo will take you to volunteer opportunities at the Vote Save America website.


Other links:

Vote Save America – Donate to relieve this country of Mitch McConnell’s “leadership”

Vote Save America – Have a Plan to Vote

Vote Save America – Volunteer

I Will Vote

When We All Vote

Follow Marc Elias on Twitter.

What do you do if there is voter intimidation at your poll? Call 1-866-687-8683 (1-866-OUR VOTE)

What do you do if armed “militias” are at your polling place? Georgetown Law has information for all fifty states.

Clicking the photo will take you to We The Action where, if you’re a lawyer, you can sign up to volunteer to protect our vote.

Election Connection: 5 Weeks: SCOTUS

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[OPINION]

I think it’s important to look at this SCOTUS nomination in its totality, and not simply whether or not we like this nominee choice of Amy Coney Barrett. I also think we need to take care not to conflate our strong feelings for Ruth Bader Ginsburg and keep our biases in check when we talk about Barrett’s personal life and instead stick to her judicial record, which is scant. I also believe a little humility is necessary by those pressing for this nominee. Whatever judicial strengths she has, she cannot compare to an icon of RBG’s stature. RBG’s work for women and first head of the ACLU’s Women’s Project steered much of the equal rights we women (and men) enjoy today. Not everyone can be a Thurgood Marshall or a Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and that doesn’t necessarily disqualify someone, including Judge Barrett.

As a matter of course, this nomination absolutely should not go forward. Even without Mitch McConnell’s blatant hypocrisy, we aren’t too close to an election – we are in the middle of an election. Over one million voters have already spoken with millions more to vote between now and the conclusion of the election on November 3rd.

I do understand Barrett’s unwillingness to step aside somewhat; the President would only choose someone else, although stepping aside on principle would show us what principles she has, as not stepping aside has already shown us.

Very simply, my opinion is clear-eyed.

This President, who was impeached earlier this year, and has now been reported to have engaged in tax fraud should not be the person to nominate a new Supreme Court justice. There are still allegations that a deal was worked out for Justice Kennedy to retire. This President admitted on tape his malfeasance in conducting the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as it invaded its way across our country. He failed in his stewardship, and he should not be rewarded by the complicit and cowardly Senate; the same Senate and Majority Leader who refused to work with the nation’s first Black President on any legislative agenda. The same man who let his racism cloud his solemn oath to guard the Constitution.

The Election is now. People have voted. People are voting. Right now.

When the election is certified, if President Trump wins re-election, he can then nominate someone (including Amy Coney Barrett) for SCOTUS. However, if the President-Elect is Joe Biden, then we, as a country must wait until after the inauguration on January 20, 2021, and let the duly elected President follow the will of the American people, and nominate the justice who will fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat.

Although irreplaceable, someone will eventually take her place on the High Court and that someone should be nominated by the President chosen by the American electorate.

Go to Vote Save America and see how you can help get out the vote!

Election Connection: 7 Weeks: 49 Days Until Election Day

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As Jon Lovett and Jon Favreau said last week, it’s time to:

GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!

What is is your plan to vote?

I was originally going to fill out an absentee ballot and mail it in as soon as humanly possible, but looking at my other choices, I’ve decided that my PLAN is to vote early and in person. There won’t be any lines and there are two early voting polling places very near my home.

No procrastination. No time wasted. No worries about mail sabotage from the current Postmaster General and/or AG Barr.

On October 24, I will be voting early.

If for some reason that doesn’t work out, I can still request a mail in ballot by October 27. [NOTE: This is specific to my state of residence. Check your own deadlines at Vote Save America – Find Your State.

I’m ready to go!

Here are some handy links from my friends at Vote Save America for all of your voting information needs. They are your one stop shop to get out the vote.

Be A Voter

Save These States or Adopt one of the critical battleground states: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Every Last Vote. Make sure they’re all counted, including your own.

Learn more about the Candidates and why VP Joe Biden is the best choice to be the next President at this crucial time.

Save America and MOBILIZE.

Donate where it counts.

Election Connection: 11 Weeks: I’d Like to Virtually Welcome You to Milwaukee!

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Here are a few links/videos from the Democratic National Convention 2020!

Democratic National Convention Schedule and Speakers

C-Span for Night 1 (you can use this to jump off to the rest of the convention events as well

Voting by Mail

Michelle Obama’s Convention Speech:

Election Connection: 31 Weeks

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I must apologize for not posting last week.

With all of the COVID-19 reading and researching, organizing and posting, the election (barely) slipped my mind. That is a good lesson to all of us, that every day it is important to make sure that our 2020 Election goes forward despite this Administration’s incompetence in so many areas, and the ongoing pandemic that has consumed all of our lives. Models look like we will be in our homes with businesses and schools shut down for most of the spring, and even when we’re out and about a little bit this summer, we must be prepared for the next cycle of physical distancing. These cycles will continue until there is a vaccine and/or widespread testing for antibodies to know who’s immune and can go back out into the world.

With that in mind, I wanted to share with you two Election Connection items:

The first is a new podcast from Joe Biden. I know that Senator Sanders has not dropped out of the race, but I believe that his path forward is too narrow. In my mind, Vice President Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee for President. His new podcast is Here’s the Deal w/Joe Biden, and it is his way of connecting with the voters and the American people while he is also at his own home.

The second is a relatively new tool in the fight against Republican voter suppression spearheaded by attorney, Marc E. Elias, who you may remember from Bush v. Gore in 2000. He represented VP Al Gore. The group is Democracy Docket, and its mission is highlight and bring attention to the ways that voting is restricted across the country.