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posted at 6:21 pm on February 13, 2017 by Jazz Shaw

A new op-ed from Ari Berman at The Nation posits an interesting theory for us to consider this week. Its based on the repeated claims by President Trump (and more recently by Stephen Miller while making the rounds of the Sunday shows) regarding voter suppression during the last election. The specific claims in this case deal with busloads of voters being brought in from Massachusetts to New Hampshire and leading to the loss of the state not only by Trump, but Kelly Ayotte as well. While such specific charges clearly require more evidence than has been presented, the overall question of voter fraud remains open for debate. Still, according to Berman, the end result of this will not be some cleaning up process in the electoral system but instead, increased suppression of the oppressed.

Yet heres why Trumps lies about voter fraud are so dangerous: Republicans in New Hampshire, who now control state government, have introduced forty bills in the 2017 legislative session that would make it harder to vote.

The proposed legislation includes ending same-day registration, which boosts voter turnout by up to ten percent; restricting voting rights to only residents of New Hampshire who plan to live in the state for the indefinite future, which could prevent college students and military personnel from voting; and requiring that New Hampshire residents live in the state for thirteen days before voting and get an in-state drivers license and register their car in New Hampshire within 60 days of registering to vote, which the New Hampshire ACLU calls a post-election poll tax.

The basis of Bermans claim is nothing new. If New Hampshire enacts new laws tightening up the voter registration process and increasing security at the ballot box this apparently leads by default to a condition liberals love to refer to as, making it harder to vote. The question most of us should be asking in response is, making it harder for who to vote?

Most of the New Hampshire bills under discussion are nothing which hasnt been experimented with in other states before. Same-day registration has been recognized as being problematic nearly everywhere its been implemented. With the rare exception of special elections, voting takes place pretty much the same time every year. Its not as if you didnt have plenty of notice. To proponents of same-day registration I generally invoke the standard signage hanging behind the desks of many administrative assistants: A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

Most of the other proposals run along similar lines, though even I will admit that requiring prospective voters to state an intention to live in the state for the indefinite future is a bit dubious. But beyond that theres really nothing all that unusual going on.

Reading through Bermans entire op-ed, its difficult not to notice one glaring omission in his analysis. A charge has been levied stating that voter fraud was taking place in the form of out-of-state residents showing up, registering, voting and going back home to the Bay State. Perhaps, as the critics state, there is nothing to this charge despite the number of residents who regularly claim that it takes place. Or perhaps it has happened. This leads us back to the question I keep asking every time the subject arises and will likely continue to do so until I am blue in the face. Whether such incidents of voter fraud are taking place or not, wouldnt you want to know?

Rather than sitting here and shouting back and forth at each other across the aisle, might it not make sense to pursue the obvious and easily achievable remedy? A survey of the list of voters who cast ballots in the 2016 election (particularly in precincts closest to the border) could be readily obtained and then the alleged addresses of the voters in question could be checked. Are they all in fact happily living and working in New Hampshire? Or are perhaps some of them back across the border in Massachusetts, residing there and registered to vote in that state as well? This isnt long division, people. It wouldnt be that difficult to check. And once you did, the matter would be put to rest.

Wouldnt that be refreshing? Or would you be disappointed because we had one less thing to scrap about every Sunday morning on cable news?

See the article here:
Liberals: talking about voter fraud is what causes voter suppression - Hot Air

Eight years after the tea party turned town hall meetings on Obamacare into hands-on melees, liberals furious with President Trump are flipping the script by shouting down Republicans who have struggled to outline better health care plans.

Police escorted Rep. Tom McClintock out of a recent event in which protesters fumed over the Californians support for Obamacare repeal and Mr. Trumps travel limitations involving several Muslim-majority nations.

In Florida, Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis stood quietly as a speaker in bluejeans clutched the microphone and told him how to deal with the health care law: keep it and fix it.

And a Tennessee woman became a Twitter sensation after she tied her Christian duty to pull up the less fortunate to Obamacares mandate requiring even healthy Americans to get insured.

The healthy people pull up the sick, she told a panel that included Rep. Diane Black, a Tennessee Republican tasked with crafting Obamacare repeal legislation under fast-track budget rules this spring.

Its a stark turnaround from 2009, when conservative protesters tried to shove their way into packed meetings and shouted Tyranny! at Democrats advocating for the Affordable Care Act, saying it amounted to a federal takeover of the health care system.

A Pennsylvania man told then-Sen. Arlen Specter that he would be judged by God. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat in Congress at the time, rebuked a woman for comparing President Obamas overhaul to Nazi policy, saying he might as well debate a dining room table.

The protests demonized Mr. Obamas plan, which led to a rout for House Republicans in the 2010 midterm elections, taking control of the chamber for the first time since 2006.

While todays protests offer a 180-degree turn on policy, the amplitude is eerily similar, as Republican lawmakers struggle to explain why they have taken steps toward repeal without a firm plan for what comes next.

Republicans are making the same mistakes Democrats made in 2009. They are moving so quickly that they are creating needless anxiety and opposition, said Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution. They have to be careful not to turn 2018 into a wave election for Democrats.

Liberals who feel cheated by Mr. Trumps victory he swept the Rust Belt but lost the popular vote are riding a wave of anti-Trump sentiment after a caustic election featuring pejorative nicknames, chants of Lock her up against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and hot-mic talk about grabbing womens genitals.

Grass-roots activists have channeled their anger into an organized campaign to flood the town hall meetups that Republican lawmakers hold to stay connected with voters.

Theyre using spreadsheets from Town Hall Project 2018 and other websites to keep track of when and where House and Senate lawmakers will face their constituents. The resulting standoffs are then shot across cyberspace, thanks to ubiquitous camera phones and the magic of YouTube and Twitter.

A huge Utah crowd greeted Rep. Jason Chaffetz with boos late Thursday, even as he touted his criticism of Kellyanne Conway, the White House adviser who may have flouted ethics rules by endorsing the fashion line of presidential daughter Ivanka Trump.

The crowd wasnt satisfied, saying the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman needed to probe Mr. Trumps business ties and coziness with Russia.

Some Republicans are avoiding town halls altogether, saying the political climate is too poisonous.

Unfortunately, there is more anger in politics today than ever before. And we are receiving many very hateful, very angry emails and phone calls from some on the liberal-left side of the political spectrum, Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., Tennessee Republican, said in a letter to groups requesting a town hall.

I am not going to hold town hall meetings in this atmosphere, because they would very quickly turn into shouting opportunities for extremists, kooks and radicals, he said.

While Mr. Trumps brash style feels brand new, the health care fight is steeped in deja vu, even if the two sides have switched.

Mr. Obama relied on Democratic majorities to brush aside protests and pass the Affordable Care Act in early 2010, though it failed to drive down premiums or increase choices as he had repeatedly promised in its first three years of full implementation.

It has, however, driven the uninsured rate to historic lows by doling out taxpayer-funded subsidies on its insurance exchanges, expanding Medicaid in 31 states and allowing adults to stay on their parents plans until age 26.

Big programs have constituencies that are being helped, Mr. West said. Unwinding them always is going to be contentious.

Republicans who railed against Obamacare for seven years are now realizing that. While blueprints and draft bills abound, Republicans are struggling to coalesce around a replacement plan that can be vetted by budget scorekeepers to see how it stacks up against Obamacare.

Ms. Black confronted questions about their plans Thursday at an event hosted by the Middle Tennessee State University College Republicans outside of her district.

Responding to the woman whose stand went viral, she said Obamacares individual mandate simply didnt work. It failed to attract the types of young people needed to keep rates down for everyone in the marketplace, as millions claimed an exemption from the mandate or just paid the tax penalty for remaining uninsured.

While there were strong feelings at this forum, there is no mistaking the clear message Tennesseans sent last November at the ballot box when they sent [Rep.] Black and President Trump to Washington to repeal Obamacare and put patients back in control of their health care choices, said Ms. Blacks spokesman, Jonathan Frank.

House Republicans insist they will produce an effective plan this year alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who assumed office Friday after the Senate confirmed him on a 52-47 vote along party lines.

When the left doesnt get its way at the ballot box, the next step it to intimidate everyone around them until they do, Republican strategist Ford OConnell said. And that is what we are seeing. Once the GOP coalesces around a plan to replace Obamacare, that is when I expect the real fireworks to start on the left.

Follow this link:
Liberals commandeering Obamacare town halls, blasting GOP plan for repeal - Washington Times

Liberals have long claimed that sanctuary cities are a law and order mechanism aimed at allowing those here illegally to report crimes without fear of deportation. Its absolutely ridiculous. Nancy Pelosi reiterated that point in a CNN town hall event. Mayor Bill de Blasio reiterated this point to Jake Tapper and added that when illegals are caught drunk driving, theyre not deported as long as it doesnt lead to any other negative outcome. Whatever that means.

Sheriffs from across the country met with President Trump last week and told The Washington Examiner that not only is the liberal talking point about sanctuary cities wrongtheresnot even anecdotal evidenceto back it up:

"I've not even seen anecdotal evidence," Thompson told the Washington Examiner. "The sad thing is that [the Democratic claim] suggests that people here are aware of criminal activity and are not reporting it. We have to give them specific dispensation so that they're reporting crimes? ... I find the irony thicker than anything I can cut with a knife, that somebody here illegally is going to report a crime."

[]

Sheriff Chuck Jenkins of Frederick County, Md., who was called last April to testify in a House of Representatives hearing on the effectiveness of immigration policies, said he's heard the Democratic argument many times over the years. Jenkins, in his 12th year as mayor in Maryland's largest county, said he doesn't buy it because his experiences on the job point to a different reality.

"I believe the illegal alien community is smart enough to know that there are protections in place that if they are victims, not to put them into removal custody," Jenkins said. "They can request a U-visa basically gives them asylum from any deportation or removal."

Jenkins added that most jurisdictions do not actively try to identify the immigration status of someone who comes forward, "so the whole argument doesn't really make sense."

So, theres another shoddy liberal talking point you can throw in the garbage. Frankly, arguments that support law enforcement being barred from enforcing federal immigration protocols are ridiculous. We shield people who have broken the law to come here illegally so they can report crimes. Thats rich.

Also, Mothers Against Drunk Driving ripped the mayor over his remarksand rightfully so.

More here:
Liberals: Sanctuary Cities Allow Illegal Immigrants To Report Crimes. Sheriffs: What Are You Talking About? - Townhall

Updated February 13, 2017 15:33:23

Several WA One Nation candidates say they will refuse to preference the Liberal Party, contrary to a statewide deal announced on the weekend.

The WA Liberals will preference One Nation above the Nationals in the Upper House in regional areas, with One Nation preferencing the Liberals in all Lower House seats in return.

High-profile One Nation candidate Margaret Dodd, who is contesting the Liberal-held seat of Scarborough for One Nation and is the mother of murdered teenager Hayley Dodd, today condemned the decision and accused the party of bullying its candidates.

Speaking outside a Perth court where her daughter's alleged murderer, Francis Wark, is appearing today, Ms Dodd said she had "not been informed of any [preference] deal whatsoever, and I'm sure all the candidates haven't".

"I will make my own choices on who I will give my preferences to, and it certainly will not be the Liberal party," she said.

"The Liberal party will be at the bottom on the how to vote card."

Last month Ms Dodd backed Labor's "no body, no parole" promise to enact legislation where convicted murderers would not be eligible for parole unless they had cooperated with police to locate their victims' remains.

She had long campaigned for the law change, and said she was backing the Labor pledge because she felt the Liberal Government treated victims of crime as "second-class citizens".

"I was told by One Nation they support no body, no parole. We all know that Liberals don't," an angry Ms Dodd said today.

"We all know that Liberals want to sell off Western Power. One Nation doesn't, so what the hell is going on?

"I encourage other members of One Nation to stand up, do not be bullied and do not be dictated to.

"I will not be part of a dictatorship."

Ms Dodd denied she had struck a preference deal with Labor or any other party.

"I have done no deal whatsoever. The Liberal policies are the complete opposite to One Nation, so why on Earth are we doing a deal if it's not just that somebody just wants to get into power?

"I'm not about power ... I'm about principles."

One Nation Upper House candidate Charles Smith is also refusing to preference the Liberals.

In a post titled "Re Preferences" on his official Facebook page, Mr Smith urged voters to put the Liberals last.

"No-one can tell you how to vote! If you like One Nation mark a 1," the post reads.

"If you do not like the Liberals as I don't mark them last!"

One Nation's Moore candidate Jim Kelly and South Metropolitan candidate Philip Scott also used their Facebook pages to urge voters to choose their own preferences.

"OK preferences everyone ... YOU make the choice by numbering all the boxes ... that way YOU the voter has control," Mr Scott wrote.

Meanwhile, Premier Colin Barnett declared he was not a racist, and denied the preference deal would effectively hand Pauline Hanson's party control of WA's Upper House.

"I am anything but a racist and I will be judged on my values and my standards as will the Liberal Party, that's my accountability, I'm not accountable for One Nation," he told ABC Radio Perth.

"I've got to be focused on the objective and the objective is for me to get as many votes for the Liberal Party as possible."

Topics: elections, political-parties, minor-parties, wa

First posted February 13, 2017 12:50:58

Read the original:
WA One Nation candidates refuse to preference Liberals - ABC Online

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, February 12, 2017, 5:00 AM

One of the things most obvious to me as I watched images of the peaceful protest by Yemeni Americans against the Trump administrations seven-nation travel ban wasnt the size of the crowd. The thousands who turned out at Brooklyns Borough Hall made it impressive for sure, as was the coordination they employed in mobilizing to shut their bodega shops en masse.

No, it was the sight of the star-spangled banner that the men waved that had me riveted. Many held only the American flag, while others raised it in one hand and waved Yemens flag in the other. Others wore the Stars and Stripes draped around their shoulders, like a protective shield.

Whatever flag they carried, the American flag outnumbered all other flags that late afternoon. Seeing that many U.S. flags hoisted as a symbol for the values this country represents for immigrants was a beautiful thing.

And it was refreshing. You dont see our flag that much at the other protests that have taken place since Trump was elected as President. I participated in the Womens March on D.C. the day after his inauguration and for the most part, the American flag was missing in action.

When I searched images of the simultaneous marches that took place across the country, our flag was hard to find. Viewing photos of the protest against the Iraq war in 2003, it didnt pop out there, either.

In 2007, when then.-Sen Barack Obama caught flak about why he didnt wear a flag pin, he responded that he was less concerned with what you were wearing on your lapel than whats in your heart.

Too many of those of us who believe that our country is failing to live up to its ideals and cultural values seem to have abandoned the flag. It seems we cant square the patriotic act of protesting with the pride of carrying our flag.

Theres history here. During the landmark civil rights marches of the 1960s, protesters waved the American flag. They owned it as a symbol of freedom in their struggle for equal rights. A few years later, protesters marching against the Vietnam War rebranded the flag with peace signs, while others burned it. For many the flag was no longer something that inspired pride; it had become tarnished by the countrys domestic and foreign policy.

And that belief, whether explicitly or subliminally, seems to have carried the day: When it comes to anti-government protests, the left seems to have distanced itself from the flag. Somehow we cant reconcile the lack of pride we may feel with our government with reverence for the country.

And so, pride of place for our flag has been seized by Republican Party, as they stand on their soapbox of patriotism.

After 9/11, the Stars and Stripes made a comeback. From sea to shining sea, Americans flew flags from their porches, windows and rooftops. In the liberal neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn, flags waved in the autumn breeze. Hell, I even flew one from my fire escape. It was a beautiful thing

Then the Bush administrations vain attempts to connect the dots between the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon led to the invasion of Iraq. They used fear and the propaganda of weapons of mass destruction to justify this war.

U.S. troops wouldnt fully withdraw until 2011, and in the end it resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians. The government called them casualties. Over those eight years, many of us put away our flags. We lowered them from their stoop perches and front yard poles. We werent so proud anymore.

Now we find ourselves under a Trump administration. Many Americans are alarmed and frightened. Presidential executive orders are signed with a dramatic flourish of a pen but without any forethought about the consequences.

Its time those of us who think we cant square our patriotic values with our countrys flag to rethink the meaning of patriotism.

Those of us who love our country but hate the direction in which it seems to be headed cannot let others who love our country to claim the flag as their own.

The flag is owned by liberal America just as much as it is by conservative America.

As ideological battle lines are drawn and those of us on the left march against ideas we consider to be un-American and antithetical to our Constitution, its time we waved our banner high.

Santino is a travel and non-fiction writer based in Brooklyn.

Link:
Fellow liberals: Reclaim the flag - New York Daily News