A Political Fable 2: A Good Day to Vote Hard

[badgate]

A Political Fable 2: A Good Day to Vote Hard

Prologue

Monday, November 9, 2020



In a stunning move the House of Representatives voted to re-elect President Kelly Ayotte of New Hamphsire this morning at 9:30 am. While many guessed that due to divisions between Republicans and the fledgling Libertarian caucus, Congressman Gene Taylor would be elected with 26 votes, we have received word that a last minute deal was negotiated between the President, Congressman Taylor, and the leaders of the three House caucuses as well as Majority Leader Durbin. Details on the deal have yet to emerge, save for a whisper that Durbin will submit Gene Taylor’s name for the Vice Presidential vote, instead of Democratic Veep nominee Tulsi Gabbard. Here is the map for the house vote:

 

Congressman Gene Taylor – 23
President Kelly Ayotte – 27

President of the United States Kelly Ayotte



3:39pm

Senate Vote for Vice President

Congressman Gene Taylor - 60
Vice President Scott Walker - 40

Vice President of the United States Gene Taylor

Author's Note: If you are new to what is becoming the Fable series, please read the first installment here: A Political Fable

[badgate]

I: The Deal of the Century


6:15pm, Monday, November 9, 2020

Flanked by Vice President-elect Gene Taylor, as well as Speaker of the House Van Hollen and Minority Leader Eric Cantor in the Rose Garden, President Kelly Ayotte addressed the news of a backroom deal: In the event that no Presidential candidate wins two-hundred and seventy electoral votes, a political process that has been in place for centuries takes place. This was a fair political process and Americans and the world are stronger after the results of this election have been resolved. We can show to allies and skeptics of Democracy that even when no majority emerges, democracy does not fall apart. In the spirit of the American people's indecision, Mr. Taylor has agreed to join my administration for the next four years as Vice President. Vice President Walker submitted his resignation to me at 6am this morning. During the coming transition, this administration will become more diverse and bipartisan and-I am confident-will reflect the ideals of all Americans for the next four years. Bless you and your family, and these United States.

President Kelly Ayotte’s Second Term Cabinet

Secretary of State

Republican Minority Leader Eric Cantor

Secretary of Treasury

Libertarian Minority Leader Raul Labrador

Secretary of Defense

Senator Lindsay Graham

Attorney General

Former Governor Pat McCrory

Secretary of the Interior

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem

Secretary of Agriculture

Sam Brownback

Secretary of Commerce

Texas Attorney General George P. Bush

Secretary of Labor

Former Senator Jeff Flake

Secretary of Health & Human Services

Illinois Governor Kimberly Lightford

Secretary of Housing & Urban Development

Brian Sandoval

Secretary of Transportation

Mick Cornett

Secretary of Energy

Lee Terry

Secretary of Education

Republican Minority Whip Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Tom Cotton

Secretary of Homeland Security

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth

[NHI]

Looks good!!

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Looks good!!

[MadmanMotley]

How does Indiana still have two different party senators? Donnelly should be pretty easy to beat in 2018, and even if Coats retires, it's gonna take something major for Indiana to switch like that.

[badgate]

How does Indiana still have two different party senators? Donnelly should be pretty easy to beat in 2018, and even if Coats retires, it's gonna take something major for Indiana to switch like that.

I can't remember if Coats is still in office or if he was replaced by a Republican; Donnelly got lucky in 2018 because of the issues surrounding the '18 midterms. The single Libertarian congressman who was elected in '18 was from Indiana, and his success translated into a decent-sized split between the Republican senate nominee and the Libertarian senate nominee. National optics didn't play much into the race because the Democrat majority in the Senate was seen as very cooperative with President Ayotte.

I'll admit I was generous with the Democrats in the Senate in the first Fable, but I also believe the scenario I created was very likely: most Americans have little love for Senate leadership on both sides, but they don't want to vote for the Republican nominees, so Democrats stay in power. Remember that we haven't seen any opinion polls on how the election was resolved.

[badgate]

II: Polls and Deaths and Appointments, oh my!




On Wednesday, December 2, 2020 Public Policy Polling released its first impressions from the 2020 election aftermath.


PPP: Do you approve or disapprove of the House of Representatives reelecting President Ayotte?
Approve 44%
Disapprove 45%
Not sure 11%

PPP: Do you approve of disapprove of the Senate electing Gene Taylor to Vice President?
Approve 39%
Disapprove 48%
Not sure 13%

PPP: Do you approve or disapprove of Vice President Walker's decision to step aside?
Approve 51%
Disapprove 46%
Not sure 3%

PPP: Are you more likely to vote for a Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian candidate in 2022, or are you undecided?
Democrat 38%
Republican 42%
Libertarian 11%
Undecided 9%

PPP: Are you more likely to vote for a Democrat, Republican, or third-party candidate in the next Presidential election?
Democrat 34%
Green 9%
Republican 31%
Libertarian 14%
Not Sure 12%



Saturday, December 19, 2020


Texas Senator John Cornyn unexpectedly passed away late last night, the result of a massive heart attack. Cornyn was at a Christmas party with Dallas-area fundraisers when he collapsed. He was taken to Plano Presbyterian Hospital and pronounced dead at 11:47pm. Governor Julian Castro called Mrs. Cornyn this morning to offer his condolences, and will be speaking at the Senator's memorial service. The Governor released a statement Saturday morning, but was mum on who he may appoint. Despite the rash of appointment/special election reform laws that swept the midwest and northeast statehouses over the past few years, Texas law still provides the Governor with a myriad of options.






Monday, December 28, 2020
Texas Governor Julian Castro appointed his Lieutenant Governor Wendy Davis to the Senate seat of the late John Cornyn this afternoon. While many believed Davis had eyes for the Governor's mansion, she hinted in her remarks that she may run in the special election for the Senate seat. Governor Castro scheduled the primary for early March, 2021, and the election will coincide with municipal elections in May 2021. Sources close to Texas House Speaker Pro Tempore Rafael Anchía indicate that he has eyes on the primary as well, while the Republican primary looks primed to exhibit the fractured party in all its glory. With George P. Bush in President Ayotte's cabinet, the state GOP is uncertain of its chances to keep the seat in their column. Anchía, while unknown by 64% of Texas, is well liked, and Davis is fairly popular as well with wide name recognition.


Wendy Davis, the 16th Class II Senator from Texas.



Rest In Peace

August 19, 1946 - December 29, 2020

[badgate]

III:Tea Leaves






2024 National Democratic Presidential Primary
Vice President Gene Taylor 41%
Governor Julian Castro 22%
Governor Tulsi Gabbard 19%
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 18%

Without Vice President Gene Taylor
Governor Tulsi Gabbard 22%
Governor Julian Castro 20%
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 19%
Senator Gavin Newsom 19%
Speaker of the House Chris Van Hollen 8%
Majority Leader Joeseph P. Kennedy III 7%
Other 5%



2024 National Republican Presidential Primary
Former Vice President Scott Walker 55%
Defense Secretary Lindsay Graham 12%
Secretary of State* Eric Cantor 9%
Senator Pat Toomey 9%
Attorney General* Pat McCrory 6%
Education Secretary* Cathy McMorris Rodgers 6%

Without former Vice President Scott Walker
Yale Law Class of 2019 Valedictorian (with a minor in foreign relations and international law) Sarah Palin 15%
Governor Shelly Moore Capito 15%
Defense Secretary Lindsay Graham 14%
Secretary of State* Eric Cantor 12%
Senator Pat Toomey 12%
Attorney General* Pat McCrory 11%
Education Secretary* Cathy McMorris Rodgers 9%
Other 12%




*Not yet confirmed




Coming up next: a complete list of the senators in the 117th Congress.

[badgate]

117th Congress; US Senate

Alabama
•   3. Richard Shelby(R)
•   2. Jeff Sessions(R)
Alaska
•   3. Lisa Murkowski(R)
•   2. Mark Begich(D)
Arizona
•   3. Krystin Sinema(D)
•   1. Mark Kelly (D)
Arkansas
•   2. Steve Womack (R)
•   3. John Boozman(R)
California
•   1. Gavin Newsom(D)
•   3.  Kamala Harris(D)
Colorado
•   2. Frank McNulty (R)
•   3. Michael Bennet(D)
Connecticut
•   3. Richard Blumenthal (D)
•   1. Chris Murphy(D)
Delaware
•   1. Beau Biden (D)
•   2. Chris Coons (D)
Florida
•   1.  Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D)
•   3. Marco Rubio(R)
Georgia
•   2. John Barrow (D)
•   3. Johnny Isakson(R)
Hawaii
•   3. Colleen Hanabusa(D)
•   1. Mazie Hirono(D)
Idaho
•   3. Mike Crapo (R)
•   2. Jim Risch (R)
Illinois
•   2. Dick Durbin (D) MAJORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE
•   3. Mark Kirk (R)
Indiana
•   3. Dan Coats (R)
•   1. Joe Donnelly(D)
Iowa
•   3. Janet Petersen (D)
•   2. Bruce Braley(D)
Kansas
•   2. Jeff Colyer (R)
•   3. Jerry Moran (R)
Kentucky
•   2.  Alison Lundergan Grimes (D)
•   3. Rand Paul (R)
Louisiana
•   2.  Mitch Landrieu(D)
•   3. David Vitter (R)
Maine
•   2. Kevin Raye (R)
•   1. Angus King (I)
Maryland
•   3. Martin O’Malley(D)
•   1. Lisa A. Gladden(D)
Massachusetts
•   1. Elizabeth Warren (D)
•   2. Ben Downing(D)
Michigan
•   2. Carl Levin (D)
•   1. Debbie Stabenow(D)
Minnesota
•   1. Amy Klobuchar (D)
•   2. Al Franken (D)
Mississippi
•   2. David Blount (D)
•   1. Roger Wicker (R)
Missouri
•   1. Claire McCaskill (D)
•   3. Roy Blunt (R)
Montana
•   2. Brian Schweitzer (D)
•   1. Scott Sales (R)
Nebraska
•   2. Mike Johanns (R)
•   1. Deb Fischer (R)
Nevada
•   3. Harry Reid (D)*
•   1. Ruben Kihuen (D)
New Hampshire
•   2. Maggie Hassan (D)
•   3. Donnalee Lozeau (D)
New Jersey
•   2. Cory Booker (D)
•   1. Robert Menendez(D)
New Mexico
•   2. Tom Udall (D)
•   1. Martin Heinrich (D)
New York
•   3. Charles Schumer (D)
•   1. Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
North Carolina
•   3. Richard Burr (R)
•   2. Kay Hagan (D)
North Dakota
•   3. John Hoeven (R)
•   1. Drew Wrigley (R)
Ohio
•   1. Sherrod Brown(D)
•   3. Rob Portman (R)
Oklahoma
•   2. Jim Inhofe (R)
•   3. Tom Cole(R)
Oregon
•   3. Ron Wyden (D)
•   2. Jeff Merkley (D)
Pennsylvania
•   1. Bob Casey, Jr.(D)
•   3. Pat Toomey (R)
Rhode Island
•   2. Jack Reed (D)
•   1. Sheldon Whitehouse (D)
South Carolina
•   2. Mick Mulvaney (R)
•   3. Tim Scott (R)
South Dakota
•   2. Mike Rounds (R)
•   3. John Thune (R) INTERIM MINORITY LEADER
Tennessee
•   2. Lamar Alexander(R)
•   1. Bob Corker (R)
Texas
•   2. Wendy Davis (D)**
•   1. Joaquín Castro (D)
Utah
•   1. Orrin Hatch (R)
•   3. Mike Lee (R)
Vermont
•   3. Patrick Leahy (D)
•   1. Shapleigh Smith, Jr. (D)
Virginia
•   2. Mark Warner (D)
•   1. Tim Kaine (D)
Washington
•   3. Patty Murray (D)
•   1. Maria Cantwell(D)
West Virginia
•   2. Carte Goodwin (D)
•   1. Joe Manchin (D)
Wisconsin
•   3. Russ Feingold (D)
•   1. Tammy Baldwin(D)
Wyoming
•   2. Mike Enzi (R)
•   1. John Barrasso(R)

*Senator Harry Reid, elected as a Democrat, has caucused with the Republican party since the 116th Congress.
**Appointed by Governor Julian Castro on December 28, 2020; Special election scheduled for May 4, 2021.

[free my dawg]

Bernard Ayotte wouldn't make it to the Senate. He'd be 79 by the time he gets elected, would be 81 at the start of this TL, isn't in the best of health right now, and isn't exactly like Collins or Snowe, calling homosexuality a "genetic aberration". Even if he ran at 79, he'd lose.

[Niemeyerite]

Bernard Ayotte wouldn't make it to the Senate. He'd be 79 by the time he gets elected, would be 81 at the start of this TL, isn't in the best of health right now, and isn't exactly like Collins or Snowe, calling homosexuality a "genetic aberration". Even if he ran at 79, he'd lose.

Who is Bernard Ayotte and who is Angus King?

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Harry Reid caucuses with Republicans?

[PolitiJunkie]

Harry Reid caucuses with Republicans?

In the 2018 mid-terms Reid is voted out as Majority Leader and he responds by caucusing with the Republicans. The NRSC will not be supporting him if he chooses to run for reelection, and he'd be up in 2022, so I'm guessing he'll be gone by the 118th Congress.

[badgate]

Harry Reid caucuses with Republicans?

PolitiJunkie recapped for you, but the first installment (2016-2020) is on the first page of this board too, and I linked to it in the first post of this thread. Be sure to check it out!

[badgate]

IV: Inauguration


Wednesday, January 20, 2021


9:15am

Democrat Gene Taylor was sworn in this morning ahead of the Inaugural ceremony and address by President Kelly Ayotte. The ceremony was outdoors, due to a heat wave that had given the District of Columbia an unseasonably warm January (the high that day was 49°F), in front of Vice President Taylor's favorite monument, the Jefferson monument.
"I am proud and humbled to join this administration for the next four years. I ran a campaign to unite this country, but the results were anything but united. And then a president asked me to serve, and unite the country through service. Thank you all for your support this morning, enjoy the parade!"

10:30am

Many along the parade route were shocked when the motorcade drove by sporting the "Taxation without representation" DC license plates.


International opera sensation Sarah Coburn sang the national anthem just before the President took the podium for her address.

12:00pm

In her second inaugural address, President Ayotte spoke on a complete rehabilitation of the War on Drugs, and national Marijuana legalization and taxation. The president also endorsed some election reforms but made a fierce pre-emptive defense of a national ID law her administration will propose. The centerpiece of the speech's recurring themes culminated in a section on foreign policy, "We must be the missionaries of benevolent democracy around the world. We should seek to empower the oppressed people to rise up and rule through a mandate from the masses. And we should not be selective in our journey; picking only forgotten nations that global superpowers don't care for. Wether the nation is our closest ally or our fiercest foe, if there is cruelty or dictatorship, censorship or oppression, this White House will not stand by."

As she made her way to the viewing booth for the parade, the President stole one final glance at the National Mall, the vibrant crowd, the pristine monuments to servicemen who had perished fighting for democracy and free speech. She said a quick prayer that the next four years would not bring cause for another monument.


---

[Consciously Unconscious]

A heat wave?  I try not to go outside when it's 49 degrees.  That's basically freezing!

[badgate]

Just some worldbuilding...

117th Congress


House of Representatives


Democrat: 230 ß
Republican: 197 ß
Libertarian: 5 ß

Speaker of the House

Chris Van Hollen (D, MD-8)

Majority Leader

Joeseph P. Kennedy III (D, MA-4)

Majority Whip

Robin Kelly (D, IL-2)

House Democratic Caucus Chair

Xavier Becerra (D, CA-34)

DCCC Chair

Alan Grayson (D, FL-8)

---

Minority Leader*

Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-22)

Minority Whip**

Kenny Marchant (R, TX-24)

House Republican Conference†

Kay Granger (TX-12)

House Republican Policy Committee†*

Paul Gosar (R, AZ-4)

NRCC†*

Renee Ellmers (R, NC-2)



Senate

Democrat: 59
Republican: 40
Independent: 1

Majority Leader

Dick Durbin (D, IL)

Assistant (to the) Majority Leader

Amy Klobuchar (D, MN)

Majority Whip

Patty Murray (D, WA)

---

Minority Leader*

John Thune (R, SD)

Minority Whip§

Lisa Murkowski (R, AK)


* Currently Minority Whip; expected to move up in the 117th Congress.
** Currently House Republican Conference chair; expected to move up in the 117th Congress.
ß Currently empty House districts with party affiliation of previous seat holder: D, IL-8; L, ID-1; R, VA-7, WA-5
† Currently chair of NRCC; expected to move up in the 117th Congress.
†* Currently not in leadership
§ Currently chair of Senate Republican Conference; expected to move up in the 117th Congress.

[Niemeyerite]

Who are those 5 libertarians in the House?

[badgate]

V: Dreams of my Founding Fathers

Thursday, January 21, 2021
Gallup Presidential Tracking Poll
Approve 45%
Disapprove 41%
Don't care 6%
Not Sure 8%

Monday, February 1, 2021


Secretary of State to head new Ayotte agency
Current Secretary of State Jon Huntsman, Jr. will continue his tour of diplomatic positions by taking the new post as head of the Global Democracy Initiative announced by President Ayotte in her inaugural address. Ayotte announced the appointment this morning in the East Room of the West Wing. Though the GDI (which still needs to be created and funded by Congress) is going to be stationed in New York City, it will be completely walled off from the United Nations. Hunstman said that he was looking forward to spending more time in the "great city of New York," and his wife and daughter Abby, who have both lived in NYC since The Huffington Post took over the NYTimes building in 2018.


Thursday, February 4, 2021

Quinnipiac: Do you approve or disapprove of the House of Representatives reelecting President Ayotte?
Approve 49% (+5)
Disapprove 42% (-3)
Not sure 9% (-2)

Quinnipiac: Do you approve of disapprove of the Senate electing Gene Taylor to Vice President?
Approve 45% (+6)
Disapprove 44% (-4)
Not sure 11% (-2)

Quinnipiac: Do you approve or disapprove of Vice President Walker's decision to step aside?
Approve 60% (+9)
Disapprove 35% (-11)
Not sure 5% (+2)

Quinnipiac: Are you more likely to vote for a Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian candidate in 2022, or are you undecided?
Democrat 39% (+1)
Republican 45% (+3)
Libertarian 12% (+1)
Undecided 4% (-5)

Quinnipiac: Are you more likely to vote for a Democrat, Republican, or third-party candidate in the next Presidential election?
Democrat 41% (+7)
Green 4% (-5)
Republican 37% (+6)
Libertarian 8% (-6)
Not Sure 10% (-2)

Tuesday, February 9, 2021


"Mister Speaker, the President of the United States!"




President Ayotte gave her State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress and most members of the Supreme Court this evening. The President elaborated on her legislative agenda for the second term, including an adapted version of the Gene Taylor women's health legislation (with added systemic safeguards to protect "religious freedom"). She said she wanted debate on Marijuana legalization to be finished before the July 4 recess, and called upon the Democratic congress to send her election reform within the first legislative session as well. Interestingly, the President made no mention of the voter ID amendment she had championed weeks before in her inaugural. The foreign policy section was extremely well received; Ayotte proposed a new American agency for global democracy. The agency would be able to monitor and process election results in any country (independent of the UN), as well as being run by a diplomatic heavyweight who would work with emerging democracies, a department of constitutional scholars who would work with world leaders to draft a set of laws for new democracies. Democrats loved it because the agency would be non-partisan and ignore political or economic implications of encouraging democratic government in places like China and Iran, and Republicans loved it because the agency aimed to do the work of the UN while giving the UN a giant middle finger.

"There's just one more thing before we wrap this up. Some of you may have noticed a slogan on my motorcade's license plates. (Applause) 'Taxation without representation.' It's an enduring phrase. Every student in America has learned the phrase as part of our history. We fought a war for representation. Some of my Republican colleagues occasionally get confused and think that we fought the war because we didn't want taxation. (Laughter) But it was for representation. It was for an ideal, that the people who tend land and teach children, the local apothecary, the bankers and militiamen, merchants and the clergy, that all Americans would decide their own future. We here in this room are the product of that great struggle. And it should be our solemn duty to continue the work, through law and legislation, to ensure that all Americans have representation. So I call upon this Congress to debate in both chambers the ratification of statehood for the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the territories of the Pacific. (Huge applause) Thank you for your time and consideration, thank you for your duty and commitment to the hard work that lies ahead, may the Lord bless you and may he continue to bless the United States of America."



Friday, February 12, 2021
Gallup Presidential Tracking Poll
Approve 50%
Disapprove 40%
Don't care 2%
Not Sure 8%

[NHI]

This is fantastic!

[badgate]

VI: Lightning Rod

Friday, March 5, 2021


Unemployment up at 6%
Jared Bernstein - With the jobs report released this morning, unemployment has jumped significantly .3%, and is now at 6%. For most of 2020, the unemployment rate had yo-yod between 5.5% and 5.7%, but this jump is the highest unemployment rate America has seen under President Kelly Ayotte. In 2017, when Ayotte was sworn into office the unemployment rate stood at 5.9%, which was a huge boon to her first term priorities. All eyes will be on the jobs report coming in four weeks on April 2, which could indicate wether or not the economy is heading into a recession that would begin to be felt during the summer.

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Appearing on Face The Nation, Fed Chair Richard Fairbank insisted that the economy was in good health despite the increase in unemployment. "Occasionally, this happens in a strong economy. It's good for the economy too, because openings allow new workers who've been unemployed for a while to get jobs, and this results in new applicants for job openings that haven't been filled for months. This can actually be a boon to the economy," he insisted, though nobody else on the panel believed him. "The Fed will continue its rollbacks of Obama-era policies that were necessary at the time but could be hindering further growth in the future."

Over the month of March, stocks slipped downward before making only marginal rallies. Though the economy was fairly strong, and recession could easily be avoided by continued confidence, the symbolism of 6% was powerful and had a directly negative effect on consumer confidence.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Throwing an elbow to the Democratic congress that believed the Ayotte Administration would be malleable on the coming budget debate, the administration instead released a budget more conservative than the first term budget proposal. The budget, while restoring money to FEMA, allocated 15% of the Education budget for a voucher program, cut Energy and Transportation by 10% and required HHS to cut its budget by 15% in order to continue to pay for the Medicaid expansion. The budget also plussed up military preparedness, despite Pentagon reports that preparedness was at a satisfactory level.

Thursday, March 18, 2021


White House Releases Election Reform Proposal
President Ayotte's administration released its detailed election reform proposal this morning. The main proposals likely to make headlines are:

• 1. The implementation of measures deemed necessary by Congress to encourage and demonstrate the importance of civil participation to public school students, particularly using the classroom to demonstrate to students why engagement with politics will positively affect their interests and well-being.
• 2.   The commission of a study on positive and negative benefits of lowering the voting age to 16.
• 3.   A requirement that the Senate vote to confirm nominees to the Election Assistance Commission within 12 months of a presidential or midterm election.
• 4.  Allocation of federal funds to the states to combat and prevent voter fraud.
• 5.   In the event of recounts, states should make full use of modern technology to inform their constituencies on how recounts are being conducted, and shall provide a live stream video of recount sessions on their official government webpage, providing both video and audio for any person wishing to watch this democratic process unfold.
• 6.   The creation of a universal ballot-casting system and a universal ballot for federal and state elections.
• 7.   All states are required to provide a minimum of 5 workdays for early voting and a minimum of one weekend for early voting, to begin no earlier than 20 days before the election. States are encouraged to invest in more early voting days based upon demand and population density in their constituency. The percentage of likely voters shall not be used to determine whether or not states shall extend early voting, and states cannot consider public or private polls that determine the percentage of likely voters in their considerations. Based on number of precincts and registered voters, states shall receive 90%-80% of funds for the mandated early voting periods, to decrease to 50%-40% over 16 years.
• 8.   States that schedule more than the minimum number of days for early voting shall be rewarded with federal aid, using a formula that considers population density to ensure that large states are not rewarded more than small states.

The right has panned pretty much everything in the proposal except for #4-6, while the left decried the early voting requirements as insultingly small. With both flanks successfully incited, administration officials and Congressional leaders seem primed to get something done by the end of the year.

Monday, March 29, 2021
Gallup Presidential Tracking Poll
Approve 48%
Disapprove 42%
Not Sure 10%

[Sec. of State Superique]

Federal Electoral Laws = Awsome!

They should have ended the EC however...

[badgate]

Federal Electoral Laws = Awsome!

They should have ended the EC however...

Remember, that's just the administration's proposals. Who knows what the final bill will look like once it gets out of the Democratic congress.

Who are those 5 libertarians in the House?

The only two that actually exist are Raul Labrador (who promptly left the House for Treasury sec, and isn't a part of the 5 you're asking about) and Chard Reid (L IN-5). Reid is now the leader of their small caucus.

[badgate]

Texas Senate Special Election

Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Democratic Primary


Interim Senator Wendy Davis 38%

State Senator Sean Hubbard 35%

Speaker Pro Tempore Rafael Anchía 20%
Other 7%

A runoff election between Davis and Hubbard will be held in six weeks on April 13, 2021.

Republican Primary


Railroad Commissioner Matthew Marchant 81%
Other 19%

[badgate]

VII: Left Hand Man

Sunday, April 4, 2021

CNN's State of the Union

CROWLEY: Thank you for being with us, Vice President Taylor.



TAYLOR: Great to be here, thanks for having me.

CROWLEY: So, what has it been like being the Veep for a President of a different party? This is the first time in our country's history that this has happened, so there's got to be some uncharted ground you're traveling...

TAYLOR: There is. Yeah. The President and I have a great rapport though. We got on very well in the debates last year and she genuinely wants to hear what I have to say about whatever's on her desk. She's got a great deal of respect for the constitutional system that allowed her to remain in office but also saddled her with me, so I know she takes it seriously to hear what I think.

CROWLEY: Were you in the room on that budget? Majority Leader Durbin said your party wouldn't even consider most of it.

TAYLOR: She brought me in, yeah. I disagreed with a lot of it. The president and her senior advisors knew what I thought of that voucher program.

CROWLEY: You weren't a fan?

TAYLOR: We had a very blue discussion when that came up, I'll say that.

CROWLEY: Have you considered whether or not you'll defer to the President's preference in the case of any ties in the Senate?

TAYLOR: I don't wanna make an overbearing statement about that...there could be ties on simple procedural issues, or something monumental...it all depends on the issue at hand, so I won't stake a position to a hypothetical like that.

CROWLEY: What are your legislative focuses right now?

TAYLOR: We're gonna take the Congress' temperature on a health care bill this fall. My office is preparing for that, but for the time being I'm helping facilitate conversations about the budget and election reform.

CROWLEY: Many on the right were surprised by what the administration proposed for that bill. Did you think it was as liberal as failed Vice Presidential candidate Wayne LaPierre did?

TAYLOR: (laughs) No way. I wanted double the amount of early voting, election day registration, and I raised both issues. I thought the president's bill was very moderate, yeah, which of course LaPierre finds offensive.

CROWLEY: Some theorized that the President was taking the 'Obama approach,' that is, proposing what she believes to already be a compromise.

TAYLOR: Maybe. I can tell you the President desperately wants to reconcile her party. The extremist right has ruined their chances of taking back the Senate for over a decade now, since their first genuine opportunity in 2010. I guess you could say in her first midterm she got the Obama treatment, losing the house by a big margin. But I've heard from her long-term advisors...they really want her legacy to be facilitating a revival of moderate Republicans.

CROWLEY: That's a large haul.

TAYLOR: Yeah. I've got her in my prayers.

CROWLEY: Well I've got both of you in mine.

TAYLOR: (laughs) Thank you so much.

CROWLEY: You too. Vice President Gene Taylor. When we come back, we'll be taking a look at the 2022 senate races, and hearing from Texas Democrat Sean Hubbard, the underdog in the Senate runoff primary this month. We'll also have the Republican nominee for that race, Matthew Marchant.