Month: February 2018

A view from a Republican who has left the cult

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Mike Lofgren, a former congressional staff member who served on the House and Senate budget committees, first came to national attention in 2011 with his powerful essay Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult. Lofgren has been a regular contributor at Truthout since then.

Lofgren has another must-read op-ed at the New York Times. Reagan’s ‘Party of Ideas’ Is Down to Just One: Tax Cuts:

It is a sign of our slide toward banana republic status when the president of the United States, leader of the world’s foremost democracy, publicly brands Democrats who failed to applaud his State of the Union address as un-American and treasonous. The largely partisan audience was fine with it.

What has become of the Republican Party, which I once served on Capitol Hill and which I now consider a dangerous extremist movement on a par with the ruling Fidesz party in neo-fascist Hungary? Where did its principles go? What became of Ronald Reagan’s “party of ideas”?

One by one, those ideas were tossed aside for expediency and power — except the tax cut. A time traveler from the Reagan era would no longer recognize the Republican Party, but most Republican politicians feel no embarrassment supporting policies they once condemned.

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Intelligence agencies are at odds with President Trump on Russian interference in 2018 midterms

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The nation’s five intelligence heads, all Trump appointees, were on the Hill yesterday testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. All five testified that Russia interfered in our presidential election in 2016, and is already interfering in our 2018 midterm elections, and that President Trump has not issued them any express directives to stop the Russian interference. The nation’s top spies said Russia is continuing to target the U.S. political system:

The nation’s top intelligence chiefs were united Tuesday in declaring that Russia is continuing efforts to disrupt the U.S. political system and is targeting the 2018 midterm elections, following its successful operation to sow discord in the most recent presidential campaign.

Their assessment stands in contrast to President Trump, who has repeatedly voiced skepticism of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

In fact, CNN reports, Trump still unconvinced Russia meddled in 2016 election: President Donald Trump still isn’t buying that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, even as his intelligence chiefs unanimously told a Senate panel Tuesday that Russia meddled in 2016 and is planning to do so again in 2018, three sources familiar with the President’s thinking say he remains unconvinced that Russia interfered in the presidential election.

At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, Democrats demanded to know what the intelligence community is doing to counter Russia’s actions and whether Trump has given explicit directions to do so.

“We cannot confront this threat, which is a serious one, without a whole-of-government response when the leader of the government continues to deny that it exists,” said Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

The disconnect between Trump and his senior-most intelligence advisers has raised concerns that the U.S. government will not be able to mount an effective plan to beat back Russian influence operations in the upcoming midterm elections. And Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats said there is “no single agency in charge” of blocking Russian meddling, an admission that drew the ire of Democrats.

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Mitch McConnell reneges on DACA debate deal (Updated)

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Well that didn’t take long …

The Septuagenarian Ninja Turtle, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has one again demonstrated that he is a manipulative liar whose word is worthless and who should not be trusted to honor any promise or agreement he makes. Only one day into the open-ended debate on immigration and DACA that the Turtle Man promised, he has reneged on the deal he made with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

I have said before that history will not be kind to Mitch McConnell, he will be remembered as one of the worst senators in the history of the U.S. Senate in the pantheon of worst senators.

Joan McCarter at Daily Kos reports:

The Senate debate on immigration has begun and it’s not good. Despite the promise from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that they would have as much as two weeks of free-wheeling, open amendment debate, he’s already stated his desired outcome: Trump’s complete white supremacist wish list in return for the Dreamers’ path to citizenship. He’s also creating a false threshold for legislation—something that will get 30 Republican votes.

And as for the two weeks of consideration? He sent out his number two guy, the odious Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), to renege on that, giving the Senate essentially two days.

“This is Sen. (Dick) Durbin and Democrats’ opportunity and so far they kind of seem to be a little confused about what they’re planning on doing — but they better get it done quick because it’s this week or not at all,” said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn.”We need to get it wrapped up by Thursday,” Cornyn said.

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Gov. Ducey fails to lead on renewal of Prop. 301 education sales tax

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Democratic lawmakers last year introduced legislation to extend and expand Prop. 301, the education sales tax set to expire in 2021 unless renewed, but Republican leadership never granted it a public hearing or vote. I posted about Prop. 301 earlier this year. Pass HB 2158 to permanently extend Prop. 301 education funding (excerpts):

The education sales tax, which voters passed in 2000 as Proposition 301, is set to expire in mid-2021.

State Rep. Doug Coleman told The Arizona Republic that House Bill 2158 would essentially “get rid of the cliff” surrounding Prop. 301.

Prop. 301 is a 0.6 cent per dollar education-funding sales tax. Its future has been a point of contention and concern among education and business advocates and state leaders. The money funds things such as teacher salaries and classroom expenses.

The sales tax — and the hundreds of millions of school-funding dollars that come with it — will be gone unless voters approve an extension of the tax in the 2018 or 2020 election or two-thirds of the state’s 90-member Legislature pass legislation to maintain the funding.

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All in the family: 3 Hernandez siblings running for election in 2018

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L to R: Consuelo Hernandez, LD 2 Rep. Daniel Hernandez Jr.,Alma Hernandez – photo taken by their mother (also named Consuelo)

Three siblings in Tucson, all named Hernandez are running for election in 2018. Daniel is running for LD 2 House (re-election), Consuelo for Sunnyside School District Governing Board, Alma for LD 3 House.  They are having a joint fiesta campaign kickoff on February 15 (scroll down to bottom for flyer).

One-term Democrat LD 2 House Rep. Daniel Hernandez Jr, seeking re-election to his House seat. He defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Chris Ackerley 32,651 to 28,506 in Nov. 2016. (The other House Rep. Democrat incumbent Rosanna Gabaldon got 32,495 votes.) Daniel has also served on the Sunnyside School District Governing Board as President, and was the Congressional intern who assisted then CD-8 Congresswoman Gabby Giffords after she was shot in the head, at the Tucson mass shooting on 1/8/11.

His youngest sister Alma is now running for LD 3 House, where there will be 2 open seats, as LD 3 House Rep. Macario Saladate is retiring, and Rep. Sally Gonzales is running for state senate in that same district. Also running for the House in LD 3 now is current LD 3 Senator Olivia Cajero Bedford, and political newcomer (but involved in Dem politics for years) Andres Cano, a Special Staff Assistant to Pima County District 5 Supervisor Richard Elias.

Alma recently got her M.P.H. from the U of Arizona, and has been active in Democratic politics for years. Recently she led Arizonans United for Healthcare working to defeat the repeal of the ACA (Affordable Care Act).

Their middle sister Consuelo is running for Sunnyside School District Governing Board, where her brother currently sits. She is a case worker for the International Rescue Committee in Tucson.  Daniel is not running for re-election on the SUSD board (after 2 terms), so Consuelo is running for one of 2 seats. The other SUSD board member  up for re-election is Eva Carrillo Dong.

All 3 of these siblings went to the Democratic National Convention in July, 2016 as delegates.

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