Tag Archives: Kamala Harris

Progressive Federalism: Bifurcate All the Things

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The 10-5 en banc decision by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which blocks laws in Mississippi and Texas allowing for ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day, will likely be appealed by SCOTUS, which may very well allow for the ruling to stand nationwide for federal elections. This, alongside congressional action supporting the SAVE Act which would double-block noncitizens from voting in all federal elections, shows where things are headed under Trump-Musk.

Under the shadow of this regime, perhaps the most expensive part of progressive federalism will be the bifurcation between state and federal functions, even if for progressive ends.

But in terms of vital elections, postal mail and the census, blue states will need to separate as much of their operations from those of the federal government in order to legally and functionally protect themselves and their citizens from federal overreach, reject federal funding, and maintain their sovereignty.

Bifurcation is a major, inevitable part of progressive federalism, no matter how high the price tag. It will allow blue states to innovate in favor of their residents, even in times such as these.

Bifurcated voter rolls and state elections

Separate voter rolls for state-local and federal elections would protect blue state elections from federal overreach:

  • In addition, it would protect permanent residents who wish to vote in select local elections.
  • Protect LGBTQ voters
  • Allow for holding (preferably consolidated) state and local elections on a separate date from the federal election

Like Obamacare, this is a Heritage Foundation idea which can be repurposed for progressive ends. Arizona, since 2014, has been the pioneer in pursuing this idea, as voters who are unable to provide hard documentary evidence of citizenship are only able to register as “federal-only” voters under Arizona law until they are able to provide such evidence.

The progressive response would be to switch it somewhat: “federal-only” ballot (general or special) for those who can provide such evidence of citizenship, “state-only” ballot (on another date) for those who can’t.

To reiterate, this will also help blue states who want to hold general elections on a date separate from the federal election, possibly in an odd year. I would like to see state, local and lower elections held together on Sundays or Saturdays.

And any worry that this would overburden election works should be eased by making the state legislature (1) unicameral (2) termed to four years and (possibly 3) staggered.

Separate state census

The United State Census Bureau cannot be the only survey agency in town anymore. As it is coming close to adding a citizenship question and has repeatedly failed to institute requested reforms such as identifying incarcerated prisoners to help end prison gerrymandering, it is perhaps time to bring back state censuses. This would also be beneficial for LGBTQ residents who have not been correctly identified in past censuses.

Separate state postal service

  • An example of “local post”
  • Complete with separate postage stamps, letter boxes and mail trucks
  • Protection from the Comstock Act and other federal censorships (i.e., on obscenity)
  • Postal banking (which was previously a feature of the USPS from 1911 to 1966)
  • Vital for carrying state-level mail ballots
  • Potential state census assistance

State communications commission

The FCC has been beset by conservative opposition for decades when it comes to regulatory capacity, especially when it comes to issues such as net neutrality. Now that conservatives have control over the FCC, blue states (like California) have the opportunity to stake out more regulatory power over communications within their borders, even within constitutional boundaries. The time for state communications commissions is upon us.

Interstate election security compacts

The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) is a good example of a nonprofit foundation acting as a de facto interstate compact commission in its assistance to state governments, namely in maintaining voter rolls.

Now Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is making such a move regarding protection of elections from foreign interference:

After the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) cut funding to its election security programs, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) is taking matters into his own hands and forming an alternative program to fill CISA’s void for state and local election offices.

According to a memo obtained by Democracy Docket, Fontes’ office wants to form a new organization called VOTE-ISAC, “an independent organization committed to safeguarding elections and restoring international confidence in the integrity of our democratic processes.” The idea for the program is to fill the void left by CISA’s crucial Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC). 

A spokesperson for Fontes’ office told Democracy Docket that he started work on this plan well before CISA cut its EI-ISAC program and has already been in touch with different states and stakeholders to get on board with the proposal. 

We need more of this, in the absence of federal support. In addition:

  • Interstate replacements for the FEC regarding campaign finance
  • Interstate Replacement for the EAC for election standards,
  • Interstate redistricting clearinghouse which eases disputes between states regarding redistricting at all levels.

Protect voters’ rights to free and fair elections

And of course, it is a good time to pass legislation like:

  • State Voting Rights Act
  • Independent Redistricting amendment
  • Universal vote-by-mail
  • Right to free and fair elections amendment
  • Multi-winner proportional representation for state and local elections
  • Campaign financing regulations for ballot initiatives

State DARPA and defense intelligence

The firings of professionals, including TGNC individuals, from military and civilian service in the federal government have opened a door for expanding state defense force capabilities.

A research and development (R&D) office under a state defense force can help to hire some of these trained professionals back into the realm of military science, research, development and innovation without federal interference. 

This proposal would establish a minimal operation which, if allowed, can expand further based upon the wishes of the legislature and the needs of the SDF command structure. 

In addition, it would allow for the hiring of those who wish to continue pursuing trained, intelligence-related work, particularly in the field of geospatial intelligence. 

Finally, it would fit into the larger purpose of redirecting all feasible resources in the larger state military department (which usually runs both the National and State Guards under a state adjutant general) to within and under the state defense force specifically, as the state can no longer expect the Department of Defense of the United States to abide by shared values. 

And more

interstate equivalents to CDC, Department of Education, HHS, NPS, HUD, etc.

On Harris/Walz and Housing

Politics, , , , ,

Early feelings after Harris picked Walz

This feels awkward for me to see this play out today. I’ve been following Minnesota politics since at least 2019, when I first started reading about the Minneapolis 2040 plan, which made Minneapolis the poster child of the YIMBY movement.

The news of how the Minneapolis 2040 plan allowed for the suppression of rent increases across the city accompanied the increasing success of movements in Oregon and California to increase housing density.

My interest in Minnesota has grown from that to the George Floyd protests and riots, to the DFL winning the slim trifecta in 2022, to the numerous legislative victories secured over the last two sessions, to the screaming matches accompanying the end of this last session, to Walz now being selected for this campaign as running mate.

But the DFL trifecta, if it holds in November’s state house elections, will have to debate spreading housing abundance at the state level next legislative session. Because, if anything, the decades-long impact of the previous restrictive housing regime – the single-family zoning, parking mandates and legacies of redlining, all enacted at the municipal and county level across Minnesota – led in part to the 2020 riots. But the city governments outside of Minneapolis will not give up that power over zoning easily.

For Harris-Walz, the campaign’s rhetoric in favor of progressive policy on housing will easily run up against strong economic and political forces, but will also lack political gravitas if the campaign does not embrace housing abundance and density-friendly zoning reform federally.

After the Raleigh Speech

The YIMBYs are celebrating VP Harris as the YIMBY candidate after her first policy speech in Raleigh.

Regarding the speech, I wonder how much of her statements on housing reform are a continuation or strengthening of the Biden-Harris “Housing Supply Action Plan” from 2022.

Housing Supply Action Plan

As of August 13, 2024:

  • the Federal Housing Finance Agency had approved policies and pilots to reduce closing costs for homeowners, including a pilot to waive the requirement for lender’s title insurance on certain refinances
  • the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would pursue rulemaking and guidance to address anticompetitive closing costs imposed by lenders on homebuyers and homeowners.[2]
  • the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
    • announced a Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program to provide $85 million in $10 million grants to jurisdictions which have acute housing shortages and are working to address barriers to housing production and preservation;[3]
    • updated its guidelines to increase the dollar amount threshold at which a multifamily loan for FHA-insured mortgages is considered a large loan and is subject to additional underwriting requirements from $75 million to $120 million;[4]
    • allowed larger loans to participate in the agency’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Pilot Program;
    • allowed public housing authorities (PHAs) to more easily use housing vouchers and mixed-finance transactions to create or preserve housing;[5]
    • published new guidance for public housing authorities and multifamily housing owners participating in the Rental Assistance Demonstration;
    • launched a Legacy Challenge to encourage communities which directly receive Community Development Block Grants from HUD to leverage low-cost, low-interest loans for housing investments
    • announced funding for research into commercial-to-residential conversions for a potential guide for state and local governments.[2]
  • the Department of Transportation:
    • announced its Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program to provide up to $3.16 billion for planning and capital construction projects that prioritize disadvantaged communities and improve access to daily destinations, including a $450 million Regional Partnership Challenge to incentivize regional partnerships;
    • released new guidance to streamline and clarify requirements for closing DOT loans for residential development near transit, including commercial-to-residential conversions;[6]
  • the Economic Development Administration (EDA) updated its “Investment Priorities” that guide the agency’s grantmaking to include an emphasis on efficient land use and density;
  • the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to mobilize capital for retrofits of existing homes and buildings, construction of zero emissions buildings, and commercial to residential conversions, among others.
  • the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation proposed a method which would exempt several maintenance activities from review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for historic preservation of millions of federally-funded, licensed or owned housing units nationwide.[7][8]

We won’t find out more until after this week, but the current HSAP is the most thorough piece of government action in favor of housing density in U.S. history, even though the record amount of housing construction this year is still well below the millions-long backlog.

It may be billed as an “all of government plan”, and it may make heavy use of DOT and HUD, but it doesn’t go far enough in maximizing executive power to push cities to pass pro-density zoning reform.

Harris’ HSAP Part 2

To quote from Harris’ press release:

Vice President Harris knows that our nation’s housing affordability crisis is making it hard for tens of millions of Americans to make ends meet while putting the American Dream of homeownership out of reach for too many working families. That’s why she will launch an urgent and comprehensive four-year plan to lower housing costs for working families and end America’s housing shortage.

  1. Calling for the Construction of 3 Million New Housing Units To End the Housing Supply Shortage in the Next Four Years. There’s a serious housing shortage across America, and it’s driving prices up. Vice President Harris will work in partnership with industry to build the housing we need, both to rent and to buy, and to take down barriers that stand in the way of building new housing, including at the state and local levels. This will make rents and mortgages cheaper.
    • First-Ever Tax Incentive for Building Starter Homes. A Harris-Walz Administration will propose the first-ever tax incentive for homebuilders who build starter homes sold to first-time homebuyers—alleviating the shortage of houses on the market for aspiring homeowners. This would complement the Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit that encourages investment in homes that would otherwise be too costly or difficult to develop or rehabilitate.
    • A Historic Expansion of the Existing Tax Incentive for Businesses That Build Rental Housing that is Affordable.
    • A New Federal Fund To Spur Innovative Housing Construction. A Harris-Walz Administration will propose a new $40 billion innovation fund—doubling down on the $20 billion Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed innovation fund. Like that proposal, it would empower local governments to fund local solutions to build housing. It would also go further to support innovative methods of construction financing, and empower developers and homebuilders to design and build rental and housing solutions that are affordable—with one condition: they must show they will deliver results. This fund will support the expansion of innovative local efforts, like those in Wake County, North Carolina where they are using American Rescue Plan funds to build or preserve 2,400 affordable housing units including a 100-unit development coming online at Kings Ridge and a 176-unit affordable housing development at Tyron Station. Vice President Harris will also take action to make certain federal lands eligible to be repurposed for new housing developments that families can afford.
    • Cut Red Tape and Needless Bureaucracy. These plans will build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to cut red tape and enable more home building to bring down housing costs—which have advanced record levels of new home construction. Pushing this forward also means streamlining permitting processes and reviews, including for transit-oriented and conversion development, so builders can get homes on the market sooner and bring down costs.
  2. Lowering the Rent for Hardworking Americans by Taking on Corporate and Major Landlords. In addition to ongoing efforts by Vice President Harris and President Biden to expand rental assistance for hard-pressed Americans including for veterans, boost housing supply for those without homes, enforce fair housing laws, and make sure corporate landlords can’t use taxpayer dollars to unfairly rip off renters, today she is proposing plans to:
    • Stop Wall Street Investors from Buying Up and Marking Up Homes in Bulk. Community after community feels taken advantage of by Wall Street investors and distant landlords. Vice President Harris is calling on Congress to pass the Stop Predatory Investing Act, to curtail these practices by removing key tax benefits for major investors who acquire large numbers of single-family rental homes.
    • Stop Rent-Setting Data Firms From Price Fixing To Raise Rents by Double Digits. Corporate landlords are using private equity-backed price-setting tools to collude with each other and jack up rents dramatically in communities across the country. Vice President Harris is calling on Congress to pass the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, to crack down on these companies that contribute to surging rent prices.
  3. Providing Historic $25,000 Down-Payment Support for First-Time Homeowners. Many Americans work hard at their jobs, save, and pay their rent on time month after month. But they can’t save enough after paying their rent and other bills to save for a down payment—denying them a shot at owning a home and building wealth. As the Harris-Walz plan starts to expand the supply of entry-level homes, they will, during their first term, provide working families who have paid their rent on time for two years and are buying their first home up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance, with more generous support for first-generation homeowners. The Biden-Harris administration initially proposed providing $25,000 in downpayment assistance only for 400,000 first-generation home buyers—or homebuyers whose parents don’t own a home—and a $10,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. Vice President Harris’s plan will simplify and significantly expand that plan by providing on average $25,000 for all eligible first-time home buyers, while ensuring full participation by first-generation home buyers. It will expand the reach of down-payment assistance, allowing over 4 million first time-buyers over 4 years to get significant down payment assistance.

My view on Harris’ housing plan

Initially, Harris’ initial announced plan to go after price-gouging scared the YIMBYs and enraged Trump supporters, with conservative economists outright denying the existence of price gouging as a major cause for inflation and sticker shock. But the broader plan announced in Raleigh, as described in the press release, turned the YIMBYs back in her favor. Blogger Noah Smith compared her plan on housing to an adaptation of Singapore’s model, in which the government owns 90% of the land, citizens purchase a 99-year lease on the property, and the government issues a helpful grant to first-time homebuyers (and a significantly-lesser grant to second-time homebuyers).

However, if Harris/Walz are elected but lack a trifecta (which is likely at this point), I think the part of her plan that would “make certain federal lands eligible to be repurposed for new housing developments that families can afford”, the most “Singapore-like” portion, is perhaps the most direct action that they could take, but it would need further expansion.

Room for Improvement

What about private or public entities which receive funding from, or have (sub)contracts with, the departments of Education, Defense, Veterans, Health and Human Services, and maybe Interior, not to mention other independent agencies? Could the White House hinge federal funding or (sub)contracts upon recipient institutions and companies reforming their zoning policies along the White House’s preferred model zoning code, as well as expeditious compliance and permitting processes?

Imagine what this could do for on- or off-campus housing for students, faculty or employees of colleges and universities which receive federal funding. Imagine what this could do for military and veteran families who live near military bases and VA hospitals. And imagine the indirect effects for those who don’t live as close to these entities.

Also, this brings to mind what avenues are available for federally-owned land which is within city limits, like properties owned by Veterans Affairs or HUD. But even the VA has suffered under years of mismanagement which allowed issues like what happened to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and Home, the only one of its kind in the United States, to fester.

At least for veterans, there should be some level of collaboration between VA and HUD on housing for veterans, since the VA is so myopically focused on healthcare rather than housing. The HUD–Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program (VA.gov, HUD.gov), which combines HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance for homeless Veterans with case management and clinical services provided, doesn’t seem to be enough. Does the VA need a Veterans Housing Administration, or does HUD need an Office of Veterans’ Housing, to more actively support veterans’ housing needs?

Or maybe this issue of land should involve the Department of the Interior? HUD did sign an MoU with the DOI in August 2023 to allow local communities to acquire federally-owned land in the Las Vegas metro area to build affordable housing at $100 an acre. How much metro-area land is owned by DOI or its Bureau of Land Management (BLM)? Maybe a new BLM Assistant Director for Urban Land Development?

Harris has an opportunity to broaden her HSAP 2.0 into more departments, including Justice, Education, Defense, Veterans, Health and Human Services, and maybe Interior. Like Biden’s National Climate Task Force (including the Energy, Interior and Agriculture Secretaries, the Directors of EPA and CEQ, the National Climate Advisor, the National Clean Energy Advisor and the Special Envoy on Climate Change), Harris will need an Inner Housing Cabinet, consisting of the Secretaries of HUD, Transportation, Interior, VA and Justice, Directors of EPA and CEQ, the National Climate Advisor, and the National Clean Energy Advisor, among others.

So in summary, Harris will need to expand upon her and her predecessor’s HSAP thusly:

  • Create a National Housing Task Force aka “Housing Cabinet”
  • Appoint a National Housing Advisor to the White House
  • Draft a Climate-oriented Executive Order requiring all executive-branch agencies to develop policies which promote housing infill and density on federally-owned land
  • Draft a Climate-oriented Executive Order requiring all federal (sub)contractors and funding recipients to prioritize housing infill and density
  • Create veterans’ housing offices in both VA and HUD
  • Designate an Assistant Director for Urban Land Development in the BLM
  • Acquire land within metro areas or cities to lease to private developers of federally-compliant housing construction
  • Direct the Justice Department to side with YIMBYs in federal court cases challenging Euclid + other decisions and laws allowing for restrictive zoning, attack such laws on 5th + 14th Amendment grounds
  • Defend federal zoning directives from local NIMBYs
  • Promote a model zoning code and building code on federally-owned land.

Supply-Side Progressivism

As of this convention, the parties are in realignment on several issues. Perhaps the most consequential realignment will be on housing, construction and zoning. The Democrats’ new taste for (federally- or state-directed) deregulation of housing may not sit well with existing urban or suburban political leaders, but there doesn’t seem to be any other viable way to deal with not only the housing crisis, but also its centrality to the carbon footprint of the United States.

But the Democrats have a long way to go on supply-side progressivism in general, especially when it comes to both selective deregulation (or is it “alter-regulation”?) and funding for supply. And if housing is something where Democrats are experiencing a realignment in favor of deregulation, where else can Democrats also have such a deregulatory shift? Maybe the supply of doctors?

Thoughts on the Last day of Veepstakes

Politics, ,

I’m rooting for MN Governor Tim Walz to be VP Harris’ running mate. He has the rare experience of being in both federal legislative and state executive roles.

I would be surprised if PA Governor Josh Shapiro became VP Harris’ running mate. Not too disappointed, just surprised.

The last time either major party nominee selected a running mate with no federal legislative experience was Sarah Palin (R, 2008). The one before that was Sargent Shriver (D, 1972). Earlier:

  • Spiro Agnew (R, 1968, 1972, won, resigned in second term)
  • Earl Warren (R, 1948, lost, later became Supreme Court Chief Justice)
  • John W. Bricker (R, 1944, lost, later became a senator)
  • Henry A. Wallace (D, 1940, won)
  • Frank Knox (R, 1936, lost)
  • Charles G. Dawes (R, 1924, won)
  • Charles W. Bryan (D, 1924, lost)
  • Calvin Coolidge (R, 1920, won, later became president)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt (D, 1920, lost, later became president)
  • Thomas R. Marshall (R, 1912, 1916, won)
  • John W. Kern (D, 1908, lost, later became a senator)
  • Theodore Roosevelt (R, 1900, won, later became president)
  • Garret Hobart (R, 1896, won)
  • Arthur Sewall (D, 1896, lost)
  • Whitelaw Reid (R, 1892, lost)
  • Chester A. Arthur (R, 1880, won, later became president)
  • Richard Rush (N-R, 1828, lost)
  • Daniel D. Tompkins (D-R, 1816, won)
  • Jared Ingersoll (F, 1812, lost)
  • Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (F, 1800, lost)

Just saying, it would be most wild for VP Harris to pick PA Governor Josh Shapiro, who does not have federal legislative experience, for this single reason. Only one person with no federal legislative experience becoming vice president since WWII is not a good sign, IMO.

Syllables

Another thing: the last time that a nominee for president had a running mate with more syllables to their last name than themselves was Bush-Cheney 2000 and 2004.

Others:

  • Gore-Lieberman (D, 2000, lost)
  • Mondale-Ferraro (D, 1984, lost)
  • Nixon-Cabot Lodge (R, 1960, lost)
  • Willkie-McNary (R, 1940, lost)
  • Smith-Robinson (D, 1928, lost)
  • Cox-Roosevelt (D, 1920, lost)
  • Taft-Sherman (R, 1912, lost)
  • Taft-Sherman (R, 1908, won)
  • Bryan-Stevenson (D, 1900, lost)
  • Cleveland-Stevenson (D, 1892, won)
  • Blaine-Logan (R, 1884, lost)
  • Hayes-Wheeler (R, 1876, won)
  • Grant-Wilson (R, 1872, won)
  • Grant-Colfax (R, 1868, won)
  • Cass-Butler (D, 1848, lost)
  • Polk-Dallas (D, 1844, won)
  • Clay-Frelinghuysen (W, 1844, lost)
  • White-Tyler (W, 1836, lost)
  • Jackson-Van Buren (D, 1832, won)
  • Clay-Sergeant (NR, 1832, lost)
  • Clay-Sanford (DR, 1824, lost)
  • King-Howard (F, 1816, lost)
  • Clinton-Ingersoll (F, 1812, lost)
  • Adams-Jefferson (DR, 1796, won)

Conclusion

The only reason why Shapiro may already be selected is that it would be awkward to announce someone who is not Shapiro at the Philadelphia rally meant to debut the ticket. But at the same time, prioritizing winning Pennsylvania to this extent seems silly when you’re trying to imagine working with this running mate for (hopefully) 8 years of your life.

But either way, unity is needed, no matter who the running mate may be.

Democrats Need Focus

Politics, , , , , ,

Not interested in the present White House contest

I’m not interested in the present bullshit.

Remain focused on the state legislatures, governors and attorneys general. They are the true sources of power in this country. The Supreme Court is 6-3, and Congress is incredibly hamstrung, thanks to the votes and laws of multiple state governments over decades. The balloons which they trial often make it into law or increase in popularity with like-minded counterparts across the country, and then sometimes flow upward into federal policy.

You may fear SCOTUS and what more they may allow, or what Trump will bring if he is elected again, but so many of you live under decades-long dark-red state rule with no option but to wait for demographics to shift in your direction just a little bit more each year, or each decade.

And what has that brought you? Learned helplessness, stuck in the suburbs of some red state, stuck being disappointed by the latest flow of bullshit from your state legislature.

And you pontificate on switching out the incumbent president for another nominee from whatever state while the sand continues to shift under your (and their) very feet.

Learn your history. Get some perspective. Relocate strategically. Plan accordingly.

Why liberals and socialists are reacting with hair on fire

I don’t think it’s a “circle jerk”, as a friend described it, at least not a total circle jerk. I have several thoughts about it.

They’re turning inward and insular because they’re being starkly reminded of the fragility of their appearance-dependent relationship with the nationalized centrist-Esque media and their donors, and they have no seeming refuge atm beyond, what, MeidasTouch? Lincoln Project? YouTubers?

Too many liberals want to be loved by nationalized media, and to keep their current relationship with that same media. Just as they’ve been with the judicial and executive branches of government, they may want to turn against nationalized media for now because things are going bad, but they always come back and never build out their own comparable counterpart to the conservative parallel economy. And their donors, small dollar and large all, are flighty as hell.

And the nationalization of the media apparently happened during the same period as the growth of the local news(paper) desert and the growth of Republican capture of state legislative majorities.

And the center-left are also lacking yet again for a strong bench of unifying personalities from outside the nationalized media to countervail the prevailing narrative, or to even fill a portion of the power vacuum which will be left if Biden withdraws or (worse) 25th-Amendments his remaining (first) term.

We may not have a Macron at the helm, but we also definitely don’t have a (less-problematic) Melenchon to offer an alternative, polarizing populist vision or personality. In leadership, We have a bunch of institutionalists and up-and-comers with the personality or relatability of a wet paper bag outside of their constituencies, none of whom are helping to build the parallel polis to protect their interests and narratives.

So we now see a circle jerk for those who only have (or seek) some distance from the nationalized centrist media and its blowback, not a full-blown parallel polis to buffer them ideologically from centrist blowback in a multitude of ways like what Trump has at his disposal.

Not even pro-Bernie people, as resentful as they may continue to be about 2016 or 2020 DNC, or people further left have built out much of their own parallel polis, unfortunately.

Free advice to Biden’s campaign

In France this week, Macron’s own prime minister, Gabriel Attal, got him to stop talking publicly about the election for the rest of this last week, because Macron, in his 40s, kept firing his mouth off at the political left (especially rival Jean-Luc Melenchon) at a time when that is absolutely not needed.

Macron may have looked at the numbers and decided that it would be better for the RN to grab a majority, appoint a far-right prime minister and try their hand at governing in such a way that the French public would be turned off afterwards.

Attal, OTOH, is actually fighting against this apathy, this resignation to an RN majority, and is not fighting those to his left. He’s actually committing to this “Republican front” strategy, and actually hates the far right more than he disagrees with the far-left. He knows ball.

This “Republican front” may have helped reduce the likelihood of a majority for the far-right National Rally in the runoff tomorrow, as per polls from yesterday. (UPDATE: It did, and Attal announced his resignation effective Monday. UPDATE: Macron rejected his resignation, wants him to stay until after the Olympics.).

If this is what’s needed to keep Biden in the election and keep Dems viable, then do it. Have him talk with a voice assistant at all public events like Jennifer Wexton. Have his surrogates campaign for him instead where necessary.

His actual voice is a worthy sacrifice if he’s that serious about running.

But if you’re going to side with anyone:

  • it must be Harris
  • you must support Harris completely, with no reservations.

We don’t need primaries

Hot take: French and British political parties do not use publicly-funded, state-ran primaries to nominate their parliamentary candidates, nor do they perceive their nomination contests to be public, mass affairs or extensions of the general election season which should be open to all party members or even non-party members.

Maybe we in the U.S. should reconsider using primaries (closed or open) to nominate our candidates or inviting participation from independents. Primaries add unnecessary expenses and time to campaigns and are incredibly inflexible to quality control concerns.

We really don’t need primaries, let alone open primaries.

Legalize proxy voting

Hot take: Legalize proxy same-day in-person voting.

It may violate the secret ballot, but if you want high turnout without relying upon early voting, drop boxes or the postal service, you’d allow voters to waive their right to a secret ballot and formally, temporarily give their power of attorney to another registered voter.

If you’re the type who wants to know the results on the night of and would rather that people show up on the day of, then proxy voting is the way to go.

France shows that it can work.

Good news from the states so far this year

  • Delaware’s legislature passed a repeal of their *statutory* death penalty, which awaits signature. 
  • Delaware Supreme Court legalized no excuse permanent absentee voting and early voting, overruling a lower court.
  • California will have a total ban on slavery on the ballot in November.
  • Wisconsin’s Supreme Court voted on party lines to legalize ballot drop boxes for upcoming elections. 
  • Ohio’s Citizens Not Politicians dropped off 730k signatures from the majority of Ohio counties for their amendment to institute a nonpartisan redistricting commission, which now awaits vetting by the Review Board.
  • Arkansas voters dropped off 100k signatures for an abortion legalization amendment, which now awaits vetting by the Review Board
  • Nevada will have an abortion amendment on the ballot in November
  • Michigan and Minnesota passed bans on gay/trans panic defense
  • California, Colorado will vote on marriage equality amendments, while Hawaii will vote on repealing language allowing the legislature to restrict marriage to opposite sex couples.
  • Maryland and New York will vote on inclusive equal rights amendments. 
  • Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Nevada and South Dakota will vote on abortion legalization amendments. 
  • Nevada and Oregon will vote on adopting ranked choice voting in blanket primaries. Campaigns in Washington D.C. and Idaho have submitted ballot signatures for pro-RCV measures, and a campaign in Colorado have until August to submit 125k signatures. 
  • Florida and South Dakota will vote on cannabis legalization amendments.  
  • Minnesota passed a State Voting Rights Act and banned prison gerrymandering.

Thoughts on Biden/Harris

Politics, Uncategorized, , , , ,

The only one that fit the profile of a typical VP candidate is Harris. She’s relatively fresh to DC politics but has had some DC experience, and has little to no background that could excite the GOP beyond “something something Willie Brown”.

It was never going to be Warren, for one, thanks to the Native American issue (and I say this as someone who supported Warren for President). Rice was problematic because of the “Benghazi” fiction, and because foreign policy experience is an allergen to xenophobic conservatives. Abrams has no federal experience and sat out of two potential runs for Senate. Whitmer literally just got elected Governor. Bass has those Cuba and Scientology comments, making her a liability in Florida. Demings was even more of a cop and had a very exploitable background as a police chief, a potential lightning rod for the left and the anti-urban right.

The safest choice besides Harris was Duckworth. She’s even more boring, Midwestern and cuddlier to veterans. By the time that Duckworth was ruled out, I figured that Harris had it.

The Berniecrats may hate Harris, or hate the #KHive on Twitter (and the feeling is certainly mutual from the KHive). Harris was not the most progressive prosecutor in California. But Twitter is not real life, progressive prosecutors are still carving their way into the punitive prosecutorial establishment against political biases as we speak, and the Trump campaign will be tasked to come up with an attack line against Harris that could actually stick and not slide off like it’s been sliding off of Biden. The polls are still more favorable to a Biden win, at least for now, less than 90 days to the election.

And progressives who are situated to the left of this ticket still have room for being change agents, especially those who have won primaries this year.

So I’m not actually disappointed by this ticket. It’s not exciting, but this is not as much of an excitement election as it is an anti-incumbent election. I made peace with it a long time ago, and I’m thinking of the longer term. If this ticket wins along with a Senate majority (despite all the headwinds of voter suppression), we can stop the judicial bleeding at the federal level. But we need the Senate filibuster to be dropped so that the bleeding can reverse.

The die has been cast. We need to win it all.