I don’t often write about politics because there is already a lot of political conversation on both sides but every once in a while I can’t help myself and this happens to be one of those times. I should be clear, I NEVER liked McCarthy as Speaker of the House, and I felt the same when Representative Steve Scalise was first mentioned as the next Republican Party nominee for Speaker.
However, with Jim Jordan now emerging as the frontrunner to be nominated by House Republicans I wanted to express why I hope the 15 or so Republicans representing districts won by Joe Biden will come together to vote NO and block his nomination.
Jim Jordan has been very vocal, promoting conspiracies about the 2020 election and one should assume in the upcoming Presidential election (if Speaker) he will continue to fan those flames of half-truths and not certify election results he opposes.
Politics aside, the idea that someone in a position of power would / could reject or refuse to certify election results — something I believe Jim Jordan has said multiple times that he wished had happened in the 2020 elections — I find upsetting to contemplate.
I don’t want to see the US House of Representatives without a Speaker, but I would prefer that to have Jim Jordan as Speaker. I would like to see the Democratic Party run advertisements in districts currently represented by Republicans but won by Joe Biden in 2020, encouraging their voters to contact their representative to ask him/her to vote NO for Jim Jordan as the next Speaker of the House.
When the LGBTQ+ community is provoked or attacked, we more often than not use wit and humor to fight back, and I cannot think of a better example than this recently created Instagram account RuPublicans which is growing by the thousands even in the few hours since I first discovered it last night. Rudy Garland (a.k.a. Rudy Giuliani), Claretta Corupat (a.k.a. Justice Clarence Thomas), and Lady Graham Cracker (a.k.a. Sen Lindsey Graham) are just a few who have been profiled.
If you have an Instagram account, check it out and give them a follow and then share with your friends and family – especially those who may not live in a blue bubble.
Before we dive into the findings from, John Burn-Murdoch’s recent story, Millennials are shattering the oldest rule in politics in The Financial Times, let’s take a moment to define how we identify someone who is a Millennial and who they are.
MILLENNIAL: Also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, Millennials are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Psychologist Jean Twenge defines Millennials as those born 1980–1994, but Millennials are also often referred to people born between 1980–2000.
In 2020, Pew Research published a report that said that in the previous year Millennials had surpassed Baby Boomers in the United States to become the largest generation. The numbers shared below are based on data from 2019.
+ Millennials (ages 23 to 38 in 2019) 72.1 million + Boomers (ages 55 to 73) 71.6 million + Generation X (ages 39 to 54) 65.2 million *Note the age range for Millennials by Pew in this survey was 1981 – 1996
Using census data that defined Millennials as those born between 1980-2000, CNN Money reported in 2020 that 72% of Boomers in the US are white as compared to 56% of Millennials. The fastest growing and youngest demographic in the US is Latinos (44% of the 60+ million Latinos in the US identify as Millennials). I share that information because race can be a dividing and driving influence in American politics. However, Latinos are not as easily categorized – race and place of origin plays a significant role in their voting patterns. For example, Cubans typically vote Republican whereas Mexicans and Puerto Ricans vote for Democrats by a margin greater than 2:1.
With that context in mind, I found the Financial Times article, that looked at voting patterns of Millennials in the US and UK, very interesting. Race aside, some of the reasons cited for Millennials less conservative voting patterns was the economic and social uncertainty that has defined their generation including: + 2008/09 financial crisis + 2016 Brexit vote (in UK) + 2020/21 global pandemic + 2022 high inflation continuing to put home ownership out of reach
In the US, the Republican Party’s embrace of conspiracy theories and extreme social positions which accelerated during the Obama years (2008-16) and hopefully peaked during the Trump Administration (2016-2020) had to have been a driving force in Millennials distaste for the Republican Party. By contrast, Democrats seem far more balanced and centrist in their polices and language. The progressive wing in the Democratic Party have been tempered by moderates who did very well in the 2022 elections (including but not limited to Sen. Kelly from AZ, Sen. Cortez-Masto from NV, and Sen. Hassan from NH).
It’s probably an oversimplification to point to one or two variables, and past voting habits don’t guarantee future voting behavior but as a person who believes in a more progressive agenda, I find it heartening. With each election, Millennials and their younger cohort, Gen Z will be able to flex their political muscle and have greater influence. Next year will be an election year in the US (and likely in the UK). We will be able to see how voting trends with Millennials compare. Will they and their younger cohort (Gen Z) continue to vote in large numbers? Will they continue to reject the extreme rhetoric from the Republican Party? Time will tell, and I’ll be watching.
Much thanks to Fearsome Beard for sharing this a few days ago. And much thanks to Miriam Margoyles for putting this together. In her educational video, Miriam points out that, luckily the wonderful upstanding people who run Football [FIFA WORLD CUP] love “donations”.
If you are a registered voter and you have not participated in early voting or by mail-in ballot, please make time on Tuesday, November 8th to get to the polls, wherever you live in the United States. If you happen to live in Boston and are a first time voter, new to the area or cannot remember where to vote, I’ve got you covered.
In addition to voting for candidates, Massachusetts has four state-wide ballot initiatives. I’ve hyperlinked each question to the States voting information page so you can read more about the individual questions. The state also explains what a “Yes” or a “No” vote will mean since the language can sometimes be a bit tricky.
Saturday, November 19th, The Human Rights Campaign New England chapter will host its annual dinner and fundraiser. The event marks the chapter’s 40th anniversary and the HRC New England dinner and auction provides the LGBTQ+ community and their allies the chance to come together and celebrate as well as to organize.
In a post Dobbs world where the US Supreme Court can no longer be relied upon to guarantee protections many have taken for granted, organizing will be key to preserve the hard fought and won LGBTQ+ rights.
About HRC New England By empowering and mobilizing people at the grassroots level, HRC New England aims to create impactful change, providing advocacy for HRC’s mission and work on the ground. HRC New England is a dedicated team of volunteers who use their experience and talents to develop a more affirming, inclusive, and equitable community.
A lot has been said about two recent rulings of the US Supreme Court (expanding gun rights and restricting a women’s right to choose). However, I think only US Senator Susan Collins from Maine is surprised by these rulings. I usually refrain from sharing political rants because there are so many others who do a far better job, but sometimes I need to use this space to vent. I recognize that many who visit this blog likely agree with my thoughts, but I’m not looking to create an echo chamber – merely to vent.
The thing I find so utterly frustrating about SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe vs Wade is that it ignores 50+ years of precedent, and the three justices appointed during Donald Trump’s time in office are likely to continue to make rulings for the next 20-30 years building new precedent in the absence of legislation from the Federal Government.
The ruling on Roe reverses a 70+ year trend of expanding rights of women and minorities that dates back to the early 1950s when the US Supreme Court ruled against racial discrimination in Brown vs. Board of Education. Following this week’s controversial ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas said he believes now is the time for the court to revisit rulings on Obergefell vs. Hodges (same sex marriage) and Griswald, Lawrence vs. Texas (contraception) – and why wouldn’t he?
The court now has a conservative super majority with 6 conservative justices but it is Justices Thomas (age 74), Kavanaugh (age 57), Gorsuch (age 54), and Barrett (age 50) who worry me the most. These four justices seem intent on rolling back minorities and women rights, while at the same time aggressively expanding “religious freedoms” and paring back gun safety measures.
The Judicial branch, which has helped protect the rights of minorities and women over the past 70+ years, is now (and forseeable future) a hostile branch of government for these groups. I am concerned these two rulings offer us a glimpse of what to expect moving forward, and additional rights will be pared back if not removed altogether. This reality places an increased importance on the Legislative and Executive branches. Activists need to turn to these branches to legislate and sign into law a woman’s right to choose, protect minority rights, and enact sensible gun laws. It’s a tall order and is probably why I am so despondent – in a country divided as we are, can this be done? I suppose I’d rather fail trying than surrender. I just hope others will feel the same.
Two accomplished women with big ideas for how they can help to make Boston a better city are running for mayor and today is election day in the city.
Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu are on the ballot and have been campaigning hard to get your vote. In full disclosure, I am (and always have been) supporting Michelle Wu. Her big ideas have drawn criticism as too “pie in the sky” and unrealistic, but I like her vision and how she thinks big. Having said that, no matter who you support, I hope that you will vote in this historic election to send a message that you care and are invested in the future of Boston.
CITY OF BOSTON – ELECTION DEPARTMENT POLLING LOCATIONS November 2, 2021 Polls open from 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
Also, a heartfelt thank you to out-going Mayor Kim Janey for stepping in after Mayor Walsh left to take the role of US Secretary of Labor in Washington, D.C. She had to address significant public health challenges regarding COVID-19, an ongoing scandal with the Boston Police Department, and a challenging economy, but she will be presenting to whomever wins this election a healthier and stronger city than she inherited.
Earlier this year The Boston Globe and Boston University Center for Antiracist Research announced that they would be teaming up to launch The Emancipator to share opinions, ideas on journalism, and featuring contributions from experts and community voices.
The publication’s name is a nod to America’s first abolitionist newspaper which started in the early 19th-century. The hope is the online publication will create a forum to help reframe the national conversation on race.
“Even when The Emancipator was first founded in 1820, it was very difficult for people to believe that slavery, 45 years later, would be no more. Just as I think there are many people today who can’t imagine there could be a nation without racism and inequality,”
Ibram X. Kendi commenting in the video Announcing: The Emancipator
For more information follow them on Twitter at @the_emancipator or visit them online at TheEmancipator.org to learn more and sign up to be added to their mailing list.
Yesterday’s activities in D.C. championed by the President and the Republican Party (yes, I find the entire Republican Party complicit) had me tossing and turning last night much like I was last spring when I first wrote this poem.
random thoughts ramble through my head thinking these thoughts are keeping me from bed- round-n-round, back-n-forth they go yet where will this lead? i don’t know-
so i toss-n-turn in my bed with images run amuck in my head- a restful sleep i need, i know but that will have to wait til tomorrow-
An image of a terrorist roaming the halls of the U.S. Congress with a Confederate flag, while someone who appears to be “security” doing nothing to stop him.
Some women see things as they are and ask, “”Why?”” I dream things that never were and ask, “”Why not?””
I think RFK would not mind that I modified his famous quote. I also think it is appropriate that by and large it has been women who have collectively been the ones to stand up to Donald Trump and the Republican Leadership over the past four nightmarish years far more effectively than the weaker sex.
I will watch this pot and bring it to a boil! More and more lies should help start this roil. Now a dash of sedition to make more turmoil.
“My kingdom for a horse” he shouts into the air, I need to poke, provoke and create dispair.
Hate and anger I’ll throw into the pot! Stir it, stir it – can you smell the rot? Lies and half truths will season this lot.
Double double toil and trouble, Fire burn and caldron bubble.
The votes of 80+ million were what was required! Even still, all those politicians balked and conspired. But hear me now, on January 20th, “You’re fired!”
***** ***** *****
I know rhyming patterns can make poems sound like nursery rhymes, but for someone who only dabbles in poetry, a rhyming pattern gives some structure to my poems. I’ve never been particularly artful in my writing so there is none of the subtlety usually associated with poetry, but in this instance, I’m okay with that.
Donald Trump’s inability to accept defeat by Joe Biden is not a surprise. What is a surprise is Biden receiving 77 million votes; nearly 5 million more votes than Trump as well as winning the two solidly red states of Arizona and Georgia.
As mail-in ballots were counted in the days that followed the election and Trump watched his lead in several states dissapear, his limited cognitive abilities left him to conclude (what he has been asserting since he ran for election in 2016) that our democracy is rigged. These bogus claims have failed to stand up in court, but I’m frustrated by Republicans like Attorney General William Barr and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who are lending credence to these claims without any evidence and the media’s (and when I say “the media” I actually mean FOX News) lack of pushback to these conspiracy theories.
Why can’t a list of voters be provided by the Trump re-election campaign to corroborate claims of voter fraud?
We’ve just witnessed an historic election that had more Americans voting for president than ever before. The latest tallies have Joe Biden with 77 million votes and Donald Trump with 72 million votes, meaning 149 million Americans cast a vote in this election up from 138 million in 2016.
Biden’s cushion of 5 million more votes than Trump is why he was able to win states like Georgia which saw 1 million more voters participate in this elecation than 2016, and Arizona which saw approximately 900,000 more voters participate in this election. Turnout was up everywhere in the nation, but in many sunbelt states that increase favors Democrats.
Joe Biden recieved 77 million votes to Donald Trump’s 72 million votes.
As corny as it sounds, I have absolute faith that our government will transition power to Joe Biden in January, but what concerns me is the way this will happen and at what cost to the Biden/Harris team? Will Joe Biden be plagued by innuendo and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud due to this public trial based solely on Trump’s vivid imagination and no facts? Will Biden’s effort to address and curb the coronavirus pandemic be set back? Will they be able to conduct background checks on members of their incoming administration so they can be ready to work come January 2021?
Who can say what the coming weeks will bring, but this is an excellent civics class where we are all able to watch our government. The real question in my mind, is will key Republicans be true to the democratic process or to their beloved, obese turtle who finds himself on his back flailing in the hot sun?
BosGuy 