On the record; fodder for attack ads in 2024 House campaigns

 All but four GOP House members voted for their version of debt limit legislation they are sending to the Senate. The four, including Ken Buck of Colorado, claimed the legislation did not go far enough to reduce spending or the deficit.  I could not find evidence of what they would cut further, but in any case, the GOP's very slim majority in the House in the House is in jeopardy, and this bill they just approved could provide fodder for attack ads by Democratic opponents in 2024. 

The general message is that there are more things important than the needs of veterans, feeding the poor, reducing the debt burden of students who had to borrow money to pay tuition, and funding federal law enforcement and the justice system. Those items are facing a significant reduction in spending from current levels in the hidden implications of the board discretionary spending cut plan that was part of Kenvin McCarthy's plan.

. It is clear where the GOP stands, and it is not for law and order, regardless of their decrying an increase in crime.  They are not putting their money where their mouth is.   What was more important to the GOP caucus was keeping the tax burden on the rich and crippling the IRS' ability to collect taxes legitimately owed..  Damn, the environment; stop giving credit to alternative energy like wind, solar, and battery power and the jobs they create in manufacturing, 

 Taking appropriations back to the level the GOP wants would cut 9% in discretionary spending compared to this year’s spending. Particularly dire in these spending cuts would be the ability to enforce federal laws from the TSA, food inspectors, border patrol, the justice system, and more, an estimated $10 billion cut.  Per one group following the impact of the cuts, The Third Way, "Based on letters to the House Appropriations Committee from federal agencies and our own calculations to fill in the blanks, we lay out what these cuts would mean for federal safety programs, including law enforcement, the administration of justice, public health, and other forms of public safety.^4,,,, The Republican budget’s effect on sworn law enforcement could result in the loss of 28,500 officers that are employed by the federal government. These devastating budget cuts would gut up to $10 billion from federal law enforcement funding."  The Republican Debt Limit Plan Will Devastate Public Safety – Third Way

Whatever their reasons, the House members' votes and their priorities are on the record, and voters can hold them individually accountable in 2024, even if their platform is DOA on arrival in the Senate and White House. Their constituents will know where they stood in 2023 in black and white print in the Congressional Record.  As the old saying goes, all politics are local, and in swing districts, where GOP incumbents are already in jeopardy with unpopular positions on abortion and gun safety, opposition research on a district-by-district basis should give Democrats ammo in crafting negative advertising.  

These four House Republicans voted against the GOP debt limit bill | The Hill

What's in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending | AP News

Biden just did it: he put democracy on the ballot in 2024

 Biden just did it: For better communication, what do you call authoritarianism in a few words? Biden just did it. update 4/25/2023 Joe Biden confirms 2024 re-election bid in video announcement - Bing video    He put democracy on the ballot as an implied contrast with the dark, anti-democratic Trump. He defined what democracy is in terms of personal freedoms and then showed how he was protecting them now and in the future.  It is a context into which so many issues fit, women's choice, voter suppression, a priority of the middle-class well-being, of student debt, Ukraine, and more.

The next Biden task should be to link the issue of personal freedoms to the economy and economic well-being of those who benefit from personal freedoms.  The two easiest, of course, are women's rights to control their reproductive schedules and health in the abortion issue. Women cannot go to work if they are always"barefoot and pregnant" and earn the money they need to help maintain their family's standard of living.   It is particularly difficult when women earn less than men for the same work and doubly difficult if racism interjects the ability to earn equal pay.  Equal rights have serious economic implications. Voter suppression speaks to the loss of political power, which cripples the rights of access for those who need public policies to give them a leg up.  Student debt is the millstone around my flock of grandkids' necks setting back for years their ability to be able to have the freedom and independence to support their families.   Preservation of democracy is what Ukraine is all about, theirs and ours. It is in a way a far lower-cost proxy war than what full confrontation with Russia would cost us in the Baltics and Poland as we protect our own national security interests.  Yes, gas prices are high, but a stitch in time saves nine. 

From my April 21, 2023 posting: So what is this "democracy" for which so many died? What is "freedom" we claim to want and protect? The American style of democracy means that those who are not the majority still have rights that give them hope they can eventually be the majority, too. Diversity is the real enemy of wannabe tyrants, especially if those in the minority still have rights, the rule of law still rules,  and the ability to be heard remains in place. That is good news for the US. Those who are in the minority still have rights since the rule of laws protecting them is upheld by the judicial system.  It also bodes ill for a vocal minority that supports policies that are wildly unpopular but is attempting to force the majority to accept them, such as extreme anti-abortion laws and ignoring gun safety measures. 

 It seems unbelievable we need to make the case for democracy in order to contrast it with the anti-democracy alternatives.  However, in every generation, the case for democracy needs to be dusted off and rephrased because so many have forgotten how it benefits them. Even with its failures to live up to the idealism of our founders, we can still strive for this more perfect union so long as small d democracy survives.

My own case for democracy is based on the reason for the American Revolution and the ability to be free to pursue life and happiness in a country treated with consideration and fairness even those they oppose. This is the way to live in a stable, tranquil society with the hope staying alive the future can be better. So long as that hope lives, so will democracy. 

The best slogan so far is to position this current war of words and media as democracy versus anti-democracy in the context of "democracy is on the ballot". In the 2022 midterms, it appears democracy was on the ballot, and its support had gained traction. Voters got the memo. It was almost as much a  factor as abortion in offsetting the economic distress people were feeling that contributed to the surprise showing of GOP failures. . https://news.syr.edu/blog/2022/12/01/democracy-was-on-the-ballot-candidates-matter-and-other-lessons-from-the-midterm-elections/ 

So far 2024 is boiling down to two old white men battling it out

So far, 2024 is boiling down to two old white men battling it out. The question before the voters should not be who is older in years but who is younger in heart and mind. The age difference is only three years.  They both are old.  It is the politics of yesterday versus the politics of today and tomorrow, not the politics of who looks or sounds older.  The winner should be the younger at heart and in mind.  It should be, but could it be? 

With .ageism on the ballot and in the minds of the voters, one would think that Trump holds the advantage. Why Joe Biden's Age Is a Problem, but Donald Trump's Isn't (newsweek.com) The question before the voters should not be who is older in years, but who is younger in their heads and policies,  being in step with those issues popular with the majority and who concentrates building a  more prosperous future with the support of infrastructure and manufacturing.  It is the politics of yesterday versus the politics of today and tomorrow, not the politics of who looks or sounds older.  It should be and will be the winner, the younger at heart.One, the incumbent, looks old, walks old, and talks in weaker tones,  and the other, only three years younger, exudes energy and, with coiffed hair, good makeup, booming podium delivery, and a still good golf swing. He makes you forget he is as old as he is. With both likely on the ballot, there appear to be no strong challengers, just more wishful thinkers, wishful wannabes,  and wishful voters hoping for younger candidates.  The irony is that the one who looks older, Joe Biden, thinks young about the now and the future, and the vigorous one, Donald Trump thinks the country should return to some undefined time in the past. His constant message is the present and future are something to be feared so fear it fully and keep it from happening again as long as you can. 

If not either Trump or Biden, then who? So far, both have control of their political parties. The choice will be between two in November, not between many and the lack of enthusiasm is going to be cured only by candidate messaging. The choice will be a stark one.  Biden's strong suit is his support of popular issues. particularly on abortion and gun safety, and above all, the personal and ethical flaws of his likely opponent, Trump himself. Trump's strength lies in his ability to tap fear and loathing of the status quo lurking in the heart of those who sense they have drawn the short cultural and racial straw.   The constant drumbeat of crime rates rising is not only drawing on fear and paranoia, hyped and exaggerated, but it is what the GOP has always used as a fall-back winning issue when the appeal of other issue positions fails. Crime to the right means something different than it does to the rest of the country.  Crime means murder and property theft to them. To the rest of the country, particularly the use of weapons of war to slaughter innocents are the crimes they fear more. 

 Biden has no challengers; Trump has a bunch, with DeSantis in the hunt holding on to 30% of the GOP voters polled. Even then, DeSantis is losing strength, not gaining it as he grasps at straws to steal voters from Trump, showing his personality flaws and lack of judgment, trying to be the unTrump, while trying to outflank Trump on the right wing.  He seems not even able to make inroads into the Trumpists in his own party, as the Florida delegation to Congress chooses the other Floridian, the snowbird from Queens, as their enduring candidate.  The looming possible criminal procedures and civil lawsuits are simply brushed off as dirty politics as usual as his devoted fans bond with him emotionally and ignore his lies and any facts to the contrary.  They support the most extreme abortion bans of 50 years ago that less than a third of the public polled support, they place the removal of student debt relief in their budget proposals, and hope that the baby boomers do not notice that their health care and retirement abilities are constantly being threatened by cut back to give relief to the very wealthy.  They do not care if a planet in crisis will cripple the lives of the future; it is only now that counts, so use up the resources while you can, and sneer at promoting new, lasting resources now.

In the meantime, Biden looks to the future, reshaping American manufacturing to meet present and future needs using whatever policy he can use and whatever legislation he can get through Congress. He wants those who have power after him not to have to deal with political violence and the division of a country hyped into tribal hatred. He understands that women must be in the workplace to keep the middle class in some measure of comfort and their children should not be mired in student debt as they try to develop skills needed for the future. He understands that guns should be kept out of the hands of those who want death by cop or try to carry out their murderous fantasies on children.  He sees diversity as an asset and the demographics will keep on marching forward, regardless of all of the racism and disdain for what the old white men of the GOP pass for values that are those of decades past. 

NBC News poll: Nearly 70% of GOP voters stand behind Trump amid indictment and investigations

For better communication, what do you call authoritarianism in a few words?

 

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/biden-just-did-it-he-put-democracy-on.html

I prefer to call those aspiring to be anti-democracy rulers as wannabe tyrants. Tyrants were the name our founders gave to kings and Turkish potentates. There is nothing wrong with those tags. They may be an appropriate description of  power hungry politician. The political messaging problem is that it assumes a level of sophistication and understanding of what defines those analogies or even the ability to comprehend the meaning of the term"liberal democracy". Those brands are subsets of the proven winning phrase that embraces all of these words:  "democracy is on the ballot". It  did get significant traction in the 2022 midterms.New Polling Shows Democracy Mattered In The 2022 Midterms | HuffPost Latest News     Democracy-Related Ballot Measures in 2022 – and A Look Ahead – State Democracy Research Initiative – UW–Madison (wisc.edu)

Branding with short punches is a time-honored political tool. After the 2022 midterms. the right wing and their mouthpieces have invented the brand "anti-woke" and stuck the "woke" on those who support the individual rights implications of our democracy, as if "woke" was a dirty word. It is yet to be seen if this catches on in all but the MAGA types, but it does serve as a shorthand for words spoken in the public that otherwise might be considered inflammatory and politically incorrect. 

  There are some so devoted to loyalty to a leader like Trump that are questioning whether democracy should be continued since it stands in the way of his winning.  Trump is making it no secret he wanted to scrap the Constitution in the wake of his loss in 2020.  It may cheer the MAGA heart, but the blowback when he uttered such words caused him to take back his words. Trump insists he doesn’t want to ‘terminate’ Constitution | The Hill It was more than a Freudian slip.. Trump may lie about much, but his vision and keeping promises are consistently proposed and instituted whenever he can get away with them in practice. We at minimum know what he wished. In short, whatever you call it, they, the Trump followers, lust for an authoritarian to lead them.  The word democracy still has a good ring, but there are those who think absolute control by the majority is democracy.  Dictatorship by those who represent minority views over the majority is also not democracy. . Or at least it still is true with the American brand of democracy that it contains the protection of the rights of those who are not in the majority or do not have the power to rule. Not only were these protections written into the amendments to the Constitution, but the keys to power were also divided among three branches, each with some power over the other. That only works so long as each branch is not controlled by the power of one dictator who manages to put his loyalists in charge.  These are the blessings of liberty our founders hoped would flow to future generations.  These are the freedoms our brand of democracy provides that used to be died for by Americans on the battlefields of world wars.   Whatever has happened to us?

. So what is this "democracy" for which so many died? What is "freedom" we claim to want and protect? The American style of democracy means that those who are not the majority still have rights that give them hope they can eventually be the majority, too. Diversity is the real enemy of wannabe tyrants, especially if those in the minority still have rights, the rule of law still rules,  and the ability to be heard remains in place. That is good news for the US. Those who are in the minority still have rights since the rule of laws protecting them is upheld by the judicial system.  It also bodes ill for a vocal minority that supports policies that are wildly unpopular but are attempting to force the majority to accept them, such as extreme anti-abortion laws and ignoring gun safety measures. 

 It seems unbelievable we need to make the case for democracy in order to contrast it with the anti-democracy alternatives.  However, in every generation, the case for democracy needs to be dusted off and rephrased because so many have forgotten how it benefits them. Even with its failures to live up to the idealism of our founders, we can still strive for this more perfect union so long as small d democracy survives.

My own case for democracy is based on the reason for the American Revolution and the ability to be free to pursue life and happiness in a country treated with consideration and fairness even those they oppose. This is the way to live in a stable, tranquil society with the hope staying alive the future can be better. So long as that hope lives, so will democracy. 

Here is what history has shown us:  Failure of democracy begins with the subversion of civil rights and human rights,  refusing to abide by or respect the rule of law, and being loyal to a person instead. In the long term, unchallenged dictators who have gained control of all means of governing and thought/speech control get there by destroying their opposition and continuing in power by keeping up the oppression of those who oppose them. The rights of the minority are helped by a government that has divided the three elements of political power, executive, legislative, and judicial, into power centers with checks on each other, making it hard for wannabe dictators to take over total control of all three branches. There is a misconception that democracy means total control by the majority, or worse, the minority controls the majority. So long as the opposition still has protections under the laws, real democracy happens. It is why when those who want total power in Russia, Turkey, and Hungary begin by replacing those in the governing power centers with their appointees or rig elections to get their choices elected. Without the checks and balances and protection of those who may be in the opposition to the wannabe tyrant, it is easy. It is also easier when there is an overwhelming percentage of citizens of the same or related cultural, religious, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds, as was the case in Russia, Turkey, and Hungary in recent times and in Germany in the 1930s... To make their assent to total power even easier once their control of the three branches is consolidated, tyrants then proceed to wipe out the remaining challengers by imprisoning on trumped-up charges, cheating in election processes, and causing mysterious deaths by poison or "accidental" fall from high-rise balconies. Control over the media is also essential to a tyrant's climb to power. Once in control of the major media organs, they continue to power consolidation by oppressing or not reporting all the news that happens and just reporting what makes the wannabe tyrant look good. What is going on below the surface is covered iup by lies. and suppression of "bad news". This process is insidious and may take years and happens while those in the populace minority are asleep at the wheel or a majority are in cahoots offering moral support thinking it is "no skin off our backs" what the tyrant is doing and think the wannabe tyrant channels their own thoughts. That works until the wannabe tyrant goes too far... By the time the disillusioned supporters wake up, it is too late; they have no peaceful way to regain power other than violence and taking to the streets. Where this who process goes off the rail for the wannabe tyrant is where there are large, organized oppositions based upon economic self-interest or racial, cultural, and ethnic identification. . No wonder those who aspire to be powerful are anti-woke... They often think wrongly they have killed off any hopes of those who oppose them. Once the masses have taken enough of oppression, their hope lies in a revolution, violent, bloody, or orange and peaceful that results in either the death or exile of the dictator. It is painful and deadly. It destroys economies, kills many,  and it takes decades to recover. In other instances, dictators who surround themselves with loyalists and control what their citizens hear lose a sense of reality, launch military excursions to divert attention from the discontent, and lose wars, their lives, or their power. The state-sponsored power grab favoring loyalists leads to unchallenged corruption until it is so obvious it inspires an orange or violent revolt.  This is what has happened time and time again;. History repeats itself, and fools and the ignorant are the repeaters. 

MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Indictments not just about Trump but the future of our democratic system (update 4/2/23)

How Do Democracies Turn Into Dictatorships? - Renew Democracy Initiative (rdi.org)

On the Surface, Hungary Is a Democracy. But What Lies Underneath? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)  "For years, Mr. Orban was satisfied with infringing judicial independence through a series of incremental measures. But in early December, he set up a parallel court system in one fell swoop."