MORT'S MUSINGS

Constitutional Rights #2 Right to Vote v. Voter Suppression How to combat online voter suppression June 25, 2020 Yaël Eisenstat https://www.brookings.edu/techstream/how-to-combat-online-voter-suppression/utm_campaign=Brookings%20Brief&utm_medium=email&utm_content=90453885&utm_source=hs_email 7.1.20 I was skeptical about this headline, as virtually no elections are held online; but the issue turns out to be online attacks on our faith in the systems we use for voting and the accuracy of election & campaign information. It’s worth a read. ------------- “What does voter suppression look like on social media? And, in the absence of U.S. legislation on the subject, should the company set the rules to ensure that voter suppression does not occur, in any form and at any level, in the digital world? On social media, the most obvious forms include posting false information about dates, locations, and voting procedures, and those are relatively easy to combat with the pro...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #36 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman: Questions Put to Sec. of State Wyman Don’t mail-in elections increase turnout and make it easier for Democrats to win? “This has become conventional wisdom on both the right and the left, but the facts paint a different picture. For example, Ohio had record turnout in 2016 and 2018, and yet Republican candidates won most major races. A study from Stanford looked at three vote-by-mail states — Washington, Utah, and California — and found that vote-by-mail didn’t meaningfully change the partisan makeup of the electorate, or the outcomes of partisan elections.” ------------ Ken Mortland is a member of WEA-Retired, continuing a long career of activism in WEA/NEA. He is also a lifelong Republican and a member of Mainstream Republicans of WA Board.

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #12 Sen. Graham, AG Barr, and Pres. Trump get a major drubbing as all Democratic & Republican Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee vote to send a bill that will strengthen the powers of the DOJ's Inspector General to the Senate Floor. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-25/senate-judiciary-blocks-effort-to-give-barr-power-over-watchdog?fbclid=IwAR3_nq6QsB--xT68pRfVTcXipMzMbih-zsguoYDZIMrB0d23QCuJmITtMZo

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #35 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman: Wyman Announces Broad Bipartisan Support from Elections Officers On Thursday, Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced a list of 49 current and former elections officers. Twenty-five are either Democrats, Non=partisans, or Independents and twenty-four are Republicans. It should be noted that, although her opponent has a list of elected officials that endorse her, not a single one is an elections officer. Let me make that clear! Among those current and former elections officers, the folks who are doing and have done the job of managing elections, not a single one has endorsed Wyman’s opponent. The reason, to me, seems crystal clear. Wyman’s opponent has absolutely no training or experience in running elections. Therefore, she can get no support from those who do run or have run elections. Why WEA would choose to endorse an unqualified candidate over the candidate they endorsed twice bef...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #11 The elite military club that's scorning Trump Opinion by Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst Updated 8:28 PM ET, Mon June 8, 2020 https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/opinions/elite-military-club-scorning-trump-bergen/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2N4TRk4urLbRUMWKNIr3SqCi_q1u7FHPSjsgG_io4CphLs6UC3T50z0Cw (CNN)”You join the most elite club in the US military when you pin on your fourth star; there were, as of 2019, only 39 four-star general officers across the various services of the US armed forces, according to the US Congressional Research Service.” “Once those four-star generals and admirals retire, with a very few exceptions they avoid taking any kind of public stance on political issues, seeking even in retirement to uphold the apolitical nature of the US military, a key to its widespread popularity among Americans.” “Because of this norm, when retired three-star general Michael Flynn went on the campaign trail for then-presidential ...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members  #35 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman:  Questions Put to Sec. of State Wyman Don’t mail-in elections increase turnout and  make it easier for Democrats to win?  6.26.20 “This has become conventional wisdom on both the right and the left, but the facts paint a different picture. For example, Ohio had record turnout in 2016 and 2018, and yet Republican candidates won most major races. A study from Stanford looked at three vote-by-mail states — Washington, Utah, and California — and found that vote-by-mail didn’t meaningfully change the partisan makeup of the electorate, or the outcomes of partisan elections.” Ken Mortland is a member of WEA-Retired, continuing a long career of activism in WEA/NEA. He is also a lifelong Republican and a member of Mainstream Republicans of WA Board.

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #10 Flynn committed perjury, and DOJ request to toss his conviction was ‘corrupt,’ ‘politically motivated,’ court-appointed adviser argues By Spencer S. Hsu and Ann E. Marimow June 10, 2020 at 1:27 p.m. PDT https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/michael-flynn-committed-perjury-but-should-not-face-contempt-hearing-court-appointed-counsel-finds/2020/06/10/09dada24-aa81-11ea-9063-e69bd6520940_story.html?fbclid=IwAR06unm11k3uYD-zDHKB3tQrGIYDDjvI-WSOr24JgVRV1bty4YvxROKQei8&utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook 6.25.20 Michael Flynn committed perjury, and his guilty plea of lying to the FBI should not be dismissed, a court-appointed adviser argued to a federal judge Wednesday, calling the Justice Department’s attempt to undo the conviction corrupt, politically motivated and “a gross abuse of prosecutorial power.” In a formal briefing to the judge overseeing Flynn’s case, former New York federal judge J...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #9 Team Trump sends cease-and-desist letter over poll it didn't like No one's ever even heard of a major-party presidential campaign - led by an incumbent, no less - throwing this kind of tantrum. June 11, 2020, 6:21 AM PDT By Steve Benen https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/team-trump-sends-cease-desist-letter-over-poll-it-didn-n1229836?cid=sm_fb_maddow&fbclid=IwAR2OiCEZ4mWT4LZhcphDR-cu6enhwhW7nFmJ9gpT-wCaGRQr73n01pGS0II With Election Day about 20 weeks away, pollsters are generating quite a bit of data on the state of the race. All of the surveys of late point in the same direction: Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump nationally, by margins that are unusually large for a challenger running against an incumbent president. The latest CNN poll was especially brutal for the Republican in the Oval Office: it found the former vice president leading Trump nationally by a 14-point margin, 55% to 41%. A month earlier, the same poll ...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #34 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman Questions Put to Sec. of State Wyman Ballot theft isn't a major threat Couldn’t someone steal a ballot from a mailbox and fill it out? “Sure, someone could steal a ballot but being able to get away with it is highly unlikely. The thief would have to match the voter’s signature well enough to fool a match by a human reviewer and would be committing a Class C felony that could result in thousands of dollars in fines and jail time — all for the sake of a single vote. Our audit system lets voters track their ballot and ensures only one ballot is counted per eligible voter.” “Our elections system is also focused on preventing double voting and other fraud. We check registrations against the national death index and communicate with voters when we flag problems with their ballots. While it is prohibited under federal law to check for citizenship, Washington state law also requires a Social Securi...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #8 Trump campaign demands CNN retract poll showing big Biden lead https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/502120-trump-campaign-demands-cnn-retract-poll-showing-big-biden-lead?fbclid=IwAR0XY9V2whXZg8pzLNMe3SaVo8_71uwXXI8oWDX6wNPCf5XsKufwe9axgNE President Trump's reelection campaign has sent a cease and desist letter to CNN President Jeff Zucker demanding that the network retract its recent poll showing Trump trailing Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden by 14 points. The demand from the campaign was quickly rejected by CNN spokesman Matt Dornic and the network's general counsel David Vigilante on Wednesday. "We stand by our poll," Dornic said in a story from CNN reporting on the Trump campaign's demand.

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #33 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman Questions Put to Sec. of State Wyman Doesn’t vote by mail and absentee voting lead to more fraud? “I am confident that the answer is no. Washington has earned national recognition for its process of matching voter signatures on envelopes to signatures on file, "air-gapping’" computer systems to prevent hacking, and ensuring appropriate chain-of-custody for every ballot. Local election officials can communicate in real-time to ensure each voter can have only one ballot counted.” “While some are worried about non-citizens voting, I think Washington’s experience shows otherwise. Our counties of Thurston and Yakima are similar in population, but demographically very different. Yakima (an agricultural producer) has a higher population of non-citizens than Thurston. If we expected many non-citizens to be registered to vote, we might expect them to have similar numbers of registered voters...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #7 Gallup: Trump’s net approval rating drops 19 points in a month Marisa Fernandez June 10, 2020 https://www.axios.com/gallup-poll-trump-approval-rating-june-dc0bcc25-b47e-46bc-a873-b83cf97704e5.html?utm_campaign=organic&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1iqZ1KnhzV8n0_1qOtxXkyLgplP3A_jffwsjAl1bq0VqhmZkHYn5JI8k4 President Trump's approval rating has dropped from 49% to 39%, while his disapproval rating has shot up from 48% to 57%, according to the latest Gallup tracking poll out Wednesday. Why it matters: It's the lowest net approval rating the president has recorded since October. The poll is Gallup's first since nationwide protests erupted in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. By the numbers: Trump's had not recorded an overall approval rating of below 40% since October, after the House launched an impeachment inquiry. Trump and his campaign have lashed out over the CNN poll, which was ...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #32 The “Other Washington” Republicans DACA This posting provides some context and timeline to previous postings about Mainstream Republicans of WA’s work in support of a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. Seattle Times: Opinion Just like my immigrant dad, Dreamers energize America Sixty percent of our state’s largest companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Originally published December 10, 2017 at 12:01 pm By Mike Vaska Special to The Times https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/just-like-my-immigrant-dad-dreamers-energize-america/ It wasn’t until after college that my dad told me his secret over breakfast at Denny’s. I knew he was an immigrant, graduated from public high school, served in the U.S. Army and was a community leader on the Eastside. But the rest of his story was that of a 13-year-old in a German refugee camp at the end of World War II, who was given a fake birth certificate and false name by a Luther...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #31 The “Other Washington” Republicans - DACA This is an example of the work of the “Other Washington” Republicans. The United States Supreme Court is poised to publish its opinion on the issues DACA /Dreamers. These are immigrants who came to the US illegally while still children and below the age of majority. In our culture, we do not punish children for the actions of their parents. Mainsatream Repubicans of Washington (Mainstream Republican Alliance) has been involved in a two year initiative to encourage Congress to craft a law that allows Dreamers to remain in the US and extends a reasonable pathway to citizenship. All of our Republican Members of Congress have stated they support providing legal status for the Dreamers. a. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers said: “we must protect children who are already here in this country and those who are currently protected under DACA. That principle is fundamental for me. It's als...

Liv Finne Washington Policy Center #5 “Is Education Spending Constitutionally Protected?” Liv: Given these stressful times, I hope you are well. You certainly seem back to your old self. Some comments on the content of this posting: Documentation You were very thorough in documenting the comment SPI Reykdal. However, I notice there are no further citations in the posting. So none of the assertions that followed are documented. I realize that you are writing for a very narrow audience, the faithful who follow WPC with little critical analysis. The absence of citations means nothing to them, but as I am also a follower of WPC, they mean a great deal to me. Without those citations, one is left to wonder about the accuracy of those assertions. For example, you state that, “The McCleary school funding case decided by the state supreme court in 2012 held that it is the legislature’s constitutional duty to define and fund the program of education.” The McCleary case was finally...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #30 The “Other Washington” Republicans 6.17.20 Given the current turmoil of our times, I find the ‘equal rights’ & ‘ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity’ principles to be foundational. “We value equal rights for all citizens - Our full potential cannot be realized until these are a reality; one should be judged only by one’s own ability and accomplishments.” I like to think from time to time about how our country would look today, if we could make this principle a fact. It is most certainly among our greatest challenges. We value ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity in our society - Maintaining unity within such diversity is a necessary and unique characteristic of America. If we truly wish for all citizens to have equal rights, we must first be willing to honor each citizen’s ethnic, cultural, and religious identities. Ken Mortland is a member of WEA-Retired, continuing a long career of activism in WEA/NEA. He ...

In the midst of COVID-19 crisis, the WEA union can help fix the state budget; here’s how To: Liv Finne (Washington Policy Center, Education Center Director) It’s nice to see you back in print. I hope this comment finds you well and continuing to prosper. OK, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Legislature is going to have to convene in special session, and the sooner the better. There will have to be substantial cuts in programs to address the unprecedented losses in projected revenue brought about by the Covid-19 Pandemic. On that I believe we can agree. You wrote earlier that WEA and its members should expect to share in these cuts, a generality with which I concur. The question will be, “What will be cut and by how much.” And that will likely involve some significant disagreements that will need to be resolved through negotiations between the Legislature and representatives of WA’s educators. We’ll save that discussion for a time when the specific cuts are more thoroughl...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #29 The “Other Washington” Republicans Since I am an educator, the principle about education is closest to my heart. This principle was revised before Washington State passed its Charter Schools Initiative or resolved the McCleary case. “We value public education - Public-funded public education is a fundamental obligation of our society; it provides the civilizing glue that bonds together the large, diverse segments of our society and the skills necessary to realize its opportunities.” I find the statement about bonding “together the large, diverse segments of our society” particularly important, as it recognizes the existence of that great diversity. For me, however, the most important words are the first two: “Public-funded”. Actually, the motion that was made used the words “Publicly-funded”, which seems more grammatically correct. Since charter schools were not yet underway, the focus was public schools v. private schools. Wit...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #6 Colin Powell: Trump has ‘drifed away’From the Constitution By Devan Cole, CNN Updated 1:56 PM ET, Sun June 7, 2020 https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/politics/colin-powell-donald-trump-protests-cnntv/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0O_O5ZqvPnGlcc3fBYAoZzj5qJ_K9wDrm1Q0FulWbHIwAIoK0utYg3GRI Former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that President Donald Trump has "drifted away" from the Constitution, adding to a growing list of former top military officials who have strongly criticized the President's response to the nationwide protests surrounding the police killing of George Floyd. "We have a Constitution. And we have to follow that Constitution. And the President has drifted away from it," Powell, a retired general who served under President George W. Bush, told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union." The comments from Powell, the first African American secretary of state and chairman of th...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #28 The “Other Washington” Republicans For many folks, the term ‘moderate’ or ‘liberal’ Republicans would sound like an oxymoron, as I suppose ‘conservative’ Democrats would sound to other folks. But such people do exist. In my work I would get to meet the likes of Rep. Larry Springer, 45th District legislator, small business owner, leader of the House Democratic Caucus, and a conservative Democrat. I would also get to meet many moderate Republicans through Mainstream Republicans of WA. Their principles make clear their moderate philosophy. Mainstream Republican Principles We value fundamental Republican Principles - Government should be fiscally responsible, limited and non-intrusive. We value the American family - The family is the appropriate institution to teach the values of our society, the state’s authority to regulate these values should be limited. We value personal responsibility - Responsible citizenship and personal re...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #5 Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Condemns Trump's Threat To Use Military At Protests June 4, 20208:00 PM ET Steve Inskeep https://www.npr.org/2020/06/04/870004024/former-joint-chiefs-chairman-condemns-trumps-threat-to-use-military-at-protests?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3Yze8c1Lu-wyF5ucmmiKlSbhGVyiX_sNtOXrxFFkrb74TNg7hcnF7WIK4 6.11.20 In rare public comments, the former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Ret. Gen. Martin Dempsey condemned Trump's threat to use military force to suppress nationwide protests as "dangerous" and "very troubling," in an interview with NPR on Thursday. "The idea that the president would take charge of the situation using the military was troubling to me," Gen. Dempsey said. The retired general said military involvement should be reserved for "conflict in external wars." "The idea that the military would b...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #27 The “Other Washington” Republicans 6.10.20 So, this fledgling union leader worked to help his members, while also working to help elect Republicans, whose willingness to help others coincided with mine. I supported Dan Evans & Art Fletcher in 1968, when I ran for precinct committeeman in the 45th District which then encompassed Northgate, Wedgewood, & Lake City. Years later, I would once again be in the 45th, though by then it had moved around the north end of Lake Washington into Kenmore, Bothell, Kirkland, and Redmond. At which point this would be reformer became fed up with both parties. I was ready to tell them both to take a flying leap! Enter a moderate Republican state legislator named Louise Miller. She was a 45th District legislator with whom I’d been working on education legislation. I would come to have great respect for her. When I voiced my frustrations, she suggested that before I quit politics I should m...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #4 James Mattis Denounces President Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the Constitution In an extraordinary condemnation, the former defense secretary backs protesters and says the president is trying to turn Americans against one another. The Atlantic, June 3, 2020 Jeffrey Goldberg https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/ 6.9.20 “James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump’s Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump’s performance as president. But he has now broken his silence, writing an extraordinary broadside in which he denounces the president for dividing the nation, and accuses him of ordering the U.S. military to violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.” “I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” Mattis writes. “The words ‘E...

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #26 The “Other Washington” Republicans 6.8.20 I’m sure it sounds strange to some readers that this writer is both a union leader and a life long Republican. Since this will become an ongoing dialogue, I think it appropriate for me to explain. I grew up in Yakima, WA, in the late 1940s, 1950s, & early 1960s. In those days, Yakima was a center of ultra-conservatism in the form of the John Birch Society. An entrepreneur/inventor by the name of Floyd Paxton, who was president of the JBS at one time and founder of the “American Eagle” as the JBS’s newspaper, was in his prime. His niece and I attended school together in elementary, junior high, and high school. I still remember her as a fine person. I was also the grandson of a small businessman, who ran a Rexall Pharmacy called the Pioneer Drug Store, and a straight ticket Republican voter, who was the wife of that small businessman. To give you a sense of my grandmother, she c...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #3 The Washington Post: PoliticsAnalysis A dangerous new factor in an uneasy moment: Unidentified law enforcement officers By Philip Bump https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/03/dangerous-new-factor-an-uneasy-moment-unidentified-law-enforcement-officers/?fbclid=IwAR0nYj_f1rwyDY-_RcsQqm8lmehq7ktFab9eylztyJ-DqPuXACJ_DYWwB7c 6.8.20 To add to the unrest and tension of the last couple of week, we’re now seeing what may be a dangerous new factor. Presumed law enforcement offices, armed and equipt for riot duty have started showing up at potential protest sites. I say ‘presumed’ because they wear no badge or logo that would identify their unit and they have no name tags. For lack of a better term, I’m going to refer to them as the “mystery force”. There appear to be two factors of concern with this development. First, there’s no way to contact their chain of command to determine the extent of their ‘authority’. Second, since the...

Could This Be the Beginning of a Trend? #2 Iowa Republicans, In Closed Primary, Defeat Incumbent Steve King, House Republican With a History of Racist Remarks, Loses Primary By Trip Gabriel June 3, 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/us/politics/steve-king-iowa-primary.html?fbclid=IwAR3u_LBKXSmbNnb3ss3_hKHasKSWSXwG8NeEYQWQik0IPfCSk2C1K6XkIdw 6.5.20 One unique aspect of this election is that Iowa has closed primaries. You must be a member of the political party to obtain your ballot. That means ‘Republicans’ tossed out their own incumbent Congressman. And they did so in a state that Pres. Trump carried by nearly 30 points. Why is that significant? Pres. Trump routinely disparages immigrants. King has also spent years demeaning immigrants. He once compared Dreamers to drug mules “with calves the size of cantaloupes”. And in an extraordinary rebuke of Mr. King by House colleagues, five Republican congressmen donated to Mr. Feenstra’s campaign. Feenstra won the nominat...

Could this be the beginning of a trend #1 Iowa Congressman Steve King, Ostracized by GOP, Loses Primary By Daniel Flatley June 2, 2020, 9:05 PM PDT https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-03/iowa-congressman-steve-king-ostracized-by-gop-loses-primary?fbclid=IwAR1Vdj-swg-VGsPmzK1H0wG0-9EFMqu7JQy7v6IJnewg5FbVEuK5uJv8dRs 6.3.20 Representative Steve King, a nine-term Iowa Republican who had been rebuked by party leaders and stripped of committee assignments over his inflammatory statements about race and immigration, was defeated in a primary on Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported. “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” Mr. King said, according to the Times. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #25 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman, Despite WEA’s Failure to Endorse Her 6.1.20 WEA PAC endorsed Kim Wyman for Secretary of State in 2012 & 2016, but has chosen not to in 2020. Recently, the WA State Democratic Party Chairperson, Tina Podlodowski, pretended that Sec. of State Kim Wyman was a dyed in the wool Trump supporter. I doubt Pres. Trump feels that way because Wyman, who is the most knowledgeable person in the US on Vote-by-Mail, makes it quite clear that she disagrees with Trump on this issue. She contradicts his baseless accusations of rampant voter fraud in Vote-by-Mail situations. She also refused to give the President’s Commission on Voter Fraud all the voter information data they demanded, limiting them to just what WA State law requires. Why would Podlodowski do that? Well, when you’ve got a candidate who is unqualified for the job, you attack the incumbent. That’s all you can do. That was the way Podl...