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As a registered voter (Republican for 35 years and current Libertarian) and political observer for more than 40 years, there has been one political constant. Liberals (progressives, if you prefer) are never, ever satisfied with a political victory.

They never enjoy a political victory. Instead, they immediately seek out another cause du jour. It's always "one more" with the liberals. Oh, and there's this. Liberals are always upset that somewhere in these great United States of America, someone is enjoying life. That is simply unacceptable for the progressive mindset. Rally the troops for another protest and vandalism orgy.

This week, a suburban Cincinnati school district caved to the whining minority of spoiled children and voted to change the Anderson High School mascot, the "Redskins," during a special meeting on July 2.

According to a report in The Cincinnati Enquirer, board member Patty Taylor had the common sense that God gave a goose and voted against the motion.

Taylor said she would like to postpone the vote, stating she was against the "method" of changing the mascot without public discussion outside of emails.

"If I disagree, I'm not a racist, and I refuse to accept that," Taylor said. "Everyone has a right not to be offended. But if I do not agree with your narrative, then I'm the problem?"

No, Taylor is not the problem. The problem is the new national narrative of making everything and anything protest material by the largely uninformed and willfully uneducated.

Once Anderson High School and other schools acquiesce to the mini-mobsters on one issue, they must be prepared to acquiesce on more issues.

If the mini-mobsters find "Redskins" offensive, they also must find "Indians" offensive. "Cowboys" must be offensive, too. In Ross County, a school nickname is (or was) the Sherman Tanks, referencing William Tecumseh Sherman. Uh-oh.

Then, there are those insensitive Highland County public school animal nicknames like Lions, Tigers, Wildcats and Mustangs.

What if some precious child does not want to identify with a lion, a tiger, a wildcat or a mustang? What then? How about naming all schools donkeys? The left seems to embrace that braying beast of burden known also by a three-letter moniker.

Then, of course, we have those insensitive color nicknames.

The Cincinnati Reds (commies?) comes to mind. The St. Louis Blues (cool musicians?) also comes to mind. What about the Red Sox and White Sox in Major League Baseball? Aren't these potentially racist, pitting white against red? If people are offended by Redskins, wouldn't they be similarly offended by Red Sox?

Giving in to the mini-mobsters has to stop. Soon.

Today I was asked by a public official how long it would be until the Highland County Courthouse statue along High Street was vandalized. I did not have an adequate answer. But I do know this: There were acts of local vandalism during previously scheduled protests in Hillsboro.

When public officials insist that everything is peaceful, that's not always the case. If we, as law-abiding citizens, decide that local law enforcement is no longer necessary, we must live with the consequences. We need to let local law enforcement know they are appreciated. Think, for just a moment, where you might be without them.

And if we allow a rewriting of American history, we'll have to live with that as well.

As we celebrate Independence Day, please remember that those brave and noble 56 signers of our Declaration of Independence gave us a great republic if we can keep it.

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.

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The new national narrative of making everything and anything protest material - The Highland County Press

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MOSCOW (Reuters) Twenty-year-old Russians Yekaterina Mikhailova and Iya Barsegyan have only ever known life under President Vladimir Putin who rose to power in 1999, before they were even born.

The pair may be of the same generation, but politically they are worlds apart, a contrast that shows how the divisions created by Putins politics could last for years.

This week, Russians are taking part in a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms that would clear the way for Putin to remain in the Kremlin until 2036.

Mikhailova wants Putin out, and is fiercely opposed to the idea of letting him serve two more terms in the Kremlin, instead of stepping down in 2024, accusing him of persecuting his political opponents, stymying Russias development and ushering in an era of political stagnation.

The best thing for our country now would be a change of power, said Mikhailova, a member of Russias Libertarian Party, a small organisation with no representation in the national parliament. She plans to vote no at the seven-day vote ending on July 1.

I dont want him to stay there until the end of my life.

Barsegyan, on the other hand, sees no harm in voting in Putins favour on this point, one among the dozens of reforms being put to a simple yes or no vote ending on July 1.

The majority of the amendments are important and they should be of benefit to the whole country, Barsegyan told Reuters at a square in central Moscow.

She points to a proposed minimum wage guarantee and a constitutional pledge to defend the legacy of the Soviet World War Two effort against what some Russians believe are attempts by the West to skew history in its favour.

And while Barsegyan was skeptical of some of the more socially conservative reform proposals, such as changing the constitution to define wedlock as a union between a man and a woman only, she also said had no problem with changing the law to allow Putin to reset his count of terms served to zero.

I see nothing bad in this. I doubt the current president will run for another term, she said.

Putins approval rating is at its lowest since 1999 when he was prime minister, the Levada pollster says, but at 59% it is still high, and reforms are likely to pass with ease.

Russian state opinion pollster said on Monday that its exit polls showed that 76% of Russians had so far voted to support reforms.

The Kremlins critics say the vote is rigged and describe it as a constitutional coup. Some young voters, like Alexander Kostyuk, 18, have decided to stage a boycott.

I abide by the law and Im not ready to participate in events that arent outlined by current legislation.

(Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

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Generation Putin comes of age as Russians vote on extending his rule - Metro US

KINGSTON, N.Y. Primaries for several party lines in the Saugerties town justice race had yet to be decided Thursday as the Ulster County Board of Elections also was busy counting mail-in ballots in the contest for 11 county Democratic Committee seats from Saugerties.

There also was no declared winner yet in the Republican primary in New York's 19th Congressional District.

The counting is to resume Monday, July 6.

In the Saugerties justice primaries, incumbent Claudia Andreassen and challenger Stan ODell are vying to secure theDemocratic, Working Families, Independence, Libertarian and Green lines for the November election.

Primary Day was Tuesday, June 23, but mail-in voting also was allowed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mail-in ballots that were postmarked no later than June 23 and received by the Board of Elections no later than June 30 were to be included in the final tally.

Votes that were cast in person on Primary Day and during the early voting period gave Andreassen the lead for the Democratic and Green lines, and O'Dell the lead for the Working Families, Libertarian and Independence lines.

There so far is no Republican candidate for the judgeship. The party has until July 22 to hold a nominating caucus.

In the Republican primary in the 19th Congressional District, Kyle Van DeWater of Millbrook carried Ulster County with 1,856 votes to 1,406 for Ola Hawatmeh of Pleasant Valley.

But with some or all of 11 counties included in the district, a final result is not expected until sometime next week, a spokesperson for the state Board of Elections said Thursday.

The winner of the GOP primary will run against Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, in November.

Originally posted here:
No winners yet in congressional GOP or Saugerties judgeship primaries - The Daily Freeman

Now youre about to see everything. I have been a Democrat from the time I played hooky at school at age 6 to volunteer for Hubert Humphreys 1968 Presidential campaign. I have been a delegate to the last three Democratic National Conventions and served on the National Platform Committee at the 2016 DNC. I currently serve as Deputy Vice Chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.

But somehow Im about to give heartfelt political advice to New Jersey Republicans.

Consider this column is to be a self-styled strand of The Lincoln Project. Surely you know The Lincoln Project. Its the national PAC of establishment Republicans who, having retained their brains and integrity, are repulsed by Donald Trump and are working for Joe Bidens victory. If youre a Democrat as I am, you watch The Lincoln Projects scorched-earth commercials with amazement mixed with envy.

For the good of the country, The Lincoln Party has put partisanship aside. For the good of New Jersey, I will do the same to present this invaluable tip to the Republican leaders among you. It is this:

Stop acting as if you have lost your minds.

Exhibit A is the Republican leader in New Jersey whom I usually consider to be one of the more rational Republicans remaining in the United States: Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield). I adore Jon. Smart, empathetic and funny, hell probably contact me with a warm hello after his reads this critical column.

Remember when Lindsey Graham, before repositioning himself from Trump critic to sycophant to preempt a primary challenge among South Carolina Republicans, said theres something wrong with you if you dont like Joe Biden personally? Same with Jon Bramnick. Hes New Jersey Republican version of Uncle Joe.

But somethings gotten into Jon. Its called COVID-19 politically and not medically, thank God and it has made him go haywire. Gone is public servant with the DNA of the old-time moderate New Jersey Republicanism of Ray Bateman, Tom Kean Sr. and Christie Whitman. Its not that Jon has always been moderate in his voting; its more in his temperament.

When I ran Garden State Equality and lobbied him on marriage equality, Jon made clear he was personally for it and found the arguments of marriage equality opponents to be ridiculous. He also said he would not vote our way because he felt he could not not as a leader of an anti-marriage equality Republican caucus, at least as it was then. At the same time, he gave me helpful insights into colleagues that didnt need to much straining to read the between the lines.

These days, Jons views on COVID-19 echo the Trumpism of Americas basket of deplorable Governors: Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia and Greg Abbott of Texas. Those three gubernatorial dolts ignored the scientific evidence and pandemic trends right before their very eyes in fact, before all our eyes by reopening their states prematurely in the name of economic growth. Now their states are paying the price with thousands of lives collectively lost that didnt need to be lost.

As those of us with half a brain had anticipated, the red states are shutting down all over again. The temporary uptick in employment will soon give way to an economic tailspin equal to, or worse than, what we saw at the outset of the pandemic a lose-lose for all.

Nationally, Trump Republicans are scurrying to revise their bravado. Mitch McConnell and Foxs Sean Hannity have suddenly found the true religion of wearing masks. Their Governors are slowing down or reversing their reopenings outright. They are eating cardinal-red crow.

But not Jon Bramnick.

This week, Jon assailed Governor Murphy for delaying the opening of indoor restaurants, insisted the Governor should have simply discouraged patrons from dining inside.

Jon, on what planet are you living? Under Governor Murphy, New Jersey has ranked among the handful of states with a downward trend in COVID-19 cases as most the country trends dramatically up. Last week, the number of cases across the United States reached 55,000 in a single day more than all the cases in the first two weeks of the epidemic.

In red states that opened too early, Americans telling the mere suggestion of social distancing to go to hell. Patrons are packing reopened venues like sardines. Youd have to be blind not to see the news coverage. Can you imagine the dangers to New Jersey during this 4th of July weekend?

Of course I believe Americans should have the freedom to be stupid. I dont believe Americans should have the freedom to be homicidally stupid. Freedom of Assembly is not an E-ZPass to the road of murder.

To make matters worse, Bramnick is introducing legislation to force state legislature to meet in person during COVID-19 instead of by Zoom, as most workplaces now do. Thats a recipe for disaster I take personally. My second mom, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, is 85. Shes at high risk for COVID. But Lorettas being Loretta, indefatigably devoted to serving the public and as vigorous as ever, she went to Trenton this week. Thats when I turned the tables and became her Jewish mother, scolding her out of love.

Jon, you are in the throes of cognitive political dissonance. For whatever reasons, you dont see that Trumps support has sunk to the point of no return and is now eroding even his Make America Great Again base. But there never was much of his base anyway in New Jersey. Meanwhile, prominent New Jersey Republicans, normally more sane than Trump, continue to host, sponsor or attend fundraisers for him. It baffles the mind.

What New Jersey Republicans ought to be doing is what Minnesota Republicans did years ago to appeal to moderates: They changed the official name of the state party to Independent Republican and didnt give a damn what the national party thought. Today Minnesota Republicans, though having jettisoned the independent part of their name, are at rough parity in power with the states legendary Democratic Party, the DFL.

This much we know: Assuming Governor Murphy doesnt wind up in the Biden cabinet, he will win reelection next year in a landslide, deservedly so. But theres more at stake for New Jersey Republicans the state partys long-term viability. On the national political scene, New Jersey is cobalt blue in Presidential elections and U.S. Senate races, with a 10 to 2 Democratic advantage in our House delegation. Democrats have also mastered control of the state legislature. In gubernatorial elections, however, New Jersey remains stubbornly purple.

But if Republican leaders, including a decent man in Jon Bramnick, keep acting as if they have lost their minds and should be Republicans for Mississippi, New Jersey voters will obliterate their state party into extinction.

And it will be too late to Make the Whigs Great Again.

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NJ Republicans, You're in the Throes of Cognitive Political Dissonance - InsiderNJ

That's why it's perhaps surprising that Republican voters and lawmakers have been disagreeing with Trump quite a bit lately.

This follows what happened in North Carolina a little more than a week ago. Trump (and Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows) endorsed Lynda Bennett, but she didn't come close to winning. Instead, it was political newcomer Madison Cawthorn who earned the Republican nomination.

Any of these losses on their own wouldn't be noteworthy, and none of the winning candidates were anti-Trump. Still, it's quite unusual for an incumbent president to support three primary losers in about a three-week period. Just being pro-Trump is not enough to survive.

If nothing else, these defeats show a President who is perhaps not as in touch with his constituents as we might have believed.

Republican lawmakers, too, have shown a willingness to buck Trump a number of times over the past few weeks.

These rebukes of the President should not be seen as campaign-altering events for 2020. Trump still enjoys a lot of support from Republicans in and out of Washington.

For a President who will need to squeeze every bit possible out of the Republican base, any defections are damaging. There seems to be more of a willingness for Republicans to do that lately.

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Trump's on a losing streak with Republicans - CNN