Baltimore Sun endorses public campaign finance for Harford County

https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-0928-harford-council-reform-20210927-yfec4m2ba5bbto4p7rbitfyk4y-story.html

 

Charlie Cooper

The purpose of Trump's false charges of rigged elections

https://www.democracydocket.com/news/arizona-proves-again-that-trump-is-the-gops-useful-idiot/?emci=c50fcc4d-161f-ec11-981f-0050f271a1a2&emdi=fbeb9563-9f1f-ec11-981f-0050f271a1a2&ceid=6010516

 

Mark Elias leads the team of lawyers that defended the Dems on Trump’s lawsuits. If we ignore the “useful idiot” meme, this may be an instructive article on why Republicans are following his lead.

 

Charlie Cooper

 

Insurance corp. donors may win a new potential pork barrel

https://prospect.org/health/paid-leave-advocates-wont-push-back-on-payouts-to-private-insurance/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Paid+Leave+Advocates+Not+Pushing+Back+%26+More+%7C+Your+Prospect+Weekend+Reads&utm_campaign=Weekend+Prospect+Reads+w%2Fo+9%2F20+-+Recurring+Reg+Readers

 

The original Build Back Better Act would mandate paid family leave through the Social Security Administrtion at a [10-year] cost of $500 billion. House Ways and Mean Chair Richard Neal has substituted a $600-billion plan that goes through private insurance corps.

 

“Neal counts insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Massachusetts Mutual, and Pacific Life among his top donors. He is also heavily backed by hospice and home health companies such as Amedisys and LHC Group, which has this year aggressively acquired hospice providers spun off by private equity.

“Sun Life, a life insurance company that also backs Neal, donated to at least nine other members of the Ways and Means Committee during the 2019–2020 cycle. The company has been an enthusiastic supporter of Neal’s plan, appearing in a promotional video alongside Melinda French Gates, the billionaire ex-wife of the Microsoft founder, who met with the White House to argue for paid leave on behalf of her social-impact investment firm, Pivotal Ventures. Sun Life was also featured among a set of stakeholder endorsements Neal’s committee released about the paid leave plan.”

 

Charlie Cooper

 

Arizona "audit" confirms Biden win

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/first-look-at-draft-of-election-audit-report-ahead-of-friday-release

 

GOP charges of fraud in Arizona were not confirmed.

 

Charlie Cooper

 

CNBC: Mercer family played bigger role in 2020 election than thought, giving nearly $20 million to dark money GOP fund

CNBC: Mercer family played bigger role in 2020 election than thought, giving nearly $20 million to dark money GOP fund.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/15/robert-mercer-family-gave-nearly-20-million-to-dark-money-gop-fund-during-2020-election.html 

CNN: CNN Poll: Most Americans feel democracy is under attack in the US

CNN: CNN Poll: Most Americans feel democracy is under attack in the US.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/15/politics/cnn-poll-most-americans-democracy-under-attack/index.html 

Registered Republicans and registered Democrats have wildly different views of reality which drive different views of the nature of the threat to democracy.

Reuters reports failure to pursue perpetrators of death threats against U.S. election officials

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-lawmakers-seek-protect-election-workers-after-reuters-investigation-2021-09-10/

 

Rep. John Sarbanes has drafted a bill to address protecting election officials.

 

Charlie Cooper

 

Former senator Heitkamp now works for dark money group

https://www.dailyposter.com/midday-poster-the-truth-about-an-anti-tax-flack/

She is now doing PR to maintain the same tax break for the wealthy that she bitterly criticized as a senator. 

West Virginian's view on the Manchin compromise

https://www.wvnews.com/theet/opinion/columns/with-voting-rights-fight-far-from-over-manchin-compromise-is-path-forward/article_b9dc9f88-044f-11ec-898f-d7a127701971.html

 

LWV activist praises Manchin comprise and highlights the need to end gerrymandering and dark money.

 

Charlie Cooper