Category: 2020 election

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Iowa: Racist/Homophobe Rep. Steve King Loses Primary Bid

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa)
After nine terms in the U.S. House, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) fell short in Tuesday’s Republican primary to state Sen. Randy Feenstra. According to the New York Times, Feenstra garnered 45.7 percent of the vote while King lagged nearly ten points behind with 36 percent. The remaining candidates were in single digits. Long-known for his anti-LGBTQ, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant statements, King found himself rebuked via a House resolution after he made comments suggesting he supported white nationalism. As a result, he was stripped of all his committee assignments. No friend to the LGBTQ community, over his years in office he virulently opposed marriage equality. He railed against the Iowa Supreme Court when same-sex marriage became legal in Iowa in 2009. So much so that he spent $80,000 in campaign advertising against three of those justices when they were up for retention in 2010. None of the justices retained their seats. King called the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which made marriage equality the law of the land, “perverted.” He then called for a House resolution to defy the ruling. King also introduced an amendment in 2012 seeking to ban same-sex weddings on military bases, even though the GOP-controlled House had approved of the weddings. The 17-year veteran of Congress also argued in support of Donald Trump’s ban of transgender military service members. But, to be clear, Mr. Feenstra is not much better on LGBTQ issues. In 2011, he introduced a state constitutional amendment that would wipe out the 2009 state supreme court decision that legalized marriage equality in Iowa. Feenstra also voted in favor of an appropriations measure that would prohibit the use of Iowa Medicaid dollars to pay for transgender surgeries. Feenstra will face J.D. Scholten in November’s general election. In 2018, Scholten came close to beating King (47% – 50%) in the 2018 race for Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District

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Joe Biden On 50th Anniversary Of Pride Month ‘I Believe In The LGBTQ+ Community’

L-R President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden
As in previous years, President Donald Trump did not issue a presidential proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month. Now, I realize we are in the middle of a global pandemic, skyrocketing unemployment and racially-charged protests across the nation. But Trump’s office did manage, in the last days of May, to prepare proclamations recognizing June as Great Outdoors Month, National Ocean Month, and National Homeownership Month, to name just a few. Last year, Trump broke his silence of the previous two years to dispatch – no, not a proclamation – but two tweets wherein he lauded his administration’s “global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality” around the world. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1134538168324300800 You may recall when he was initially asked about the effort in February 2019, he didn’t know anything about it. But this year? Nothing. Trump has, however, been selling an uninspired, rainbow-themed campaign t-shirt on his website for months, so…there’s that. Contrast that with former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, who penned a lengthy statement honoring the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride. https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1267650896562843648 Noting the first Pride event occurred a year after the Stonewall protests, Biden remarked on past progress by the LGBTQ community from Harvey Milk’s election to office in San Francisco to the historic candidacy of Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay mayor to run for president. He also pointed to positive steps made during the Obama-Biden Administration including “signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law; repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; addressed the epidemic of bullying in schools; established the advancement of LGBTQ+ equality as a foreign policy priority; and the White House beamed bright with the colors of the rainbow to mark the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision recognizing marriage equality.” I’ll note here that the Obama-Biden administration issued presidential proclamations recognizing Pride Month 8 years in a row. Biden then shifted his focus forward to the damage done to the LGBTQ community by the Trump-Pence administration. “Donald Trump and Mike Pence have systematically used the power of the White House as a literal bully pulpit to undermine LGBTQ+ rights,” he wrote. “They have given safe harbor to white supremacists and other forms of hate. Predictably, we’ve experienced a rise in hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people.” Biden mentions just some of the ways Team Trump has worked to reduce rights and protections for LGBTQ people including banning transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military, denying LGBTQ people access from critical health care, and ignoring the “epidemic of violence” against trans people. “This is wrong,” Biden continued. “We must send a clear message that hatred and bigotry have no place in America or on the world stage.” He promises that, as President, he will “take swift action to reverse these odious policies and advance our progress toward ending discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.” “There are dark and challenging realities ahead that we cannot ignore,” he adds before striking an upbeat tone. “Yet, I remain optimistic because I believe in who we are as a nation. I believe in the story of this country and the LGBTQ+ community.” You can read the full text of Biden’s statement on the 50th Anniversary of Pride here.

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Lincoln Project Ad Takes Aim At #RichMitch McConnell’s Personal Wealth

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Wow. The Lincoln Project, a super PAC comprised of anti-Trump conservatives, has released some potent attack ads against the Donald in recent days and now they are going after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The new ad focuses on the Kentucky Republican’s personal wealth and wonders aloud how #RichMitch became one of the wealthiest men in the Senate on a senator’s salary. The spot also draws contrasts between his financial good fortune versus how his state has fared during his 35 years in Washington – ranked 40th in job opportunity, ranked 45th in education and 43rd in health care.

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Poll: Biden Leads Trump By 5 In Swing State Minnesota

L-R Former Vice President Joe Biden, Donald Trump
A new Star Tribune-MPR News-KARE 11 Minnesota poll shows former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by 5 points in the swing state of Minnesota Via the Minnesota Star-Tribune:

The survey, which was released on Monday, found that 49 percent of registered Minnesota voters favor Biden in a head-to-head matchup against the president. Forty-four percent said they’d back Trump, while 7 percent said they remained undecided.

The poll indicates that Biden and Trump are in a dead heat among independents, with 42 percent backing Trump and 41 percent the former vice president. Among independent voters, 17 percent said they were undecided.

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Biden Apologizes For “You Ain’t Black” Remark: “I Shouldn’t Have Been So Cavalier”

Former Vice President Joe Biden (screen capture)
Former vice president Joe Biden created a firestorm today when he told a black radio host that African American voters who can’t seem to decide between voting for him and Donald Trump at this point in time “ain’t black.” Biden apologized today saying he shouldn’t have been so ‘cavalier’ in his remarks. From NBC News:

At the end of an 18-minute radio interview with The Breakfast Club’s Charlamagne tha God airing Friday morning, Biden responded to the host’s desire for the candidate to answer more questions by saying,”You got more questions? I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”

Hours later, Biden expressed regret for the remarks, calling them “really unfortunate” and saying he “shouldn’t have been such a wise guy.”

“I shouldn’t have been so cavalier in responding,” he said during a phone call with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce Friday afternoon. “No one should have to vote for any party, based on their race or religion or background,” Biden said.

At another point on the call, Biden admitted, “I know that the comments have come off like I was taking the African American folks for granted … but nothing could be further from the truth.”

“I’ve never ever done that, and I’ve earned it every time I’ve run. I was making the point that I have never taken a vote for granted,” he said.

The remark was, of course, wrong. That said, Biden quickly admitted the remarks was bone-headed and apologized – something Donald Trump could never do. As Republicans seized on the comments, Symone Sanders, a senior adviser on the Biden campaign tweeted that the comments came at the end of the conversation and were made in jest.

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Trump Rant: “‘Garbage’ Fox News Doing Nothing To Get Me Re-Elected!”

Donald Trump

In a series of tweets today, Donald Trump called out conservative news channel Fox News for “doing nothing” to help his re-election bid this fall. “Many will disagree, but Fox News is doing nothing to help Republicans, and me, get re-elected on November 3rd,” Trump tweeted. “Sure, there are some truly GREAT people on Fox, but you also have some real ‘garbage’ littered all over the network, people like Dummy Juan Williams, Schumerite Chris Hahn, Richard Goodstein, Donna Brazile, Niel Cavuto, and many others,” he continued. “They repeat the worst of the Democrat speaking points, and lies. All of the good is totally nullified, and more. Net Result = BAD! CNN & MSDNC are all in for the Do Nothing Democrats! Fox WAS Great!”

Considering the news network has been extremely pro-Trump during his administration, the virtual backhand was something of a surprise. Among others, former Republican lawmaker Joe Walsh called Trump out for “whining” and tagged Fox News hosts asking if it’s their job to get Trump re-elected. “The biggest crybaby in the history of this planet whines that Fox News isn’t helping him get re-elected. What say you Bret Baier? Is that your job? To help get Trump re-elected? What say you @ Fox News Sunday? Chris Wallace? What say you Dana Perino? Brit Hume?”

Also in TrumpLand today, the Donald offered this word salad when asked about his most recent test for coronavirus: “I tested very positively, in another sense, this morning. I tested positively toward negative, right? No, I tested perfectly this morning — meaning I tested negative. But that’s a way of saying it: positively toward the negative.” America, I give you – the president of the United States.

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How Joe Biden Wins The 2020 Electoral College

Super-smart guy Doug Sosnik, who was White House political director during President Clinton’s successful reelection race, writes for Axios:

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s most likely paths to 270 Electoral College votes:

1. Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona: Biden wins all three states — his best option, given the political environment. (see above)

2. Michigan and Pennsylvania + two congressional districts — Nebraska-02 and Maine-02.

3. The Rust Belt: Biden wins Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

4. Michigan and the Sunbelt: Biden carries Michigan, Arizona and North Carolina.

5. Florida +1: Biden carries Florida, getting him to 261 electoral votes. A win in any of the other battleground states would put him well past 270.

The bottom line … Biden’s best strategy:

• Make putting Michigan out of reach for Trump the top priority. • Lock up Pennsylvania. • Prioritize winning Arizona, Maine-02 and Nebraska-02. • Focus remaining resources on Wisconsin, North Carolina and Florida.

Read Doug’s full analysis, “The Post-Political-Realignment Electoral College Map,” here.

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Joe Biden: ‘I Stand With LGBTQ+ People And Their Allies Around The World’

Former Vice President Joe Biden (photo via campaign)
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, issued this statement today in honor of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

Today, on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, I stand with LGBTQ+ people and their allies around the world to celebrate and champion the inherent dignity and worth of all persons, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Around the globe, including here at home, brave LGBTQ+ activists are fighting for equal protection under the law, freedom from violence, and recognition of their fundamental human rights. The United States should have their backs. We belong at the forefront of this struggle — speaking out, standing strong for our most dearly held values. We should be sending a clear message that bigotry is bigotry, prejudice is prejudice, and hate is hate, no matter where we find it. American leadership must mean moral leadership in the fight for equality for all. The Obama-Biden Administration took unprecedented steps to ensure that our government delivered real progress on the promise of equality, both at home and abroad. From signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law, to repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” to supporting marriage equality, we fought to advance the civil liberties of LGBTQ+ people in the United States and, for the first time ever, established the advancement of LGBTQ+ equality as a foreign policy goal. Instead of building on this progress, the Trump-Pence Administration has done everything it can to undermine LGBTQ+ rights: giving safe harbor to hate and rolling back protections for LGBTQ+ persons, blocking the ability of transgender individuals to openly serve their country, denying LGBTQ+ people access to critical health care, and failing to address the epidemic of violence against transgender people, among other odious policies. Today, many LGBTQ+ people in the United States live in fear, and LGBTQ+ activists in other countries, who are often fighting desperately for their rights and personal safety, are no longer sure that the United States is their friend and ally. As President, I will reinvigorate and expand U.S. efforts to advance the human rights of LGBTQ+ people at home and around the world. The United States will again be a beacon of hope for people anywhere in the world who suffer violence and discrimination for the simple fact of who they are or who they love. We will strengthen the coalition of countries determined to eliminate discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Anything less would be un-American.

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Trump Jr. Calls Joe Biden A ‘Pedophile’ On Social Media

Donald Trump Jr.
From the New York Times:

President Trump’s eldest son on Saturday posted a social media message suggesting Joseph R. Biden Jr. was a pedophile, an incendiary and baseless charge that illustrates the tactics the president is turning to as he attempts to erase Mr. Biden’s early advantage in key state polls.

Donald Trump Jr., who is one of his father’s most prominent campaign surrogates, put on Instagram a picture of Mr. Biden saying: “See you later, alligator” alongside an image of an alligator saying: “In a while, pedophile.”

When a reporter shared the Instagram post online, the younger Mr. Trump, echoing one of his father’s tactics, wrote on Twitter that he was only “joking around” and noted that he had included emojis of a laughing face.

Junior also restated his accusations of ‘unwanted touching’ by the former vice president using a collection of photos picturing Biden hugging children. But the pics, primarily from swearing-in ceremonies, were taken out of context when actually he was greeting lawmakers and their families.

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Swing State: Biden Leads Trump By 6 Points In Florida Poll

You see a lot of chatter on social media along the lines of “Ignore the polls, they were all wrong in 2016.” In truth, ALL the polls weren’t wrong. If you look at the RealClearPolitics average of polls at the end of the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton led Trump by an average of 3.2 points. Remember, national polls basically gauge the popular vote. Hillary won the popular vote by 2.1 points, off by a point which just about every polling organization would give you as margin of error. My point being national polling might give a sense of the electorate at a given time but it won’t predict the election. If you want to follow the race, watch the six or seven swing states (Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona, Minnesota) that will decide the election. I say “decide” because let’s face it, we know California and New York will go blue. We know Tennessee and Indiana will go red. Which brings me to today’s polling from Florida, where Trump beat Hillary by just 1.2 points. According to a Florida Atlantic University poll released today, former Vice President Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by 6 points in the Sunshine State. The survey, conducted May 8-12 shows Biden with 53 percent support while Trump garnered 47 percent. The same poll in March showed Trump with a slight lead, 51 percent to 49.