tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.comments2023-07-16T07:22:04.036-04:00J.P. McJeffersonJPMcJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-52466350640670482362022-04-02T07:37:48.093-04:002022-04-02T07:37:48.093-04:00March 31, 2022: "Judge Mark E. Walker of the ...March 31, 2022: "Judge Mark E. Walker of the Federal District Court in Tallahassee, Florida, struck down much of the new elections law passed by the Florida legislature after the 2020 election. This is the first time a federal court has sought to overrule the recent attempts of Republican-dominated state legislatures to rig the vote, and Walker made thorough work of it... His 288-page decision is a frightening portrait of how Republicans are taking control of certain states against the will of voters... He required Florida to get the approval of the federal government before trying to make any such changes for the next ten years."<br /><br />See: Heather Cox Richardson article and link to the complete decision. https://tinyurl.com/y7dhwmymJPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-79791900204198452062022-01-13T08:20:56.872-05:002022-01-13T08:20:56.872-05:00Where incentives are wrong, the game is not to lea...Where incentives are wrong, the game is not to leave the incentives in place and try to compel behavior against the incentives. The game is to change the incentives.Frank Wilhoithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800594066476167549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-44176797377619108792021-11-27T07:04:06.639-05:002021-11-27T07:04:06.639-05:00I have major concerns about Democratic messaging. ...I have major concerns about Democratic messaging. With less than a year to go until the Midterm elections, and all odds are against Democrats holding the House. The Senate will likely remain very close or swing Republican. November 2022 is the drop dead deadline for Democracy in the U.S.A. If Democrats can’t hold control, it’s over folks.<br />Messaging and branding are a huge problem within the White House and Democratic National Committee. Biden's approval rating is now around 43%, down from a high of 55% in March 2021.<br /><br />Yet, as BTRTN points out in a recent posting, "...the Coronavirus relief bill, the “hard” infrastructure bill alone are huge achievements, and the passage of yet a third epic “soft” infrastructure bill would rank the Biden administration as among the most activist Democratic administrations in history. Add in steady progress on the battle against Covid 19 in the face of the Delta variant and anti-vaxxer ignorance, and you have a powerful story to tell."<br /><br />Here are some excerpts from a great post on Born To Run The Numbers (BTRTN). Joe Biden Urgently Needs a Chief Brand Strategist.<br />https://tinyurl.com/3rvjrp8aJPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-74960340198608907602021-07-03T08:38:44.508-04:002021-07-03T08:38:44.508-04:00A great read in The Atlantic by Tim Alberta.
"...A great read in The Atlantic by Tim Alberta.<br />"The Senator Who Decided to Tell the Truth"<br /><br />A Michigan Republican spent eight months searching for evidence of election fraud, but all he found was lies.<br /><br />https://tinyurl.com/57sv6vb4<br /><br />“Our clear finding is that citizens should be confident the results represent the true results of the ballots cast by the people of Michigan,” [Senator] McBroom wrote in the report. “There is no evidence presented at this time to prove either significant acts of fraud or that an organized, wide-scale effort to commit fraudulent activity was perpetrated in order to subvert the will of Michigan voters.”<br /><br />For good measure, McBroom added: “The Committee strongly recommends citizens use a critical eye and ear toward those who have pushed demonstrably false theories for their own personal gain.”JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-81846886438267044622021-07-02T06:39:17.350-04:002021-07-02T06:39:17.350-04:00July 2, 2021. It just does not seem to me that Dem...July 2, 2021. It just does not seem to me that Democrats are addressing this issue with the level of effort and the urgency it demands. Since they failed to override the filibuster on the S.1 vote it seems that work on voting rights and keeping it high on the public's agenda have somewhat stalled. Now there is a new urgency with the Supreme Court decision in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee which will limit challenges under the Voting Rights Act.<br /><br />I truly fear that Democrats are going to fail here while bickering among themselves and being constantly distracted by other, less democracy-crushing issues and the incessant flow of misinformation. Time is running out on the ability to do what is necessary to save this country from catastrophic collapse.<br /> <br />As Democrats dilly-dally around looking for deals on infrastructure & voting rights they should be working intensely with the same 10+ GOP infrastructure Senators to craft a democracy-saving compromise on both. They could tie the two together or tie-bar them; and pass the package (or separately) with 60+ votes -- call it physical & voting infrastructure. <br /><br />With the recent release of the NYT video on the January 6th insurrection; the indictment of the Trump organization & CFO; and the launch of travel bans between states; the reality of a lost democracy is settling in. I believe it is possible to find 10+ GOP Senators to join 50 Democrats to find agreement on such a package. But they must do it quickly and Dems must do some serious trimming down of their wish lists. <br /><br />Unfortunately I don't see the effort.JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-46922805977145688042021-07-01T06:30:25.726-04:002021-07-01T06:30:25.726-04:00Dec. 26, 2020: After nearly two years, the six Dem...Dec. 26, 2020: After nearly two years, the six Democrats and six Republicans on the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress put out a final report in October with 97 unanimous recommendations on how to change the House. [https://tinyurl.com/3s5h4dks]<br /><br />Final Recommendations:<br />https://modernizecongress.house.gov/recommendations<br /><br />Final Report (295pp PDF): https://tinyurl.com/em5vfb79<br /><br />The Committee continues to meet. Access Committee press releases:<br />https://modernizecongress.house.gov/news/press-releases<br /><br />Staff Director: Yuri Beckelman<br />@YuriBeckelman<br />JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-4074147684998620822021-04-12T06:16:44.128-04:002021-04-12T06:16:44.128-04:00If Manchin is so concerned about minority rights a...If Manchin is so concerned about minority rights and the filibuster; with his new found power and control of Senate procedures, perhaps he should offer a legislative solution and see if Republicans call for a filibuster. How about this as just one possibility? <br /> <br />Instead of just allowing a Senator to say “I’m going to filibuster” and automatically halting legislative action and requiring 60 votes to end the filibuster; what if that member had to present a real amendment or alternative proposal, discuss and provide information on the alternative and allow a specified time for Floor debate on the alternative, followed by a majority vote? Some details to be worked out, but you get the point — an alternative to just saying “No”. <br /> <br />Also, if we’re going to consider the “talking filibuster” as has been suggested by both Biden and Manchin, let’s say you have to talk about your proposal or concern — no reading the phonebook or Dr. Seuss nonsense.JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-61718248242991655672021-02-03T05:49:35.045-05:002021-02-03T05:49:35.045-05:00Moving On...
There's a lot of talk about movi...Moving On...<br /><br />There's a lot of talk about moving on, but I'm getting stuck every time I think about that. I don't think the Republican Party has proven itself worthy of moving on or has in any way repented for its sins against democracy.<br /><br />Seventy percent (70%) of House Republicans and twenty percent (20%) of Senate Republicans voted to overthrow the results of a free and fair election. Let that sink in.<br /><br />Now ninety-five percent (95%) of House Republicans & ninety percent (90%) of Senate Republican have voted to not hold the man responsible for inciting an insurrection against the US responsible. Let that sink in.<br /><br />I'm having a hard time getting over that and somehow getting closure on this horrific chapter in our history.<br /><br />How can this Republican Party now participate as a full partner in governing when so many were willing to destroy it and even more are willing to look the other way and not hold those responsible for trying to destroy it accountable for their actions? JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-33555840611643870942020-03-11T08:02:08.538-04:002020-03-11T08:02:08.538-04:00I have since suggested that under the Constitution...I have since suggested that under the Constitution (Article 1, Section 5) Congress makes the rules and Congress can change the rules. All that is required is a rule change. I have suggested that whenever the margin of the majority party is less than 10%, [i.e. House (44 members) & Senate (10 members)] they should operate under a Shared Power Agreement with Shared Legislative Power (SLP).JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-63400685191501885232019-12-12T16:45:00.829-05:002019-12-12T16:45:00.829-05:00UPDATE: Select Committee on the Modernization of C...UPDATE: Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress <br /><br />[J.P. Jefferson comment: Please note that the committee has an equal number of Democratic and Republican Members; recommendations had to have 2/3 majority to be approved; it has nonpartisan staff with one budget and one office; all members cosponsored the legislation making it truly bipartisan; and agreed to follow up to make sure recommendations were implemented. AS CAN BE SEEN, EQUAL POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES CAN PRODUCE POSITIVE RESULTS THAT ARE TRULY BIPARTISAN]<br /><br />. . . the Committee has an equal number of Democratic and Republican Members, six each. The Committee established a unified, nonpartisan staff with one budget and one office, breaking with the tradition of dividing resources between parties. . . For an official recommendation to pass, two-thirds of the committee members need to vote in favor. To date, the committee has unanimously passed 29 recommendations.<br /><br />Members of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress introduce reform legislation, [Release from Kevin Kosar December 11, 2019]<br /><br />Washington, D.C. – Today the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (“Select Committee”) will introduce legislation to implement the bipartisan recommendations that have passed out of the Select Committee throughout the year. The Moving Our Democracy and Congressional Operations Towards Modernization (ModCom) includes nearly 30 of the recommendations made by the Select Committee, all crafted to make Congress work better for the American people.<br /><br />The text specifically addresses five sections of reform which include: Streamlining And Reorganizing Human Resources, Improving Orientation for Members-Elect and Providing Improved Continuing Education Opportunities For Members, Modernizing and Revitalizing Technology, Making the House Accessible to All, and Improving Access to Documents and Publications. <br /><br />The Select Committee does not have legislative authority, but each committee member co-sponsored this legislative text, led by Chair Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Vice Chair Tom Graves (R-GA), to signal their strong support for delivering real reform in the U.S. House of Representatives. <br /><br />The Select Committee will work with the Committee on House Administration and other relevant committees of jurisdiction to see these recommendations implemented once the legislation passes the House.<br /><br />Source: https://modernizecongress.house.gov/news/press-releases/modernization-committee-introducing-bipartisan-legislation-reform-congressJPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-90274562595176755862019-12-12T07:24:47.326-05:002019-12-12T07:24:47.326-05:00Well, it took awhile, but we finally have the REAL...Well, it took awhile, but we finally have the REAL VERSION. . .<br /><br />H.Res.755 - Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.<br />116th Congress (2019-2020) |<br /><br />https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/755/textJPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-68901075537218659072019-08-19T06:18:22.000-04:002019-08-19T06:18:22.000-04:00Hard to believe that in mid-July 2019, the DEM-con...Hard to believe that in mid-July 2019, the DEM-controlled House voted DOWN -- 332-95 -- an impeachment resolution because it only dealt with bigotry and racism. [Item #19 above]<br /><br />Now that Trump's reckless racist rhetoric has resulted in 22 dead bodies in El Paso, maybe House members should return from their summer vacation for another vote on Al Green's HR 646 Impeachment Resolution. <br /><br />Maybe we need a law to make it clear that inciting racial violence is automatic grounds for impeachment.<br /><br />NYT article: https://t.co/0Z25d8LVKt?amp=1<br />Green's resolution: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/646<br />JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-21152220647461316002019-06-13T07:54:00.890-04:002019-06-13T07:54:00.890-04:00One year later. Please see the post: "SLP: Th...One year later. Please see the post: "SLP: The Only Hope For 'Country Over Party'" https://tinyurl.com/y3lcvb3o<br />JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-79018361720175125752019-05-19T07:06:29.225-04:002019-05-19T07:06:29.225-04:00Democrats should not be afraid to do what they kno...Democrats should not be afraid to do what they know is right. Never in the history of the Presidency has there been such an egregious attempt to obstruct justice and disrupt the linchpin of checks and balances within the Constitution. Trump has demonstrated a flagrant attempt to abuse the power of the Executive Branch of government by obstructing and refusing to comply with legitimate requests and legal subpoenas from Congress among many other acts.<br /><br />The Constitution Framers debated impeachment and did not want to make the process too easy, but they also understood the necessity to maintain a process that would allow Congressional intervention because they concluded that “loss of capacity, or corruption . . . might be fatal to the republic” if the president could not be removed until the next election.<br /><br />Donald Trump is fatal to the republic. If the republic is breached the President must be impeached. It is preposterous to think to think that history could be stained with the fact that Bill Clinton was impeached for an illicit affair while Donald Trump escapes while fundamentally altering the republic.<br /><br />Following passage of an impeachment resolution by Democrats in the House, the Republicans and their Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may or may not conduct a Senate trial. There is no Constitutional mandate and McConnell might not want the media exposure and embarassament. Either way Democrats will have their say in exposing the facts and be on record in support of democracy and the right side of history.<br /><br />Regarding concerns of endless investigations and time delays, keep in mind that Clinton's impeachment resolution was introduced and passed by Republicans in three (3) days. Also remember that the Democrats' landslide House victory in 2018 was not a display of support for Donald Trump. Trump and the GOP may say they want impeachment; but, do they really?JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-29199903506404013872017-12-06T07:30:03.904-05:002017-12-06T07:30:03.904-05:00John McCain Is A 'Yes' On The GOP Tax Scam...John McCain Is A 'Yes' On The GOP Tax Scam https://crooksandliars.com/2017/11/john-mccain-yes-gop-tax-scam … This is such a sad development for all of us who believe in #bipartisanship and #RegularOrder. McCain could have launched a new era by insisting on real regular order. Unfortunately he caved. Sad day for democracy in America -- November 30, 2017.JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-90888954250239914092017-11-21T07:29:19.034-05:002017-11-21T07:29:19.034-05:00Okay, I apologize. There were four public meetings...Okay, I apologize. There were four public meetings of the Senate Finance Committee where there was public input from various interests. However, Republicans never intended to work with Democrats and that is why they chose the most partisan process in Washington, which is known as reconciliation. The result is the same -- a one-sided solution that may narrowly pass with all GOP votes and will only last as long as Republicans are in power. For links to the SFC hearings see: https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearingsJPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-33764059422457482142017-10-27T07:02:47.400-04:002017-10-27T07:02:47.400-04:00Oct 04, 2017: "To Russia With Love Why the GO...Oct 04, 2017: "To Russia With Love Why the GOP, NRA & Christian Right Support Putin & Russia." https://goo.gl/Fzgcxd " I decided to explore a few peculiar stories that keep exposing links between the NRA, the GOP & members of the far-right wing of U.S. Christianity. What seems to be very strange bedfellows begins to make a lot of sense when we Follow The Money."JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-56943482217398407652017-10-27T06:25:57.294-04:002017-10-27T06:25:57.294-04:00November 9, 2016: "The NRA Placed Big Bets on...November 9, 2016: "The NRA Placed Big Bets on the 2016 Election, and Won Almost All of Them" OpenSecrets.org. https://goo.gl/mch63v "The organization’s radio and television spots sought to cast Hillary Clinton and the Democratic rivals of its preferred Senate candidates as an existential threat to the Second Amendment, and national security. It is a message that resonates in the gun belt, a swath of primarily Southern and Midwestern states where Trump achieved some of his most consequential victories."JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-12460990278686394262017-10-27T05:54:46.652-04:002017-10-27T05:54:46.652-04:00May 18, 2017: "Three Weeks Later: NRA Still R...May 18, 2017: "Three Weeks Later: NRA Still Refusing to Discuss Blockbuster Report Uncovering Alarming Ties Between NRA Leadership and Putin’s Russia." Washington Post Found NRA Leadership Expanding Ties With Russia, While Putin Was Orchestrating Covert Campaign To Influence Our Elections. NRA Spent a Reported $50 Million On 2016 Elections – More Than Double Their Previous Spending; NRA Spent More For Trump Than Any Other Outside Group. https://goo.gl/5ttSeUJPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-14186415405575814152017-10-26T06:48:04.043-04:002017-10-26T06:48:04.043-04:00"Guns and religion: How American conservative..."Guns and religion: How American conservatives grew closer to Putin’s Russia" There was this interesting article back in April 2017 regarding the Russian, NRA, Trump connection. https://goo.gl/LsymT5 #BetterGovmt. This incredible web of connections and activities between Trump, the Russians and the NRA seems to add another layer of Russian involvement in the 2016 Presidential election. I haven't seen a lot of investigative reporting about information sharing between Russians and NRA and related targeting of social media activitiy during the election campaign; particularly in key states like PA, OH, MI, & WI.<br />JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-52589807791117218702017-05-09T07:24:05.054-04:002017-05-09T07:24:05.054-04:00As the Follow-up Update article above points out: ...As the Follow-up Update article above points out: "We posit that gun ownership represents a cluster of values, such as strong individualism, distrust in government, and personal freedoms that are important to many people. This constellation of values can shape political attitudes and perceptions. The values intersect with conservative ideology and, increasingly, the Republican Party, but are more deeply held and practiced by gun owners. A gun owner is also supported by gun interest groups and a larger gun culture. . .<br /><br />"Across 11 presidential contests, gun ownership was more strongly linked to vote choice than such well-known predictors as gender, age and education. . ."<br /><br />As I emphasize in my post, "So long as the direct popular vote doesn’t count (which it doesn’t under the Electoral College system) and until Democrats understand guns and the gun culture, they may never win another Presidential election." Just look at the map!JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-50001525177369524522017-02-02T11:59:28.279-05:002017-02-02T11:59:28.279-05:00I think the committee process IS broken, but agree...I think the committee process IS broken, but agree it's exactly the way the party in power wants it. It would be enormously magnanimous if the party in power would relinquish its grip on the power, that's why it will take a large scale coordinated and focused citizen uprising to ever change it. Same is true with the Electoral College System which I have blogged about at: https://tinyurl.com/jltta92. I don't agree that nothing would get reported if there was equal party committee membership. What WOULD emerge would be vastly improved over what emerges now -- one sided solutions to two+ sided problems. And, if nothing emerged, maybe that would be a good thing.JPMcJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112613043915135162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-31310881138758077122017-02-01T12:11:48.349-05:002017-02-01T12:11:48.349-05:00The committee process isn't broken. It is exac...The committee process isn't broken. It is exactly the way that the party in power in Congress wants it. The standing committees have a preponderance of the majority party's representatives specifically to prevent gridlock. If all of the committees were equally divided between the two parties, nothing would ever get reported out to the floor. And, since the rules always favor the party in power, and the party in power benefits from the rules, why would you ever expect any changes to be made? <br /><br />The same situation pertains to the Electoral College System. Many people want to see it dismantled, but the party in power is ALWAYS in power BECAUSE of the Electoral College and therefore has zero incentive to make any changes to the system, which requires a constitutional amendment that neither party has the votes to pass.Alan Milnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16967789907335148119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-63396863010465593642017-01-21T09:41:27.068-05:002017-01-21T09:41:27.068-05:00This is an appeal to the better angels of the GOP....This is an appeal to the better angels of the GOP. It appears to me that there is no such thing. I hope to be pleasantly surprised however.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295472310947126987.post-27827936842900198562016-11-28T06:18:03.533-05:002016-11-28T06:18:03.533-05:00Hi, I desire to subscribe for this web site to obt...Hi, I desire to subscribe for this web site to obtain most up-to-date updates, so where can i do it please help.<br /><a href="http://www.myamericanagenda.com" rel="nofollow">American Independence</a>mrkdvsnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09327782819628187575noreply@blogger.com