Category Archives: Democrat

The TAKE with Rick Klein

It's been a theme of 2021: Democrats frustrated with their fellow Democrats -- and even seeing members of their own party as impediments to progress.

Right now, the Biden agenda is stalling because of political math problems that fall into two main buckets: There are things Democrats can't do even though they have 50 votes in the Senate, and things they can't do because they can't get to 50.

The former category is why wrangling continues around the debt ceiling and why any agreement now will only delay difficult decisions still to come. It's also why voting-rights reform is stalled, to cite just one example that's fueling progressive and even some moderate calls to limit or eliminate the filibuster.

The latter category is why progress is slow and frustrating on the infrastructure and social-spending bills. Sen. Bernie Sanders can complain anew about two senators holding a veto power over 48 -- and we can even see shades of that argument make its way into what President Joe Biden is saying -- but as long as those votes are needed to get to 50, that's the reality.

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, Oct. 6, 2021.

There's another problem reflected in numbers for Democrats, too. With three weeks left before the latest deadlines for the infrastructure bill and the social spending bill, Biden's polling isn't helping Democratic unity.

A Quinnipiac University poll out this Wednesday found 55% of the public thinks Biden has not been competent in running the government -- a government that, yes, is controlled by Democrats in Washington. It's pushing Biden's approval rating to new lows in the FiveThirtyEight poll tracker.

Recent months have been dominated by crises -- in Afghanistan, at the border, about COVID-19 and in spending fights -- that undercut the image of calm competence that's a Biden hallmark.

Partisan divides have come out in all those areas and more. But Democrats continue to get in their own way with disagreements about how to proceed.

The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper

The Department of Education announced changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program that will affect about 22,000 borrowers.

The overhaul will grant thousands of previously ineligible borrowers student loan forgiveness. The changes include an expansion of kinds of payments included the program and an appeals process to review past denials. With the new modifications, the program is expected to forgive $1.7 billion in loans.

The changes come as the Biden administration works through intraparty squabbles to pass the Build Back Better plan, which includes a multi-billion dollar investment in higher education -- in its current form at least.

The U.S. Department of Education building stands in Washington, Aug. 18, 2020.

The plan includes free community college, an increase in Pell grants and investments in HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.

The initial price tag of the $3.5 trillion spending plan is likely to come down in hopes of getting the likes of Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema on board. It's a reality even President Joe Biden has acknowledged.

But it's unclear if the aforementioned investments in higher education will make the cut or if the ideas will be feasible in a pared-down plan.

The TIP with Alisa Wiersema

Gov. Greg Abbott expressed condolences for the victims of the Timberview High School shooting from the border, where he and nine other Republican governors held a press conference Wednesday to admonish the Biden administration over immigration policy.

Abbott was joined by governors from Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wyoming, some of whom took to the microphone to blame the president for challenges with crime in their states that they claim stem from surging undocumented immigration. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey -- who was among 25 other state executives to sign a letter last month asking to meet with the president by this week -- said President Joe Biden is turning away from Republican governors.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, joined by 10 other governors, arrives at a press conference at Anzalduas Park in Mission, Texas, Oct. 6, 2021.

"We've tried to meet with the president and be part of the solution, but he refuses. No, worse -- he ignores us, just like he's ignoring the border and the well-being of the American people," Ducey told reporters.

It remains to be seen whether the Republican governors and the White House can open a working dialogue over one of the nation's thorniest issues, but immigration continues to loom over the president's legacy. According to Quinnipiac, 67% of U.S. adults disapprove of his handling of immigration and the situation at the Mexican border.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Thursday morning's episode features ABC News Legal Analyst Kate Shaw on a federal judge's temporary injunction barring enforcement of Texas' controversial new abortion law. Then, ABC News' Anne Flaherty talks about the future of COVID-19 testing in the year ahead. And, ABC News' Kayna Whitworth reports on the Colorado River water shortage and its impact on farmers in Arizona. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

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Democrats still confronting limits of narrow majorities: The Note - ABC News

Recent polls showing independents and moderates giving President Biden low marks on honesty, the economy, COVID, border security and military leadership likely mean the Delaware Democrat will be of no help on the campaign trail for candidates in key races both next month and in the 2022 midterms, "The Five" discussed Wednesday.

The panel pointed out that the highest-profile of the Democrats running on November 2 former Virginia Gov. Terence McAuliffe; seeking his old job admitted as much in a teleconference with other Democratic activists from the Old Dominion.

McAuliffe, a longtime Clinton confidant who preceded term-limited incumbent Democrat Ralph Northam, told the group their party is facing "headwinds" and admitted that Biden "is unpopular today, unfortunately, here in Virginia."

Panelist Jessica Tarlov noted that despite President Donald Trump's loss in 2020, Republicans had a decent showing in other races, and wondered whether that could continue into 2021 and 2022 with Biden being seen as not helpful on the trail.

"The question is can Republicans finish what they started in 2020," she said.

"[One poll] has Republicans up in the generic ballot. Margins are getting tighter. When you dont have a president that will help you in every district whereas the great thing about Joe Biden, he was a unifier for all Democrats, everyone from AOC to the [Ohio Rep.] Tim Ryans of the world, touting his moderate bona fides and ability to work with everybody it will make working with people like Terry McAuliffe difficult."

"Im not saying its over for Democrats," the more liberal panelist later clarified.

From another perspective, panelist Jesse Watters predicted the midterms to be especially good for the GOP:

"The Q[uinnipiac] poll came out it's loaded for Democrats [who] are usually up about 7 points Joe Biden is underwater and honesty, economy, COVID, Texas, border, immigration, military, leadership, and competency," he said.

"Joe is going to be of no help to the Democrats in the midterms," he added, noting that without Trump on the ballot, left-leaning voters may not be as energized to go to the polls or to instinctively vote against the GOP.

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Key 2022 Senate races include Pennsylvania where Republican Pat Toomey is retiring in a state won by Biden Ohio where GOP Sen. Rob Portman is retiring as well Georgia where freshman Democrat Raphael Warnock will seek his first full term Wisconsin where Republican Ron Johnson holds a seat in a state won by Biden as well as Democratic-held seats in New Hampshire, Arizona and Nevada, and an open seat in North Carolina currently held by the retiring Republican Richard Burr.

In November, outside of gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, several major cities including New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Miami, Minneapolis and Seattle, will hold mayoral elections.

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Biden will be 'no help' to Democrats ahead of elections: 'The Five' - Fox News

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. On Election Day in 2018, Cathy Brienza opened her light blue colonial in a New Jersey suburb to dozens of Democratic activists for a get-out-the-vote rally. A freshman congressman, Josh Gottheimer, addressed a crowd filled with voters angered by Donald J. Trumps presidency and hopeful of regaining Democratic control of the House.

It worked. Fueled by a so-called blue wave, Democrats flipped four seats in New Jersey, re-elected Mr. Gottheimer and won the House.

Now, as another midterm election looms, Ms. Brienza is again thinking about Mr. Gottheimer. But this time she is disappointed and scared.

He is undermining President Bidens agenda, said Ms. Brienza, 62, the founder of Ridgewood JOLT, which grew after the 2017 Womens March into a 1,400-member political organizing group based in Ridgewood, N.J.

President Biden is under siege, she said. If he is not successful, we are going to end up with another Trump.

A moderate in a swing district that bends at a hard right angle along the western and northern edges of New Jersey, Mr. Gottheimer, 46, has emerged as a key player in high-stakes negotiations that have cleaved the Democratic Partys centrist and liberal factions and consumed Washington.

He is a leader among nine conservative-leaning Democrats in the House who initially said they would withhold support for a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that includes far-reaching initiatives, including measures to combat climate change and expand child care, until a landmark, $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill was approved.

Progressive lawmakers are now holding firm to a similar ultimatum, only in reverse, bogging down the infrastructure bill, which is seen as a pillar of Mr. Bidens agenda. It includes funding to improve roads, bridges, airports and railways and expand high-speed internet access. It cleared the Senate with rare bipartisan backing, and polls show it has broad public support.

The standoff has imperiled both initiatives, and on Friday, after meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill, Mr. Biden said that a vote on the popular infrastructure measure would have to wait until Democrats passed his far more ambitious social policy package.

These so-called moderates, who really are acting like Republicans, are getting in the way of the presidents agenda, said Harry Waisbren, 36, a Democrat who lives in Mr. Gottheimers district in Glen Rock. Mr. Waisbren said he believed that delaying sweeping action on climate change would be catastrophic, noting the torrential flash flooding in New Jersey that led to at least 30 deaths last month in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

Im concerned that theyre acting on behalf of their corporate donors rather than our children, he added.

Mr. Gottheimer represents a large and varied district that includes some of New Jerseys few remaining Republican strongholds as well as populous, affluent regions closer to New York City that are filled with liberal-leaning Democrats who helped propel him to victory in 2016.

What I have said consistently is I believe both parts of the presidents agenda are critically important to New Jersey and to the country, Mr. Gottheimer said in an interview on Saturday. I just dont believe that we should hold one up for months on end.

At lunchtime on Friday, Jeff Bolson, a self-described die-hard Democrat who, like Mr. Gottheimer, lives in Bergen County, said he was worried that the brinkmanship in Washington could jeopardize the infrastructure bill and the climate change initiatives, both of which he supports.

We neglected the infrastructure, he said. If the economy is going to move forward, we need to build it up.

Still, Mr. Bolson, a certified public accountant, blanched at the sheer size of the $3.5 trillion package, which includes paid family and medical leave, an expansion of Medicare, funding for universal prekindergarten and initiatives to slow and combat the negative effects of a warmer climate.

Theres a lack of accountability when everything becomes free, he said. People need to have skin in the game.

In rural Sussex County, where Mr. Trump won by nearly 20 percentage points in 2020, many residents said they were supportive of Mr. Gottheimers approach.

Anybody thats willing to take a pause and seriously look at things, Im behind, said Rick Wahlers, who twice voted for Mr. Trump and owns a clock and watch repair shop down the street from Mr. Gottheimers district office in Newton.

The government hands them the money and does not have any accountability for how its spent, he added, adjusting the magnifying loupe he wears on his eyeglasses and uses to repair tiny clock machinery. Its way too much.

Nearby, in a bar run by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, men were gathered Thursday afternoon eating food left over from a funeral reception held the night before at the lodge.

Bill Schmitz Jr., an Army veteran who is the V.F.W.s quartermaster and who voted for Mr. Trump, said he agreed with ending the countrys dependency on fossil fuels and supported anything that would create new jobs.

Our infrastructure is crumbling I get that, Mr. Schmitz, 61, said as negotiations over the two plans were raging 250 miles away in Washington, where he worked for about 10 years for the State Department. But he said he feared the larger initiative would be filled with pork.

Just to go out and drop trillions and trillions, he said. Wheres that money coming from?

Colleen Waselik sees it differently. A mother of five who works for a school district, she recently left the Republican Party, yearning for a spirit of greater cooperation and bipartisanship.

I was embarrassed sickened by the way Republicans were behaving, said Ms. Waselik, 61, who said the need to improve internet connectivity in rural Sussex County and repair the countrys faulty infrastructure was urgent.

It hasnt been addressed for so long, she said outside Hayeks Market in Newton. They have to go big.

Much of the ambitious social policy bill would be paid for by rolling back Trump-era tax cuts. One version of the plan called for raising the corporate tax rate to 26.5 percent for the richest businesses and imposing an additional surtax on individuals who make more than $5 million.

Mr. Gottheimer, a prodigious fund-raiser, has $10 million on hand for his re-election campaign, according to a July report filed with the Federal Election Commission nearly five times as much as Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington State, who has emerged as the voice of the left in the House.

Ms. Brienza, the Ridgewood activist, said she was concerned that Mr. Gottheimer was more worried about catering to the needs of wealthy donors than creating an economy that works for everyone.

On Friday night, after talks had reached a new standstill, Mr. Gottheimer issued a statement that criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi for not holding a promised vote on the infrastructure bill and pinned fault for the delay on a small far left faction.

We can create these jobs and help invest in infrastructure this week if we just pass it and send it to the presidents desk, Mr. Gottheimer said on Saturday. The other ones not written yet.

Still, fear that it all might fall apart and intensify pressure on Democrats trying to defend a slim majority in Congress in next years midterm elections was not far from the minds of many voters.

To show a rift makes it very easy for the Republicans that I dont like to see, said Harriet Sausa, 71, a retired teacher who lives in Glen Rock and is a registered Republican, even though she said she rarely voted for that partys candidates.

She is hoping for a quick compromise.

I do think that a lot of the things in the big bill are important, she said, but not enough to jeopardize the infrastructure bill.

Sherouk Aziz and Yusuf Waiel, a newlywed couple who live in Hackensack, a midsize city, said they were watching the negotiations carefully, worried that the process could spell trouble for the future of the Democratic Party.

This is kind of just one more issue that makes them look more divided and more broken, said Ms. Aziz, 28, a software engineer and a Democrat who said she votes left.

We are going to lose an opportunity to reinvest in our own country, said her husband, Mr. Waiel, 25, who is also a software engineer.

And its going to cost them in the midterms, he added.

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Democratic Voters See Many Losers in Party Schism, and One Winner: Trump - The New York Times

Democrats are clashing over whether to include in their sweeping spending plan a decades-old amendment that blocks Medicaid and other federal health programs from being used to cover abortions.

Sen. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinSanders declined to sign statement condemning protests against Sinema: report Graham opposes short-term debt hike, warns against being 'held hostage' to filibuster Schumer-McConnell debt hike talks spill into Thursday MORE (D-W.Va.), already a key stumbling block to Democratic unity on the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, has drawn a line in the sand around the issue, but others in the party are split over whether to include the Hyde amendment in a portion of the spending bill that would createa new federal program to provide health care coverage to low-income individuals in GOP-led states that havent adopted Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act.

In recent days, Manchin has signaled he would not support the package without the amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortions in most cases and has been included in annual government funding bills since it was introduced by then-Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) in the 1970s.

Manchin, who has long supported the amendment, has called the provision a red line and said his partys spending plan would be dead on arrival if it isnt included.

The declaration by Manchin presents a new challenge for the Democratic party, which has seen a growing push over the years to do away with the amendmentas it seeks to make headway on its sprawling social spending plan that leadership has set sights on passing in Congressin the next few weeks.

The party aims to pass the package using reconciliation, a procedure that will let them bypass the GOP filibuster in the Senate. But Democrats continue to face hurdles in trying to unite members on a path forward on the plan, given the partys slim majorities in the House and Senate.

While Democrats can only afford three defections in the House to pass the package, which is not expected to gain any Republican support, the party would need all members in the evenly split Senate to be on board to do the same, affording Manchin significant influence over the shape of the legislation.

Some Democrats have made clear they disagree with Manchin and say the Hyde amendment has no place in the legislation.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezMarkey endorses Michelle Wu in race for Boston mayor Manchin's 'red line' on abortion splits Democrats Far-left bullies resort to harassing, shaming Kyrsten Sinema it won't work MORE (D-N.Y.), whopreviouslystarted a petition to have it repealed, pushed back on Manchins comments in remarks to reporters, noting she and many others in the House are against the provision.

This is one of the first pro-choice Democratic majorities that we've elected, and so the majority of the House firmly believes in protecting a woman's right to choose, she said.

We have made too much progress as a society, and the way that we think about human rights to allow the Hyde amendment to remain in the reconciliation bill, said Rep. Mondaire JonesMondaire JonesManchin's 'red line' on abortion splits Democrats Progressives hit back after moderates take aim at Pelosi The Memo: Progressives exult in new-found power MORE (D-N.Y.).

Advocates and lawmakers that oppose the amendment say it discriminates particularly against low-income women who depend on Medicaid and other federal funding for health care and places adisproportionate burdenon women of color, especially Black and Hispanic women.

These barriers fall hardest on people working to make ends meet and BIPOC communities, Kelsey Ryland, federal strategies director for abortion rights group All* Above All, told The Hill.

Proponents of the amendment, which hashas exceptions for abortions in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the woman is at risk, say its necessary to keep taxpayer dollars from going to abortion.

I think the main point is just that the principle of the Hyde amendment has been that regardless of what program we're talking about, we shouldn't be funding abortion using taxpayer dollars, Autumn Christensen, policy director of Susan B. Anthonys List, a conservative anti-abortion group, said.

Sen. James LankfordJames Paul LankfordBill requiring companies report cyber incidents moves forward in the Senate Manchin's 'red line' on abortion splits Democrats Lankford draws second GOP primary challenger in Oklahoma MORE (R-Okla.) told The Hill he plans to introduce language preserving the Hyde Amendment when the upper chamber takes up the reconciliation plan if the House sends the bill to the Senate without the provision.

Lankford previously introduced an amendment to preserve Hyde, as well as the Weldon amendment, which bars entities that dont want to provide abortion care from being denied federal dollars, to the budget resolution that kicked off the reconciliation process for Democrats in August.

Manchin was theonly Democratic senatorto vote withRepublicans in backing the amendment, helping it pass bya single vote marginin the 50-50 Senate.

That should be the floor of any conversation about abortion, is that we're not going to pay for the taking of life of a child with federal dollars, Lankford said of the amendment. He added hell partner with Manchin to be able to do that.

But theres confusion among other Democrats, including those who support the Hyde Amendment, as to whether the provision would need to be added to the reconciliation plan.And while a number of Democrats oppose the amendment, none have said publicly whether they would withhold support for the bill if it includes the provision as the party tries to maintain a unified front amid spending negotiations.

Sen. Tim KaineTimothy (Tim) Michael KaineWhite House moves to quadruple rapid testing supply by December Manchin's 'red line' on abortion splits Democrats On The Money Presented by NRHC Democrats cross the debt ceiling Rubicon MORE (D-Va.), who supports the Hyde amendment, said he doesnt know that it needs to be included in the bill, noting its typically included in Congresss annual government appropriations bills, which are separate from the reconciliation legislation.

The amendment is traditionally included in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spending bill passed by Congress every year. However, this year markedthe first timein decades that the House Appropriations labor and health and human services subcommittee advanced the bill without the provision.

Though Kaine said hed probably vote to back a provision preserving the amendment if it were brought to the floor when the Senate considers the reconciliation bill, hes uncertain whether the amendment would be necessary.

Sen. Catherine Cortez MastoCatherine Marie Cortez MastoManchin's 'red line' on abortion splits Democrats Protecting consumers requires protecting and incentivizing whistleblowers, too Democratic poll finds Cortez Masto leading Laxalt by 4 points in Nevada Senate race MORE (D-Nev.) also told reporters she would have to take a look at the legislation, but she added shortly after that she doesnt normally support the Hyde amendment.

Christensen argued in an interview that the Hyde amendment would need to be attached to the reconciliation bill to prohibit federal dollars from going to abortion if Democrats move forward with their plans to create the new Medicaid-like program.

Typically, funds that are made available through reconciliation don't go through the Labor-HHS bill, Christensen said.

And so this program, while it's being called a Medicaid lookalike, it's not actually a change to Medicaid as much as its a new program to cover that potential Medicaid population, she said. And because the funds are directly appropriated in the reconciliation bill, the Hyde language does not attach to them.

Ryland, whose organization advocates for lifting abortion coverage bans in Medicaid insurance programs, also said the reconciliation bill is separate and distinct from the federal appropriations process.

It contemplates closing the Medicaid coverage gap in the 12 states that havent yet expanded and making health care more affordable for people around the country. What happens in appropriations is not directly related to the reconciliation bill, she said.

But that doesnt mean progressives would be happy having to vote for the amendment in order to secure funding for party wish-list items like tuition-free community college, Medicare expansion and universal pre-kindergarten priorities the party hopes to use the bill to unlock funding for.

Rep. Pramila JayapalPramila JayapalManchin's 'red line' on abortion splits Democrats Biden indicates he would sign reconciliation bill with Hyde amendment Democrats face tough choices on trimming spending package MORE (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, saidduring a recent appearanceon Pod Save America that she thinks adding the provision to the bill would be more of political statement than substantive.

This happens a lot here in Congress where people are like, Oh I want to show everybody that I'm anti-abortion and I don't want federal funds to go to abortions. And I'm like, Well, they don't already, so don't put it in the bill because you make those of us who actually want to repeal it vote for it again, and we dont need too, she said.

President BidenJoe BidenBiden and Xi Jinping to hold virtual summit by end of this year Facebook whistleblower to meet with Jan. 6 committee: report On The Money Presented by NRHC Senate nears debt ceiling ceasefire MORE, a former advocate for the Hyde amendment whoreversed his positionafter drawing criticism during his presidential campaign in 2019, noticeably left the amendment out of the multitrillion-dollar budget he unveiledearlier this year.

During a press briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiBiden and Xi Jinping to hold virtual summit by end of this year House Democrat calls for taking away debt limit authority from Congress White House cool to McConnell debt ceiling offer: 'We don't need to kick the can' MOREsaidat her podium that Biden opposes the Hyde amendment, but she didnt divulge whether the president intends to fight for its exclusion from the reconciliation bill, a key component of his economic agenda.

Biden himself later said he would sign the bill regardless.

Id sign it either way, Biden told reporters.

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Manchin's 'red line' on abortion splits Democrats | TheHill - The Hill

First Liberty Institute submitted a public statement to the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of more than 400,000 Americans, calling for the rejection of a Democrat-backed notion of adding seats to the high court.

"Partisan 'court reform' proposals threaten the civil liberties of all Americans, and the political manipulation of our judiciary threatens the integrity of our constitutional democracy," the statement said.

"An overwhelming majority of Americans reject proposals to 'reform' the Supreme Court of the United States by adding to the number of justices and by limiting judicial review," it added. "Our own nations history and the experience of other countries offer strong cautions against restructuring the judiciary."

The comment was authored by First Liberty Institute and endorsed and signed by leaders who included former Attorney General Ed Meese, the Rev. Franklin Graham, Brent William Gardner and others. The comment warns against court-reform proposals that have been debated by the commission, which was established by President Biden, and insists they are dangerous.

KELLY SHACKELFORD: SUPREME COURT-PACKING THREAT LOOMS AS JUSTICES RETURN

"Court-packing is a horrible, dangerous idea that Americans view as an act of pure political revenge, threatening our courts and the civil liberties of all Americans," said Kelly Shackelford, the statements author and a coalition organizer. He is also president, CEO and chief counsel of First Liberty Institute. "An independent judiciary is an essential check on the power of the executive and legislative branches and the fleeting political whims of the culture that preserves our constitutional republic."

Since its founding, the commission, which is set to disband in November, has asked the public to weigh in on judiciary reforms that could include adding seats to the nine-member U.S. Supreme Court.

The commission is scheduled to meet Oct. 15 and a few times after that before releasing a report on its findings.

Several prominent Democrats, including Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have criticized the court for recent decisions on Arizona voting laws.

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Other Democrats have also pushed for additional seats to be added to the Supreme Court.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., along with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Judiciary Committee members Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., stood outside the Supreme Court in April to announce their legislation to expand the high court from nine to 13 justices.

According to Markey, the expansion of the Supreme Court from 9 justices to 13 "rights the wrongs the Republicans have done" to the court.

"We'rehere today because the United States Supreme Court is broken," Markey said. "It is out of balance. It needs to be fixed. Expanding the Supreme Court is equal justice and will ensure equal justice is dispensed to all Americans."

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Democrats court-packing push must be rejected, more than 400,000 Americans urge - Fox News

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State Sen. Diana DiZoglio is being honored this month by the Haverhill Democratic City Committee as the 2021 Elected Distinguished Democrat.

DiZoglio is to be honored at the Committees Roz McKeon Annual Breakfast Saturday, Oct. 16, from 10-11:30 a.m., at Marias Restaurant, Galleria Banquet Room, 85 Essex St., Haverhill.

All Politics are Local! is this years theme and state Rep. Andy X. Vargas is the featured speaker. All of the 2021 candidates for local election who are registered Democrats or unenrolled, along with some 2022 Democratic candidates for statewide office, have been invited to address the Breakfast. Following tradition, the Committee will also conduct its popular straw poll for the Nov. 2 city election with results being released following the breakfast.

The Breakfast is open to the public. All servers will be vaccinated and everyone will wear a mask when not seated at a table or speaking. Tickets are $25 each. For more information, contact Roz McKeon, chair, at 978-373-4032.

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Sen. DiZoglio to be Honored Oct. 16 as Haverhill's Elected Distinguished Democrat at Annual Breakfast - WHAV News

Texass near-total abortion ban has been temporarily blocked after a federal judge ruled on Wednesday that it violated the constitutional right to an abortion. Reproductive rights groups and Democrats have welcomed the decision, while warning its impact could be temporary.

From the moment SB 8 went into effect, women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the constitution, Judge Robert Pitman wrote as part of a 113-page opinion, granting an emergency request from the justice department.

The lawsuit was brought by the Biden administration, which has said the restrictions of Senate Bill 8 (SB 8) were enacted in defiance of the US constitution. The Biden administration argued that Texas has waged an attack on the constitutional right to abortion.

SB 8, passed last month, bars abortions after six weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest and also allows private citizens to sue anyone they suspect of aiding or abetting the procedure.

But questions remain if the ruling will hold. The state of Texas has already filed a notice that they will appeal the decision to the fifth circuit court of appeals in New Orleans, a notably conservative court. The appeals court previously denied a request from abortion clinics to block the law.

Even with the law on hold, abortion services in Texas may not instantly resume because doctors still fear that they could be sued without a more permanent legal decision.

SB8 has wreaked havoc on Texans. Well continue to fight until our right to abortion care is permanently restored, tweeted the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Many have voiced their approval with Pitmans decision, including reproductive rights groups and prominent figures in the Democratic party.

While this fight is far from over, said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in a statement, we are hopeful that the courts order blocking SB 8 will allow Texas abortion providers to resume services as soon as possible.

The US attorney general, Merrick Garland, called the decision a victory for women in Texas and for the rule of law. It is the foremost responsibility of the Department of Justice to defend the constitution, he said in a statement. We will continue to protect constitutional rights against all who would seek to undermine them.

This is good news. Judge Pitmans ruling is the right one. Womens freedom to decide over their bodies needs to be protected, not put to the criteria of private individuals seeking a bounty. We must continue fighting to protect Roe v Wade, tweeted Texas representative Sylvia Garcia.

The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, described Pitmans decision as an important step forward toward restoring the constitutional rights of women across the state of Texas and confirmed that Joe Biden supports codifying the supreme courts Roe v Wade ruling.

The fight has only just begun, both in Texas and in many states across this country where womens rights are currently under attack, Psaki said.

Planned Parenthood on Friday released a report saying that if Roe v Wade were overturned, 26 states are primed to ban abortion. This year alone, nearly 600 abortion restrictions have been introduced in statehouses nationwide, with more than 90 becoming law, according to Planned Parenthood.

An even bigger challenge to abortion access could come later this year when the supreme court is set to hear Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization, a case from Mississippi on if states are able to ban abortions before fetal viability.

The fight is far from over, but this is seriously good news, tweeted Naral Pro-Choice America in response to the block.

In the face of the decision, some Texas abortion clinics announced their plans to resume abortions that were previously barred under Texass rule. Whole Womans Health, a network of abortion clinics, has said they plan to resume abortions up to 18 weeks as soon as possible.

This is the justice we have been seeking for weeks and we are grateful that the court has finally stepped in to curb some of the harm Texans have faced, said Whole Womans Health founder and CEO, Amy Hagstrom Miller.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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Texas activists and Democrats vow to keep fighting after abortion ban blocked - The Guardian

A new ad released by the Murphy campaign holds Ciattarellis claim this summer that the virus poses no risk to children alongside similar comments made by then-President Donald Trump, who lost New Jersey by more than 15 points last year. The 30-second spot echoes a series of advertisements released by California Democrats in the final weeks of the recall in both style and substance: black and red text, urgent phrasing and the looming presence of an unpopular former president.

On the debate stage last week, Murphy compared Ciattarellis positions granting leeway to parents and individuals when it comes to masks and vaccines as akin to supporting drunk driving it impacts both the person driving drunk and all the rest of us.

The Murphy teams renewed focus on Ciattarellis stances around Covid-19 comes even after a recent Monmouth University poll found a majority of voters assign some blame to the governor for failures that caused nursing home deaths to spiral in the early days of the pandemic. Even with New Jerseys leftward slant, Republican leaders had hoped a reassessment of Murphys pandemic response would steer voters into the GOP column in November.

But Covid-19s late summer resurgence scrambled those plans, forcing Ciattarelli a former state lawmaker to defend positions against public health policies that are largely reflective of the CDCs current guidance.

Ciattarelli has been condemned by public health experts, widely, for those types of positions. And we thought it was important to amplify that and that voters know the stakes, Murphy campaign spokesperson Jerrel Harvey said in an interview. We believe that this is a clear and present danger to our state.

The governors allies are also increasingly raising Ciattarellis appearance at an August school board meeting in coastal Toms River, where he encouraged parents to push the board to reject mask requirements at schools.

In the month since schools in Toms River reopened with a mask-optional policy, taking advantage of a loophole Murphys order made for districts to shed face covering requirements during extreme heat, more than 300 cases among students and staff have been reported and hundreds more are in quarantine.

A third grade teacher works with students in a New Jersey classroom. Ciattarellis opposition to school mask mandates complicates some of his more nuanced critiques of Murphys policies. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo

The district has defended its policy it only applied to buildings and classrooms that lacked air conditioning and was only in effect during a period when temperatures in town were at or above 75 degrees arguing many students were infected before the start of the school year.

Given the outbreaks at schools, Ciattarelli, a former member of General Assembly, backtracked on some of the comments regarding childrens risk of contracting Covid-19, telling the debate audience that if I had the chance to say it again, I would say it differently and more perfect.

Even so, Ciattarellis opposition to mask mandates, coupled with his earlier courting of anti-vaccine advocates, complicates some of his more nuanced critiques of Murphys policies.

There are still unresolved questions about how Murphys policies contributed to more than 8,500 Covid-19 deaths across long-term care facilities and state-run veterans homes the latter of which are the subject of state and federal investigations.

As Ciattarelli pointed out during the debate, Murphys vaccine-or-test order for school employees wont take effect until Oct. 18 weeks after the start of the school year. And while the governor has criticized Ciattarelli's positions as offering wiggle room to individuals who have been unwilling to get vaccinated, the Republican counters that Murphy providing unvaccinated workers the option to regularly test serves the same function.

The great fear here in New Jersey, especially since Governor Murphy said he wants to make New Jersey 'the California of the East Coast, is that a Phil Murphy not worried about reelection will only get more aggressive in handing down Trenton mandates that encroach on personal freedom and choice and, ultimately, push us towards another devastating economic lockdown, Ciattarelli spokesperson Stami Williams said in an email. As Governor, Jack will bring the legislature back into the decision-making process and chart a path that saves lives and livelihoods and protects our children.

For now, public polling suggests a majority of New Jerseyans favor Murphys top-down decision making when it comes to the pandemic.

The same Monmouth University poll in which New Jersey voters tagged Murphy on business closures and nursing home deaths found that the governor still has a broad base of support when it comes to Covid-19 prevention strategies, which include requiring students and teachers to mask up. More than half of those surveyed say the states pandemic strategy has been appropriate another 17 percent say it hasnt gone far enough.

Thats in keeping with whats been occurring at the national level. An Axios/Ipsos poll released in late August found that a majority of Americans favored masks in schools and vaccine requirements in the workplace. A Monmouth poll released last month showed national support for vaccine mandates among health care workers, teachers and federal employees and contractors.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at a school in San Francisco. The state announced this month the nation's first coronavirus vaccine mandate for schoolchildren. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

One of Newsoms top advisers told POLITICO in September that the main takeaway from Californias recall results was dont be timid on Covid. That was the turning point in this campaign, when Newsom came out and took bold action on vaccine mandates.

Murphys allies are hoping the same holds true in New Jersey.

The majority of people trust the science, New Jersey state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) said in an interview. The outcome of the Newsom race illustrated that. Period. The same thing applies here. People don't think any differently about the coronavirus in New Jersey as they do in California."

Read more here:

Republicans think voters hate Covid restrictions. This Democratic governor disagrees. - POLITICO

Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden and Xi Jinping to hold virtual summit by end of this year Facebook whistleblower to meet with Jan. 6 committee: report On The Money Presented by NRHC Senate nears debt ceiling ceasefire MORE's narrowest victory last year was in Georgia; his closest loss was in North Carolina. Both states were considered competitive. The surprise: It wasn't North Carolina that went blue, but Georgia in the presidential contest and two months later in two U.S. Senate races.

Why is captured in an in-depth analysis by three Harvard scholars, on the political performance of the two states over a decade. While social and political activists in North Carolina, led by the Rev. William Barber, waged intense protests and sit-ins against the immoral policies of the right-wing Republican legislature, Stacey Abrams, in Georgia, waged an equally intense campaign to register voters linked to her Democratic party.

It turns out the most effective vehicle for social change, the three Harvard scholars report, is the political arena.

These two Southern states are similar in population and demographics; Georgia has a higher percentage of Blacks, and North Carolina probably has slightly more Democratic-leaning well-educated whites.

In recent elections cycles, including 2020, national Democrats were more focused on North Carolina, which had voted for Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaWhy Latinos need Supreme Court reform Legislative limbo how low can they go? White House badly needs win in Virginia MORE in 2008 and had two Democratic governors since then. Republicans were more dominant in Georgia.

The most vocal anti-Republican voice in the Tar Heel state was the Rev. Barber, starting from his perch as head of the state's NAACP, and his campaign for social justice and racial equity. This was elevated after Republicans captured the state house in 2010. The charismatic Barber assailed their policies and also criticized progressives for fawning over politicians who then betray them.

The Harvard study recounts how Forward Together attracted national attention, considerable media coverage, with its protests, thousands descending on Raleigh. There were the Moral Monday demonstrations and sit-ins at the state Capitol; more than a thousand supporters were arrested.

A right-wing organization examined the background of those arrested. They were predominately white, female, older, ministers, retired public sector workers and professors and overwhelmingly registered Democrats. They weren't new converts to the cause. There were minimal links to electoral politics. Despite the emphasis on the poor, the Harvard scholars found the movement actually boosted progressive metropolitan liberalism and reinforced the Democrats reliance on college educated voters.

In Georgia, with less national attention, Stacey Abrams, a young black woman who had become Democratic leader in the State House, was taking a different tack, a thoroughly political one aimed at unregistered voters of color to help elect Democrats. Her New Georgia Project (NGP) reached out to prospective voters across the state, setting up non-profit voter registration projects and prospective voters across the state, as she vigorously campaigned around the state. In her first three years as minority leader, she had over 400 days of travel per diem expenses, crisscrossing Georgia with white and black legislators.

She linked voting to policies favored by Democrats. When the Republican Georgia legislature refused to accept the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Health Care Act, she explained the only antidote was to register Democrats. At the same time, unlike Barber, she was shaking the money trees from left wing Democratic fat cats to fund these efforts.

While the North Carolina social justice initiative focused heavily on metropolitan areas, the NGP worked the small towns and rural areas of Georgia.

Almost half of Georgia's Blacks live outside the Atlanta metropolitan area, and over half of Blacks in North Carolina live outside the state's three major metropolitan areas.

The Abrams network organized funeral directors in parts of rural Georgia, always connecting the dots to voting for Democrats. Abrams said Democrats would reach lonely Democrats and people who don't know they're Democrats yet.

She also reached out to the growing and often unregistered population of Hispanics and Asian citizens.

It clicked in 2018, when Abrams ran for Governor, narrowly losing, barely missing a run-off. (Unless a candidate gets over 50 percent of the vote, Georgia requires a runoff.)

The payoff came last year when Biden carried Georgia by 11,000 votes, a state where Trump beat Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonPolitical study should give Democrats a jolt Hillary Clinton backs ending filibuster, says GOP 'does not respect the rule of law' Echo chamber update: What you missed if you live in a bubble MORE by more than 211,000 votes.

But the real bonanza was two months later when the Democrats won two special run-offs for U.S. Senate seats.

Typically in Georgia runoffs, the Black vote drops, one reason Republicans usually win. This past January, the GOP turnout was good, the Harvard researchers note, 89.2 percent of the November presidential vote. Remarkably, the Democrats fueled by a surge with Black voters was better: 92.5 percent.

There was an even higher performance in counties where NGP was active.

There always are unique issues. Last year, North Carolina did reelect a popular Democratic governor, and the party's losing Senate candidate was embroiled in a sex scandal.

Theda Skocpol, the Harvard political scientist and one of the authors of the study, notes the Harvard study is a substantial report of an ongoing project with more data forthcoming.

For Democrats, there is more momentum in Georgia a lesson for liberals.

The Harvard analysis concludes: Social Justice Campaigns can make more headway through grassroots organizingaligned with a political party than by mounting issue-focused protests and non-partisan moral appeals.

Al Hunt is the former executive editor of Bloomberg News. He previously served as reporter, bureau chief and Washington editor for the Wall Street Journal. For almost a quarter century he wrote a column on politics for The Wall Street Journal, then The International New York Times and Bloomberg View. He hostsPolitics War Roomwith James Carville. Follow him on Twitter@AlHuntDC.

Excerpt from:

Political study should give Democrats a jolt | TheHill - The Hill

Fox News host Mark Levin cut through what he believes is a smokescreen encasing the Democrats' agenda with their $3.5 trillion spending bill on Sunday's "Life, Liberty & Levin."

Democrats are promoting the expansive bill which includes a series of social reforms, but the bill has caused a fracture within the party. The multitude of views from progressives to moderate Democrats within the party have caused a series of roadblocks in negotiations.Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., stated that his spending limit was $1.5 trillion. On the other side, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, I., wants to spend $3.5 trillion to be the minimum.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she did not believe President Joe Biden will get the full $3.5 trillion.

"I keep hearing Nancy Pelosi and others say: if we do not vote to raise the debt ceiling then what will happen is the full faith and credit of the United States will be destroyed because we will default on our debt These are more scare tactics, and that's what the Democrats do all the time. In order to change this country, in order to push their agenda, this is what they do," Levin said.

SINEMA CONFRONTED BY IMMIGRATION ACTIVISTS IN A BATHROOM

He proceeded to rebut the claim that the U.S. would default on its debt.

"First of all we're not going to default on our debt service. Here's why: whether the government shuts down or goes on you keep paying your taxes. The Treasury keeps collecting your taxes via the IRS. To the tune of approximately $320 billion every month. So I went and I looked. What part of this goes to debt service every month? Approximately $44 billion.

He asked how the U.S. would default if the federal government is receiving $320 billion, with $44 billion for the debt service. "

Levin pointed out another inconsistency he found. When the Democrats laid down concerns over a lack of funds to pay for expenses from a prior administration it was "another bald-faced lie," according to Levin. "That money is already gone. In order to raise the debt ceiling, we're talking about forward spending on additional programs.

The motivation for raising the debt ceiling, according to Levin, is "to pay for [the Democrats'] massive, massive reengineering of society, redistribution of wealth and the imposition of their socialist agenda."

Levin added that Democrats "put every radical idea you can possibly think of" relating to critical race theory, climate change, or undermining the capitalist system. He further said that money would be allocated to "radical community activist groups," which in effect, would help Democrats win elections.

"They're going to build an army of electoral volunteers. So every election they will be out there and they will have the ability thanks to you subsidizing them, to affect the outcome of an election," he said. "I have told you before: the Democrat Party is a very diabolical political organization. It supported slavery, it supported segregation, it led the way on Jim Crow. They don't embrace Americanism. Now they claim it's Democratic socialism when it's really American Marxism. And they lie, and their media surrogates lie."

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Levin warned that this level of spending is unsustainable and putting future generations at risk.

"We're going to turn the country inside out and upside down for generations to come. A disaster. We already have inflation, product shortages, the price of gas and food going up. Could you imagine adding several trillions of dollars to that?"

Originally posted here:

Levin: 'The Democrat Party is a very diabolical political organization' - Fox News