Mediaboss Marketing

Liberal: Dems Growing Working-Class Woes

As the most rapidly-diversifying state in the country it recently became majority-minority Nevada should stay solid for Democrats, notes The Liberal Patriots Ruy Teixeira. But their winning margins there from 2008 to 2016 declined sharply from 12.5 to 2.4 points and stayed at 2.4 even as Dems gained nationally in 2020. The problem: Theyre losing working-class votes, including black and Hispanic ones. At risk is Catherine Cortez Mastos Senate seat, as voters are furious over jobs lost to pandemic lockdowns, gas prices and cultural issues including border security. Dropping the Title 42 rule and so boosting the illegal migrant surge may doom her: It seems top Democrats have still not absorbed the extent of their partys Hispanic and working class voter problems.

Rich countries pursuit of carbon neutrality at almost any cost limits economic opportunities for the worlds poor and poses serious geopolitical risks to the West, warns Jason De Sena Trennert at The Wall Street Journal. Fact is, exploration and production of fossil fuels have done more to benefit the lives of ordinary people than any other technological advance in history: Theres a strong correlation between the use of fossil fuel and life expectancy. Plus, as the Ukraine war shows, leaving these fuels in the ground can leave the West at the mercy of dictators, increasing the risk of atrocities. By contrast, easing regulations on oil and gas to flood the global market would do far more than any sanctions to stop Vladimir Putins barbarism.

Americas border security is about to go from terrible to the worst it has ever been, predicts Buck Sexton at Fox News. With the White Houses recently announced decision to end Title 42 Authority a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulation that allowed a portion of illegal migrants to be expelled from U.S. soil during the COVID pandemic the ongoing flood of illegal migrants is about to turn into a tsunami. In fact, the feds estimate 18,000 illegal migrants [will be] apprehended at the southern border every day, with close to a million illegal migrant border crossings within six weeks. This will completely overwhelm the system. Unfortunately, this lawlessness will continue unless the Democrats are made to fear an electoral annihilation this November.

The investigation into Hunter Biden and his business ventures is rapidly developing and could soon become a mainstream election issue, writes Douglas E. Schoen at The Hill. As more information comes to light, the risk of this becoming a problem for the president is increasing. Theres already some circumstantial evidence that Joe Biden actively assisted his sons business ventures for the collective benefit of the Biden family. If its proven that President Biden was not only involved in but profited from Hunters business deals with Chinese state-owned firms, for example, it would be a politically calamitous development for the president and what is now likely a red wave election could turn into a massive blowout that is more substantial than anything seen in recent history.

Most comparisons of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Adolf Hitler are overdrawn, observes John Gray at The New Statesman. Though the atrocities that are being perpetrated on his orders are mounting, Putin has not launched a colossal campaign of genocide as the Nazis did. His strategy in Ukraine which aims to subdue the country by laying waste to its cities is the same one he used in Syria. In their turn of mind, however, Hitler and Putin may have something in common something very dangerous. No longer only the kleptocrat he has been during much of his time in power, Putin seems ready to destroy his country in order to leave his mark on history.

Compiled by The Post Editorial Board

Continue reading here:
Democrats working-class woes and other commentary - New York Post

Murphy is leading a brigade of lawmakers and advocates pressing Biden to take unilateral action on guns. In a March 25 letter, previously unreported, Murphy and 127 other Democratic lawmakers demanded that Biden move expeditiously on three fronts:

Issue new executive orders on federal gun licensing requirements and create a centralized task force to address gun violence.

And name a new nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Finalize a regulation to crack down on so-called ghost guns before Democrats potentially lose control of Congress.

Its been a year to the day since Biden gave his first White House address on gun violence prevention, announcing what is viewed as his most significant executive action to date on guns from the Rose Garden. But a year later, the ATF regulation he unveiled, which would impose background checks and new requirements for online sales of ghost guns untraceable firearms that lack serial numbers and are constructed from online kits hasnt been finalized.

The White House has said the rule will be finished this month and a source familiar with the administrations planning said an announcement on the regulation is expected as early as Monday. Some Democratic lawmakers have been invited to a Monday event with the president on gun violence reduction, according to a Hill aide.

Though Murphy has been in frequent touch with White House officials about gun safety, he hasnt received a response to the missive, just an acknowledgment of receipt. Meanwhile, gun homicides continue to accelerate. On Sunday, six people were killed in a mass shooting in Sacramento, Calif.

With seven months until the midterms, and an expected shift in control of at least one chamber to Republicans, Democrats are increasingly turning to the White House for answers. GOP opposition to major gun control legislation makes executive actions one of the few tools left to Biden.

Democrats and gun control advocates argue that their voters need to see some sign of progress before the election and executive actions like expanding background checks and installing a director of gun violence could help motivate them to turn out at the polls.

Biden has sought to tackle the rise in crime and gun violence with what the White House describes as a holistic approach: Increasing funding for cops, bolstering community violence prevention programs and removing violent offenders from the streets. But key to those efforts, lawmakers say, is having a permanent ATF director, whose job responsibilities include cracking down on illegal and trafficked guns.

POLITICO reported this week that Biden is expected to announce a new nominee to lead the ATF as soon as this month after his first pick, David Chipman, failed to secure enough support in September.

Democrats including Murphy dont understand the holdup.

Many of us have been willing to have patience when it comes to the ATF director and the regulatory process but I dont have the luxury of patience any longer, he said.

Murphy has also changed his mind about a proposal to name a gun violence prevention czar. Six months ago, the senator was sympathetic to the White House argument that it was unnecessary and that the issue could be handled by the Domestic Policy Council led by Susan Rice. Now, he thinks that wont cut it.

The President should think seriously about a specific, high-level experienced individual to oversee anti-gun violence policy, Murphy said. I dont know that theres a lot of evidence that the current structure is delivering results.

A number of gun safety organizations agree: Theyve pressed the administration since Biden took office to create such a position, and now Democratic lawmakers are increasingly getting behind the idea.

House Democrats led by Reps. Joe Neguse of Colorado and Lucy McBath of Georgia are circulating a new letter to send to Biden asking him to create an interagency task force to prevent gun violence and to appoint a director of gun violence prevention to lead it, according to a Democratic aide. The new appointee would help coordinate anti-gun violence efforts across the federal government, with the goal of reducing firearm deaths by half over the next decade.

Theres no doubt we need stronger leadership thats focused on reducing gun violence, including an effective ATF director and executive action to crack down on ghost guns, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement to POLITICO when asked about Bidens actions to date.

The White House pushed back on the idea its moving at a slow pace, arguing that Biden has taken more executive actions on gun violence than any prior president.

The Biden administration has made historic progress, which I would stack up against any previous presidency, said Stefanie Feldman, deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser to the director of the Domestic Policy Council.

Feldman defended the White Houses strategy of deploying the DPC to coordinate the administrations gun policies interagency task force is a fine word for it, she said.

There are no policies that are going at a slower pace because of the structure we have now or that would be going at a faster pace if we had a different structure, she said in an interview Friday. We wake up every day feeling the urgency of this issue.

In addition to the ghost gun rule, Biden has focused on violence intervention programs, securing $50 million for them in a March-passed bill to fund the government. That same bill included a $47 million funding increase for the ATF. Biden has also created strike forces at the Justice Department to crack down on illegal firearms trafficking, but advocates say its unclear what progress has been made. In February, on his way to New York City to highlight his gun violence prevention efforts, Biden and the DOJ also launched an initiative to train a national team of prosecutors to charge people who use ghost guns in crimes.

Democratic lawmakers largely believe Biden is committed to the issue, but they want to see him use the full breadth of his powers.

Action right away is critically important, because some of these executive orders will be challenged in the courts, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). The more time that passes before he issues them, the longer it will take for them to help save lives.

Feldman did not answer specific questions about future executive orders but said that the White House is pursuing a range of measures as it works to determine Bidens legal authority.

In particular, Democrats like Blumenthal and Murphy are worried that the longer the ghost gun rule takes, the more likely a future GOP majority in Congress will use the powers of the Congressional Review Act to revoke it. Similarly, once the rule is enacted, its expected to face challenges from GOP-led states that have made their opposition known. Some advocates pinned the holdup on acting ATF head Marvin Richardson, but the White House contends its moved faster on the ghost gun regulation compared to others.

Still, Democratic lawmakers say, every day of delay means more gun kits and untraceable components sold.

On Friday, advocacy groups March for Our Lives, Guns Down America and Change the Ref will issue a report card on Bidens work to combat gun violence, giving him a D+ overall.

Some Democratic lawmakers, however, say Congress not the president is to blame. House-passed gun control bills have stalled in the Senate, where a majority of Democrats complain the party missed an opportunity to scuttle the filibuster to move Bidens agenda. Efforts in the chamber to find a long-shot compromise to strengthen background checks have also fallen apart. As Republicans oppose Bidens legislative proposals to reinstate the assault weapons ban or remove limits on lawsuits against gun manufacturers, theyve attempted to pin a rise in crime on Biden and Democrats ahead of the November election.

Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) praised the administration for crafting model legislation for states to implement red flag laws, which allow courts to bar people who present a danger to themselves or others from accessing a firearm.

But Im frustrated by state legislatures. Im frustrated by Congress, she said. The House has moved. The Senate is not interested in saving lives.

Gun deaths hit a record high in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available up 14 percentage points from the year prior. Some 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries with suicides accounting for more than half, according to a Pew Research accounting of federal data.

Over the last year and half we havent had a Sandy Hook or a Las Vegas or an Orlando, Murphy said. But the absence of the 25- or 50-person mass shooting doesnt mask the fact that daily gun murder rates are exponentially higher than they were before for the pandemic.

I dont know why we dont have outrage about that and that outrage needs to come not just from me and from anti-gun violence groups, he said. It needs to come from the administration.

Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.

Continue reading here:
Democrats exasperated with Biden on gun control - POLITICO

Hillary Clinton has called on Democrats to do a better job of selling themselves to Americas voters to avoid humiliation in this years midterm elections where Republicans are widely expected to perform strongly and likely grab control of Congress.

The former Democratic presidential candidate was speaking frankly on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, saying she thought last summers chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan was harmful to Joe Biden. The US presidents approval ratings have slumped in recent weeks to the lowest level since he took office.

I dont think it helped, that is obviously the case, Clinton, the former New York senator and secretary of state, told host Chuck Todd when asked if she thought Bidens political troubles started with Afghanistan.

But there are a lot of good accomplishments to be putting up on the board. And the Democrats in office and out need to be doing a better job of making the case.

The best politics is doing the best job that you can do. And theres a lot that Democrats can talk about in these upcoming midterms. Weve got a great story to tell. And we need to get out there and do a better job of telling it.

Clinton believes that Democrats are holding themselves back by constant introspection, which she said was always the chorus in Democratic party politics.

Hand wringing is part of the Democratic DNA. That seems to be in style whether were in or out of power. Were in power and there still is hand wringing going on, she said.

But from my perspective, President Biden is doing a very good job his handling of Ukraine, passing the American rescue package, the huge infrastructure package.

Im not quite sure what the disconnect is between the accomplishments of the administration, and this Congress, and the understanding of whats been done, and the impact it will have on the American public, and some of the polling and the ongoing hand wringing.

Clinton also had criticism for Republicans, whom she said were experiencing an even greater disconnect than her own party.

Democrats, she said, need to be standing up to the other side with their craziness and their calls for impunity and nuttiness that we hear coming from them. I dont think the average American, frankly, wants to be governed by people who live in a totally different reality.

Todd questioned Clinton about Russian president Vladimir Putin, who was hostile towards her when she was Barack Obamas secretary of state, and whose support for her 2016 presidential opponent Donald Trump, some believe, was partly fueled by his hatred for her.

We are seeing very clearly the threat that he poses, not just to Ukraine, as we can watch every night on our news, but really, to Europe, to democracy, and the global stability that we thought we were building in the last 20 years, she said.

I would not allow Russia back into the organizations it has been a part of. There is a G20 event later in the year. I would not permit Russia to attend, and if they insisted on literally showing up I would hope there would be a significant, if not total, boycott.

The rest is here:
Hillary Clinton urges Democrats to do a better job of telling voters of successes - The Guardian

In recent weeks, progressives have issued a dire warning for Democrats. If President Joe Biden doesnt try to get more done via executive action, they argue, voters wont turn out because theyll feel like the party hasnt delivered for them.

If the president does pursue and start to govern decisively using executive action and other tools at his disposal, I think were in the game, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told New York magazine in an interview this week. But if we decide to just kind of sit back for the rest of the year and not change peoples lives yeah, I do think were in trouble.

In March, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) unveiled a slate of 55 executive actions theyve recommended Biden take, including canceling student debt, changing rules around overtime pay so more workers are eligible for it, and reducing prescription drug prices.

When it comes to mobilization, progressives are correct. Democrats need to do more to energize their base after the party failed to pass the expansive social spending legislation and voting rights protections they promised to advance in 2020.

Given their narrow majority in the Senate and the impasse theyve faced there, its possible executive action might be the only route Democrats now have for certain policy changes.

Whether executive action will be enough to stem their overall midterm losses, though, is unclear.

Typically, theres significant pushback against the presidents party in the midterms, a dynamic thats likely to be compounded this year by Bidens poor approval ratings. Historic trends have also indicated that passing new policy has marginal effects on midterm elections and can even spur backlash. Instead, factors such as the economy, inflation, and the state of the pandemic are likely to play a much bigger role in how voters assess the party in power.

Its possible this could have some influence on vote choices in the midterms, but the impact will be at the margin, says Brown University political scientist Eric Patashnik. The presidents party nearly always suffers losses in the midterms, and Bidens executive actions arent likely to change that.

Thats not to say that executive actions arent worth pursuing or that they wont have any impact. Its just that any electoral benefits they produce will likely be outweighed by other headwinds Democrats already have to contend with.

Executive action on major issues could well help mobilize a certain segment of Democratic voters.

I think young people arent excited to go to the polls to vote on broken promises, says Sunrise Movement spokesperson John Paul Mejia. Right now, young people are yearning for a party to believe in.

In the last year, Democrats have struggled to advance some of their biggest priorities. Although they were able to pass robust stimulus via the American Rescue Plan, as well as landmark investments in roads, bridges, and water pipes via the bipartisan infrastructure bill, they havent been able to approve key climate policies or voting rights legislation due to divides within the party.

Voters disappointment has been evident in polling. Since last September, Bidens approval rating has seen declines among Democrats overall, and among key party constituencies including Black voters and young voters.

Executive actions could help rally many of the Democratic voters whove become disillusioned with the partys leadership, though experts note that theyll have to make sure these efforts dont turn swing voters away.

Executive actions that relate to the economy historically have the potential to boost participation of the presidents base, says the Brookings Institutions Nicole Willcoxon.

Thus far, Biden has met with the CPC to discuss the list of executive actions theyve proposed, though the White House has yet to announce how many it might potentially consider.

While executive actions could energize some Democrats, they likely arent enough to neutralize other challenges they face.

Usually, the presidents party experiences backlash during the midterm elections. In eight of the last 10 midterm elections, the presidents party lost House seats, and in six of them, it lost Senate seats, too. Backlash to the presidents party seems to drown out most benefits that policy including those by executive action can provide.

Also, because the opposition party tends to be more fired up about taking back congressional seats or putting a check on the executive office, its voters are usually more activated during the midterms.

What happens in a midterm is the people who are motivated to participate are people who are suffering losses, not gains, says Michigan State University political scientist Matt Grossmann. The opposition party is more excited, and that definitely does matter.

As the Atlantics Ron Brownstein has pointed out, recent midterm losses have taken place even after the passage of ambitious bills like the Affordable Care Act and groundbreaking gun control legislation:

Bill Clinton lost 54 House seats in 1994 after passing a sweeping budget bill, a substantial crime bill, and the most significant gun-control legislation Congress has ever approved. The losses were even greater in 2010 after Barack Obama passed his stimulus plan, expansive financial-reform legislation, and, above all, the Affordable Care Act, extending health insurance to more of the uninsured than any other federal initiative had since Medicare and Medicaid. Despite, or perhaps because of, all that, Democrats lost 63 House seats in 2010, the biggest midterm loss for either party in more than 70 years.

Part of those losses may stem from the fact that it takes time for people to feel the effects of a policy. While the Affordable Care Act, for example, wasnt initially politically helpful to Democrats, it became much more so after the legislation developed a constituency over time.

Executive actions that could have the most impact on the midterm elections are ones, like stimulus checks, that have benefits that can be immediately felt, says Grossmann. Even then, however, he believes their benefits are likely small.

Several of the actions CPC has proposed would fall into the immediately felt category.

Theres a lot here thats really tangible and immediate, says CPC spokesperson Mia Jacobs. If the president cancels student debt tomorrow, if he increases the overtime threshold, and uses march-in rights to lower the price of prescription drugs, these are things that will make life easier right now and that is what its about.

Taking these actions seems unlikely to alter the broader trajectory of the midterms themselves. They would, however, show that Biden is delivering on key campaign promises, and could galvanize disappointed members of the Democratic base, something that could come in handy in tight races. Executive action advocates argue, too, that even if they dont ultimately help much, its a strategy worth trying to demonstrate the value of having Democrats in power.

Progressives think its really important to be caught trying, and to make the case for why Democratic governance is meaningful, says Jacobs.

Originally posted here:
Can executive actions save Democrats in the midterms? - Vox.com

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Since the beginning of the year, liberal media networks MSNBC, CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC have expressed concerns that the GOP will triumph over Democrats in the 2022 midterms, with many hosts asking how President Biden can save the party from an impending bloodbath.

On March 23, The New York Times published an op-ed in which columnist Thomas B. Edsall asserted that Democrats are making it too easy for Republicans to claim victory and slammed liberals for turning away from the working class while tolerating brazen crime.

Meanwhile, on the March 30 airing of MSNBCs "Meet the Press Daily,", host Chuck Todd sounded the alarm on Democrats dwindling chances of victory in November with a "Midterm meter" that placed the presidents party in the "shellacking" category, below bad, decent, and exceptional.

NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED STATES DEMOCRATS' ARE MAKING IT TOO EASY FOR REPUBLICANS TO WIN IN THE MIDTERMS

NBCs Chuck Todd dinged President Biden for failing to make the comparison during his first State of the Union. (William B. Plowman/NBC)

This is not the first time that Todd has attempted to highlight Democrats poor odds.

A few days earlier, Todd was speaking with NBC News correspondent Yamiche Alcindor on "Meet the Press," and made note of an NBC poll that saw registered voters show preference for Republican control (46%) of Congress over Democrats (44%). A Republican polling lead on the generic ballot, as Todd noted, has not occurred on NBC polls since 2014.

"This is a huge red flag," Todd told Alcindor, to which she agreed.

In January, while speaking with Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Todd asked what he needs from Biden to improve the Democrats chances in 2022.

Other hosts also echoed similar questions on how the Democrat Party can improve their position before the midterm election.

ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked Vice President Kamala Harris about Biden and the Democrats dire poll numbers and how the president can reverse course.

"Can the president provide the kind of relief that is necessary to prevent a Democratic rout in November," he asked in March.

"What can President Biden do [to change the minds of voters]still a lot of time, but time is drawing near before the midterm," CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil similarly asked correspondent Robert Costa.

MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell unabashedly asked a guest whether the war in Ukraine was "at least helping the Democrats" and the White House heading into the midterms.

Journalist Andrea Mitchell attends the 2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 28, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/WireImage)

Some media figures went a step further, worrying that a Republican win could be the end of America and voting rights, while also in one instance, preemptively accusing them of cheating.

CNN global affairs analyst Bianna Golodryga discussed a poll conducted by the network in which only 43% of Democrats had "extremely or very high enthusiasm" about voting in the midterms versus 51% of Republicans. Golodryga questioned why voters weren't more concerned with voting rights and the "threat to democratic values."

"Given this ongoing threat to democratic values, right, shouldnt voters be more determined to go to the polls and why do you think youre seeing that reluctance and the lack of enthusiasm?," she asked a panel of guests.

On ABC, "The View" co-host Joy Behar said she would be "very worried" if Republicans take over the House and the Senate following the midterms, claiming that it would spell doom for the U.S.

"That would be the end of the countrythe beginning of the end for this country," she said in Janurary.

Rep. Eric Swalwell delivers remarks during the House Judiciary Committee markup of the "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020," on June 17, 2020. (Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., made a similar comment when he told MSNBCs Chris Hayes that a Republican sweep in the midterms would end "voting as we know it."

On MSNBC and CBS, frequent fill-in host Jason Johnson and guest Ian Bremmer both said Republican victories in November would be the result of cheating, or at least give of the impression of an illegitimate election.

"[A] key thing to understand why Republicans are optimists for next year, even if they're sort of waving themselves and wrapping themselves in a Trump burrito, is theyre going to cheat," Johnson said on MSNBC.

Ian Bremmer was less explicit in his perception of the upcoming elections.

"The United States has an election process that is increasingly broken, increasingly delegitimized. In the midterm elections especially, if you have a significant win for a Trump-led Republican Party, means that 2024 is going to be seen as illegitimate and potentially a constitutional crisis," Bremmer said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In an early snapshot of the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans maintain a narrow advantage over Democrats on the generic congressional ballot -- as voters say they are less likely to support a candidate endorsed by either President Biden or former President Trump, according to the latest Fox News survey of registered voters.

If the election for Congress were today, 49% would vote for the Republican candidate in their district, while 45% would go for the Democrat, according to a Fox News poll of registered voters. This is the third straight month when the GOP has had the advantage: Republicans held a 1-point edge last month (44% vs. 43%) and were up by 4 points in December (43% vs. 39%).

Fox News' Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

Visit link:
CNN, MSNBC, NBC and more worry about bloodbath for the Democrats in midterms: The end of our country - Fox News