Month: December 2018

Despite the worrisome and sometimes tragic events which took place this year, there were some happenings to relish. Here’s an uplifting article by The Washington Post’s Editorial Board and published today to remind readers of some of the good things that happened in 2018. It is a well culled list and serves to pull one’s thoughts away from the bad stuff that one can obsess about these days.

To give the list a state and northwest Michigan flavor, I decided to make some additions. Here’s my list:

1. Michigan now has Gretchen Whitmer as Governor with three of the four top, whip-smart, talented appointees being women. All of her announced Cabinet appointments are ready to hit the ground running.
2. Michigan, thanks to the successful Proposal 2, now can work to eliminate gerrymandering, and replace it with a system intended to even the playing field for all candidates in district races.
3. Kathy Fahey an ordinary non-political and very young Michigan citizen orchestrated a citizen-led anti- gerrymandering Proposal 2 movement which defied the odds and overcame the powerful, wealthy forces working against her efforts. Jim Schwantes, Leelanau Captain for Proposal 2, showed his leadership skills as did other captains around the state to inform the voters of the Initiative and bring home a victory..
4. Leelanau county voters in the November election brought victories for some talented and dedicated Dem candidates. Ty Wessel, Patricia Soutas – Little scored victories and will be returning to the County Commission as will multi talented, committed, Peachy Rentenbach, a veteran of the Commission and former Chair.
5. Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement voted to allow Proposal 2 to be placed on the November ballot, defying the Michigan Republican Party and the powerful interests mentioned above. Her decision immediately placed her on the enemies list for many in her party. For the Dems and Independents she immediately became a profile in courage and strong proponent for political justice.
6. Leelanau County now has as its Probate Judge, a well-respected, dedicated and enormously experienced Marian Kromkowski. It would be easy to expound on her many gifts but lets just keep it simple. County residents are indeed extremely fortunate to have such a talented judge on the bench as Marian.
7. Outgoing Governor Rick Snyder kept his moderate hat on as he reviewed the 300 bills the GOP majority sent to him in the last minute flurry of the Lame Duck session. He vetoed 55 of them – a few of which would have interfered significantly with the powers of the incoming Attorney General and Secretary of State. (He also signed a few which fall under the category of “bad things” but we want to consider only the upside of 2018.)
8. Proposal 3 passed – enhancing the registering and voting opportunities for Michigan voters. This is a huge victory for citizens who often could not afford to miss a day of work or pay for child care to get to the polls.
9. Two qualified and enormously talented Dem candidates emerged. Kathy Wiejaczka and Matt Morgan. They ran in gerrymandered districts favoring the GOP and did not prevail. Their strengths and commitment ,however..stood out against their mediocre opponents and the state Dems were thrilled with their performances. Lets hope that they decide to try again in 2020.
10. The Michigan voter turnout was the highest in almost 50 years for a Mid-Term election. Let’s hear it for the revival of democracy and voter participation in this momentous year.

Enjoy the article!

In the last gasp battle in the Lame Duck Michigan legislature, the majority GOP did not manage to strip significant powers from the incoming Dem executive branch. Thanks to the moderate position taken by GOP Gov. Rick Snyder, key bills which would have allowed the GOP – led legislature to take a role in the Dems executive decision making did not make it into law. In fact, Snyder vetoed 55 bills which the GOP lawmakers had crammed into the lame duck session and sent to the governor for his signature.

Snyder does not come out of this completely untainted however. He signed a bill crimping the ability of citizen led initiatives to see the light of day. Signed in retaliation for the incredible accomplishment of the anti-gerrymander initiative which cuts right into the GOP power, the new law attempts to insure that citizens do not initiate similar measures. (very anti-democratic)  Snyder also signed a bill allowing Enbridge to build a tunnel under the lake bed in the Straits of Mackinac . This law still makes an area of Lake Michigan at risk of being polluted by a line 5 break along Highway 2.

So in the end the Dems came out of Michigan’s lame duck war in pretty good shape.. Some of the bills signed into law will be challenged by the Dems in the courts. Gov. Whitmer will likely figure ways to work around some of the more challenging laws. And the best news of course, is that she has the veto power to stop all anti-liberal bills sent to her from the Legislature. in their tracks.

This picture looks quite different from that of neighboring Wisconsin. Gov, Scott Walker. much more partisan than Snyder, gleefully signed all of the GOP bills sent to him. This authoritarian power grab in Wisconsin mocks the concept of aligning governing with the voters’ will. With voter outrage fomenting, the GOP thus will have a major mountain to climb to win voters back in 2020.

This  article in The New York Times discusses the implications of the bills which Snyder vetoed.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/michigan/ahttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/28/us/michigan-snyder-power-veto.

The following article from U.S. News and World Report gives a rundown of some of the most significant bills Snyder either signed or vetoed.
htmlrticles/2018-12-28/a-look-at-lame-duck-bills-that-snyder-has-signed-vetoed

Since the government shutdown has been the top news story over the holidays it is important to stay informed on what the Dems are planning to do about the issue when they take over the House next week. According to this article in it looks like the balance of power in Trump’s shutdown strategy tilts definitely in favor of the Dems.

In just six days, on Day One of the new Congress, House Dems under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi reportedly will attempt to pass a bill which will call for the government to be reopened.  Of course with the new House Dem majority , the bill will pass and voila!  The hot potato of a bill lands in the hands of McConnell and the GOP controlled Senate. McConnell, knowing the implications if they defeat the bill will likely urge the GOP Senators to sign and toss the bill to Trump.

And then the debacle of shutting the government  down, and punishing all of the innocent government workers will belong totally to Trump. He will be caught in a classic squeeze play and own the shutdown. 

 If he refuses to sign then he shows the world that his ego takes precedence over the welfare of the nation. All of his claptrap about five billion dollar “fencing” paid for with American tax dollars being the most important safeguard for national security will appear to be what it is – a ridiculous non-issue, hyped by Trump to create fear of immigrants and refugees..
Members of the Resistance can readily see how the wheels of government checks and balances began to turn when the blue wave installed the new Dem majority in the House. In just six days, Trump will face an entirely new Congressional landscape. He no longer will be able to lord his questionable or outright illegal tactics over the country. The House can rise up and set roadblocks in his path and pass laws which will if nothing else showcase his malfeasance.

There will be more things to be grateful for the country in 2019, but the new House Dem majority may turn out to be be the most significant. Thank you, Resistance and the  blue wave. Special kudos to  Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson et al, who wrote a framework for government that still has the teeth to push back against an authoritarian rogue President. 
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/27/democrats-government-shutdown-2018-1076466

Frank Rich, the retired  opinion columnist with the New York Times, has been officially retired from that position since 2011. . His magnificent, powerful writing over the years has earned him a rightful place in the pantheon of gifted essayists.. And as a devoted fan of his writing, I was sad on the day his last column appeared

So it was great news to learn that Rich had agreed to participate in a question-answer column in New York Magazine on a weekly basis. His latest article, published today is provided below.. His answers to the political questions he is posed demonstrate how logically and critically, he still can coast right through complex questions. His answers capture his reasoning beautifully and will   bring some  readers to their feet. (only if one agrees with him obviously) 

In this article, Rich posits his theory that Trump will resign soon due  to his ugly and unprecedented malfeasance both during his campaign and tenure as President. He claims that very soon the GOP will FINALLY hit the wall and say “Enough”. ( I won’t reveal the cause for which Rich believes will send the GOP Senators over the edge.) Let’s just say that he argues convincingly.
Rich does not hold back his fury at the do-nothing GOP Congress during the Trump tenure.  He calls them Vichy lawmakers which is a reference to the deplorable French Government in Vichy, France during the occupation of France by the Nazi’s during WWII. The Vichy Government was a puppet government toadying completely to the German army at great cost to the French Resistance and the Allies.

For Rich to compare the GOP Senate to the Vichy Government underscores  his repugnance at how McConnell and the rest of the caucus have mismanaged their constitutional duty to hold Trump accountable to the rule of law. For the last two years they  have looked the other way, made lame, unbelievable excuses or hid in their offices to avoid media scrutiny. With this reference, Rich suggests that the  wrecking ball Trump continues to employ against our democratic system of government and the American people is more than an outrage it is akin to giving aid and  comfort to the enemy. 

 That is how strongly, Rich feels about the the GOP’s Congress’s negligence and dereliction of duty during the time of Trump. He particularly goes after McConnell, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio and Susan Collins but paints the the entire GOP conference with one disreputable broad brush.

Feel the power of Frank Rich’s writing as you contemplate his words. It is with ongoing due diligence with this article that the Resistance confronts the reality of where the nation sits today.. Believe Frank Rich that the end indeed is approaching and the nightmare at  last will be over. Isaac Asimov presciently stated what we now know has happened to a good chunk if American citizenry. It continues to be our task to battle against the ignorance by remaining informed and active.  

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’” 
― Isaac Asimov

Enjoy the article: http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/gop-leaders-wont-tolerate-trumps-chaos-for-much-longer.html

The last adult in the room, as Jim Mattis has been described, will officially be walking out the door in of the White House in late February. From that point on the country’s anxiety level should have reached its maximum boiling point.. Who will be watching out for the nation’s security once Trump is left to his own infantile devices?

 In fact, many Americans who have been anxiously paying  attention to all of the craziness Trump has been exhibiting in the last forty-eight hours, feel all of the symptoms of distress today since despite the fact that Mattis still holds the position of Secretary of Defense, he has lost all influence with Trump. 

Mattis finally experience the final straw as a result of Trump unilaterally tweeting that the U.S. would be pulling troops out of Syria. Trump reached this decision without consulting Mattis or the Pentagon which  caught everyone in the government flat footed and shocked. Senators Lindsay Graham and Marco Rubio immediately called it a disaster.. Even Mitch McConnell said that he found the decision “distressing”..Of course, the White House tried to hide the import and reason for the Mattis decision as a straightforward resignation. They announced that he was merely  “retiring with distinction”. However,  Mattis made his long, eloquent resignation letter public so everyone could easily glean the real reason. Mattis was retiring in protest. Pundits suggested last night that this move became a first for a Secretary of Defense in the country’s history. 

How will Jim Mattis two year tenure be appraised? Some already consider him a sellout. For example his agreeing with the Trump decision to send troops to the southwest border right before the Mid-Terms -effectively politicizing the military or when  Mattis went along with the Muslim ban.
However, I think in the end, apologists for Jim Mattis will deem that he did a remarkable service for the country. He kept Trump within the guardrails. No one knows for sure the hoops Matis had to jump through just to accomplish that feat. Of course there had to have been time times when Mattis had to go along -just to keep himself in the discussions.. And what a godawful job it must have been to go to work everyday worrying about the safety of American soldiers abroad and American citizens at home, dealing with a person with the  emotional stability of a “fifth or sixth grader” -. Mattis’ own words.

Let’s hope that the Mueller report will be presented sooner rather than later. (Experts are speculating that it will happen in the middle of February.) and that this latest Syria decision will be like a whack on the side of the GOP Senators.. What more evidence do they need that the train is being driven by a deranged President who if not stopped may take us all over the cliff with him?In the meantime, lets go easy on Mattis. After all, during his watch the only attacks on the country occurred over the internet.

Here is an article in Slate which discusses the
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/retires-the-last-of-the-grown-ups-is-gone.html

According to Linda Greenhouse, in today’s New York Times   there appears to be a discernible split in the Supreme Court conservative camp. Greenhouse argues persuasively that the last two positions taken by the courts’ conservative justices indicate that Gorsuch, Alito and Thomas have become quite frustrated with Roberts and Kavanaugh’s most recent stances.

If true, the left can let out a sigh of relief at least for the short term.
 The ACA ruling by the Texas judge means that the case will be wending its way to SCOTUS in the near future. To consider that the five conservative justices do not currently see eye to eye means that there is hope out there on the horizon yet for Obamacare and the millions of Americans praying for its preservation.

When a case comes up to the Supreme Court to be considered for a review, at least four justices have to say yes, the case has merit and should receive a review by the Supreme Court.. before it will be officially reviewed. A case involving Planned Parenthood (PP)  in which  two red states wanted to make PP ineligible as a provider for Medicaid reimbursement had been challenged. Five lower courts had ruled that the red states were acting unlawfully to deny patients coverage through PP.. Only one judge agreed with the red states position so it was sent up to the Supreme Court for possible review.

The fact that the Supreme Court refused to review the case meant that one, the case did not get four votes needed to review the case and second,. that the case reverted to the lower courts majority position and therefore was deemed unlawful in both states.. Thus Medicaid patients in those red states may still choose Planned Parenthood as the health provider to use with their Medicaid dollars.

Justice Thomas took particular umbrage that Roberts and Kavanugh chose not to go along with the other three conservative justices. He even went so far as saying that Roberts and Kavanaugh were afraid of negative public opinion, Since  even though abortion was not involved in the case, whenever PP is sued, people automatically link it with the abortion issue. Thomas’s written dissent suggests that both Roberts and  Kavanaugh shied away from reviewing the case re PP because the abortion issue would surely have been raised. .  

No one really knows why they demurred. Perhaps Roberts feared that the Kavanaugh hearing significantly  impugned the reputation of the entire court system and did not want more controversy to envelope the court so soon after Kavanaugh took his seat.

 He no doubt was chagrined at the intensity of the battle surrounding the Kavanaugh hearings and how it broke down along party lines. Trump’s attacks against federal judges prompted a quick and strong rebuttal from Roberts as well.  Robert  takes his mantle of Chief Justice seriously. He wants to protect the reputation of the Roberts Court as much as he can. He does not want his court to be tarnished any further as awaits the inexorable arrival of Roe v.Wade.

Kavanaugh’s refusal to vote yes to hear the PP case remains a mystery. Greenhouse suggests that Kavanaugh realizes that Roberts is feeling isolated – being attacked on both the right and the left and needs a friend. Another reason could be that Kavanaugh wants to remain in the shadows for a while until  many Americans forget about the display during the hearings of his non-judicial temperament and  thus complete lack of fitness for the office.

Either way, the left can celebrate this fissure in the conservative block of Supreme Court Justices. Lets hope the split persists and that the justices on the conservative side  continue to grow further apart. A yawning divide between the two would be one of the best gift that Santa could deliver the left next week.. 

Enjoy the article. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/opinion/abortion-planned-parenthood-supreme-court.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

Republican lawmakers in Washington have taken notice that the  number of their party’s female contingent in the House is going down.  There are four female GOP House members in the 2019  GOP caucus. Apparently, according to Jennifer Rubin  in her column today in The Washington Post, the men are clueless as to why women are losing  interest in running under the GOP flag.  In addition, in the Mid-terms a huge chunk of women voters switched sides  moving away from the GOP candidates to vote for the Dem candidates..(See yesterday’s LPW’s post.) 

Any reasonably sentient, politically aware woman in this country could easily provide answers to the GOP’s  men’s bafflement. It goes something like this: Women generally do not like misogynists especially those who brag about sexual assaults along with their ability to get away with their crimes.  Women don’t like bullies. Women have had to face bullies in their their families, in schools or in the workplace. Women have had to learn to kowtow to these bullies or face the consequences of the bullies’ wrath. 
And having to watch a bully operating in the White House on TV makes most women cringe – even if they agree with the policies bully Trump espouses. Women also cringe when they see babies torn from the arms of their mothers no matter what the justification for this action happens to be. Separating children from their mothers goes against the intrinsic maternal grain that most women hold close. 

Close to this inherent emotion is the fact that women worry about the health of their loved ones. Trump and the GOP’s assault on the ACA and the latest dire threat to its existence prompts  millions of women to ratchet up their profound dread that they might not be able to afford necessary treatments for one of their family members. The GOP gets all the blame for this latest fiasco.

To badger and humiliate. to mock and make bogus excuses on a never ending loop of disagreeable leadership rankles women over time even IF Trump’s victims are those certain women resent as well. Perhaps men have greater tolerance for this constant nastiness and ugliness – generally speaking women not so much.

Finally, women are seeing the GOP male lawmakers who should be standing up to Trump’s outrageous obsequiousness to Putin and the Saudis as pathetic. Women also do not like the fact that Trump’s Secretary appointments are riddled with fraudsters and cheats.

Women likewise sense that the GOP lawmakers in Congress have become  emasculated and weak due to their fear of the Trump base.and their overriding fear of losing their seats. Principles and ethics have been tossed overboard and  the Republican Party has become an empty shell. 

And so as often happens, women are figuring this all out some sooner than others in advance of men. More and more they understand that lurking beneath the Republican Party are pathologies which are dragging the country down. Women do not want to belong to such a party and women do not want to vote for candidates from that party. Let’s hope the men in this country start catching on to all of this.  The Trump white male base and the white male GOP lawmakers need to have their respective epiphanies begin soon. The country desperately awaits.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/18/republicans-have-no-clue-how-get-women-back/?utm_term=.8428609b27ae

As the Mid-Term election results have been sorted out and analyzed, a new group of women have emerged who according to the data, broke away from their traditional GOP allegiance and voted for Democrats in the recent November elections.. These women identified by the acronym WNCNEW, which stands for white non-college educated non ecumenical women  parted company with their conservative Trump base and in so doing have given the Dem candidates in 2020 a whole new group to consider and aim their message to.

This article which appears in New York Magazine today provides very good news for  the Democratic Party. It reveals that an many in a demographic group jumped aboard the Dem train. The article also shows how important the disaggregation work can be for future candidates to know whether  there are shifting  trends happening out there in voter land.

The fact that traditionally GOP voting women who did not attend college and do not belong to a fundamental Christian faith  gives those on the left a lot of data on which to chew.  A reasonable assumption might be from this data is that women who are not constrained by their faith to hold an anti-abortion position have developed a disgust with Trump – his demeanor and policies and feel comfortable switching parties. If that assumption is true then one might also assume that evangelical white women either with a college degree or without, see Trump for what he truly is – but simply cannot abandon the political party which holds on tightly to their anti-abortion positions.(They might deep down especially hate the idea of having to support Trump but have no choice given the dictates of their faith..)   

These  results  will give all Dem candidates in 2020 another important segment to direct their attention. Women on the left can savor this news as well. For what these results reveal is that a large segment of women on the right had an epiphany. They are finally seeing Trump for what he truly is – an inept, criminal -minded horror of a President. And they are similarly able to associate the Republican Party with this President and found the whole package wanting. A similar epiphany has not as yet landed on the white non college educated, non evangelical  male group.  When that happens the left will be on its way to righting our floundering ship of state.

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/democrats-won-with-non-evangelical-white-working-class-women.html

It is important to give Nancy Pelosi her due.  She has now been assured of four more years as either Speaker of the House or Minority Leader if the GOP takes back control of the Hose majority in 2020. She completely out – dueled the small group of Dem House rebels who publicly opposed her continuation as House Speaker. They considered her too old school and too enamored with the veteran Dem leadership. They did not think there were enough avenues open to newer representatives to make a name for themselves and rise through the  ranks to leadership positions. They claimed that someone from their group could do a  better job than Pelosi to lead the Dems in the lead up to 2020.

As this article in Bloomberg News argues, these frustrated Representatives underestimated one key point in their lobbying for her ouster.  When a political party demolishes the other side in a national election, it makes no sense to abandon the Minority Leader who helped orchestrate that win.

Nancy Pelosi, in fact, played a huge role in the Dems successful Mid-Term elections. She understood her House representatives strengths and weaknesses and her advice and counsel assisted candidates in emphasizing issues which resonated with voters. 

Pelosi brings other key skills to the position of Speaker besides winning elections.. Her knowledge of the House’s institutional history is immense as are her long established comfortable relationships with veteran representatives. Dem Representatives respect her prowess as a fighter because they have witnessed her steely nerves in the trenches as well as her ability to go toe to toe with the GOP leaders.  Due to her  established skills at successfully  maneuvering the traditionally unwieldy Democrat conference (like herding cats, some say), she will be able to put the House Dems in a perfect position to pursue their progressive legislative initiatives.  

This week viewers got a chance to see Pelosi at her best in the live, tense meeting of the government’s triumvirate of Pelosi, Schumer and Trump. While Schumer and Trump’s raised their voices, faced off with belligerent postures and interruptions, Pelosi remained calm and composed. She made some debate points against Trump which he reacted to with scowls and a red face. Later Pelosi and Trump spoke further on the phone. So despite the fact she scored points with her arguments she still was able to keep the communication lines with Trump open.

For all of these  reasons, Pelosi can make sure that the House will hit the ground running in January and, immediately begin  hearings on various legislation and investigations. The Resistance can find comfort  during these fraught and dangerous times that she will be leading the House as Speaker.  In retrospect , the idea of breaking in a new Speaker at this time now seems like a very bad idea.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-12-14/how-pelosi-won-again?srnd=premium

A tiny little protest in the dark, frigid woods in northern Michigan represents  a notable act of commitment for all who revere the majesty and importance of the Great Lakes. The people, living in this camp are members of the  Ottawa and Chippewa Indians  and they are protesting the continued operation of line 5 which carries 23 million gallons of oil per day under the Straits of Mackinac.They see the existence of this line as a direct threat to the these precious bodies of water of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

The line is owned by the Canadian company Enbridge and  despite the fact the pipeline is almost 66 years old, the company adamantly argues that it is perfectly safe.  The Michigan GOP legislators tout the pipeline’s benefits to the state which purportedly provides jobs for a little over a hundred Michigan workers and taxes of 62 million. 

 Of course what it not so well known is the amount Enbridge spends annually to lobby aggressively for the pipeline’s continued existence. And who knows what other inducements they may be offering the GOP legislators to keep them in the company’s pockets and in complete support of the enterprise. In the lame duck session, they are desperately trying to do everything they can to strip the incoming governor, Gretchen Whitmer, of her powers to shut the line down. 

Compare the power of this giant corporation to the small protest encampment built by the Native Americans in the woods near Alanson Michigan which is close to the Straits. These native people have chosen to endure the bitter winter conditions to bring attention to the dangers which the existence of line 5 brings to Michigan’s Great Lakes. Their deep spiritual yearnings to protect these precious freshwater assets are obvious with this outdoor protest. For these native people advocating for these Lakes is a cause which for them transcends all else.  

The majority of the rest of the Michigan citizenry do not care quite so much. If they did share similar emotions, they would be making a much larger display of their displeasure at the continued existence of line 5.  Michigan citizens, despite their deep connections to the Great Lakes, must simply buy into Enbridge’s distortions of the facts that all is well under the Straits and the Lakes therefore remain  safe. 

Those who are anti-line 5 argue sensibly about profits which would be lost to the commerce and recreation industries if the pipeline was to rupture, not to mention the costs incurred in the clean-up. What is overlooked in the discussion is the spiritual benefits the Lakes provide. The Lakes inspire people, lift their emotions and give solace. Weddings occur on the beaches of these lakes, ashes are scattered. over these waters and artists come to paint on their shores..People are drawn to the Lakes to watch the sun rise and set and to observe the stars in the night sky when their is little ambient light.  

These Lakes represent a priceless treasure which should not be endangered because a powerful and rich multi-national company simply finds Michigan an easy mark.. The company is willing to spend to millions of dollars to construct a tunnel beneath the straits over a ten year period for one simple reason. The profits accruing from line five are far and away greater than the cost of building the new tunnel..  . Please think of the smoke rising from the small campfires in northern Michigan all winter as ephemeral messages to all citizens in the state that the  threat the pipeline imposes is real.  These protesting Native Americans are showing us through their privations and uncomfortably cold conditions, that shutting down line 5 is a cause worth fighting for.

The Washington Post includes an article about the winter protest in today’s paper and the link is provided below.  Also please consider making a donation to  the Michigan League of Conservation Voters which is also working to shut down line 5. Their work is exemplary and important and they rely on donations. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-submerged-oil-pipeline-triggers-a-winter-of-frigid-protest/2018/12/14/8b65fa12-fd56-11e8-862a-b6a6f3ce8199_story.html?utm_term=.9ccf82287b11

Here is the link for making a contribution https://michiganlcv.org/issues-impact/#healthy-great-lakes