Democrats (6do encyclopedia)



The Democratic Party, one of the two major political parties in the United States, has a rich history that spans over two centuries. Founded in 1828, the party has gone through various transformations, but has always stood for progressive values and advocating for policies that promote social justice and equality.

Beliefs and Platform

The Democratic Party has a longstanding commitment to social justice, equality, and opportunity for all. Party leaders advocate for policies that promote economic fairness, protect the environment, and improve access to healthcare and education.

The party platform covers a broad range of issues, including healthcare, education, civil rights, social welfare, income inequality, immigration, and climate change. Democrats believe in the importance of combating racial and gender discrimination, protecting the rights of marginalized communities, and promoting equal rights for all individuals.

On economic issues, Democrats support raising the minimum wage, providing paid family leave, and making college education more affordable. They also advocate for policies that would bridge income inequality through progressive taxation, increased funding for social safety nets, and large-scale investment in infrastructure.

Environmental issues remain a top priority for the Democratic Party, with a commitment to combat climate change through renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions. Democrats support efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and promote clean technology, as well as measures to protect our nation’s natural resources.

Leadership and Key Figures

Throughout the party’s history, there have been many prominent figures who have played key roles in shaping Democratic politics in the United States. One of the party’s most recognizable leaders is former President Barack Obama, the first African American to hold the highest office in the land. He is highly regarded for his charisma, eloquence, and his efforts to expand access to healthcare and address economic inequality.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to hold that position, has contributed substantially to the advancement of social justice and the representation of marginalized groups. As a former Attorney General and Senator, she has been an outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform, gun control, and women’s reproductive rights.

Senator Elizabeth Warren is another leading figure within the Democratic Party. Known for her progressive policies and focus on economic equity, she is a champion of consumer protection issues, student debt relief, and financial regulation. She has been a vocal critic of Wall Street and corporate greed, advocating for tough regulations and tax reforms that she believes will promote greater fairness and equity in the economy.

There are many other prominent Democrats who have made significant contributions to the party and its values, such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senator Bernie Sanders. These leaders are united in their commitment to advocating for policies that benefit working families, protect the environment, and expand access to affordable healthcare and education.

Electoral Success and Challenges

The Democratic Party has enjoyed a great deal of electoral success over the years, most recently with the election of President Joe Biden in 2020. This marked an important milestone for the party, as it signaled a return to progressive values and a commitment to unity and healing in a deeply divided nation.

However, the party also faces significant challenges, such as the ongoing struggle to win over working-class voters and compete effectively in rural areas. Many members of the party worry that their messaging and policies do not resonate with middle-class and working-class voters, who may feel alienated by what they perceive as elitism and an out-of-touch liberal agenda.

Another longstanding challenge for the Democratic Party is the issue of race and gender. While the party is committed to promoting social justice and equality, there remain deep divisions within the party on how best to address these issues. Some members of the party believe that the focus on identity politics has alienated white working-class voters, while others argue that it is important to acknowledge and address systemic racism and gender inequality.

Conclusion

The Democratic Party has a rich history and a longstanding commitment to progressive values and social justice issues. The party’s leaders are dedicated to promoting economic fairness, expanding access to healthcare and education, and addressing climate change. Despite facing challenges related to electoral success and representing diverse perspectives on key issues, the Democratic Party has remained resilient and continues to advocate for policies that represent the best interests of the American people.


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Payback? Project funds axed after Kansas lawmaker defies governor on abortion, trans rights

The Toronto Star

23-05-15 23:34


Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed state funding for a project favored by Democratic State Representative Marvin Robinson after he broke ranks with his own party over voting on several significant issues. Kelly vetoed $250,000 from the state’s budget, earmarked for drafting a plan for the restoration and development of a historical site in Kansas City. Robinson had campaigned to restore and develop the Quindaro Ruins in Kansas, but following his decision to side with Republicans on voting on contentious bills, Democratic leaders called on him to resign. As a consequence, Kelly axed the project’s funding from the state budget.

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2023/05/15/payback-project-funds-axed-after-kansas-lawmaker-defies-governor-on-abortion-trans-rights.html
Report faults FBI’s handling of probe into alleged Trump-Russia collusion

Financial Times

23-05-15 23:19


The FBI's investigation into the links between the Trump administration and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election lacked analytical rigour and was biased, according to a report by John Durham, a special counsel appointed by the Trump administration. Durham's report found that both US intelligence and law enforcement had no evidence of collusion when the FBI launched the probe five years ago. However, the report didn't recommend further legal action. Durham's office has already laid three criminal cases in connection with the investigation, resulting in one guilty plea and two acquittals.

https://www.ft.com/content/913f769f-29ef-4506-a120-d0163af351ea
Yellen warns of jump in US borrowing costs amid debt ceiling stand-off

Financial Times

23-05-15 22:19


The stand-off over the US debt ceiling has caused the cost of borrowing to rise, particularly for securities maturing in early June, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Yields on short-term Treasury bills have risen due to concerns among investors over the prospect of a default. Yellen has predicted that the risk of a default could come as early as 1 June if lawmakers do not lift the borrowing limit. The cost of insuring US debt via the credit default swap market has also surged to a record high.

https://www.ft.com/content/37038af8-8722-4754-983a-31e77fd46506
Should the prime minister’s powers over Parliament be cut back? The NDP thinks so

The Toronto Star

23-05-15 22:06


Canada's New Democratic Party is looking to limit the minority Liberals federal government's power to declare certain motions as a test of confidence. The NDP raised concerns that these "confidence conventions" have not been formalized, leading to confusion over what votes carry the most significance. NDP MP Daniel Blaikie introduced a private member’s motion last week to limit the Prime Minister's power to declare confidence votes and when Parliament can be prorogued. The NDP has agreed to back the minority Liberals on most matters of confidence.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2023/05/15/should-the-prime-ministers-powers-over-parliament-be-cut-back-the-ndp-thinks-so.html
Are truckers really boycotting Florida over immigration policies?

The Independent

23-05-15 21:42


Rumours circulating on social media that Florida was experiencing a sudden and large-scale food shortage in grocery stores due to a boycott of the state by truckers has been debunked. The rumours claimed that truckers across the US had decided to stop delivering goods to Florida due to a bill, signed into law by the state's governor, strengthening its immigration law enforcement. Supported by a series of TikTok videos, the rumour was widely shared on Twitter and fooled many into believing the narrative. A quick scan of various Publix locations - the largest supermarket chain in Florida - indicated there were no service disruptions or shortages. There was also no evidence on social media of any stores with empty shelves beyond a single TikTok recorded by someone known as "PJ's Journey". Analysts have called this a prime example of how misinformation can flourish on social media in a politically charged environment.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/florida-trucker-tiktok-boycott-conspiracy-b2339412.html
Races for 4 court seats, including 1 on Supreme Court, lead statewide Pennsylvania primary ballots

The Toronto Star

23-05-16 05:14


Pennsylvania’s primary election will decide on nominees for four statewide judicial posts, including one on the Supreme Court. Democrats hold a 4-2 majority on the state’s highest court, which has weighed in on voting rights, abortion rights and gun rights. Running on the Democratic ticket are Dan McCaffery of Philadelphia and Deborah Kunselman of Beaver County, with Republicans fielding Carolyn Carluccio, a Montgomery County judge, and Patricia McCullough, a judge on the Commonwealth Court.

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2023/05/16/races-for-4-court-seats-including-1-on-supreme-court-lead-statewide-pennsylvania-primary-ballots.html
Pennsylvania House control up for grabs yet again in special elections

The Independent

23-05-16 05:01


Pennsylvania Democrats aim to retain their narrow majority in the state’s House of Representatives in two special elections to be held on Tuesday, one of which is expected to go Republican. The landmark issue of abortion rights in Pennsylvania is at stake, as one House vote from legislative Republicans would see it put before voters as a referendum. A win for Democrat Heather Boyd would boost the state’s governor Josh Shapiro’s chances of at least achieving some of his agenda and the stakes are high ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The current House breakdown is 101 Democrats and 100 Republicans.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ap-republicans-democrats-harrisburg-ford-b2339543.html
Why a drug decriminalization crisis looms for Washington state lawmakers

The Independent

23-05-16 04:18


Washington lawmakers are entering a special legislative session after voting down a bill to keep drug possession illegal and boost services for people struggling with addiction. If a new law is not passed, Washington would become the second state in the US, after Oregon, to decriminalize possession of personal-use amounts of drugs, despite an opioid crisis defined by growing overdose deaths. In 2021, the Washington Supreme Court struck down a state law making drug possession a felony, stating that it was unconstitutional because it did not require prosecutors to prove that someone knowingly had the drugs.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ap-seattle-oregon-democratic-senate-b2339541.html
The demographic makeup of the country’s voters continues to shift. That creates headwinds for Republicans

CNN

23-05-16 04:12


The Republican Party’s electoral coalition is facing continued demographic change, as white voters without a four-year degree declined in 2022 as a share of both actual and eligible voters, according to Census data analysed by Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political scientist who specialises in electoral turnout. The long-term trend has seen a sustained fall in the share of votes cast by these working-class white voters, once a core of the Democratic coalition, but now the foundation of Republican votes. However, non-white adults and whites with at least a four-year college degree have steadily increased their influence. This trend is likely to accelerate over the next 10 years, says McDonald, and it is being felt most acutely in key states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. McDonald’s analysis of the 2022 results shows that the combined share of non-whites and whites with a college degree is virtually certain to increase, whilst the non-college white share of the total vote is highly likely to decline again in 2024. The political impact of this decline is analogous to turning up the resistance on a treadmill: as their best group shrinks, Republicans must run a little faster just to stay in place. Minorities struggled to maintain voter turnout in 2022, and although blue-collar white voter turnout was relatively strong, the non-college white share of the total vote still slightly declined. This has to be a cause for concern for Republicans; if more of the growing pool of eligible minority voters now turn out in 2024, it is not unreasonable to expect that the non-college white voters so critical to GOP fortunes could experience an even steeper decline in their share of the vote.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/16/politics/demographic-changes-voters-fault-lines/index.html
Kentucky Republicans pick nominee to challenge Democratic Gov. Beshear

The Independent

23-05-16 04:06


Kentucky's primary elections for governor end today, with only one of the 12 Republican contenders remaining to challenge the incumbent Democratic Governor Andy Beshear. The main rivals are Attorney General Daniel Cameron and former United Nations Ambassador, Kelly Craft, who are both linked to President Donald Trump. Craft has a fundraising advantage, mostly through TV adverts, bankrolled by her family's large financial resources. Cameron has stressed his record of challenging the pandemic-era policies of Governor Beshear. The primary has been a bitter competition between the rivals despite there being few policy differences between the candidates.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/andy-beshear-ap-daniel-cameron-kentucky-democratic-b2339517.html
How Garland’s release of Trump-Russia probe report differed from Barr’s

Washington Post

23-05-16 08:00


US Attorney General Merrick Garland’s handling of special counsel John Durham’s report differed markedly from that of his predecessor. William P. Barr was criticised for his handling of the final report from then-special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. When the long-awaited Mueller report was delivered in 2019, it moved slowly from Barr’s desk to the public, as redactions had to be made. Durham’s report moved fast from Garland’s desk to Congress and then the public. This time, the report was an unclassified document with a 29-page classified appendix that has not been made public, and there are no ongoing investigations from Durham’s work. Durham was asked to examine whether anyone at the FBI violated laws while investigating the 2016 Trump campaign. He found no major new ground and did not find criminal culpability. The end of Durham’s special counsel assignment drew immediate comparisons to the fractious finale of ­Mueller’s work.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/16/garland-durham-barr-mueller/
Third week of Alberta election campaign continues with health top of mind

The Toronto Star

23-05-16 08:00


Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservatives in Alberta, has promised to allow for mandatory drug treatment if elected. This comes as both the United Conservatives and New Democrats focus their campaigns on the issue of healthcare in the Alberta election. The NDP criticized the UCP for not supporting the only hospital in the town of High River, which is facing potential closures in its emergency department. The two party leaders are scheduled to debate on Thursday, with the election taking place on May 29.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/05/16/third-week-of-alberta-election-campaign-continues-with-health-top-of-mind.html
And the president most to blame for the national debt problem is …

Washington Post

23-05-16 07:00


US President Joe Biden has blamed his predecessor Donald Trump for a 40% increase in the national debt during his administration. The national debt totaled nearly $20tn when Trump took office in 2017, and was more than $27.8tn when he left. Analysts say that while numbers can be misleading, Trump can be held partly responsible since $4.3tn of the increase came in the last 10 months of his presidency, when massive government spending was necessary to cope with the pandemic’s economic impact. Charles Blahous, an economist who formerly advised President George W. Bush, has determined that two-thirds of the nation’s long-term fiscal imbalance is actually due to policy choices more than 50 years old.

Biden has criticized the tax cut passed in 2017 and signed into law by Trump as being skewed towards the wealthy and large corporations. While the cut has not yet reduced revenue by $2tn, as claimed by Biden, Trump’s elimination of two streams of revenue introduced by Obama to finance the Affordable Care Act will result in 7.6% of America’s future fiscal imbalance, according to Blahous. In contrast, Blahous cites Lyndon B. Johnson as the president most responsible for his share of the fiscal gap (29.7%) due to his enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in the mid-1960s.

Blahous suggests that Congress struggles to discern the effects of individual policies on the economy over a 50-year period, making the evaluation of the effectiveness of policies difficult. Social programs such as Social Security and Medicare are popular and have helped reduce poverty among the elderly, but their future costs could be unsustainable without new congressional legislation. On this subject, Biden has noted the importance of investing in social programs, particularly in low-income children, since such policies have been shown to be cost-effective in the long run.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/16/president-most-blame-spiraling-national-debt-is/

Stock market today: Asian shares turn lower after China economic data weaker than expected

Associated Press

23-05-16 06:20


Despite an April retail sales increase of 18.4% YoY, up 7.8 percentage points since March, China's economy continues to be weaker than expected with domestic and export demand failing to bounce back after the pandemic. Factory output rose 5.6% YoY, but was down 0.5% from March, while investment in factories, real estate and other fixed assets was up 4.7% in the first four months of 2023, but that was down 0.4 percentage points from the growth rate in the first quarter. Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics said the post-pandemic recovery was likely to “fizzle out” in the second half of the year. Asian shares mostly remained high on Tuesday, despite the weaker data from China and the fear of a recession hitting later this year. “These increasingly mixed signals suggest that China’s economy is mired in an extended soft patch,” says Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.

https://apnews.com/article/china-economy-stock-markets-banks-rates-361d1f5b165c4d7fd5d106e94deacc4e
Unsuccessful Republican candidate in Arizona attorney general race pushes for new trial

The Toronto Star

23-05-16 06:01


Former Arizona attorney general candidate, Republican Abraham Hamadeh, has requested a new trial to overturn Democrat Kris Mayes' victory in last year's elections. He is claiming there is fresh evidence that some votes were not tallied. He wants all ballots thoroughly inspected, and his case is one of several still ongoing in Arizona courts six months after the election was held. This event saw Democrats achieve victory in the former Republican stronghold.

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2023/05/16/unsuccessful-republican-candidate-in-arizona-attorney-general-race-pushes-for-new-trial.html
America is hurt by its debt ceiling theatre of the absurd

Financial Times

23-05-16 13:19


The possibility of the US defaulting on its debts makes world leaders “look at the US and see a damning portrait. In this broken system, many elected officials do not respect the results of a presidential election and permit policy and ideological differences to stand in the way of honouring the government’s financial obligations”, warns an op-ed in The Financial Times. The editorial notes that the US needs a long-term solution where debt ceiling theatrics are replaced with coherent long-term budgeting. It highlights the fact that efforts by Democratic presidents to lower prospective deficits in the past have merely allowed Republicans to slash taxes when they returned to power; and that the Republicans are using threats of default to achieve cuts in spending and taxes rather than in deficits, for which they have been unable to secure decisive electoral victories. This in turn, makes it increasingly more likely that the crash will eventually happen.

https://www.ft.com/content/05c42080-e3d9-4d3c-8651-e40c548efaa3
Biden and congressional leaders to meet as McCarthy pushes for faster deal on debt ceiling

The Globe and Mail

23-05-16 11:20


US President Joe Biden is set to discuss the debt ceiling with congressional leaders at the White House as early outlines of a possible deal emerge. The Tuesday meeting comes as the US Treasury prepares to run out of cash to pay bills as early as June 1, heightening the need for a budget agreement between Democrats and Republicans. Among the ideas being discussed is clawing back some $30bn in unused COVID-19 funds and tweaking work requirements for recipients of government aid. White House and congressional staff have held days of closed-doors discussions to try to thrash out the agreement.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-biden-and-congressional-leaders-to-meet-as-mccarthy-pushes-for-faster/
Want to beat Trump in 2024? Learn from E Jean Car­roll

Al Jazeera

23-05-16 11:18


E Jean Carroll has won a victory in her defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. Carroll was one of 20 women to allege that Trump had sexually assaulted them. In a statement, Carroll called the ruling a “great day for all women” and suggested she was ready to sue the former president again. She also made observations about the way in which Democrats have dealt with Trump, saying that they should be more vocal in calling Trump out. This article calls for the Democrats to take a leaf out of Carroll’s book and fight agnosticism and distaste with the same determination.

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/5/16/want-to-beat-trump-in-2024-learn-from-e-jean-carroll
CEO pay again in focus as the heads of failed banks appear before Senate panel

The Globe and Mail

23-05-16 11:13


The executives of failed banks Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank were rewarded for short-term gains such as a rising stock price rather than long-term company health and risk, leading to a debate over executive pay. Although their banks are now worth next to nothing, CEOs were rewarded with millions of dollars in company stock, which was then sold before the banks failed. Senators are expected to table the question of executive pay to former head executives at the Senate Banking Committee, causing bipartisan legislation for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation authority to claw back any pay made to executives in the five years leading up to a bank's failure.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-ceo-pay-again-in-focus-as-the-heads-of-failed-banks-appear-before/