Category: Politics

Republicans now viewed slightly more favorably than Democrats

 

 

Visualizing the Increasing Effect of Racial Resentment on Political Ideology among Whites, 1986 to 2016

Dark money groups will have to name many donors

update 10/27/18

 

Good decision by the Supreme Court

update 10/16/18

Republicans will probably try to cut spending on entitlement programs in 2019

Only Republicans have become more extreme

From the column: “For the most part, though, the Democratic agenda remains decidedly center-left: Raise taxes on the rich, and use the money to help the middle class and poor. Protect civil rights. Expand educational access. Regulate Wall Street, and fight climate change. Expand health insurance using the current system. And compromise with Republicans when necessary.
The radical agenda is the Republican agenda: Make climate change worse, unlike almost every other conservative party in the world. Aggravate inequality. Sabotage health-insurance markets. Run up the deficit. Steal a Supreme Court seat. Keep dark-skinned citizens from voting. Protect Trump’s lawlessness.”

Republicans hindered efforts to end the recession

This is an outstanding column which explains how Republicans hindered efforts to end the recession.

The last paragraph: “So if you want to understand why the great slump that began in 2008 went on so long, blighting so many American lives, the answer is politics. Specifically, policy failed because cynical, bad-faith Republicans were willing to sacrifice millions of jobs rather than let anything good happen to the economy while a Democrat sat in the White House.”

Tyranny of the minority

This is especially important with the Kavanaugh nomination.  His approval will push the court further away from what the majority thinks.

from this article:

“Conservatives are willing to bend and break the rules, violate decorum and tradition, hide information and push Judge Kavanaugh through at breakneck speed. They want a Supreme Court that will achieve their policy objectives — on regulation, access to the ballot, social issues, the influence of money in politics and the role of corporations in our national life — no matter what citizens might prefer in the future.”

from this column:

“If confirmed, Kavanaugh will lock in a Supreme Court majority chosen by Republicans elected primarily by the groups that have long dominated American society but are now shrinking: whites and Christians. That court majority looms as a possible seawall against a rising tide of demands for inclusion among the minority groups growing in size. Even last week’s Judiciary Committee skirmishing may seem muted as those waves crash against the court for many years to come.”

from this column:

“what will happen if we eventually get a Democratic Congress and president, who try to move forward with a center-left agenda? What I mean by that, by the way, are things like expanding health coverage and raising taxes on high incomes — things that aren’t radical, and in fact have broad popular support.
There’s every reason to believe that a court including Kavanaugh would strike down everything elected officials tried to do. Policy substance aside, this would destroy the court’s legitimacy, making its naked partisanship — based, again, on two stolen seats — clear to all. But it would probably happen anyway.”

Koch Brothers will spend up to $400 million on the 2018 elections

The Koch brothers plan to spend up to $400 million on the 2018 elections.

This is legal but it shouldn’t be – nobody should be able to buy that much influence.

The only way we can get big money out of the elections is to get the Supreme Court Citizens United decision overturned.

At least they lost on donor secrecy.