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Russian university student Yegor Zhukov,who recently confronted Kremlin repression, was jailed, and then released on a suspended sentence, declared in a recent interview with independent Russian television that he wants to be president of the Russian Federation.

Zhukov is famous for using the infamous Dont Tread On Me flag from the American Revolution during his Youtube videos promoting individual responsibility and libertarianism.

I want to be the president of the country, he said in anappearanceon the independent Dozhd television channel.

Your honor, the darker my future, the wider I smile toward it, he declared to the judge in his recent widely publicized trial, reported The Moscow Times.

Beyond continuing with the blog, he said, he plans to finish his university degree by next summer. Hes also going to host a talk show on the liberal Ekho Moskvy radio station and write for Novaya Gazeta.

These are other ways I see to keep spreading my ideas, he said. Thats my goal right now: for the focus not to be on me, but on the ideas.

His ideas have raised eyebrows. Critics have pointed to his support of Jordan Peterson, a Canadian thinker who has beendescribedas a purveyor of fascist mysticism. They have also noted one video from January of this yeartitledFeminism Is Dangerous, in which Zhukov, seated behind a desk with a red Make America Great Again cap on it, tells his audience: Today the nutcases are lefties and particularly left-wing feminists.

It taught me that I need to carefully express my views, he said recently in response to criticism. At the end of the day, I want the same thing as Russian feminists. For transgender peoples rights to be respected, for same-sex marriage to be legal, for there to be a law against domestic violence. I just dont believe in classifying people according to collective identities, reported The Moscow Times.

Regarding his future, We are still figuring it all out, Zhukov said. The idea for now is to say: stay tuned.

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Released From Prison, Young Libertarian Russian Activist Sporting 'Don't Tread On Me' Flag Wants To Be Russia's President - Tsarizm

The U.K. election has delivered a huge victory to conservativesand to Tory leader Boris Johnsonand astounding losses to the Labour Party. The results mean much more than the Conservative Party continuing to control the U.K.'s governing bodies.

With at least 364 seats won, the Conservative Party has well surpassed the number required for a majority in Parliament. Prime Minster Boris Johnson "will now enjoy a comfortable majority to 'get Brexit done'in other words, to pass the withdrawal agreement that he negotiated with European Union leaders in October," notes The Economist.

"In truth, the election-night story was not so much that of a Tory surge but of a Labour slump," the magazine adds.

The Jeremy Corbynled Labour Party will see its parliamentary vote share drop eight points. It was the party's worst showing since 1935.

Labour's steepest drops came in areas where the Nigel Farageled Brexit Party did well. (But asThe Spectator notes, Farage's party did not "even come close to winning a single parliamentary seat.")

In any event, it looks like Brexit is on.

And with the chances of Scottish secession rising again, some say this could kick off the destruction of the United Kingdom itself.

The election also speaks to the rising power of combining left-leaning economic policy with conservative social views and immigration policies (so, you know, the worst of all words for free minds/markets/migration types).

Britain's third largest party, the Liberal Democrats, also "had a dreadful night," points outThe Economist. And yet

the Tories' mighty new coalition is sure to come under strain. With its mix of blue collars and red trousers, the new party is ideologically incoherent. The northern votes are merely on loan. To keep them Mr Johnson will have to give people what they wantwhich means infrastructure, spending on health and welfare, and a tight immigration policy. By contrast, the Tories' old supporters in the south believe that leaving the EU will unshackle Britain and usher in an era of freewheeling globalism. Mr Johnson will doubtless try to paper over the differences. However, whereas Mr Trump's new coalition in America has been helped along by a roaring economy, post-Brexit Britain is likely to stall.

Some say the results highlight how it's easier for right-leaning politicians and parties to embrace left-leaning policies than vice versa, though this idea has its skeptics:

"The British election results, like any election result, is the result of unique circumstances and multiple factors," suggests Jonathan Chait at Intelligencer. "It is also, however, a test of a widely articulated political theory that has important implications for American politics. That theory holds that Corbyn's populist left-wing platform is both necessary and sufficient in order to defeat the rising nationalist right. Corbyn's crushing defeat is a decisive refutation."

"Vaping policy" consumes White House.

A good piece from Jane Coaston on the new porn wars, with cameos by Katherine Mangu-Ward and myself:

For several decades now, movement conservatism has adhered to Andrew Breitbart's maxim that "politics is downstream of culture," arguing that rather than engage the forces of government to create change, conservatives should focus on changing popular culture instead. But some social conservatives are now arguing the very opposite.

Arguments in favor of the use of laws to change or improve human behavior hasn't been a characteristic of the post-2010 conservative movement that still bears the influence of the Tea Party and libertarian-leaning Republicans. In fact, Mangu-Ward told me that such arguments were, in her view, generally made by left-leaning politicians and thinkers. Referencing former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's efforts to ban large sodas, she said such rationales stem from "the idea that we should prohibit people from making bad choices," or in short, "make the bad thing illegal."

Catholic theocrat and New York Post op-ed editor Sohrab Ahmari told Coaston that pornography is "degrading" and "Andrea Dworkin was right."

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U.K. Election: Brexit Wins, Jeremy Corbyn Crashes - Reason

The 2020 Presidential Primary season is upon us and all signs point to high public enthusiasm https://news.gallup.com/poll/268136/high-enthusiasm-voting-heading-2020.aspx for this election cycle, compared to years past. The more enthusiastic people are about an election, the more likely they are to vote. If youre someone whos excited about participating in this upcoming Presidential Primary, theres some key things to remember to make the voting process as pain free as possible.

First: Register or check your voter registration status https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/ to make sure everything is up-to-date;

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Second: Presidential Primaries have some unique rules that only come up every 4 years;

Third: No Party Preference voters will be able to crossover and vote in somebut not allparty primaries without having to re-register.

I know what youre thinkingwhat the heck is a crossover and why does this sound so complicated? Good questions! Here are some answers that may help.

Whats up with the Presidential Primary rules? Political parties can choose to limit participation in their partys primary to only registered voters of that party. In other words, if youre a registered Democrat, you wouldnt be allowed to participate in the Republican primary. The same is true for any party that holds a Presidential Primary.

I registered as No Party Preference. Where does that leave me? You have options! You can re-register with a party preference or you may request a crossover ballot. If you do nothing, well send you a nonpartisan ballot. Youll see contests for everything except the Presidential Primary.

What do you mean by crossover ballot? Some parties allow No Party Preference voters to participate or crossover in their primaries. In March 2020, the American Independent Party, Democratic Party, and Libertarian Party will allow No Party Preference voters to crossover. If youre a No Party Preference voter and want to vote for candidates in one of those parties, then you will not have to re-register.

Why cant I get a crossover ballot for any party of my choosing? Political parties have the right to allow or disallow No Party Preference voters to participate in their primaries. If you want to vote for the candidates in the Green Party, Peace & Freedom Party, or Republican Party, then you must re-register and indicate your party preference.

How do I request a crossover ballot? If our records show that you are registered without a political party preference, we will send you a postcard about crossover voting. The postcard has instructions on how to request a crossover ballot. There will be other opportunities to make a request, but why not do it sooner than later?

Are there resources for me to learn more about the Presidential Primary and crossover voting? Yes! The California Secretary of State created a website, How to Vote for U.S. President, https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-info/how-vote-president/ that will provide you with additional information. You can also contact us at the Nevada County Elections office at 530-265-1298. We look forward to serving you.

Natalie Adona is the Assistant Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Nevada County.

Read more:
Natalie Adona: 'Tis the seasonfor crossover voting? - YubaNet

Conservative voters became outraged as they read further and saw only three options listed on the crossover ballot postcard: American Independent, Democratic or Libertarian. What about Republicans?

Some voters were confused last week when they opened a notice from the Siskiyou County Clerks office asking them to select a political party ballot for the March 3 presidential primary election.

Conservative voters became outraged as they read further and saw only three options listed on the crossover ballot postcard: American Independent, Democratic or Libertarian. What about Republicans?

The notices are the result of federal laws that govern presidential elections under the closed primary system, explained Siskiyou County Clerk Laura Bynum, and they were only sent to voters who are registered as No Party Preference (formerly Decline to State) Unknown, or a non-qualified political party. And although they are confusing, the notices are not an effort by Siskiyou County officials to drum up Democratic voters.

Historically, the Republican party does not open their primary to other political affiliations, said Bynum. Neither do the Peace and Freedom or Green parties, which is why theyre not listed as options for NPP voters, either. The American Independent, Democratic and Libertarian parties are the only parties that opened their Primary Election to NPP voters, Bynum said.

If you believe that youre a registered Republican, or one of the other five qualifying parties, and you received the notice, this indicates that somewhere along the way, your political party was changed.

This is not unheard of, said Bynum, because people may have inadvertently updated their political affiliation at the DMV, said Bynum.

It happens sometimes when people are renewing their license and they dont select an option for a political party,Bynum said. That kicks them into the Unknown category.

If you find yourself in this situation, Bynum suggests calling her office at (530) 842-8084, where they can do some research to see when your political affiliation was changed and to provide direction on a case by case basis.

The other option is to re-register to vote, but that process must be completed by Feb. 17 in order to vote in the March 3 primary. Voters can register to vote or update their registration status at http://www.registertovote.ca.gov, or by picking up a voter registration card at post offices and libraries throughout the county, or call the County Clerks office and request one be mailed to them. Voters can also access http://www.myvoterstatus.com to see how they are currently registered.

Although California has a top two primary process, where the top two vote-getters regardless of political party will appear on the general election ballot, the presidential election falls under federal law therefore and a modified closed election process is used.

The postcards arent unique to Siskiyou County, Bynum added. Every California county sent them out last week, or they will this week.

History behind Californias primary election system

A closed primary system governed California's primary elections until 1996, according to information on California Secretary of State Alex Padillas website. In a closed primary, only voters who are registered members of a political party may vote the ballot of that political party.

This changed with Proposition 198 after the March 26 primary election. Prop. 198 changed the closed primary system to what is known as a blanket or open primary, in which all registered voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of political affiliation and without a declaration of political faith or allegiance.

On June 26, 2000, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in California Democratic Party, et. al. v. Jones, stating that Californias open primary system was unconstitutional because it violated a political partys First Amendment right of association, according to the Secretary of States website.

Californias current modified closed primary system for presidential elections took effect on Jan. 1, 2001. Senate Bill 28 implemented the current modified closed primary system that permitted voters who had declined to provide a political party preference to participate in a primary election if authorized by an individual partys rules and duly noticed by the Secretary of State.

An NPP voter may request the ballot of one of the political parties, if any, that authorizes NPP voters to vote in the presidential primary election, which is where the postcards come in.

More here:
Get a confusing notice from the county clerk? Heres what it means - Siskiyou Daily News

Hell have Secretary of State William Galvin, a Democrat, to credit, instead.

Galvin has given all four political parties in Massachusetts -- including the Democratic, Republican, Green-Rainbow and Libertarian parties -- until Friday to submit a list of candidates they want to appear on their Super Tuesday primary ballots.

The lists are one of three ways a candidate can qualify for the presidential ballot in Massachusetts, and the MassGOP on Thursday submitted only the name of incumbent President Trump.

"Having a sitting President as the only name on the potential candidate list is not unprecedented, and is in fact, an established procedure," MassGOP Chair Jim Lyons wrote.

A spokeswoman for Galvin told the News Service on Tuesday that if that were to happen the secretary intended to put Weld's name on the ballot himself.

Weld, who briefly left the Republican Party in 2016 to run as the vice presidential nominee on the Libertarian ticket, is mounting a long-shot primary challenge to President Trump, hoping to damage the incumbent in the process.

The former governor has predicted dire consequences for the Republican Party if Trump is not impeached and removed from office, a message that runs counter to Lyons's support for the president.

Weld spokesman Joe Hunter told the News Service Wednesday that the campaign was in contact with the MassGOP, but would pursue "whichever of the three avenues to the ballot is the most appropriate."

"We are working on ballot access in numerous states on a daily basis, and of course, Massachusetts is at the top of the list," Hunter said.

National Candidates

State law allows the secretary of state to unilaterally put a candidate on the primary ballot if they have determined the candidate to be "generally advocated or recognized in national news media throughout the United States."

The latest WBUR poll of New Hampshire Republicans had the former Massachusetts governor trailing the president with 9 percent of the vote. Trump led Weld 82 percent to 18 percent in an Emerson College poll of Massachusetts Republicans from April.

"I've already had a conversation with Mr. Lyons about this, and I told him that we had done our review and we thought Mr. Weld, as well as a former Congressman from Illinois, were national candidates," Galvin told the News Service on Thursday.

In addition to Weld, the secretary was referring to former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh. There's a fourth potential candidate - Roque de la Fuente - who Galvin said he does not consider to be a nationally recognized candidate who will likely have to turn in 2,500 signatures if he wants to qualify for the GOP primary. De la Fuentes ran as a Democrat in 2016 when he also took the signature route to the ballot.

A spokesman for the Democratic Party said they intended to submit their list to Galvin's office on Friday, and would not provide an early tally of the names that will be on it.

According to Galvin's office, the campaigns of entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard have both taken out nomination papers in an "abundance of caution," but it is expected they will be on the Democratic Party's list and will not have to return signatures.

Galvin also said he had spoken to Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford about Galvin's belief that Michael Bloomberg should be on the list, even though he was a Republican when he served as mayor of New York City.

I dont think theres any doubt that Bickford is going to put him on, I dont think, but I dont know with Bickford either, Galvin said.

Lyons said that during an incumbent presidency neither political party has submitted names other than that of the sitting president seeking re-election.

"We will follow set protocol and do the same, as has been done before in 2012 under Democratic President Barack Obama and in 2004 under Republican President George W. Bush," Lyons wrote.

Both Obama and Bush ran virtually unopposed in their re-election bids by any nationally known figures with the stature of someone like Weld.

But in 1992, MassGOP Chairman Leon Lombardi only put forward the name of President George H.W. Bush for the ballot, despite the incumbent being challenged by conservative commentator Pat Buchanan. Buchanan did end up getting onto the Massachusetts primary ballot that year, and won almost 75,000 votes, or 28 percent.

The parties, by law, have until Jan. 3 to submit their lists, but Galvin said he's following the same timeline he used during the last cycle in order to prepare ballots ahead of the Jan. 18 deadline to make them available to military and overseas voters.

Galvin plans to hold a drawing to determine the order of placement on the ballots on Dec. 20, and candidates have until Jan. 10 to withdraw and have their names removed.

Tom Mountain, a Trump campaign spokesman in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and a member of the MassGOP state committee, has previously said that Weld should give up on his campaign.

"If he has any dignity he should ride off into the sunset," Mountain told the News Service last month after Weld held an event to call for Trump's impeachment. "No one is taking Bill Weld seriously except Bill Weld."

Gov. Charlie Baker suggested recently that he thought the Republican primary in Massachusetts would be a low-turnout affair with or without Weld on the ballot.

When discussing whether to schedule a special election for a state Senate seat on the same day as the primaries, Baker said, "I think having a general election for a state Senate seat on the same day as a presidential primary when you have numerous candidates running on one side, and for all intents and purposes, one and maybe two depending upon how the secretary of state puts the ballot together, on the other doesn't really give voters an opportunity to tune in on the state Senate race, which is what I would like to see them do in that race."

Baker has described Weld as a political mentor, but so far has declined to endorse his former boss over Trump, who he didnt vote for in 2016 and has frequently disagreed with.

Go here to see the original:
MassGOP snubs Weld on Mass. ballot access - The Boston Globe