Daily Archives: February 15, 2022

Late last year, once it was clear that Phil Murphy would win a squeaker of a campaign and be reelected as governor of New Jersey, he set out to learn why his race had been so unexpectedly close. Private focus groups revealed that it wasnt just the Democratic Partys dim reputation a year into the Joe Biden experience but that a far broader malaise afflicted his constituents. Even his supporters were exhausted by the pandemic and just wanted their lives to return to some version of normal. And that was before the Omicron variant ruined everyones holidays.

Recently, Murphy joined a small group of governors at the White House to level with President Biden. COVID-19 is here to stay, they said. Can you help us plan for an endemic, not pandemic, future? When it was clear no federal guidance was coming, Murphy decided to act unilaterally. By announcing in February that he would end New Jerseys mask mandate for students and teachers, he pierced a dam. Within hours, the Democratic governors of Connecticut, Delaware, California, and Oregon loosened their own rules, and New York followed close behind, joined by Rhode Island, Illinois, and Nevada. The flurry was widely interpreted in the press as an overdue wake-up moment for hypercautious liberal leaders, a chance to get in step with a long-fatigued populace.

One Democratic governor has been in that zone for months. Jared Polis formally declared Colorados emergency over all the way back in July. He allowed local jurisdictions to implement mandates as they saw fit his hometown of Boulder, for example, still has an indoor mask requirement but rescinded nearly all COVID-related statewide executive orders. Polis didnt reinstate them when the Delta variant caused a surge in deaths, though he did vent about the unvaccinated to reporters: I have no qualms if they have a death wish, but theyre clogging our hospitals. And he kept up the vaxxed-and-done approach even as Omicron landed. At this point, if you havent been vaccinated, its really your own darn fault, he told an interviewer in December.

Poliss approach appears to be working, both in terms of public health and his own political fortunes. Colorados COVID numbers largely look like the countrys. By early February, newly reported cases were down almost 70 percent from two weeks earlier, and hospitalization numbers were down by a quarter both roughly matching the national averages. Since the pandemics start, Colorado has the tenth-lowest COVID death rate per capita in the U.S. Meanwhile, Polis appears to be on an easy path to reelection in November during whats expected to be a terrible season for Democrats everywhere else. No big-name Republican has emerged to take him on, and the Cook Political Report rates the race as Solid Democrat.

Entering the third year of the viruss spread, Polis has put forth a simple formulation. He believes that every governor will have to adapt to endemic circumstances eventually, that theres only so much he can do for the persistently unvaxxed, and that COVID lifestyle restrictions have been costlier than other Democrats have acknowledged. Its a 23-year-old who cant go out at night. Its a senior who cant go to bridge club. Those things dont have economic costs, but they have very real costs to peoples lives. Thats what we sought to minimize, Polis told me in his brightly decorated, wood-paneled office in the state capitol the day after Murphy made his announcement on masks. How can people live their lives, be empowered with information, make the best decisions for themselves? Thats really what weve focused on. People cant live in an emergency state for years on end. I mean, its just not how we are.

Polis does not play the part of a cowboy governor. When we spoke, he wore a loose dark suit, black sneakers, and a black polo shirt, a uniform befitting his past as a late-90s entrepreneur who sold his e-greeting-card company for nearly $800 million when he was just three years out of Princeton. He won a seat in Congress; then, in 2018, running on a progressive platform, he became the countrys first openly gay man elected governor. This year, hes starting to get national attention for the first time, if not necessarily as a future leader of the free world, then as a youngish (46), pragmatic liberal executive in a party desperate for some excitement, or what passes for it.

Polis is careful not to suggest that his precise approach can be replicated elsewhere given state-by-state differences in population, geography, health, and so on. But Colorado is diverse and politically divided, and the appeal of his COVID posture is clear as Democrats search for ways to meet the shifting tides in public sentiment while keeping virus deaths in check. When Polis and I met, COVID fatalities were up 25 percent nationally from two weeks earlier. But fully 70 percent of Americans agreed with the statement that its time we accept COVID is here to stay, and we just need to get on with our lives in a recent Monmouth poll.

In Poliss calculus, the advent of vaccination changed everything, including citizens moral responsibilities to one another, and he has been unwilling to let his states unvaccinated minority keep the rest of the population on an indefinite emergency footing. Its really just about how different people, just like in our own lives, manage risks and have trade-offs, Polis said. I ski. Its not a great risk, but its more risky than if I stayed on my sofa. He tended not to wear a helmet until a few years ago.

Some critics on the left have accused him of dropping mandates to pander to conservative and libertarian voters ahead of his November reelection and of callousness toward the immunocompromised, the elderly, and children who are too young to get the vaccine. Others have scoffed at the idea that Polis should get special credit for simply deferring to the judgment of individual counties. But theres little doubt in the federal government and other governors offices that some version of a vaccinated-normalcy future is inevitable, no matter how uncomfortable the transition may be for especially risk-averse Americans.

To be clear, Polis hasnt declared a no-rules free-for-all across his swath of the Rockies. He has little in common with the Republican governors who have performatively abdicated their obligations to public safety, and throughout the pandemic, he has moved meaningfully faster than the Biden administration. While Polis urged that schools reopen by January 2021, he made sure to distribute free medical-grade masks there (well before the CDCs acknowledgment that cloth masks are inferior) and to deliver free at-home tests (well before the White Houses decision to do the same nationally). He has mandated that health-care workers and state prison employees get the shot, and when the necessity of third vaccine doses became clear, he issued an executive order opening access for all adults, avoiding a complicated rollout.

His position on unvaccinated Coloradans is more nuanced than his widely reported death wish comment let on. He has repeatedly cautioned that many are victims of misinformation and thus deserving of compassion and love, and his office has been running a bilingual campaign to combat conspiracy theories on YouTube. But he has plainly concluded that theres a limit to his capacity as governor and to his responsibility. Theres Americans who have fallen victim to misinformation who are dying needlessly. And thats a very sad thing, but ultimately, it is peoples choice, he said. Im very saddened just by the unnecessary loss. But again, they have the responsibility. They made their decisions. I sleep well at night because I know I did everything I possibly could to get the right information to people.

Thank you for subscribing and supporting our journalism. If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the February 14, 2022, issue of New YorkMagazine.

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Is This the One Democrat Who's Figured Out COVID? - New York Magazine

This obviously locks in the supermajorities, and means that the crux of New York State politics for interest groups, for labor, for everyone is going to be the ideological fight among Democrats in a primary, said Matt Rey, a partner at the political consulting firm Red Horse Strategies. New York is now moving to the California model.

Elsewhere in the 150-seat Assembly, which Democrats have controlled since 1975, some of the redrawn lines appear to offer additional protection for other incumbent party members. Others seemed to ensure that tossup races in key suburban areas including Long Islands North Shore, the Capitol Region and near Syracuse remained competitive.

The biggest changes, however, involve the State Senate, where Democrats controlled the redistricting process for the first time in decades after regaining a majority in the chamber in 2018.

The new maps appear to improve Democrats chances of flipping at least three Republican-held Senate seats. In a reflection of New York Citys population growth and demographic changes, lawmakers shifted two upstate Senate districts to Brooklyn and Queens. Both are expected to be safe seats for Democrats.

The new lines also give slight edges to Democratic incumbents in highly competitive districts, including on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, before the November election, when all legislative seats will be on the ballot.

Even so, Democrats recent gains in Albany are bound to be tested in significant ways this year, with Republicans helped by President Bidens flagging approval ratings and concerns about crime and inflation poised to perform well in the congressional midterm elections and, potentially, in down-ballot races.

In justifying the new maps, Mr. Gianaris and other Senate Democrats say the lines merely restore the proper balance of power after decades of Republicans drawing maps that maximize their waning influence in an increasingly Democratic state.

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How New Yorks Redistricting Hurt the G.O.P. and Vax Daddy - The New York Times

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Democrats and double standards have always gone hand-in-hand. But they've never been quite as blatant as weve seen during the pandemic.

Last week, photos surfaced of Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams grinning maskless while a classroom full of masked children sat behind her. Two days later, Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin snapped a mask-free selfie at a campaign event while her masked constituents sat in the background. And just over the weekend, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and a host of other celebrities were spotted without masks at the Super Bowl in LA, where an indoor mask mandate is still in effect. Just two weeks earlier, Garcetti was criticized for posing maskless with California Gov. Gavin Newsom at an NFL playoff game.

Those are just the most recent examples. Democrats have been flouting their own rules since the beginning of the pandemic and theyre often repeat offenders. The message is clear: Mask mandates only apply to regular Americans, not the elite Democrats who put the mandates in place. The hypocrisy is the point.

DAN CRENSHAW TORCHES MASKLESS CELEBRITIES AT SUPER BOWL: 'ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS'

As Democrats try to hold on to power, our children pay the price. A child psychiatrist from Johns Hopkins University is warning students are falling behind in school due to forced masking. It "affects learning and development, particularly for our youngest learners" and "provides little discernible benefit," making this crisis even worse.

Speech therapists are reporting a 364% increase in referrals of babies and toddlers with speech delays. Deaf and hard-of-hearing children experience "significantly hampered word recognition" because masks stop them from reading lips. Some masks that kids are forced to wear are "very hard to breathe in."

While the consequences of masking are everywhere, theres little evidence in favor of forced masking, especially for children. The science simply does not support mask mandates on toddlers in schools. Thats why most countries in the Western world don't force kids to wear masks. The United States is one of just seven that does. The U.S. represents freedom. It's embarrassing that we've so comprehensively failed to live up to that reputation when it comes to forcing masks on kids.

But the Biden administration still refuses to change its guidance. Just this past week, Biden CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said "now is not the moment" to drop mandates.

Maskless photo-ops are a symbol of Democrats' lack of respect for their constituents

In fact, Democrats are so committed to mask mandates that theyre denying education to students who refuse to comply with their mask demands. In Virginias Loudoun County, unmasked students are being suspended for "noncompliance." One Loudoun County school official threatened criminal charges of trespassing for children who come to school without a mask. As a result, dozens of students in Fairfax County have been suspended indefinitely. Fortunately, the states new Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is fighting to put an end to this nonsense. The attacks come even as Gov. Youngkin issued an order giving parents the freedom to make their own decisions about their childs mask.

As parents fight back to protect their children and Democrat poll numbers plummet, government bureaucrats are changing their tune on masks. Last Monday, liberal governors in Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey announced they would lift their school mask requirements in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, states like New York and California announced they would end their indoor mask mandates for businesses, although theyve refused to lift the mandate for kids in schools.

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Its not that Democrats have finally recognized the damage of their policies or the uselessness of masks. Its political just as it's always been. Mask mandates are increasingly unpopular. With the midterm elections less than a year away and Virginia electing Republicans to all three statewide offices, Democrats are nervous. In the coming months, you can expect them to reverse their coronavirus policies and claim that "the science has changed." But the truth is, Biden and the Democrats lied.

While Democrats kept your toddler in masks for two years, Republican governors like Floridas Ron DeSantis and Texass Greg Abbott started getting their states back to normal long ago. Republican governors empowered parents to make the best choices for their children.

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For all their cheap talk about "following the science," Democrats' mask hypocrisy is proof of what we always knew: Masks on children are just about power and virtue signaling. Maskless photo-ops are a symbol of Democrats' lack of respect for their constituents. On November 8, voters will hold them accountable.

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Democrats' COVID mask hypocrisy shows contempt for average Americans and they will pay in November - Fox News

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Outgoing Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee sat down for an interview with a local newspaper on Tuesday to give his thoughts on upcoming elections and the future of the Democratic Party in his state.

Cooper's predictions were far from optimistic, as he said that the party is "facing extinction" in Tennessee and claimed that Democrats have no strategy to appeal to rural voters.

CORI BUSH WON'T DROP 'DEFUND THE POLICE' SLOGAN EVEN THOUGH DEMS FEAR IT'S POISON AT THE POLLS

"As usual, Democrats are not alert to future dangers," Cooper lamented to the Nashville Scene. "The biggest danger we face in an off-year election after we won the White House is the 100-year trend toward the other party. Redistricting is small potatoes compared to that historical trend."

Asked if he believed the Democrats would prove competitive in the long term, Cooper said that he hopes so, but "hope is not a strategy." Cooper criticized the management of the party in his state, and told the Scene that the Democrats in Tennessee needed a new direction.

"Their strategy is blind hope," Cooper said. "Many of the folks youre probably listening to have probably never visited these counties. Theyre not kin to these folks. Their best friends dont live out there. I had the advantage of being born in Nashville but raised in Shelbyville."

Cooper insisted that while he is retiring from office at the end of his term, he does not plan to stop working. He expressed interest in assisting the party if possible, but said he is more focused on his own endeavors.

"I always want to be available and helpful, but I plan on getting a job and being a productive citizen. It cant be handed to you. Youve got to study it and work at it and be good at it. And then we can put on some finishing touches. There are many people today who want this stuff handed to them, and life doesnt work like that," Cooper said. "Its important to make money. Its important to be productive. Its important to pay taxes. Work organizes life. I plan on working until the day I die, because work is fun, work is interesting, work is important."

"Its important to be in communication with your constituents, not to be their boss. Youre their representative. Weve got to get this formula right. The Democratic Party in Tennessee is basically facing extinction. Weve been on a long downhill slide for a long time. Tennessee has fewer statewide elected offices than I think any other state, and now the only path upward will be through Memphis, which is not nearly as successful as Nashville. That fits Republican strategy very well. Their intent is to ghettoize the state Democratic Party."

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Cooper has clashed repeatedly with more progressive and left-wing Democrats. In fact, some within the party have attempted to remove him from office with a replacement of their own.

Odessa Kelly, aprogressive candidate backed by Justice Democrats, sought to defeat Cooper in 2020. She boasted endorsements from key Democrats, but had a history of inflammatory social media posts, including calls for violence against Republican lawmakers.

Kelly, while staging the primary challenge against Cooper, went on Facebook the day of President Biden's inauguration and posted a list of suggested agenda items for the new administration's first 100 days.

The agenda included standard Democratic wishes for stimulus checks, packing the Supreme Courtand student loan forgiveness, as well as jokes about attacking GOP leaders.

"Day 9: Allow Pelosi to hire the best pimp that Memphis or Detroit has to offer to Smack tha [emoji]outta Ted Cruz and the rest uvem...(yall know the ones)!" she wrote.

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Outgoing Tennessee Democrat congressman says party 'facing extinction' in his state, relying on 'blind hope' - Fox News

Democrats on Monday accused Republicans of drawing the maps in secret, while state Republicans blamed local officials for not coming to a bipartisan consensus on redistricting.

I regret that it has come to this point, said Rep. John Carson (R-Marietta), who sponsored the Cobb map. But he defended his proposal, saying it reflects the political composition of the county by keeping in place todays 3-2 Democratic majority.

To do so, it makes drastic changes to the two districts that cover the eastern half of the county. It would draw Democrat Jerica Richardson out of her seat in District 2 and shift more conservative voters into District 3 to shore up the re-election chances of Republican JoAnn Birrell.

House Republicans also approved school redistricting maps backed by the Republican-led school board. If the bills are approved by the state Senate and signed into law by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, they are sure to be contested in court.

State Rep. Bee Nguyen (D-Atlanta) said the commission map could violate the Voting Rights Act by packing racial minorities into two districts and diluting their voting power. By drawing Richardson out of her district, it could also run afoul of a state law that prohibits lawmakers from ending an elected officials term prematurely without voter consent. Commissioners are required to live in the district they represent.

This will be litigated in court and that cost will be passed on to the voters of Cobb County, Nguyen said.

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Georgia House OKs election maps that seek to preserve GOP seats in Democratic Cobb County - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Todays Democrats fancy themselves as the party that trusts the evidence wherever it might lead. This is why they invest heavily in science and technology and set up arms of government to translate that knowledge into action. But despite claiming to prioritize new ways of improving our society, Democrats dont always act in ways that are rooted in research.

In fact, sometimes they actively resist doing what the evidence says especially when it comes to implementing policies that give financial benefits to people low on Americas societal totem pole. Its not always said out loud, but the reality is that some Democrats, and American voters in general, do not think very highly of poor people or people of color there are countless examples of how society is quick to dehumanize them and how politicians struggle to address their needs in a meaningful way. These patterns of thinking and misleading portrayals of marginalized people too often mean that the policies that could help them most are opposed time and time again.

That opposition is, of course, rarely framed in terms of antipathy or animus toward a particular group. Instead, it is often framed as rationality, like adherence to fiscal conservatism, especially among members of the GOP, who have long abided by small-government views. But some Democrats are really no different. Consider President Bidens reluctance to cancel student loan debt, or the federal governments hesitancy to provide free community college, or West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchins recent opposition to including the child tax credit in the Build Back Better plan, reportedly on the grounds that low-income people would use the money on drugs. Indeed, politicians across the political spectrum have found a number of scapegoats to use while arguing against expanding the social safety net, including playing to Americans fears about rising inflation rates. As a result, various programs that would help people namely the poor and people of color have become taboo.

Whats striking, though, is that if you actually look at most social science research, investing in the social safety net is fiscally responsible it pays large dividends for both individuals and our collective society. Economists have studied this for decades, finding that anti-poverty and cash-assistance programs executed both in and outside of the U.S. are linked to increased labor participation in the workforce, while investing in childcare benefits not only children, but the broader economy and society they are raised in. Moreover, newer initiatives like canceling student debt could add up to 1.5 million jobs and lift over 5 million Americans out of poverty in addition to freeing many Americans of the debt trap that is contributing to a lagging housing market and widening racial wealth gap. Other research suggests that those saddled with student loan debt would be more likely to get married or have children if their dues were forgiven.

That is the evidence. Yet, rather than acting on it, there has been a tendency to highlight stories and tropes about people who might waste the resources invested in them. And thats oftentimes enough to undermine public and political support for these policies. So what were seeing from some moderate Democrats today is likely born out of an inherent distrust of what might happen if you just give people money or help them through an expanded social safety net.

But if we look in the not-too-distant past less than a hundred years ago, in fact we quickly see that Democrats didnt always oppose distributing money to support Americans well-being. In fact, former Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt rolled out safety-net programs like Oprah would give away her favorite things. In response to the Great Depression, Roosevelt oversaw a massive expansion of the social safety net during the 1930s and 40s, which included giving grants to states that implemented unemployment compensation, aid to dependent children and funding to business and agriculture communities. Recognizing the importance of a safety net to protect people from the uncertainties brought on by unemployment, illness, disability, death and old age, the federal government also created Social Security, which it deemed vital at the time for economic security. And in the 1960s, long after the Great Depression was over, the government created the Medicare program for similar reasons under former President Lyndon B. Johnson, another Democrat.

What is clear from these examples is that the federal government once understood the importance of a robust safety net for the health, well-being and the broader functioning of our society. The caveat, however, is that this general understanding does not extend to our thinking about all Americans; the government was supportive of these policies when most beneficiaries were white. But when people of color started actively utilizing and benefitting from these same programs, they became harder to attain and, in some cases, overtly racialized.

That was particularly true in the 1970s and 80s when conservative and right-wing political candidates vilified Americans on welfare. During his initial presidential run, Ronald Reagan would tell stories and give numerous stump speeches centered on Linda Taylor, a Black Chicago-area welfare recipient, dubbed a welfare queen. To gin up anti-government and anti-poor resentment among his base, the then-future Republican president villainized Taylor, repeating claims that she had used 80 names, 30 addresses, 15 telephone numbers to collect food stamps, Social Security, veterans benefits for four nonexistent deceased veteran husbands, as well as welfare as a way to signal that certain Americans namely those of color were gaming the system in order to attain certain benefits from the federal government. Reagan wasnt alone, however. In fact, his tough stance on alleged welfare fraud and government spending on social programs encapsulated the conservative critique of big-government liberalism at the time.

Democrats, however, werent that different either. Former Democratic President Bill Clintons promise to end welfare as we know it in the 1990s included stipulations like requiring a certain percentage of welfare recipients to be working or participate in job training. This helped foster, in turn, a belief that there were people who played by the rules and those who didnt (namely Black Americans). And once politicians started worrying about (Black) people taking advantage of the system, the requirements needed to acquire certain societal and financial benefits became even harder to obtain.

But all of this implicit rhetoric about reducing government waste by cracking down on marginalized people does not hold up to scrutiny when examining the evidence. The reality is that fraud among social safety net beneficiaries is extremely rare, and much less costly to society than, say, tax evasion among the richest 1 percent. Yet we spend an incredible amount of money trying to catch and penalize the poor instead of helping them.

Moreover, polls show that Americans particularly Democrats overwhelmingly want to expand the social safety net. According to a 2019 survey from the Pew Research Center, a majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaners (59 percent) and 17 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaners said that the government should provide more assistance to people in need. Even this October, around the time when Democrats were negotiating the size of the omnibus Build Back Better Act, a CNN/SSRS poll found that 75 percent of the partys voters (and 6 percent of Republicans) preferred that Congress pass a bill that expanded the social safety net and enacted climate-change policies.

However, despite many Americans wanting an expansion of the social safety net, it is still often hard to sell voters on these programs especially if theyre wrapped up in large policy packages (i.e. Obamacare) or associated with someone voters dislike (i.e. former Democratic President Barack Obama). Consider that a Politico/Morning Consult survey from late last year found that only 39 percent of Americans who received the child tax credit said it had a major impact on their lives. Moreover, only 38 percent of respondents credited Biden for the implementation of the program.

The fact that many expansions of the social safety net arent initially popular makes it all the easier for Democrats to fall back on the stories people tell themselves about different groups of people and whether they deserve help. And sometimes, those portrayals affect the concerns we have about members of those groups and the explanations we generate for why they experience the outcomes they do in life. As earlier expansions of the social safety net show, the U.S. hasnt always been allergic to giving people money, but there now seems to be this unspoken idea that poor people and people of color cant be trusted to spend free money or government assistance well.

This thinking, though, poses a problem for Democrats because, for years, theyve branded themselves as the party that promotes general welfare by advancing racial, economic and social justice. At the same time, they continue to fall short on campaign promises to expand the social safety net despite many poor people, and people of color, having fought long and hard to put them in office. The fact that so many of todays Democrats are still prisoners to antiquated tropes about who gets or is deserving of government benefits is a dangerous one, because it causes people to push members of those groups outside of their moral circles the circle of people that they think they have a moral obligation to help.

Of course, breaking this chain of thought wont be easy because it would require Democrats to break the long-standing mindset that poor people are in their current situation because of a series of unfortunate choices. It would also probably require them to stop worrying about how Republicans might falsely reframe social safety net programs as dangerous, especially given ongoing concerns regarding inflation and the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. But at the end of the day, that shouldnt matter: While the politics might not be immediately convenient and the effects of these programs not immediately seen, that is not necessarily a reason to defer implementing them. Focusing solely on the short-term effects is not only short-sighted, but dangerous. And Democrats stand to lose more than the support of their base if they refuse to act.

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Democrats Helped Build The Social Safety Net. Why Are Many Now Against Expanding It? - FiveThirtyEight

March 2022 Primary Election Guide, featuring candidates for Senate District 10, House District 60, State Board of Education District 11, Palo Pinto County Commissioner Precinct 2, Palo Pinto County Commissioner Precinct 4, Palo Pinto County Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, Parker County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, Parker County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4, Parker County Court at Law 1, Parker County Judge, Parker County Sheriff, Parker County Commissioner Precinct 2, Parker County Commissioner Precinct 4 and Parker County Republican Chair.

Parker County Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Dusty Vinson faces a challenge by Randall Grissom in the upcoming Republican primary. Each candi

Four candidates are looking to occupy the vacancy left by former Parker County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Kirk Martin. The four hopefuls

Three candidates are looking to occupy the vacancy left by former Parker County Judge Jerry Buckner. Those candidates include Kirk Martin, Zac

Current Parker County Judge Pat Deen is being challenged by newcomer Thomas Moorman. Each candidate was sent a questionnaire seeking i

Parker Countys Republican Chair J. Scott Utley, seeking his second term in office, is facing a challenge by small business owner Rachael Wats

Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier, first appointed to the position by commissioners in March of 2021 after the passing of Larry Fowler, is be

Three individuals are looking to fill the vacancy as Parker County commissioner of Precinct 2, left open by Craig Peacock: Johnny Cannon, Joe

Theres a four-way race for Parker Countys Precinct 4 commissioner seat, as candidates look to replace Steve Dugans position: Michael Chandl

Two challengers are looking to unseat current Palo Pinto County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Jason Sheehy. Sheehy is facing a challenge fro

Two candidates are vying for the commissioners seat in Palo Pinto Countys Precinct 2: incumbentMike Reed and his challenger Leonard Maddox.

Two candidates are vying for the commissioners seat in Palo Pinto Countys Precinct 4: incumbent Jeff Fryer and challenger Tim Bezio. Each ca

A newly drawn Texas Senate District 10 has brought two men to the GOP ballot in hopes of ousting Democrat Sen. Beverly Powell of Fort Worth fr

The Republican field to represent Parker, Palo Pinto and Stephens counties in the Texas House of Representatives District 60 has drawn three c

Four candidates are vying in the GOP primary for a seat representing four North Central Texas counties on the State Board of Education. The bo

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Weatherford Democrat 2022 Primary Election Guide | News | weatherforddemocrat.com - Weatherford Democrat

Fresno Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula introduced a new bill that would establish a labor trafficking unit within Cal/OSHA to investigate and prosecute people who force or coerce vulnerable people into jobs with little or no pay, often under unsafe working conditions.

The bill is cosponsored by the Western Center on Law and Poverty and the Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Policy Initiative at Loyola Law School.

We must establish a Labor Trafficking Unit to help stop this cruel and inhumane treatment of workers who only want to make a living and provide for their families, the Democratic lawmaker said. For the first time, California would have a unit specifically assigned to investigate and prosecute unscrupulous perpetrators.

The bill authors said that, while the state has primarily directed its efforts and attention to sex trafficking over the years, there has been no coordinated effort focused on labor trafficking.

If the bill passes, the unit would reside under the California Department of Industrial Relations as a subdivision of Cal/OSHA and would investigate and prosecute complaints alleging labor trafficking.

California first enacted anti-trafficking laws 15 years ago, yet no state agency currently has a mandate to look for labor trafficking.

Despite some progress, California continues to have the highest number of victims of human trafficking in the U.S. over the last two decades, said Joseph Villela, policy director at Loyola Law Schools Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Policy Initiative.

The unit would also take measures to ensure the prosecution process does not victimize survivors and that they are informed of services available to them.

The U.S. Department of Justice defines human trafficking as a crime that involves exploiting a person for labor, services or commercial sex.

According to the Department of Industrial Relations, human trafficking is the worlds fastest-growing criminal enterprise and is an estimated $32 billion-a-year global industry.

The Little Hoover Commission, an independent state oversight agency in California, found that the state does not know the extent of labor trafficking in California because it doesnt track this kind of data.

In an email statement to the Bee, Pedro Nava, chair of the commission, called the bill a key step forward for investigating labor trafficking crimes.

The commission estimates that labor trafficking survivors account for about 22 percent of the more than 14,000 human trafficking survivors who received state assistance from 2016 to 2019.

Preliminary data analyzed by the commission showed labor trafficking survivors who sought help include men and women of all ages working in a wide range of industries.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, domestic work, and agriculture work are the most common types of employment that see labor trafficking in California.

And the pandemic may have made the problem worse.

A 2021 analysis conducted by the Polaris Project, a nonprofit that aims to prevent sex and labor trafficking in North America, found that labor trafficking in agriculture may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report found that the proportion of reported labor trafficking victims with temporary agricultural work visas, or H-2A visas, increased from approximately 11 percent to 25 percent.

In November 2021, a federal court in Georgia found that a group of smugglers was fraudulently using the H-2A work visa program to smuggle foreign nationals from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras into the United States under the pretext of serving as agricultural workers. The workers were subject to brutal working and living conditions, and at least two died due to workplace conditions.

People are being forced into labor trafficking right now in California most coming from poverty conditions, said Christopher Sanchez, a policy advocate at the Western Center on Law and Poverty. The introduction of this bill sends a message that California will not tolerate the exploitation of workers and their families.

If you believe you have information about a potential trafficking situation, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733. Message and data rates may apply.

You can also visit their website to report a tip online.

Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking.

All reports are confidential and you may remain anonymous. Interpreters are available by phone.

The information you provide will be reviewed by the National Hotline and forwarded to specialized law enforcement and/or service providers where appropriate.

You can also report employers suspected of engaging in unlawful activity to the states Labor Enforcement Task force at: 855-297-5322, via email at letf@dir.ca.gov, or by visiting their website at http://www.dir.ca.gov. Spanish resources available.

Melissa Montalvo is a reporter with The Fresno Bee and a Report for America corps member. This article is part of The California Divide, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequity and economic survival in California.

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A Democrat Wants to Crack Down on Employers that Exploit Workers. Will this help? - North Coast Journal

The Democratic Party with Joe Biden at the helm has lost sight of how to connect with Americans, and as a result, is finding itself in an increasingly unelectable position.

Most Americans also say that the first year of the Biden Administration has been more of a failure (57 percent), rather than a success (41 percent). Notably, Independents and Latinos two key swing-voting groups have turned against the administration, as majorities of both deem the first year of the Biden presidency a failure.

To be sure, many of Americans frustrations including the pervasive pandemic and skyrocketing inflation are not fully and completely within the presidents control. Yet, voters blame him for these crises, as is the case with most presidents.

That being said, the president is in no way fully at the mercy of these external forces, and his declining ratings are due in large part to the fact that Americans simply dont feel that Bidens and Democrats priorities align with their own.

Two-thirds of Americans say that Biden and Democrats are focusing on issues that they either dont care about (39 percent) or only care a little about (28 percent). Just one-third say that Biden and Democrats are focusing on issues they care a lot about.

Thus, with just nine months until the midterm elections, Democrats must dedicate their focus to advancing centrist legislation that improves Americans quality of life and addresses their top concerns. Democrats should make a meaningful effort to work with Republicans on issues where compromise is possible, and push back on pressure from the far-left, whose policy positions alienate large swaths of the electorate.

When I was hired by Bill ClintonWilliam (Bill) Jefferson ClintonThe allure of 'strong and wrong' Americans think Biden's presidency is a failure Democrats can fix that A memory of JFK Jr. offers respite from today's stress-filled politics MORE in 1994 after the Democrats blow-out defeat in that years midterm elections, we did just that: worked with Republicans on a balanced budget and welfare reform. In 1996, Clinton won re-election by a landslide; in 1998, Democrats defied expectations and kept control of Congress; and in 2000, Clinton left office under a budget surplus.

To that end, there are several issues that would give Democrats an opportunity to deliver in a bipartisan fashion including transforming job training programs, passing fair and reasonable tax policies, improving immigration laws, and reforming criminal justice.

Foremost, Biden needs to show voters that he can deliver on the economy and jobs, as 62 percent of Americans disapprove of how he is handling the economy including 69 percent of Independents and 57 percent of Latinos.

Importantly, Democrats need to make a sincere commitment to fiscal discipline and prudence that involves ruling out any tax increases or new spending initiatives that lack broad bipartisan support.

This means fundamentally altering the Democratic partys current theory on tax policy, which centers on a misguided notion that the redistribution of wealth by taxing the rich is politically valuable, and will not cause any electoral backlash. Indeed, my own experience along with past history suggests that this theory is problematic.

Furthermore, given the dramatic shifts in the workforce and labor market that occurred during the pandemic, it is both practical and politically wise for Democrats to prioritize improving federal job training programs.

Focusing on passing the JOBS Act a bipartisan bill currently being considered by the Senate that would expand federal Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term job training programs is a good starting point. The JOBS Act would close the skills gap by helping more workers afford the job training and credentials that are in demand as industries have shifted during the pandemic.

In addition to the economic predicament, the Biden administration is also facing a multi-faceted immigration crisis, both in terms of the disaster at the Southern border, as well as the unsettled status of millions of undocumented immigrants.

Just one-third (33 percent) of voters overall including only 26 percent of Independents and 37 percent of Hispanics approve of Bidens handling of immigration, while a majority (56 percent) disapprove, per aMorning Consult survey.

Republicans have worked somewhat successfully to tie the migrant crisis at the border to Bidens failed policies; and at the same time, immigration activists on the left are frustrated with the president for not following through on the promises he made during the campaign.

Thus, Democrats can make an effort to work with Republicans on an immigration package that codifies lasting protections for Dreamers, creates a pathway to citizenship, secures the border, and requires employers to use E-Verify to certify the legal status of new hires.

Criminal justice reform presents another opportunity for Democrats to pursue a grand bargain with Republicans as crime rates spike across the country. A reasonable compromise would involve making the criminal justice system and policing fairer for Black Americans, who are disproportionately mistreated, while also funding local law enforcement.

In order to connect with voters in the middle who are concerned both about crime and curbing police misconduct, Biden can use New York City Mayor Eric Adams approach as a template.

Absent action by Democrats, Republican attacks on Democrats as being soft-on-crime will undoubtedly resonate in the midterms as 70 percent of voters believe crime in the country is out of control, while only 30 percent say crime is mostly under control, per the JanuaryHarvard CAPS/Harris poll.

Ultimately, by prioritizing immigration and crime, national Democrats can also protect vulnerable members of their caucus in the midterms from G.O.P. attacks linking Democratic policies to the border crisis and rising crime.

And by advocating for more reasonable tax policies and pursuing policies that help Americas workers Democrats can reclaim the mantle as the pro-American worker party, while also inoculating against G.O.P. attacks on Democrats economic policies as being too liberal or wasteful.

Without this course correction, President BidenJoe BidenBiden's FDA pick clears key Senate hurdle Overnight Health Care DC ending mask, vaccine mandates American unity is key to a Europe whole and free MOREs ratings will continue to drop, and Democrats are almost certain to be brought down by Republicans in 2022 and beyond.

Douglas E. Schoen is a political consultant who served as an adviser to former President Clinton and to the 2020 presidential campaign of Michael BloombergMichael BloombergAmericans think Biden's presidency is a failure Democrats can fix that Overnight Defense & National Security Defense gets OKto help civilians evacuate Michael Bloomberg to head Defense Innovation Board MORE. He is the author of The End of Democracy? Russia and China on the Rise and America in Retreat."

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Americans think Biden's presidency is a failure Democrats can fix that | TheHill - The Hill

I dont see there being much in the way of consternation at this convention, said Bronx Democratic Chair Jamaal Bailey, whose county party is one of many that has backed Hochul. You still take nothing for granted but I dont see it being terribly contested.

Hochul is currently the only one of the five statewide incumbents on the ballot this year with a declared challenge in the primary. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is running against her from the left, while Rep. Tom Suozzi is coming at her from the right.

The first official step of that primary will be at the Thursday convention.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is poised to easily win the Democratic nomination Thursday at the party's convention in Manhattan.|Hans Pennink, Pool/AP Photo

Any candidate who receives 25 percent of the vote of the roughly 450 Democratic committee members will get an automatic spot on the primary ballot, while the others will be forced to gather petitions.

Any who receives over 50 percent will be dubbed the partys designee, letting them tap into state committee resources and sell themselves to Democratic voters as the candidate preferred by Democratic leaders.

No Democratic gubernatorial candidate has won a primary in New York without being the partys designee since 1982, when Mario Cuomo defeated the party-backed Ed Koch.

In a sign of how likely it is that Hochul will win that label, one of the other candidates has already begun to complain about being pushed out of the process.

During a candidate forum hosted by the partys progressive caucus last week, Suozzi and state party chair Jay Jacobs who ran Suozzis first quixotic campaign for governor in 2006 spent several minutes sniping over Zoom about whether Suozzi would be able to speak at the convention in accordance with years-old party bylaws.

In a recording of the meeting obtained by POLITICO, Jacobs, who has endorsed Hochul and is publicly and privately encouraging Suozzi to drop his bid, said he resented the implication or inference from Suozzis camp that the convention was being rigged.

And so everybodys clear here, the candidate cant speak at the state convention to the state committee people unless they get the 25 percent of the vote, Suozzi told the participants on the call. So theyre not given the opportunity to try and persuade the committee people by the speech they make.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is running in a Democratic primary for governor.|Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The rules are the same as always, Jacobs said, and hes not planning an attempt to change them prior to the Feb. 17 event.

I think its the same thing, Tom, as the Democratic National Committee, you know, the candidates do not get up and speak before the vote is taken, he said pointedly to the U.S. congressman. Youre permitted to communicate with committee people outside the convention but we dont have a long list of speeches.

Jacobs said in the forum that his support of the incumbent governor was an expectation of a party chair and suggested hed do the same for Cuomo. He said on Friday that Suozzi has already had opportunities to interact with state committee members, and he might help organize another such forum outside of the convention.

But the Suozzi campaign on Sunday said that they have been informed that Jacobs has now scheduled a 30-minute session for the candidates to briefly address committee members at the 8 a.m. breakfast on Thursday. Suozzi plans to speak.

Williams has not made rigging claims and will be attending the convention as a New York Democrat, he told reporters in Albany. But he points to the all-but-certainty of Hochuls dominance at the convention, he claimed, as a system built to shut out anti-establishment candidates like himself.

He received 6 percent of the vote at the convention when he ran against Hochul for lieutenant governor in 2018. There have been few signs that he has since made many new inroads among party leaders.

Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi is running for governor against Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.|Cheriss May/Getty Images

Progressive Caucus Chair Rachel Lavine contrasted a campaign against Hochul from the left to those against Cuomo in recent years. While the current governor has spent years helping down-ballot Democrats, anger directed toward her predecessor in the past two primaries was often fueled by his lack of eagerness to go to war with Republicans.

Everybody understands what a critical election this is, said Lavine. They appreciate [Hochuls] efforts in helping up and down the ticket.

Neither Suozzi and Williams were ever expecting to dig deeply enough into Hochuls support to get enough support to get on the ballot at the convention, they said in separate interviews, and both expressed confidence in their ability to blitz the petitioning process.

They each point to times theyve accomplished it before Suozzi in 2006 for governor and Williams during his 2018 campaign for lieutenant governor.

Candidates who get on the ballot via the petitioning route need to gather at least 15,000 signatures and need to get at least 100 in half the states congressional districts. Since signatures are often thrown out when challenged, the widely-accepted rule of thumb is that a minimum of 30,000 is needed.

While petitioning can suck up resources and doesnt come with a long track record of success, there are some benefits. For one, it lets candidates run against the machine.

Id rather get shut out by the convention, Mario Cuomos campaign manager his son Andrew once recounted about the 1982 primary. Then I could say the Democratic bosses shut us out.

And having volunteers or employees go door-to-door across the state is far from a complete waste of time for a candidate.

Lavine noted that when she supported Zephyr Teachouts attorney general candidacy in 2018, Teachouts take on it was that there was a benefit to a challenger actually petitioning statewide, because you get to meet everybody statewide.

In 2018, it was actually one of the first jolts to our campaign because it is a good organizing tool, Williams said. So its a glass half full, either which way.

Still, Teachout and Williams lost their primary bids.

Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin speaks to reporters Sept. 22 in the Albany Capital Center.|Bill Mahoney/POLITICO

In the other races, Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin will likely need to face a primary of his own at some point.

But Williams does not seem likely to choose a running mate before the convention. Suozzi might, but it would be a surprise if his pick gained much traction in the next few days.

Schumer was once rumored to be facing a high-profile primary from a progressive like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But nobody has even made public overtures to such a campaign yet.

James, meanwhile, cleared the field soon after she announced shed be seeking another term rather than challenging Hochul.

And it has been over a decade since any Democrats have made serious noise about challenging Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who is seeking another four-year term after being appointed to the position in 2007 and has gone on to be the fourth-longest serving statewide lawmaker in state history.

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Hochul poised to cement status as New York Democrats' standard-bearer this week - Politico