October 17, 2020

Katie Porter 'Strongly' Disagrees With Dianne Feinstein About The Coney Barrett Hearing

Many progressives were dismayed this week upon hearing Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) heap praise on this week’s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, calling them “one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in.”

The comments from the 87-year-old Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee ― accompanied by her embrace with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) afterward ― symbolized to progressives the party’s inability to play hardball on court nominations and sparked an outcry among some groups who called for her removal from the panel.

“She has undercut Democrats’ position at every step of this process, from undermining calls for filibuster and Court reform straight through to thanking Republicans for the most egregious partisan power grab in the modern history of the Supreme Court,” said Brian Fallon, founder and executive director of Demand Justice, a progressive judicial advocacy group.

. . .

more at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coney-barrett-feinstein-porter_n_5f89e3c4c5b69daf5e12efc5

October 15, 2020

Ari Berman's tweet to Moscow Mitch about court packing...

Ari Berman @AriBerman
Oct 14
You stole a Supreme Court seat, confirmed 218 Trump judges after blocking 110 Obama nominees & now rushing to confirm Amy Coney Barrett 20 days before Nov 3 when over 14 million people have already voted. That's definition of court-packing

October 15, 2020

President Donald Trump arrives in Des Moines to rally with a boisterous crowd

from the Des Moines Register

President Donald Trump arrived to a boisterous crowd gathered outside the Des Moines International Airport Wednesday he warps up a three-day campaign tour of battleground states — his first campaign events since testing positive for the coronavirus earlier this month.

Attendees arrived in cars bedecked with "Make America Great Again" flags, and they sported "Trump Pence 2020" campaign gear as they trekked across the airport's parking lots and open fields to reach the airport hangar where Trump was set to speak.

"Eye of the Tiger" played over the loudspeakers as Air Force One rolled up to the rally site and the crowd of onlookers cheered and snapped photos.

Trump held up a trademark “Make America Great Again” hat, and joked that his aides advised he might need to wear it because of the wind. “They said, ‘Sir, it is so windy out there.’ ‘I said, well, my hair’s very powerful, it’s very strong.’”

More here:
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2020/10/14/donald-trump-des-moines-rally-campaign-event-coverage/5979534002/

October 14, 2020

Wrestler and coach Dan Gable to receive the

Presidential Medal of Freedom. Trump will announce during his rally in Des Moines today.

Trump barely leads Biden in Iowa.

October 14, 2020

Morning Joe had Jim Oberweis on this morning

He’s running against Lauren Underwood in IL-14. He lied like trump about several things including Pelosi (adding non germane items to stimulus that he couldn’t name), Biden (“nobody likes Biden”, they’re voting against trump), and Underwood supports rioting (a very weak “I’m not sure she said that” from Mika). Of course he mentioned the “Democrat” Party.

I missed the lead in to his segment. Does anyone know why he was on?

October 10, 2020

I marked the box for trump when filling out

my Mom’s absentee ballot yesterday. We had to go to the election office to turn in the spoiled ballot and she voted in person - for Biden and all Dems.

It gives my mom a good story to tell about how her younger daughter marked her ballot for trump. I’m told she tells it with great glee.

October 1, 2020

Sabato's Crystal Ball moves Biden, Senate and House contests toward Dems

https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/biden-lead-looks-firmer-as-midwest-moves-his-way/

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE
-- With the first debate now in the books, we have close to 20 rating changes across the Electoral College, Senate, and House.
-- Joe Biden is now over 270 electoral votes in our ratings as we move several Midwestern states in his favor.
-- Changes in the battle for Congress benefit Democrats almost exclusively. We're moving two Senate races in their direction, as well as several House contests.

Electoral College
State Old Rating New Rating
Iowa Leans Rep Toss-up
Minnesota Leans Dem Likely Dem
Ohio Leans Rep Toss-up
Wisconsin Toss-up Leans Dem

US Senate
Senator Old Rating New Rating
Dan Sullivan (R-AK) Likely Rep Leans Rep
Cory Gardner (R-CO) Leans Dem Likely Dem

US House Old Rating New Rating
D. Schweikert (R, AZ-6) Leans Rep Toss-up
T.J. Cox (D, CA-21) Leans Dem Toss-up
Charlie Crist (D, FL-13) Likely Dem Safe Dem
A. Finkenauer (D, IA-1) Toss-up Leans Dem
Sean Casten (D, IL-6) Likely Dem Safe Dem
L. Underwood (D, IL-14) Leans Dem Likely Dem
Jared Golden (D, ME-2) Leans Dem Likely Dem
Jim Hagedorn (R, MN-1) Leans Rep Toss-up
MT-AL Open (Gianforte, R) Likely Rep Leans Rep
Jeff Van Drew (R, NJ-2) Leans Rep Toss-up
Lizzie Fletcher (D, TX-7) Leans Dem Likely Dem
VA-5 Open (Riggleman, R) Leans Rep Toss-up

October 1, 2020

Cook Political Report moves Ohio and Iowa

from lean repug to toss up for Electoral College.

September 28, 2020

Can Joe Biden defang Donald Trump on the debate stage? And does it even matter?

Interesting article by Heather Digby Parton in Salon today.

... It will be interesting to see how Biden handles all this in the first debate in Cleveland, or whether it will make any difference one way or the other. Trump likes to say that he won the general election debates with Hillary Clinton in 2016, and there even seems to be some conventional wisdom in the press that he's right, but it couldn't be further from truth....

...It occurred to me over the weekend, as I watched the two men closely, that while Trump can accurately be described as that arrogant blowhard at the end of the bar who forces you to move to a table to get away from him, Joe Biden is the fellow at the other end of the bar who's buying everyone drinks and telling funny stories. It could be that he's just the kind of guy who knows how to handle Donald Trump. We'll find out on Tuesday night.

https://www.salon.com/2020/09/28/can-joe-biden-take-down-the-insult-comic-from-mars-and-do-the-debates-even-matter/

September 28, 2020

Polk County (IA) Dems will help defeat Joni Ernst

Polk County Dems are the best organized county in Iowa. The Weekly Update is a joy to read...

- More than 90 volunteers called every registered Dem about their voting plan and will follow up for absentee ballots and GOTV.
- More that 150 volunteered will be certified to pick up and deliver absentee ballots.
- There will be a trained poll watcher in every precinct for the first time.
- Staff will be at the county election office inspecting every ballot with errors to see if we can help get them corrected.
- As of last week, our voter registration stations helped add 1,469 new Democrats since August 1. Stations have been set up in every area of the county including at apartment complexes.
- Biden-Harris barn signs are going up in the suburbs thanks to some creative sign makers.
- Community (area) Groups withing the county are doing lit drops, registering voters, and making signs.
- Later this week, wired lockboxes will be provided to all the Community Groups so that they can begin collecting ballots. We’ll also print signage to let passersby know that we’re collecting ballots. If they want to host a ballot drive-thru, they’ll be able to use it for that, too. These stations and all the volunteers mean we can have a physical presence in up to 17 different places in the county all at the same time.

Defeating Ernst in 2020, Grassley in 2022.