Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

Recently, the subject of “Court Packing” has been in the news, because of the Trump administration’s perceived “packing” of the court with Conservative justices, which itself was the byproduct of the Republican Senate refusing to process President Obama’s nominees for the court during his last term. The imbalance this created has led to the desire for a return to balance, which is the goal of what we hear called “court packing” (which, itself, is a pejorative term creating bias — the real goal is a “return to court balance” of having an even number of Justices from each side). There have been other approaches  floating around out there, most centered on the notion of getting rid of lifetime terms for judges, and instituting term limits. Here is my proposal:

1. All nominees by a President for the Appellate or Supreme Court must be approved or rejected by the Senate within 90 days of nomination. Failure to act results in the nominated Justice receiving an automatic interim 2 year appointment to the position, after which the Senate must approve or reject for the Justice to continue in the position.
2. All Appellate and Supreme Court Justices must have their positions reconfirmed by the Senate on every 11th anniversary of their starting in the position.
3. All Appellate and Supreme Court Justices have a term limit of 31 years. At this point, a two-thirds vote of the Senate can extend their term for additional five year terms.

This would apply to new and sitting justices. This creates no new immediate openings, but does provide the opportunity for greater turnover in justices, and the ability to more easily remove weak or bad justices. By using odd numbers for the terms, this staggers the reconfirmation process across 8 year Presidential cycles, hopefully restoring balance as the political pendulum swings.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 📰 Returning to a Balanced - A Proposal by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

One of the key hallmarks of this election season will be the need to vote early (and not, as Trump says, to vote often). So to that end, I’m beginning my ballot analysis as early as possible. California has published the list of qualified ballot measures for the November ballot, so what better place to start. This is especially true because as of Labor Day weekend, there were twelve statewide ballot measures! So let’s start going through them. My starting point on this analysis, as I don’t have the ballot pamphlet yet, is Ballotpedia. This post covers the 12 measures on the California State Ballot, plus two local measures that will be on my ballot: a #DefundThePolice related measure on the LA County ballot (Measure J), and an LA Unified School Bond measure (Measure RR). Note that this was written Labor Day weekend, so we may learn more about all of these.

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On August 24, the Republican National Convention (RNC) starts. As I watched the closing hours of the Democratic convention, a number of questions came to me. As you watch the RNC, I encourage you to ask yourself these questions:

• Would President Trump give out his personal phone number and encourage someone to call him just to talk? If that person did, would Trump make the conversation about him?
• Does the Republican Party/Trump have a specific health care plan? Does it cover people with pre-existing conditions, and does it make health care possible for people who lose (or do not have) employer provided health insurance?
• Does the convention/Trump emphasize that the lives of minorities matter, and discuss specific ways of ensuring that they do?
• Does the convention/Trump use coded language, such as an emphasis on “law and order”, “the blue line”, or raising the fear of “low income people” in “nice suburbs”?
• Does the convention/Trump embrace the immigrant and the refugeee?
• Does the convention/Trump celebrate diversity? How diverse was the speaker line up, vs. tokenism (i.e., just a few minority speakers thrown in to break the whiteness)?
• Does the convention/Trump talk about economic adjustment for all, or do their economic plans only benefit those who currently have?
• Does the convention/Trump guarantee to strength, not weaken, social security?
• Does the convention/Trump guarantee a reliable and speedy postal service?
• Does the convention/Trump emphasize the power of your vote — the power of every vote — and make clear they will do all they can to make sure every citizen’s vote is counted?
• Does the convention/Trump recognize their failures in the handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, and they offer specific fact based solutions moving forward?
• Does the convention/Trump indicate that they will listen to experts, or will they just follow popular opinion and pundits?
• Who did the convention indicate was the strength of the nation: the people, or the president? To put it another way: Was it about you, or was it about Trump?
• Was there any acknowledgement of any mistakes made during Trump’s first term? Any administration, being human, makes mistakes.
• Does the convention/Trump embrace all in the country, even the other party, or do they speak only to their base?
• Does the convention/Trump present a plan to address climate change and the impacts of increasingly severe weather incidents, or does they ignore it or treat it as a hoax?
• Do they accept responsibility for any of the problems of the last four years, or is always blamed on someone else (Obama, Biden, Clinton, Democrats, etc.)
• Does the convention/Trump condemn white supremacy, white supremacists, and racism and antisemitism?
• Does the convention/Trump embrace peaceful protest, or do they say it must be subdued?
• Does the convention/Trump demonize the other party, or do they recognize that multiple views are a hallmark of this country?
• Does Trump show vulnerability as a person? Do they describe the hardships that shaped their life and help them emphasize with the common citizen?
• In Trump’s acceptance speech, is it coherent with clear thoughts? Are there complete and coherent sentences? If it is being read from a teleprompter and not off the cut, does it sound like it is a passionate belief from a positive speaker, or someone who is uncomfortable?

I think as you answer those questions, and compare it with the DNC, Biden’s story, Biden’s emphathy, Biden’s plan, and Biden’s acceptance speech, you find there is only one way forward.

Vote Biden/Harris. Make sure you vote is received and counted. Let’s return to normalcy and both sides talking to each other. Let’s build back better.

[Text “VOTE” to 30330 to learn how to make sure your vote is received and counted.]

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🗳 What To Look For at the RNC by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

As a current (reluctant) Biden support in this period before the nomination is settled, I’m between two camps on Facebook.

On one side, predictably, are my few Conservative friends I’ve retained. They are, again predictably, going on about Sanders and his Socialism. I try to distinguish for them between Social Democracy and Socialism, but they don’t hear me. They’ve likely made up their minds already, but I also know there are loads of Republican moderates out there hearing the same thing, and believing Sanders is a Socialist, which is the same as a Communist.

On the other side are my friends who are (quite rightly) concerned heavily about social justice. They love what Sanders says and want me to love it as well. They feel that we need the most progressive candidate possible to pull the country to a place where it can do the most for the people with the least, where it can protect all those that need protection, where the economic and social inequality that has been acerbated by the Trump administration can be addressed. They fervently believe that Bernie is the only way to get to where they want this country to be; they believe that Biden is only slightly less evil than Trump, given his long history. They fear a Biden administration.

I’m sitting here between these two camps, reluctantly going with Biden because the other choices I like have left the race. Most have endorsed Biden, in fact. I don’t believe Biden is perfect — far from it. But I do believe that (a) he will respect the rule of law and the authority of Congress; (b) he will attempt to restore what Obama did right and fix what Obama got wrong or didn’t complete; and (c) he will respect Science and will work to address the climate crisis. I do sincerely hope that he picks a female running mate, not a sitting Senator, and that he commits to serving only one term (a good way to address the issues, and reduce the appearance of wanting power for power’s sake).

I also strongly believe that Sanders would be most effective in the Senate, working with Warren, Booker, and Klobuchar, to bring about the progressive policy that we need. They are much more effective and persuasive there, and they can introduce (together with their colleagues in the House) and bring the progress we need to put the bills on the President’s desk.

But that doesn’t stop the voices from both sides. So, Sen. Sanders (or your supporters), here’s what I would like from you:

• A clear statement, explanation, repeated often, as to why you are not a Socialist and why what you are proposing is not Socialism. I don’t think it is, but I understand Social Democracy. Most don’t. Until you can get that clearly articulated, and get America believing that you are not a Socialist, that label will be a bludgeon used against you by the Trump campaign.
• A clear statement that you will not be an ideological purist. The Congress will quite likely pass policies that are not as progressive as the stands you are promoting in the campaign. I want assurances that you will support moving the needle in the correct direction, even if it isn’t the utopia you want right away.
• Ideally, the same pledge I want from Biden: You will be a one-term President. You are old, and the best way to address your age is to make your administration transitional. Pick a Vice President who will further your agenda, be younger than you are, and be someone you can train to replace you.

Because I want to get rid of Trump, I’ll still support you if you are the nominee. But others may not. Addressing the items above may help you get that landslide you would need to make the election unquestionable.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🗳 To Bernie or Not To Bernie, That Is The Question? by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Back in high school, lo those many many (many) years ago, I learned a phrase with respect to my favorite board game, “Diplomacy”: “Diplomacy is the art of saying “nice doggy” until you find a big enough stick.”

This phrase came into my head with the news of Mayor Pete dropping out of the Democratic primary field, and Joe Biden having a decisive win in the South Carolina primary. It connects with my reticence over Bernie Sanders as an eventual nominee. Let me explain.

Much as we may hate to admit it, America is not a country that loves, it is a country that hates. It started out in racism, and hasn’t yet moved past it. Oh, we Liberals like to believe that we have moved past it. We like to believe that the struggles for women starting in the early 20th century, the battle for civil rights in the 1960s, and the battles for gay rights in the 2000s have settled the issue and we have moved past the racism. But one look at Trump, and what his followers espouse on the Internet will quickly abuse one of that notion. Hate is rampant. Explicit and implicit bias is still there.

Further, we like to believe that we can wave a magic wand and it will disappear. Just by picking the right presidential candidate, we can move past all this hatred and usher in that perfect progressive society. We’ll do that by picking a perfect candidate, one that has no racist or problematic history. One wave, and (poof) society will be great again. After all, we saw how racism disappeared when we elected President Obama.

Diplomacy is the art of saying “nice doggy”, until you find a big enough stick.

Fact The First: The most important thing this election is to ensure a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House, with as large a majority as possible.

Fact The Second: The second most important thing this election is to elect a Democratic president and remove Trump, his croneys, and his sycophants. Why second? Because if we get the first, we have the means to at least remove Trump and his cronys, and hopefully get a more moderate Republican administration.

Fact The Third: The Democratic election majorities at the ballot box must be sufficiently large that the election cannot be contested; large enough that even if they throw out some number of votes, the election still gives a Democratic result.

The corollary of this third fact is that we must therefore convince the moderate Republicans (those who are fed up with Trump) to vote for Democratic candidates, in sufficient numbers to get that majority. That means we must run candidates that are not only palatable to the Democratic base, but to those in the middle. We want a repeat of the 1964 election, in terms of landslide against Trump and his policies.

Combine these facts, and you’ll find yourself saying “Nice Doggy”. We are not going to elect Bernie and magically get his splendiferous agenda. We’re not going to elect Liz and get all those plans. We’re going to get a compromise shaped by the House and the Senate, one that will likely be closer to the moderate policies — because it must be able to pass the House and Senate.

Saying “Nice Doggy” has shaped the field. It is why all the top candidates now are old white men — because old white men aren’t as scary. Well, Bernie might be in the fright mask, but I digress. It is why the Democrats might be coalescing around a moderate, even if Bernie ends up with the most delegates (but not a majority). Remember the implication of that: most delegates, but not a majority, means the majority of the party WANTS SOMEONE ELSE. They just couldn’t unify on precisely who — they just know who they don’t want it to be.

Saying “Nice Doggy” for the election also means the stick is coming. When the election is over, and an acceptable ticket is elected (Biden/Abrams, Sanders/Harris, etc.), then the work can really begin — the work of addressing the structural racism and classism in this country. But we can’t do anything if Trump and McConnell remain in charge. Hell, we can’t do anything even if Sanders is elected, and McConnell remains in charge.

Thus endeth this rant. And I didn’t even mention Amy.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🗯️ Nice Doggy by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

I’m now registered as a permanent vote-by-mail voter, and I recently received my ballot for the March California Primary. And that means it is time to start doing the detailed ballot analysis. This is where, for most contests, I examine each candidate and share my conclusions, and invite you to convince me to vote for the other jerk.

Because this is a long ballot, I’m splitting it into a few chunks:

1. The Presidential Primary
2. The Congressional, State and Local Offices
3. Judicial Offices
4. Ballot Measures (this post)
5. Summary

This part covers the following Ballot Measures: State Measure 13 ❦ Los Angeles County Measure R

I’m now registered as a permanent vote-by-mail voter, and I recently received my ballot for the March California Primary. And that means it is time to start doing the detailed ballot analysis. This is where, for most contests, I examine each candidate and share my conclusions, and invite you to convince me to vote for the other jerk.

Because this is a long ballot, I’m splitting it into a few chunks:

1. The Presidential Primary
2. The Congressional, State and Local Offices (this post)
3. Judicial Offices
4. Ballot Measures
5. Summary

This part covers the Congressional, State and Local Offices:

• Federal: US Representative, 30th District
• State: State Senate, 27th District ❦ State Assembly, 45th District
• LA County: District Attorney
• LA City: Council District 12
• LAUSD: Board of Education, District 3
• Other: Democratic Central Committee, District 45

Four important things to remember this election season:

1. You will not find a candidate that 100% matches your political positions. This means you must compromise on the candidate that comes closest, remembering that…
2. Any broad policy initiatives must be approved by Congress, and will assuredly change. As we keep reminding those who support Trump: the President is not King. There is only a limited amount that can be done through Executive Order. Most policy needs to come through Congress, and all appropriates need to come through Congress — and bold broad initiatives, such as healthcare, required funding. This means that whatever position the candidate takes will not make it into law in exactly that form. Don’t think you’ll get “Medicare for All”, for example, as that likely won’t make it through Congress.
3. ANY of the Democratic candidates is better than Trump. This is a key point to remember. Any of the Democrats will respect the role of Congress and the role of the diplomatic and intelligence communities. None will attempt to be autocratic like Trump. So you don’t like Bloomberg because he’s a rich oligarch and buying the election? Even at that, he’s better than Trump. Don’t like Bernie because he’s an angry old white man? Still better than Trump. Don’t like Pete because of his corporate connections and inexperience? Still better than Trump. Don’t like Biden because of his gaffes and history? Still better than Trump. Always remember: ANY of these candidates is better than Trump.
4. Not voting is a vote for Trump. Thinking of sitting out the election because you don’t like the Democratic candidate that was nominated? Think again. Not voting gives more power to the people voting for Trump. So unless you think having Trump in office is better than than whomever is the Democratic nominee is, make sure you get out to vote.

and here’s the little bit more:

5. A Democratic Senate Solves Many Problems. It is vital we take back the Senate, so if you live in a state where a Republican senate seat is on the ballot, vote for the Democratic candidate. If we have over 51% in the Senate, we can do another impeachment trial — but this time with witnesses. If we can get near 2/3rds, there is the possibility of removing Trump from office even if he is reelected. Having a Democratic senate will also allow House initiated legislation to finally reach the President’s desk (winning the White House means nothing if legislation gets blocked in the Senate), and provides a real check on the power of appointment — especially of judges.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🗯️ Four Things to Remember ... and a little bit more by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

Oh, how I long for the days when the only thing we exploded on the 4th of July were fireworks in a celebration everyone could enjoy.

However, whenever I read the news today, I see this administration blowing up and destroying more than fireworks: they are destroying the norms, values, and protections that have made our country a leader in the world, and that “shining beacon on the hill”. They have allowed and encouraged foreign governments to interfere — directly or indirectly — in our elections. They have allowed administration officials to conduct partisan politics while on the Federal clock, violating the Hatch Act and not caring. They have eviscerated the power of science and facts in government policies. They have manipulated tax laws for their personal gain, and the gain of their cronies. They have ballooned the Federal deficit, again often for personal gain. They have placed industry lobbyists in charge of the industries they are supposed to regulate. They have used bipartisan events for partisan purposes (such as rewarding GOP donors at the supposedly non-partisan 4th celebration). They have befriended dictators and despots, and taken their word over the word of the honest hardworking members of our intelligence communities. They have made consumer protection toothless, and are decimating organizations that protect Americans such as the USDA. They have ignored Congress and Congress’ constitutional role of oversight. They have made explicit efforts to pack the courts with partisan judges. They have attacked social security, medicare, and veterans benefits. They have repeatedly attempted to legislate religious policy as national policy. I could go on and on and on.

I ask myself often: why are they doing this? Yes, it plays to their base that hates government with such a seething anger that it blinds them to the good that government does for them. An angry base does keep people in power — often through violence, threats, and bullying — and these folks like their power.  It also benefits them financially in the short run. But I think, more importantly, it serves the interests of the puppet masters — those foreign powers that influence the election to elect these people. This is because the net, long term, result will be a diminished America. An America that is no longer the primary power on the world stage. An America that no longer has moral authority. An America that no longer has financial strength. An America that is in decline.

Yes, making America great was a smokescreen for something much more sinister.

Even more troubling are the people that are falling for this.  I’ve known many Conservative over the years; and although we disagreed, I knew that at their hearts they were good people. But today, often their blind support for the administration, and the over-amped hatred of “The Liberal” from the administration and its anger-feeding minions have closed their mind and turned them away from what they once believed. These were people that believed in the rule of law, and that government must follow the laws and be ethical. These were people that believed that government must live within its means and not waste money. These were the people that believed in investigating government wrongdoing, and misbehavior by government officials down to the smallest indiscretion. These were the people that believed that foreign governments must not interfere in the operation of the American government.  These were the people in a party that held for liberty and justice FOR ALL.  But where are those beliefs now? Dead on the field, replaced by hatred and the desire to blow things up.

I find it hard to celebrate Independence Day this year, because I fear that thanks to these folks, the battle could be for nought. I fear that the damage that has been brought on in under three years will take us generations to reverse. I fear that these folks are moving the country in a very dangerous direction, a direction that keep feeding ultra-nationalism and hatred over actual care. I fear that folks who profess to be Christian have forgotten the key fundamentals of the Bible: Love and treat your neighbor as you would want to be treated, take care of the stranger in your land because you were once strangers yourself. Our compassion has been replaced by the quest for wealth, and that’s wrong.

I’ve taken a few minutes to write this up over lunch because it has been increasingly bothering me. It is why I have made contributions to those candidates I feel can best bring us out of this mess. It is why I’m encouraging everyone to learn what the candidates have to say, think about the America you truly want — an America that is that example for the world … and who can best bring us there. I’m encouraging everyone to get active and involved, even if you’ve sat out elections before, even if you’ve never voted. We have to combat the might and power of the foreign governments, the oligarchs (both foreign and domestic), and the top 1% who want to preserve their privilege. You need to be out there: whether it is speaking on social media, combating misinformation, getting out the vote, and donating even small amounts to the candidates you like. It all adds up, and we must bring back the days when the only fireworks we have to deal with are on the 4th.

And you better do it before they all take off for the Fourth of July weekend….

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🗯️ Blowing Things Up 💣 by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.