This week in progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching. Inclusion of a diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement or endorsement of its contents.
At Washington Liberals, DavidSpring writes—Is the 2016 Washington State Legislature the Most Corrupt Legislature in History?
When one uses the term “corruption” one is likely to think of big states like Texas or Florida or Illinois with all of their bribery and kickback schemes. In this article, we will provide a few examples of why the Washington state legislature may be not only one of the most corrupt legislatures in the nation – but one of the most corrupt legislatures in the history of our nation.
Exhibit #1: The only state legislature in history to repeatedly ignore a Contempt Citation from their State Supreme Court Both New Jersey and Arizona Supreme Courts found their legislatures had failed to comply with their state constitutions to fund public schools. In both cases, the legislatures acted by actually increasing funding for schools. However, the Washington state legislature has basically told our Washington Supreme Court to “shove it.” [...]
Exhibit #3: Washington state has the most unfair state tax system in the nation A 2015 national study found that while the poor and middle class in Washington state pay on average 12% of more in state taxes, billionaires in Washington state pay only 2% in state taxes. The richer you are in Washington State, the less you pay in taxes
At Blog for Arizona, AZ BlueMeanie writes—The GOP has created a monster it cannot control:
Donald Trump is essentially a Twitter troll who insults anyone whom challenges his sense of superior breeding and privilege of great wealth. The New York Times has actually stooped to reporting “The Donald’s” trolling on Twitter as legitimate news. Introducing the Upshot’s Encyclopedia of Donald Trump’s Twitter Insults; Donald Trump’s Twitter Insults: The Complete List (So Far). How sad for the NY Times.
Dennis Prager at National Review has cataloged Donald Trump’s F-Bombs on the campaign trail, and laments that “the words render him unfit to be a presidential candidate, let alone president.”
Just before the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday “the Donald” called Iowa Caucus winner Sen. Ted Cruz a “pussy.” Donald Trump repeats crowd member’s Ted Cruz insult: ‘He’s a pussy.’
It is no mystery where his behavior comes from. “Donald Trump is a ‘WrestleMania’ institution,” and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Donald Trump and WWE – Rolling Stone; WWE.com. Trump’s act is the stock and trade of fake wrestling.
At Intelligent Discontent of Montana, Don Pogreba writes—Congressman Zinke’s Sexist Stunt About Women Serving in the Military:
Last week, Congressman Ryan Zinke offered a bill that would require women to register for Selective Service after the Secretary of Defense opens all combat positions to women serving in the armed forces. By his own admission, the bill is little more than a stunt, one designed, he says, to generate “an open and honest discussion” about the issue.Montana press accounts of the proposal offered little context about the bill, not including any analysis from the Pentagon about the role of women in combat, nor a deeper look at Congressman Zinke’s troubling sexism.
While Zinke tried to praise women in the military in his remarks, his assertion that integrating women into front-line positions was “reckless and dangerous” is part of a pattern of sexist remarks that diminish the role of women and suggest they lack the strength to serve in the armed forces. Speaking to his base in the right-wing Washington Free Beacon, Zinke offered a little more context for his views, saying:
Zinke draws the line at the infantry, saying it is a different area that is unforgiving of even slight disadvantages. An overwhelming majority of special operations forces opposed the idea of integrating women into their teams, though they have long worked with women through cultural support teams, which accompany special operators on missions to gather intelligence and work with Afghan women on the ground. “They do great work and are very professional, but that doesn’t mean they should be the ones kicking in doors or clearing a room,” Zinke said. “Not everyone is going to be a lineman and that’s alright. You need wide receivers, too.”
Those arguments almost exactly parallel the claims made to keep African-Americans out of combat operations past World War 2 and the patronizing sexism that kept women out of physically and intellectually demanding jobs for centuries. And any woman who has the skills and desire to clean rooms or kick down doors has the same damn right to do it as any man.
At CenLamar of Louisiana, Lamar White Jr. writes—The Jindal Hangover:
Two days after Mardi Gras, newly-elected Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards sobered up the state in a speech televised statewide and, in so doing, dispelled any notion that his predecessor, Bobby Jindal, should ever be considered “one of the best governors in America.” As a direct result of Jindal’s negligence and blind allegiance to Grover Norquist’s draconian anti-taxation platform, the new governor and the state’s dysfunctional and increasingly radicalized legislature must now, somehow, figure out a way to immediately plug a $940 million deficit. Oh and then, they’re going to need to solve an additional $2 billion shortfall projected for next year.
On Thursday night, Gov. Edwards reminded Louisianians what exactly was at stake: College scholarships for 50,000 students; health care for disabled children, the elderly, and the indigent; the future of public higher education in all corners of the state; and most importantly to many, the survival of LSU football.
None of this will be easy.
Hours before Gov. Edwards went on air, Americans for Prosperity, the Orwellian-sounding organization founded and funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, revealed the findings of their most recent poll: Taxes are unpopular in Louisiana. Surprise, surprise. [...]
We should all be clear and honest: The Jindal experiment failed.
Louisiana should no longer be considered the laboratory for disaster capitalism.
At Burnt Orange Report of Texas, Genevieve Cato writes—Strange, Paternalistic Sexism in the Race for House District 124:
While most eyes are on the national stage this primary season, many Texans will have the opportunity to vote in local primaries when they head to the polls once early voting starts next week. In a handful of these races, progressive incumbents are facing challengers. One of those incumbents is State Representative Ina Minjarez.
Minjarez joined the Texas Legislature mid-session after a special election to replace Jose Menendez, when he won the runoff to move to the upper chamber as a State Senator. Though the timing of the election meant that Minjarez would not be able to file any legislation on her own, she immediately began identifying opportunities to stand up for her values and her community. As a co-author and joint-sponsor of over 60 bills, Minjarez was able to make her mark in a highly partisan legislative session.
Not one to sit on the sidelines, Minjarez was quick to ask questions and engage with other lawmakers on the House floor. With 30 days left in session, she made the most of her ability to ask tough questions and take hard votes in committee and push back against conservative lawmakers like Jonathan Stickland.
Minjarez is back on the campaign trail and has attracted one challenger: Sergio Contreras. Little is known about Contreras, who doesn’t have a website and has received little to no media coverage to shed light on his platform or values. He does, however, have a Facebook page – one that he uses to wax poetic about why his opponent shouldn’t be running.
At Blue Jersey, deciminyan writes—No Schadenfreude:
Chris Christie is not a good person. He puts his personal ambition ahead of the needs of the people who chose him to lead the Garden State. He doles out favors to his friends, cares little about the poor and even less about equal rights for women and gay citizens.
But I don’t rejoice in his fall from grace. Sure – I’m happy that he won’t be our president and look forward to the day when he’s no longer our governor. But he’s still a human being. A man with a spouse and kids who seems to be doing a good job on that front. Thanks to his wife’s income, the Christie family will never have to worry about putting food on the table or getting proper medical care. He himself will take advantage of his tenure in Trenton and earn big bucks as a lobbyist or Fox “News” talking head.
Maybe he’ll learn some humility by his trouncing last night. I doubt it. Maybe he’ll attempt to build some sort of legacy in his remaining time as governor by embracing the views of a majority of New Jerseyans who did not dig deep enough when making their choice who to vote for. I doubt that, too.
Some people run for office to make things better for the people. Clearly, Bernie Sanders falls into this category. Others, like Christie, run for the power and trappings of the office. Those who lose suffer a big blow to their egos. But they’re all human beings and someone has to lose. I feel relief in Christie’s fall from grace, but no joy.
At Eclectablog of Michigan, Eclectablog writes—GOP senator who claimed “We can’t make an African American white” accused of assault on former Lt. Gov. candidate Lisa Brown:
Michigan State Senator Marty Knollenberg made the headlines last December when, during a Senate Education Committee hearing, he explained that we can’t fix Detroit schools because “We can’t make an African American white.”
“You mentioned why these schools fail,” he said at the hearing. “You mention the economically disadvantaged and non-white population are contributors to that. And, you know, we can’t fix THAT! We can’t make an African American white.[grins] It is what it is. So we can’t fix that.”
Having already established himself as a racist, Knollenberg has now made it clear that he’s also a misogynist. At a post-State of the County Address event in Oakland County, Knollenberg tried to speak with County Clerk Lisa Brown. She declined and tried to walk away but Knollenberg grabbed her arm, squeezing it painfully, and not letting go until others intervened ...
At MN Progressive Project, Dog Gone writes—Another one gone, and another one gone — ARE THERE any serious GOP candidates?
A few more candidates have dropped out, Fiorina and Christie. The shelf of candidates on the right have been singularly shallow, none of them really have great depth, and all of them have serious “oppo” material that would be a detriment to their candidacies the same way the ‘47% are takers’ and his record of exporting jobs hurt Romney (and some, worse than what properly came out about Romney).
For example, it would not surprise me to find that Trump had shafted plenty of veterans and their families, like those former casino employees who lost their health care and retirement funds in the failure of his New Jersey casinos – contrasted with Trump exploiting veterans for political advantage with his fund raising stunt while dodging the Iowa debates. Trump has no history of supporting veterans or of acting on veterans issues, which makes his recent actions at best specious and suspicious. While I would regard anything coming from Pete Hegseth, failed Minnesota right wing nut candidate, now on the payroll of the Koch brothers as a political activist, the criticism that Trump has no new ideas for veterans, no past advocacy for veterans, and is not serious when it comes to his policies for veterans is pretty much on target. And that is just one example of many possible oppo issues that could sink Trump in a general election with voters – including his low information supporters who don’t really know who he is, but are swayed by style / attitude, over substance.
I would argue that neither one has ever been a serious contender to be the presidential nominee for the GOP – and neither have the others who dropped out (left or right).
At Uppity Wisconsin, Steve Hanson writes—The Clairvoyance of Rebecca Bradley:
Justice Rebecca Bradley is one of the candidates for Supreme Court Justice in Tuesday's primary election. Her rather rapid advance through the court system hierarchy has been largely the responsibility of Governer Walker, as she has been appointed by him three times, most recently to the state Supreme Court. Past experience with the governor's atititude toward the courts suggests that he is somewhat less interested in fairness than in getting conservative outcomes.
The upcoming election is partly a refer[e]endum on whether her appointment to the Supreme Court was the right decision, or if another judge may have been better suited. A recent decision by the State Supreme Court throws some light on whether Bradley will be a fair and impartial judge, or if she will join the current group of conservative judges on the court who generally vote together on any issue.
The recent decision in State of Wisconsin v. Charles V. Matalonis (link is external) is to my mind a peculiar decision. In this case the court ruled 4-3 that in this case a warrant was not needed for a house search that resulted in a marijuana bust because the police were working as community caretakers at the time that they searched the house. This seems a big stretch, as it would mean that warrantless searches can occur if the police believe they are working in a community caretaker role rather than investigating a crime. Clearly police serve both roles, but they really should be able to make up their minds which they are doing at any given time. In any case, in this instance it appears that the police were acting beyond their roles as caretakers, which even Justice Prosser saw while writing his own dissent.
Even more disturbing to me, Justice Bradley voted with the majority in this case even though she did not hear the original arguments of the trial. Is this the sort of "interpreting the law rather than inventing it" that she is promising?
At Plunderbund of Ohio, John Michael Spinelli writes—Ask Not For Whom The Polls Toll, John Kasich, They Toll For Thee:
It will be a great relief for Plunderbund readers, who have followed the long interment of Ohio’s crusty governor in the open grave he’s dug for himself over the past five years, to finally dance on it after he gets buried alive Tuesday by New Hampshire voters.
Move action hero and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is backing John Kasich, calling him a “Terminator” because he “doesn’t feel fear or pain and can take a beating without stopping,” The Register-Herald reported. “This is you. You are the Terminator,” Schwarzenegger said by phone. If current polling in New Hampshire is accurate, Ohio’s cyborg governor will likely be terminated soon. [...]
Make no mistake, Gov. Kasich’s Super PAC is run by members of his close-knit kitchen cabinet, so any official distance between them and him only exists in theory. New Day for America, John Kasich’s Super PAC, started airing a television ad Thursday that attacks his GOP opponents as mudslingers. While the ad may be mostly aimed at Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who finished third in Iowa last Monday and is rising fast in New Hampshire, it mucks up four other Republicans competing with Kasich for the hearts and minds in the Granite State.
At Scrutiny Hooligans of North Carolina, Tom Sullivan writes—Experience: 0 percent:
President George W. Bush was not a mistake. The conservative movement worked for decades to put him there, or someone else just like him. That movement conservatives didn’t like it when they got what they wanted seems not to have sunk in.
“Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem,” Ronald Reagan declared in his first inaugural address. The movement had its marching orders and set off double time. By the end of the Reagan years, Rush Limbaugh had arrived to bring the message daily into millions of households across the country. It was a Two Minutes Hate that lasted for hours. By the mid-nineties it was, “America Held Hostage: Day (Number of days in Clinton’s term).” Government is the problem. Government cannot be trusted. Put us Republicans in charge and we’ll prove it. They did.
Even after the September 11 attacks, it persisted. Only now we were a country with a case of collective PTSD (that has yet to subside). Bush was president when the towers fell, but somehow it was not “on his watch.” Then he and Dick Cheney lied the country into invading Iraq where the promised WMDs never appeared. They proved the case that government is the problem. Despite the fact that many a good conservative will never admit error — Conservatism never fails; it can only be failed — conservatives knew they’d been had. The sense that the government cannot do anything right (except kick other country’s asses) deepened.
Then a frustrated but hopeful American public elected a black president. The economy collapsed from financial fraud of biblical proportions and Wall Street got a bailout, yet the “malefactors of great wealth” never faced justice. They showered in gold while turning families out into the street and the only trickle down was to grasping politicians. Mission accomplished. Reagan’s case was made. The nativists grew restless.
And here we are. One of their kind, Donald Trump, has won the Republican primary in New Hampshire and appears on track to win the Republican nomination for president in 2016. With zero percent experience as a legislator or in government service.
At Voice of OC of California, Garry Brown writes—Coastkeeper: Don’t Let Our Coastline Fall Victim to Politics and Corporate Greed:
In its pristine condition, our 1,100 miles of California coastline powers our economy and makes life as a Californian something rare and special.
By popular vote in 1972, Californians approved the California Coastal Act which established the California Coastal Commission, deciding that our coast’s sustained value to all people, for generations, was far more valuable than its worth as development sites sold to private entities. Every year since, California’s coastal real estate has increased in value as our nation’s less protected and developed coastlines have depreciated. This rise in value is paired with increasing potential profits for any corporation who can break our legacy of coastal protection.
Recently, a behind-the-scenes effort has been exposed to fire Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission Dr. Charles Lester. Why? Dr. Lester stands in the way of a number of highly lucrative coastal development projects. Corporate interests are trying to seize control of the Coastal Commission and thus the control of the California people’s coast. We can stop them. [...]
Firing the current executive director in favor of someone collaborating with and funded by corporate interests makes the power grab swift and quiet. This is the chosen strategy of the appointed Commissioners and their many developer backers.
Editor’s Note: Lester was fired Wednesday in a 7-5 vote by the commission—MB
At Progress Illinois, Ellyn Fortino writes—State Commission Presses Illinois Leaders To Invest $4 Billion In African-American Communities:
As the state budget impasse continues into its eighth month, the executive director of a state commission said African Americans in Illinois are in "a state of emergency."
Speaking Tuesday morning during a press conference at the Thompson Center, the leader of the Illinois African American Family Commission (IAAFC) urged Gov. Bruce Rauner and state lawmakers to redirect $4 billion in public funds, or approximately 15 percent of the state's budget, to African-American communities "to repair the harm done as a result of Illinois' budget crisis."
"Now eight months without a state budget, our communities are left with little to no services," said Michael Holmes, executive director of the state-mandated IAAFC, which works to "facilitate partnerships between government entities and communities to ensure a safe, healthy and secure environment" for African Americans across Illinois.
IAAFC, he said, "is calling on the governor and the General Assembly to reinvest in black neighborhoods."