Lorraine Evanoff's Blog, page 6
October 26, 2022
The Big Attempt At Breaking Through
Living with an “Independent” is like living in a Shakespearean house divided. My S.O.’s passive aggressive both-sides-ism leaves me in an almost constant state of turmoil. Motivating friends and family to vote is one thing. Constantly having to explain reality at home is another.
One common refrain of Independents, “Republicans and Democrats are fiscally the same.” I love you but, BULLSHIT. Case in point, the new U.K. Prime Minister hastily enacted U.S. Republican fiscal policy and destroyed the British economy, then resigned in disgrace, all in the last 45 days. Meanwhile, in less than two years, Biden decreased the Federal deficit by $1.5 trillion, and created a record 10 million jobs, reaching unprecedented 3.5% unemployment. This after Trump increased the deficit by $1.9 trillion, and unemployment skyrocketed to 6.3%. Biden also signed a bipartisan infrastructure bill into law…the list goes on.
Another trope of milquetoast Independents, “People have the right to their opinions.” Oh, HELL NO, my darling. White Supremacy, now mainstream in America thanks to Republicans, is unconstitutional. In recent elections, voters in the U.S., France, and Germany thwarted extreme right leaders. Meanwhile, my blissfully oblivious S.O. didn’t realize a far-right radical just became Prime Minister of Italy. After looking it up, he admitted I was correct. Wow!
Also, I have had to explain to my Pookie Bear that Ukraine predates Russia, Putin’s unprovoked invasion is illegal and a war crime, Trump stole classified documents in violation of the Espionage Act, the list goes on.
Despite my ongoing sense of betrayal at home, one beacon of hope has remained, providing a clue. Ever since the unelected SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade, my S.O. has repeatedly expressed outrage, (of course, I must convince him Rick Caruso is an anti-abortion Republican, and to please GOD vote Karen Bass for Los Angeles mayor).
Conclusion, from my own personal sampling, the KEY to Get Out the Vote, the single most effective message, is the overturning of Roe. This iconic image is pinned to all my social media accounts, which I share regularly, reminding everyone to VOTE BLUE in Roe-vember.
October 14, 2022
Down To The Wire
The holiday season is fast approaching, a time of love, introspection, and renewal. I’ve already written about the meaning behind names, and in a brilliant new novel I just read about the Byzantine Empire, I came across a new one, PALMER. During the Middle Ages, a palmer was a person returning from the Holy Land, carrying a palm frond indicating he or she had made the pilgrimage.
Bill Palmer has taken us on a pilgrimage to the church of the United States of America. Even as a lifelong political junky, I never imagined I’d need to become a scholar of our government and institutions, let alone, save them. But as we approach the most consequential election in the history of the USA, the Palmer Report has been an essential resource for true believers spreading the word to get out the vote (GOTV).
Personally, in addition to volunteering, donating, and writing for the Palmer Report, I also use a direct approach. For the past three elections, I have personally contacted certain friends, with sometimes astonishing results. Just yesterday my heroic nephew – an Army veteran who did a tour in Afghanistan, works hard, and takes care of his family – reached out to ask me how I was. He must have sensed my anxiety about the midterms. Since he asked, I begged him to check his voter registration and to vote Democrat up and down ballot. His reply stunned me. He promised he would make sure he was registered. That meant he hadn’t been planning on doing so if I hadn’t asked.
By simply reaching out, we find people who are going about their daily lives, disconnected from the news. These are voters who would otherwise stay home. One of my favorite things about Palmer Report is our readers. You, dear readers, are informed, passionate, and a great means of crowdsourcing. We are each Palmers, spreading the word. Let us know how you are reaching out. Reply via Tweet, and in the comments. And, no matter what, VOTE!
October 11, 2022
The Storm
We now know why Mitch McConnell calls himself the Grim Reaper. We now know why Ginni Thomas, the craven wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, smugly smirked while lying to the January 6th Select Committee that the 2020 election was stolen. We now know the full GOP plan behind packing the Supreme Court with rightwing zealots, effectively creating judicial monarchs.
It won’t matter how masterfully the newest Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson invoked the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, citing the 14th Amendment that was explicitly drawn up and ratified in 1868, to protect the rights of the Black citizens who had been enslaved in Confederate states, to counter an absurd argument in favor of Alabama’s redrawn 2021 congressional map that challenges Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act barring racial discrimination.
None of this will matter because we now know Republicans packed the Supreme Court with the goal to end democracy. So far, the unelected extreme court decisions have resulted in a government that must henceforth legislate every single protection, from abortion rights to the EPA, to firearms, to voting rights, knowing Congress could never enact enough laws to restore them.
And now, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear the most terrifying case of all, Moore v Harper, that will decide on the nonsensical Independent State Legislature (ISL) theory. The fact that the SCOTUS even took up the case indicates it will likely rule in favor of the insane theory, giving rightwing control of federal elections and ending our 246-year-old experiment once and for all.
Kavanaugh voted to hear the case after the 2022 elections. With a decision expected before July 2023, November 8, 2022, could be our last free and fair election. The same 14 states that already banned all access to safe abortions could decide the outcome of our national elections. There is no rosy spin to this situation. Share this message far and wide, even on Facebook. Americans must storm the ballot box, armed with our votes. Like the French storming of the Bastille, we must end the GOP’s tyrannical reign.
October 9, 2022
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October 8, 2022
Coming Down To The Wire
Republicans reach new lows every day. In 2016, they changed their platform in favor of Russia, over Ukraine. In 2020, they eliminated their platform all together. For the 2022 midterms, they are against women rights, voting rights, climate science, and Federal safety nets. The GOP’s vision for America is more like that of Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
The 1936 Iranian leader Reza Shah banned women from wearing headscarves in public. Ironically, the result was mostly uncovered, educated, working women. In 1979, the hijab became mandatory for women in public. In both cases, men dictated how women behaved in public. Currently, there are mass protests over the shocking death of Mahsa Amini while detained by the “morality patrol,” yet Iran’s unelected leader blithely lied, blaming foreigners.
It remains to be seen whether the brave women of Iran can bring change. A year ago, the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, and the Taliban took control. Women protested in droves, calling themselves “Powerful Women.” But today, their numbers have dwindled. That is how chilling these repression tactics are.
Logic and hypocrisy have no bearing. The GOP will do whatever it takes to stay in power. This week, an unhinged Marjorie Taylor Greene lied that Democrats are killing Republicans. The GOP lies to ban abortion. Democrats are working to dispel their lies. Stacey Abrams stated, “There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”
As we saw on January 6, 2021, Republicans will go further than lying. Republican corruption has changed the planet’s climate. But now the political climate is changing. If SCOTUS had not overturned Roe, would Sheryl Sandberg, one of the most prominent female execs in America, have resigned as COO of Facebook, partnered with the ACLU, and dedicated millions to support abortion rights?
Republicans have sent us back 50 years and are trying to send us back even further. It’s crunch time. Get ten friends to register and vote November 8th.
October 4, 2022
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★★★★★ – “Just read Foliage. Great read, beautifully written, I highly recommend.” ~ Matthew J. Dowd, Chief Political Analyst, ABC News
★★★★★ – “Being a major Bond fan, I have read all of Ian Fleming’s novels. It was so refreshing and entertaining to get the female spy’s perspective. Pinot Noir is an intoxicating tale even to readers who are as sober as a monk.” ~ David Kempf, Award-Winning Author
★★★★★ – “On par with Dan Brown novels, the historical aspects of the novel are intriguing and thoughtfully included in a way that intelligently elevates the novel.” ~ Literary Titan
September 26, 2022
Now We’re Getting To The Good Part
I have read Michael Cohen’s bestselling tell-all book, “Disloyal.” There were moments throughout where I felt he went way too easy on Donald Trump’s children, and on himself. But it read like a thriller, and I couldn’t put it down. Before the release of “Disloyal,” Cohen gave damning testimony before Congress.
Elections have consequences. After Democrats took the House in 2018, they dove headfirst into Trump’s web of lies. During questioning in February 2019, Michael Cohen provided the first insider testimony, as part of a plea deal. Since then, the dominoes keep falling. Still, it’s worth looking back, specifically, at tenacious House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s glorious questioning of Michael Cohen on insurance fraud.
AOC’s questioning is largely considered the catalyst for the New York Attorney General Letitia James’s investigation into Trump Organization. AOC’s impressive high-speed probe of all aspects of the alleged fraud resulted in Cohen making clear and damning statements, all in under five minutes. It’s worth re-watching here. Be sure to pay attention to the reactions of people behind Cohen. AOC gives a master class in succinct, pointed inquiry.
This week, we came full circle to Michael Cohen’s testimony. NYAG James filed a massive civil suit against Trump, his organization, and his children who ran it. The civil suit filed on September 21, 2022, asks for $250 million in damages as a starting point. That amount is expected to increase, perhaps exponentially, as the evidence is revealed. James is also making criminal referrals to the IRS, the DOJ, and the SDNY.
To give just an inkling of what the evidence will reveal, the lawsuit points to many easily provable fraudulent declarations by Trump. For example, Trump claimed one Trump Tower apartment was 30,000 square feet, while it was only 10,000 square feet. If ever there was an easy to disprove claim, this is it. Just like Trump thinks he can declassify documents with his mind, he thinks he can defy physics. Get your popcorn, this is going to be huge.
September 21, 2022
If Democrats Are Antsy Over This, Republicans Must Be Downright Terrified
You’d think with Trump out of the White House, and Democrats in control, we would be more optimistic. Yet, it feels like Democrats must fight daily outrage to stay focused on saving democracy, like Obi-Wan Kenobi feeling a great disturbance in the Force.
That said, if Democrats feel this anxious while winning, imagine how distraught Republicans must feel. As their prospects in the midterms wane, Republicans have become increasingly desperate, reaching deeper into their arsenal of unhinged stunts to feed hate to their weak-minded base to keep them bitter and angry.
In the past week alone, Florida governor Ron DeSantis fraudulently transported undocumented immigrants across state lines; Georgia House Republican Marjory Taylor Green physically and verbally assaulted a teenaged activist; and Senate Republican Lindsey Graham introduced a federal abortion ban. Their insane strategy not only has Republicans facing horrible self-inflicted optics, some may now also be facing federal charges of Human Trafficking, fraud, kidnapping, assault, and battery.
Republicans are desperately attempting to shift focus away from issues most voters care about, like abortion rights, and protecting our democracy, and toward immigration and hate. It has worked in the past. Republicans voted for Trump even after witnessing some of the cruelest most career-ending behavior. But their jugular is now exposed. The behavior of DeSantis, Green, and Graham is heartbreaking to most Americans.
Winning the midterms is all about reaching voters in the middle and getting as many people as possible motivated to register and vote. Thanks to President Biden, Democratic leadership, federal and state attorneys general, and the January 6th Select Committee, Democrats are challenging the MAGA-extremist attempts to cling to power.
Democrats have legitimate policies and legislation, not fear and hatred. We have a strong House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who declared Democrats will hold the House and gain more seats in the Senate. We have the DNC, DCCC, and Palmer Report pooling resources to get voters to focus on winnable seats. Together we are using the Force to send a powerful wave of messaging for the greater good. A big beautiful blue wave.
September 13, 2022
Trumping Fate
Bridge is the chess of card games. Like chess, in bridge, the player must have a solid grasp of the rules. But unlike chess, bridge requires incredibly quick and nimble thinking. Personally, I’m terrible at both. I love bridge, but I choke under pressure. And I do not have the time or patience for chess.
That brings me to the craziest thing about Donald J. Trump. Although he’s a corrupt criminal, his very name seems to have endowed him with an infuriating self-fulfilling prophecy to trump fate. Have you ever noticed people whose names seem to have dictated their destinies? For example, I recently pointed out that the symbol of redemption of mankind is the Garland.
That said, it may feel like Trump keeps pulling trump cards out of his derrière and winning the trick. But in fact, with the hands Trump has been playing, he will soon trump himself. Biden and Democrats have been playing notrump hands, finessing Trump’s high cards, winning with bipartisan legislation, a booming economy, and multiple investigations by State and Federal AG’s and the January 6th Select Committee, to collectively deliver a grand slam.
I’ll also go out on a limb and speculate that a higher power has taken a hand throwing in a trump card or two. For example, if COVID hadn’t happened and if Trump hadn’t botched the response so monstrously, he would very likely have won a second term. Instead, we have professionals much more brilliant than Trump and his minions in charge.
In the latest legal trump card, a settlement signed by Trump’s attorney Patrick Strawbridge (a symbolic name if ever there was one), Mazars has agreed to turn over key financial records. Among documents to be handed over are records: that reference undisclosed, false, or inaccurate information about Trump’s assets; related to the federal lease of recently sold Trump International Hotel; and, from Trump’s inauguration. In his deposition to NY AG James in August, Trump took the 5th 400 times. Now Mazars’ records will speak for him. Check mate.
September 5, 2022
Sound The Alarm
Suspension of disbelief is the intentional avoidance of critical thinking. Republicans weaponize non-issues because the average voter accepts lies repeated by Mainstream Media:
Climate Change is a Hoax: The fact is, anything other than climate science is a hoax. With the world simultaneously on fire and under water, people are alarmed. Now, the GOP message is that it’s too late to do anything. In his speech Thursday, Biden insisted it’s not too late. I agree, we are Ameri-CAN.
Vaccines Are Unhealthy: Just no. Vaccines are safe. Yet Republicans irresponsibly caused thousands of unnecessary deaths from COVID by criminally weaponizing anti-vaccine language.
Abortion: Before Roe v Wade, no one called removing an ectopic pregnancy an “abortion,” and no one was prosecuted for a miscarriage. The GOP ending a woman’s right to choose in the U.S. is not about protecting the unborn, it is a dangerous and deadly lie.
The Economy: We must keep repeating Republicans are bad for the economy. Democrats prove good policy reduces the deficit and builds an economy for everyone.
Immigration: As Republicans scramble to salvage their chances in the midterms, they are reverting to fear mongering of immigrants, using “invasion” in their messaging. In his speech Thursday, Biden correctly called out MAGA-extremists as the greatest threat to democracy.
The Big Lie: One of the most frightening threats to our democracy is sowing mistrust in our elections. But it can work against Republicans, with “Threats to Democracy” now the number one issue for voters. With Republicans refusing to certify elections and laws, illegally firing elected officials, and Trump promising to pardon insurrectionists, Democrats must gain two more seats in the Senate to break the filibuster and pass voting rights legislation.
2nd Amendment: The 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban ended in 2004 under G.W. Bush. In 2000 there were only three mass shootings. After the ban ended, by 2020, there were 40 mass shootings per year. In 2022, there have been over 250 mass shootings. We must reverse this trend.
Ukraine: Putin orchestrated the destabilization of Europe by supporting Syrian President Bashar who drove millions of refugees into Europe. Putin is doing it again with Ukraine. Imagine what would have happened in Ukraine if Trump were still in office.
Biden forcefully made many of these points in his speech on Thursday. Now, Republicans claim Biden politicized his speech by having Marines stand behind him and calling out MAGA-extremism. Just like “but her emails” and “Hunter’s laptop,” this GOP attempt at suspension of disbelief will fizzle. Democrats must call out these lies until voters see the truth.
