Democracy Happy Hour – April 20, 2022

* Democracy Happy Hour, April 20, 2022 - Meeting Recordings & Chat File:

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/Oz8M8l-yJbU9TkkVA3bC82_y7dyJQSKIUfhP1_aRsTHC_EXqRIoo-Bgf-o1jERTmA6odSINaqj2nS_8A.s7HgtAIDIvvrL-u0
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/0tHQNr9-ePIlaWbeDVynp3YqLxq8IL5xXFwLZ_AmEk48qZnTVmgLW3YuHF9VPF1d8Mu6mb6KlPjACsiX.gOzlnj1Y9y1E7vSm
• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/_Q9yAU65Dncurx2bCYpSJm4cfLqQ_PQs7_Lol55wVjXFtZV6Yxip9J78d__7HiwxRtV5JLRhniwnUPnk.hzqOihubFcRjzms9

Actions, Events & Misc. Links:

DONATE to Fix Democracy First or Fix Democracy First Education Fund @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

Upcoming Democracy Happy Hour topics:

• Apr 27^th – Open Discussion – Bring your ideas!
• May 4^th – Tax the Rich: How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer w/ Bud Wurtz
• May 11^th – What Divides Rural, Suburban & Urban Politics?
• May 18^th – Ranked Choice Voting: Clark County Campaign w/ FairVote WA

YO VOTE! (Youth Organizers for Voter Outreach, Teaching & Engagement) - https://www.yo-vote.org

WON (Women in Office Now) – https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/won

Running With My Girls – Film Screening & Panel Discussion – May 26^th @ 6 pm PT – Register @ https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bJh0GUlAR3-G8z0WV4NhOw

ACTION NEEDED: Boeing, Support Our Fundamental Democratic Values - Tell Boeing to stop funding Members of Congress who voted to overturn the 2020 election:

• Sign Petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/boeing-support-our-fundamental-democratic-values/
• Share the Petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/boeing-support-our-fundamental-democratic-values/
• Submit a Letter to the Editor
• Call Boeing - Main switchboard: 312-544-2000
• Share article in Sludge: Grassroots Groups Call on Boeing to Cut off Donations to Election Objectors - https://readsludge.com/2022/04/20/grassroots-groups-call-on-boeing-to-cut-off-donations-to-election-objectors/
• Share Common Dreams op-ed: Boeing, Stop Funding Those Who Undermine Democracy -   https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/04/19/boeing-stop-funding-those-who-undermine-democracy

The Politics Industry Links:

The Political Industrial Complex: Government of, by and for… Consultants! - https://billmoyers.com/story/political-industrial-complex-government-consultants/

How political campaigning has changed throughout US history - https://stacker.com/stories/3943/how-political-campaigning-has-changed-throughout-us-history

How political consultants cash in big time from the campaign finance system - https://hub.jhu.edu/2016/01/04/presidential-race-2016-political-consultant-spending-sheingate/

The mysterious political consultants making millions to influence elections - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/01/political-consultants-making-millions-to-influence-elections/

Political Consulting Firms Made $1.4 Billion Simultaneously Working for Campaign Committees and ‘Independent’ Groups - https://www.citizen.org/news/political-consulting-firms-made-1-4-billion-simultaneously-working-for-campaign-committees-and-independent-groups/

Consulting firms double-dipping in political candidates rake in more than $1B - https://www.axios.com/consultants-double-dip-campaign-spending-cf9916e2-1b4d-4696-b7a4-4c7bdf9be33a.html

PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION AD SPENDING TOPS $1.5 BILLION - https://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-102920/

The Fight for Ad Buys in an Election Year - https://www.mediastewards.com/post/the-fight-for-ad-buys-in-an-election-year

Presidential campaigns set new records for social media ad spending - https://abc7.com/presidential-race-campaign-spending-trump-political-ads-biden/7452228/

Can We Escape the Political-Industrial Complex? - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/opinion/politics-2020-media-election.html

SEPTEMBER 2017 WHY COMPETITION IN THE POLITICS INDUSTRY IS FAILING AMERICA - A strategy for reinvigorating our democracy - https://www.hbs.edu/competitiveness/Documents/why-competition-in-the-politics-industry-is-failing-america.pdf

The Politics Industry – How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy - https://gehlporter.com/

How Industry Competition Theory Can Help Fix U.S. Politics – VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE61lMiZV2k

Democracy in the News Links:

Fearing a Trump Repeat, Jan. 6 Panel Considers Changes to Insurrection Act - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/us/politics/trump-jan-6-insurrection-act.html

'We need ammo. We need fraud examples. We need it this weekend.' What the Meadows texts reveal about how two Trump congressional allies lobbied the White House to overturn the election. - https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/15/politics/mike-lee-chip-roy-text-messages-jan-6-mark-meadows-overturn-election/index.html

Trump Allies Continue Legal Drive to Erase His Loss, Stoking Election Doubts - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/18/us/politics/trump-allies-election-decertify.html

Lawmakers worry 2020 will provide a blueprint for stealing a future election - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/lawmakers-worry-2020-will-blueprint-stealing-future-election-rcna24568

After 2020, a candidate conceding an election is no longer a sure thing - https://news.wsiu.org/politics-elections/2022-04-14/after-2020-a-candidate-conceding-an-election-is-no-longer-a-sure-thing

More Than 70 Percent Of Trump's Endorsees Believe The 2020 Election Was Fraudulent - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/more-than-70-percent-of-trumps-endorsees-believe-the-2020-election-was-fraudulent/
‘Election integrity summits’ aim to fire up Trump activists over big lie - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/18/election-integrity-summits-conservative-partnership-institute

Center-right pushes back against election deniers - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/Leadership/renew-america-movement

Legal effort to remove Greene from Ga. ballot can proceed, judge rules - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/19/greene-jan6-ballot-legal-challenge/

"Based on a lie": GOP's Zuckerberg obsession threatens to starve local election offices of funding - https://www.salon.com/2022/04/14/based-on-a-lie-gops-zuckerberg-obsession-threatens-to-starve-local-offices-of-funding/

Fighting Trump, Dems launch plan to elect thousands of local election supervisors - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/18/democrats-recruiting-push-local-election-officers-00025733

Amid false 2020 claims, GOP states eye voting system upgrade - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/amid-false-2020-claims-gop-states-eye-voting-84102844

Republicans' voter suppression laws are as ableist as they are racist - https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/how-greg-abbott-threatens-voting-rights-disabled-americans-n1294472

Voting rights advocates warn of fresh threats to ballot access in Georgia - https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/politics/ballot-access-georgia-ctzn/index.html

Without federal voting protections, many look to states as the ‘laboratories of democracy’ - https://prismreports.org/2022/04/18/federal-voting-protections-state-remedies-democracy/

Study: Vote-by-Mail Promotes Equity, Reduces Racial Gap in Voting - https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2022-04-19/childrens/study-vote-by-mail-promotes-equity-reduces-racial-gap-in-voting/a78738-1

TNR Poll: Americans Agree Democracy Is Doomed, but Not About Why - https://newrepublic.com/article/166027/democracy-poll

DNC sets off free-for-all to remake presidential calendar - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/13/dnc-remake-presidential-calendar-00025120

DeSantis draws congressional map that would dramatically expand GOP’s edge in Florida - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/desantis-draws-congressional-map-dramatically-expanding-gops-edge-flor-rcna24317

Florida’s redistricting fight continues. The head of the state League of Women Voters talks about what’s at stake. - https://19thnews.org/2022/04/florida-redistricting-2022-cecile-scoon-voting-rights/

Ohio Supreme Court rejects Republicans’ fourth set of state legislative maps - https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/04/ohio-supreme-court-rejects-republicans-fourth-set-of-state-legislative-maps.html

The Ohio Redistricting Fight Isn’t a Mess. It’s Progress. - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/ohio-redistricting-fight-isnt-mess-its-progress

New Mexico - Judge allows lawsuit on maps to proceed - https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/judge-allows-gop-lawsuit-on-maps-to-go-forward-but-wont-delay-primaries/article_7fbbd04a-bfec-11ec-aedd-cb0250680e3b.html

Civil rights groups sue Texas county over alleged 'discriminatory' map - https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/14/politics/redistricting-lawsuit-galveston-county-texas/index.html

Analysis: Gerrymandering has left Texas voters with few options - https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/20/texas-redistricting-elections/

Wisconsin Supreme Court adopts GOP-drawn legislative maps - https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-state-legislature-d9714f51739a01751aba0af674442f3a

Washington state's new redistricting plan to stand for 2022 elections, judge says - https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/washington-s-new-redistricting-plan-to-stand-for-2022-elections-judge-says/article_6a669ec2-cd99-5259-ad80-325085f56a76.html

How Democrats learned to stop worrying and love the gerrymander - https://www.vox.com/22961590/redistricting-gerrymandering-house-2022-midterms

Democrats’ redistricting gains hit a roadblock: The Supreme Court - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/15/supreme-court-redistricting/

Trump-Appointed Judge Deemed ‘Not Qualified’ by Bar Association Voids Mask Mandate on Planes, Other Travel - https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/kathryn-kimball-mizelle-trump-judge-voids-mask-mandate-1339427/

Justice Department Appeals to Reinstate Transportation Mask Mandate - https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/FMfcgzGpFWSDCPhFcWWdFSjZgTHNMQbh

How the Supreme Court's conservatives influenced the ruling against the CDC mask requirement - https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/politics/supreme-court-conservative-masks/index.html

Georgia’s 2018 Rematch, in a Courtroom - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/13/us/politics/georgia-stacey-abrams-brian-kemp.html

Judge denies Abrams bid to seek unlimited contributions - https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-stacey-abrams-georgia-campaigns-252a52a1a3083c0db19d16e3194c2551

Most Americans think Supreme Court process more politics than substance: poll - https://thehill.com/regulation/3269471-most-americans-think-supreme-court-process-more-politics-than-substance-poll/

The effort to implement a Supreme Court code of ethics - https://www.npr.org/2022/04/17/1093265007/the-effort-to-implement-a-supreme-court-code-of-ethics

Political Campaigns Are Facing Risks With Crypto Donations On Coinbase And BitPay - https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/coinbase-bitpay-campaign-donations-cryptocurrency

Campaign finance watchdog cracks down on untraceable super PAC donations - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/15/campaign-finance-watchdog-cracks-down-on-untraceable-super-pac-donations-00025664

A bipartisan group of 19 lawmakers is laying out 3 key parameters for a stock trading ban following the House's first hearing on the issue - https://www.businessinsider.com/19-bipartisan-lawmakers-stock-ban-letter-golden-spanberger-hearing-2022-4

Some state lawmakers calling it quits, can’t afford to serve - https://www.theolympian.com/news/business/article260476282.html

Women of color are changing the dialogue in WA’s Legislature - https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/women-of-color-are-changing-the-dialogue-at-the-legislature/

Open primaries would allow 1.1 million independent voters to take part in elections, lawmakers say - https://www.phillyvoice.com/pennsylvania-open-primary-legislation-laughlin-collett-independents/

Evaluating the Effects of Ranked-Choice Voting - https://www.newamerica.org/political-reform/reports/evaluating-the-effects-of-ranked-choice-voting/

Censorship battles’ new frontier: Your public library - https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/04/17/public-libraries-books-censorship/

Boeing, Stop Funding Those Who Undermine Democracy - https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/04/19/boeing-stop-funding-those-who-undermine-democracy