The Electoral College Stinks

The Electoral College Stinks

If we want real democracy in this country we need to get rid of the Electoral College

The Electoral College Stinks

Support the National Popular Vote compact, it makes sense if you believe in democracy.

By D. S. Mitchell

Losing While Winning

I believe whoever wins the most votes should become president of the United States. Unfortunately, with the Electoral College system that is not what happens. Twice in the last five elections the candidate that became president of the United States lost the popular vote. Donald Trump, won by less than 80,000 votes in four key electoral college states. He simultaneously lost the national popular vote by nearly 3 million votes. That means the guy who came in second was elected in 2016 (Trump), 2000 (Bush), 1888 (Harrison), 1876 (Hayes), and 1824 (J.Q. Adams), thereby altering history. Does anyone doubt that a Hillary Clinton presidency would have looked very different than the Trump presidency that we got.

The GOP Solution

The Electoral College system has become a powerful tool for the Republicans in their effort to lock in one party control of government. Elie Mystal, in an Editorial from a couple of years back, in The Nation magazine, wrote the GOP’s ultimate solution to the country’s changing demographics is to “forge a new theory of government where the rule by a white minority can withstand the popular will.” The nature of that effort was clear during Trump’s first impeachment trial. Republicans desperate to acquit Trump married themselves to a group of discredited legal theories, perhaps appropriate in a banana republic, but certainly not fitting for one of the world’s longest surviving democracies. The Senators embraced a view of executive power and privilege, that ultimately denies our democracy and anoints a king; which coincidently meshes nicely with Trump’s “permanent immunity claims.”

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12 Reasons Trump Was A Flop & Joe’s Not

OPINION:

12 Reasons Trump Was A Flop & Joe’s Not

Joe Biden won the largest victory in U.S. history

OPINION:

12 Reasons Trump Was A Flop & Joe’s Not

By Anna Hessel with Wes Hessel

We are admitted President Joe Biden supporters. We just wanted to take a couple minutes to thank Joe for not being Donald Trump and point out 12 reasons Trump was a flop and Joe’s not.

COVID Catastrophe

  1. COVID was out of control during the Donald‘s limp excuse for a presidency. He denied the severity of the illness, having fired the pandemic preparedness team put in place by the Obama-Biden administration. Millions died, the economy shut down; life was on hold, and we all suffered. Once President Joe Biden was sworn in he immediately arranged for free vaccines, free COVID tests, and we all received the highest amount of stimulus payments since COVID began. He  instituted a needed mask mandate during the first portion of his administration to arrest the spread of the disease. Now, although COVID still exists, it is far less severe, now it is closer to the flu that the Republicans claimed it was, when it was actually deadly. Life is finally nearly normal again. Thank you, President Joe Biden.

The Real Illegal

  1. Jack Smith currently has Trump federally indicted, facing thirty-seven counts in the (1)stolen documents case, not to mention the recent (2)guilty verdict in E. Jean Carroll‘s civil defamation and sexual abuse case, and (3) AG Alvin Bragg in NY city is after him for the Stormy Daniels payoff. (4) Latitia James the NY state AG has filed a $250 million dollar civil suit against Trump, family and company alleging wide spread fraud. (5) Fani Willis, Fulton County, Georgia, DA is amassing evidence for her looming criminal election interference case against the former president, indictments expected in August 2023. And, (6) Jack Smith again, looks like he has been busy investigating the January 6th events orchestrated by Trump. And if that’s not enough to keep Trump busy there is (7) Jack Smith‘s fake electors investigation.
  2. Trump instigated an insurrection. Trump invited the insurrection because he didn’t want to let go of power. He couldn’t admit he was a loser. No other president in history has done anything like this. In the United States; the loser steps aside for the victor.

The People Have Spoken

  1. President Biden received more votes than any other presidential candidate in history, yet Trump is still claiming the election was stolen from him. He tried to claim victory before the votes were even counted. Trump tried to discredit or invalidate the votes of 80 million Americans.

An A– And Class

  1. Forty-five decided to skip President Biden’s inauguration. Trump left his vice president to attend, skulking out of D.C. like the coward he is.
  2. The Donald held up a Bible he does not read in front of a church he does not attend. To worsen the image, he held the Bible upside down. Joe Biden, however, went to church before he was inaugurated, and said a sincere prayer during his inaugural address.
  3. Trump wanted to waste taxpayers’ money on dictator-style military parades, but Uncle Joe is a military serviceman’s father and placed wreaths and flowers on graves.
  4. Forty-five gave our nation the first staple in her belly button first woman. Silicon free, Mrs. Biden is a beautiful, gracious, an accomplished educator with a doctorate in education. There is no comparison between the two. Notice I was unable to use the word ladies here, since I only consider Dr. Biden a lady. President Biden is also responsible for the first female Vice President Kamala Harris, a woman of color and class. Our First Gentleman, Doug Imhoff, is a fine man of Jewish faith, strong in a world of sickening anti-Semitism.
  5. During the Trump regime, there was rioting in the streets, a global pandemic, and rampant racism, not to mention sexism and other blatant discrimination, but Joe Biden respects all races, all religions, all genders, and all sexual preferences equally. Joe served as second in command under our first black President, they helped to make America great together. Saving the auto industry and passing the ACA (Obamacare) health care bill are just two of their very many outstanding accomplishments. Joe also respects women – our President is responsible for the Violence Against Women Act. Forty five “grabs ‘em by the p—-“.
  6. The Bidens have have been married nearly 45 years – Joe is a widower who has loved wholly two women, separately, never cheating on either; Trump has committed adultery on a number of occasions yet the right wing “Christians” worship the Donald; as a liberal Christian, I worship God, and respect President Biden. These same Trumpster lemmings have overturned reproductive freedom, when in fact many of these men impregnate women without any responsibility, expecting them to carry pregnancies, and raise children with no support at all. A child should never be abused by circumstance, that’s not pro-life. It does take a village to raise a child for eighteen years, which “pro-birth” Republicans don’t want to acknowledge.

The Right Way, Not The Right-Wing Way

  1. The Donald is strongly supported by the far right gun lobby. Joe is all about sensible gun laws, against assault rifles, and a proponent of universal background checks. With gun violence destroying families and neighborhoods we need a man like President Biden to end the slaughter.
  2. Forty-five’s dictator buddy, Vladimir Putin has declared war on the Ukraine, and invaded a sovereign country for no legitimate reason. While Trump is hiding out in his bunker, our President is visiting the Ukraine because he is a man of compassion and courage. It makes no sense to me why President Biden’s approval rating is between 41-49% depending on the poll, in my view he saved the country. He ran against 45, beat him handily thus stopping the Trump madness. I can go to church, the library, the hairdresser, theaters, shopping for groceries, no longer having to shelter in place or, in most cases, wear a mask anymore in public. Unemployment is at a low, and most of our nation has medical care, not just a moneyed few. America is back working and thriving. The war in the Ukraine, and the Chinese economic collapse has caused inflation; President Biden does not set gas or food prices, he is trying his best to rebuild our economy. America’s welcoming arms are open wide again. Our nations citizens are working, living once again without fear of a deadly pandemic. We are back in the Paris Climate Agreement, the threat of climate change’s potential future devastation recognized, because we have a President that listens to science while still trusting the Lord. I personally thank God for President Biden. He has my full endorsement for his re-election campaign. My spouse and myself, we are a proud Biden-Harris household. God bless our President and God bless America…Go to Biden Victory Fund and support Joe and Kamala with some hard cash to build a better America.

HUMOR: Let’s Find Something To Smile About

 HUMOR: Let’s Find Something To Smile About

Times are tough, sometimes you just need to make time to smile

HUMOR: Let’s Find Something To Smile About

By D.S. Mitchell

 

Back At the Computer

I am back at the computer working on a new post for my www.calamitynewsandpolitics.com website.  Before I started this website, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough to scream about, but I’m finding that I could probably do half a dozen posts a day related to the B.S. and dangerous misinformation but I thought, before I start a fresh rant on the collapse of American democracy and other issues of importance to Western Civilization I should deliver something positive and uplifting.

So, dear hearts here are twenty-five things to make you smile:

  1. Touching toes in the night
  2. Sunsets over water
  3. Wraparound sunglasses
  4. The Science channel
  5. Kite flying contests
  6. The Muppets
  7. Astronauts on Mars
  8. Blowing the paper wrapper off the straw
  9. Winning at Poker
  10. A dog’s cold nose on your hand
  11. Barhopping on a Saturday night
  12. Old jeans that fit just right
  13. Your lover’s voice
  14. The clatter of skis being loaded for vacation
  15. The rumble of a train as it passes
  16. Walking in the rain
  17. The imagination of a six year old
  18. Margaritas at midnight (or any time, for that matter)
  19. Finishing the Sunday crossword without cheating
  20. A morning walk
  21. The smell of a new car
  22. Roller skating
  23. Your First grade teacher
  24. A sexy book
  25. Daddy’s smile

Back to the Fight

Now that we’ve had five minutes of smiles its time to get back to the fight. We have lots of work to do; stop the relentless gun violence, end state’s whittling away of our voting rights, stop anti-democratic gerrymandering that provides power to those who do not have voter support. We must halt the actions of John Robert’s  monumentally corrupt Supreme Court. Time to impeach Clarence Thomas and any other Justice that is in bed with the billionaires. And closest to my heart, the restoration of a woman’s right to choose, by the codification of Roe. We can do it all, we just need boots on the ground working toward these goals. Join the fight for democracy.

OPINION: Stop Voter Suppression

OPINION: Stop Voter Suppression

Voter suppression and subversion is nothing new

OPINION:

Stop Voter Suppression 

Election Subversion & Suppression: dilution of voter’s Influence

 

By William Jones and D. S. Mitchell

Look to the Constitution

The U.S. Constitution defines who is eligible to vote. For example, you must be a U.S. citizen over 18 years of age to vote. Each person can vote only once in a given election. Pretty straight forward stuff.

To Clarify

Voter fraud means ineligible votes get counted (ex. husband votes for Trump using dead wife’s mail-in ballot.) Voter suppression refers to any effort to prevent eligible voters from being allowed to vote.(ex. politicians divide up congressional districts to benefit their own political party, diluting the opponents impact at the ballot box.) Any manipulation of the vote goes against the democratic ideal.

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David Shadrick “Ponders The Future Of The GOP”

David Shadrick “Ponders The Future Of The GOP”

Dave is ba-a-a-c-c-k-k! In this week’s videocast Dave takes a look at the GOP. The GOP has over the last several years identified itself with white supremacists, big money, voter suppression,  and an anti-government movement. How much longer can a political party supporting such an offensive platform continue as a viable force in U.S. politics.

OPINION: Watching Democracy Die

OPINION:

Watching Democracy Die

By D. S. Mitchell

Wisconsin Outrage

Television images captured thousands of voters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin standing in three block long lines, face masks in place, showered intermittently with hail and rain, risking exposure to COVID-19; to exercise their right to vote. This did not need to happen. This should not have happened. Voting should not be an obstacle course. Voting should be one of the easiest things, we as citizens, ever do. It should be as easy as licking an envelope. The vote by mail push is meeting stiff resistance from the far right, particularly from Donald Trump. The politicians fear it would endanger their grip on power. Republicans in Wisconsin, and other states have used voter suppression to shrink the electorate and limit access to the polls for decades.

Anger

I was disgusted at the sight of what was happening in Wisconsin. Furious to my core. So angry, I was crying. Tears are not always shed in weakness, or defeat. Some tears are a physical manifestation of a rage so great that when held back can lead to plate smashing, door slamming, and window breaking. At other times tears are shed because the injustice of events is beyond the understanding of the human heart. In 2018, according to the Brennan Center For Justice “17 million Americans, or 8% of the nation’s electorate, were removed from voting rolls.” The clear intent was to deny particular segments of the population the right to vote.

The Whigs

In the first days of our country there was no such thing as voter registration; white men just showed up and voted. In the mid 1800’s voter registration laws began to emerge. These laws, were designed to limit participation, not encourage involvement.  One of the first voter registration laws in the country was written by New York state Whigs. The Whigs wanted to limit the voting power of Irish Catholic voters in New York City. The Irish were mostly Democratic party voters. But, the Whigs had a plan, and the legislative power to suppress the power of the growing Irish Catholic vote.

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The Electoral College Problem

The Electoral College Problem

By D. S. Mitchell

Losing While Winning

I believe whoever wins the most popular votes should become president of the United States. Unfortunately, with the Electoral College system that is not what happens. Twice in the last five elections the candidate that became president of the United States lost the popular vote. Donald Trump, won by less than 80,000 votes in four key electoral college states. He simultaneously lost the national popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.

The GOP Solution

The Electoral College system has become a tool for the Republicans in their effort to lock in one party control of government. Elie Mystal in a recent editorial in The Nation magazine wrote the GOP solution to changing demographics is to “forge a new theory of government where the rule by a white minority can withstand the popular will”. The nature of that effort was clear during Trump’s recent impeachment trial. Republicans desperate to acquit Trump wrapped their arms around a group of discredited legal theories. The Senators embraced a view of executive power and privilege, that ultimately denies our democracy and anoints a king.

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The Efforts to Curtail Voting Rights

Voting in America is far from guaranteed

Voting in America is far from guaranteed

The Efforts to Curtail Voting Rights 

By Jones William & D.S. Mitchell

Fundamentals

Voting is fundamental to our democracy. The right to vote however has been the target for disenfranchisement since the founding of the country. Our Constitution (before amendments) does not clearly stipulate who can vote. In the early years state legislators voted for the president.

Another Amendment

From the beginning many of the states used every means available to limit voting. At the origin of the United States, many groups, including slaves, landless white men, women and free blacks could not vote. But many  amendments to the Constitution (XV, XVII, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXVI) significantly expanded voting rights and other political freedoms to previously unprotected groups.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

The passage of multiple constitutional amendments was geared towards enhancing voting rights for all citizens. The federal government was spearheading the expansion of voting rights throughout the United States. Numerous states, particularly the states of the old confederacy, habitually passed laws that did not specifically bar black citizens from voting but placed unrealistic burdens on them. Poll taxes and “guess how many beans are in the jar” kinds of absurdities. For that reason, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was introduced and President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law.

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