Archive for the ‘Democrats’ Category

Fearing Chaos, National Democrats Plunge Into Midterm …

The approach is laced with peril for a party divided over matters of ideology and political strategy, and increasingly dominated by activists who tend to resent what they see as meddling from Washington. A Democratic effort to undercut a liberal insurgent in a Houston-area congressional primary in March stirred an outcry on the left and may have inadvertently helped drive support to that candidate, Laura Moser, who qualified for the runoff election next month.

But in some areas, Democratic leaders have concluded it is worth enduring backlash to help a prized recruit or tame a chaotic primary field.

They are moving most aggressively in California, where the states nonpartisan primaries present a unique hazard: State law requires all candidates to compete in the same preliminary election, with the top two finishers advancing to November. In a crowded field, if Democrats spread their votes across too many candidates, two Republicans could come out on top and advance together to the general election.

There are at least four races in California where Democrats fear such a lockout, including the 39th Congressional District, where in addition to Mr. Cisneros and Ms. Tran there are two other Democrats running: Sam Jammal, a youthful former congressional aide, and Andy Thorburn, a wealthy health insurance executive who is backed by allies of Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont. The district is among the most coveted for Democrats nationwide a seat left open by the retirement of Representative Ed Royce, a popular Republican, in an area Hillary Clinton won by about 8 percentage points.

National Democrats may also intervene in the Southern California districts held by Representatives Dana Rohrabacher and Jeff Denham, where multiple Republicans and Democrats are running, and in the seat held by Representative Darrell Issa, a Republican who is retiring. Voters receive mail-in ballots starting in early May, making the next few weeks exceptionally important.

House Majority PAC, a heavily financed Democratic group that spends millions in congressional elections, recently polled all four races and has been conducting digital surveys that simulate the complicated California ballot, according to people briefed on the groups strategy. The super PAC has run ads in California in the past when Democrats have faced disaster in primary season.

Representative Judy Chu, a Los Angeles-area Democrat, said the open primaries had led Democrats to take unusual steps to prevent Republicans from dominating the first round of voting.

That would stop our goal of taking the House back, Ms. Chu said. We have to have a viable candidate, and I think that if it does turn out to be a Democrat versus a Republican, the Democrat will win.

Ms. Chu said the campaign committees endorsement of Mr. Cisneros was a signal to donors and volunteers that it was time to close ranks.

But picking favorites is not easy for Democrats: Until mid-March, Southern California lawmakers were divided in the 39th District race between Mr. Cisneros, who is backed by Representative Linda T. Snchez, an influential member of the Democratic leadership team, and Jay Chen, another Democrat who was endorsed by Ms. Chu. It was only after Mr. Chen opted against running, with a call for party unity, that Ms. Chu and other Democrats swung behind Mr. Cisneros.

Ms. Snchez said the glut of Democratic candidates remained concerning across California, and acknowledged having lobbied the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to back Mr. Cisneros. National leaders, Ms. Snchez said, had a role to play in terms of trying to talk to nonviable candidates and urging them to be team players.

Meredith Kelly, a spokeswoman for the committee, said the group was taking action in California because voters deserve to have a Democrat on the ballot in November.

Any decision to get involved in these races is toward that goal and based on intelligence from the ground in California, extensive data and partnerships with as many local allies as possible, Ms. Kelly said.

In the 39th District, Democrats went beyond prodding underdogs like Ms. Tran, 52, to stand down. Mr. Thorburn said the D.C.C.C. presented him with polling that suggested attacks on his finances and business record would be damaging in the general election data Mr. Thorburn dismissed out of hand. He said the committee clearly indicated its preference for Mr. Cisneros.

Mr. Thorburn, 74, is now the most unsettling rival for Mr. Cisneros and national Democrats, pairing a pointed ideological message with a personal fortune to spend on advertising. Deriding Mr. Cisneros as a wishy-washy newcomer to the party, Mr. Thorburn said he would strike back hard if the committee were to attack him, as it did Ms. Moser.

Im much more of a fighter than the national party, Mr. Thorburn said, warning: If they do something like they did in Texas, we would come back guns blazing.

Mr. Cisneros has won over important state groups, including the muscular California Labor Federation. But his campaign office, at a strip mall in Brea, about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles, showcases his national allies: One wall boasts an enormous sign from the gun-control group Giffords, which supports him, while another displays photographs of Mr. Cisneros with Barack and Michelle Obama.

Mr. Cisneros, a soft-spoken 47-year-old who became a philanthropist and Democratic donor after winning the California lottery in 2010, said his unlikely biography was at the core of his message, along with issues like gun violence and health care. He said his views on those subjects had been consistent, though his party registration had changed. From the beginning, Mr. Cisneros said, its always been about getting my story out.

Interviews with voters in the Republican-held district revealed why the race is so promising and tumultuous for Democrats. A labyrinth of highways and shopping centers and residential developments, the district has shifted in recent years as its Latino and Asian-American communities have grown. But a dozen voters there said they were not following the race or remained undecided.

At a shopping mall in Fullerton, a hospital worker named Lynn who declined to give her surname because she did not want to be identified at work said she wanted to repudiate Republicans but had not picked an alternative. An Asian-American woman in her 40s, she said she was alarmed by President Trumps environmental policies and what she described as an outpouring of overt bigotry.

Its not because I want a Democrat I just dont want a Republican, she said. Ever since you-know-who became president, people are really racist and its really, really obvious.

Some voters sounded unlikely to take their cues from national parties. Outside a Fullerton coffee shop where Mr. Jammal was greeting voters, Adam De Leon said he was suspicious of the candidates using personal wealth to sway the race. Mr. De Leon, 72, said he favored Mr. Jammal, 36, because of his government experience.

What does it tell you when people spend millions of dollars to get into a position that pays maybe $140,000 a year? Mr. De Leon said, somewhat underestimating the $174,000 congressional salary. Its all about power and connections.

The Republican field is in flux, too. Young Kim, a longtime aide to Mr. Royce, is the front-runner but has several candidates challenging her from the right. With Republicans in Washington focused on defending beleaguered incumbents, they have been less intent than Democrats on shaping open primaries.

For Democrats, that project extends beyond California: On the same day the D.C.C.C. endorsed Mr. Cisneros, it also boosted candidates in New York and Arkansas who face contested primaries. In New York, the committee enlisted Juanita Perez Williams, a former candidate for mayor of Syracuse, to challenge Representative John Katko this month, though a lower-profile Democrat was already running with the support of local party leaders.

That kind of big-footing may be trickier in California. Mr. Chen, the Democrat who opted out of the 39th District race, said the party still faces a precarious situation there. He said he had decided against running after conducting a poll that showed him neck and neck with Mr. Cisneros and Mr. Thorburn but with Democratic voters fragmented enough to create an all-Republican general election.

He predicted none of the remaining Democrats would follow his lead and get out.

If youve never been involved in the party before and you just ran because you want to run, then you dont really have those considerations, Mr. Chen said. They are new to this. They dont have bridges to burn.

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A New Guide to the Democratic Herd – Multimedia Feature …

Since Barack Obamas 2008 victory, Democrats have watched with dismay as the president has been vilified by opponents and as Washington, already polarized, has become downright toxic. (Republicans have their own ideas about when the polarization began.)

What had been a complicated patchwork of Democratic voting blocs before Obama has coalesced into fewer groups that are more unified. Theyre not exactly moving in lock step they never do but their allegiance to the president has softened the usual party divisions.

His embrace of gay marriage is instructive: it was a galvanizing moment for supporters, and it didnt seem to hurt him with the large blocs of Democrats who are socially conservative.

The 2012 Democratic herd is charted here along a left-to-right continuum of party loyalty, based chiefly on the Pew Research Centers Political Typology as well as the views of political experts. The size of the donkey icons approximates the relative strength of each bloc.

Pews tracking of party affiliation shows that a growing number of Americans identify as independent. With party loyalists on both sides largely decided, the race will move at the margins, said Tad Devine, a longtime Democratic consultant. Thats why the campaigns are focused on identity groups: women, Latinos, older voters. Peeling off even slivers of these could well determine who wins the election.

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A New Guide to the Democratic Herd - Multimedia Feature ...

ThyBlackMan | Black News | African-American News | Black …

News Confidence takes time: six steps towards a more social and confident you.

(ThyBlackMan.com)The media keeps throwing articles and TV shows at us, telling us we all should strive to be confident and youthful. Shy people are advised to go out there and start socializing they say.Being bullied as a youth turned me into a shy person with chronic anxiety, which makes it hard to connect to others and trust people. Over the years I used all the advise TV and media threw at me...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)Dance is an artform of expression that can be a source of freedom. In such many that embrace dance find their home in the world. A place whereby they can be themselves and share that beauty with the world. Harper Watters, Soloist with the Houston Ballet, has made it his mission to be authentic to his craft while sharing his truest self with the world through dance. His work with...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com) Ive deliberately avoided watching March Madness recently because Im very aware of the massive exploitation of black athletes who run March Madness every year while mostly white coaches, commentators, athletic directors, administrators, and universities make millions and billions off of March Madness each year.Also, if you watch one particular college basketball game, even a...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)On April 4, America will mark the 50th anniversary of one of the darkest hours in our national history. We will pause to recall that heartbreaking moment in Memphis, Tennessee, when an assassins bullet cut short the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.There will be those whose vision of those terrible days will be the product of televised images: pictures of rioting; cities burning;...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in theUS, with 52,404 lethal drug overdoses in 2015. Opioid addiction is driving this epidemic, with 20,101 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2015.https://www.asam.orgAs the US grapples with an escalating opioid epidemic that is ravaging this nation,...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)Some years ago, I wrote a column about adultery and politicians. In light of the Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal interviews concerning their alleged (and probable) affairs with President Donald Trump, it is time to revisit the subject.I do not agree with those right or left, religious or secular who contend that adultery invalidates a political or social leader....[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)Here we go again. Another school massacre and another overreaction by liberals who want to play politics with the Second Amendment.On Valentines Day, 17 students and faculty members were murdered by a former classmate at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., a small community west of Boca Raton.As tragic as the murders were, sometimes I am confused by the way...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)In the wake of yet another mass slaughter of innocent Americans, I am writing to implore my colleagues in both the Congress and our state legislatures to go to CNNs website and listen carefully to the words of a young American named Cameron Kasky. You can find his declaration of principle and truth on CNN.com.This 17-year-old student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)Duped family members, friends and fellow Christians have fallen for leftists lie that all they are tearfully asking for is fairness and tolerance on various issues. The truth is leftists are rabid relentless attackers, using government, deception and guilt-tripping to silence all opposition to their extreme anti-God, anti-traditional family and anti-freedom agendas. Indoctrinated...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)At the very moment that hundreds-of-thousands of youth around the globe are busy protesting antiquated and unreasonable gun laws, rules, and regulations, the family of twenty-two-year-old Stephon Clark is grieving his death. Clark was inexplicably killed in his grandmothers backyard by officers reporting to a call about a man breaking windows in the area. I pray that we have not...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)The issue of gun violence is among the most prominent issues in America right now. Due to amount of mass shootings in America and the recent school shootings and school threats, gun violence and gun regulation has become even more highlighted in American society. Last weekend, a significant student-led peaceful demonstration took place named March for Our Lives. It followed...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)Although golden anniversaries are often considered milestone moments accompanied by festive celebrations, two such observances in April 2018 are bittersweet memories for much of Black America. One took the life of an unparalleled preacher, orator, author, activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The other marks the enactment of what many would argue is the strongest of the civil...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)Who wouldve ever guessed that when former President Obama left office the GOP would take up his mantle on spending? Its nauseating how often Democrats win in D.C., even when theyre not in power. The problem with the latest omnibus bill is that Republicans cant out Democrat Democrats.Sadly, the GOP is proving once again that theyre afraid of their own shadows. In the...[Read the full story]

(ThyBlackMan.com)Social media and the internet is much more advanced nowadays than its ever been. Theres also many dangers that come with being on social media and the internet and one example of that is the white nationalist comments against people in the black community who speak out against the various forms of oppression on a daily basis.Another danger of social media and the internet...[Read the full story]

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ThyBlackMan | Black News | African-American News | Black ...

Sun City Democrats Club

YOURE INVITEDBBQ Dinner, BYOB $40.00/per person

Riding on Blue Power!

Sun City Ballroom2 Texas DriveGeorgetown, TX

Buy your tickets through ActBlue.comOr through SCTXCA ticketingSun City Texas Association

Questions? Please email Ira Dolich at idolich@aol.com

Williamson County March 6, 2018 Primary Election Results

Primary Runoff Election Day May 22, 2018Last Day to Register for Runoff Election April 23, 2018

Early Voting for Texas Democratic Primary Runoff Election begins Monday, May 14, 2018, and ends on Friday, May 18. The Cowan Creek Amenity Center will be the Sun City polling location for Early Voting.

In 2017 your club moved with passion, discipline and enthusiasm to play a critical role in advancing the progressive values that lie at the heart of our club.

I applaud the enormous growth in membership. We greeted 2018 with over 550 proud members, a leap in membership that is all the more remarkable from an off-year. Needless to say, the election results from November, 2016 played a large part in convincing folks that participation with a group of like-minded individuals is critical to resisting horrific governmental actions. The development early in the year of an Activist Group led to coordinated action by our outraged members marching in demonstrations, writing and calling elected officials, visiting officeholders in person and generally keeping our members informed.(Click here for more )

The April meeting of the Sun City Democrats Club will be held in the Sun City BallroomRefreshments, coffee and social time at 9:30 and program at 10:00 a.m. The Democratic Congressional candidates for the primary run-off M.J. Hegar and Christine Mann will speak to us about their plans and policies.NOTE: 2nd Saturday instead of 3rd

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Sun City Democrats Club

Democrats Should Embrace an Open Economy

President Trumps decision to announce tariffs on steel and aluminum is his latest effort to close America off from the world in a counterproductive movement to turn back the global economy 40 years. The decision serves as a moment for Democrats to stand up for an open America that confidently competes globally.

The immediate impact of Mr. Trumps policy will be price increases for the middle class and loss of automotive-related jobs, which Democrats should campaign against in 2018. But for the longer term, these tariffs also represent a pessimistic and backward-looking view of the world that Democrats must reject. The future of the American economy is jobs in high-skill fields like cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and energy technology, not in trying to reopen mills that closed down in the 1980s. Our policy must evolve to position America for technological changes and globalization, instead of pretending those trends will not continue.

The political opportunity for Democrats is even stronger because congressional Republicans under Mr. Trump have given up on defending an American economy that competes globally. The relatively sheepish response from supposed free-trade advocates in the congressional Republican leadership shows they are more fearful of offending Mr. Trump than they are concerned with preventing price increases that working families in Kentucky and Wisconsin will face on everything from beer to baby strollers.

For Democrats, the message is simple: After congressional Republicans passed a tax cut to benefit Wall Street and their wealthiest donors, they are now allowing significant price increases that will affect middle-class families, seniors and small businesses.

The geopolitical implications of Mr. Trumps trade decisions should also alarm Democrats. His decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (which President Barack Obama negotiated) weakened Americas economic standing in the world and was a gift to China. If the United States is not involved in setting the rules for international trade, China and Russia will now drive these decisions. Our strong allies will be pushed into trade deals dictated by China. The alternative to TPPs negotiated labor and environmental standards will be Chinas lack of standards on labor and the environment. The same applies to technology, where either the United States will set rules with a focus on innovation or China will set rules with a focus on government control of information.

When Democrats focus on building a modern economy that competes globally, as we did particularly in 1992 and 2012, we appeal to the majority of voters who believe that trade benefits America. When we do not lean in on a positive case for competitive jobs of the future or are perceived as indecisive on Americas role in the global economy, as we were in 2004 and 2016, it can come across as hypocritical to the recent history of our party and limits our ability to win over swing voters.

Electorally, Democrats can win over small-business owners and moderate Republicans with a platform of investing in education and research to build an American economy that competes with the rest of the world. We proved this in Virginia, where the state has gone from being solidly Republican just 10 years ago to having a Democratic winning streak in statewide contests. That shift occurred both because Republicans focused on an extreme anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-immigrant agenda and because Democrats made the case directly to moderate Republicans and business owners that we were the only party focused on building a modern, vibrant Virginia economy.

In my 2013 campaign for governor, I won endorsements from many moderate Republicans because I campaigned on a welcoming Virginia economy, while my opponent was known for crusading on social issues that scared global companies away from Virginia.

As governor, I worked across party lines to help build a new Virginia economy that traded with the world. That work included 35 trade missions to five continents, which brought substantial foreign investment to Virginia and helped create over 200,000 jobs. The states economy was driven in part by exports, and agriculture and forestry increased 31 percent, to $91 billion. That growth in trade meant more jobs, with Virginias unemployment rate falling to 3.7 percent from 5.4 percent during my term.

There are some leaders in my party who believe as President Trump does that populist appeals against trade will benefit them politically, even if they actually believe in the benefits of trade. Putting aside the cynicism of this position, Democrats will never defeat Mr. Trump by attempting to sound more protectionist and isolationist than he is.

Instead, Democrats will win with an optimistic vision of an America that is confidently able to compete around the world because of new investments in education for our workers, research in cutting-edge industries and modernized infrastructure. It is a pro-jobs message that we should enthusiastically embrace.

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Democrats Should Embrace an Open Economy