Democracy Happy Hour – Nov 17, 2021

Democracy Happy Hour, November 17, 2021 - Meeting Recordings & Chat:

• Speaker View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/T4Ix5pfm_isvgUEi8ft3ajX4satAoEx_ahfv40YCwVIEOQbLxWEE81NdbtPKDKbnOOWOsK_gqZSFTDQ.wxjXdOTsFnTFR77s
• Gallery View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/cGYSrWIgB0u_AQfMiORC06W9OY_UjlzDSv_zQ0haDjLRe0HxWJYpGL80YcIB56XNKICD8wI7MHOPqEI_.gJlOYcefItkcoxxv
• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/ZyIhxyIIUp44VgxKIxpEA_HIhTPKC75Xon1mdDTX__qvNYYrmwfeWK4YltwHTgnGi71AfNWzkbpIRYF_.RemVKo9We-D701_V
• Closed Caption (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/065Jso0_CJdVBdCAkE3kIN4VmtKE-Ez-KIsT7zCt1gOFpGw9dbCGEg-0cAhBmJmSRGH0yGwM3xVy3gpG.fxttBxmeZioJ_FYI
  

Actions, Events & Misc. Links:

• DONATE:
• Fix Democracy First or Fix Democracy First Education Fund - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate
• YO VOTE! - https://www.yo-vote.org/donate

Upcoming Democracy Happy Hour topics:

• Nov 24th - WA Redistricting Update: What’s Next w/ Alison McCaffree
• Dec 1st – Proportional Representation w/ special guests from WA for Equitable Democracy

WA Redistricting:

• Submit Public Comments @ https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/submit-public-testimony

TAKE ACTION for VOTING RIGHTS BILLS:

• Freedom to Vote Act & John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Actions you can take:

• Declaration for American Democracy TAKE ACTION page - https://dfadcoalition.org/takeaction/
• Call the U.S. Senate @ 1.888.453.3211 - Tell them to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, as well as address the filibuster so these bills can pass.
• Call the White House @ 1.888.724.8746 - Tell the President to use his power to push the Senate to pass these bills and support reforming the filibuster. (The comment line is open Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 8am-noon PT.)
• Volunteer Phonebanks: Common Cause -https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/376178/
• Write a Letter to the Editor: Use the Letter To the Editor Tool to submit a letter to your local newspaper - https://dfadcoalition.org/lte/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=0efbe054-a67f-421e-af75-404e630ad65b

Civics for Adults - https://www.civicthinker.info/

Democracy in the News Links:

Bannon Indicted on Contempt Charges Over House’s Capitol Riot Inquiry - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/us/politics/bannon-indicted.html

Trump White House records can be turned over to House Jan. 6 investigative committee, judge rules - https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/trump-records-jan-6-committee-judge-ruling/2021/11/09/4d256cec-3e44-11ec-bfad-8283439871ec_story.html

Trump allies pressed Defense Department to help overturn election, new book says - https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-allies-pressed-defense-department-overturn-election-book/story?id=81182008

At least 13 Trump officials illegally campaigned while in office, federal investigation finds - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-violations-hatch-act/2021/11/09/b3d4c764-4108-11ec-a88e-2aa4632af69b_story.html

Hatch Act requires government employees to work for the public interest, not partisan campaigns - https://thefulcrum.us/hatch-act-violations

The much-maligned Arizona election audit reinforced doubt about the 2020 election results, according to a new poll - https://news.yahoo.com/much-maligned-arizona-election-audit-043052095.html

Michigan GOP's latest vote-crushing scheme could eliminate 20% of polling sites - https://www.salon.com/2021/11/17/michigan-gops-latest-vote-crushing-scheme-could-eliminate-20-of-polling-sites/

Wyoming GOP votes to no longer recognize Cheney as a Republican - https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/581655-wyoming-gop-votes-to-no-longer-recognize-cheney-as-a-republican

Republicans Cling to Voter Fraud Claims – at Their Own Peril - https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-11-16/republicans-cling-to-voter-fraud-claims-at-their-own-peril

The Election Sabotage Scheme - https://www.brennancenter.org/

Renewed urgency surrounds statewide campaigns as candidates cast doubts on elections - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/renewed-urgency-surrounds-statewide-campaigns-candidates-cast-doubts/story?id=81116215

‘Terrifying for American democracy’: is Trump planning for a 2024 coup? - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/14/trump-president-2024-election-coup-republicans

Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology - https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/11/09/beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology-2/

Voting rights reform among Senate Democrats' end-of-year priorities - https://thefulcrum.us/Government/Congress/senate-voting-rights-bills

Filibuster Reform Forum - https://filibusterreform.org/

Protesters march on Washington in support of voting rights, filibuster change - https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2021/11/16/protesters-voting-measures-filibuster-change-Washington-DC/1811637109219/

ALEC “Academy” Featured a Who’s Who of Voter Suppression Leaders - https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/11/16/alec-academy-featured-a-whos-who-of-voter-suppression-leaders/

Electile Dysfunction: How to Fix Our Government - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlChFvmmSQM

Inslee selects Democratic Sen. Steve Hobbs to temporarily replace Republican Wyman as Washington secretary of state - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/inslee-selects-sen-steve-hobbs-to-temporarily-replace-wyman-as-secretary-of-state/

Washington redistricting commission admits failure to meet deadline for new political maps - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/after-mostly-private-talks-washington-redistricting-commission-takes-midnight-votes-on-new-congressional-legislative-districts/

In a first, court will decide new WA redistricting plan as commission falters - https://crosscut.com/politics/2021/11/first-court-will-decide-new-wa-redistricting-plan-commission-falters

Washington’s redistricting commission emerges Tuesday night, post-deadline, with agreement on boundaries. What’s next? - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/what-happens-now-to-washingtons-political-maps-after-redistricting-commissions-historic-failure/

Gerrymandering surges as states redraw maps for House seats - https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-gerrymandering-46ceaf3fb90a4ce3b2fc026c7c18e747

Republicans Gain Heavy House Edge in 2022 as Gerrymandered Maps Emerge - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/15/us/politics/republicans-2022-redistricting-maps.html

Why gerrymandered congressional maps give Republicans a baked-in advantage to regain control - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/republicans-gerrymandering-congress-maps-2022-b1958130.html

Redistricting efforts could destroy Black and Latino political power. Advocates are sounding the alarm. - https://www.insider.com/advocates-say-redistricting-efforts-suppress-black-and-latino-voters-2021-11

Civil Rights Groups Sue Texas Governor Citing Voting Rights Act Violations - https://www.newsweek.com/civil-rights-groups-sue-texas-governor-citing-voting-rights-act-violations-1650082

How a Cure for Gerrymandering Left U.S. Politics Ailing in New Ways - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/us/politics/gerrymandering-redistricting.html

No One Is Prepared for the New Gerrymanders - https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/11/supreme-court-gerrymandering-texas-wisconsin-north-carolina.html

The GOP’s Redistricting Loophole - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/gop-redistricting-loophole

Judges Can’t Hear Cases When There’s a Conflict of Interest? Some Do. - https://www.governing.com/now/judges-cant-hear-cases-when-theres-a-conflict-of-interest-some-do

Supreme Court's Watergate-era rulings against Nixon may end Trump's executive privilege claims - https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/11/politics/trump-nixon-supreme-court-analysis-biskupic/index.html

Americans broadly support Supreme Court upholding Roe v. Wade and oppose Texas abortion law, Post-ABC poll finds - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/16/post-abc-poll-abortion-supreme-court/

The Power of State Courts in Securing Abortion Access: “It’s Time to Give Them Center Stage” - https://msmagazine.com/2021/11/09/state-courts-constitutions-abortion-access-supreme-court/

America is at a crossroads. The supreme court may decide which way it goes - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/15/us-supreme-court-democracy-america

Why the Supreme Court needs an ethics code - https://www.rollcall.com/2021/11/12/why-the-supreme-court-needs-an-ethics-code/

Mockery of justice: Jury deciding fate of Ahmaud Arbery’s killers highlights a nation’s failure to prevent racist jury strikes - https://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2021/11/10/mockery-of-justice-jury-deciding-fate-of-ahmaud-arberys-killers-highlights-a-nations-failure-to-prevent-racist-jury-strikes/#sthash.8sQhuEyV.dpbs

The FEC relies on candidates' 'good faith' when it comes to foreign donations. But the agency's inspector general says that's 'insufficient oversight' and poses a 'national security risk.' - https://www.businessinsider.com/fec-enforcement-foreign-contribution-ban-national-security-risk-inspector-general-2021-11

Money, denials and stalling: How Trump, the Mercers and the GOP beat the FEC - https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/12/money-denials-and-stalling-how-trump-the-mercers-and-the-gop-beat-the-fec.html

Bipartisan group on Capitol Hill aims to close foreign money loophole on ballot initiatives - https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/08/politics/foreign-money-ballot-initiatives/index.html

Donors threatened to shun the GOP after Jan. 6. Now, Republicans are outraising Democrats. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republican-fundraising-insurrection-january6-nrsc/2021/11/09/1e260f2a-3753-11ec-9a5d-93a89c74e76d_story.html

Republican lobbyists are "frustrated," push corporate PACs to resume contributions - https://popular.info/p/update-republican-lobbyists-are-frustrated

Business executives and wealthy Republican donors helped fund attacks on critical race theory during campaigns - https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/10/critical-race-theory-executives-rich-gop-donors-funded-attacks-during-elections.html

Top House Dem Buys Stock in Pharma Companies and Defense Contractors - https://thebrick.house/top-house-dem-buys-stock-in-pharma-companies-and-defense-contractors/

Pharma Front Group Has Spent $1.2 Million Backing Sinema - https://www.dailyposter.com/pharma-front-group-has-spent-1-2-million-backing-sinema/

GOP billionaire Ken Langone says he will hold a fundraiser for Democrat Joe Manchin, who has worked to shrink Biden’s agenda - https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/10/republican-billionaire-ken-langone-says-he-will-hold-fundraiser-for-joe-manchin.html

Sen. Joe Manchin Has Raised Money From At Least 50 Billionaires In The Last 5 Years - https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2021/11/12/sen-joe-manchin-has-raised-money-from-at-least-50-billionaires-in-the-last-5-years/?sh=4ff380bc2770

Republican Billionaires Are Donating to Manchin and Sinema - https://readsludge.com/2021/11/16/republican-billionaires-are-donating-to-manchin-and-sinema/

Yet More Lawmakers Apparently Violate House Stock-Trading Rules - https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2021/11/16/yet-more-lawmakers-apparently-violate-house-stock-trading-rules/?sh=34b2710f28b8

Small Donor Public Financing Plays Role in Electing Most Diverse New York City Council - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/small-donor-public-financing-plays-role-electing-most-diverse-new-york

Reasons given for not voting by registered voters - https://www.axios.com/election-voting-rights-congress-5726e0c6-4176-458c-bb6f-f58dcb3c8d22.html

Bipartisan commission urges US take immediate steps to curb online misinformation - https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/581634-report-urges-us-government-to-take-immediate-steps-to-curb-online?rl=1

Report suggests plan for limiting election disinformation - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/Media/disinformation-and-the-2020-election

As a Matter of Fact: The Harms Caused by Election Disinformation Report - https://www.commoncause.org/resource/as-a-matter-of-fact-the-harms-caused-by-election-disinformation-report/

Voter Empowerment Plan - https://www.voterempowermentplan.com/

Veterans outperform non-veterans in civic engagement - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/Leadership/veterans-day-2021

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Impact of Polarization in Local Government Links:

Death threats, online abuse, police protection: School board members face dark new reality - https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/death-threats-online-abuse-police-protection-school-board-members-face-dark-new-reality/2021/11/09/db007706-37fe-11ec-9bc4-86107e7b0ab1_story.html

Backlash to school books centering on race, sex and LGBTQ people turns into conservative rallying cry - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/11/12/school-book-challenges-conservative/

Disinformation Fuels Distrust And Even Violence At All Levels Of Government - https://www.npr.org/2021/03/01/971436680/from-the-u-s-capitol-to-local-governments-disinformation-disrupts

Political polarisation impedes the public policy response to COVID-19 - https://voxeu.org/article/political-polarisation-impedes-public-policy-response-covid-19

UW: Research explores impact of political polarization on health and policy - https://oilcity.news/wyoming/politics/2021/02/14/uw-research-explores-impact-of-political-polarization-on-health-and-policy/

Republicans and Democrats Move Further Apart in Views of Voting Access -https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/04/22/republicans-and-democrats-move-further-apart-in-views-of-voting-access/

Affective polarization, local contexts and public opinion in America - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-01012-5

Party and Ideology in American Local Government: An Appraisal - https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-polisci-041719-102131#_i9

The Decline of Local News and its Effect on Polarization - https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=governance-unlv

Are Local Politics As Polarized As National? Depends on the Issue. - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-24/local-politics-aren-t-as-polarized-as-national-politics

Keeping Political Partisanship Out of Local Government - https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/keeping-political-partisanship-out-local-government

SSIR Guide to Overcoming Polarization - https://ssir.org/articles/entry/ssir_guide_to_overcoming_polarization

Teaching in an Era of Polarization - https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/teaching-era-polarization

Are public meetings getting stale? How one city made public meetings more participatory. - https://thefulcrum.us/Government/Local/public-meeting