Posted in2020 election Donald Trump Joe Biden

63% of Republicans believe Biden won because of voter fraud

Today is the six month anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the nation's capitol where Trump supporters tried to overturn Biden's free and fair election as president of the United States. Chris Hayes marked the occasion on his MSNBC show by discussing with guests the upcoming special House committee that will investigate the insurrection, and the continuing Republican inability to recognize a simple truth. Biden won the election fair and square.  No reasonable person doubts this. The Trump campaign filed about sixty lawsuits challenging the counting of votes in a number of swing states. They lost all but one,…
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Posted inEnvironment National politics

Chris Hayes features extreme Oregon heat on MSNBC

This afternoon I felt good for a couple of reasons. Marine air coming from the south finally lowered Salem-area temperature from about 113 to the mid 90s.  And the first 20 minutes of MSNBC's All In With Chris Hayes featured the crazily high Northwest temperatures we've been suffering through as obvious evidence that dealing with climate change has to be the top priority in any Congressional infrastructure bill or bills. So that's one good thing that came out of the past three days, when an amazing number of cities in Oregon and Washington not only broke their all-time high temperature…
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Posted inNational politics

George Packer critiques the woke narrative of Just America

I love books that take a broad view of American politics and find something good, and something bad, in each of the main currents of our modern political life. That's why I'm enjoying George Packer's "Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal" so much.  Because I'm a progressive, I found his critique of the liberal political narratives -- Smart America and Just America -- to be more interesting than his critique of the conservative political narratives, Free America and Real America. Most of what I'm sharing in this blog post are excerpts from Packer's take on the Just America…
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Posted inNational politics Oregon politics

Walkout in Texas legislature, good! Walkout in Oregon, bad!

I'm tribal. No, I'm not a Native American. But I belong to a variety of other sorts of tribes that define my identity. Democrat, atheist, environmentalist, blogger, citizen activist, Subaru owner, Apple aficionado, author. To name a few. It's easy for me to see when other people allow their tribal'ness to lead them into liking actions that, if an opposing tribe had done the same thing, would have been met with outrage.  Yet when it comes to my own tribal leanings, it's more difficult for me to recognize when this happens.  For example, on Sunday night Democrats walked out of the…
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Posted inNational politics

Democrats need to get serious about saving our democracy

This wasn't a good day for American democracy. In fact, the past four-plus years -- ever since Trump was elected -- have all been bad days for our democracy. Today Senate Republicans filibustered a bipartisan commission that would have looked into the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, making recommendations to prevent something similar from ever happening again. The commission was carefully modeled on the 9/11 commission. Equal number of Democrats and Republicans. Subpoenas would require at least one Republican vote. Everything that Republicans had asked for, they got.  But Trump didn't want anyone looking into the insurrection, because he…
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Posted inNational politics Political philosophy

I agree with an Ayn Rand objectivist on some things

Exciting day! (But since there isn't much excitement in my life, I get excited about small things.) This afternoon I had a pleasant talk with somebody I'd never met before. Doesn't matter where or how. I'll focus on the what of our conversation. After some introductory chit-chat, this guy said "I'm an objectivist."  "Tell me about it," I said, having a vague memory that this had something to do with the philosophy of Ayn Rand, but not being sure. Perhaps because I'd mentioned working in health planning back in the 1970s and 80s, he told me that objectivists aren't big…
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Posted inNational politics

U.S. has most mass shootings because we have most guns

Atlanta, Georgia -- eight dead. Boulder, Colorado -- ten dead.  It's an all-too-familiar ritual, counting how many have been killed in the latest round of mass shootings that are unique to the United States. There's no doubt why our country has so many more mass shootings than comparable countries. We have way more guns than they do.  A 2017 New York Times story tallied up the mass shooting death toll in various countries from 1966 to 2012. When the world looks at the United States, it sees a land of exceptions: a time-tested if noisy democracy, a crusader in foreign…
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Posted inNational politics

Filibuster is a racist Republican relic. It needs to go.

Today I finished reading "Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy," by Adam Jentleson -- who was the former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid. The kill switch is the Senate filibuster. It allows a minority of senators, 41, to block legislation, since 60 votes are needed to end a filibuster in the 100-member Senate. No longer is it necessary for someone filibustering to stand on the Senate floor and keep talking until their voice (or bladder) gives out. Now, Jentleson says, all a Senator has to do is indicate that…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

Republicans should support Rep. Kinzinger’s Country First movement

Are you a Republican or a conservative-leaning independent? If so, are you fed up with how the GOP has become so closely tied to Trump, it has lost its way to such an extent it now embraces crazy conspiracy theories such as that Biden's victory didn't happen via a free and fair election? A "yes" answer, or even a "maybe," should cause you to check out Representative Adam Kinzinger's newly unveiled web site, Country First.  Kinzinger is an Illinois Congressman who was one of ten Republicans to vote for Trump's impeachment in the House of Representatives. I've seen him several…
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Posted inJoe Biden National politics

Do away with the filibuster, or democracy will crumble

I'm happy that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were inaugurated three days ago. I'm pleased that Biden is signing a bunch of executive orders that undo the crap Trump inflicted on our nation. But a big loud flashing warning signal is going off in my brain: "Alert! Alert! Code Red! If the Democrats don't do away with the Senate filibuster, not only will Biden's presidency be severely hobbled, the foundation of our democracy will crumble into ruins." In no way is this an original idea.  Progressive political analysts who are much more knowledgeable than I am about goings-on in Congress…
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Posted in2020 election Donald Trump National politics

Insurrection at Capitol today caused by the Cult of Trump

This is what happens when people fall under the spell of an authoritarian cult leader. A woman died today in the Capitol building after a mob incited by Trump stormed the building in an insurrection aimed at stopping Biden from being declared president-elect by Congress. Who is responsible for her death? Who is responsible for the first invasion of the Capitol since the War of 1812? Easy answers. -- Donald Trump, of course. He urged his cult members to march to the Capitol today. Trump deserves to be impeached for this act of sedition. -- Everybody who voted for Trump…
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Posted inHomeless National politics

Homelessness and other big problems always should shock us

Today the Statesman Journal had a front page story about homeless campers being flooded out of Cascades Gateway Park following the recent heavy rains.  This story didn't shock me, because I recall the same thing happening at Wallace Marine Park not too long ago, seemingly last year or the year before. Yet I should have been shocked by the very idea of people in the United States having to sleep outdoors because they lack a home. There's an old saying, familiarity breeds contempt. It also appears to lead to complacency.  This is dangerous when it comes to problems facing our…
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Posted in2020 election Coronavirus National politics

Oregonians need to step back from the brink of Crazy Cliff

A moderate amount of craziness adds spice to life. Who wants to be perfectly rational and reasonable all of the time? But currently there's way too much craziness going on -- both here in Oregon and elsewhere in the United States. So join me in making a heartfelt plea to all Oregonians to take several big steps back from the brink of Crazy Cliff. Going over the edge won't benefit anyone on the left, right, or middle of our political spectrum. I think of myself as an open-minded progressive. As you can read below, I'm fine with criticizing people on…
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Posted in2020 election Donald Trump National politics

Let’s act in defense of Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat

Ruth Bader Ginsburg died yesterday. Today, and tomorrow, and for as long as it takes, us progressives need to do what Ginsburg would want -- act to defend the integrity of the Supreme Court seat that she held with great distinction since 1993. Action relieves anxiety.  When I heard about Ginsburg's death I was deeply troubled. I knew that Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell would try to get her replacement confirmed by the Senate as soon as possible.  Maybe before election day, November 3. Surely before Inauguration Day, January 20, 2021. Just because McConnell said in 2016 that Merrick Garland,…
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Posted inNational politics

Must-read: Salem protest story by a South High student

High school journalism is alive and well in Salem, judging by this highly professional story by Eddy Binford-Ross in the South Salem High School online newspaper, the Clypian.  It's a first-hand account of the protest in Salem on Saturday night that led to city officials declaring a state of emergency and imposing a curfew. I believe the state of emergency is in effect until Monday, but the curfew has been lifted.  UPDATE: Just saw that Binford-Ross is using Twitter (@Clypian) to report on tonight's, Sunday's, protest in Salem. Here's a screenshot of a recent tweet. Good job! I've got some…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics Oregon politics

Trump will have to pry Oregon’s stay-home order out of my cold, dead hands

Today President Trump's authoritarianism reached a peak when he said at the White House coronavirus briefing that his authority is total. This was in reference to his supposed ability to order states to relax their stay-at-home and physical distancing orders. “The president of the United States calls the shots,” he said at his evening news briefing. “They can’t do anything without the approval of the president of the United States.” Asked what provisions of the Constitution gave him the power to override the states if they wanted to remain closed, he said, “Numerous provisions,” without naming any. “When somebody’s the…
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Posted inNational politics

My daughter clues me in to why small businesses need help fast

Last night I enjoyed talking with my daughter by phone. Except when I didn't. Which was when she gave me a disturbing rundown of the challenges the small company she works for faces because of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.  She and her family live in southern California. Her company (she's the sales director) makes a product that is sold in retail outlets in the United States and other countries, almost all of which aren't owned by the company.  But the dynamics she described to me must apply to huge numbers of small businesses all across the United States, notably including…
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Posted in2020 election National politics

Joe Biden’s comeback makes my progressive heart happy

All through the already seemingly endless Democratic presidential primary process I've been thinking, "Geez. Joe Biden is a boring old white guy who doesn't excite me. I much prefer... [fill in Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, or Pete Buttigieg]. But what a difference South Carolina and Super Tuesday made. I'm now totally on board with Biden being the Democrat who takes on Trump. I watched his surprisingly large victory in South Carolina and over-performance in yesterday's Super Tuesday contests with joy. Because Bernie Sanders makes my heart worried, while Biden's comeback makes it happy. All that counts, really, is…
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Posted in2020 election National politics

Please, Democrats, no purity tests for the presidential candidates

Let's make this the overarching mantra for Democrats until Donald Trump is defeated in the November 2020 presidential election: No Dem candidate is perfect, but all of them are hugely better than Trump. Which means, ditch any thought of a purity test for the candidates still in the hunt for the Democratic nomination. I was reminded of this oh-so-important adage when I came across a piece in The Atlantic, "Bloomberg Flunks the Wokeness Test."  Right on subtitle: Stop-and-frisk was awful. But to disqualify the former New York mayor from the presidency on that basis is to risk something more destructive:…
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Posted in2020 election National politics

Here’s what worries me about Bernie Sanders

Until the November election is over, I'm going to be in a perpetual state of political anxiety. Dumping Trump is super-important for lots of reasons, preserving our democracy from authoritarian rule being high on the list. So obviously it's vital that the Democrats nominate someone who is well suited to defeat Trump. And that means winning the Electoral College, not just running up the score in the popular vote, because we saw how that worked for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.  In short, not well. Which is why I worry most about Bernie Sanders being the Democratic candidate.…
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