Why We Need the For the People Act--What It Does

Please contact your Senators this week and ask them to support, vote for the For the People Act.

Today's Republican Party, Disenfranchising Millions of Taxpaying American Citizens

We must stop and not allow, no way allow Republican Party vote suppression in any state in our Union. It's un-American. It's un-democratic. It's anti-democracy.

Please contact your Senators in Washington, DC. Tell them to vote FOR the For the People Act so we end gerrymandering by any and all poltical parties and get the dark money out of politics and get ethics back into our government.

Missouri's Senator Josh Hawley Getting Real Coverage

Yes, Missouri's Senator Josh Hawley is getting coverage on media and social media---but it's not positive. It's fair but it's not in his favor. Here's one good example. Vote him out, Missouri. Let's get this known treasonous, traitorous, self-serving seditionist and insurrectionist out of office soon as possible.

Missourians! Did You See Where Your Senator Voted Against a Hate Crimes Law?

Yes, fellow Missourians, did you see where, last week, our own Senator Josh Hawley was the ONLY SENATOR to vote against a hate crimes law? At a time when Asian Americans are being accosted and assaulted more and more lately, he actually voted AGAINST a bill that would work against these racist hate crimes.

The man is unreal. Nearly unbelievable. God help us. #VoteHimOut

What the Democrats Must Do

Yes, what, exactly, the Democrats must do, at long last, to break the logjam that is the Republican Party in Congress currently. Then, once that's ended, we must pass the For the People Act so we end gerrymandering, get the dark money out of our elections and put ethics back in government. We must.

The For the People Act!

Know this, Americans. HR1 in the House of Representatives and S1, in our US Senate, are both the For the People Act. Here's what it is and what it means.

We have GOT to stop having or letting political parties gerrymander voting districts across our states and across the nation so results go their way instead of for us, the peole. We need to get the big, "dark money" out of our government and elections that's coming from who knows where. We need to get ethics back into our Federal Government. These bills go a long, long way to doing just that. Please phone your Senators and tell them to please support these very important bills. Thank you in advance.

The Unbelievable Irresponsibility--and Scariness--of Missouri's Senator Josh Hawley

Missouri's Senator Josh Hawley voted today--was, in fact, the only US Senator--who voted AGAINST a bill to curb anti-Asian hate crimes. That's bad enough. He wrote this today, this evening, explaining his vote: "My big problem with Sen Hirono’s bill that Senate voted on today is that it turns the federal government into the speech police - gives government sweeping authority to decide what counts as offensive speech and then monitor it. Raises big free speech questions."

What the absolute hell? This is the man who was all for "free speech questions" when people wanted to attack our nation's Capitol and overturn our nation's election but all of a sudden, when we want to make sure people don't do Asian hate crimes, he's against these "free speech questions." Seriously, he is frightening. The only person, the only Senator who voted against a crimes bill against Asian hate crime at a time when this ugliness is increasing. In a nation of more than 325 million people, how do you not have--and believe in--government? That he is part of the government and at the highest levels of it yet he does not believe in it. Stunning. Frightening. Scary. Seriously.

Righting a Wrong for Washington, DC

Good to great news today. The House of Representatives in Washington passed statehood for Washington,DC today.

Could you imagine living in Washington, DC and paying taxes, everything but YOU HAVE NO REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS? Really? Greater population than Wyoming but zero representatives in Congress. So wrong. Obscene.Let's do this. #DCStatehood #DCStatehoodNow

Breaking: Missouri's Senator Josh Hawley Does the Nearly Unbelievable Yet Again

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Missouri, once again, our own deeply Right Wing, Republican Party Senator Josh Hawley does the nearly unbelievable yet again. Check this out. It just broke. The Senate just passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, 94-1. The one vote against was Republican Josh Hawley.

This bill "...seeks to help combat the rise in anti-Asian hate related to the coronavirus." And he was against it. Because, yeah. At least he was the only one who voted against it. How do you vote against a piece of legislation against hate crime? And how do you vote against a piece of legislation created to fight racist hate crimes when there is an increase of those crimes lately? How do you even do that?

Did You Hear What Our Senator Hawley Voted Against?

Seriously, Missourians, did you see what our own Missouri Senator Josh Hawley voted against?

How do you even do that? At any time in a nation's history, how could you vote against a bill that would punish any hate crime, against ANY group? And then, especially now, when we, as a nation, are experiencing MORE very racist crimes against Asian Americans. #VoteHawleyOut

What's In the For the People Act?

Know this, everyone! What the For the People Act does:

--Expands voting rights, --Limits partisan gerrymandering, --Strengthens ethics rules, and --Limits the influence of private donor money in politics. It's only bad for Republicans and the Republican Party. It is patently good to great for Americans and America. Please contact your Senators now and tell them to support it.

Quotes of the Day -- On Republicans and America

"The only thing Republicans are more scared of than facts are votes." --Middle Age Riot #VoteThemOut

"Instead of making it harder to vote...maybe Republicans should take a close look at whether they have bad ideas and people just don't want to support them." --Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary

Mitch McConnell and the Republicans now suddenly want to protect minority voting rights in the Senate but not voting rights for minorities. Know this, America. #VoteThemOut

America Needs Common Sense Gun Reform Legislation

Yes, as the slaughter of 8 innocent Americans in Atlanta, Georgia this week shows, we, America need just that, common sense gun reform legislation. And Republicans need to get on board or get out of the way.

Question of the Day -- Self-Serving, Greedy Congress Edition

Members of Congress should not be allowed to buy and sell stocks. How is this even a thing? --Citizens for Ethics @CREWcrew

We know why it's a thing, of course, because they benefit from it. The question is, why is it still a thing? This is nuts. We should have put an end to this long ago, long before now. The $174,000 per year salary and all-inclusive, fully paid for health care all their benefits should be enough. It should be more than enough. We must demand an end to even the possibility of this self-serving greed and insider trading.

BREAKING: US Senate Just Passed Biden 's COVID Relief Plan!!!

Fantastic!! It just broke! Our US Senate just passed President Biden's COVID relief plan for Americans and America 50-49!! Fantastic!! Yahooooo!!

The only thing better than this is that NOT ONE Republican voted for it. America, you're getting help. And Republicans didn't support it in any way! Have a great day and weekend!!!

Post-Dispatch Spanks Senators Blunt and Hawley

Yes sir and ma'am, I can't anything but love, love, love the editorial from Missouri's own St. Louis Post-Dispatch virtually spanking our Senators Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley for not finding now former President Donald Trump guilty of insurrection.

Hawley and Blunt deepen Missouri's embarrassment by refusing to see Trump's guilt

A bit from the article--

The Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump should be an opportunity for Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley to redeem themselves for blindly supporting a man whose conduct was indefensible. Instead, they continue bringing additional embarrassment to the state after having flirted with the abolition of democracy in favor of keeping a dictator wannabe in the White House.

Hawley, of course, is the Senate’s biggest cheerleader when it comes to asserting that Trump won the Nov. 3 election and that Trump shouldn’t be held accountable for directing a mob to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6. Blunt had the gall to tell reporters that, until a 13-minute video of the Capitol attack was shown to senators on Tuesday, he had never taken so much time to watch what occurred on that “truly a horrendous day.” Both voted against allowing the trial to proceed.

Missourians must not allow themselves to be fooled by the weak boilerplate defenses by Hawley and Blunt. Hawley tweeted on Tuesday: “Today Democrats launched their unconstitutional impeachment trial while President Biden cancels thousands of working class jobs across this country. Americans deserve better.” In fact, a bipartisan majority of senators have deemed the proceeding to be constitutional. And the attempt to divert attention to Biden, who has not canceled a single job, is pathetic but oh-so-typical of Hawley.

I can't recommend the complete article enough.

Meanwhile, the Post0Dispatch doesn't stop there, either. They have yet more excellent, even powerful editorials on the Right Wing.

Editorial: Fox could finally face the (very expensive) music for its disinformation

Editorial: Unemployment beneficiaries get a heartless wake-up call from Parson

Editorial: Missourians should heed Danforth's warning. FrankenHawley is on the loose.

Seems clear the Republicans just can't seem to do us, the American people or even themselves, any favors.

Additional coverage:

Missouri newspaper hammers Hawley and Blunt

Impeachment Trial Blows Up--In a Good to Great Way

Great news, Mr. and Mrs. America!

News last night broke that none other than Republican Party Representative Kevin McCarthey, it was reported last night, phoned then-President Donald Trump to ask him, tell him to call off the attack on the Capitol. Not did he call him and ask/tell him to call off the attack, but they actually got into what ended up being a cursing, shouting match over it all. Out of that broke this--

GOP Rep. Herrera Beutler urges 'patriots' to talk about Trump call

Some of the article:

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler said Friday that she was told former President Trump initially sided with supporters storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, with the Washington Republican urging "patriots" to come forward and share what they know about a key Trump call.

Herrera Beutler, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment last month, issued a statement Friday night confirming key details of a CNN report that said Trump had told House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Jan. 6 that rioters at the Capitol were "more upset about the election" than McCarthy was.

"When McCarthy finally reached the president on January 6 and asked him to publicly and forcefully call off the riot, the president initially repeated the falsehood that it was antifa that had breached the Capitol," Herrera Beutler said in her statement.

This wouldn't be terribly important but for the fact that it shows, in the most raw terms, that a) then-President Trump was aware, very aware of the attack on the Capitol and its effects, and that b) he squarely, firmly, blatantly decided he would do no such thing and not call off the attack.

If this, ladies and gentlemen, along with all the other evidence going back at least months, doesn't, in fact, prove Donald Trump's guilt in this treasonous, traitorous attack on our nation's Capitol, what does?

Consequently, that all lead to this.

Senate Votes To Call Witnesses In Trump's Impeachment 

At this point, the trial is on recess until 12:30 pm Eastern time.

They are trying now to decide if they will hear from witnesses--one or two or more--on this that was thought to be the last day of the impeachment trial.

Think happy thoughts, campers. 

It's very much going our way, the people's way.

Thank God and thank goodness.

More goodness:

Trump lawyer irked after senators laugh at him

'Convict Trump' banner flies over Mar-a-Lago

New details about Trump-McCarthy shouting match show Trump refused to call off the rioters 

Trump World stunned by move to call witnesses

A Question for All Republican US Senators Just Now

 

How could you, as a US Senator, Democrat or Republican, sit in the Senate chambers--that were just attacked January 6--and listen to the evidence on both sides of this impeachment trial, knowing you yourself had to take cover and hide from the insurrectionist attackers, and then vote that Donald J Trump didn't incite them, invite them to do so, time and again, even that very morning of January 6, right there in Washington, on video?

Political power for your political party and for yourself is that much more important? 

More important even than your own safety, which was threatened that day? 

More important than your nation's safety? 

And election?

Really?

Links:

Trump Incited Real Harm on January 6. His Impeachment Trial Must Reflect This.

US Capitol riot mob wanted to kill Mike Pence

Guardsman is arrested for threatening to kill VP Pence

National Guardsman who threatened to kill Mike Pence

Pro-Trump extremists sought to kill the vice president 

All of the Many, Wide Ranging and Honestly Huge Benefits of Going to Green, Sustainable Energy

Yes, it needs to be known that going to green, sustainable energy is not just that we all pollute less though that's huge.  It's not just that we'll address climate change and global warming, though it certainly will.  It's more than that, more than even just those two huge benefits. 

From this article:

With 10-Point Declaration, Global Coalition of Top Energy Experts Says: '100% Renewables Is Possible'

Check out all these benefits.

"The solutions will not only save consumers money, but also

• create jobs and
• provide energy and
• more international security, while
• substantially reducing air pollution and
• climate damage from energy."

Incredible. And true.

Let's do this.

Informative, Helpful, Hopeful Signs and Information About Tomorrow's 2nd Impeachment

And from--who else?

Heather Cox Richardson

February 7, 2021 (Sunday)

Pundits are saying that the Senate will vote to acquit former president Donald Trump at the end of his second impeachment trial, set to start on Tuesday. 

I’m not so sure.

After the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the House of Representatives passed an article of impeachment against Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” The article accuses the former president of engaging in high crimes and misdemeanors “by inciting violence against the Government of the United States.” It charges him with lying about voter fraud, trying to get the Georgia secretary of state to falsify election results, and encouraging his supporters to attack the Capitol to stop the process that would certify Biden’s victory.

The article charges that the former president “has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution… and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law…. [He] warrants… disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.”

The House passed this article of impeachment with 232 representatives voting yes and 197 voting no. Ten Republicans joined 222 Democrats to impeach Trump in his last days in office. The Senate will hold a trial to determine whether to convict the former president of this charge. If all 100 senators are present, the number needed to convict is seventeen. But there is no requirement that all senators be present.

Pundits are basing their belief that senators will vote to acquit on the fact that 45 Republican senators voted against a motion proposed by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), calling for a debate over the constitutionality of trying a former president. Paul insisted that vote was a proxy for conviction, but a vote immediately after that one, on the structure for the trial, drew only 17 no votes from Republicans. Thirty-three voted yes. My guess is that neither vote is a definitive sign of what is to come.

There are a number of things going on.

This trial brings into public view the fight for control of the Republican Party. Business Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), have run the Republican Party since the 1980s. They cultivated the populists for their votes, but business Republicans never intended to give them power.

The two wings jockeyed along together because both like tax cuts and originalist judges, who reject the idea of business regulation and government protection of civil rights. But that uneasy alliance is wrenching apart. Trump gave his populist supporters a taste of power, and they do not want to give it up. The Trump wing has become a personality cult, embracing violence and an attack on the rule of law in order to keep the former president in office.

Business Republicans cozied up to the Trumpers because they need the votes Trump turned out and the money he raised. But it is no longer clear that he can keep commanding votes or raising big money.

Since the January 6 coup attempt, social media giants Twitter and Facebook, as well as others, have banned the former president, taking away his ability to marshal his troops. Lawsuits from voting machine companies that Trump surrogates attacked have shut up media personalities, hampering the Trump team’s ability to spread their narrative.

Trump and his inner circle have also lost their access to major publishing venues: the last major publisher willing to buy books from Trump’s people turned away from them after January 6, handing them back to smaller publishers.

At the same time, Trump supporters increasingly look unhinged. Their face is the new Georgia representative who has, in the past, embraced political violence and QAnon. Since January 6, Republican voters have been leaving the party. Their timing is a red flag: voters usually only change parties before an election.

Voters are not the only ones disgusted by the riot. Major Republican donors have announced that they will not donate to anyone who voted to challenge the counting of the electoral votes on January 6 and 7. Others have announced at least a temporary hold on political donations.

So for a Republican senator, what’s the political calculation on impeachment?

The course for Trump Republicans is easy: they will defend their man. Today, in what appeared to be a coordinated publicity maneuver, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tried to argue that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is to blame for the January 6 attack on the Capitol. (Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani blamed “Antifa” and “BLM.”)

But the calculation for the business Republicans is not so clear. They don’t want to alienate either Trump voters or anti-Trump voters, and they need to raise money.

Trump and his supporters have tried to lock up the party apparatus. The former president controls money and email lists, and is trying to put his people into positions of power at the state level. They are publicly challenging the ten Republican representatives who voted to impeach Trump. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) actually traveled to Wyoming to urge voters to turn Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY), the third-ranking member of the Republican House leadership, out of office. It is likely the Trump wing will launch primary challengers against anyone who votes to convict the former president.

At the same time, Trump’s support is falling. An ABC News/Ipsos poll released today shows that 56% of Americans believe that Trump should be convicted and barred from ever holding office again. By a 17-point margin, Americans say that the Republican Party has more radical extremists than the Democrats.

There is another problem: it is likely that the more we learn about what happened on January 6, the worse the participants are going to look. And, if indeed the Department of Justice decides to use RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, against those who participated in the insurrection, it might well sweep in Republican lawmakers or operatives who spoke at, raised money for, or planned the January 6 rally. In that case, a vote to acquit the president would tie a senator who is not associated with the rally to those that are.

Republican senators have tried to stay quiet about the upcoming trial. When forced to comment, some leading business Republicans have pushed back against the Trump wing. McConnell has called the right-wing fringe a cancer that must be cut out, and today Cheney—who won Gaetz’s challenge to remove her from leadership by a 2-1 vote-- went for Trump himself, saying he “does not have a role as a leader of our party going forward.” On “Fox News Sunday,” Cheney told host Chris Wallace that Trump lied when he said the election had been rigged. She warned that Republicans had to face reality or face defeat in the future.

In contrast, Democrats are operating from a position of strength. It seems likely they will use the impeachment trial to explain to the American people what happened on January 6. Using videos and the words of those who were in the Capitol when the mob stormed in, they will paint a picture of an attempted coup, incited by a former President of the United States.

Think happy, hopeful thoughts, campers!!  IMPEACH!