“If you engage with politics as never before in your lives” . . .!!! That is exactly what this blog helps me to do. “The democracy you save may be your own”. . .!!! Chief, you are on a roll. I am so glad we no longer have to make nice with Sinema’s craven obedience to McConnell, though I wonder what Kool Aid she drank. As for Manichin, it’s the money. I am already working towards registering college students on our seven campuses in Greensboro. As always I appreciate your common sense, positive attitude, and enthusiasm
Governor’s High School Voter Registration Challenge Starts Today
~ Schools across Virginia set goal to register 65 percent of eligible voters ~
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced the start of Virginia’s sixth annual Governor’s High School Voter Registration Challenge.
“Our democracy depends on voting, and it should be as easy as possible,” said Governor Northam. “Our landmark 2021 Voting Rights Act of Virginia makes voting easier and more accessible. This challenge helps ensure young people have the resources they need to become active and civic-minded citizens for life.”
The Governor’s High School Voter Registration Challenge encourages schools to register as many of their voting-age population as possible. High schools that register at least 65 percent of their eligible senior class will receive a congratulatory certificate from the Governor. The annual competition, created in 2016, is the result of a collaboration between the Office of the Governor, the Secretaries of Administration and Education, the Virginia Department of Elections, and the League of Women Voters of Virginia.
The Governor’s Challenge helps high schools comply with a 2020 law that requires Virginia public high schools to facilitate voter registration during the school day. Students born on or before November 2, 2003 can register to vote in this year’s November 2nd general election.
“We are always excited to be a part of this event,” said Secretary of Administration Grindly Johnson. “This contest is a great way to introduce the next generation of Virginia voters to the electoral process. We hope that it continues to encourage students to be enthusiastic about making their voices heard and contributing to our democracy.”
There are many ways to register to vote. Volunteers or local election officials will provide voter registration opportunities for students in public and private high schools. Virginians are automatically registered when they access services at a Department of Motor Vehicles office or on the DMV website. Additionally, Virginians can register to vote by submitting paper applications to their local general registrar by mail, in person, or by completing the online form on the Department of Elections’ website.
“We remain committed to assisting high schools throughout the Commonwealth in meeting their obligations to register qualified students, whether in person or virtually,” said League of Women Voters of Virginia President Deb Wake. “We believe each qualified high school student who registers to vote is given a strong start to exercising and understanding their valuable rights as a citizen of Virginia. We encourage high schools to give students an opportunity to register before the October 12 deadline for the November 2nd general election.”
Resources to help schools educate and register students are available through the Department of Elections and the League of Women Voters of Virginia. Schools participating in the Governor’s Challenge can get credit for each student who registers to vote via the Department of Elections’ Citizen Portal by using their school’s unique URL that can be found on the League of Women Voters of Virginia website. For more information, contact Janet Boyd, Voter Services Director for the League of Women Voters of Virginia, at HSVRChallenge@lwv-va.org.
The Governor's Challenge will conclude in the last week of April 2022.
An idea I saw from another commenter on Political Wire this morning: Let Janet Yellin proclaim that the Treasury will pay all obligations of the United States. Her logic could be that the federal debt is the difference between revenues and spending, and that when Congress authorizes spending it authorizes borrowing, if needed to pay for it. Suppose she did that? Republicans would go crazy. Even crazier than they are now. But would there be people marching in the streets? Maybe a few dozen of them. Would the markets nosedive? My suspicion is that they would dip but swiftly recover and then perhaps advance. And what would the courts do? Nullify the federal government? Doubtful.
Robert. Thanks for your spot on factual updates. And thanks for always looking for the solutions instead of endlessly groaning. Getting young people to register and vote. Another action plan!
What transpires in the voting booth is now subject to the antidemocratic election laws the GOP has created to control the outcome of election results. We will know we won certain races but the results will be declared for the worst of them. What will we do? Storm the Capitol, erect gallows, file lawsuits, concede?
When are Dems going to finally recognize that Manchin & Sinema are DINO-Saboteurs! They better swallow this and devise a strategy, ASAP, before our democracy goes comatose! (also posted on HCR substack post from today).
I agree with your optimistic trend of thought against the "we're doomed" crowd. I think where the "we're doomed" pessimists go wrong is making wildly pessimistic assumptions based on the recent past. They assume that the GOP voting base will turn out at the same rate in 2022 and 2024 as they turned out for Donald Trump in 2020, whereas they also assume that the Democratic voting base will, depressed by an inability to pass an ambitious agenda in a divided Congress, vastly decrease.
Besides dismissing out of hand any drop off on the GOP side (agreed, this can't be counted on), what all this fails to allow for is whatever activity Democrats will be able to muster on our side. The pessimists assume that the current level of activity by Democrats will continue. I would be pessimistic too, if I thought that was true. Too often, I hear "bully pulpit" mentioned as something Biden isn't doing, without any assessment over whether that would work. I don't believe it would. Joe Biden is not a bully in the Trumpian sense and we don't actually know what, if anything, it would take to move Manchin and Sinema.
But passing Congressional legislation is not the only form that politics can take. Just look at how much Trump was able to achieve without passing a goddamned thing other than tax cuts for the rich in four years in office! He got within a hair's breadth of being able to cheat his way to victory.
But, though Congressional Democrats may see no other way to move forward, there is another way. Democrats need to embrace the need for them to run what I call a "shitshow election". Though negative campaigning does not come easily to Democrats, we need to embrace it with gusto. The GOP has left us so many targets. The party of illegalized abortion! The party of COVID, of forbidding local governments from protecting their people from disease! The party of no taxes on the rich!
Ah, pessimists say, but how will you get this message to those who need to hear it, to those whose news is limited to whatever they see on Fox? A good question.
Here is where Democrats need to learn a couple of lessons from Donald Trump.
1. They need to take their message on the road. They need to hold rallies to keep up the morale of their base. We have COVID vaccines. This isn't 2020 anymore. No need to hole up and watch MSNBC. I hope they're planning to do this. I'm not sure they are.
2. Forget squeamishness. A "shitshow election" will not leave us feeling clean and virtuous all over. There will be no cathartic purging of Trumpism where Trumpists will go back under the rocks forever more. But you fight on the terrain where the enemy is.
3. Where is our negative campaigning shop? Do we have one? Why not? Why, in 2020 did Democrats farm all the negative campaigning out to people like Steve Schmidt and the Lincoln Project. Can't we begin to hit harder?
4. Finally, a suggestion. It's time for Kamala Harris to find her inner (wait for it)
... (dum-ta-dah)
SPIRO AGNEW. (I'm serious here).
No, not the part where he accepted bribes in the VP's office, but the guy Richard Nixon sent on the road to rile up his base - his attack dog! Nixon won on the basis of appealing to "the silent majority" - those people who were not making all the noise, and Agnew helped them see the enemy Nixon wanted them to see.
I think Biden is trying to appeal to a new "silent majority". Those who aren't running around refusing vaccination while demanding horse dewormer instead. Those who aren't making noise at PTA meetings about "critical race theory". Those who aren't marching on the Capitol. But if Biden is thinking that just not doing all these things will endear him to the new silent majority, he's wrong. The negative message must have a messenger.
And I think that messenger must be Kamala Harris. Senators and Representatives are tied up with legislation. They need to be tied up working on legislation. And the liberal media is only good if people watch them. The Vice President has no such need, and she can force her way into the news, as Trump did, and as Agnew did so long ago. Someone needs to project the Democratic MESSAGE. The Vice President must take the lead on it. It worked for Nixon in 1972 and it can work 50 years later.
“If you engage with politics as never before in your lives” . . .!!! That is exactly what this blog helps me to do. “The democracy you save may be your own”. . .!!! Chief, you are on a roll. I am so glad we no longer have to make nice with Sinema’s craven obedience to McConnell, though I wonder what Kool Aid she drank. As for Manichin, it’s the money. I am already working towards registering college students on our seven campuses in Greensboro. As always I appreciate your common sense, positive attitude, and enthusiasm
We are working on High School voters in VA! Following is an announcement from our Governor.
Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of Governor Ralph S. Northam
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · September 28, 2021
Office of the Governor
Alena.Yarmosky@governor.virginia.gov
Governor’s High School Voter Registration Challenge Starts Today
~ Schools across Virginia set goal to register 65 percent of eligible voters ~
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced the start of Virginia’s sixth annual Governor’s High School Voter Registration Challenge.
“Our democracy depends on voting, and it should be as easy as possible,” said Governor Northam. “Our landmark 2021 Voting Rights Act of Virginia makes voting easier and more accessible. This challenge helps ensure young people have the resources they need to become active and civic-minded citizens for life.”
The Governor’s High School Voter Registration Challenge encourages schools to register as many of their voting-age population as possible. High schools that register at least 65 percent of their eligible senior class will receive a congratulatory certificate from the Governor. The annual competition, created in 2016, is the result of a collaboration between the Office of the Governor, the Secretaries of Administration and Education, the Virginia Department of Elections, and the League of Women Voters of Virginia.
The Governor’s Challenge helps high schools comply with a 2020 law that requires Virginia public high schools to facilitate voter registration during the school day. Students born on or before November 2, 2003 can register to vote in this year’s November 2nd general election.
“We are always excited to be a part of this event,” said Secretary of Administration Grindly Johnson. “This contest is a great way to introduce the next generation of Virginia voters to the electoral process. We hope that it continues to encourage students to be enthusiastic about making their voices heard and contributing to our democracy.”
There are many ways to register to vote. Volunteers or local election officials will provide voter registration opportunities for students in public and private high schools. Virginians are automatically registered when they access services at a Department of Motor Vehicles office or on the DMV website. Additionally, Virginians can register to vote by submitting paper applications to their local general registrar by mail, in person, or by completing the online form on the Department of Elections’ website.
“We remain committed to assisting high schools throughout the Commonwealth in meeting their obligations to register qualified students, whether in person or virtually,” said League of Women Voters of Virginia President Deb Wake. “We believe each qualified high school student who registers to vote is given a strong start to exercising and understanding their valuable rights as a citizen of Virginia. We encourage high schools to give students an opportunity to register before the October 12 deadline for the November 2nd general election.”
Resources to help schools educate and register students are available through the Department of Elections and the League of Women Voters of Virginia. Schools participating in the Governor’s Challenge can get credit for each student who registers to vote via the Department of Elections’ Citizen Portal by using their school’s unique URL that can be found on the League of Women Voters of Virginia website. For more information, contact Janet Boyd, Voter Services Director for the League of Women Voters of Virginia, at HSVRChallenge@lwv-va.org.
The Governor's Challenge will conclude in the last week of April 2022.
An idea I saw from another commenter on Political Wire this morning: Let Janet Yellin proclaim that the Treasury will pay all obligations of the United States. Her logic could be that the federal debt is the difference between revenues and spending, and that when Congress authorizes spending it authorizes borrowing, if needed to pay for it. Suppose she did that? Republicans would go crazy. Even crazier than they are now. But would there be people marching in the streets? Maybe a few dozen of them. Would the markets nosedive? My suspicion is that they would dip but swiftly recover and then perhaps advance. And what would the courts do? Nullify the federal government? Doubtful.
That's a complicate suggestion! I will have to ponder that scenario. thanks for brining it to my attention.
Robert. Thanks for your spot on factual updates. And thanks for always looking for the solutions instead of endlessly groaning. Getting young people to register and vote. Another action plan!
8 million new voters--about 60% of whom would register Democratic. It might be the answer to all of our problems!
What transpires in the voting booth is now subject to the antidemocratic election laws the GOP has created to control the outcome of election results. We will know we won certain races but the results will be declared for the worst of them. What will we do? Storm the Capitol, erect gallows, file lawsuits, concede?
Sue, but I'm not sure the present configuration of courts all the way up to SCOTUs will support democracy...sad!
True!
Thanks as ever for a sober interpretation leavened by hopeful encouragement. I just donated to the Civics Center and plan to volunteer with them.
The Civics Center is a great organization. Please keep me updated! and thanks for doing your part!
When are Dems going to finally recognize that Manchin & Sinema are DINO-Saboteurs! They better swallow this and devise a strategy, ASAP, before our democracy goes comatose! (also posted on HCR substack post from today).
I agree with your optimistic trend of thought against the "we're doomed" crowd. I think where the "we're doomed" pessimists go wrong is making wildly pessimistic assumptions based on the recent past. They assume that the GOP voting base will turn out at the same rate in 2022 and 2024 as they turned out for Donald Trump in 2020, whereas they also assume that the Democratic voting base will, depressed by an inability to pass an ambitious agenda in a divided Congress, vastly decrease.
Besides dismissing out of hand any drop off on the GOP side (agreed, this can't be counted on), what all this fails to allow for is whatever activity Democrats will be able to muster on our side. The pessimists assume that the current level of activity by Democrats will continue. I would be pessimistic too, if I thought that was true. Too often, I hear "bully pulpit" mentioned as something Biden isn't doing, without any assessment over whether that would work. I don't believe it would. Joe Biden is not a bully in the Trumpian sense and we don't actually know what, if anything, it would take to move Manchin and Sinema.
But passing Congressional legislation is not the only form that politics can take. Just look at how much Trump was able to achieve without passing a goddamned thing other than tax cuts for the rich in four years in office! He got within a hair's breadth of being able to cheat his way to victory.
But, though Congressional Democrats may see no other way to move forward, there is another way. Democrats need to embrace the need for them to run what I call a "shitshow election". Though negative campaigning does not come easily to Democrats, we need to embrace it with gusto. The GOP has left us so many targets. The party of illegalized abortion! The party of COVID, of forbidding local governments from protecting their people from disease! The party of no taxes on the rich!
Ah, pessimists say, but how will you get this message to those who need to hear it, to those whose news is limited to whatever they see on Fox? A good question.
Here is where Democrats need to learn a couple of lessons from Donald Trump.
1. They need to take their message on the road. They need to hold rallies to keep up the morale of their base. We have COVID vaccines. This isn't 2020 anymore. No need to hole up and watch MSNBC. I hope they're planning to do this. I'm not sure they are.
2. Forget squeamishness. A "shitshow election" will not leave us feeling clean and virtuous all over. There will be no cathartic purging of Trumpism where Trumpists will go back under the rocks forever more. But you fight on the terrain where the enemy is.
3. Where is our negative campaigning shop? Do we have one? Why not? Why, in 2020 did Democrats farm all the negative campaigning out to people like Steve Schmidt and the Lincoln Project. Can't we begin to hit harder?
4. Finally, a suggestion. It's time for Kamala Harris to find her inner (wait for it)
... (dum-ta-dah)
SPIRO AGNEW. (I'm serious here).
No, not the part where he accepted bribes in the VP's office, but the guy Richard Nixon sent on the road to rile up his base - his attack dog! Nixon won on the basis of appealing to "the silent majority" - those people who were not making all the noise, and Agnew helped them see the enemy Nixon wanted them to see.
I think Biden is trying to appeal to a new "silent majority". Those who aren't running around refusing vaccination while demanding horse dewormer instead. Those who aren't making noise at PTA meetings about "critical race theory". Those who aren't marching on the Capitol. But if Biden is thinking that just not doing all these things will endear him to the new silent majority, he's wrong. The negative message must have a messenger.
And I think that messenger must be Kamala Harris. Senators and Representatives are tied up with legislation. They need to be tied up working on legislation. And the liberal media is only good if people watch them. The Vice President has no such need, and she can force her way into the news, as Trump did, and as Agnew did so long ago. Someone needs to project the Democratic MESSAGE. The Vice President must take the lead on it. It worked for Nixon in 1972 and it can work 50 years later.