California – * Failed Pols

I do not fault stupid people for making the stupid decision to elect Donald Trump in 2016.

I do fault smart people for making stupid decisions. These include:

1. Senators who voted to acquit Donald Trump in his no-witnesses-allowed impeachment trial, including primarily Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell:

* Impeachment of Donald Trump (2020-02-05)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Donald_Trump#Acquittal

* Mitch McConnell (2020-02-05)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_McConnell#Impeachment_trial

2. Members of the GOP who voted to disenfranchise voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – before, during, and AFTER the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol – including Paul Gosar (AZ-04), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Jody Hice (R–GA-10), Mo Brooks (R–AL-05), Scott Perry (R–PA-10), Josh Hawley (R–MO), and Louie Gohmert (R–TX-01).

* 2021 Storming Of The United States Capitol (2021-01-06)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_storming_of_the_United_States_Capitol

* 2020 United States Presidential Election Electoral College Count (2021-01-06 – 2021-01-07)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_Electoral_College_count

3. Donald Trump’s cabinet, who could have invoked the 25th Amendment to remove POTUS at any time:

* Cabinet Of Donald Trump (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Donald_Trump

4. Social media, including especially Facebook and Twitter, for allowing their social networks to be used as platforms for hate speech.

* Donald Trump On Social Media (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_on_social_media#2021

5. Mainstream media, including especially CNN (on the left) and Fox News (on the right) for not doing their jobs – asking questions until they get answers – and allowing POTUS to lie unchecked.

* Veracity Of Statements By Donald Trump (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veracity_of_statements_by_Donald_Trump

6. Lawmakers at all levels, for failing to fix bad laws and for failing to enact good laws. Changes that must be made going forward include:

Limiting POTUS power:

Executive order power must be limited.
All cabinet members (acting/interim/actual) must be confirmed by Senate.
Treaties and tariffs must be the role of Congress so that POTUS cannot engage in trade wars.
War Powers Act must be updated to limit POTUS power to deploy the military.
Special Counsel Act must be updated to make clear that POTUS cannot fire special counsel.

Writing better and new laws:

Impeachment Act of 2021, to define how impeachment is conducted, including the requirement to have witnesses.
Follow the lead of The Restatements Of The Law project (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restatements_of_the_Law) and codify major SCOTUS cases, including especially Roe v. Wade.
Fix the Census.
Fix immigration.
Fix SCOTUS processes, such as limiting appointments to 2 per POTUS with the number of SCOTUS justices fixed at the number of Federal Circuits (currently 13).
Election reform, including who is qualified to run for POTUS and that tax forms must be disclosed to do so.

Just to name a few.

Stupid people, bad laws, and lies got us into this mess.

Smart people, good laws, and the truth can get us out of this mess.

LAW >> MAN.

#FailedPols
https://www.failblog.com/

The California Democratic party has declined to give Senator Dianne Feinstein its endorsement in her recent bid for re-election. As the party appears to be in search of a new direction, only 37 percent of delegates voted in support of Feinstein. Many members of the Democratic Party see Dianne Feinstein’s views, such as her support of the death penalty, as too far to the right, and this has caused her to have a volatile relationship with the party.

Feinstein’s challenger, State Senate Leader Kevin de Leon, is running to the left of Feinstein on issues such as taxes, health care, and immigration. De Leon beat Feinstein in the Convention vote by 17 points. Neither de Leon nor Feinstein, however, got the 60 percent vote needed for the Democratic Party endorsement. Still, heading into the June primary, de Leon counts the outcome as a major victory.

It’s worth noting, though, that Democrats at the Democratic Convention don’t necessarily reflect the party’s voters, in general. The convention is dominated by those who tend to be activists, and the votes de Leon won were the activist votes. Kevin de Leon captured 19 percent of likely voters who are Democrats, and Feinstein captured 67 percent.

Dianne Feinstein acknowledged that times are changing, and the political climate is different this year. “This is not an easy time to run for office. I have never seen the presidency…as disgraced as it is today. We are Democrats, not because we don’t like business, or not because we don’t like their professions, but because we recognize that America is made up of many different people, each of whom has equal rights under the law. And the struggle is to see that this country lives that way.”

The outcome of the California Democratic Party nomination however, isn’t likely to hurt Dianne Feinstein at the election booth. In the polls, Feinstein currently out-shines de Leon by almost 30 points – Feinstein is at 56 percent, and de Leon, at 17 percent. Dianne Feinstein also leads in name recognition, as well as in campaign funds raised to date.

Nevertheless, we should take note. Voters are indicating that they’re tired of the traditional Democratic paradigm. Especially in light of the Trump presidency, Democrats appear to be setting a more radical direction for the future of the party. Dianne Feinstein, a longstanding fixture of the Democratic party, may prove to represent ever fewer of the principles of the current party.

FEINSTEIN: State Democratic Party Does Not Endorse Sen. Dianne Feinstein | CBS SF Bay Area. [2018-02-25]

California Democrats Decline to Endorse Dianne Feinstein | [2018-02-25]

Category: California

* Erik’s Editorial: The Guilty Parties Who Put American Democracy At Risk In The Name Of Donald Trump

Diane Feinstein: An Outdated Paradigm?