Month: June 2016

Restoring full citizenship
by Tom Sullivan

Restoring felons’ right to vote after parole is a hit or miss prospect among the several states. Maryland restored voting rights to ex-offenders in February. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently signed an executive order restoring paroled felons’ voting rights there, nullifying “a Civil War-era provision in the State Constitution that barred convicted felons from voting for life.” The New York Times set up the backstory to this morning’s news back in April:

Amid intensifying national attention over harsh sentencing policies that have disproportionately affected African-Americans, governors and legislatures around the nation have been debating — and often fighting over — moves to restore voting rights for convicted felons. Virginia imposes especially harsh restrictions, barring felons from voting for life.

In Kentucky, Gov. Matt Bevin, a newly elected Republican, recently overturned an order enacted by his Democratic predecessor that was similar to the one Mr. McAuliffe signed Friday. In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, vetoed a measure to restore voting rights to convicted felons, but Democrats in the state legislature overrode him in February and an estimated 44,000 former prisoners who are on probation can now register to vote.

5.8 million Americans are not allowed to vote because of past felonies, according to the Sentencing Project. More than one in five African Americans in Virginia.

Leah Taylor, 45, an African-American mother of six, nearly shed tears upon hearing her rights had been restored. A teenage mother, she had spent a year in jail after conviction at 20 for selling cocaine and had never voted. Today she has her life “back on track” and will be able to vote for the very first time this November.

But this morning we read in the Times that Republicans in Richmond are working to undo that:

Top Republicans in the state legislature are seeking to block Mr. McAuliffe’s sweeping order, which re-enfranchised 206,000 Virginians who have completed sentences, probation or parole. Last week, the Supreme Court announced a special session to hear arguments in July — in time to rule before the November election.

The suit has plunged Virginia and Mr. McAuliffe — a Democrat and close friend of Hillary Clinton’s, the party’s likely presidential nominee — into yet another racially charged voting rights battle. In May, a federal judge upheld a Republican-backed law requiring Virginia voters to provide photo identification, while the Supreme Court let stand a court-imposed redistricting map, drawn to address Democrats’ complaints of racially motivated gerrymandering.

This next fight over restoring voting rights to convicted felons — an issue playing out nationally — could affect the presidential contest and Mrs. Clinton’s fortunes in Virginia, a critical swing state. Ever since Mr. McAuliffe’s order on April 22, progressive groups have been waging a furious registration campaign; as of Friday, state elections officials said, more than 5,800 newly eligible voters had signed up.

Restoring felons’ voting rights is a big deal, but not usually publicized. For years, electioneers working early voting outside the Board of Elections here came to recognize the look of attorneys and clients coming and going, papers in hand, from the adjacent county courthouse. One recounts asking a young man in the fall of 2008 if he was coming to vote.

“No, ma’am. I can’t vote. I’m a felon.”

But he had just come from the final hearing that completed his parole. The volunteer explained that in that case his voting rights were restored automatically in North Carolina. He could register and vote for Obama. She sent him inside to check with the Board of Elections. He emerged later having voted that day. There may not have been tears, but perhaps a high-five.

Meanwhile in an alternate universe

by digby

Here’s a story about that wonderful man Donald Trump that’s making the rounds among his Facebook fans:

Many are quick to label Donald Trump as a “racist” or “sexist,” but there’s a side of “The Donald” most people have yet to see — until now.

For more than three decades, Trump’s assertive personality has been captivating millions of people around the world.

Although the famous real estate mogul seems to have it all, Trump’s testimony illustrates the life of someone who’s conquered all the odds stacked against him – no matter how many people try to take him down.

I’ve always admired Donald Trump, but after learning all that he’s been through, I admire him even more!

“Going through tough times is a wonderful thing, and everybody should try it. Once.” – Donald Trump

Donald Trump has sparked more controversy than any other presidential candidate in history (including Abraham Lincoln), and became the frontrunner shortly after the first Republican debate. But like most historical figures, Trump wasn’t always the leader of the pack.

On June 14, 1946, Donald John Trump was born in Queens, New York. He was the fourth of five children of Frederick C. and Mary MacLeod Trump. His father was a builder and real estate developer who specialized in constructing and operating middle-income apartments in Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn.

As a child, Trump was energetic and assertive – so his parents sent him to the New York Military Academy at the age of 13, hoping the discipline of the school would be a positive influence on his unique personality.

“As an adolescent, I was mostly interested in creating mischief,” Trump explained. “I liked to stir things up, and I liked to test people.”

The prestigious academy, founded in 1889 by Civil War veteran Charles Jefferson Wright, took pride in its reputation for whipping rebellious youths into shape.

“I did very well under the military system,” Trump said in an interview. “I became one of the top guys at the whole school.”

Trump was not only a star athlete, but also a star student. He excelled both socially and academically, and his peers looked up to him as a leader.

As soon as 17-year-old Donald Trump was named a captain for his senior year, he ordered the officers under his command to keep strict discipline: Shoes had to be shined. Beds had to be made. Underclassmen had to spring to attention.

Only a month into Trump’s tenure, the highly-respected captain was transferred to an even more prestigious position — a new job on the school staff.

“I had total control over the cadets,” he said in a recent interview. “That’s why I got a promotion — because I did so good.”

The school had an powerful impact on Trump’s political views due to its conservative content and culture. Students were forbidden to leave campus during the week. In addition to math and English, subjects like military history were mandatory and students learned how to fire rifles and mortars. Girls would not be allowed to attend until more than a decade after Trump’s time there.

After graduating in 1964, Trump attended Fordham University for two years then transferred to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1968 with a degree in economics. But it was another passion that Trump went on to pursue.

“Without passion you don’t have energy, without energy you have nothing.” – Donald Trump

DID YOU KNOW: Joel Olsteen has called Donald Trump “a friend of our ministry” and “a good man.” Although many criticize Trump’s unconventional Christian faith, very few people know that he was raised in a church. Trump’s parents took him to church every week and they instilled their son with conservative values. True to his Christian roots, Trump even collects Bibles and keeps a Bible near his bed.

“People are so shocked when they find out I am Protestant. I am Presbyterian. And I go to church, and I love God, and I love my church.” – Donald Trump

Inspired by his father, Trump decided to pursue a career in real estate development. In 1971, Donald Trump earned control of his father’s company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, which he eventually renamed the Trump Organization.

Although Trump experienced success in the real estate industry multiple times, it wasn’t until 1982 that he gained national attention with the opening of Trump Tower – a monumental $200-million apartment-retail complex. The 58-story building was unlike any real estate Americans had ever seen before, with a six-story atrium lined with pink marble and included an 80-foot waterfall.

“From the day I built [Trump Tower] it’s been successful. It’s not my biggest building, it’s not my biggest job, and I’ve made more money on other things than I have at Trump Tower, but I think my favorite building will always be Trump Tower,” Trump revealed.

Little did Trump know then, he would become the media’s new target with an empire destined to crumble.

Trump’s resilience was put to the test when the real estate market crashed in 1990, plummeting the value and income from his empire and net worth. Against all odds, Trump managed to climb back from a deficit of nearly $900 million, claiming to have reached a high point of more than $2 billion, according toreports.

But there was an even bigger pain tugging at his heart…

During the time of his financial troubles, Trump was also going through a controversial divorce from his first wife, Ivana. The two got married in 1977, and after the 1978 birth of the couple’s first of three children, Donald John Trump Jr., Ivana was named vice president of the Trump Organization.

When Trump realized his empire and marriage was crumbling before him, he isolated himself in a small apartment on a lower floor of Trump Tower. He went days without leaving his building, having hamburgers and French fries from the nearby New York Delicatessen delivered to him. Trump was losing it — in front of millions of people wishing him failure.

Despite the media’s attempt to tarnish his reputation and make his life a living hell, Trump rose above the hate and divorced amicably from Ivana in 1991 – where she walked away with a reported $25 million. Trump even poked fun at the scandal when he and Ivana starred in a Pizza Hut commercial together in 1995.

Trump endured another highly publicized divorce from a fledgling actress, Marla Maples, in 1997. The two got married in 1993 and had a daughter together. When their divorce was finalized in 1999, Maples received $2 million from a prenuptial agreement with Trump.

However, Trump did not let these personal upheavals discourage his quest for true love – nor did he let it interfere with his career.

Trump’s challenging times paid off in 2004 when he began starring in the NBC reality series The Apprentice, which quickly became a hit. His high-profile persona was intriguing and entertaining, and the show became such a success that it resulted in several spin-offs, such as The Celebrity Apprentice.

In January 2005, Trump married Melania Knauss, who gave birth to a son, Barron William Trump, in March 2006; it was her first child and Trump’s fifth.

“A good marriage is like negotiating an important deal: You have to consider all the factors, thoughtfully and thoroughly. If you were investing a large part of yourself and your fortune into a venture, believe me, you’d make sure you thought about it for a long time first. That’s how I see marriage. It’s serious, and it’s important. I don’t approach it any more haphazardly than I do a very important deal. In fact, considering the amount of deals I’ve made compared to the number of marriages I’ve had, I’d say I’m quite cautious about marriage. You should be, too.” – Donald Trump

The catalyst to Trump’s empire was his official announcement to run for president on the Republican ticket on June 16, 2015.

Although Trump’s career was in real estate development, he always expressed his passion for politics. During an interview with Oprah in 1988, Trump revealed his disagreement with American government — giving the public a small taste of his White House ambitions.

In the 1988 interview, Oprah asks Trump if he would ever consider running for president. The real estate mogul made it clear that although he disagrees with the direction America was headed, presidency wasn’t a priority. However, if Trump noticed the country was trapped in such a dark, deep hole — he felt it was his calling to run for president and lead the country in a positive direction. It appears that time is now.

“I probably wouldn’t [run for president],” Trump told Oprah. “But I do get tired of seeing what’s happening with this country and if it got so bad, I would never want to rule it out totally because I really am tired of seeing what’s happening with this country.”

From the moment Trump announced his run for presidency, people of all diversities felt “offended” by his brutal honesty.

Whether you love him or love to hate him, Donald Trump has gained your attention – and the fact that his critics pour so much energy and time into condemning his anti-political correctness is proof that he’s already in charge of the American people.

“I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I’ve been challenged by so many people, and I don’t frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time either.” – Donald Trump

But maybe it’s Trump’s anti-political correctness that our country has been missing for so long. Think about it: there’s a reason we all fell in love with Simon Cowell’s comments onAmerican Idol. According to sociology experts, we’ve been craving for TRUTH ever since God was kicked out of American schools — and Trump isn’t afraid to give us that truth.

“When God was kicked out of our schools, truth also packed its bags and children were left to find meaning in cheap diplomas and certificates of participation. But the real world does not function on the measure of one’s sincerity no matter how hard one works – if the hard work one produces is still below average. And it cares even less about one’s self-esteem.”

Donald Trump is EXACTLY what our nation needs — and his educational, social, and professional background is proof. We don’t just need a leader, we need a FEARLESS leader: someone who isn’t afraid to speak the truth, someone who’s willing to put in the effort to shake Washington D.C. up and make America great again.

Thank you, Donald Trump, for reminding the world what a TRUE American looks like.

Sunday Funnies

by digby

You’ve got to be carefully taught

by digby

Students for Trump

This is what the kids are learning from our leaders these days:

A group of students at a western North Carolina high school built a wall made of boxes and blocked access to a common area, and their Latino classmates are upset.

The students were allowed into McDowell High School, about 100 miles northwest of Charlotte, on Wednesday to perform a prank as a teacher supervised them.

A photo of the wall with about 30 students standing in front of it was shared on Instagram and captioned, ‘We built the wall first.’

Principal Edwin Spivey says one of the kids wanted to put a Donald Trump logo on it and was told he couldn’t do that.

Right. You wouldn’t want to be partisan about it.

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They like him just the way he is

by digby

If Trump subscribes to the same wingnut stuff I do, this is what he’s hearing:

Conservatives want Donald Trump to continue his unorthodox style of campaigning, according to a poll conducted by FedUp PAC. Trump “should be himself, continuing to campaign as he has for the past year”, say 84%. Only 9% believe that Trump, having nearly locked up the Republican nomination, should now become more like traditional presidential candidates.

Trump has received advice from some Republicans that he should tone down his comments, speak from a prepared text instead of ad-libbing, and attempt to avoid offending people. Trump has so far rejected that advice.

I think it’s important to remember that all the things normal people find appalling about Trump are the things that his fans find appealing.

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Imagine Trump in control of the FBI

by digby

A lot of people are talking about Jake Tapper’s interview with Trump and if you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s your duty as a citizen to bear witness to what Republicans have decided is worthy of leading the most powerful nation on earth. Never forget.

Perhaps, you say, that it was just a bad week. or a bad interview. Well, take a look at what he said on Face the Nation:

“He is a member of a club or society, very strongly pro-Mexican, which is all fine,” Trump told “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson in an interview that will air Sunday. “But I say he’s got bias. I want to build a wall. I’m going to build a wall. I’m doing very well with the Latinos, with the Hispanics, with the Mexicans, I’m doing very well with them in my opinion.”

Later, when asked if he believed a Muslim judge would treat him unfairly because of another controversial proposal to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the U.S., Trump replied: “It’s possible, yes. Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely.”
“Isn’t there sort of a tradition though in America that we don’t judge people by who their parents were and where they came from?” Dickerson asked.

“I’m not talking about tradition,” Trump replied. “I’m talking about common sense, okay? He’s somebody, he’s proud of his heritage. And I think that’s great that he’s proud of his heritage.”

When questioned on whether he would instruct his lawyers to ask that Judge Curiel get thrown out of the Trump University case, Trump said: “Well, I may do that now–We’re finding things out now that we didn’t know before.”

“Because of his Mexican heritage though?” Dickerson pressed.

“No, but because of other things,” Trump responded. “I mean because of other things.”

“You know, we have to stop being so politically correct in this country,” he added later. “And we need a little more common sense, John. And I’m not blaming. I’m proud of my heritage, we’re all proud of our heritage. But I want to build a wall. Now, the Hispanics, many of them like what I’m saying. They’re here legally. They don’t want people coming and taking their jobs and taking their house and everything else. They don’t want that.”

There was this too.

The former reality television star also addressed previous comments calling for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton to face jail time over her email server, saying what she did “is a criminal situation.”

“I would certainly have my, very fair, but I would have my attorney general look at it,” Trump said. “Yes, I would. Because everyone knows that she’s guilty. Now, I would say this: she’s guilty, but I would let my attorney general make that determination. Maybe they would disagree.”

Asked what he believed Clinton to be guilty of, Trump said that, coupled with endangering confidential information, the former secretary of state also showed poor judgment.

“She’s guilty of the server, she’s guilty of – you look at confidential information, I mean, all of the information that probably has gotten out all over the world,” he said. “And then you know what else she’s also guilty of? Stupidity and bad judgment.”

After Clinton delivered a national security address last week aiming almost entirely at Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee decried her “ridiculous” claims about him.

“It was supposed to be foreign policy and it was really Trump policy,” Trump said. “And she got it all wrong.”

“I mean first of all, you know, she talked about that I want to nuke all of these countries,” he explained. “It’s ridiculous. No, I want these countries to pay for protection. We are protecting them.”

“She made many statements that she knows were wrong,” Trump said.

Yeah, this is a person you want in charge of the biggest military and law enforcement apparatus in the world. He has a very deep understanding of how it all works.

People, this man could win. There are only two parties and anything can happen. Right now, one of them has gone completely nuts and the other one is acting a little shaky. It could happen. If it does, we will have our very own Putin. Or worse.

*(Clinton’s statements were all factual.)

Politics and Reality Radio: Muhammad Ali, Radical Muslim; Can the Media Handle Donald Trump?

by Joshua Holland

This week, we look at Muhammad Ali’s black nationalism, his opposition to intermarriage and the backlash he faced from the white establishment after refusing to fight in Vietnam. Of the North Vietnamese, Ali famously said, “They never called me ni**er, they never lynched me, they didn’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father.”

Then we’ll be joined by Joe Strupp, a senior reporter at Media Matters, to talk about the media’s challenges covering a candidate like Donald Trump — and their failures so far. Strupp says media outlets are at risk of losing what remains of their credibility by covering him like an entertaining freakshow.

Finally, we’ll be joined by Imani Gandy, senior legal analyst at Rewire News and co-host of TWIB Prime, to discuss the right’s bizarre fixation on where people pee. She also lays down the law that supports the Department of Education’s advisory for schools to let students use the facilities that match their expressed gender.

Playlist:
Otis Redding: “Mr. Pitiful”
Muhammad Ali: “Stand By Me”
Johnny Wakelin & The Kinshasa Band: “The Black Superman Muhammad Ali”
Prince: “Cream”

As always, you can also subscribe to the show on iTunes or Podbean.

How political pressure works
by Tom Sullivan

Just Brew It 2016. Photo by Gordon Smith, former DH blogger,
now local city councilman.

President Barack Obama’s recent shift towards expanding Social Security provides an example both of how political pressure from below works and of the limits of a president’s ability to impose his will. Scott Lemieux writes at New Republic:

What has changed, then, is the politics. The leader of the Democratic Party believes it’s in his political interest to support expanding rather than cutting Social Security. The pushback against chained-CPI from both Democratic voters and many congressional Democrats was crucial in making this happen. And you can bet Obama has been paying attention to Bernie Sanders’s strong presidential run, too, which has shown there is an appetite for a stronger welfare state. He changed his public position on Social Security for the same reason he belatedly came out in support of same-sex marriage rights: that’s where the party was.

President George W. Bush’s epic failure to privatize Social Security (at least, in part) early in his second term, Lemieux writes, demonstrated the limits of both the bully pulpit and Overton Window shifting for moving the political center of gravity. In fact, Bush’s backfire may have been “the best thing to ever happen” from a liberal perspective. Republicans have backed off and their putative presidential candidate opposes entitlement cuts, saying, “Of course they believe they’re ‘entitled’ to receive the benefits they paid for–they are!” A deal’s a deal.

Reacting to Obama’s shift away from a Grand Bargain, Democracy for America chairman Jim Dean said in a statement, “If anyone has ever wondered what impact the grass-roots political revolution behind Bernie Sanders is having on the future of the Democratic Party, the sharp, populist progressive turn that President Obama made today on Social Security expansion should answer those questions.”

The problem with the political revolution approach is that it’s an every-four-year gambit for those who have no taste for keeping up the pressure on an ongoing basis. We tend to rely on white-knight candidates to lead the charge for us. Obama’s 2008 campaign was hailed for being the massive grassroots campaign it was. While he inspired lots of local efforts, as his campaign wore on it became the most top-down “grassroots” effort I have ever seen. Everything seemed run out of Michigan Avenue. It was a well-oiled machine. A well-oiled machine that post-November broke down as soon as the oil stopped flowing. And that was after a groundbreaking win.

The last time we had a Democratic congressman in these parts, I would call staffers I knew ahead of votes on issues liberals supported and ask how their calls were running. Ten to one against was typical. (Your mileage may vary.) Conservative telephone networks were cranked up, stoked by right-wing talk and bulk mail from Richard Viguerie or copycats. We on the left were waiting to be inspired by a the next presidential campaign.

At an annual home brewers festival here yesterday, I met two, under-35 couples I really liked. (It helped that I also liked their beer.) We talked beer and politics. They are relatively new to the area, so later I checked the state’s public database to see where in the county they vote. Three only voted in presidential years. One registered early in 2014, but skipped the election.

Is nothing sacred? Photo by author.

His African-Americans

by digby

You have probably heard about this, but if not:

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told rally attendees in Redding, California that he will get “tremendous” support from African-American voters. As proof, he pointed to someone at said, “look at my African-American over here, look at him.”

Then there was this Donald Trump retweet:

This fellow Don Vito is a particular favorite of Trump’s. Trump retweeted an earlier one from him that caused some trouble:

Anyhoo, according to Buzzflash, the family in that photo up top aren’t among Trump’s African-Americans:

As many people on Twitter were quick to point out, the photograph first appeared last year on an article from Cincinnati, Ohio station WCPO about the Midwest Black Family Reunion in August.

BuzzFeed News can reveal the parents in the photograph, pictured at left , are Eddie and Vanessa Perry — and they are not endorsing or publicly supporting any political candidate during the 2016 election.

On Saturday morning, however, a friend texted him a screenshot of Trump’s tweet. “When I saw it, I immediately knew it was political propaganda,” he said.

“Why use it without asking for someone’s permission?” he asked. “Why use our image without asking?”

Somebody needs to take Trump’s twitter keys away from him.

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