Category Archives: Republican

By MICHAEL DAVIDOW, Radio Free New Hampshire

Many years ago, journalist Teddy White visited New York City and asked his cabdriver for whom he was voting. I dont even remember the election in question. It doesnt matter. Because White got both a lecture in history and a lesson in politics for a reply.

His cabdriver told him that he always voted for the other guy, because no matter which party was in power, they always forgot what was important after they had been in office for a while. There was only one exception, his cabdriver told him.

LaGuardia. I would vote for LaGuardia every time. White asked him why. Because LaGuardia was different, his cabdriver said, turning around to make his point. He really cared.

Fiorella LaGuardia was a Republican, of course. And it has taken the Republican party this long to produce another exception to the rule, but they finally have: Donald Trump, a man who is also different.But this time, the magic of politics has been reversed. No matter what your politics might be, all Americans must vote against him this November.

All politics is local, and for that reason, neither of Americas great political parties have ever had a monopoly on rightness or decency. That is why Whites cabdriver had it right, in many ways. Each party needs the correction of the other.

It is important to remember that the Democrats, for instance, represented the racist American south for a very long time after the Civil War. If you were a progressive who believed in the sanctity of human life in Atlanta, Montgomery, or Tallahassee in the 1920s, odds were that you were also a Republican.

The Democrats were also the party of Tammany Hall and the other big city machines, famous for their corruption and strong-arm tactics; that was how LaGuardia came into his natural affiliation. Half-Jewish and half-Italian, he grew up being kicked by Irish boots; with an urge to root out corruption, to stick up for those who had no power, and to prize kindness and opportunity.

The Republican party as it developed in New York City, in fact, was a wonderful thing in many ways. It was a minority party; the numbers were always against it. It had a gallantry about it, for that fact. Its chief journalistic outlet, the New York Herald Tribune, was famous for its willingness to publish works of real art and real thought (Jean Seberg advertized that rag in 1960, in the classic French film,Breathless; can you imagine some snobby French director today doing that for Fox News?).

Its politicians had verve and intelligence:Rockefeller, Javits, Lindsay, and yes, Dick Nixon. Though Nixon was a Californian, his intellect was leavened by the time he spent as a corporate lawyer in Manhattan, and his entire political career represented a compromise between the Republican partys eastern and western wings.

But you can also see the weaknesses in the Republican partys structure, the flaws that would have caused Whites cabbie to vote against it on every other occasion.Just as the Democrats were marked by their racism, the Republicans suffered for their natural animosity towards the immigrant and the factory worker.

Those big city machines were not just corrupt; they were also the method by which new Americans came into their political maturity. In city after city, the Republicans lined up not only against corruption, but also against cultural change. There was a stodginess about the Republican party in many places, with which one might sympathize (who is ever comfortable with change?), but not always condone. It too often transmuted itself into a conservatism based not on principle, but on reaction; into a base thing that implicated hatred of the other. Likewise, its born tendency to defend the business owners interests over those of the factory worker too often stopped being in the service of American capitalism and veered instead into the servicing of American wealth.

Again, historically speaking, these considerations have always been balanced against the flaws of the Democrats, who have too often pandered to their own constituencies.Whites cabbie voted for and against both of these parties. He instinctively sought the balance that our country needs.

LaGuardia was different, though: because LaGuardia really cared. LaGuardia, who spoke Yiddish better than many Jews, even though most people considered him Italian. LaGuardia, who read the Sunday comics to children over the radio in case their parents didnt have the newspapers. LaGuardia, who could never really play outside of New York City, because the rest of the country found him short, and fat, and funny-looking.

Trump is different, too.Because he really does not care.I am out of space today, so I will continue this article soon.

Michael Davidow is a lawyer in Nashua. He is the author ofGate City,Split Thirty, andThe Rocketdyne Commission, three novels about politics and advertising which, taken together, formThe Henry Bell Project. His most recent one isThe Book of Order. They are available on Amazon.

Views expressed in columns and opinion pieces belong to the author and do not reflect those of InDepthNH.org.

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A Republican Who Read Comics on the Radio for Poor Children - indepthnh.org

While the past few days have felt unprecedented in almost all respects, theyve been familiar in at least one way: President Trump has once again done something widely viewed as outrageous. In this case, his administration had law enforcement officials clear a path for Trump to visit a nearby church, leading to protesters being tear gassed outside the White House.

And, as has often been the case when Trump draws criticism, many GOP senators have evaded questions about the violence and Trumps role in it. I dont have any reaction to it. I havent seen footage. I didnt follow, Im sorry. And even, He has moments. But I mean, as you know, it lasts generally as long as the next tweet.

Yet maybe this time is a little different. Even before the protesters were driven away from the White House, wed begun to hear a number of strong condemnations of both Trump and how he was handling the protests across the country some from familiar corners and others from more surprising sources, like military leaders.

On the usual suspects list theres Sens. Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse and Lisa Murkowski (although Murkowski avoided saying much about the protests specifically, she did say she is struggling with whether to vote for Trump in 2020). But some current and former members of the presidents inner circle have also criticized him. Most notably, former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who resigned in protest in December 2018, issued a scathing rebuke of Trumps actions on Wednesday night, writing, We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. (He also said, The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values our values as people and our values as a nation.) Current Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has also objected to using active-duty troops to respond to mostly peaceful protests.

Former President George W. Bush also weighed in on the side of the protesters, writing, The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving. Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America. Bush didnt name Trump directly, but its still a telling rebuke from a former president of the same political party.

This is one of those rare moments of uncertainty when its possible that the wall of Republican support sheltering Trump finally crumbles. It is still unlikely to happen, but as Ive written before, if it does happen, it will happen suddenly.

Political science helps us understand why this is the case. In my previous article, I cited political scientist Timur Kurans classic work, Private Truth, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification, to help explain why:

[Kuran] argues that political regimes can persist despite being unpopular, which is why a government overthrow, when it does come, can often seem so sudden.

Consider the Arab Spring, which began with one Tunisian vendor, who protested being mistreated by government officials by setting himself on fire. His death triggered a series of events, and a month later, the long-unpopular authoritarian Tunisian president fled the country after more than 23 years in power. A few weeks later, protesters in Egypt ousted their own long-serving authoritarian leader. What looked like ironclad power collapsed in a matter of weeks. Why?

Kuran argues in his book that protests need a critical mass of supporters in order to force change. The logic is that theres safety in numbers, so if multiple citizens rise up in protest of a regime, it signals that its OK to protest which can cause decades-old regimes to collapse all at once.

Of course, so far the criticism against Trump has mostly come from retired generals or members of Congress who already had a history of publicly chastising the president. But as conflict escalates over the protests, more and more elected Republicans may start to speak up.

After all, Trumps continued unpopularity threatens to weigh down Republicans chances of holding on to the Senate or taking back the House, and head-to-head polling shows Biden holds a steady lead against Trump in the general election. Is it possible, then, that Republican leaders might privately be wondering if theyd be better off with somebody else on the ticket in November? With unemployment at historic levels, protests spreading and the coronavirus pandemic lingering, Trump faces an increasingly difficult path to reelection.

Most likely, Senate and House Republicans will eventually find a way to defend Trumps actions, as they have done before (remember the impeachment trial?). Trump may not be perfect, they may say, but the Democrats are much worse. This is the prevailing rationalization of our zero-sum politics.

But in moments like this, when nobody knows exactly what to say or do, a few unlikely public critiques of Trump could have a surprising cascade effect. And if the president continues to transgress widely-shared democratic values putting congressional Republicans in an increasingly difficult electoral position we may yet see a consequential crack in the Republican Party.

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If Republicans Are Ever Going To Turn On Trump, This Might Be The Moment - FiveThirtyEight

ANDOVER The Democratic Town Committee is denouncing Republicans endorsement to reconfirm former town employee Jay Linddy as justice of the peace.

The Republican caucus nominated Linddy during a virtual meeting last month.

Linddy, a former transfer station employee and animal control officer, was fired as a town employee in 2017 for sexually harassing female workers and members of the public. Linddy also held elected positions on the Board of Selectmen and Board of Education.

If you dont like the idea of him being a justice of the peace, dont ask him to proceed over anything that requires a justice of the peace, Republican Town Chairwoman Carol Barton said Friday in defense of the endorsement. We dont feel that the Democrats should be commenting on who we put in for justices of the peace.

Each party is allowed to elect five justices of the peace every four years. This year, one person stepped down and the other four, including Linddy, asked to be reconfirmed, Barton said.

Linddy had been a justice of the peace in town for several years, however he was last elected before the scandal broke.

In a Facebook post, the Democratic Town Committee said it was at a loss to understand Republicans.

I know many of these people and I know they are decent people, but I cannot answer the question why decent people support indecent men, the partys statement reads.

On Thursday, the Republican Town Committee released a statement on its Facebook page, stating there were many slots open and Republicans did not have an excess of candidates so he was added.

We felt it is a personal decision if people wanted to use his services or not, it reads.

The statement also highlighted that Linddy would not be in a position in which he would make any town policy decisions or act on behalf of the town.

The statement goes on to say that anyone who feels the endorsement is inappropriate should consider that it has been more than three years since the incidents and accusations occurred.

It was reported in the papers. He was publicly shamed, and he was dismissed from his town duties. He paid dearly for his actions and its time to heal, move on, and give someone an opportunity to be part of the community again if they so choose, it reads.

The committee goes on to say that it was in poor taste that the Democrats have made an issue of the nomination when the party has always advanced a policy of rehabilitation, second chances, and early release for offenders.

I guess their Second Chance Policy does not apply here and the Andover Democrats feel in the court of public opinion that Jay should pay for what he did for the rest of his life, the statement says.

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Andover Republican Jay Linddy backed for justice of the peace - Journal Inquirer

APPLETON - A three-way Republican primary election will be held Aug. 11 to narrow the number of candidates in the 55th Assembly District.

The candidates areLauri Asbury, Rachael Cabral-Guevara andJay Schroeder, according to nomination papers filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

The winner of the primary will face DemocratDaniel Schierl in the Nov. 3 general election.

The55th Assembly Districtincludes Neenah, Clayton, Greenville, Grand Chute and Fox Crossing.Incumbent Mike Rohrkaste didn't seek re-election.

Monday was the deadline for candidates to file their nomination papers for congressional, legislative, district attorney and partisan county races.

The candidates who filed nomination papers are listed below. An * indicates a race will require an Aug. 11 primary; (i) denotes incumbent.

Democrat*:Michael G. Beardsley,Oshkosh; Jessica J. King, Oshkosh; Matthew L. Boor,Cleveland

Republican: Glenn Grothman (i), Glenbeulah

Democrat: Amanda Stuck, Appleton

Republican: Mike Gallagher (i), Allouez

RELATED:Wisconsin Rep. Amanda Stuck takes on bid for Congress

RELATED:Appleton debates asking voters to set 12-year term limits for mayor, council

Republican: Robert L. Cowles (i),Green Bay

Democrat: Joni D. Anderson,Adams

Republican*:Joan A. Ballweg,Markesan; Ken Van DykeSr., Scandinavia

Incumbent Luther Olsen didn't seek re-election.

Democrat:Mark A. Kiley,Two Rivers

Republican:Shae Sortwell (i), Two Rivers

Democrat:Emily Voight,Appleton

Republican:Ron Tusler (i),Menasha

Republican:Jim Steineke (i),Kaukauna

Democrat*:Richard Sarnwick,Shawano;Simon Moesch,Shawano

Republican:Gary Tauchen (i),Bonduel

Democrat:Deb Silvers,New London

Republican:Kevin Petersen (i), Waupaca

Democrat:Daniel Schierl,Neenah

Republican*:Lauri Asbury,Neenah; Rachael Cabral-Guevara,Appleton;Jay Schroeder,Neenah

Democrat:Diana Lawrence,Appleton

Republican:Dave Murphy (i),Greenville

RELATED:Greenville asks voters for $6.5 million to developsports and splash park

Democrat:Lee Snodgrass,Appleton

Republican:Eric J. Beach,Appleton

Incumbent Amanda Stuck didn't seek re-election.

Republican:Nathan F. Haberman (i), Appleton

Republican:Mindy Tempelis (i),Appleton

Republican:Veronica Isherwood (i), Waupaca

Republican:Christian A. Gossett (i), Oshkosh

Republican: Beth A. Hauser (i), Menasha

Republican: Michael V. Schlaak (i), Appleton

Republican: Tami J. Alten (i), Chilton

Republican:Jeff King,Appleton

Incumbent Lori O'Bright didn't seek re-election.

Republican:Trenten JWoelfel (i),Combined Locks

Republican:Sarah R. Van Camp (i), Appleton

Republican:Jill Loken Lodewegen (i), Iola

Republican: Mark H. Sether (i), Iola

Republican: Michael Mazemke (i), Iola

Republican: Susan T. Ertmer (i), Oshkosh

Republican: Mary E. Krueger (i), Oshkosh

Independent: Seth Reid, Oshkosh

Republican*: Natalie Strohmeyer (i), Neenah; Paul Esslinger, Oshkosh

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com.Follow him on Twitter at@DukeBehnke.

Read or Share this story: https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/2020/06/01/wisconsin-elections-three-republicans-55th-assembly-primary/5307377002/

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2020 election: Three Republicans face off in primary for 55th Assembly District - Post-Crescent

President Donald Trump is weighing his options after threatening to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina in August. Two Republican governors have offered up their states as alternatives. (May 27) AP Domestic

Metro Phoenix is among at least a half-dozen cities in the running for hosting a revised Republican National Convention after President Donald Trump said Tuesday the GOP is pulling out of Charlotte, North Carolina, after a dispute over crowds during the pandemic.

The move has sent the Republican National Committee scrambling to consider alternate locations. Party officials are finalizing details to scout potential venues in Arizona in the coming days.

Heres what we know so far about the convention, which is scheduled to run from Aug. 24-27, and the possibility it might come here.

Republican Reps. Debbie Lesko and Andy Biggs are pushing hard for it. So is Kelli Ward, the Arizona Republican Party chairwoman.

Lesko has been in contact with the RNC and Mark Meadows, Trumps chief of staff.

The empty exterior leading up to the Gila River Arena after the NHL suspended games due to the coronavirus in Glendale on March 12, 2020.(Photo: Patrick Breen/The Republic)

One possibility for any convention events in Arizona would be to hold them at Gila River Arena in Glendale, which is in her congressional district.

Biggs,the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which provided key support for Trump throughout his impeachment proceedings in the House last year, reportedly is reaching out to Trump directly.

If he is, he hasn't said so.

During a news conference on Thursday, Ducey said he hasn't made the issue a priority.

"The president is always welcome in Arizona. I know Ive said that before and Ill continue to say it," he told reporters. "I know theres discussion around the convention. Ive got to be straight up with you ... Ive been focused on the pandemic, the protest, public safety and wildfires.

"This is going to be the presidents decision and his decision alone. So I want him to choose the place that he thinks is to his best advantage on the electoral map."

Ducey went on to note that "Arizona is great at hosting large events. I dont know that theres a place thats better in the entire country."

He then added another health-related warning:

"And I also want to say regardless of the convention or the political party, in the environment were in right now, wherever the convention goes, theres going to be concerns and we would deal with them in turn."

The convention is now in play because Trump could not get the assurance he wanted about allowing traditional crowds from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

Cooper maintained that because of the lingering concerns about the new coronavirus it was very unlikely that Republicans could have the convention they originally planned.

Ducey has taken heat throughout the pandemic for being too slow to order the closure of schools, businesses and the economy more broadly, and for being too quick to reopen the economy.

Since Ducey allowedhis shutdown order to expire May 15, and as the state ramped up its testing, the state has seen rising numbers of COVID-19 daily deaths and hospitalizations.

Those numbers could begin to wane, but at least at the moment the convention issue is directly under consideration.Arizonas figures may not be encouraging Ducey to advocate for visitors from across the country.

No.

Traditional conventions are held in one city and include days of debate and voting on the rules and platform the party is going to follow for the next few years.

That more mundane party business gets considerably less attention than the speeches of party luminaries and rising stars, andthe nominations for vice president and president.

The issueis that North Carolina wont allow the giant rally because of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, so the business of the party will be separate from the acceptance speeches.

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Philip Klinker, professor of government at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, likened the acceptance speech component to Trumps campaign rallies.

Im sure they'll do it like Trump rallies. They'll have a number of speakers and then the president comes on and does his thing, he said. It will probably be a little more structured than a Trump rally.

What you want is a large, enthusiastic, adoring crowd and thats built in at a convention in almost every circumstance. And the parties very carefully arrange the convention what is the podium going to look like? At the end of the day, its basically a televised political rally.

Klinker said organizers would not need a substantial amount of lead time to pull off such an event.

Past organizers and local Republicans say it won't be a factor in the decision. The heat will be blazing, but the humidity levels are super low compared with Florida, Tennessee and other cities under consideration in the Southeast.

It is unclear how splitting the convention into two cities would affect the gathering of delegates to formally nominate Trump. One question is whether delegates would have to attend functions in Charlotte and the other city.

For what its worth, the average daily high in August for Phoenix is 105 degrees.

In Orlando, its 92. Miami is 91. Las Vegas is 102. In Nashville, its 89.

The relative humidity, a measure of how moist the air is, shows average August humidity in Phoenix is 36 percent of capacity.

Orlando is 79 percent. Miami is 76 percent. Las Vegas is 26 percent. Nashville has 73 percent.

Arizona is a swing state this year. Polls in Arizona show Trump trailing former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Arizona hasnt gone to a Democrat since 1996. Before that, you have to go back to President Harry Truman in 1948 for Arizona to vote for a Democrat. Thats why national Republicans are worried about the state now and dont want to see it, and the states 11 electoral votes, slip away.

The same polls also spell trouble for Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., in her bid against Democrat Mark Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut. That race is among the few that will help determine control of the U.S. Senate.

A large Republican event could energize the GOP base and generate good news coverage to bolster candidates chances this cycle.

But it could backfire, given the pandemic, Klinker said.

Arizona Republicans are feeling incredibly embattled right now, he said. Its a close state, Bidens leading, Martha McSally is way down in the polls, and the last thing they want is to hold a big rally there and then suddenly get a spike of cases. I mean thats a devastating message.

A spokesman for the Arizona Department of Health Services did not answer that question directly.

Arizona has adopted the federal COVID-19 guidance, Reopening America. Using that criteria, the state is in Phase 1 of reopening and the governors own commitment to that federal guidance means that Arizonans should not gather in groups of more than 10 in a single location, with exceptions such as church.

The governors latest executive order seems to carve out an exception for the democratic process. The order states: Nothing in this order prevents a person from engaging in constitutionally protected activities such as speech and religion or participating in the democratic process.

The state health department reiterates on its website the best way to prevent COVID-19 is to avoid exposure, to avoid close contact with people, to consider wearing face coverings, and to frequently clean and disinfect surfaces and objects. Those at higher risk for severe illnesses should avoid attending events with crowds altogether, it said.

Will Humble, the former state health director, said a convention could be held but only if it was dramatically scaled down and mitigation measures were put into place.

If it has to be like 2016 where its several thousand people in a ballroom for three days and in a big stadium and stage with dry ice coming out, if thats the standard, I dont think you could do it safely, he said.

But he said there is a scenario in which Republicans could place small groups of people in various rooms and then join them virtually to give the feel of a large gathering.

Youd have to do workarounds and have lots of virtual components, Humble said. But if the standard is we have to have everyone in a big giant ballroom like has been happening over the last 100 years, then to do it, youre posing a threat to the community, and the participants."

Conventions are based on a variety of considerations, such as hotel rooms and venues with adequate space for large crowds. But its also based on political considerations, such as whether a state is competitive or whether it builds a helpful narrative for the candidate.

When Charlotte won the 2020 convention in July 2018, the city's host committee had a goal of raising $70 million from various sources to help put on the event, according to the Charlotte Observer.

It's unclear how much is needed or sought from cities in the running to host the revised convention.

Heres how some of the contenders stack up.

Las Vegas: Nevada isnt viewed as especially competitive this year. Democrats are counting on it in November. And, like Phoenix, its hot in the summer. But it is home to a gaming industry that has been generous in its campaign support for Trump.

That city is struggling after the national quarantine, and casino owners, including Trump himself, would probably welcome a boost in traffic.

And few cities can match Las Vegas for hospitality-industry infrastructure.

Miami or Orlando: Florida is also ready for large events more than most states. Trump considers his home in Florida, and his private club, Mar-a-Lago, would allow him to be comfortable in the days leading up to his convention nomination-acceptance speech.

If Republicans actually move their convention from Charlotte, its hard to argue against relocating it to Florida.

Thats because Florida is crucial to Trumps reelection strategy.

Put simply, there is no plausible path to victory for him without it. Polls show Trump faces a critical battle with Biden there. And Biden could make it harder by naming former Orlando police chief Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., as his running mate.

Any late-summer event carries the risk of a major hurricane barreling through Florida, though that hazard can affect far-flung locales, too. The 2008 GOP convention in Minneapolis was shortened by a Florida hurricane.

The NBA announced Thursday it will be returning to play July 31 with 22 teams all playing in Orlando. Its unclear whether that would affect that citys convention prospects.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves before he speaks at an event for the National Federation of Republican Assemblies at Rocketown in Nashville Aug. 29, 2015.(Photo: Jae S. Lee / The Tennessean)

Nashville: Like Las Vegas, Nashville is one of those cities with a strong hospitality-industry presence. The Music City has a long history of putting on good shows. Its also in a safely red state where Trump and the GOP probably wouldnt have to worry about crowd restrictions.

But Tennessee doesnt offer an obvious boost to Trump by being in a swing state or in a location that provides a helpful narrative. The states COVID-19 rate is the highest among the states in contention for the convention, according to figures tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other cities said to be in the running include Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans and Savannah, South Carolina.

Each of those markets also has its own pluses and minuses.

Georgia, for example, is a state that is getting increasingly competitive for Democrats, and that state has two U.S. Senate races this year. That would make Atlanta a tempting alternative, and its a short connecting flight distance from Charlotte.

But Atlanta may be a difficult choice in the wake of the racial unrest over the George Floyd killing, and New Orleans would mean dealing with another Democratic governor, and traveling to a city that was among the hardest hit by COVID-19.

A spokesman for the Republican National Committee said the timeline of solidifying a decision remains unclear.

Have news to share about Arizona's U.S. senators or national politics?Reach the reporter on Twitter and Facebook. Contact her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com and 602-444-4712.

Support local journalism.Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

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Republican National Convention coming to Phoenix? Here's what we know - AZCentral

In Wisconsins Fond du Lac County, the local GOP chairman, Rohn Bishop, took the rare step of snapping back at the president on Twitter last week, replying to one of Trumps all-caps diatribes about voting by mail with a rant of his own: THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT MAIL IN VOTING WILL LEAD TO MASSIVE FRAUD AND ABUSE, Bishop wrote. IN FACT, WE MAY BE ABLE TO USE IT TO HELP OFFSET THE DEMOCRATS EARLY VOTING ADVANTAGES.

I kind of screamed at my computer, Bishop told me when I reached him by phone. Mail-in voting works well in Wisconsin, he said, and helps Republicans in rural parts of the state compete with Democratic strongholds that have more resources to dedicate to in-person early voting. Because rural counties dont open many early-voting locations, voting by mail is more important. I just think we can use it to help [Trump] here, Bishop said.

Read: Americas elections wont be the same after 2020

In rural America, theres a bigger risk to Trumps attacks on mail balloting than merely annoying Republican officials. Trumps rhetoric may inadvertently be suppressing Republican votes, Michael McDonald, an elections expert at the University of Florida, told me. A reluctance among GOP voters to use the system could lead to longer lines at polling sites, which in turn could discourage voter turnout in places where Trump is stronger, especially if the pandemic remains a factor in November, he explained.

The Postal Service could be another problem. Trump is opposed to efforts to shore up the beleaguered agency in preparation for a surge in mail-in ballots. But delays in mail service could disproportionately affect rural areas, especially if Republicans are simultaneously fighting changes that would relax deadlines requiring ballots to be received, and not merely postmarked, by Election Day. More of the rural ballots are getting returned later, McDonald said.

In Pennsylvania, more Democrats than Republicans requested absentee ballots in every county in the run-up to this weeks primary elections, and the surge of late requests prompted Governor Tom Wolf to extend the deadline for returning ballots by a week in several counties, including Philadelphia. That potential for a late surge is exactly whats causing stateswhether led by Republicans or Democratsto prepare for the possibility of a huge demand for mail voting this fall.

And it means that GOP leaders in many of these states are telling their voters to support Trumpand also, implicitly, to ignore him. Were giving people the choice, Gruters, the Florida GOP chairman, told me. If you want to vote by mail, vote by mail.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

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Trump Hates Vote-by-Mail. These Republicans Love It. - The Atlantic

Representative Steve King of Iowa, the nine-term Republican with a history of racist comments who only recently became a party pariah, lost his bid for renomination early Wednesday, one of the biggest defeats of the 2020 primary season in any state.

Mr. King was defeated by Randy Feenstra, a state senator, who had the backing of mainstream state and national Republicans who found Mr. King an embarrassment and, crucially, a threat to a safe Republican seat if he were on the ballot in November.

The loss was most likely the final political blow to one of the nations most divisive elected officials, whose insults of undocumented immigrants foretold the messaging of President Trump, and whose flirtations with extremism led him far from rural Iowa, to meetings with anti-Muslim crusaders in Europe and an endorsement of a Toronto mayoral candidate with neo-Nazi ties.

In interviews over the years, voters in Iowas most conservative region downplayed Mr. Kings incendiary comments. His loss after 18 years in office was mainly because opponents painted him as ineffective after party leaders in Congress stripped him of his committee assignments last year.

That move came after comments that Mr. King made in an interview with The New York Times in 2019, in which he asked, White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization how did that language become offensive?

The remarks caused an uproar. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, told Mr. King to find another line of work.

Instead, Mr. King clung to his seat, claiming to be the victim of Republican insiders and of the news media.

Now Mr. Feenstra, a political and social conservative in a deep-red district in northwest Iowa, is the odds-on favorite to hold the seat against J.D. Scholten, who nearly defeated Mr. King two years ago and ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

The belief that Mr. King, who had crushed earlier primary opponents, was vulnerable this year drew four challengers, including Mr. Feenstra; Jeremy Taylor, a former state lawmaker; and two businessmen, Bret Richards and Steve Reeder. All four opponents campaigned as equally conservative as Mr. King on red-meat issues like abortion and gun rights, but they promised more effective representation of the district after Mr. King lost his committee assignments.

Our Fourth District desperately needs a seat at the table, Mr. Feenstra said at a debate last month, calling for the district to have an effective conservative voice.

Although there was a question of whether the four challengers would split voters opposed to Mr. King too many ways and allow him to skate through, Mr. Feenstras margin was decisive, 46 percent to 36 percent for Mr. King.

In comments Mr. King recorded on Facebook after his loss, he said none of his challengers had taken issue with a single statement that I have made during his career, and he urged Iowans to continue to teach our children well about values we care about, including opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

His defeat, he said, was the result of an effort to push out the strongest voice for full-spectrum constitutional, Christian conservatism in Congress.

Mr. Feenstra promised during the campaign to be an unflagging social and fiscal conservative in Congress. Ill fight with President Trump to build the wall, he said at a candidate forum, boasting that he had voted in the Iowa Senate to ban sanctuary cities and defund Planned Parenthood. As a lawmaker, he co-sponsored a bill to define life as beginning at conception. He ran on his support of Iowas largest tax cut in history, in 2018, which a state Department of Revenue analysis showed aimed the highest benefits to the wealthy.

Mr. Feenstra was the preferred candidate of establishment Republicans, and he easily outraised Mr. King, bringing in $925,800 to Mr. Kings $331,000. He won endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Right to Life Committee. And in an extraordinary rebuke of Mr. King by House colleagues, five Republican congressmen donated to Mr. Feenstras campaign.

Anticipating the general election, Mr. Scholten on Wednesday indicated he would run a populist campaign around economic issues, while accusing Mr. Feenstra of siding with corporate donors. Not being Steve King isnt enough for this district, he said. It wont be enough to revitalize rural communities, ensure farmers get a fair price and can stay on their land, or for families to afford health care and save for retirement. We need someone with vision and the ability to bring people together. Thats not Feenstra.

During the primary, Mr. Feenstra refrained from attacking Mr. Kings years of demeaning comments about immigrants he once compared Dreamers to drug mules with calves the size of cantaloupes and instead portrayed the congressman as powerless to help Iowans.

Mr. King, 71, claimed during the campaign that Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, had privately pledged to help him regain his committee assignments. But Mr. McCarthy denied having said any such thing, adding that if the Republican Steering Committee, which decides on committee roles, met again to weigh in on Mr. King, he would not win back his posts.

Even before facing Republican discipline in the House in January 2019 after the Times interview, Mr. King was in electoral trouble. He just barely won re-election in 2018 over Mr. Scholten, a former professional baseball player, by three percentage points in a district Mr. Trump carried by nearly 30 points.

Just before that election, the head of the Republican House campaign arm, Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio, denounced Mr. King for his endorsement of the Toronto mayoral candidate, Faith Goldy, who has espoused white nationalism, and for comments seeming to embrace the Great Replacement, a far-right conspiracy theory. We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior, Mr. Stivers said at the time.

A paradox of Mr. Kings career is that, in his anti-immigrant language and policies, he was years ahead of Mr. Trump, who won the presidency by stirring fears about nonwhite immigrants.

Well before Mr. Trump promised to build a wall on the southwest border, Mr. King, who founded an earth-moving company, stood on the House floor and showed off a model of a 12-foot border wall of his own design.

Soon after Mr. Trump took office, he invited Mr. King who even then was snubbed by establishment Republicans like the former House speaker John A. Boehner to the Oval Office. The president boasted to Mr. King of having supported him, and raised money for him during an Iowa visit in 2014, Mr. King told The Times.

In the past, Mr. King routinely won the backing of other Iowa Republicans, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, who named him a co-chair of her 2018 election campaign. He sought to be a kingmaker in presidential politics given Iowas early-voting role. In 2015 he played host to a forum for 2016 hopefuls, including Mr. Trump, who attacked Jeb Bush for saying that immigrants enter the United States in an act of love.

Say what? Mr. Trump said. Half of them are criminals!

For two decades Steve King has been something of the sun in the political universe around here, Douglas Burns, an owner of newspapers in Mr. Kings district, said on Tuesday night. Ill still have to see the eclipse tomorrow to believe these results.

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Steve King, House Republican With a History of Racist Remarks, Loses Primary - The New York Times

Stop me if youve heard this one. Our Republican legislators, for all their faults, are decent, fair-minded folks committed to the common interest its the cesspool of Washington politics that is to blame for the dire straits in which we find our country. Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) argued along such lines at a Stanford in Government event the Thursday before last, contending that most conservative congresspeople are good guys in a bad spot. According to Flake, his erstwhile colleagues traditional though they may be are essentially moral, genuine, just. Many even wish Trump were out of office, replaced by someone a little steadier and a little saner, and this silent majority would curb the excesses of the current administration if only it were electorally tenable to do so. To hear Flake tell it, these are honest men and women caught in a bind, and, if necessary, they will do whats right. Maybe so, maybe so. Yet Flake fails to answer the obvious question: Where are these honorable Republicans now?

Our nation is in the midst of a crisis not seen since World War II. It has rarely been more important for our representatives in government to put their personal incentives aside and defend the life and liberty of those they are sworn to protect. Yet what do we see? Partisan warfare, political waffling, state-sponsored medical malpractice on a massive scale. Hard-heartedness. Racism. And to top it off, a president that encourages violence and a governing party that lets him. Again and again, those trustworthy, noble Republicans roll over on every issue imaginable. Susan Collins, independent-minded feminist, voted for Kavanaugh. Lindsey Graham, friend of Joe Biden, called for a conspiracy-based investigation into Bidens son. Richard Burr profited off the pandemic. Rand Paul attacked the director of the National Institutes of Health. There isnt an ounce of spine or a flicker of empathy among the lot of them, and Flake is naive to think that these people are working for anyone but themselves.

More naive is the idea that the Republican Party can be saved. Flake believes that a resurgence of leadership is all that stands between his former colleagues and moral redemption. A wave of individualist thinkers could sweep away the rot at the core of our politics, and we could all get back to the business of bettering lives. A nice thought. But Flake is mistaken for a reason as simple as it is sad: The modern GOP has ceased to be an instrument for a cogent political ideology. It is not the party of limited government and personal freedom indeed, those principles apply only when the other side is in control. Nor is it the party of social conservatism: The occupant of the White House is proof enough of that. At present, the GOP is merely the party of power, of keeping it and wielding it, of doing whatever it takes to win. It stands for nothing. It means nothing. Its battles are political, and its judgment are amoral, and little matters to it except victories and votes. And that is why Flake is incorrect: No amount of leadership or rugged individualism can rekindle a flame of conscience long-since extinguished.

Nowhere is this abdication of duty more evident than in Republican responses to the extrajudicial killing of George Floyd. Absent are grief or reproach or empathy. Their tears are for the dollar, not the dead, and their every action conveys the disdain they have for the issues at hand. Its Ted Cruz calling peaceful demonstrations an abuse of power. Its Mitch McConnell condoning the tear-gassing of protestors. Its the decades of parliamentary inaction, indifference and ignorance that brought us to this point, and the refusal to engage with police brutality even now. These arent Senators; these are hardly people. They are unrecognizable as public servants, and Flake is wrong to see them as such.

Still, some empathy is warranted. Flake was one of the few partisans to stand up to Trump, and for that he deserves credit. Perhaps his perspective is understandable the man is a conservative, exiled or not, and no one wants to break with their party. But to maintain the fiction that these are just good guys in a bad spot, that Republican complicity is not ruthlessness but weakness, is to entirely underestimate a political organization Flake knows all too well. McConnell said it himself: Its the judges, stupid. The GOP is not standing idly by out of fear of an executive tweet or a primary challenge. They are not afraid of this president. They are enabling him, empowering him, using him for their own ends. Trump is a riot of the American soul, and Republican lawmakers are the true looters, picking through the rubble of a ruined nation for judicial appointments. So tell us, Jeff Flake: Wheres the honor in that?

Contact Sean Casey at spcasey at stanford.edu.

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The myth of the honorable Republican - The Stanford Daily

WASHINGTON In a rare break with President Trump, multiple Senate Republicans on Tuesday faulted his response to civil unrest around the nation, rejecting his move to crack down on demonstrators and rushing to express sympathy with black Americans who have taken to the streets to protest police brutality against them.

The day after Mr. Trump threatened to unleash the United States military to rout protesters around the nation, the reactions of Republicans some condemning the president directly, others carefully suggesting that they held a different view underscored the politically precarious choice they face between endorsing the presidents divisive approach or breaking with him and risking a party backlash just months before the November elections.

There is no right to riot, no right to destroy others property and no right to throw rocks at police, Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, said in a statement. But there is a fundamental a constitutional right to protest, and Im against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the word of God as a political prop.

Mr. Sasse was referring to the remarkable spectacle that unfolded Monday evening when the police fired flash-bang explosive devices and a chemical agent and used officers on horseback to drive away peaceful protesters outside the White House. Minutes later, Mr. Trump strode out and marched across Lafayette Square to brandish a Bible outside St. Johns Episcopal Church, which had been damaged in a fire during unrest the night before.

Mr. Sasses comments echoed those of Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only black Republican in the Senate, who denounced the move in unequivocal terms during an event hosted by Politico.

If your question is, Should you use tear gas to clear a path so the president can go have a photo op? the answer is no, Mr. Scott said.

Those rebukes, and much harsher criticism of the presidents actions by Democrats in the House and the Senate, reflected a rising sense of alarm at Mr. Trumps behavior as protests of police violence and racial discrimination reached a boiling point after the death of an African-American man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody.

With Democrats demanding a legislative response to the issues underlying Mr. Floyds death, Republicans are facing increasing pressure to back up their critical statements against the president and expressions of concern about persistent racism with something tangible.

We are going to propose and push for bold action, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said Tuesday. What matters is that we respond to a national wave of unrest with action.

This was hardly the first time Republicans on Capitol Hill found themselves pressed to distinguish between their views and those of a president who in times of trouble often seeks the affirmation of his most conservative supporters.

From the moment he took office, Republicans have been called upon to respond to the presidents loaded statements, hyperbolic tweets and scathing criticisms of others as well as his dealings with foreign governments and his positions on harsh immigration measures, trade, congressional authority and other matters. Most Republicans have typically demurred, not wanting to provoke a caustic Twitter attack from the president or alienate party voters devoted to Mr. Trump.

But the current situation may be the most volatile for Republicans yet, with Americans already enduring the twin public health and economic calamities of the coronavirus pandemic almost uniformly outraged at the case of Mr. Floyd, whose brutal death after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes was captured on video. Many Americans in both parties are increasingly unsettled by both the violence stemming from the protests and Mr. Trumps demands that governors and local authorities take a harder line.

With their hold on the Senate to be decided in an election five months away, Republicans will need the votes of suburban and independent voters if they hope to retain seats in states such as Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina and Maine. In a sign of how lawmakers view the political landscape, moderate Democrats in conservative-leaning districts emphatically rejected Mr. Trumps response to the protests in Washington, suggesting that they see little sympathy for the presidents approach among their constituents.

Despite Mr. Trump anointing himself your president of law and order, many Senate Republicans have adopted a much less bellicose attitude, emphasizing the need to get at the root causes of the upheaval racial discrimination and a well-established pattern of excessive use of force by the police rather than targeting protesters.

You can understand the outrage, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader, said Tuesday about the national anguish over Mr. Floyds killing. Mr. McConnell, whose hometown, Louisville, was in turmoil over Mr. Floyds death and recent episodes involving the police in Kentucky, said the grievances were legitimate and he did not dispute the role racism played in the events.

There is no question that there is residual racism in America, he told reporters. No question about that. It has been a longtime dilemma, and we all wish we could get to a better place.

But when Mr. Schumer tried to force action on a symbolic resolution to condemn both the violence and Mr. Trumps actions, Mr. McConnell objected, chiding Democrats for pushing a measure that he said addressed neither justice for black Americans nor peace for our country in the face of looting.

Instead, it just indulges in the myopic obsession with President Trump that has come to define the Democratic side, Mr. McConnell said.

Still, other Republicans joined in the criticism of Mr. Trump.

To me at a time like this, the president ought to be trying to calm the nation, said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, who is facing a difficult re-election race in a state Mr. Trump plans to visit this week. She said she found it painful to watch peaceful protesters subjected to tear gas so he could go to a church he had visited just once before, and added that Mr. Trump came across as unsympathetic and as insensitive to the rights of people to peacefully protest.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, told reporters that Mondays events did not reflect the America that I know.

I dont think militarization is the answer to the anxiety, the fear, the distrust, the oppression we feel right now, Ms. Murkowski said. It is not the response.

Even Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Mr. Trumps chief Republican defenders, said he had been flummoxed by the presidents actions.

I dont know what the purpose of the trip was, Mr. Graham said. I do know that last night was a bad night and we need less bad nights.

Representative Will Hurd of Texas, the lone black Republican in the House, joined a peaceful protest in Houston on Tuesday evening, marching alongside his constituents and Mr. Floyds family.

What we are showing you today in Houston is that we can be outraged by a black man getting murdered in police custody, Mr. Hurd, who is retiring, said in a video on Twitter. We can be united for change in our society, and we can be thankful that law enforcement is enabling our First Amendment rights.

Other Republicans fell back on their practiced defense, saying they could not make a judgment because they had not seen the incident, while others defended the president, noting that some of the protests had grown violent and given way to looting.

We have to restore order, said Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin. This cant go on. So hopefully, you know, the president talking that way will put a little spine in some of these governors that arent calling out the National Guard, to the extent that they need to to restore order.

Mr. Johnson claimed not to have seen protesters being violently driven back so that Mr. Trump could walk to the church, and Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said the episode had been in the eye of the beholder.

Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, commended Mr. Trump, saying, Im glad the president led by going to St. Johns Church. It was the protesters, not the president, who had abused power, Mr. Cruz said.

Democrats moved quickly to try to take political advantage of the public mood.

Its time for John Katko to find the backbone to state clearly whether he stands with President Trump or the clergy denouncing his tear-gassing of Americans peacefully protesting, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a statement, singling out a third-term moderate Republican from New York who is facing a difficult re-election race in a district Hillary Clinton won in 2016. The committee sent out identical statements about roughly a dozen other endangered House Republicans.

Democrats said they were skeptical that Republicans would be willing to challenge Mr. Trump too aggressively. They said they suspected Republicans would treat the issue as they had gun control in the past, promising action immediately after mass killings but letting the issue pass quietly without action once the uproar subsided.

But Democrats made it clear that they did not intend to let the issue go.

Ive heard words from people on both sides of the aisle, speaking toward the injustice of racism that exists in our country Ive heard words, Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, said in a passionate floor speech. Its on us in this body to do something.

Catie Edmondson contributed reporting.

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In Rare Break, Some Republicans Reject Trumps Harsh Response to Unrest - The New York Times

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George Will is right. Its not enough to boot Donald Trump out of office:

In lifes unforgiving arithmetic, we are the sum of our choices. Congressional Republicans have made theirs for more than 1,200 days. We cannot know all the measures necessary to restore the nations domestic health and international standing, but we know the first step: Senate Republicans must be routed, as condign punishment for their Vichyite collaboration, leaving the Republican remnant to wonder: Was it sensible to sacrifice dignity, such as it ever was, and to shed principles, if convictions so easily jettisoned could be dignified as principles, for ... what?

.Those who think our unhinged presidents recent mania about a murder two decades ago that never happened represents his moral nadir have missed the lesson of his life: There is no such thing as rock bottom. So, assume that the worst is yet to come.

It has long been my belief that the Republican Party was on the brink of a devastating defeat that would ruin the party for decades. But I was always wrong. Somehow it never happened even though the demographic headwinds were always intensely against them. They kept hanging on, winning elections despite getting worse and worse.

But the same thing is true of all bubbles: they always last longer than anyone thinks they can, which makes the inevitable crash even worse. Republicans probably expected 2016 to be the year of the crash, but thanks to a desperate strategy and some good breaks, they somehow managed to eke out one more win. Unfortunately for them, the price for this was Donald Trump, who was always fated to be the doom of the party. Mitch McConnell knows this, which is why hes so frantically filling judgeships. He knows Republicans are likely to lose in November, and its possible that this is finally the year that they lose the median voter too, entering the same decade-long wilderness that Democrats did in the 1980s.

Trump isnt the only sign of this. The right these days is bereft of ideas. Literally. They have nothing new that they want to accomplish and no particular principles left. They just mechanically accede to whatever Trump happens to be saying this week. The left, by contrast, is brimming with ideas. UBI. National health care. $15 minimum wage. Child care. The revival of labor unions. Taxing the rich. The Green New Deal. Free college tuition. Decriminalization of marijuana. Criminal justice reform. DC statehood. Most of these wont fly, but even if youre a moderate who doesnt care much for Bernie-esque socialism you can still sense the tumult of ideas roiling the progressive movement. Theres life and energy among progressives, while conservatives seem filled only with weariness and hatred. This is not a good foundation for four more years.

Then again, I might be wrong yet again. Maybe the Republican bubble still has some life left in it. Ask me again in November.

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The Republican Party Must Be Routed Mother Jones - Mother Jones