US Politics Mega-thread - Page 7686

On May 31 2017 01:50 Danglars wrote:

How do you determine party preference to know eligibility to vote in closed primaries?

Vice President Mike Pence is embarking on a cross-country summer campaign tour amid rising fears that the GOP, reeling from a barrage of Trump-fueled controversies, is headed for a midterm election disaster.

Pence is mapping out a schedule that will take him through several Midwestern battlegrounds and to traditionally conservative Southern states like Georgia, where an unexpectedly competitive June special-election runoff is alarming party strategists. The vice president will also attend a series of Republican Party events that will draw major donors and power brokers, where talk about 2018 is certain to be front and center.

The push comes at a time of growing consternation among senior Republicans who say the White House has given them little direction on midterm planning. Many complain that they do not even know who to contact about 2018 in an administration that has been consumed by chaos.

“He has an appetite to fight, so he's going to get out there and fight on the president's behalf,” said Nick Ayers, a longtime Pence strategist.

At the same time, the vice president’s increased electoral activity has stoked speculation that Pence is positioning himself for a post-Trump future in the party, something his advisers strenuously deny.

Pence has already formed a political action committee, the Great America Committee, enabling him to raise money for candidates who need help in 2018, an unusual move for a sitting vice president. And his upcoming effort to strengthen ties to the party’s rank and file and connect with key donors is likely to fuel the perception that Pence wants to fortify his position atop the party independent of his relationship to President Donald Trump.

Vice presidents have often taken the lead on down-ballot campaign travel: Dick Cheney was a Republican favorite at donor events, and ahead of the 2010 midterms, a catastrophic election for the Democratic Party, Joe Biden was a much-relied-upon surrogate for House members.

But the early intensity of Pence’s tour underscores the sudden urgency confronting Republicans. With Trump’s campaign under federal investigation, his approval ratings at record lows, and his agenda badly stalled, once-despondent Democrats have been jolted back to life — and are waging a serious bid to seize control of the House.

Some Republicans view Pence’s activity as an effort to calm the waters.

“We are in for a turbulent campaign cycle, as nearly all parties in power face during a new president's first midterm,” said Scott Jennings, who was deputy political director in the George W. Bush White House. “But the question is, do you shrink in the face of a tough cycle or do you fight like hell to hold on? And Pence is going to fight like hell, it seems, which will hopefully embolden every candidate out there.”

Pence confidants maintain he is simply doing what he has always done: Putting his head down and playing the role of loyal foot soldier in a White House where the president — not the vice president — takes center stage. Pence, who spent more than a decade in Congress before serving as Indiana governor, has proven himself more than willing to spend his weekends at GOP summits and fundraising dinners. It’s the kind of grueling, behind-the-scenes fare that Trump, who remains uncomfortable with the Republican Party establishment, prefers to avoid.

Pence’s low-key approach was on display this month at a gala hosted by Susan B. Anthony List, a prominent anti-abortion group that spends heavily in federal races. Many in the crowd expected the vice president to highlight his conservative credentials. Instead, he spent much of the appearance praising Trump and describing the president’s views on abortion.

"Everything that has been done has been done to advance the president's policies,” Ayers said.

Next on tap: an early June trip to Iowa, where he will appear at a barbecue-themed event that will be attended by Sen. Joni Ernst and Gov. Kim Reynolds, the latter of whom is facing a 2018 contest. He is also likely to be in Michigan, where high-profile races for governor and Senate will be on the ballot, and in Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker is seeking reelection. The fellow Midwesterners are allies, having served together in the Republican Governors Association.

On June 9, Pence is slated to stump for Georgia Republican Karen Handel, who is embroiled in a surprisingly close special congressional election. Despite the district’s conservative leanings and millions of dollars in spending from Republican groups, the race has remained close — an indication of the treacherous environment confronting the party.

Later on, Pence is expected to attend a Republican National Committee summer conference in Chicago and an RGA meeting in Aspen, Colorado, both of which will be major draws for party leaders and contributors.

Other summer visits could be in the offing. And as the midterm season grows closer, Pence’s advisers say, his travel schedule will intensify. The vice president has been inundated with requests for appearances.

As Trump’s approval rating has dropped, it has not been lost on some Republicans that the vice president has emerged as a safer surrogate. Some of them delved into polling data and found Pence’s favorability numbers in certain areas to be considerably higher than the president’s.

On May 31 2017 02:51 Gorsameth wrote:

The government doesn't care how private parties handle their primary. The government only needs to care about the general election.

On May 31 2017 02:09 Blitzkrieg0 wrote:


The law was on the books, but the voter ID part did not go into effect until 2016. The changes to election funding did go in effect immediately. It's house bill 589 if you want to read up on it.

On May 31 2017 02:29 zlefin wrote:

one is for dealing with an actual real problem that occurs extensively in real life;
the other is pure bs manufactured political theater only done to score points by misrepresenting the truth.

On May 31 2017 02:51 Gorsameth wrote:

The government doesn't care how private parties handle their primary. The government only needs to care about the general election.

On May 31 2017 02:43 LegalLord wrote:
Yeah, past salary info isn't something employers should have any right to know. They know what their position is worth (at least to them) and they shouldn't be given the option to try to squeeze potential employees a little more cuz their last salary was lower.

On May 31 2017 04:02 Danglars wrote:

States spend hundreds of millions of dollars on primaries as of right now. Don't tell me the government doesn't care if it taxes its citizens to fund these to this extent. Say instead it shouldn't care in the future and tell me how you would change election law e.g. if private parties run, collect, and verify their primaries.

On May 31 2017 03:59 Danglars wrote:

You heard it here first "citizen core interaction with their governance" is "pure bs manufactured political theater only done to score points by misrepresenting the truth."

On May 31 2017 04:02 Danglars wrote:

States spend hundreds of millions of dollars on primaries as of right now. Don't tell me the government doesn't care if it taxes its citizens to fund these to this extent. Say instead it shouldn't care in the future and tell me how you would change election law e.g. if private parties run, collect, and verify their primaries.

On May 31 2017 04:16 Gorsameth wrote:

Then perhaps states shouldn't be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on primaries?

Not like the parties have a shortage of money to go around.

On May 31 2017 03:56 Danglars wrote:

I'm showing no later date on the original bill for amending voting identification and a stay in "North Carolina v. League of Women Voters of North Carolina" of the fourth circuit's partial injunction. Two think tanks wrote on the comparison. Steven Camarota penned an amicus curae brief titled "Estimating the Impact of HB 589: Black Turnout Before and After HB 589 Was Implemented" for the arguments before the Supreme Court. I don't see where I missed the delayed enact date in original bill, or how at least three academics wrote comparisons of voter turnout if the bill never had a chance to be felt. But point me where I'm wrong.

Starting in Jan. 2014, poll officials will ask voters for a photo ID
but no photo ID is required to vote until Jan. 2016

House Bill 589, which has passed the General Assembly has been signed by Gov. Pat McCrory, will require voters to show photo identification when they go to the polls starting in 2016. It also makes dozens of other changes to how the state conducts elections, which will start taking effect this fall and continue through 2014 and beyond.

On May 31 2017 01:50 Danglars wrote:

How do you determine party preference to know eligibility to vote in closed primaries?