‘Hate Will Only Win If People Like Me Stand By And Let It Happen.’ One Democratic State Senator breaking from the torpor of the Democratic Party:
The rapid escalation in public support for the LGBTQ community’s rights in recent years had quieted much of the blatant homophobia in the nation’s political discourse. But, in recent weeks, Republicans have reverted to verbal and legal assaults on the community, sometimes employing baseless tropes that suggest children are being groomed or recruited by defenders of gay rights. The efforts ahead of the midterm elections are intended to rile up the Republican base and fill the campaign coffers of its candidates, without offering evidence that any Democrat had committed a repugnant crime.
In Michigan, McMorrow had been one of three Democrats to walk out of an invocation that GOP state Sen. Lana Theis gave on the Senate floor a week ago, during which she prayed for children “under attack” from “forces.” After the walkout, Theis accused McMorrow by name in a fundraising email of wanting to “groom and sexualize kindergartners.”
Ma-ron. Go on the attack, you bleeping wimps. They wouldn’t sink this low if this shit didn’t work. Silence is their ally.
Speaking Of Wimpy Democrats: ‘Democrats Fear For Democracy. Why Aren’t They Running On It In 2022?’. Damn good question:
But as that conversation has shifted, Democrats have largely ceded the political turf on the structure of American democracy to Republicans. Riding a lasting wave of anger over the 2020 election, many G.O.P. candidates have put what they call “election integrity” front and center, even as they attack Mr. Biden and Democrats over the rising cost of living.
Many Republican candidates have falsely argued in debates, social media posts and TV ads that the 2020 race was stolen from former President Donald J. Trump, views that are shared by large numbers of the party’s voters. Mr. Trump’s allies have continued to try to decertify the 2020 results, and he has made questioning the last election a litmus test for winning his endorsement, which is coveted in Republican primaries.
The parties’ wide gap in energy on elections and voting — which comes during a midterm year when Republicans are ascendant — worries some Democrats, especially Black Democrats who have been dismayed by the party’s inability to pass federal voting protections while in power.
“If people don’t see that Democrats are defending our right to vote, then people may not be enthused about coming out to vote,” said Angela Lang, the executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities in Milwaukee.
Centrists blame Bernie Bros in 3-2-1. BTW, I still can’t wrap my head around Hillary not inviting Bernie onto the ticket in 2016. They would have destroyed Trump. It wasn’t the Bernie Bros who cost Hillary, it was Hillary and her centrist advisors who placed the terminally-bland Tim Kaine (I had to look it up) on the ticket. Talk about an enthusiasm gap. Better to lose than introduce progressive policies into the Administration.
Delaware Nursing Homes Report Card: Find out which homes have deficiencies, serious deficiencies, have been fined. Oh, and vaccination rates. Keep in mind that these are probably low due to Carney having placed nursing home regulation under the purview of anti-regulator Yrene Waldron. At least she’s gone. We still have two more years of Carney.
On April 10, the New York Times revealed that Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser of the 45th president, secured a $2 billion investment for his new private equity firm, Affinity Partners, from a fund controlled by the Saudi crown prince—even after advisers to the Saudi fund raised serious objections to the investment. The screening panel for the Saudi fund had cited “the inexperience of the Affinity Fund management”; an “unsatisfactory in all aspects” due diligence report; a proposed asset management fee that seemed “excessive”; and “public relations risks.” Yet the panel was overruled by the fund’s board, which is headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s autocratic de facto leader, who, according to US intelligence, green-lit the operation that resulted in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
It’s damn hard to not see the $2 billion investment as either a payoff for past services rendered or a preemptive bribe should Trump manage to regain the White House. And it could be both. It’s a wonder that the disclosure of this deal hasn’t created more of a fuss and prompted congressional investigations. (Imagine what Republicans and Fox News would be doing if Hunter Biden received $2 billion from a Ukrainian government leader who was responsible for the gruesome murder of an American resident.) A 10-figure payment to a relative of a former president who is essentially the current (though undeclared) GOP frontrunner in the 2024 contest and possibly the next inhabitant of the White House is a major scandal.
Or it should be.
Perhaps an opposition party could raise the issue…
US Cops Have Killed 600 People During Traffic Stops Since 2017:
Mapping Police Violence tracks deaths reported by government and media, and categorizes a killing as a traffic case if the encounter began with a routine stop for a traffic violation. It does not classify deaths as traffic violations if the individual was pulled over for other reasons. Black drivers make up 28% of those killed in traffic stops, while accounting for only 13% of the population. Research has consistently found that Black and brown drivers are more likely to be stopped, searched and subjected to force.
“There are millions of encounters between the police and the public because of traffic enforcement, and many result in negative experiences – people being searched, arrested, and having force used against them, Sinyangwe said.
He noted that the majority of killings by police involved either traffic stops, mental health episodes, welfare checks, nonviolent and low-level offenses or no alleged crime – all circumstances in which there should have been an alternative response to armed officers. The New York Times recently documented more than 400 cases over five years in which US police pulled over and killed motorists who were unarmed and not under pursuit for a violent crime.
Some progressive prosecutors have also worked to limit unjustified traffic stops. Sarah George, an elected Vermont prosecutor who heads the Chittenden county state’s attorney’s office, implemented a policy in December to decline charges in cases that stem from a “non public safety” traffic stop (such as an officer who found drugs during a stop for a broken taillight).
Officers trained for armed combat should not be involved in minor traffic stops. Period. I’d love to see some Delaware legislation to address this. Also, a statement from our Attorney General.
That reminds me…:
Civil Suit Alleges Incompetence On Part Of Wilmington Cops:
A federal lawsuit filed against Wilmington officers involved in the 2020 shooting of a man found sleeping in an SUV lists years of departmental procedures claiming city police are unable to handle many situations, including making contact with unarmed individuals.
The civil lawsuit touches on documented accounts of how Wilmington officers have not been taught to give proper verbal warning prior to using deadly force or to take cover when officers believe someone is armed. The lawsuit also claims department supervisors, among others, fail to check that officers use their standard-issue equipment and fail to prohibit officers from making false statements.
The lawsuit follows years of criticism over use-of-force incidents in the city, in which no Wilmington officers have been brought up on criminal charges until this year when former city Patrolman Samuel Waters was indicted after being captured on video slamming a man’s head into plexiglass while taking him into custody.
“In general, trust is built on transparency,” said James Nolan, a former Wilmington police officer who is now a West Virginia University professor of sociology and anthropology in an interview with the newspaper last year. “Police procedures often fail to take this into account. Doing the right thing with regards to releasing information generally means to keep quiet.
“Restoring relationships with the community in Wilmington will require regular practices that repair harm and build trust by way of straightforward and honest answers to violent encounters such as this.”
What do you want to talk about?