#2021 runoff election

[nientedal]

What progress at home has biden enacted? What policies of his show that he is making progress that prove he is actually different than trump?

I like to pretend I have faith in humanity, so I'll answer as if you're asking this in good faith.

Biden's DEA has lifted restrictions on telehealth prescriptions to make appointments and assistance more accessible.

He put a funding package into place to help unhoused people get access to mental and physical healthcare, as well as short-term and long-term housing.

He has attempted and is still attempting to get student debt relief through - this was blocked by Republican judges appointed by Trump, but he's still working on it.

Infrastructure repair - his administration has budgeted funds to actually fix some severely-damaged and frequently-traveled bridges.

Trying to expand access to healthcare to include undocumented immigrants who came to the USA as children (Dreamers) under the Affordable Care Act. Support for Navigator programs and outreach has also been increased.

He has vetoed Republican-led bills that were attempting to overturn environmental protections - one that would have forbidden investment fund managers to consider climate change in their portfolios (I have two degrees in accounting and this is actually huge), and another that would have overturned restrictions on agricultural runoff into our waterways.

He and his administration worked for ages to get rail workers paid sick days.

This is just some of what he's been doing. Meanwhile, Trump and other Republicans want to criminalize the lives of LGBT people like you and me. They want to eliminate no-fault divorce and force births that will kill parents or devastate them financially. They have stated flat out that they want to install a military dictatorship in the USA. They attempted to put that in motion on January 6th, 2021. They failed once. They will do better next time.

One party wants to house the homeless and expand social safety nets, while the other one wants to criminalize homelessness. One of them wants a future in which I might be able to vote to change how much of a war machine my country is, while the other one wants to eliminate my ability to vote entirely. Those are not the same. Those literally are opposites.

At the end of the day, all you and I can do is choose to do the least amount of harm possible. You and I cannot choose to do no harm. This is the USA, we sell war, you and I cannot choose to do no harm. I wish we could, my god do I wish we could, but that is not an option. So we grieve for the harm we couldn't eliminate and work to minimize the harm that is done. Despite all the crap they support, Democrats are the minimum amount of harm right now. Acting like they aren't is exactly what brought us to an election where our options are a future where we are either wading in blood or drowning in it.

Not voting for Biden will not help Palestine. Not voting for Biden will guarantee a Republican president who will make the situation in Palestine WORSE. AND it'll hurt a lot of other places as well, both at home and abroad, because Republicans are about business and the USA is in the business of war! And I would very much like that to change someday! I would very much like to someday be able to choose to do no harm! And I know what I have to do to try for that future, so what are YOU going to do? There is no standing off to the side in this. If you aren't helping pull, you're the dead weight we're pulling. Are you going to dig your feet into the mud and blood and drown us there? Or are you going to get the fuck off your ass, grit your teeth, and help us pull free?

[deadpresidents]

Among Joe Biden's afflictions and miseries, his wormwood and gall, there are the insults (about his diminished capacities), and then there are the compliments unpaid (about his achievements). We are exposed to more of the first, but it seems that to him the second are more painful. In his first interview after he withdrew as the Democratic Presidential nominee, Biden -- wounded, proud, self-pitying, defiant -- said, by way of defending his record, "No one thought we could get done, including some of my own people, what we got done. One of the problems is, we knew all the things we did were going to take a little time to work their way through. So now people are realizing, 'Oh, that highway. Oh, that...'" He trailed off for a moment and then recovered. "The biggest mistake we made, we didn't put up signs saying 'Joe Did It.'" He ended this with a bitter chuckle. Biden isn't wrong. Objectively, and improbably, he has passed more new domestic programs than any Democratic President since Lyndon Johnson -- maybe even since Franklin Roosevelt.

In the early weeks of 2021, very few people saw Biden as the obvious winner in the large field of potential candidates for the 2024 Democratic nomination. His victory over Donald Trump had not been overwhelming. The Democrats had lost seats in the House even while maintaining a narrow majority, and got to fifty votes in the Senate only after two runoff elections in Georgia broke their way. Then, with nothing close to a mandate, Biden passed domestic legislation that will generate government spending of at least five trillion dollars,, spread across a wide range of purposes, in every corner of the country. He has also redirected many of the federal government's regulatory agencies in ways that will profoundly affect American life. On Biden's watch, the government has launched large programs to move the country to clean energy sources, to create from scratch or to bring onshore a number of industries, to strengthen organized labor, to build thousands of infrastructure projects, to embed racial-equity goals in many government programs, and to break up concentrations of economic power.

-- "Bidenomics Is Starting to Transform America. Why Has No One Noticed?", Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, October 28, 2024

[fated-mates]

Want to phonebank with other romance aficionados and some of your favorite authors? We're getting ready to do it again this fall. Sign up to be emailed when we're ready.

Since its launch, Fated States has delivered:

More than 450 volunteers to make nearly 425,000 calls to get out the vote during the general elections of 2020 and 2022,

More than 75 volunteers to make 125,000 calls into Georgia during the runoff elections in early 2021,

Nearly 50 volunteers to make 15,000 calls into Kansas in advance of the state’s constitutional amendment to restrict abortion access,

Volunteers to phonebank for California special elections, to Beto O’Rourke’s well-check calls into Texas during the ice storms of 2021, and more.

Phonebankers with Fated States have supported organizations working to elect Democrats in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin and more.

[mariacallous]

SONNEBERG, GERMANY—First, in true German fashion, the rules were outlined: no alcohol on site, flagpoles capped at three meters, no protesting past 8 p.m. The demonstration followed, with hundreds congregated in the town square shouting insults at the incumbent government; cracking jokes at the expense of refugees, the LGBTQ+ community, and the media; and waving a sea of German flags, with a few Russian ones dotted among them.

“Anyone who dares call us Nazis will be reported to the police,” one of the protesters shouted from a makeshift stage propped up outside Sonneberg’s City Hall, a white mansion built between the world wars. “Germany first,” the protester continued, beckoning the crowds to join in singing the national anthem under a rainy, dark sky.

At 8 p.m. sharp, the crowd quickly dispersed—but they’ll be back next Monday, as they are every week. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they rallied against lockdowns. Now, they call for the overthrow of the current government coalition, and in recent months, the numbers of agitators have started to swell. Many are affiliated with the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), and although members say they strongly reject what Nazi Germany stood for, a regional chair of the party, Björn Höcke, is on trial for concluding a 2021 speech with the phrase “Everything for Germany”—a slogan widely used by the Nazis. (Under German law, the use of speech, propaganda, and symbolism associated with the Nazi Party and other terrorist groups is prohibited.)

Sonneberg district, home to 56,000 people, is where AfD has celebrated its biggest success to date: Last year, Robert Sesselmann, 51, was elected as the district administrator in a runoff with 52.8 percent of the vote, making Sonneberg the first county in Germany to elect a far-right candidate since the Nazi era. But Thuringia’s AfD branch—where Sonneberg is located—has already been questioning the legitimacy of state institutions and asserted that the Federal Republic of Germany is not a sovereign state, but rather controlled by external powers.

The Thuringia branch of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has legally classified the AfD’s Thuringia branch as “right-wing extremist,” and the federal office is now deciding whether the party may be classified as a suspected case of right-wing extremism on the national level.

The question is pertinent, since the AfD is gaining in popularity not just in Thuringia, but nationwide. This trend picked up around the time of Germany’s last federal elections in 2021. Nationally, the AfD’s support base has grown to 22 percent, compared to 10.4 percent in 2021. Three states in the east—Thuringia, as well as Brandenburg and Saxony—head to the polls this fall, and a win for the AfD looks likely, as it’s polling around 30 percent in all three states.

“This is a stress test for Germany, and 2024 is a defining year,” said Olaf Sundermeyer, an editor at the Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcast (RBB) and longtime expert on right-wing extremism in Germany. Sundermeyer said that since the AfD was founded in 2013, “the party has continuously radicalized.”

Initially starting out as a euroskeptic party that primarily criticized the European Union’s handling of the eurozone crisis, the party—and its leadership—have continuously shifted toward more nationalist and populist positions, especially since 2015, when former Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed around 1 million refugees into the country.

The legacy and shame of Nazi Germany continue to influence the nation’s politics, and until the AfD’s rise, German society strongly rejected far-right ideologies. But the economic impact of both the 2008 financial crisis and the 2015 refugee crisis have—at least partially—resulted in shifting public perceptions.

“The AfD has successfully managed to alter people’s perception of right-wing extremism, moving it away from its historically charged stigma of Nazism and thus effectively rendering it socially acceptable,” Sundermeyer told Foreign Policy. This, he said, is exactly what has happened in Sonneberg.

The AfD’s new heartland, a remote part of the countryside, was part of the communist German Democratic Republic until reunification in 1990. Surrounded by hills in the Thuringian Forest, Sonneberg’s cobblestone main street and stately houses date back to the Wilhelminian era before the First World War. The nearest major highway is about a half-hour’s drive.

Since reunification, scores of people have migrated westward, leaving many homes empty. Residents say that young people here struggle with drug abuse; that there are few places for them to hang out; and that public transport isn’t adequately connecting the district’s farther, remote villages, making it more difficult to access educational and job opportunities. Since reunification, the country’s east has been catching up to the former West Germany in terms of economic opportunities, but in Sonneberg—and throughout former East Germany—many people continue to feel acutely disadvantaged.

A group of young men lingering after the demonstration echoed these complaints as they chain-smoked Marlboros and packed up whistles and flags. They had opted to move into practical professions—such as construction work, plumbing, and roofing—one explained, to help “build Sonneberg, and Germany overall.”

Attending the demonstration wearing their company uniforms—grey overalls and work pants—the men were initially hesitant to speak to the Lügenpresse, or “lying, mainstream press,” as they described it. “No names please,” they asked politely after agreeing to talk. (“Lügenpresse,” a term used by the Nazis, has resurfaced in Germany’s right-wing circles, as well as among allies of former U.S. President Donald Trump.)

“People call us ‘rats,’ just because we support the AfD,” one of the men said. “There’s no freedom of speech here, no freedom of thoughts. Our country gets involved in wars we don’t want to be part of. The government manipulates the press, our German culture, and our traditions are vanishing due to mass immigration—food and energy prices have skyrocketed. It’s worse than during the German Democratic Republic, and we desperately need change—we need an alternative.” He paused to take a long drag on his cigarette, then added: “Germany is for Germans first—we can’t help others if we’re not helping ourselves.”

“It’s a possibility that the party drifts too far to the right,” he said, “and that’s certainly not what we want. We don’t want a return of Nazi times, but we need change.”

The party’s policy platform is unabashedly far right. For instance, AfD’s stance on immigration is that “the ideology of multiculturalism is a serious threat to peace and to the continued existence of the nation as a cultural unit.” The party advocates for a “German dominant culture” based on the values of Christianity instead of multiculturalism. Africa, the party’s website states, is a “house of poverty,” arguing that migration from the continent needs to be capped.

During a covert meeting last November, uncovered by independent German investigative outlet Correctiv, AfD politicians, together with neo-Nazis and several wealthy business owners, discussed the “remigration” of millions of people—including German citizen—on the basis of racial and religious criteria.

The group of young men in Sonneberg who spoke with Foreign Policy talked about the need for the “remigration” of immigrants, too, and some even had written it on signs. After the rally, though, they headed to dinner at the only restaurant still open: a kebab house owned by an Iraqi Kurd. Their waiter was a Syrian man who arrived in Germany three years ago.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, at least 28.7 percent of Germany’s population—more than 1 in 4 people—have a migration background, meaning that they immigrated to Germany themselves or were born into families with a history of migration. Migration is on the up, with 2.1 million people arriving in Germany in 2015, and 2.6 million in 2022. Germany’s coalition government has said it aims to attract 400,000 qualified workers from abroad annually to tackle labor shortages and demographic imbalances.

The desire for strong leadership is also on the rise in Germany as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. Several of the AfD’s members have called for a separation from NATO and even the EU; many have turned to Russia, at least rhetorically, arguing that Germany needs to work with its neighbors. Sundermeyer told Foreign Policy that “the AfD is deeply anti-American but pro- Russian; anti-NATO and -EU, but in favor of turning toward alternative government structures such as authoritarianism.”

Meanwhile, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser continuously calls right-wing extremism the “greatest extremist threat to Germany’s democracy.”

Still, for all the Sonneberg residents who voted for the AfD’s candidate, Sesselmann—who did not respond to interview requests by Foreign Policy—there are almost as many people who did not. And unless it’s during the weekly Monday demonstrations, people don’t usually flaunt their political opinions. The day after the weekly protest, at a food stall selling bratwursts during the lunch hour, conversations revolved around work, the weather, increased food and energy prices, and even Germany’s reunification—“before it, everything was better,” several people agreed.

“In Sonneberg, many voted AfD out of spite, while others don’t take an interest in politics but cast their votes for the AfD regardless,” said Regina Müller, a 61-year-old Green Party voter who owns an organic store decorated with anti-war slogans.

But, she added, “what many here don’t see is that [the AfD] are wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jasper Scherer at Texas Tribune:

State Rep. Shawn Thierry, a Houston Democrat who was defeated in her primary earlier this year, announced Friday she is switching to the Republican Party.

Thierry was ousted by primary challenger Lauren Ashley Simmons in the May runoff after she sided with Republicans last year on a handful of bills opposed by the LGBTQ+ community, including a measure barring gender-transitioning care for minors. She delivered an emotional speech from the House floor explaining why she broke with her party, remarks that went viral. In a statement, Thierry said she switched parties because the Democratic Party “has veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now champions policies that I cannot, in good conscience, support.” “I am leaving the left because the left has abandoned Democrats who feel betrayed by a party that has lost its way, lost its commitment to hard working families,” Thierry said. Thierry was announced earlier this month as the director of political strategy for the U.S. wing of Genspect, an international anti-trans policy group. Founded in 2021 by an Irish psychotherapist, the group is part of a broader network of organizations that oppose gender-transitioning care for minors, and its members have testified in favor of bills across the world that would ban or limit the practice.

The partisan balance in the lower chamber now stands at 87 Republicans and 63 Democrats. Thierry’s term will expire before the Legislature reconvenes in Austin for its next regular session in January, however, and Simmons is heavily favored to win the solidly Democratic seat in November. A number of prominent Houston Democrats lined up behind Simmons for her primary challenge, including some of Thierry’s current and former colleagues in the Texas House — an unusually public show of repudiation from an incumbent’s own party. Thierry countered with her own slate of endorsements from Black church leaders and a handful of Democratic lawmakers. Thierry also broke ranks from her party to support a GOP bill aimed at removing sexually explicit books from school libraries, a designation critics feared would be used to target LGBTQ+ literature. She also voted for a bill requiring transgender college athletes to play on teams that align with their sex assigned at birth.

[...] Aside from her break on LGBTQ+ issues, however, Thierry has consistently sided with the Democratic Party on high-profile issues during her four terms in office. She voted against Texas Republicans' boundary-testing immigration measure last year, Senate Bill 4, that lets any law enforcement officer arrest someone suspected of illegally crossing the border. She has also opposed GOP legislation banning abortion and enacting a private school voucher system, and in 2021 she joined other House Democrats who fled the state in a bid to block a Republican bill overhauling the state's elections.

Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry, who lost in the Democratic primary runoff to Lauren Ashley Simmons, has formally flipped to Republican from Democratic. Thierry took a job at anti-trans organization Genspect to serve as its director of political strategy.

Thierry got in hot water for voting in favor of bills banning gender-affirming care for trans minors, trans sports participation matching their gender identity instead of the gender assigned at birth, and a book ban bill aimed at LGBTQ+ content.

On other issues, however, she voted with the majority of Democrats.

See Also:

Dallas Voice: Anti-LGBTQ state Rep. Shawn Thierry leaves Democratic Party

HuffPost: Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry Switches To GOP After Losing Democratic Primary

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazilian women remain underrepresented in local governments

In Brazil’s 2024 municipal elections, women secured 724 mayoral seats, accounting for 15.5 percent of the total. This marks a steady increase from previous elections — up from 11.7 percent in 2016 and 12 percent in 2020 — but women remain significantly underrepresented in local leadership roles.

Despite making up 51.5 percent of Brazil’s population, as revealed by the 2022 Census, and representing a majority of the electorate at 52.7 percent, their political power continues to lag. Of the 51 cities heading to runoff elections, only 12 feature female candidates, including two all-female races. 

Roraima leads the country in female representation, with women having won 26.67 percent of mayoral posts, while Espírito Santo lags far behind, with only 2.63 percent of its mayors being women.

A survey conducted by the Alziras Institute among female mayors elected for the 2021-2024 period sheds light on the challenges women face in politics. A striking 62 percent said they do not believe their parties fairly represent them, a dynamic that carries over into elections. 

Continue reading.

[rabbitcruiser]

Wye Lake, YT (No. 2)

The territory is named after the Yukon River, the longest river in Yukon. The name itself is from a contraction of the words in the Gwich'in phrase chųų gąįį han, which means "white water river" and refers to "the pale colour" of glacial runoff in the Yukon River.

Historically, the name of the Yukon Territory has been abbreviated to "The Yukon" in informal speech. In 2003, the territorial government announced that the territory should be referred to as "Yukon", but the change in name sparked discussion amongst Yukoners. In the 2021 election, the leader of the Yukon NDP, Kate White, campaigned on returning to using "The Yukon". Following the election, the Yukon Party government announced that "The Yukon" would again be used by the government.

Source: Wikipedia

[arpov-blog-blog]

...."America was reeling during the traumatic first year of the pandemic and there was a sense that Democrats were happy to have the race settled so they could concentrate on taking down Donald Trump, which was considered Job One by every faction of the Democratic coalition.

When the Democrats barely held onto the House and squeaked out a 50-50 Senate "majority" (thanks to the runoff elections in Georgia and Trump's constant whining) everyone assumed that the Democratic agenda promised during the campaign was pretty much dead. The best we could hope for at that point was to stop the bleeding and live to fight another day.

But Biden has turned out to be full of surprises. Rather than just acting as a kindly old caretaker president until the new generation can take the wheel, his administration has been a flurry of activity, passing more Democratic domestic legislation than any president since Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s. To name just a few, he signed into law the huge American Rescue Plan in the spring of 2021 (with no Republican votes); the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act, with massive investments in climate policy and health care; the $280 billion CHIPS Act, funding a vital semiconductor industry in the U.S.; the PACT Act to help veterans; and the first federal gun control legislation in almost 30 years. In the big omnibus spending bill just passed during the lame-duck session, he got the Electoral Count Act included as a step toward avoiding another Jan. 6 debacle. Finally, Biden pushed through and signed the Respect for Marriage Act, offering at least some protection to same-sex couples against the inevitable assault from right-wing judges and legislators. Some of that legislation was even bipartisan, which seems like something out of an old black-and-white movie at this point.

These achievements really are impressive, and even more so because of the need to accommodate the two Senate divas — Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — who needed to be the center of attention at all times and who were unfortunately crucial to passing legislation. It was often torturous watching the Senate sausage-making, with Biden himself often appearing unable to manage the negotiations despite his alleged mastery of the process. But somehow it worked."

[beardedmrbean]

Brandon Johnson, a union organizer and former teacher, was elected Chicago mayor on Tuesday, a major victory for the party's progressive wing as the nation's third-largest city grapples with high crime and financial challenges.

Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, won a close race over former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, who was backed by the police union. Johnson, 47, will succeed Lori Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to be the city's mayor.

Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose her reelection bid when she finished third in a crowded February contest. The top two vote-getters, Vallas and Johnson, advanced to Tuesday's runoff after no candidate was able to secure over 50% to win outright.

Johnson's victory topped a remarkable trajectory for a candidate who was little known when he entered the race. He climbed to the top of the field with organizing and financial help from the politically influential Chicago Teachers Union and high-profile endorsements from progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Sanders appeared at a rally for Johnson in the final days of the race.

It was a momentous win for progressive organizations such as the teachers union, with Johnson winning the highest office of any active teachers union member in recent history, leaders say. It comes as groups such as Our Revolution, a powerful progressive advocacy organization, push to win more offices in local and state office, including in upcoming mayoral elections in Philadelphia and elsewhere.

The contest surfaced longstanding tensions among Democrats, with Johnson and his supporters blasting Vallas — who was endorsed by Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chamber's second-ranking Democrat — as too conservative and a Republican in disguise.

Among the biggest disputes between Johnson and Vallas was how to address crime. Like many U.S. cities, Chicago saw violent crime increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting a 25-year high of 797 homicides in 2021, though the number decreased last year and the city has a lower murder rate than others in the Midwest, such as St. Louis.

Vallas, 69, said he would hire hundreds more police officers, while Johnson said he didn't plan to cut the number of officers, but that the current system of policing isn't working. Johnson was forced to defend past statements expressing support for "defunding" police — something he insisted he would not do as mayor.

Instead, he said, he planned to allocate more money to areas such as mental health treatment and youth jobs.

Johnson also released a plan calling for $800 million in new taxes, which he said would be imposed on wealthy people and businesses, while freezing property taxes. Vallas, who had strong support from the business community, said the tax plan would be disastrous for Chicago's economy.

[lboogie1906]

Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is a former football running back who played in the NFL for 12 seasons. He was the Republican nominee in the 2022 Senate election in Georgia. He played college football at the University of Georgia, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a junior. He spent the first three seasons of his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League and was the league's MVP during its final season. He joined the Dallas Cowboys, earning consecutive Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors from 1987 to 1988. He was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. He was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants before retiring with the Cowboys. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. He was a member of the US bobsleigh team at the 1992 Winter Olympics and competed in MMA fights with Strikeforce from 2010 to 2011. From 2019 to 2020, he served as a co-chair on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition under President Donald Trump. He launched his first political campaign in Georgia's 2022 Senate election and won the Republican nomination with 68% of the vote. He faced incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock for the seat, losing in a runoff election. He was born in Augusta, Georgia, to Willis and Christine Walker. He was raised in Wrightsville, Georgia. He was one of seven children. He married college sweetheart, Cindy DeAngelis Grossman (1983-2002). They have a son, a social media influencer who went viral for his conservative rants. He married Julie (2021-). He has two additional sons and a daughter. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp-IQopr8aq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[boome11]

ATLANTA, GA - U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) speaks during a runoff election night party at Grand ... [+] Hyatt Hotel on January 6, 2021 in Atlanta. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump has tabbed Kelly Loeffler, a former Georgia senator and a top donor to his 2024 election campaign, to head the Small Business Administration (SBA). Loeffler represented Georgia in the U.S. Senate after she was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2020 to fill a vacated seat. She served briefly before losing a special election to the Rev. Raphael Warnock in January 2021. At the time of her Senate appointment, Loeffler said: “Over the last 25 years, I've been building businesses, taking risks, and creating jobs.” She is the former CEO of Bakkt, a platform for owning and trading cryptocurrency that bills itself as the industry’s premier crypto trading venue and a former co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. She graduated with a marketing degree from the business school at the University of Illinois-Urbana and later earned an MBA in international finance and marketing from DePaul University. “Small Businesses are the backbone of our Great Economy. Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape, and unleash opportunity for our small businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive,” President Trump said in a post on the Truth Social media platform. Trump said that Loeffler’s priority will be “ensuring that SBA is accountable to taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach.” Role of The SBA Created in 1953 by President Eisenhower, the SBA helps Americans start, grow, and build resilient businesses. The agency provides assistance to the nation’s estimated 33 million small businesses, supports small business entrepreneurship to enhance competition, and plays a key role in strengthening the U.S. economy. In FY 2024, SBA supported 103,000 financings to small businesses, the highest level across SBA's core programs since 2008, as well as 18,000 loans to households for disaster recovery. The agency also increased its annual capital impact to $56 billion, a 7% increase over FY 2023. The SBA’s core functions are to provide: · Access to capital. The SBA administers the popular 7(a) loan program, the agency’s primary loan program for small businesses, the 504 loan program that provides long-term, fixed-rate financing of up to $5 million for major fixed assets, microloans of up to $50,000 made through SBA funding intermediaries, and other initiatives that provide capital to entrepreneurs. · Government contracting support programs. Through goals established by the SBA for federal procurement, the SBA helps small businesses successfully compete for government contracts. · Entrepreneurial development programs. The SBA offers free or low-cost training at more than 1,800 locations nationwide and via online platforms and webinars. · Advocacy. The SBA is the nation’s designated voice for small business in Washington. Because of its role in the federal government, the SBA is also the primary agency for providing disaster-relief loans, such as EIDL, to small businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), was credited with saving millions of businesses and jobs through forgivable loans. Related: Which Companies Did Well During The Coronavirus Pandemic? However, things have not always run smoothly. SBA lending programs such as EIDL and PPP, have been a major target of fraudsters, and the agency has been accused of mismanaging those programs and wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Under each of the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, the SBA has expanded its lending practices. By contrast, during the Reagan era, its budget was cut by more than 30%. Related: Biden Seeks Increase In SBA Funding To Expand Small Business Access To Capital Congress, along with the SBA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has called upon the SBA to address program fraud and implement appropriate guardrails going forward, and Republicans in the House of Representatives want the agency to improve transparency and accountability and deal with “mission creep,” the expansion of unauthorized programs, and structural and reporting deficiencies that have allowed mismanagement and fraud to reoccur, largely through “massive supplemental appropriations.” Challenges for Kelly Loeffler, The Next SBA Administrator Upgrading Technology. The federal government uses computer systems that have not kept pace with financial technology that could modernize the agency. For instance, SBA loan applications still require significant amounts of paperwork that private lenders have digitized. Because the SBA does not have the requisite technology expertise in-house, the agency should look to partner with lenders such as fintechs that have deep experience in both digital lending platforms and helping underserved small businesses access capital, Pursuing innovative digital strategies would have a transformative impact and make the agency far more efficient. Further, AI-enabled decision-making can help eliminate fraudulent applications and reduce the risk of default while shortening the loan application and approval process. For example, the SBA installed an entirely new loan processing system for PPP2 (2021) that was not fully implemented when the program started. Deregulation. Business owners almost universally prefer limited-government policies that add costs and impede risk-taking and growth. Given Donald Trump’s experience as a businessman and the focus on deregulation during his first term, combined with the clear mission of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse, it is la near-certainty that the new SBA administrator will advocate to reduce costly regulations and likewise seek to eliminate policies that are harmful to small businesses. Mission Creep. The Trump administration will focus on eliminating expansion of “mission creep” (defined a gradual shift in objectives, often resulting in an unplanned long-term commitment) and its costs. The next administrator should look to make a sprawling, unaccountable agency more focused. To this end, the newly focused SBA will likely rely on recent Supreme Court decisions that limit Congress’ ability to generally delegate to federal agencies and place regulations that exceed their core mission or express statutory direction on shaky legal ground. For instance, initiatives aimed at “diversity, equity and/or inclusion” have resulted in critiques that the agency created overly selective agendas without proper authorization to decide what types of small businesses and entities are eligible for SBA programs. Other concerns include the SBA’s request to become a “designated voter agency” in response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14019 “Promoting Access to Voting”, duplication of private, state and local government business training and counseling offerings, and a push to expand direct government lending when private sector lenders can do the job more efficiently and with less burden on taxpayers. Accountability. Like many government agencies, the SBA lacks sufficient accountability and managerial practices to measure the effectiveness, success, and integrity of its various programs. As the Trump administration evaluates agency structure and spending, it should require actions and procedures to instill a culture of accountability and performance, as well as implement performance metrics and procedures to safeguard taxpayer dollars and program integrity. Six Ways Kelly Loeffler Can Improve The SBA Reforming and modernizing the SBA would better meet the needs of America’s small-business owners and entrepreneurs, not special interests in Washington. To this end, here’s a short list for Kelly Loeffler: 1. Protect against overregulation. 2. Create a tighter, more focused SBA that concentrates on congressionally authorized programs and staff that are held accountable for the agency’s successes and shortcomings. 3. Insist on a full accounting of — and an end of – waste and fraud in PPP, EIDL, and any other programs that are subject to abuse. This includes requiring those who falsified loan applications to either repay the loans or risk law enforcement. 4. End SBA direct lending, and instead refer borrowers to private sector lenders that will improve efficiency, ensure funds reach a wider range of small businesses and help the agency improve its digital footprint. 5. Upgrade SBA technology. A revamped and streamlined SBA must use modern technology , including digital loan management systems and platforms, for operations, reporting, and expanding its outreach to support and engage small businesses. 6. Expand SBA outreach. The SBA should further its mission to be the “Voice of Small Business” by looking for ways to improve capital access to underserved small businesses and promote core industries such as domestic manufacturing – from retail goods to computer chips. The SBA is the primary federal agency dedicated to supporting small businesses by providing access to capital, offering business counseling and education, and advocating for policies that benefit small entrepreneurs. Ultimately, the agency contributes to economic growth and job creation across the country. To enhance this mission, Kelly Loeffler should compel the SBA to operate with the efficiency of a private sector enterprise by upgrading its financial technology and digital footprint. Likewise, it should more critically assess the skill sets of its employees, eliminate waste and fraud, and look to hold its executives accountable to implement these initiatives. https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/675bc680fbc94c689edb2341/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&crop=1309,614,x0,y233,safe&height=900&width=1600&fit=bounds 2024-12-13 11:15:44

[jkvfhjkfvhesj]

Fed’s Powell Testifies as Inflation, Hiring Cool

(Bloomberg) -- Jerome Powell is likely to tell lawmakers that Federal Reserve officials need further confirmation inflation is slowing before they’re in a position to cut interest rates, even with evidence building of softer growth and employment.Most Read from BloombergJune consumer price index data are projected to be another step toward that goal, but the figures are only set for release on Thursday — after the Fed chair wraps up two days of Congressional testimony. Powell speaks Tuesday to the Senate Banking Committee, followed by a House panel appearance on Wednesday.With fresh data showing the highest unemployment rate since late 2021, and other figures illustrating weaker economic growth, Powell will likely be pressed harder by some lawmakers on why the Fed is hesitant to lower borrowing costs.On Tuesday, Powell said recent data suggest inflation is getting back on a downward path, but that he and his colleagues would like to see that progress continue.The so-called core CPI, which excludes food and energy costs and is seen as a better measure of underlying inflation, is expected to rise 0.2% in June for a second month. That would mark the smallest back-to-back gains since August, a pace more palatable for Fed officials.The inflation report is also forecast to show a modest 0.1% increase in the overall CPI from a month earlier. Compared with June of last year, the price metric is projected to rise 3.1%, the smallest annual advance in five months.Meanwhile, Friday’s monthly payrolls report showed that the jobless rate, while still historically low at 4.1%, is creeping higher. Minutes from the Fed’s June policy meeting revealed that several officials flagged the risk that a further slowing in demand could lead to higher unemployment.Economists on Friday will parse the government’s report on producer prices to assess the impact of certain categories — like portfolio management and health care — that feed into the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures price index.What Bloomberg Economics Says:“We expect that soft inflation prints for June, July and August will give the Fed enough confidence to start cutting rates by the time of the September FOMC meeting.”Story continues—Estelle Ou, Stuart Paul, Eliza Winger, Chris G. Collins, and Anna Wong, economists. For full analysis, click hereFurther north it’s a light data week, but June home sales on Friday will shed light on whether the Bank of Canada’s rate cut that month jolted the market out of a slumber.Elsewhere, inflation numbers from China to Sweden and the aftermath of France’s parliamentary election runoff will be among highlights.Click here for what happened in the past week, and below is our wrap of what’s coming up in the global economy.AsiaChina may get some mildly positive news on prices, with data Wednesday expected to show consumer inflation ticked higher in June and factory-gate deflation eased to the slowest pace since January 2023. Whether that helps buoy manufacturing remains to be seen.In other data, Japanese figures for workers’ pay on Monday may show real wages sliding for a 26th month in May, casting doubts on the prospects of achieving the virtuous cycle long sought by the Bank of Japan.Consumer price growth in India may have nudged higher in June, and Australia unveils consumer inflation expectations on Thursday.Trade statistics are due from China, the Philippines and Taiwan, while Singapore is set to release second-quarter gross domestic product data during the week.On the policy front, a couple of regional central banks are expected to stand pat, with investors looking ahead to prospects for rate cuts in the second half.The Reserve Bank of New Zealand meets after a weak reading for the composite purchasing managers index pointed to slackening economic growth, possibly opening to door to a cut in the fourth quarter.The Bank of Korea gathers a week after inflation slowed more than expected, boosting the prospects for pivoting to a reduction in borrowing costs as early as August, according to Bloomberg Economics.On Friday, Kazakhstan’s central bank will decide whether to follow its rate cut in May with another.Europe, Middle East, AfricaA focus for investors on Monday will be the aftermath of the French election. While financial-market concerns have eased, the prospect of a hung parliament leading to a minority government that lacks resolve to repair the public finances remains a likely outcome.In the UK, whose own election led to a landslide victory for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, investors will be on the lookout for any initial decisions impacting the economy and its own strained fiscal position. Data on Thursday, meanwhile, may show a pickup in growth in May after stagnation the previous month.European Central Bank policymakers have until the close of play on Wednesday to speak publicly about the upcoming July 18 rate decision before a blackout period kicks in. Amid a sparse calendar, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel and Executive Board member Piero Cipollone are scheduled to make appearances.It’s also a quiet week for data in the euro region. German exports on Monday and Italian industrial production numbers on Wednesday are among the highlights.There’s more on the calendar outside the single currency area, with several June inflation releases scheduled.- Hungary on Tuesday, then Norway and the Czech Republic on Wednesday, are all tipped to reveal slowing consumer price growth, albeit still with noticeable margins above 2%. - The same day, Russian data may show inflation reached a new 2024 high, underlining the challenge for the central bank. After holding its key rate at 16% so far this year, the Bank of Russia will most likely consider a hike of 100 to 200 basis points at its July meeting, Deputy Governor Alexey Zabotkin said recently. - In Egypt on Wednesday, officials will hope inflation slowed for a fourth straight month from its peak of 36% in February, which was just before the central bank raised rates as part of a huge bailout from the International Monetary Fund, the UAE, and others. - Also on Wednesday, Ghana’s inflation is forecast to slow for a third straight month - from 23% in May - on favorable base effects. The central bank will still be concerned by a monthly increase in prices that’s expected to quicken because of a slump in the cedi. - And on Friday in Sweden, the CPIF gauge of inflation that the Riksbank targets is expected to drop below 2% for the first time in almost three years. - Israel’s monetary policy committee on Monday will likely look past growing inflation pressures and keep the key rate at 4.5% for a fourth straight meeting to aid an economy strained by the war in Gaza and escalating tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon. - On Thursday, Serbia’s central bank makes its monthly decision, where officials may give clues on their next step for the key rate after June’s rate cut, the first in more than three years.Latin AmericaData out on Monday may show consumer prices in Chile accelerated for a third month to push further above target — while more than a year of steady disinflation appears to have stalled in Colombia.In Mexico, inflation likely pushed higher for a fourth straight month, in no way the “benign CPI data” central bank Deputy Governor Jonathan Heath says the board wants to see before easing again.Banxico, which next meets in August and has paused at 11% for the last two meetings, posts the minutes of its June 27 decision on Thursday.Inflation is heating up in Brazil, along with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s temper. Brazil’s leader is fuming over “exaggerated” double-digit interest rates and the central bank’s “nominated by Bolsonaro” president, Roberto Campos Neto. Lula’s verbal broadsides make it harder to control inflation, Campos Neto told Brazil’s Valor newspaper.A string of single-digit monthly readings in Argentina has the annual inflation rate finally slowing after hitting 289.4% in April. Analysts surveyed by the central bank expect the monthly print on Friday to come in over May’s 4.2% reading.Peru’s central bank meets Thursday after keeping its key rate at 5.75%. A pick-up in the June headline and core inflation prints may sideline the bank for a second meeting.--With assistance from Robert Jameson, Laura Dhillon Kane, Tony Halpin, Monique Vanek, Brian Fowler, Paul Wallace and Zoe Schneeweiss.Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Read the full article

[warningsine]

The reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has pulled off a stunning victory in the Iranian presidential runoff, reflecting deep dissatisfaction with the direction of the country in recent years and opening potential new avenues of cooperation with the west.

Pezeshkian won 16,384,403 votes to defeat the ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili, who received 13,538,179 votes, on a final turnout of 49.8% – a big increase on the record low turnout of 39% recorded in the first round. In the first round, Pezeshkian came top, defeating three Conservative rivals. The turnout included more than 1m invalid votes.

Pezeshkian has been an advocate of letting women choose whether to wear the hijab and ending internet restrictions that require the population to use VPN connections to avoid government censorship. He said after his victory: “The difficult path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, empathy and trust.”

Under the slogan “For Iran”, Pezeshkian had promised to be a voice of the voiceless, saying protests must not be met with the police baton. Although some regard him as naive in high politics, a large part of his campaign was deliberately framed around his personal integrity, as well as his absence from ministerial office for the past decade. There were immediate calls from his backers to release political prisoners from jails, a symbol of the pent-up demands he may struggle to satisfy.

Pezeshkian faces a minefield in trying to bring about change, and although he has said he is loyal to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he has also said he will resign if he feels he is being thwarted, and will then call on the population to withdraw from the political process.

The precise powers of the president in the field of foreign policy are disputed, but Pezeshkian argued in successive, often acrimonious TV debates that he could not bring about change, including the lowering of 40% inflation, unless he could secure the lifting of some sanctions, which would require a less confrontational approach to international relations.

During the campaign, he said Iran had found itself inside an economic cage as a result of its foreign policy, and needed to be more cooperative to see if sanctions could be lifted.

His in effect running mate in the campaign had been the former foreign minister Javad Zarif, who negotiated the nuclear deal in 2015 that led to a lifting of sanctions before Donald Trump pulled the US out of the plan in 2018.

Zarif said sanctions meant Iran had been bypassed. The stock market rose on the news of the reformist victory.

Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator close to the supreme leader, had claimed Iran could thrive by building stronger economic ties away from the west. Far from Iran being a cage, he said, Iran was a sanctuary.

Pezeshkian’s victory is all the more remarkable since no reformist was allowed to stand in the last presidential election in 2021, and it was thought the high tide of Iranian reformism had long passed, with many voters convinced there was no point going to the polls since a “shadow government” took all the decisions.

The repression of the “women, life, freedom” protests in 2022 only added to a sense that the path to change through the ballot box was closed. Many senior reformists from the green movement as well as political prisoners inside Evin jail had called for a boycott.

But after Pezeshkian topped the first round – defying the rule of Iranian politics that reformists lose if turnout is low – his campaign team grew in confidence that he could win if more voters took part in the runoff.

It also became clear that supporters of the more centrist conservative Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were not going to transfer their votes to Jalili, with whom they had sharp ideological differences. Zarif urged the abstentionists to vote, saying: “Those who did not participate in the first round, you sent your message in the first period, now you must complete your message with your presence.”

Another leading Pezeshkian backer, the former communications minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi, said: “We must prove the people are the people, not those who consider themselves guardians of the people.”

On Saturday evening, reformists became nervous that a sudden surge in late votes was a sign of the regime seeking to rig the result, something it has been accused of doing before. There were reports that government funds were being used to send clerics into rural villages to solidify support in Jalili heartlands.

But then late on Saturday, government news channels leaked that Pezeshkian had won before the Iranian election headquarters declared him the official victor, sending his supporters into the streets of Tehran.

About 5,000 had attended his final election rally in a football stadium in Tehran, suggesting his campaign might not have sparked the support he needed among abstentionists. After a quiet campaign in the capital, his jubilant supporters poured on to the streets of Tehran to celebrate a victory that few saw coming.

In parliamentary elections earlier this year marked by low turnout, the conservatives trounced reformists. Ghalibaf’s authority as speaker of the parliament has, meanwhile, been weakened by his defeat in the presidential elections. The political complexion of the parliament will be one of the many obstacles facing the new president since it has the power to impeach ministers.

The first round of voting on 28 June had the lowest turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. Iranian officials have long pointed to turnout as a symbol of the legitimacy for the country’s Shia theocracy, but Khamenei said those who stayed away from the polls had not done so due to opposition to the regime.

The snap presidential election was caused by the death of Ebrahim Raisi, the incumbent, in a helicopter crash in May. Raisi had been seen as a potential successor to the 85-year-old supreme leader, and his death has thrown that succession into disarray. The decision is taken by an 88-strong body, the assembly of experts.

The west will now have to make a judgment on whether to help Pezeshkian or maintain the blanket of sanctions due to the continued escalation of Iran’s nuclear programme, and its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Iran is enriching uranium at near weapons-grade levels and maintains a stockpile large enough to build several nuclear weapons, but does not yet have the warheads or missile technology.

It is also providing Russia with drones for use in Ukraine. Pezeshkian’s second foreign policy adviser alongside Zarif was a former ambassador to Moscow, Mehdi Sanei.

[mariacallous]

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldovans are casting ballots in two key votes Sunday that could determine whether the European Union candidate country, which neighbors Ukraine, remains on a pro-western path amid ongoing allegations that Russia has tried to undermine the electoral process.

Incumbent President Maia Sandu is the favorite to secure another term in office in a presidential race in which 11 candidates are running. Voters will also choose “yes” or “no” in a referendum on whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution its path toward the 27-nation EU.

Polls by WatchDog, a Chisinau-based think-tank show a clear majority of more than 50% support the EU path. The referendum needs a one-third turnout to be valid.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0400GMT) and are expected to close at 9 p.m. (1800GMT). By 4 p.m., more than 1.1 million voters in total — about 39% of eligible voters — had cast ballots, according to the Central Electoral Commission. By 3 p.m., 32% had voted in the EU referendum, nearly passing the validation threshold.

If Sandu fails to win an outright majority on Sunday, a runoff will be held on Nov. 3 which could pit her against Alexandr Stoianoglo, a Russia-friendly former prosecutor general who is polling at around 10%.

The two pivotal ballots are held amid ongoing claims by Moldovan authorities that Moscow has intensified an alleged “hybrid war” campaign to destabilize the country and derail its EU path. The allegations include funding pro-Moscow opposition groups, spreading disinformation, meddling in local elections, and backing a major vote-buying scheme.

U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby echoed those concerns this week, saying in a statement that “Russia is working actively to undermine Moldova’s election and its European integration”. Moscow has repeatedly denied it is interfering in Moldova.

“In the last several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars to influencing Moldova’s presidential election,” Kirby said. “We assess that this money has gone toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media in favor of their campaigns.”

In early October, Moldovan law enforcement said it had uncovered a massive vote-buying scheme orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled pro-Russia oligarch who currently resides in Russia, which paid 15 million euros ($16.2 million) to 130,000 individuals to undermine the two ballots.

Shor, who was convicted in absentia last year to 15 years in jail on fraud and money laundering in the case of $1 billion that went missing from Moldovan banks in 2014, denied allegations, saying “the payments are legal” and cited a right to freedom of expression. Shor’s populist Russia-friendly Shor Party was declared unconstitutional last year and banned.

Constantin Celac, a 37-year-old multimedia producer, said in central Chisinau that he cast his ballots in favor of Sandu and EU integration because “it is the best way” forward for Moldova. He said that while he does have concerns about Russian meddling, “I trust our government … to fight against them.”

On Thursday, Moldovan authorities foiled another plot in which more than 100 young Moldovans received training in Moscow from private military groups on how to create civil unrest around the two votes. Some also attended “more advanced training in guerrilla camps” in Serbia and Bosnia, police said, and four people were detained for 30 days.

Sandu cast her own ballot in the capital on Sunday and told the media that “Moldovans themselves must choose their own fate, and not others, nor the dirty money or the lies.”

“I voted for Moldova to be able to develop in peace and liberty,” she said.

A pro-Western government has been in power in Moldova since 2021, a year after Sandu won the presidency. A parliamentary election will be held next year.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic with a population of about 2.5 million, applied to join the EU in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and was granted candidate status that summer, alongside Ukraine. Brussels agreed in June to start membership negotiations.

Loredana Godorogea, a 29-year-old IT manager who lives in Chisinau, said she also voted in favor of the incumbent president and the path toward the EU. “I think in the next five years we can be more close economically with the European Union, and I also think a big factor will be the war in Ukraine,” she said.

[de-temple]

January 6, 2021 - by Heather Cox Richardson

With the Democrats in control of both Congress and the Executive Branch, it is reasonable to expect we will see voting rights legislation, which will doom the current-day Republican Party, depending as it has on voter suppression to stay in power.

[paul-doyle]

‘What America is’: Sports world reacts to Capitol attack, historic week

Paul Doyle

CT Insider

Jan. 9, 2021

For many of the women in the WNBA, it was a dizzying 48 hours.

On Tuesday, Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff. Players visibly and vocally supported Warnock over the conservative Loeffler, co-owner of the Atlanta Dream.

But the sense of accomplishment was tempered the next day, when a mob of Donald Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol building. At least one brandished a confederate flag.

“One breath, you want to celebrate … But then you can’t,” said Connecticut Sun veteran DeWanna Bonner. “What happened in Washington DC and all the killings (of Black Americans) ... My head is kind of all over the place.”

Bonner, a Black woman from Alabama, saw race at the center of the Capitol events. She’s not alone.

The visuals of a mostly white crowd overwhelming police to storm the legislative building contrasted with images of Black Lives Matter protesters greeted with armed forced. Activists have noted a double standard in how the groups were treated by security.

The reaction from the sports world?

“We live in two Americas,” LeBron James said.

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers said, “Could you imagine today, if those were all Black people storming the Capitol, and what would have happened?”

The sentiments are echoed throughout Connecticut, too — from high school coaches to college athletes to the professional basketball players at Mohegan Sun.

WNBA LEADING TO CHANGE

The WNBA has long been at the front of social causes, but the league’s players raised their activism to another level while competing in the Bradenton, Fla. bubble last summer. Players spoke out after the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, standing firmly behind the Black Lives Matter movement.

Loeffler, Atlanta’s co-owner since 2011, is a strong Trump supporter. In July, she expressed concern with the league’s support of BLM in a letter to league commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

The response from the players? They began wearing “Vote Warnock” shirts at games and raised money for his campaign. Players across the league donned the shirts and Warnock’s poll numbers steadily climbed.

Warnock wound up prevailing in a runoff, which helped tip the power in the Senate as Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated incumbent Republican David Perdue in Georgia’s other runoff.

“It was such a happy moment for him and for our league, as well,” Bonner said. “We did a great job of speaking out when we heard about what was going on in the race. We knew immediately who we wanted to support. Everybody wore those shirts on game days — there were some big games that week and we wanted to make sure that people saw us.

“We stand by what we believe in and it showed the powerful impact that we can make.”

Players celebrated the victory on social media. UConn’s Renee Montgomery, who played with Atlanta but opted out of the 2020 season as she focused on social justice reform, tweeted: “In 2019, I didn’t know what to call @ReverendWarnock because he was a Dr and a Pastor. Now I gotta add Senator to the list. Congrats to Dr Pastor Senator Warnock!”

James tweeted, “Think I’m gone put together an ownership group for the The Dream. Whose in?” and Montgomery responded, “I’m ready when you are.”

And it’s worth noting that James’ tweet received a long list of responses, including an emphatic “In” from former tennis great and Fairfield product James Blake. Meanwhile, Montgomery told TMZ she’s serious about an ownership bid — although there is no indication Loeffler is selling.

The WNBA is being cited for its impact on the election, but the support for Warnock — and rejection of Loeffler — is just another example of the league’s players using their platform. Independent of the Georgia race, players were leading the sports world in speaking out about racial injustice last year.

“Just more recognition for the work that they’re doing,” said Connecticut Sun vice president Amber Cox, who has worked in the league for 13 years. “If you think back to the Pride platform and the support of the LGBTQ community, the WNBA was really the first to do that. It’s been happening. But the result of being in a bubble situation where you had all the players together, allowed them to come together and it was obviously just a defining moment in our history … all things kind of culminated.

“These women are so courageous and smart and, obviously, strategic the way they go about things. It’s been wonderful to see them get the recognition for all the work that they have been doing.”

New Haven native Bria Holmes said the season was dedicated to making voices heard.

“And clearly they were heard,” she said. “Just voicing our opinion on things that haven’t been going well, I think it opened people’s eyes to a lot of things. … Women are a huge part of the world. With our voices, we can do a lot. It’s not just the men. We can continue to do great things.”

Said Bonner, “People are listening. Women’s basketball has an opportunity to be at the forefront of sports. … Last summer, we spoke up and spoke out about our true feelings. We’re outspoken. We don’t hold our tongues for anything. People are learning more about us as women, about our culture, and what we believe in, and that we’re more than just basketball players.”

Yet Bonner, an 11-year veteran, said she was shook by what she witnessed Wednesday. The joy of Warnock’s victory quickly evaporated.

“It’s a scary time,” she said. “It’s kind of like, let me make sure my family is home and safe because you never know what can happen right now. It’s just such a sad time for us, especially for Blacks in this world right now.”

Holmes said she was at a loss for words to describe how she felt Wednesday. But she does believe the “outcome would’ve been totally different” had a majority of the protesters been Black.

‘PUSHING FOR UNITY’

UConn freshman Paige Bueckers figures to have a future in the WNBA, yet she has already used her voice — she marched in her home state of Minnesota after Floyd’s death.

Asked Friday about the WNBA and the state of the country, Bueckers said she is impressed that the league and the players use their platform to spread their message.

“Everything that they do, they’re trying to make this world a better and more equal place,” Bueckers said. “That’s what we need right now — equality and justice, equal treatment for everybody regarding race. It’s just sad to see the inequalities in the world.

“If we just treated each other how we wanted to be treated, it would be a much better place. It’s just sad to see the stuff that’s going on in the world, the hate and the division that we have. The WNBA is just pushing for unity and togetherness. I just think that’s really big and what the world needs right now.”

Buecker is white, but her younger brother Drew is Black and she spoke over the summer about their conversations pertaining to his race.

“I’m scared for him,” she said over the summer. “I’m scared for myself because that’s my little brother. He’s my best friend, really. I’m really close to him. Having that fear, that one wrong judgment and his life could be on the line, it’s super scary and it’s something I want to help change.”

UConn junior Christyn Williams, another player with WNBA aspirations, expressed her support for Black Lives Matter on her social media accounts last summer.

“I’m definitely excited to be a part of the WNBA one day because they represent something bigger than themselves,” she said. “We’re people too. They show that as an example every time something happens or just in general. I think they’re doing a great job with that.”

CONNECTICUT REACTION

The events at the Capitol were jarring for athletes and coaches across the state.

Wilbur Cross basketball coach Kevin Walton conducts a weekly Zoom call with his players, his opportunity to check on his team while the season remains paused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday night, Walton asked his players about the events that unfolded at the Capitol.

“One of the players said one of the differences (from the Black Lives Matter protests) was they were treated differently because they were white, but he was reluctant to say it at first,” Walton said. “I told him you can always say what you feel. We want the kids to formulate their own opinions.”

Walton, a community activist who participated in protests after the killing of Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May, said he was “appalled” by the way Capitol police and law enforcement reacted to the mob that stormed the legislative building.

“It sends a message that they didn’t take these white nationalists and terrorists to be as scary or as threatening as the Black Lives Matter protests,” Walton said.

Hillhouse football coach Reggie Lytle, who stayed up until 4 a.m. Thursday watching news coverage of the events, retired in 2013 as a lieutenant after a 25-year career in the state Department of Corrections.

Like Walton, he was stunned by the lack of security at the Capitol. Lytle contrasted what took place Wednesday with his own experience at the Million Man March on the National Mall in 1995. He estimates there were thousands of law enforcement at the march, “and you turn on the TV (Wednesday) and see only 500 Capitol Police?”

Lytle also said he felt “real sick” upon learning that a Capitol police officer was killed in the incident. He experienced riots during his time in the corrections department.

“To lose an officer to a beat down makes me feel I didn’t do my job,” he said. “It angers me even more to learn the President of the United States provoked this action. This invokes hate and invokes retaliation. I am old enough to know to fall to my knees and pray. This is what (Colin) Kapernick was doing.”

Lytle said he encountered racism as a member of Hillhouse’s 1985 state championship team and he sees his players faced with the same now. “Not much has changed,” he said.

His view of what happened at the Capitol?

“I’m not surprised at all,” Lytle said. “Especially since they announced they were going to do it. We have a saying: There it goes again. When we say that, in our community, we all know what that means. It’s white privilege. There’s no other way to look at it. White privilege.

“…My kids know. They could simply stand on the corner waiting for their girlfriend, and then the cops roll up and they get grilled. Meanwhile, you have people going to the Capitol and nobody’s stopping them.”

Walton, too, was not surprised.

“When President-elect (Joe) Biden comes on and says, ‘This isn’t America’ … this is exactly what America is,” Walton said. “Storming the Capitol building, acting in a violent manner, that is exactly who we are. … What bothered me the most is the people acting out were every-day people. There weren’t any billionaires out there (Wednesday). Those were people waiting for their stimulus checks, people who need Obamacare.”

This discussions between players and coaches unfolded at all levels last week.

At Quinnipiac, men’s basketball coach Baker Dunleavy said his team talked about the insurrection on Thursday.

“I think in general young people are very socially aware,” Dunleavy said. “They’re educated. They pay attention. They read. They’ve got social media at their fingertips. The players shared some of their individual thoughts and opinions.

“When we look at that day in our history, we’ll look back on a very dark day, an unfortunate and really embarrassing day in our country. We talked a little bit that there are some people out there who are similar to those we saw on camera and feel the way they feel. For a lot of people, it’s convenient for them to pretend that doesn’t exist. We have less ability to look the other way, that that sentiment isn’t something that existed just back in the 1960s.”