Category Archives: Republican

In the year-plus since the events of Jan. 6, 2021, the Republican Party has morphed, like an evil insect emerging from a chrysalis, into its final form: a terrorist organization. Rather thanpurging from its ranks those Republicans who supported, endorsed and participated in Donald Trump's coup attempt, the party and its leaders have rallied around them, and remade the party in their image. Rather than voting to impeach and convict Donald Trump, and therefore drive him out of the party, Republican leaders, along with the bulk of their voters and their mouthpieces in the media, have chosen to support him.

Republicans are so loyal to Donald Trump that even after the attack on the Capitol, where Republican members of Congress could easily have been killed 147 of them voted to nullify the results of the 2020 presidential election. In essence, they were completing the "legal" part of Trump's coup, even after the illegal part had failed (at least in that moment).

In the year since then, the scale of Donald Trump and his cabal's conspiracy and coup attempt has only become clearer and more obvious.There is no longer room for plausible deniability; the evidence is overwhelming. The United States was perhaps hours or days away from the overthrow of democracy, and at least an attempt at autocratic or dictatorial rule. Although that coup attempt was not successful, the campaignagainst American democracy continues and is escalating, largely undeterred.

RELATED:Donald Trump's lackeys failed him and saved democracy

In dozens of states across the country, Republicans are passing laws that will make it difficult or impossible for Democrats to win elections. Emulating the systems of authoritarian pseudo-democracies like Russia, Hungary and Turkey, the Republicans want to replace a system of"free and fair" elections (however imperfect those have been in practice) with what experts describe as "competitive authoritarianism" or "managed democracy."

Ultimately, Jan. 6, 2021, was a trial run and a preview of the future, in a country where if Republicans lose the popular vote they clearly intend to resort to illegal and quasi-legal means to obtain, keep and maximize power.

Last Friday, the Republican National Committee finally, and in almost an anti-climactic way, announced who and what it really is. The party's governing body officially censured Reps.Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinoisfor daring to condemn Trump's coup attempt, and for serving the public interest by sitting on the House committee tasked with investigating those traitorous events. The RNC's official statement described Trump's Jan. 6 attack force as "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."

The Washington Postoffered this editorial comment:

Since Jan. 6, 2021, senior party officials have gone from acknowledging Mr. Trump's guilt to punishing those, such as Ms. Cheney, who continue to speak up about a tragedy that no American shouldforget.It remains to be seen what punishment former vice president Mike Pence will endure followinga Friday speech in which he rebuked Mr. Trump's claimsthat he could have overturned the election on Jan.6.Republicans assailing Ms. Cheney and siding with Mr. Trump and his lies about the 2020 election are the ones who imperil the republic. By asserting, as their censure resolution did Friday, that truth is fiction and patriots are turncoats, they have exposed the dark, festering core of what their party is becoming: an unruly revolt against fact and reason that betrays the principles leaders, such as former president Ronald Reagan, championed.

The Republican Party has now given its official endorsement for more right-wing political violence, such as we saw last January at the Capitol and since then in various smaller-scale incidents across the country. Predictably, Republican leaders and spokespeople are now deflecting, obfuscating, lying and seeking to deny reality as they claim that their words were taken out of context and they did not exactly mean what they plainly said.

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This is a common strategy among extremist political organizations as they pretend to be legitimate partners in the very system of democratic governance they are working to destroy.

At important moments in history, people often do not realize what has taken place and how their collective destinies have been altered. In the middle of such events, it is difficult to see the bigger picture and its true implications. In America, this blindness is amplified by a nave cultural belief in the country's narrative of inexorable progress, in which history inevitably follows an upward trajectory, rather than meandering, lurching and then falling backward before moving forward again at some point in the future.

Because America's democracy crisis is a type of interregnum, and a collective crisis of meaning the American people are still muddling through it all, desperately trying to search out some kind of clarity or meaning. Those people who are supposed to be the guides the news media, political elites, "experts", and other public voices are just as lost because they too are vulnerable to the same forces.

We will look back on last Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, as one such moment one when things changed even more for the worse in an already broken America, and most Americans were not aware it had happened. On that same day, Donald Trump's fundraising operation sent out this email:

When will it end, Friend?

AT&T, a majority owner of DirecTV, is banning the very popular One America News Network (OAN) because too many people are watching.

I'm calling on all Conservatives to steer clear of DirecTV, and while you're at it, the same goes for "Concast's" [sic] Xfinity as well.

The Liberals have gone too far, and it's time we do something about it. My team is putting together a petition to show the Left that Americans want to hear REAL NEWS, not FAKE NEWS.

I want to get over 1,000,000 signatures from Patriots who are committing to NOT use DirecTV again, which is why I need your help.

Please add your name IMMEDIATELY to commit to NOT using DirecTV and to stand against the Left-wing MOB.

These Radical Left Lunatics are destroying our Nation, and we are better off without them.

I've requested to see the list of Patriots who proudly stand me, and I'll be looking for your name. Don't let me down.

Under the cover of hysterical and imaginary claims of censorship DirecTV in all probability made a business decision unrelated to ideology Trump and his spokespeople are encouraging eliminationist violence against their perceived enemies, the imaginary "Left-wing MOB" that is "destroying our Nation."

These are not isolated or random threats. Intwo recent political rallies Trump has hinted at the possibility of widespread racist violence, directed in particular against Black people.Last Saturday in Conroe, Texas, he called for mass demonstrations in Atlanta, New York and Washington if he is indicted or prosecuted for his many apparent crimes.

Fox News and the larger right-wing propaganda echo chamber have been circulating the white supremacist "Great Replacement" fantasy, which argues that white people are being supplanted in Western society by Black and brown people. These claims are an encouragement to preemptive violence against Black and brown people, Muslims and other perceived undesirables.

For at least the last six years, Donald Trump and the larger neofascist movement behind him have been using the propaganda technique known as stochastic terrorism, in which "dog-whistle" and other coded appeals are used to encourage political violence. In itself, this is nothing new: Stochastic terrorism has been a key feature of right-wing media and the "conservative" movement for several decades.

Emboldened by the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Republican fascists and the larger white right are becoming bolder and less restrained. Their use of stochastic terrorism has now transitioned toward direct threats, and acts, of political violence. As public opinion polls and other research have shown, millions of Republicans and Trump supporters are prepared to support political violence in order to return Trump to power and to protect what they understand as America's "traditional values" (meaning white privilege and white power). An unknown proportion of those people are willing to engage in such violence personally.

Many Trumpists and other neofascists are flying all-black U.S. flags at rallies or outside their homes to signal that they will offer no mercy in a future armed battle against Democrats, liberals, progressives and others deemed to be "un-American."

RELATED:Black flag: Understanding the Trumpists' latest threatening symbol

White supremacist and other neofascist paramilitaries are marching in the streets of major American cities in a campaign of intimidation (and recruitment). Historically Black colleges and universities have been targeted by bomb threats. In an eerie repeat of one of the worst chapters in human history, Republicans and their followers are endorsing book bans and even staging public book burnings.

Writing at Mother Jones, Mark Follman previewed these developments last year:

Trump has made freshly evident, in other words, that he is serving as the inspirational leader for a domestic terrorism movement. His role as such was first openly described by a handful of leading national security experts in the season of his reelection defeat and tumultuous final months in office. Back then, the discussion centered on Trump using tactics of stochastic terrorism, a method of inciting violence veiled in plausible deniability that those experts (and this journalist) recognized from Trump in the run-up to January 6. A third longtime Republican, a former senior national security official in the George W. Bush administration, described Trump as "an arsonist of radicalization."

As the former president further seeks to rewrite January 6 and stoke incendiary far-right grievances, veiled tactics and plausible deniability are no longer in the equation, according to another expert among those last fall who called out Trump's tactics. "So much commentary still seems uncomfortable or coy about stating what Trump is doing," says Juliette Kayyem, who served as an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security under President Obama and currently directs national security research at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "He's not hinting, whistling, or luring these extremists anymore. He's providing an owner's manual. I will never understand why we are being so polite about describing this."

In a recent essay at Salon about Trump's threats of race war, I explored some parallels:

Donald Trump is an entrepreneur of racial and ethnic violence. In that sense, he is not dissimilar to leaders in places like Rwanda or the former Yugoslavia, who used fear, lies, stereotypes and other dehumanizing and eliminationist rhetoric and threats of violence to encourage ethnic genocide. Trump has made it clear that he wants a "race war," in which Black and brown people are targeted for wide-scale violence by white people. There may be thousands, or tens of thousands (or even more) of white people willing to follow his orders. The danger is extreme.

When people reach out to me for advice about how to manage their fears about America in this moment of crisis and impending disaster, I suggest that they should read Chinua Achebe's novel "Things Fall Apart". I also encourage them to consider Achebe's wisdom that:"When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool."

In the end, if the current behavior of the American people at large is any indication, they may soon find themselves on the street outside their own house, evicted by suffering as he moves in his friends and family and pretends it was his house all along.

Read more from Chauncey DeVega on America's crisis of democracy:

Here is the original post:

At last the Republican Party comes clean: It stands for terrorism and Trump, against democracy - Salon

Ohiolawmakers will take a second crack at drawing a congressional map that adheres to voter-approved language to curb partisan gerrymandering.

But passing a map that appeases voters, Republicans and Democrats will be atall order if not a downright impossibletask. If lawmakers can't pass a map by Super Bowl Sunday, they will hand the line-drawing power to the Ohio Redistricting Commission,a group that has yet to approve a map that Republicans and Democrats agreed on.

"I think we all fully anticipate that this is something that's going to come to the redistricting commission. I think even Republicans anticipate that," said House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington. "So the question is: once it comes to the Ohio Redistricting Commission, will the process play out in a way that's similar or better than what we saw with the state legislative maps?"

Ohio congressional maps: The Ohio Supreme Court just rejected a GOP-drawn congressional map. What happens next?

The Ohio Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, rejected the GOP-controlled Legislature's first map, which could have given the GOP a 12-3 advantage in the state. That rejectedmap was drawn by Republican staff members with little to no Democratic input.

The court ruled that mapmakers unduly favored Republican candidates over Democratic ones. "When the dealer stacks the deck in advance, the house usually wins," wrote Justice Michael Donnelly in the court's majority opinion.

Hamilton County, for example, was divided into two GOP districts despite votingDemocraticin many recent county and presidential elections. Advocates of redistricting reform say mapmakers can and should draw a map that gives Republicans an 8-7 or 9-6 advantage.

Fair Districts Ohio, a coalition of good government groups advocating for redistricting reform, proposed a model map that would give the GOP an 8-7 advantage in the state with three safe Democratic seats and six safe Republican ones. The map could serve as a starting point for lawmakers or if ignored, an exhibit in a future legal challenge.

"We are hoping, as the state Legislature tackles this challenge, that they will be very focused on the voters rather than on partisan interests," said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio.

Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told reporters to expect "some action" on a congressional map on Monday or Tuesday after Senate Republicans returnedfrom a Florida fundraiser. Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, had introduced Senate Bill 286 as a placeholder.

Republicans won't be able to do it alone. They'll need votes from Democrats in the House. Why? Normally a bill takes effect after 90 days too late for the scheduled May 3rd primary.

For a bill to take effect right away, 66% of lawmakers in each chamber need to approve it. Republicans control more than 66% of the seats in the Ohio Senate, but not in the Ohio House.

"If this is a map that is not something that achieves the 10-year map goal that doesn't unduly favor one party, they will not get the votes needed for that emergency clause," Russo said.

Bills can also take effect right away if they include an appropriation of money.

The normal rules for a map also apply: if the planreceives support from 60% of lawmakersand 33% of Democrats in each chamber, it could last for 10 years. Anything that passes short of that would last for four years.

Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima, wouldn't say whether he'd prefer lawmakers or the commission to pass the maps.

"We're going to be formulating a reasonable approach, and I am not sure which way would be best at this time," he said.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Read the rest here:

Ohio GOP lawmakers to introduce a new congressional map. The odds of it passing are slim - The Columbus Dispatch

Pittsburgh is out of the running to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, Politico reported.

The news outlet reported from Salt Lake City where the Republican National Committee is currently meeting that RNC members are scheduled to visit other cities being considered for the political convention but not Pittsburgh. In addition to Salt Lake City, the other cities include Milwaukee and Nashville.

Allegheny County Republican Chairman Sam DeMarco, a county councilman from North Fayette, said he was disappointed to learn that Pittsburgh is no longer being considered and will miss out on the potential economic benefits of hosting a convention.

Obviously I am disappointed, because I had been optimistic about the impact of $200 million being spent on our region in 2024, DeMarco said. I understand the stiff competition we were up against.

DeMarco said the other cities still in the running have hosted large-scale political conventions in the past, while Pittsburgh has not.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, a Democrat, initially signed a letter of support for bringing the Republican National Convention to Pittsburgh, but backtracked a bit and said his initial support was merely a matter of procedure. In a statement, Gainey said he had concerns about the RNCs potential impact on safety and covid-19 mitigation.

We are one of the most welcoming cities in America and I look forward to sharing our home with the world, said Gainey. As we look for future events to come to Pittsburgh, I am dedicated to ensuring the benefits are shared equitably with our small, local and diverse businesses and that these events reflect and embody the values of Pittsburgh.

Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, D-North Side, said she was elated that Pittsburgh is out of the running. She said she felt political conventions, both Republican and Democratic, would invite too much contention.

How is it actually going to benefit Pittsburgh? How does it benefit the people who have to commute next to protests and counter-protests. I do not believe that the money would help the people who live and work here.

DeMarco said the Pittsburgh hospitality and service industry would benefit from the economic boost.

He criticized local Democratic officials who opposed the bid, arguing that local leaders must go beyond this partisan thing and set forth a vision that embraces what is best for the region and not just our political parties.

Ryan Deto is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Ryan by email at rdeto@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Original post:

Pittsburgh out of running to host 2024 Republican National Convention - TribLIVE

MADISON, Wis. (AP) Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a Republican bill that would have prohibited Wisconsin public schools from teaching students and training employees about concepts such as systemic racism and implicit bias.

Republicans who approved the bill do not have enough votes to override Evers veto.

Wisconsins proposal follows a national trend of Republican-controlled legislatures moving to thwart certain ideas they associate with critical race theory, a framework legal scholars developed in the 1970s and 1980s that centers on the view that racism is systemic in the nations institutions and serves to maintain the dominance of whites in society.

Evers said he vetoed the bill because he objected to creating new censorship rules that restrict schools and educators from teaching honest, complete facts about important historical topics like the Civil War and civil rights.

Evers, a former state superintendent of schools, said students deserve to learn without interference from politicians.

The proposal would have prohibited teaching that one race or sex is superior to another, that a person is inherently racist or sexist by virtue of his or her race or sex, and that a persons moral character isnt determined by race or sex.

Read more from the original source:

Evers vetoes Republican bill banning critical race theory - WIZM NEWS

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and multiple Republican state attorneys general have announced plans to investigate fundraising company GoFundMe, Reuters and The Hill reported. The Republican officials allege that GoFundMe may have violated state laws by refusing to distribute funds raised to support the "Freedom Convoy," a group of truckers and other demonstrators protesting Canada's COVID-19 policies.

According to The Daily Wire, the Republican attorneys general of Missouri, West Virginia, Ohio, and Louisiana have all said they plan to investigate whether GoFundMe defrauded donors from their states.

The convoy first entered Ottawa on Jan. 29 and has been blocking streets and keeping residents awake with loud honking ever since, The Washington Post reported.

GoFundMe said it deleted the fundraiser after being told by Ottawa police "that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation." According to BBC, as of Saturday the protests were still mostly peaceful, having resulted in only three arrests.

The company initially said donors would have to apply for refunds and that any remaining funds would go to charities approved by GoFundMe, but later reversed course and made refunds automatic.

"It is a fraud for @gofundme to commandeer $9 million in donations sent to support truckers and give it to causes of their own choosing. I will work with [Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody] to investigate these deceptive practices these donors should be given a refund," DeSantis wrote on Twitter on Saturday, several hours after GoFundMe announced that all donations to the Freedom Convoy would be automatically refunded.

DeSantis also stated the amount in question in a slightly misleading manner. The funds GoFundMe refused to distribute totaled about 9 million Canadian dollars (equivalent to about 7.9 million U.S. dollars).

Around 1 million Canadian dollars were distributed to the protest's organizers before GoFundMe removed the fundraiser.

Excerpt from:

Republicans say they'll probe GoFundMe over Freedom Convoy donations - The Week Magazine

One of the inescapable realities of our current political landscape is that the Democrat Party is united and the Republican Party is not. One attempts to satisfy its constituencies, and the other is constantly alienating its voters. Why is that? The answer is key to understanding why so many conservative voters, including many Christians, are unhappy with their political leaders and what can be done about it.

It may seem odd to characterize the Democrats as unified in the midst of their recent struggle to gain the votes of Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona on key party priorities, such as enacting the Build Back Better legislation or altering the Senate filibuster. But the recent vitriol directed at those two individuals for not going along is itself evidence of the degree to which the vast machinery of the party remains unified in purpose. Think of the many different presidential candidates in the 2020 Democratic primaries, and yet the winning, so-called moderate President Joe Biden governs from the hard left on priority after priority. This is not accidental. Party elitesleadership, donors, activists, and most votersall share the same radical, secular liberal worldview of the age. They are all committed to relentlessly pushing forward in pursuit of progress, disagreeing only in how fast or at what political cost.

In comparison, the Republican Party is split, seemingly inexorably, between two factions. The differences between the two are fundamental. They are about purpose, not pace. One faction is horrified that the United States is decades into an incremental revolution whereby self-government was tossed in favor of a secular, expert-led bureaucratic regime, whose interests are increasingly protected by large, multinational corporations that coerce the populace. They want resolute, prophetic statesmanship befitting the late hour that requires status quoshattering paradigm shifts. Most of the Republican voters are in this camp.

The other faction is harder to describe, as it is itself a mix of those with differing priorities, viewpoints, and temperaments. Perhaps the easiest description is to say that they are made up of those who are not horrified by the danger the United States faces. These individuals are either unaware or unalarmed by the currents carrying modern America or their destination. Sometimes the pace is a little quick, but it is largely the inefficiency or the material discomfort of the journey that concerns them. They want reform within the current paradigm. Most of the party elite are in this camp. This split is the main division that renders the Republican Party incapable of delivering on a coherent agenda to the American people.

The best example of this faction are the (historically Republican) chambers of commerce. Perhaps in opposition to FDRs New Deal or LBJs Great Society, many corporate executives flocked to the GOP in favor of low taxes, little regulation, and a strong economy. They wanted less government spending. And for many election cycles, they made for worthy coalition partners, particularly as many were also committed to maintaining traditional values and keeping the nation strong.

But over the years, the business community has become far less reliable. Corporationsled by chambers of commerceare now the main obstacles to Republicans engaging in the necessary culture fights that are most pressing at the state and federal levels. They are the Praetorian Guard for the interests of the LGBT community, going as far as to supportthe radical Equality Act. They are strong proponents of critical race theory disguised as diversity and inclusion training in their HR departments. They instituted their own vaccine and mask mandates on their employees and customers while fightingstate governments attempting to protect their citizens from being coerced. And they have been some of the most vocal opponents of voter integrity measures. Never mind the host of issuesranging from free trade absolutism to the power of multinational companiesin which their outsized presence in the party prevents a needed reconsideration. That reconsideration might attract new voters among working Americans. In short, the alliance with big business is now an anchor, dragging the conservative movement down.

Even with our own tenuous attachment to political parties, Christians should care because we currently do not have good options for effecting change in our two-party system. The Democratic Party is the political party of secular humanism. The Republican Party, fallen as all political vehicles are, is the natural home for those who value a Christian-influenced nation, who desire to protect life at all ages, who stand committed to strengthening families and communities from disorder and decay, and who reject the rule of totalitarian bureaucracies. But to remain that home, it must discard the corporatism that is strangling its heart and repelling its votersand that starts with ending the overwhelming influence of the chambers of commerce.

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Chambers of commerce are crippling the Republican Party - WORLD News Group

Sen. Mark KellyMark KellySchumer faces brewing war and progressives ramp up primary threats This plan for US critical minerals works around supply chain woes Club for Growth endorses Blake Masters in Arizona Senate race MORE (D-Ariz.) is leading when matched against a generic Republican candidate in his reelection bid, according to a new poll.

The Arizona Public Opinion Pulse survey, conducted by OH Predictive Insights, found that 42 percent of registered voters would support Kelly if the Senate election were held on the daythey answered the poll, while 38 percent said they would support an unnamed Republican candidate. Nineteen percent of those polled said they remain unsure.

Kelly, 57, is running for his first full term in the Senate after winning a special election in 2020 to represent the Grand Canyon State in the upper chamber. The special election was scheduled after Sen. John McCainJohn Sidney McCainDemocrats hit limits with Lujn's absence Kelly leads generic Republican in Senate reelection bid: poll Biden seeks to ward off second Ukraine-Russia fight MORE (R-Ariz.) died in 2018. Former Sen. Martha McSallyMartha Elizabeth McSallyKelly leads generic Republican in Senate reelection bid: poll These Senate seats are up for election in 2022 Business groups, sensing victory, keep up pressure over tax hikes MORE (R-Ariz.) was appointed to fill McCains seat following his death, but she was ultimately defeated by Kelly in 2020.

Kelly has quickly risen to become one of the most prolific fundraisers in the Senate he raked in almost $9 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, bringing his total fundraising haul for his reelection bid to about $27.5 million.

His campaign ended 2021 with upward of $18.5 million in the bank.

Despite Kellys sizable fundraising, however, theCook Political Reportlabels the Arizona Senate raceas a toss-up.

At leastsix Republicans are running for the GOP nomination to take on Kelly in the general election. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich appears to have an early lead, but almost half of registered voters say they are still unsure of who they would support in the primary.

The Arizona Public Opinion Pulse poll found that 25 percent of registered voters would likely vote for Brnovich if the GOP primary were held the daythey took the poll. Retired Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, the former head of Arizonas National Guard, followed with 11 percent. The rest of the candidates polled in single digits.

Forty-seven percent of those polled said they remain unsure of who they would support in the GOP primary.

The primary race, however, would likely shake up if Republican Arizona Gov. Doug DuceyDoug DuceyLatino Victory endorses Hispanic Democrat for Arizona governor Kelly leads generic Republican in Senate reelection bid: poll Harris presses governors on voting rights MOREannounces his candidacy. The two-term governor, who is barred from runningfor reelection because of term limits, received 35 percent support in the Arizona Public Opinion Pulse survey, followed by Brnovich at 13 percent.

Ducey, however, has said he is not running for Senate.

The poll surveyed 855 registered voters from Jan. 11 to Jan. 13. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Link:

Kelly leads generic Republican in Senate reelection bid: poll | TheHill - The Hill

Rep. Liz Cheneys Republican primary challenger is leaning on her decades of legal fights against the federal governments natural resources policy in her battle against the incumbent.

Harriet Hageman, an attorney, entered the race for Wyomings sole House seat in September on a platform of complete alignment with former President Trump, amid Cheneys outspoken opposition to the former president over his involvement with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol building and other actions.

But Hageman is also presenting herself as the better candidate to fight what she sees as overreach by President Bidens administration. Shes pointing to her legal work, battling against policies like Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves and conservation of national forests, to show that shes the candidate to represent Wyomings interests.

"Ive taken on the EPA, Ive taken on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ive taken on the USDA," she said last month on "Bannons War Room," the podcast hosted by former Trump strategist Steve Bannon.

Asked whether she could handle when Cheney "plays hardball," Hageman said shes shown shes ready.

"So does the federal government. So does the EPA. They play to win," she said. "One of the things about going up against, say, the EPA is that they have unlimited resources. And when theyre going out and doing a test case, for example, trying to take over irrigation in northern Wyoming, theyre going to throw everything that they have at it to do that," she continued.

Hageman and her campaign didnt respond to requests from E&E News for an interview or to expand on her legal work.

Hageman currently is senior litigation counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a group that takes on conservative legal causes to fight against environmental regulations, Covid-19 mitigation measures, campaign finance restrictions, taxes and more.

Her work has almost always put her on the opposite side of the conservation community.

"Although Harriet Hageman more recently is known for her flip-flop to support Trump and challenge her previous confidant Liz Cheney, she has a long history with environmental and conservation groups," said Dan Smitherman, Wyoming state director at the Wilderness Society.

"Most of her work was with private property, water and grazing rights, but she forged a legitimate reputation as an anti-public lands sagebrush rebellion lawyer and pro-ranching, anti-wolf advocate," he said.

Hageman said last month on the radio show "Wake Up Wyoming" that her first big case after she launched her own law firm in 2001 was representing the state of Wyoming in challenging the U.S. Forest Services roadless rule, when was written in the final days of President Clintons administration. The case resulted in a 2003 federal court injunction, which the administration of President George W. Bush didnt appeal.

Smitherman estimated that the roadless rule litigation had "the most significant impacts" on conservation.

In another notable case, Hageman represented David Hamilton, a Wyoming landowner, in his battle against EPAs 2007 determination that an irrigation ditch violated the Clean Water Act. "After a two-week trial, we prevailed in that case, and the EPA lost. Because we were right. The Clean Water Act does not apply to his activities," she said on "Wake Up Wyoming.

Hageman worked for many years for an industry coalition in Wyoming to get the gray wolfs Endangered Species Act protections removed, and in 2009 fought the Department of Agricultures determination that certain cattle transported between states need electronic tags.

At times, however, her legal work on behalf of industry has been in opposition to local decisionmakers. In one case, she successfully represented a gravel company in challenging a Wyoming countys decision to block a gravel mine operation, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

More recently, shes been sounding the alarm on Bidens "30 x 30" initiative, also known as "America the Beautiful," which aims to conserve 30 percent of the nations land and waters by 2030 (E&E Daily, Dec. 20, 2021). She argues its a "land grab," a threat to Wyoming and an attempt by Democrats to hasten the decline of rural America.

"The federal government under Joe Biden and radical Democrats are intent on taking over and federalizing our private property rights under the auspices or claim of combating climate change. This is a U.N.-driven, unlawful land grab that would be devastating to the economy in this country and dramatically alter the very nature of private property rights and who and what the United States is," she said on the "Working Ranch Radio Show."

The Biden administration has fought back against similar arguments, saying the conservation efforts are completely voluntary and the government is not seeking to take anyones land.

Hageman grew up on a ranch near Fort Laramie, Wyo., where she said she and her siblings had to move cows, fix fences and do other work on a regular basis. She studied at the University of Wyoming, where she got both a bachelors degree and a law degree.

Between her legal and advocacy work, Hageman has been active in Republican politics and campaign finance. She was a previous Republican National Committee representative for Wyoming and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018.

She was also an ally to Cheney previously and was a critic of Trump, working in 2016 to stop his presidential nomination. But she later became an ally to him, and Cheneys increasing estrangement from him led her to abandon the lawmaker.

"We sent her to Washington, D.C., to be an ally of Donald Trump, and shes turned into a mortal enemy of not just Donald Trump but the America First agenda, she told Bannon.

Hageman cites her work not only to show her dedication to ranching, oil and natural gas, and other industries, but also to argue that Cheney has abandoned Wyomings priorities.

For example, she says its malpractice that Cheney isnt on the House Natural Resources Committee. She was on the panel in her first two terms.

"The Natural Resources Committee this is one of the first times in our history that we dont have anybody on that all-important committee. That tells you where her priorities are," Hageman said on Bannons show.

Cheneys campaign declined to respond to Hagemans comments.

When she met with Trump last year to ask for his endorsement before launching her campaign, Hageman brought up energy and regulations as two of her top priorities.

"The two primary issues I discussed with him were energy independence and what he did in terms of regulatory reform. I thanked him for his work in that regard," she said.

Myron Ebell, who used to work for a think tank launched by former Republican Wyoming Rep. Malcolm Wallop, said hes gotten to know Hageman through her New Civil Liberties Alliance work. Hes hopeful that she can win, get a spot on the Natural Resources Committee and be a champion for industries like agriculture and energy.

"She is a hardcore conservative. But she also has establishment Republican connections, which I think will serve her well," said Ebell, who leads energy and environment policy at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute and led Trumps transition team for EPA.

"She has the expertise thats needed on the committee on a lot of federal lands issues. And shes very strong on property rights and the rights of federal land users."

Cheney, Ebell said, had a good Republican voting record on Natural Resources but "wasnt really interested in those issues."

Ebell expects Hageman will follow in the mold of "some of the really strong people" on Natural Resources, like GOP Reps. Tom McClintock of California, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Paul Gosar of Arizona, who lost his spot on the panel last year when Democrats stripped him of his committee assignments.

Cheney has projected confidence in the face of Hagemans challenge and hasnt backed away from her Trump criticism.

She continues to pursue action on energy and other key Wyoming industries, and has argued that her record of fighting against regulations and for increased oil and natural gas production, among other priorities, puts her ahead in the race (E&E Daily, Sept. 10, 2021).

Cheney has also been active in fighting Bidens energy and natural resources policies. Shes introduced legislation to combat the "30 x 30" conservation plan, worked to block Bidens executive actions targeting fossil fuels and proposed to compensate states for any revenue they lose due to Bidens fossil fuel policies.

She was also aligned closely with Trumps deregulatory and energy agenda. She was the lead sponsor of the 2017 legislation that Trump signed to undo former President Obamas "BLM Planning 2.0" rule that sought to overhaul how the Bureau of Land Management oversees its vast acreage which Cheney and other opponents said would have curtailed local voices in land decisions (E&E News PM, March 27, 2017).

The primary is scheduled for Aug. 16, ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. The winner of the primary is expected to easily win the November race.

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Meet the anti-conservation Republican vying to unseat Cheney - E&E News

Edgewood attorney Stephanie Dietz announced her candidacy Tuesday for the 65th House District seat.

The seat is currently held by Democrat Buddy Wheatley, of Covington.

Dietz, a Republican, would be a new resident of the 65th though she has lived in Edgewood for 25 years.

Newly drawn legislative maps, already approved by the Republican-dominated Kentucky General Assembly, shifts the currently urban-centric 65th to more suburban parts of Kenton County, including Edgewood and Crestview Hills.

The legislation approving the new House districts has not yet been signed or vetoed by Democratic Governor Andy Beshear.

We need a representative who will work collaboratively with Republicans and Democrats to ensure Kenton County continues to be a safe, vibrant community where

parents can raise a family and where economic opportunities exist for everyone," Dietz said in an announcement. "I have spent over two decades working for Kenton County families and look forward to standing up for all of our communities if I am fortunate enough to serve in Frankfort.

Dietz operates Dietz Family Law and was an unsuccessful candidate for Kenton County Family Court judge in 2014. She has practiced law for more than 27 years. She is currently vice president of the Northern Kentucky Bar Association and is the current president of the Academy of Northern Kentucky Collaborative Law Professionals, an organization that she said she helped found.

Dietz is a certified family law mediator and coached the mock trial team at Covington Catholic High School.

Northern Kentucky is a conservative area. However, the 65th district representative does not reflect those values in Frankfort and that is why I am running," Dietz said. "I have spent my life and career serving others, and hope to continue that service in Frankfort. This campaign will be about who best represents the 65th district and who can be most effective in Frankfort and I look forward to the opportunity to meet even more of my fellow Northern Kentuckians on the campaign trail.

Wheatley, who is serving his second term representing the 65th District, has filed for reelection. He is one of two Democrats in the Northern Kentucky Legislative Caucus. Rep. Rachel Roberts (D-Newport) has also seen her 67th House district redrawn, and observers have argued that it also would become more Republican-friendly.

Dietz is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Northern Kentucky University's Salmon P. Chase College of Law. She and her husband, Jim, have two college-aged sons.

Correction:An earlier version of this story reported that the 65th House District would include Lakeside Park as part of its new boundaries. That is not correct. The article has been updated to reference Crestview Hills instead.

-Michael Monks, editor & publisher

Photo provided

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Dietz Files as Republican for 65th House District Seat - The River City News

Police were called to step in after a group of conservatives wearing orange shirts that said RINO hunters, with crosshairs making a target of the O, tried to storm a Republican Party of Orange County meeting in Costa Mesa on Monday night.

The group was led by Nick Taurus, a self-proclaimed American Nationalist who last year spearheaded a protest during a town hall for Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, that turned violent. After provocation from Taurus group, a Porter supporter threw a punch and was arrested.

Taurus, R-Laguna Hills, is now challenging GOP Rep. Young Kim in the CA-40 House race. Hes labeled Kim, whos been endorsed by the OCGOP as a RINO, a derogatory name used by the far-right for more moderate politicians who they deem Republican in name only.

The clash reflects a growing schism in the Republican party, pitting those who strive to elect GOP candidates in purple areas like Orange County, and those on the far right, who remain fiercely loyal to former President Donald Trump.

The party said on Jan. 12 that because of the coronavirus surge attendance at Monday nights OCGOP meeting which was aimed at endorsing candidates for the 2022 election cycle would be limited to members of the Central Committee due to the coronavirus surge.

There are important endorsement requests that must be voted on, but we recognize the spike in covid cases across Orange County, the announcement said. It is important that we as a party take care of business, but we must also take care of ourselves and each other.

But some local Republicans didnt agree with that decision.

Photos and videos shared to social media show a couple dozen people wearing orange RINO shirts in the lobby of the building where the meeting was being held. A witness told the Register one member tried to push past people at the door, grabbing at the handle to get inside. Police then are seen directing the protestors outside, while other people are waved by and allowed into the meeting room.

Once outside, Taurus is seen in videos, wearing a make America great again hat, arguing with GOP Latino activist Jesse Suave over amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Taurus supporters and Suave engaged in verbal clashes, with shouts to back the f up and saying what are you going to do?

Costa Mesa Police say they were called to the meeting at 6:39 p.m. Monday on reports that a group of about 20 demonstrators were refusing to leave the private political meeting, according to department spokesperson Roxi Fyad. Officers contacted the demonstrators, told them to take it to the sidewalk, and they complied, Fyad said.

No one was detained, she said, and police werent aware of any physical altercation.

A spokesman for the county GOP offered a written statement that included this:

The Costa Mesa Police Department was called when (a) group continued to disrupt our meeting and the business of the venue.

As a party, we welcome a healthy debate of ideas. That cannot occur in the manner these individuals conducted themselves. The safety of our members, guests and staff are of the utmost importance to our organization.

Taurus has been involved in multiple protests that have turned physical in the past, including free speech rallies at Cal State FullertonandOrange Coast College in 2017. Videos circulating on social media also show him disrupting a 2020 racial justice protest in Yorba Linda. In that video he is seen stealing and ripping up someones Black Lives Matter sign. His social media posts tout conspiracy theories about the Clinton family, the gay mafia and anti-White racism.

After the incident at Porters town hall, Taurus said in a live Instagram video that someone from the Republican Party of Orange County sent an invitation for his group to attend the Democrats town hall and press Porter about what shes doing to help eastern O.C.s 45th District. Now, Taurus said via social media, his group is being shut out by the same party.

Brian Burley, an OCGOP Central Committee member whos running against Porter in the new 47th District, said the crowd was loud but calm when he walked into the meeting. He said he never had any safety concerns, and everyone was gone by the time he left at 9:45 p.m.

Burley had asked party Chair Fred Whitaker in a public letter Jan. 5 to postpone the endorsement meeting following the death of party leader Kelly Ernby. He clashed with Whitaker last election cycle, when he was facing Michelle Steel in the CA-48 race, over the party making early endorsements of establishment candidates.

Ernby had been planning to run for the 72nd Assembly District before her death early this month from COVID-19. On Monday night, the OCGOP endorsed Diane Dixon for the seat.

Staff writer Eric Licas contributed to this report.

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Police break up fracas at Southern California Republican meeting - The Mercury News