Month: October 2018

Donald Trump adopts Rep. Steve King’s racist idea to end birthright citizenship guaranteed by the 14th Amendment

by

President Donald Trump is reviving an old chestnut of the racist white nationalists and nativists led by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) – ending birthright citizenship in the U.S.

Michael Bryan and I have done many posts on this topic since 2010. But here is one I did from 2015 that predicted today’s move by “Dear Leader.” The Mass Deportation Party wants to nullify constitutional ‘birthright’ citizenship (excerpt):

“Birthright” citizenship is contained in the 14th Amendment, Section 1. It is not a “policy,” it is a constitutional right. If Steve “cantaloupe calves” King wants to change this, it will require a constitutional amendment. But his bill is proceeding on the assumption that he can nullify this constitutional provision by a simple legislative act. The right-wing National Journal even goes so far as to suggest that the “next president” (presumably a Republican) could do this by an executive order. This is how unhinged the leaders of the Mass Deportation Party are.

Cue today’s New York Times report, President Wants to Use Executive Order to End Birthright Citizenship:

President Trump said he was preparing an executive order that would nullify the long-accepted constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship in the United States, his latest attention-grabbing maneuver days before midterm congressional elections as he has sought to activate his base by vowing to clamp down on immigrants and immigration.

“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years, with all of those benefits,” Mr. Trump told Axios during an interview that was released in part on Tuesday, making a false claim. “It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. And it has to end.”

Read more

Turning out the youth vote – you can make a difference

by

There have been numerous reports in recent weeks speculating about whether or not the youth vote will turn out in a midterm election. Historically, they do not. This election, however, may be different.

After The Parkland Shooting, Youth Voter Registration Surges: States with critical elections that may decide control of the U.S. Senate and House showed large increases in youth registration, including Pennsylvania (16.14 point increase), Arizona (+8.2 point increase), Florida (+8), Virginia (+10.5), Indiana (+9.9), and New York (+10.7).

Screen Shot 2018-10-30 at 10.05.20 AM

NextGen America, which was founded by California billionaire Tom Steyer, has put up $3 million in Arizona this year to register young people, specifically those aged 18 to 35, and get them to the polls. In Arizona, an effort to register young people to vote was a success.

They were aiming to register 15,000 new young voters this year and instead netted more than 21,000.

But history isn’t on their side — younger voters have the lowest turnout rates in Arizona.

A report from the Morrison Institute for Public Policy found only 19 percent of votes cast in the 2016 election in Arizona came from Millennials, while 37 percent came from Baby Boomers, despite the fact that there are more Millennials than boomers here.

Only 29 percent of Arizona Millennials voted during the 2016 election, the report said.

Read more

Ride Transit free on Election Day in Tucson

by

CITY OFFERS FREE RIDES ON ELECTION DAY

Free Transit Fares on November 6th on Sun Tran, Sun Link and Sun Van

“The City of Tucson will offer free transit fares all day on Tuesday, November 6th, to make it easier for citizens to vote on Election Day.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for voters to get to the polls,” said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. “The right to vote is so important, and we want to ensure that everyone who’s eligible to vote has the opportunity to vote.”

Everyone is welcome to ride Sun Tran, Sun Express, and the Sun Link streetcar for free.  For Sun Van paratransit passengers, rides will also be free.  Sun Shuttle and Sun Shuttle Dial-a-Ride are not participating in the Free-Ride Day, so those riders will pay the regular fare.

“Sun Tran’s comprehensive network of bus routes provides Tucson with a vital resource for citizens’ ability to exercise their right to vote,” said Sun Tran General Manager Steve Spade. “The service will help more people be able to have their voice heard.”

To find their polling place, registered voters can visit the Pima County Elections Department website.  The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Read more

Time’s up! Return your early mail-in ballots by Wednesday

by

Upwards of 75% of Arizonans cast their vote by early mail-in ballots.

Voters must return their mail-in ballot by Wednesday, October 31. According to the Arizona Daily Star today:

As of last Friday, Pima County had delivered 407,500 early ballots to Pima County voters.

Approximately 185,500 completed ballots — roughly 45.5 percent — had been returned to the Pima County Recorder’s Office as of Saturday.

What are you waiting for? Tick-tock people!

The Arizona Republic offers some helpful hints:

This Wednesday, Oct. 31, is the last day for Arizonans to mail in their early ballots for the Nov. 6 general election.

Ballots mailed after Wednesday may not arrive in time to be counted on Election Day.

The vast majority of Arizonans, about 75 percent, typically cast a ballot by mail. For those ballots to be counted, election officials must receive them before polls close.

Voters on the Permanent Early Voting List should have already received their mail-in ballots. It’s too late to request another mail-in ballot for this election, but you can still vote in person.

Don’t forget to sign the envelope

When sending in a ballot, don’t forget to sign the front of the envelope. Unsigned ballots aren’t counted.

You must sign the affidavit on the envelope, in the designated box, to attest that you are the registered voter whose ballot is contained inside.

Read more

On the Hands of America’s President, the Blood of 11 American Jews

by

Bristle at the bluntness of the title of this post if you wish. But the chain of causation is clear.

I could never make the case as eloquently as others have, so I’ll quote them here.

First, Julia Ioffe, in How much responsibility does Trump bear for the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh?, brings her own experience as a Jewish immigrant from Russia and the victim of vicious attacks from Trump’s rabid supporters to bear on the hate-inspired massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue:

After I published a profile of Trump’s third wife, Melania, that displeased her — and his supporters — the alt-right deluged me with anti-Semitic insults and imagery, culminating in clear death threats— such as an image of a Jew being shot execution-style or people ordering coffins in my name. When Trump was asked to condemn these attacks by his supporters, he said, “I don’t have a message” for them.

…

Culpability is a tricky thing, and politicians, especially of the demagogic variety, know this very well.

Read more