Tag: election

There’s a New Breed of Democrat Running for Congress

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Congressman Beto O’Rourke is running for

US Senate in Texas without corporate PAC money. (Photo credit: Flickr)

Many of the aspects of American politics we hate the most are in some way or another related to the influence of big money. Whether it is the gun lobby, health insurance companies, big oil, big pharma, big banks, or perhaps most disturbingly, the weapons lobby, corporate interests sway politicians, even ones with the best of intentions away from representing the needs of the American people, and towards the needs of the rich and powerful.

We have seen time and time again that our elected representatives, both Democrat, and Republican, promise to do one thing and then proceed to turn around and do the exact opposite. With their re-election chances hanging in their ability to raise funds, however, many politicians are left with little choice but to kowtow to moneyed interests and panhandle corporations and dark money groups for donations.

With politicians selling out their constituents left, right, and center, people are angry, really angry. People are angry that they are getting charged exorbitant amounts for prescription drugs while Cory Booker, despite vowing to lower health care costs and stick up for working people, voted against allowing medications to be imported from Canada, likely because of contributions to his campaign coffers by PhRMA PAC, an organization representing pharmaceutical manufacturers. People are angry that Republicans rake in millions from big banks and vote down the most watered down financial regulations. People are angry that Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia took millions from big banks before working with Republicans to neuter Dodd-Frank regulations.

The Democratic Party prides itself as the party of the people, the party of the regular American, the party of the working class. The modern Democratic Party, with neoliberals like Hillary Clinton, has unfortunately strayed from being that party all the time.

Despite many mainstream Democrats having strayed from being the party of the people, the movement to take back our politics, starting with the party is underway. Brought back into the national spotlight during Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential bid, campaign finance issues have taken back their rightful place in the national conversation. In 2018, an unprecedented number of candidates and elected officials are rejecting corporate PAC money. While corporate PACs are not the only source of corrupt campaign funds, they represent a large portion of the money used by big business to affect politics.

Progressive Democrat Beto O’Rourke is running a highly competitive challenge to Republican Ted Cruz in deep red Texas while turning down any corporate PAC donations. His surge in Texas has drawn national attention and is inspiring progressives in Texas and around the country. In the Senate, several senators have joined Bernie Sanders in refusing corporate PAC contributions. Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and Maria Cantwell have all pledged to refuse corporate PAC money. After facing intense pressure for his ties to big pharma, even Cory Booker has pledged to refuse corporate PAC donations to his campaign. Whether these progressive senators stay true to their pledges and values remains to be seen. Many of the no corporate PAC money senators are also suspected to be planning to run for President in 2020.

Although they are covered less than Senate races, elections for the House of Representatives are just as important and the movement to reject corrupt corporate PAC money is running strong in Democratic House candidates as well. Young, progressive Democrats, often women of color such as Ayana Pressley in Massachusetts’ 7th district and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York’s 14th district have won primaries against well established Democratic incumbents, running on progressive platforms which include the candidates’ refusal of corporate money. Pressley and Ocasio-Cortez are running in strongly Democratic districts and their chances of winning their elections are very high, however, even candidates challenging Republicans in tough districts are refusing corporate PAC money.

In California, every single Democratic challenger running in a Republican-held Congressional district is turning down corporate PAC donations. Many of these candidates are polling tied with or ahead of their Republican opponents, every one of which has coffers loaded with contributions from big oil, big pharma, insurance companies, the NRA, and every other major corporate interest.

Across the country, Democrats are running competitive campaigns without begging corporate executives for help. In Pennsylvania’s 18th district, Conor Lamb proved to the nation that small-dollar donations from real people can power a winning campaign, even in an extremely challenging Republican district. The truth is that corporate cash is more of a liability than an asset. Most voters realize that an elected official who takes money from big business will always be in some way compromised.

If Democrats are successful in taking back the House, Senate, or both this November, it will not only enable Democrats to put the breaks on the President’s harmful agenda. The surge of no corporate PAC money candidates will put new, progressive voices and votes in Congress, voices which are not censored by big donors’ wishes. If candidates are successful without corporate money, that will persuade more like-minded candidates to refuse corporate PAC contributions. If Democrats are successful without corporate PAC money, the hard work of wrestling power back into the hands of all the people can be boosted once again into its rightful place as the sole function of the Democratic Party. Whether that happens remains to be seen.

Candidates running without corporate PAC money need help from concerned citizens to run their campaigns.

There are way too many great candidates who are refusing to be corrupted by corporate PAC money for me to list here. I recommend checking out the Justice Democrats, a progressive group dedicated to getting money out of politics, to look for candidates who interest you. If you can, volunteer for or donate to a campaign you support. Most importantly, MAKE SURE YOU VOTE! Our democracy depends on it.

Here are just a few of my favorite progressive, no corporate PAC money candidates who could really use some help:

Beto O’Rourke-Progressive Democrat running for Senate in Texas challenging Ted Cruz.

Great Democrats challenging Republicans for Congress in Calfornia:

TJ Cox (CA-21)-Cental Valley

Josh Harder (CA-10)-Central Valley

Katie Porter (CA-45)-Orange County

Katie Hill (CA-25)-Los Angeles County

Harley Rouda (CA-48)-Orange County

Mike Levin (CA-49)-San Diego County

Ammar Campa-Najjar (CA-50)- San Diego County/Riverside County

Democrats Need Your Help to Win

Rohin Ghosh

May 6, 2018

An event last week at my local Democratic Volunteer Center

Republican house seats won’t flip themselves. The only way for Democrats to actually win elections in contested districts this November is if concerned citizens actually do the hard work of convincing the electorate to get out and vote. Candidates like TJ Cox in California’s 21st Congressional District and Andrew Janz in the 22nd and hundreds more across the nation are on tight budgets. These candidates are showing that they won’t be corrupted by corporate influences by refusing to take donations from corporate PACs but that does make running an effective campaign just that much harder. The Democrats’ lack of funding combined with Republicans being bankrolled by very wealthy donors means that our candidates need all the help they can get. If we want to see Republicans like Devin Nunes and David Valadao ousted from their seats, we Democrats need to step to the plate and volunteer for progressive candidates in whatever capacity we can. If you care about winning back the house, senate, and state legislatures and governorships, find your local Democratic party office and get involved by phonebanking, writing postcards to voters, or even traveling to the districts themselves. Democratic victories in November are not foregone conclusions. The disaster that is the Trump presidency was able to happen because not enough Democrats were able to put in the time and effort to ensure victory in elections. Let us make sure that the 2018 midterms are not a repeat of 2016.

Progressive Democrats have a Real Shot at Winning in Texas this Year

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Congressman Beto O’Rourke is mounting a serious challenge to incumbent Senator Ted Cruz in Texas.

This is huge!

Congressman Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat challenging Ted Cruz for his Texas Senate seat is raising more money than Cruz, an incumbent who has name recognition everywhere and the Koch Brothers on his side. O’Rourke’s campaign raised 6.7 million dollars so far this year with not a single dime from corporate PACs. Beto O’Rourke is using a new strategy to campaign and is visiting small towns and rural areas that are often overlooked by both Democrats and Republicans. He has drawn large crowds to his events even in places where Democrats haven’t won in decades. Texas is one of the few states that are already majority minority. This means that the non-white population is larger than the white population. If everyone in Texas voted, Democrats would win every election but many young or immigrant Texans either can’t or don’t vote. In this next election, if everyone in Texas finally makes their voice heard, we have a real chance of putting a true progressive in the Senate from Texas. Beating Ted Cruz will be a very very tough fight but Democrats have a real chance.

The Campaign for the Second Round of the French Presidential Election has Begun: What You Need to Know

April 27, 2017 .

Rohin Ghosh

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Emmanuel Macron (left) and Marine Le Pen (right), the two candidates in the second round of the French presidential election. Photo credit-Wikimedia Commons

On Sunday, April 23, France held the first round of its Presidential election. The French election system includes a first round where many candidates from several parties compete for the top two spots. In the second round, which will be held on May 7th, the two candidates which got the most votes in the first round go head to head and whichever candidate receives more votes becomes President of France.

The 2017 French election has seen both mainstream parties which have governed France since World War II pushed to the sidelines. Neither of the candidates who have made it to the second round are members of the Socialist party or the Republican party, the two parties which have led France since the 1950s.

The Candidates who Made it to the Second Round:

Marine Le Pen, National Front (Far-Right Populist)

Marine Le Pen is the candidate from the National Front, a party which in the past has been unpopular due to its sometimes racist and anti-semitic rhetoric. Marine Le Pen has tried to soften the party’s image by firing her father, Jean Marine Le Pen who often used anti-semitic language. Nevertheless, the National Front’s message is still fairly extreme. Le Pen calls for a complete shutdown on almost all immigration and has also expressed support for harshly anti-muslim policies. She has at times used anti-immigrant and anti-muslim rhetoric which has worried many people in France and around the world. Le Pen has also called for France’s withdrawal from the European Union and NATO. If France does end up leaving the EU, the European Union will probably disintegrate considering France’s important role in the union.

Emmanuel Macron, En-Marche (Centrist)

Emmanuel Macron has gained traction recently and won the most votes in the election on Sunday. Macron has fairly moderate policies and is, in general, pro-immigration and pro-European Union. However, on several issues, Macron has also expressed progressive, ambitious policies such as his plan to wean France off of fossil fuels and promote environmental conservation among other positions. These policies as well has his charismatic oratory often attract young voters. Macron also favors a reform of France’s government provided healthcare system which will cut costs while also keeping coverage for all citizens. He plans to do this by focussing more on preventative care. Macron also supports giving public schools and universities more autonomy. Emmanuel Macron is young (39) and considered a powerful orator by many. He also speaks fluent english. Interestingly though, Macron married his former high school teacher who is 24 years older than him. At only 39, he already has 7 step grandchildren.

The Odds

Emmanuel Macron has been considered the frontrunner in the election so far (he got the most votes in the first round). Macron currently leads Le Pen in the latest opinion polling, however recently polls have been narrowing. Macron still leads Le Pen by about 20%. If Emmanuel Macron is able to hold his lead with young voters and win the election, it will be a blow to right-wing populists in other European elections including the elections in Germany and Italy. If Marine Le Pen wins, that will likely spell the demise of the European Union and French multiculturalism and be a strong boost for other right-wing populists around the world, especially in Germany and Italy.

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Most recent French 2nd round polls.

Photo credit: Telegraph.co.uk

Over the past few years, there have been two major political phenomena, a center-left populist movement which emphasizes progress and forward movement, and a right-wing, nativist, anti-immigration, “tough” movement that strives for returning a country to a better time. The left-wing, “forward” movement is seen in the US in Obama’s presidency and in Canada with the victory of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In France, Emmanuel Macron’s candidacy is a manifestation of this center-left, progress minded ideology. This is easy to spot through the name of his independent party, “En Marche” which translates to “Forward”. On the other hand, Marine Le Pen embodies an entirely different political ideology. Her ideology reflects a recent trend toward far-right, nativist politics which support the idea of returning France to better time with less immigrants. This trend can also be seen in Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in the US. Ultimately, the French election will decide which of these ideologies will prevail and spread.

President-Elect Trump Finally Acknowledges that Russia Hacked the US Election

President-Elect Trump released a statement stating that he did, in fact, believe that Russia meddled in the American election process. Reince Priebus, one of Trump’s closest aides and nominee for White House Chief of Staff, told Fox News that ” [Trump] accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia, so that’s not the issue.”

In December of 2016, the CIA released a report confirming suspicions that Russia was actively trying to support Trump in the election by hacking organizations connected to the Clinton campaign. In response, some electors called for a briefing on Russian interference in the election before the electoral college voted.

The alleged involvement of Russia in the US election involves hacking Democratic party data and releasing degrading information about Hillary Clinton through wiki-leaks. Russia also allegedly planted fake news which hurt Clinton’s public image. There are also reports of Russia planting trolls on the internet to attempt to influence people to vote for Trump.

Until recently, President-elect Trump denied any involvement from Russia in the election. He dismissed these charges as an attempt to de-legitimize his election victory. Trump has been criticized for his praising of Russia and Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, intelligence officials repeatedly stated that the allegations of Russian involvement were backed by sufficient evidence. President Obama imposed new sanctions on Russia and stated that counter cyber attacks were possible. Several senators from both parties have come out in support of tougher action against Russian cyber-attacks.

During the confirmation hearings of Gen. John Kelly for Homeland Security, Mike Pompeo for CIA director, Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State and James Mattis for Defense secretary, the issue of cyber security and Russian cyber attacks were discussed in great detail. All the cabinet appointees have pledged to step up efforts to defend the US against future cyber warfare.

World Leaders’ Reaction to Trump

Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States of America. A person who leaders around the world have called a racist, demagogue, and downright dangerous will command the world’s strongest country. The entire world reacted at first with emotions of shock and fear but soon leaders started to congratulate President-elect Donald Trump. Many stated that they are ready to work with the incoming president or talked about different international relations goals.

European leaders including German chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande called Trump and promised to work with him, however, Hollande did say that the world was entering an uncertain period.

Russian President,Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump and has said he is excited to work with him. Putin has supported Trump since early on in the election.

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has said that he is ready to work closely with President Trump.

Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani has said that hopes Trump will respect the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu has congratulated Trump and said he is a true friend to Israel.

Palestinian Authority President, Mahmud Abbas’ spokesperson said that he expected the US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict not to change and hoped to continue negotiations.

Hopefully, Donald Trump will help foster peace and continued strengthening of relations across the world. Some of his statements may have been controversial but Trump has recently been trying to reach out to world leaders and has already spoken to many officials around the world.

Where to Look for Election Predictions

Prediction Sites

With just days until arguably one of the most historic elections in recent history, I would like to give a run-down of most of the different polls and predictions for the 2016 presidential election.

RealClearPolitics (RCP) http://realclearpolitics.com/

The most popular site for polls is RealClearPolitics. On this site, most polls are shown and there is also a RealClearPolitics average chart, an average of all the polls in the past week. RealClearPolitics is used by most commentators and news agencies as well as political campaigns. They not only show polls for the presidential election but also for the house, senate and governor’s races as well as other state elections. RealClearPolitics also shows polls for opinions about national issues and approval ratings of politicians.

FiveThirtyEight (538) http://fivethirtyeight.com/

This site shows predictions based on polls for presidential and senate elections. 538 updates its predictions daily based on new opinion polls and developments relating to candidates in the elections being covered. 538 uses a variety of different means to come up with their predictions. They have predictions based on historic polls, current polls and a combination of the two plus economic and social statistics.

270 to Win http://www.270towin.com/

270 to win also shows predictions on the 2016 election but is better known for its interactive electoral map. The site also has versions of the map as predicted by different political analysts.