Tag: Democratic

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TSMC Chairman Discusses Semiconductor Chip Production & Possible China Invasion Of Taiwan

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Mark Liu, the Chairman of Taiwan Semicondictor Manufacturing Company(TSMC), the most valuable company in Asia, and tenth in the whole world, appeared on CNN’s GPS show (07/31/22) to discuss the growing global shortage of semiconductor chips, and efforts by his company to ramp up production in the United States. TSMC is building a $12 billion advanced chip manufacturing plant in Arizona, thanks in large part to subsidies from the recently passed Chips Act. As expected, the interview also delved into growing global concerns about a possible invasion of Taiwan by China, especially given what is currently happening in Ukraine.

As it currently stands, the whole world relies on TSMC for the supply of advanced semiconductor chips, and as concerns grow about a possible invasion of Taiwan by China (especially after Russia-Ukraine), many in the tech world fear that their industry could be turned upside down without a free TSMC.

Asked what would happen to the chip industry if China were to invade Taiwan, Chairman Liu said even though the production of advanced semiconductor chips is critical to the Taiwanese economy, the chip industry/economy would be their least concern because such an attack would upend the world’s rules-based order, and dramatically change the geopolitical landscape.

Asked whether China may be interested in invading Taiwan so it can have total control of TSMC, one of the world’s most valuable assets, Chairman Liu responded (video at 3:15): “Nobody can control TSMC by force. If you take a military force, or invasion, you will render a TSMC factory non-operable because this is such a sophisticated manufacturing facility, it depends on the real time connection with the outside world–with Europe, with Japan, with the U.S., from materials, to chemicals, to spare parts, to engineering software diagnosis, and it is everybody’s effort to make this factory operable, so if you take it over by force, you can no longer make it operable.”

AskedĀ about the so-called “TSMC shield”–this notion that because mainland China relies heavily on TSMC for it’s high end chips, it may be hesitant to invade–Chairman Liu respondedĀ (video at 4:45): “Our[TSMC] interruption will create great economic turmoil on either side–in China because, suddenly their most advanced components supply [will have] disappeared…it is an interruption, I must say, so people will think twice on this.” It appears Chairman Liu agrees with the “TSMC shield” theory. He then added that we should draw lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war because as we can see, there are no winners. Russia is suffering, Ukraine is suffering, and the rest of the world is suffering as a result of the war. China’s invasion of Taiwan would be no different.

Asked to explain how Taiwan has managed to grow at 5% per year for five decades straight–the so-called “Taiwan miracle”, Chairman Liu said a lot of it had to do with the fact that the Taiwanese are generally, very peaceful people. He said that since 1949, when the island transformed from authoritarian rule, they have managed to live peacefully. He also added the education system as another reason for the “Taiwan miracle.” Apparently, university education in Taiwan is available to anybody who wants it. As a result, 80% of adults in Taiwan are college educated.

Bottom line folks, as host Fareed Zakaria correctly put it, Chairman Liu is probably the most important man in the world, that you don’t know about. All in all, a fascinating interview, with a fascinating business leader, from a fascinating island, which I hope, the world does everything, to shield from an invasion by China.

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What is Christian Nationalism? An Interesting CNN Segment Delved Into It

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An interesting segment on CNN’s Reliable Sources show (07/31/22) delved into the new hot political topic, and that is, Christian Nationalism. So what is Christian Nationalism? Host Brian Stelter brought in Katherine Stewart, who has studied this topic for years, to shed some light on the issue. Stewart is the author of the book “The Power Worshippers–Inside The Dangerous Rise Of Religious Nationalism”.

This intro by host Brian Stelter is important for establishing the context for the ensuing debate:“Roughly 70% of Americans identify as Christian, and this segment is not about most of them. This segment is about the rise of a White Christian Nationalist movement in the U.S. It’s emerging in the news more and more, you are probably hearing the term Christian Nationalism more and more. Here is one expert’s definition:’Christian Nationalism is the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way.’ Many observers feel that would threaten our diverse, healthy democracy in the U.S. We are seeing some Republicans in the U.S. embrace the term Christian Nationalism, for example [Reps] Marjorie Taylor Greene…Lauren Boebert…”

Here’s how Katherine Stewart defined Christian Nationalism (video at ):“Christian Nationalism is basically the idea that America was founded as a so-called Christian nation, our law should be based on the Bible, and supposedly right-thinking believers need to reclaim America’s past.”

Stewart said this is dangerous because “it’s a radically anti-democratic ideology. It rejects the principles of pluralism and equality, that represent the best of the American promise. The movement, it’s not just an ideology, it’s also an organized quest for political power.. it’s a political movement. This movement has built up…a sort of a dense organizational infrastructure over decades, that includes right wing policy groups, legal advocacy groups, networking initiatives, that get the leadership on the same page…[including] Supreme Court Justices.”

Stewart went on to expound on her argument re the U.S. Supreme Court saying, all the six conservative justices on the high court are either current or former members of the Federalist Society, which she says “is an organization that plays an outsized role in shaping our courts.” Just so you know, the Federalist Society is part of the “dense organizational infrastructure” Stewart alluded to earlier.

Stewart said Trump’s presidency was key to the Christian Nationalist movement because he “threw open the doors to leaders of this movement. It’s a leadership-driven movement, it’s not defined by the attitudes of the rank and file. Those attitudes are actually shaped by the leadership of the movement. He [Trump] offered them unprecedented political access, offered them of course the justices they wanted. This is a movement that represents the minority of our country. Most American Christians reject the politics of conquest and division this movement represents.”

There’s no other way to interpret Katherine Stewart’s remarks on CNN’s Reliable Sources other than(I’ll be happy to stand corrected of course), power hungry conservatives have schemed for decades on how to use Chritianity to achieve political power, and they finally got their opening with the Trump presidency. Trump elevated the leaders of this movement, and what we’re witnessing today with Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and others, are simply efforts to make Christian Nationalism a mainstream movement in America. Remember, as Katen Stewart correctly pointed out, a majority of Christians don’t agree with this effort to essentially hijack Christianity for political gain.

The CNN segment singled out Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene(R-GA) and Lauren Boebert(R-CO) as illustrations of this budding Christian Nationalist movement, but if anyone out there is looking for the classic example to date, it is, in my humble opinion, none other than former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, a former Pastor, who has now fully embraced Trumpism. Mike Huckabee not only got his daughter Sarah to work in Trump’s White House, but also made sure she secured Trump’s endorsement for her run for Arkansas Governor, a job she is largely expected to bag.

Huckabee has also recently authored “christian” books themed around the Trump presidency. If Mike Huckabee, and his daughter Sarah for that matter, are not the classic examples of the abuse-Christianity-for-political-power-movement, I don’t know who is.

An important piece of advice Karen Stewart gave to the mainstream media when covering this Christian Nationalism movement, is to never forget that it is a leadership-driven movement. In other words, don’t focus too much on what the rank and file go out there and do in furtherance of the movement(often viral videos on social media attacking gays, pro-choice activists, etc), but rather, on the leaders of the movement, who indoctrinate them into doing this stuff. Hmm, very interesting.

Bottom line folks, many Christians, including Yours Truly, regarded former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura (Texas pride–deal with it), as very good representations of a Christian family–despite whatever differences one might have had with their political beliefs. Interestingly, Trump, the leader of the “christian” nationalist movement, has never humbled himself to say anything good about the God-fearing Bushes. That, my friends, is all you need to know about this “christian” nationalist movement. It is anything, but Christian.

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Mike Collier Says Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick Is At The Root Of All The State’s Gun Violence Problems

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Mike Collier, the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Texas, appeared on MSNBC(05/30/22) where he dropped a bombshell telling host Katy Tur, that the gun violence problem in Texas begins and ends with one person–Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Collier added that in his conversations with many state legislators, he has found out that there are many Republicans who are open to common sense gun reform laws, but are afraid to publicly support such measures for fear of reprisals by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, the most powerful politician in the state.

Mike Collier(video at 2:55):“The fundamental problem is that the political leaders that run this state, and I’m talking about Dan Patrick now, let me be very very clear. Dan Patrick who’s Lieutenant Governor in our constitution, the most powerful political leader in the state, has worked aggressively to block even the slighetst suggestion of gun laws in the state. Now, I know from talking to legislators, Democrats in the last session proposed reasonable gun laws, and Republicans actually were lining up behind them, until they heard from Dan Patrick who said, ‘You stop this, or I’m going to get even with you’, and they are afraid of him. The problem in Texas is Dan Patrick, and he’s got to go.”

Mike Collier added towards the end of the interview(video at 6:25):“I know from talking to Democrats and Republicans alike, that the[Texas]legislature wants to act on these problems. They don’t want to see children killed, but they can’t move forward because of one individual, Dan Patrick, and they all know that. That’s why he’s got to go.”

Bottom line folks, if what Mike Collier said on MSNBC holds up, that there are indeed Texas Republicans who want sensible gun reforms but are scared of super Trumper Dan Patrick, then the blood of innocent school children at Santa Fe, Robb Elementary and elsewhere in Texas, are surely on his hands, and he has zero business holding public office in Texas any longer. I’m sure he can secure a cushy job at the NRA, where he belongs.

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Elie Mystal: The “Chief Architect” Of The Assault On Voting Rights Is Chief Justice John Roberts

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The Nation’s Justice Correspondent, Elie Mystal, dropped a major bombshell on MSNBC’s American Voices (01/16/22), when he slammed U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as the “chief architect” of the assault on voting rights. Unlike many mainstream media pundits who engage in incendiary rhetoric just for ratings, Elie Mystal backed up his bombshell assertion with very good examples that would make any reasonable person either agree with him, or at the very least, find his assertion quite plausible. The fact that Elie Mystal’s bombshell claims pass the plausibility test, should compel Chief Justice Roberts to address them, for the sake of the Supreme Court’s integrity.

Elie Mystal specifically said: “The chief architect of this assault on our voting rights is not Mitch McConnell, it’s not ot David Duke, it’s not whatever boogey man you think is hiding under the closet. The chief architect is Chief Justice John Roberts. It is he who has been an enemy of voting rights and racial equality from his very first job out of law school, which was to oppose the 1982 amendments to the Voting Rights Act. It is John Roberts who authored Shelby County v Holder in 2013 which eviscerated section 5 of Voting Rights Act which is basically why we are here right now, it is John Roberts who authored Rucho in 2020 which swung wide the doors towards gerrymandering, and it is John Roberts who provided the crucial 5th vote in last year’s Brnovich decision which eviscerated section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This is all being done by Federalist Society conservatives that have been put on the Supreme Court, and until we stop them, until we do something about the court–you want to pass your Freedom to Vote Act, I think that’s a great bill, we should pass it, I think we should have passed HR1, but always remember that John Roberts and his conservative cronies are waiting at the Supreme Court level to strike down whatever laws we put forward. As long as you let Republicans control the Supreme Court, you cannot have a fair and equal just society.”

It’s worth pointing out here too, that Elie Mystal is not only decrying Chief Justice Roberts’ questionable history on voting rights, but crucially, also making the point that minorities are doomed going forward, with him at the helm of the Supreme Court. This naturally raises the question as to whether Chief Justice Roberts is the right person to lead the high court.

Bottom line folks, these are questions that the mainstream media needs to take up with Chief Justice Roberts. At a time when voting rights are a red hot topic, and minorities are increasingly concerned about Republicans infringing upon their right to vote, the public deserves to know whether the Roberts Supreme Court will be a neutral arbiter in the fight for voting rights, as it should be.

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Sunday Dem Newsmakers

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A listing of the Democratic movers and shakers who appear on the various Sunday political shows to discuss the Dem agenda. Your one-stop shop for keeping up with the weekly goings-on within the Democratic Party.

Senator Amy Klobuchar(D-MN), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press(12/5/21) to discuss Mississippi’s abortion law currently in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont(D-CT) appeared on CBS’ Face The Nation(12/5/21) to discuss the new Omicron case in his state, and the rising delta variant cases

Senator Chris Murphy(D-CT) appeared on CNNSOTU(12/5/21) to discuss gun reform following the recent high school shooting in Michigan, Russia’s moves on Ukraine, and other Dem agenda issues

Rep Ilhan Omar(D-MN) appeared on CNNSOTU(12/5/21) to discuss the racist/bigoted attacks against her by childish Republican Rep Lauren Boebert(CO)

Senator Amy Klobuchar(D-MN) appeared on ABC’s This Week(11/28/21) to discuss the path forward for the Build Back Better Act in the Senate, the new Omicron variant, and other Dem agenda items

Rep Adam Schiff(D-CA) appeared on CNNSOTU(11/28/21) to discuss the progress being made by the January 6th Committee

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY) appeared on CBS’ Face The Nation(11/21/21) to discuss the path forward for the build back better act in the Senate and other Dem agenda issues, including a topic near and dear to her–military sexual assaults

Brian Deese, Director of National Economic Council and one of President Biden’s top economic advisers, appeared on Fox News Sunday to discuss inflation, build back better and other economic issues confronting the Biden admin

Beto O’Rourke appeared on CNNSOTU(11/21/21) to discuss his decision to run for Governor of Texas and other issues confronting the Lone Star State.

House Intel Chair Adam Schiff(D-CA) appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press(11/14/21) to discuss the developments in the January 6th Committee’s investigation, including Bannon’s indictment and the possible future indictments for other Trumpers

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sat down for an interview with Face The Nation’s Margaret Brennan(aired 11/14/21) to discuss the current buzzword–inflation–, supply chain issues, and other economic issues confronting the Biden administration

Rep Karen Bass(D-CA) appeared on CNNSOTU(11/14/21) to discuss the ridiculously high gas prices in Los Angeles–inflation–, Biden’s build back better plan, racial justice and a host of other Dem agenda issues. Rep Bass is apparently interested in becoming Mayor of Los Angeles

President Biden’s top economic adviser Brian Deese appeared on CNNSOTU(11/14/21) to discuss the new buzzword–inflation–and what effect, if any, it will have on the passage of Biden’s Build Back Better plan

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm appeared on CNNSOTU (11/7/21) to discuss the recently passed infrastructure bill and what lies ahead for the passage of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan

President Biden’s Senior Adviser Cedric Richmond appeared on Fox News Sunday (11/7/21) to discuss the recently passed infrastructure bill, build back better, and other issues facing the Biden admin

Centrist/Moderate Democrat Josh Gottheimer(NJ) appeared on CNNSOTU (11/7/21) to give the Centrist/Moderate Dem view of Biden’s Build Back Better plan. Rep Gottheimer and other Centrist Dems are insisting on a CBO score before passing Biden’s build back better plan

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), who’s also a former VA Governor, appeared on CNNSOTU (11/7/21) to dissect the recent hotly contested VA Governor race, where Democrat Terry McAuliffe lost to Republican Glenn Youngkin

The Mayor-Elect of New York City, Eric Adams, appeared on CNNSOTU (11/7/21) to discuss his interesting win, and the direction he intends to take New York City

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) appeared on CBS’ Face The Nation (11/7/21) to discuss the recent hotly contested VA Governor race where Democrat Terry McAuliffe lost to Republican Glenn Youngkin

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press (11/7/21) to discuss the recently passed infrastructure bill, build back better, and other issues confronting Biden’s White House

Newly reelected New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy(D) appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press (11/7/21) to discuss his hard-fought win over Republican Jack Ciattarelli

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken appeared on CNNSOTU (10/31/21) to discuss President Biden’s overseas trip to the G20 Summit, COP26 Summit, Afghanistan and other foreign affairs issues

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders(I-VT) appeared on CNNSOTU (10/31/21) to discuss the ongoing budget negotiations, build back better….

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared on Fox News Sunday to discuss Build Back Better and some of it’s provisions including Paid Family Leave and other transport issues

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press (10/31/21) to discuss Build Back Better and other energy-related issues

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo appeared on CBS’ Face The Nation(10/31/21) to discuss Build Back Better, Inflation and other issues pertinent to her commerce portfolio

Progressive Democrat Ro Khana(CA) appeared on CBS’ Face The Nation(10/31/21) to discuss the ongoing budget negotiations, Build Back Better, and other issues near and dear to Progressives

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appeared on CNNSOTU (10/24/21) to talk about Build Back Better, Voting Rights, and a whole host of other Dem agenda issues

Rep Bennie Thompson(D-MS) appeared on CBS’ Face The Nation(10/24/21) to discuss the progress being made by the January 6th Committee in finding out what led to the DC insurrection

Rep Ro Khanna(D-CA) appeared on Fox News Sunday(10/24/21) to discuss Build Back Better and other Progressive Dem agenda issues

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appeared on CNNSOTU(10/24/21) to discuss inflation, supply chain disruptions, and a host of other issues affecting the U.S. economy

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky appeared on Fox News Sunday(10/24/21) to discuss booster shots and all other issues covid

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Shontel Brown Credits Endorsements By Hillary Clinton And Whip Clyburn For OH-11 Primary Win

Shontel Brown was on MSNBC’s Politics Nation (08/07/2021), where she credited her recent win in the OH-11 Democratic primary to endorsements from powerful establishment Democrats Hillary Clinton and House Majority Whip James Clyburn. Polls leading up to the 08/03/2021 Democratic primary had Progressive firebrand Nina Turner, backed by Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and other leading Progressives, leading Brown in the race. This is why Brown’s primary win was considered by many, an upset.

Shontel Brown told host Al Sharpton:“If all politics is local, I’m as local as it gets…We knew that this was a local race. Having the support of local city council members, school board members, precinct committee folks, that was our path to victory. But I will say, getting the attention and the support of someone like Hillary Clinton certainly reshaped the narrative and got a lot of national support, and after that the ball just started rolling. Whip [James] Clyburn also endorsed my candidacy, the CBC endorsed my candidacy. Right after that, the AFT and the Teamsters came on board…”

Brown then went on to tout her winning political record, even before the high-powered endorsements, telling host Sharpton:“Let the record reflect, we always saw a path to victory, and I say this as calmly and respectfully as I can. I never got into this race with the expectation to do anything other than winning. I have six wins under my belt and Lord willing, on November, this will be my seventh. Anyone who knows me, seven is a number that I strongly believe in as a child of faith. It represents perfection, completion in God. And so I believed from the very beginning that this was my race…”

During the interview, Brown repeatedly avoided delving into the Progressive versus establishment Democrats divide which characterized her primary race, instead reiterating that voters are primarily interested in a candidate who can deliver results, not their political label.

For the record, Yours Truly was already sold on Shontel Brown as a solid Dem candidate, but after hearing her nailing it on the deep spiritual significance of the number seven, she instantly became one of my favorite Democrats, and hopefully in November, one of my favorite House Democrats.

Bottom line folks, as Shontel Brown correctly pointed out, too much is often made of the divide between Progressives and establishment Democrats, when at the end of the day, voters just want capable, even-keeled candidates who can deliver results. After watching Brown’s interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett right after her win, and this one on MSNBC, it is difficult to still consider her win an upset. Yours Truly will leave it at that so as not to ruffle feathers, but I suspect you get the drift.

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AOC Says States Have Only Doled Out $3B Of The $46B Congress Provided For Eviction Relief

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(D-NY) appeared on CNN’s State Of The Union(SOTU) show (08/01/2021), where she discussed among other things, the failure by her fellow House Democrats to extend the federal eviction moratorium before leaving Washington for the August recess. Rep Ocasio-Cortez made a startling revelation at the interview, saying that out of the $46 billion Congress allocated to the states for eviction relief, only $3 billion has actually been doled out to assist struggling renters, adding that some Governors, presumably Republican, are “slow-walking” the process. The full CNN interview is available here, but the relevant clip is below.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez told host Jake Tapper:“This money was handed over by Congress and federal government to states and local municipalities to dole out. What that means then, is that each individual Governor is responsible for establishing these programs. I think that in some states, Governors and state administrations might be slow-walking this process to get it out, in other states it’s the administrative burden of setting it up, but there are states and municipalities that have been getting it right…but we cannot kick people out of their homes when our end of the bargain has not been fulfilled. Out of the $46 billion that has been allocated, only $3 billion has gone out to help renters and small mom and pop landlords.”

Think about that. As it currently stands, more than 90% of the funds Congress allocated to the states to assist families with their housing needs, are just laying around unused, as the intended recipients remain stressed out over eviction. This is either the height of cruelty, or incompetence by the state governments, or both.

Bottom line folks, there is zero excuse for a Governor, Democrat or Republican, to sit on federal eviction relief funds, knowing full well that we are staring at a potential mass eviction crisis, the likes of which we have never seen before. Even more troubling is the fact that the very same Rep Ocasio-Cortez, was way back in October 2020, sounding the very same mass eviction alarm. Simply put, any Governor needlessly sitting on the much-needed federal eviction dollars while struggling renters suffer, needs to be called out to the fullest.

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Is Tulsi Gabbard The Trump Candidate?

The question as to whether Dem Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is a “spoiler” has been around ever since she announced her bid for the U.S. Presidency. Some in the mainstream media have even accused her of being a Russian plant out there to forment chaos in the Democratic Presidential nomination thereby handing Trump an easy win. Tulsi’s camp has of course vociferously denied these allegations

When news came out after the first Democratic Presidential debate that Tulsi was the most Google-searched candidate, rumors flared up again with some claiming that Russian troll bots were the ones engineering those searches. Google even temporarily shut down Tulsi’s advertising campaign during these wild searches which the tech giant characterized as “suspicious”. Team Tulsi countered Google’s action with a massive $50 million dollar lawsuit accusing the tech giant of among other things, violations of her free speech rights. The lawsuit is still pending in federal court.

The “Tulsi is a Russian plant” controversy however officially blew up yesterday during the second Democratic Presidential debate in Detroit where she eviscerated one of the leading and beloved Dem Presidential candidates Kamala Harris over her record as a California prosecutor.

The issue that got most people’s attention is not the fact that Tulsi eviscerated Senator Kamala Harris, but the manner in which Fox News and it’s most valued customer President Trump, amplified the attacks. This to many “Tulsi is a Russian plant” enthusiasts was the “a-ha” moment they’d been waiting for. You don’t have to take Yours Truly’s word for it, just look at mainstream media’s S.E. Cupp‘s Tweet which says it all. So Team Tulsi before you start gunning for Yours Truly, a near certainty at this juncture, maybe you should go after mainstream media’s S.E. Cupp first.

Bottom line in every election cycle there are always accusations of “spoiler” candidates–you’ll remember Jill Stein in 2016. Yours Truly is by no means saying Tulsi is the spoiler candidate in 2020. All Yours Truly is pointing out is that this “Tulsi is a Russian plant” narrative has been simmering amongst grassroots Democrats for a while now and it appears to have finally boiled to the surface after last night’s debate. Why is Trump’s favorite TV network Fox News so interested in and even cheering on Tulsi? Is Tulsi the Trump candidate? All these are questions that will only get louder as the Dem Presidential nomination contest progresses and as Trump famously says, “We’ll see what happens.”

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Dems Must Weaponize #TrumpSwamp

One of the biggest promises then candidate Donald Trump made leading up to the 2016 elections was that because he was an outsider, he was the only one capable of taking corruption out of Washington–we all remember the constant “Drain the Swamp” chants at Trump rallies. The reality however has turned out to be the complete opposite. We are only in the second year of the Trump Admin yet Americans are already very alarmed at the shocking levels of government corruption reported in the media. Some are even wondering whether at this level of plunder and pillage, the country can survive 4 years of Trump. Corruption in the Trump Admin has become so prevalent, it has spawned the popular Twitter hashtag #TrumpSwamp.



Americans were initially concerned about Trump's conflicts of interest and violations of the U.S. Constitution's Emoluments Clause because of the fact that despite promising to do so during the campaign, Trump never fully divested from his vast global business empire upon assuming the presidency.

Concerns about the president's violations of the Emoluments Clause persist to this day and are the subject of several lawsuits. The problem however is that in addition to conflict of interest questions surrounding the president himself, it appears members of his administration are also caught up in all kinds of corrupt schemes. Some of the notable corruption scandals involve EPA Administrator Scott Pruit, HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, just to mention but a few.

Message for DNC? Corruption in the Trump Admin has to be a central theme in campaign ads for the various Dems running for office this November. Dems must not only call out these egregious levels of corruption in the Trump Admin but also propose solutions to prevent them from happening again in the future. Even though it is well known that the GOP has its "mandatory voters" on the right and Dems have theirs on the left, there is a huge swath of independent voters who are longing to see these alarming levels of government corruption dealt with. Dems need to win these independent anti-corruption voters.

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Grassroots Dems Infatuated With Sen Kamala Harris

Democrats are looking very strong as we approach the 2018 Midterms thanks in large part to the debacle that is the Trump Admin so naturally, a lot of debate has erupted about what lies ahead for Dems past the 2018 Midterms . Specifically, who will carry the mantle for the Dems in 2020. Seasoned politicos have cautioned that talk about 2020 presidential nominations by Yours Truly and others is way too premature, and rightfully so, but given the current political climate(Trump) it is difficult not to prognosticate about 2020. Simply put, Dems are eager to have one of their own in the White House. Additionally, Dems have a lot of very qualified candidates so why not start vetting them early?



It is very important that whoever the Dems nominate in 2020 be a very strong candidate ready for the inevitable GOP attacks. Equally important, the basis of Yours Truly’s blog, is that the DNC know which candidate Grassroots Dems want, and not just who the Mainstream Media pushes. Yours Truly has conducted a lot of polls (#Dem2020Poll) trying to figure out who Grassroots Dems want on the 2020 ticket. The two most popular candidates are Senator Kamala Harris(D-CA) and Rep Joe Kennedy III(D-MA).

Sen Harris and Rep Kennedy poll exceedingly well but it is clear from the numerous polls that if Dems were to settle on the two, they want Sen Harris to be on top of the ticket. Also very instructive from the numerous iterations of the #Dem2020Poll is that whoever is paired with Rep Joe Kennedy III polls very well whether that be Joe Biden, Rep Adam Schiff etc. It appears therefore from the polls that Grassroots Dems may not be ready to put the young Mass. Rep on top of the 2020 ticket but they certainly want him as somebody’s running mate. Message for the DNC therefore, a Grassroots FYI if you will, is that Rep Kennedy III appears to be the Kingmaker. 

As for Sen Kamala Harris, there are a lot of factors that endear her to Grassroots Dems as gleaned from the various comments on the polls. Her prosecutorial background is a major plus for her especially now when we are dealing with a lawless Trump Admin. She is also considered by many as a fresh face in Washington, which is key for Grassroots Dems. Her strong stance on Criminal Justice Reform is also a big plus for her especially given the fact that she has enlisted GOP Senator Rand Paul in that effort. Her ability to reach across the political aisle and work on issues in a bipartisan way is a rare but much needed quality in today’s Washington. I’d be remiss however if I didn’t add that (yeah it’s shallow) a lot of Grassroots Dems also like Sen Harris and Rep Joe Kennedy III because they are–brace yourselves–cute. This is clearly not their strongest sell but in an increasingly pop culture oriented political climate, its a plus for them

Doing away with the niceties, there are also negatives raised concerning a Kamala Harris 2020 run–some of them quite valid. Yours Truly will address in detail some of the negatives raised as to a Kamala Harris run in a future post. Folks remember Yours Truly is a True Blue Dem and the mission here is to build up our bench not to tear it down. When Yours Truly addresses the Kamala Harris negatives it will be SOLELY for the purpose of giving TeamKamala an opportunity to address the issues long before her possible 2020 run. Remember Dems we’re Stronger Together. We are building each other up not tearing each other down

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You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com