Connect! Unite! Act! Despite what you may have heard, it's easy to not sexually harass coworkers

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Saturday January 28, 2023 · 3:00 PM PST

2023/01/28 · 15:00

no image description available — Candace Owens.

Connect! Unite! Act! is a weekly series encouraging the creation of face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups meet to socialize, support candidates, get out the vote, and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert maximum influence on the powers that be. Visit us every week to see how you can get involved!

I’m always excited to share my weekend with the Daily Kos community, often just about things that we can all gather around and discuss. Sure, there will be football games tomorrow, college basketball games today. You might take your kids out for a walk or go play fetch with the dog. Maybe taking a nap with your favorite cat is in your schedule. The workweek is over. Depending on what you do for a living, your work week can be mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing.

At work, we deal with customers and fellow employees. The people who we work with are a mixed group, especially here at a place like Daily Kos. Daily Kos employees represent a broad spectrum of sexual identities. Surprisingly, in all my time here—and I’m just saying this as a cisgender man—it remains incredibly easy to not sexually harass someone. This apparently comes as news to conservative commentator Candace Owens, who shared that women are just landmines in the workforce.

Christopher Reeves

Community

Thursday January 26, 2023 · 2:02 PM PST

2023/01/26 · 14:02

Pro-choise supporters cheer as the proposed Kansas Constitutional amendment fails as they watch the call from the networks during the pro-choice Kansas for Constitutional Freedom primary election watch party in Overland Park, Kansas August 2, 2022. - Voters in the traditionally conservative state of Kansas voted Tuesday to maintain the right to abortion, in the first election on the flashpoint issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, US media reported. .In a significant win for the pro-access side of the US abortion debate, Kansans rejected an amendment that would have scrapped language in the state constitution guaranteeing the right to the procedure and could have paved the way for stricter regulations or a ban. (Photo by DAVE KAUP / AFP) (Photo by DAVE KAUP/AFP via Getty Images) — Kansans celebrate the 2022 defeat of the anti-abortion constitutional amendment.

Anti-abortion organization Kansans for Life entered the legislative session in Topeka this year with one key agenda point: more state funding for “pregnancy crisis centers,” fake clinics designed to take advantage of people making difficult medical decisions about pregnancy by offering them little to no actual medically valid advice. Well, that isn’t enough for Republican state Rep. Randy Garber, who is pushing another constitutional amendment to ban abortion in the state of Kansas. In a letter written to the House caucus, Garber opined: “This is a simple amendment that says there is no natural right to an abortion in the constitution.”

This is, of course, after an outright spanking in the public vote last August by a nearly 60-40 margin upholding a state Supreme Court ruling saying there is a fundamental right to reproductive care, and a Republican attempt to oust the state Supreme Court justices that failed. Even though the people have spoken, Garber felt the need to push the abortion amendment. “I think if we had made it a little more simpler, maybe we would have had a better chance of getting that passed,” he told the Sunflower State Journal.

Sign the petition to the Justice Department: Challenge all state abortion bans that violate federal law.

Christopher Reeves for Daily Kos

Community

Sunday January 22, 2023 · 4:00 PM PST

2023/01/22 · 16:00

Welcome to Nuts & Bolts, a guide to Democratic campaigns. I’ve helped write this series for years using information from campaign managers, finance directors, field directors, trainers, and staff, responding to questions from Daily Kos Community and staff members, and addressing issues that are sent to me via the site’s Kosmail platform.

Every year candidates face a lot of struggles; one of them is to punch back at a conservative engine that is well-funded and spread out. When it comes to promoting their points of view, conservatives use bots, social relays, their huge network of AM radio stations, and Sinclair and Fox News when it comes to television. In many of these cases, they do all of that with no cost attached. Pundits and candidates don’t have to pay Fox News to spew talking points and they don’t have to pay AM radio talk show hosts to have them on for puff interviews.

So how do Democrats cut through all the noise and raise their profiles? How to find donors, and volunteers, and get actual feedback from people within the progressive movement who might be helpful to one’s goals? This is what I do at Daily Kos every day. Let’s talk about why utilizing the Daily Kos platform can make a big difference for a campaign.

Christopher Reeves for Daily Kos

Community

Saturday January 21, 2023 · 3:00 PM PST

2023/01/21 · 15:00

When Morgan Creek Productions released Battlefield Earth in 2000, they were hoping for a blockbuster. Instead, they got a true stinker. Based on a book written by L. Ron Hubbard, the creator of Dianetics and founder of the Church of Scientology, Battlefield Earth was so bad that it ended up with a Rotten Tomatoes score of roughly 3%. Let me put it another way: This film was so bad only 4 critics out of 153 gave it what could be considered a “favorable” review—where “favorable” looks like, “Is it worth seeing once? Sure.”

Unsurprisingly, the film was a huge financial bomb. What might surprise you is that the Republican tax plan, which will increase your cost of living, and the script for Battlefield Earth have a lot more in common than just making people feel like they were taken advantage of.

Christopher Reeves

Community

Saturday January 21, 2023 · 7:01 AM PST

2023/01/21 · 07:01

Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS) shares a group hug with women during the pro-choice Kansas for Constitutional Freedom primary election watch party in Overland Park, Kansas August 2, 2022. - Abortion rights advocates and opponents looked anxiously to Kansas Tuesday as the Midwestern US state held the first major vote on the flashpoint issue since the Supreme Court overturned the national right to the procedure in June..The vote is heavy with consequences for Kansans, who will decide whether to remove the right to terminate a pregnancy from the traditionally conservative state's constitution. (Photo by DAVE KAUP / AFP) (Photo by DAVE KAUP/AFP via Getty Images) — Sharice Davids and supporters gather to celebrate the defeat of Kansas amendment to stop abortion access

Imagine that your party puts forward a constitutional amendment outlawing abortion before the public, and it gets demolished by voters. I mean, the kind of blowout we didn’t even see in a presidential election in Kansas, a deep-red state. In 27 out of 40 state state Senate districts, the amendment was defeated. Statewide, the amendment was a disaster for Republicans, helped set the stage for the retention of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, and made way for an equally solid win by Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids in a newly drawn district geared at making her a candidate they could beat.

So how do Republicans respond to this news in the land of Oz? I would say they are doubling down but at this point, I can’t even keep track of how many times they are going back to this old chestnut.

Legislation proposed by GOP state Sen. Chase Blasi, who recently replaced state Sen. Gene Sullentrop, indicates that Republicans have decided that, if Kansas residents won’t approve abortion bans, city councils and city governments will. Republicans hope they will find themselves stacked up with conservatives willing to ban abortion procedures everywhere in Kansas that they still exist.

Christopher Reeves

Community

Tuesday January 17, 2023 · 1:20 PM PST

2023/01/17 · 13:20

A jar of Insane OG, a strain of marijuana, is displayed at the opening of "Dr. Greenthumb", the flagship medical and recreational marijuana dispensary opened today by B Real of Cypress Hill fame in Sylmar, California on August 15, 2018. - B Real is a longtime San Fernando Valley resident and has been a prominent figure at the forefront of cannabis legalization for over two decades, the dispensary named after the Cypress Hill track "Dr Greenthumb" which has served as a rallying cry for cannabis community since its 1998 release. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

Missouri has a long and proud history of ballot initiatives. There are always opportunities for voters to put items on the ballot and pass them beyond the state legislature, making direct changes to Missouri law. The Missouri legislature has fought back against this practice before, most recently by dragging their feet and then pushing back against Medicaid expansion. With more ballot measures successfully passing, Missouri Republicans are becoming worried they can’t shape their government to fulfill their deepest, darkest desires, especially when the statewide voters turn them down.

When Missouri voters delivered a victory for recreational marijuana in November, Republican elected officials saw the future of what a strong ballot initiative could do to so many of their proposals and they didn’t like it. Most of these proposals, like Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization, are bipartisan in nature and the campaigns welcome members of both parties. That’s concerning if you are thinking about legislation to do more damage to things like voting rights, health care, and LGBTQ issues. With Kansas voters recently taking action on an abortion amendment, Missouri’s harsh legislation may run afoul of a voter-led initiative that could secure the right to reproductive health care, according to the Kansas City Star. Well as always, Republicans have a plan.

Christopher Reeves for Daily Kos

Community

Sunday January 15, 2023 · 4:00 PM PST

2023/01/15 · 16:00

If you have worked in a Democratic campaign in the last decade, you recognize this logo.

One of the elements we don’t talk about often is NGP VAN. The software is critically tied to Democratic campaigns because of the level of data it contains, the fact that the data powers field campaigns across states and it offers ease of use. On my phone currently, I still have minivan loaded, and for most users, you can have campaign, district, county, or statewide access. Training on the product is something offered at almost every campaign worker engagement event, state party event, county party event, or just a training workshop. It is so tightly tied to the success of our campaigns that we just don’t think about it. Will NGP VAN trimming back their staff impact 2024? What does it mean for campaigns?

Christopher Reeves for Daily Kos

Community

Saturday January 14, 2023 · 3:00 PM PST

2023/01/14 · 15:00

Guests arrive for Miles Bron, the host of a murder mystery in Netflix film Glass Onion: a Knives Out mystery — Glass Onion on Netflix

It's that time again! I’m, of course, talking about the annual list of movies a person you barely know (or don’t know at all) thinks you should watch. Part of what I love about this community is that we have such diverse, broad tastes about what we like to listen to, read, play, and watch. Why not give us another chance to discuss the films we saw this year that really stood out to us as exceptional? There are a few films I have to leave off that may fit that bill, but, simply put, I haven’t seen them. There are other films that could be on this list that aren’t because I didn’t enjoy them as much as others! This is where I need you in the comments to make the case for the film you love. I’m not listing the films in any particular order, but let’s get into it!

Christopher Reeves

Community

Friday January 13, 2023 · 12:50 PM PST

2023/01/13 · 12:50

Senator Mike Thompson who is pushing for anti-LGBT legislation in Kansas, photographed in the Kansas State House by Sherman Smith of the Kansas Reflector — Senator Mike Thompson

Another day, another piece of hate legislation in the Kansas State House. State Sen. Mike Thompson, long known for his stance that compared scientists who believe in global warming to Nazis and those who advocated renewable energy as being a menace, had a new cause today: speaking out against medical care for those under 21. Transgender youth are once again going to be the focal point of Republican hysteria—that is, if you consider “under 21” youth. By the time I was 21 I didn’t live at home and was taking care of myself, but what do I know?

The legislation, SB12, would seek to ban physicians from offering hormone replacement therapy to anyone under the age of 21 with very, very limited exceptions. In truth, Republicans in Kansas are becoming keenly aware of a problem they face. Technology jobs coming into the state are bringing in a more progressive voting center in Congressional District 3, which helped elect Rep. Sharice Davids and Gov. Laura Kelly. Combined with a decreasing and aging population elsewhere in the state, the consequence of making Kansas just potentially toxic enough to get people to leave isn’t a side effect—It might as well be the goal.

Christopher Reeves

Community

Thursday January 12, 2023 · 3:39 PM PST

2023/01/12 · 15:39

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains obscene gesture) Abortion rights supporters march while protesting against the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to end federal abortion rights protections on June 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. The Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturned the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erased a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) — Are you scared yet?

Missouri Republicans have run on and advocated for the right to have big, burly guns. Strap whatever you want on your side. Want to buy weaponry? Absolutely. You can run entire ads just based around you shooting a gun to try and get people to love you. The right to guns? It’s the Missouri way, they say! When it comes to arms, though, it just so happens that one kind of arms scares Republicans enough that they are prepared to regulate it. I know, I know, regulating arms never works. You see, the arms Republicans want to regulate are the bare arms being shown by women legislators on the Missouri House floor. That’s right. We’re talking about a dress code.

Christopher Reeves

Community

Wednesday January 11, 2023 · 3:40 PM PST

2023/01/11 · 15:40

Ty Masterson, Kansas Republican Senate Leader — Ty Masterson speaks for the Kansas Republican Senate Caucus

Oh, Kansas Republicans. When it comes time to show your true colors, we can count on you. Despite redrawing congressional districts in hopes of ousting Democrat Sharice Davids from Kansas' 3rd Congressional District, she won in a blowout, with 54.91% of the vote. Then Republicans thought they really had a chance to rack up and take back the governor’s mansion, believing Kansas was conservative enough they’d beat back Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. She showed Republican efforts the door.

Before all this, Kansas Republicans virtually guaranteed that they would end abortion in Kansas with a constitutional ballot initiative that was outright destroyed with 59% voting “no” in August. Now, these same crafty Republicans have an incredible idea: double down on policies that have been rejected by Kansas voters and have cemented a Kansas Democratic congresswoman and governor. What do they call it? Why, it’s the “Better Way” agenda. What does it offer? Plenty of hate, but not a lot of substance, economics, or reason.

RELATED STORY: Ticket splitters were highly aware of national abortion discussion, paving way for a choice election

Republicans vowed to stop open voting that allows Biden to hijack elections, despite the fact that Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab has contended Kansas elections are fair, well run, and devoid of any fraud. Now that Laura Kelly has put Kansas in a position where we have a budget surplus, Kansas Republicans are committed to using some of that money to fund anti-abortion “pregnancy centers” with taxpayer funds. Doubling down on all of the issues that failed at the ballot box only a few months before seems to be how Kansas Republicans feel they can win in 2024. It’s a bold strategy, but is there a sly, well-thought-out plan behind this mess? Let’s find out.

Christopher Reeves for Daily Kos

Community

Sunday January 08, 2023 · 4:30 PM PST

2023/01/08 · 16:30

Retirements are a part of the political process. Some members of Congress retire early, deciding to go home or that they have done their service. Others serve lifetimes. People can leave their statehouse or local elected office because of family issues or because they might need to leave their own district. It really doesn’t matter how someone retires; when they do, it creates an immediate surge of interest in who will run for an open seat.

Because this series focuses on small races that do not often get the attention they deserve, I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the U.S. Senate or House—you can find great consultants who can help you. But let’s talk about what retirement can mean for a statehouse or local elected official.

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Connect! Unite! Act! Despite what you may have heard, it's easy to not sexually harass coworkers

Here we go again: Kansas Republicans pitch another anti-abortion constitutional amendment

Nuts & Bolts: Inside a Democratic campaign using Daily Kos as part of social media strategy

Connect! Unite! Act! 'Battlefield Earth' is a Republican world where everything costs up to 30% more

Voters told them no, but Kansas Republicans are advancing wild new anti-abortion legislation anyway

Missouri Republicans are upset with the will of their voters, so they plan to change the rules

Nuts & Bolts—Inside a Democratic campaign: What the layoffs at NGP VAN might mean for 2024

Connect! Unite! Act! Some of my favorite movies of 2022

Kansas seeks to ban gender-affirming surgery if you're under 21

Women with bare arms scare the devil out of Missouri Republicans, leading to dress code legislation

Kansas Republicans kick off bold new agenda: Ignore the public, advance hate agenda

Nuts & Bolts—Inside a Democratic campaign: Retirements