(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Nine Reasons I Have TONS of Hope For 2024: Saturday's GNR [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-15 Nine Reasons I Have TONS of Hope For 2024 1. They are underestimating Biden I am old enough to remember how heartbreaking it was when W won* his first election and how gutting it was when he won re-election. There is a point close to a presidential election when people really start paying attention — there are debates and ads and campaign stops and speeches. And the majority of the country -- who don’t pay attention to politics at all — tune in a little to see who they want to vote for in that last month. I know that sounds weird to those of us who are engrossed in politics, but it is what happens. Back in the day, many of us were sure that those people would see W. and be horrified by what an idiot buffoon he was. We all laughed at what a moron he was. And Kerry and Gore were both so smart! W would pale in comparison. But that didn’t happen. It didn’t happen for many reasons, but the important one here is that people went in with such low expectations of W that all he had to do what just not poop himself on stage and he looked great. I think of that every time I see how right wing twitter and TV paint Biden. They share every image of him looking dim and highlight every time that he stumbles his words or misspeaks. They literally argue that he is so out of it, he doesn’t even know who he is or where he is. This is their regular argument about him! I have heard people, on our side, argue that we shouldn’t have Biden as a candidate in 2024 because of this. But I actually think that they have played right into Biden’s hands. Some facts about Biden: He often stumbles over words (partly because of the way he has overcome his stutter). He often misspeaks (partly because he tends to talk off the cuff, rather than sticking to notes). He is old (because of how long he has been alive). Some other facts about Biden: He is smart as a whip. He is a fast thinker. He knows a tremendous amount about just about every issue relevant to politics. He is unflappable. He has great political skills. Watch Biden give a speech sometime — not just the right wing outtakes they love but the whole thing. Watch Biden answer questions sometime — not just the right wing outtakes but the whole thing. The man is sharp. Their hatred of Biden and their need to project Trump’s worst failings onto Biden has led them to a great, great strategic error. They have created a strawman we can easily destroy. And we will. Or rather, Biden will. I am not the only one that thinks this. From WaPo Being underestimated is Biden’s political superpower. He used it to win the Democratic nomination in 2020; he used it to pull off the rare feat of ousting an incumbent president. He has used it to pass historic legislation with tiny congressional majorities, to thwart Russia’s brutal attempt to conquer Ukraine and to turn what Republicans thought would be a “red wave” midterm election into a sad little ripple. And Biden is perfectly capable of using that superpower again to win a second term. Those who doubt this are welcome to fool around and find out. 2. They are showing their undemocratic tendencies, disgusting the center, and energizing our side The Rs made a HUGE mistake in Tennessee. They got NOTHING out of this — these wonderful young men are still in power and they look like the racist, antidemocratic threat that they are. Nashville council reinstates Black Tennessee lawmaker One of two Black Democratic lawmakers expelled by Republican state lawmakers for leading a gun-control protest was sworn back into office on the Tennessee Capitol steps Monday after local officials unanimously voted to reinstate him. The 36-0 vote by the Nashville Metro Council to give Rep. Justin Jones, 27, his job back comes just a few days after Tennessee Republicans expelled Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis from the chamber. The Shelby County Commission is expected to vote on whether to reappoint Pearson on Wednesday. x Jones: The Tennessee Republicans’ attempt to crucify democracy and has instead resurrected a movement led by young people to restore a democracy, to build a multiracial coalition. We are in the midst of a third reconstruction beginning here in Nashville. pic.twitter.com/FSwixmfs6V — Acyn (@Acyn) April 9, 2023 GOP’s Harebrained Plan to Expel Tennessee Lawmakers Has Officially Backfired Sexton and his crew apparently failed to consider, in their rush to expel the Tennessee Three, that the choice of interim replacements fell to the county commissions—which in the cases of both Jones and Pearson, have Democratic majorities. That included District 52 in Nashville, which Jones represents, where his expulsion seems to have badly inflamed his constituents. “I have received almost an email every minute since Thursday asking me to reappoint Rep. Justin Jones,” Metro Nashville Council Member Kevin Rhoten tweeted. “In my eight years on Metro Council, I have never been bombarded with emails like this… I will vote to reinstate him.” What might end up making a difference in Tennessee, however, is the expulsion of Jones and Pearson. They became instant celebrities who are actually worth celebrating, young champions of democracy and racial justice and gun reform. A triumphant Jones had made good on his pledge to return. He entered the chamber with Johnson, his left arm hooked around hers, his right hand raised in a fist as they strolled down the aisle and across the well. You could almost believe they will be able to do something about guns. Sexton tried to quiet the crowd and then recognized Jones. “Thank you, Mr. Speaker,” Jones began. “I want to welcome the people back to the people’s house. I want to welcome democracy back to the people’s house.” He warned that any attempt to silence this movement would only galvanize and strengthen it. He closed with a cry that must have gone surreal in the ears of a supermajority that needs gerrymandering and voter suppression to keep control. “Power to the people!” How the ‘Tennessee Three’ Backlash Fits Into Dems’ 2024 Plan Vice President Kamala Harris met with the “Tennessee Three” in Nashville; President Joe Biden, as well as former President Barack Obama, issued statements condemning their expulsion. Millions of people who might not otherwise have cared about the machinations and players in the state house of a deep red state were, all of a sudden, devouring information about it. Those striking responses reflected a sea change within the Democratic Party: national energy, outrage, and dollars flowing to fierce battles unfolding in the state capitals they once neglected. After losing hundreds of state legislative seats nationwide in the 2010s, Democrats began reversing the trend in 2022. Backlash to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, among other things, fueled successful campaigns to flip state houses in places like Michigan and Minnesota. To Democrats who have toiled for years to rebuild state level power, the reaction to what unfolded in Tennessee not only crystallizes the party’s recent shift, but signals the increased investment they believe is coming to states where Democrats hope to make gains in the 2024 election cycle. Christina Polizzi, communications director for Democrats’ official state legislative campaign arm, said the breadth and depth to the reaction would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. “That transition has been starting to happen,” Polizzi said. “There’s still work that needs to be done, but we’re thrilled so many members have spoken up on behalf of Tennessee Democrats.” Why expelling me from the legislature backfired on Tennessee Republicans Republicans who instigated my removal from the Tennessee House last week, along with and that of my legislative colleague Rep. Justin Jones, apparently failed to anticipate the nationwide backlash that their actions would engender. Democracy prevailed and the rule of law has won. This week, I will retake my seat. After a vote held Wednesday afternoon by the Shelby County Commission, I will once again represent the beautifully diverse jurisdiction of District 86 in Memphis in Tennessee’s Assembly — as I did until Thursday of last week, when Republicans voted to remove me and Rep. Jones. The spectacle was a gross miscalculation by Republicans in the chamber. It turns out that most Americans care deeply about democracy. Most people care about equality and progress. And over two-thirds of Americans — including four out of 10 Republicans — support the kind of common sense gun safety laws that Rep. Jones, Rep. Johnson and I were protesting in favor of, in the wake of the senseless March 27 Covenant School massacre. And yet, calls for common sense gun reform measures fall on deaf ears in our legislature where a Republican supermajority is wildly out of step with most people’s values. We will continue to challenge the Old South and bring about a Renewed South, one that is fair and just and democratic for Black, brown, White, indigenous, transgender, poor, immigrant — for all people. And we will win. Because we are on the right side of history. The return of two expelled Tennessee Democrats is a powerful rebuke to Republicans Jones’s and Pearson’s reinstatements serve as a powerful rebuke of Republicans’ unprecedented actions. 3. We are doing well in recent elections We greatly exceeded how an incumbent president should do in a midterm, but other results have been even more inspiring. Just this week…. Anchorage election results leave conservatives discouraged “There’s a lot of conservatives waking up this morning not happy about the preliminary election results,” Amy Demboski said during her morning talk radio show Wednesday. The former Eagle River Assembly member and municipal manager spent the program going over early Anchorage election returns that disappointed many conservatives in the municipality, with progressive and moderate candidates pulling off a near sweep in six of seven races for the Assembly over right-leaning rivals. Bond packages and ballot proposals did similarly well, winning in all but one case, and typically by healthy margins. “Not only are races being won by the liberal candidates … but in a much bigger percentage than most of us who do political analysis expected,” Demboski said in an interview Wednesday. and… x Holy cow. Youth turnout at the University of Wisconsin Madison increased 240% since the last spring general election in 2019 & at University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, youth turnout increased 232%. Once again, the youth aren’t just alright—they will save us. Absolutely incredible. — Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 9, 2023 x Note note: this is the turnout for the latest Wisconsin state Supreme Court election. And also worth noting that each of those colleges had young people voting for Janet Protasiewicz nearly 90%. And this is only the beginning for us — especially after Tennessee — Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 9, 2023 4. Their leading candidate is in for a world of legal hurt The attention that the indictment gave TFG may have helped him gain attention in the short term but it will NOT help him win a general election. His most faithful may have given him another look, but this (and all his coming trouble) will kill him in the general. Trump spends 8 hours at New York AG's office for deposition in business fraud lawsuit Donald Trump spent about eight hours at New York Attorney General Letitia James' office Thursday for a deposition in her $250 million lawsuit alleging fraud in the former president's real estate business practices. A spokesperson for the AG's office said that Trump spoke a lot and that James was present for part of that time. It was not immediately clear what questions Trump was asked. Special counsel focuses on Trump fundraising off false election claims Federal prosecutors probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol have in recent weeks sought a wide range of documents related to fundraising after the 2020 election, looking to determine if former president Donald Trump or his advisers scammed donors by using false claims about voter fraud to raise money, eight people familiar with the new inquiries said. The new subpoenas received since the beginning of March, which have not been previously reported, show the breadth of Smith’s investigation, as Trump embarks on a campaign for reelection while assailing the special counsel investigation and facing charges of falsifying business records in New York and a separate criminal investigation in Georgia. That suggests that investigators are pursuing a legal theory similar to the one used to charge former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon and others with fraudulent fundraising to build a wall along the southern border, in which Bannon and others were charged with defrauding donors by lying in email pitches. Bannon’s three co-defendants pleaded guilty or were convicted, while Bannon was pardoned by Trump before he faced trial. Bannon now faces similar charges from the Manhattan district attorney and awaits trial. He has pleaded not guilty. Trump’s Latest Accounting Gambit Just Failed Already drowning in legal trouble from his recent arrest and two other potential criminal indictments on the horizon, former President Donald Trump continues to delay the New York attorney general’s attempt to bankrupt him—this time, by finding Republican-friendly accountants in Texas. Claiming that it “takes no position on the outcome here,” the Texas accounting firm serving as the Trumps’ “independent auditor” said it would only turn over records “if the Trump Organization consents” or if a judge steps in. Luckily for James, a judge just did that. Swing voters are fine with the Trump charges. That’s a warning to the GOP. if you wanted proof that Trump has made himself irreparably toxic with swing voters who will choose the next president, this is it. The problem is Republican primary voters will not decide the next election. There is every reason to expect that, once again, the outcome will be determined by a few hundred thousand voters in a handful of swing states. And those voters disproportionately dislike Trump. According to a new NPR-Marist poll, only 37 percent of independents approve of Trump, and 64 percent don’t want Trump to be president again. These voters don’t want to see Trump reelected; they want to see him prosecuted. Why? Because for these voters, “MAGA” no longer means all the great Trump policies that a majority of Americans approved of while he was in office. It means election denial, the refusal to preside over a peaceful transition and a relentless campaign of political revenge against those who refused to back his false stolen election claims. 5. Their second place candidate blew his chances of being president just yesterday! Ron DeSantis May Fall Into His Own Abortion Trap Republican megadonors are pleading with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to not sign the six-week abortion ban headed to his desk. Spoiler alert: he signed it The bill, which passed Thursday in the Florida legislature, would effectively end legal abortion in the state since most women don’t even know they’re pregnant at six weeks. The GOP’s smart money fears that such an extreme law would foreclose winning the presidency before he’s even announced he’s a candidate. This is a trap of his own making since DeSantis, with his eye on the primary contest, sought the more extreme legislation and has said he will sign it. In a post-Roe world, isn’t a Republican asking for trouble when they seek the presidency with such a radical position on abortion? The Republican Party is in a bind on abortion. The issue is not going away, and Democrats are affirming abortion rights in red states like Wisconsin and Kansas because of the high turnout of women and young voters. An issue that inspired its base for decades has become a loser for Republicans. DeSantis is in the same quandary as every other contender in his party, including Trump. Pleasing the base is at odds with winning a national election. Backing a six-week ban on abortion before women know they’re pregnant has Will asking, “Is he trying to forfeit the female vote in suburbia, where the 2024 election might be decided?” Less than a mile into a race that is a marathon, Will says DeSantis is “flunking.” 6. We Have Learned to Fight Back There was a time when Democrats sat back and took abuse from Rs and didn’t fight back. It wasn’t smart and we have stopped. For example: Manhattan DA Bragg sues GOP House Judiciary chairman to prevent interference in Trump case Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is suing House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, over what the lawsuit filed Tuesday describes as a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack” his office’s case against former President Donald Trump. Bragg is seeking to block a subpoena for testimony from Mark Pomerantz, a former senior prosecutor in his office, as well as other demands for “confidential documents and testimony from the district attorney himself as well as his current and former employees and officials.” The 50-page suit is asking a federal court to give emergency and permanent relief that would block enforcement of Jordan’s subpoena for Pomerantz to testify on April 20. 7. Biden has a great record on which to run I’ve spent a lot of time going over all the amazing things that Biden and the Democrats did in their first two years. You can find a partial list here But they keep doing great things. For example: EPA proposes new tailpipe rules that could push EVs to make up two-thirds of new car sales in US by 2032 The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed ambitious new car pollution rules that could require electric vehicles to account for up to two-thirds of new cars sold in the US by 2032, in what would be one of the Biden administration’s most aggressive climate-change policies yet. The tailpipe standards would also have the effect of cutting planet-warming pollution from cars in half. Transportation accounts for nearly 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the US, according to the EPA. EPA Administrator Michael Regan called the regulations “the strongest-ever federal pollution standards for cars and trucks.” Biden administration will propose new privacy safeguards for women seeking abortions “Specifically, this NPRM proposes to strengthen privacy protections by prohibiting the use or disclosure of protected health information by regulated entities, such as health insurance plans, providers and others, specifically for a criminal, civil or administrative investigation into proceeding against a person in connection with seeking, obtaining, providing or facilitating reproductive health care where such health care is lawful under the circumstances in which it was provided,” a senior administration official said. The senior administration official called it a “step further” from existing guidance issued in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s ruling last summer that overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the right to an abortion nationwide. The current guidance, still in effect, protects HIPAA privacy rights by not requiring the disclosure of patient information under certain circumstances. But officials said they found that some providers would still “get fearful,” about following the guidance when subpoenaed. This proposed rule, they said, providers further cover “to not provide that information, if it’s not for the specific purpose articulated in the role.” The US Department of Education is also issuing guidance to remind over 20,000 school officials of their obligations to student privacy, according to a statement from the White House, among other new administration efforts. x The Biden admin is proposing new rules that would allow immigrants covered by the DACA program to qualify for health insurance through Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplaces. The White House says the plan would benefit up to 580,000 young people. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 13, 2023 Harris to close out ‘Invest in America’ tour by announcing $300M in bridge repair funding The Biden administration will announce nearly $300 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to repair and replace bridges across eight states and the District of Columbia Thursday, closing out its three week “Invest in America” tour highlighting legislative achievements under President Joe Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris will make the announcement at the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge, which connects Washington, DC, to Northern Virginia and will receive $72 million in funding for repairs, the White House said. According to a fact sheet shared with CNN, the bridge serves over 88,000 vehicles per day. In addition, administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu, will fan out across the country to highlight bridge projects in San Diego; Bay City, Michigan; Albany, New York; Northwest Oklahoma; Portland, Oregon; Northwest South Carolina; San Antonio; and Madison, Wisconsin. 8. They are on the wrong side of issues that matter to people Republicans facing a reckoning Republicans are openly distressed about the prospect of losing younger voters over their stances on abortion, firearms and democracy. Days after a mass shooting in Louisville, Ky., many declared and undeclared 2024 candidates will be brandishing their Second Amendment bona fides at the National Rifle Association’s annual leadership forum in Indianapolis. From there, a number of the candidates will travel south on I-65, where they will make their cases to Republican National Committee grandees for a gathering in Nashville — the site not only of another mass shooting, but also the state GOP-led ejection of two Black Democratic lawmakers last week. 9. We are Willing to Work Hard I never bet against us. What can you do to help? Other Good News US inflation falls to lowest level since May 2021 Prices are moving in a more palatable direction for US consumers. Annual inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, dropped in March for the ninth consecutive month. And for the first time since September 2020, grocery prices fell on a monthly basis. x THEY DID IT!!! Washington @MomsDemand and @StudentsDemand volunteers just helped pass HB 1240, which prohibits the sale and manufacture of assault-style rifles in the state, including semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines. #waleg pic.twitter.com/IRGzZEZVXR — Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 9, 2023 Hebrew University researchers discover how pancreatic cancer spreads through body Researchers have known for some time about the DNA mutations that lead healthy pancreatic cells to turn cancerous. What was not understood is how pancreatic cancer cells metastasize and invade other organs. On March 22, the peer-reviewed journal Nature published a new study led by Israeli researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem that explains the mechanism for metastasis. The research concluded that the spread of pancreatic cancer throughout the body is due to changes to the composition of the initial tumors’ RNA molecules, which translate instructions from DNA for protein synthesis in cells. The good news is that at least one drug already exists that could potentially address the problems with the RNA and eventually help pancreatic cancer patients. In reversal, Netanyahu says he's keeping Gallant as Israel's defense minister Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday reversed his decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who was initially sacked after calling on the government to suspend its judicial overhaul plan. Why it matters: Netanyahu’s decision to keep Gallant in place is seen by many as a major achievement for the anti-government protesters, who held spontaneous demonstrations in support of the defense minister after his firing was announced two weeks ago. On The Lighter Side I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with all of you 💖💛💚✊🏽✊🏻✊🏽💚💛💖 [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/15/2163909/-Nine-Reasons-I-Have-TONS-of-Hope-For-2024-Saturday-s-GNR Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/