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Longtime clean water advocate and liberal firebrand James Ehlers is running for governor in 2018, when he hopes to unseat Republican incumbent Phil Scott in a race that will feature stark ideological contrasts between the two candidates.

Ehlers, whos running as a Democrat, says its too early to outline the key planks of his campaign platform. But the executive director of Lake Champlain International, whos long called for greater public investments in government programs, says the differences between him and the first-term incumbent will soon become readily apparent.

The attitude and the culture of the campaign will be one that offers people a fundamentally different choice in philosophy, Ehlers said in a telephone interview Thursday.

Ehlers has most recently criticized Scott for failing to identify a long-term source of public revenues for a water quality initiative expected to cost more than $1 billion over the next 20 years.

Ehlers says his campaign will try to galvanize the public buy-in he thinks is needed to improve environmental and economic conditions in the state.

I guess I would say its a modern day barn raising of sorts, where we all come together to invest in our homes, our forests, our rivers, our lakes, as well as Main Street, Ehlers says.

Ehlers has never before run for political office, but he says its time to expand his advocacy beyond the environmental issues hes been working on for 20 years.

It seems like its time for me to take my skills and leadership ability and advocate for Vermonters on all the issues that are impacting us and our children, Ehlers says.

Asked about Ehlers announcement Thursday, Scott said he intends to seek a second term in office, but isnt ready to begin talking about the campaign.

Its a long time between now and then, Scott said.

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Water Quality Advocate James Ehlers To Run For Governor, As Democrat - Vermont Public Radio

On Thursday morning, Rep. Al Green will propose a constitutional amendment that would explicitly bar the president from granting himself a pardon.

"Nobody wants to see that," the Texas Democrat told BuzzFeed News. "Bigger than the current president, this is for all presidents. If we can't stop one, we'll stop the rest."

Green said on Wednesday evening that he doesnt think such an amendment is needed he thinks the Constitution doesnt allow such a self-pardon. But hes laying the groundwork to try to pass an amendment like this, should it become necessary.

Our president has given signals that he is reviewing the Constitution and, in the process of reviewing it, it has been published that the review includes that possibility of his considering pardoning himself, Green who already has filed articles of impeachment against President Trump said.

Trump has discussed pardon issues in the Oval Office, his new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, acknowledged this past week. The president himself tweeted over the weekend that all agree the U. S. President has the complete power to pardon. Its not clear whether the discussion or the presidents tweet related to any possible self-pardon consideration. But the vagueness of the explicit references to pardon power and Trumps general unpredictability have raised speculation about how the president might want to use it.

In hearing that, Green said, and also after hearing that constitutional scholars differ on whether the president can or cannot pardon himself, it seemed appropriate as a matter of fact, it seemed absolutely necessary that we take some action so as to bring clarity to this issue.

The presidential pardon power is both simple and expansive in the Constitution. [H]e shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, the Constitution states, except in cases of impeachment.

The amendment proposed by Green also is simple:

The president shall have no power to grant to himself a reprieve or pardon for an offense against the United States.

Green said that he sides with scholars like Laurence Tribe, Norm Eisen, and Richard Painter who wrote recently in the Washington Post that Trump cannot pardon himself. They cite a 1974 opinion of the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel concluding the same thing.

I dont believe this is necessary, Green said of the proposed amendment, and he plans to enter that view into the congressional record in his Thursday morning floor speech. Nonetheless, he acknowledged, others disagree and, regardless, Trump or another president could do it anyway (although legal fights could, and likely would, follow).

Im not doing this with the expectation of the committee taking this up any time soon. I want the legislation to be there in the event there is a need for it, Green said. It may take such an amount of time that the first president to try to do it might succeed, but the legislation would still be there so as to prevent the next.

He told BuzzFeed News that at least two other Democratic House members Seth Moulton and Brad Sherman will be co-sponsoring the resolution at its introduction.

As the resolution to be introduced notes, an amendment introduced through Congress would require a two-thirds vote by both chambers. Then, it also would require ratification by three-quarters of all 50 states.

Chris Geidner is the legal editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC. In 2014, Geidner won the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association award for journalist of the year.

Contact Chris Geidner at chris.geidner@buzzfeed.com.

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A Democrat Is Proposing A Constitutional Amendment To Ban Presidents From Pardoning Themselves - BuzzFeed News

Calling it an emergency rally, local progressive and Democrat groups raised their voices and their protest signs in the center of town Wednesday evening in opposition of the pending Senate health care bill.

Gathering on the corner of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway, members of CA25 United for Progress, Womens Initiative Network, SCV Young Democrats and Democratic Alliance for Action gathered to voice their support for the Affordable Care Act.

When you bring more numbers out, it shows there is more support for the Affordable Care Act, Philip Germain, chair of CA25 United for Progress said.

The rally of about 30 people came a day after the Senate voted 51-50 to begin discussing a future health care bill. On Wednesday, the Senate failed to approve a repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a set replacement in a 45-55 vote.

The groups have done a collaborative rally once before, the first time in February in front of Congressman Steve Knights (R-Palmdale) Santa Clarita office on Center Point Parkway.

Knight voted in favor of the House Republicans American Health Care Act in April, receiving backlash from local ACA supporters.

We want him to know the majority of his constituents oppose this, Germain said.

The progressive groups chair shared his personal connection to the ACA, saying he feared the implications of its repeal for his father who has cancer.

President of SCV Young Democrats Andrew Taban cited similar concerns, saying he knows someone who would be at risk of losing their home in order to continue paying for health insurance.

This isnt just another rally or protest, Taban said. These are humans lives.

While all the groups in attendance have different mission statements, they all have the same common goal, according to Taban. It would be productive if legislators could work together as the groups were doing at the rally, he said.

Specifically concerned about women and children, Womens Initiative Network Co-founder Julie Olsen said it was important for government officials not to repeal the ACA, but to address the parts of it that need fixing.

Community members have been especially politically involved recently, Olsen said, participating in the movement for health care by participating in protests and emailing and calling their elected officials.

Whats wonderful about this is everyone feels there is something that can be done, Olsen said.

Democratic Alliance for Action member Tom Gapen said living in a traditionally Republican area makes it important for him to voice his ideals as a Democrat.

As Democrat, liberal and progressive thinkers, we need to band together against the three branches of governmentwho are making really poor decisions, Gapen said.

One local Democrat was riding his bicycle by the protest when he decided to spontaneously join in.

If I can support people like this, I can have my voice heard, Santa Clarita resident Sam Eze said.

Eze said he and his sister are currently looking to get documented for school under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), so he wants to rally with Democrats.

I think I am a Democrat now, Eze said. They are the only ones who seem to care about people in general.

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Democrat groups rally together to continue health care conversation - Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Washington Post

Dems struggle to resist Trump's culture war 'bait' Belleville News-Democrat The Republican leader's ban on transgender military troops announced suddenly Wednesday morning in a series of tweets provoked a furious rebuttal from Democratic politicians, who condemned the decision and vowed to stand up for the LGBT ... Hill Democrats slam Trump's military transgender ban, while GOP is caught by surpriseWashington Post Trump-related tumult triggering surge of Democratic candidatesChampaign/Urbana News-Gazette Assessing the Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly | RAND - RAND CorporationRAND Corporation all 2,869 news articles »

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Dems struggle to resist Trump's culture war 'bait' - Belleville News-Democrat

Sen. Joe Donnelly / Getty Images

BY: Brent Scher July 27, 2017 5:00 am

Twelvedays after it was revealed that Sen. Joe Donnelly (D., Ind.) was invested ina company that recently outsourced manufacturing jobs to Mexico, the senator facedtaunts of "Mexico Joe" as he exited a Washington, D.C., fundraiser.

Donnelly has taken steps to escape further criticism for his investment in Stewart Superior, a company that has been in the family for generations. He has sincesold his stock in Stewart andscrubbed all mention of the Mexico factory from its website.

The steps have not quelled attempts by Republicans to make Donnelly's outsourcing hypocrisy a majorpolitical issue as he gears up to defend his seat in 2018.

Members of the National Republican Senatorial Committee were prepared outside a Tuesday afternoon fundraiser attended by Donnelly with signs calling him"Mexico Joe" and pointing out his May 2016 statement that outsourcing is "unpatriotic."

A spokesman for the NRSC said Donnelly "better get used to" the critique.

"Whether hes at a swanky Capitol Hill fundraiser or back in Indiana, Joe Donnelly wont be able to hide from the fact that he profited from shipping jobs overseas," said spokesman Bob Salera. "Mexico Joe had better get used to folks calling him out for his outsourcing hypocrisy."

Republican groups have also pressed Donnelly to answer questions regarding what he will do with his profits from Stewart Superior. He has been urged to donate the profits, which from 2014 to 2016 were as high as $80,000, to charity.

Donnelly's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the Republican strategy.

Donnelly, however, has continued tomake outsourcing one of his primary issues.

Just last week, Donnelly highlighted his work to advance the End Outsourcing Act and directly criticized Carrier for utilizing Mexican labor costs in the same way as Stewart Superior.

Donnelly left the fundraiser without engaging the Republican protesters.

Excerpt from:
Republicans Keep Outsourcing Heat on Democrat Joe Donnelly - Washington Free Beacon