President (To Win Colorado)
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(D) Joe Biden*
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) V. Archuleta
98%
2%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Marshall Dawson
95%
5%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
50%
50%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert
(D) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Jeff Crank
(D) River Gassen
80%
20%
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
(R) John Fabbricatore
90%
10%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) B. Pettersen
(R) Sergei Matveyuk
90%
10%
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
70%
30%
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
December 30, 2021 11:22 AM UTC
36 Comments
Voter nullification and voter access are the most important issues facing the nation. Why haven't the Senate Dems passed the two voting rights bills that were passed by the House? The GOP is passing legislation throughout the nation while the Dems fret about the filibuster. Bennet and (even) Hickenlooper have stated their support to carve out the filibuster rules to pass voting rights legislation. It's now up to Biden to exercise power and demonstrate competence to force passage in the Dem controlled US Senate. Otherwise, you can kiss our democracy good-bye.
“It’s now up to Biden to exercise power and demonstrate competence to force passage in the Dem controlled US Senate”
Any specific suggestions on how to coerce Manchin and Sinema to vote to modify/abolish/carve out an exception to the filibuster rule?
It is a serious question.
PS I happen to agree with you on the importance of this issue. In fact, it should get priority over Build Back Better.
I understand the problem. The solution has to do with the "bully pulpit". This issue is very clear cut, unlike legislation like BBB for which Manchin and Sinema may have legitimate concerns.
The voting rights legislation can/should be easily framed such that opponents like Machin and Sinema would be shamed for voting against (not to mention every GOP senator), The specific state laws impeding legitimate voting, and the consequences of state legislatures nullifying results need to be made clear to the American public. This framing just hasn't happened effectively yet. Hold a prime time speech, for Pete's sake. A full court press on the issue starting next week can make a difference, IMHO.
The bully pulpit?
Are you suggesting that Biden go on a whistle stop tour of West Virginia inciting the locals to rise up against Joe Manchin?
Do you mean that Biden should bully pulpit his way through that same West Virginia in which he received 29.69% of the popular vote to Trump’s 68.62%?
“The voting rights legislation can/should be easily framed such that opponents like Machin and Sinema would be shamed for voting against (not to mention every GOP senator)”
In a fair and just world, you’d be absolutely right. But the idea of people in Washington in this day and age being shamed for doing anything (voting against voting rights, voting for Brett Kavanaugh, grifting, grabbing women’s pussies) doesn’t get anyone anywhere.
It is unfortunate but the rules are different now than they were 40 or 50 years ago.
“In a fair and just world, you’d be absolutely right. But,” There is no but. It’s called the nuclear option, so go effin’ nuclear on their asses.
Let’s be clear: All we are asking for is a fair and level playing field. God knows the Dems are piss poor at parlaying the majority of American’s support for nearly all of their issues into electoral success. A level playing field may not be enough for Dems to prevail. (“Doesn’t anyone here know how to play this game?”) Dems in GA were able to convince their voters to stand for hours in line to vote for Warnock and Ossoff, not to mention other parts of the country. That won’t happen again if voting rights legislation doesn’t pass. This is the last chance for democracy. It is that serious. So, stop playing the Lindsay Graham fainting routine.
The challenges may be baseless, but itl is right. We can't wish this issue away with appeals to facts and reason. We have to hardball it right out of the park. Democracy requires sacrifices and in this case, it is the filibuster that must die.
“the filibuster must die…..”
Right, and if the Republicans take over both House and Senate in next year’s mid-terms, they can pass whatever they want, in way of national voter suppression, by simple majority vote. It will be up to the president, as the final barrier, to stop them.
As if the GOP won't break the filibuster anyway?!? Give me a break.
"give me a break…." I'm not giving you diddly-crap. You want a "break?" Go make it yourself.
The Republicans will eventually abolish the filibuster … but not until it suits their needs.
If, as expected, they take the House and Senate next year, there will be no need to abolish the filibuster. Anything that passes the House can die in the Senate for lack of 60 votes (if they keep the filibuster), or pass the House and Senate but die on a presidential veto (if they abolish the filibuster).
Mitch McConnell is many things but an idealist who naively wants to hold symbolic votes on legislation only to have the bills end up dead with a veto stamp is not one of those things. He is pragmatic and a dead bill is a dead bill regardless of how it got there.
So, my guess is that the filibuster stays until there is a Republican president, a Republican House, and a Republican Senate consisting of more than 50 but less than 60 Republican Senators. Then he'll yank it.
Exactly, R&R. Either we kill it to get something we want now, or they kill it and take everything they want later.
We all know now that Republicans will break their word if it suits them. There is no normal now CHB. Case in point is the Supreme Court nominations. Things only get sticky without a filibuster when all the legislative and executive branches are controlled by one party. Who's to say that Repubs won't end the filibuster when it is convenient for them to do so? Right now the filibuster tilts the scales towards the rural Republican states and they have decided that working with Democrats is treason so where do you go with that kind of a mindset?
R&R is dead on. The right wing usually wants to stop stuff. You do that in committee or on the floor. It’s only people trying to pass stuff that worry about the filibuster. Wait till you have a Republican President, House and between 50 and 59 Republican senators. Then they drop the filibuster. So they can re-instate the death penalty for having an abortion or not reading the Old Testament two hours a day,
“death penalty for having an abortion….”
Not far off. Recently read that Poland, supposedly an advanced and civilized 1st World country, is setting up a registry for all doctors to report pregnancies and miscarriages. Last year, Poland’s legislature passed a law that banned almost all abortions.
Is anyone here naive enough to think that this isn’t a way to track women who end pregnancies at home or outside of the country? If Roe & Casey are overturned or “de-fanged,” perhaps similar registries coming soon to certain red states near us?
If the fight over abortion devolves back to the states, those who take rights to contraception for granted may be in for a big surprise, courtesy of the far right wing, hard core, religionists.
The "far right wing, hard core, religionists" as you call them, stand on a foundation provided by "conservatives" and the Republican party. You try to blame it all on a "faction" in your party.
It is the Republican party that brought on this treason and anarchy. EVERY Republican is implicated as you try to compartmentalize responsibility for the treason perpetrated by the GOP.
The GOP is toxic.
Duke: I think R & R clarified last week that all you got is ranting. So, feel free to rant on while others do what they can.
If all I have is ranting, all you have is denial.
You NEVER address the point. What are YOU doing to stop the destruction of our democracy? Hide your head in the sand and send money to people like Coram or Sias?
Get it through your thick skull…( nah ..nevermind..the truth is a concept that continues to elude you.)
The GOP is the tool of fascists who want to subvert our democracy. and your solution is to send money to candidates that don’t have a snowballs’ chance in hell of stopping them.
It is easy to just dismiss my point, as you usually do with your smug, Mr. Know-it-all condescension. But the truth you can’t escape is…the Republican party ( not some insignificant minority of YOUR party) is attempting to overthrow the government of the United States. As long as you pretend otherwise, you are complicit.
As long as the Republican party continues to be a viable political entity, our democracy is at risk…and EVERY registered Republican is an accomplice.
BTW….Your sock puppet clarified nothing. If this is not the place to call out your bullshit, where is it?
I do what I can, Duke, but feel free to keep pointing fingers at others to deflect attention away from yourself.
In view of the tragedy in Boulder County, I'd think you would have other things on your mind, but obviously not.
Wow…
Two deflections for the price of one. How generous.
You really are a sad and pathetic little man who can only see things in black-and-white.
Deflection number 3…
For the record:
I am neither sad, nor little and my visual acuity is fine for a man my age. If I evoke pathos in those who know me, I guess that is OK.,
And to CHB.. Using your SP as backup is unimaginative at best. Try harder.
With you, Duke, I don't have to try at all.
What R & R said…….
I want to thank you ( and your alter-ego) for helping me to clarify my point. It is, perhaps, a better way to explain to Pols readers ( as you know, I don't give a rats' ass what you think.) the profound dishonesty of your POV.
I keep asking you what you, as a Republican (and the party you defend) are doing to stop the Orange Destruction from further destroying our democracy. You don't have an answer, because your party IS DOING NOTHING to stop Trump…you don't want to stop him, because you want to use him.
As long as you get your conservative Justices, as long as you get your tax breaks, your guns, whatever you, as an a individual, and the party that you choose to represent you, can gain by keeping the evil Democrats from helping the American worker and the poor.
Never Trump Republicans? What horseshit. The truth is, your party realizes that demographics are beating them. They can no longer retain power unless they dance with the Devil and cheat. The Republican party will not stop Fat Donnie from Queens from being president. They would rather see Trump as president than a Democrat. But they know they will have to institute minority rule to retain power and he is their best chance to do that
And THAT is the only thing they, and presumably you, care about…retaining power. Democracy has never been high on the conservatives' list of important stuff..
Nor is it important to their political party.
You cannot tell me how your beloved Republican party will stop Trump, because you and I both know…they won't even try.
V – My recent favorite GOP idea: Allow a single parent to ban a book from the school's library. I would ban the Bible.
“I would ban the Bible…..”
The most pornographic book I’ve ever read condoned and encouraged rape, murder, genocide, incest, torture, coveting thy neighbor’s wife and goods, and other assorted crimes that I’m blanking on. It’s called the Old Testament.
In a rare moment, this is an item upon which we agree. The old testament of the Holy Bible has nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Funny that todays' evangelicals seem to prefer to focus on old teachings specifically rejected by their Savior.
OK..rant switch back ON..
It's got some of the world's best erotica in the Song of Songs:
Thy breasts are like twin roe, which feed among the lilies. Thou are fair, my love, thou art fair.
RepublicanRepubliFascist Party is frighteningGiven the scope of the Republican efforts, I’m hoping there are some absolutely stunning revelations coming from the January 6 Committee’s public hearings, from DoJ prosecutions of the insurrectionists, and from every other place we’ve read about the Trump forces reaching into for the 2020 election.
And then I hope there will be substantial overreach by Republicans as they begin exercising control of election offices and officers throughout the country for the 2022 primaries and general election and the 2023 off-year elections. Done as ham-handedly as I expect, the moves ought to be obviously unfair.
Then, use all of that to push turnout for 2024. Use Presidential election enthusiasm to once again beat the Trump/Trump-alike candidate. Use turnout to win statewide for Senate and executive offices. Then swamp the calculated gerrymandered margins for US House seats and hack into Republican majorities in state legislatures.
Turnout won't matter if voter suppression laws and voter nullification laws are not voided by Federal action in the US Senate. Like, next week.
Even then, as I noted, I'm afraid the Dems don't know how to play the game of politics. We'll see.
I suggest that the Colorado legislature start the process of protecting our own elections from the likes of Peters…we have to worry more about how our state runs elections, without the help of the feds…we all know the republicans are trying to subvert the electoral process…they are doing it at the state level…that is where all voting rights begin…that is why republicans are attacking the process…we are at war with republicans, it is a low level conflict, but one in which we must win…republicans are using terror tactics to scare election workers away, only to replace them with magats willing to break the law…IT IS HAPPENING…and all you so-called conservatives are just a part of the insurrection, and we will find you and purge you…
"we will find you and purge you……" Sigh, yet another keyboard commando. Would that be like Stalin purging the kulaks?
You think the people who are openly and actively trying to destroy our electoral process are the victims, here?
We got Tukachevsky, we got Zinoviev, we got Kamenev, we got Trotsky and we got Bukharin.
Don’t worry, Comrade. Vorkuta is lovely this time of year.
Media deals American democracy a great blow by framing the voting issue as a GOP vs Democrat issue. The GOP is nothing more than a shell company for the likes of the Koch Network, The Bradley Foundation, the Mercer Foundation and hundreds of billionaires and corporations, all major players in the AntiDemocracy Movement.
They use venues like ALEC, Council for National Policy and The States Network to plot a consensus and plan to overthrow American democracy, for the specific purpose of power and money.
Media finds more convenience coining the Anti-Democracy Movement as a GOP vs Democrat issue, or conservatives vs liberals. Taking this easy route necessarily keeps most Americans unaware of the real threat – increasing shifts of wealth and power to the players heading the Anti-Democracy Movement.