Archive for the ‘Democrat’ Category

Why Democrats aren’t winning elections in Arkansas (and how the tide could turn) – Arkansas Times

Ten years ago, if youd have suggested that Id someday write a piece for the Arkansas Times, Id have enjoyed a good laugh at your expense. The laugh, in fact, is on me. For those of you reading this who are blissfully unaware, theres a history of enmity. Ive referred to this publication as the litter box liner for more than a decade and have been oft described by its writers as a troglodyte who despises the poor, wants Arkansans to die and a litany of other backhanded compliments. Butthe publisher asked if Id like to share my point of view and after thinking it over, I agreed. Now that the obligatories have been dispensed with, heres some background perspective.

I became active in Arkansas politics in 1999 after moving back home following a few years living in other states. Democrats held legislative supermajorities, four of the six in our federal delegation were Democrats, every constitutional officer was a Democrat and 100% of my local officials in Polk County were Democrats. As a lifelong Republican, I didnt see Democrats being in charge of everything as a positive. I joined my local GOP committee and went to work with the goal of electing Republicans. Brevity prohibits most of the details but over the next decade we elected a few Republicans to local office and even elected Jay Dickey as 4th District Congressman. Despite many telling me Theres no way you can win running as a Republican, in 2010 I became the first member of Arkansas GOP elected to represent my region in the legislature. The events of 2010-2015 led to my becoming politically homeless, the details of which I spoke about at a recent Arkansas Times luncheon.

Today, elected offices in the Natural State are almost uniformly Republican territory. The party domination is even more pronounced than the Democrat domination was in 1999. Republicans hold legislative supermajorities, all six federal positions and every statewide elected office. Most counties are as Republican today as they were Democratic barely a decade ago. This leads one to ask the question: why arent Democrats winning most elections in Arkansas? Both parties have their own partisan versions of the reasons. Itll come as no surprise that my politically homeless independent point of view aligns with neither partys position.

Arkansans are fiercely independent people. For decades we were known for having the highest percentage of split-ticket voting in the nation, often supporting GOP candidates nationally while voting straight Democratic tickets closer to home. Left-of-center wisdom attributes the radical shift in our political patterns to the election of a Black President in 2008 and while theres correlation, the shift in other southern states predates the Obama election significantly. There IS a small element of racism that drove the shift, but its minor compared to the larger shift on social issues that occurred almost simultaneously within the Democratic Party of Arkansas.

Mike Beebes politics illustrate this well. Modern Arkansas Democratic politics are perhaps best described as pre-Beebe and post-Beebe. He won overwhelmingly in 2006 and was solidly re-elected in 2010, the same year Tea Party Republicans came within a handful of seats of taking control of both chambers of the legislature. The biggest difference between Gov. Beebe and most current Arkansas Democrats is how he handled issues like abortion, guns, gay marriage, etc. If you heard Mike Beebe talk about a social issue at all, it was usually done quietly and in private. He avoided those issues, likely because he knew they wouldnt work in his favor, choosing to focus on fiscal and operational issues. This was in stark contrast to his predecessor Mike Huckabee, who raised taxes drastically and nearly tripled Clintons budget but was fiercely socially conservative.

Democrats won elections in Arkansas longer than in most other southern states mostly by remaining silent on social issues and tolerating dissenting views on them within their ranks. Back when 3G was cutting edge technology, I occasionally referred to God, Guns and Gays as the 3Gs of Arkansas politics. Arkansas voters tend to have visceral reactions to each of the three. Once they perceived, fairly or unfairly, that the national Democratic Party was becoming unfriendly to their religious beliefs, their hunting culture and was embracing gay-friendly policies such as licensing same sex marriage, many felt personally attacked. President Obama deeply embedded this perception with his comment about rural Americans bitterly clinging to their religion, guns and xenophobia. More than any other single thing, that comment was the disjunction that separated many Arkansas voters from the party theyd long supported. Ive heard it referenced in many a small town caf, feed store or sporting event conversation. Many Arkansans will vote for candidates with whom they totally disagree on the economy, healthcare, government programs, etc. because of the 3Gs. When forced to prioritize, they do, and thats not working out in favor of Democratic candidates most of the time.

How do Democrats start winning again in Arkansas? Although its mostly too late for 2024, Republican overreach and corruption have left the door wide open for 2026.Ill share my opinion on that in my next column.

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Why Democrats aren't winning elections in Arkansas (and how the tide could turn) - Arkansas Times

Illinois Democrat: Speaker Johnson should not be punished for doing the right thing on Ukraine – The Hill

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) said Tuesday he does not think Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) should be ousted from his position for “doing the right thing” by letting Ukraine aid to the floor for a vote.

Krishnamoorthi also predicted, in an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta, that enough Democrats would vote to save the Speaker if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) followed through on her threat to force a vote on a motion to vacate.

“Look, if Speaker Johnson brings Ukraine aid to the floor and other aid packages to the floor and does the right thing — and then Marjorie Taylor Greene seeks to remove him or moves to remove him — I think that Democrats would join in a motion to kill such a maneuver,” Krishnamoorthi said.

“Because he should not be punished for doing the right thing,” he added.

Krishnamoorthi’s remarks come on the heels of other Democrats similarly signaling an openness to vote to save Johnson if Greene tries to oust him.

Greene filed a motion to vacate in late March, shortly before lawmakers returned home to their districts for a two-week holiday recess.

The measure did not force an immediate vote on Johnson’s hypothetical removal, but Greene, throughout the recess period, has continued to threaten to force an ouster vote. She has warned Johnson explicitly against bringing Ukraine aid to the floor for a vote.

Krishnamoorthi said Tuesday he was not sure Greene would ultimately decide to force an ouster vote, noting some Republicans have indicated they did not have an appetite for another Speakership battle.

“It could,” he said, when asked about the likelihood of Greene forcing a vote on the motion to vacate. “Although very interestingly — among my Republican colleagues, especially moderates and others — they feel that there isn’t a lot of support for her motion, and therefore she may not make it.”

“But all that being said, we should be prepared for anything. And we’ve seen this movie before. And so, you know, we’ll be, I think, not surprised if it happens, but I’m hoping that if he does the right thing, he won’t be punished for doing that,” Krishnamoorthi said.

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Illinois Democrat: Speaker Johnson should not be punished for doing the right thing on Ukraine - The Hill

Leading Democratic congressman says he wants ‘assurances’ before approving sale of fighter jets to Israel – JTA News – Jewish Telegraphic Agency

(JTA) Rep. Gregory Meeks, the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said he would not approve a U.S. sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel without assurances on what the jets would be used for.

Im waiting for assurances, Meeks, who represents a district in New York City, told CNN on Tuesday. It is enough of the indiscriminate bombing. I dont want the kinds of weapons that Israel has to be utilized to have more death.

Meeks is one of four lawmakers on Capitol Hill with the power to hold up weapons sales. He has previously supported Israels battle against Hamas and called in the CNN interview for Hamas to immediately release hostages.

His statement is the latest signal that support for Israels war effort is eroding among Democratic lawmakers, particularly following an Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers earlier this month and even as the Biden administration has signaled its support as Israel anticipates Iranian retaliation for its killing of a senior Iranian commander this month.

Days before Meeks interview, more than 50 Democratic members of Congress including leading progressives and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed a letter calling on President Joe Biden to halt weapons transfers to Israel. Meeks was not one of the signatories.

If this strike is found to have violated U.S. or international law, we urge you to continue withholding these transfers until those responsible are held accountable, the letter says. We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate or arbitrarily denies or restricts the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

In another sign of tensions, last week Sen. Elizabeth Warren, commenting on Israels trial on the charge of genocide at the International Court of Justice, said, I believe they will find it is genocide, and they have ample evidence to do so. Israel vehemently rejects that accusation and says it takes measures to protect civilian life.

Following the strike on the aid convoy, the Biden administration expressed its outrage and called on Israel to do more to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel has since increased the flow of aid, stemming Bidens criticism. In recent days, his administration has rebuffed criticism of Israel and conveyed its support ahead of a possible Iranian attack. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that the United States has not seen any evidence that Israel is committing genocide.

As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israels security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad, Biden said at a press conference on Wednesday. Let me say it again, ironclad. Were going to do all we can to protect Israels security.

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Leading Democratic congressman says he wants 'assurances' before approving sale of fighter jets to Israel - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey set to compete for California Senate seat – The Associated Press

  1. Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey set to compete for California Senate seat  The Associated Press
  2. California Senate primary winners: Adam Schiff, Steve Garvey advance to November ballot  NBC News
  3. Election results: Democrats should be terrified about California in November.  Slate

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Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey set to compete for California Senate seat - The Associated Press

Nervous Democrats Press Biden on Gaza Ahead of State of the Union – The New York Times

Mainstream Democrats, watching the politics around Israels war in Gaza shift against them, are pressing President Biden to become far more outspoken in his criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus right-wing government and far more upfront in his demands for a long-term solution to the conflict that includes a Palestinian state.

At the outset of the war, with memories fresh from Hamass terrorist attack on Israel that took around 1,200 lives, Jewish Democrats who had grown restive more than a year ago over Mr. Netanyahus governance largely rallied around Mr. Biden as he sided firmly with Israel.

But as the death toll in Gaza rises inexorably, many are pleading with the president not so much to change policies but to become the voice of his administrations own demands for a Ramadan cease-fire, more humanitarian aid, more restraint of Jewish settler violence and a long-term peace that includes a Palestinian state.

We are hoping that a strategy for peace and an end to this nightmare will be laid out at the State of the Union, Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a prominent Jewish Democrat, said on Wednesday. Nobody can question Bidens commitment to the security of Israel, and nobody can question his commitment over the course of his career to human rights and international law. Now is the time when the world needs to see American leadership for peace.

Mr. Raskin, returning to earlier criticism of Mr. Netanyahus governing coalition, the most right-wing in Israels history, added, Democrats feel we dont take orders from right-wing politicians in America, and we shouldnt be taking orders from right-wing politicians in another country.

More than a dozen Jewish Democrats in the House spearheaded a critical letter late last month demanding Mr. Biden redouble his efforts to achieve a cease-fire that facilitates more humanitarian aid to starving Gazans. Many of the same lawmakers on Wednesday warned against an Israeli strike on the city of Rafah, along the Gaza-Egypt border, where hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians have sheltered.

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Nervous Democrats Press Biden on Gaza Ahead of State of the Union - The New York Times