Again a fully open site, stating in part, at the beginning of the item:
For many Minnesotans, the only races on their Nov. 7 ballot will be their local school board election, but the stakes are high.
Multiple factors are driving intensity of these nominally nonpartisan races:
First, education is at the center of a
swirl of culture war issues Republicans have been driving in the past
few years, including opposition to rights for trans children and the
teaching of the role of race and white supremacy in American history.
Jamie Kokaisel, a South Washington
County School Board candidate, has a chatty blog detailing her thoughts
on culture-war topics like diversity in schools, feminism and
single-parent households.
“Our current government leans
Progressive, and they are incentivizing single-parent families, sex
outside of marriage, promiscuity, abortion, and a gender fluid
lifestyle,” Kokaisel wrote in one blog post.
In a statement she gave for the
Minnesota Parents Alliance voters’ guide, Kokaisel implies that public
schools can improve if they become more like private schools.
“Once I saw how GREAT education could
be in the private school models, it became very clear to me that
fundamental GOODNESS was missing in the public school,” said Kokaisel,
who unsuccessfully ran for South Washington County School Board in 2021.
The conservative movement group
Freedom Club has referred its supporters to trainings provided by the
Minnesota Parents Alliance, which says it’s a nonpartisan group with
members who have supported Democratic candidates. But most of the school
board candidates the MPA endorsed in its 2023 voters’ guide have ties
to the GOP and/or the conservative movement, or promote right-leaning
messages and ideas.
The MPA, which has in the past
partnered with conservative organizations like the Center of the
American Experiment and the Child Protection League, has emerged this
year as a key asset for right-leaning candidates, including a published
voters’ guide with endorsements. Cristine Trooien, MPA executive
director, said in a statement to the Reformer
that the group endorses candidates regardless of their political
affiliation “who are willing to set divisive issues aside and refocus on
academic achievement and ensuring students can reach their highest
potential in a values-neutral environment.”
Still, many of the MPA’s endorsed
candidates have ties to local Republicans and promote the same
messaging: strengthen parental rights, prioritize academic achievement
and keep left wing politics out of school.
For example, two MPA candidates in
the Anoka-Hennepin School Board race — Linda Hoekman and Scott Simmons* —
are endorsed by the 31st and 35th Senate District Republicans, and in
their Minnesota Parents Alliance endorsement statements, they say they want to strengthen parental rights.
It takes a bit of thought, but "parental rights" is a euphemism for VOUCHERS, WE WANT VOUCHERS, TO RELIGIOUSLY INDOCTRINATE OUR CHILDREN ON THE PUBLIC'S DIME.
As noted many times, childless taxpayers pay for public schools where the aim is to assure a minimal competency among adult voters, post schooling, to keep democracy alive by their voting cogently after becoming informed of candidates and issues to where intelligent voting is possible. Those childless taxpayers should not see their money directed toward VOUCHER-ENABLED public funding of religious indoctrination they might despise.
Some would undermine public schools, for selfish reasons.
Those who would undermine public education's leading toward intelligent voting are called Republicans.
(Opinions can differ.)
Closing thought: VOTE ERIN! Hokeman has more road-side signs. Erin has more brains and a sounder outlook. If you doubt that "more brains" suggestion, let them both take an IQ test. On top of that, Erin is experienced. Hokeman sees the job from the outside looking in. Erin's there now, deserving reelection.
BOTTOM LINE: Erin is not the extremist. Hokeman is.
_____________UPDATE___________
This MPA insurgency has, as noted by the MnReformer item, ties to Freedom Club.
Freedom Club is a pay to play operation, costing thousands to be a "member." Their membership request form, as linked, allows a Gold membership for five grand, or a Silver membership for three grand, or take a hike, not wanted if not paying the price.
The questions were well founded, as Liberty Minnesota
PAC was not considered a well-funded or well-known political
committee until the mailings started to appear across the state in
September.
According to campaign finance reports, Liberty
Minnesota PAC spent less than $3,000 for the entire election cycle in
Minnesota in 2014.
In the time since the mailings first started to
appear, evidence continues to build and shows Alex Kharam, the executive
director of the Freedom Club and the company he founded earlier this
year, The Greenbrier Group, worked with Liberty Minnesota PAC on the
project.
Earlier this year, Kharam helped launch the website Alpha News. Alpha
News has included negative stories on several of the Republican
incumbent House members who were targeted in the Liberty Minnesota PAC
mailings.
[...] One of Freedom Club's founding members, Bob Cummins,
was also one of the largest funders of the campaign against same-sex
marriage in 2012. In the 2014 cycle election cycle, the Freedom Club
raised over $1.2 million from about 50 donors (with nearly 70 percent of
the total coming from Cummins and his wife, Joan).
The Freedom Club has been a well-funded group and
Kharam's involvement in criticizing incumbent Republicans may be a sign
that groups are preparing endorsement or primary challenges to incumbent
Republican members of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
This would be a costly distraction to Republicans who
hope to save their resources as they face a presidential election next
year. Historically, this is a political environment which has been
favorable to the Minnesota DFL.
Eggers also declined in October to comment about his discussions with Kharam about the mailings,nor would he offer any specifics on Kharam's involvement.
But it is clear Eggers and Kharam have discussed working on joint projects between the Freedom Club and Liberty Minnesota PAC.
In an email sent in March by Eggers to Kharam and
provided by a source for this story, Eggers requested of Kharam that he
"[p]lease let me know if there is anything Liberty Minnesota...can do to
be of service to you or Freedom Club."
This is extreme. Daudt was chosen by his Minnesota GOP caucus to be Speaker, i.e., the consensus was he represented the party's norm, and would be its top MN House organizer. To be more extreme than Kurt Daudt takes one hell of a lot of extremism. With Bob Cummins as their Daddy Warbucks. BALLOTPEDIA:
According to City Pages, which dubbed Cummins "The Sugar
Daddy" in its 2008 list of the 10 most powerful Minnesota Republicans,
he “is that most curious of political animals: He asserts his influence
through money alone and seeks no special attention for it. He's never
run for office; he doesn't write op-eds or speak to the media; he's not
on the lecture circuit. He is a strict conservative, an evangelical
Christian, and as CEO of Primera Technology, a very wealthy man.”[1]
Career
[...]
As of November 2015, Cummins is President and CEO of Primera
Technology Inc., and he also serves on the boards of Providence Academy
and the Freedom Club.[2][7][8]
Providence Academy. Is it any wonder that in the MnReformer quoting above the flak for the MPA putsch opined -
“Once I saw how GREAT education could be
in the private school models, it became very clear to me that
fundamental GOODNESS was missing in the public school,” said Kokaisel,
who unsuccessfully ran for South Washington County School Board in 2021.
A GREAT private school model, ProvAcad is a pay-to-play Catholic school, where VOUCHERS would be a boon to operations. Cummins' money behind it and still, a substantial tuition which voucher-mongering could lessen, for ones wanting religious indoctrination instead of sound, uniform public schools.
Erin has no ties to Bob "Daddy Warbucks" Cummins, nor to costly private religious schooling.
There's substantial money invested in all those Hokeman signs, and readers are encouraged to see if they can find online her campaign financing disclosure. Likely she is self-financed.
Hoekman has over 25 years of experience as a high school physics and chemistry teacher, the majority of which she has previously worked in Anoka-Hennepin (AH) schools. She has been connected to the AH district reaching back to her own years as a student; Hoekman graduated from Blaine High School. She earned her teaching degree from the College of St. Benedict. Upon graduation, Hoekman was hired at Champlin Park High School, and later earned a Master’s of Education from the College of St. Scholastica.
A lifelong Anoka County resident, Hoekman and her husband of 25 years, Charley, have lived in Ramsey for 19 years. Two of their children are Anoka High School graduates and their third child graduated from PACT Charter School in Ramsey.
According to Hoekman, she has been active in the community in capacities that align with her mission of educating and encouraging youth competitors. She has coached swimming and softball, and advised robotics and Korean Dance Club. In the community, she has also been a scout leader and supported youth faith initiatives. She instructed religious education and confirmation at Epiphany Catholic Church in Coon Rapids, where she has been a parishioner most of her life. In her spare time she enjoys fishing and playing games with her family.
Teaching in the district for years, sending one of three children to a private school. Catholic, so likely thinking of Catholic schools and vouchers. That is a guess. She's not outright said so. Writing, "Anoka has a long tradition of excellence, it is time to restore excellence as our goal," begs the question - if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and if you say it is broke, how? She writes no specific criticism of the status quo, and has stayed with that status quo over an entire teaching career. Erin is the incumbent. She represents continuity on the Board level. What's Hokeman's complaint?
Seven candidates are running in three districts this year. Classroom
safety, parental rights, and the academic achievement gap are among the
issues coming up in the elections.
Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota, the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, and the SEIU Minnesota State Council endorsed Erin Heers-McCardle (District 1), Susan Witt (District 2), and Michelle Langenfeld (District 5).
The Senate District 35 Republican Party (which overlaps with the
school district) and the nonprofit Anoka-Hennepin Parents Alliance—which
describes itself as promoting academic excellence, school safety, and
“parental rights on political, religious, and moral issues”—endorsed Linda Hoekman (District 1), Zach Arco (District 2), and Scott Simmons (District 5).
That's it. There is more on Ballotpedia, but the endorsements show it is
a partisan situation, even though not partisan in the sense of
candidates running as identified party candidates. Clearly, however, the endorsements
show the functional equivalent of two slates. Education Minnesota and
labor for one set. The Republican Party itself, and this so-called
"Parents Alliance," for the other set.
Education
Minnesota has done the job, and even the signage leader - career
teacher - Parents Alliance candidate is not saying the current Board's not getting things done.
It is this "parents"
buzzword thing for something different than what's worked well over the
years and evolved and adapted to moods of the times. A putsch of some fashion, with the ultimate intention suspiciously kept
silent.
With that indirection one can guess, indeed one has to guess, and Crabgrass sees yet another scripted nationwide vouchers putsch, and finds it a major worry.
The
United Auto Workers’ six-week strike against the US’s three largest
automakers appeared to be coming to an end on Monday as the union brokered a deal with General Motors.
The agreement follows on the heels of deals with Ford and Stellantis, brokered in the past few days, effectively ending the first simultaneous strike against the three Detroit automakers.
The UAW strike has been the largest by car workers in decades, and has proved an unusual political flashpoint, with Donald Trump and Joe Biden supporting workers over the car companies.
Biden lauded the reported agreement reached with GM. “I think it’s great,” said Biden, who has touted himself as pro-union.
[...] After
the union reached a tentative agreement with Ford last week, Stellantis
reached an agreement with similar contract terms on Saturday, and General Motors
followed suit on Monday. The agreements include 25% wage increases for
workers over the life of the contract and cost-of-living adjustments.
The union also won shortened wage progression scales, ended lower-paying wage tiers, and secured the reopening of Stellantis’s plant in Belvidere, Illinois, which closed down earlier this year.
[...] In the update on the tentative agreements reached with Ford and Stellantis,
Fain said the next contract expiration was set for 1 May 2028. He
called on other unions to align their contract expirations with their
own to build collective pressure on employers in the next round of union
contracts.
Fain had previously referred to workers at other auto companies including Tesla, Toyota and Honda as “UAW members of the future” and said on
Sunday that the union’s next efforts will aim at unionizing auto
workers at US plants currently not represented by unions at companies
such as Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen.
The non-unionized auto workers can see what UAW achieved. Either the non-union manufacturers will have to upgrade labor compensation, or face unionizing effort.
The next thing for Democratic politicians - come out fighting in any state having "right to work" laws; called by labor activists, "right to work for less."
Solidarity has worked with UAW workers. Now solidarity should be pushed wherever it can be. Strike - so to speak - while the iron is hot.
Bury "right to work." That should be articulated unambiguously by the Dems going into the 2024 elections. Poster child for the "right to work" contagion - Nikki Haley.
Hit her first and hard, South Carolina being out of step during her governorship, and still so. Change is in the air. Push. And reelect Biden. However strong or lukewarm his union bona fides may be, there would be less reform if Trump and Speaker Johnson do well next November. Reproductive freedom, clearly an issue needing emphasis. Work reform fits. Empower the people, with Democratic Party options, in personal decision making, and in working conditions.
Solidarity. Define the needs, give the answers, win the elections.
Dean Phillips, with the interview he can get. Saying stuff. Published by Breitbart.
So deep you'd need hip waders to navigate it.
During an interview with NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas aired on
Friday’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” 2024 presidential candidate Rep.
Dean Phillips (D-MN) stated that while he voted for President Joe
Biden’s policies, we do have “a massive” affordability crisis, and “We
have a border crisis. We have crime in cities and chaos.”
Phillips said, “I am a fan of Joe Biden. I admire him. I voted for his policies.”
In another part of the interview, Vargas asked, “A
huge majority of Americans, a big majority of Democrats are very
concerned about President Biden’s age. Is this why you’re running?
Because your voting record is nearly 100% in support of Biden’s
policies. Are you just a younger version of Biden?”
Phillips responded, “No, I’m Dean Phillips. And yes, I’m a lot
younger than President Biden. I was three years old when he became a
senator. He’s been serving our country for 50 years, and I admire that.
But I’m also hearing it’s time for a change. Yes, I voted for his
policies as a member of the House Democratic leadership team. I helped
distribute those policies and market those policies. That said, there
are massive –.”
After Vargas cut in to ask what he would do differently, Phillips
responded, “Let me start with affordability, it is a massive crisis in
America right now, the cost of living. People’s mortgages are
skyrocketing, fuel is too expensive, food is too expensive, health care —
if it’s even obtainable — is double the price of anywhere in the world,
medicine, three times more than anywhere else in the world. We are
falling behind. American middle-class, hard-working people are not being
heard. They are angry, they’re frustrated. And that is job one. We have
a border crisis. We have crime in cities and chaos. We have a federal
government that is run so ineffectively and so inefficiently, does not
focus on customer service, doesn’t use zero-based budgeting, we don’t
have term limits. So, therefore, we have the same people making the same
decisions, and often the same mistakes time and time again. I’m making a
proposition for change.”
Voting 100% and a "proposition for change." What kind of crap does this man believe he can sell, other than selling out on Biden. Manchin gets no mention.
Deano, be real. Biden, problems and all, insufficiencies, age, bent speaking is worlds better than the blowhard he replaced. Deano, stfu. Throw in the towel. You're ego without a cause. Change parties. There, you'd stand out. As NOT Mike Johnson. Not Ron DeSantis. Not a MAGA acolyte. Or are you? They take hypocrites. Norm Coleman did well by transitioning.
The open disdain toward Biden from many in a reliably Democratic bloc
is among the many signs the conflict is quickly remaking U.S. domestic
politics, with public fury over a Hamas attack that killed 1,400
Israelis colliding with the horror of entire families in the Gaza Strip
being wiped out in Israel’s retaliatory strikes.
The events of the
week were described in detail in interviews with several Arab American
and Muslim advocates inside and outside the administration, nearly all
of them speaking on the condition of anonymity to candidly describe
their dealings with the White House.
One organizer said community
concerns could be boiled down to a critical question: “Are we dealing
with warmongers or are we dealing with peacemakers? Who are we dealing
with?”
For many Muslims and Arab Americans, the answer came
Wednesday when Biden cast doubt on the number of Palestinian casualties
because the figures come from health officials who report to Hamas,
which controls the territory. Historically, such figures have been
accurate, according to Middle East researchers. On Thursday, Hamas
released names, national ID numbers and other information for the 6,747
people included in the Gaza Health Ministry’s tally. The group said 281
bodies had not yet been identified, bringing the total to 7,028.
If Biden dismisses or questions fails to question the grotesque killing rampage the Israelis are in the midst of, he is rightly rejected by not only Arab and Muslim Amerians, but by thinking and caring Americans, who hate the ethnic cleansing being done by the Netanyahu government, grossly disproportionate already, and growing day by day.
Seven thousand killed, more to come. An initial Hamas mayhem and death incursion into Israel killing 1400, and over and done suggests ethnic cleansing and not proportionate Hamas losses.
In both instances citizen - civilian death happened. Neither the initial incursion, nor the ongoing grossly disproportionate butchery are excusable in any civilized sense.
Biden's and his administration's response, including wanting to further arm the Israelis with more taxpayer money spent than the annual unjustified amounts shows choosing sides in a way many should find offensive. Israel drops bombs because they have them and state of the art airplanes, as well as armor shown again and again by images online. Residents of Gaza have their homes, their children, and no escape.
Go figure.
And going to whitehouse.gov, Biden and crew lack the spine to put their favoritism into online posting which history would preserve. It is reported, with many outlets of mass media simply ignoring further coverage in favor of sporting event score coverage. Bless WaPo and AJ and Guardian and other outlets keeping "hot" coverage of the ethnic cleansing genocide in front of the world to see.
Apartheid sucks. Ongoing mass murder beyond any sane proportionate measure, same judgment. What ending death total in Gaza will we see, once Israeli entry and slaughter are ended, with ground forces having done "enough" and ultimately withdrawn? We can guess and it staggers the mind.
___________UPDATE___________
Images from Gaza and elsewhere, showing Gaza destruction and death shrouds, as well as protests elsewhere. To choose a single online image? Yes. This one,
In Spain, indeed, but a crucial sign, in English. Sooner or later, effective pressure can be employed to lead to a more ideal resolution than full ultimate de facto annexation of the West Bank.
Link. The opening sentence of the item resolves things:
A deficient bridge on Viking Boulevard will be replaced under a contract awarded by the Anoka County Board Oct. 10.
Redstone
Construction, LLC submitted the lowest of seven bids, totaling about
$5.5 million, to construct the new bridge on Viking Boulevard over the
Rum River in Oak Grove.
So "deficient" modifies "bridge" and not "bridge replacement contract."
Link. Unfortunately behind a subscription wall. For that reason, a bit of a quote, even where the Crabgrass and item headlining seem to carry the gist of things. The item:
The care was crucial. He had insurance. His hospital bill? A whopping $155,493.
One Woodbury man's story shows how patients can get stuck in the middle
when insurers and hospitals fight over coverage details.
Mark Christensen figured his hospital bill was a mistake.
The document from Allina
Health arrived in February, stating the 61-year-old Woodbury resident
owed the hospital a staggering sum — $155,493.
It made no sense, Christensen
said. He had coverage through his employer from a reputable health
insurer. And the need for the care was undeniable; Christensen was
hospitalized for about a month for treatment of a rare and deadly blood
cancer.
But his insurer, Empire
BlueCross BlueShield, refused to pay because Allina hadn't obtained
authorization for Christensen's transfer to a new hospital, which
happened about halfway through his inpatient stay.
No shit! What a feeble show of "coverage." Laying traps for the unwary. More:
The company has a policy
stipulating that when interfacility transfers aren't approved, all
claims for care at the second hospital can be deemed not medically
necessary.
This decision left Christensen responsible for the bill.
[...] Christensen's ensuing saga
highlights the financial peril patients can face when trapped between
hospitals and insurance companies.
Through early October, Empire
BlueCross BlueShield stuck with its decision. [...] Then in mid-October, the
health insurer called Christensen to say the claim would be paid. This
call occurred about three days after the Star Tribune began questioning
both Allina and Empire BlueCross BlueShield about the dispute.
The insurer, a division of
Indiana-based Anthem Inc., told the Star Tribune in a statement that it
"appreciates the collaboration and partnership with Allina Health to
review and address this matter and we are pleased to have a resolution
for Mr. Christensen."
Allina Health said it
"strongly believes Mark, or any patient, should not be caught in the
middle of the medical billing appeal process between providers and
payers."
[...] There's anecdotal evidence
that health care providers, faced with a denial from a health insurance
company, are increasingly asking patients to either pay the bill or
fight for the coverage themselves, said Bill Foley of Cancer Legal Care,
an Oakdale-based nonprofit group that helped Christensen with his
appeals.
The item has further disquieting detail. So, have an online subscription, or buy a paper. The bottom line is the guy was getting screwed over by a song and dance team, or there really was an error and misunderstanding. It's circumstantial, so you make your own inferences from circumstances. Crabgrass has its inferences, its guesses. The Strib item ends:
[...] The cancer is now in
remission. Christensen praises the care he received from Allina as well
as attempts to resolve the billing problem by one of the health system's
financial navigators. He's still watching for final paperwork from his
health insurer; the online account no longer shows a huge balance owed
to Allina.
He's grateful for the
outcome. At the same time, Christensen worries that other patients
aren't so lucky in finding a resolution for baffling bills.
"I feel great relief — it's
been a long battle," he said. "But it also leaves me wondering if the
circumstances were different — if I hadn't been working with Bill at
Cancer Legal Care and he hadn't been in contact with [the Star Tribune] —
I suspect that none of this would be resolved yet."
Christopher Snowbeck covers health insurers, including Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, and the business of running hospitals and clinics.
The doctors on the upper floors are okay. The man got sound medicine. For which he is grateful. The Doctors are doing their best under facility rules.
The bean counters on the ground floor, many arguably should not be allowed to reproduce. It looks as if the patient had at least one good bean counter trying to help from the medical facility. Yet, "Into the wind," so to speak, with THE INSURER BEING THE ONE WITH AN INDEFENSIBLE "POLICY" GETTING, STRANGELY, IN BETWEEN PREMIUMS PAID TO BE COVERED, AND UNIMPEDED COVERAGE AS WOULD REASONABLY BE EXPECTED! Go figure.
It appears at present, timestamp of this post, no other airstrikes by the US have occurred, and none were inside Iraq, both being within eastern Syria.
The story is all over the web, in media youtube video reports, and in text stories.
Readers are urged to find relevant material online on their own.
Ostensibly, as stated at the end of Austin's press release, this is independent of Israel and Hamas events. However, were storage sites used by Iran to warehouse materiel for deployment into Gaza, it is not expected the US would disclose such a fact in relation to its own air campaigns. What plausible deniability means, now, and its status, are open to speculation. Israel has expanded its air war and incursions into the West Bank and into Labanon, but not into Syria. So far.
What we know is what we can read or view on the internet.
___________UPDATE_________
Friend Gary in St. Cloud, MN, has ideas with which Crabgrass disagrees, and that Crabgrass feels merit a rejoinder - favoring, of all things, DISPROPORTIONATE response, he wrote:
The word retaliation is used repeatedly throughout NBC's report. The
U.S. should've let Iran know what the consequences of military strikes
against the U.S. would be. That wouldn't stop an Iran strike. It
would've told Iran what we'd do if they hit us.
The other part
of securing the nation through red lines is to follow through on what
you said you'd do. For instance, if Iran attacks a U.S. military base in
Syria, the proportional response is to take out an Iranian oil
refinery. If Iran or one of its proxies kills a U.S. soldier, the price
is taking out Iran's military leaders. If Iran or one of its proxies
takes out a military base, the price is killing Iran's top military
leaders, taking out Iran's refineries and restoring Trump's maximum
pressure sanctions.
The time for diplomacy is over. The time for
establishing harsh realities is here. The time for Biden's wimpy
airstrikes is past.
His party's guy, years ago gave a rejoinder, this link.
The interesting and beneficial thing about opinions is that they can differ.
Do I care to know more about Deano? Not for now. If some of Jim Jordan's mud slinging sticks, somehow, to Joe Biden; ask me then.
On new Speaker of the House, in an earlier post a War Room video between Bannon and Gaetz was linked. It showed both are happy with the unified whole GOP House caucus 1000% dedicated to the man as their Speaker. They liked him, in lockstep, more than they liked Hakeem Jeffries as an alternative. Which does not surprise us.
Who else likes Mike Johnson, and what might we learn of praise for the man? Crabgrass will link and quote, readers can take it from there. One item only.
The praise seems unequivocal. Quoting the item in full:
Leading pro-life groups have unanimously come together in praise of new pro-life Speaker Mike Johnson.
As LifeNews reported, Johnson (R-La.) was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“National Right to Life congratulates Speaker Mike Johnson,” stated
Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Speaker Johnson is
committed to the right to life, and he will make the right to life and
protecting women and their unborn children a priority in Congress.”
Speaker Johnson represents Louisiana’s 4th district. He is a
constitutional law attorney widely recognized as a leading defender of
the right to life. He has served as vice chair of the House Republican
Conference and, as an active champion of pro-life issues, Congressman
Johnson has co-sponsored multiple pieces of pro-life legislation and is
the lead sponsor of the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act.
“We congratulate Speaker Mike Johnson,” said Ben Clapper, executive
director of Louisiana Right to Life. “Speaker Johnson has been a strong
ally of the pro-life movement and Louisiana Right to Life. Speaker
Johnson will be a proudly pro-life Speaker of the House who will protect
babies and help moms.”
Louisiana Right to Life, one of the pro-life organizations that knows Speaker Johnson the best, says he’s solidly pro-life.
“We are THRILLED that our friend, Congressman Mike Johnson, has been
elected the U.S. Speaker of the House! Without a doubt, Speaker Johnson
is a strong ally and friend of Louisiana Right to Life, and has served
the pro-life mission for decades,” Ben Clapper, head of the state
pro-life group, told LifeNews.
Together with his wife Kelly, Mike has led many pro-life efforts with
us, including our Life March in Shreveport that garners thousands of
participants each year. Prior to becoming a State Representative, he
served as our Legal Counsel.
When I first met Mike many years ago, I could immediately sense his
heartfelt dedication for protecting babies and helping moms. He cared
deeply about the Shreveport area, especially the high number of
abortions occurring in the area. He regularly helped many efforts in
Shreveport that serve moms and babies, including pregnancy resource
centers.
From working with him for many years, I know that Mike is a man of
integrity with a deep faith. We believe God has placed Mike in this
position to accomplish great things for our nation.
I expressed recently to Mike how the entire pro-life movement is supporting him and praying for him. Thank you for your prayers!
And Frank Pavone of Priests for Life also spoke out in celebration of Johnson’s election as Speaker.
“Great news in the election of Rep. Mike Johnson as our new Speaker
of the House. It is great news for America and great news for the
pro-life movement. He has been a great friend of Priests for Life and of
the unborn for many years and we look forward to his leadership,” he
said.
They look forward to his leadership. As if having expectations that the whole damned GOP caucus will be in lockstep with the Johnson Speakership. It could be.
The bet here is Matt Birk favors the selection too, although no web searching was done in that direction. Just guessing . . .
Of interest to some, perhaps, the item used the term"Right to Life" only nine times, but for those who may have not read past the first few paragraphs, it might have seemed the term density would result in a higher count. Almost the entire second half of the item, perhaps the entire second half, kept up the praise but without the defining phrase. Along with Bannon and Gaetz, they like the caucus choice.
One
thing is clear, however. Johnson is a social conservative’s social
conservative — the most culturally conservative lawmaker to ascend to
the speakership in decades, if not longer.
He has a faith-driven outlook toward
governance and longstanding ties to the evangelical activist group
Family Research Council, which could one day prove discomfiting to
members from swing districts or of a more secular orientation.
His first brush with national
prominence came in April 2015, when Johnson, then a Louisiana state
legislator, proposed a bill called the Louisiana Marriage and Conscience
Act that would have prevented “adverse treatment by the State of any
person or entity on the basis of the views they may hold with regard to
marriage.” Critics called it legalized discrimination against married
gay couples, and the bill failed, but the media attention got him on the radar of the influential FRC and its president, fellow Louisiana native Tony Perkins.
Perkins, who hosts a national radio
show called Washington Watch, began tapping Johnson to guest host.
Johnson, a constitutional lawyer, appeared to be a natural — by December
2015, local Shreveport, La. ABC affiliate KTBS said he “may have a budding second career on the airwaves.”
The FRC and Perkins are political
lightning rods among non-evangelicals — some of Perkins’ stances, like
his argument that natural disasters are divine punishments for
homosexuality, don’t sit well with broad swaths of the electorate. But
Johnson’s political and religious beliefs dovetail with Perkins’ views.
In a 2004 op-ed, Johnson argued that “homosexual relationships are inherently unnatural ... society cannot give its stamp of approval to such a dangerous lifestyle.”
When he ran for Congress in 2016, Johnson placed his faith at the center of his campaign, telling the Louisiana Baptist Message,
“I am a Christian, a husband, a father, a life-long conservative,
constitutional law attorney and a small business owner in that order.”
His connection with Perkins — and his
interest in evangelical radio as a political tool — continued after he
was elected to the House in 2016. As a first-term lawmaker, Johnson announced his bid to lead the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus that currently counts 156, on Washington Watch with Perkins. He won the election.
“It’s never been more important for conservatives to stand up and give voice — to be winsome witnesses — to [conservative] principles,” Johnson told Perkins in 2018 during his announcement.
Back in February, Johnson wrote
on X: “American taxpayers have sent over $100 billion in aid to Ukraine
in the last year. They deserve to know if the Ukrainian government is
being entirely forthcoming and transparent about the use of this massive
sum of taxpayer resources.”
Likewise, in May 2022, Johnson expressed America First sentiments,
saying, “We should not be sending another $40 billion abroad when our
own border is in chaos, American mothers are struggling to find baby
formula, gas prices are at record highs, and American families are
struggling to make ends meet, without sufficient oversight over where
the money will go.”
“Republicans for Ukraine,” a nonprofit that believes “the Republican Party must continue to support Ukraine,” has given Johnson an “F” on his support for the war.
Meanwhile, neocon Republican turned Democrat grifter Bill Kristol
fretted on X before the speaker vote, writing, “If Mike Johnson wins,
and unless he’s made private commitments for a floor vote on Ukraine and
funding government: Gaetz wins, MAGA wins, and Trump wins, and
institutionalist, responsible, moderate Republicans lose, once again
having pitifully folded when the crunch came.”
Ending funding to Ukraine means that President Volodymyr Zelensky
will finally be forced to negotiate a peace deal with President Vladimir
Putin. From the onset of the war, there has been no end strategy
presented by Ukraine or the American Uniparty other than the “total
defeat” of Russia. If there is a plan, no one has cued in the American
taxpayers who are bankrolling the war effort.
Well, NATO backs that Ukraine war, and if the US defunds, the remainder of NATO could carry the weight, were they so inclined. Why no negotiated end, so far, is an intriguing question.
Johnson isn’t known
for bipartisanship. He was ranked 429th out of 435 lawmakers in the 2021
bipartisan index kept by the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of
Public Policy at Georgetown University, situated among members of the
staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus. The measure scores how well
members of opposite parties work together using bill sponsorship data.
The
lobbying arm of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington
think tank, gives Johnson a lifetime score of 90% for his voting record.
Johnson
has proposed legislation on issues central to Republicans’ policy
agenda, including a bill that would make it a federal crime to transport
a minor across state lines for an abortion. He is strongly opposed to
abortion access.
Another
proposal would cut off federal funding to any school district, museum
or other organization that exposes a child younger than 10 to the topic
of gender identity or sexual orientation, enabling parents to sue over
violations.
Johnson
has called for restrictions on medical interventions, such as surgery,
for transgender youth. Conservatives say children are too young to
access care with lasting consequences based on a self-diagnosis.
Yawn. Standard crap. One insight; Heritage Foundation loves his ass Gestalt. Given his Gestalt, is that really news, given the Gestalt of Heritage Foundation?
Again, from the second search, Heritage itself, and what would you expect?
WASHINGTON—Rep.
Mike Johnson of Louisiana won the speakership nomination for the House
Republican Conference Tuesday. Heritage Foundation President Dr. Kevin
Roberts made the following statement:
“As
I have said repeatedly, the speakership is not about any one person,
but about who will fight for the everyday American and their interests
over the power of the Washington Swamp. I congratulate my good friend
Speaker-designate Mike Johnson. As a former Republican Study Committee
chairman and current vice chair of the House Republican Conference,
Johnson has both a tremendous conservative track record and a
willingness to listen to his colleagues and put the will of the
conference and the American people first.
“This
kind of conservative servant leadership ought to unite House
Republicans. All of us at Heritage look forward to working with Speaker
Johnson to secure the border, rein in spending, conduct serious
oversight of the Biden administration, and provide real leadership on
the world stage. It’s time to get to work.”
As said, Heritage loves his Gestalt. So, the usual suspects shelter him with praise.
Knowing that Heritage and Right to Life are cheerleaders, while Federalist Society wonders how Neocon war may benefit - in total, we know nothing we did not already know by reasonable guessing. But we read of it from the web.
__________UPDATE_________
Learning is an ongoing process. More on friends of Mike Johnson - the more we know, the more we can adjust our outlooks and actions, knowing his.
https://religionnews.com/ in an item entitled, "Mike Johnson, pedigreed evangelical, suggests his election as House speaker ordained by God,"notes mid item:
Johnson has continued to voice support for conservative Christian
viewpoints while in office, even hosting a podcast with his wife, Kelly,
a licensed pastoral counselor, aimed at providing an “analysis of hot
topics and current events from a Christian perspective.”
Among other things, Speaker Johnson has repeatedly rejected many
broadly held interpretations of the separation of church and state.
House
Speaker Mike Johnson of La., flanked by the Republican conference,
speaks during a news conference outside the Capitol in Washington,
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“The founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around,” he said during a September 2022 episode of the podcast.
He went on to argue that “a free society and a healthy republic
depend upon religious and moral virtue,” arguing that society would
crumble without it.
His views echo the writings of David Barton, a controversial Texas activist who has spent years railing against the separation of church and state. On Wednesday, Substack writer Warren Throckmorton pointed out that Johnson lauded Barton during a 2021 talk [caution, Malwarebytes says that linked item might contain a Trojan, so Crabgrass did not follow that one link] to a group of state legislators organized by WallBuilders, an organization founded by Barton.
“I was introduced to David and his ministry a quarter century ago,
and it has had such a profound influence on me and my work and my life
and everything I do,” Johnson said at the time.
David Barton, on YouTube. Please do watch. Note also that the non-flagged other two links in the final quoted paragraph appear to be Trojan-free and okay - [no promises - but each was accessed by Crabgrass and deemed worth the read].
The gist of the two items is that MJ is a firm adherent against separation of church and state as a bedrock American principle. Briefly, "the Controversial Texas activist" link notes in its beginning:
Josh Mandel, a candidate in Ohio’s Republican primary for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat, insisted during a debate that “there’s no such thing as separation of church and state.” Three months later, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch made an off-hand reference to the “so-called separation of … church and state” during oral arguments.
In April, Pennsylvania gubernatorial primary candidate Doug Mastriano, now the Republican nominee, dismissed the separation of church and state as a “myth.”
By June, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, speaking at a Colorado church, proclaimed,
“I’m tired of the separation of church and state junk that’s not in the
Constitution. It was in a stinking letter, and it means nothing like
what they say it does.”
The growing popularity of these kinds of declarations is striking
given the place the separation of church and state has occupied in
American politics going back to the Founding Fathers. Though the phrase
“separation of church and state” does not appear in the U.S.
Constitution, the notion is deeply rooted in American jurisprudence and
popular culture.
More immediately, the rhetoric has alarmed some Americans who
associate the constitutional debate over the church-state split with
extreme versions of Christian nationalism.
Yet, antipathy toward the separation of church and state among
conservatives is not new but, rather, is a decades-old argument
popularized primarily by a controversial Texas activist in the early
’90s, when the religious right was ascendant.
In 1993, the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., founder of Liberty University and co-founder of the Moral Majority, promoted
a book called “The Myth of Separation” by a Texan named David Barton.
According to a Christian Century report, less than a month later on
Falwell’s television show, “The Old Time Gospel Hour,” he preached a
strident sermon in which he said, “Let everyone know that this
separation of church and state business is bogus.”
MJ is of that school of "thought." And he hence is as dangerous as it is.
Last -
Haaretz.com in an item (unfortunately behind a paywall/subscription wall) begins:
New House Speaker Mike Johnson, an Evangelical Christian, Holds Ties to Israel’s Far Right
Louisiana
Rep. Mike Johnson described his 2020 visit to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount
as ‘the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy’; his election is the most
significant victory to date for evangelicals in D.C.
WASHINGTON
– House Speaker Mike Johnson, confirmed Wednesday after three failed
previous Republican choices and weeks of inner party turmoil, is an
evangelical Christian whose connections to Israel reflect the movement's
deep ties to the Israeli right, which has become increasingly
mainstream over the years.
Okay. He loves Bibi, and Bibi loves his Gestalt. Got that. Filed away under "apartheid." Under "settlements." Under what's new these days in Gaza.
BOTTOM LINE: Not to diminish the man, after all he is now Speaker, but he appears fully akin to Michel Bachmann, more or less, but with a law degree and without the bullhorn, and taken seriously, (unlike Michel). That is relevant information. It helps knowing what must be done.
Enlarge it and it says he will announce his run Friday.
Isn't this announcing it?
Should the headline be Phillips plans speech about his running Friday?
With this in online media, wtf is "will announce Friday?"
Doing it because, "People have been urging me to run."
If you say so, but the real reason, come on, be real. Ego.
It's his time invested in the pursuit. Let's hope he gets to an end without becoming too dispirited. You know - maybe he's practicing. A dry run, eyeing 2028.
Chances might be better than, but that's saying better, not good.
They prayed and fasted for three days and the Caucus turned out united.
Not for them. They're yesterday's laughter. For Mike. And as the Red Sea parted, the Caucus came together, and the today's promised one - won.
Michel and Marcus, truthfully, are no part of the Speaker show extravaganza. It is just a backward look at kindred souls. Mike's people. And - another view of how the caucus came together, where Crabgrass simply presents the video, and readers can make of it what they will. (Wasn't there, can't validate veracity.)
