July 30, 2019

The difference between 'left' and 'liberal' and why voters need to know.

https://theconversation.com/the-difference-between-left-and-liberal-and-why-voters-need-to-know-120273

According to press accounts, all of the Democratic contenders taking the stage this week rank on a spectrum of more or less “liberal.”

They don’t.

While most are liberal, two or three are leftist, not liberal. It’s important that voters start distinguishing between those terms because the primary presents them a stark choice between the two.

Leftism and liberalism are distinct political categories with different histories. Understanding the problem of fusing them requires a quick tour of British history from around 1845 to 1980 with just a few stops along the way to the U.S. in 2019.

......

Interesting article and well worth reading.

July 21, 2019

A great way to hobble 45 is by going after his attorneys.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/heres-how-lawyers-enabling-trumps-obstruction-can-have-their-livelihoods-stripped-from-them-by-anyone/

(original story on The Daily Beast is behind a paywall)

....

According to Brad Miller, who represented North Carolina in Congress between 2003 and 2013, the way in which former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment was handled — and the penalty he eventually received — is a road map for legal retaliation even if Democrats in Congress won’t do it.

Pointing out the numerous lawyers in the Trump administration who have refused to comply with subpoenas and answer lawmaker’s questions, Miller suggests formal complaints can be lodged with the Bar that can lead to disciplinary action or even disbarment.

....

According to the ex-lawmaker, a referral to the Bar need not come from Congress — it can come from anyone.

“Who can file a grievance with the District of Columbia Bar,” he wrote. “All God’s children. Members of the House OGR [Oversight] Committee can; the lawyers in the citizenship question lawsuit can; anyone can.”

***********

This includes going after AG Barr who is licensed in Virginia

July 21, 2019

If you were told by a MAGAt to leave if you don't like it, how would you respond?

My response would go something like this; "If you didn't think America was great when you voted in Nov/2016, why didn't you leave then?

July 12, 2019

Harvard's Laurence Tribe says the census fight is not over.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/harvard-laws-laurence-tribe-warns-the-census-fight-isnt-over-heres-the-new-way-trump-wants-to-rig-elections-for-a-decade/

...

But as Harvard Law professor and constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe warned, the fight is not over. In fact, the seeds of Trump’s next, and possibly even worse, scheme to rig American democracy was hidden in Trump’s announcement of his alternate proposal for collecting citizenship data.

“Some states may want to draw state and local legislative districts based upon the voter eligible population,” said Trump. “Indeed, the same day the Supreme Court handed down the census decision, it also said it would not review certain types of districting decisions, which could encourage states to make such decisions based on voter eligibility.”

This meaning is clear: Trump’s purpose in collecting citizenship data is to encourage states to draw districts based on the “voter eligible population,” rather than the total population, which is historically how every state has done so. As Tribe explained, the consequences of that could be huge:

...

Evenwel v. Abbott was a Supreme Court decision in 2015, in which the justices unanimously ruled that it is constitutional for states to use the total population in legislative apportionment. Crucially though, the court did not rule that it was mandatory to do so — and Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito wrote that they believe states are free to choose to only count eligible voters if they wish. All of this hints that if GOP-controlled states decide to take up Trump on his suggestion and only count eligible voters for district lines, the federal courts will not stand in their way.

...

July 11, 2019

"Tropical Storm Barry" photos and maps

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/here-are-10-photos-and-maps-that-will-freak-you-out-about-tropical-storm-barry-headed-for-new-orleans/


This is some scary shit.

July 9, 2019

Federal Judge blocks DOJ attorneys from fleeing 2020 Census case after losing at the Supreme Court

Source: RawStory

On Monday, the DOJ attempted to bring in an entirely new slate of attorneys.

Judge Jesse Furman rejected almost all of the attempted move during an order released on Tuesday.

The judge said the motion by the DOJ was “patently deficient,” except in the case of two attorneys who were allowed to leave the case as they no longer work for the DOJ.

“Defendants provide no reason, let alone ‘satisfactory reasons’ for the substitution of counsel,” Furman wrote in his order.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/federal-judge-blocks-doj-attorneys-from-fleeing-2020-census-case-after-losing-at-the-supreme-court/