Ari Berman, writing for The Nation, notes that in this state “300,000 registered voters, according to a federal court, lacked strict forms of voter ID” and that voter turnout “decreased 13 percent in Milwaukee, where 70 percent of the state’s African-American population lives.”Berman has documented voters disenfranchised in Wisconsin, and there is considerable evidence state Division of Motor Vehicle workers were giving voters misleading information about their right to vote.
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Racist Incidents Are Up Since Donald Trump’s Election. These Are Just a Few of Them
In the days since the presidential election, states across the country have seen increased incidents of racist or anti-Semitic vandalism and violence, many of which have drawn directly on the rhetoric and proposals of President-elect Donald Trump. The Southern Poverty Law Center has counted more than 200 complaints of hate crimes since Election Day, according to USA Today.
For All Democrats to Ponder: The Real Reasons Hillary Clinton Lost
Having taken some time to look back over the past six months, I list below what I believe are the four main underlying reasons for this defeat. As it turns out, none of the reasons is particularly complicated, but each will require consideration and systemic change by the party over the next two years.
How the Hillary Clinton campaign deliberately “elevated” Donald Trump with its “pied piper” strategy
An email recently released by the whistleblowing organization WikiLeaks shows how the Clinton campaign and Democratic Party bear direct responsibility for propelling the bigoted billionaire to the White House. In its self-described “pied piper” strategy, the Clinton campaign proposed intentionally cultivating extreme right-wing presidential candidates, hoping to turn them into the new “mainstream of the Republican Party” in order to try to increase Clinton’s chances of winning.
Trump in the White House: An Interview With Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky warned years ago that the political climate in the US was ripe for the rise of an authoritarian figure. Chomsky shares his thoughts on this election, the state of the US political system and why Donald Trump is a threat to the world.
Reporter Who Laughed at Keith Ellison’s Trump Prediction Gives Platform to His Anonymous Critics
The New York Times article signaled that the establishment of the Democratic Party is opposed to Ellison's bid for DNC chair. The piece also notes some of the concerns about Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, that have been aired in recent weeks: He has left-wing views on the Middle East conflict; in his youth he had some affinity for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan; and he would be a part-time, not a full-time, leader of the DNC.
Rural Democrats: Party Ignored Us, Suffered the Consequences
Democrats in rural America have a blunt message for the rest of their party: We saw the electoral disaster coming — and it’s your fault.Strategists and party officials say their warnings about the party’s lackluster outreach to rural voters went unheeded by Democratic leaders for years, culminating in this month’s shock defeat to Donald Trump. A presidential candidate who actually performed poorly in many cities and suburbs nonetheless scored an upset victory because of a surge in support from small towns and rural areas.
A 2016 Review: There’s Reason to Be Skeptical of a Comey Effect
Some polls showing a Clinton decline, including one by The Upshot, were conducted before the letter by James Comey was released. Most important, the polls taken before the letter were as bad for Mrs. Clinton as those conducted after it. Again, there aren’t many of these polls, but taken at face value there’s a case that Mrs. Clinton had nearly or even completely bottomed out by the time the Comey letter was released. Even if she had not, the trend line heading into the Comey letter was bad enough that there’s no need to assume that the Comey letter was necessary for any additional erosion in her lead.