CMRivdog

Just like the referendums passed in Michigan a couple of years ago. The Reps on the Kotch/Debo’s payroll opposed them so they reframed them as appropriations and killed them. Never allowing them to be voted on again

https://www.gocomics.com/jeffdanziger/2019/03/19

Once again the GOP undermining the “will of the people” https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/03/florida-republicans-felon-voting-rights-amendment-4.html

Biden/Abrams? https://www.axios.com/2020-presidential-election-joe-biden-stacey-abrams-vp-54472f8f-5bb2-4d1f-bc7c-0544a09ebba5.html

The 2016 map looks a lot like the Great Lakes. The bottom map is the Great Lakes after the Trump Administration kills them off with deregulation

Just a reminder that the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine helped to usher in the current glut of conservative radio stations.

I think this might apply to American voters as well https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2019/03/who-is-most-receptive-to-pseudo-profound-bull****.html Here is the piece, byArtur Nilsson, Arvid Erlandsson, and Daniel Västfjäll. Via the excellent Kevin Lewis.

Or maybe we just outlaw political parties

Originally the “Founding Fathers” never considered political parties. Then Jefferson and Madison came along (they were there all along, I know) Somehow the EC got changed from the second highest vote getter to “tickets”.....

The current system of electing a President by the EC has evolved from the legislatures appointing electors to forms of hybrid voting (election of voters by districts and statewide voting) before it eventually morphed into the current system of winner take all. James Madison once proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would allow the EC Electors to be elected by districts, believing that voters would better trust someone they knew to decide who was fit for the office rather than voting for a slate of unknowns. To me the bottom line on the EC is that it was developed as a compromise and seemed changeable as long as the Founding Father’s were around. The elections of Adams, Jefferson gave the VP to the runner up, which quickly changed, as did the method of selecting electors. Maybe it’s time for a new compromise. Proportional voting. Assign electors by the percentage of votes they receive in each state, statewide winners get the two “senate” votes. Having spent a large part of my voting life in states where either my vote really didn’t matter for President or the opponent gets shut out quite often. If the percentage of the vote in a state is 51-49 or 70-30 make it that way. Don’t disenfranchise the minority party. I think that is how we got to where we are now.

I went searching for news stories chronicling Trump working with the FBI during the building of the Trump Tower and the casino deals. He did have a sit down with the FBI and may have offered but there is also evidence he may have tried to work both sides of the street. He needed the Costra Nostra backed companies to facilitate construction , that is a given. Roy Cohn was known to represent Costra Nostra clients. Jump ahead 30 years or so and Trump’s fixation on getting a foothold in Russia.his overwhelmingly desire to meet with Putin and the oligarchs during the Miss USA Pageant in Moscow. The number of deals made with Russian Businesspersons with ties to Putin. What was in that mysterious box that Putin had hand delivered to Trump after the Russian trip? Trump may not be completely in bed with the Russian Mob (totally different than the Costra Nostra that the FBI went after in the 80s) but he has surrounded himself with individuals who have had suspicious ties in the past. Trump is attracted to big money like a firefly to light and seems to be blinded by ethics when it comes to some who have money that might help him. Where there is smoke, there might be fire

The more I see him, the more I’m impressed. I only caught the tail end of this morning’s interview. He’s not an empty suit. Good answer on the Trout question