#as a texan i endorse this message

[kuroshika]

country boy will graham with the southern drawl and the freckles on his shoulders and chest

country boy will graham… country boy will graham save me

[justinspoliticalcorner]

WaPo's Philip Bump: State-endorsed violence is triumphing over left-aligned protests

Philip Bump at Washington Post:

I was in Florida in May 2021 when I saw a white Mini Cooper with two seemingly incongruous bumper stickers. One said, “I WILL NOT COMPLY” — a then-vogue sentiment as governments sought to mandate vaccines to fight the coronavirus pandemic. In a rear window, though, the car displayed a monochromatic American flag with one of the stripes rendered in blue. This, of course, is the graphical representation of the “Blue Lives Matter” mantra, an expression of support for the police that emerged as law enforcement began facing new criticism about the killing of Black civilians a decade ago. I will not comply … but I support our men and women in law enforcement.

It’s easy to carve out a realm where these sentiments are not at odds. The driver won’t comply with vaccine mandates but stands with the police as they do the hard work of subduing the real criminals. Or, to define the space where the sentiments are not at odds more simply: The driver adheres to a right-wing worldview in which state power is properly deployed against the left. For the driver, the law protects but doesn’t bind, as the saying has it. That was three years ago. In the period since, state power has gained a lot of ground against its long-standing adversaries’ criticism and protest. Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) took the unusual-for-him step of pardoning a man who was convicted of murder in a shooting death in Austin. The shooter, Daniel Perry, was driving in the city in July 2020 when he came across a protest criticizing the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. Garrett Foster was part of the crowd and was carrying a rifle, which is legal in the state. Perry claimed that Foster aimed the weapon at him and that he fired in self-defense.

Others in the crowd denied that Foster raised his weapon. A jury determined that the killing was not justified and sentenced Perry to prison. They did so without even seeing some of the most striking evidence: text messages from Perry in which he expressed racist views and talked about shooting people who engaged in looting in the wake of the Floyd protests. (Foster, like Perry, was White.) But Abbott decided a pardon was in order, arguing that the state’s stand-your-ground law “cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney.” Foster’s killing was rebuked by Texans but sanctioned by the state. In the wake of the protests in 2020 — an underrecognized challenge to state power from the left — other states attempted to build laws specifically to increase the costs of those protests. In Florida and Oklahoma, for example, the state legislatures passed and governors signed laws absolving drivers of some penalties if they struck protesters blocking roads.

[...] One of the widest partisan divides, meanwhile, was on “disrupting public events.” That divide was about as wide as the one on “establishing encampments.” Since the protests that unfolded in the summer of 2020, the largest widespread protest movement seen in the United States has been centered on the establishment of encampments on college campuses to protest Israel’s military incursion in Gaza. Most Americans expressed skepticism of those protests in polling released this month. In recent Fox News polling, though, a majority of Democrats expressed support for the protests while Republicans opposed them by more than a 5-1 margin. [...]

At many colleges, including New York's Columbia University, administrators agreed with the Republicans. Law enforcement was brought in to disrupt and remove encampments. That was true at Columbia, where the New York Police Department swept the campus more than once. The second and final sweep resulted in several students being hospitalized. Over the weekend, the NYPD again violently disrupted a protest. Officers were seen striking protesters participating in a pro-Palestinian event in Brooklyn, with police arguing that the response was needed because protesters were blocking the streets. The neighborhood’s City Council member told the New York Times that “from my vantage point, the response appeared preemptive, retaliatory and cumulatively aggressive.” [...]

The violent crackdown on the protests were sanctioned by the state. It is possible that the bumper sticker on that car I saw in Florida in 2021 was harrumphing not about an unwillingness to comply with the coronavirus vaccine but, instead, with the advent of a Democratic president. After all, the weeks after the 2020 election were awash in right-wing refusal to comply with the state power manifested in recognizing Joe Biden’s electoral victory. On Jan. 6, 2021, rioters supporting Donald Trump overwhelmed law enforcement and overtook the Capitol in a failed effort to redirect power back to the sitting president.

The response from Trump’s allies and the broader right has been illuminating. There was an immediate effort to rationalize the violence by comparing it to the protests that unfolded the previous summer, like the one at which Garrett Foster was killed. Or like the one after which teenager Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two men. (“Those who help, protect, and defend are the good guys,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wrote on social media once Rittenhouse was acquitted of murder. “Kyle is one of good ones.”) Over the longer term, though, the right’s Capitol riot narrative — led by people like Greene — focused more heavily on the purported injustices those rioters had faced. Those who are incarcerated have been presented as “political prisoners,” rather than as violent criminals and, often people who’ve pleaded guilty to their offenses. In the vernacular of that Mini Cooper, these were honorable people refusing to comply, not criminals engaged in an unacceptable denial of how much blue lives matter.

Washington Post’s Philp Bump wrote a solid article on why left-leaning protests (pro-Palestine, pro-Black Lives Matter, etc.) are more likely to face state-sanctioned violent crackdown responses than right-leaning protests (anti-COVID mitigation measures, etc.)

[unassisted-triple-play]

Southeast Texan here and i endorse this message, but i will say that my chili does tend to include some more esoteric flavorings like unsweetened chocolate, coffee, and molasses.

no beans, though. and for the love of God, no tomatoes.

this is currently a hot topic at my work so

[positivexcellence]

Q&A With Austin’s Own Jared Padalecki and Your Walker Texas Ranger!

Jared, tell us about Walker – you had your first season last year in the middle of COVID and it was a roaring success and now you are back for a second season.

It has been quite a ride! I am a Texan, born and bread, so it is amazing to be able to be back in Austin filming, and to be able to come home to my family each night. I filmed Supernatural in Vancouver for 15 incredible years, but the travel and being away from home definitely took its toll. So, it’s great to be back promoting the local filming scene and producing Walker. Also, its been an honor to put my own spin on this version of Walker, in a unique and human way that the anyone can really connect to. He is just a guy doing a job, raising his family, and taking on life’s unforeseen obstacles the best he can. Not perfect, but trying to see people as fellow humans as opposed to just kicking in doors. I think that is something we all can relate to.

Your wife Gen seems quite busy with the 3 kids, her new environmental focused platform TOWWN and many charitable and social cause events about town.

She is a dynamo! People think I have a busy life, until they meet Gen. She is the glue that holds this house together no doubt, while also having jobs and passion-projects of her own. When I was on my covid-hiatus before wrapping up Supernatural, she was the one that introduced me to a brand new nutrition company here in Austin – MANTRA Labs – and it changed my life. I caught up on my sleep (sleeping better than ever with their REST formula), was able to stay energized throughout the day with RISE, and work on getting back into shape and recover faster with GO. I know it sounds like an advertisement – but this stuff just works!

That’s right, you joined MANTRA Labs and helped grow it in the middle of all this and it is gaining quite a reputation. Tell us about MANTRA Labs and why it is important to you.

Well, given my career, I’ve been sent products from just about any brand and company you can think of, all wanting me to endorse them publicly. I would try them out, and just not experience the kinds of results I hoped for while working towards my goals and lifestyle. MANTRA was different – I loved what the company stood for and what they were setting out to achieve, the products were tasty, easy, and effective, and their specific focus on the importance of mental health was something I directly connected to. I workout to “feel” good these days, not to “look” good. Mental health is not just important to me, but to society in general, and our nutrition and “wellness” companies almost always ignored it. MANTRA was different. When I met Paul Janowitz, who started it up, we hit it off, and I knew this was a company that I wanted to be a part of. It had meaning, it had purpose, and it had incredible products. So, we went into business together, and started getting the word out there about the product, about the fact that fitness is for everyone, and that everyone deserves good nutrition. We stress that mental health IS health. It’s been a lot of time spent, but every second has been a blast!

I appreciate you letting me share this story, because MANTRA Labs is important to me, and when we hear from our customers what our brand means to them, what our positive mental messaging means, and how the product has changed lives, well it doesn’t get any better than that.

Let’s talk fitness! What does your routine look like?

Routine – what routine? Hahah. Life is chaotic, and self-care is so important. I’ve realized that routines help allow that to happen. I am as guilty as the next person of not focusing on this enough. From all my years traveling, and training for roles, I try to keep things simple and accessible. That means lots of body weight workouts, home cooked whole food meals (when possible) and super clean supplements to help make up for gaps, or long, whacky schedules.  That is what drew me to MANTRA Labs – the products were plant-based, natural and helped ensure I got the nutrition that my mind and body needed at each critical part of the day. That simple routine was a game changer for me. It helps me get up and get going, get a workout in, stay energized on set, and then unwind, relax and fall asleep. Just hitting those basics with RISE, GO and REST, and then using our new HYDRATE powder to get and remain hydrated – that really makes a difference in my day.

Speaking of HYDRATE, I gotta talk more about this…  HYDRATE is our newest product and I LOVE it. We worked on and developed this product for a year. It has 3x the electrolytes, 72 trace minerals, prebiotic fiber, vitamins and zero sugar – all while tasting amazing. There is nothing like it on the market and we’re SO proud of it. Gen uses it every day, the kiddos love it (and drink so much more water now), and i’m feeling better than ever, even though my workload has skyrocketed.

Thanks so much for your time!!!

Austin Fit

[fuckyeahtx]

Once Again, Greg Abbott Is A Lethal Cretinous Scumbag

Letters From An American

Heather Cox Richardson Jun 20

Yesterday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, made good on his threat to defund the legislature after Democrats walked out on May 30 in order to deny the Republicans the number of people they needed to hold a vote on a bill that dramatically reworked Texas elections.

In part, Abbott is likely trying to distract Texans from yet another crisis in the state’s independent energy grid, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Four months ago, the electric grid failed during a cold wave, leaving more than 3 million people without electricity or heat. More than 100 people died. Now, mechanical failures during a heat wave have pushed the state to the verge of blackouts and have prompted ERCOT to ask people to turn their AC to higher temperatures, turn off their lights, and avoid using appliances that take a lot of electricity.

To make matters worse, yesterday the Public Utility Commission of Texas lifted a moratorium on electricity disconnections put in place on private utilities because of the pandemic and extended because of the February storm. It is not clear how many people will be affected by this change, but two public utilities in Austin and San Antonio say that in late May a quarter of a million households owed an average of $600 on past-due bills.

So it makes sense for Abbott—who has been throwing himself behind Trump-like causes anyway these days—to stir up headlines by defunding the legislature and blaming Democrats, even though, once the election bill failed, a number of Republicans told political journalist Judd Legum, who writes at Popular Information, that they did not know where some of the measures in it had come from and did not like them. For example, one lawmaker said that the provision to enable Texas judges to declare an election “void” at their discretion if someone charged that it had been fraudulent, “would be horrendous policy.” (That section of the bill was actually titled “OVERTURNING ELECTIONS.”) In any case, Abbott’s gesture will hit not legislators, but staffers.

But Abbott’s attack on voting rights in Texas identifies the crux of the current crisis in American democracy. For thirty years, Republicans have strengthened their hand in elections not by adjusting their message to win more voters but by gaming the system: suppressing the vote and gerrymandering.

When voters put the Democrats in charge of the federal government in 2020, Republicans responded by trying to game the system at the state level even more completely. First, when former president Trump refused to accept his loss in the election, he and some of his cronies tried to pressure Republicans in state governments to “find” the votes he needed to win, count out Democratic ballots, or, failing either of those things, allow state legislatures to choose their own electors rather than the ones that reflected the will of the voters. Their justification was the Big Lie: that Trump had won the election but had been cheated of the White House by fraud.

Their attempts led to the January 6 insurrection but did not succeed in putting Trump back into the White House. Since then, in Republican-dominated states across the country, legislatures have used the Big Lie to justify the sort of election “reform” that cuts back voting rights and enables state officials to overturn the popular vote. If those rules go into effect, it will be virtually impossible for Democrats to win a majority in the future. And a one-party government is not a democracy.

The conflict over elections, then, is a conflict over the nature of our government. It will play out over the next week, as the Senate takes up S1, the For the People Act. This measure protects the right to vote, ends partisan gerrymandering, limits the influence of money in politics, and establishes new ethics rules for presidents and other federal officeholders. The House has already passed a similar act on a strict party vote, but the measure cannot pass the Senate under the Senate’s current rules. The filibuster will permit just 41 of the 50 Republican senators to stop the act from passing.

Democrats could pass the act if all 51 Democrats (including Vice President Kamala Harris, who breaks a tie in the Senate) voted in favor both of the measure and of ending the filibuster. But Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has made it very clear he opposes both. He has also said he wants any measure going forward to be bipartisan.

But that is not the final word on the For the People Act.

Last week, Manchin indicated which of the measures in the For the People Act—and in the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act—he supports. He has called for expanding access to voting, an end to partisan gerrymandering, voter ID, automatic registration at motor vehicle offices, making Election Day a holiday, and making it easier for state officials to purge voters from the rolls. This is a mixture of the priorities of the leadership of both parties.

The Democrats have lined up behind Manchin’s compromise. Voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, former Texas congressman and voting rights advocate Beto O’Rourke, and Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison have all signed on to Manchin’s blueprint. “I am so grateful for what Senator Manchin has done and what he's doing right now,” O’Rourke said. “He's trying to find a way to protect voting rights in this country at a moment that they are under attack in more than 40 states.”

But Republican leadership has dug in its heels against the measure. They immediately tried to associate it publicly with Abrams rather than the conservative Manchin, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said no Republican should vote for it. Since then, he has held two press conferences— unusual for him—to voice his objections to the bill, suggesting he is concerned that some Republicans might be wavering. As if to make sure they would all stay on board, yesterday, former president Trump endorsed a primary challenger against Senator Lisa Murkowski.

But the pieces in the For the People Act itself—even before Manchin’s compromises—are generally very popular among people of both parties. What will happen when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) forces a vote on the bill or, perhaps, breaks it up into pieces, taking away Republicans’ ability to make the blanket argument that they don’t like federal legislation on voting? Will Republicans hold their wall if they are forced to vote on the bill piece by piece?

And, in the service of a very popular bill that will protect our democracy, opposed by an entrenched minority that refuses to compromise as the Democrats have, will Manchin agree to carving out voting legislation from the filibuster as the Senate has already carved out financial measures and judicial nominations?

What is on the table this week is a bill that carries outsized weight for its role in our democracy. In 1854, Democrats pushing the Kansas-Nebraska Act cleared the way for the spread of human enslavement to the new western territories and the subsequent domination of the federal government by elite slave owners. In 1890, Republicans backing the Federal Elections Bill tried, one last time, to protect Black voting before voter suppression ended it for the next seventy years. In 1965, Democrats and Republicans together agreed to end racial discrimination in voting.

In 2021, once again, Congress will be voting on a measure that will define who we are.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to a weekly collaboration between FiveThirtyEight and ABC News. With 5,000 people seemingly thinking about challenging President Trump in 2020 — Democrats and even some Republicans — we’re keeping tabs on the field as it develops. Each week, we’ll run through what the potential candidates are up to — who’s getting closer to officially jumping in the ring and who’s getting further away.

With everyone still waiting on former Vice President Joe Biden to decide if he’s running (and the added speculation that he might pick Stacey Abrams as his running mate), the field did see one more official entry this week. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand transitioned her exploratory committee to a full-fledged campaign on Sunday and officially joined the groundswell of candidates in the 2020 Democratic field. She also scored her first home state endorsement from New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney. But Gillibrand is struggling to gain traction in a field that has already seen record fundraising hauls and a collection of bold policy proposals — a reminder that it’s increasingly difficult for many of the candidates running to stand out.

Here’s the weekly candidate roundup:

March 15-21, 2019

Stacey Abrams (D)

After meeting privately with former Vice President Joe Biden last week, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate signaled that she is willing to meet with any of the Democratic hopefuls in the 2020 presidential contest, but she said she has a couple of ground rules. “My two requirements,” Abrams said Tuesday at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, according to The Associated Press. “One, you have to tell me what you’re going to do about voter suppression. And two, you have to believe Georgia is a swing state.”

Abrams, who is considering a presidential bid of her own, is — for now — returning to her roots as an organizer and promoting the nonprofit group she founded to advance voting rights, Fair Fight Action.

On Thursday, Abrams’s spokesperson Lauren Groh-Wargo addressed rumors that close advisers to Biden are pitching a pre-packaged ticket with her as his vice president. “Abrams continues to keep all options on the table for 2020 and beyond,” Groh-Wargo said in a statement to ABC News. “She has met with over half a dozen presidential contenders to discuss their commitment to voting rights and to investing in Georgia.”

Michael Bennet (D)

Although several Democratic presidential candidates have expressed an openness to expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court, the Colorado senator literally slammed his head on a table when asked about it, according to The Washington Post. “Having seen up close just how cynical and how vicious the tea party guys and the Freedom Caucus guys and Mitch McConnell have been, the last thing I want to do is be those guys,” Bennet said, referring to some Republicans’ efforts in recent years to alter Washington rules and traditions. “What I want to do is beat these guys so that we can begin to govern again.”

Bennet, who said he’ll decide whether to officially enter the race within weeks, told the Post: “I guess I’m starting to think strongly that we need a voice in this primary that’s willing to make the kind of case that I think that I would make.”

Joe Biden (D)

For a brief moment Saturday, it appeared as though the former vice president had inadvertently revealed that he had decided to run for president: At a Delaware Democratic Party fundraiser, he said that he had “the most progressive record of anybody running.”

The audience launched into applause, but Biden quickly corrected himself, explaining that he meant “of anybody who would run.” Even so, those close to Biden, including Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, continue to report that Biden is telling them he is all-but-certain to enter the race.

CNN reported on Monday that Biden discussed with advisers the possibility of choosing a running mate early in the primary to “keep the focus of the primary fight on the ultimate goal of unseating Trump.” That running mate might be Stacey Abrams, according to Axios.

Cory Booker (D)

The New Jersey senator this week contended with a barrage of questions about his love life. After actress Rosario Dawson confirmed to TMZ that she and Booker are dating, the former Newark mayor told Ellen DeGeneres on her show on Wednesday that Dawson “is just a deeply soulful person and has taught me a lot of lessons about love already.”

Despite the focus on his personal life, Booker managed to resurface an issue that had fallen out of the news a bit when he indicated he was willing to consider eliminating the filibuster.

“I’m going to tell you that for me that door is not closed,” he said on “Pod Save America” on Wednesday.

Booker will return to the trail this weekend, making his third campaign sweep through South Carolina since officially declaring his candidacy for president.

Steve Bullock (D)

The Montana governor, who is still deciding whether to enter the presidential race, traveled to Iowa to support state Senate candidate Eric Giddens, who won a special election on Tuesday.

Bullock sat with Giddens over beers last weekend, according to Politico.

Bullock’s trip to Iowa will be followed by a visit to another early primary state, New Hampshire. Bullock is expected to celebrate New Hampshire Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes’s birthday in Concord on Sunday, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Pete Buttigieg (D)

Over the weekend, Buttigieg, who is the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, qualified for the first Democratic debate — hitting the 65,000-donor threshold.

In an appearance on MSNBC, Buttigieg made his case for why a mayor of a city of 100,000 people should be president. Buttigieg said becoming president is “a tremendous leap for anybody,” adding that he thinks “this is an executive position that requires executive experience.”

He joins ABC’s “The View” on Friday before heading to South Carolina for his first trip to the state since announcing his exploratory committee in January.

Julián Castro (D)

At a campaign stop in Las Vegas this week, Castro said he had read an article in which he was called “the other Texan” of the Democratic presidential field, according to the The Associated Press. “I’m the one from the other side of the tracks,” Castro said. “I’m the one that didn’t grow up as a front-runner.”

His comments appeared to be a jab at fellow Texan and Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke. But Castro pushed back against that interpretation during an interview with MSNBC, saying that he was just speaking for himself.

The former secretary of Housing and Urban Development said he is “confident” that he will qualify for the first primary debate in June and that he will be a front-runner “by the time the Iowa caucus comes around.”

Bill de Blasio (D)

Potentially gearing up for a presidential bid, the New York City mayor toured New Hampshire over the weekend. His trip got off to a lackluster start, however. The New York Post reported that only 20 people showed up to his roundtable on mental health — the 14 people who were on the panel and six audience members.

Asked by the Post when he will make a decision about a bid, de Blasio said, “Sooner rather than later.”

John Delaney (D)

Asked in an interview with CNN about whether he is in favor of eliminating the Electoral College and electing a president via the popular vote, Delaney said: “If I were starting from scratch, I would do that. It requires a constitutional amendment. … I’d much rather focus on things that can get done and affect the American people. I’d much rather focus on lowering drug prices, building infrastructure, creating digital privacy legislation in this country, expanding pre-K, that every kid has that opportunity, making sure community college is free for every kid in this country.”

Tulsi Gabbard (D)

Gabbard kicked off the week with visits to Fremont, California, and Las Vegas, where she delivered a message of peace. The U.S. House member from Hawaii, who was twice deployed to the Middle East as part of the Army National Guard, told the crowd in Las Vegas that if elected, she would end the “wasteful regime-change wars,” according to the The Associated Press.

In California, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Gabbard said the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drained “trillions of dollars out of our pockets for health care, infrastructure, education, for clean energy.”

Gabbard is ending the week in New Hampshire.

Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

After launching a presidential exploratory committee in January, the New York senator officially joined the race last weekend. In a video posted to her social media channels, Gillibrand also revealed that she will be holding an event outside of the Trump International Hotel in New York City on Sunday.

Gillibrand participated in an MSNBC town hall Monday that touched on immigration policy, her plans for a national paid leave program, her involvement in the resignation of Democratic Sen. Al Franken from his Senate seat in December and her belief that she “should have done more” on gun control earlier in her career.

Kamala Harris (D)

Harris edged up the candidate leaderboard this week: In a new CNN poll, she climbed into third place, with 12 percent support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. This was a significant increase for the California senator, whose support was 4 percent in December. Biden and Bernie Sanders captured first and second place, respectively.

Harris also joined ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” this week and said she believes that voters want a nominee who holds the ability to “prosecute the case” against President Trump.

The Associated Press reported that two of Hollywood’s elite, Shonda Rhimes and J.J. Abrams, were hosting a fundraiser for Harris, with tickets costing $2,800 per guest. Harris visits Texas this weekend for a campaign rally in Houston and an event hosted by Tarrant County Democrats in Grapevine before heading to Atlanta.

John Hickenlooper (D)

Hickenlooper joined CNN for a town hall in Atlanta on Wednesday night, taking questions from Dana Bash and directly from voters on a range of issues, including marijuana and the death penalty. Bash also asked the former governor of Colorado if he would vow to put a woman on the ticket like some of the other male contenders in the race, and he answered, “Of course.”

“I’ll ask you another question,” he said. “But how come we’re not asking, more often, the women, ‘Would you be willing to put a man on the ticket?’”

Hickenlooper plans to crisscross New Hampshire and Vermont this weekend, with stops in Manchester, Concord, Lebanon, Burlington, Littleton, Plymouth and Newmarket.

Jay Inslee (D)

In an an appearance on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” Inslee said: “I’m finding people who really want to see a president who believes in science, who believes the number one job of the Untied States is to defeat climate change. People are telling me that’s the right message.”

When asked why he would “risk it all” on this single issue as he competes for the nomination against a sprawling pool of candidates, Inslee responded that “you can’t solve other problems unless you solve climate change.”

John Kerry (D)

Kerry, who has left the door open for a presidential bid, received 4 percent of the support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents in the CNN poll this week.

In an appearance with Condoleezza Rice, another former secretary of state, at Notre Dame on Tuesday, Kerry criticized the Trump administration. Trump “hasn’t made anything better,” Kerry said, according to the South Bend Tribune. “Not the Iran Deal, not the Paris Climate Accord, not TPP, not (the war in) Afghanistan and not Syria,” Kerry said. “He was teed up to prove to the world what a great negotiator he was.”

Amy Klobuchar (D)

Klobuchar stopped in California this week, joining community leaders in San Francisco for a conversation about the effects of climate change.

In her first visit to the state since announcing her presidential candidacy in February, the Minnesota senator also hosted a “high-dollar fundraiser” in the San Francisco’s Presidio Heights neighborhood, according to CNN.

The cost to attend the event was up to $5,600 a chair, CNN reported. Klobuchar joins the Rye Democrats for a town hall in New Hampshire on Saturday.

Terry McAuliffe (D)

During a visit to South Carolina Tuesday, the former Virginia governor fueled speculation that he might enter the field of Democratic hopefuls.

“I’ve said clearly, in the next couple of weeks, I’ll make the final determination,” McAuliffe said, according to the Associated Press.

Seth Moulton (D)

Moulton kicked off his week in New Hampshire to meet with the tri-city New Hampshire Young Democrats. He told the audience that he expects to make a decision about a presidential run next month, according to The Salem News.

“Ultimately the decision for me will come back to one simple question: How can I best serve the country,” he said.

Moulton also stopped in another early voting state, South Carolina, and is set to visit Iowa next week for a roundtable with veterans.

Beto O’Rourke (D)

O’Rourke continued his campaign sprint across the country this week, traveling to Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire (where he hit all 10 counties in 48 hours).

At a stop in Pennsylvania, the former Texas congressman was asked about delivering more than “platitudes and nice stories” on the stump.

“I’m going to try to be as specific as I can,” he said. “In every single policy area, I’m trying to describe not just the goal and the aspiration, but the path we will take to get there.”

The breakout political star, who fell just short in his 2018 Senate bid against Ted Cruz, reported raising $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of his presidential campaign, which surpassed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ $5.9 million and the rest of the Democratic field His record haul came from 128,000 unique contributions for an average donation size of $47. None of the donations came from PACs, corporations or special interests, according to his campaign.

O’Rourke brings his off-the-cuff and frenetic campaign style through South Carolina this weekend with eight events in Rock Hill, Columbia, Orangeburg and Charleston.

Bernie Sanders (D)

Sanders committed this week to offsetting emissions from his travel and events by partnering with a carbon offsets provider that will support renewable energy and carbon reduction projects.

This effort follows the Vermont senator’s announcement that his workers will be the first presidential campaign staff to unionize.

Sanders holds rallies in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco starting Friday as he makes his first visit to California since launching his second presidential campaign.

Howard Schultz (I)

As Schultz continues to test the waters of an independent bid for president, he holds a series of town halls in Denver where he will hold a roundtable discussion at a startup incubator called Techstars Boulder Accelerator, according to the Denver Post.

The Post also reports that Schultz’s schedule includes a stop at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for a town hall event with the athletes.

Elizabeth Warren (D)

Warren, known for her pace-setting policy proposals, started a swing through the South in Memphis, Tennessee, before heading to Jackson, Mississippi, for a CNN town hall on Monday and unveiled her support for a bold proposal.

“My view is that every vote matters,” she said. “And that means getting rid of the Electoral College,” she went on, to applause from the audience.

“Presidential candidates don’t come to places like Mississippi, they also don’t come to places like California or Massachusetts, because we’re not the battleground states.”

The Massachusetts senator then headed to Alabama for two stops in Selma and Birmingham this week. She returns to New Hampshire this weekend for a conversation on the opioid crisis in Littleton and a pair of meet-and-greets in Berlin and Conway.

Andrew Yang (D)

Yang said there were 3,000 people in attendance at his rally in San Francisco last Friday. In a blog post recounting the event, the entrepreneur said “huge rallies” would help him build name recognition and that he’d be launching a national tour to draw crowds.

“Think Bernie 2.0 but with better music,” he wrote.

The New York Times reported on Yang’s internet popularity Wednesday, noting that his supporters, who have been nicknamed the “Yang Gang,” are harnessing memes and inside jokes to promote the candidate much in the way that Trump supporters did in 2016.

On Monday, Yang holds an event in Chicago.

[ppcseo]

Texas Republicans hope to send their first Latina to Congress

Texas made state history when it elected its first Latinas, both Democrats, to Congress in the 2018 midterm elections.

In November, there’s a chance for the state to hit another milestone — electing its first Republican Latina to the U.S. House.

Monica De La Cruz, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has been tagged as Republicans’ best chance to win a congressional seat anchored in the overwhelmingly Latino border region of Texas.

Republicans hope momentum is on De La Cruz's side given the Republican tilt of the newly redrawn Texas 15th Congressional District, where she is running, as well as recent gains in Latino voter support for Trump in the heavily Latino areas of South Texas.

De La Cruz, 47, an insurance agent, won the eight-way Republican primary with 56.54 percent of the vote to become the GOP nominee for the open seat.

It is the second time she has run for the seat. She lost her bid to unseat incumbent Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in 2020.

“I think in 2020 we did not have the financial means to spread our message, but we did have hundreds of volunteers knocking on doors and doing the grassroots activities to help us be successful,” De La Cruz said. “The difference in 2022 is we get to marry our hundreds of volunteers with the financial means to be able to spread our message."

The Justice Department is challenging Texas' redrawn districts as discriminatory, but that’s not likely to be resolved before November.

Democrats must await a May runoff between Ruben Ramirez, an attorney and Army veteran, and Michelle Vallejo, a businesswoman and activist, to decide who will take on De La Cruz in November.

De La Cruz, who was raised by a single mother who worked as a secretary for the state's human services agency, said she grew up a Democrat, supporting the dominant party in the Rio Grande Valley and parts of South Texas.

A 2006-20 voting history provided by Democrats shows she voted in Democratic primaries four separate years and in at least two Republican primaries. Texans don't register by party, but the primaries they vote in are usually recorded.

De La Cruz became a Republican because of what she said was the "vilification" of law enforcement and immigration and border agents, she said.

She is campaigning on an anti-socialism platform, defining socialism as government overreach, including telling businesses what they can and can't do about Covid vaccines and government handouts that "pay for things for people," rather than create equal opportunity.

De La Cruz shut down her insurance agency during the pandemic, which hurt her workers, who depend on sales. De La Cruz, who said she is fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid, thinks vaccinations should be a personal choice.

She will have to overcome some controversy about her marriage and allegations her husband has made in court documents about how she has treated her stepdaughter.

Despite the increased GOP showing, Democrats had a higher turnout this year in the 15th District, casting 32,519 votes to Republicans' 29,715, according to results from the state secretary of state.

Previous elections show that Latina Republicans outperform white male or female GOP colleagues in general elections, particularly when voters know little about the candidates, said Mark P. Jones, a political science fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

“The lower the information about the race, the more voters are going to rely on cues like ethnicity and gender,” Jones said, citing Latinas' performances in Texas judicial races. “The difficulty is getting through the Texas primary.”

De La Cruz’s primary didn't include a strong white conservative Republican candidate, and Trump’s endorsement helped push her through with Texas’ staunchly conservative primary voters, Jones said.

De La Cruz may be considered the party’s best chance, but other GOP Latinas are contending to make congressional history. Should any win their general election, they would follow Democratic Reps. Veronica Escobar of El Paso and Sylvia Garcia of Houston, who were the first Texas Latinas elected to Congress.

Republican Mayra Flores, a naturalized citizen originally from Mexico, won her primary and faces Gonzalez in the 34th District. Gonzalez chose not to run for re-election in the 15th and jumped to the 34th after state legislators drew his home out of his original district.

Carmen Maria Montiel is the GOP nominee in the 18th District, and Irene Armendariz Jackson is the nominee in the 16th, where Escobar is the incumbent. Both Montiel and Armendariz face uphill battles in solidly Democratic districts with strong incumbent women of color.

Another GOP Latina, Cassy Garcia, is in a runoff with Sandra Whitten in the 28th District. The winner will face the victor in the Democrats' runoff between Rep. Henry Cuellar, who is dealing with an FBI investigation, and attorney Jessica Cisneros.

Jenny Garcia Sharon is the Republican nominee in District 37, a solidly Democratic district where Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin is running.

Laura Barberena, a Democratic political consultant, said GOP Latinas will have to go beyond gender and ethnicity to win in November.

“Republicans are doing this because they know what makes a good story,” Barberena said. “Let’s talk about Latinos and Latinas running in the congressional seat so we can forget about the fact that when we have another storm, our state is not winterized."

Women are helped by providing a safe work environment, making schools safe from gun violence and instituting policies that protect women’s health, even in the termination of pregnancies, Barberena said.

While Republican voting in the primaries didn't hit the levels in the 2020 presidential election year, Republicans' turnout increased over their 2018 performance in some Texas counties along the border where Republicans are trying to gain ground.

Meanwhile, Democratic turnout dropped in those counties. But more Democrats voted than Republicans in several of the counties, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Republican turnout increased from very low bases in some counties, Jones said. For example, in Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley, 14 Republicans voted in the governor's race in 2018, compared to 1,089 this year.

[teafortwo29]

Colin Kaepernick Awarded 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award

Michael Rosenberg

November 30, 2017 01:40 PM

“If I was walking down the highway with a quarter in my pocket and a briefcase full of truth, I’d be so happy.” – Muhammad Ali, Sports Illustrated, Feb. 19, 1968

Colin Kaepernick made his truth known when he first decided not to stand for the national anthem. He had a lot of football left to play and a lot more money to make when he made his decision. It was late August 2016. People who were anonymous in life had become famous in death. Philando Castile. Eric Garner. Alton Sterling. Freddie Gray. They were tragic symbols of a society that had taken a terribly wrong turn. As the anthem played ahead of the 49ers’ preseason game against the Texans, Kaepernick, San Francisco’s 28-year-old quarterback at the time, quietly took a seat on the bench.

It took two weeks for anyone from the media to ask him about it. Kaepernick explained that he was making a statement about inequality and social justice, about the ways this country “oppresses black people and people of color.”

“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” he added. “There are bodies in the street,” he said then, “and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

In the last 16 months, Kaepernick’s truth has been twisted, distorted and used for political gain. It has cost him at least a year of his NFL career and the income that should have come with it. But still, it is his truth. He has not wavered from it. He does not regret speaking it. He has caused millions of people to examine it. And, quietly, he has donated nearly a million dollars to support it.

For all those reasons—for his steadfastness in the fight for social justice, for his adherence to his beliefs no matter the cost—Colin Kaepernick is the recipient of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. Each year SI and the Ali family honor a figure who embodies the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership, and philanthropy and has used sports as a platform for changing the world. “I am proud to be able to present this to Colin for his passionate defense of social justice and civil rights for all people,” says Lonnie Ali, Muhammad’s widow. “Like Muhammad, Colin is a man who stands on his convictions with confidence and courage, undaunted by the personal sacrifices he has had to make to have his message heard. And he has used his celebrity and philanthropy to benefit some of our most vulnerable community members.”

Previous Legacy winners—including Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, Jack Nicklaus and Magic Johnson—were deserving. But no winner has been more fitting than Kaepernick. Ali lost more than three years of his career for his refusal to serve in the military in opposition to the Vietnam War. Kaepernick has lost one year, so far, for his pursuit of social justice.

When Kaepernick first protested during the national anthem, he could not have envisioned the size and duration of the ensuing firestorm. But he knew there would be fallout. So much has changed in America since the summer of 2016, and so many words have been used to describe Kaepernick. But his words from his first explanation remain his truth:

“This is not something that I am going to run by anybody. I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. … If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”

Kaepernick kept his job for a season before being blackballed by the NFL—and yes, he has been blackballed. This should be obvious by now. Scott Tolzien, Cody Kessler, Tom Savage and Matt Cassel have thrown passes in the league this year, yet nobody has tried to sign Kaepernick, who is fifth in NFL history in touchdown-to-interception ratio. Kaepernick has been called a distraction, which is laughable— his coach last year, Chip Kelly, says there was “zero distraction,” and his 49ers teammates said the same. Most NFL players would rather be “distracted” by Kaepernick than try to tackle the guy who just intercepted Brock Osweiler.

Kaepernick has paid a price beyond missing games and losing paychecks. He has been battered by critics who don’t want to understand him. Some say Kaepernick hates America; he says he is trying to make it better. Others say he hates the military, but on Sept. 1, 2016, as the then-San Diego Chargers played a tribute to the military on the stadium video board, Kaepernick applauded.

Kaepernick has listened to the President of the United States take credit for his unemployment. He has seen others falsely claim that he has disappointed the white parents who raised him. He has heard people discredit him because he wore socks that depicted pigs in police hats and a T-shirt with Fidel Castro’s picture on it. (He has said the socks were only meant to represent “rogue cops” and that while he supports Castro’s investment in education, “I never said I support the oppressive things he [Castro] did.”)

Nobody claims Kaepernick is perfect. Reasonable, woke people can be upset that he did not vote in the 2016 election. But the Ali Legacy Award does not honor perfection, and the criticisms of Kaepernick are misguided in one fundamental way: They make this story a referendum on Kaepernick. It was never supposed to be about him. It is about Tamir Rice and the world’s highest incarceration rate and a country that devalues education and slides too easily into violence.

Kaepernick is not Ali. He is quieter and not as naturally endearing. Ali was a showman who loved entertaining reporters. Kaepernick does not care for attention and prefers not to do interviews. But they both sacrificed for the greater good at a time when many Americans could not see it was a greater good.

When Ali was drafted into the military in 1967 and refused to report, much of the country disapproved. Ali explained his refusal by saying: “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam after so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?”

That seems reasonable now, knowing what we do about the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. But at the time, one prominent American said: “The tragedy to me is, Cassius has made millions of dollars off of the American public, and now he’s not willing to show his appreciation to a country that’s giving him, in my view, a fantastic opportunity.”

That sounds a lot like what people have said about Kaepernick. The man who said it about Ali was Jackie Robinson.

Time ultimately shined a softer light on Ali. For the last 40 years of his life, Ali was arguably the most popular athlete in American history. But in the late 1960s, he was deeply unpopular and his future was uncertain.

Ali was 25 when he was banned from boxing and 28 when he returned to the sport. Boxing historians sometimes wonder what he would have done in those prime years. But Ali did not look at it that way. Instead of focusing on the piece of his career that he lost, he talked about what he had gained: a sense of self, and of purpose, greater than he could ever find in the ring. He risked prison time. He did not know if he would ever be allowed to fight again. But he knew he was clinging to his truth. As Ali later told SI’s George Plimpton: “Every man wonders what he is going to do when he is put on the chopping block, when he’s going to be tested.”

Someday, America may well be a better place because of Colin Kaepernick. This is hard to see now— history is not meant to be analyzed in real time. But we are having conversations we need to have, and this should eventually lead to changes we need to make. Police officers, politicians, and citizens can work together to create a safer, fairer, more civil society. Kaepernick did not want to sacrifice his football career for this. But he did it anyway. It is a rare person who gives up what he loves in exchange for what he believes.

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Tritonal – Tritonia 342 Tracklist

Perfectionists in the studio, passionate on stage and with an army of dedicated Tritonians in every corner of the planet, Texan duo Tritonal invite you to enter Tritonia, a weekly podcast featuring the latest in dance music, handpicked by Chad and Dave. Listen or download Tritonal – Tritonia 342 now!

GhostDragon & Kuo with April Bender – Darker Days [Enhanced Recordings] Blackcode & 9Lives feat. Katie Murphy – High On A Feeling [Revealed Recordings] StanV & Larsson (BE) – We Know [Enhanced Progressive] R3SPAWN – Beat of My Heart [Crash & Smile] HUMBL3 – Feel In [Revealed Recordings] Kyau & Albert – Outside 21 [Euphonic] Tom Staar & Ferry Corsten feat. Darla Jade – Glow [Armada Music] Dezza & Lauren L’aimant – Ghost (Heard Right Remix) [Colorize] Cubicore feat. K.I.R.A. – You [Armada Music] Alex Soun – With The Flow [AFTERTIME Records] Olan & Nourey – In Motion [Anjunabeats] Armin Van Buuren & Maor Levi – Divino [Armada Music] L.GU. – I Can’t Sleep [Colorize] PRAANA – Ani Hu [Colorize]

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[readablenoise]

Florida: Save Our Stages

Florida’s independent venues are vital to countless music scenes of all genres, it’s time to #SaveOurStages

Florida- The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) applauds the introduction of the bi-partisan Save Our Stages Act introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). The Save Our Stages Act directly impacts independent venues across the country such as Respectable Street in Palm Beach County, and Culture Room in Broward County.

“Our members told us months ago that if the shutdown lasted six months or longer and there wasn’t federal relief to hold them over, 90% of them would fold permanently,” said Dayna Frank, president of NIVA and CEO First Avenue Productions. “With no revenue and immense overhead, four months in, it’s already happening.  The warning light is flashing red and our only hope is for legislation like Save Our Stages Act or RESTART Act to be passed before Congress goes on August recess.  Otherwise, most businesses in this industry will collapse.”

“On behalf of our more than 2,000 member venues, promoters and festivals, as well as their employees, artists and local communities who are facing an existential crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re incredibly grateful to Senators Cornyn and Klobuchar,” said Adam Hartke, co-chair of NIVA’s Advocacy Committee and president of Hartke Presents.  “While existing government assistance programs have helped other industries, they weren’t tailored to meet the needs of small businesses like ours that have zero revenue, enormous overhead and no visibility into when we can fully re-open. The Save Our Stages Act will provide the assistance we need to get through the shutdown until we can reopen safely and once again become the economic generators for our communities that we’ve always been.” A Chicago study last year showed that for every $1 spent on a ticket at a local venue, $12 of economic activity was generated for area businesses such as restaurants, retailers, and hotels.

Through SaveOurStages.com, more  than 1 million emails have been sent letting all 538 members of Congress know that constituents want to keep independent venues alive.

As a supporter, viewer and patron of the local arts, it is with the utmost certainty we can state this publication, as well as many others, would not be possible without independent venues that host local bands and artists, providing them opportunities in a market that is already monopolized by conglomerates in the larger arenas.

We take pride in our local scenes, and the vital importance small venues play in them. They are truly, the cultural veins running through cities; places of rallying cries, freedom, release and building both friend and relationships that stand the test of time.

Live music, while regrettably on a pause, will return. And when this time arrives, it will bring with it an artistic renaissance to mirror the late 70′s and early 00′s. For this to happen however, we need not only the longtime local venues that have hosted such events, but the opportunity and encouragement of new venues as well.

This state harbors, what we believe, to be truly one of the most passionate and underrated audiences in the world for music. There is a buzz; an electrical whirring that cannot be denied when speaking of music, or even viewing your favorite local band at your favorite local venue.

To our leaders in the Congress and Senate for Florida, this writer who firmly believes and is a part of the local music scene, I speak to you.

Do not let the Florida independent music and venue scene, fail. Do not let it be lost, like so many of the historical landmarks taken over by high rises and the erasure of this state’s artistic history.

If we are truly a state that pays homage to it’s people, then most especially in this unprecedented time, we urge you, support local artists and venues now.

The Save Our Stages Act would provide Small Business Administration grants for independent live music venue operators affected by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. These grants would provide at least six months of financial support to keep venues afloat, pay employees, and preserve a critical economic sector for communities across America.

“Texas is home to a number of historic and world-class small entertainment venues, many of which remain shuttered after being the first businesses to close,” said Sen. Cornyn. “The culture around Texas dance halls and live music has shaped generations, and this legislation would give them the resources to reopen their doors and continue educating and inspiring Texans beyond the coronavirus pandemic.”

Minnesota’s concert halls, theatres, and places of entertainment, like First Avenue in Minneapolis, where Prince famously performed, have inspired generations with the best of local music, art, and education,” Sen. Klobuchar said. “This legislation would help ensure that small entertainment venues can continue to operate, and serve our communities for generations to come.”

Please go to https://www.nivassoc.org/ today and send a message to our Florida representatives and leaders. This process takes no more than 30 seconds, and will make a world of difference. For both your local scenes, and the hundreds of band within it.

About NIVA:

Formed at the onset of the COVID-19 shutdown, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), now represents more than 2,000 members in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. These independent venues and promoters were the first to close and will be the last to fully reopen. NIVA's mission is to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues, promoters and festivals throughout the United States.

Independent live music and entertainment venues have been hard-hit during the coronavirus pandemic, with 90 percent of venue owners, promoters, and bookers reporting they are at risk of closing permanently without additional financial assistance. If ticket sales do not resume until 2021, the industry will have lost an estimated $9 billion in ticket sales alone. The Save Our Stages Act:

·         Establishes a $10 billion grant program for live venue operators, promoters, producers and talent representatives

·         Directs the Small Business Administrator to make grants to eligible recipients equal to the lesser of either 45% of gross revenue from 2019 or $12 million

·         Allows the Small Business Administrator to issue supplemental grants in the future if funding remains available and applicants can demonstrate continued need

·         Permits recipients to use grants for costs incurred during the COVID pandemic

·         Permits recipients to use grants for rent, utilities, mortgage obligations, PPE procurement, payments to contractors, regular maintenance, administrative costs, taxes, operating leases, and capital expenditures related to meeting state, local, or federal social distancing guidelines

·         The Save Our Stages Act is endorsed by (NIVA) and the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO).

-Jenelle DeGuzman

[automaticpostinfluencer]

Texas Lt. Gov. Ripped For Saying Seniors May Be Willing To Die For The Economy

Twitter users are calling out Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for claiming that “lots of grandparents out there” are willing to take a chance against the COVID-19 coronavirus in order to save the economy.

Speaking on Fox News, Patrick agreed with President Donald Trump’s proposal for a quicker end to the shutdowns that have stalled the economy. 

The closures and stay-at-home instructions are aimed at stopping the spread of the virus, especially to those most vulnerable, such as seniors, who make up 80% of all U.S. deaths.

But Patrick, who turns 70 next month, indicated he’s willing to put his own survival on the line in exchange for “keeping the America that all America loves” for future generations. 

“And if that’s the exchange, I’m all in,” he told Tucker Carlson, adding there are “lots of grandparents” who agree. 

“My message is that let’s get back to work, let’s get back to living, let’s be smart about it, and those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the country,” he said.

Twitter users were aghast at the notion of grandparents being sacrificed to the virus in the name of the economy: 

This kind of numbnuttery will kill people in Texas. Young as well as old. We need a state-wide shelter in place order to stop the spread of coronavirus and save hundreds of thousands of lives. https://t.co/C8r9Q7t2vs

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 24, 2020

I love my grandparents very dearly and would not like to see them as human sacrifices at the altar of the stock market and did not realize this desire had to be actively defended! https://t.co/nRvtZ8ywnA

— Emma Baccellieri (@emmabaccellieri) March 24, 2020

Telling y’all, if Dan Patrick wants to sacrifice *himself,* that’s fine. When he begins volunteering *other people* to sacrifice themselves on behalf of the state, then that’s genocide. https://t.co/HOMy5L3Csp

— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) March 24, 2020

pic.twitter.com/4pdz4x3JBB

— pixelatedboat aka “mr tweets” (@pixelatedboat) March 24, 2020

To think Texans survived Jade Helm and transgender bathrooms only to be sacrificed by Dan Patrick himself. What a twist. https://t.co/D8YVqE6wf0

— Evan (@evan7257) March 24, 2020

I have to say, while the GOP’s dark, Shirley Jackson-esque plot twist isn’t entirely unexpected, that the primary victims would be a significant part of Trump’s base is certainly a surprise. https://t.co/B5ZwOx62TN

— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) March 24, 2020

.@DanPatrick Do I have to choose which one of my grandparents to sacrifice, or do they do that for me? Is there a test they take? Maybe a panel of people who assess which ones can survive the longest?

— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) March 24, 2020

Pump Up the Curve – Dan Patrick https://t.co/JKY3kaHGDO

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) March 24, 2020

Hello it’s me a principled conservative and I am here to say why wait for grandma and grandpa to die in the pandemic when we can start hunting them for sport today

— Mariya Alexander (@MariyaAlexander) March 24, 2020

2010: Conservatives freak out over “death panels.”

2020: Conservatives endorse reality version of “Logan’s Run.” pic.twitter.com/7SiDNL7VrM

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) March 24, 2020

I’d prefer to keep my one remaining grandparent, thanks. https://t.co/6K0s1l6IuS

— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) March 24, 2020

Also, that’s the same guy who loses his shit about trans people existing, always going on about how it’s the government’s duty to protect people from the imaginary threat of trans people in bathrooms… now being like “Well, sorry, grandma’s gotta go for the sake of the market”

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) March 24, 2020

2016: “Let’s make America great again!”

2020: “If hundreds of thousands of you have to die for us to have a lot of brands of cereal, I guess that’s just the way it is” https://t.co/hGKaqpvDwK

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) March 24, 2020

“Screw the masks & ventilators and start printing up those “I’D DIE FOR THE DOW!” t-shirts for Florida’s nursing homes!”

— Scott Linnen (@ScottLinnen) March 24, 2020

Die for the Dow. https://t.co/9FIjpWTIur

— Cameron Johnson (@cameronjawesome) March 24, 2020

Hey Memaws and Pawpaws, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick thinks it’s better for you to die than for the stock market to crash. You ready to die for the Dow? https://t.co/nzkjL84Pl1

— Leanne Potts (@TheRealMLPotts) March 24, 2020

YOU CANT BE A PRO LIFE REPUBLICAN AND ALSO WANT PEOPLE TO DIE FOR THE DOW JONES

— my king is andrew yang (@yang2020fangirl) March 23, 2020

after spending a single week inside, right-wingers are asking you to consider letting grandma die so their favorite Cheesecake Factory reopens. drinking bottomless margaritas on some cruise ship called “Mermaid Of The Seas” is a life or death issue for them

— Brendan Karet

(@bad_takes) March 24, 2020

thank God none of our grandparents watch FOX News https://t.co/wJnHbV6ot1

— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) March 24, 2020

I strongly resist duplexes being built in my neighborhood bc it would ruin its historic character also I’m ready to die for the Dow

— Jason Goldman (@goldman) March 24, 2020

I don’t often go wild here but fuck this, I’m sorry. This is sickening, pure and simple, beyond the type of shit you’d see as a cynical joke in dystopian fiction. Asking the elderly to sacrifice themselves for the economy – Dan Patrick and Tucker can fuck all the way off. https://t.co/1TKserPuzk

— Steve Orlando (@thesteveorlando) March 24, 2020

Amazing how they’ll die for the Dow Jones to save their grandchildren but won’t do anything to stop the planet from melting https://t.co/eD0RdFyWLd

— lights out (@countdown2march) March 24, 2020

*taptaptap*

Hi, 1st gen/naturalized Texan here.

DAN PATRICK IS A DELUSIONAL PIECE OF GARBAGE.

Protect your Ma-Maws and your Pa-Paws.

Por favor, protege a tu abuelas y abuelos.

STAY THE HELL HOME for as long as you can. #COVID19 #coronavirus #StayHome

— Tanya 수정 Tarr (@nerdette) March 24, 2020

Genocide is the destruction of a national/ethnic/racial/religious group in whole or in part, but shouldn’t it cover the preventable deaths of an entire generation? Because Dan Patrick, monster, thinks this’d be noble for the sake of a near work of fiction called “the economy”. https://t.co/7kds1BVylM

— Their Excellency Elan Morgan

(@schmutzie) March 24, 2020

A HuffPost Guide to Coronavirus

Calling all HuffPost superfans!

Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost’s next chapter

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[plusorminuscongress]

New story in Politics from Time: Can Bernie Sanders Win Over the Texan Suburbs?

Adrian Ozuna is sitting on a folding chair at the Chinese Community Center in Houston as the room empties out, the squeaks from sneakers on an adjacent basketball court becoming audible. Ozuna is the president of the Southwest Democrats — a club whose motto is “reflecting the diversity of Houston” — and he’s just finished running a forum for candidates in local races you’ve never heard of, including state House seats and county tax assessor-collector.

They’re not the kind of candidates grabbing national headlines as the 2020 presidential contenders slug it out for the Democratic nomination. But with Senator Bernie Sanders emerging as the party’s front-runner, they are precisely the kind of candidates many Democrats are worried about. Among party operatives and officials, there’s widespread fear that putting a self-described democratic socialist at the top of the ticket will jeopardize the slow but steady gains Democrats have made in recent years in red-state cities like Houston and its surrounding suburbs.

“There are a lot of areas [with] a lot of swing voters who will be turned off — who are turned off — by that message,” Ozuna says. Though Ozuna’s club has not endorsed a candidate, he said he is “cognizant” of concerns that Sanders could make it harder for local candidates. “We need to make sure that the voters who vote are on board.”

As Texans get ready to vote on Super Tuesday, Sanders isn’t just the leader in the polls. He’s a constant topic of discussion among moderate Democrats worried that his ambitious proposals, like Medicare for All, and his broader calls for political revolution could alienate voters in suburbs like Houston’s that voted blue in 2018 and helped Democrats win back the House. If moderate suburbanites who dislike Trump won’t vote for Sanders, it could reverse those gains.

“I’m concerned just about the gains we’re trying to make in Texas,” says U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, who represents an urban and suburban congressional district that stretches between Dallas and Fort Worth, and who endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. “We need nine seats to be in the majority seat in the [state] legislature, and I think Bernie being at the top of the ticket makes that path much harder.”

Veasey is especially worried about the label of democratic socialism, which he thinks voters in Texas will reject. “There’s not going to be enough explaining in the world that you can do to overcome that,” he says.

On the other hand, progressives argue that diverse cities like Houston are precisely the kind of place that voters would be willing to take a chance on an exciting candidate who can turn out the voters they need to turn this state blue.

That’s why Democrats across the country are watching places like Harris County, where Houston is located. It’s a fast-growing area that, until 2016, was considered the largest swing county in the nation. Now Democrats can comfortably say the area is trending blue, a fact that reflects rapidly changing demographics, with a population that is 40% Latino and nearly 20% black. The past two Democratic presidential nominees have won here by widening margins, and in 2018, U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher won here, becoming one of two Democrats to flip a Texas congressional district.

Two days before Super Tuesday, a group of Democratic volunteers gathered at Torchy’s Tacos, a restaurant across the street from West University Place, an upper-middle class, well-educated Houston suburb that sits squarely in Fletcher’s congressional district. They were there to canvas for Kristi Thibaut, a candidate for Harris County Commissioner in the third precinct, who’s running on flooding-related issues, a chronic topic for the area, and improving infrastructure.

“Is [Sanders] my preferred candidate for this particular district? Probably not,” Thibaut admit. “Do I think it will really kill me? No.” Thibaut’s political consultant is less circumspect. “I will tell you, Bernie’s a disaster in Texas if he’s the nominee,” says Keir Murray, sitting beside Thibaut. “Down-ballot candidates will be hard pressed to make gains; some recently elected incumbents will struggle to survive if he’s the nominee. He’s just not, I don’t think, the cup of tea for this state.”

But progressives in Texas say Sanders can help reach new voters that could be pivotal to the Democrats’ gaining new ground in the state. Mike Siegel, a progressive candidate running in Texas’ 10th congressional district, which abuts the Harris County suburbs, says he thinks Sanders is the best Democrat to power the party’s goals in Texas. “It’s just a very sophisticated, intersectional approach to campaigning, and it’s a very bottom-up strategy for each community,” Siegel says. Siegel nearly flipped the seat he is running for in 2018, and thinks that this time he will find success because of continuity in message and a more sophisticated operation. He believes the same is true for Sanders.

Siegel and other progressives also point to former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who came up a few points short in his bid for Senator Ted Cruz’s seat in 2018, as evidence that there is a home in Texas for progressive ideas. O’Rourke, who also ran a failed presidential campaign this cycle, drew out a lot of new voters in his Senate run and came close to beating Cruz on what was considered by many in the Democratic establishment to be too progressive of a platform for such a red state.

Democratic organizers in Texas often say, “Texas is not a red state. It’s a non-voting one.” Sanders’ strategy of trying to motivate new voters, including Latinos, meshes with what Democrats have already been trying to do in Texas. Texas Organizing Project, a progressive grassroots organization whose core constituencies are black and Latino voters, estimates there are half a million eligible but unregistered voters of color in Harris County, one of several they have a presence in. They’ve been working to turn them out for a decade and say they’re starting to see an impact. In 2018, for example, progressive Lina Hidalgo, who the group organized for, was elected as Harris County judge in an upset victory over an incumbent Republican. Hidalgo is the first Latina and woman to serve in that position.

In February, Sanders got TOP’s endorsement. “He excites people,” says Mary Moreno, TOP’s communications director. Days before the state votes on Super Tuesday, the Houston office is busy with volunteers phone banking and getting ready to go out and canvass for down-ballot candidates. “It’s not enough that people are afraid of Trump or don’t like Trump, right?” Moreno adds. “We need someone they can vote for, somebody who they’re excited about. And I think that’s what Bernie Sanders does. People are excited to vote for him.”

Whether they share that enthusiasm or are anxious about Sanders’ long-term impact in local politics, most Texan Democrats agree on this: They want President Donald Trump out of the White House. Getting behind the Democratic candidate, whoever it is, will be key to making that happen, says Erika Rocha, the Texas State Director for Swing Left, a group working to flip swing areas blue.

Rocha says he doesn’t know what the effect would be on other Democrats if Sanders is the nominee. We’ll have to see what that looks like when people cast their ballots,” she says. “Unifying in support of the eventual Democratic nominee is going to be for everybody up and down the ballot.”

By Lissandra Villa / Houston, Texas on March 02, 2020 at 02:54PM

[kdeakins17ahs-blog]

Interest Groups and PACs

1a. Human Rights Campaign

b. The Human Rights Campaign and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation together serve as America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ equality.

c. This group believes in LGBTQ+ equality and all around human equality. The top story for this interest group is the breaking news that the discriminatory anti-transgender amendment passes Texas house. A few events this group has coming up is the DC Black Pride and Gay Days Orlando. 

d. This group endorses a legislation or specific policy to Help HRC Stop HB3859 in Texas. With just days left in this year’s legislative session, extremist members of the Texas legislature are not giving up their attacks on LGBTQ Texans and their families. They are under attack from all sides, and they need us to stand with them to stop Texas from becoming the shame of our nation. While there are many legislative assaults against LGBTQ Texans and their families, HB3859 is one of the worst of them and it’s only one step away from going to the Governor’s desk for signature and becoming law. That’s why they need you NOW. They want us to send a message to our State Senator opposing HB3859 using the link on their website and have people spread the word. 

e. This interest group is located in Washington, DC. There are no local meetings I could attend.

f. There are volunteer opportunities to work at the gala’s the group hosts like working the ticket booths or helping with the auctions. 

2a. Equality California

b. Equality California and its sister organizations, Equality California Institute and Equality California PAC, share a common mission to ensure and promote dignity, safety and equality for all of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. Equality California, formerly known as California Alliance for Pride and Equality (CAPE), was founded in 1998

c. This group believes in the safety and equality of all LGBTQ+ people. Equality California sponsors advocacy day in the California capitol. Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender civil rights organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society.

d. This group endorses a legislation called, AJR 45: Resolution in Support of the Equality Act: This resolution calls on Congress to enact the Equality Act. The Equality Act updates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system

e. This interest group is located in Los Angeles, CA. There are also no local meetings I could attend. 

f. There are volunteer opportunities to get involved at their offices and events throughout the state and in many different capacities.

4. The Human Rights Campaign seems to be the most organized and successful group out of the 3. Their target audience is the LGBTQ+ community as well as their supporters. 

5a. Equality PAC

b. Equality PAC with the Human Rights/ Gay & lesbian rights & issues industry. Treasurer is Jennifer May. Equality for the LGBTQ+ community as well as all humans. 

c. Their total receipt is $213,938, they have spent $128,152 and they have $2,178 cash on hand.

d. 100% to Democrats, 0% to Republicans; total to Democrats: $32,750, total to Republicans: $0

e. Some of this PACs donors include, Stephen Schutz, Kirk Freeman, Peter Leon and Cindy Phillips.

[leftpress]

Down-Ballot Victory for DSA Member in Austin, Texas

DSA Members Glenn Scott, Julie Nitsch, and Claudia Corum.

Bridget Tobin, Richard Croxdale, Glenn Scott, and Dale Webb | 1/16/17

In a remarkable, unexpected down-ballot election victory in Austin, Texas, DSA member and Sanders campaign activist Julie Ann Nitsch won her runoff for Austin Community College (ACC) Board of Trustees on December 13th.

Nitsch started her campaign at a clear disadvantage, lacking name recognition or a political resume. She had never held a public office, or served on any local boards or commissions. Meanwhile, her strongest opponent had served as ACC Trustee for the previous 6 years, had a long resume of community activism, and received endorsements from most local Democratic elected officials and leaders.

But Nitsch did have the strong backing of a huge Bernie movement in Central Texas, a DSA chapter whose large membership provided over 100 block walkers and phone bankers, and the full support of Our Revolution (the national organization that grew out of the Sanders campaign) in the runoff election.

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Nitsch’s leadership in the Sanders campaign gained her the respect and support of hundreds of volunteers. After volunteering for the campaign in the summer of 2015, Nitsch became the Campaign Coordinator of Texans for Bernie for Travis County and, later, one of 5 Austin DSA members who served as Sanders delegates at the DNC.

Following Bernie’s loss in the primary, Nitsch’s campaign manager and digital director Liz Webster said “we realized we were no longer alone. We didn’t have to fight on our own.” She adds that in the wake of the Democratic National Convention in August, “These people were fired up and needed a candidate and Julie was the real deal. She was ready to do it and she was ready to stand up for them.”

People were also drawn to Nitsch by the strong progressive agenda she outline for ACC, which is the 3rd largest community college in Texas, with over 40,000 students spread over three counties. Nitsch was the first ACC candidate to advocate for creating child care services for students, for offering reproductive health care, and for improving affordable transportation for the rapidly growing student population. As a former student and former employee at ACC, she incorporated the spirit of Sanders national agenda and his democratic socialist vision into her platform.

“I want to improve access to higher education by removing the obstacles that affect working class people,” Nitsch said when Our Revolution endorsed her campaign in August of 2016. “I am working class and, like so many others, I struggled to achieve my higher education. I know and deeply understand the hurdles people face in higher education, which is why I am so passionate about increasing access to the life-changing wisdom imparted through Austin Community College.”

Nitsch's progressive vision and strong support base made for a vigorous, people-powered campaign. According to Austin DSA Co-Chair Danny Fetonte, “DSA members provided the foot soldiers for the campaign.” Nearly 300 DSAers staffed phone banks, attended Democratic Clubs and union meetings with Nitsch, block walked, did mailings, and put up signs at member’s homes and at friendly businesses.  

Our Revolution also played a pivotal role in Nitsch’s victory. They sent over 51,000 text messages and made over 13,000 calls to supporters during the campaign. According to volunteers, many of the people that voted for Nitsch did so as a direct result of Our Revolution’s concerted efforts.

Also crucial to the campaign was Nitsch's digital strategy. Campaign manager Liz Webster, who also worked on the campaign's graphic design, ensured that when voters heard the Nitsch's name, they would be able to Google it and see a highly professional website and online presence with consistent, powerful messages.

Another key player in Nitsch’s win was the Central Labor Council, who endorsed Nitsch early on. An important step to winning the Labor Council's support was earning the backing of the ACC-AFT local, the ACC faculty and support staff union. Although Nitsch’s chief opponent, Guadalupe Sosa, had served the previous 6 years as Trustee in a different at-large seat, the AFT local passed over Sosa and delivered their endorsement to Nitsch. According to Webster, Nitsch received the endorsement “by really being there,” and because “her candidacy stood out. They had seen her be such an active part of the Bernie movement. They’d seen the proof in the pudding; she had a consistent message in advocating for the working class.”

ACC-AFT also supported Nitsch for her insistence on transparency and the need for the board to receive clear information from the administration. They felt Nitsch would listen to the union’s position and would allow their issues and voices to be heard.

The final element of the winning coalition was a local Bernie-inspired progressive group called Left Up to Us (LUTU). According to their website, several Sanders staffers and volunteers started the group with the mission to “answer the call for a progressive political revolution by actively organizing to engage and educate the community.” For Nitsch's campaign, dozens of LUTU activists helped by phone banking, block walking, and text banking.

In the general election on November 8th, Nitsch delivered a strong second place finish with over 34% in a four-way race, while Sosa took just over 40%. With no candidate receiving over 50% of the vote, the race went into a runoff election on December 13th. The 5-week period between these dates gave the Nitsch campaign a renewed path to victory. Our Revolution hosted statewide and out-of-state phone banks to get out the vote for Nitsch, their only endorsed candidate in a runoff.

On the ground in Travis, Hays, and Williamson Counties, the Nitsch campaign targeted mostly Democrat-leaning known voters, a noticeable departure from Nitch's general election strategy of reaching out to voters disengaged from the political process. The campaign focused on the neighborhoods where they could win and turn out the vote, which meant talking to the roughly 10,000 people who had the most consistent voting records. Ultimately, Nitsch's strong grassroots support and pivot in voter strategy led her to a stunning 2 to 1 runoff victory.

The Julie Ann Nitsch Campaign is a case study of successful local organizing and grassroots campaigning. The value of having a candidate who people see as believable and who is capable in representing their community cannot be overstated. Despite her well-supported opponent, Nitsch won 59% of the vote because, as she'll tell you, “you just can’t replace passion with money.”

Bridget Tobin, Richard Croxdale, and Glenn Scott are members of Austin DSA. Dale Webb is a member of Austin-based progressive group Left Up To Us.

Individually signed posts do not necessarily reflect the views of DSA as an organization or its leadership. Democratic Left blog post submission guidelines can be found here.

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[dunmertitty]

[id: image from a poorly designed homophobic christian website that reads “One of the most dangerous ways Homosexuality invades family life is through popular music.  Parents, please keep careful watch over your children’s listening habits.  Especially in this age of Internet mp3 piracy.

There are multiple levels of Gay Music.  Some bands are what we like to call Gateway Bands.  They lure children in with Pop Grooves and Salacious Melodies leaving them wanting more.  They’ll move on to more dangerous bands and the next thing you know you’ve got a homosexual for a child.

We’ve taken the time to highlight the bands that are particularly Gay.  Please take the time and dissect your child’s CD / iTunes catalog. If you find 3 or more of these bands in their collection it is time to take action.

We Strongly recommend that you burn the CDs.  Make sure your child is watching.  Make sure they can feel the heat. It is crucial that the image remains emblazoned in their young minds. They need to know that if they continue to listen to these bands they may Burn eternally as well.

Bands to watch out for

• Lady Gaga (tricks girls into lesbianism)

• Ween (Rainbow)

• Lil'Wayne

• P!nK (gay family)

• The Black Keys

• Coldplay

• SlipKnot (make-up)

• RadioHead

• Michael Jackson

• Justin Bieber (gay bullying)

• Boredoms

• School of Seven Bells (gay twins)

• Jason Mraz

• Jonas Brothers

• Rilo Kiley

• Death Cab for Cutie

• Sarah McLachlan

• George Strait

• Cold War Kids

• Toby Keith (cowboy)

• P-Diddy

• Black People

• Vampire Weekend

• King Crimson

• Kate Bush (kissed a girl)

• Bob Dylan 

• Fleet Foxes 

• Sigur Ros (nudists)

• Twisted Sister

• The Spores (endorse suicide)

• Scissor Sisters

• Turbonegro

• Rufus Wainwright

• Merzbau

• Ravi Shankar

• The Butchies (lizbians)

• Wilco

• Bjork (mb)

• Tech N9ne

• Ghostface Killah

• Bobby Conn

• Morton Subotnik

• Cole Porter

• The String Cheese Incident

• Eagles of Death Metal

• Polyphonic Spree

• The Faint

• Interpol

• Twisted Sister (jj)

• Tegan and Sara

• Erasure

• The Grateful Dead (drugs too)

• Le Tigre

• Marilyn Manson (dark gay)

• The Gossip

• The Magnetic Fields

• The Doors

• Phish

• Queen

• The Strokes

• Morrissey(?questionable?)

• Metallica

•

• Judas Priest

• The Village People

• The Secret Handshake

• The Rolling Stones

• David Bowie

• Frankie Goes to Hollywood

• Man or Astroman

• Richard Cheese

• Jay-Z

• Depeche Mode

• Kansas

• Ani DiFranco

• Fischerspooner

• John Mayer

• George Michael (texan)

• Angel Eyes

• The Indigo Girls

• Velvet Underground

• Madonna

• Elton John

• Barry Manilow

• Indigo Girls

• Melissa Etheridge

• Eminmen

• Nirvana

• Boy George

• Jon Brion

• The Killers

• Lou Reed

• Lil' Wayne

• Motorhead

• Jill Sobule

• Wilson Phillips

• DMX

• Wesley Willis

• Lisa Loeb

• Ted Nugent (loincloth)

• Dogstar

• Thirty Seconds to Mars

• Lil' Kim

• kd lang

• Frank Sinatra

• Hinder

• Nickleback

• Justus Kohncke

• Bob Mould

• Clay Aiken

• Arcade Fire

• Bright Eyes

• Corinne Bailey Rae

• Audioslave

• Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Panic at the Disco

• The Cure (makeup)

• Spin Doctors

• The Deers

• Lindsey Lohan

• The Smiths

• Beck

• Tom Waits

• The Cramps

• Cannibal Corpse

• Britney Spears(kissed Madonna)

• Perfect Sin

• The Queers

• NoFx(gay punk)

• Soup Dragons

• Elton John(really gay)

In Our effort to keep this list up to date we'd appreciate your help. If you know of a band that is Gay or propogating a Gay message please email us so we can update. Donnie is handling this his email is: DonnieDavies@gmail.com

The response is overwhelming. You guys know of a lot more Gay Bands than I do. I can't keep up. Hopefully soon we'll have it so you can add them by yourself.” end id]

look i know homophobes are dangerous but this is the funniest fucking shit i’ve ever seen

[itsfinancethings]

New story in Politics from Time: Gun Safety Issues Helped Democrats Flip Virginia’s General Assembly in 2019. Is Texas Next?

In 2019, Democratic legislators gained a majority in both Virginia’s state House and Senate for the first time in decades. After polls had closed, a survey of 600 swing district voters commissioned by gun control advocacy group Everytown For Gun Safety (Everytown) found that the issue that had most impacted their votes wasn’t related to the economy or even health care. It was a lawmaker’s position on guns.

Following the Virginia Beach mass shooting, Everytown spent $2.5 million on the state’s legislative races, focusing on Republican lawmakers who had resisted passing gun reform. Everytown became the largest outside spender in the election, outspending the National Rifle Association (NRA) by a four-to-one margin.

But can gun safety issues similarly mobilize voters in 2020 amid what to many may seem more pressing issues: a global pandemic, mass unemployment and calls to end systemic racism? Everytown believes so—the group, largely financed by Michael Bloomberg, is hoping to repeat their success in Virginia with $10 million focused on state legislative races alone, including seven-figure buys aimed at flipping state legislative chambers in Arizona, North Carolina, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Iowa and even Texas.

“Sometimes Congress is the curtain-raiser and sometimes it’s the finale, and that is certainly true when it comes to gun safety,” Everytown’s President John Feinblatt tells TIME in an email. “[Working] in the states is key to making sure that the majority of Americans who favor common-sense gun safety are represented by gun sense majorities.”

Of all the state legislative races, Everytown plans on spending the most in Texas. The group will be allocating at least $2.5 million to flipping the state House to what they call a “gun sense” majority, investing in digital advertising, direct mail and television ads on the issue of gun safety.

Read more: Guns Have Divided America. Here’s What Happens When 245 People Try to Meet in the Middle

“Texas is something of a microcosm [for] the politics of guns in the rest of the country,” says James Henson, a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin and the director of the Texas Politics Project.

Until a few years ago, most of the organizing around gun laws in the state supported loosening restrictions, he says. But after several mass shootings—including 2017’s Sutherland Springs shooting that killed 26, 2018’s Santa Fe shooting that killed 10 and 2019’s El Paso shooting that killed 23—gun control groups have become much more active and “changed the terrain to some degree,” Henson continues.

A February survey conducted by Everytown found Texas voters supported stronger gun laws by a 5:1 margin; 78% said a candidate’s stance on guns was “very important” to their vote.

To take the Texas House, Democrats need to flip nine seats. “It’s not going to be enough to simply overwhelm Republicans by mobilizing the Democratic base,” says Mark P. Jones, a fellow in political science at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. “They’re going to have to convince a subset of voters who normally vote Republican to vote Democratic this time around.”

That’s not out of the question, Jones says, especially in the suburbs of Dallas and Houston, where the battle over the state House is primarily playing out. “It all depends on exactly how they pitch [gun control]—as responsible but not anti-Second Amendment rights,” he continues. In terms of specific gun reforms, Jones says Republican-leaning voters tend to most commonly support universal background checks and stricter restrictions on assault rifles.

An Everytown messaging survey undertaken in July also found that gun violence prevention was one of the most “persuasive” messages among voters in battleground House districts.

Read more: I’ve Supported the Second Amendment My Whole Life. It’s Time for Reasonable Gun Control

The Dallas and Houston suburbs—which include 80% of Everytown’s Texas target districts—have also undergone demographic changes in recent years that buoy Democrats’ hopes. Some Republican lawmakers there were only reelected by razor-thin margins in 2018, including Republican Rep. Jeff Leach, who represents House District 67 in suburban Dallas.

Leach—who received an A rating from the NRA in 2018—is now facing Democrat Lorenzo Sanchez, who’s been endorsed by Moms Demand Gun Action, Everytown’s grassroots organizing arm.

“I take the issue of gun violence seriously, and I know that we can take action that will reduce harm, while also protecting the average Texans right to own a firearm,” Sanchez tells TIME in a statement.

Sanchez says gun reform is especially important to him because the white supremacist El Paso shooter lived in House District 67. “He easily could have chosen to go to our local Walmart and opened fire on myself, my family, friends, and others within our own community,” Sanchez says.

Leach did not respond to TIME’s request for comment.

Henson notes polling done by his Texas Politics Project found that the changing opinion on gun safety “in these suburban districts has more to do with the changing composition than it has to do with any major change in attitudes on guns.” And an early August poll from The Economist and YouGov of U.S. adults found that only 5% of respondents said gun control was the most important issue to them; 23%, on the other hand, said jobs and the economy.

But as Mark R. Joslyn, a professor at the University of Kansas and author of The Gun Gap: The Influence of Gun Ownership on Political Behavior and Attitude, notes, gun control doesn’t have to be a voter’s number one issue for it to affect an election.

“The pandemic has exacerbated this crisis, and racial justice protests have put the connection between gun violence, police violence, and criminal justice reform into sharp focus,” Everytown’s Feinblatt says.

“Gun safety is a double-threat,” he continues. “It persuades independents, and it mobilizes vital demographics, including suburban women, communities of color, and young people.”

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