Reminder:
Focused Read: Highlights in 3 minutes,
the full story is about 5 minutes
“Full Court Madness:
SCOTUS Takes on Gerrymandering
Lawmakers use this tactic to draw lines for congressional and state
legislative districts that water down the voices of opposition
voters, entrenching their own party’s power.
In
Wisconsin, for example, Republicans rigged the map so drastically
that they won 60 out of 99 state assembly seats in 2012
despite winning fewer than 50% of votes.
In
2016, nationwide gerrymandering delivered Republicans 16–22
of all the House seats they won: that means unfair line-drawing
accounted for 67–92% of their 24-seat majority.
By and
large, district maps are drawn by state legislatures.
State
lawmakers set the boundaries for their state’s congressional
districts and for their own districts.
The
process takes place every ten years after the census, and
controlling it is how Republicans rigged the game in their
favor for a decade — spending just $30 million to win a few
key state chambers in 2010, and then strategically redistricting to
minimize Democratic representation.
Fair
elections start in our state houses, which is why flipping chambers
in 2018 and 2020 will be essential to restoring an equal playing
field to our elections — and flipping the script on unearned
GOP power.
This year, partisan gerrymandering has come to the courts.
... we round up the cases in play that could remake our maps
even before the blue wave in November. … “
You
can read more here
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can read Rabbi Ruttenberg's thread & share it here
Today's Focused Point of Interest in 3 minutes
"Trump's 'cruel' measures
pushing US inequality to dangerous level, UN warns
Scorching (May) report on
poverty finds ‘systematic attack on welfare program’ will leave
millions deprived of food and healthcare
Donald Trump is
deliberately forcing millions of Americans into financial ruin,
cruelly depriving them of food and other basic protections while
lavishing vast riches on the super-wealthy, the United
Nations monitor on poverty has warned.
Philip Alston, the UN
special rapporteur who acts as a watchdog on extreme poverty around
the world, has issued a withering critique of the state of
America today.
Trump is steering the country towards a “dramatic
change of direction” that is rewarding the rich and punishing the
poor by blocking access even to the most meager necessities.
“This is a systematic
attack on America’s welfare program that is undermining the social
safety net for those who can’t cope on their own. Once you start
removing any sense of government commitment, you quickly move into
cruelty,” Alston told the Guardian.
... the effect on people living on the
margins will be drastic.”
... Alston sounds the alarm in
the final report of his investigation into extreme poverty
in the US that is published on Friday and will be presented to the UN
human rights council in Geneva at the end of June.
His findings are
based on a tour he carried out in December through some of
America’s most destitute communities, from Skid Row in Los Angeles,
through poor African American areas in Alabama, and the stricken coal
country of West Virginia, to hurricane-racked Puerto Rico.
The report amounts to one
of the most scorching assessments of Trump’s leadership in his 16
months in the White House.
It is likely to spark debate across the
political aisle as well as globally about the US president’s rapid
drive towards heightened inequality. …“
You
can read more here
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→ Direct sources for Democrats:
* ( Personal favored and most informative follows are also shared here with the understanding that readers will always apply their own critical thinking to any information provided anywhere by anyone. #StrongerTogether does not share sources of information lightly but -- no one is perfect! -- so always #DistrustAndVerify -- even if it's me. I am using a star rating that is strictly based on my situational experience with the work of the media personality specifically in relation to issues of interest to me. )
The Democratic Party Website
Also, NOT exactly a Democratic Party specific source but a good place for to hear and to watch speeches & hearings directly C-SPAN
→ Some of my favorite, most active organizations -- some existing & some developing to elect Democrats:
Born from conversations between Governor Howard Dean and Secretary Hillary Clinton in the aftermath of the 2016 election, Onward Together was established to lend support to leaders — particularly young leaders — kicking off projects and founding new organizations to fight for our shared progressive values. here
Our mission is to elect more Democrats, and we’re equipping the progressive movement with the right digital organizing tools to do it...MobilizeAmerica is a volunteer management platform and network that enables activists, progressive organizations and Democratic campaigns to connect and win here
→ Fact checking organizations courtesy of the Society of Professional Journalists
in alphabetical order...
→ Some of my favorite, most informative
follows on Twitter include:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ US Intelligence | Author | Navy Senior Chief | NBC/MSNBC
⭐⭐⭐ Federal Government Operations | Vanity Fair | Newsweek | MSNBC Contributor | Author
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Voting Rights/Voter Suppression | Author | Mother Jones
→ Some of my favorite, highly credible media -- at the moment:
📰📰📰 Mother Jones
📰📰📰📰 The Washington Post
→ Some of my favorite Talking Heads -- at the moment -- and their Twitter handles:
→ Some of my favorite media/panelists -- at the moment -- and their Twitter handles:
✅✅✅✅ Joan Walsh national affairs correspondent for The Nation; CNN political contributor
✅✅✅ Heidi Przybyla USA TODAY Senior Political Reporter
✅✅✅ Jennifer Rubin Conservative blogger at @ WashingtonPost's Right Turn, MSNBC contributor
✅✅✅ Natasha Bertrand Staff writer @ TheAtlantic covering national security & the intel community. @ NBCNews/@ MSNBC contributor
✅✅✅ Heidi Przybyla USA TODAY Senior Political Reporter
✅✅✅ Jennifer Rubin Conservative blogger at @ WashingtonPost's Right Turn, MSNBC contributor
✅✅✅ Natasha Bertrand Staff writer @ TheAtlantic covering national security & the intel community. @ NBCNews/@ MSNBC contributor
( 📎 Interesting to note: Wallace, a former Republican (or an inactive Republican I believe she calls herself) is new to the job but for right now she has clearly put country over party and her work on Trump GOP has been credible, IMO... )
...for Networking for Democrats today!
g. (Unapologetic Democrat)
g. (Unapologetic Democrat)
📎 Note: I rarely get involved in primary races -- outside of those in my own area. And, unless there is a glaring reason that can not be ignored, I support Democratic Party nominees winning in general elections.
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(Linked) "...is our 2016 platform...a declaration of how we plan to move America forward. Democrats believe that cooperation is better than conflict, unity is better than division, empowerment is better than resentment, and bridges are better than walls.
It’s a simple but powerful idea: We are stronger together."
( #its2018now )
*
Curated by Gail Mountain, this blog is often gently edited and/or excerpted for quick reading, with occasional personal commentary in the form of the written word and/or in the form of emphasis noted. Network For #StrongerTogether ! is not affiliated with The Democratic Party in any capacity. This is an independent blog and the hope is you will, at a glance, learn more about the Party and you will, with a click or two, also take action on its behalf as it is provided!
( You can also find me on Twitter
*
See the League of Women Voters website:
Vote411 here
*
Thank you for Focusing!
g., aka Focused Democrat
✊ Resisting "Fake News"
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