Voter Suppression – the New Jim Crow?

I remember the TV movie in 1974 starring Cicely Tyson called the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, where she portrayed an elderly former slave who sets out to vote for the first time. For many, this fictional story put a face on the battle to vote, just as Rosa Parks put a human face on public accommodations for some. For others, the assault on John Lewis and many marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965 brought the issue of voting into their living rooms. The Voting Rights Act was first passed in 1965. At that time there were only 6 elected African American members in the Congress; there were none in the Senate. Throughout the years many have cheered as more African Americans were elected to office and appointed to prominent positions in academia and government. Today there are 58 African American Representatives, 56 are Democrats; 2 are Republicans. There are 2 Democratic Black Senators and one Republican. The most recent black Democratic Senator (from Georgia) was just elected in January. Former Senator Kamala Harris was previously the second Black Democratic Senator.

Black voters made the difference in many states this year in the Presidential election.  Many urban areas have large numbers of African American voters; many of these voters vote Democratic. Nowhere was the difference more obvious than in the Run-off elections in January in Georgia.  There the heavy turnout by black voters made a difference in the two close elections for Senate.  The winning of these two seats by the Democrats was explosive as it turned the Senate from the leadership of Republican Mitch McConnell to that of Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. It also put the Senate on edge as it was balanced 50-50.  This narrow balance meant that a return to power was within reach for the Republicans. Only one Democratic Senator needed to retire or die, to challenge the tenuous balance. The 2022 interims also were seen as pick-ups as the party in the White House often lost seats during the mid-terms.

Republicans across the country, especially in battleground states where they held control, got busy trying to re-write election laws that many thought were overly permissive. They especially targeted mail-in ballots, echoing the claims by the former president that these ballots were not correctly certified. Even though there has been no proof that this was the case and more than 60 court challenges from the election have been overturned, state parties persisted.  Many were led by MAGA die-hards who were not amenable to listening to facts. Several state parties have also targeted or purged their own elected Republicans who voted for or supported impeachment.

Essentially, they are setting out a formula to solve the problem of election fraud which does not exist.  However, they are also targeting a problem which in their minds, does exist:  Too many African Americans voted in the election which saw the most Americans ever turning out to vote. Brookings reports that in the 2020 presidential election 50% of all voters in Georgia were African American, as were 20% in Michigan and 21% in Pennsylvania. The Brookings article - How Black Americans Saved Biden and American Democracy also notes that black voters are becoming significant populations in many suburban areas and were very much turned off by the racist rhetoric of the former president. In the opinion of this author (Rashawn Ray), back voters saved democracy. According to Ray “Eight years of Trump rule would have destroyed American democracy and altered the future of the country and the world.”  I agree with his discussion.

As mentioned by Don Lemon on CNN the other evening, the new restrictive voter laws in Georgia aren’t quite the same as asking potential voters how many jelly beans are in the Candy Jar, but they are not far off. The purpose is still the same, it is voter intimidation and suppression. The restrictions are also anti-democratic and are meant to decrease not only the numbers of voters eligible to vote but also to discourage those who do show up. While Gerrymandering has been described as drawing precinct lines to pick “your” voters, these laws set out to lessen access to voting. They take away from the Secretary of State the right to certify the election; the current secretary was the one harassed by the former president to overturn the results. (The election results in Georgia were counted and recounted and recertified multiple times, so should not have been challenged.)

The power is also given to the state to overrule the actions of county boards of elections, so results or certified voter rolls from boards in predominately black counties could be selectively dismissed. It allows unlimited challenges of voter eligibility and applies new voter ID laws to mail-in voting.  It also criminalizes the distribution of food or water to voters in long election lines. Note: the long lines are more often in black neighborhoods which have fewer polling places, so it essentially is creating a problem and chastising those who might attempt to make it less onerous. The numbers of drop boxes for absentee ballots are also being decreased. According to the former candidate for Governor and voter rights advocate, Stacey Abrams, this new law is “Jim Crow in a suit and tie.” Her voter rights group, the ACLU, and others have already filed suit to block these laws, so we will see how it all progresses in the future.

However, this is one of many states which is trying to enact laws restricting voter access and registration. The Brennan Center has noted that across the US, in a comprehensive effort, more than 250 laws are currently proposed in 43 states which would limit access to voting. Is it me, or is this a result of Republican sore losers trying to change the rules, or a bunch of fanatics trying to push the “Big Lie” of voter fraud?  I would guess that it is probably both factions each trying to undermine our democracy. Maybe I have a poor memory, but I do not remember the Democratic Party ever launching such a campaign. Where are the responsible Republicans who could speak out against these actions?

According to Vox: The obvious parallel in American history, as people like Abrams note, is Jim Crow — voting laws in Southern states that effectively blocked Black voters from casting ballots. To be clear, the current Georgia system is nowhere near as restrictive as the way things worked in the pre-civil rights South. But scholars who study that period still think the current bill should trouble anyone committed to democracy, in part because (unlike Jim Crow) it represents a coherent national Republican approach to voting issues rather than the interests of one sectional faction.

As all of the discussion above shows, the necessity of passing the voting rights bill and the John Lewis voting bill becomes more imperative. We need national voting rights legislation to prevent the abuses noted above.  We need a bill that, unlike the original voting rights bill, does not have a sunset clause and requires periodic recertification. As I have mentioned before, in my opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts significantly erred in his Shelby County v Holder decision and has perpetuated this abuse such as with these new laws. I can only hope if this Georgia law and other similar regulations head to appeal courts that they are overturned that the denials are eventually upheld at the Supreme Court level, but who knows how this will turn out?

Sylvia Alpert, director of Common Cause, writing in Roll Call makes a strong case for passing the “For the People Act” and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. She states that after a record voter turnout, many states are using bogus “election integrity issues” to restrict those who will be able to vote. She mentions targeting young voters and voters of color and purging of voters, while arguing that, instead, we should be increasing access to the ballot box. Please contact your elected officials; we may well need to get past the filibuster to get these enacted.

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Sadly, we are starting to see an increase in COVID cases in the US, possibly due to the lifting of restrictions in several states. but happily, we are reporting more than 3.5 million vaccinations were completed on Saturday. 93.6 million people have been vaccinated with one dose; 53.6 million of that total are fully vaccinated. The population of the US is over 330 million, so we have a ways to go (that number does include children who are not yet being vaccinated.) Maryland has vaccinated about 30% of its’ residents, so the state vaccination numbers are improving, even as cases are increasing.

COVID stats NY Times:

Total US cases: 30,281,700. Total new cases: 60,302.

Total US deaths: 548,829. Total new deaths: 780.

Maryland Total cases: 406,709. Total new cases: 1,366.

                Total deaths: 8,246.     Total new deaths: 14.

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Other news this week included the horrific murders of ten people at a neighborhood grocery store in Boulder, Colorado by another disturbed young man with a powerful gun. Ironically, the city had banned the use and sales of automatic guns, but this was taken to court by gun rights organizations and placed on hold by a local judge this month. Why do these gun organizations have more rights than the rest of us have so that we can go shopping and remain safe? Or go to school, a spa, the movies, or attend a concert?  Come on Congress – do something!

The immigration issue remains a confounding one with thousands of families and young people crossing the border from Mexico. Many of the facilities which could have been used had been shut down by the previous administration, making the issue currently more problematic. Republican legislators who showed no concerns when their president took thousands of children away from their parents are now showboating at the border. Did you catch Senator Cruz doing his best imitation of Washington Crossing the Delaware while standing on a Coast Guard boat on the Rio Grande?! Too bad he was quite busy elsewhere when he could have served on active duty!

            ‘Til next week – peace!                                   

A Very Bad Day

 

The promise of America has always been somewhat cliched: “The land of opportunity” “Streets are paved with gold.” Or as Emma Lazarus wrote in part in 1883 in her poem The New Colossus: (In words now on the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island as a welcome to immigrants)

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

For some these promises have come true.  Americans love to hear of the children of the immigrants or immigrants themselves who rose to become giants of American business or politics.  A few examples of immigrants are Sergey Brin, founder of Google (Russia), Hamdi Uluakay – Chobani yogurt (Kurd from Turkey), Levi Strauss – Levi Jeans, Germany), Madeline Albright – Secretary of State (Czechoslovakia), I.M. Pei Architect (China), David Ho, MD, AIDS researcher (Taiwan), Elon Musk, entrepreneur, inventor, Tesla, Space X (South Africa).

Some prominent first-generation achievers have been: Lee Iacocca, head of Ford motor co. (son of an Italian immigrant). Colin Powell, US Army General - 4 Star, Secretary of State, (son of Jamaican immigrants), Kamala Harris, Senator, US VP, (parents from Jamaica and India), Marco Rubio, Senator [R-Florida] - (parents were from Cuba).

These people made it through many trials to become what we call successes or proponents of the American Dream.  Few of us know what it took for them to make these achievements, but for each the story was different.  None of these people came from inherited wealth, so in some aspects, it might be said that they were self-made men and women. However, if you read their memoirs or biographies, each would indicate that they had lots of help along life’s paths as well as some setbacks. In short, they were stories of people who overcame obstacles, were smart, and became well educated to carry out their dreams. Unfortunately, their stories are not that for the typical American immigrant, even though it is true that children of immigrants typically improve the family status in life.

For many immigrants, they are “the other”, the unseen, the disregarded, the ignored members of society. They live with others from their regions, they mix seldom with the general population and they have little money, status, or political power in this so-called classless society. Often the immigrant does not have literacy in English and does not speak the language well. This inability to interact further serves to isolate them.  So, when demagogues decide to scapegoat their national origin, they have few tools with which to resist and often retreat further.

The Washington Post today highlighted the “very bad days” which happened in recent years in many other minority communities.  The listed the following mass murders:

“Time and time again you’ve seen some of the most vulnerable communities in this country threatened by this lethal nexus of hatred and unregulated access to firearms,” said Peter Ambler, executive director of the gun control advocacy group launched by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

He listed the targets of recent mass shootings motivated by prejudice: Latinos at a Walmart in El Paso. A synagogue in Pittsburgh. A gay nightclub in Orlando. A Black church in Charleston, S.C. A Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

 

The article went on to say “that these killings fit a pattern of racism and misogyny directed at Asian women”, …as well as the hate-filled gun violence noted above. 

Another Post article noted the following:

“The violent end to their lives has opened a window into the experiences of low-wage immigrant Asian and Asian American women in a stigmatized profession, and has ignited a difficult national conversation about race, class, and gender in the United States.”

 

Of course, it does not help the situation at all to note that the lax gun laws in Georgia allowed this young man to purchase a gun and walk out with it on the same day and use it to kill eight people. It has been said that he purchased this gun legally and passed a background check. If he had had a five- or ten-day waiting period, maybe he would have had time to calm down and not gone on a rampage. I guess we will never know, but I am tired of mostly young, white guys, alienated from society for whatever reason, getting guns and killing people without having any adequate brakes in the system to identify them and stop these repeated murderous events. As with school shootings, some people know these guys; these shootings cannot and must not continue.

The shootings in the Atlanta region additionally highlighted the plight of the working-class Asian immigrants. The worker in one of the spas had difficulty calling the police due to her poor command of English. The murdered workers were said to work 12-hour days with few benefits. The business owners themselves put in long hours to keep their businesses afloat.  Were some laws for workers disregarded, probably, but they knew their workers would also not be likely to complain. These were hard workers, described as such by co-workers and family members. These women were raising families under great stress but also sending their children to college. Small immigrant-run businesses help keep America in business; such labor practices are not only found in Asian communities or at spas. The New York Times did an extensive study a few years ago about nail salons in New York City and found that the mostly Asian women in these salons were routinely mistreated by their bosses and labor laws were seldom adhered to. Immigrants are exploited, mistreated, and sometimes trafficked in America, which is a sad commentary.

Many heard, as I did, the comments of the law enforcement officer who seemed to sympathize with the shooter when he quoted him as saying he was having a bad day; the victims will not have another day, what about them?  Would he have spoken otherwise had the victims been middle-class white women?  Does the shooter get to decide that this was not a hate crime when seven of the eight victims were women, and six were Asian women? Asians across the country have been speaking out against the violence they are seeing in their communities. Many claim this has been made much worse during the pandemic as Asians of all nationalities have been blamed for the COVID outbreaks, even though they might be from countries that also were victimized by the virus, such as the Philippines or even Thailand. In California, an elderly Thai man walking down his street was badly beaten and died from his injuries. It has certainly not helped that the former president and many of his Republican associates have repeated statements such as “China virus” and “Kung flu”, which were picked up and echoed by right-wing commentators and media.

I thought it was fitting that President Biden not only spoke out against violence against Asians in his national speech last week but also that he and Vice-President Harris went to Georgia this week and met with Asian legislators and families. They repeated their emphasis that this violence must stop. One problem is that data about hate crimes is not a required crime statistic for police departments, so according to the FBI, more than 90% of the departments reported none. The Guardian noted that according to 2019 statistics, anti-Asian violence was only about 5% of the almost 5000 reported crimes, while anti-black violence was 48.5% and anti-Hispanic attacks were 14.1%. Many acts are not reported; as the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum indicated that their records show that 50% of Chinese women and 64% of Korean women had experienced slurs in public. Younger Asian women frequently mention the catcalls they receive walking down the street and the sexual comments they have to endure; they seldom report such harassment. Stop AAPI Hate, a recent group formed to combat such public attacks and violence is hoping to use the events in Georgia to educate others on what is happening and how it must be stopped. They have tallied over 3800 incidents in the last year alone. (AAPI =Asian American Pacific Islanders)

What must be said is that America is so much better than these actions. I was hopeful this summer when I saw rallies of diverse people marching with the Black Lives Matter protests. There should be no room in this big country for attacks against any minority group, ethnicity, or religious group. There should also not be any room for attacks on women, gay or transgender people. America is a diverse, but still majority-white country. According to the census in 2019 – Whites are 76%, Hispanic or Latino, 18.9%, Black (AA) 13.4%, Asian 5.9 %Native American or Hawaiian, 1.5%. (Multiple races/mixed races) 2.8%. Since white people are still the major race in this country, we have the bandwidth to make things better for everyone else. 

You know many of the appeals from the former president pushed the narrative that the minorities were taking over and taking the jobs which belonged to white people or bosses were sending their jobs to China and Mexico.  These conversations create divisions and were meant to do so. As Americans, we need to turn the conversations around and ask how we can all solve these issues together. We are much stronger when we can present a unified front to those who would cause harm to our country. Both Putin and the Chinese government have made much of our divisions; they would love to see them continue.

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COVID stats – NY Times 3/20/21

Total US Cases: 29,842,300. Total New Cases: 54,631.

Total US Deaths: 541,631.     Total new deaths: 773.

Total Maryland Cases: 399,016.  Total new Cases: 1,118.

                        Total deaths: 8,158. Total new deaths: 26.

The state of Maryland has opened more portions of the state in the last few days; case numbers are rising now. We shall see if this was premature. Certainly, watching thousands in crowded Miami streets, bars and beaches this week is worrisome; the mostly young crowds acted as if there is no COVID pandemic anymore. I fear another spike in a few weeks, even as vaccination numbers are approaching one-third of the country.

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Well, after this week, how about another look at the panda?  We can use some light entertainment.

‘Til next week, Peace.

The Longest Year

 

Th past week marked the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a world-wide Pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). For most of us it has been the longest year of our lives. Many of us have seen more deaths, lost more friends and had more life changes than at any other time in our lives. We have been locked down, shut away and separated from friends and family for long periods of time. Some have lost jobs and businesses, hopes and dreams. For both children and adults – the question was – “are we there yet or is it over?” The answer, unfortunately is still no. This year has seemed to last forever, almost an eternity.

The 17th Century theologian, Thomas Boston, defined eternity thusly: “Eternity is an ocean, whereof we never see the shore; it is a deep, where we can find no bottom; a labyrinth, from whence we cannot extricate ourselves, and where we shall ever lose the door.”

We have not quite reached that point yet, but we have hit levels that were not expected or anticipated a year ago. What is so regrettable is that it didn’t need to be this bad and we could have prevented many deaths if the virus had not become so politicized. Recently a physician described the situation regarding virus deniers and opponents to masks and vaccines: “the virus does not see Democrat, Republican or any party – it is an equal opportunity infection.” So, what will happen if the number of Americans who are refusing the vaccine keeps spreading the infections throughout their communities? Obviously, if this occurs, it will prolong the existence of Covid in our country. We do need their participation if we are ever to reach herd immunity. President Biden, in speaking to America this week, noted the Anniversary and the grief and pain that this pandemic has caused and noted that we must grieve in order to heal. He quoted Ernest Hemingway in saying that “we must be strong in all of the broken places”.

The good news is that the Biden administration’s promise of 100 million vaccines given in 100 days has already been exceeded in about half that time, so we are moving forward with getting immunity broadened. When President Biden spoke to the nation the other evening, he indicated that the US would have enough vaccines for all Americans by May 1^st and he hoped that all would be vaccinated before the 4^th of July, so people could celebrate in small family gatherings. He cautioned about rushing to open up facilities or lifting restrictions on large gatherings and mask-wearing until we are certain it is mostly behind us.

People who are vaccinated have been celebrating the opportunity to see parents and children in person and get those long-awaited hugs. Psychologically, isolation is one of the major results of this virus; Kaiser Health News noted that isolated dementia patients (even those who did not get Covid) in nursing home care had higher death rates or deteriorated more rapidly when they could not interact with friends and family. Children and teens who had long terms of virtual schooling also suffered from a lack of outside contacts. Schools are beginning to open up more fully as teachers are becoming more widely vaccinated and that is a positive result. The relief bill included funds to assist with retrofits to schools to allow for better ventilation and social distancing. With more school openings, then more parents can return to jobs as the economy slowly comes back online.

The Covid relief bill is sending more money to families and cities which should assist with the costs of back rents, increasing numbers for vaccinations, local health centers, and spurring local businesses. The President, in a Rose Garden speech, hailed it as a paradigm shift by putting working people first. It should also assist families in low-income situations and work to alleviate childhood hunger by monthly payments to families with children in addition to the onetime financial stimulus checks being sent out right now. Republicans are cheering some aspects of this legislation, even as it passed with none of their votes in support. The President, Vice-President, and their spouses will go on road trips this week to promote the measures in the bill.

Concerns are now being raised about the ability of Congress to pass any additional legislation regarding some important items on the Presidential agenda. These issues such as infrastructure projects (which have been discussed for years, but mostly ignored), voting protections and reform, background checks, and restrictions on semi-automatic arms, may need filibuster modifications if any are to be passed. With not even all of the Democrats on the same page here, this may make for a non-productive session, no matter what the President would wish. In reading President Obama’s memoir – “A Promised Land”, I saw that he discussed interactions with Mitch McConnell, who was minority leader then. When his Congressional liaison and Joe Biden went to McConnell for assistance on the major relief bill Obama needed to get passed in 2009, McConnell’s retort was: “You must be under the mistaken impression that I care.” It does not appear that he has changed much in the last11 years. McConnell has been quoted as saying in 2010, that it was his mission to make Obama a one-term President and famously kept his caucus in opposition.

McConnell, who is 79 years old, is said to be considering resigning his seat (to which he was just re-elected in 2020) if he can get the Kentucky legislature to change the rules about the Governor appointing members to fill vacancies. Currently, the Governor is a Democrat and can appoint a Democrat, but he does not have enough Democrats to support any veto he might make of a bill requiring him to do otherwise. Many Kentuckians called on McConnell to resign after he castigated the former president at the time of the Impeachment hearings, even though he did not vote for conviction. After the former president then publicly called him out, he said he would support the Republican nominee in 2024, even if it was the former losing candidate.

The former president and his echoes at Fox news called on Biden to recognize the efforts his covid health team had made in making money available to develop the vaccines, claiming that without his help it would have been five years before any were ready. Since he cannot tweet any longer, he is putting out press releases “from the desk of the 45^th president”; he does not do well without his instant response mechanism. YouTube is said to be considering dropping its ban on his broadcasts, so we will see what develops. Personally, I would prefer that no more press ink is wasted on him and his hangers-on. This week, one of his State Department-appointed political staff members was arrested for taking part at the inside the Capitol Building battle with police officers. Several members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys with possible ties to the White House or Secret Service have also been implicated in the insurrection. According to Yahoo News, the FBI has charged more than 316 persons as a result of their actions at the Capitol insurrection.

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Vaccinations are happening at an increased rate; nearly 3 million were given on Saturday alone. New Jersey is doing the best with 40% of its population vaccinated; Maryland remains far back in the group of states, around 30^th - with only 14% vaccinated. Many in the state do not understand why the governor thinks that Baltimore or Six Flags are reasonable vaccination sites for the one million residents of Montgomery County, especially those who need to use public transit. I do not understand why a large site has not been long established in the county. Governor Hogan of Maryland abruptly opened the state this week, without consultation with local officials, leading many county officials to scramble and determine local regulations.

The sign-up process is also problematic. President Biden mentioned a national sign-up database is being established which would link the visitor to a local option. That sounds quite promising, but we will see; sign-ups should not be so difficult. According to the CDC, currently, 21% of the population has received one vaccination; 11.3% are fully vaccinated.107,060,274 vaccinations had been given as of March 11^th.

Current COVID US stats (NY Times)

Total US cases: 29,460,900.  Total new cases: 49,728.

Total US deaths: 534,460.      Total new deaths: 1,846.

Maryland Cases: Total cases: 392,581.  Total new cases: 1,101.

     Total deaths: 8,038.     Total new deaths:8.

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So much news, so little time. This week was the anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor – marches were held in her honor in Louisville and elsewhere. The family of George Floyd received 27 million dollars in a wrongful death settlement from the city of Minneapolis; they will use some of the award money for the neighborhood where he died. The trial of the officer charged in his death is currently in juror selection. The teenager, Darnella Frazier, who filmed his death was given an award for courage from the PEN foundation in December.

Recently the Seuss Foundation decided to retire from print some lesser-known books which it thought had outdated or racist content. Right-wing media and the Republican Party somehow put this move on the head of Democrats, shouted ‘cancel culture', and took to reading Suess books on TV, the floor of the House and Senate. Funny, though, the books most of them chose to read, such as “Green Eggs and Ham”, were not among the books removed from print. Facts are funny, aren’t they?

‘Til next week – peace!

Help is on the Way! (mostly)

 

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the first Social Security Law in 1935, he praised the provision that these payments could not be taken from workers. It was meant as a social safety net in a country that had seen massive foreclosures in the Great Depression and still supported so-called “poor houses” for the destitute. He noted that it would provide for those workers in their old age and for those who had no job security. The first Social Security check was issued in 1940 to a retired school teacher and was for $22.54. When started, there were no benefits for farmers, self-employed or domestic workers.

Now, we are seeing that many of these securities such as unemployment benefits, child care assistance and other aids to families do not supplement enough to keep families out of poverty.  America, one of the richest countries in the world, is seeing miles-long food lines, increasing numbers of impoverished children, and new programs to provide food for children who are being virtually schooled since they can no longer get supplemental meals in the classroom. With the wide-spread job losses seen as a result of the pandemic, many community food banks no longer have the same supports for funding or extra food from businesses that have now closed.

President Biden’s COVID relief plan, known as the American Rescue Plan, passed the Senate this weekend on a partisan vote and returns to the House for minor change resolution. Not one Republican in either the House or the Senate voted for this bill even though millions of their constituents will be the beneficiaries.  (While it might be truthfully pointed out that the Democrats did not support the former president and his massive tax cut for the rich – it was not beneficial to the greater populace, but instead aided the very wealthy.) Republican Senator Ron Johnson (WI) required that the entire bill of several hundred pages be read aloud by Senate clerks before a vote could be held.  This delaying tactic just meant that the senate worked far into the night and the weekend, but changed nothing. The Bill did not include a change in the Federal Minimum Wage which was a hotly debated topic but declared improper by the Senate Parliamentarian. 

The Bill extended unemployment benefits - which were due to expire next week - until September, but reduced the amount. It also added other stimulus payments to families and children of $1,400 at a minimum, adjusted for incomes, and increased the Child Tax Credit. Other funds were allocated for vaccine administration and to assist states and local governments which have been hard hit by the economic downturn. Despite Republican claims that the economy is already coming back, it still has a long way to go with millions still out of work. Around $130 billion is meant to assist schools in getting back up and ready with modifications as necessary for social distancing and safe classrooms. Money is also available to assist families in danger of evictions or foreclosure and to assist with healthcare options.

This legislation was the first priority for the President and was passed by use of a procedure known as reconciliation in the Senate, which can only happen on budget bills.  It may be used once more this session, on a technicality.  After that, all bills in the Senate will require 60 votes unless the filibuster is done away with. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (WV) has said he will oppose its removal but has seemingly backtracked a bit, to say he wanted to impose the former idea of a filibuster, where opponents of a bill had to stay on the floor and defend their opposition for many hours.  Today, a pro forma process is used and once a filibuster is threatened, it is imposed. Manchin has been trying to get the Senate to act in a more bipartisan manner, but with Mitch McConnell as the minority leader, this does not seem possible. Without some changes in the filibuster process, the Democrats have little hope of ever getting Bills to the floor for votes.  In the previous Congress, the House sent over hundreds of passed bills to the Senate which were virtually ignored by the then-Majority leader and never brought up on the Senate agenda.  Now, while he does not have the agenda control any longer, he can still defeat any bill in a divided 50-50 Senate, just by holding his caucus together.  There is little reward for individuality as the former president has already threatened Republican Senators who voted for conviction on impeachment.

Concerns are already being voiced about the need for some changes to implement the new voting rights bill already passed by the House (HR1- the For the People Act) – and instituting the John Lewis voting rights bill. These, as currently considered, would have to pass the filibuster if they cannot get bipartisan support. However, since Republican state legislatures are already filing proposals to roll back voting rights, decrease early voting dates and increase absentee voting regulations, the hoped-for Republican support may not happen. Georgia is planning to repeal the popular Souls to the polls voting sessions so popular on the weekends with black voters.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) is holding up the vote on Judge Merritt Garland because he does not like his answers on immigration, but he can only do this for a limited time, so with any luck, the nominee for Attorney General will be approved shortly. A few other nominations were approved this week – Gina Raimondo (Commerce) and Miguel Cardona (Education) and one was withdrawn – Neera Tanden – (Office of Management and the Budget), as the old double standard remains in place.  The President has said that he will find a slot for Tanden which does not require Senate confirmation. It is a shame that talented women are held to different rules than men. More than ten cabinet nominees remain in the pended status, along with several nominees in secondary roles. The President is supposedly given a 100-day grace period to get his government in place and institute his programs.  We are almost at the halfway point of that timespan, yet he has fewer than half of his nominees in office.  It is difficult to effect change when policies are still not reviewed and new ones are not yet in place.

The Johnson & Johnson adenovirus vector vaccine rolled out this week and since it only requires one shot, many cities planned to administer it to hard-to-reach populations such as the homeless and urban poor.  However, claims were then made that it was less than effective since its efficacy rate differed from the other vaccines which use mRNA technology.  The mayor in Detroit refused delivery for that reason but later reconsidered that decision. However, health professionals indicated that since their test populations were different and included some of the variants, their effectiveness data indicated that no deaths or serious hospitalizations occurred during testing, so it is a comparable vaccine and should be acceptable to any patient. 

The President indicated this week that he wants all educators and school staff vaccinated by the end of March and hoped to have all who desire vaccinations covered by the end of May. That is an earlier date than previously anticipated, so that is good news.  What is not good news is the opening up of several states, especially as Spring Beach weeks for colleges arise. Texas Governor Abbott rolled back all restrictions on gatherings, businesses, and mask mandates this week and was followed by other Republican states in what can only be a partisan move since it was decried by health professionals. President Biden called it Neanderthal thinking which became a right-wing media outcry. Some are saying Abbott made this move to deflect the criticism he rightfully earned in the states’ mishandling of the power and water issues during recent storms.

The CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky called for responsible actions until more Americans are vaccinated and indicated that she feared another virus spike if states moved unilaterally and precipitously before our vaccinations have reached higher numbers. She noted our daily case numbers are still generally exceeding 60,000, which is far too high and should not become our plateau statistic. Currently, the US is administering more than 2.6 million vaccine doses per day.

Alaska and New Mexico have given vaccines to at least 25% of their population and lead the country, while Texas, Alabama, and Georgia are the lowest with percentages of 15 and 13%. Maryland has improved slightly from previous weeks to 18%.

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COVID Stats – NY Times: 3/6/21

US Total cases: 29,033,600. New Cases: 56,606.

Total deaths: 524,639. New deaths: 1,459.

Maryland totals: Total Cases: 368,610. New cases: 932.Total Deaths: 7,941.  New deaths: 11.

Maryland had a commemorative service statewide earlier this week to note the 7000 deaths at that time.

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It is said that new Biden Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice, who now occupies the office once inhabited by Stephen Miller, (the anti-immigrant and Muslim ban proponent of the previous administration), decorated her space with Haitian art, and burned sage to rid the office of its previous negativity. Way to go, Susan!

“Til next week – Peace!

The Tarnished Idol

 

By now you must have seen the cartoonish “golden idol” statue of the former president (DJT), dressed in flip-flops and beach attire displayed at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando Florida. Several GOP wannabees are on the schedule, Senators Lee (UT) Cruz (TX) Hawley (MO) Scott (FL) Cotton (AR) are some of the speakers; also on the list is former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Donald Trump Jr. as well as Florida Governor DeSantis.  Not attending, perhaps wisely, are former VP Mike Pence and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.  Haley is said to be on the outs since she criticized the former president after the insurrection; Pence declined an invitation to speak and is lying low for the time being.  He, of course, understood that he would not be the headliner, his former boss would perform that function. But, despite the speeches from the senators and others, until the former president steps back from his ‘will he or won’t he’ stance, none of them has a chance and will just dangle, no matter how many demagogic speeches they make.

And, as might be expected, the recently impeached insurrection instigator went against the common courtesies usually shown to predecessors and attacked President Biden for his policies. He reveled in the adulation shown by the CPAC followers in the audience who have become members of the MAGA cult, along with others from the GOP.  They applauded his lies about the previous election and cheered his hints at a possible third try for the White House. Reason and truth had no place at this conference. He encouraged further voter restrictions to keep elections from being stolen. It remains to be seen whether he will take his followers on a road trip and start campaigning, much as he did shortly after his 2016 election.  It feeds his need for applause, but certainly not the needs of this country for unity and stabilization.

I can only hope that DJT will soon be otherwise occupied by litigation, both civil and criminal; these were ignored during his presidency but now he will have to face the music, especially since the Supreme Court refused to deny access to his tax records to Federal prosecutors in New York. There are also civil suits from women who claimed abuse or worse from him as well as suits arising from the insurrection where he may also have criminal liability. In the state of Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney has launched an investigation into his actions trying to influence the counting of ballots; this is now on the horizon for a grand jury review. Since he could hardly find attorneys to represent him for the impeachment hearing, I wonder where he will now find legal representation. The crew he had for the impeachment impressed few viewers but then given a pre-ordained mostly deaf and mute Republican Senate, they did not have to.

Out in the real world, the business of governing continues. President Biden flew to Texas to review the FEMA actions toward recovery from the deep freeze, power, and water problems suffered by those who lived in the area. It is becoming quite apparent that the state must start to better regulate the maintenance of its power supplies, insist on adequate insulation and winterizing and restructure the payment of power bills from the approximately 70 separate entities providing power there. Economist and consultant James Galbraith was quoted in the Business Insider about these power issues.  He indicated that the lack of regulation led to fierce competition to provide the cheapest power so necessary maintenance and upgrades were not done. The ability to have redundancy and resilience were not built into the system, which was then left without safeguards when stressed. The system of locking customers into a fluctuating rate determined by the cost to produce power led to the outrageous bills of over 10,000 dollars and more for a week’s power. That is a ruinous rate and, even a state which dislikes regulation must see the need to step up and fix the problem. Homes that were built without insulation or protections for plumbing under freezing conditions, need to have better building codes and some retroactive refits to avoid future mishaps such as the broken pipes seen in this event.

In the House of Representatives, the massive 1.9 Trillion-dollar COVID relief bill passed on a mostly party-line vote, although 2 Democrats did defect. It is a broad bill providing payments to families and to states and assistance to speed up vaccines. It now goes to the Senate with the increase in the Federal minimum wage rate of $15.00 per hour.  The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that that clause is not appropriate in a revenue bill, so it should not be allowed when the Senate votes.  Since this bill is being presented under the Reconciliation process to not need 60 votes but can pass with a simple majority, all Democratic Senators are needed to be on board. The 15-dollar wage is a problem for Democratic Senators Manchin (WV) and Sinema (AZ) who had protested this change from the $7.25 Federal minimum wage, even though those upticks would be phased in over several years. If the Senate removes this provision, some Democrats are hoping that it could pass as a provision separately in the future.  This measure is a must-have for many in the progressive wing of the party.

Another concern for the President is the slow walking of his nominees through the senatorial hearing process.  To many Democrats, the attacks on nominees of color by the Republicans are unprecedented.  To those outside DC, you might not see it but the TV lobbying by attack groups such as Heritage Foundation and other right-wingers is unrelenting. They are airing smear campaigns against Neera Tanden, CEO of Center for American Progress and aide to President Obama on the ACA (Director, Management and Budget), Vanita Gupta, Attorney, former Obama DOJ head for Civil Rights (Associate AG), Congresswoman Deborah Haaland (Secretary of the Interior), Kristin Clark, current President of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (DOJ head for Civil Rights Division), and former Congressman Xavier Becerra (Secretary of HHS).

Many of the complaints against these nominees are certainly petty and were not issues when Republican nominees had some of the same issues.  Becerra is criticized because he is not a physician, neither was the latest HHS secretary. Tanden is criticized for her tweets – did anyone ever read the Twitter feed of the former president? Several male persons approved by a majority of Senators under the former president had many damning tweets but were not openly criticized. It should also be noted that not only are all of these persons of color but all, except Becerra, are female.  Granted, there have been some minorities approved, General Lloyd Austin and the UN Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield, both African American, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (Hispanic), to be certain, but those are small numbers. Those abysmal hearings and slanted remarks against accomplished candidates as well as the attacks on Dr. Rachel Levine (HHS – a pediatrician who is transgender) by Senator Rand Paul have not demonstrated any sense of brotherhood or humanity by the Republican senators.

What has happened to the tradition of allowing a president his nominees, unless they were woefully unqualified? The administration is standing behind all of these nominees, so I hope they will all each be approved by the full Senate.  Manchin, again, is a hold-out here; he claims to be off-put by Tanden’s tweets. I doubt, however, that there will be many cross-party votes, so all we can do is hope that they all get through this currently unfair process.

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This week The CDC and FDA evaluated the Vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson and approved it for immediate release.  Four million doses are expected to be released this week with more production next month.  This vaccine only requires a single vaccination as opposed to Moderna and Pfizer, which are two doses. Current counts indicate that more than 72 million vaccines for 14.6 % of the population have been administered in the US so far.  That pace is ahead of President Biden’s goal of 100 million doses in 100 days, so we may yet reach the goal of more complete coverage by the summer. Maryland has increased its vaccination percentage to 14.6% but remains in the lowest third of state totals.  Case totals have decreased by 28% over the last two weeks nationwide.

COVID stats: from NY Times 2/28/21

US total cases: 28,622,900. New cases: 50,925

Total deaths: 512,979. New Deaths: 1,129

Maryland Cases:  Total cases: 381,272 Total new cases: 836

Total deaths: 7,856. Total new Deaths: 18.

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And in late news today, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has been accused by two women of harassment and unwanted sexual advances over the past few years.  The State Attorney General will investigate. The oft combative Governor apologized saying he was sorry if his remarks or actions were considered inappropriate, but stated that he had never made any advances toward either of the two women. He is also embroiled in a situation over the counting of COVID nursing home deaths and aggressive actions toward others regarding reporting those numbers. Stay tuned, as they say!

And finally, the panda cub climbs a tree and falls out of it – but Mama bear is close behind to offer comfort!

“Til next week – peace!