Wade Dansby’s Post

Since the 1870s, during the reconstruction of the American government after the Civil War, white reactionaries insisted that opening the vote to anyone but white men would result in socialism. For the radical extremists who have taken over the Republican Party, getting rid of the modern government that regulates business, provides a basic social safety net, promotes infrastructure, and protects civil rights is now gospel as they try to replace it with Christian nationalism. But that active government remains popular. That popularity was reflected today as Republicans continued to take credit for laws passed by Democrats to maintain or expand an active government. The stakes have never been higher. Details in today’s HCR Letter. https://lnkd.in/eT-gYYhb

What to watch a discussion about Civil Discourse? Check this one out. https://lnkd.in/e2rCExcr

Much of the focus this election cycle is on the races for president and Congress. But keep an eye out for what’s happening in the states – our laboratories of democracy. We could see the number of states using #RankedChoiceVoting TRIPLE this November. Thanks to dedicated Americans enacting change, RCV will be on the ballot on its own and with open primaries in Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada and Washington, D.C. I don’t know if even the most optimistic reformers thought we’d see this when Maine became the first state to adopt RCV in 2016 or Alaska joined in 2020. But the fact is, RCV is the fastest-growing election reform in America because voters across the country want what it offers. Just 28% of Americans are satisfied with how our democracy is working. RCV is a party-neutral reform that gives voters more power and say over who represents them, brings civility to politics, and focuses our leaders on solving real problems at every level of government. Let’s upgrade our democracy together. 

Those who are banking on bigotry and racial dog-whistle to spruce thier political fortunes in this campaign season are in for rude awakening. Demographics are shifting, fueling the need for pragmatism in policy solutions and a fervent rebuke of hyper partisan political arrangements. The League of Minority Voters is gearing up for necessary umbrage with attempts to frustrate nonpartisan "Get Out the Vote" efforts this season. We believe igniting community passion for Civic engagements is a constitutional duty, and far from partisanship. So we reject outliers who seek to dress up efforts to get people to the polls with poisonous partisan politics. We continue to recruit board and advisory members willing to form the backbone to defending our democracy. Our civilization is not that we have the might and the technologies for advanced discoveries, it is simply about respect for the sacredness of our voting process. To breach that respect is to breach our representative democracy and civilization. Get involved with our movement. Reception@minorityvoters.org.

🤔 Big Expectations 🤔 🤗❣Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer❣🤗 is one of the names you often see on lists of Democratic Vice President contenders. She’s swatted that speculation down repeatedly, but the interest in her makes a lot of sense. Michigan is a must-win state for Democrats, and she has won the governorship of that state twice, by significant margins each time. She’s also long been one of the Democratic Party’s most talented and forthright messengers on abortion... So, I think Whitmer has a lot to teach Democrats right now, whether she’s the running mate of... 🤗❣ Kamala Harris ❣🤗 or not... In this conversation we discuss how her 2018 campaign slogan to “fix the damn roads” has translated into a governing philosophy, how she talks about reproductive rights in a swing state, what Democrats can learn from the success of female politicians in Michigan, how she sees the gender politics of the presidential election this year and more... (29:26 min. - 31:53 min.) (34:17 min. - 35:14 min.) 🤗(35:15 min. - 38:08 min.)🤗 (10:43 min. - 14:03 min.) (14:04 min. - 17:55 min.) (19:48 min. - 21:37 min.) (21:58 min. - 23:39 min.) (17:56 min. - 19:47 min.) (23:40 min. - 25:30 min.) 🤔 empathyequalsjustice.com 🤔 (Four Pages - Three Minute Read) Reference: Thomas Doyle - 'Top' Featured Post - #KamalaHarris (25:31 min. - 27:40 min.)

The GQP Bubble by Eugene Robinson The triumphant scenes of unity and glee from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee might look convincing, but let’s not forget that the party’s actual policies are not popular. The party smoothed all the sharp edges off its platform, making it even more difficult to tell what Republicans stand for except fealty to Trump. Beneath it all, however, is the same old GOP that remains wedded to policies most Americans reject. One glaring example is abortion. Six out of 10 Americans believe overturning Roe v. Wade, which protected a woman’s constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy, was “a bad thing,” according to Gallup data. Even voters living in GOP strongholds such as Kansas and Ohio have passed ballot initiatives to restore that right on the state level. This year’s Republican platform omits the party’s long-standing call for a federal abortion ban while not actually ruling it out. Just this one passage will concern anyone who wants to protect the reproductive rights that remain: “We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied life or liberty without due process, and that the states are, therefore, free to pass laws protecting those rights.” It is an invitation to Republican-controlled state legislatures to pass laws establishing fetal personhood. In a worst-case scenario, that could prohibit not only all abortions but also the procedures used for in vitro fertilization. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement that it was “important that the GOP reaffirmed its commitment to protect unborn life today through the 14th Amendment.” In its economic vision, the party is similarly out of step. In 2017, when Trump had majorities in both houses of Congress, he pushed through massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. The platform eschews the party’s traditional embrace of big business. But only for public consumption. Despite all the populist virtue-signaling from the convention podium, Trump has made clear that his economic policy is for sale to the highest bidder. In a meeting with billionaire campaign donors, he reportedly promised to keep their taxes low by extending those tax cuts, some of which would otherwise expire at the end of next year. In a meeting with oil company executives, Trump asked for $1 billion in campaign donations and promised to reverse President Biden’s environmental policies, including the transition to electric vehicles. On guns, the party adamantly resists any legislative or regulatory effort to keep weapons of war out of civilian hands — even after its standard-bearer was nearly killed Saturday by a would-be assassin wielding an AR-style rifle. Convention delegates wearing bandages on their ears to emulate Trump might want to take a minute to reflect on just what those gauze pads mean. ©️Washington Post 2024

The Republican Party is in the midst of a civil war. The last of the establishment Republican leaders who controlled the party before 2016 are trying to wrest control of it back from Trump’s MAGA Republicans, who have taken control of the key official positions. At the same time, Trump’s MAGA voters, while a key part of the Republican base, have pushed the party so far right they have left the majority of Americans—including Republicans—far behind. MAGA Republicans know their agenda is unpopular, and they are working to seize power through voter suppression, violence, gerrymandering, and packing the legal system. But there are signs a bipartisan defense of democracy may be gathering strength. All that and more in today's HCR Letter. https://lnkd.in/eGTdPNBx

Is the US election outcome impossible to predict? For our clients at ECR Research and ICC Consultants BV, I've published several reports with likely US election scenarios and the implications for financial markets. For The Washington Post, Amber Phillips offers a "look at just how close things will be. Voters in just six states will most likely decide who the next president is — and a group of particularly unpredictable voters could have an outsize say... ...Almost 8 in 10 Deciders say they feel “worn out by the amount of politics news there is these days,” The Post-Schar school poll finds. And they aren’t paying attention to politics as much as those who have made up their mind. And less than half say they care a great deal about who wins. In addition, Deciders represent traditionally hard-to-reach voters... ...it seems like these critical voters are not so much as torn between two candidates, but dismayed with them — to the point of disassociating with the election entirely... ...One Republican strategist described politics this election as more like a horseshoe than a straight line, with everyone not that far off in terms of their top issues... https://lnkd.in/eyJ3sEHu https://lnkd.in/eksV3J4e #USpolitics #politics #politicalrisk #DonaldTrump #JoeBiden #USelection #forecasting #predicting #forecasts

Those who are banking on bigotry and racial dog-whistle to spruce thier political fortunes in this campaign season are in for rude awakening. Demographics are shifting, fueling the need for pragmatism in policy solutions and a fervent rebuke of hyper partisan political arrangements. The League of Minority Voters is gearing up for necessary umbrage with attempts to frustrate nonpartisan "Get Out the Vote" efforts this season. We believe igniting community passion for Civic engagements is a constitutional duty, and far from partisanship. So we reject outliers who seek to dress up efforts to get people to the polls with poisonous partisan politics. We continue to recruit board and advisory members willing to form the backbone to defending our democracy. Our civilization is not that we have the might and the technologies for advanced discoveries, it is simply about respect for the sacredness of our voting process. To breach that respect is to breach our representative democracy and civilization. Get involved with our movement. Reception@minorityvoters.org.

One of the cornerstones of our democracy is access to free and fair elections. Information is power, and that’s why the ACLU of Wisconsin, Common Cause Wisconsin, and Disability Rights Wisconsin have teamed up to assemble your go-to nonpartisan voting guide for the 2024 election cycle with information about election dates, how you can vote, requirements, and special circumstances. View the guide: aclu-wi.org/en/voter