Democracy
I find it fascinating but frightening that the GOP is falling so far out of step with average Americans, that it now resorts to underhanded legislation, not meant for the good of the people they serve but to overcome the voters’ will at the polls. In my opinion, not only does the Republican Party work to warp our very democracy but it delusions itself into believing a conspiracy at every turn.
The GOP it would seem, now questions anything that would doubt its own idea of what they want the facts to be. As far as they are concerned, those fact-checkers have to be conspiring with the liberals and those independent and well-trusted organizations that measure job growth, poll voters or anything that produces facts and statistics which contradict its own politics and agenda, have to be all conspiring to undermine the GOP’s own set of generated facts.
Voter ID Laws Read more
Florida plans a purge of its voter rolls,
disenfranchising many of its own citizens
...because the most secure democracy
is the one where the fewest participate.
Romney's ready to purge our country,
arguing against teachers, police & firefighters
because he'd like Bain-style capitalism to bring
austerity to the many & wealth to a few.
And The Tea Party was ready to purge Jeb Bush
after he said the GOP had moved too far right
...a statement he quickly retracted
as he realized who held the Republican reins.
Meanwhile, the CEO who lost billions?
No purge there -- he keeps his job.
Progressives need a stronger surge
to push back the right-wing urge to purge. Read more
When we don't remember it was organized labor
that brought us weekends, wages & work safety,
it becomes easier to vote for a Governor
who stands against unions' interests & our own.
When we forget to check whose money
bankrolls his bottomless campaign coffers,
unfettered, unaccountable infusions
can overwhelm voters & buy out democracy.
When our recollection fails, we overlook
unprecedented power grabs & divisive laws,
and a Tea Party hero holds his office.
Conservative cons convinced & connived,
and Wisconsin - and America - lost on Tuesday.
When we don't remember, we don't Recall.
Time to fix our memory & our democracy. Read more
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the launch of a new initiative from the Union of Concerned Scientists – The Center for Science and Democracy. The UCS itself was founded in the late 1960′s in response to the Cold War nuclear arms race. Read more
This video presentation, by Prof. Yochai Benkler of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, is one of the best articulations I’ve ever seen of the meaning of “participatory politics”.
Please watch it in full & share it: Blueprint for Democratic Participation.
(We’d embed it here for handiness, but alas, no such sharing enabled by the host site, unless you subscribe for a membership, but that’s all right. We’ll be talking about this extensively & excitedly in the months to come.) Read more
The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber put the state constitutional amendment that’s up for a vote Tuesday, in the perspective it should be with Christian voters. Rev. Barber, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina said this a day before North Carolina voters go to the polls to vote on a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in the state: Read more
In a snap vote last night, the House of Representatives passed the controversial Cyberintelligence Sharing and Protection Act, more commonly known as CISPA. The final roll call was 248-168, with most of the Republicans voting in favor and most of the Democrats voting against. Read more
Just as apropos would be to ask "where have the Moderate Democrats gone"? And the likely answer would be, back home -- voted out by their constituents, or retired, or retiring soon. "We, the people", are tired of moderation, despite what the media will tell you. The Democrats are forging further left, and the Republicans are being pushed further right . . . by their respective bases back home. The "moderate Republicans" vote Democrat too often, and my guess is that that's the way the Democrats feel about the moderate Democrats. "Moderate" anythings in Congress are now seen as lifelong politicians, simply trying to "go along to get along", and to hold on to a very good job -- and the folks back home are tired of that.
Recently, large corporations such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Kraft and the latest, Wendy’s, have been dropping out of supporting American Legislative Exchange Council also known as ALEC, a conservative political organization that introduces and pushes pieces of legislation through Congress and state houses across the country. Read more
After the midterm 2010 election when Republicans gained control of several state houses and governor seats, they began working on legislation; not to create jobs for the unemployed as many of their campaigns promised, but to introduce new abortion restriction laws and contraception laws, pass legislation to limit the power of unions, passed legislation to take bargaining rights away from public workers, and to restrict voting rights of poor people by passing Voter ID laws and putting more restrictions on voter registration and early voting, and legislation to give more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. Read more
If this was Putin’s Russia or many of the countries that are being ruled by dictators or regimes that are determined to stay in power, even if it means cheating the voting system in those countries, Voter ID laws would make a lot of sense. But, we’re not one of those countries. Our voting system is a very accurate system compared to other countries systems and especially to those countries ruled by dictators, if there is a vote at all. Read more
There is an old myth, it is convenient to the executive - the equality or balance of the three branches of government. Read more
There is an old myth, it is convenient for the executive power - the equality or equilibrium of the three branches of government. Read more
The recent democratic uprisings calling for social change that have been a rolling wave of protests across the Middle East may seem like a reflection of our distant past from 1776 or perhaps even the Civil War but look again. The U.S. had a lurch in mid-step during 1968 that continues to affect everything. Read more
Grading Democracy on a Curve
Raging Moderate, by Will Durst
Read more
