On today’s BradCast: Trump gets even uglier as he’s forced to back down on his lies about his immigration policies. A few election results out of D.C. and Arkansas. And some thoughts for progressive voters as we barrel towards this November’s crucial midterms. [Audio link to show posted below.]
First up: A quick round-up of results and problem reports following primary elections on Tuesday in Washington D.C. (where voters adopted a $15 minimum wage measure for those in the service industry, despite a cynically and wildly misleading “Save Our Tips” campaign funded by the restaurant industry in opposition to Initiative 77) and in Arkansas (where runoffs were held following primaries and a computer tabulation “fiasco” late last month on 100% unverifiable touchscreen voting systems made by ES&S.)
Next: After repeatedly claiming he didn’t have the legally authority to keep parents and children together after they were arrested crossing the border, Donald Trump buckled under growing political pressure and signed an executive order on Wednesday to allow parents and children to stay together after being arrested crossing the border.
Many questions (and legal challenges) lie ahead regarding the new policy and what will now happen to those 2,300 children ripped from their parents over the past month following the Administration’s chaotic and ill-considered “zero tolerance” policy at the southern border.
We cover a number of related stories to all of that today, as well as some response to our coverage of the issue over the past week. That response includes a bit of a rant in return, regarding the necessity of voting for Democrats this November — good ones or bad ones — in service of putting some brakes on the disastrous cruelty and incompetence of Trump/GOP rule in D.C. (Or, for those who prefer the chaos and cruelty of the Trump Administration, and there are many who do, the option to vote for Republicans or stay home entirely in support of still more of it.)
I’ve got a bit of a rant today (and so does Desi) on the incredibly lazy argument, still heard from some progressives — even after all that we’ve seen in the Trump Era — that “both sides are the same”. We’ve got a few words for those who forward arguments which support that notion, which serves only to perpetuate the worst of the Trump/GOP’s inhumane and horrifically destructive policies.
Finally: As a reminder what can happen in a mostly normal, progressive country, Canada, on Tuesday night, ended 90 years of failed prohibition policy, by approving the sale and use of recreational marijuana across the entire country…
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[audio:http://bradblog.com/audio/BradCast_BradFriedman_DC-ARPrimary_TrumpCavesFamilySeparation_BothSides_062018.mp3]
(Snail mail support to “Brad Friedman, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594 Los Angeles, CA 90028” always welcome too!)
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Most Republicans are worse than most Democrats, but the abuses of the Republicans are enabled by the timidity / complicity / acquiescence of the Democrats. How many Democratic Senators called for discussing the fraudulent electors supposedly won by Trump using faith based voting machines? (zero) Sometimes Democrats like Clinton and Obama are able to gut important protections because their constituents are told “the other side is worse so shut up.”
The Democratic Party never recovered from the coup of November 22, 1963. The Democrats of today are like the Republicans of yesterday. The Republicans of today are like the John Birch Society of yesterday.
Both sides are not worth voting for. They make reform impossible and revolution inevitable.
This just in.
A lawsuit is underway against a privately owned but publicly funded Texas detention center housing migrant children, some of whom are unaccompanied minors.
Why?
Because these kids are allegedly being administered psychotropic drugs by the facility’s staff without parental authority or knowledge, and without medical diagnosis.
From the Huffington Post:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/migrant-children-drugged-without-parental-consent-at-government-institutions-court-documents-show_us_5b2a9e87e4b0321a01cd4dd3
Brad, can we raise money for DNA testing of the kids and their parents to make sure that they are reunited?
Mark Robinowitz @ 1,
“faith based voting machines”
Very well said.
More.
http://www.newsweek.com/migrant-children-separated-parents-border-were-forced-take-drugs-lawsuit-988069
The scandal is bubbling up to the mainstream. Will we be seeing this in the national evening news broadcasts?
Mark Robinowitz @1 said:
That is not untrue, but, as I argue in more detail in the show linked above, it is largely irrelevant this November, and presenting the case you do here simply gives the false impression that “both sides are the same”, and results in people NOT voting to put the brakes on our CURRENT national emergency.
No idea if those electors were “fraudulent” or not, since nobody bothered to count the ballots or examine the machines. That’s a perfectly fine reason to criticize Dems (as I do regularly for that) or challenge them in primaries. All of that said, it’s also largely irrelevant, for the political moment, as people prepare to vote this November.
Arguing otherwise, is an argument to continue/worsen our ongoing National Emergency.
I have never said and would not say any such thing. If Dems like Clinton and Obama gut important protections, they should be held accountable. That said, Clinton and Obama are not gutting anything at this time, as they are both out of power. Neither is running for office anytime soon, to my knowledge. So you’re argument is swell, but self-defeating at this moment in history, as I see it. (Other than where primaries are still ongoing across the country, perhaps.) Unless, of course, you support the Trump/GOP agenda and want to have much much more of it. That’s a legit outlook to have, but it’s one I disagree with, and loath seeing enabled by folks who I suspect do not actually wish to see that.
Bob said @2:
Laziest comment of the day, Bob! Congrats! Thinking like that, of course, will assure (real) reform is impossible, which, I suspect, may be exactly what you’d like to see. If you’d like to continue Trump’s version of reform, you are making a great case for it here.
Marvin Jones asked @4:
Raising money is one (doable) thing. But implementing such a plan would require a fairly sizable both medical and legal operation.
I’m not against the idea, but I couldn’t be the one to organize it, unfortunately. (Happy to support any such legit effort, however!)
Brad said @8:
I’d like to see an alternative to voting for Tweedledum or Tweedledee. I suspect that is what the non-voting electorate wants. In the meantime, let it burn.
Bob said @10:
I’m happy to hear that you have the privilege of not suffering under the horrific and painful policies of this Presidency. Good for you. Many of us — I’d argue the vast majority of us — in the country, do not enjoy that privilege. So, we’ll keep fighting to hold off the worst of Trump and the GOP’s dangerous excesses, to try and limit the pain number of generations that will be suffering under this unprecedented reversal of our values and our laws, as you wait for your pretend white knight to arrive. You’re welcome. But best of luck.
I may disagree with Bob, above, who seems to believe that both sides are equally bad.
Yeah, both sides suck, but Trump and the GOP suck terminally. Fatally. Off-the-cliff.
But I do share the common frustration of many Progressives with the current Democratic Party leadership, as expressed in this meme:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wotoo6u5SLk/WzHrzFG__1I/AAAAAAAAC5g/xJ88tC0Yneo77LdZuXe2lGVzTSIODJUzACLcBGAs/s400/corporate-centrist%2Bdemocrats%2Bare%2Btearing%2Bme%2Bapart.jpg
@DonL
I agree that they’re not equally bad, but I’m done with appeals to lesser evilism. If the blue wave fizzles out by November, take that as a sign that I’m not alone.
At least you got George Will rooting for you.
Bob is now apparently all in for the support of full evil.
You’ll pardon those of us who can’t join ya there, without the same privilege and luxury that you apparently enjoy.
Hey, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won in New York!!
That’s great news for Progressives and will help us put more pressure on the Dem Party leadership to back away from the corporate paymaster$’ control over policies, which must be our ultimate goal.