In 2010, the Tea Party used congressional recesses to hammer members of Congress on the evils of “Obamacare.” Though it eventually passed, energized activists carried Republicans to sweeping victories in the midterm elections, and have kept repeal (and replace?) at the forefront of conservative politics ever since. Having ridden the same wave to become majority…
San Diego County races have recently dominated local election chatter. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors selected Deputy District Attorney (DA) Summer Stephan to succeed current DA Bonnie Dumanis when she steps down in July. Before Stephan was selected, her 2018 campaign was up and going and speculation about her potential opponents was a political…
Secretary Hillary Clinton’s return to the public eye has prompted discussion of why she lost the 2016 election. Clinton has placed some blame on former FBI Director James Comey, Russian interference and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Others point the finger at Clinton and her team, or the challenge from Sen. Bernie Sanders. If Democrats…
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed with no Republican votes. It’s a favorite talking point of the right, or was until Tuesday. Obamacare is now bipartisan, thanks to 20 Republicans who voted against the American Health Care Act (AHCA) that squeaked through the House of Representatives by 217-213. Did those 20 Republicans, who ran on…
Congressional candidates in recent special elections have outpaced the Democratic Party’s recent electoral history and still lost. In the Kansas 4th District (KS-4), James Thompson took nearly 46 percent in a place where Democrats hadn’t cracked 40 percent in over 15 years. In Georgia’s 6th District (GA-6), not won by a Democrat since 1976, Jon…
Analyses of the 2010 Republican electoral wave put considerable importance on the rallies held during Congressional recesses. The newly dubbed “Tea Party” showed up at town halls to challenge President Obama’s agenda and strike fear into moderate Democrats and Republicans. They couldn’t stop the stimulus, Dodd-Frank or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but their organization…
In 2016, Democrats picked up six seats in the House of Representatives, a far cry from the 30 they needed to take control. Many swing state districts were lost by the same voting patterns that cost Secretary Hillary Clinton the presidency, but others were lost due to lack of preparation. Twenty three Republican Representatives were…
Godwin’s Law, in original form, states: “As an online discussion continues, the probability of a reference or comparison to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.” Interpretations and corollaries include that a thread should end once this happens, and the person to mention Hitler loses the argument. May it rest in peace, another casualty of President Trump….
The immediate impact of President Trump’s travel ban was confusing and horrific. The airport protests that forced coverage of the situation were a critical response, as were the lawyers who came to offer advice and counsel. A Federal Court injunction has calmed the situation for now, but what if it hadn’t worked? As the ban…
The Senate is continuing its downhill spiral. President Trump’s cabinet nominees are facing unprecedented opposition, with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos needing a vice presidential tie-breaker for confirmation. Democrats may filibuster Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination, possibly leading Republicans to end the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees and possibly legislation. How did things get so bad?…
