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In an episode of The Simpsons, Lionel Hutz, a lawyer, takes a pen to a business card to wheedle out of a commitment. Instead of no money down, he inserts a comma and an exclamation mark to change the meaning: No, money down!. On July 5th Tony Evers, the white-haired Democratic governor of Wisconsin, took inspiration from Mr Hutz, when he used his veto pen to excise seven words, four numbers and a hyphen from the Republican-controlled state legislatures proposed budget. In doing so, he changed a two-year increase of $325 in per-pupil school funding (and property taxes) into one that will instead last until 2425. This, Mr Everss office noted in a statement, would guarantee the uplift effectively in perpetuity.

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The ability to exercise such a line item veto, transforming the meaning of a law by deleting individual words, is a quirk in Wisconsin law that gives unusual power to governors. Under the states constitution, a governor can choose to approve parts of a law, rather than merely rejecting or assenting to the entire thing. Mr Everss creative use of his pen is not new. Indeed until 1990, governors in the Badger State could delete not just whole words but individual letters, in effect to create entirely new laws. Yet in a state where the legislature is dominated by Republicans, it shows a level of assertiveness to get Democratic priorities into law. In that, it is typical of a newly emerging willingness across the Midwest by Democratic politicians to use the power they have as much as possible.

In Minnesota, the legislative session that ended in May was described by the states governor, Tim Walz, as the most successful maybe in Minnesota history. With a slim House majority and a majority of just one in the state Senate, the Democratic-Farmer-Labour Party (DFL), the states Democratic affiliate, passed laws to strengthen abortion rights and gun control, create a family-leave programme, legalise marijuana and pour money into education, green-energy infrastructure, public transport and housing. In Michigan, which has an equally thin Democratic trifecta, the legislature overturned a decade-old Republican right to work law (which constrains unions), expanded tax credits for low-income households and repealed the states 1931 ban on abortion.

This rush of legislation sets such states apart from more traditionally Democratic ones, such as New York, where plans by Kathy Hochul, the governor, to allow more housing construction broke down in April, or California, where internecine fighting over the budget dragged on until last month. According to Ken Martin, the chairman of the Minnesota DFL, the difference in the Midwest is that Democrats have tiny majorities they only recently acquired. That has acted as a unifier: Power is fleeting, and so we have to use it where we can, he says. That is true in Michigan tooa state that helped to deliver Donald Trumps victory in 2016.

John Mark Hansen, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, says Democrats in the region are on a roll. Years of Republican control in places like Wisconsin helped to motivate activists to get back power. Even when Democrats are not in power, they are finding innovative ways to assert themselves, says Mr Hansen. For example, in Ohio, on July 5th, activists dropped off 700,000 signatures calling for a referendum on abortion rights in the stateenough to ensure a vote will be held in November. In Michigan last year a referendum on abortion bolstered Democratic turnout, though unluckily for the party, Ohio holds only local elections this year.

Can this assertiveness last? For now, Republicans are reeling. Theyre focused on these very divisive culture wars, says Mr Martin, of his opponents. In Michigan, such is the state of discord among Republicans that on July 8th a meeting of party officials ended in a physical fight. Even in Wisconsin, the long-standing Republican control of the legislature is threatened by a shift in the balance of power on the states Supreme Court. Yet as Mr Martin says, power can quickly switch back. That is why it has to be used.

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Tony Evers's veto shows the growing power of Midwestern Democrats - The Economist

Rep. Mesha Mainor, D-Atlanta, center, speaks in favor of HB 231 in the House chambers during crossover day at the Georgia State Capitol, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Atlanta.

Atlanta voters will now have a Republican representing them in the state legislature. Now you might be wondering how a Republican managed to squeak through in one of the bluer districts in the country. And the answer is she was elected... as a Democrat.

On Tuesday, State Representative Mesha Mainor announced that she was leaving the Democratic party and joining the Republican party. The move makes Mainor the first Black woman to serve as a Republican in the Georgia General Assembly. Mainors district, which stretches from Westview to Midtown Atlanta, is deep-blue. And her former party was quick to call Mainor out for playing a bait and switch with her constituents.

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Rep. Mesha Mainors switch to the GOP is a stinging betrayal of her constituents, who elected a Democrat to represent them in the state legislature, wrote the Georgia Democratic Party in a statement. House District 56 deserves a representative who will do the job they were elected to do.

However, Republicans like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene applauded the move, welcoming her to the party. On Twitter, Mainor explained her decision by calling it a Moral decision, adding, I will NEVER apologize for being a black woman with a mind of my own.

Its an interesting move for Mainor, who told Axios in April that she would never switch parties, despite her disagreements over school vouchers and other Democratic policy platforms. In fact, she told the outlet that she was a lifelong Democrat because they fought for those that have been forgotten.

Mainor has clearly switched up her opinion on the two parties quickly. On Wednesday, she tweeted, Democrats cannot say they care about people in marginalized communities when they want to keep them oppressed and suppressed.

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The newly minted Republican isnt up for re-election until 2024, which means her mostly Democratic constituents are stuck with her until then. Mainor previously vowed to run again this cycle. But this time around, voters will likely have a whole new set of questions.

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Democrats Put Black Georgia State Rep. In office and Then She Does This... - Yahoo News

CORRECTION: Gal Luft was indicted in November 2022 in a filing that was unsealed on Monday. A previous version of this story included incorrect information.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are asking the GOP to turn over information detailing its interactions with Gal Luft, a recently charged think tank leader who called himself “patient zero of the Biden family investigation.”

Luft was indicted in November in a filing that was unsealed on Monday on numerous serious charges, including failing to register as a foreign agent when recruiting and paying an unnamed former high-ranking U.S. government official on behalf of China.

He is also accused of brokering illicit arms deals and violating Iran sanctions by setting up meetings between Iranian officials and a Chinese energy company to discuss oil deals. 

Luft has played a central role in Oversight Chair James Comer’s (R-Ky.) investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings as well as a probe into whether President Biden, in connection with son Hunter Biden, accepted a bribe – an assertion both men have flatly denied.

“We are concerned that an official committee of the House of Representatives has been manipulated by an apparent con man who, while a fugitive from justice, attempted to fortify his defense by laundering unfounded and potentially false allegations through Congress,” Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wrote in a letter alongside Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.).

Luft was arrested Feb. 17 in Cyprus but fled after being released on bail and remains a fugitive, according to court filings from the Justice Department.

“Although Mr. Luft has been on the run for months, you touted him as a ‘potential witness’ and even prepared to interview him as part of your investigation. As recently as Friday, you described Mr. Luft as ‘a very credible witness’ about matters relating to the President’s son’s financial dealings with Chinese companies,” the two Democratic lawmakers wrote.

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Democrats demand GOP turn over info on indicted think-tank leader ... - The Hill

Democratic Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, flanked by Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, addressed concerns about debt limit negotiations during a press conference on Thursday. A group of Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Biden urging him to invoke the 14th Amendment to avoid a debt default if he can't reach a deal with Republicans. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

Democratic Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, flanked by Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, addressed concerns about debt limit negotiations during a press conference on Thursday. A group of Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Biden urging him to invoke the 14th Amendment to avoid a debt default if he can't reach a deal with Republicans.

Some Democrats on Capitol Hill are growing increasingly worried that President Biden will give into too many demands from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in continuing talks over a deal to avoid a historic debt default.

After a second White House meeting earlier this week, and staff talks in the last couple of days, Biden and McCarthy both expressed optimism that a deal could get done.

"I see the path that we could come to an agreement. And I think we have a structure now and everybody's working hard," McCarthy told reporters Thursday morning.

But with two weeks before the country runs out of money to pay its bills and negotiations limited to a tight circle of the president's and the speaker's negotiators, many progressive lawmakers are nervous about the lack of details about what is or isn't on the table.

A key issue causing many on the left heartburn is Biden's recent signal that he's considering some changes to federal safety net programs, a central Republican demand.

The fear that Biden is entertaining going further in negotiations than some in his own party are comfortable with is driving a Democratic backup plan to get around having to strike any compromise with McCarthy.

Progressive Democrats are the most vocal about their trepidationand are putting the president on notice that they are keeping a close eye on every morsel of information coming out of the negotiations.

"I'm watchful. I'm always watchful," Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told reporters Thursday.

Many in her caucus were alarmed by comments Biden made before departing for his trip to the G7 where he suggested the possibility of toughening requirements for federal safety net programs like food stamps a provision included in a bill House Republicans passed last month.

"I'm not going to accept any work requirements that go much beyond what is already what I I voted years ago for the work requirements that exist. But it's possible there could be a few others, but not anything of any consequence," he said when pressed what kind of proposal he was discussing with McCarthy.

Jayapal took note, calling his remarks "a little bit confusing."

"What I've said in the past is, you know, I understand he voted for work requirements in 1996 and some other things in '86 with the crime bill," she said. "But we didn't elect the Joe Biden of 1986 and 1996. We elected the Joe Biden of 2020."

President Biden delivered a brief update of the ongoing negotiations over the debt limit at the White House on Wednesday. Some of his comments about work requirements raised red flags to progressive Democrats. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

President Biden delivered a brief update of the ongoing negotiations over the debt limit at the White House on Wednesday. Some of his comments about work requirements raised red flags to progressive Democrats.

The White House has made it clear that any work requirements changes for Medicaid are not acceptable, but that leaves programs like food stamps or cash assistance programs for low-income individuals and families as possible areas negotiators may be reviewing.

Florida freshman Rep. Maxwell Frost says now that the talks have narrowed between the president's team and the speaker's, he wants Biden to hold the line.

"I have trust in the president on this," he told NPR. "But I do want to make sure that him and administration know that we don't want to see any cuts to these essential programs like SNAP," referring to the program that distributes food assistance.

McCarthy wouldn't say what kinds of additional rules to these programs were on the table but he argued there were statistics showing the benefits for putting restrictions on those getting federal benefits.

"Work requirements help people get jobs. It takes them out of poverty," he said.

But Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told reporters he reached out to the Biden administration to say any deal that could impact anti-poverty programs needs to be rejected.

"The people that I've talked to in the White House have been reassuring from my point of view," he said. "I haven't talked directly to the president about this you know, he's overseas right now. But make no mistake: what they are proposing would adversely impact the most vulnerable people in this country."

He added he'll break with the president if he has to, telling reporters, "I can't support a bill that screws poor people and this would screw poor people."

One senior Democratic aide acknowledged a significant number of House Democrats could oppose a final deal, and that the speaker runs a risk of not getting enough for a bipartisan majority to approve a deal if he pushes too many provisions from the House GOP plan.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., says the president has a record of hammering out bipartisan bills, but he suggested the other person at the negotiating table is the problem.

"We know that President Biden can cut deals. We know that he's a man of his word. And I have confidence and faith in the president in these negotiations. But I do not have faith in Speaker McCarthy and right wing Republican House members," Markey said.

The Massachusetts Democrat and 10 other Senate Democrats are pushing for the president to use the 14th amendment to the Constitution - which says the validity of the country's public debt cannot be questioned - and the president can pay its bills even if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling.

"Republicans' unwillingness to consider one penny in new revenue from the wealthy and large corporations, along with their diminishment of the disastrous consequences of default, have made it seemingly impossible to enact a bipartisan budget deal at this time," the group wrote in a letter to Biden on Thursday.

Biden said last week he has been considering invoking the 14th Amendment to keep making payments on the nation's debt but said he doesn't think there's enough time left before a looming deadline to use the untested strategy.

The idea has been raised repeatedly over the years. Recently, Harvard's Laurence Tribe a former adviser to Biden said he thinks it would be a legitimate way to solve the problem.

"The problem is, it would have to be litigated," Biden said May 9, noting a debt limit extension would likely to be needed to avoid economic calamity. "I'm thinking about taking a look at it months down the road," he said. "I don't think that solves our problem now."

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., acknowledged Democrats don't have a lot of detail about what the president and the speaker are discussing. But he says it's better to turn to the 14th amendment than agree to GOP demands.

"We're saying to the president, if the bottom line is that the only deal to be had that McCarthy will sign onto is one in which ordinary families are savaged and in which the economy is flooded with fossil fuels that is unacceptable," Merkley said.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a former Constitutional law professor, has been pressing the case for the president to rely on the 14th amendment for months. He says "it seems perfectly obvious" that the Constitution is the guiding authority.

"It's not an option. It's a requirement," Raskin told reporters on Thursday. "And it hasn't been raised before because no Congress has ever tried to push the president to this point of essentially committing an act of legislative extortion, saying, if you don't accept our legislative agenda, then we're not going to allow you to pay the debts of the country."

While some Democratic lawmakers are publicly saying it's time for a break glass moment like using the 14th Amendment, others are willing to let the process play out a bit longer. They have effusive praise for the top White House negotiators Steve Ricchetti, who has served in multiple Democratic administrations, and Shalanda Young, a veteran Capitol Hill aide with expertise in budget talks. The president and top Democratic leaders admit in divided government Democrats aren't going to like everything in any deal the president negotiates with House Republicans.

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., says it's important to not jump to any conclusions about where a final debt ceiling bill will end up and whether new work requirements will make it in a deal.

"Negotiating can be conversational and hoping that you might draw a bite based upon something you've said, which means that conceivably is not in the final package," he said. "So who knows? But I do think that giving the president some latitude here is really important."

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Democrats worry Biden might cave to some GOP demands on debt ceiling - NPR

Now, national Democrats are searching for an off-ramp. With a June deadline looming for New Hampshire to make progress on changing its law or get kicked out of the official early voting lineup, Democratic National Committee members are privately considering giving the state more time.

If theres any opportunity for this to get resolved by New Hampshire having more time, all of us will say, Give New Hampshire more time, said labor leader Randi Weingarten, who sits on the DNC committee that approved the changes to the nominating calendar.

Some have also floated the possibility of putting together a party-run primary to get around its state law.

In states where state legislatures have refused to comply with the party rules, the state parties have run primaries that are conducted by the party, said James Roosevelt, Jr., co-chair of the DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee, adding that New Hampshire Democrats are aware that that is an alternative.

But New Hampshire Democrats, furious that national party leaders upended their prized primary, dont seem to care what the DNC has to offer. They insist theyre going first whether Bidens on the ballot or not.

We cant change our laws and thats that. Were hosting the first primary, said Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. The president can decide if he wants to put his name on the ballot.

The relationship between New Hampshire Democrats and national party officials began to deteriorate after Biden moved last year to slide South Carolina to the front of the line and bump New Hampshire back to second on a shared date with Nevada.

But it has hit rock bottom as the DNCs June 3 deadline approaches and as Bidens reelection launch renews questions about whether hell campaign in a rogue state or risk losing the first unofficial contest to the other declared Democratic candidates, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson. Neither pose an actual threat to Bidens renomination, but they could present an embarrassing distraction at the start of the nominating process.

That intraparty iciness was on stark display at New Hampshire Democrats iconic McIntyre-Shaheen dinner this past Friday. In the past, the major fundraiser has drawn dignitaries including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. This year, state party officials pointedly picked Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of the only Democrats outside of New Hampshire who has staunchly defended the states primary, as the headliner.

Khanna, who serves on Bidens national advisory board for 2024, called on the president to campaign in New Hampshire, where Williamson and Kennedy have signaled they will compete regardless of potential party sanctions. If he doesnt, Khanna warned, it could harm his general election chances in a small but key swing state.

Let me be very clear: It would be political malpractice to strip New Hampshire of delegates, disenfranchising Granite State Democrats for a decision out of their control, Khanna said to rousing applause. We all know these four electoral votes are going to matter for the presidency.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), another Biden ally, also took sharp aim at the DNC at the event.

We are not going to leave New Hampshire and the primary to the Republicans, she said. I dont care what the Democratic National Committee says.

National Democrats argue theyre not abandoning New Hampshire. For instance, the DNC has launched an embed program in the state to track Republican candidates and deployed its national distributed voter contact program for key New Hampshire elections.

Beyond creating a distraction at the beginning of the 2024 primaries, the potential of a fiasco in New Hampshire risks inflaming party tensions just as the general election kicks off. Its still not clear the severity of the sanctions the DNC might impose against New Hampshire if it goes out of order. But under penalties the DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee passed last year, the state could lose half its delegates if it breaks with the partys calendar.

In order to stave off such a situation, national Democrats are looking for a fix.

A real possibility that Democrats are considering is extending the deadline so that New Hampshire has more time to meet the partys requirements, according to a person familiar with the process of the DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee, which revamped the primary calendar.

New Hampshire hasnt requested additional time to come into compliance because, Democrats there said, trying to change their state law is a losing battle. But that didnt stop the DNC from approving the initial extension until June.

Meanwhile, Democrats in the state are shutting down the idea of a party-run primary before theyve even formally been approached about it. Buckley said a party-run primary would be a logistical nightmare and extremely expensive, costing upwards of $7 million.

Absolutely impossible, he said. Where would I rent 2,000 voting machines? Hire 1,500 people to run the polls? Rent 300 accessible voting locations? Hire security? Print 500,000 ballots. Process 30,000 absentee ballots.

The power to set New Hampshires primary date rests with Secretary of State David Scanlan, who said that hes open to holding the primary as early as this year, if necessary, to circumvent both the DNCs preferred calendar and Iowas proposal to let caucus participants select their preferred presidential candidate by mail before other states contests (a move that would make it functionally more like a primary).

New Hampshire will hold the first-in-the-nation primary, Scanlan said. We believe all candidates that want to run for president should put their names on the ballot in New Hampshire, and we expect that there will be plenty of candidates that do in both parties.

Whether Biden would file his name in a rogue New Hampshire primary is unclear. A campaign aide previously said the Biden team hopes the state doesnt jump the line, but is prepared to abide by any sanctions imposed by the DNC if it does.

Still, Biden is facing pressure to compete in a state that hasnt voted for a Republican for president since 2000 but that Democrats cant afford to lose in a close election.

Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) has publicly and privately urged Biden to be on the primary ballot. And other top New Hampshire Democrats, including Shaheen and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), said theyve warned the president his absence could jeopardize not only his general election prospects, but also those of down-ballot Democrats such as Kuster and Pappas. And there could be a competitive gubernatorial race if Republican Gov. Chris Sununu runs for president or doesnt seek reelection.

The recommendation that the delegation has made all along is for the president to come here and campaign, Pappas said. Were hopeful that he will still entertain that as things move forward.

The defiance of New Hampshires Democrats is fueled in part by a belief that the DNC wont have teeth when it comes to sanctioning states that jump the line. They point to how the party eased penalties on Florida and Michigan after they broke party rules and held their primaries too early in 2008.

It would be pretty strange to see the first and second female governors and United States senators [elected in New Hampshire] not seated, said Donna Soucy, New Hampshires DNC committeeperson and state Senate Democratic leader, referring to Shaheen and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).

New Hampshire Democrats also argue theyve made a good-faith effort to meet the second part of the partys requirements to stay in the official early-state window expanding voting access by pushing Soucys legislation to create no-excuse absentee voting in the state, albeit to no avail.

But outside of New Hampshire, Democrats have literally laughed off the prospect of Biden flouting his own calendar and campaigning in a rogue state.

That would be awfully weird, rules committee member Elaine Kamarck said, chuckling. While we followed Bidens lead on this, the committee itself was torn about whether [we should let] New Hampshire go first. It was really his decision that tipped the hat on this.

Sure, that means Kennedy or Williamson could carry the state. But national Democrats say that wont matter.

When you then move on to other states, the embarrassment will be to Marianne Williamson and Robert Kennedy, said DNC member Carol Fowler. Biden will just beat them so badly.

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Democrats race to avoid a Biden embarrassment in New Hampshire - POLITICO