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Evan McMullin, who gave Trump a scare in Utah in 2016. Photo: George Frey/Getty Images

Recently I wrote about the evolution of the Never Trump Republicans those elite-heavy conservatives who could not bring themselves to accept the hostile takeover of their party by the bizarre and mendacious right-wing populist into what is effectively a faction in the Democratic Party. They do have some rank-and-file counterparts in the electorate voters who moved from R to D even as some culturally conservative economic nationalists moved from D to R and they are loosely affiliated with Democratic moderates. Thus they are reasonably happy with Joe Biden as a presidential candidate.

One of the Never Trump leaders I mentioned, Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin (remembered by many as among the most passionate supporters of Mitt Romney in 2012), clarified my conclusion with this very specific statement of self-identification:

We can happily embrace [Biden]. I would have been prepared to crawl over broken glass to vote foranyonebut Trump yes, even Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) because of my conviction that Trump is a menace to democracy and now a danger to our very lives. It would not have been a pleasant choice, and many NeverTrumpers would not have joined me. Thankfully, we were spared the Sanders-vs.-Trump match-up

[M]any people ask: Are you all big-D Democrats now? My answer is it depends. I am a Pat Moynihan Democrat, a Scoop Jackson Democrat, an Andrew Cuomo Democrat. Im not a Bernie Sanders Democrat. So where does that leave me? Where I have been for just about four years: a center-right member of the Resistance, an advocate for good governance and internationalism (including free trade and robust legal immigration) and a passionate believer in the American creed. The best answer perhaps to the partisan affiliation question is that it is a time for creative policy and civility, so we will focus on that.

I assume readers are fairly familiar with Andrew Cuomo. But as a boomer translation for younger generations, Senator Henry Scoop Jackson was a strongly pro-defense and anti-communist, labor-aligned Democrat in the Harry Truman tradition who ran for president in 1972 and 1976. The more recently active Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an intellectual associated with the early neoconservative movement who served in the Nixon and Ford administration before reverting to his Democratic heritage and becoming a generally conventional liberal senator, representing New York for 24 years. So its a rather refined sort of brew that Rubin is now imbibing. Other Never Trumpers would probably define themselves differently. But for the most part they no longer imagine some post-Trump future in which they will rejoin and dominate the GOP.

Thats for the most part. For there are apparently some bitter-enders so committed to this alternative future for their old party or unreconciled to Democrats as an alternative that they plan to haunt Trumps convention in Charlotte, according to the Post:

Conservative critics of President Trump will hold a convention of their own during the Republican National Convention, with plans to craft their own statement of principles and offer it to a post-Trump electorate

The Convention on Founding Principles is scheduled to run from Aug. 24 to Aug. 27 in Charlotte, the city hosting this years RNC. The Republicans for a New President campaign, the chief organizer of the event, is planning an online component and a backup plan for a virtual convention if the RNC is canceled.

Apparently this group grew out of a rump gathering of conservatives during the Trump-crazy CPAC confab earlier this year. And there is one quite familiar figure leading their efforts:

The Trump administration has failed, and thats provided us with an opportunity to offer an alternative vision, said Evan McMullin,who ran against Trump as an independent in 2016and has been part of multiple anti-Trump efforts since then. Well be ready in the wake of what we see as a coming Trump defeat.

McMullin, you may remember, offered himself as an independent conservative alternative to Trump in 2016, winning around 700,000 votes nationally, and doing notably well in his home state of Utah, where many fellow Mormons rallied to his banner, and in next-door Idaho. In other words: He did well in his home region and in a state where there was no serious risk that Hillary Clinton would win. So hes had no particular temptation to leave his party, and the event in Charlotte seems to be open to any conservative who doesnt like Trump, regardless of what they plan to do about it:

The August event, said McMullin, would more closely resemble an actual political convention. There will be debates and voting on a statement of the attendees principles, and a vote on whether they supported a particular candidate for president presumptive Democratic nomineeJoe Biden, or a well-known third-party candidate. (Michigan Rep. Justin Amash,who is seeking the Libertarian Partys nomination for president, has been praised by many anti-Trump conservatives.)

As Im sure McMullin & Co. know, the regular Republican Party has few if any remaining doubts about Trump or Trumpism. If some privately hope for a different party when the great demagogue has moved on, they are very definitely keeping it to themselves. Some will show their fidelity to MAGA by mocking the Never Trumpers and their event:

These Trump haters are sad, pathetic, and irrelevant, said Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtagh. President Trump has united Republicans and has unprecedented support within the party. Hes also attracting non-Republicans and making huge inroads with blacks and Latinos. He will be reelected in November.

Whether or not Trump wins (or has anything like huge inroads with blacks and Latinos), the elephants soul belongs to him for the time being. And those Never Trumpers who have looked at their options and switched parties seem to have a brighter future.

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Never Trump Republicans to Hold Their Own Convention in Charlotte - New York Magazine

Donald W. Bohlken, Iowa View contributor Published 9:23 a.m. CT May 19, 2020

During the May 18, 2020, daily COVID-19 news conference, Gov. Reynolds announces the move to real-time reporting of testing data. Des Moines Register

The Registerpublisheda seriesof guestessays promoting two biases:(a) that undisputed science requires a continuing stay-at-home "lockdown" to fight the pandemic and (b) that only Republican leaders ignore this "science," with bad results.

There is real scientific debate about the pandemic.There are, for example, five wildly divergent models predicting coronavirus deaths, varying from 1,200 to 3,700 deaths per day, for a date when actual deaths were 2,000. The most accurate model was "loudly and publicly" criticized by epidemiologists.

One would never know from the essays that scientists have advocated for less restrictive, non-lockdown measures. Dr. Scott Atlas recommends: "Strictly protect the known vulnerable, self-isolate the mildly sick, andopen most workplaces and small businesses with some prudent large-group precautions."

The Swedish model, allowing many businesses to remain open, while practicing limited social distancing, has been praised by Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's executive director for health emergencies.

Britain's National Institute for Health Research concluded that stay-at-home orders and closing of all non-essential businesses are ineffective anti-pandemic measures.The Woods Hole Oceangraphic Institute concluded: "Full lockdown policies in Western Europe countries have no evident impacts on the COVID-19 epidemic."

The proposition that Republicans have ignored science is preposterous.Dr. Anthony Fauci concluded Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was doing a "very good job."He confirmed that President Donald Trump approved his two recommendations to enact and prolong strong mitigation measures.Fauci agreed that Trump's ban of travel from China and elsewhere saved lives.

Reynolds did not follow the"science" that prompted Democratic New York Gov. AndrewCuomo to order nursing homes to admit patients with the coronavirus or Democratic Michigan Gov. GretchenWhitmer to outlaw commerical lawn careand motorboating.

The primary goal of mitigation measures was to ensure that our healthcare system was not overwhelmed.It was not overwhelmed.

Trump dispatched hospital ships, set up new hospitals, distributed and increased production of ventilators and personal protective equipment. No person died because he was denied a ventilator. Cuomo and California's Gavin Newsom, another Democrat, both praised the president's actions.

As of May 14, there is no region of Iowa with less than 37% of hospital beds, 73% of ICU beds, and 76% of ventilators available. Iowa's healthcare system is not overwhelmed.

The Iowa trend of new COVID-19 cases per week has been decreasing dramatically, from 3,911 for May 1 to 7 to 2,616 for May 8 to 14.New cases per week decreased nationally, from 185,594 for May 1 to 7 to 164,081 for May 8 to 14.

The COVID-19 Rt value is trending down, according to rt.live.The value estimates how many persons an infected person is likely to infect at a given time.If the number is over 1.0, we can expect COVID-19 to spread.If it is maintained under 1.0, we can expect the epidemic to slow. Forty-eight states states now have an Rt below 1.0.Six weeks ago, only 14 states had an Rt below 1.0.Iowa's Rt score is now 0.88.Six weeks ago it was 1.21.

The policies of Republican leaders worked.

Donald W. Bohlken(Photo: Special to the Register)

Donald W. Bohlken of Indianola is an attorney and a retired administrative law judge with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.

Read or Share this story: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2020/05/19/coronavirus-iowa-policies-republican-officials-have-worked/5214531002/

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Contrary to what you keep hearing, the COVID-19 policies of Republican officials have worked - Des Moines Register

Published 3:09pm EDT, Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Kim Healy will run for the 26th state Senate District on the Republican line in November.

Kim Healy will run for the 26th state Senate District on the Republican line in November.

Kim Healy will run for the 26th state Senate District on the Republican line in November.

Kim Healy will run for the 26th state Senate District on the Republican line in November.

Republicans choose Healy of Wilton to run in 26th District

WILTON Kim Healy of Wilton will be the Republican standard bearer in the race for the 26th District Senate seat for the Connecticut General Assembly.

Healy won the nomination to oppose Democratic incumbent Will Haskell at Monday nights virtual state convention. The 26th State Senate District is comprised of seven towns including Redding, Ridgefield, and Wilton and parts of Bethel, New Canaan, Weston and Westport.

With the right leadership, I am confident we can turn things around and restore hope in Connecticut for the next generation, Healy said in accepting the nomination.

Healy believes changing the political leadership in Hartford will prevent the enactment of harmful school regionalization policies and move Connecticut toward a more sustainable future.

She was nominated by former state Sen. Judith Freedman, who represented the district from 1987 to 2008.

Kim is a highly energized, knowledgeable candidate who will bring a lifetime of experience to the state Senate, Freedman said. I am proud to support her.

William Lalor of Wilton seconded the nomination. I am proud to offer my enthusiastic endorsement of Kim Healy. She is a breath of fresh air who offers voters the important perspectives of a mother and community volunteer who has been a business professional. She will work hard to be an authentic advocate for her constituents.

Healy is a CPA and was an auditor for PriceWaterhouseCoopers. She has more than 20 years of volunteer experience, most notably as a tax preparer through the AARP, and as treasurer of the Wilton Library.

She is also involved with her childrens schools, Minks to Sinks, and Wiltons Warrior Helpers. She previously served as treasurer of the Wilton Youth Council.

Healy has lived in Connecticut since 1994 and moved to Wilton in 2008. She four children, ages 22 to 13.

For information, visit kimhealyforct.com.

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Republicans choose Healy of Wilton to run in 26th District - The Wilton Bulletin

Arizona candidates for Senate: Republican Sen. Martha McSally (left) and Democrat Mark Kelly.(Photo: The Republic, Arizona Daily Star)

From the Republican uh-oh department: Arizona Sen. Martha McSally is sliding in the polls, dropping four percentage points in a month.

McSally now trails Democrat Mark Kelly by 13 points, according to the latest tracking poll by OH Predictive Insights.

While the April poll of 600 likely voters favored Kelly 51% to McSallys 42%, in May its now 51%-38%.

The poll shows independents breaking more than 2-1 for Kelly.

McSally is doing terribly, pollster Mike Noble told me on Monday. Theres no way to find a bright spot on that one.

And thats not even the bad news for McSally.

The bad news comes from Maricopa County, where Republicans rule.

At least, they did rule, until Democrat Kyrsten Sinema defeated McSally there in 2018 -- stealing 88 mostly-suburban precincts that normally would go to the Republican nominee.

Arizona Sen. Martha McSally has lost ground to Democrat Mark Kelly, according to the latest tracking poll from OH Predictive Insights.(Photo: OH Predictive Insights)

McSally's declining supportlies within the 4 percent margin of error inthe May tracking poll, a blend of live and automated calls made betweenMay 9 to May 11.Buther Maricopa County numbers are a disaster.

In May 2019, this same tracking poll showed Kelly up over McSally, 46%-41%, among likely voters in Maricopa County.

In May 2020, Kelly has climbed to 54% in Maricopa County while McSally has dropped to 36%.

Just think about that for a moment. Kelly has gone from a five-point advantage in Maricopa County to an 18-point cruise.

Polling shows Arizona Sen. Martha McSally is getting killed in the one place she must win.(Photo: OH Predictive Insights)

Thats a stunnerwhen you consider that Maricopa County in recent years always hasgonefor Republicans (well, except for now-ex-state Superintendent Diane Douglas and McSally).

Morestunning still: the fact that the state's most populous countyis the one place that McSally must win if she wants to hang onto that Senate seat yet she has done nothing to appeal to the independents and moderate Republican voters who likely will decide this race.

"Maricopa County is the key for Republicans winning," Noble said. "It'sthekey to Trumps re-election but its also key for the Senate seat. Maricopa County is where the battle is at and right now its not going well for McSally."

Ive never understood McSallys strategy why she decided to become a Donald Trump pocket pal when it was obvious she lost in 2018 because she campaignedas a Donald Trump pocket pal.

Now shes facing a campaign thatwill be solely a referendum on Trump.

Whose approval rating, by the way, now stands at 45% in Arizona, according to the poll.

Of course, the four-point drop in McSallys numbers over the last month could be attributable to the campaign ads that are pummeling her.

The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump conservative super PAC run in part by George Conway, began running attack ads against McSally two days before this poll went into the field. Democratic groups have been beating her up on the airwaves since last fall.

Republicans, meanwhile, have beenmostly silent on the campaign front. The Senate Leadership Fund, run by allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, plansto spend $9.2 million to try to boost McSally but not until the fall.

Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, faced with possible loss of the Senate, recently pushed the panic button,announcingplans tomove ahead in June with a $5.7 million ad campaign to try to save the appointed senator who nowtrails by double digits.

Me? I'm wondering what took them so long.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com.

Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2020/05/19/sen-martha-mcsally-slides-new-poll-and-thats-not-even-bad-news/5218402002/

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New poll shows Sen. Martha McSally losing ground to Mark Kelly and that's not even the bad news - AZCentral

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May 19th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

The Republican party has allowed itself to be captured lock, stock, and barrel by the fossil fuel industry. While ordinary people struggle to pay their bills after being laid off because of the coronavirus, Republicans are putting together a $750 billion lifeline for oil and gas companies. Theres no money for day care, school lunches, or health insurance, but there is always money for Big Oil.

It used to be that corruption in government was a bad thing. President Eisenhower had to fire Sherman Adams, his chief of staff, after he accepted expensive gifts a vicua coat and an oriental rug from Bernard Goldfine, a Boston textile manufacturer who was under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Today, the corruption is right out in the open and the perpetrators dare anyone to say anything about it. Their contempt for the rule of law is on full public display and they are proud of it.

One of the things Republicans are best at is concocting a good cover story. In politics, it is called talking points, but in reality it is simply telling the same lie over and over and over again until it becomes perceived as the truth. After all, if every Republican member of the House and Senate is parroting it and if the talking heads at Faux News are bleating about it nonstop, it has to be true, right?

The coronavirus pandemic has knocked the stuffing out of the global economy. Businesses large and small are failing. Workers with no income are facing evictions. State and local governments that depend on sales tax revenue are in danger of going bankrupt. And it you think this is bad, the Republican spinmeisters say, just wait till you see the damage the Green New Deal will do! That was pretty much the headline for a recent article in the Washington Examiner, an extreme right wing publication.

According to the New York Times, Elizabeth Harrington, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, wrote in an opinion piece for The Hill that Democrats think a pandemic is the perfect opportunity to kill millions more jobs with carbon-cutting plans. Yup, you got that right, Liz. Democrats are all about slashing employment so people wont have to take time off from work to vote.

Recently, Mercedes Schlapp, a senior Tramp campaign adviser, told Fox Business that Joe Biden supports rainbow and unicorn deals like the Green New Deal that would raise energy prices and harm an already-ailing economy. These Republican nut jobs never explain why the nations largest utility companies are racing to build solar power plants and wind farms if their cost of producing electricity is so much higher. In what alternate universe do these people live? Do they ever spend two seconds asking themselves if the venomous words dripping from their lips are true?

All around the world, people are noticing the skies are clearer than they were before as a result of lower carbon emissions during the coronavirus shutdowns and they like what they see. The Republicans claim the only way to keep the skies clear is to destroy the economy. Horse puckey! Any number of climate advocates say the Green New Deal, the transition to renewable energy, and the EV revolution will create millions of well-paying employment opportunities in the US and around the world.

So what are Republicans scared of? Among other things, they worry their primary source of campaign contributions will dry up as the fossil fuel industry declines. They are more concerned with self preservation than doing their job, which is representing the best interest of the people they work for. Many years ago, Jack Kennedy wrote a book called Profiles In Courage, in which he lauded political leaders who made hard choices that benefited the country even when doing so went against their own self interest.

What we have today is a bunch of entitled whiners who think staying in power is more important than anything else, especially governing. If they wrote a book, it would be called Perspectives In Cowardice. The conundrum is that Republicans have taught themselves to loathe government. That compels them to become part of it so they can blow it up from inside, something the Cowardly Liar of Pennsylvania Avenue has done at every opportunity. Rather than lead, he lashes out at every target he can think of China, WHO, Europe, NATO, Iran, and Nancy Pelosi being only the top items on a very long list. Sociopaths are never wrong and never feel the slightest concern for the suffering of others.

The Republicans line of attack is going to be that the Democrats are trying to create a massive Green New Deal thats going to create a lot of spending at a time when we just cant afford that, Ron Bonjean, a veteran Republican operative, tells the New York Times. Hes right in one sense. After the Republicans are done ladling out money to help their friends like the $55 million that went to prop up two private aircraft companies, whose owners are big contributors to Republicans, and $1.5 trillion tax cuts for the the wealthy there wont be much money left over for other things like providing access to healthcare for all Americans, even those who cant trace their roots back to northern Europe.

Mark Jacobson of Stanford has published several treatises about how renewable energy can lower global carbon emissions and create millions of jobs. Heres a synopsis of his findings:

Global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity are three of the greatest problems facing humanity. To address these problems, we develop Green New Deal energy roadmaps for 143 countries. The roadmaps call for a 100% transition of all-purpose business-as-usual (BAU) energy to wind-water-solar (WWS) energy, efficiency, and storage by 2050 with at least 80% by 2030. Our studies on grid stability find that the countries, grouped into 24 regions, can match demand exactly from 2050 to 2052 with 100% WWS supply and storage. We also derive new cost metrics. Worldwide, WWS energy reduces end-use energy by 57.1%, aggregate private energy costs from $17.7 to $6.8 trillion/year (61%), and aggregate social (private plus health plus climate) costs from $76.1 to $6.8 trillion/year (91%) at a present value capital cost of $73 trillion. WWS energy creates 28.6 million more long-term, full-time jobs than BAU energy and needs only 0.17% and 0.48% of land for new footprint and spacing, respectively. Thus, WWS requires less energy, costs less, and creates more jobs than does BAU.

Here are few things to note. One, he and his colleagues say the transition to zero carbon energy will be expensive, about $73 trillion. Wow! Thats a lot of money! Shouldnt we run and tell the king? Thats what Republicans would do. But if you look at his plan as an investment, it more than pays for itself. Jacobson says fuel cost will decrease by about $10 trillion a year. Right there, his plan pays for itself in just a decade. But wait. Theres more. The indirect social costs from lower sea levels, less drought, better health outcomes for people, and the like will drop by nearly $70 trillion a year.

Hello? Is anyone listening? Doing nothing will cost many times more than doing something. And, Jacobson says, a clean energy revolution will add almost 30 million more jobs worldwide than continuing on with the business as usual model we have now. This is a no-brainer, people. If someone told you a $100,000 investment in your property would save you $10,000 a year forever, you would take that deal in a heartbeat, wouldnt you?. So why arent people lining up to support Jacobsons plan?

Because some very wealthy people and powerful corporations dont like what it will do their bottom line. For this the world should suffer? And yet for reasons that are inexplicable, ordinary people with functioning brains insist on voting for people who wouldnt pour water on them if they were on fire. Why is that?

Its because Republicans, with an assist from Faux News, are very, very good at telling lies over and over again. They insist that any government policies that makes life better for ordinary people are socialism and socialism is what led Castro, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Josef Stalin, and other monsters to exterminate millions of their own citizens. I had a workman in my home recently who had fled Cuba in the 60s, and he told me explicitly that the Green New Deal would lead to the assassination of many Americans because thats what happened in Cuba when Castro came to power.

Come on, America. You know better than to swallow this codswallop. If COVID-19 has taken a sledgehammer to the economy, climate change will take a wrecking ball to it. We could learn much from rereading The Three Little Pigs. We have built an economy of straw and it is going to get clobbered by climate change in the not too distant future.

We need to take intelligent steps to build a stronger, more resilient economy starting today. Lets stop believing the nattering nabobs of negativism. America has always been strongest when it looks forward, not backward. Lets stop looking in the mirror and plan for a stable, sustainable future instead.

Tags: economic impact of climate change, green new deal, mark jacobson

Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his homes in Florida and Connecticut or anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. You can follow him onTwitter but not on any social media platforms run by evil overlords like Facebook.

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Lies Republicans Tell Themselves And You About The Green New Deal - CleanTechnica