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President Donald Trump and his key advisers are incompetent, mean-spirited, elite tontos who fooled 63 million voters into believing that he cares about the working Joe.

Meanwhile, 66 million other voters have been organizing marches across the land in reaction to Trump on every human rights issue from womens rights (are human rights once and for all. Dont forget Hillary Clinton said that) to immigration.

To the 1.2 million who voted for Jill Stein of the Green Party who is admirable for her Green New Deal platform, but who hasnt held elective office beyond the Lexington Town Meeting; to the 4.5 million who voted for clueless Gary What is Aleppo? Johnson of the Libertarian Party;and to the 90 million who did not vote: Heres your chance to do better now.

While Trump and most of the Republican Party are implementing an agenda based on beliefs that people who are poor (read working class and middle class) dont deserve doctors or medicine, and that all Muslims are terrorists, immigrants are job-robbers and that the Earth is not in imminent danger of becoming too hot for all living things, millions are protesting online and in the streets.

For those who thought hating Hillary was a fun way to spend the day, now find time to call your elected officials and support them when they take positions you agree with, and call them out when you disagree.

The way forward is not to agree on everything, as Sanders and some of his loud-mouthed followers insist. It is not to give up on the Green Partys ideals, or our most progressive dreams.

Instead, we can take our cacophony of ideas and push the Democratic Party to live by its platform and make this country greater.

And do put on your seatbelts because democracy is a bumpy ride.

When Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, gave himself a $45,000 raise earlier this year, he broke the Democratic platform contract which, among other things, deplores greed. But on other issues, including helping people who are impoverished by ill health or institutional barriers, he is outstanding.

When U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, who was a Hillary supporter, and Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, a Bernie supporter, joined forces recently at an event to motivate voters, they stayed true to the platform.

When Trump nominated a right-winger, Neil Gorsuch, to the U.S. Supreme Court, Democratic senators pushed by their base tried to block the appointment. They noted that there already was a well-qualified candidate, Merrick Garland, nominated by then-President Obama in March 2016, who Republicans refused to even consider. Encouraged by the base, Democratic senators became activists.

But U.S. Senate President Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, changed the rules. There wasnt much to complain about, though, because Democrats had done the same thing when they were in the majority.

So with a simple majority vote, Gorsuch, who voted in favor of the company and against the frozen trucker in the now-famous case, became an associate justice on the Supreme Court.

Compare that to Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who once said, I strive never to forget the real-world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government.

In the face of the real-time, real-life dangerous consequences to Trumps presidency, every month protests both nationwide and globally draw hundreds of thousands who reaffirm that most of us believe in the Constitution.

Immigrants come here fleeing war and climate change. They have a simple wish to live in peace. But this cruel administration casts them aside.

Except for Native Americans, every single one of us has ancestors who came here either voluntarily or were enslaved. The bravest came here, and they are still coming, pinning their hopes on the United States.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, a Greek-American, chose Neil Diamonds hopeful America for his campaign theme song in 1988. Diamonds heritage is Polish and Russian.

Rihannas tribute to immigrants, American Oxygen, has been viewed nearly 72 million times on YouTube. The song sung by the Barbados-born superstar highlights both the best and worst of the U.S., and it resonates. We are the new America, she sings.

We are, as our ancestors were, among the bravest. From the light bulb to airplanes, from charting human DNA to building bionic limbs, from television to computers to social media, immigrants and their descendants have contributed so much to this country, and the world.

Theres so much were fighting for. As Sotomayor has said, the Constitution must have a heart and soul.

Natalia Muoz, of Northampton, is the host of Vaya con Muoz on radio station WHMP (1400 AM).

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Columnist Natalia Muoz: Push Democrats to uphold party platform - GazetteNET

MOLINE Official or political, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's message in the Quad-Cities on Monday was much the same as it was when he was here last week: It's mostly House Democrats who are standing in the way of resolving the state's financial woes.

The governor made a stop Monday at the iWireless Center to speak to members of the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce. Rauner praised Senate Democrats, even more so than last week, and said they want a balanced budget and a deal to end the two-year old budget impasse.

"I applaud them for that," he said. "I'm cheering for them."

Rauner has long focused on House Speaker Mike Madigan for much of what is wrong in Springfield. He didn't as harshly take on the Democratic leader as in the past, but the point was the same. He said there is "real reluctance to do anything."

Steve Brown, a spokesman for Madigan, responded by questioning Monday whether Rauner wants a deal himself. He accused him of derailing a deal in the Senate and said that Madigan is open to a deal but that it must be "balanced."

The governor's stop Monday was his second in the Quad-Cities in less a week. This one was an official visit. Last Tuesday, Rauner was in Rock Island for what he described as a political event not paid for with taxpayer funds.

Critics called the visit last week the unofficial kickoff of his 2018 campaign. Rauner denied that, saying he was simply trying to communicate with Illinoisans. But whether it was this week or last, Rauner emphasized changing the political equation in Springfield.

"The biggest thing you all can do is reach out to members of the ... House Democratic caucus," Rauner told the chamber members.

In fact, there is only one Democrat left in the Illinois Quad-Cities' House delegation: Rep. Mike Halpin, of Rock Island. Democrat Mike Smiddy was ousted last election, with Rauner supplying much of the money to target him.

Before Rauner's visit Monday, about 100 people gathered outside the iWireless Center to protest him. Many were from area labor unions.

A succession of speakers accused the governor of being dictatorial and failing to negotiate in good faith. They said schools, human service agencies and working people have been hurt by the impasse and, in a common refrain, they repeatedly told him to "do your job."

One speaker, Carlene Erno, a state worker and Quad-City area union leader, chided Rauner for recent television ads paid for by a group allied with him. "Quit spending money on stupid commercials, wearing flannel and holding duct tape," said Erno, president of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Local 2615. "Do your job."

In addition to the Quad-Cities, Rauner also was making a stop in Peoria on Monday.

Ed Tibbetts writes for the Quad-City Times, a Lee Enterprises sister publication of The Southern. He can be emailed at etibbetts@qctimes.com.

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In Quad-Cities appearance, Rauner praises Senate Democrats - The Southern

The sclerosis in the Democratic party is so overwhelming and crippling that they do not have a bench. They do not have leaders.

Todays Morning Joe had some good advice for Democrats if they want to start winning again, particularly at the House level. They need to stop imposing ideological purity tests on their candidates and nominate candidates who resonate culturally in swing districts.

The good news for Republicans is that there is no sign that Dems will heed that wise counsel. To the contrary, Morning Joe was replete with indications that Dems have forgotten how to win, preferring to go down with their liberal guns a-blazing. Excerpts:

Note: Cokie and SteveRoberts have weighed in along similar lines. In this column, theywrite that the Dems insistence on ideological purity in their candidates is beyond stupid. Its suicidal.

FRANK BRUNI: Democrats are bad at being relentlessly practical in the way you need to be. And you see this if you look at certain swing districts. This is going to be a big story, I guarantee you, in 2018. And if you look at certain swing districts, they do not nominate the person whos most likely to win in the general. They nominate someone whos a purist from the primary and then they end up losing the district. Theres one in upstate New York thats a great example. They just dont know how to be as relentlessly practical, and they need to be if theyre going to regain power.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: And Ive been asking all Democratic leaders that come on here, will you be okay with a pro-life person if theyre from Alabama, or from Kentucky? And if theyre from Alabama, and they agree with you on economics, is it okay if theyre pro-life?

BRUNI: Take the win, yeah.

JOE: And I keep hearing, no. No its not. No its not. Harold [Ford, Jr.], you know very well. I mean, Donna Brazile, I remember very well after 2004, wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, she said, when I go home [to Louisiana], they dont ask about our economics. They keep asking why were for abortion. And again, Im not just talking about that one issue. But it is a cultural issue. It is the cultural issues that have disconnected Democrats from a lot of Middle America.

HAROLD FORD, JR.: In big parts of the country there has to be some allowances and accommodations going forward if we expect to win in big parts of the country where weve lost.

. . .

JEREMY PETERS: Its funny. So yesterday I was talking to a young Democrat who was trying to pick my brain about who he should work for. He was looking at the Iowa caucuses in 2020. And I said, honestly, I have no idea. There is no leadership right now. There is such a vacuum. The scleroris in the Democratic party is so overwhelming and crippling that they do not have a bench. They do not have leaders.

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Morning Joe: Democrats Have Forgotten How To Win - legal Insurrection (blog)

President Trump's tweeter feed.(Photo: J. David Ake, AP)

As thousands began to gather on the White House lawn Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll, President Trump again took on the media, the Democrats,and the Obama administration via one of his favorite activities: Tweeting.

"'The first 90 days of my presidency has exposed the total failure of the last eight years of foreign policy!'So true" Trump said in one post, hash-tagging the morning show Fox & Friends.

The tweet came in the wake ofhigh-profile confrontations with Syria and North Korea.

The president then turned his attention to the Democratic Party, mock tweeting an endorsement: "A great book for your reading enjoyment: "REASONS TO VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS" by Michael J. Knowles."

Yes, the book features blank pages.

Not to be left out, the media also took a shot during Trump's early Monday Twitter storm: "The Fake Media (not Real Media) has gotten even worse since the election. Every story is badly slanted. We have to hold them to the truth!"

It is unclear which story, or stories, prompted the president's ire.

Later in the morning, Trump tweeted out a poll showing a rise in his approval ratings.

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Trump tweet attacks media, Democrats, and Obama foreign policy - USA TODAY

Apr 17, 2017 at 4:41 pm | Print View

A new coalition of business and religious leaders launched Monday to advocate for changes to the nations immigration policy.

Eighteen individuals from churches, colleges and businesses have formed the Iowa Coalition for Immigration Reform. The coalition is sponsored by the New American Economy, a group that says it is bringing together mayors and business leaders to support immigration reforms that will help create jobs in the United States.

Many of the initial coalition members are based in central Iowa, including officials from Des Moines Area Community College, the Ames Chamber of Commerce, the Waukee City Council and Simpson College.

While the Iowa coalition is pushing for comprehensive immigration reform, it is not prescriptive on what that reform should be, said Megan Peiffer, a representative for New American Economy, during a conference call Monday.

The intention with this particular coalition is to bring together all those different voices from different areas to create one united voice to get the attention of our Congressional delegation to talk about the issue of immigration reform, Peiffer said.

During the call, some coalition members said they would support a pathway to citizenship, securing the borders of the United States and argued that foreign-born members of the states workforce can help address a shortage of workers.

Its not about us, its about the jobs that we need to fill to keep Iowa strong economically, said Rob Denson, president of Des Moines Area Community College.

Reverend Richard Pates, bishop of the Des Moines Diocese, said he supports a controlled immigration system at the countrys borders, but also protections for immigrants who already reside in the country.

We need to speak to justice as we address those individuals and families that have been in our country and thats why we advocate very strongly for a pathway to citizenship, recognizing the economic contributions of these individuals and the values they have brought to our country, Pates said.

Rob Barron, a Des Moines School Board member, said his board is focused on supporting families and students already residing in the United States.

For us, what we want to see out of comprehensive immigration (reform) is some level of certainty for families that are already here, he said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8366; matthew.patane@thegazette.com

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New Iowa coalition pushes for immigration reform - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines