August 18, 2020.
Today is primary election day in Wyoming.
August 19, 2020
And the results of yesterday's primary, which are most significant on the Republican side as those results will almost certainly produce November's winners, were not a surprise in the statewide races.
Cynthia Lummis is the GOP Senatorial candidate and will be the new Senator from Wyoming starting in 2021. She took fives times the votes of second place finisher Robert Short, who ran as an outsider to her right. The most interesting thing about the results may be that Bryan Miller, who was a tea party favorite who received pac funding in the race finished behind Short, showing that the concept that the rank and file GOP was now heading in that direction isn't a sure one.
She'll face Marev Ben David, a University of Wyoming professor who took nearly twice the votes of Yana Ludwig, the second place finisher, who barely bested Nathan Wendt.
Liz Cheney took the race for house in a contest that had a challenger, but one that was nearly absent from the campaign. She'll face Lynette Grey Bull who demolished her competitors in the Democratic field.
The Democratic results produced the two noted candidates who will lose, but who are formidable presences in their own right. Their campaigns will be interesting and the Democrats, in spite of their low representation in Wyoming, managed to field two extremely interesting candidates who will not allow themselves to be ignored.
In other news, Kanye West's backers have a signature gathering effort going on in an effort to have the eclectic figure appear as a Presidential candidate on Wyoming's ballot.
August 20, 2020
In additional election results, the Tribune notes that House majority leader Tyler Lindholm lost in the primary election and therefore will not be returning to the legislature, at least as a Republican.
The Tribune put this in the context of a far right insurgency in the state's GOP, which has been going on for some time, and specifically noted the funding of right wing GOP candidates by wealthy Conservatives who have been backing such candidates for a number of years. However it might be more notable that eleven incumbent Republicans fended off challenges from such candidates in this year's GOP legislative contest. If a person expands that out to the Senatorial race, the favorite of the far right, Miller, not only failed by failed by an enormous margin.
And Lindholm had quixotically made opposition to foreign wars a major part of his platform over the last year, which is something that Wyoming's legislature has no role in. I would have actually thought he was part of the far right in the GOP up until this event.
August 21, 2020
Joe Biden formally accepted the Democratic nomination last night at the electronic Democratic Convention.
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Kanye West failed to gain enough signatures to appear on Montana's ballot in November. Wisconsin has rejected his big for failing to file his signatures on time.
Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Joe Kennedy over incumbent Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey. The move has generated controversy for a number of reasons, one being that a Speaker endorsing a party candidate over an incumbent is unusual. Additionally, Markey has aligned himself strongly with the left wing "progressive" branch of the party, which has caused figures in that branch, including AOC, to react with dismay.
While little noted, perhaps the most distressing aspect of the endorsement is the retained strange monarchical presence of the Kennedy family when there's little reason to support it. John F. Kennedy was a poor President and Sen. Edward Kennedy wasn't a great Senator. In spite of that, and over 50 years passing on the real Kennedy era, Kennedy's seem to get a free pass into Democratic politics in a way that no other American family ever has.
August 25, 2020
Donald Trump was officially nominated by the GOP as its candidate for the 2020 Presidential election last night.
Kanye West failed to submit signatures to appear on Wyoming's ballot by yesterday's deadline.
August 26, 2020
I haven't been listening or watching the conventions, but I have heard some commentary on speeches from NPR's Politics. Those have analyzed the speeches.
I was really struck by the snippets from Vice President Pence's on "law and order". Strong shades of the 1970s there.
August 29, 2020
Kanye West has brought suit against Wisconsin in an effort to appear on its ballot.
September 4, 2020
Judges have ruled that West's petitions were defective for Arizona and Virginia and he will not appear on those state's ballots.
According to the Atlantic, when President Trump was in France to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the End of World War One:
In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.
According to the Washington Post:
In one account, the president told senior advisers that he didn’t understand why the U.S. government placed such value on finding soldiers missing in action because they had performed poorly and gotten caught and deserved what they got.
It'll be interesting to see what the results of this will be. In almost any prior era this would result in a massive loss of support if it proved to be true. Right now, the veracity of the claims seems well established and it would be incumbent upon the accusee to support a denial. I can't think of any prior instance in American history when anyone has said anything remotely similar to this and indeed American politicians have been so careful regarding the nation's war dead that even Confederate troops, who were in open rebellion against the United States, have generally not been criticized at high levels.
September 4, 2020, part two.
Perhaps not surprisingly, President Trump has denied claims that he called U.S. troops who died at Belleau Woods losers and suckers, accordingly to press stories breaking even after I posted the first item this morning.
Again, we'll see where this goes, but the Atlantic is a respected journal and in normal times this would be almost impossible to live down. Americans may not remember World War One well, but honoring veterans is nearly a universal American norm and deeply ingrained in the culture. It's difficult to see how Trump's most ardent supporters will be able to excuse what he said and frankly an outright denial and acceptance that denial is sincere and correct would seem to be their only options.
September 9, 2020
Kanye West will appear on the Mississippi ballot.
September 11, 2020
President Trump, for reasons that can hardly be imagined, allowed himself to be interviewed by Bob Woodward for a book on Trump. What sort of hubris goes into a decision like this can hardly be imagined.
Since the Biden nomination Trump supporters have claimed, not without reason, that Biden appears to do well in campaigning as long as he stays home and says nothing. Recently, however, he's been giving speeches and they've been remarkable for their clarity. In contrast, things Trump said or is alleged to have said are breaking out in ways that can only be regarded as damaging.
The first item, of course, was the one addressed above regarding American war dead. The Trump administration and some of his supporters are denying the statements were said and are using the fact that they're attributed to anonymous sources as support for their claims Here, however, no denials can be made as the Woodward interviews were taped.
As Woodward has a book to sell, they're coming out piecemeal, with the first one to be released being Trump's statement that he downplayed the Coronavirus as he didn't want to create panic. That an administration might downplay such an event while trying to react to it frankly isn't surprising at all, but to admit to it on tape while, at the same time, there are plenty of early administration pronouncements about the disease to play in contrast is doing something so bewildering the logic behind it simply can't be imagined.
Normally, of course, this would hurt a candidate, but at this point it appears that voter positions going into the fall are largely fixed. That's not a good thing for Trump, however, as support in the middle has swayed against him and it seems very unlikely that he can recover from that at this point. This recent series of events only serve to cement what appears to have been a significant loss of Trump support in the electorate. Biden would have to have a really dramatic failure of some sort to change that now.
In some slight evidence of a reemergence of a Catholic vote, something that's been more imaginary than real since Kennedy's 1960 election, there's some discussion going on regarding Pamela Harris' grilling of a judicial candidate some time ago for being a Knight of Columbus. There's really no way to play the story down in that it was pretty clear that Harris' questions took the position that a dedicated Catholic was unfit for the judiciary as that would mean, and in fact it would mean, that the person was opposed to abortion. Trump supporters are attempting to exploit this, and they may have grounds to do so in that for the last several election cycles Catholic lay organizations, followed by some clerics, have taken the position that support for abortion crosses a line such that voting for a person who supports it is a mortal sin.
This came to a head recently when a Wisconsin Priest criticized Ft. James Martin, a controversial Jesuit cleric who is known for his support of LGBTQ issues, for speaking at the Democratic Convention. The Wisconsin Priest stated that a Catholic couldn't be a Democrat and that those Catholics who are in it are in danger of losing their salvation. This was followed up by an endorsement by Bishop Joseph J. Strickland of Texas, who endorsed what had been said. Of note, a Catholic nun spoke at the Republican Convention on the issue of abortion, calling the unborn "the largest marginalized group".
Locally, i.e., in the state, a surprising minor story has developed in that Democratic candidates emerged in several races during the primary due to write in campaigns. Given that this is so unusual a person has to suspect that there was a bit of an organized effort behind it. This has left Republican candidates who emerged from the general election feeling that they'd won their races now facing a contested race in the fall.
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September 14, 2020
The State's GOP has decided to withhold funding from candidates who do not agree with 80% of the party's platform.
The Party's platform is actually fairly brief, and would not really seem to be a source of the recent fights within the party on this matter. It states:
Platform of the Wyoming Republican Party
Unanimously adopted June 27, 2020 Wyoming Republican Party State Convention
WE believe there are Timeless Truths that will always inform and direct our party and our country regardless of current events and circumstances, changing strategies, goals, and leadership. These Truths, put into action, maintain, protect, and defend our unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, Property and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Life
1. All individuals are endowed by their Creator from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death with the rights to Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The only purpose of government is to protect these rights for all.
Equality
2. Every citizen is equal before, equally protected by, and equally subject to, the law.
Second Amendment
3. The right of individuals to keep and bear Arms and ammunition shall not be infringed, restricted, or denied. Individuals must never be prevented from defending life, liberty, or property.
Private Property Rights
4. The pursuit by an individual to rightfully acquire, keep and enjoy his own property is foundational. Every individual has the right to develop his own potential, to use and enjoy his own property, tangible or intellectual, and pursue his own interests, free from the restrictions of arbitrary force. Individuals are always presumed to be the best stewards of their property.
5. The Wyoming Republican Party supports the protection of private property from the use of eminent domain, civil asset forfeiture, amortization or inverse condemnation.
Religious Freedom
6. The freedom to practice one’s faith is a fundamental natural right secured by our Constitution. The First Amendment does not require the expulsion of religion from public life. We must keep in mind the Judeo-Christian principles of the Founding Fathers when they wrote it; the practice of faith under this tradition encourages good moral behavior and the development of character that helps secure the other fundamental bases of our national citizenship. Freedom of religion includes the right to abstain from actions contrary to one’s religious beliefs.
Family Values
7. The Wyoming Republican Party believes that the definition of marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
8. The traditional family, based on the foundation of marriage between one man and one woman, is the best institution and is the authority on how to provide children with the education and training to develop their potential and prepare them to participate in society and in our government.
Liberty
9. Liberty is indivisible from economic freedom. The free market economy is the economic system most compatible with the requirements of personal freedom and constitutional government. Government’s undue interference in the market, as well as the fiscal irresponsibility of government, results in economic inequity. There exists no fundamental right to the fruits of another person’s labor.
Citizenry Government By the Constitution
10. The citizens of the United States are the ultimate authority. Governments possess powers derived only from the consent of the governed.
11. Our constitutional representative republic remains the best political system, derived from history and knowledge of human nature, to prohibit tyranny, assure equality of opportunity and protect our individual rights.
12. The Constitution of the United States establishes a more perfect union of sovereign states, not a group of subordinate subsidiaries. Neither the judiciary nor the executive may effectively change the document via decisions, judicial opinions, or executive actions. The Constitution of the United States may only be altered by the processes of amendment as provided therein. The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land. Under the Tenth Amendment, powers not enumerated in it are reserved to the States and the People. The most effective, responsible, and responsive government is the government that is closest to the People. Government that governs least governs best.
American Exceptionalism
13. The United States must maintain its national sovereignty free from foreign influence that would infringe on the rights of the American People guaranteed by the Constitution. Foreign policy must serve the just interests of the United States.
Military
14. It is incumbent on the federal government to maintain a strong military defense for the protection of our people, our interests, and our way of life. Those who serve our country honorably deserve our deepest gratitude, highest respect and unwavering support.
Taxes
15. All taxes collected must be used for the constitutional purposes of government. It is irresponsible to run up debts that are passed on to our children and grandchildren. Taxes should never be more than necessary to meet the government’s constitutional obligations.
Education
16. The Wyoming Republican Party supports the teaching of the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Wyoming, the Declaration of Independence, and other United States founding documents as well as the factual history and heritage of the United States in Wyoming schools and the historical evidence of the role of faith and biblical principles in the founding of our nation.
Water Rights
17. The Wyoming Republican Party believes in the state’s primacy over water, wildlife, minerals and natural resources; supports any actions which assures Wyoming’s primacy over its water; i.e. the doctrine of prior appropriations.
Right to Work
18. The Wyoming Republican Party opposes the unionization of public employees and supports the Right to Work Law.
Civic Duty
19. Our liberty and the continued success of our republican form of federal government demands continuous vigilance by “We the People.
Free Speech
20. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right secured by the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Wyoming. Freedom of speech includes the freedom of the individual to express his or her beliefs, ideas and opinions without fear of retaliation, censorship or legal sanction by government.
As I've put the one up, I'll put the Democratic platform up here as well for contrast:
WYOMING DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM
Adopted June 6, 2020
The Wyoming Democratic Party seeks to ensure that all people enjoy the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness guaranteed by our U.S. Constitution. We are dedicated to ensuring that every person—regardless of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and political affiliation—has a voice in how we are governed. We work for equality, domestic tranquility, the common defense, the general welfare, and liberty.
We envision a Wyoming in which all people are treated with respect and dignity. A state in which every person has access to justice, housing, healthcare, well-paying jobs, quality public education, public lands, a healthy environment, and the ballot.
As Democrats—and more importantly, as citizens of this state, nation, and world—we are dedicated to working together to make this vision a reality now and in years to come.SECTION 1: FAIRNESS & EQUALITY
Wyoming Democrats embrace the charge of our state and national constitutions: that all humans are equal and that this principle should be reflected in our local, state, and national laws, business, and societal practices.
• We oppose discrimination and racism in any form and demand equal access to justice, protection under our statutes, services, resources, and economic opportunities for every person in this country.
• We support the enactment of laws in Wyoming that provide equal protection to LGBTQIA+ people in access to quality health care and education, accommodations, employment, and housing.
• We support endeavors to close the wage gap that exists between women and men and we recognize the contributions that women make to every facet of our society.
• We recognize, respect, and support the sovereignty of Native American tribes, which has not been fulfilled in the history of the United States of America.
• We support the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment as it pertains to religion and an individual's right to worship or not worship as they see fit, the separation of church and state, freedom from religion, and the rights of all individuals to choose whether or how they worship.
• We support marriage equality.
• We support the rights of people with disabilities, and promote accessibility for their community to all public spaces, living wages, and civil rights.
• We support the reproductive rights of all Wyomingites.
SECTION 2: GOVERNMENT PRACTICES
Wyoming Democrats know that our government works best when it is transparent, accessible, and promotes public involvement.
• We support applying open meeting laws to every level and branch of government.
• We support the enforcement of ethics and conduct standards for all elected officials, public employees, and government contractors.
• We support the availability to citizens of all physical and digital public records of deliberations, votes, and decisions made at every level of government.
• We support electronic voting in the Wyoming State Legislature and that the votes be recorded and preserved for public review.
SECTION 3: VOTING AND ELECTIONS
Wyoming Democrats are dedicated to ensuring that election processes and voting are fair, transparent, and accessible to all citizens, and we believe that unaccounted-for money and influence in politics is detrimental to the integrity of electoral systems.
• We support the elimination of corporate money in politics and the overturning of Citizens United.
• We oppose foreign interference in U.S. elections.
• We oppose the gerrymandering of federal and state legislative districts.
• We support efforts and legislation designed to ensure that all political donations are transparent and traceable to their origin.
• We support laws prohibiting former lawmakers from becoming lobbyists within five years of leaving office.
• We support equal and fair access to media for all candidates.
• We support legislation requiring any federal or statewide candidate appearing on the Wyoming ballot to provide personal and business tax returns for the previous five years.
• We support automatic voter registration and the Universal Right to Vote By Mail Act.
• We support ranked-choice voting for local and statewide elections in Wyoming.
• We support the right to vote of convicted felons as a means of maintaining their connection to their responsibilities of citizenship in the spirit of restorative justice, and if they so choose, to run for and hold state and local office.
• We support the transition of county offices to becoming non-partisan positions.
• We support the end of the Electoral College.
• We support censuses and encourage all to participate to ensure a rightful and fair count for the state of Wyoming.
SECTION 4: HEALTHCARE
Wyoming Democrats understand that access to health care—both physical and mental—should be considered a right and not a privilege, from birth to the end of life, including reproductive health care according to personal choice.
• We support the adoption of a universal public health care system in the United States.
• We support the expansion of Medicaid in Wyoming.
• We support protecting and preserving Medicare.
• We support funding for research in critical health areas, including: gun violence, force used by law enforcement officers, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, depression, infectious disease, and prevention and rehabilitation programs.
• We support efforts to strengthen, fund, and foster innovation in rural health care.
• We support the legalization and use of medical marijuana.
• We support family planning, Planned Parenthood, all reproductive health care services, and the right of women to make their own choices regarding their reproductive health, including the right to choose an abortion.
• We support responsible oversight of pharmaceutical companies and prescription drugs by passing common sense release of available data that does not violate individual patient privacy.
• We support increased funding and awareness for mental health and counseling services in Wyoming.
• We support adding emergency medical services as an essential service.
SECTION 5: EDUCATION
Wyoming Democrats believe in supporting robust investments in public education and agree with the state constitutional mandate that higher education be “as nearly free” as possible.
• We support equal access to fully funded public education from Pre-K through college.
• We support robust funding of public education at the state and national levels.
• We support the inclusion of vocational training in our public education system.
• We support the inclusion of early childhood education as a fundamental educational right and moving it's oversight and funding from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Wyoming Department of Education, thereby ensuring adequate funding and recognizing its educational importance.
• We support the right of educators to negotiate collectively and participate in the certification process to ensure a high standard of quality in teaching and learning.
• We support funding for the University of Wyoming and the seven community colleges in our state, as well as cultivating a rich diversity of academic programs and opportunities.
• We support the promotion of the humanities, creative arts, social sciences, civic and government studies, natural sciences, technology, mathematics, and formal sciences at all educational levels and institutions.
• We oppose teaching “alternative science” that lacks a scientific base of fact or theory.
• We support the cultivation of a safe environment for students, faculty, and staff and oppose the arming of any school employees.
• We support academic programs at all levels that promote and cultivate the acceptance of diversity.
SECTION 6: ECONOMY, EMPLOYMENT, & TAXES
To achieve prosperity, Wyoming Democrats promote policies and practices that protect workers’ safety and rights, cultivate economic diversity, and consider important tax reforms.
• We support the right of employees to organize and enter into collective bargaining, including the legalization and formation of worker-owned cooperatives in Wyoming.
• We recognize that “right to work” is a manipulative phrase and oppose any legislation that leads to that purpose.
• We support equal pay for equal work.
• We support efforts and programs designed to study and promote economic diversity in our state and region.
• We support programs to support displaced workers through economic means and job education and training.
• We support a minimum living wage of $15/hour for all workers, including "Tip Workers."
• We believe that retirement income and pensions should be preserved even in cases of companies and firms becoming insolvent.
• We believe public safety is not a negotiable item between a corporation and its employees, and we support the adoption of policies and statutes that require a two-person crew for trains bringing freight through Wyoming.
• We support affirmative action policies to create diverse work environments and offer more opportunities to traditionally underemployed and disadvantaged populations.
• We support a system where the benefits of economic growth are distributed to workers who helped to drive that growth.
• We support effective and enhanced efforts to maintain and improve safe working conditions and standards for workers in Wyoming.
• We support the preservation of the U.S. Social Security System.
• We support the continuation of the U.S. Postal Service.
• We support progressive forms of taxation and establishing a progressive income tax in Wyoming as part of reducing our state's dependence on mineral severance funds.
• We hold that income from investments should not be taxed lower than those from earnings by workers.
• We support public banking and postal banking.
• We support the legalization of marijuana as an economic revenue source for the state, and we support marijuana tax dollars to be used for infrastructure that supports clean water and clean air, education, prison reform, and twenty-first century transportation technologies.
SECTION 7: PUBLIC LANDS, CONSERVATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Wyoming is home to and known for the beauty of our diverse and dramatic natural environments. The access we have to public lands and spaces is unique and worth preserving. Wyoming Democrats recognize the importance of conserving wildlife, wildlands, and our rich legacy of connecting with the environment.
• We recognize that federal lands belong to all Americans and oppose any efforts to transfer the management of public lands to the state or any other entity.
• We believe that Wyoming’s travel, wildlife, and outdoor recreation sector is vital to our way of life and economy.
• We believe that any lands acquired by the State of Wyoming should be managed for the long-term benefit of all people, wildlife, and the environment.
• Recognizing the scientific research that climate change is driven by human activity, we support a Green New Deal that explicitly cares for fossil fuel states and workers.
• We believe that providing quality jobs and protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive goals.
• We support maintaining a diverse energy portfolio and emphasizing the importance of renewable energy and energy efficiency in economic growth, sustainability, and diversification.
• We support small farming and ranching operations in Wyoming and sustainable, responsible agricultural practices.
• We support the U.S. rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015.
• We support a common-sense option that is good for ranchers who willingly choose to retire their grazing permits, benefits American taxpayers, and the long-term health of our public lands.
• We support the enforcement of environmental protection laws that reduce pollution and ensure the clean air and water across Wyoming and the nation.
• We support actions that will lead to the participation of the United States in global initiatives to combat climate change and the spread of emerging diseases.
• We oppose any effort to curtail net metering and we support the right to participate in residential renewable energy.
• We support the formation of public-private partnerships to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure across Wyoming and the United States.
SECTION 8: IMMIGRATION
Our country was built on immigration. Today, it continues to weave a rich tapestry of diversity that improves our communities. Wyoming Democrats appreciate and welcome those who choose to come to this country.
• We support immigration and advocate for an immigration system that provides a clear and consistent path to citizenship.
• We oppose the construction of a wall on the U.S. Southern border.
• We support keeping immigrant families together and strongly oppose the separation of children from parents and incarceration in cages at the hands of our government.
• We support a path to citizenship for individuals referred to as DACA or Dreamers.
• We oppose the building of private prisons and Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Wyoming.
• We support exposing and eliminating human trafficking.
• We oppose any efforts to deny immigrants health care and human services, education, or access to justice.
SECTION 9: CIVIL RIGHTS, LAWS, AND JUSTICE
Wyoming Democrats recognize the need to protect the well-being of all people in our state and nation through our services, justice system, and laws.
• We support and defend freedom of speech for every person in this nation.
• We support the Second Amendment by attempting to balance the "right to bear arms" with the requirement to be "well regulated" to maintain this right.
• We support the U.S. Bill of Rights as written in the U.S. Constitution.
• We support the legalization of marijuana and ending the war on drugs.
• We oppose private and for-profit prisons, including Adult Community Corrections facilities.
• We support more effective laws addressing domestic violence and violence against all peoples, and we support the Violence Against Women Act.
• We support efforts, programs, funding, and legislation to address poverty in our state and nation.
• We support minimizing incarceration and promoting rehabilitation.
• We support public safety nets to help protect the vulnerable among our population.
• We acknowledge the toxic effects of white privilege and recognize the persisting damage done from this nation's history of slavery and discrimination; as a Party, we stand in solidarity in affirming Black Lives Matter.
• We support a systemic change in the policing of people, including: the reallocation of law enforcement funding to social wellness and prevention programs, nonviolent crisis de-escalation training for law enforcement, education for law enforcement in mental health and racial justice, trauma screening and intervention for law enforcement, and a transparent process for improper use of force.
• We condemn violence against, and support protections for, indigenous women and girls.
SECTION 10: INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Wyoming Democrats recognize that we are global citizens and have a role to play in promoting peace and prosperity across the globe.
• We support diplomacy as the priority in international relations and we support the restoration of collaborative relationships with other nations that promote the principles of freedom, human rights, and compassion without the use of force.
• We support humanitarian aid to other nations and peoples and we support a pledge for the U.S. to rejoin the World Health Organization as a contributing member.
• We believe in restoring the constitutional authority of Congress to declare war and authorize policing or defensive military actions against other nations and peoples.
• We support a reduction of resources expended on militarism.
• We support the U.S. once again taking an active role in nuclear disarmament.
COMMENDATIONS
The Wyoming Democratic Party would like to recognize the work, contributions, and accomplishments of the following individuals, groups, and organizations:
• The nurses, doctors, and health care workers of this nation who are fighting on the front lines of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• All emergency responders, firefighters, and police officers who serve our communities.
• The members of the armed forces—both current and foreign—for their willingness to serve our nation.
• Democrats holding office at every level of government who are advocating for the principles of our party, fighting for the least among us, and continuing to represent the interests of their constituents with integrity and statesmanship—especially those in Wyoming.
We'll comment on
the platforms themselves some other time.
Joe Biden formally introduced gun control into the race
following the shooting of two LA County Sheriff's deputies, stating that
"weapons of war" had no place in civilian hands. Weapons of
that type, loosely defined, are already heavily regulated in California.
September 15, 2020
For the first time in its 175 year history, Scientific
American has endorsed a Presidential candidate, with that candidate
being Joe Biden. Calling the election one that involved a choice between
"life and death", the magazine went on to criticize the Trump administrations
response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
September 16, 2020
JoAnn True, a member of one of the state's premier
Republican families, was censured by the GOP for giving money to the Cowboy Run
Fund, which helps sponsor and fund female candidates. The organization has
given to female candidates. True is the Natrona County GOP's state
delegate.
It's hard not to imagine this having long term implications
in the party and by extension the state's politics. The GOP earlier took
a run at Pat Sweeney but the censure effort failed. That this one
succeeded is remarkable in that it practically amounts to a declaration of war
against one of the Republican party's oldest, most established, and Wyoming GOP
establishment, political families. It'd be roughly equivalent to the
current GOP censuring Jenna Bush. True's supporters are tying this to the
fact that the organization supports women candidates, and are portraying it as
a gender based action. The GOP leadership denied the charge.
The effort was apparently started by a candidate who failed
in a primary race.
September 17, 2020
Michael Bloomberg has committed $100,000,000 to the Biden
campaign in Florida.
September 20, 2020
The death
of Ruth Bader Ginsburg brought a sharp new focus to the election and
what all is at stake in the contest. Indeed, so much so that I considered
starting a part 10 of this series, and still may, as it almost seems to be a
new race at this point.
Of course, it actually isn't at all.
The death of Justice Ginsburg was followed by a record
donation amount for the Democrats in this fall's campaign, bringing in
$31,000,000 immediately following the news.
An oped in the Tribune termed the recent censure of a Natrona County GOP member by the state's party as "idiotic". It was written by a prominent local Republican. A second Republican also wrote in opposition to the move, while the person responsible for filing for the censure wrote to defend it.
September 21, 2020
In the first 28 hours after the death of Justice Ginsburg the Democrats have taken in over $90,000,000 in campaign donations.
September 24, 2020
An odd choice by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle to record in a Time interview a message emploring Americans to vote is resulting in an odd controversy.
Markle is of course American born, but the younger royal couple has made a lot of news recently for essentially acting more or less like spoiled brats. Markle wasn't ready, apparently, for the intense British media focus on the royals and didn't react well to it. Tensions apparently also developed between the couple and the remaining royals. Ultimately Prince Harry resigned from his royal duties and the couple was in turn surprised by the Crown stripping them of them of most of their benefits.
In order to marry Prince Harry Markle had to become a British citizen and she's still part of the royal household. Prince Harry is of course a British citizen and by descent a member of the sovereign family, as she is by marriage. Neither had any business commenting in any fashion on an American election.
This has in turn caused President Trump to comment, for which he received a little flak, but in the UK it's caused some in the British press, which already has a strained relationship with the couple, to suggest they ought to be stripped of their royal status.
All this is press the royals don't need. Just last week Prince Andrew was back in the news as it appears that the family will take additional steps against him due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Now Harry and Meghan are in the news again. All in all, they come across looking poorly through actions like this, and just after the Queen had elevated the status of her office by her widely acclaimed speech to the British nation on the pandemic.
September 25, 2020
Earlier in the week President Trump, at a Press conference, made comments that suggested he might not be willing to smoothly transfer power by the date of the inauguration.
Trump's off the cuff remarks are often difficult to understand as he's a remarkably poor speaker and has the habit of simply speaking what occurs to him, a dangerous practice for anyone but a really adopt speaker and quick thinker. At least one CNN reporter who really doesn't like Trump stated that his remarks were misunderstood, and what Trump meant is that if mail in ballots were done away with, which it is entirely too late to do, Trump would win, as the mail in ballots will be subject to fraudulent voting. There's no evidence that they will be subject to fraudulent votes, but Trump has consistently maintained that.
His comments, however, appeared to suggest that if the mail in ballots were gotten rid of the transition would be smooth as there wouldn't be one, which sounded alarmingly like an anticipated refusal to leave if there's any doubt in the results When combined with earlier comments, those assuming that's what he meant were not unjustified in their assumptions.
Added to that, the Atlantic wrote a deeply researched article in which it set out a possible way to basically have Trump ignore the ballots if the election is close. The scenario would involve litigation in states with high mail in ballots, which there is very little time to accomplish, combined with a request for the states to appoint electors if there is no decision in time.
That approach would be legal, but it would be shattering to the country and, while it may be in some minds, I'll predict it won't occur. Already, following his statements, senior Republicans are rejecting any possibility that something like this will occur. At the same time the Press is now fully speculating on it, a speculation that's largely follows along the same lines as the Atlantic article.
The speculation is based on the fact that the President won't indicate that he'll concede the election if he loses and lacks the usually conciliatory skills most Presidents have. And as he's been casting doubt on the validity of the upcoming election there's real reason to believe that this will end up immediately in the courts. It's important to remember, however that Trump's popularity has never increased during his Presidency and he has always been an unpopular President who received a minority of the popular vote. The surprising thing about his election has been the degree to which Republicans cooperated with him, but that was because of things they wanted, many of which they received. Hitching the Grand Old Party to an extreme effort to retain the Presidency would end the GOP and do permanent damage to the country. It's unlikely that the Republicans will go along with that at the national level, and frankly if it were to occur, which is unlikely, it would result in violence without a doubt in a country that's having a problem with violence right now.
While we're playing out extreme scenarios, one thing that the Atlantic article mentions that other commentators have not is the Atlantic's authors view, which has been run in the Atlantic before, that Trump is psychotic. Indeed, that's a necessary aspect of their scenario. I note that as I suspect, if Trump actually were to attempt a move towards state appointed electors in the fashion that the article sets out, there will be a back door move, and deal with Pence, to remove him as suffering from what will be termed a post election psychosis. This would also be a disaster for the country, but at that point we'd be in disaster mode anyhow.
All of these scenarios are, in my view, quite unlikely. More likely, in my view, is that the vote comes in a lot smoother than anticipated. These late comments on the election by Trump, combined with the drama that will be upcoming about the Supreme Court, will mean that undecideds are more likely than other to go with the Democrats, that Republicans who were reluctant but voted for Trump last time will go with Biden, and that Trump will largely only retain his base. I suspect that the results are going to be much more quickly known that surprised and that these comments and those actions will cement a Biden election which seems inevitable at this point anyhow.
On ballots, I picked up my Wyoming ballot, and it had a surprise in the Presidential category.
The GOP, Democratic, and Libertarian candidates were all there. The Greens don't ever seem to make the Wyoming ballot. On top of it, however were an independant slate. That slate featured Brock Pierce as the Presidential candidate and Karla Ballard as the Vice Presidential candidate. Ballard was a child actor who has gone on to be an entrepreneur and a philanthropist.
Looking them up, Pierce actually is attempting to create a major third party, but it's hard to understand what it stands for. It mainly wants to bust up the two party system, and it cites the example of 1824 as its model for this election.
Having not even heard of it until now isn't a good sign, but overall, the evidence is that third parties are going to get nowhere this year. While it would seem likely that the number of people disgusted with both parties would be at a record high this year, what seems to actually be the case is that the two major parties have sucked all the air out of the room and therefore third parties aren't going to figure in this election at all.
September 26, 2020
Fractures in the Republican Party in the state widened with the news that several prominent Fremont County Republicans have endorsed Libertarian candidate Bethany Baldes over the Republican nominee Ember Oakley, although Oakley is still taking the lion's share of prominent GOP endorsements, in the a House race in that county.
The differences between the two candidates actually aren't all that great. About the only notable one is some reservations about a provision that was removed from the original "Stand Your Ground" law regarding immunity that some featured would prevent prosecutions even in the event of confessions to a homicide. Oakley, a Republican, expressed some reservations which isn't surprising given her occupation of being a prosecutor. That was enough, however for her to become a target in the eyes of some on the 2nd Amendment.
It's been noted that this presents an interesting challenge to a Republican Party that just sanctioned a prominent Natrona County Republican for donating to a group that supports women in politics irrespective of party Now the GOP has several Fremont County Republicans directly supporting a Libertarian candidate against a Republican who had no opposition in the primary and the question is whether the GOP will take action in a case in which those individuals are supporting a non party candidate whose views more or less align with the current right wing of the state's GOP.
On other news, a frequent topic the past several weeks has been that of exploring the "Catholic Vote". With Amy Coney Barrett the probable Supreme Court nominee, this is getting a lot of press, and it's about to get a lot more.
We've taken the position herein the past that there's really no "Catholic Vote" in the United States anymore, and there really hasn't been since the 1960 election. That's obviously not entirely true, however, and an interesting aspect of this may be the resurgence of Catholic orthodoxy in the Internet age, something going on within the church right now. Following Kennedy's Catholic only on Sunday speech to the Southern Baptists in 1960, there's was a widely held view in Catholic circles that it was okay to be fully part of American life and politics more or less without deep religious conviction. This was followed in the 1970s by the influence of "the Spirit of Vatican II" which, as commentators have noted, was a misinterpretation of Vatican II but one which lead to a lot of liberalization in the Church, often against a lot of the Parishioners desires.
A backlash in the pews has been building to this for a very long time, but the scandals associated with events of the 1970s, which fairly have to go back really to the post World War Two era, combined with the self education efforts the Internet has brought about, and added to by the new force of Catholic media, has in fact built a new, strong and young Catholic orthodoxy. As part of that some members of this movement have strongly maintained that certain moral issues are "non negotiables".
The bigotry that's about to break out over the nomination of a Catholic jurist to the Supreme Court, which will go far beyond simply her judicial and political views but also sink to flat out insulting Catholicism in general is bringing this into focus for Catholics who hold a unique mix of political views. Traditionally neither right nor left, a sense that left wing politicians basically disdain Catholics is aiding in really creating a Catholic vote in 2020 which may in fact have a significant role, for the first time in decades, in the election.
This is the closing edition, we might note, for Part 9. It's now too long to easily accept updates. On to Part 10.
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