It’s fair to say that the Republican Party is losing members on a regular basis as their popularity plummets over their “conservative values” of voter suppression, misogyny, racism, bigotry, homophobia, lack of compromise, anti-working class, anti-social safety net, pro 1%, pro corporate agenda that has stalled our economy, disenfranchised US citizens from the polls, taken food stamps away from children, elderly, impoverished and veterans, and has cut off long-term unemployment while also not lifting a finger to help create or maintain jobs in this country.

The majority of American people are fed up with them. So many leave to become “independents” while a few actually become Democrats. However it is also true, but to a lesser effect, that the Democratic Party is also losing membership.

Today there are 55 million registered Republicans, 72 million registered Democrats and 42 million Independents. However that only totals 169 million of over 300 million Americans.

Put another way, as of today 24% of nation identifies themselves as Republican, 29% as Democrat and 45% as Independent with 40% leaning GOP and 45% Democrat.

In November 2010 the breakdown was 26% GOP, 31% Democrat and 41% Independent with 44% leaning GOP and 47% leaning DNC (the year the GOP actually swept the nation in wins).

In November 2012 (the last general) 28% identified with the GOP, 33% with the DNC 38% independent with 40% leaning GOP and 50% leaning DNC, the year the Democrats took gains.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx

So even though historically the Democrats have the upper hand in numbers and those leaning their way, the GOP is always in the race and sometimes even wins.

It’s easy to say you will vote out the GOP but many still want something to vote for or they may just stay home instead. As we know, Republicans, even disenfranchised ones still vote. With lower voter turnout, the GOP wins as Paul Weyrich pointed out.

To get the Democrats, the Independents and others to vote for a Democratic Candidate in any election, whether it is national or local, you need to give them something to vote for. Simply saying the GOP is bad so vote for me is not enough.

You need to seek out what’s important to the voters locally and nationally. Not only do you have to express your concerns over what concerns the voter, you need to offer a plan they will accept. Otherwise, why should they go to the effort to vote for you in any primary or general election?

On January 22nd I sent out a request on my Twitter feed for responses to what were the key issues people are concerned about for 2014. I asked them to tweet or direct message me what their top concerns were. I actually received more responses than I thought I would get.

I was presented with 15 items. Many of them relate in one way or another to each other, some were unique. Of interest, most responded with what I hesitate to call “women’s issues” because I think they are shared by all, they just mainly impact women. This really isn’t surprising considering 50.8% of our country are women. Of note is that in November 2012:

65.1% of males were registered while 54.4% voted compared to 67.0% of women being registered while 58.5% of them voted.

So more women register and more are likely to vote. That would seem to indicate that what’s important to women is important to consider when trying to get people to not only vote, but to vote for you.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/

So what were the issues identified? In order of the most responses:

Equal Pay for Equal Work

War on Women/Women’s Rights

Minimum Wage increase

Abortion Rights

Gun Control

Removing all Republicans

Climate Change

Environmental Concerns

Medicaid Expansion

Voting Rights

Healthcare expansion

Campaign Finance Reform

Overturning Citizens United

Education Costs

Legalize Marijuana

Justice System Reform

Now of course this was completely unscientific, but consider; people took the time to read an obscure Twitter feed and responded what was utmost in their minds at the time. They took the time to be heard. Also, if you look at national polling, much of this does coincide with professional pollsters.

Here’s a breakdown of what the professional have said, note the economy is still number one. It would appear it is still true, “It’s the economy stupid”:

http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm

Americans claim they are conservatives, but polling has shown that the term “progressive” remains more popular than the term “conservative.” Further, from reading the professional poll results and my unscientific sampling of my followers, progressive issues appear to win out over conservative ones.

So what does this tell a party and candidate who want people to go to the effort to not only vote but vote for them?

Express a clear position of these issues with a plan. Don’t worry if by taking the view you will be labeled a “liberal, socialist, commie, Muslim whatever.”

The fact is these are the concerns most Americans have. Let the right turn your position against you, the fact of the matter is those who feel the way you do will now have reason to vote for you. Not only because you share their views, you were brave enough to loudly and confidently take a position on them and expressed a plan.

It’s human nature to flock to and support those who identify themselves as leaders. You want to win, take control of the narrative, express your views and lead. This more than anything else will get you elected. Of course once you take office, follow through on your promise or say goodbye at term’s end.

I note that I do appear to have a few local and national candidates following me on Twitter. I’m honored, I hope you take this into consideration, meet with your brain trust and see if this will help you. I think your advisers would agree though, you must take control of the narrative, don’t let the GOP do it for you.

This may come as a shock to many on the right, but the current year is 2015. We are living in the 21st Century and things have changed somewhat since 1792 when the Bill of Rights was formally ratified by the States and became the first 10 Amendments to our new Constitution. During that time of our history, we recognized slavery, we had no standing army to speak of, we were only 13 States hugging the Eastern coast of this continent (later in 1792 Kentucky & Vermont joined the Union). Only white male property owners had the privilege of voting or holding office, the British had a standing army to the North of us in Canada (they were still peeved) the French had territories to the West of us along with the Native Americans (who were peeved with us) and the Spanish had territories South of us (they didn’t think much of us). We had no control of the sea lanes in the Atlantic, we were in debt, we were mostly agricultural in our economy only barely beginning industrialization in the North, and we were close to completely dissolving as a union because the former Articles of Confederation couldn’t hold all the states together and regulate trade, sharing of resources and interdependency.

The state of the art weaponry at the time was cannons and muskets. A well trained and regulated militiaman could fire 4 to 5 rounds a minute with a musket. See below for what was involved:

As I noted above, the country did not have a standing army to speak of. So one of the 12 proposed amendments to the Bill of Rights (only 10 were ratified by 3/4 of the States) was the 2nd which read “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” In addition to this amendment, Congress passed and President Washington signed the Militia Act of 1792 which gave the President of the United States the authority to call out the Militia in defense of the nation from both foreign and domestic threats.

http://www.constitution.org/mil/mil_act_1792.htm

In 1794 George Washington called out 13,000 militiamen from Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania to put down the Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania. The rebellion involved an insurgency of 500 armed men who didn’t want to pay a tax imposed by the Federal government. The 2nd Amendment along with the Militia Act was used by the Federal Government to put down a domestic insurgency over taxes in our country. Keep in mind, George Washington was one of our “founders” who oversaw the Constitutional Convention and was instrumental in the Bill of Rights being passed. I don’t think he saw the 2nd Amendment as a means of the Citizen to prevent a tyrannical government. In fact, he used it to put down an illegal insurgency.

Now fast forward to the end of the 20th Century and today, the 21st Century. A fully trained, regulated and disciplined militiaman in 1792 could fire perhaps 5 rounds a minute with accuracy of perhaps 150 yards. Today, one man, not particularly trained or disciplined can take an easily available AR-15 that if fully automatic can fire 800 rounds per minute for an effective range of 547 yards.  Today we are 50 states that span two oceans. We have the most armed and lethal military forces in the history of the world. We literally have the ability to destroy all life on the planet many times over. Our police are also equipped with advanced military style weaponry and are well trained, regulated and disciplined. Though we face threats from terrorists around the world, the sovereignty of our country is in no danger from any other nation or group.

Most of those who scream about the 2nd Amendment rights that our founders gave us not only tend to forget the first clause of the amendment “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…” they also forget about the Militia Act of 1792 and our history.

However, for the sake of argument, let’s say they are right. The founders gave us the absolute right to hold any weaponry we so desire unregulated or interfered with by government in any means, way or process as the only way to hold to keep our government from being tyrannical. At best, you may be a veteran, you may have some manpower behind you, you may have some pretty good firepower at your disposal; should our government decide to become tyrannical, do you really think you would have a chance against this:

No, our government is not tyrannical, it’s not out to take away your rights and certainly not your guns provided you are lawful and not mentally unstable. If you think they are, then maybe, just maybe you are mentally unstable.

The only danger this nation truly suffers from right now, more so than terrorists are those among us who feel an absolute right to own, display and carry with them these weapons of mass killing. It’s those who say they do it to prevent crime and protect us from government that actually presents the risk to the safety and well-being of our citizens.

There is no need for a civilian to own an assault rifle, a high capacity magazine, just like there is no need for them to have grenades, anti-personnel mines, flame-throwers, tanks, stinger missiles, drones, or anything best left to our military that are well regulated, trained and disciplined. Having these weapons on the streets is the danger, not the remedy.

Australia successfully banned assault rifles and guess what? They are just as free as they were before and there have been no mass shootings as there were before the ban. We are the most armed nation in the developed world, we have 310 guns spread out among some 80 million Americans and we also have the highest rate of gun violence and death in the world.

No validated studies have proven any reduction in crime due to gun ownership. There are those who cite studies, but when the research methodology is analyzed as well as the data, they are quickly debunked. Anecdotal studies make for great stories, but not science or reality. If you play the odds that a gun will protect you and keep you safe, the odds are against you. You’re taking a chance with your life and the lives of those who live or are near you. That is a statistical fact.

Gun registration will not make you any less safe or in danger of the government coming in at will to take your guns away, but it will help law enforcement in solving crimes involving gun fire like DNA and fingerprint records are used to identify known criminals who continue to break the law.

Background checks will not prevent you from owning a gun provided you are not a criminal or mentally unstable.

Limitations of ownership of assault rifles or high capacity magazines will not make you any less safe, unless you plan to go to war against local police or the United States Army.

Time to face up to reality. Too many unnecessary gun deaths out there that could have been avoided were it not for this unsubstantiated and completely wrong interpretation of the 2nd Amendment. Not all gun violence can be eliminated, but it can certainly be controlled far better than the status quo.

If you have to bring guns to intimidate unarmed women who want to meet to discuss gun control measures like these idiots below, you only prove our point that certain people shouldn’t be anywhere near guns.

In 1995 after a successful propaganda blitz against the American people, Newt Gingrich, (who was then and continues to be nothing more than a political hit man and faux intellectual politician) used the newly acquired GOP control of the House of Representatives, coupled with the GOP control of the Senate, and began the work to deal with a popular President. The GOP launched numerous investigations hoping to be able to draw up articles of impeachment against him. They could not find what most legal and constitution scholars would think what was required, namely High Crimes and Misdemeanors. It became a political hatchet job against the president that turned up the flimsiest of evidence supporting the flimsiest of allegations to ever grace a kangaroo court.

Clinton did raise taxes on the wealthiest of Americans without a single Republican vote, despite their warnings that such a tax would destroy the nation. Instead the nation began the largest and longest peacetime economic boom in our history. Everyone, including the wealthy was getting richer, poverty was shrinking and the middle-class remained strong. Clinton did not do anything that ended up destroying our economy or lied to the American people to justify going into an illegal war costing trillions and thousands of American lives. Clinton was never asleep at the switch regarding American security and safety. He promptly responded to the first World Trade Center attack and those responsible were brought to justice.

However, following their losses in the 1998 midterms, the GOP came up with High Crimes and Misdemeanors against Bill Clinton in their Lame Duck session. Keep in mind that Clinton won a  landslide reelection in 1996 and the GOP lost seats in the 1998 Midterms due to shutting the government down. Sound familiar?

They said there were two counts of perjury, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of abuse of powers. All of these charges came from the Ken Starr Report. Ken Starr was a special prosecutor brought on to determine if criminal acts existed in the White Water land deal. After millions of tax payer dollars wasted, all he could essentially find was that Bill Clinton got a blow job in the Oval Office. Clinton was questioned under oath, lied about it and was impeached. When brought to a vote in the House, he was found in violation of one count of perjury to a grand jury in a 228 to 206 vote and one count of obstruction of justice in a 221 to 212 vote. The perjury count in the Paula Jones case lost by a 205 to 229 vote and the count of abuse of power lost by a 148 to 285 vote. Even though the GOP still maintained control of the House, they could only muster two counts of impeachment. Many of their own caucus saw this for the kangaroo court it was.

The charges were then sent to the Senate for trial. Under the Constitution, the Senate must vote to convict by a two-third majority (67 Senators). Although the GOP controlled the Senate by 55 to 45 Senators, they were only able to get 50 votes for conviction for the obstruction of justice charge and 45 votes for the perjury charge. This was a waste of time, money and the patience of the United States public. But the GOP proceeded and lost in more ways than one.

Fast forward to 2006 and the George W Bush administration. The American people were fed up with his administration and angry with the GOP controlled House and Senate that followed him. Word finally came out that Bush and his administration lied about the reasons for going to war in Iraq. Thousands of soldiers had died, hundreds of billions wasted, the needs of the people were being neglected at home.

The Democrats took control of the House. Many demanded that Nancy Pelosi initiate drawing up charges of impeachment against the President for High Crimes and Misdemeanors. In this case, there clearly was enough there to begin an investigation to draw up charges.

Bush and his administration did lie to the American People and the United Nations. It turned out he and his administration abused power by allowing torture in violation of international law, as well as other war crimes. A case could have been made that clearly were more than lying about a blow job in the oval office and trying to cover it up.

However, Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table much to the anger of many on the left. She knew we were still at war in Iraq. Further, she knew the math. She easily could have garnered enough votes in the House to send over charges of impeachment to the Senate, but there was no political way possible to get 67 Senators to vote to convict and remove George W Bush from office and let Dick Cheney take over as President, unless he was impeached also. This would have left Nancy Pelosi as next in line. How would that look?

She knew the math; she knew the political cost to her party, our government and our people and chose to do the mature thing. She let it go and proceeded governing on behalf of the betterment of the American people hopeful that a Democrat would replace Bush in 2008. One did.

In 2010, The GOP used Newt’s old playbook from 1994, substituted healthcare for tax increase, played on the short attention span and apathy of the American voters (especially in the midterms) and took over the House of Representatives. In 2012, much like in 1996 they lost House seats in the general election where like Clinton, Obama won in a landslide.

Now, like in 1998, we are entering the second midterm of the Obama Administration, the GOP in the House are on the ropes with the public are at the very least are expected to lose more seats, if not the House in the 2014 midterms, although there is a chance they could take the Senate. And like in 1998 what is the GOP talking about? Impeaching President Obama.

Their definition of High Crimes and Misdemeanors? Lying about keeping your health plan. Accusations of scandals that Darryl Issa has spent millions on investigating and finding nothing in Fast and Furious, Benghazi, IRS, anything. They accuse Obama of Abuse of Power for using his authority to act where the Congress won’t go, trying to improve our economy and provide jobs for the American people in a shaky economy the GOP really don’t want to get rid of because they think it gives them power.

There are currently 35 GOP Tea Party House Members openly talking about investigating and drawing up articles of impeachment. Unlike Nancy Pelosi, they don’t know the math, they forgot history and they have no foresight about what such an endeavor would cost the GOP, our government and the people of the United States. Or simply they don’t care because they are idiots out to merely stir the mud and create problems because that’s easy for idiots with no sense of honor and morality and distaste for the American people do. Either way, expect them to proceed. Like a broken record, expect to hear the same tired track over and over again.

This is another reason we all must be politically aware, active and determined to vote in the midterms. The GOP has long ago ceased being a party that place nation above their themselves. They must all be removed from all levels of office if we are to progress again as a nation. Don’t believe me, just listen to these idiots.

On to 2014

We are still feeling the effects of the 2010 midterms today. Because of the results of those midterms, the GOP were able to implement redistricting that along with low voter turnout, allows certain members of Congress to be as obstructionist, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, bigoted, or indifferent as they like and still keep their Congressional seat.

As a result, we have had a House that won’t pass job bills, will cut off of food stamps, long term unemployment insurance, would endangerment of our credit level, our ability to pay our debts. They have also slashed needed services like meals on wheels, headstart, the small business administration, etc.

The average American has been made to suffer because the Republicans control the House and the State Houses and Governorships of several “red” states. Interesting these red states, who are populated with people who are as American as anyone else in any other state are, by the design of their governors and State legislators, are being denied expansion of Medicaid and other services that will help these people simply survive. These states tend to be the ones where they already get far more from the federal government (funded from those in blue states) than they pay in just to make ends meet. Yet their governors want to take more away from them and make their own people suffer. Why? Apparently so they’ll blame the Black Democrat in office who held out a helping hand to them, only to have their governor bite it. Childish to say the very least.

This year, all 435 House seats are up for grabs, as are 35 Senate seats and 36 Governor Seats. An untold number of state houses and senate seats are also up for grabs. Many of these seats are gerrymandered, but not all. Further, US Senate seats and governorships are state-wide votes.

Studies clearly show the more people able to vote and the more people who do vote ends up with more centrist, even liberal/progressive results. Despite their propaganda, when you poll specific items, we are a center-left nation. More center than left, but certainly not a rightwing leaning nation to be sure.

Most Americans are for fairness, equal rights, and equal opportunities. The things those on the right oppose. Because of their faux Christian values that have been drilled into them, they think only a few chosen people are deserving of living well and the rest of us must cater to them in servitude.

So no matter what, you have the option of determining who will represent you in the House of Representatives. Is your current representative working for your best interest or theirs? It’s perfectly normal and acceptable to vote for your own best interests because by doing so, you end up also voting for others in your situation’s best interest.

The following Senate seats are up for grabs in 2014:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections,_2014

Alabama currently held by Republican Jeff Sessions running for reelection unopposed.

Alaska currently held by Democrat Mark Begich running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Arkansas currently held by Democrat Mark Pryor running for reelection.

Colorado currently held by Democrat Mark Udall running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Delaware currently held by Democrat Chris Coons running for reelection unopposed.

Georgia currently held by Republican Saxby Chambliss who is retiring. Open seat

Hawaii currently held by Democrat Bryan Schatz running for reelection.

Idaho currently held by Republican Jim Risch running for reelection unopposed.

Illinois currently held by Democrat Richard Durbin running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Iowa currently held by Democrat Tom Harkin who is retiring. Open seat.

Kansas currently held by Republican Pat Roberts running for reelection.

Kentucky currently held by Republican Mitch McConnell running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Louisiana currently held by Democrat Mary Landrieu running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Maine currently held by Republican Susan Collins running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Massachusetts currently held by Democrat Ed Markey running for reelection unopposed.

Michigan currently held by Democrat Carl Levin who is retiring. Open seat.

Minnesota currently held by Democrat Al Franken running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Mississippi currently held by Republican Thad Cochran running for reelection.

Montana currently held by Democrat Max Baucus who is retiring. Open seat.

Nebraska currently held by a Republican Mike Johanns who is retiring. Open seat.

New Hampshire currently held by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen running for reelection against multiple candidates.

New Jersey currently held by Democrat Cory Booker running for reelection unopposed.

New Mexico currently held by Democrat Tom Udall running for reelection.

North Carolina currently held by a Democrat Kay Hagan running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Oklahoma currently held by Republican Jim Inhofe running for reelection.

Oregon currently held by Democrat Jeff Merkley running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Rhode Island currently held by a Democrat Jack Reed running for reelection unopposed.

South Carolina, both seats currently held Republicans Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott both running for reelection.

South Dakota currently held by Democrat Tim Johnson who is retiring. Open seat.

Tennessee currently held by Republican Lamar Alexander running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Texas currently held by Republican John Cornyn running for reelection against multiple candidates.

Virginia currently held by Democrat Mark Warner running for reelection against multiple candidates.

West Virginia currently held by Democrat Jay Rockefeller who is retiring. Open seat.

Wyoming, currently held Republican Mike Enzi running for reelection

Note, 21 out of the 35 seats are held by Democrats. As of today, the outcome is anyone call whether the Democrats can maintain control or not. Voter turnout will be key.

The following 36 Governorships are up for grabs in 2014:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_gubernatorial_elections,_2014#Rick_Scott_.28Florida.29

Alabama currently held by Republican Bentley. Considered safe for GOP.

Alaska currently held by Republican Parnell. Considered safe for GOP

Arizona currently held by Republican Brewer (Term Limited). Leaning GOP.

Arkansas currently held by Democrat Beebe (Term Limited) Toss-up

California currently held by Democrat Brown. Considered safe for DNC.

Colorado currently held by Democrat Hickenlooper. Likely DNC.

Connecticut currently held by Democrat Malloy. Toss-up

Florida currently held by Republican Scott. Toss-up

Georgia currently held by Republican Deal. Considered safe for GOP

Hawaii currently held by Democrat Abercrombie. Considered safe for DNC.

Idaho currently held by Republican Otter. Considered safe for GOP

Illinois currently held by Democrat Quinn. Toss-up

Iowa currently held by Republican Branstad. Likely GOP.

Kansas currently held by Republican Brownback. Likely GOP

Maine currently held by Republican LaPage. Toss-up

Maryland currently held by Democrat O’Malley. Likely DNC

Massachusetts currently held by Democrat Patrick. Toss-up

Michigan currently held by Republican Snyder. Toss-up

Minnesota currently held by Democrat Dayton. Likely DNC

Nebraska currently held by Republican Heineman. Likely GOP.

Nevada currently held by Republican Sandoval. Likely GOP

New Hampshire currently held by Democrat Hassan. Likely DNC

New Mexico currently held by Republican Martinez. Likely GOP

New York currently held by Democrat Cuomo. Considered safe for DNC.

Ohio currently held by Republican Kasich. Toss-up

Oklahoma currently held by Republican Fallon. Considered safe for GOP

Oregon currently held by Democrat Kitzhaber. Likely DNC

Pennsylvania currently held by Republican Corbett. Toss-up

Rhode Island currently held by Democrat Chafee. Leaning DNC.

South Carolina currently held by Republican Haley. Leaning GOP.

South Dakota currently held by Republican Daugaard. Considered safe for GOP

Tennessee currently held by Republican Haslam. Considered safe for GOP

Texas currently held by Republican Perry. Likely GOP

Vermont currently held by Democrat Shumlin.  Considered safe for DNC

Wisconsin currently held by Republican Walker. Likely GOP

Wyoming currently held by Republican Mead. Considered safe for GOP

22 of these 36 are currently under GOP control. Of those 13 can be swung to the DNC if voter turnout is high enough.

Get the idea? Despite the current GOP holders of any office, the higher the turnout, the more likely the results swing towards the left. Of course the opposite is true, the lower the turnout, the more likely a Democratic control seat can go Right. As always, turnout is key.

Further, don’t forget to turnout for the primaries. If you want more progressive Democrats running for Democratic seats, primary those who lean too far to the right and get better folks in. However, if unsuccessful, still vote for the Democrat in the General. This is the only way to take the GOP out of control of the Governor Seats and House and bring at least more sanity to government.

More to follow.

Sadly, this question is not as rhetorical as it should be in this country in the 21st century. As any of us who owe our existence to the fact we all came from the female of our species should know and respect that were it not for women, none of us would be here.

Yet as almost a point of arrogant pride and vindictiveness, those on the right not only support treating women as second class citizens, as subservient to the wishes of the males of the species and our government, as property; using outdated and quite frankly ridiculous religion ideology to support their position. They push for misogyny as  part of their party platform. Sadly, they often do it with the help of women themselves.

Misogyny: The hatred of women and girls that can be manifested by sexual discrimination, denigration, violence and sexual objectification. Any act that deprives a female of any right, privilege, status or freedom can be considered misogynistic.

What is a misogynist and how can you spot one? From PolicyMic

http://www.policymic.com/articles/31391/what-is-misogyny-and-how-to-recognize-a-misogynist

In this country today the following can be considered acts of misogyny:

Wage disparity between men and women (partially addressed by Lilly Ledbetter Act)

Voter ID laws that makes it more difficult for women who take their husband’s name the ability to prove their identity so they can vote (Currently the law in Texas)

Higher healthcare insurance costs for women opposed to men (Partially addressed by ACA)

Requiring women to pay for their own rape kits (The law in states like Alaska and signed by Sarah Palin)

Being publicly called a “slut” on air for taking political stances (Rush Limbaugh, who else)

Not inviting any women to testify at a hearing regarding issues directly impacting women (Darrell Issa’s committee)

Working to shut down Planned Parenthood clinics that only spend less than 3% of their services on abortions, the rest being cancer awareness and other healthcare and preventative treatments for women. (Texas, other states and proposed by GOP in Washington)

Working to deny women the right to choose how to respond to their own pregnancies regardless of how they became pregnant or their health by enacting draconian laws and requiring by law medically unnecessary procedures such as trans vaginal ultrasounds and charging the women for these procedures. (Throughout the country and spearheaded by religious organizations using the Republican Party)

These and more exist in this country, negatively impacting a population of 158.3 million women (51% of the country) who have 57.7% of the jobs, 41.7% of management and professional positions. Women own 7.8 million businesses in this country generating $1.2 trillion each year.

Of particular interest is that in 2010, the last midterm, 46.2% of registered women voted compared to only 44.8% of registered males. 66.6% of eligible women are registered to vote.

So with their numbers, ability to generate our economy and the fact they vote by significantly higher numbers than their male counterparts, why would a political party adopt such misogynistic policies towards women and look to people like Rush Limbaugh for inspiration?

Counterintuitive one would think, especially with what happened to the GOP in Virginia following 4 years of Governor Ultrasound Bob and his GOP administration implementing and enforcing misogyny on a scale unheard of till only recently. Yet today, there is little backing down by the GOP over these issues, little in attempts to reach out to women, even those who would agree with misogynistic acts directed at them. Speaker Boehner only appointed one Republican representative to chair a committee in the House, and then only after being called out for it and placing her in charge of the committee that literally deals with the House’s cafeteria.

Is this some sort of disease that conservatives are prone to?

Some speculate that misogyny has changed over the years especially with the use of social media and as a result, has become more public as Mother Jones speculates:

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/03/misogyny-bubble

Of course this isn’t limited to the United States. On October 9, 2012 Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard gave a speech in Parliament regarding misogyny which is of interest:

The fact of the matter is there is absolutely no reason why women should be denied or belittled for any reason or in any fashion in this age and time. Nothing in science or psychology justifies any misogynistic views or acts, support for misogyny or acquiesces to misogyny, especially in this country. Women and men should equally call people out for this behavior and show them for who they are, whether they’re male or female. Since the Republican Party supports the misogyny thrust upon women by their fringe right-wing religious morons, they need to learn that it comes with a cost.

Since the GOP won’t back down, won’t reach out in any serious way, still supports acts that belittle and harm women across the country, none of them should be allowed to hold office in the future elections.

So those of you who just cringe over how women are treated by the GOP let’s make sure we are all registered and committed to vote in each and every election this and future years to make sure we have no one in office who supports or tolerates any misogyny or bigotry of any form in this country where all men and women are created and should be treated as equals.

In preparation of the 2014 midterms, you not only need to be motivated, you of course need to know what you should be motivated about. You really need to know where the parties stand on the key issues facing us today. One thing is for certain, the Republicans are in lock step compliance with their party leaders with no deviation permitted. There is however some variance among Democrats, in some case a lot of variance. What follows is a brief and generalized list of issues and the official view of the parties. So in no particular order:

This list is by no means complete and is of course generalized to give the basic views of the two parties. It is my intent to publish future posts going into more detail regarding many of the above points. This is just a brief summary.

What this boils down to is that one side wants no government and wants to permit free reign to the privileged few without concern of ordinary people and no consequences to their behavior. The other side prefers a working government to make things equal and fair to all parties involved regardless of age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, political ideology, income or race. In other words, equal rights and a fair, safe and lawful playing field for all Americans.

Paul Weyrich was a religious conservative activist. He cofounded The Heritage Foundation, The Free Congress Foundation, The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and is the one thought to have coined the term “Moral Majority” and formed that organization with Jerry Falwell in 1979. Though both he and Falwell are long since dead and probably had some difficult moments explaining themselves at the Pearly Gates, their legacy continues to this day and is the mainstay of extreme right wing agenda and tactics. The one he fostered the most that still has serious ramifications to this very day is voter suppression. From his own words below:

“Our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.”

It is no wonder that nearly every legislative acts in every State to require voter ID, suppress the right to vote by Americans were written by Weyrich’s ALEC. It was never about voter fraud, it was about keeping voter turnout low. The lower the turnout in many cases, the closer the race. The closer the race results, the easier it is to sway or alter the results, tallies and steal an election. That has been and continues to be the primary tactic of the far right and Republican Party. Rather that stand for ideas and principles supported by majorities of Americans, they work for the few privileged at the top and do so by stealing elections. In 2013 they improved their ability to keep turnout down so they could steal elections when in a 5-4 conservative winning Supreme Court Decision, key elements of the Voting Rights Act were struck down. The Republicans jumped on it to impose new and more cumbersome requirements that keep those prone to support a more centrist of liberal position from being able to vote. Minorities, elderly, Women, must jump through new hoops to get valid ID in Red states, those who don’t and can’t drive must take long trips to a handful of Motor Vehicle offices in Texas to get ID and must pay for the ID, Women who take on their husbands name so that now their photo ID don’t match the voter registration name must jump through new hoops. Any impediment they can come up with to make getting a photo ID is being imposed to keep people from the polls.

This of course provides a difficult obstacle to overcome to have higher voter turnout in the midterms this year and fulfill the wish of turning an obstructionist House of Representatives progressive and willing to actually go to work and legislate for the people and acting upon what they truly want, not what Boehner says they want. Add to this congressional district gerrymandering and money flowing in from Citizen’s United ruling this will be a daunting task, but not impossible. If you know the requirements to vote in your state and start now, with help from others and time, you can get your ID, ensure you are registered and vote. The opposite of what Weyrich said is so very true, the higher the voter turnout, the more leverage the right loses in any election. The higher the turnout, the closer the race results mirror true American opinion and with larger margins of victory, little chance to steal the election.

Step 1: Make sure you are currently registered to vote. Make sure you haven’t been caged and taken off voter rolls by election officials. This is a common practice to reduce the number of Democrats and Independents from voting. Here is a site you can go to so you can verify your registration status:

http://www.canivote.org/

Step 2: Know what the registration and voter ID laws are in your state. Here’s a site that breaks down the ever changing laws across the country:

http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx

Step 3: If getting proper ID presents you problems, know where to go for assistance. These sites can help:

http://www.866ourvote.org/pages/voter-id-toolkits

http://voteriders.com/voter-id

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/voter/voteridlaw.shtml

http://www.demos.org/publication/got-id-helping-americans-get-voter-identification

http://pastatenaacp.org/voting/voter-id-campaign/

http://www.fairelectionsnetwork.com/webfm_send/76

As we move closer to the elections, more organizations will rise up to help, but you should start as early as possible. You also need to be aware that many states are curtailing if not eliminating early voting. So if you are employed, as early as you can arrange to have Election Day off so you can spend time in line to vote if necessary. If you are able to early vote, then make time to help those who have difficulty get to the polls and cast their ballots. Tell your family, friends and coworkers that they must vote. You need not tell them how to vote, only to vote. Voting is important, elections do have consequences and if we don’t turn the trend around about low voter turnout, the election results could ultimately result with our right to vote being curtailed even more if not eliminated. I’m not being hyperbolic. Rights not used are rights that soon go away.

If any of the following issues are important to you: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Unemployment Insurance, Job Bills, Fiscal Responsibility, National Debt, Social Safety, Compromise in Legislation, Income Disparity, Retirement, Healthcare, National Defense, Funding for First Responders, Funding for Clean Air, Water, Safe Food, Rights of Individuals over the rights of Corporations and wealthiest among us, then you must vote and have your voice heard.

More information on many of the above issues to be posted later.

Thank you for your time and let’s start now, November 4th is quickly approaching.

When it became clear that our Articles of Confederation were too weak to ensure the survival of our new nation, representatives met to create a new Constitution to improve a new concept of government of the people that would only exist with the consent of the people and be strong enough to ensure the entire Union would prosper. Thirteen individual states could not survive on their own; a strong union was needed then as it is now. So they went to work.

“WE THE PEOPLE of the United States in order to form a more perfect Union establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”

As a high school student 40 years ago, we were all required to memorize and cite the preamble in our civics class and be able to explain it. Sadly most of our schools don’t teach civics anymore and the true meaning of the preamble has been lost.

Broken down, what do these words mean? I found this from The Beacon Learning Center:

http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/documents/5215_4498.pdf

As I was starting to write this rant, I posted some of my material I planned on using on Twitter and had received a response questioning the above as being factual. He says he’s a colonial historian from Texas and that our Constitution was nothing more than a power grab for centralized government and that the Articles of Confederation were a success as “proven” by Merrill Jenson’s “New Nation.” Essentially Jenson offers a conflicting opinion of what the majority of historians of the period have concluded over the intent of the minds of the framers. It’s interesting if not dry reading but boils down simply to his opinion, which he is entitled to. I however liken it to a majority of Climate Change scientist are convinced this is man-made compared to a minority looking at the same data concluding it isn’t. I go with majority views unless something can convince me otherwise.

So what does the Preamble represent that those in the Tea Party appear to miss? The Tea Party faithful claim to be constitutionalists but also feel that depending on who you are, you aren’t entitled to all the “blessings of liberty” spoken of in the Preamble. If you are LGBT, if you are Muslim, if you are a woman, if you are “other” then you are not entitled to those things. Further, the “Establish Justice” appears to only apply to those in the Tea Party, no one else. So we don’t have to be fair to anyone outside the Tea Party. Nor do we need to provide for “the common defense” if you are not part of the Tea Party. You get no special protections, or any in some cases.

Those who follow me and see my avi know I’m a Star Trek fan. Though somewhat corny, there was one scene in one episode of Star Trek that actually makes a compelling argument for what the Preamble says, what it means and who it applies to. Here’s the scene:

Perhaps the most patriotic reading of the Preamble by a Canadian actor playing a fictional Starship Captain to an alien people.

“They must apply to everybody or they mean nothing!” These words must apply to all who are citizens of this country regardless of race, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, political ideology, etc. That is, or at least should be the promise of a more perfect union of the people, by the people and for the people. If you want to eliminate some of the people for some obscure reason, you do not understand our Constitution.

In my opinion the Tea Party will slur the true meaning of the Preamble because quite simply they don’t know better. They do what they’re told to do, say what they are told to say by their leadership who represent the Corporate interests like the Koch brothers. An educated and hopeful people who know their true rights are an impediment to business and profit. If people starting claiming their rights, profits may suffer.

Time to bring back Civics as a requirement of our educational system. Further, it’s time to make sure that those who would deny the constitutional rights of ordinary people in order to make those rights the sole property of the rich and corporate entities of the nation no longer remain in government.

Call this rant hokey if you will, but if you really want to consider yourself a patriot, then pick up some beliefs worth being patriotic over. The word means nothing if it has nothing inspiring behind it. At least that’s my opinion Michael (inside joke)

Around this time a year ago, those of us on the progressive side of politics were celebrating a successful campaign season. Not only was President Obama reelected by a huge majority, we picked up seats in the Senate maintaining control and even picked up seats in the House, though not enough to take control away from the Tea Party. This was a major accomplishment.

Many factors pointed to not only a closer race between Obama and Romney, but many seriously believed that not only would the Republicans maintain all their House seats, they were expected to pick up some and take control of the Senate. Due to the gridlock in Washington, a weakened economy that just would take off again, there was little hope of any kind of Democratic victory.

However, two inconceivable and previously unheard of factors were in play during the 2012 campaign. One; social media really took off with progressives spreading the word that ordinary Americans weren’t getting from mainstream media and two; the Republicans were in open warfare with themselves. They lost unity and the most extreme fringe took too much power that ended up turning off the moderates, progressives and even some true conservatives in the nation.

Like thousands of others, I took to tweeting and blogging what I saw was wrong with the Republican agenda. I took swipes at the inane logic of their platform, the pro “uber” wealthy and corporate agenda that left middle and working class in the dust, the results of 30 years of failed Reaganomics and the gridlock perpetrated by those in office merely because the President was a black Democrat. I was one voice in thousands working together to change the narrative in the real world and expose the Republicans for what they were and what they represented.

We were all unified to ensure that they not only didn’t take the Presidency, they weren’t going to take the Congress either. Of course, the Tea Party helped us all during this time. In their delusional way of thinking, oblivious to the reality around them, they believed their redefined sense of “Conservatism” is what the majority of Americans believed in and wanted.

It is true that when polled, a majority of Americans consider themselves “conservatives” and the Tea Party took that literally and refused to look deeper about what specific policies Americans are for and against. Though most Americans call themselves conservatives, they also by large majorities support:

Sensible gun control and universal background checks

Social security viability and oppose privatization

Universal healthcare

Social services

Properly funded and staffed civil services

Higher pay

A populous agenda that doesn’t take a backseat to corporate interests. All of those things and more the Tea Party are absolutely against and would call those who support those ideas “socialists” and “liberals” and thus, are anti American in their way of thinking.

So in their mind, only the most extreme of those in their newly defined sense of conservatism could win a general election and take the Senate. So they helped us, they primaried traditionally strong conservatives successfully and ended up with nut jobs running against centrist Democrats for the Senate and many House seats. The Tea Party “litmus test” about true conservative and Republican ideas cost them dearly in 2012. The results are history.

So we celebrated our gains and successes and patted ourselves on the back for a job well done. However, we then stopped working together as we moved into 2013. Just as the Tea Party destroyed the Republican Party numbers and message with their litmus test, some on the progressive side began to single out certain beliefs and certain individuals as not true “liberals” or “progressives”. In many cases it was for some undefined reason.

Many were attacked not for what they were saying, but for what they were “accused” of believing, or siding with, or organizing with. Many brought up unsubstantiated and quite frankly weak and unconvincing evidence they called “proof” of the “true nature” on many select people on the left and began to harass and intimidate them. They started to split the progressive movement under their own definition of what a true progressive is. They began their own “litmus” test and were vicious and vile to those who didn’t ascribe to it. As I observed it and was victimized by it, I came to the realization that this wasn’t for ideological reasons per se, it was more about  vanity, personal vendettas and quite simply meanness. Regardless, the progressive movement on social media began to lose unity as 2013 progressed and many previously active progressives simply dropped out due to disgust and in some cases fear.

Fortunately the progressive civil war has died down considerably in recent months, but it still exists. Occasional swipes are still being publicly presented on Twitter, malicious attacks and phony harassment claims being sent to Twitter support to get accounts of people who the perpetrator simply doesn’t like, suspended. False and misleading accusations still fly, but not as bad as it was several months ago.

We are now entering the 2014 election cycle, the midterms.

For those who remember the 2010 midterms, the progressive movement took a huge hit due to lack of unity and lack of interest. Few showed up at the polls to vote. The majority of those who did were the unified Republican stalwarts who successfully took control of the House and many State governments. Worse yet, they did it in a Census year and used their newly acquired control to gerrymander Congressional districts to their benefit in future elections.

They were unified and we weren’t. We were fighting amongst ourselves, we weren’t happy that the Public Option was taken out of the Affordable Care Act, we weren’t happy that President Obama gave in too much to the Republicans. Many “liberal” media personalities openly complained on air about how bad and ineffective the administration was and told their viewership to teach the Democrats a lesson in 2010. That lesson came back to bite us.

We can’t allow this to happen in 2014. In fact, we need to totally reverse the tone and outcome of the 2010 midterms to our favor in 2014. We not only need to be unified again like we were in 2012, we need to work the existing system to our favor if we can’t change it in time for November. Though difficult, voter suppression laws like voter ID can be overcome.

The strength of the Progressive movement is that it is a populous movement. The bigger our tent, the more inclusive we are, the stronger we become. Our litmus test must be no litmus test.

We don’t need to embrace each and every idea out there, but we must be tolerant of conflicting ideas and concepts. We need to approach each other with open arms, not closed fists. What’s more, we need to bring in others not normally associated with the progressive movement. Many Republicans in gerrymandered districts are just as pissed off with the Tea Party as we are. However, if we don’t talk to them, make them feel safe within our movement, why shouldn’t they still vote GOP?

Tolerance, Openness, Compromise must be our mission statement to bring as many to the fold as we can. After that, we need to educate everyone on the issues and why they matter to them individually, finally, we need to urge them to not only register, but to vote in each and every race this year and beyond. The higher voter turnout it, the more in tune the results are with the views of the nation. That’s why the GOP works to suppress the vote.

I do not claim to be a journalist, I don’t claim to be unbiased, I don’t claim to be a central point or important voice in the progressive movement. I’m only one of thousands out there who has some views that I think thousands, if not millions share that I want to get out anyway I can. I believe in the progressive cause and I believe in what’s known as Evidence Based Practices. EBP is the concept of using those things that history and research have shown actually works for any stated goal. Use what has been proven to work and discard what has been proven to not work. A very simple process.

I will be blogging about the issues at hand and more importantly, the voter ID and registration laws that exist around the nation and what can be done to work the system so as many of you who can still vote will be able to. If the system is set up against you, work the system in your favor.

My goal is to convince you to be involved, registered and vote your interest in 2014. We only have 11 months to go. I won’t tell you how to vote, only to vote if you can.

If this is important to you too, then help me and others get the word out. Give me your ideas, post your own ideas on social media, start your own blogs, get the word out but please, don’t let this go to your own head and inflate your own egos like some out there. This country is more important than any one person’s ego.

So, let’s get started. Whether you are OFA, Unite Blue or like me GDI (God Damn Independent) let’s all respect one another, work and compromise with each other and unify together for a progressive and successful 2014 midterm.

More to come in the week and months ahead.

Those of you who’ve followed me on Twitter and this blog know I have this desire to get as many people out to vote their interests as we can. All polling shows that the majority of this nation supports what the right would call a “liberal agenda” over such things as freedom of choice, immigration reform, stronger gun control laws, universal background checks, same-sex marriage, equal rights for all, etc. Yet we have many in local and national office who not only block such agendas, they work to enact the opposite with things like voter suppression, abortion bans, constitutional amendments to restrict rights, weakening of gun laws, etc. The problem is there is a small number of rightwing zealots who also tend to vote in each and every primary and election. Though they represent a small minority of the nation, they represent a large number of the voting public.

There have been several theories as to why this occurs, why a fringe ideology is more apt to exercise their constitutional right and obligation to vote a narrow ideological agenda while the rest of the nation who support things that benefit the entire nation, often sit on their hands on election day.

Some mention that the neo-conservative mind is prone to blindly follow their perceived leaders without much thought and do what they are told to do. The imagery of lemmings rushing over the cliff comes to mind.

Others mention that this group tends to always be angry and it’s that anger that is their motivation to vote against whomever they are told is the enemy, against these people without really thinking about it and why they should be against them.

Perhaps its a combination of the two and possibly other motivating factors. Regardless, these people always vote, the rest of us don’t.

I’m asking those of you who read this blog to please comment on what you think is needed to get the majority of the nation out to vote in the upcoming midterm primaries and general elections.

Every House seat is up for 2014, even those in gerrymandered districts, a third of the Senate seats are also up, several governors and State legislators are also up for election. Ordinarily, far less than 40% of the nation votes during the midterms.

When you realize that a majority of that 40% will be the rightwing ideologues, you understand the danger this nation is in. I remind you all of 2010 and the damage we still suffer from so few Democrats and Independents voting. The rightwing Tea Party swept the nation and most states and started voter suppression acts, misogyny on Biblical steroids, gerrymandered redistricting, cuts in the social safety nets for the nation and individual states. We cannot allow this to happen again. We need higher turnouts.

Please post your comments and I promise to post them as I have the time to review them. All ideas are worth exploring so please give us your thoughts.

Thank you all in advance.