Zorro
Zorro's JournalThere's not a single California congressional district with Republicans in the majority
When it comes to California’s 53 congressional districts, first impressions are deceiving. Republicans have held tightly to their seats in the House of Representatives, but the latest data beg the question of whether the party’s grip could be loosening.
Fourteen congressional districts are represented by Republicans. But in none do they comprise a majority of voters. Their highest concentration, nestled in the Sierra foothills district of Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove), is slightly less than 44%.
That Republicans aren’t dominant in congressional districts isn’t exactly breaking news. Arnold Schwarzenegger was in his first term as governor the last time any California district broke the 50% mark in Republican registration. But last month’s state registration report reveals an accelerated erosion of GOP strength.
“There are a number of Republican incumbents who are sitting on ticking time bombs,” said Eric McGhee, a researcher at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-road-map-republican-congressional-districts-california-20170416-story.html
Meet the charismatic opposition leader the Venezuela government just can't silence
Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles has taken the gloves off.
The 44-year-old governor of Miranda state kept to the high road during most of his political career, including his two unsuccessful tries for president, losing first to the late Hugo Chavez in 2012, and then in a photo-finish loss to current President Nicolas Maduro in the 2013 contest to be Chavez’s successor.
In both presidential races, he refused to respond in kind to nonstop, scurrilous insults lobbed his way by Chavez, Maduro and their supporters. Many of the jibes can’t be repeated in a family newspaper but nonetheless were broadcast over government-controlled news media.
“Those who make insults pay a price…. People who don’t measure their words suffer the consequences,” Capriles said in an interview prior to the October 2012 election against Chavez. “Venezuelans are tired of the politics of insults and recriminations.”
http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-venezuela-capriles-2017-story.html
Ex-NFL star Hernandez, serving life, acquitted in 2 slayings
Source: AP
Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez, already serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder, was acquitted Friday in a 2012 double slaying prosecutors said was fueled by his anger over a drink spilled at a nightclub.
The former New England Patriots tight end choked back tears as the verdicts were read in court. A few moments later, he looked back at his fiancee and nodded somberly as relatives of the victims sobbed loudly. A defense attorney hugged him.
After six days of deliberations, the jury found Hernandez not guilty of first-degree murder in the killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado but convicted him of unlawful possession of a gun. The judge sentenced him to an additional four to five years in prison, separate from his existing life sentence.
Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said the victims' families were devastated by the verdicts and by the defense's portrayal of the men as ''gang bangers'' and ''drug dealers.''
Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/jury-begin-6th-day-deliberations-aaron-hernandez-trial-132200909--nfl.html
Jealous Paul Ryan Asks Legislator With 37% Approval Rating What His Secret Is
WASHINGTON—Finding himself unable to contain his jealousy toward his fellow lawmaker’s latest poll numbers, House Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly pulled aside Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) Friday to ask him what the secret is behind his 37 percent approval rating.
“Hey, Joe, you’ve got to let me in on your secret—how do you manage to pull in such incredible favorability numbers? Seriously, it’s insane,” asked Ryan, cornering his fellow legislator in a Capitol building hallway and offering him increased federal funds for his district in exchange for some insight into the congressman’s enviable popularity among more than a third of voters.
“I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you, having nearly two in five people approve of your performance. God, that has to feel incredible. If you could just give me a couple of tips on how to make a positive or neutral impression on that many people, I’m sure I can take it from there. Please, Joe, help me out.”
At press time, a dejected Ryan was reportedly calling his closest corporate donors for some positive reinforcement regarding the job he was doing.
http://www.theonion.com/article/jealous-paul-ryan-asks-legislator-37-approval-rati-55719
The Russian "Firehose of Falsehood" Propaganda Model
Since its 2008 incursion into Georgia (if not before), there has been a remarkable evolution in Russia’s approach to propaganda. This new approach was on full display during the country’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula. It continues to be demonstrated in support of ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and in pursuit of nefarious and long-term goals in Russia’s “near abroad” and against NATO allies.
In some ways, the current Russian approach to propaganda builds on Soviet Cold War–era techniques, with an emphasis on obfuscation and on getting targets to act in the interests of the propagandist without realizing that they have done so. In other ways, it is completely new and driven by the characteristics of the contemporary information environment. Russia has taken advantage of technology and available media in ways that would have been inconceivable during the Cold War. Its tools and channels now include the Internet, social media, and the evolving landscape of professional and amateur journalism and media outlets.
We characterize the contemporary Russian model for propaganda as “the firehose of falsehood” because of two of its distinctive features: high numbers of channels and messages and a shameless willingness to disseminate partial truths or outright fictions. In the words of one observer, “New Russian propaganda entertains, confuses and overwhelms the audience.”
Contemporary Russian propaganda has at least two other distinctive features. It is also rapid, continuous, and repetitive, and it lacks commitment to consistency.
http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE100/PE198/RAND_PE198.pdf
This article provides a primer on how information operations can shape popular opinion. These techniques have been implemented not only by the Russians, but also by Fox News and the right wing echo chamber -- who for years have persuaded their viewers and listeners to support policies antithetical to their best interests.
Why we took a stand on Trump
Why now?
That question cropped up repeatedly, from President Trump’s supporters as well as his critics, after we launched our six-part series of editorials about the 45th president.
The answer is simple. Even though we’re only 11 weeks into the Trump presidency, there is good reason to believe that rather than grow into the job, he’ll remain the man he was on the campaign trail — impulsive, untruthful, narcissistic, ignorant of the limits on presidential power and woefully unprepared to wield it. Rather than wait until the public grew inured to the lies, the undermining of democratic institutions, the demagoguery and bluster, we decided to lay out our concerns at length and in detail.
The Times editorial board is a group of nine men and women that functions like an independent newsroom within the newspaper, metaphorically walled off from the news reporters. Unlike those reporters, whose job is to write objectively and dispassionately about the news, our job is to write opinion.
http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-ed-trump-series/
California's gas tax hike shows governor's political skill
California Gov. Jerry Brown employed all the tricks he's accumulated over a lifetime in politics to pass one of the largest state tax increases in recent memory in one frenzied week.
Using a mix of public pressure, private arm-twisting, a late-night meeting at the governor's mansion and nearly $1 billion of pork, Brown showed the political acumen that's made him California's longest-serving chief executive.
Brown, who typically prefers to politick in private, was a very public campaigner for the deal he negotiated with fellow Democratic legislative leaders. He ventured to Concord and Riverside to pressure undecided legislators from those areas, and he appealed directly to two legislative committees.
A group of contractors and construction unions underwrote a $1 million ad blitz on TV and social media. And the day before Thursday's vote Brown headlined a rally at the state Capitol.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/californias-gas-tax-hike-shows-governors-political-skill-46674126
Will Congress kill a $101-billion tax break for Californians?
For California, it’s the $101-billion question: Will Congress eliminate a major tax break that benefits state residents more than those anywhere else in the country?
A plan by House Republicans calls for axing the federal deduction for state and local taxes. The provision allowed Californians to reduce their taxable income by that amount in 2014, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
That figure was one-fifth of the total value of the deduction nationwide.
California’s pain may be Republicans’ gain, though, as lawmakers and the White House turn to tax reform after the failed attempt to repeal and replace President Obama’s healthcare law.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-state-tax-deduction-20170403-story.html
These Republican assholes are really pushing the envelope.
Congress didn't just nuke the filibuster, it permanently politicized the Supreme Court
The process of confirming Supreme Court nominees has become far too politicized. And today, the Senate made it worse. Please note — that’s “the Senate,” not “Republicans” or “Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.” The politicization of the court began many years ago, and its roots run deep and broad. It reflects the increasing determination of presidents and their allies in Congress to nominate judges who won’t surprise them on the court, as well as the growing role of interest groups that want to impose litmus tests on nominees to make sure they’ll get the rulings they want.
For those who spent the morning on Mars, 44 Senate Democrats voted against the motion to shut off debate on the nomination of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. Under Senate rules, that was enough to keep the filibuster going. But then McConnell used some procedural jujitsu to allow the chamber’s 52 Republicans to change those rules by a simple majority vote (instead of the usual two-thirds), eliminating the possibility of a filibuster on Supreme Court nominees.
For the record, my colleagues on the editorial board have opposed the filibuster in all its iterations for many years, in both Republican- and Democrat-controlled Senates. I’ve always dissented from that position; I think the filibuster is an important and unique force for consensus in Congress.
Anyway, the predictable result of Thursday’s votes is that controlling the Senate will now more clearly equate to controlling the composition of the Supreme Court. As long as the same party holds the White House and the Senate, there will be no need to pick judges who hold at least some appeal to the minority party — those folks aren’t even speed bumps anymore, they’re just roadkill.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-nuclear-option-gorsuch-20170406-story.html
Scott Pruitt undermines the EPA with anti-scientific ignorance
Donald Trump’s foreign policy and legislative agenda may be a confused mess due to amateurism, impulsiveness and understaffing, but his administration’s attack on the environment is operating with the focus and zeal of the Spanish Inquisition. Led by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, the Trump team is moving quickly to return national environmental policy to a pre-scientific age.
The Trump administration’s proposed federal budget would whack the Environmental Protection Agency especially hard — a 30% cut. Even some big corporations that are less-than-enthusiastic fans of the EPA are worried the budget stinginess will be problematic for their operations because there won’t be enough staff at the agency to process and approve the applications needed to move ahead with environmentally sensitive projects.
Nevertheless, Pruitt is intent on a complete neutering of the agency he runs. It came to light this week that the new director is now demanding that all but the most insignificant enforcement measures taken anywhere in the country get a review in Washington, presumably to determine if they are out of step with Pruitt’s pro-industry cheerleading.
EPA scientists who do research into the causes and effects of climate change have been put on notice much like Galileo got put on the spot by the Vatican. When Galileo proclaimed that the Earth revolves around the sun, the church demanded that he recant or be branded a heretic. Like medieval priests, Pruitt and Trump do not want to be contradicted by any scientific findings that refute their belief that climate change is a hoax. That is why Trump has also told NASA to stop collecting climate change data from orbiting satellites.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-pruitt-undermines-20170406-story.html
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Gender: MaleHometown: America's Finest City
Current location: District 48
Member since: 2001
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