Tag: Election

Much Of The Republican Party Is Going Down A Dark, Undemocratic Path

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events

   Liz Cheney’s defeat in the Wyoming Republican primary is yet another example of the dark, undemocratic path much of the Republican Party is going down. And what’s worse is that this trend is threatening American democracy itself.
   In terms of policy and how she voted in Congress, Liz Cheney and I would disagree on a great many things, but I admire the fact she put defending American democracy and the United States Constitution above her political career or loyalty to a political party. She is one of the few Republicans willing to stand up to Trump and fight back against his lies and threats to our democratic values. She realizes the importance of democracy and the Constitution. So the fact that Republicans in Wyoming would vote so strongly against her reveals yet again how dark and twisted much of the Republican Party has become.
   In many ways, the Republican Party is now the party of Trump, a party that is willingly following a narcissistic, lying authoritarian figure. Despite the fact that overwhelming evidence shows the 2020 election was fair and that Joe Biden legitimately won, the majority of Republicans believe Trump’s lies instead. And a significant percentage are actively promoting those lies. Many Republicans have gone so far as to push for laws and policies that are clearly undemocratic. Want some examples? Here you go: In several states, Republicans have proposed bills that would allow state legislatures to overturn election results and allot electoral votes themselves, literally ignoring the will of the voters. There are also proposals by Republicans that would make it very difficult for election officials to deal with partisan poll watchers who are intimidating and interfering with voters and election workers. Republicans in numerous states are also trying to get Trump following election deniers into positions (like secretary of state) where they would oversee future elections, thus increasing their ability to interfere with (and possibly overturn) legitimate election results they don’t like. These are not exaggerations. Mail in voting is another target Republicans are aiming at despite the fact that it has been shown to be very secure and effective. The blunt reality is that Republicans are going after it because Democrats were the main ones who used mail in voting in the 2020 election. Again, I’m not exaggerating here. I wish I was, but I’m not. This is really happening.
   Much of the Republican Party is actively threatening American democracy, and this is a big reason why we can’t afford Republican control over governments (at any level) these days.
   Whatever your political beliefs or party affiliation, people need to speak out against the lies spread by Trump and others. It’s time to stand up for democracy and the United States Constitution and vote in elected officials who do the same because if people don’t, future historians may look back on this time as the beginning of the end of American democracy.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/19/voter-subversion-trump-republicans-push-laws-change-elections/9824186002/

Scary Times For American Democracy

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events

Jan 6, 2022
   1 year ago, an angry mob stormed the United States Capitol Building in an effort to stop Congress from performing it’s Constitutional duty of certifying the 2020 election. This was the first time such a terrible event has occurred in the United States history. And what is even more disturbing is how so many people, many of whom are Republicans, are trying to downplay the seriousness of the assault.
   Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: the 2020 presidential election was free and fair. Every single state, including those run by Republicans, certified the election because they found no evidence of widespread fraud. There were Republican, Democrat, and Independent observers in all the ballot counting rooms in all the states during the counting process. There were also international observers from multiple countries monitoring the election. And again, no evidence of widespread fraud was found. There have been numerous recounts and investigations into the election. For example, in Georgia, the official overseeing the election in that state was a Republican. After the Trump campaign made its claims of fraud, Georgia instituted serious investigations which included the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as well as the FBI, and no evidence of widespread fraud was found. The Trump campaign lost over 60 court cases where it was trying to push its claims of fraud, and many of the judges who ruled against Trump were conservatives themselves. The reason they ruled against Trump is because the Trump campaign had no legitimate evidence that would hold up in a court of law.
   Yet despite all this, Trump and many of his associates and followers continue to spread lies about the election claiming widespread fraud which in fact did not exist. There is strong evidence that it was these false claims that instigated the mob of Trump followers to riot and attack the US Capitol Building. And it is beyond disturbing and frankly dangerous the way Trump and many others continue to spread false claims of fraud when no widespread fraud actually occurred. It is undermining American democracy, and that is no exaggeration. Many people are losing faith in the electoral process due to these false claims still being spread. A growing number of Americans are saying they think violence against the government is acceptable. There are also Republicans in numerous states trying to pass laws that would make voting more difficult for millions of Americans, and they seem to be doing this in large part because of the false claims being spread by Trump and their willingness to bow to Trump’s demands. It is also deeply disturbing how many Republicans in Congress are trying to downplay the seriousness of the January 6th events these days. Some are even trying to rewrite what happened.
   This is why it is so vitally important to learn about the details, causes, and ramifications of the Jan 6th Capitol Building attack. We especially need to understand the causes since those are still simmering and festering in society today. Democracy is an amazing thing, but it is also a fragile thing. History has proven this many times.
   So we need to stay vigilant. We must stand for truth (whatever it may be) and democracy.

More People Need To Get Information From Varied, Independent, Reputable Sources

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Social Issues

10-9-21
   What happened to people’s ability to think for themselves clearly, fairly, rationally, and accurately?
   I’d really like to know.
   The thing that makes it so ironic is that we live in an age where people have more access to incredible amounts of information than ever before in human history. Think about it. With just our smartphones, devices which literally fit in our pockets, we can access vast amounts of information. News sites, online encyclopedias, a vast array of other websites, and multiple television news channels are all literally at our fingertips. Never in human history has so much information been so readily available to an everyday individual. It’s quite amazing when you think about it.
   As a result, it’s easier than ever to obtain information from a variety of different sources and get different points of view in order to be as accurate as possible. The problem is that millions and millions of people don’t do this. Instead, they focus on sites and people that only tell them what they want to hear. They connect with others online who agree with them and shun those who don’t. Many only get their news from extremely biased, one sided sources that frequently twist information around, exaggerate, and sometimes flat out lie. And when reputable news sites tell them accurate information that they don’t want to hear, they often call it “fake.” They seem to prefer deluding themselves over facing the truth.
   There are plenty of examples of this these days. With all due respect, Donald Trump lost the 2020 election fair and square. There is overwhelming evidence proving this. Every single state certified the election. There were Republican, Democrat, and Independent officials in all the ballot counting rooms in all the states overseeing the vote tallying process. There were even international observers from multiple countries monitoring the election. When the Trump campaign tried to spread their false claims of fraud in the courts, they lost over 60 times. And many of the judges who ruled against them were conservatives themselves. Yet tens of millions of Americans continue to believe the false claims of fraud as they only listen to Trump, other select Republican figures, and conservative websites about the election. They’re ignoring the vast amount of evidence showing that there was no widespread fraud and that Trump legitimately lost.
   Another example is how millions of people are ignoring the scientific evidence regarding the COVID pandemic in terms of the need for getting vaccinated, mask wearing inside public places, and social distancing. Instead of listening to the scientists on reputable sites, they ignore them and follow misinformation which is resulting in too many people not getting vaccinated and refusing to wear masks/social distance in situations where they should. This in turn is making the pandemic much worse and is undoubtedly costing lives to be lost tragically and unnecessarily.
   People need to open their minds and get information from varied, independent, reputable sources. They should strive to learn different points of view, try to verify information, be as objective as possible, and avoid only listening to those that tell them just what they want to hear. Doing these things would help more people get closer to understanding the real truth than has been happening thus far, and this in turn would help make the world a better place in the long run.

Donald Trump And Those Blindly Following Him Are Endangering American Democracy

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events

5-10-21
   I’m deeply disturbed by how Republicans these days have become so extreme in the way so many are following Donald Trump with an almost cult-like zeal. It’s to the point where our democracy is being seriously threatened in the near and long-term future, particularly if this trend continues.
   Donald Trump lied more than any other modern American president, and his outrageous false claims and lies about the election incited the January 6th riot and insurrection at the US Capitol Building. These facts are clear. Donald Trump lost the election fair and square, yet he continues to make outrageously false allegations and claims trying to say he won. He lost. There were international observers overseeing the election. Every single state, including those run by Republicans, certified the election. Ballot counting rooms had Republican, Democrat, and Independent observers overseeing the process and present to deal with issues. In addition to all this, Trump and his people went to court making their false claims about the election and lost over 60 times. And many of the judges who ruled against them were Republicans themselves.
   And here we are with Trump out of office yet still controlling the Republican Party. It is clear that he is expecting and demanding Republicans, especially those in elected offices, to bow to his will and obey his instructions. If an elected official doesn’t do this, then Trump will lash out at them and turn his followers against them. He appears to be demanding that Republicans go along with his outrageous lies about the election and that if elected Republicans want to get anywhere politically in the party, they have to espouse these lies as well. We’re seeing this with the way Republicans are turning on Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney. These two have stood up to Trump with regards to his false claims about the election, and they’re being torn viciously apart by the Republican Party as a result.
   The cult like control Trump is holding over the Republican Party is beyond disturbing and is truly endangering our democracy. Having one person who is no longer in an elected position holding such authoritarian style control over a major political party goes against what democracy is supposed to be about. In addition to this, Trump is convincing many Republicans not to trust United States elections if the person they voted for doesn’t win.
   This situation is extremely dangerous to the future of our democracy. More people in the Republican Party need to speak out against Trump’s horrible, dangerous lies and stand up for the United States Constitution and the American people instead. Will this happen? Right now, the verdict is still out on that which is scary.

Republicans Are Pushing For New Laws That Would Make Voting More Difficult For Many Americans

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events

4-5-21
   Republicans around the country are pushing for new laws that would make it significantly more difficult for many Americans to vote. They’re particularly targeting mail in voting and ballot drop boxes, both of which were used heavily by people who voted for Democrats in the last election.
   This is no coincidence. It’s very clear that the Republicans are trying to make it more difficult for people to vote, especially those they fear will vote for Democrats. Historically, Republicans have often feared large voter turnouts in elections because they worry that it may favor the Democrats if more people come out and vote.
   This is clear voter suppression. Republicans are trying to increase the odds that they might win future elections by making it more difficult for those who may vote for Democrats to cast their ballot. This is sick, disgusting, and goes against what democracy is supposed to be about. Frankly, it starts getting dangerously close to authoritarianism and clearly goes against what this country should stand for.
   Everyone who cares about our freedoms and democracy should be furious and speak out against these horrendous laws that Republicans are pushing all around the country. Mail in voting has been shown over and over to be very effective and quite secure. The military has been using it for years. We should be encouraging people to exercise their constitutional right to vote and have a voice in American democracy.
   People need to speak up and speak out against these outrageous new laws.
   Let’s stand for democracy and the United States Constitution.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/politics/voting-rights-republicans-restrictions-key-states/index.html

Getting Beyond The Vicious Toxicity Of The Trump Era Will Be Challenging.

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events

2-1-21
   The toxic rhetoric, hate, and lies from Trump and others continue to haunt us. Thousands of National Guard troops are still in Washington DC in order to help protect the US Capitol Building and other important sites from far right extremists.
   Think about that.
   Right now, the biggest terror threat to our country is from home grown, domestic terrorists. Far right extremists who have been encouraged and galvanized by Trump’s outrageous lies and rhetoric.
   It’s seriously disturbing and sad that our country has sunk to this level. And it’s clear that Donald Trump along with those enabling him and blindly following him are major factors in bringing our nation to this twisted, deeply troubling state of affairs.
   Divisions, lack of understanding, intolerance, hate, prejudice, and so on were already problems in the United States when Trump started his campaign for the Presidency back in 2016. The thing is: Trump took advantage of these problems, encouraging and exacerbating them, with his outrageous, hurtful, vicious, and often totally false rhetoric, actions, and lies. Instead of trying to unite people, he worsened divisions creating a toxic, hateful atmosphere so that prejudiced hate groups felt emboldened to become more brazen and vocal.
   Then came the 2020 election, which overwhelming evidence shows was free and fair. There was no widespread fraud or irregularities.
   But Trump began attacking the election before it even had a chance to get started as he viciously went after mail in voting for months prior to a single ballot being sent out to anyone.  Once he lost the election, he quickly began spreading ridiculous, totally false claims and conspiracy theories in his quest to try to stay in office, even though Joe Biden clearly and legitimately won.
   The years of lies, intolerance, xenophobia, and outrageous rhetoric from Trump and others in addition to all these false claims about the election incited these far right extremists to storm the US Capitol Building in an effort to stop Congress from certifying the free and fair 2020 election. Fortunately, these domestic terrorists failed, and Congress did its Constitutional duty and certified the election.
   Troubling still is how throughout all of this, numerous Republicans in important positions as well as millions of every day Americans are still enabling Trump’s horrendous behavior by always going along with him, not standing up to him, and flat out blindly following him. It appears that a significant amount of Republicans in Congress are still bowing to Trump’s whims, even after everything that has happened.
   It’s disgusting, horrifying, sickening, and disturbing seeing how low things have sunk to. It’s also scary how many people are still blindly following Trump despite the fact he incited insurrection and is still undermining (I would say attacking) our democracy.
   For things to get better, we have to be strong and stand up for decency, honesty, compassion, science, caring, and democracy. While Donald Trump and a number of other people should be held accountable for their despicable actions, we also need to put the hate, narrow-mindedness, intolerance, and viciousness of the Trump era behind us and strive to make this a better place for all. People must relearn how to open their minds, listen to one another, and work together where possible.
   It won’t be easy. We as a society and a country are battered and bruised. Healing will take time as will bridging the deep divides that have been tearing this nation apart.
   But we will get through it. Our democracy will endure and if we work at it, the United States will get closer to being the shining beacon that we want it to be.

Trump Continues Undermining US Democracy With The Help Of Blind Followers

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events

12-3-20
   Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the election fair and square.  There were no widespread irregularities. Biden won, and Trump lost.
   But Trump is continuing to undermine American democracy making outrageously false claims of fraud even though he has no evidence to back it up. His court challenges keep failing, again because he has no evidence. But Trump continues making bogus accusations, and what is more disturbing is how so many of his followers seem to believe him despite the fact he is clearly spreading lies and false information. It is additionally disturbing how most of the Republicans in Congress are still being extremely cowardly as they placate and go along with Trump’s dangerous farce. All of this enables and encourages Trump to continue his deplorable behavior.
   What is also concerning is how it appears that Trump is not going to go into a calm retirement like other modern presidents. Nope. It looks more and more likely that Trump wants to continue running the Republican Party as much as he can get away with. He may try to control what elected Republicans do and how they vote by wielding the threat of turning his followers against them. This means someone who is not in an elected position would be maintaining a significant amount of control over what elected Republicans are doing and how they are voting.
   Think about that folks.
   This goes completely against our democratic values and sinks further towards the dark world of authoritarianism.
   It is way past time for people (particularly Trump followers and elected Republicans) to open their minds and speak out against Trump’s abhorrent behavior. Stop blindly following him, placating him, and going along with him when he is clearly in the wrong. Get information from a variety of independent, reputable sources (not sites that just tell you what you want to hear). Stand for democracy and the United States Constitution.
   It’s time to get back our Democracy!  

Trump Proves Over And Over How Unqualified He Is As President

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science

10-25-20
   Let’s get one thing out of the way. I’m an Independent politically and don’t blindly follow anyone or anything. I look at the evidence and make the best decisions I can.
   It’s very clear how horrendously bad a president Donald Trump is. His outrageous hurtful rhetoric, colossal scale of lying, authoritarian tendencies, xenophobic behavior, and gross mishandling of the COVID pandemic are well known. Trump seems to go out of his way to avoid upsetting Russia and has not held the adversarial nation accountable for its ongoing cyber attacks on the United States. He has also not adequately addressed the serious accusations of Russia paying bounties for killing US and Coalition soldiers in the Middle East. On top of that, he and other Republicans are using the courts to try to take away Obamacare in the middle of this pandemic without having any replacement whatsoever. If they succeed, millions of Americans with pre-existing medical conditions would be at risk of losing their health insurance during the COVID 19 crisis. Think about that. If you don’t have a pre-existing medical condition, I bet you know someone who does. Trump is also engaged in voter suppression with his baseless, unfounded attacks on mail in voting. He is clearly trying to hinder the ability of people (whom he fears will vote against him) to vote. This sort of behavior goes against the very foundation of our country and democracy itself.
   Now consider this: Trump is totally disregarding social distancing and mask wearing guidelines at his political rallies. During these events, people are gathering in very close quarters (often shoulder to shoulder) and the majority are not wearing masks. The September 26 White House event in the Rose Garden has already proven to be a COVID super-spreader event that led to over 20 confirmed cases and has potentially led to the exposure of hundreds (or even thousands) more people. Some of these rallies could end up being even worse super-spreader events. How many people are going to get sick from these Trump rallies, and how many will die? Think about that. This exemplifies how horribly the Trump Administration has been handling the COVID pandemic.
   I could go on and on. The point is that whatever your political views, it’s time to unite behind Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because we must vote Trump out of the White House. We also need to vote a Democratic majority to both Chambers of Congress in order to start trying to repair the damage being done to this country by Trump and numerous other DC Republicans.
   The United States cannot afford 4 more years of Donald Trump.
   It’s time to bring back decency, thoughtfulness, respect, humanity, empathy, and service to the White House and Federal Government.

Register To Vote! We Must All Unite Behind Whoever Wins The Democratic Presidential Nomination To Defeat Trump!

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events

Folks, register to vote!


And vote!


Too much is at stake not too!


Trump is a horrible president.


He lies on a scale we haven’t seen in modern presidential history.  He attacks the free press relentlessly in a way that is scarily reminiscent of authoritarian leaders and won’t admit when he is wrong or makes a mistake.


He insults and alienates our allies while cozying up to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a person who is a clear adversary to the United States and democracy as a whole. Trump won’t even admit that Russia interfered in the 2016 election (and is doing so again) despite the fact that every single American Intelligence Agency says Russia did.


Trump’s attacks on the free press in addition to his failure to provide leadership in combating Russian interference in our elections weakens our democracy.


His actions in the Middle East have strengthened Russia’s position in Syria and has increased the likelihood that Iran will become a nuclear power. If Iran goes nuclear, Saudi Arabia will soon follow as they are adversaries.


Trump is worsening Human Caused Climate Change by withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement and by pursuing policies which increase fossil fuel use while also slowing down change to renewable energy sources. This also hurts the United States economically because renewable energy is the future worldwide. The US should be a leader in this field which would be better both environmentally and economically. Instead, the US is falling behind while other nations such as Germany and China become the leaders.


Trump is trying to pack the Supreme Court with hard right social conservatives. If this continues, many rights, such as same gender marriage and other LGBTQ rights, may be lost.


Also, the national debt is skyrocketing under Trump. This is not economically sustainable.


Folks, the upcoming election is one of the most important events in American history.

That is no exaggeration.


So much is at stake!


Register to vote!


And remember, we must all unite behind whoever wins the Democratic presidential nomination. Third party or Independent candidates have zero chance of winning the presidential election. Zero.


The next president will be either the Democrat or Donald Trump.


Let’s be damn sure it’s the Democrat!


And for your information, I’m an Independent myself.

I Think Would Have Been Wiser For Pelosi To Take The High Road At The SOTU

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events

I think Donald Trump is one of the worst, most corrupt presidents in American history. I also believe he is potentially one of the most dangerous with his penchant for telling falsehoods, apparent instability, attacks on the free press, and the way he seems to like authoritarianism. Considering the power he is wielding over the Republican Party and that he has access to the nuclear codes…well these are scary times.

That said, I do believe our Democracy will survive. Hopefully the American people will vote Trump out of the White House and also vote a Democratic majority into Congress so that we can start trying to repair the damage which has been done.

I can certainly appreciate the emotions Pelosi must have been feeling at the State of the Union address. On top of the everything else going on, Trump clearly refused to shake her hand when she offered (and is tradition at the SOTU). His address included numerous exaggerations and falsehoods in addition to unnecessary jabs at Democrats considering this was the State of the Union address and not a political rally.

But tearing up the SOTU copy she had been given in many ways lowered herself to Donald Trump’s level. I think it would have been better for her to take the high road.

Be the adult in the room, so to speak.

Be the cool, calm, determined, thoughtful leader that millions of Americans are yearning for but are clearly not finding from Donald Trump.

There are turbulent times ahead.

Let’s unite behind whoever wins the Democratic Presidential nomination and vote Trump out of office. We need to vote in a Democratic majority into Congress as well.

Together, we can get the United States back on a better course.