Opinion By David Sirota Published 5:34 pm, Thursday, August 14, 2014 READ ANOTHER OPINION Potent legal claims throw Trump on the defensive A reminder of just how wrong Trump apologists were Republicans demonstrate they aren't up to the task of... What authoritarians do: Attack the apolitical administration... Wall Street is one of the biggest sources of funding for presidential campaigns, and many of the Republican Party's potential 2016 contenders are governors. And so, last week, the GOP filed a federal lawsuit aimed at overturning the pay-to-play law that bars those governors from raising campaign money from Wall Street executives who manage their states' pension funds. In this case, New York's and Tennessee's Republican parties are represented by two former Bush administration officials, one of whose firms just won the Supreme Court case invalidating campaign contribution limits on large donors. In their complaint, the parties argue that people managing state … [Read more...] about GOP suit claims a right to corruption
Gop
Why the GOP is afraid of higher voter turnout
Opinion By David Sirota Updated 6:45 pm, Thursday, September 4, 2014 READ ANOTHER OPINION Potent legal claims throw Trump on the defensive A reminder of just how wrong Trump apologists were Republicans demonstrate they aren't up to the task of... What authoritarians do: Attack the apolitical administration... It is rare for a politician to publicly deride efforts to boost voter turnout. It is seen as taboo in a country that prides itself on its democratic ideals. Yet New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie last week slammed efforts to simplify voter registration. Referring to Illinois joining other states in passing a same-day voter registration law, Christie said: "Same-day registration all of a sudden this year comes to Illinois. Shocking. It's shocking. I'm sure it was all based on public policy, good public policy, to get same-day registration here in Illinois just this year, when the governor is in the toilet and needs as much help as he can get." Christie was … [Read more...] about Why the GOP is afraid of higher voter turnout
Trump and the GOP’s Jurassic Park
Opinion By E.J. Dionne Jr. Published 5:00 pm, Wednesday, June 15, 2016 READ ANOTHER OPINION Potent legal claims throw Trump on the defensive A reminder of just how wrong Trump apologists were Republicans demonstrate they aren't up to the task of... What authoritarians do: Attack the apolitical administration... The American people know extremism when they see it. This is very unfortunate for Donald Trump. And it is a nightmare for Republican leaders who see more clearly every day how his candidacy has become a trap: They desperately want to free themselves from the moral wreckage Trump leaves behind but are stuck with a nominee who speaks for a majority of their rank-and-file. Those who lack confidence in the public’s ability to make rational judgments often argue that horrendous acts — of terrorism, for example — will shake the majority from its commitment to civil liberties, pluralism and tolerance. This view reflects a profound mistrust of … [Read more...] about Trump and the GOP’s Jurassic Park
No room for nice in the GOP
Opinion By E.J. Dionne Jr. Published 10:09 am, Friday, April 15, 2016 READ ANOTHER OPINION Potent legal claims throw Trump on the defensive A reminder of just how wrong Trump apologists were Republicans demonstrate they aren't up to the task of... What authoritarians do: Attack the apolitical administration... On the day that Paul Ryan said he really, truly, honestly did not want to be the Republicans’ presidential savior, John Kasich did his best to channel the House speaker. Both undertakings underscored how much trouble the old pro-business, pro-tax-cut conservatism faces. A cynic might theorize that because absence makes the heart grow fonder, Ryan’s reticence would only make his party hope and pray harder that he would deliver it from catastrophe. But the 46-year-old speaker knows that the 2016 GOP is unlikely to be the vehicle for the neo-Reaganite revival he seeks. He’s much better off waiting until 2020. Kasich, in the meantime, did what … [Read more...] about No room for nice in the GOP
Cam Winton: Runs as independent, but gives GOP hope
No Republican can win a statewide election without capturing at least 40 percent of the vote in Hennepin County. And with the Minneapolis population rising, no GOP candidate can do that without winning at least 30 percent of the city’s vote. This political math lesson came my way after making the rounds among a cadre of never-say-die Mill City Republican activists. It’s a bit of a stretch. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the last Republican to win a statewide election, did indeed take 40.6 percent of the Hennepin County vote, but only 19.8 percent in Minneapolis. But there’s something to the claim that growth is making Minneapolis more important in statewide elections. If Republican Tom Emmer in 2010 had matched Pawlenty’s share of the city’s vote, he still would have been about 5,000 votes short of defeating Gov. Mark Dayton. As it was, Emmer garnered just 16.6 percent in the city, and lost statewide by 8,770 votes. This numerical exercise came to mind last … [Read more...] about Cam Winton: Runs as independent, but gives GOP hope