The table above has these entries. Post entries with just one line for Reach were not boosted. Boosted posts have two lines for Reach and several other items. The upper line reflects all interactions, the bottom line just those resulting from paid ads.
========== Why Xi and Putin think their way is better than democracy. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/29/opinion/democracy-fragmentation-america-europe.html But to help their strategy along, they do their best to create and amplify internal divisions in democracies. The root problem seems to be that far too many people are unwilling to voluntarily subordinate their personal goals to a larger good. Xi and Putin say the people should be forced to involuntarily so subordinate - to a larger good defined by Xi and Putin. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-12-30 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Why Xi and Putin think their way is better than democracy. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 76 epoch Lifetime ID 1570653359945844 impress 4 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "12/30/2021 18:12" reach 3 title "Opinion | Why So Many Democracies Are Floundering" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1570653359945844 ========== Need some end of year tax deductions? Here's some deductible donation suggestions - = problem #1 - unlimited dark campaign money - everything else turns on campaign finance reform American Promise Education Fund https://americanpromise.net/ = political democracy FairVote https://www.fairvote.org/ = economic democracy Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy https://itep.org/ = all the above and more Brennan Center for Justice https://www.brennancenter.org/ Common Cause Education Fund https://www.commoncause.org/education-fund/ Democracy 21 Education Fund https://democracy21.org/ Don't need a tax deduction? Most of these organizations have political advocacy affiliates as well. #PS1democracy https://americanpromise.net/ ===== impact 7 impactrate 0 likeimpress 1 negative 0 posted 2021-12-26 ratio 1 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Need some end of year tax deductions? Here's some topic democracy wordrate 0 words 65 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1568037226874124 impress 2 likeimpress 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "12/26/2021 20:12" reach 1 title "Home - American Promise" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1568037226874124 ========== Why don't they just... enact common sense - gun laws voting rights laws tax laws drug pricing etc? It's no mystery - it takes tens of millions of dollars to run for the Senate. Most GOP senators and many Democratic ones are willing to accept unlimited dark money campaign contributions from firearms manufacturers the elite that runs many red states billionaires who like paying taxes big drug companies Common sense will continue to lose until real campaign finance reform occurs. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#corporate%20donations Until then, expect more senseless mass slaughter voting suppression billionaire tax relief outrageous gouging on drug prices https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/opinion/michigan-school-shooting.html #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-12-17 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Why don't they just... enact common sense - topic democracy wordrate 0 words 98 epoch Lifetime ID 1562047717473075 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "12/17/2021 20:12" title "Opinion | What We Still Haven’t Learned About Guns" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1562047717473075 ========== Will 10 traditional conservative GOP senators step forward to undermine permanent minority rule? Not likely. Will 2 traditional conservative Democratic senators step forward to make it possible to prevent permanent minority rule? Not likely. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/06/electoral-count-act-trump-benjamin-ginsberg/ Who in the modern Trumpist Dixiecrat GOP cares what a traditional conservative says about fixing the Electoral College Act? Traditional conservatives that oppose Trump are no different from Democrats who are no different from communists. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-12-06 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Will 10 traditional conservative GOP senators step forward topic democracy wordrate 0 words 70 epoch Lifetime ID 1554516658226181 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "12/06/2021 17:12" title "Opinion | A GOP lawyer issues a frantic warning to his own party about Trump and 2024" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1554516658226181 ========== Nobody says GOP candidates need to talk more to urban residents. They don't care because they don't need them to win! https://www.reduce-rural-bias.net/ But Democratic candidates have to disproportionately cater to rural voters because of the rural bias in the Constitution, put there to protect slavery. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/03/opinion/democrats-rural-america-midterms.html But will it do any good? Most farmers and ranchers always have and always will vote GOP, out of conviction or out of habit. They think they are protecting their liberties but they are really protecting their ruling class. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-12-03 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Nobody says GOP candidates need to talk more to urban topic democracy wordrate 0 words 84 epoch Lifetime ID 1552650961746084 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "12/03/2021 20:12" title "Opinion | I Was the Governor of Montana. My Fellow Democrats, You Need to Get Out of the City More." type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1552650961746084 ========== Every redistricting map works to somebody's advantage and somebody else's disadvantage. Better to do it algorithmically and use ranked-choice voting and multi-member districts to insure that large minorities have just the influence they deserve. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting An unsolvable problem otherwise - https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/12/02/creating-disharmony-or-suppressing-voters-battle-over-san-jose-redistricting-maps-escalates/ #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-12-02 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Every redistricting map works to somebody's advantage topic democracy wordrate 0 words 40 epoch Lifetime ID 1551690115175502 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "12/02/2021 09:12" title "Battle over how to redraw San Jose’s political boundaries escalates" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1551690115175502 ========== A Madisonian view of contemporary politics. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/26/opinion/democrats-aoc-build-back-better.html Madison had no concept of long-term NATIONAL faction in the internet age; it wasn't conceivable in his day - before even the telegraph. The modern Trumpist Dixiecrat GOP has made it clear that whatever political control they gain, they will take whatever steps are necessary, constitutional or not, to insure that they never lose it again. The Trumpist view is that fair play is for suckers and losers, and democracy must be guided from above. Thus BBB is small change in the big scheme of things - the critical issues of our day are voting rights and campaign financing. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-11-26 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title A Madisonian view of contemporary politics. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 106 epoch Lifetime ID 1548013658876481 impress 8 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "11/26/2021 17:11" reach 8 title "Opinion | There Is Another Democrat A.O.C. Should Be Mad At" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1548013658876481 ========== The politics of redistricting are horrendous, even with independent citizens commissions. Better to do something completely different - automatically drawn districts, with ranked-choice voting and multimember districts. That insures that large enough minorities that vote as a bloc can elect one of their own. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#preferential And in the longer run, majority and minority candidates that can appeal to all kinds of voters will have better chances. https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-michigan-detroit-legislature-voting-rights-17e13485181cead5b1c1da5759fcd35b As it stands, fair redistricting for Federal House seats puts the states that do it - mostly blue - at a disadvantage against the states that don't - mostly red. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/23/gerrymandering-redistricting-competitive-house-districts/ Fair redistricting for the House needs to be mandated nationally, no matter how it's carried out. #PS1democracy https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-michigan-detroit-legislature-voting-rights-17e13485181cead5b1c1da5759fcd35b ===== impact 11 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-11-25 ratio 11 react 1 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 title The politics of redistricting are horrendous, even with topic democracy wordrate 0 words 112 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1547120588965788 impress 11 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "11/25/2021 09:11" reach 11 sharesimpress 1 title "New maps spark debate over majority-minority districts | AP News" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1547120588965788 ========== How will independent commission redistricting work out in California? There could be as many as 10 competitive Congressional districts in 2022. That's a lot more than Texas. https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/11/18/barabak-deep-blue-california-has-become-a-congressional-battleground/ Fair redistricting for Federal elections is California's gift to Donald Trump, for which nothing was received in return. That should be suspended until Texas adopts fair redistricting. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-11-18 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title How will independent commission redistricting work out in topic democracy wordrate 0 words 55 epoch Lifetime ID 1542643042746876 impress 7 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "11/18/2021 18:11" reach 7 title "Barabak: Deep-blue California has become a congressional battleground" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1542643042746876 ========== Third parties are not for winning elections, but for defeating others or establishing principles. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/theory.html#registration Liz Cheney MIGHT be re-elected as an independent or Libertarian or as a member of a new Traditional Conservative Party, but most likely she would just cement a Trumpist victory. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-election.html That's certainly likely for the few other remaining traditional conservatives in GOP. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/17/liz-cheney-should-consider-alternatives-gop/ So Trump offers traditional conservatives only two effective choices of bitter pills to swallow - join their former GOP colleagues in pretending to worship at the altar of the cult of personality of the Trumpist Dixiecrat GOP, or run as independents hoping to caucus with the only consequential anti-Trump party - the Democrats - until they find a new traditional conservative political home. Democrats could make it easier for them by declining to run guaranteed-to-lose Democratic candidates in 2022 or 2024 in places like Wyoming, and by making reasonable accommodations for traditional conservatives who do manage to get elected, to caucus with the Democrats, understanding that it's a temporary arrangement and these people are still traditional conservatives and won't vote with Democrats on many issues, but hopefully will align with them on rule of law, political democracy, and good government issues. #PS1democracy ===== impact 20 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-11-18 ratio 4 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title Third parties are not for winning elections, but for topic democracy wordrate 0 words 198 audclicks 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1542604922750688 impress 4 matchedotherclicks 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "11/18/2021 17:11" reach 4 title "Opinion | Liz Cheney should consider alternatives to the GOP" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1542604922750688 ========== What does The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government mean? https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/opinion/gerrymandering-guarantee-clause.html The Supreme Court seems to think the judiciary has nothing to say about it. So it's up to Congress to decide what it means and what should be done. But Manchin and Sinema seem to have agreed with the GOP that it means nothing at all and there's nothing to be done. States rights, after all, same as always, since 1787. The hereditary nobility has the right to decide these things by doling out unlimited dark campaign money. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-11-14 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title What does The United States shall guarantee to every State topic democracy wordrate 0 words 98 epoch Lifetime ID 1539831496361364 impress 6 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "11/14/2021 14:11" reach 5 title "Opinion | Madison Saw Something in the Constitution We Should Open Our Eyes To" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1539831496361364 ========== Stop the Steal is about to get much worse. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/vote-fraud-trump-gop/2021/11/11/554478a2-4270-11ec-9ea7-3eb2406a2e24_story.html There's no unity among Republicans, and it's really going to show during caucus and primary season. Trump has set the example - forcefully or even violently contest any election you don't win! How will candidates be selected if every caucus and primary results in court fights for years? One better choice is to repeal sore loser laws and enact ranked choice voting. Then caucuses and primaries will revert to their actual importance. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#preferential #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/vote-fraud-trump-gop/2021/11/11/554478a2-4270-11ec-9ea7-3eb2406a2e24_story.html ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-11-14 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Stop the Steal is about to get much worse. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 82 epoch Lifetime ID 1539770366367477 impress 5 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "11/14/2021 11:11" reach 4 title "Perspective | Republicans aren’t ready for Trump-style ‘fraud’ claims in GOP primaries" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1539770366367477 ========== Gerrymandering at work. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting With so much at stake, no wonder that consultants who can draw maps to order are in such demand. https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-gerrymandering-46ceaf3fb90a4ce3b2fc026c7c18e747 In the meantime, California would be wise to suspend its citizen commission as far as Federal elections go, and revert to partisan gerrymandering until Texas gives up its. Likewise Illinois should not give up partisan gerrymandering for Federal elections until Florida does. Local decisions, national consequences. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-11-10 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Gerrymandering at work. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 69 epoch Lifetime ID 1537170346627479 impress 6 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "11/10/2021 21:11" reach 6 title "Gerrymandering surges as states redraw maps for House seats" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1537170346627479 ========== Can the Constitution still be changed in any fundamental way? https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#amendments For whom was the Constitution made, anyway? https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/opinion/democracy-madison-robert-dahl.html There was much compromise between Enlightenment ideals and demands of the rural slaveholding aristocracy. https://www.reduce-rural-bias.net/ They are no more inclined to give up power now than they were then. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html #PS1democracy https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/opinion/democracy-madison-robert-dahl.html ===== impact 5 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-29 ratio 11 react 1 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 title Can the Constitution still be changed in any fundamental topic democracy wordrate 0 words 46 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1528837520794095 impress 12 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/29/2021 09:10" reach 11 sharesimpress 1 title "Opinion | The Constitution Was Made for Us, Not the Other Way Around" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1528837520794095 ========== Redistricting House seats should be accomplished by automatic algorithms every two years. Large minorities can find their voice in multimember districts. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting Independent commissions are not the answer to redistricting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/colorado-redistricting-democrats/ They can't agree on WHICH criterion is most important and the result ends up in court anyway. In the meantime, California should suspend its redistricting commission for Federal House seats until Texas adopts a fairer system. As it stands now, it's just a national undeserved giveaway of votes to the GOP. #PS1democracy ===== impact 8 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-28 ratio 6 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title Redistricting House seats should be accomplished by topic democracy wordrate 0 words 81 audclicks 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1528160274195153 impress 7 matchedotherclicks 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/28/2021 11:10" reach 6 title "Democrats backed a commission to draw fair House lines in Colorado. Now they worry they gave up their power." type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1528160274195153 ========== There are simpler ways of redistricting - https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting Ranked-choice voting and multi-member districts are the best way to insure representation of sizeable minorities. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#preferential Existing redistricting rules ARE too complicated. https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-redistricting-2621e98606b1a5f62fdca10ed68a4a80 The history of tax reform shows that the more complicated the prescribed legal mechanism, the easier it is to game that system against its original intentions. And the easier it is to disguise actual intentions while building the mechanism. And the larger the industry of consultants and lawyers selling perversions of intent. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-24 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title There are simpler ways of redistricting - topic democracy wordrate 0 words 81 epoch Lifetime ID 1525043827840131 impress 10 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/24/2021 06:10" reach 9 title "Race-blind redistricting? Democrats incredulous at GOP maps" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1525043827840131 ========== Regional federalism has to take place on state boundaries - https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html Can counties secede and join another state? https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/22/politics/west-virginia-jim-justice-maryland-counties/index.html Not likely - the theory of slave state secession was that the sovereign states had voluntarily surrendered part of their sovereignty to the Federal government, and so could voluntarily revoke it. States were not formed from previously sovereign counties, however - counties were formed for administrative convenience of states. So the Federal Constitution provides that changes of state boundaries have to be approved by both states and the Federal Congress. It's never happened. Can counties secede and form a new state of Jefferson? Sorry, Jeffersonians - a new red state of Jefferson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_%28proposed_Pacific_state%29 is no more likely to get through Congress than new blue states of DC or PR. Maintaining parity in the Senate is as much an issue in 2021 as it was in 1821. How little we have changed! #PS1democracy https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/22/politics/west-virginia-jim-justice-maryland-counties/index.html ===== impact 30 impactrate 0 likeimpress 1 negative 0 posted 2021-10-23 ratio 13 react 2 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title Regional federalism has to take place on state boundaries - topic democracy wordrate 0 words 148 audclicks 1 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1524712714539909 impress 31 likeimpress 1 matchedlinkclicks 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/23/2021 19:10" reach 27 title "West Virginia governor says he would welcome three Maryland counties with 'open arms' after GOP legislators ask to join his state" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1524712714539909 ========== Money is the mother's milk of politics - Jesse Unruh Nothing else is likely to get fixed until campaign finance is fixed. That won't happen at the Federal level, hence regional federalism - https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html It takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to run for the House. Millions for the Senate. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#corporate%20donations Where does the money come from? All GOP, and many Democrats, don't want you to know. The donors/investors don't want you to know - they don't want the candidates to know either, if they are investing in both sides, as in common in local politics. Some of the money is probably from foreign sources, filtered for privacy. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/16/us/politics/midterm-elections-campaign-financing.html It's all about buying access, meaning the elected candidate will return your calls about tax and regulation issues that interest you. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-17 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Money is the mother's milk of politics - Jesse Unruh topic democracy wordrate 0 words 128 epoch Lifetime ID 1520676641610183 impress 9 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/17/2021 19:10" reach 8 title "Money Floods the Race for Control of Congress, More Than a Year Early" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1520676641610183 ========== History is repeating - https://facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/743866825957839 Trump has once again convinced some number of traditional conservatives to vote for Democrats - https://washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/11/im-no-democrat-im-voting-exclusively-democrats-save-our-democracy/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/11/opinion/2022-house-senate-trump.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/11/trump-nightmare-looms-again/ since the modern Trumpist Dixiecrat Republican personality cult is not any kind of conservative - perhaps reactionary instead - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/11/take-democrats-are-doomed-narrative-with-grain-salt/ dedicated to preserving minority rule - https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html So it's attempting a rolling coup to culminate in 2022 and 2024 - https://www.newsweek.com/msnbc-host-mehdi-hasan-rolling-coup-overturn-2020-election-1637471 and may well succeed if the Trumpist GOP is successful in getting the economy to crater between now and 2022 - there are 50 GOP senators, but only 11 voted to avoid default. Persuadable voters in swing states usually vote the economy. It might be time to plan for regional federalism if Congress won't pass voting rights legislation in order to save the filibuster. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/11/trump-nightmare-looms-again/ ===== impact 12 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-11 ratio 9 react 1 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 title History is repeating - topic democracy wordrate 0 words 122 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1516471042030743 impress 10 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/11/2021 21:10" reach 9 sharesimpress 1 title "Opinion | The Trump nightmare looms again" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1516471042030743 ========== Prevent another Trump coup? https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/09/without-these-changes-us-democracy-will-remain-vulnerable-trump-other-bad-actors/ Republicans who still respect the Constitution should be willing to join in this effort Only if they want to get primaried by some idiot endorsed by Trump. Are there any GOP legislators left who still respect the Constitution more than minority rule? Are there any major GOP donors that would support them? #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-10 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Prevent another Trump coup? topic democracy wordrate 0 words 57 epoch Lifetime ID 1515606708783843 impress 9 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/10/2021 15:10" reach 7 title "Opinion | Without these changes, U.S. democracy will remain vulnerable to Trump and other bad actors" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1515606708783843 ========== There are fairer ways to redistrict - https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. When was that ever true in politics? So by any means possible, GOP creates a do-nothing Congress that, by doing nothing, will defend minority rule. Redistrict creatively to create as many safe seats as possible. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/redistricting-partisanship-fighting/2021/10/08/e765d50c-2522-11ec-8831-a31e7b3de188_story.html Gresham's law works in politics too - bad politics drives out good. Democrats should rethink non-partisan redistricting, at least for Federal elections - GOP never wasted a moment's thought on it for their states. A little creativity could put either Devin Nunes or Kevin McCarthy into a retirement home. Gerrymander California congressional districts until Texas is willing to stop the same. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-10 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title There are fairer ways to redistrict - topic democracy wordrate 0 words 117 epoch Lifetime ID 1515580808786433 impress 7 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/10/2021 14:10" reach 5 title "The imminent impact of redistricting: sharper partisan elbows, less compromise by both sides in the House" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1515580808786433 ========== Why do we put up with a do-nothing Congress? https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-congress.html Because the GOP donors like it that way. They prefer obstructing change to enabling it. So they fund candidates more interested in getting on Fox than in passing legislation. How did we resolve the debt ceiling crisis - for 3 months? https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/08/us/politics/congress-crisis.html By scaring McConnell about losing the filibuster! But he only barely got enough GOP senators to go along, and he promises not to do it again. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-10 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Why do we put up with a do-nothing Congress? topic democracy wordrate 0 words 77 epoch Lifetime ID 1515484585462722 impress 9 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/10/2021 11:10" reach 8 title "Lurching From Crisis to Crisis, Congress Is Addicted to Cliffs" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1515484585462722 ========== It's time for ranked-choice voting! https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#preferential https://www.fairvote.org/rcv#where_is_ranked_choice_voting_used News from fairvote.org - Federal help for ranked-choice voting! Senator Bennet (CO-D), Senator King (ME-I) and Representative Phillips (MN-D) announced the introduction of the Voter Choice Act, https://www.bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/2/bennet-king-phillips-introduce-bill-to-promote-ranked-choice-voting a piece of legislation that would make it easier for communities to embrace ranked choice voting across the country. If passed, this piece of legislation would provide states and cities with up to $40 million in federal grants to cover up to 50% of the costs of adopting ranked choice voting. Every community deserves the opportunity to try ranked choice voting elections, and the Voter Choice Act lowers the barrier to participation. Please reach out to your Senators and Representative to urge them to support this legislation. https://p2a.co/9OZd4JL Here's the summary - https://www.bennet.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/7/9/790f017a-7563-4d0b-9937-fd708c3ad889/5329DC060722F1F5ADDA8F54640FEA51.oct-2021---voter-choice-act-one-pager.pdf #PS1democracy https://www.fairvote.org/rcv#where_is_ranked_choice_voting_used ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-06 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title It's time for ranked-choice voting! topic democracy wordrate 0 words 124 epoch Lifetime ID 1512829612394886 impress 10 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/06/2021 20:10" reach 10 title "Ranked Choice Voting / Instant Runoff" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1512829612394886 ========== Don't expect bipartisanship on fair elections. Almost all Trumpist Dixiecrat Republican legislators have signed on to voter suppression to protect minority rule. Major donors hesitated briefly after Jan 6 but have gotten over it. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/02/opinion/jan-6-trump-eastman-election.html It's up to Manchin and Sinema to support a limited exception to filibuster, or else accept blame for what happens in 2022 and 2024. #PS1democracy ===== impact 6 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-10-03 ratio 22 react 1 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 title Don't expect bipartisanship on fair elections. Almost all topic democracy wordrate 0 words 59 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1510841205927060 impress 23 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "10/03/2021 14:10" reach 22 sharesimpress 1 title "Opinion | Jan. 6 Was Worse Than We Knew" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1510841205927060 ========== Ranked-choice voting and multi-member districts would go a long way to reducing the toxic partisanship of American politics. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#preferential There are about six political parties hidden within America's two-party system. But the two-party system can be substantially overcome without a constitutional amendment. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/08/opinion/republicans-democrats-parties.html For what it's worth, politicalscrapbooknet comes out in American Labor Party. But minority rule is built on the present rules and would forcefully resist any changes. https://www.reduce-rural-bias.net/ #PS1democracy https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/08/opinion/republicans-democrats-parties.html ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-09-08 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Ranked-choice voting and multi-member districts would go topic democracy wordrate 0 words 68 epoch Lifetime ID 1493833310961183 impress 11 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "09/08/2021 18:09" reach 10 title "Opinion | Quiz: If America Had Six Parties, Which Would You Belong To?" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1493833310961183 ========== Regional federalism? https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html GOP is pushing hard to make it happen, perhaps unintentionally, if it cuts off the financial gravy train from blue states to red. But it might be the only way to preserve minority rule. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html GOP claims that they are concerned about illegitimate votes, but of course that's just a cover story - their real concern is legitimate votes. The more legitimate votes allowed, the harder it is to maintain minority rule. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/voting-rights-national-divide/2021/09/05/24165092-0b4e-11ec-9781-07796ffb56fe_story.html #PS1democracy ===== impact 7 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-09-07 ratio 10 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title Regional federalism? topic democracy wordrate 0 words 74 audclicks 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1492784777732703 impress 11 matchedlinkclicks 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "09/07/2021 06:09" reach 10 title "New Texas voting bill deepens growing disparities in how Americans can cast their ballots" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1492784777732703 ========== Act on infrastructure and move on. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-split-biden-infrastructure/2021/06/10/f1f95a8e-c91f-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html As pointed out, an unforeseen vacancy and special election could put McConnell back in charge at any moment. Perhaps the Democrats should propose the projects in the last GOP offer, but with no funding specified, meaning deficit spending. If GOP still votes against it, move on to voting on the record separately on each element of HR1 and HR4. The GOP will probably filibuster all of them; there aren't 10 GOP senators willing to give Biden a win on anything. Then go back and pass the infrastructure bill the Democrats really want, using reconciliation. The GOP is trying to run down the clock for the 2022 election without taking any votes on the record that will be used against them. Since the Democrats are mostly stuck at this point, they have to do what they can with reconciliation and force the GOP to go on the record for minority rule as much as possible. Maybe by that point some Democratic senators will realize the bankruptcy of bipartisanship when the other party has no incentive to compromise. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-06-10 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Act on infrastructure and move on. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 183 epoch Lifetime ID 1432450660432782 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "06/10/2021 15:06" title "‘Time is running out’: Democrats split over Biden’s relentless focus on infrastructure" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1432450660432782 ========== Great news for the Dixiecrat-Republican Party! Manchin says he won't vote for anything without bipartisan support. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/06/manchin-voting-rights-op-ed/ So that means Republicans can vote against any and all Biden initiatives with impunity, and say the bills died for lack of a Democratic majority. As they did with Obama. And the GOP program of insuring permanent election success can go full steam ahead - they won't bother asking for bipartisan support in state legislatures when they overturn election results they don't like. #PS1democracy ===== impact 8 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-06-06 ratio 0 react 1 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 title Great news for the Dixiecrat-Republican Party! Manchin topic democracy wordrate 0 words 80 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1429951714016010 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "06/06/2021 22:06" sharesimpress 1 title "Manchin says he will not support voting rights bill, in blow to Biden agenda and a warning to his colleagues" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1429951714016010 ========== If the Democrats won't bite the filibuster bullet and get right-to-vote laws passed while they can, they better plan on regional federalism while they can. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html Three approaches that probably won't stop Trumpism - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/opinion/sunday/trump-2024.html It's not enough to stop Trump - his would-be successors are worse. And they are determined to do whatever it takes so GOP never loses another election. Don't count on moderate GOP officials to be around to moderate in 2022, after retiring in the face of constant threats of violence to themselves and their families or getting primaried by Trumpists. #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-06-06 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title If the Democrats won't bite the filibuster bullet and get topic democracy wordrate 0 words 94 epoch Lifetime ID 1429584804052701 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "06/06/2021 07:06" title "Opinion | Three Paths to Containing Trump" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1429584804052701 ========== Open primaries to fight poisonous partisanship! https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/31/want-help-resolve-american-political-dysfunction-allow-open-primary-elections/ Or better yet, allow parties to have primary elections and caucuses at their own expense if they want, but repeal sore-loser laws https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sore-loser_law and use ranked-choice voting. https://www.fairvote.org/rcv#where_is_ranked_choice_voting_used That will improve general election chances for candidates with broad appeal. But the GOP depends on fired-up voters and fired-up candidates who can be counted on to block laws rather than pass them. They like the controllability of closed primaries. #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/31/want-help-resolve-american-political-dysfunction-allow-open-primary-elections/ ===== impact 15 impactrate 0 likeimpress 1 negative 0 posted 2021-05-31 ratio 0 react 2 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 title Open primaries to fight poisonous partisanship! topic democracy wordrate 0 words 73 engaged 2 epoch Lifetime ID 1425853607759154 likeimpress 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/31/2021 10:05" sharesimpress 1 title "Opinion | Want to help resolve American political dysfunction? Allow open primary elections." type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1425853607759154 ========== Leading toward regional federalism - https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html one region where elections are contests, and another where the Trumpist Dixiecrat-Republican Party never loses - by harassing honest election officials in order to replace them with obedient political hacks - https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-iowa-local-elections-voting-rights-elections-8ae7926dcd07f4dba7ede49d6fc894d9o by suppressing as many opposing votes as possible - https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-texas-voting-government-and-politics-12a00992b079678e0804c7bf1c696b2f Exactly like the good old Dixiecrat South, now metastasized from cotton country to corn country and sagebrush country. The heirs of the KKK stuck to flagpoles and bear spray in the Capitol riot. As their way of honoring the Tulsa riots, they might re-adopt sterner measures in the future, from foreign inspiration - https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-mexico-police-f6ea7798ca3cc171ac13b3a5a6a6c266 Don't expect much help from the courts; McConnell has packed them with the states rights ideological heirs of Roger Taney https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_B._Taney and Thomas Ruffin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_v._Mann #PS1democracy https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-texas-voting-government-and-politics-12a00992b079678e0804c7bf1c696b2f ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-05-30 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Leading toward regional federalism - topic democracy wordrate 0 words 122 epoch Lifetime ID 1425310224480159 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/30/2021 12:05" title "Texas GOP's strict voting bill on the verge of final vote" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1425310224480159 ========== Time for regional federalism - https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html if rural bias can't be overcome? https://www.reduce-rural-bias.net/ Two points of view about the modern Dixiecrat-Republican Party - Losing everywhere? https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/27/whatever-republicans-are-doing-it-isnt-working/ Or laying the groundwork to never lose again? https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/27/republicans-are-not-disarray-theyre-united-their-attack-democracy/ #PS1democracy ===== impact 13 impactrate 0 likeimpress 2 negative 0 posted 2021-05-27 ratio 0 react 4 reactrate 0 shares 2 sharesrate 0 title Time for regional federalism - topic democracy wordrate 0 words 32 engaged 4 epoch Lifetime ID 1423489221328926 likeimpress 2 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/27/2021 18:05" sharesimpress 2 title "Opinion | Republicans are not in disarray. They’re united in their attack on democracy." type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1423489221328926 ========== Bipartisanship works when you have two parties drawing different conclusions - from a common basis of the same facts. Then they compromise to get to a win-win. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/theory.html#bipartisanship But when one party is based on fantasy and the other on facts, there is no common basis to work toward a compromise. There is no win-win, only win-lose, or more typically lose-lose as far as the voters are concerned. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/27/bipartisanship-is-overrated-especially-with-these-republicans/ #PS1democracy ===== impact 14 impactrate 0 likeimpress 2 negative 0 posted 2021-05-27 ratio 0 react 2 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Bipartisanship works when you have two parties drawing topic democracy wordrate 0 words 68 engaged 2 epoch Lifetime ID 1423469797997535 likeimpress 2 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/27/2021 17:05" title "Opinion | Bipartisanship is overrated, especially with these Republicans" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1423469797997535 ========== Jan 6 commission/filibuster votes today or tomorrow? Where GOP senators stand on Jan 6 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/january6-commission-senators-vote/ Only three are definitely in favor. Most of the undecided are probably hoping to somehow avoid having to decide on the record. Which means it's really going to be about filibuster. There are a lot of organizations in favor of eliminating or substantially modifying it - https://www.fixoursenate.org/ a diverse coalition tending leftward but including Brady Campaign and Common Cause https://protectdemocracy.org/ https://democracy21.org https://www.nolabels.org #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/january6-commission-senators-vote/ ===== impact 7 impactrate 0 likeimpress 1 negative 0 posted 2021-05-27 ratio 0 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Jan 6 commission/filibuster votes today or tomorrow? topic democracy wordrate 0 words 74 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1423266954684486 likeimpress 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/27/2021 10:05" title "Where Republican senators stand on voting for a Jan. 6 commission" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1423266954684486 ========== Bipartisanship is a dead end on voting rights -there aren't ten GOP senators in favor of voting rights. Of course it is a Federal intrusion on states rights - that's the only way slavery and segregation could be defeated, and voter suppression is the same kinds of politicians making the same phony arguments for the same implicit purposes. It will take Democratic unity and disabling the filibuster, but to fail to act now on voting rights is to permanently cede power to the Dixiecrat-Republican Party. They'll never give it up peacefully again. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/voting-rights-for-the-people/2021/05/16/bb65909a-b458-11eb-ab43-bebddc5a0f65_story.html If Manchin remains obstinate until GOP regains control, it'll be time for regional federalism. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/voting-rights-for-the-people/2021/05/16/bb65909a-b458-11eb-ab43-bebddc5a0f65_story.html ===== impact 21 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-05-26 ratio 0 react 2 reactrate 0 shares 2 sharesrate 0 title Bipartisanship is a dead end on voting rights -there aren't topic democracy wordrate 0 words 107 engaged 2 epoch Lifetime ID 1422595264751655 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/26/2021 09:05" sharesimpress 2 title "Democrats confront reality on voting rights: Congress probably isn’t coming to the rescue" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1422595264751655 ========== GOP preparing the way for 2022 and 2024! It's not about water for voters standing in line. It's about nullifying elections that don't turn out the way they like. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/voter-suppression-is-bad-but-this-tactic-is-even-worse/2021/05/16/97031c6a-b4f1-11eb-ab43-bebddc5a0f65_story.html And since GOP controls enough legislatures, they can make this work, with the help of the 12th amendment. https://www.reduce-rural-bias.net/ Then it will be time for regional federalism https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-regional.html #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/voter-suppression-is-bad-but-this-tactic-is-even-worse/2021/05/16/97031c6a-b4f1-11eb-ab43-bebddc5a0f65_story.html ===== comments 1 impact 11 impactrate 0 likeimpress 1 negative 0 posted 2021-05-25 ratio 0 react 2 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title GOP preparing the way for 2022 and 2024! It's not about topic democracy wordrate 0 words 56 commentsimpress 1 engaged 2 epoch Lifetime ID 1422268608117654 likeimpress 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/25/2021 21:05" title "Opinion | Voter suppression is bad. But this tactic is even worse." type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1422268608117654 ========== It's good to know the Trumpist modern Dixiecrat-Republican Party has a sense of history - inherited from slavery-rights and segregation-rights spiritual ancestors - Our democracy is not in crisis - McConnell had a different point of view on Jan 7. This bill doesn't protect voting rights, it steals voting rights from the American people - you mean the GOP donor class? Manchin has called for any elections overhaul to be done on a bipartisan basis - there is no bipartisan voting reform. It's the death knell of minority rule, especially restrictions on unlimited dark money. https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-business-voting-rights-bills-voter-registration-3dbcf3e5d04e6c7aa7c9ff629e9d1cb3 #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-05-11 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title It's good to know the Trumpist modern Dixiecrat-Republican topic democracy wordrate 0 words 96 epoch Lifetime ID 1412665995744582 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/11/2021 20:05" title "Democrats press for broader voter access as GOP resists" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1412665995744582 ========== GOP shoots its foot again. https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-census-2020-government-and-politics-7561654cb3f63fc0834da91b10393f6c The census is necessary but not a reliable basis for allocating Congressional representation. A reliable basis would be voter participation in the last Federal election, which is known (comparatively) exactly and quickly. And it would provide a fiscal prod against voter suppression. But a constitutional amendment would be required, something the GOP would resist. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting #PS1democracy https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-census-2020-government-and-politics-7561654cb3f63fc0834da91b10393f6c ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-04-28 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title GOP shoots its foot again. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 60 epoch Lifetime ID 1403737336637448 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/28/2021 08:04" title "Fear, lack of funding hurt census in Sun Belt, advocates say" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1403737336637448 ========== How Trump turned Puerto Rico Democratic. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/04/22/puerto-rico-hurricane-trump-hud/ Conservative Catholic right-to-life voters might have meant that a state of Puerto Rico would be Republican. No chance of that now. Trump said he thought that the PR government was corrupt, and wanted the money to go to states that voted for him - Florida and Texas - both notable for corruption - rather than places that wouldn't or couldn't vote for him. And then his administration lied about it or refused to talk to investigators. Just another reason to end the imperialist-colonialist relationship of the US to its Federal territories. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#Federal%20territories #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/04/22/puerto-rico-hurricane-trump-hud/ ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-04-22 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title How Trump turned Puerto Rico Democratic. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 98 epoch Lifetime ID 1399823700362145 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/22/2021 16:04" title "Investigation suppressed by Trump administration reveals obstacles to hurricane aid for Puerto Rico" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1399823700362145 ========== DC statehood advances. https://apnews.com/article/dc-statehood-congress-9edf21fe93e813808f1488ceb0b7900b Republicans are grasping at straws to disguise their racist and political motivations - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-anti-constitutional-dc-statehood-pretense/2021/04/20/a1cafd72-a1fd-11eb-85fc-06664ff4489d_story.html Receding the District to Maryland would have been a good idea, and the Republicans had plenty of time to do that when they controlled Congress, but they had no more interest then than now, in increasing Democratic majorities anywhere. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#Federal%20territories And that goes for Puerto Rico and the other Federal territories too. #PS1democracy https://apnews.com/article/dc-statehood-congress-9edf21fe93e813808f1488ceb0b7900b ===== impact 7 impactrate 0 likeimpress 1 negative 0 posted 2021-04-22 ratio 0 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title DC statehood advances. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 68 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1399781553699693 likeimpress 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/22/2021 15:04" title "DC statehood approved by House as Senate fight looms" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1399781553699693 ========== Dark money is one of the pillars of minority rule. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html And it enforces all the other pillars such as rural bias. https://www.reduce-rural-bias.net/ Legislators like to keep their donors anonymous for fear of what the truth might reveal about their character and ethics. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/man-who-waited-50-years-moment/618541/ There isn't any progress possible on political or economic democracy as long as legislators, especially United States senators, are for sale to the highest bidder. Most voters, including most Republican voters, agree that legislators should not be for sale. But they keep voting for sold legislators that defend dark money, and then wonder why nothing ever changes. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#corporate%20donations Democracy 21 is one of many good-government organizations supporting HR1. You can support it. https://democracy21.org/ #PS1democracy https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/man-who-waited-50-years-moment/618541/ ===== impact 23 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-04-21 ratio 0 react 2 reactrate 0 shares 2 sharesrate 0 title Dark money is one of the pillars of minority rule. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 113 engaged 2 epoch Lifetime ID 1399334387077743 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/21/2021 22:04" sharesimpress 2 title "The Man Who Waited 50 Years for This Moment" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1399334387077743 ========== Technologically obsolete! https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-alabama-florida-census-2020-us-news-3407a2d05be23972741294bc05838801 There's no good reason to use census data for Federal redistricting. It's inexact and not very private. Why not use voter participation instead - something known EXACTLY and fairly quickly, and allocating House seats on that basis adds a strong disincentive to voter suppression. Even better if some Federal financial aid to states is tied to voter participation. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting #PS1democracy https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-alabama-florida-census-2020-us-news-3407a2d05be23972741294bc05838801 ===== impact 6 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-04-13 ratio 0 react 1 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 title Technologically obsolete! topic democracy wordrate 0 words 61 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1394152217595960 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/13/2021 17:04" sharesimpress 1 title "16 states back Alabama's challenge to Census privacy tool" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1394152217595960 ========== How close was that election? 2000 election - 269 votes 1960 election - 9215 votes 1976 election - 9244 votes 2020 election - 21460 votes 2016 election - 38872 votes 2004 election - 59301 votes 1968 election - 115861 votes Under the winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes, some voters are a lot more important than others. For details, raw data, and processing scripts - https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2021-close-elections.html #PS1democracy ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-04-05 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title How close was that election? topic democracy wordrate 0 words 66 epoch Lifetime ID 1388861344791714 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/05/2021 22:04" title "litical-scrapbook.n" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1388861344791714 ========== ATT? Comcast? Verizon? Philip Morris? https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-voting-elections-georgia-laws-1ef1f1981b82e8918cc4c8bda0fff1b0 Since state and local governments regulate many kinds of business, large donors routinely donate to both sides in order to insure sympathetic access no matter who wins. A lot of it is dark money through PACs. Political donations should be limited to registered voters, and large donations published. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#corporate%20donations #PS1democracy https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-voting-elections-georgia-laws-1ef1f1981b82e8918cc4c8bda0fff1b0 ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-04-05 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title ATT? Comcast? Verizon? Philip Morris? topic democracy wordrate 0 words 54 epoch Lifetime ID 1388401058171076 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/05/2021 04:04" title "Corporations gave over $50M to voting restriction backers" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1388401058171076 ========== Why dark money in politics has to stop! These Republicans https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-midterms-digital-influence/2021/04/03/391103a8-8c0e-11eb-a730-1b4ed9656258_story.html are trying to convince persuadable voters that minority rule is not minority rule, pretending to be non-partisan but revealing none of their major donors. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html Dark money won't stop until filibuster stops. We have McConnell's word on that. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/03/for-the-people-act-gop-block/ A principle of GOP politics - one dollar one vote! #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-midterms-digital-influence/2021/04/03/391103a8-8c0e-11eb-a730-1b4ed9656258_story.html ===== comments 1 impact 35 impactrate 0 likeimpress 3 negative 0 posted 2021-04-03 ratio 0 react 6 reactrate 0 shares 2 sharesrate 0 title Why dark money in politics has to stop! topic democracy wordrate 0 words 58 commentsimpress 1 engaged 6 epoch Lifetime ID 1387591411585374 impress 1 likeimpress 3 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/03/2021 23:04" reach 1 sharesimpress 2 title "Inside a stealth ‘persuasion machine’ promising Republican victories in 2022" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1387591411585374 ========== A fight to the finish for minority rule! GOP major donors will do ANYTHING to protect unlimited dark money, no matter what GOP voters think. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/inside-the-koch-backed-effort-to-block-the-largest-election-reform-bill-in-half-a-century GOP senators hear the message loud and clear. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#corporate%20donations And protecting unlimited dark money means protecting the filibuster. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#filibuster This is the civil rights battle of the 21st century for democracy. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html #PS1democracy https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/inside-the-koch-backed-effort-to-block-the-largest-election-reform-bill-in-half-a-century ===== impact 6 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-04-02 ratio 0 react 1 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 title A fight to the finish for minority rule! GOP major donors topic democracy wordrate 0 words 55 engaged 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1386772805000568 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/02/2021 17:04" sharesimpress 1 title "Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1386772805000568 ========== Filibuster has to go! https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/goodbye-and-good-riddance-to-the-filibuster/2021/03/17/b0ff4f16-8761-11eb-82bc-e58213caa38e_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/17/talking-filibuster-will-not-help-democrats-much-some-might-think/ There aren't 10 GOP senators willing to limit voter suppression - they fear the votes https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#redistricting or limit dark campaign money - they need the donor money https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#corporate%20donations or enact a living minimum wage - they need the donor money or limit firearms - they need the donor money https://www.political-scrapbook.net/controversial.html#second%20amendment or limit illegal immigration - they need the campaign issue and their donors need exploitable labor https://www.political-scrapbook.net/controversial.html#immigration So don't expect anything to happen on these issues while filibuster is in place. And besides all that, there might be 40 GOP senators still stuck in "oppose anything from the Democrats because Obama is black" mode. McConnell says we aint seen nothin yet https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-mitch-mcconnell-legislation-filibusters-cdceb62f3a4c8ba933deb246c43de50d but nothin was exactly what we saw in the Senate during most of Obama's years. The GOP donors' greatest fear, of course, is that so many Democratic policies are so popular with GOP voters that once enacted will be impossible to repeal, like Obamacare. Trump has torn off the fig leaf and forced the GOP to acknowledge and defend the bases of its minority rule. Perhaps we should thank him for that. No turning back! https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html #PS1democracy https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/17/talking-filibuster-will-not-help-democrats-much-some-might-think/ ===== comments 1 impact 56 impactrate 0 likeimpress 1 negative 0 posted 2021-03-18 ratio 5 react 3 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title Filibuster has to go! topic democracy wordrate 0 words 187 audclicks 1 audreach 1 commentsimpress 1 commentsusers 1 engaged 2 ID 1376544776023371 impress 18 likeclickusers 2 likeimpress 1 likeuimpress 12 likeusers 1 likeuusers 12 matchedlinkclicks 1 oimpress 18 oreach 16 posted "03/18/2021 07:46:16 AM" postlinkclicks 1 reach 16 type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1376544776023371 ========== Getting around filibuster without repealing it. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/opinion/manchin-filibuster-voting-rights.html Democrats might never have the votes for outright repeal. But a shrinking majority rule - 60 votes the first day, 59 the second, etc - might work. So would requiring 40 votes to continue debate rather than 60 to stop it. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/fix-filibuster/615961/ Leaving it in place unchanged guarantees GOP obstruction and eventual control of Congress. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-congress.html #PS1democracy https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/fix-filibuster/615961/ ===== impact 6 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-03-12 ratio 18 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title Getting around filibuster without repealing it. topic democracy wordrate 0 words 61 audclicks 1 audreach 1 engaged 1 ID 1372514413093074 impress 22 likeclickusers 1 likeuimpress 19 likeuusers 17 matchedlinkclicks 1 oimpress 22 oreach 18 posted "03/12/2021 01:06:41 PM" postlinkclicks 1 reach 18 type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1372514413093074 ========== This is it - the biggest battle of the Biden administration. Does America support democracy or minority rule? https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html It's going to require eliminating the filibuster to pass. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-elections-voting-pelosi-/2021/03/03/e434df58-7c22-11eb-a976-c028a4215c78_story.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/us/politics/house-voting-rights-bill.html https://apnews.com/article/bills-campaign-finance-voting-rights-legislation-elections-a74d9d8cce567d751021ed66cee2b85f #PS1democracy ===== impact 11 impactrate 0 likeimpress 4 negative 0 posted 2021-03-03 ratio 5 react 4 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title This is it - the biggest battle of the Biden topic democracy wordrate 0 words 28 engaged 4 ID 1366845393659976 impress 23 likeclickusers 4 likeimpress 4 likeuimpress 21 likeusers 4 likeuusers 20 oimpress 23 oreach 21 posted "03/03/2021 09:37:18 PM" reach 21 type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1366845393659976 ========== What does the filibuster have to do with DC and PR? The biggest single issue in American politics from 1787 to 1860 was preserving the "balance" in the Senate between slave and free states. Especially after England and France and other civilized nations abolished slavery, the rural South could see that slavery would be abolished if the urbanizing abolitionists ever attained control of the Senate, as they already had the House, due to larger urban populations. So no free state could be admitted to the union without a slave state - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Compromise Maine for Missouri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmot_Proviso https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compromise_of_1850 California for Texas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas%E2%80%93Nebraska_Act popular sovereignty - established by force of arms Jayhawkers vs Border Ruffians Once it became clear than Kansas would be a free state, civil war was inevitable to preserve the Southern Way of Life - the Southern Rich White Men's Way of Life - from a Congress with an anti-slavery majority. Note that the Republicans did not win the presidential election of 1860 by proposing to abolish slavery - only by proposing that no new slave states be admitted. But the Southern Rich White Men would rather fight than be enslaved as a minority power. == That was then. Now - things are hardly different. Rural states still have an outsize influence on what doesn't get done in Congress. Thanks for scientific gerrymandering and voter suppression, the House is more rural now than in 1860. https://www.reduce-rural-bias.net/ Voter suppression has always been a part of the Southern Way of Life, now just as it was in the days of slavery and segregation. The Senate is still almost evenly divided, on average. That means it's unable to act on contentious issues because a supermajority is required to end a filibuster. So what about statehood for DC and Puerto Rico? Republican politicians offer no end of silly excuses, but they needn't bother because it's obvious that they are just trying to preserve the possibility of getting a majority in the Senate or at least obstructing Democrats with a filibuster-powered minority. https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/statehood-for-washington-d-c-and-puerto-rico-background-and-political-implications/ DC has a larger population than Wyoming or Vermont, and Puerto Rico's population is larger than many rural red states, so they are eminently entitled to statehood and full participation in American democracy. While DC will be reliably Democratic after years of Republican abuse, PR would likely have been a conservative right-to-life Republican stronghold - until Donald Trump came along and probably turned it Democratic for a generation. But minority rule in 2024 has the same pillars as minority rule in 1860 or 1820 - democracy was only for Rich White Men. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html The only route for DC and PR now is to eliminate the filibuster. Not much different from 1820. == What about the other inhabited Federal territories - US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Marianas, American Samoa? These relics of our imperialist colonialist past need to end, either by becoming part of states or by independence. They are a bit small to be individual states, though. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#Federal%20territories #PS1democracy https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/statehood-for-washington-d-c-and-puerto-rico-background-and-political-implications/ ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2021-03-01 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title What does the filibuster have to do with DC and PR? topic democracy wordrate 0 words 490 ID 1365539157123933 impress 17 likeuimpress 16 likeuusers 16 oimpress 17 oreach 17 posted "03/01/2021 08:25:59 PM" reach 17 type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1365539157123933 ========== The Noble Lost Cause of the filibuster! https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/26/democrats-have-vigorously-used-filibuster-its-pathetic-they-now-wont-pledge-protect-it/ It's a Noble Lost Cause because it was the primary tool of the Dixiecrats to support segregation. Just ask Strom Thurmond, founder of the modern Republican Party - he was not interested in forcing bipartisan compromise, but in obstruction. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/democracy.html#filibuster Looking around the Republican caucuses today, we can see many sons and daughters of Thurmond but hardly any of Theodore Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Reagan, or even W. The current Noble Lost Cause mythology is that filibuster is a tool to force bipartisan compromise, of course. That's silly because there is a fundamental difference between minority rule and majority rule - minority rule can be maintained by enforcing the status quo by doing nothing - and that's what the filibuster does for Republicans. https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html The majority party wants to accomplish things - about the virus, about the economy, about democracy reforms. The last is most important because, if successful, it forces future Republicans to seek a majority rather than rely on rural bias minority rule. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/democrats-biggest-decision-nuking-filibuster/617854/ So give the problem solver Republicans 100 days - starting Nov 3 - to respond constructively to Biden's proposals - and then move on quickly without them if they remain stuck on Trump's Noble Lost Cause of the Stolen Election. #PS1democracy ===== impact 42 impactrate 0 likeimpress 2 negative 0 posted 2021-01-28 ratio 6 react 2 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title The Noble Lost Cause of the filibuster! topic democracy wordrate 0 words 209 engaged 2 ID 1344748642536318 impress 15 likeclickusers 2 likeimpress 2 likeuimpress 12 likeusers 2 likeuusers 12 oimpress 15 oreach 13 posted "01/28/2021 07:06:46 PM" reach 13 type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1344748642536318