Mediaboss Marketing

Democrats and progressives see lessons in the unexpected success of Britains Labour Party in this weeks snap election, and plan to use some of the winning strategies to make similar gains in the United States.

The Conservative Party of British Prime Minister Theresa May lost 12 seats in the election, while Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party gained at least 31 seats a surprise, given Corbyns unpopularity even in his own party.Democrats said that the British election shows a wave turning against the populism of Europes far-right, and that their party could win in the U.S. by running unabashedly on progressive positions.

Corbyn promised a range of progressive policies, including new taxes to pay for college tuition, ahigher minimum wage, and nationalization of mail, energy and railways. His success shows that U.S. Democrats should run on what they actually believe, said Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project at the Center for Policy and Economic Research.

The conclusion from the U.K. election that I think is most obvious is that ...1990s politics of error-avoidance and poll-testing each and every increment of communication strategy or policy is just over, Hauser said in an interview. The argument for sincerety-driven politics is really strong. I think you see that in Bernie (Sanders), you see that in Corbyn, you see that in the con from Trump, where his affect gave people the idea that he was saying whatever was in his heart.

Argue for what you actually believe, Hauser continued.

Neera Tanden, president of the progressive Center for American Progress, tweeted that British voters had sent a referendum to May based on her proximity to Trump.

Tanden said in an email she was kind of kidding about Trump in her tweet, but believed the U.K. election showed nationalism in decline.

I think the Tories limits and Labours gains are both a reaction to Trumpism Brexit in the U.K.; Trump in America and as importantly, a sign that progressive forces are gaining strength in the world, Tanden said. Brexit just passed a year ago with Labour in opposition to it and May lost seats yesterday. So I think it is both a reaction domestically to the xenophobic nationalism of the Brexiters ... as well as gaining strength for bold progressive alternatives.

Howard Dean, former Vermont governor and chair of the Democratic National Committee, predicted a backlash to President Donald Trump reaction in the near future, similar to Britons Brexit misgivings.

I dont think this is a referendum on Trump, but I do think this is a referendum on Trump-type approaches to things, Dean said. I certainly think Trump helped drag Mrs. May down. It does look like the campaign that were gonna mount, except that were getting started a lot earlier.

Dean predicted Democrats would take control of both the House and Senate in 2018 an opinion he conceded is not widely shared in Washington for the same reason conservatives in Britain didnt do well. Democrats would win, he said, because there would be a reaction against the sort of extreme positions that Trump has taken.

But Our Revolution, a Bernie Sanders-backed group, said the lefts success in the British election was more about embracing progressive policies than about Trump.

Those lessons could have urgent significance to Democrats, still regrouping after losing the presidential election last year, even though there have been some encouraging signs in local contests.

If Brexit was a preview of Trumps rise, last night should show Democrats the roadmap they must follow, Dan Cantor, national director of the Working Families Party, said in a statement. The only way to beat phony right-wing racialized populism is with a bold anti-corporate inclusive progressive populism.

That visionary program, Cantor argued, inspired young voters and persuaded many anti-establishment voters that Corbyn had a plan to deliver change and he meant it.

Running against Trump and for an ambitious progressive policy agenda arent mutually exclusive,Joe Dinkin, a spokesman for the Working Families Party, said in an email. In fact, theyre complementary.

Trump has people energized to push for more and bolder, Dinkin said. People have a hunger for a transformative vision. And were also seeing that a bolder populism works as well.

Read the rest here:
Democrats Look For Lessons After Labour's Unexpected Success In Britain - HuffPost

Jon Ossoff (left) and Karen Handel

House Democrats are pumping more resources into their push to flip Georgias 6th District.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee laid out another six-figure ad buy for a 30-second TV spot that slams Republican Karen Handel. The group has now spent nearly $5 million backing Democrat Jon Ossoffs bid to win the suburban Atlanta district.

The ad claims theres a pattern in Handels use of taxpayer money, invoking her use of an SUV and spending while she was Georgias secretary of state. TheClub for Growth has also deployed similar attacks against Handel in recent months.

The Lexus is a reference to the car Handel had while secretary of state, and its a criticism that came up in her Senate race against David Perdue in 2014. Handels campaign has said she had owned the wheels before she won statewide office.

As to her spending when she was secretary of state, the Handel campaign has pointed to a recentPolitiFact articlethat considered a previous Democratic attack on her officialbudget to be mostly false.

The spending is part of an all-out war between national Democrats and Republicans to win the June 20 runoff. The race is by far the most expensive of its kind, and the top three Republicans President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan have all campaigned for Handel.

Watch the ad here:

Like Loading...

Previous

Georgia 6th: Pence gives Handel some backup in heatedrunoff

Next

Political Rewind replay: Two Sixth District polls for the price ofone

Read more here:
Georgia 6th: House Democrats up their attacks on Handel - Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)

EDITOR:

I read Congressman Mike Coffmans guest editorial in the Aurora Sentinel (May 18) about the countrys need for immigration reform. I share his sentiment and want to thank him for his leadership on this issue.

In the piece, Congressman Coffman touched on sanctuary cities, which we hear a lot about in the news lately, then did an excellent job explaining how cities that shelter undocumented immigrants are not the real issue, but rather our broken immigration system as a whole. What followed was a logical and well-thought-out description of how to reform some key components.

First, its clear that safety is an important and necessary impetus to reform. Direction at the federal level has specified that for public safety reasons, there is a need to deport undocumented individuals with a violent history who are currently here in the country. However, this has created tension between ICE agents and local law enforcement. Police Chief Nick Metz has repeatedly stated that local Aurora law enforcement will not act as federal immigration agents and for good reason. If immigrants fear deportation, they are more likely to live in the shadows and less likely to report crimes. Congressman Coffman encourages local officials to cooperate with ICE when it comes to public safety, but clearly a fine balance will need to be sought.

Everyone agrees that immigration laws need to be enforced in order to help stop the influx of people entering into our country, but I was happy that Congressman Coffman sees a more rational approach to securing our borders, rather than building a wall. Instead of focusing efforts on keeping people out of our country, he suggests utilizing the E-Verify for employers to ensure they are employing individuals with a valid visa. Our immigration system was last reformed 27 years ago and technology has vastly evolved since then, so it makes sense to utilize it to streamline verification and make it easier for employers.

However, prior to mandating E-Verify, there must first be a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S., and Congressman Coffman appears to take a humane and realistic approach to this. He speaks to creating a transitional period, allowing a window of opportunity for immigrants to feel safe enough to come out of the shadows, to go through background checks, and if they pose no threat to be allowed to remain in the country with legal status. This not only addresses the concerns about separating families but also the economic impacts of deporting such a large number of undocumented immigrants. And I was more than pleased that Congressman Coffman believes we need to find a pathway to legalization for youth who were brought to the U.S. by their parents. Hes not only talked about this, hes helped introduce two bills, the BRIDGE Act, a bipartisan effort, and the RAC Act each through differing means would allow these kids and young adults an opportunity to remain in the country legally to live, work and study.

Comprehensive immigration reform will be a tedious yet necessary effort. Im proud that our district is represented by a congressman willing to work across the aisle, to take an accurate assessment of our current immigration situation, and to offer real solutions. I hope Congressman Coffman will serve as an example to the rest of our Colorado delegation and that all of our representatives will take a leadership role in working towards reform.

Alex McShiras is an associate attorney with Joseph Law Firm in Aurora.

Read more:
LETTER: Coffman on target with push for immigration reform - Aurora Sentinel

Patch.com

Gibbons Students Are 'Senators For A Day,' Debate Immigration Reform Patch.com Using high-touch technology on tablets provided by the Institute, students took on the role of U.S. Senators and worked together to build and pass a bill calling for comprehensive immigration reform, according to an announcement from the Gibbons school.

Read more:
Gibbons Students Are 'Senators For A Day,' Debate Immigration Reform - Patch.com

Forbes

Tuned In To The First Amendment: Court Upholds Satellite Radio's Right To Choose Advertisers Forbes Business entities have endured increasingly strident criticism of their free speech rights in recent years. Thankfully, the US Supreme Court and most lower federal courts have declined to embrace critics' ideologically-driven perspective that the First ...

More here:
Tuned In To The First Amendment: Court Upholds Satellite Radio's Right To Choose Advertisers - Forbes