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Im a registered Democrat. Ive always voted for the Democratic presidential candidate, well, except the two elections earlier in my life when I voted for a third-party candidate. As some say, the fruit doesnt fall far from the tree. My parents, Mack and Sue Mulkey, were progressive southern Democrats who fervently supported Tennessees liberal senators Al Gore, Sr. and Estes Kefauver in the 1950s and 60s. And throughout their lives they voted for every Democratic presidential candidate who ranfrom FDR to Barack Obama.

After the debacle of 2016, however, I was seriously considering changing my voter registration from Democrat to Unaffiliated. The reason? I believe that, over the past several decades, the Democratic establishment has tilted to the right of center and that theyve become more interested in serving their big donors than the working people of this nation. As I wrote in an earlier essay:

A 2014 Princeton study that reviewed more than twenty years of data (that includes measures of the key variables for 1,779 policy issues) indicates that political leaders of both major political parties listen to the economic elites, business interests, and people who can afford lobbyists (all entities that fund their re-election campaigns) rather than the citizens who elected them. According to the study:

The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.

Given that theres no real path for a third party, we must work within the Democratic Party to reshape it from the bottom up and make it more representative of the working people of this nation.

We live in an oligarchy, a country run by the economic elite. No matter how popular a measure might be with the bottom ninety-percent of income earners in America, no matter which party holds the presidency or a majority in Congress, issues that are popular with the publicsuch as federally-funded healthcare insurance for all Americans, regulating the prices of life-saving drugs, job creation, and effectively dealing with global warming, among othersnever see the light of day. Our government apparently doesnt care what you think. Not unless you are willing to contribute excessive amounts of money to a politicians campaign, an action that is tantamount to legalized bribery.

Just as I was making plans to change from Democrat to Unaffiliated, I got wind of a group called Our Revolution, an offshoot of Bernie Sanders campaign for president that claimed they wanted to shift the Democratic Party toward more influence from the grassroots and less from the party professionals. The groups upcoming meeting was at Odyssey Community School, only a half-mile from my home, so I walked over to check it out. I anticipated twenty or thirty of the usual suspects, and a disorganized gathering that would come to little or nothing. To my surprise, there were more than 150 enthusiastic participants there, some of whom I knew, many I did not. The founder of the group, Matt Coffay, led a lively, well-organized session. Coffay, youthful, spirited, and well-informed, presented an inspiring and clear message: Given that theres no real path for a third party, we must work within the Democratic Party to reshape it from the bottom up and make it more representative of the working people of this nation. And we would begin at the precinct level of the Buncombe County Democratic Party.

As a result of press releases to local media, e-newsletters, texts, Facebook posts, and word of mouth, at the next meeting on February 18, it was standing room only for the meeting at Rainbow Community Center in west Asheville. Four hundred motivated people received practical information about how the state Democratic Party worked, the importance of attending the upcoming county precinct meetings, and logistical info regarding when and where the precinct meetings would take place. Then, the participants broke into their individual precincts to strategize for the February 25 precinct meetings.

Its exciting to realize that this grassroots activity is taking place in counties across North Carolina and in states across the nationCalifornia, Washington, Hawaii, Nebraska, Florida, and Michigan.

On February 25, many Democratic precincts across Buncombe County reported record turnouts, in some cases ten times the usual attendance. Rather than the predictable handful of graying activists, in some cases approximately eighty percent of attendees said it was their first time at a precinct meeting, and fifty percent of those said that they were there because of the efforts of Our Revolution Asheville. Many of the newcomers were elected precinct officers and chosen as delegates to the county convention on April 8. While deep concern about the fate of our nation during the Trump presidency drove the majority of the new participants into action, they would likely not have known their way into the process without Our Revolution.

Needless to say, I am re-energized and re-engaged in Democratic Party, despite the recent selection of an establishment favorite as DNC chair. Its exciting to realize that this grassroots activity is taking place in counties across North Carolina and in states across the nationCalifornia, Washington, Hawaii, Nebraska, Florida, and Michigan. I believe a new day is coming for the Democratic Party, a day in which we will eliminate corporate money, disavow the influence of the wealthy elite, retire the moribund party establishment, and again become the party of the people.

Photo: Getty Images

In an earlier incarnation, I was a hyper-masculine, self-indulgent, beer-swilling, hell-raising, pickup-truck-driving rebel (without much of a cause) who built log homes for a living. Having miraculously survived that era, I am now a self-aware, open-minded, curious, cat-loving writer living with my wife Shonnie Lavender, and daughter Gracelyn largely outside the dominant cultural paradigm in the eclectic little city of Asheville, North Carolina. Learn more about my writing at http://brucemulkey.com.

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A New Beginning for the Democratic Party? - The Good Men Project (blog)

Democrats are criticizing President Donald Trump for firing U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, saying it is a further window into the character of Mr. Trump and an effort to sideline critical voices in the judicial branch.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), who represents the state in which Bharara is based, said he was caught off guard by the announcement and that Bharara will be sorely missed in New York.

I was extremely surprised and disappointed, Schumer said, according to CBS New York. He added that the presidents decision to change his mind and fire Preet says far more about the president than it does about Preet.

Last Friday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions called for the resignation of 46 U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration. While its customary for the 93 U.S. attorneys to leave their posts when a new administration comes in, particularly if its a change of party, the departures typically are handled gradually rather than abruptly.

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After denying Attorney General Jeff Sessions' request to resign as a U.S. attorney, Preet Bharara says he has been fired.

On Saturday, Bharara tweeted noting that he did not resign his post, but was fired when he refused to offer up his resignation. In November, he met with Mr. Trump and said he had agreed to stay on in the post.

I did not resign, Bharara said on Twitter. Moments ago I was fired. Being the US Attorney in [the Southern District of New York] will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life.

Schumer was not alone among Democrats in expressing his disapproval of the situation, and of the way Bhararas firing was handled. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said the firing raises questions about Mr. Trumps respect for Bhararas jurisdiction.

Just not very long ago, the president was saying that he was going to keep the U.S. attorney there in New York and then suddenly hes, I guess, changed his mind, Cummings said on ABCs This Week. Theres a lot of questions coming up as to whether President Trump is concerned about the jurisdiction of this U.S. attorney.

And Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted Sunday that Mr. Trump cant escape the rule of law:

She followed it up by pointing out that U.S. attorneys require confirmation by the Senate -- and that he has made it certain that Democrats will put up a fight for whoever he nominates.

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Democrats blast Trump for firing US Attorney Preet Bharara - CBS News

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) CQ Roll Call/AP Images

Mike Levin preempted his bid to take on the wealthiest man in Congress by trolling him. "Over the holiday season, I sent Darrell Issa a book called Climate Change for Beginners," Levin says. "It's a 150-page book, illustrated. It's got pictures," he notes, adding that he hoped it would prod Issa, a nine-term Republican congressman who represents parts of California's Orange and San Diego Counties, to correct his claim to being "unsure of the science" behind climate change.

This week, Levin,a Democratic activist and environmental lawyer, announced that he hopes to challenge Issa in 2018 because, as he tweeted on Wednesday, "I care deeply about the type of country my young kids grow up in." His decision comes at a challenging time for Issa. Since he was narrowly reelected in November, Issa has been facing mounting pressure inside his district. Protesters have gathered outside his Vista office on a weekly basis. In February, a GoFundMe campaign raised six grand to buy a full-page ad in the San Diego Union-Tribune urging Issa to attend a town hall meeting. He didn't show, citing a "longstanding obligation" to tour a homeless shelter. Francine Busby, chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, told me last week, "He's definitely feeling the heat down here."

Levin is an environmental lawyer who started an Orange County trade organization for the clean energy industry and is on the board of the California Hydrogen Business Council. (He drives a hydrogen-powered car.) He's spent more than a decade volunteering for Democratic campaigns at the local, state, and national level, and he previously served as the executive director of the Democratic Party of Orange County. Though he considered running for Issa's seat in both 2012 and 2014, he says Donald Trump's victory and Issa's embrace of the president created the urgency for him to take the plunge. He says any Democratic effort to take the House in the midterms will have to include California's 49th District.

Issa recently made an apparent about-face on climate change, but Levin's not buying it. In 2013, Issa received the League of Conservation Voters' "Climate Change Denier" award. Yet this month, he joined the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers dedicated to fighting climate change. "I find the whole thing typical of what Darrell Issa does," says Levin. He points to Issa calling for an independent investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 election and his subsequent walk-back of those comments. "He'll say something that on its face sounds goodwhether it's, 'I joined the Climate Solutions Caucus,' or, 'I have a replacement for Obamacare,' or, 'We need an independent independent investigation'but when you peel back the onion, it's awful."

But before Levin can get to Issa, he'll first have to face Doug Applegate, the political newcomer who came within a percentage point of besting Issa in the November election. Applegate, a former Marine colonel, has bona fide military cred, and used it to gain support in the district, which incudes the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base. Levin lacks military experience, but says he soon will be "announcing military endorsements in the military community."

But the Issa-Applegate race devolved into a series of personal attacks, and Levin believes he'll be able to avoid that. "I have tried to live my life to the highest ethical standards," he says, adding that any mud Issa's team slings at him will have to be about the issues. "I believe this race ultimately will be about who can be the strongest opponent against Darrell Issa, who can run the best campaign and who can stay on offense and keep the focus on Darrell Issa's record and positions that are contrary to the majority of voters in the district."

There's still more than a year before the 2018 campaign season will heat up. But if his narrow win in 2016 is any indicator, the changing climate Issa should be most worried about is in his own backyard.

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This Democrat Just Emerged to Run Against The Richest Man in Congress - Mother Jones

A top intelligence overseer in Congress said he doubts the administration will back up Donald Trumps claim that former President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap on him during the 2016 campaign.

I dont expect were going to see any evidence of this, Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday on ABCs This Week. Schiff, along with committee chairman Devin Nunes (R., Calif.), had sent a letter to the Justice Department asking for evidence of a wiretap by Monday, according to a congressional aide.

A spokeswoman for the Justice Department didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Schiff said he would question Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey about Trumps allegation, which he leveled in a series of tweets, at a March 20 House hearing on Russian interference in the election. Were going to be able to ask the director of the FBI among others is there any truth of this? Schiff said. Have they seen any evidence of this? They would be in a position to have to know. And I think on March 20th, if not before, well be able to put this to rest.

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.

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U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara fired after refusing Justice Department request to quit.

Authorities question CIA contractors in connection with WikiLeaks dump.

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Top Democrat doubts White House has evidence of wiretapping - MarketWatch

AlterNet

Democrat Congressman Introduces 'No TRUMP Act' to Prevent Taxpayer Spending at Trump Properties AlterNet The measure, introduced by Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, follows decisions by the administration and the first family stir national controversy. First Lady Melania Trump, for example, will live at Trump Tower in New York and require millions ...

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Democrat Congressman Introduces 'No TRUMP Act' to Prevent Taxpayer Spending at Trump Properties - AlterNet