This week at 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. Here is the March 18 edition. Inclusion of a blog post does not necessarily indicate my agreement with—or endorsement of—its contents.
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Florence Snyder at SaintPetersBlog of Florida writes—Rape kits delayed is justice denied, Part 3:
In a few weeks or months, we will learn the name of the Volusia County woman who, in 1997, had the bad fortune to encounter one Robert Sheridan Haar.
Relying upon DNA evidence, police say Haar, 22 at the time, and two of his yet-unidentified predator pals abducted and gang raped her near Mud Lake in Daytona Beach. She was 14 years old.
To her attackers, she was just a piece of meat, a nameless target of opportunity. Today, Haar sits in a Wisconsin jail, awaiting the paperwork necessary to bring him back to Volusia County, thanks to what turned up in the 20-year-old rape kit of a nameless, helpless victim whose attackers figured they’d never see again. [...]
Haar had managed to keep his DNA out of a law enforcement database until 2016, which is, coincidentally, the first time that the 19-year-old rape kit for this victim was submitted for testing. [...]
Florida’s public officials love to talk tough on crime, but they won’t cough up the chump change it would take to clear the backlog of rape kits gathering dust as perps remain free to gather new victims. The number of untested rape kits now stands, roughly, at 6444.
It’s an embarrassment. It’s a disgrace.
Jason330 at Delaware Liberal writes—Delaware Democrats Blow It (again):
When your political party is deeply unpopular because it stands for nothing, and has no coherent brand identity, (Thanks, Carper! Thanks, John Carney!) you are starting out any special election 100 yards behind the starting line, wearing a 40-pound weight vest. So it is not surprising that the Democratic Party’s lackluster party and brand building claimed another special election victim, as Hosfelt (R), trounced Kreiner (D) in a race for the Kent County Levy Court seat vacated by Bradley Eaby.
The 2nd District has 21,029 registered voters — 10,045 Democrats, 5,626 Republicans and 5,358 other. Delaware Dems turned out a pitiful 660 voters (7%) to the DEGOP’s 1,107 (20%). Even if you assume that ALL of Kent County District 2’s “Other” voters are stealth Republicans, the GOP still turned out 3% more voters than the Democrats.
This result raises an important question, what the fuck are Kent County Democrats doing? Seriously… what the holy fuck is going on when in these days of political unrest the County party can’t muster up more than 660 voters?
John Peterson at Democurmudgeon of Wisconsin writes—John Oliver on Trump's America Busting Budget:
The best look at Trump's recently release morally bankrupt budget, what he thinks will make America great again (besides wearing his hat), is nicely delivered by John Oliver.
Funny thing, after I post Oliver's look at health care, right-wing trolls wondered "who the heck is John Oliver?" You mean the former reporter from the Daily Show...?
Tonight with John Oliver. He is the recipient of five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Writers Guild Awards
Eh, so what!
Here's Oliver's take of a CNN video clip of Trump's defense spending along side a long scrolling list of cuts:
Oliver: "You know what, it's sort of fitting the list of budget cuts scroll by like the end credits for America. Thanks for helping us out Agriculture Department, hope you find a gig with the next country that rises from our ashes."
Juanita Jean Herownself at Juanita Jean’s writes—And I’m a Jesus-Loving Law and Order Candidate:
McLennan County (think Waco) Commissioner Will Smith got a visit today by the Texas Rangers. It was not a social call and they brought handcuffs.
Commissioner Smith, who describes himself as “a lifelong Republican,” was indicted for offering a bribe to his opponent in the Republican primary.
His opponent in the Republican primary, Ben Matus, recalls —
“He was serious. He offered to pay me to drop out of the race,” Matus said at the time. “He kind of blindsided me. He told me I was wasting my time and money, and I kind of got agitated. It is my time and my money. He said it is a losing cause, but it made me want to run against him even more.”
Smith offered to “refund” Matus’ filing fee, which was $1,200. Matus turned him down.
Smith won and then took the oath of office, swearing that he did not offer any bribes to get there.
Jones said in January he doesn’t think his offer constitutes a bribe, calling it a “simple business transaction.”
Because that’s how Republicans do bidness in Texas.
Jim Fuglie at The Prairie Blog of North Dakota writes—How Long Will Trump Last? Make A Guess!
Okay, at first it was just a sly hint, a trickle of wishfulness, but it’s become a pretty serious subject of open discussion now, both on social media and on the street: How long do you think Trump will last as President?
Some say he’s going to commit an apparently impeachable offense, and Congress will go after him. If that’s the case, he has two choices: (1) to ride it out and hope to carry the day, with his mass of toothless supporters pressuring the House and Senate enough that they won’t convict him, or, (2) he just pulls a Nixon and goes away.
Others, me among them, think he’s just going to get tired of all the shit he has to put up with and he’s just going to take a hike, saying “I picked a really great vice president, and I think he’ll be a great president. He’ll finish the job of making America great again.” And then he’ll just quit.
Personally, I think that he was in it for the “deal,” to prove he could do it, but we all know that as soon as he finishes a deal, he just moves onto the next one. He never sticks around to do the grunt work it takes to actually make the deal work. He’s got “people” for that.
A staffer at ProgressNowNM writes—Ex-staffer: Gov. “not telling the truth” about her funds investigated by FBI:
Under penalty of perjury, Governor Martinez penned a multi-page sworn declaration defending her campaign manager and taking personal responsibility for every expenditure by her inaugural committee once under investigation by the US Department of Justice, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported this past weekend.
That statement likely influenced FBI and US Dept. of Justice investigators reviewing the expenditures of her inaugural funds in 2015, law enforcement sources say.
Now former staffers who raised funds and assisted in the transition and inauguration say Governor Martinez was not telling the truth in that statement.
At issue appear to be more than $57,000 Martinez said she made Jay McCleskey, her former campaign manager and advisor, take for inaugural services and how the committee spent hundreds-of-thousands of the almost $1 million they raised from private entities to interview candidates for cabinet appointments and Martinez official staff.
For her first inauguration, Martinez’s team raised almost $1 million from private entities, with almost half of that money coming from corporate donations exceeding $10,000 each. The inaugural committee, led by former Sen. Pete Domenici was supposed to raise money for the inaugural expenses – not the transition, the New Mexican reports.
Steven Steffens at Leftwing Cracker of Tennessee writes—I am not laughing at the idea of Mae Beavers running for Governor:
And, neither should YOU. The Nashville Scene broke a story today that indicates State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet, Senate 17) is considering a run for Governor of Tennessee next year.
Now, while you and I may think she is crazier than a betsy bug, and with documented reason, remember that this is a state where this HELPS you in a GOP campaign, and is a feature, not a bug.
Considering that Randy Boyd, former director Commerce and Development for Bill Haslam (and who has all but stated he plans to be Haslam 2.0) has announced, and Speaker Beth Harwell is seriously considering the race, the announcement that State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) is up for Trump Secretary of the Army, means that the hardcore right needs their slot filled. Mae Beavers is the Trumpiest of all the Trumpites, and could very easily win a primary despite having less money than either Boyd or Harwell.
Congresswoman Diane Black was rumored to be making the GOP race, but with the GOP expected to hold the US House for another election or two, she may be less inclined to do anything but run for re-election. So, go again and check out that link to Google above about the State Senator, and tell me again how you would like her to run.
Do you REALLY think she wouldn't beat a rich white guy from Knoxville (Boyd) in the primary, and potentially a rich white guy from Nashville (Karl Dean) in the general? Truth be told, that is one of the reasons I am hoping House Democratic Leader Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) runs for Governor, because he could undercut her in rural areas while carrying urban areas.
If Mae Beavers does run for Governor, be afraid. Be Very Afraid.
Yellow Dog at Blue in the Bluegrass of Kentucky writes—Monetized Nation:
Yes, we've always been capitalists. But capitalists who tried to outlaw corporations (the Founding Fathers) and capitalists who abolished the capitalist epitome that was chattel slavery and capitalists who alleviated its worst abominations with a social safety net.
Fuck, even as late as the 1970s, corporations acknowledged a responsibility to their customers and their communities - at least until the "share price uber alles" movement took over the nation.
Not any more. Now it's so bad the Ferengi aren't a satire of greed so much as a glimpse of tomorrow's world.
Slate's Jordan Weissmann writes: Got that? Mulvaney says the White House is cutting Head Start to make sure it doesn't waste the taxes of single mothers in Detroit, because it's just that compassionate. Honestly, I would have more respect for the man if he'd stood up on stage with a stock pot and said the administration had decided that the poor should be boiled into bone broth. At least then he'd have the courage of his convictions.
Erik Savaiano at Nebraska Appleseed writes—Open Enrollment 2017 Final Report: Nebraska’s Success:
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final report for the 2017 Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment period (including additional data) this past week.
The data shows that Nebraskans continue to value and benefit from the quality insurance provided through the ACA, even amidst the national uncertainty surrounding the law.
Nebraska enrolled 84,371 individuals in health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace this open enrollment period, as part of a national total of 12.2 million Americans (nearly as many as 2015-16).
Overall, that is a strong showing for a maturing marketplace. Below are some details from the report that we think merit mention.
Nebraskans purchased plans with an average of premium cost of $595 per month with an average tax credit of $462. That makes the average cost to consumer around $133 per month, up $28 from last year.
Regina Willis at Better Georgia writes—How NOT to support white nationalists, in one easy step:
A Georgia group unwittingly gave $25,000 to the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist group headed by Trump-supporter Richard Spencer. This is a good reminder to do your homework, folks, especially when money is involved.
It’s also a quite an unfortunate reminder that bold-faced white supremacy is flourishing under the Trump administration.
No one will reveal who originally donated the money for Spencer’s group, but the Augusta-based Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area is the philanthropic organization that gave the money to his organization.
The Community Foundation gives away millions of dollars every year. They also participate in what are called donor-advised funds, a common arrangement in the non-profit world where donors contribute to one non-profit with the intention of the money going to another. It’s a way to protect anonymity; certainly a concern someone might have if they want to donate to a notorious white nationalist group.
The L.A. Times, who first broke this story, quotes The Community Foundation’s CEO Shell K. Berry as saying, “In no way did our organization, its board or its staff actively know or support the mission of this organization, and I don’t want it to be construed that we ever did.”
Chuck Sheketoff at Blue Oregon writes—Whom does Greg Walden represent?
Whom, exactly, does U.S. Congressman Greg Walden represent?
Officially, of course, he represents all the people living in Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District, a vast area encompassing Oregon east of the Cascades and southern Oregon. But it that is not the impression one gets when looking at the GOP health reform plan, which would result in deep cuts to Oregon’s Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP).
Rep. Walden is one of the architects the GOP plan. A congressional committee he chairs unveiled the plan a couple of weeks ago.
Not only would the GOP plan hit Oregon, by one measure, harder than all but one state, Walden’s district would suffer the most out of Oregon’s five congressional districts. [...]
- More than half of all children in Walden’s district have health insurance coverage through the OHP. The magnitude of the proposed cuts to Medicaid would put their health care, and ultimately their economic future, at risk. [...]
deciminyan at Blue Jersey writes—What’s the Difference Between Democrats and Republicans?
Professor Danley’s excellent column about the parochialism of the Democratic Party struck home when I heard a passing remark by a high-ranking state party leader lamenting the fact that the various grass roots activities like Action Together are not coalescing around the party infrastructure.
Therein lies the difference between the two parties.
When the Tea Party movement formed, its extreme philosophy was embraced by most “establishment” Republicans. Those entrenched GOP leaders like Eric Cantor who did not buy the Tea Party’s line in its entirety are gone now – voted out of office not by the establishment, but by the insurgents. All of this culminated with the “election” of Donald Trump – reviled by the insiders, but embraced by the outsiders.
Democrats, on the other hand, pretend to be listening but are actually tone deaf. I have nothing against Phil Murphy. He’d be a better governor than any of the GOP contenders. But is that the best we can do? Put another Goldman Sachs executive in Drumthwacket so soon after the Corzine debacle?
Both parties have relied on two criteria that enhance electability but don’t do much for governance. First – does the candidate bring money to the campaign? If so, we end up with people like Phil Murphy and Tom MacArthur. If a candidate can’t bring money, can he or she bring fame? Witness the Democrats’ abortive attempt to elect Olympian Carl Lewis to the state senate, and the Republicans’ elevation of football player Jon Runyan to Congress. (To his credit, Runyan realized he was over his head after two terms and dropped out for a more comfortable retirement.)
So where do the Democrats go from here? Do they hold groups like Action Together at arm’s length to be used but not embraced? Or do they treat them as equals – where the party understands the nuts and bolts of elections and the insurgents drive the agenda – a la the Tea Party movement? Only the latter approach is a recipe for success.