Tag: Republicans

Project 2025

Vote for Democracy #31

Remember Project 2025, the lengthy document spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation to lay out plans for the “conservative president” they expected to be elected and which mirrored Trump’s Agenda 47 and the Republican party platform? Many public policy experts and commentators wrote about its extreme views and the impact it would have on Americans if implemented.

While Trump was on record as supporting it and many of its authors were former members of this administration, when it was more widely publicized in the media during his presidential campaign and proved to be massively unpopular with the electorate, he disavowed it.

Much of the flood of executive orders and administrative actions launched last week are in line with Project 2025, though, and people who were involved with its creation are coming back to the White House, although some, like Project 2025’s chief architect Russell Vought, nominee to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget, must be confirmed by the Senate.

Trump is still insisting he knows nothing about Project 2025.

Unbelievable.
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I’m posting this early in the day before I head to the hospital for my angiogram. I hope to get an update on that out tomorrow. Meanwhile, join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/01/27/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-27th-2025/

Vote for Democracy #23

MAGA versus DOGE

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

The transition to the Trump administration is a mess.

The ethics document for the transition was signed belatedly and is very weak regarding conflicts of interest. Many of Trump’s nominees for high level positions are openly hostile to the departments that they are slated to head. Some have no experience leading large organizations. A disturbing number are most well-known as media personalities rather than subject area experts. Several have had serious allegations against them that would raise red flags in a thorough background check. Many are extremely wealthy. Some of these nominees, such as Cabinet secretaries, require Senate confirmation and it remains unclear if enough Republican senators will oppose problematic nominees or not.

There is also the bizarre creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), co-chaired by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Despite its name, it is not an executive branch department, which would require an act of Congress to establish. Its apparent aim is to cut $2 trillion from the budget, even though this would mean cutting benefits for the public, such as Social Security and Medicare. However, they seem dedicated to extending tax cuts for wealthy people and corporations.

The whole enterprise seems dedicated to strengthening American oligarchy rather than democracy.

In recent days, though, there is a major, public battle going on between DOGE and MAGA over the topic of immigration. (For those who might not know, MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again” and is shorthand for the populist, anti-immigrant, sometimes Christian nationalist, base that follows Trump.)

Musk and Ramaswamy, along with other rich, high-tech executives, some of whom gave major amounts of money to elect Trump and many of whom are, like Musk, immigrants themselves, favor raising the number of H-1B visas offered by the US. These visas are given to highly skilled foreign workers. They are controversial because some employers have used them to bring in lower-waged foreign workers rather than hiring, training, and/or retaining US workers.

Those who speak for MAGA oppose all immigration and want the H-1B program to end.

A war of words has broken out between DOGE and MAGA; Heather Cox Richardson published a helpful recap. A lot of it happened on Elon Musk’s platform X, formerly Twitter. (I used to cross-post from Top of JC’s Mind to Twitter/X but no longer do so.)

To have this level of in-fighting before we even get to inauguration day on January 20th does not bode well for the functionality of the incoming administration.

The differences between the rich, powerful DOGE faction and the large, non-wealthy, populist MAGA faction extend to other areas of endeavor. For example, DOGE is talking about cutting earned benefit programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as social safety net programs, such as SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Many MAGA households rely on these programs to make ends meet. The House Republicans haven’t been able to get their act together this last term and their majority in the next term is even smaller.

I don’t know if we will have a largely dysfunctional government or one in which Trump attempts to concentrate all power in the executive branch, trying to govern by executive order and intimidation rather than legislation.

I’m scared but trying to listen to trusted voices and organizations that are preparing for all eventualities.

We need our diverse, pluralistic democracy to prevail.

Vote for Democracy ’24 #21

a political fantasy

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

As I watch with growing alarm the parade of unqualified and corrupt cronies that DT is nominating for his administration, I have started to indulge in a political fantasy regarding Congress.

As has become more obvious with each passing day, DT is planning to grab all the political power possible to make money for himself and his already exorbitantly rich cronies, to cut government services for the citizenry, and to keep Congress and the courts from checking him.

The Republican majorities in both houses of Congress are very slim, so it will only take a small number of members to keep the Republicans from enacting legislation that DT demands.

During part of the Andrew Cuomo administration in New York, the State Senate swung from many years of being majority Republican to majority Democrat. However, several Democratic senators formed their own independent caucus, resulting in the Republicans still being able to maintain majority control.

I call on all Republican members of Congress who are non-MAGA and care about our democracy and governing for the good of the people to establish a caucus independent of the Republicans. Even if there were only a handful in each house willing to do this, it would give control of legislation to the Democrats and prevent gutting Social Security, our health care system, government services, and our tax system. It would also make it more likely that the Senate would reject DT’s nominees for positions that are meant to destroy the departments or agencies that they would head.

Maybe they could be called the Constitution Caucus. Or the Independent Conservative Caucus. Or the Protect Democracy Caucus. Or the Political Courage Caucus.

Whatever they chose to call themselves, they could join with Democrats to craft and pass reasonable budgets and legislation and keep the United States from degenerating into a kleptocracy, plutocracy, autocracy, oligarchy, or any of the other forms of government that are threatening us.

The United States Constitution established a federal democratic republic.

Congress needs to fulfill their duties to keep it.

It’s time for Republican members of Congress to step up and take a stand for the Constitution and the American people. While it’s true that these members could be primaried in their next election, these next two years are crucial for the country to continue to have a functioning federal government.

So, Congressional Republicans of conscience and courage, step up! I know I am indulging in a political daydream but, sometimes, fantasy can become reality.

Vote for Democracy ’24 #20

Aftermath – part 1

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

My apologies for the long gap from United States Election Day and this post. We’ve been having a lot happening on the health front here and my limited brainpower had to tend to that over blogging. This post will concentrate on the aftermath of the election itself, not dealing with things like Trump’s staffing decisions and policy pronouncements for his impending administration.

If you have been reading this series, you know that I am upset and worried that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz lost the election. I am, however, grateful that my district (New York 19) elected Democrat Josh Riley over incumbent Republican Marc Molinaro and kept in place State Senator Lea Webb and Assemblymember Donna Lupardo, both of whom were instrumental in the passage of the ban on carbon dioxide fracking in our state.

While I am very worried about the impact that Trump and MAGA Republicans will have on the country, I was encouraged by the reaction from organizations with which I am involved, commentators and experts that I read, and from Vice President Harris herself that we would all continue to work to protect democracy, people, and the planet, especially those who are most vulnerable. Because I have a long history working on environmental/climate and social justice issues, I was comforted to receive so many supportive messages from trusted people and organizations. Many are already making plans within their expertise to protect our civil rights, enforce environmental laws, expose corruption, etc.

I have been somewhat puzzled by those who are saying that the Democrats failed in their message and policy ideas. They tend to say that the Democrats should have talked about fighting inflation, increasing affordable housing, health care, labor issues, and affordability in general, but the thing is, they were talking about those things – over and over for months. Somehow, though, these people missed it.

I think the biggest reason for Trump’s victory, narrow as it was in that more people voted against him than for him, is that there was a massive amount of mis- and disinformation in the campaign. Much of it came directly from the Trump campaign itself but there was also a lot coming from our Republican campaigns, PACs and superPACs, and from foreign entities, including Russia, China, and Iran. For example, Russia put out a fake video purporting to show non-citizens voting in the state of Georgia in the days before the election. There was also a flood of mis/disinformation coming through Elon Musk’s X, as well as other online platforms. Besides Musk, other billionaires and rich heads of companies spent heavily on behalf of Trump and Republicans.

Because our NY-19 House of Representatives district was so hotly contested, we saw this sort of misleading information effort in action. We got mail every day for weeks with lies about crime statistics, immigration, economics, reproductive rights, and more, trying to get votes for the Republican incumbent. Everything was designed to invoke fear and grievance.

Enough people in our district saw through these tactics to elect the Democratic challenger, who was also able to tout his hometown roots, but, nationally, the disinformation held enough sway that Harris lost. There also appeared to be a lot of voters, especially non-college-educated, young, male, lower-income ones, who voted for Trump without having much information at all. One of the most popular Internet searches on election day was about if Joe Biden was running, which seems incredible to those of us who follows news consistently, but apparently there were a lot of people heading to the polls without even knowing who the main party candidates were. There have also been reports of many Trump voters being surprised to find out that he actually intends to follow through on his rhetoric regarding tariffs, deportation, cutting government services, etc.

I can understand how some of the Trump voters fell for the lies and felt they needed a strongman to protect them from these perceived, if not actually real, threats. Unfortunately, fearmongering and grievance can work. I am disturbed, however, by those who voted for Trump because the racism, sexism, and/or Christian nationalism appealed to them. There was so much hateful rhetoric during the campaign and there have been increased threats and harassment against women, people of color, non-Christians, and members of the LGBTQ+ community both during the campaign and since the election. Some of this has impacted people that I know personally while others have been large-scale, such as threatening texts and emails sent with racist or homophobic messages.

I am grateful that the Biden-Harris administation is dedicated to the peaceful transfer of power and we don’t have to worry about violence in the streets or in Washington from Harris’s supporters as we saw from Trump’s after his loss in 2020, especially on January 6, 2021.

I’m afraid that Trump will pardon all the people who committed crimes in connection with Jan. 6th, which he has re-cast as a “day of love,” even though we all saw the violence and destruction in the Capitol that day.

Don’t fall for Trump’s lies.

Find knowledgeable, factual sources and stand up for truth.

Millions of others will be standing with you.

Vote for Democracy #17

Trump and the f-word

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Donald Trump’s rhetoric has become even more and more extreme, to the point that some in the media and politics have moved from characterizing it as authoritarian to calling it fascist. Historians, such as Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Heather Cox Richardson, have written columns and done interviews about this, as well as economist, professor, and former Cabinet secretary Robert Reich and many others.

They aren’t wrong.

While Trump has long demonized immigrants, he is now vowing to deport not only undocumented immigrants but also some immigrants who have legal status, such as temporary protected status or pending asylum claims, and even naturalized citizens and children of immigrants born in the United States who are citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment of our Constitution. He plans to round up millions of immigrants, place them in detention camps, and send them to other countries. Not only would this devastate these individuals and families, it would also tear apart many communities and devastate certain employment sectors with large numbers of immigrant-workers, such as agriculture, hospitality, construction, and food processing.

Trump is threatening to imprison law-abiding political opponents and members of the independent media, solely on the basis of their opposing viewpoints and truthful reporting. He repeatedly refers to them as “the enemy within.” This is chilling not only for public officials but also for lowly bloggers like me and people with Harris-Walz signs on their lawns. Will Trump-inspired vigillantes come after people like me?

Trump is threatening to use the military inside the United States to squelch protests and arrest people. It is illegal for the US military to operate in this way within the borders of the US, though they can help with things like disaster relief when cleared by state governors. He has even threatened to try civilians before military tribunals rather than in the courts, which is also unconstitutional.

Besides demonizing immigrants, especially people of color, Trump has scapegoated people of certain faiths, such as Muslims and Jews. He has a long history of denigrating Black people, dating from his early days in New York CIty real estate. His mistreatment of women is well-known from his decades of philandering and sexual abuse to his disregard for women’s right to bodily autonomy in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade which he made possible. White male superiority is seen as the center of power, which gives those with fascist ideas cover to demean women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, religious minorities, immigrants, or anyone they feel does not fit the strongman mold.

Fascism is not democratic. The United States is. It’s time for all eligible voters to stand up for democracy on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th, or before if early voting or vote-by-mail are available in your state. If you value our democracy, do not vote for Donald Trump or for any Republican who is not publicly opposing his hateful, fascist policies. Do not write in the name of your spouse or next-door neighbor. Do vote for Kamala Harris and the Democrats who value democracy and want to govern for the common good, not just those who voted for them.

Many Republican and former Republican elected officials and staff members have endorsed Vice President Harris because our democractic principles and the rule of law are much more important than particular policy disagreements. They know that, if Trump is elected, he will expand executive power and carry out the violent, fascistic threats he has been making.

Join them and all those who value our freedoms to Vote for Democracy!

One-Liner Wednesday: Project 2025 and taxes

Project 2025, the lengthy document spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation to lay out plans for the “conservative president” they expect to be elected this year and which mirrors Trump’s Agenda 47 and the Republican party platform, would raise middle class taxes by thousands of dollars per year per household while lowering taxes by over a million dollars per year per household for those making over $10 million.

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/09/04/one-liner-wednesday-whee/

One-Liner Wednesday: Project 2025 and mifepristone

Project 2025, the lengthy document spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation to lay out plans for the “conservative president” they expect to be elected this year and which mirrors Trump’s Agenda 47 and the Republican party platform, would direct the FDA to reverse the current approvals of mifepristone nation-wide, restricting medication abortion, miscarriage care, and other uses, even though the medication has proven to be safe and effective. (p. 458)

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/08/14/one-liner-wednesday-closed-for-the-season/

One-Liner Wednesday: Project 2025 and child labor

Project 2025, the lengthy document spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation to lay out plans for the “conservative president” they expect to be elected this year and which mirrors Trump’s Agenda 47 and the Republican party platform, would weaken child labor protections, allowing youths to do dangerous jobs (p. 595).

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/08/07/one-liner-wednesday-twice-the-bang-for-the-buck/

One-Liner Wednesday: prescience

I do not want to see the Republican party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny—Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear.

– Senator Margaret Chase Smith (Republican – Maine) addressing the Senate on June 1, 1950 near the beginning of McCarthyism

Please join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/06/05/one-liner-wednesday-snakes-on-a-plane/

Vote for Democracy #5

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

One of the most disturbing aspects of Donald Trump and many Republicans is their embrace of violence, both as a threat and as a weapon.

Trump has used violent language throughout his political career, encouraging people to beat up protesters at his rallies, ordering or condoning violence against peaceful protesters, and, most notoriously, encouraging and cheering the violent insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

He has also been credibly accused of sexual violence and abuse by many women and was found liable in the E. Jean Carroll case.

Most often, though, Trump doesn’t physically participate himself, but other people follow his directions, such as when he told the Proud Boys in a presidential debate to “stand back and stand by” and then they showed up in force on Jan. 6. A number of them were criminally charged and convicted, but Trump now calls them “hostages” or “political prisoners” and seems poised to pardon them if he is elected.

Trump is promising to send in federal troops to US cities without being asked for assistance by the mayors or governors who have jurisdiction. He would apparently do this by invoking the Insurrection Act, perhaps even at the start of his term and on a national basis rather than targeted against a specific, violent event. A blanket application of the Insurrection Act would end the rights to free speech, freedom of assembly, and infringe the right to petition the government, all of which are included in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Trump is also threatening arrest of his perceived enemies, including Joe Biden and all the House members who were part of the January 6th study committee. There is no evidence of criminality against any of them, but Trump has called multiple times for vengeance because of the charges against him, for which there is ample evidence. (Links to the indictments and congressional and judicial reports are readily available online.)

Followers of Donald Trump have committed acts of violence, which he then turns into jokes rather than condemning. After Paul Pelosi, spouse of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, was brutally attacked by an assailant in his home, Trump joked about it for months afterward, which is cruel and encourages others to commit even more violence on Trump’s behalf.

All of this is heightening the threat of political violence, particularly among Republicans. In a recent poll, 28% of Republicans agreed that “Americans have to resort to violence to get the country back on track.” (Independents were 18%; Democrats, 12%.) With Republican households having higher levels of gun ownership than other households, it is likely that a higher proportion of people holding this viewpoint have access to firearms. It has also been Republicans in Congress and judges appointed by Republicans who have blocked common sense gun safety measures. The cycle of violence perpetuates.

Last night, it was my privilege to hear John Dear speak on nonviolence. He was speaking about his new book, The Gospel of Peace: A Commentary on Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence. He spoke movingly about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Ghandi and their commitment to living the nonviolent life that Jesus did. He told us that Ghandi, a Hindu, read from the Sermon on the Mount, found in the gospel of Matthew, chapters five through seven, every day for decades. Even faced with the prospect of a violent death, King and Ghandi continued their commitment to nonviolence as Jesus did.

Father Dear reminded us that anger and fear are the underpinnings of violence. I have long known that fear-mongering is part of the lead-up to violent rhetoric from Trump and other Republicans, even when the underlying statements are untrue. For example, there is a lot of fear-mongering over crime. People think that crime rates are rising and are so afraid that they are willing to elect a strongman who promises to crack down violently on perceived enemies, which these days for Republicans seems to include immigrants, most people of color, Democrats, and people who identify as anything other than straight male/female.

When someone expresses a belief to me that is counterfactual, I’ll try to offer the facts if I can but I also try to address the fear that is underlying the issue and making them ready to justify violence to address it. If someone insults me or my intelligence, I don’t respond in kind but will explain my thoughts in a clear, honest way.

Back in the days of the fight against hydrofracking in New York, I often wrote comments on press articles and would be attacked by a small group of local drilling proponents who tended to hurl insults. I admit that it would scare me but I would always respond respectfully with facts to back up my opinion. Eventually, most of the press outlets stopped allowing comments. On my blog, I welcome respectful comments and engage with those who disagree with me, while reserving my right to remove comments that are disrespectful, violent, or likely to promote misinformation. Fortunately, this happens very rarely.

As we continue to prepare for the elections, listen to what the candidates are saying and reject those who espouses violence and stoke unwarranted fear. Check for the facts behind campaign rhetoric to make sure you can separate truth from lies and manipulation.

Vote for democracy, which means equal protection for all. NO! to Trump and all those who promote personal and political violence.