article written in January
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/01/political-gifts-from-beyond-the-grave/
Political Gifts From Beyond the Grave: Dead Woman Donates Thousands of Dollars to Tea Party Express - OpenSecrets News
2011-01-14
Mbeckel
<div><div>
 <p><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/assets_c/2011/01/joansnyderholmes%20copy-3511.html"></a><i>(Update: 1/19: The Tea Party Express has refunded $8,000 to Lee Holmes. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/01/tea-party-express-refunds.html">Read the follow-up piece here</a>.) </i></p><p><i>(Update: 2/9: <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/02/tea-party-express-responsible-for-dead-womans-donations.html">Read more here</a> about the communication lapse and quirky campaign finance law that led to the questionable attributions in the first place. )</i><br /><br />For more than two years, the Tea Party Express’ political war chest has been filled with thousands of dollars in donations from a dead woman.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/">Center for Responsive Politics</a>‘ research, Joan Snyder Holmes of Guam made three donations in the autumn of 2009 to the group’s political action committee — known as the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00454074&amp;cycle=2010">Our Country Deserves Better PAC</a>. The donations together totaled $2,500.</p>
<p>The Tea Party Express’ PAC furthermore reported receiving a lump-sum donation of an additional $5,000 from Joan Holmes in September, according to the Center’s review of campaign finance records it filed with the Federal Election Commission.</p>
<p>Such activity would have been unremarkable had Joan Holmes not died of cancer on Feb. 1, 2007. She was cremated, and her ashes are now buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia (her grave is pictured right).</p>
<p>Joan Holmes is the late wife of media entrepreneur Lee Holmes, who himself has in recent years ranked among the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/states/donors.php?cycle=2010&amp;state=GU">most prolific</a> political donors in Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. And Lee Holmes was one of the first donors to the upstart Our Country Deserves Better PAC, which played a prominent role in electing conservative Republicans during the 2010 election cycle. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/assets_c/2011/01/Joan%20Holmes%20Tea%20Party%20Contribs-3498.html"></a>How exactly Joan Holmes made the donations from beyond the grave is shrouded in mystery: Both Lee Holmes and a Tea Party Express official deny they’re responsible. </p>
<p>Lee Holmes, for his part, told <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/"><i>OpenSecrets Blog</i></a> that he did not make the contributions in his wife’s name, and he contended it was “wrong” for her name to appear in any group’s campaign finance reports at all. </p>
<p>“I assure you I did not make these or any donations in her name, and cannot see why anyone else would use her name,” Holmes told <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i>.</p>
<p>Holmes, who himself has given roughly the legal allowable amounts to the Tea Party Express’ PAC in the past two years, suggested that the political action committee could have filed erroneous reports.</p>
<p>“I made a number of Tea Party donations, but used my own personal credit cards,” he said.  “Whether I made donations on those dates and they entered them [under her name] in error, I don’t know.”</p>
<p>Sal Russo, the chief strategist of the Tea Party Express, told <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i> that he was surprised to hear that a deceased woman’s name appeared among the group’s contributors.</p>
<p>“She died in 2007? You’re kidding me?!” he said.</p>
<p>“Whatever we show in the reports is what people put there,” Russo continued. “Ninety-nine percent of our contributions are done electronically on the internet. We don’t have direct contact with donors.”</p>
<p>Russo told <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i> that he would direct the group’s treasurer to look into the donations.</p>
<p>If the donations are illegal, the group’s clock is ticking.</p>
<p>The Federal Election Commission provides guidance to political committees on how to handle contributions of questionable legality, FEC spokesman Christian Hilland told <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i>. </p>
<p>This guidance includes the admonition: “If a committee deposits a contribution that appears to be legal and later discovers that it is prohibited (based on new information not available when the contribution was deposited), the committee must disgorge the contribution within 30 days of making the discovery.”</p>
<p>In cases of illegal or excessive contributions, if the contributor’s identity is known, the committee must refund the funds to the source of the original contribution. In other cases, cutting a check to the U.S. Treasury for the amount in question is an approved alternate method of shedding the contributions.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/September/10-crm-1077.html">U.S. Department of Justice</a>, the maximum penalty for knowingly and willingly making illegal campaign contributions in the name of another is “five years in prison and a fine of not less than 300 percent of the amount involved in the violation and not more than the greater of $50,000 or 1,000 percent of the amount involved in the violation.”</p>
<p><b>‘GENERALLY, THE DEAD AREN’T SUPPOSED TO GIVE’<br /></b><br />Political donations by deceased individuals <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-11-27-DeadDonors_N.htm">occur</a>, but are a rarity, election lawyers and campaign finance experts say. Such donations carry certain risks and have parameters that must be met to avoid legal penalties.</p>
<p>“Any time a contribution is made in the name of a deceased person, it’s potentially problematic,” Larry Noble, an attorney at D.C. law firm <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000243">Skadden Arps</a> and former executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, told <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i>. “Generally, the dead aren’t supposed to give.”</p>
<p>Federal law prohibits contributions in the name of another person. </p>
<p>Noble said there are “very limited” circumstances when it’s allowable for political contributions to come in the name of a deceased person. Before a person’s death, for instance, he or she could establish a trust and leave specific instructions about how to dole out the funds, he said.</p>
<p>The FEC has approved such contributions, officially called “testamentary bequests,” to a handful of specific political committees in several advisory opinions over the years. This kind of contribution is legal so long as the contribution does not exceed the $5,000 per year federal limit and the deceased person’s trust is controlled by someone not affiliated with the benefiting PAC. </p>
<p>Loyola Law School of Los Angeles law professor Justin Levitt said another simple explanation for the donations in Joan Holmes’ name could be confusion over a joint bank account.</p>
<p>“If the donation came from a joint account (and doesn’t exceed the husband’s limits), it may be that the husband is making a perfectly legitimate contribution for himself, from funds that he actually controls,” Levitt wrote in an e-mail to <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i>.</p>
<p>But such situations do not appear to apply to Joan and Lee Holmes, given Lee Holmes’ assertion that no contributions ought to have been made in his wife’s name. Moreover, Lee Holmes himself has made contributions in his own name — and that reach legal donation limits — to the Our Country Deserves Better PAC.</p>
<p><b>LEE HOLMES BECAME PROLIFIC DONOR TO ‘HELP SAVE OUR COUNTRY’</b></p>
<p><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/assets_c/2011/01/map_of_guam-3504.html"></a>Joan Holmes was married to Lee Holmes for more than 50 years. </p>
<p>Lee Holmes, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve colonel and Korean War veteran, started the first successful cable television company on the U.S. territory of Guam in 1971. For decades, he worked in the radio, TV and communications industry, and Joan Holmes worked alongside him. Holmes’ current company is called Southern Media.</p>
<p>While she was alive, Joan Holmes made no reportable campaign contributions to federal candidates or political committees. Prior to her February 2007 death, Lee Holmes wasn’t a very active donor either, never contributing more than $1,000 during a two-year election cycle since he first began giving in 2004. These initial federal-level beneficiaries were South Dakota Republican <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cycle=Career&amp;type=I&amp;cid=N00004572&amp;newMem=N">John Thune</a>, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cycle=Career&amp;type=I&amp;cid=N00001380&amp;newMem=N">Rick Santorum</a> and the border security-oriented <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00425751&amp;cycle=2010">Declaration Alliance’s Minuteman Civil Defense Corps PAC</a>.</p>
<p>That paucity of political giving all changed recently. </p>
<p>Days after the Tea Party Express’ Our Country Deserves Better PAC registered with the FEC in August 2008, Lee Holmes cut the group a check for $500. By Election Day 2008, he had given the group another $3,000.</p>
<p>Between August and November in 2008, overall, Holmes doled out $20,100 to his preferred candidates and groups. His donations included $8,000 to the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/parties/totals.php?cmte=RNC&amp;cycle=2010">Republican National Committee</a>, $2,300 to Republican presidential candidate <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cycle=Career&amp;type=I&amp;cid=N00006424&amp;newMem=N">John McCain</a> and $2,300 to Rep. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00002167&amp;cycle=2008">Virgil Goode</a> (R-Va.), who was defeated that year by Democrat <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00029339&amp;cycle=2010">Tom Perriello</a> and made waves last year for joining the Constitution Party.</p>
<p>And Lee Holmes’ generosity to his favored political interests continued to climb after Democrat Barack Obama’s election as president.</p>
<p>During the 2010 election cycle, Holmes extended financial support to nearly two dozen groups and candidates. Overall, he personally contributed more than $72,000, although some of this sum was refunded due to multiple contributions above federal limits, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. (And this figure doesn’t include the $7,500 given to the Tea Party Express’ PAC in his late wife’s name.)</p>
<p>His top beneficiary? The Tea Party Express’ Our Country Deserves Better PAC. In 2010, Holmes contributed $4,900 to the group. And the previous year, he gave them $5,500 — $500 more than the legal limit. An image the FEC filing from the Tea Party Express’ PAC showing his “aggregate year-to-date” amount at $5,500 is below:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/assets_c/2011/01/Lee%20Holmes%202009%20Excessive%20Giving-3508.html"></a>According to the Center’s review of campaign finance records, the Tea Party Express refunded $335 of this excessive contribution in late 2009. It’s unclear why the remaining $165 was not refunded. </p>
<p>The FEC has the discretion to fine committees that do not return excessive contributions. Russo, of the Tea Party Express, told <i>OpenSecretsBlog</i>, the group’s treasurer would also look into this situation. </p>
<p>Holmes told <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i> his giving has skyrocketed over the years because he wanted to “help save our country.”</p>
<p>“The whole country is up in arms at the direction Washington is plunging our country into — money-printing inflation and unsustainable debt loads by copying European-style socialism,” Holmes wrote in an e-mail.</p>
<p>“I am a retired Marine Corps Reserve colonel and Korean War veteran,” he continued. “I am 80. When I was 17, I took an oath to defend the Constitution. I made donations to the Tea Party and to reform candidates to help reinstate the Constitution, and clean out the corruption of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid trio and their corrupt liberal supporters who are ruining our country.”</p>
<p><b>NOTABLE BENEFICIARIES, OCCASIONAL EXCESSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS<br /></b><br />During the 2010 election cycle, the Our Country Deserves Better PAC wasn’t the only group that Holmes, perhaps inadvertently, contributed to in excess of the legal limit.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/assets_c/2011/01/odonnellteapartyexpressrally-3501.html"></a>Federal campaign finance records show he made excessive contributions to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=DES2&amp;cycle=2010">Republican U.S. Senate candidate</a> Christine O’Donnell of Delaware, who <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/09/independent-expenditures-by-tea-par.html">unexpectedly defeated</a> moderate Republican <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00009775&amp;cycle=2010">Mike Castle</a> in a primary election last year thanks, in part, to significant spending by the Tea Party Express on her behalf. </p>
<p>O’Donnell’s campaign reported collecting $8,300 from Holmes last year, and it refunded $3,900 of that sum back to him to comply with federal law.</p>
<p>Campaign finance records also show Lee Holmes also made excessive contributions in 2010 to the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=2010&amp;strID=C00461772">Western Representation PAC</a>, a conservative group <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/indexpend.php?cmte=C00461772&amp;cycle=2010">spent more than $235,000</a> on independent expenditures in the various races they targeted, including about $138,000 expressly advocating for the election of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle in Nevada. </p>
<p>The group refunded Holmes’ excessive $2,500 in contributions in October.</p>
<p>“When you’re a nonprofit group, obviously, you hate to turn down money,” Roger Stockton, the group’s treasurer, told <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i>. “But [FEC rules] make it very clear that you don’t want to hang onto it.”</p>
<p>Conservative groups and candidates across the country, meanwhile, have been happy to hang onto donations from Holmes when they do not exceed legal limits. Among Holmes’ other notable contributions this year:</p>
<ul>
<li>$4,000 to Angle in her bid to unseat Democratic Senate Majority Leader <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00009922&amp;cycle=2010">Harry Reid</a> (D-Nev.)</li>
<li>$5,000 to Dick Morris’ <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00489781&amp;cycle=2010">Super PAC for America</a></li>
<li>$4,900 to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=AKS2&amp;cycle=2010">Alaska Republican U.S. Senate candidate</a> Joe Miller, who <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/09/for-every-money-in-politics-rule-th.html">defeated</a> incumbent Sen. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00026050">Lisa Murkowski</a> in a Republican primary but later lost the general election after her successful write-in campaign</li>
<li>$4,400 to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=2010&amp;strID=C00485821">Americans for New Leadership</a>, another “<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/superpacs.php?cycle=2010">super PAC</a>” that advocated for Reid’s defeat</li>
<li>$2,500 to the leadership PAC of Sen. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00002472&amp;cycle=2010">Jim DeMint</a> (R-S.C.), who <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/10/sen-jim-demint-adopting-emilys-list.html">excelled</a> at using his <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00448696">Senate Conservatives Fund</a> as a vehicle for conduit contributions to fellow conservatives</li>
<li>$1,000 to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?cycle=2010&amp;id=NC07">North Carolina Republican House candidate</a> Ilario Pantano, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer who once killed two unarmed Iraqi detainees (Pantano says the killing was in self-defense and the military ultimately dropped the murder charges it brought against him)</li>
<li>$750 to Rep. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00027493&amp;cycle=2010">Michele Bachmann</a> (R-Minn.), the chairwoman of the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/07/bachmann-forming-tea-party-caucus.html">House Tea Party Caucus</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>DONATIONS LEAVE A TRAIL, BUT WHERE DOES IT LEAD?<br /></b><br />So why did Joan Holmes’ name appear among the names of living campaign contributors? Whatever the answer, election law experts agree making a contribution in the name of a dead person would not be a smart way to get around campaign finance donation limits.</p>
<p>Levitt, of Loyola Law School, told <i>OpenSecrets Blog</i>, the penalties and likelihood of getting caught “tend to stave off any great incentive to cheat in this way.”</p>
<p>If someone was trying to perpetrate fraud, it was a “particularly foolish” way to go about it, Levitt continued.</p>
<p>“Donations, like votes, have paper records,” Levitt said. “It necessarily leaves a trail of the unlawful conduct.”</p>
<p><i>Center for Responsive Politics Executive Director Sheila Krumholz, senior researcher Douglas Weber and researcher Carolyn Sharpe contributed to this report.</i></p>
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 Home / News & Analysis

 Political Gifts From Beyond the Grave: Dead Woman Donates Thousands of Dollars to Tea Party Express

 * By mbeckel
 * January 14, 2011 12:39 pm




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 (Update: 1/19: The Tea Party Express has refunded $8,000 to Lee Holmes. Read the follow-up piece here.)

 (Update: 2/9: Read more here about the communication lapse and quirky campaign finance law that led to the questionable attributions in the first place. )

 For more than two years, the Tea Party Express’ political war chest has been filled with thousands of dollars in donations from a dead woman.

 According to the Center for Responsive Politics‘ research, Joan Snyder Holmes of Guam made three donations in the autumn of 2009 to the group’s political action committee — known as the Our Country Deserves Better PAC. The donations together totaled $2,500.

 The Tea Party Express’ PAC furthermore reported receiving a lump-sum donation of an additional $5,000 from Joan Holmes in September, according to the Center’s review of campaign finance records it filed with the Federal Election Commission.

 Such activity would have been unremarkable had Joan Holmes not died of cancer on Feb. 1, 2007. She was cremated, and her ashes are now buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia (her grave is pictured right).

 Joan Holmes is the late wife of media entrepreneur Lee Holmes, who himself has in recent years ranked among the most prolific political donors in Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. And Lee Holmes was one of the first donors to the upstart Our Country Deserves Better PAC, which played a prominent role in electing conservative Republicans during the 2010 election cycle.

 How exactly Joan Holmes made the donations from beyond the grave is shrouded in mystery: Both Lee Holmes and a Tea Party Express official deny they’re responsible.

 Lee Holmes, for his part, told OpenSecrets Blog that he did not make the contributions in his wife’s name, and he contended it was “wrong” for her name to appear in any group’s campaign finance reports at all.

 “I assure you I did not make these or any donations in her name, and cannot see why anyone else would use her name,” Holmes told OpenSecrets Blog.

 Holmes, who himself has given roughly the legal allowable amounts to the Tea Party Express’ PAC in the past two years, suggested that the political action committee could have filed erroneous reports.

 “I made a number of Tea Party donations, but used my own personal credit cards,” he said. “Whether I made donations on those dates and they entered them [under her name] in error, I don’t know.”

 Sal Russo, the chief strategist of the Tea Party Express, told OpenSecrets Blog that he was surprised to hear that a deceased woman’s name appeared among the group’s contributors.

 “She died in 2007? You’re kidding me?!” he said.

 “Whatever we show in the reports is what people put there,” Russo continued. “Ninety-nine percent of our contributions are done electronically on the internet. We don’t have direct contact with donors.”

 Russo told OpenSecrets Blog that he would direct the group’s treasurer to look into the donations.

 If the donations are illegal, the group’s clock is ticking.

 The Federal Election Commission provides guidance to political committees on how to handle contributions of questionable legality, FEC spokesman Christian Hilland told OpenSecrets Blog.

 This guidance includes the admonition: “If a committee deposits a contribution that appears to be legal and later discovers that it is prohibited (based on new information not available when the contribution was deposited), the committee must disgorge the contribution within 30 days of making the discovery.”

 In cases of illegal or excessive contributions, if the contributor’s identity is known, the committee must refund the funds to the source of the original contribution. In other cases, cutting a check to the U.S. Treasury for the amount in question is an approved alternate method of shedding the contributions.

 According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the maximum penalty for knowingly and willingly making illegal campaign contributions in the name of another is “five years in prison and a fine of not less than 300 percent of the amount involved in the violation and not more than the greater of $50,000 or 1,000 percent of the amount involved in the violation.”

 ‘GENERALLY, THE DEAD AREN’T SUPPOSED TO GIVE’

 Political donations by deceased individuals occur, but are a rarity, election lawyers and campaign finance experts say. Such donations carry certain risks and have parameters that must be met to avoid legal penalties.

 “Any time a contribution is made in the name of a deceased person, it’s potentially problematic,” Larry Noble, an attorney at D.C. law firm Skadden Arps and former executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, told OpenSecrets Blog. “Generally, the dead aren’t supposed to give.”

 Federal law prohibits contributions in the name of another person.

 Noble said there are “very limited” circumstances when it’s allowable for political contributions to come in the name of a deceased person. Before a person’s death, for instance, he or she could establish a trust and leave specific instructions about how to dole out the funds, he said.

 The FEC has approved such contributions, officially called “testamentary bequests,” to a handful of specific political committees in several advisory opinions over the years. This kind of contribution is legal so long as the contribution does not exceed the $5,000 per year federal limit and the deceased person’s trust is controlled by someone not affiliated with the benefiting PAC.

 Loyola Law School of Los Angeles law professor Justin Levitt said another simple explanation for the donations in Joan Holmes’ name could be confusion over a joint bank account.

 “If the donation came from a joint account (and doesn’t exceed the husband’s limits), it may be that the husband is making a perfectly legitimate contribution for himself, from funds that he actually controls,” Levitt wrote in an e-mail to OpenSecrets Blog.

 But such situations do not appear to apply to Joan and Lee Holmes, given Lee Holmes’ assertion that no contributions ought to have been made in his wife’s name. Moreover, Lee Holmes himself has made contributions in his own name — and that reach legal donation limits — to the Our Country Deserves Better PAC.

 LEE HOLMES BECAME PROLIFIC DONOR TO ‘HELP SAVE OUR COUNTRY’

 Joan Holmes was married to Lee Holmes for more than 50 years.

 Lee Holmes, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve colonel and Korean War veteran, started the first successful cable television company on the U.S. territory of Guam in 1971. For decades, he worked in the radio, TV and communications industry, and Joan Holmes worked alongside him. Holmes’ current company is called Southern Media.

 While she was alive, Joan Holmes made no reportable campaign contributions to federal candidates or political committees. Prior to her February 2007 death, Lee Holmes wasn’t a very active donor either, never contributing more than $1,000 during a two-year election cycle since he first began giving in 2004. These initial federal-level beneficiaries were South Dakota Republican John Thune, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and the border security-oriented Declaration Alliance’s Minuteman Civil Defense Corps PAC.

 That paucity of political giving all changed recently.

 Days after the Tea Party Express’ Our Country Deserves Better PAC registered with the FEC in August 2008, Lee Holmes cut the group a check for $500. By Election Day 2008, he had given the group another $3,000.

 Between August and November in 2008, overall, Holmes doled out $20,100 to his preferred candidates and groups. His donations included $8,000 to the Republican National Committee, $2,300 to Republican presidential candidate John McCain and $2,300 to Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.), who was defeated that year by Democrat Tom Perriello and made waves last year for joining the Constitution Party.

 And Lee Holmes’ generosity to his favored political interests continued to climb after Democrat Barack Obama’s election as president.

 During the 2010 election cycle, Holmes extended financial support to nearly two dozen groups and candidates. Overall, he personally contributed more than $72,000, although some of this sum was refunded due to multiple contributions above federal limits, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. (And this figure doesn’t include the $7,500 given to the Tea Party Express’ PAC in his late wife’s name.)

 His top beneficiary? The Tea Party Express’ Our Country Deserves Better PAC. In 2010, Holmes contributed $4,900 to the group. And the previous year, he gave them $5,500 — $500 more than the legal limit. An image the FEC filing from the Tea Party Express’ PAC showing his “aggregate year-to-date” amount at $5,500 is below:

 According to the Center’s review of campaign finance records, the Tea Party Express refunded $335 of this excessive contribution in late 2009. It’s unclear why the remaining $165 was not refunded.

 The FEC has the discretion to fine committees that do not return excessive contributions. Russo, of the Tea Party Express, told OpenSecretsBlog, the group’s treasurer would also look into this situation.

 Holmes told OpenSecrets Blog his giving has skyrocketed over the years because he wanted to “help save our country.”

 “The whole country is up in arms at the direction Washington is plunging our country into — money-printing inflation and unsustainable debt loads by copying European-style socialism,” Holmes wrote in an e-mail.

 “I am a retired Marine Corps Reserve colonel and Korean War veteran,” he continued. “I am 80. When I was 17, I took an oath to defend the Constitution. I made donations to the Tea Party and to reform candidates to help reinstate the Constitution, and clean out the corruption of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid trio and their corrupt liberal supporters who are ruining our country.”

 NOTABLE BENEFICIARIES, OCCASIONAL EXCESSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS

 During the 2010 election cycle, the Our Country Deserves Better PAC wasn’t the only group that Holmes, perhaps inadvertently, contributed to in excess of the legal limit.

 Federal campaign finance records show he made excessive contributions to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell of Delaware, who unexpectedly defeated moderate Republican Mike Castle in a primary election last year thanks, in part, to significant spending by the Tea Party Express on her behalf.

 O’Donnell’s campaign reported collecting $8,300 from Holmes last year, and it refunded $3,900 of that sum back to him to comply with federal law.

 Campaign finance records also show Lee Holmes also made excessive contributions in 2010 to the Western Representation PAC, a conservative group spent more than $235,000 on independent expenditures in the various races they targeted, including about $138,000 expressly advocating for the election of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle in Nevada.

 The group refunded Holmes’ excessive $2,500 in contributions in October.

 “When you’re a nonprofit group, obviously, you hate to turn down money,” Roger Stockton, the group’s treasurer, told OpenSecrets Blog. “But [FEC rules] make it very clear that you don’t want to hang onto it.”

 Conservative groups and candidates across the country, meanwhile, have been happy to hang onto donations from Holmes when they do not exceed legal limits. Among Holmes’ other notable contributions this year:

 * $4,000 to Angle in her bid to unseat Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
 * $5,000 to Dick Morris’ Super PAC for America
 * $4,900 to Alaska Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller, who defeated incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski in a Republican primary but later lost the general election after her successful write-in campaign
 * $4,400 to Americans for New Leadership, another “super PAC” that advocated for Reid’s defeat
 * $2,500 to the leadership PAC of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who excelled at using his Senate Conservatives Fund as a vehicle for conduit contributions to fellow conservatives
 * $1,000 to North Carolina Republican House candidate Ilario Pantano, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer who once killed two unarmed Iraqi detainees (Pantano says the killing was in self-defense and the military ultimately dropped the murder charges it brought against him)
 * $750 to Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), the chairwoman of the House Tea Party Caucus

 DONATIONS LEAVE A TRAIL, BUT WHERE DOES IT LEAD?

 So why did Joan Holmes’ name appear among the names of living campaign contributors? Whatever the answer, election law experts agree making a contribution in the name of a dead person would not be a smart way to get around campaign finance donation limits.

 Levitt, of Loyola Law School, told OpenSecrets Blog, the penalties and likelihood of getting caught “tend to stave off any great incentive to cheat in this way.”

 If someone was trying to perpetrate fraud, it was a “particularly foolish” way to go about it, Levitt continued.

 “Donations, like votes, have paper records,” Levitt said. “It necessarily leaves a trail of the unlawful conduct.”

 Center for Responsive Politics Executive Director Sheila Krumholz, senior researcher Douglas Weber and researcher Carolyn Sharpe contributed to this report.





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(Update: 1/19: The Tea Party Express has refunded $8,000 to Lee Holmes. Read the follow-up piece here.)    (Update: 2/9: Read more here about the communication lapse and quirky campaign finance law that led to the questionable attributions in the first place. )  For more than two years, the Tea Party Express’ political war chest has been filled with thousands of dollars in donations from a dead woman.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics‘ research, Joan Snyder Holmes of Guam made three donations in the autumn of 2009 to the group’s political action committee — known as the Our Country Deserves Better PAC. The donations together totaled $2,500.
The Tea Party Express’ PAC furthermore reported receiving a lump-sum donation of an additional $5,000 from Joan Holmes in September, according to the Center’s review of campaign finance records it filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Such activity would have been unremarkable had Joan Holmes not died of cancer on Feb. 1, 2007. She was cremated, and her ashes are now buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia (her grave is pictured right).
Joan Holmes is the late wife of media entrepreneur Lee Holmes, who himself has in recent years ranked among the most prolific political donors in Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. And Lee Holmes was one of the first donors to the upstart Our Country Deserves Better PAC, which played a prominent role in electing conservative Republicans during the 2010 election cycle. 
  How exactly Joan Holmes made the donations from beyond the grave is shrouded in mystery: Both Lee Holmes and a Tea Party Express official deny they’re responsible. 
Lee Holmes, for his part, told  OpenSecrets Blog  that he did not make the contributions in his wife’s name, and he contended it was “wrong” for her name to appear in any group’s campaign finance reports at all. 
“I assure you I did not make these or any donations in her name, and cannot see why anyone else would use her name,” Holmes told OpenSecrets Blog.
Holmes, who himself has given roughly the legal allowable amounts to the Tea Party Express’ PAC in the past two years, suggested that the political action committee could have filed erroneous reports.
“I made a number of Tea Party donations, but used my own personal credit cards,” he said.  “Whether I made donations on those dates and they entered them [under her name] in error, I don’t know.”
Sal Russo, the chief strategist of the Tea Party Express, told OpenSecrets Blog that he was surprised to hear that a deceased woman’s name appeared among the group’s contributors.
“She died in 2007? You’re kidding me?!” he said.
“Whatever we show in the reports is what people put there,” Russo continued. “Ninety-nine percent of our contributions are done electronically on the internet. We don’t have direct contact with donors.”
Russo told OpenSecrets Blog that he would direct the group’s treasurer to look into the donations.
If the donations are illegal, the group’s clock is ticking.
The Federal Election Commission provides guidance to political committees on how to handle contributions of questionable legality, FEC spokesman Christian Hilland told OpenSecrets Blog. 
This guidance includes the admonition: “If a committee deposits a contribution that appears to be legal and later discovers that it is prohibited (based on new information not available when the contribution was deposited), the committee must disgorge the contribution within 30 days of making the discovery.”
In cases of illegal or excessive contributions, if the contributor’s identity is known, the committee must refund the funds to the source of the original contribution. In other cases, cutting a check to the U.S. Treasury for the amount in question is an approved alternate method of shedding the contributions.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the maximum penalty for knowingly and willingly making illegal campaign contributions in the name of another is “five years in prison and a fine of not less than 300 percent of the amount involved in the violation and not more than the greater of $50,000 or 1,000 percent of the amount involved in the violation.”
 ‘GENERALLY, THE DEAD AREN’T SUPPOSED TO GIVE’  Political donations by deceased individuals occur, but are a rarity, election lawyers and campaign finance experts say. Such donations carry certain risks and have parameters that must be met to avoid legal penalties.
“Any time a contribution is made in the name of a deceased person, it’s potentially problematic,” Larry Noble, an attorney at D.C. law firm Skadden Arps and former executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, told OpenSecrets Blog. “Generally, the dead aren’t supposed to give.”
Federal law prohibits contributions in the name of another person. 
Noble said there are “very limited” circumstances when it’s allowable for political contributions to come in the name of a deceased person. Before a person’s death, for instance, he or she could establish a trust and leave specific instructions about how to dole out the funds, he said.
The FEC has approved such contributions, officially called “testamentary bequests,” to a handful of specific political committees in several advisory opinions over the years. This kind of contribution is legal so long as the contribution does not exceed the $5,000 per year federal limit and the deceased person’s trust is controlled by someone not affiliated with the benefiting PAC. 
Loyola Law School of Los Angeles law professor Justin Levitt said another simple explanation for the donations in Joan Holmes’ name could be confusion over a joint bank account.
“If the donation came from a joint account (and doesn’t exceed the husband’s limits), it may be that the husband is making a perfectly legitimate contribution for himself, from funds that he actually controls,” Levitt wrote in an e-mail to OpenSecrets Blog.
But such situations do not appear to apply to Joan and Lee Holmes, given Lee Holmes’ assertion that no contributions ought to have been made in his wife’s name. Moreover, Lee Holmes himself has made contributions in his own name — and that reach legal donation limits — to the Our Country Deserves Better PAC.
 LEE HOLMES BECAME PROLIFIC DONOR TO ‘HELP SAVE OUR COUNTRY’ 
  Joan Holmes was married to Lee Holmes for more than 50 years. 
Lee Holmes, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve colonel and Korean War veteran, started the first successful cable television company on the U.S. territory of Guam in 1971. For decades, he worked in the radio, TV and communications industry, and Joan Holmes worked alongside him. Holmes’ current company is called Southern Media.
While she was alive, Joan Holmes made no reportable campaign contributions to federal candidates or political committees. Prior to her February 2007 death, Lee Holmes wasn’t a very active donor either, never contributing more than $1,000 during a two-year election cycle since he first began giving in 2004. These initial federal-level beneficiaries were South Dakota Republican John Thune, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and the border security-oriented Declaration Alliance’s Minuteman Civil Defense Corps PAC.
That paucity of political giving all changed recently. 
Days after the Tea Party Express’ Our Country Deserves Better PAC registered with the FEC in August 2008, Lee Holmes cut the group a check for $500. By Election Day 2008, he had given the group another $3,000.
Between August and November in 2008, overall, Holmes doled out $20,100 to his preferred candidates and groups. His donations included $8,000 to the Republican National Committee, $2,300 to Republican presidential candidate John McCain and $2,300 to Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.), who was defeated that year by Democrat Tom Perriello and made waves last year for joining the Constitution Party.
And Lee Holmes’ generosity to his favored political interests continued to climb after Democrat Barack Obama’s election as president.
During the 2010 election cycle, Holmes extended financial support to nearly two dozen groups and candidates. Overall, he personally contributed more than $72,000, although some of this sum was refunded due to multiple contributions above federal limits, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. (And this figure doesn’t include the $7,500 given to the Tea Party Express’ PAC in his late wife’s name.)
His top beneficiary? The Tea Party Express’ Our Country Deserves Better PAC. In 2010, Holmes contributed $4,900 to the group. And the previous year, he gave them $5,500 — $500 more than the legal limit. An image the FEC filing from the Tea Party Express’ PAC showing his “aggregate year-to-date” amount at $5,500 is below:
  According to the Center’s review of campaign finance records, the Tea Party Express refunded $335 of this excessive contribution in late 2009. It’s unclear why the remaining $165 was not refunded. 
The FEC has the discretion to fine committees that do not return excessive contributions. Russo, of the Tea Party Express, told OpenSecretsBlog, the group’s treasurer would also look into this situation. 
Holmes told OpenSecrets Blog his giving has skyrocketed over the years because he wanted to “help save our country.”
“The whole country is up in arms at the direction Washington is plunging our country into — money-printing inflation and unsustainable debt loads by copying European-style socialism,” Holmes wrote in an e-mail.
“I am a retired Marine Corps Reserve colonel and Korean War veteran,” he continued. “I am 80. When I was 17, I took an oath to defend the Constitution. I made donations to the Tea Party and to reform candidates to help reinstate the Constitution, and clean out the corruption of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid trio and their corrupt liberal supporters who are ruining our country.”
 NOTABLE BENEFICIARIES, OCCASIONAL EXCESSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS  During the 2010 election cycle, the Our Country Deserves Better PAC wasn’t the only group that Holmes, perhaps inadvertently, contributed to in excess of the legal limit.
  Federal campaign finance records show he made excessive contributions to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell of Delaware, who unexpectedly defeated moderate Republican Mike Castle in a primary election last year thanks, in part, to significant spending by the Tea Party Express on her behalf. 
O’Donnell’s campaign reported collecting $8,300 from Holmes last year, and it refunded $3,900 of that sum back to him to comply with federal law.
Campaign finance records also show Lee Holmes also made excessive contributions in 2010 to the Western Representation PAC, a conservative group spent more than $235,000 on independent expenditures in the various races they targeted, including about $138,000 expressly advocating for the election of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle in Nevada. 
The group refunded Holmes’ excessive $2,500 in contributions in October.
“When you’re a nonprofit group, obviously, you hate to turn down money,” Roger Stockton, the group’s treasurer, told OpenSecrets Blog. “But [FEC rules] make it very clear that you don’t want to hang onto it.”
Conservative groups and candidates across the country, meanwhile, have been happy to hang onto donations from Holmes when they do not exceed legal limits. Among Holmes’ other notable contributions this year:
$4,000 to Angle in her bid to unseat Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
$5,000 to Dick Morris’ Super PAC for America 
$4,900 to Alaska Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller, who defeated incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski in a Republican primary but later lost the general election after her successful write-in campaign
$4,400 to Americans for New Leadership, another “super PAC” that advocated for Reid’s defeat
$2,500 to the leadership PAC of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who excelled at using his Senate Conservatives Fund as a vehicle for conduit contributions to fellow conservatives
$1,000 to North Carolina Republican House candidate Ilario Pantano, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer who once killed two unarmed Iraqi detainees (Pantano says the killing was in self-defense and the military ultimately dropped the murder charges it brought against him)
$750 to Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), the chairwoman of the House Tea Party Caucus 
 DONATIONS LEAVE A TRAIL, BUT WHERE DOES IT LEAD?  So why did Joan Holmes’ name appear among the names of living campaign contributors? Whatever the answer, election law experts agree making a contribution in the name of a dead person would not be a smart way to get around campaign finance donation limits.
Levitt, of Loyola Law School, told OpenSecrets Blog, the penalties and likelihood of getting caught “tend to stave off any great incentive to cheat in this way.”
If someone was trying to perpetrate fraud, it was a “particularly foolish” way to go about it, Levitt continued.
“Donations, like votes, have paper records,” Levitt said. “It necessarily leaves a trail of the unlawful conduct.”
 Center for Responsive Politics Executive Director Sheila Krumholz, senior researcher Douglas Weber and researcher Carolyn Sharpe contributed to this report.
Political Gifts From Beyond the Grave: Dead Woman Donates Thousands of Dollars to Tea Party Express - OpenSecrets News
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/01/political-gifts-from-beyond-the-grave/
https://www.npr.org/2011/01/25/133212080/a-users-guide-to-the-politics-of-applause
A User's Guide To The Politics Of Applause
2011-01-25
Linton Weeks
<div><div>
 <p>Please hold your applause.</p> <p>Hold it up to the light and examine it closely. At most large gatherings, ebullient clapping shows that there's approval and support. An event where there is round and raucous applause is considered a success.</p> <p>But is that always true in politics?</p> <p>Take the recent memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shootings. Applause for Obama's stirring words caused discomfort in some observers. They said it lent the affair an inappropriate pep-rally atmosphere.</p> <div>
 <div>
 
 
 
 
 
 
</div>
<div>
 <div>
 <p>
 As President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address in 2007, a classic partisan scene played out behind him. Vice President Dick Cheney stood and applauded, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat still.
 <b>
 
 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
 
 </b>
 <b><b>hide caption</b></b>
 </p>
 <p><b><b>toggle caption</b></b>
 </p></div>
 <p>
 
 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
 
 
</p></div>
<div>
 
 
 
 
 
 </div>
<div>
 <p>As President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address in 2007, a classic partisan scene played out behind him. Vice President Dick Cheney stood and applauded, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat still.</p>
 <p>
 
 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
 
 
 </p></div>
 </div>
 <p>And what about Tuesday's State of the Union address? If there is exuberant applause for the president's speech, will that really prove to be beneficial? If the speech is interrupted by repeated bursts of approbation, will that move the needle in a favorable way on the Obama barometer? Or does that simply show that Democrats are following the script?</p> <p>Before watching tonight's spectacle, let's pause to consider — and take a brief historical look at — the politics of applause.</p> <p><strong>Clappers And Claquers</strong></p> <p>Clark McPhail studies applause. McPhail is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Illinois and author of <em>The Myth of the Madding Crowd</em>. He is fascinated by the phenomenon of clapping at State of the Union addresses and other high-profile events.</p> 
 <p>"There are some common features to applause across a wide range of religious, sport and political gatherings, not least of which is that you don't necessarily have to ask for applause to get it," McPhail says. "People clap to show approval of the utterances or actions that correspond to their preferences or biases."</p> 
 
 <p>According to McPhail, neuroscientists have identified a "mirror neuron" phenomenon that explains "how the sights and sounds of another doing something that we already know how to do will trigger neurons in our brains that lead us to at least consider if not commence to do the same action ourselves."</p> <p>Applause, he says, is not always spontaneous. And not always the result of pure free will. Sometimes applause is prompted by an emcee who encourages people by saying, "Let's have a big round of applause" or "Give it up." Other times, an ovation is sparked by "claquers." They're a subset of people in the gathering who are either shamelessly enthusiastic devotees of the person onstage or audience "plants" who have been drafted — sometimes even paid — to applaud a speaker or performer.</p> <p>The practice of hiring claquers, McPhail says, is an age-old tradition among opera singers, actors and other theatrical performers. And, he adds, "for years, politicians have packed rallies and nominating conventions with partisan supporters, sycophants and claquers to applaud their speeches and support their nomination to high office."</p> <div>
 <div>
 
 
 
 
 
 
</div>
<div>
 <div>
 <p>
 President Barack Obama walks down the center aisle before delivering last year's State of the Union address in Congress.
 <b>
 
 TIM SLOAN/AP
 
 </b>
 <b><b>hide caption</b></b>
 </p>
 <p><b><b>toggle caption</b></b>
 </p></div>
 <p>
 
 TIM SLOAN/AP
 
 
</p></div>
<div>
 
 
 
 
 
 </div>
<div>
 <p>President Barack Obama walks down the center aisle before delivering last year's State of the Union address in Congress.</p>
 <p>
 
 TIM SLOAN/AP
 
 
 </p></div>
 </div>
 <p>In recent times, the president's partisan supporters —and opponents — have followed similar behavior when responding to the annual State of the Union address. "Advance copies of the speech are examined," McPhail explains, and "partisans pick those assertions with which they agree and arrange to respond with standing ovations. Opponents pick any assertion that even hints at a position they have advocated but which the president has virtually ignored and similarly arrange to respond with standing ovations."</p> <p>William Safire noted the sea change in a 1987 column in <em>The New York Times</em>. He wrote that presidents once enjoyed bipartisan protection during the State of the Union speech. But "as opposition Congressmen began to take umbrage at being used as a passive backdrop, Speaker Tip O'Neill tried a little trick: passing the word to the Democrats to applaud wildly at some line that would give unintended meaning to what President Reagan said."</p> 
 <p>In the past quarter-century, audience response has become even more demonstrative. Last year the president's speech was interrupted by applause more than 80 times, according to several reports. Supporters jumped to their feet to applaud the mildest promise by Obama — resulting in a standing O for a smiling O. The president's detractors, meanwhile, looked glum and sat glued to their chairs.</p> 
 
 <p><strong>Shocked By Applause</strong></p> <p>Sometimes the president knows when to pause and let enthusiasm erupt. And then there are times that the president is surprised, says Craig Smith, director of the Center for First Amendment Studies at California State University, Long Beach and a former speechwriter for Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush.</p> <p>"The first time I wrote a speech for Ford," Smith says, "he was interrupted by applause and shocked by it. He lost his place, recovered and was interrupted many more times."</p> <p>Among presidential wordsmiths, Smith says, "we don't know for sure when the applause is coming. On the other hand someone like Reagan always knew."</p> <p>Smith recalls one instance in America's not-too-distant political past in which enthusiastic support for speeches did not translate into enthusiastic support at the polls. When John Connally of Texas ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, Smith says, listeners were visibly more gung-ho for his campaign orations than those of Bush or of the ultimate nominee, Ronald Reagan.</p> <p>But "after getting more applause lines than anyone else" in the race, Smith says, "Connally only got one delegate."</p> <p>More than 30 years later, in this age of false promises, when good people get punked and Facebook friends aren't necessarily friendly, applause may mean less than ever. And given the new civility and the strange arrangement of bipartisan seating at Tuesday's State of the Union address, applause could be literally — and figuratively — all over the place. Denoting unity or signifying nothing.</p> 
 
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 State Of The Union: A User's Guide To The Politics Of Applause On Capitol Hill Hearty applause often signals huge support and approval. But that's not necessarily so in politics. At the State of the Union, for instance, it could denote unity — or signify nothing.
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 Politics

 A User's Guide To The Politics Of Applause

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 January 25, 2011 2:11 PM ET

 Linton Weeks

 Please hold your applause.

 Hold it up to the light and examine it closely. At most large gatherings, ebullient clapping shows that there's approval and support. An event where there is round and raucous applause is considered a success.

 But is that always true in politics?

 Take the recent memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shootings. Applause for Obama's stirring words caused discomfort in some observers. They said it lent the affair an inappropriate pep-rally atmosphere.

 Enlarge this image

 As President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address in 2007, a classic partisan scene played out behind him. Vice President Dick Cheney stood and applauded, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat still. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

 toggle caption
 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

 As President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address in 2007, a classic partisan scene played out behind him. Vice President Dick Cheney stood and applauded, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat still.

 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

 And what about Tuesday's State of the Union address? If there is exuberant applause for the president's speech, will that really prove to be beneficial? If the speech is interrupted by repeated bursts of approbation, will that move the needle in a favorable way on the Obama barometer? Or does that simply show that Democrats are following the script?

 Before watching tonight's spectacle, let's pause to consider — and take a brief historical look at — the politics of applause.

 Clappers And Claquers

 Clark McPhail studies applause. McPhail is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Illinois and author of The Myth of the Madding Crowd. He is fascinated by the phenomenon of clapping at State of the Union addresses and other high-profile events.

 "There are some common features to applause across a wide range of religious, sport and political gatherings, not least of which is that you don't necessarily have to ask for applause to get it," McPhail says. "People clap to show approval of the utterances or actions that correspond to their preferences or biases."

 For years, politicians have packed rallies and nominating conventions with partisan supporters, sycophants and claquers to applaud their speeches.

 Clark McPhail

 According to McPhail, neuroscientists have identified a "mirror neuron" phenomenon that explains "how the sights and sounds of another doing something that we already know how to do will trigger neurons in our brains that lead us to at least consider if not commence to do the same action ourselves."

 Applause, he says, is not always spontaneous. And not always the result of pure free will. Sometimes applause is prompted by an emcee who encourages people by saying, "Let's have a big round of applause" or "Give it up." Other times, an ovation is sparked by "claquers." They're a subset of people in the gathering who are either shamelessly enthusiastic devotees of the person onstage or audience "plants" who have been drafted — sometimes even paid — to applaud a speaker or performer.

 The practice of hiring claquers, McPhail says, is an age-old tradition among opera singers, actors and other theatrical performers. And, he adds, "for years, politicians have packed rallies and nominating conventions with partisan supporters, sycophants and claquers to applaud their speeches and support their nomination to high office."

 Enlarge this image

 President Barack Obama walks down the center aisle before delivering last year's State of the Union address in Congress. TIM SLOAN/AP hide caption

 toggle caption
 TIM SLOAN/AP

 President Barack Obama walks down the center aisle before delivering last year's State of the Union address in Congress.

 TIM SLOAN/AP

 In recent times, the president's partisan supporters —and opponents — have followed similar behavior when responding to the annual State of the Union address. "Advance copies of the speech are examined," McPhail explains, and "partisans pick those assertions with which they agree and arrange to respond with standing ovations. Opponents pick any assertion that even hints at a position they have advocated but which the president has virtually ignored and similarly arrange to respond with standing ovations."

 William Safire noted the sea change in a 1987 column in The New York Times. He wrote that presidents once enjoyed bipartisan protection during the State of the Union speech. But "as opposition Congressmen began to take umbrage at being used as a passive backdrop, Speaker Tip O'Neill tried a little trick: passing the word to the Democrats to applaud wildly at some line that would give unintended meaning to what President Reagan said."

 In the past quarter-century, audience response has become even more demonstrative. Last year the president's speech was interrupted by applause more than 80 times, according to several reports. Supporters jumped to their feet to applaud the mildest promise by Obama — resulting in a standing O for a smiling O. The president's detractors, meanwhile, looked glum and sat glued to their chairs.

 Speaker Tip O'Neill tried a little trick: passing the word to the Democrats to applaud wildly at some line that would give unintended meaning to what President Reagan said.

 William Safire

 Shocked By Applause

 Sometimes the president knows when to pause and let enthusiasm erupt. And then there are times that the president is surprised, says Craig Smith, director of the Center for First Amendment Studies at California State University, Long Beach and a former speechwriter for Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush.

 "The first time I wrote a speech for Ford," Smith says, "he was interrupted by applause and shocked by it. He lost his place, recovered and was interrupted many more times."

 Among presidential wordsmiths, Smith says, "we don't know for sure when the applause is coming. On the other hand someone like Reagan always knew."

 Smith recalls one instance in America's not-too-distant political past in which enthusiastic support for speeches did not translate into enthusiastic support at the polls. When John Connally of Texas ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, Smith says, listeners were visibly more gung-ho for his campaign orations than those of Bush or of the ultimate nominee, Ronald Reagan.

 But "after getting more applause lines than anyone else" in the race, Smith says, "Connally only got one delegate."

 More than 30 years later, in this age of false promises, when good people get punked and Facebook friends aren't necessarily friendly, applause may mean less than ever. And given the new civility and the strange arrangement of bipartisan seating at Tuesday's State of the Union address, applause could be literally — and figuratively — all over the place. Denoting unity or signifying nothing.

 Related NPR Stories

 Obama Takes The Capitol Stage On Surer Footing Jan. 25, 2011
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Please hold your applause. Hold it up to the light and examine it closely. At most large gatherings, ebullient clapping shows that there's approval and support. An event where there is round and raucous applause is considered a success. But is that always true in politics? Take the recent memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shootings. Applause for Obama's stirring words caused discomfort in some observers. They said it lent the affair an inappropriate pep-rally atmosphere. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 As President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address in 2007, a classic partisan scene played out behind him. Vice President Dick Cheney stood and applauded, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat still.
 
 
 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
 
 
  hide caption 
 
   toggle caption 
  
 
 
 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 As President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address in 2007, a classic partisan scene played out behind him. Vice President Dick Cheney stood and applauded, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat still.
 
 
 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
 
 
  
 
 And what about Tuesday's State of the Union address? If there is exuberant applause for the president's speech, will that really prove to be beneficial? If the speech is interrupted by repeated bursts of approbation, will that move the needle in a favorable way on the Obama barometer? Or does that simply show that Democrats are following the script? Before watching tonight's spectacle, let's pause to consider — and take a brief historical look at — the politics of applause.  Clappers And Claquers  Clark McPhail studies applause. McPhail is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Illinois and author of The Myth of the Madding Crowd. He is fascinated by the phenomenon of clapping at State of the Union addresses and other high-profile events. 
 "There are some common features to applause across a wide range of religious, sport and political gatherings, not least of which is that you don't necessarily have to ask for applause to get it," McPhail says. "People clap to show approval of the utterances or actions that correspond to their preferences or biases." 
 
 According to McPhail, neuroscientists have identified a "mirror neuron" phenomenon that explains "how the sights and sounds of another doing something that we already know how to do will trigger neurons in our brains that lead us to at least consider if not commence to do the same action ourselves." Applause, he says, is not always spontaneous. And not always the result of pure free will. Sometimes applause is prompted by an emcee who encourages people by saying, "Let's have a big round of applause" or "Give it up." Other times, an ovation is sparked by "claquers." They're a subset of people in the gathering who are either shamelessly enthusiastic devotees of the person onstage or audience "plants" who have been drafted — sometimes even paid — to applaud a speaker or performer. The practice of hiring claquers, McPhail says, is an age-old tradition among opera singers, actors and other theatrical performers. And, he adds, "for years, politicians have packed rallies and nominating conventions with partisan supporters, sycophants and claquers to applaud their speeches and support their nomination to high office." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 President Barack Obama walks down the center aisle before delivering last year's State of the Union address in Congress.
 
 
 TIM SLOAN/AP
 
 
  hide caption 
 
   toggle caption 
  
 
 
 TIM SLOAN/AP
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 President Barack Obama walks down the center aisle before delivering last year's State of the Union address in Congress.
 
 
 TIM SLOAN/AP
 
 
  
 
 In recent times, the president's partisan supporters —and opponents — have followed similar behavior when responding to the annual State of the Union address. "Advance copies of the speech are examined," McPhail explains, and "partisans pick those assertions with which they agree and arrange to respond with standing ovations. Opponents pick any assertion that even hints at a position they have advocated but which the president has virtually ignored and similarly arrange to respond with standing ovations." William Safire noted the sea change in a 1987 column in The New York Times. He wrote that presidents once enjoyed bipartisan protection during the State of the Union speech. But "as opposition Congressmen began to take umbrage at being used as a passive backdrop, Speaker Tip O'Neill tried a little trick: passing the word to the Democrats to applaud wildly at some line that would give unintended meaning to what President Reagan said." 
 In the past quarter-century, audience response has become even more demonstrative. Last year the president's speech was interrupted by applause more than 80 times, according to several reports. Supporters jumped to their feet to applaud the mildest promise by Obama — resulting in a standing O for a smiling O. The president's detractors, meanwhile, looked glum and sat glued to their chairs. 
 
  Shocked By Applause  Sometimes the president knows when to pause and let enthusiasm erupt. And then there are times that the president is surprised, says Craig Smith, director of the Center for First Amendment Studies at California State University, Long Beach and a former speechwriter for Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. "The first time I wrote a speech for Ford," Smith says, "he was interrupted by applause and shocked by it. He lost his place, recovered and was interrupted many more times." Among presidential wordsmiths, Smith says, "we don't know for sure when the applause is coming. On the other hand someone like Reagan always knew." Smith recalls one instance in America's not-too-distant political past in which enthusiastic support for speeches did not translate into enthusiastic support at the polls. When John Connally of Texas ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, Smith says, listeners were visibly more gung-ho for his campaign orations than those of Bush or of the ultimate nominee, Ronald Reagan. But "after getting more applause lines than anyone else" in the race, Smith says, "Connally only got one delegate." More than 30 years later, in this age of false promises, when good people get punked and Facebook friends aren't necessarily friendly, applause may mean less than ever. And given the new civility and the strange arrangement of bipartisan seating at Tuesday's State of the Union address, applause could be literally — and figuratively — all over the place. Denoting unity or signifying nothing.
A User's Guide To The Politics Of Applause
https://www.npr.org/2011/01/25/133212080/a-users-guide-to-the-politics-of-applause
https://news.uchicago.edu/story/new-podcast-explores-pressing-policy-issues-through-data-and-research-not-punditry
New podcast explores pressing policy issues through data and research—not punditry
2020-01-28
Newatkins
<div><section>
 <p>Do contentious primaries have an effect on general election results? How does bigotry permeate public policy? What are the true forces driving polarization today?</p>
<p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-another-politics-podcast/id1496412542"><em>Not Another Politics Podcast</em></a> delves into these questions and more in its first season—not through opinion and anecdotes, but rigorous scholarship, massive data sets, and a deep understanding of what actually has happened. The show, which debuted Jan. 28, is hosted by three <a>scholars</a> from the <a href="https://harris.uchicago.edu/eveningprogram?gclid=CjwKCAiA35rxBRAWEiwADqB37zlhzmUJrX3Q8dmQf7_kaMrYpjdGqjr6jaA8CPC0-2wbnqNR7tQHChoCzdsQAvD_BwE">University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy</a> who explore what the most important political research <em>really</em> tells us about the issues that are so often fiercely debated—and often times obscured or misunderstood—within our government and our broader society.</p>
<p>Each episode features a <a>guest scholar</a> who will discuss their research, with an eye toward the implications for politics today, with <a href="https://harris.uchicago.edu/directory/william-howell">Prof. William Howell</a> and Assoc. Profs. <a href="https://harris.uchicago.edu/directory/wioletta-dziuda">Wioletta Dziuda</a> and <a href="https://harris.uchicago.edu/directory/anthony-fowler">Anthony Fowler</a>. </p>
 <figure>
 
 
 
 </figure>
 <p>Episode one of the podcast examines research into the effects of party primary fights on who wins general elections. It’s a question many are asking as the Democratic presidential primary heats up ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3. </p>
<p>“The hope is that listeners who are keenly interested in politics will find <a><em>Not Another Politics Podcast </em></a>to be a valuable dialogue that cuts through the noise and dives into what we really know about the topics that drive our news cycle,” said Howell, one of the world’s preeminent presidential scholars. “This is a vehicle for serious people to examine the political topics that matter most in today’s contentious atmosphere.”</p>
 <figure>
 
 
 
 </figure>
 <p><em>Not Another Politics Podcast</em> can be found on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-another-politics-podcast/id1496412542">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1fSU3xcpnLYGVZ46Vwx1lC?si=9O3N0se2TDyRWpxbpO9qDA">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/not-another-politics-podcast">Stitcher</a> or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.</p>
<p><a>The </a>three UChicago scholars who host <em>Not Another Political Podcast</em>:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>William Howell</strong> is the Sydney Stein Professor in American Politics at the Harris School of Public Policy and a professor in the Department of Political Science and the College. He has written widely on separation-of-powers issues and American political institutions, especially the presidency. Howell is the author, most recently, of <em>Relic: How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government—and Why We Need a More Powerful Presidency</em> (2016). </li>
</ul>
 <figure>
 
 
 
 </figure>
 <ul>
<li><strong>Wioletta Dziuda</strong> is an associate professor at the Harris School of Public Policy. Her main interests lie in applied game theory, political economy and the economics of information. Her current research focuses on analyzing how legislative bargaining affects the nature and the efficiency of policies. She shows that in uncertain economic or political environments, policymaking may lead to legislators’ polarization and inefficient policy inertia. She is currently applying her findings to the economics of regulations, in particular trying to explain the frequent use of inefficient economic instruments.</li>
<li><strong>Anthony Fowler</strong> is an associate professor at the Harris School of Public Policy. His research applies econometric methods for causal inference to questions in political science, with particular emphasis on elections and political representation. Specific interests include the causes and consequences of unequal voter turnout, explanations for incumbent success, the politics of policymaking in legislatures and the credibility of empirical research.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://harris.uchicago.edu/news-events/news/harris-public-policy-premieres-not-another-politics-podcast"><em>—Story first appeared on the Harris Public Policy website.</em></a></p>
 
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 New podcast explores pressing policy issues through data and research—not punditry

 Jan 28, 2020

 UChicago’s Harris School launches ‘Not Another Politics Podcast’ with a basis on research

 Do contentious primaries have an effect on general election results? How does bigotry permeate public policy? What are the true forces driving polarization today?

 Not Another Politics Podcast delves into these questions and more in its first season—not through opinion and anecdotes, but rigorous scholarship, massive data sets, and a deep understanding of what actually has happened. The show, which debuted Jan. 28, is hosted by three scholars from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy who explore what the most important political research really tells us about the issues that are so often fiercely debated—and often times obscured or misunderstood—within our government and our broader society.

 Each episode features a guest scholar who will discuss their research, with an eye toward the implications for politics today, with Prof. William Howell and Assoc. Profs. Wioletta Dziuda and Anthony Fowler.

 Episode one of the podcast examines research into the effects of party primary fights on who wins general elections. It’s a question many are asking as the Democratic presidential primary heats up ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3.

 “The hope is that listeners who are keenly interested in politics will find Not Another Politics Podcast to be a valuable dialogue that cuts through the noise and dives into what we really know about the topics that drive our news cycle,” said Howell, one of the world’s preeminent presidential scholars. “This is a vehicle for serious people to examine the political topics that matter most in today’s contentious atmosphere.”

 Not Another Politics Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

 The three UChicago scholars who host Not Another Political Podcast:

 * William Howell is the Sydney Stein Professor in American Politics at the Harris School of Public Policy and a professor in the Department of Political Science and the College. He has written widely on separation-of-powers issues and American political institutions, especially the presidency. Howell is the author, most recently, of Relic: How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government—and Why We Need a More Powerful Presidency (2016).

 * Wioletta Dziuda is an associate professor at the Harris School of Public Policy. Her main interests lie in applied game theory, political economy and the economics of information. Her current research focuses on analyzing how legislative bargaining affects the nature and the efficiency of policies. She shows that in uncertain economic or political environments, policymaking may lead to legislators’ polarization and inefficient policy inertia. She is currently applying her findings to the economics of regulations, in particular trying to explain the frequent use of inefficient economic instruments.
 * Anthony Fowler is an associate professor at the Harris School of Public Policy. His research applies econometric methods for causal inference to questions in political science, with particular emphasis on elections and political representation. Specific interests include the causes and consequences of unequal voter turnout, explanations for incumbent success, the politics of policymaking in legislatures and the credibility of empirical research.

 —Story first appeared on the Harris Public Policy website.

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Do contentious primaries have an effect on general election results? How does bigotry permeate public policy? What are the true forces driving polarization today?
  Not Another Politics Podcast  delves into these questions and more in its first season—not through opinion and anecdotes, but rigorous scholarship, massive data sets, and a deep understanding of what actually has happened. The show, which debuted Jan. 28, is hosted by three scholars from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy who explore what the most important political research really tells us about the issues that are so often fiercely debated—and often times obscured or misunderstood—within our government and our broader society.
Each episode features a guest scholar who will discuss their research, with an eye toward the implications for politics today, with Prof. William Howell and Assoc. Profs. Wioletta Dziuda and Anthony Fowler. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Episode one of the podcast examines research into the effects of party primary fights on who wins general elections. It’s a question many are asking as the Democratic presidential primary heats up ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3. 
“The hope is that listeners who are keenly interested in politics will find  Not Another Politics Podcast  to be a valuable dialogue that cuts through the noise and dives into what we really know about the topics that drive our news cycle,” said Howell, one of the world’s preeminent presidential scholars. “This is a vehicle for serious people to examine the political topics that matter most in today’s contentious atmosphere.”
 
 
 
 
 
  Not Another Politics Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
 The three UChicago scholars who host Not Another Political Podcast:
 William Howell is the Sydney Stein Professor in American Politics at the Harris School of Public Policy and a professor in the Department of Political Science and the College. He has written widely on separation-of-powers issues and American political institutions, especially the presidency. Howell is the author, most recently, of Relic: How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government—and Why We Need a More Powerful Presidency (2016). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Wioletta Dziuda is an associate professor at the Harris School of Public Policy. Her main interests lie in applied game theory, political economy and the economics of information. Her current research focuses on analyzing how legislative bargaining affects the nature and the efficiency of policies. She shows that in uncertain economic or political environments, policymaking may lead to legislators’ polarization and inefficient policy inertia. She is currently applying her findings to the economics of regulations, in particular trying to explain the frequent use of inefficient economic instruments.
 Anthony Fowler is an associate professor at the Harris School of Public Policy. His research applies econometric methods for causal inference to questions in political science, with particular emphasis on elections and political representation. Specific interests include the causes and consequences of unequal voter turnout, explanations for incumbent success, the politics of policymaking in legislatures and the credibility of empirical research.
  —Story first appeared on the Harris Public Policy website.
New podcast explores pressing policy issues through data and research—not punditry
https://news.uchicago.edu/story/new-podcast-explores-pressing-policy-issues-through-data-and-research-not-punditry
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/28/798593323/i-cant-work-with-you-how-political-fights-leave-workplaces-divided
I Can't Work With You! How Political Fights Leave Workplaces Divided
2020-01-28
Yuki Noguchi
<div><div>
 <div>
 <div>
 
 
 
 
 
 
</div>
<div>
 <div>
 <p>
 Amid impeachment and the 2020 election, surveys show political fevers running high at work, undercutting trust and productivity. And workers and employers are bracing for those dynamics to get worse.
 <b>
 
 John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images
 
 </b>
 <b><b>hide caption</b></b>
 </p>
 <p><b><b>toggle caption</b></b>
 </p></div>
 <p>
 
 John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images
 
 
</p></div>
<div>
 
 
 
 
 
 </div>
<div>
 <p>Amid impeachment and the 2020 election, surveys show political fevers running high at work, undercutting trust and productivity. And workers and employers are bracing for those dynamics to get worse.</p>
 <p>
 
 John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images
 
 
 </p></div>
 </div>
 <p>A few months ago, a skirmish broke out on the factory floor of a clothing maker in Portland, Ore. It had received an order to make T-shirts for the Trump presidential campaign — but some people refused to work on the project.</p> <p>The conscientious objectors were allowed to opt out, says Darcey McAllister, who handles human resources for her small- and medium-size business clients.</p> <p>"But then those same people were harassing the people who were actually working on the project," she says. "'And so the manager called me and was like, 'What do I do?' "</p> 
 
 <p>McAllister told him to remind protesting workers that there was a business to run and to stop heckling their coworkers.</p> <p>On factory floors and work sites and in clusters of cubicles, political divisions are playing out as real-life work drama. Such disputes are not only more common, but they're also more contentious, especially amid an <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/771270514/trump-impeachment-inquiry">impeachment trial</a> and the lead-up to the November presidential election. </p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/press-room/press-releases/pages/survey-finds-alarming-rise-of-politics-at-work.aspx">a recent survey</a> by the Society for Human Resource Management, 42% of U.S. workers have had political disagreements at work. And the resulting strife feeds an undercurrent of <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/05/political-talk">workplace stress</a>.</p> 
 <p> Loading... </p>
 
 <p><a href="https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/politics-at-work-20200122?mode=childlink&amp;utm_source=nprnews&amp;utm_medium=app&amp;utm_campaign=storyredirect"><em><strong>Don't see the graphic above? Click here.</strong></em></a></p> <p>Employees can't focus, the pace of work slows, and trust is broken. Some workers feel unwelcome or even discriminated against. That's especially true if they're in the political minority in their workplace.</p> <p> Loading... </p>
 
 <p><a href="https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/political-inclusion-at-work-20200122?mode=childlink&amp;utm_source=nprnews&amp;utm_medium=app&amp;utm_campaign=storyredirect"><em><strong>Don't see the graphic above? Click here.</strong></em></a></p> <p>"The people who are Trump supporters probably keep a low profile for fear that they will get verbally attacked or questioned to the point that it would make them feel uncomfortable," McAllister says. "I do absolutely have that sense that that's true in Portland."</p> <p>What's more, she expects it to get worse: "I know as we get closer to November 2020, it's going to become more and more of a problem."</p> <div>
 <div>
 
 
 
 
 
</div>
<div>
 <div>
 <p>
 Beth Kloetzer, a supervisor at a library in Wilmington, Del., has urged her staff to read memoirs written by people on opposing political sides.
 <b>
 
 Courtesy of Teresa Reed 
 
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 <p><b><b>toggle caption</b></b>
 </p></div>
 <p>
 
 Courtesy of Teresa Reed 
 
 
</p></div>
 </div>
 <p>That leaves people like Beth Kloetzer in a bind. Kloetzer supervises a Wilmington, Del., library — typically a quiet environment for reading or researching in peace. The 30-person staff is supposed to offer unbiased help finding information.</p> <p>"We're like Switzerland; you know, we're neutral," Kloetzer says. </p> <p>Except that has not been the reality. Personal politics have redrawn allegiances and roiled tensions among staff members. Kloetzer — a Democrat — says, at times, it's difficult to avoid getting sucked into talking about the political events of the day, at work and online. </p> 
 <p>"Actually, I have a colleague that I just block her on social media because I was like, 'I can't see this,' " Kloetzer says.</p> 
 
 <p>She blocks angry posts from her news feed from both sides. Such comments reveal her coworkers' political leanings, which range from conservative Trump supporters to nonsupporters, to liberals and a few in between. </p> <p>"I wonder sometimes: Do people feel this strongly or is it just that they're driven to feel that way because that's the mood?" Kloetzer says.</p> <p>It has calmed down a bit recently, she says, perhaps because she has urged her staff to read memoirs written by people on opposing sides, including <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/08/04/488637593/hillbilly-elegy-author-on-the-white-working-class-and-americas-greatness">Hillbilly Elegy</a>, by conservative author J.D. Vance, and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/11/11/501679293/daily-show-host-writes-about-growing-up-in-biracial-south-africa">Born a Crime</a>, by liberal comedian Trevor Noah. </p> <p>"Reading about people of different views, you grab hold of the things that you can relate to," Kloetzer says. "It might not change your opinion overall, but it might give you a greater understanding of why everyone doesn't agree."</p> 
 
 <p>Some, like Brian Melehan, seek refuge in silence. Politics feels so personal these days he worries a slip of the tongue could cost him business. "I don't want to make anybody mad; it makes me kind of walk on eggshells," he says.</p> <p>Melehan's family runs a residential construction firm in Lisle, Ill. He describes his views as to the left of the Republican-leaning majority in his community. Politics was once safe fodder for chitchat, he says, but now he avoids the subject altogether — especially with clients. That never used to be the case.</p> <p>"I never, ever felt like I was in fear that my political viewpoint would somehow prevent people from wanting to hire me because they don't like what I think," he says.</p> <p>Melehan says he thinks healthy debate is necessary for democracy and hopes tensions will eventually ease.</p> 
 <p>"Division sells," he says. "It is something that people can get behind for a brief period of time, but eventually we all have to work with each other."</p>
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 Political Fights Are Leaving Workplaces Divided Amid impeachment and the 2020 election, surveys show political fevers running high at work, undercutting trust and productivity. And workers and employers are bracing for those dynamics to get worse.
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 Politics

 I Can't Work With You! How Political Fights Leave Workplaces Divided

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 January 28, 2020 1:00 PM ET
 Heard on All Things Considered

 Yuki Noguchi

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 I Can't Work With You! How Political Fights Leave Workplaces Divided

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 Amid impeachment and the 2020 election, surveys show political fevers running high at work, undercutting trust and productivity. And workers and employers are bracing for those dynamics to get worse. John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images hide caption

 toggle caption
 John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images

 Amid impeachment and the 2020 election, surveys show political fevers running high at work, undercutting trust and productivity. And workers and employers are bracing for those dynamics to get worse.

 John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images

 A few months ago, a skirmish broke out on the factory floor of a clothing maker in Portland, Ore. It had received an order to make T-shirts for the Trump presidential campaign — but some people refused to work on the project.

 The conscientious objectors were allowed to opt out, says Darcey McAllister, who handles human resources for her small- and medium-size business clients.

 "But then those same people were harassing the people who were actually working on the project," she says. "'And so the manager called me and was like, 'What do I do?' "

 Civility Wars

 In These Divided Times, Is Civility Under Siege?

 McAllister told him to remind protesting workers that there was a business to run and to stop heckling their coworkers.

 On factory floors and work sites and in clusters of cubicles, political divisions are playing out as real-life work drama. Such disputes are not only more common, but they're also more contentious, especially amid an impeachment trial and the lead-up to the November presidential election.

 According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 42% of U.S. workers have had political disagreements at work. And the resulting strife feeds an undercurrent of workplace stress.

 Loading...

 Don't see the graphic above? Click here.

 Employees can't focus, the pace of work slows, and trust is broken. Some workers feel unwelcome or even discriminated against. That's especially true if they're in the political minority in their workplace.

 Loading...

 Don't see the graphic above? Click here.

 "The people who are Trump supporters probably keep a low profile for fear that they will get verbally attacked or questioned to the point that it would make them feel uncomfortable," McAllister says. "I do absolutely have that sense that that's true in Portland."

 What's more, she expects it to get worse: "I know as we get closer to November 2020, it's going to become more and more of a problem."

 Beth Kloetzer, a supervisor at a library in Wilmington, Del., has urged her staff to read memoirs written by people on opposing political sides. Courtesy of Teresa Reed hide caption

 toggle caption
 Courtesy of Teresa Reed

 That leaves people like Beth Kloetzer in a bind. Kloetzer supervises a Wilmington, Del., library — typically a quiet environment for reading or researching in peace. The 30-person staff is supposed to offer unbiased help finding information.

 "We're like Switzerland; you know, we're neutral," Kloetzer says.

 Except that has not been the reality. Personal politics have redrawn allegiances and roiled tensions among staff members. Kloetzer — a Democrat — says, at times, it's difficult to avoid getting sucked into talking about the political events of the day, at work and online.

 "Actually, I have a colleague that I just block her on social media because I was like, 'I can't see this,' " Kloetzer says.

 Business

 #OkBoomer Vs. #OkMillennial: Workplace Nightmare, Or Just A Meme?

 She blocks angry posts from her news feed from both sides. Such comments reveal her coworkers' political leanings, which range from conservative Trump supporters to nonsupporters, to liberals and a few in between.

 "I wonder sometimes: Do people feel this strongly or is it just that they're driven to feel that way because that's the mood?" Kloetzer says.

 It has calmed down a bit recently, she says, perhaps because she has urged her staff to read memoirs written by people on opposing sides, including Hillbilly Elegy, by conservative author J.D. Vance, and Born a Crime, by liberal comedian Trevor Noah.

 "Reading about people of different views, you grab hold of the things that you can relate to," Kloetzer says. "It might not change your opinion overall, but it might give you a greater understanding of why everyone doesn't agree."

 Business

 Blue And Red Companies: How CEO Activism Is Reshaping Workforce Politics

 Some, like Brian Melehan, seek refuge in silence. Politics feels so personal these days he worries a slip of the tongue could cost him business. "I don't want to make anybody mad; it makes me kind of walk on eggshells," he says.

 Melehan's family runs a residential construction firm in Lisle, Ill. He describes his views as to the left of the Republican-leaning majority in his community. Politics was once safe fodder for chitchat, he says, but now he avoids the subject altogether — especially with clients. That never used to be the case.

 "I never, ever felt like I was in fear that my political viewpoint would somehow prevent people from wanting to hire me because they don't like what I think," he says.

 Melehan says he thinks healthy debate is necessary for democracy and hopes tensions will eventually ease.

 "Division sells," he says. "It is something that people can get behind for a brief period of time, but eventually we all have to work with each other."

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Amid impeachment and the 2020 election, surveys show political fevers running high at work, undercutting trust and productivity. And workers and employers are bracing for those dynamics to get worse.
 
 
 John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images
 
 
  hide caption 
 
   toggle caption 
  
 
 
 John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Amid impeachment and the 2020 election, surveys show political fevers running high at work, undercutting trust and productivity. And workers and employers are bracing for those dynamics to get worse.
 
 
 John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images
 
 
  
 
 A few months ago, a skirmish broke out on the factory floor of a clothing maker in Portland, Ore. It had received an order to make T-shirts for the Trump presidential campaign — but some people refused to work on the project. The conscientious objectors were allowed to opt out, says Darcey McAllister, who handles human resources for her small- and medium-size business clients. "But then those same people were harassing the people who were actually working on the project," she says. "'And so the manager called me and was like, 'What do I do?' " 
 
 McAllister told him to remind protesting workers that there was a business to run and to stop heckling their coworkers. On factory floors and work sites and in clusters of cubicles, political divisions are playing out as real-life work drama. Such disputes are not only more common, but they're also more contentious, especially amid an impeachment trial and the lead-up to the November presidential election.  According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 42% of U.S. workers have had political disagreements at work. And the resulting strife feeds an undercurrent of workplace stress. 
  Loading... 
 
    Don't see the graphic above? Click here.    Employees can't focus, the pace of work slows, and trust is broken. Some workers feel unwelcome or even discriminated against. That's especially true if they're in the political minority in their workplace.  Loading... 
 
    Don't see the graphic above? Click here.    "The people who are Trump supporters probably keep a low profile for fear that they will get verbally attacked or questioned to the point that it would make them feel uncomfortable," McAllister says. "I do absolutely have that sense that that's true in Portland." What's more, she expects it to get worse: "I know as we get closer to November 2020, it's going to become more and more of a problem." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Beth Kloetzer, a supervisor at a library in Wilmington, Del., has urged her staff to read memoirs written by people on opposing political sides.
 
 
 Courtesy of Teresa Reed 
 
 
  hide caption 
 
   toggle caption 
  
 
 
 Courtesy of Teresa Reed 
 
 
 
 
 That leaves people like Beth Kloetzer in a bind. Kloetzer supervises a Wilmington, Del., library — typically a quiet environment for reading or researching in peace. The 30-person staff is supposed to offer unbiased help finding information. "We're like Switzerland; you know, we're neutral," Kloetzer says.  Except that has not been the reality. Personal politics have redrawn allegiances and roiled tensions among staff members. Kloetzer — a Democrat — says, at times, it's difficult to avoid getting sucked into talking about the political events of the day, at work and online.  
 "Actually, I have a colleague that I just block her on social media because I was like, 'I can't see this,' " Kloetzer says. 
 
 She blocks angry posts from her news feed from both sides. Such comments reveal her coworkers' political leanings, which range from conservative Trump supporters to nonsupporters, to liberals and a few in between.  "I wonder sometimes: Do people feel this strongly or is it just that they're driven to feel that way because that's the mood?" Kloetzer says. It has calmed down a bit recently, she says, perhaps because she has urged her staff to read memoirs written by people on opposing sides, including Hillbilly Elegy, by conservative author J.D. Vance, and Born a Crime, by liberal comedian Trevor Noah.  "Reading about people of different views, you grab hold of the things that you can relate to," Kloetzer says. "It might not change your opinion overall, but it might give you a greater understanding of why everyone doesn't agree." 
 
 Some, like Brian Melehan, seek refuge in silence. Politics feels so personal these days he worries a slip of the tongue could cost him business. "I don't want to make anybody mad; it makes me kind of walk on eggshells," he says. Melehan's family runs a residential construction firm in Lisle, Ill. He describes his views as to the left of the Republican-leaning majority in his community. Politics was once safe fodder for chitchat, he says, but now he avoids the subject altogether — especially with clients. That never used to be the case. "I never, ever felt like I was in fear that my political viewpoint would somehow prevent people from wanting to hire me because they don't like what I think," he says. Melehan says he thinks healthy debate is necessary for democracy and hopes tensions will eventually ease. 
 "Division sells," he says. "It is something that people can get behind for a brief period of time, but eventually we all have to work with each other."
I Can't Work With You! How Political Fights Leave Workplaces Divided
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/28/798593323/i-cant-work-with-you-how-political-fights-leave-workplaces-divided
https://www.becauseofthemwecan.com/blogs/news/abby-phillip-is-the-new-anchor-for-cnns-inside-politics-sunday
Abby Phillip Is The New Anchor For CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday
2021-01-11
BOTWC Staff
<div><div>
<p><strong>She can’t be stopped!</strong></p>
<p>Abby Phillip who <a href="https://www.becauseofthemwecan.com/blogs/culture/abby-phillip-is-black-excellence-personified?_pos=1&amp;_sid=478e3d8d4&amp;_ss=r">wowed the country</a> with her coverage of the current administration and the election results has a new job with CNN. Phillip most recently was a CNN political correspondent has been <a href="https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2021/01/11/cnn-announces-new-washington-based-anchor-roles/">named</a> a senior political correspondent and the anchor for Inside Politics Sunday beginning Jan. 24th.</p>
<p>Social media has been praising the news, sending her warm wishes on the new role.</p>
<p>You can watch Inside Politics Sunday with Abby Phillip, from 8-9 a.m. EST on Sundays starting Jan. 24th.</p>
<p>She’s the epitome of Black girl magic! Congratulations, Abby!</p>
<p>Photo Credit: @abbydphillip</p>
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 Abby Phillip Is The New Anchor For CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday

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 by BOTWC Staff

 January 11, 2021

 She can’t be stopped!

 Abby Phillip who wowed the country with her coverage of the current administration and the election results has a new job with CNN. Phillip most recently was a CNN political correspondent has been named a senior political correspondent and the anchor for Inside Politics Sunday beginning Jan. 24th.

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 I’m so thrilled to be taking the reins of Inside Politics Sunday from my friend and colleague @JohnKingCNN starting on January 24th. Could not be more proud to be joining this incredible @CNN franchise! https://t.co/odlIvfxUiK

 — Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) January 11, 2021

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 Social media has been praising the news, sending her warm wishes on the new role.

 This is amazing! Congrats to my friend @abbydphillip. https://t.co/qyikzgiY4W

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 @abbydphillip this is so exciting!! Sunday mornings is my “Me Time” and I cannot wait to grab my cup of coffee and watch you share your expertise with us!#RepresentationMatters https://t.co/BWoUZvZbsG

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 Congratulations @abbydphillip that’s a great promotion! Such an important time in our history for great journalism! @JohnKingCNN great choice. Wish you continue success. https://t.co/fGdu9Y8WHN

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 Congratulations @abbydphillip that’s a great promotion! Such an important time in our history for great journalism! @JohnKingCNN great choice. Wish you continue success. https://t.co/fGdu9Y8WHN

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She can’t be stopped! 
Abby Phillip who wowed the country with her coverage of the current administration and the election results has a new job with CNN. Phillip most recently was a CNN political correspondent has been named a senior political correspondent and the anchor for Inside Politics Sunday beginning Jan. 24th.
Social media has been praising the news, sending her warm wishes on the new role.
You can watch Inside Politics Sunday with Abby Phillip, from 8-9 a.m. EST on Sundays starting Jan. 24th.
She’s the epitome of Black girl magic! Congratulations, Abby!
Photo Credit: @abbydphillip
Abby Phillip Is The New Anchor For CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday
https://www.becauseofthemwecan.com/blogs/news/abby-phillip-is-the-new-anchor-for-cnns-inside-politics-sunday
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippine-president-duterte-says-he-is-retiring-politics-2021-10-02/
Philippines' Duterte says he is retiring from politics, but not everyone is convinced
2021-10-02
Karen Lema
<div><div><div><div><ul><li>Summary</li></ul></div><div><ul><li>Duterte declines to enter vice presidential race next year</li><li>Analysts say move may clear way for daughter to run for office</li><li>Sara Duterte-Carpio files for re-election as mayor</li><li>Critics view Duterte's announcement with scepticism</li></ul></div></div><p>MANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday he was retiring from politics, a surprise move that fuelled speculation he was clearing the way for a presidential run by his daughter.</p><p>Sara Duterte-Carpio is currently mayor of Davao, the Philippines' third-largest city, and filed on Saturday to contest the role again. She has previously said she would not run for national office next year.</p><p>"Today, I announce my retirement from politics," Duterte said as he accompanied his ally Senator Christopher "Bong" Go of the ruling PDP-Laban party to register Go's candidacy for vice president in next year's election.</p><p>But political analysts were sceptical, noting that last-minute changes were still possible, as in 2015 when Duterte entered the presidential election race at the eleventh hour and won by a huge margin.</p><p>Duterte, 76, had been expected to run for the No. 2 job, a plan most <a href="https://www.sws.org.ph/swsmain/artcldisppage/?artcsyscode=ART-20210927101343">Filipinos oppose</a> as violating the spirit of the constitution, which sets a one-term limit for the president to stop power being abused.</p><div><h3>Latest Updates</h3><p>View 2 more stories </p></div><p>"In obedience to the will of the people, who after all placed me in the presidency many years ago, I now say to my countrymen, I will follow your wish," Duterte said as he urged the public to back his longtime aide.</p><p>Analysts say it is crucial for Duterte to have a loyal successor to insulate him from potential legal action - at home or by the International Criminal Court - over the thousands of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/international-court-approves-investigation-into-philippines-war-drugs-2021-09-15">state killings</a> in his war on drugs since 2016.</p><p>"I would take his announcement with a lot of salt," Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. "But assuming that he's really going to retire, that doesn't mean he won't get the protection from the ICC that he craves."</p><p>Duterte, a maverick leader famous for his embrace of China and disdain for the United States, traditionally a close ally of the Philippines, remains popular even though his opponents accuse him of being authoritarian and intolerant of dissent.</p><p>Activist and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares also viewed Duterte's announcement sceptically, saying "he will still dictate (to) his political machinery".</p><p>"Unfortunately for him, he will not be spared from accountability. Retirement from politics will not save him from a prison sentence," said Colmenares, who is also providing legal assistance to drug war victims.</p><figure><figcaption>Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte attends the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit in Singapore, November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo</figcaption></figure><p>Authorities have killed more than 6,100 suspected drug dealers and users since Duterte took office in June 2016. Rights groups say the police summarily executed suspects, which the police deny, saying they acted in self-defence during sting operations.</p><h2>'ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN'</h2><p>More than 60 million Filipinos will vote in May for a new president, vice president and more than 18,000 lawmakers and local government officials.</p><p>Political observers had long suspected Duterte could spring a surprise, such as a presidential bid by his daughter next year.</p><p>Duterte-Carpio's re-election filing, shortly after her father announced his retirement, did little to douse speculation she has her eye on the presidency.</p><p>Mar Masanguid, who backed Duterte's 2016 run and has now founded a group to back Duterte-Carpio, said the signs still pointed to a run, which would mirror her <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/run-sara-run-is-dutertes-daughter-playing-her-fathers-game-2021-04-15">father's last minute bid</a> in 2016.</p><p>"In politics, anything can happen," he said.</p><p>Duterte-Carpio has topped <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/support-dutertes-declines-philippines-election-survey-2021-09-29">opinion surveys</a> on prospective candidates, but said last month she was not a candidate for higher office next year because she and her father had agreed only one of them would run for a national role in 2022.</p><p>The older Duterte's decision not to join the race next year would clear her way.</p><p>"This allows Sara Duterte to run," said Antonio La Vina, professor of law and politics at the Ateneo de Manila University. "She sees through the father's scheme or it is a drama to confuse everyone."</p><p>But La Vina said he could not rule out the possibility the firebrand leader might have a change of heart and be Go's substitute.</p><p>Candidates have until Friday to register, but withdrawals and substitutions are allowed until Nov. 15.</p><p>Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by William Mallard and Catherine Evans</p><p>Our Standards: <a href="https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/about-us/trust-principles.html">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a></p></div>||||I|||| Skip to main content
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 4 minute read October 2, 2021 5:54 PM UTC Last Updated ago

 Philippines' Duterte says he is retiring from politics, but not everyone is convinced

 By Karen Lema
 * Summary
 * Duterte declines to enter vice presidential race next year
 * Analysts say move may clear way for daughter to run for office
 * Sara Duterte-Carpio files for re-election as mayor
 * Critics view Duterte's announcement with scepticism
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

 MANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday he was retiring from politics, a surprise move that fuelled speculation he was clearing the way for a presidential run by his daughter.

 Sara Duterte-Carpio is currently mayor of Davao, the Philippines' third-largest city, and filed on Saturday to contest the role again. She has previously said she would not run for national office next year.

 "Today, I announce my retirement from politics," Duterte said as he accompanied his ally Senator Christopher "Bong" Go of the ruling PDP-Laban party to register Go's candidacy for vice president in next year's election.

 But political analysts were sceptical, noting that last-minute changes were still possible, as in 2015 when Duterte entered the presidential election race at the eleventh hour and won by a huge margin.

 Duterte, 76, had been expected to run for the No. 2 job, a plan most Filipinos oppose as violating the spirit of the constitution, which sets a one-term limit for the president to stop power being abused.

 Latest Updates

 * Asia Pacific category Senior Taiwan opposition leader to visit China amid continued tensions , article with image
 * Asia Pacific category Philippines coast guard chief says boosts South China Sea presence , article with image

 View 2 more stories

 "In obedience to the will of the people, who after all placed me in the presidency many years ago, I now say to my countrymen, I will follow your wish," Duterte said as he urged the public to back his longtime aide.

 Analysts say it is crucial for Duterte to have a loyal successor to insulate him from potential legal action - at home or by the International Criminal Court - over the thousands of state killings in his war on drugs since 2016.

 "I would take his announcement with a lot of salt," Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. "But assuming that he's really going to retire, that doesn't mean he won't get the protection from the ICC that he craves."

 Duterte, a maverick leader famous for his embrace of China and disdain for the United States, traditionally a close ally of the Philippines, remains popular even though his opponents accuse him of being authoritarian and intolerant of dissent.

 Activist and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares also viewed Duterte's announcement sceptically, saying "he will still dictate (to) his political machinery".

 "Unfortunately for him, he will not be spared from accountability. Retirement from politics will not save him from a prison sentence," said Colmenares, who is also providing legal assistance to drug war victims.

 Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte attends the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit in Singapore, November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

 Authorities have killed more than 6,100 suspected drug dealers and users since Duterte took office in June 2016. Rights groups say the police summarily executed suspects, which the police deny, saying they acted in self-defence during sting operations.

 'ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN'

 More than 60 million Filipinos will vote in May for a new president, vice president and more than 18,000 lawmakers and local government officials.

 Political observers had long suspected Duterte could spring a surprise, such as a presidential bid by his daughter next year.

 Duterte-Carpio's re-election filing, shortly after her father announced his retirement, did little to douse speculation she has her eye on the presidency.

 Mar Masanguid, who backed Duterte's 2016 run and has now founded a group to back Duterte-Carpio, said the signs still pointed to a run, which would mirror her father's last minute bid in 2016.

 "In politics, anything can happen," he said.

 Duterte-Carpio has topped opinion surveys on prospective candidates, but said last month she was not a candidate for higher office next year because she and her father had agreed only one of them would run for a national role in 2022.

 The older Duterte's decision not to join the race next year would clear her way.

 "This allows Sara Duterte to run," said Antonio La Vina, professor of law and politics at the Ateneo de Manila University. "She sees through the father's scheme or it is a drama to confuse everyone."

 But La Vina said he could not rule out the possibility the firebrand leader might have a change of heart and be Go's substitute.

 Candidates have until Friday to register, but withdrawals and substitutions are allowed until Nov. 15.

 Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by William Mallard and Catherine Evans
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

 Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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 * Asia Pacific category Senior Taiwan opposition leader to visit China amid continued tensions , article with image 7:18 AM UTC
 * Asia Pacific category Philippines coast guard chief says boosts South China Sea presence , article with image 9:12 AM UTC

 Asia Pacific

 * Hong Kong court makes landmark ruling protecting transgender rights , article with image Asia Pacific category · February 6, 2023 · 11:39 AM UTC

 Hong Kong's top court on Monday ruled that the policy of barring transgender people from changing their gender shown on ID cards unless they undergo full sex reassignment surgery violates their rights and is unconstitutional.

 * Asia Pacific category Vietnam seizes 600 kg of ivory smuggled from Africa , article with gallery 12:57 PM UTC . Updated undefined ago
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Summary     Duterte declines to enter vice presidential race next year Analysts say move may clear way for daughter to run for office Sara Duterte-Carpio files for re-election as mayor Critics view Duterte's announcement with scepticism    MANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday he was retiring from politics, a surprise move that fuelled speculation he was clearing the way for a presidential run by his daughter. Sara Duterte-Carpio is currently mayor of Davao, the Philippines' third-largest city, and filed on Saturday to contest the role again. She has previously said she would not run for national office next year. "Today, I announce my retirement from politics," Duterte said as he accompanied his ally Senator Christopher "Bong" Go of the ruling PDP-Laban party to register Go's candidacy for vice president in next year's election. But political analysts were sceptical, noting that last-minute changes were still possible, as in 2015 when Duterte entered the presidential election race at the eleventh hour and won by a huge margin. Duterte, 76, had been expected to run for the No. 2 job, a plan most Filipinos oppose as violating the spirit of the constitution, which sets a one-term limit for the president to stop power being abused.  Latest Updates View 2 more stories   "In obedience to the will of the people, who after all placed me in the presidency many years ago, I now say to my countrymen, I will follow your wish," Duterte said as he urged the public to back his longtime aide. Analysts say it is crucial for Duterte to have a loyal successor to insulate him from potential legal action - at home or by the International Criminal Court - over the thousands of state killings in his war on drugs since 2016. "I would take his announcement with a lot of salt," Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. "But assuming that he's really going to retire, that doesn't mean he won't get the protection from the ICC that he craves." Duterte, a maverick leader famous for his embrace of China and disdain for the United States, traditionally a close ally of the Philippines, remains popular even though his opponents accuse him of being authoritarian and intolerant of dissent. Activist and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares also viewed Duterte's announcement sceptically, saying "he will still dictate (to) his political machinery". "Unfortunately for him, he will not be spared from accountability. Retirement from politics will not save him from a prison sentence," said Colmenares, who is also providing legal assistance to drug war victims.  Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte attends the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit in Singapore, November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo  Authorities have killed more than 6,100 suspected drug dealers and users since Duterte took office in June 2016. Rights groups say the police summarily executed suspects, which the police deny, saying they acted in self-defence during sting operations. 'ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN' More than 60 million Filipinos will vote in May for a new president, vice president and more than 18,000 lawmakers and local government officials. Political observers had long suspected Duterte could spring a surprise, such as a presidential bid by his daughter next year. Duterte-Carpio's re-election filing, shortly after her father announced his retirement, did little to douse speculation she has her eye on the presidency. Mar Masanguid, who backed Duterte's 2016 run and has now founded a group to back Duterte-Carpio, said the signs still pointed to a run, which would mirror her father's last minute bid in 2016. "In politics, anything can happen," he said. Duterte-Carpio has topped opinion surveys on prospective candidates, but said last month she was not a candidate for higher office next year because she and her father had agreed only one of them would run for a national role in 2022. The older Duterte's decision not to join the race next year would clear her way. "This allows Sara Duterte to run," said Antonio La Vina, professor of law and politics at the Ateneo de Manila University. "She sees through the father's scheme or it is a drama to confuse everyone." But La Vina said he could not rule out the possibility the firebrand leader might have a change of heart and be Go's substitute. Candidates have until Friday to register, but withdrawals and substitutions are allowed until Nov. 15. Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by William Mallard and Catherine Evans Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Philippines' Duterte says he is retiring from politics, but not everyone is convinced
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippine-president-duterte-says-he-is-retiring-politics-2021-10-02/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/04/06/mcconnell-tells-businesses-to-stay-out-of-politics--except-with-campaign-donations/
McConnell Tells Businesses To ‘Stay Out Of Politics’ – Except With Campaign Donations
2021-04-06
Andrew Solender
<div><div><h2>Topline</h2>
<p>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday continued to rail against businesses protesting a new election law in Georgia, urging them not to weigh in on politics but carving out an exception for campaign contributions.</p>
<figure><figcaption><small>Getty Images</small></figcaption></figure>
<h2>Key Facts</h2>
<div>
<div>
<p>McConnell said during a stop at a health clinic in Kentucky that, given the heated divisions that currently American politics, “If I were running a major corporation, I would stay out of politics,” adding that they are “irritating a hell of a lot of Republican fans.”</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>But McConnell hedged, stating that businesses have “a right to participate in the political process,” specifying that he’s “not talking about political contributions” in his warnings, calling them “fine, it’s legal, it’s appropriate. I support that.”</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>Instead, McConnell said, companies should not weigh in an “a highly incendiary issue” and “[say], ‘pass what we want you to pass, or we’ll take out major league all-star game to another state’,” a shot at MLB’s decision to relocate the all-star game from Georgia to Colorado.</p>
</div>
<p>Republicans have railed against the MLB decision and criticism from companies like United, Delta and Coca Cola, with federal lawmakers <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/04/04/georgia-lawmakers-demand-removal-of-coca-cola-drinks-in-latest-boycott-over-voting-law/">threatening</a> to go after MLB’s antitrust immunity and Georgia lawmakers calling for the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/04/04/georgia-lawmakers-demand-removal-of-coca-cola-drinks-in-latest-boycott-over-voting-law/">removal of Coca Cola products</a> in the State House.</p>
<p>McConnell on Monday <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/04/05/mcconnell-warns-of-serious-consequences-for-businesses-boycotting-georgia-over-law/?sh=6bf6b7464515">warned</a> that companies “behaving like a woke parallel government” through economic boycotts “invite serious consequences.”</p>
</div>
<h2>Chief Critic</h2>
<p>“There may not be another politician alive who's benefited more from corporations spending money on politics than Mitch McConnell,” <a href="https://twitter.com/CREWcrew/status/1379416828619948034?s=20">tweeted</a> ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. McConnell received over $4.3 million in corporate PAC donations in the 2020 cycle, according to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/mitch-mcconnell/pacs?cid=N00003389&amp;cycle=2020">OpenSecrets</a> – among the most of any Senate candidate.</p>
<h2>Big Number</h2>
<p>$258,880. That’s how much McConnell got from 37 CEOs of S&amp;P 500 companies in the 2020 cycle, according to <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/americas-top-ceos-are-opening-up-their-wallets-for-mitch-mcconnells-re-election-campaign-11603820924">Market Watch</a> – more than any other Senate candidate that year. Former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) received the next most: $229,915 from 30 CEOs.</p>
<h2>Key Background</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/03/27/what-does-georgias-new-voting-law-sb-202-do">Georgia law</a>, passed by the state’s GOP-controlled legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, expands early voting but sets new restrictions on mail-in ballots, including limiting the number of drop boxes and setting new ID requirements. It also takes election oversight powers out of the hands of the secretary of state and puts them into a non-partisan official appointed by the legislature.</p>
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 McConnell Tells Businesses To ‘Stay Out Of Politics’ – Except With Campaign Donations

 Andrew Solender
 Forbes Staff
 I cover Congress and the Biden Administration.
 Following
 Apr 6, 2021,02:07pm EDT
 This article is more than 3 years old.
 Updated Apr 6, 2021, 02:09pm EDT
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 Topline

 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday continued to rail against businesses protesting a new election law in Georgia, urging them not to weigh in on politics but carving out an exception for campaign contributions.

 WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 23: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) heads to the weekly ... [+] Senate Republicans policy luncheon in the subway of the U.S. Capitol on February 23, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)

 Getty Images

 Key Facts

 McConnell said during a stop at a health clinic in Kentucky that, given the heated divisions that currently American politics, “If I were running a major corporation, I would stay out of politics,” adding that they are “irritating a hell of a lot of Republican fans.”

 But McConnell hedged, stating that businesses have “a right to participate in the political process,” specifying that he’s “not talking about political contributions” in his warnings, calling them “fine, it’s legal, it’s appropriate. I support that.”

 Instead, McConnell said, companies should not weigh in an “a highly incendiary issue” and “[say], ‘pass what we want you to pass, or we’ll take out major league all-star game to another state’,” a shot at MLB’s decision to relocate the all-star game from Georgia to Colorado.

 Republicans have railed against the MLB decision and criticism from companies like United, Delta and Coca Cola, with federal lawmakers threatening to go after MLB’s antitrust immunity and Georgia lawmakers calling for the removal of Coca Cola products in the State House.

 McConnell on Monday warned that companies “behaving like a woke parallel government” through economic boycotts “invite serious consequences.”

 Chief Critic

 “There may not be another politician alive who's benefited more from corporations spending money on politics than Mitch McConnell,” tweeted ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. McConnell received over $4.3 million in corporate PAC donations in the 2020 cycle, according to OpenSecrets – among the most of any Senate candidate.

 Big Number

 $258,880. That’s how much McConnell got from 37 CEOs of S&P 500 companies in the 2020 cycle, according to Market Watch – more than any other Senate candidate that year. Former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) received the next most: $229,915 from 30 CEOs.

 Key Background

 The Georgia law, passed by the state’s GOP-controlled legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, expands early voting but sets new restrictions on mail-in ballots, including limiting the number of drop boxes and setting new ID requirements. It also takes election oversight powers out of the hands of the secretary of state and puts them into a non-partisan official appointed by the legislature.

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 Andrew Solender

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Topline
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday continued to rail against businesses protesting a new election law in Georgia, urging them not to weigh in on politics but carving out an exception for campaign contributions.
  Getty Images  
Key Facts
McConnell said during a stop at a health clinic in Kentucky that, given the heated divisions that currently American politics, “If I were running a major corporation, I would stay out of politics,” adding that they are “irritating a hell of a lot of Republican fans.”
But McConnell hedged, stating that businesses have “a right to participate in the political process,” specifying that he’s “not talking about political contributions” in his warnings, calling them “fine, it’s legal, it’s appropriate. I support that.”
Instead, McConnell said, companies should not weigh in an “a highly incendiary issue” and “[say], ‘pass what we want you to pass, or we’ll take out major league all-star game to another state’,” a shot at MLB’s decision to relocate the all-star game from Georgia to Colorado.
Republicans have railed against the MLB decision and criticism from companies like United, Delta and Coca Cola, with federal lawmakers threatening to go after MLB’s antitrust immunity and Georgia lawmakers calling for the removal of Coca Cola products in the State House.
McConnell on Monday warned that companies “behaving like a woke parallel government” through economic boycotts “invite serious consequences.”
Chief Critic
“There may not be another politician alive who's benefited more from corporations spending money on politics than Mitch McConnell,” tweeted ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. McConnell received over $4.3 million in corporate PAC donations in the 2020 cycle, according to OpenSecrets – among the most of any Senate candidate.
Big Number
$258,880. That’s how much McConnell got from 37 CEOs of S&amp;P 500 companies in the 2020 cycle, according to Market Watch – more than any other Senate candidate that year. Former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) received the next most: $229,915 from 30 CEOs.
Key Background
The Georgia law, passed by the state’s GOP-controlled legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, expands early voting but sets new restrictions on mail-in ballots, including limiting the number of drop boxes and setting new ID requirements. It also takes election oversight powers out of the hands of the secretary of state and puts them into a non-partisan official appointed by the legislature.
McConnell Tells Businesses To ‘Stay Out Of Politics’ – Except With Campaign Donations
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/04/06/mcconnell-tells-businesses-to-stay-out-of-politics--except-with-campaign-donations/
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/08/1044350811/matthew-mcconaughey-texas-governor-greenlights-politics-twitter
Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans
2021-10-08
Emma Bowman
<div><div>
 <article><div>
 <h4>Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans</h4>
 
 
 
</div>
</article>
</div><div>
 <div>
 <div>
 
 
 
 
 
 
</div>
<div>
 <div>
 <p>
 Matthew McConaughey, the star of <em>Dazed and Confused</em> and <em>Dallas Buyers Club</em>, isn't not thinking about throwing his cowboy hat in the race for "CEO" of Texas.
 <b>
 
 Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY
 
 </b>
 <b><b>hide caption</b></b>
 </p>
 <p><b><b>toggle caption</b></b>
 </p></div>
 <p>
 
 Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY
 
 
</p></div>
<div>
 
 
 
 
 
 </div>
<div>
 <p>Matthew McConaughey, the star of <em>Dazed and Confused</em> and <em>Dallas Buyers Club</em>, isn't not thinking about throwing his cowboy hat in the race for "CEO" of Texas.</p>
 <p>
 
 Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY
 
 
 </p></div>
 </div>
 <p>Matthew McConaughey is not <em>not </em>running for governor of Texas.</p> <p>"I am not — until I am," the Oscar winner and best-selling author told NPR host Scott Simon in a live, open-ended forum broadcast on Twitter Spaces on Thursday. "It's got to be personal for me, but it's also got to be the most useful thing for the most amount of people."</p> <p>McConaughey continued to play with the idea of what it would mean to be "CEO of the state," at a time when he views American politics as a "broken business" divided by politicians whose main goals he said are to preserve their own parties.</p> 
 
 <p>Even so, the actor didn't offer much in the way of certainties when he fielded hot-button questions from listeners about his own opinions — except when imparting his signature "bumper sticker" philosophies on life that punctuate his new memoir (or as he likes to call it, an "approach book"), <em>Greenlights</em>.</p> <p>Pressed on his home state's controversial new abortion law that bans the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy, he said, "I'm more of a choose guy." </p> <p>A former Amazon employee turned labor rights organizer, Christian Smalls, asked the actor for his take on Amazon workers' push to unionize. </p> 
 
 
 <p>On both counts, McConaughey said that he has some homework to do. He said he's "more concerned with the larger questions of what the hell this politics has become."</p> <p>As for his political party alignment? He won't exactly say, but instead channeled the independent spirit of a Texan who wants to "balance the ship of democracy."</p> <p>"I think we're here to lead, not secede," he said of Texans.</p> <p><em>Click the audio link to listen to the full conversation.</em></p>
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 Matthew McConaughey talks Texas politics and more in Twitter Spaces conversation In a Twitter Spaces chat hosted by NPR, the actor discussed his potential run for Texas governor, where he fits — or doesn't — on the political party spectrum, abortion, Amazon unions and more.

 Culture

 Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans

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 October 8, 2021 5:05 PM ET

 Emma Bowman

 Twitter

 Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans

 45:53
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 Matthew McConaughey, the star of Dazed and Confused and Dallas Buyers Club, isn't not thinking about throwing his cowboy hat in the race for "CEO" of Texas. Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY hide caption

 toggle caption
 Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY

 Matthew McConaughey, the star of Dazed and Confused and Dallas Buyers Club, isn't not thinking about throwing his cowboy hat in the race for "CEO" of Texas.

 Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY

 Matthew McConaughey is not not running for governor of Texas.

 "I am not — until I am," the Oscar winner and best-selling author told NPR host Scott Simon in a live, open-ended forum broadcast on Twitter Spaces on Thursday. "It's got to be personal for me, but it's also got to be the most useful thing for the most amount of people."

 McConaughey continued to play with the idea of what it would mean to be "CEO of the state," at a time when he views American politics as a "broken business" divided by politicians whose main goals he said are to preserve their own parties.

 Ask Me Another

 Matthew McConaughey: Commerce And Vanity

 Even so, the actor didn't offer much in the way of certainties when he fielded hot-button questions from listeners about his own opinions — except when imparting his signature "bumper sticker" philosophies on life that punctuate his new memoir (or as he likes to call it, an "approach book"), Greenlights.

 Pressed on his home state's controversial new abortion law that bans the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy, he said, "I'm more of a choose guy."

 A former Amazon employee turned labor rights organizer, Christian Smalls, asked the actor for his take on Amazon workers' push to unionize.

 Ask Me Another

 Weird Texas Laws With Matthew McConaughey

 On both counts, McConaughey said that he has some homework to do. He said he's "more concerned with the larger questions of what the hell this politics has become."

 As for his political party alignment? He won't exactly say, but instead channeled the independent spirit of a Texan who wants to "balance the ship of democracy."

 "I think we're here to lead, not secede," he said of Texans.

 Click the audio link to listen to the full conversation.

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Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Matthew McConaughey, the star of Dazed and Confused and Dallas Buyers Club, isn't not thinking about throwing his cowboy hat in the race for "CEO" of Texas.
 
 
 Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY
 
 
  hide caption 
 
   toggle caption 
  
 
 
 Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Matthew McConaughey, the star of Dazed and Confused and Dallas Buyers Club, isn't not thinking about throwing his cowboy hat in the race for "CEO" of Texas.
 
 
 Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY
 
 
  
 
 Matthew McConaughey is not not running for governor of Texas. "I am not — until I am," the Oscar winner and best-selling author told NPR host Scott Simon in a live, open-ended forum broadcast on Twitter Spaces on Thursday. "It's got to be personal for me, but it's also got to be the most useful thing for the most amount of people." McConaughey continued to play with the idea of what it would mean to be "CEO of the state," at a time when he views American politics as a "broken business" divided by politicians whose main goals he said are to preserve their own parties. 
 
 Even so, the actor didn't offer much in the way of certainties when he fielded hot-button questions from listeners about his own opinions — except when imparting his signature "bumper sticker" philosophies on life that punctuate his new memoir (or as he likes to call it, an "approach book"), Greenlights. Pressed on his home state's controversial new abortion law that bans the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy, he said, "I'm more of a choose guy."  A former Amazon employee turned labor rights organizer, Christian Smalls, asked the actor for his take on Amazon workers' push to unionize.  
 
 
 On both counts, McConaughey said that he has some homework to do. He said he's "more concerned with the larger questions of what the hell this politics has become." As for his political party alignment? He won't exactly say, but instead channeled the independent spirit of a Texan who wants to "balance the ship of democracy." "I think we're here to lead, not secede," he said of Texans.  Click the audio link to listen to the full conversation.
Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/08/1044350811/matthew-mcconaughey-texas-governor-greenlights-politics-twitter
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/28/who-says-covid-origin-investigation-is-being-poisoned-by-politics.html
WHO says Covid origin investigation is being 'poisoned by politics'
2021-05-28
Rich Mendez
<div><div><div><p>Executive Director of the WHO Emergencies Program Mike Ryan speaks at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Feb. 6, 2020.</p><p>Denis Balibouse | Reuters</p></div><div><p>A top World Health Organization official said Friday that investigations into the origins of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/coronavirus/">Covid-19</a> are being "poisoned by politics."</p><p>U.S. President <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/joe-biden/">Joe Biden</a> announced Wednesday that he's ordered intelligence agencies to conduct "a report on their most up-to-date analysis of the origins of Covid-19, including whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident."</p><p>The WHO has come under increasing pressure in recent days from U.S. and European officials to take another look at whether <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/coronavirus/">the coronavirus</a> could have escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, after a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report came to light, revealing that three researchers sought hospital care after falling ill with Covid-like symptoms in November 2019.</p><p>Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program, asked if countries could separate the politics from the science.</p><p>"Putting WHO in a position like it has been put in is very unfair to the science we're trying to carry out, and it puts us as an organization, frankly, in an impossible position to deliver the answers that the world wants," Ryan said at a news briefing.</p><p>The WHO has been repeatedly accused of allowing the Chinese government to avoid a thorough investigation into the origins of Covid-19, which was first discovered in Wuhan in late 2019. At a Senate hearing earlier this week Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pressed White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on the WHO's close ties to China.</p><p>"Can we agree that if you took (Chinese) President Xi Jinping and turned him upside down and shook him, the World Health Organization would fall out of his pocket?" Fauci responded by saying that he has no way of knowing China's influence on the agency.</p><p>The hypothesis that Covid-19 came from a Wuhan virology lab was initially dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy theory, but it's been gaining traction in recent weeks.</p><p>The majority of the intelligence community believes that it is equally plausible that the virus originated in a lab and in an animal. Federal health officials continue to maintain their position that it is more likely that the virus has zoonotic origins. The CDC's website still states "we know that it originally came from an animal, likely a bat."</p></div></div></div>||||I|||| Skip Navigation
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 Health and Science

 WHO says Covid origin investigation is being 'poisoned by politics'

 Published Fri, May 28 20211:16 PM EDTUpdated Sun, May 30 20217:07 PM EDT
 Rich Mendez@richmendezcnbc
 WATCH LIVE
 Key Points
 * A top WHO official said Friday that investigations into the origins of Covid-19 are being "poisoned by politics."
 * The WHO has been repeatedly accused of allowing the Chinese government to avoid a thorough investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
 * U.S. health officials continue to maintain that the virus likely has zoonotic, or animal, origins.
 Executive Director of the WHO Emergencies Program Mike Ryan speaks at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Feb. 6, 2020.
 Denis Balibouse | Reuters

 A top World Health Organization official said Friday that investigations into the origins of Covid-19 are being "poisoned by politics."

 U.S. President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he's ordered intelligence agencies to conduct "a report on their most up-to-date analysis of the origins of Covid-19, including whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident."

 The WHO has come under increasing pressure in recent days from U.S. and European officials to take another look at whether the coronavirus could have escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, after a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report came to light, revealing that three researchers sought hospital care after falling ill with Covid-like symptoms in November 2019.

 Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program, asked if countries could separate the politics from the science.

 "Putting WHO in a position like it has been put in is very unfair to the science we're trying to carry out, and it puts us as an organization, frankly, in an impossible position to deliver the answers that the world wants," Ryan said at a news briefing.

 The WHO has been repeatedly accused of allowing the Chinese government to avoid a thorough investigation into the origins of Covid-19, which was first discovered in Wuhan in late 2019. At a Senate hearing earlier this week Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pressed White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on the WHO's close ties to China.

 "Can we agree that if you took (Chinese) President Xi Jinping and turned him upside down and shook him, the World Health Organization would fall out of his pocket?" Fauci responded by saying that he has no way of knowing China's influence on the agency.

 The hypothesis that Covid-19 came from a Wuhan virology lab was initially dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy theory, but it's been gaining traction in recent weeks.

 The majority of the intelligence community believes that it is equally plausible that the virus originated in a lab and in an animal. Federal health officials continue to maintain their position that it is more likely that the virus has zoonotic origins. The CDC's website still states "we know that it originally came from an animal, likely a bat."

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Executive Director of the WHO Emergencies Program Mike Ryan speaks at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Feb. 6, 2020. Denis Balibouse | Reuters   A top World Health Organization official said Friday that investigations into the origins of Covid-19 are being "poisoned by politics." U.S. President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he's ordered intelligence agencies to conduct "a report on their most up-to-date analysis of the origins of Covid-19, including whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident." The WHO has come under increasing pressure in recent days from U.S. and European officials to take another look at whether the coronavirus could have escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, after a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report came to light, revealing that three researchers sought hospital care after falling ill with Covid-like symptoms in November 2019. Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program, asked if countries could separate the politics from the science. "Putting WHO in a position like it has been put in is very unfair to the science we're trying to carry out, and it puts us as an organization, frankly, in an impossible position to deliver the answers that the world wants," Ryan said at a news briefing. The WHO has been repeatedly accused of allowing the Chinese government to avoid a thorough investigation into the origins of Covid-19, which was first discovered in Wuhan in late 2019. At a Senate hearing earlier this week Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pressed White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on the WHO's close ties to China. "Can we agree that if you took (Chinese) President Xi Jinping and turned him upside down and shook him, the World Health Organization would fall out of his pocket?" Fauci responded by saying that he has no way of knowing China's influence on the agency. The hypothesis that Covid-19 came from a Wuhan virology lab was initially dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy theory, but it's been gaining traction in recent weeks. The majority of the intelligence community believes that it is equally plausible that the virus originated in a lab and in an animal. Federal health officials continue to maintain their position that it is more likely that the virus has zoonotic origins. The CDC's website still states "we know that it originally came from an animal, likely a bat."
WHO says Covid origin investigation is being 'poisoned by politics'
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/28/who-says-covid-origin-investigation-is-being-poisoned-by-politics.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/11/01/mexico-expatriates-politics/1675001/
Expatriates in Mexico keep an eye on U.S. politics
2012-11-01
David Agren; Special
<div><div><figure></figure><ul><li>A well-organized Democrats Abroad group has company: a strong band of Tea Partiers</li><li>Property taxes for Americans living in the Lake Chapala region run about $200 annually</li><li>Aside from U.S. politics, they still enjoy satellite TV and shopping at Costco</li></ul><p>AJIJIC, Mexico -- The Tea Party gathering in this expatriate colony of retired Americans and Canadians opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of <em>God Bless America.</em></p><p>It continued with an airing of conservative pundit Dinesh D'Souza's documentary, <em>2016: Obama's America,</em> during which audience members sipped bottles of Corona beer and, tsk-tsked at some of the remarks made by Democrats in the film.</p><p>"I want to thank everyone for coming, regardless of their political views," said organizer Karen Cage, an ex-broadcasting manager from the Dallas area.</p><p>An estimated 10,000 U.S. citizens reside in this collection of villages on Mexico's majestic Lake Chapala – where locals boast the perpetual spring-like climate is among the best in the world. They may have left colder winters behind, but not U.S. politics.</p><p>In the Lake Chapala region, one finds a well-organized Democrats Abroad chapter, which serves up political screenings, too, including an episode of HBO's <em>The Newsroom</em> that described the Tea Party as "The American Taliban." Both sides are into the election as if they never left "the States."</p><p>"I've been a Republican since I was 20. I don't know how not to be involved," Cage says.</p><p>It's uncertain which side has more support, although Cage says the local chapter of Republicans Abroad has had organization issues – at least since George P. Bush, the then-president's nephew, stumped for votes here among expats in 2004. Some Democrats say former president George W. Bush is the reason they live at the area known as Lakeside.</p><div><p>"I said, 'If Bush wins re-election, I'm out of here,' " says retired real estate agent Lois Schroff, who sold her Virginia Beach home and moved to Mexico seven years ago.</p><p>Members of both groups do remain civil to each other, and try to avoid disputes by imposing "no-politics" rules when they get together.</p></div><div><p>"We've thrown people out of here for getting into arguments that were too partisan," says Maryan Ramos, a retiree originally from Corpus Christi, Texas.</p><p>"You really can't discuss politics with people down here," says Tea Party member Don Lott, a retired salesman from Forth Worth, Texas. "People are pretty small-minded – on both sides."</p></div><p>Both sides agree on their affection for Mexico, where sunshine is plentiful and property tax bills run about $200 annually. American amenities are also easily available – ranging from U.S. satellite TV service to grocery runs at Costco in nearby Guadalajara.</p><div><p>"Where else could a bunch of old fools go and have so much to do?" says Billy Cooper, a Tea Partier fond of the family-oriented local culture.</p><p>He cites another important reason for liking Mexico: health care that costs him "one-tenth" the price he would pay back in Houston, Cooper says.</p></div><div><p>The formation of a Tea Party chapter in a region of Mexico known for its outward migration to the United States is somewhat improbable given the Republican Party's preference for maintaining strict immigration laws, but Cooper sees no conflict.</p><p>"The Tea Party is all in favor of legal immigration," he says.</p></div><p>Politicking, which is intense in private, is discreet in public and few expats venture opinions on Mexican politics: The Mexican constitution forbids foreigners from meddling in such matters. Canadians winter here as well in almost equal numbers to the Americans. But they aren't as political-- possibly because many believe registering to vote will lead to problems with tax authorities back home, says former Canadian politician and Ajijic resident Rob Parker.</p><p>"They believe they'll be found if they register to vote," he says.</p></div></div>||||I|||| The DEA will seek to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, reports say, a landmark move that would acknowledge its medical uses
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 Expatriates in Mexico keep an eye on U.S. politics

 David Agren, Special for USA TODAY

 * A well-organized Democrats Abroad group has company: a strong band of Tea Partiers
 * Property taxes for Americans living in the Lake Chapala region run about $200 annually
 * Aside from U.S. politics, they still enjoy satellite TV and shopping at Costco

 AJIJIC, Mexico -- The Tea Party gathering in this expatriate colony of retired Americans and Canadians opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of God Bless America.

 It continued with an airing of conservative pundit Dinesh D'Souza's documentary, 2016: Obama's America, during which audience members sipped bottles of Corona beer and, tsk-tsked at some of the remarks made by Democrats in the film.

 "I want to thank everyone for coming, regardless of their political views," said organizer Karen Cage, an ex-broadcasting manager from the Dallas area.

 An estimated 10,000 U.S. citizens reside in this collection of villages on Mexico's majestic Lake Chapala – where locals boast the perpetual spring-like climate is among the best in the world. They may have left colder winters behind, but not U.S. politics.

 In the Lake Chapala region, one finds a well-organized Democrats Abroad chapter, which serves up political screenings, too, including an episode of HBO's The Newsroom that described the Tea Party as "The American Taliban." Both sides are into the election as if they never left "the States."

 "I've been a Republican since I was 20. I don't know how not to be involved," Cage says.

 It's uncertain which side has more support, although Cage says the local chapter of Republicans Abroad has had organization issues – at least since George P. Bush, the then-president's nephew, stumped for votes here among expats in 2004. Some Democrats say former president George W. Bush is the reason they live at the area known as Lakeside.

 "I said, 'If Bush wins re-election, I'm out of here,' " says retired real estate agent Lois Schroff, who sold her Virginia Beach home and moved to Mexico seven years ago.

 Members of both groups do remain civil to each other, and try to avoid disputes by imposing "no-politics" rules when they get together.

 "We've thrown people out of here for getting into arguments that were too partisan," says Maryan Ramos, a retiree originally from Corpus Christi, Texas.

 "You really can't discuss politics with people down here," says Tea Party member Don Lott, a retired salesman from Forth Worth, Texas. "People are pretty small-minded – on both sides."

 Both sides agree on their affection for Mexico, where sunshine is plentiful and property tax bills run about $200 annually. American amenities are also easily available – ranging from U.S. satellite TV service to grocery runs at Costco in nearby Guadalajara.

 "Where else could a bunch of old fools go and have so much to do?" says Billy Cooper, a Tea Partier fond of the family-oriented local culture.

 He cites another important reason for liking Mexico: health care that costs him "one-tenth" the price he would pay back in Houston, Cooper says.

 The formation of a Tea Party chapter in a region of Mexico known for its outward migration to the United States is somewhat improbable given the Republican Party's preference for maintaining strict immigration laws, but Cooper sees no conflict.

 "The Tea Party is all in favor of legal immigration," he says.

 Politicking, which is intense in private, is discreet in public and few expats venture opinions on Mexican politics: The Mexican constitution forbids foreigners from meddling in such matters. Canadians winter here as well in almost equal numbers to the Americans. But they aren't as political-- possibly because many believe registering to vote will lead to problems with tax authorities back home, says former Canadian politician and Ajijic resident Rob Parker.

 "They believe they'll be found if they register to vote," he says.

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A well-organized Democrats Abroad group has company: a strong band of Tea Partiers Property taxes for Americans living in the Lake Chapala region run about $200 annually Aside from U.S. politics, they still enjoy satellite TV and shopping at Costco  AJIJIC, Mexico -- The Tea Party gathering in this expatriate colony of retired Americans and Canadians opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of God Bless America.  It continued with an airing of conservative pundit Dinesh D'Souza's documentary, 2016: Obama's America, during which audience members sipped bottles of Corona beer and, tsk-tsked at some of the remarks made by Democrats in the film. "I want to thank everyone for coming, regardless of their political views," said organizer Karen Cage, an ex-broadcasting manager from the Dallas area. An estimated 10,000 U.S. citizens reside in this collection of villages on Mexico's majestic Lake Chapala – where locals boast the perpetual spring-like climate is among the best in the world. They may have left colder winters behind, but not U.S. politics. In the Lake Chapala region, one finds a well-organized Democrats Abroad chapter, which serves up political screenings, too, including an episode of HBO's The Newsroom that described the Tea Party as "The American Taliban." Both sides are into the election as if they never left "the States." "I've been a Republican since I was 20. I don't know how not to be involved," Cage says. It's uncertain which side has more support, although Cage says the local chapter of Republicans Abroad has had organization issues – at least since George P. Bush, the then-president's nephew, stumped for votes here among expats in 2004. Some Democrats say former president George W. Bush is the reason they live at the area known as Lakeside.  "I said, 'If Bush wins re-election, I'm out of here,' " says retired real estate agent Lois Schroff, who sold her Virginia Beach home and moved to Mexico seven years ago. Members of both groups do remain civil to each other, and try to avoid disputes by imposing "no-politics" rules when they get together.   "We've thrown people out of here for getting into arguments that were too partisan," says Maryan Ramos, a retiree originally from Corpus Christi, Texas. "You really can't discuss politics with people down here," says Tea Party member Don Lott, a retired salesman from Forth Worth, Texas. "People are pretty small-minded – on both sides."  Both sides agree on their affection for Mexico, where sunshine is plentiful and property tax bills run about $200 annually. American amenities are also easily available – ranging from U.S. satellite TV service to grocery runs at Costco in nearby Guadalajara.  "Where else could a bunch of old fools go and have so much to do?" says Billy Cooper, a Tea Partier fond of the family-oriented local culture. He cites another important reason for liking Mexico: health care that costs him "one-tenth" the price he would pay back in Houston, Cooper says.   The formation of a Tea Party chapter in a region of Mexico known for its outward migration to the United States is somewhat improbable given the Republican Party's preference for maintaining strict immigration laws, but Cooper sees no conflict. "The Tea Party is all in favor of legal immigration," he says.  Politicking, which is intense in private, is discreet in public and few expats venture opinions on Mexican politics: The Mexican constitution forbids foreigners from meddling in such matters. Canadians winter here as well in almost equal numbers to the Americans. But they aren't as political-- possibly because many believe registering to vote will lead to problems with tax authorities back home, says former Canadian politician and Ajijic resident Rob Parker. "They believe they'll be found if they register to vote," he says.
Expatriates in Mexico keep an eye on U.S. politics
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/11/01/mexico-expatriates-politics/1675001/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827122410.htm
The role of genes in political behavior
2023-02-06
None
<div><p>Politics and genetics have traditionally been considered non-overlapping fields, but over the past decade it has become clear that genes can influence political behavior, according to a review published online August 27th in <em>Trends in Genetics</em>. This paradigm shift has led to novel insights into why people vary in their political preferences and could have important implications for public policy.</p><div>
<p>"We're seeing an awakening in the social sciences, and the wall that divided politics and genetics is really starting to fall apart," says review author Peter Hatemi of the University of Sydney. "This is a big advance, because the two fields could inform each other to answer some very complex questions about individual differences in political views."</p>
<p>In the past, social scientists had assumed that political preferences were shaped by social learning and environmental factors, but recent studies suggest that genes also strongly influence political traits. Twin studies show that genes have some influence on why people differ on political issues such as the death penalty, unemployment and abortion. Because this field of research is relatively new, only a handful of genes have been implicated in political ideology and partisanship, voter turnout, and political violence.</p>
<p>Future research, including gene-expression and sequencing studies, may lead to deeper insights into genetic influences on political views and have a greater impact on public policy. "Making the public aware of how their mind works and affects their political behavior is critically important," Hatemi says. "This has real implications for the reduction of discrimination, foreign policy, public health, attitude change and many other political issues."</p>
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 The role of genes in political behavior

 Date: August 27, 2012 Source: Cell Press Summary: Politics and genetics have traditionally been considered non-overlapping fields, but over the past decade it has become clear that genes can influence political behavior, according to a review. This paradigm shift has led to novel insights into why people vary in their political preferences and could have important implications for public policy. Share:
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 FULL STORY

 Politics and genetics have traditionally been considered non-overlapping fields, but over the past decade it has become clear that genes can influence political behavior, according to a review published online August 27th in Trends in Genetics. This paradigm shift has led to novel insights into why people vary in their political preferences and could have important implications for public policy.

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 "We're seeing an awakening in the social sciences, and the wall that divided politics and genetics is really starting to fall apart," says review author Peter Hatemi of the University of Sydney. "This is a big advance, because the two fields could inform each other to answer some very complex questions about individual differences in political views."

 In the past, social scientists had assumed that political preferences were shaped by social learning and environmental factors, but recent studies suggest that genes also strongly influence political traits. Twin studies show that genes have some influence on why people differ on political issues such as the death penalty, unemployment and abortion. Because this field of research is relatively new, only a handful of genes have been implicated in political ideology and partisanship, voter turnout, and political violence.

 Future research, including gene-expression and sequencing studies, may lead to deeper insights into genetic influences on political views and have a greater impact on public policy. "Making the public aware of how their mind works and affects their political behavior is critically important," Hatemi says. "This has real implications for the reduction of discrimination, foreign policy, public health, attitude change and many other political issues."

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 Story Source:

 Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

 Journal Reference:

 1. Peter K Hatemi and Rose McDermott. The Genetics of Politics: Discovery, Challenges and Progress. Trends in Genetics, August 27, 2012 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2012.07.004

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 Cell Press. "The role of genes in political behavior." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 August 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827122410.htm>.
 Cell Press. (2012, August 27). The role of genes in political behavior. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 6, 2023 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827122410.htm
 Cell Press. "The role of genes in political behavior." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827122410.htm (accessed February 6, 2023).

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Politics and genetics have traditionally been considered non-overlapping fields, but over the past decade it has become clear that genes can influence political behavior, according to a review published online August 27th in Trends in Genetics. This paradigm shift has led to novel insights into why people vary in their political preferences and could have important implications for public policy. 
"We're seeing an awakening in the social sciences, and the wall that divided politics and genetics is really starting to fall apart," says review author Peter Hatemi of the University of Sydney. "This is a big advance, because the two fields could inform each other to answer some very complex questions about individual differences in political views."
In the past, social scientists had assumed that political preferences were shaped by social learning and environmental factors, but recent studies suggest that genes also strongly influence political traits. Twin studies show that genes have some influence on why people differ on political issues such as the death penalty, unemployment and abortion. Because this field of research is relatively new, only a handful of genes have been implicated in political ideology and partisanship, voter turnout, and political violence.
Future research, including gene-expression and sequencing studies, may lead to deeper insights into genetic influences on political views and have a greater impact on public policy. "Making the public aware of how their mind works and affects their political behavior is critically important," Hatemi says. "This has real implications for the reduction of discrimination, foreign policy, public health, attitude change and many other political issues."
The role of genes in political behavior
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827122410.htm
https://www.npr.org/2012/08/22/159522521/wis-state-senator-connects-her-politics-to-her-past
Wis. State Senator Connects Her Politics To Her Past
2012-08-22
David Greene
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 Wisconsin state Sen. Jessica King stands at the corner of Main Street and Algoma Boulevard in downtown Oshkosh. She won her seat in a senatorial recall campaign last year.
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 John W. Poole/NPR
 
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 <p><em>As the presidential election nears,</em> Morning Edition <em>is visiting swing counties in swing states for our series <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/158074682/first-and-main">First and Main</a>. We're listening to voters where they live — to understand what's shaping their thinking this election year. This week, we're spending time in Winnebago County, Wis., where we spoke with two women — one Democrat, one Republican — who embody their state's Midwestern charm and spirit of self-reliance. First, we hear from the Democrat.<br /></em></p> <p>Last year, Jessica King became a Wisconsin state senator, swept into office in a wave of special recall votes. It was part of the larger political drama that saw Wisconsin's governor avoid his own recall.</p> <p>King, 37, made history. In part of her district, she's the first Democrat to serve as state senator since the 1930s.</p> <p>Her secret to representing a Republican area?</p> <p>"I'm realistic. I represent approximately 160,000 people, and you have to ask yourself, 'When's the last time you remember 160,000 people agreeing on anything?' Probably never," she says. "If I can get people to agree with me 7 out of 10 times, I'm probably doing a good job.</p> 
 <p>"Now for those three times that maybe people think, 'Well, my priorities line up differently than the senator's' — well, as long as I do what every fifth-grade math teacher told me to do, which is 'show my work' — show my work, explain it — people then at least respect me."</p> 
 
 <p>At a coffee shop in downtown Oshkosh, Wis., the youngest woman in Wisconsin's state Senate was wearing a business suit and stealing bits of a muffin that was her breakfast.</p> <p>King's story began with a tough childhood.</p> <p>"My father really suffered from today what we call, you know, post-traumatic stress disorder," King says. "My mother actually suffered from schizophrenia."</p> <p>Her dad's PTSD dates to when he served on a destroyer in the Pacific before the Vietnam War.</p> <p>With two parents with disabilities — both hospitalized when their daughter was 4 — King was in and out of foster care. As a teenager, she got her first job, working third shift at a juice box factory. She ultimately went to college and law school and then went into politics. Her father got to see her sworn in last year.</p> <p>"My father's now in a wheelchair. He can't really move; he can't really talk anymore. But he still has a lot of cognition, so I know he knows what's going on," she says. "And he was able to be there that day. And it was a really exciting, excellent day for me."</p> 
 <p><strong>A Divided State</strong></p> <p>No doubt, her political views are rooted in her firsthand experience with social services. She benefited from Wisconsin's social structures, having grown up as a ward of the state. Her father now lives in a public facility.</p> <p>"It is a county-run nursing home," she says. "And I think it's just an incredible example of how, in Wisconsin, we really take care of our people."</p> <p>She says she is proud of Wisconsin. But over the past year, as the fight over whether to recall Gov. Scott Walker consumed the state, she struggled to recognize this place that she loves.</p> <p>"Before 2011, I believe everyone who had heard of Wisconsin or knew where it was thought, 'Well, that's just the nicest place on Earth.' You know, that's the place where you go to summer camp or you go to fish. And gosh, everybody I ever met from Wisconsin was willing to help me out or change a flat tire or help out their neighbor or go the extra mile," she says. "That's it, that's who we are. We're really a happy, good-natured, work ethic; we're ready to show up and be a team."</p> <p>And now?</p> <p>"Well, what I'm saying is, can you imagine what it must take to make the nicest people on Earth have the kind of demonstrations we've had in the last year and a half, right?" she says. "To really be divided?"</p> 
 
 <p><strong>Obstruction And Accountability</strong></p> <p>In a way, that's similar to the Republican message today: This isn't the country that we know and love; we want something different. So we shouldn't vote for President Obama.</p> <p>So how can the president combat that message?</p> <p>"Well, I think people here in Wisconsin, they want to participate, they want to be respected, they want to appreciate that not only their voice but their vote matters," King says. "And I think the best thing that, you know, either of the presidential candidates, whether it be Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama, they will have to demonstrate a place for everyone at the table, define what [everyone's] role is in pursuing a better future and then how their leadership will help build that.</p> <p>"Because I think there's definitely individuals, maybe within the Tea Party, that say, 'You know, I don't matter. You're taking resources from me but I don't get to sit at the table.' And that may be part of their frustration. You know, I don't pretend to know what motivates every individual out there. But I think it's a challenge for both of these candidates in this national race to explain how we all do this together and is somebody shut out."</p> 
 <p>Too many people in Wisconsin feel shut out, King says, and there's a feeling that Washington is more obsessed with gamesmanship and less interested in responding to real concerns.</p> <p>"And I think right now, the No. 1 thing that I feel from the population I serve, the population of Wisconsin, is they're really not supportive of people who are obstructionist," she says. "And I think the thing that is really understood right now is that Congress is functioning in a method of obstruction; they refuse to even attempt to agree. They are very much polarized and pandering. And no one here has time for that.</p> <p>"And ... for whatever Barack Obama's challenges are, and for the challenge that the global economy has thrown our country, I think the issue comes down to: When you're passing out the accountability, as a voter, are you more angry at Congress for being obstructionist than you are at one guy who's just trying to do the right thing?"</p> <p>Still, can King blame voters for holding the president accountable, especially in light of the big changes he talked about while running in 2008?</p> <p>"Like I said, I think voters will measure it out accordingly," she says. "But, then again, you have to balance it back with what the contrast is and what are your options. And when you see people in Washington playing games with something that is very real to them and scares them, they'll remember that. ... And honestly in Wisconsin, the blame game doesn't go too far because at some point you have to be self-accountable for what you do."</p> <p>Of course, in politics, there's a fine line between holding people accountable and playing a blame game.</p> <p>Whatever you call it, King has framed a key question for voters: Did Obama fail to lift the country up? Or did he get stymied by an obstructionist Congress?</p> 
 <p><strong>Finding An Escape Valve</strong></p> <p>As she took a last sip of her iced latte, King got ready to head out for a day of campaigning. She's actually up for re-election already herself.</p> <p>She says she does like finding ways to forget about politics.</p> <p>"I haven't met Mr. Right, but I definitely, you know, I have those things that I care about. And I have a pet rabbit. His name is Irish. He's about six years old and he's really good company. ... You try to find these opportunities to take the stress off a little bit.</p> <p>"So, I found a 1989 Cabriolet that required some tender love and care and it was the car that Barbie had when I was 16. So you know, I find my ways to have my fun. Even ... in this very serious time, everybody needs to have something they enjoy."</p> <p><em>On Thursday, we'll hear from a woman who owns a lakeside fish restaurant and feels a personal connection to Mitt Romney.</em></p>
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 Wisconsin State Senator Jessica King Connects Her Politics To Her Past Jessica King's political views are rooted in her firsthand experience with social services, having grown up as a ward of the state. She was swept into office during the wave of special recall votes in Wisconsin, and says her constituents are fed up with obstructionism in Washington.
 Special Series

 First And Main

 Ahead of the 2012 election, NPR visits an iconic American corner in swing counties around the U.S.

 Wis. State Senator Connects Her Politics To Her Past

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 August 22, 2012 3:04 AM ET
 Heard on Morning Edition

 David Greene

 Wis. State Senator Connects Her Politics To Her Past

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 Wisconsin state Sen. Jessica King stands at the corner of Main Street and Algoma Boulevard in downtown Oshkosh. She won her seat in a senatorial recall campaign last year. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption

 toggle caption
 John W. Poole/NPR

 As the presidential election nears, Morning Edition is visiting swing counties in swing states for our series First and Main. We're listening to voters where they live — to understand what's shaping their thinking this election year. This week, we're spending time in Winnebago County, Wis., where we spoke with two women — one Democrat, one Republican — who embody their state's Midwestern charm and spirit of self-reliance. First, we hear from the Democrat.

 Last year, Jessica King became a Wisconsin state senator, swept into office in a wave of special recall votes. It was part of the larger political drama that saw Wisconsin's governor avoid his own recall.

 King, 37, made history. In part of her district, she's the first Democrat to serve as state senator since the 1930s.

 Her secret to representing a Republican area?

 "I'm realistic. I represent approximately 160,000 people, and you have to ask yourself, 'When's the last time you remember 160,000 people agreeing on anything?' Probably never," she says. "If I can get people to agree with me 7 out of 10 times, I'm probably doing a good job.

 "Now for those three times that maybe people think, 'Well, my priorities line up differently than the senator's' — well, as long as I do what every fifth-grade math teacher told me to do, which is 'show my work' — show my work, explain it — people then at least respect me."

 More In This Series

 First And Main

 Weary Wis. Union Workers Face Another Campaign

 First And Main

 In Wis. Swing County, Voters Criticize 'Handouts'

 At a coffee shop in downtown Oshkosh, Wis., the youngest woman in Wisconsin's state Senate was wearing a business suit and stealing bits of a muffin that was her breakfast.

 King's story began with a tough childhood.

 "My father really suffered from today what we call, you know, post-traumatic stress disorder," King says. "My mother actually suffered from schizophrenia."

 Her dad's PTSD dates to when he served on a destroyer in the Pacific before the Vietnam War.

 With two parents with disabilities — both hospitalized when their daughter was 4 — King was in and out of foster care. As a teenager, she got her first job, working third shift at a juice box factory. She ultimately went to college and law school and then went into politics. Her father got to see her sworn in last year.

 "My father's now in a wheelchair. He can't really move; he can't really talk anymore. But he still has a lot of cognition, so I know he knows what's going on," she says. "And he was able to be there that day. And it was a really exciting, excellent day for me."

 A Divided State

 No doubt, her political views are rooted in her firsthand experience with social services. She benefited from Wisconsin's social structures, having grown up as a ward of the state. Her father now lives in a public facility.

 "It is a county-run nursing home," she says. "And I think it's just an incredible example of how, in Wisconsin, we really take care of our people."

 She says she is proud of Wisconsin. But over the past year, as the fight over whether to recall Gov. Scott Walker consumed the state, she struggled to recognize this place that she loves.

 "Before 2011, I believe everyone who had heard of Wisconsin or knew where it was thought, 'Well, that's just the nicest place on Earth.' You know, that's the place where you go to summer camp or you go to fish. And gosh, everybody I ever met from Wisconsin was willing to help me out or change a flat tire or help out their neighbor or go the extra mile," she says. "That's it, that's who we are. We're really a happy, good-natured, work ethic; we're ready to show up and be a team."

 And now?

 "Well, what I'm saying is, can you imagine what it must take to make the nicest people on Earth have the kind of demonstrations we've had in the last year and a half, right?" she says. "To really be divided?"

 Can you imagine what it must take, to make the nicest people on Earth have the kind of demonstrations we've had in the last year and a half?

 Wisconsin state Sen. Jessica King

 Obstruction And Accountability

 In a way, that's similar to the Republican message today: This isn't the country that we know and love; we want something different. So we shouldn't vote for President Obama.

 So how can the president combat that message?

 "Well, I think people here in Wisconsin, they want to participate, they want to be respected, they want to appreciate that not only their voice but their vote matters," King says. "And I think the best thing that, you know, either of the presidential candidates, whether it be Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama, they will have to demonstrate a place for everyone at the table, define what [everyone's] role is in pursuing a better future and then how their leadership will help build that.

 "Because I think there's definitely individuals, maybe within the Tea Party, that say, 'You know, I don't matter. You're taking resources from me but I don't get to sit at the table.' And that may be part of their frustration. You know, I don't pretend to know what motivates every individual out there. But I think it's a challenge for both of these candidates in this national race to explain how we all do this together and is somebody shut out."

 Too many people in Wisconsin feel shut out, King says, and there's a feeling that Washington is more obsessed with gamesmanship and less interested in responding to real concerns.

 "And I think right now, the No. 1 thing that I feel from the population I serve, the population of Wisconsin, is they're really not supportive of people who are obstructionist," she says. "And I think the thing that is really understood right now is that Congress is functioning in a method of obstruction; they refuse to even attempt to agree. They are very much polarized and pandering. And no one here has time for that.

 "And ... for whatever Barack Obama's challenges are, and for the challenge that the global economy has thrown our country, I think the issue comes down to: When you're passing out the accountability, as a voter, are you more angry at Congress for being obstructionist than you are at one guy who's just trying to do the right thing?"

 Still, can King blame voters for holding the president accountable, especially in light of the big changes he talked about while running in 2008?

 "Like I said, I think voters will measure it out accordingly," she says. "But, then again, you have to balance it back with what the contrast is and what are your options. And when you see people in Washington playing games with something that is very real to them and scares them, they'll remember that. ... And honestly in Wisconsin, the blame game doesn't go too far because at some point you have to be self-accountable for what you do."

 Of course, in politics, there's a fine line between holding people accountable and playing a blame game.

 Whatever you call it, King has framed a key question for voters: Did Obama fail to lift the country up? Or did he get stymied by an obstructionist Congress?

 Finding An Escape Valve

 As she took a last sip of her iced latte, King got ready to head out for a day of campaigning. She's actually up for re-election already herself.

 She says she does like finding ways to forget about politics.

 "I haven't met Mr. Right, but I definitely, you know, I have those things that I care about. And I have a pet rabbit. His name is Irish. He's about six years old and he's really good company. ... You try to find these opportunities to take the stress off a little bit.

 "So, I found a 1989 Cabriolet that required some tender love and care and it was the car that Barbie had when I was 16. So you know, I find my ways to have my fun. Even ... in this very serious time, everybody needs to have something they enjoy."

 On Thursday, we'll hear from a woman who owns a lakeside fish restaurant and feels a personal connection to Mitt Romney.

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 Ahead of the 2012 election, NPR visits an iconic American corner in swing counties around the U.S.

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Wisconsin state Sen. Jessica King stands at the corner of Main Street and Algoma Boulevard in downtown Oshkosh. She won her seat in a senatorial recall campaign last year.
 
 
 John W. Poole/NPR
 
 
  hide caption 
 
   toggle caption 
  
 
 
 John W. Poole/NPR
 
 
 
 
  As the presidential election nears, Morning Edition is visiting swing counties in swing states for our series First and Main. We're listening to voters where they live — to understand what's shaping their thinking this election year. This week, we're spending time in Winnebago County, Wis., where we spoke with two women — one Democrat, one Republican — who embody their state's Midwestern charm and spirit of self-reliance. First, we hear from the Democrat.   Last year, Jessica King became a Wisconsin state senator, swept into office in a wave of special recall votes. It was part of the larger political drama that saw Wisconsin's governor avoid his own recall. King, 37, made history. In part of her district, she's the first Democrat to serve as state senator since the 1930s. Her secret to representing a Republican area? "I'm realistic. I represent approximately 160,000 people, and you have to ask yourself, 'When's the last time you remember 160,000 people agreeing on anything?' Probably never," she says. "If I can get people to agree with me 7 out of 10 times, I'm probably doing a good job. 
 "Now for those three times that maybe people think, 'Well, my priorities line up differently than the senator's' — well, as long as I do what every fifth-grade math teacher told me to do, which is 'show my work' — show my work, explain it — people then at least respect me." 
 
 At a coffee shop in downtown Oshkosh, Wis., the youngest woman in Wisconsin's state Senate was wearing a business suit and stealing bits of a muffin that was her breakfast. King's story began with a tough childhood. "My father really suffered from today what we call, you know, post-traumatic stress disorder," King says. "My mother actually suffered from schizophrenia." Her dad's PTSD dates to when he served on a destroyer in the Pacific before the Vietnam War. With two parents with disabilities — both hospitalized when their daughter was 4 — King was in and out of foster care. As a teenager, she got her first job, working third shift at a juice box factory. She ultimately went to college and law school and then went into politics. Her father got to see her sworn in last year. "My father's now in a wheelchair. He can't really move; he can't really talk anymore. But he still has a lot of cognition, so I know he knows what's going on," she says. "And he was able to be there that day. And it was a really exciting, excellent day for me." 
  A Divided State  No doubt, her political views are rooted in her firsthand experience with social services. She benefited from Wisconsin's social structures, having grown up as a ward of the state. Her father now lives in a public facility. "It is a county-run nursing home," she says. "And I think it's just an incredible example of how, in Wisconsin, we really take care of our people." She says she is proud of Wisconsin. But over the past year, as the fight over whether to recall Gov. Scott Walker consumed the state, she struggled to recognize this place that she loves. "Before 2011, I believe everyone who had heard of Wisconsin or knew where it was thought, 'Well, that's just the nicest place on Earth.' You know, that's the place where you go to summer camp or you go to fish. And gosh, everybody I ever met from Wisconsin was willing to help me out or change a flat tire or help out their neighbor or go the extra mile," she says. "That's it, that's who we are. We're really a happy, good-natured, work ethic; we're ready to show up and be a team." And now? "Well, what I'm saying is, can you imagine what it must take to make the nicest people on Earth have the kind of demonstrations we've had in the last year and a half, right?" she says. "To really be divided?" 
 
  Obstruction And Accountability  In a way, that's similar to the Republican message today: This isn't the country that we know and love; we want something different. So we shouldn't vote for President Obama. So how can the president combat that message? "Well, I think people here in Wisconsin, they want to participate, they want to be respected, they want to appreciate that not only their voice but their vote matters," King says. "And I think the best thing that, you know, either of the presidential candidates, whether it be Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama, they will have to demonstrate a place for everyone at the table, define what [everyone's] role is in pursuing a better future and then how their leadership will help build that. "Because I think there's definitely individuals, maybe within the Tea Party, that say, 'You know, I don't matter. You're taking resources from me but I don't get to sit at the table.' And that may be part of their frustration. You know, I don't pretend to know what motivates every individual out there. But I think it's a challenge for both of these candidates in this national race to explain how we all do this together and is somebody shut out." 
 Too many people in Wisconsin feel shut out, King says, and there's a feeling that Washington is more obsessed with gamesmanship and less interested in responding to real concerns. "And I think right now, the No. 1 thing that I feel from the population I serve, the population of Wisconsin, is they're really not supportive of people who are obstructionist," she says. "And I think the thing that is really understood right now is that Congress is functioning in a method of obstruction; they refuse to even attempt to agree. They are very much polarized and pandering. And no one here has time for that. "And ... for whatever Barack Obama's challenges are, and for the challenge that the global economy has thrown our country, I think the issue comes down to: When you're passing out the accountability, as a voter, are you more angry at Congress for being obstructionist than you are at one guy who's just trying to do the right thing?" Still, can King blame voters for holding the president accountable, especially in light of the big changes he talked about while running in 2008? "Like I said, I think voters will measure it out accordingly," she says. "But, then again, you have to balance it back with what the contrast is and what are your options. And when you see people in Washington playing games with something that is very real to them and scares them, they'll remember that. ... And honestly in Wisconsin, the blame game doesn't go too far because at some point you have to be self-accountable for what you do." Of course, in politics, there's a fine line between holding people accountable and playing a blame game. Whatever you call it, King has framed a key question for voters: Did Obama fail to lift the country up? Or did he get stymied by an obstructionist Congress? 
  Finding An Escape Valve  As she took a last sip of her iced latte, King got ready to head out for a day of campaigning. She's actually up for re-election already herself. She says she does like finding ways to forget about politics. "I haven't met Mr. Right, but I definitely, you know, I have those things that I care about. And I have a pet rabbit. His name is Irish. He's about six years old and he's really good company. ... You try to find these opportunities to take the stress off a little bit. "So, I found a 1989 Cabriolet that required some tender love and care and it was the car that Barbie had when I was 16. So you know, I find my ways to have my fun. Even ... in this very serious time, everybody needs to have something they enjoy."  On Thursday, we'll hear from a woman who owns a lakeside fish restaurant and feels a personal connection to Mitt Romney.
Wis. State Senator Connects Her Politics To Her Past
https://www.npr.org/2012/08/22/159522521/wis-state-senator-connects-her-politics-to-her-past
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/03/04/469049902/spains-first-black-member-of-parliament-and-the-new-politics
Spain's First Black Member Of Parliament And The 'New Politics'
2016-03-04
Lauren Frayer
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<div>
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 <p>
 Rita Bosaho, shown here in January, is the first black member elected to Spain's parliament. Born in Equatorial Guinea and raised in a foster family in Spain, she trained as a nurse before entering politics two years ago.
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 Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
 
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 </p></div>
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 Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
 
 
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 </div>
<div>
 <p>Rita Bosaho, shown here in January, is the first black member elected to Spain's parliament. Born in Equatorial Guinea and raised in a foster family in Spain, she trained as a nurse before entering politics two years ago.</p>
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 Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
 
 
 </p></div>
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 <p>As hundreds of thousands of Arab and African migrants arrive in Europe, Spanish lawmakers meet to discuss the continent's crisis — and all eyes are on one woman. She's the only national politician whose skin is the same color as many of the African migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Spain. But she made a different journey from Africa.</p> <p>"I was born in Equatorial Guinea when it was a Spanish colony," explains Rita Bosaho, Spain's first black member of parliament. "My parents died when I was very young, and I came to live with a foster family in Spain."</p> <p>Bosaho's foster dad was in the military, so they moved around, living in several Spanish cities. She was the only black child in a white foster family — and in all of her schools, until university.</p> <p>Compared with the rest of Europe, Spain is relatively homogenous. It's traditionally sent emigrants abroad, rather than receiving them — especially in the 1970s, when Bosaho was growing up. She's 50 now.</p> <p>"When I was little, I learned to read from a storybook about white explorers and black cannibals in Africa," she says. "I grew up being scared of where I came from."</p> 
 <p>That worried her foster parents, Bosaho says. She credits them with teaching her the values of equality and justice. She became a hospital nurse and volunteered with disadvantaged populations of Roma and other minorities in the rough north barrios of Alicante, on Spain's coast.</p> <p>Then, two years ago, when Spain's new left-wing political party, Podemos, began searching for diverse, accomplished people willing to go into politics, Bosaho signed up.</p> <p>In elections Dec. 20, she won a seat in Spain's parliament — <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/21/podemos-rita-bosaho-becomes-spains-first-female-black-mp">the first person of color</a>, male or female, to do so in modern Spanish history. Bosaho promises to represent the interests of ethnic and racial minorities in Spain.</p> <p>She is still coming to terms with her newfound fame.</p> <p>"I feel humbled and proud, and hope I can empower minorities," she says. "There are lots of people who don't understand that I'm Spanish. They see that I'm black — and think those two things can't go together."</p> <p>But the Spanish population is changing. More than 10 percent are legal immigrants who've become Spanish citizens — though most are white, from Latin America or Eastern Europe.</p> 
 
 
 
 <p>Spain received a wave of Latino immigrants in the 1990s, during its economic boom years, when there were ample jobs in construction and home health care. Spanish law allows citizens of most former Spanish colonies, many of which are in Latin America, to obtain Spanish passports within just two years.</p> <p>Some of those Latinos returned to their countries of origin after Spain's economy began faltering in 2008. Spanish unemployment remains stuck above 20 percent, and many immigrants worry they are over-represented in the jobless ranks while under-represented in politics.</p> 
 <p>At a recent community gathering in Valencia, on Spain's Mediterranean coast, immigrants from several Latin American countries packed into a local Podemos office to meet Bosaho, their new MP.</p> <p>"I'm so proud to see a woman — an African woman, no less — representing us in parliament," says Patricia Villalba, an unemployed 58-year-old originally from Ecuador. "Immigrants should be more visible in Spanish society."</p> <p>Arab and African migrants and refugees typically want to go to more prosperous northern Europe, and while Spain has agreed to accept more than 17,000 refugees under European Union quota plans, just a small fraction of those have arrived from landing zones in Greece and Italy. Madrid's city hall is nevertheless draped in a "Refugees Welcome" banner.</p> <p>Unlike in other parts of Europe, there is no major far-right, anti-immigrant political movement here, though racism exists. In 2014, a banana was hurled at a Brazilian soccer player in Spain's Villareal stadium, and spectators taunted a Spanish team's Senegalese player by making monkey noises.</p> <p>Bosaho's own party, Podemos, is criticized for promising dignity to unemployed protesters in the street but not yet backing that up with policy. Bosaho has yet to author any legislation. But she's changing perceptions about those who do.</p> <p>The stereotype of a Spanish politician "is always a man — the typical white man," says Aitana Christensen Ribera, an 18-year-old high school student who met Bosaho when the lawmaker visited her high school. "And now you have her! That's the new politics."</p> <p>During a question-and-answer session at the high school, another student, Rahma Mohamed, an immigrant from Western Sahara, takes the microphone and asks her MP a personal question.</p> <p>"People in Spain see me differently," she says. "And I worry they value me differently. How can I convince people I'm Spanish, just like them?"</p> <p>Bosaho thanks the student for her question. She thinks for a moment before breaking out into a smile.</p> 
 <p>"You and I — we're exactly the same," Bosaho tells the girl. "We're minorities, we're paying our taxes and we have voices. I think I can help."</p>
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 Spain's First Black Member Of Parliament And The 'New Politics' : Parallels Rita Bosaho is a nurse turned politician, born in Equatorial Guinea but raised by a white foster family in Spain. "I hope I can empower minorities," she says.

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 Spain's First Black Member Of Parliament And The 'New Politics'

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 Rita Bosaho, shown here in January, is the first black member elected to Spain's parliament. Born in Equatorial Guinea and raised in a foster family in Spain, she trained as a nurse before entering politics two years ago. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images hide caption

 toggle caption
 Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

 Rita Bosaho, shown here in January, is the first black member elected to Spain's parliament. Born in Equatorial Guinea and raised in a foster family in Spain, she trained as a nurse before entering politics two years ago.

 Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

 As hundreds of thousands of Arab and African migrants arrive in Europe, Spanish lawmakers meet to discuss the continent's crisis — and all eyes are on one woman. She's the only national politician whose skin is the same color as many of the African migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Spain. But she made a different journey from Africa.

 "I was born in Equatorial Guinea when it was a Spanish colony," explains Rita Bosaho, Spain's first black member of parliament. "My parents died when I was very young, and I came to live with a foster family in Spain."

 Bosaho's foster dad was in the military, so they moved around, living in several Spanish cities. She was the only black child in a white foster family — and in all of her schools, until university.

 Compared with the rest of Europe, Spain is relatively homogenous. It's traditionally sent emigrants abroad, rather than receiving them — especially in the 1970s, when Bosaho was growing up. She's 50 now.

 "When I was little, I learned to read from a storybook about white explorers and black cannibals in Africa," she says. "I grew up being scared of where I came from."

 That worried her foster parents, Bosaho says. She credits them with teaching her the values of equality and justice. She became a hospital nurse and volunteered with disadvantaged populations of Roma and other minorities in the rough north barrios of Alicante, on Spain's coast.

 Then, two years ago, when Spain's new left-wing political party, Podemos, began searching for diverse, accomplished people willing to go into politics, Bosaho signed up.

 In elections Dec. 20, she won a seat in Spain's parliament — the first person of color, male or female, to do so in modern Spanish history. Bosaho promises to represent the interests of ethnic and racial minorities in Spain.

 She is still coming to terms with her newfound fame.

 "I feel humbled and proud, and hope I can empower minorities," she says. "There are lots of people who don't understand that I'm Spanish. They see that I'm black — and think those two things can't go together."

 But the Spanish population is changing. More than 10 percent are legal immigrants who've become Spanish citizens — though most are white, from Latin America or Eastern Europe.

 Europe

 Anti-Establishment MPs Shake Up Spain's New Parliament

 Code Switch

 Spain Fines Team Of Racist, Banana-Throwing Fan, But Is It Enough?

 Spain received a wave of Latino immigrants in the 1990s, during its economic boom years, when there were ample jobs in construction and home health care. Spanish law allows citizens of most former Spanish colonies, many of which are in Latin America, to obtain Spanish passports within just two years.

 Some of those Latinos returned to their countries of origin after Spain's economy began faltering in 2008. Spanish unemployment remains stuck above 20 percent, and many immigrants worry they are over-represented in the jobless ranks while under-represented in politics.

 At a recent community gathering in Valencia, on Spain's Mediterranean coast, immigrants from several Latin American countries packed into a local Podemos office to meet Bosaho, their new MP.

 "I'm so proud to see a woman — an African woman, no less — representing us in parliament," says Patricia Villalba, an unemployed 58-year-old originally from Ecuador. "Immigrants should be more visible in Spanish society."

 Arab and African migrants and refugees typically want to go to more prosperous northern Europe, and while Spain has agreed to accept more than 17,000 refugees under European Union quota plans, just a small fraction of those have arrived from landing zones in Greece and Italy. Madrid's city hall is nevertheless draped in a "Refugees Welcome" banner.

 Unlike in other parts of Europe, there is no major far-right, anti-immigrant political movement here, though racism exists. In 2014, a banana was hurled at a Brazilian soccer player in Spain's Villareal stadium, and spectators taunted a Spanish team's Senegalese player by making monkey noises.

 Bosaho's own party, Podemos, is criticized for promising dignity to unemployed protesters in the street but not yet backing that up with policy. Bosaho has yet to author any legislation. But she's changing perceptions about those who do.

 The stereotype of a Spanish politician "is always a man — the typical white man," says Aitana Christensen Ribera, an 18-year-old high school student who met Bosaho when the lawmaker visited her high school. "And now you have her! That's the new politics."

 During a question-and-answer session at the high school, another student, Rahma Mohamed, an immigrant from Western Sahara, takes the microphone and asks her MP a personal question.

 "People in Spain see me differently," she says. "And I worry they value me differently. How can I convince people I'm Spanish, just like them?"

 Bosaho thanks the student for her question. She thinks for a moment before breaking out into a smile.

 "You and I — we're exactly the same," Bosaho tells the girl. "We're minorities, we're paying our taxes and we have voices. I think I can help."

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Rita Bosaho, shown here in January, is the first black member elected to Spain's parliament. Born in Equatorial Guinea and raised in a foster family in Spain, she trained as a nurse before entering politics two years ago.
 
 
 Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
 
 
  hide caption 
 
   toggle caption 
  
 
 
 Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rita Bosaho, shown here in January, is the first black member elected to Spain's parliament. Born in Equatorial Guinea and raised in a foster family in Spain, she trained as a nurse before entering politics two years ago.
 
 
 Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
 
 
  
 
 As hundreds of thousands of Arab and African migrants arrive in Europe, Spanish lawmakers meet to discuss the continent's crisis — and all eyes are on one woman. She's the only national politician whose skin is the same color as many of the African migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Spain. But she made a different journey from Africa. "I was born in Equatorial Guinea when it was a Spanish colony," explains Rita Bosaho, Spain's first black member of parliament. "My parents died when I was very young, and I came to live with a foster family in Spain." Bosaho's foster dad was in the military, so they moved around, living in several Spanish cities. She was the only black child in a white foster family — and in all of her schools, until university. Compared with the rest of Europe, Spain is relatively homogenous. It's traditionally sent emigrants abroad, rather than receiving them — especially in the 1970s, when Bosaho was growing up. She's 50 now. "When I was little, I learned to read from a storybook about white explorers and black cannibals in Africa," she says. "I grew up being scared of where I came from." 
 That worried her foster parents, Bosaho says. She credits them with teaching her the values of equality and justice. She became a hospital nurse and volunteered with disadvantaged populations of Roma and other minorities in the rough north barrios of Alicante, on Spain's coast. Then, two years ago, when Spain's new left-wing political party, Podemos, began searching for diverse, accomplished people willing to go into politics, Bosaho signed up. In elections Dec. 20, she won a seat in Spain's parliament — the first person of color, male or female, to do so in modern Spanish history. Bosaho promises to represent the interests of ethnic and racial minorities in Spain. She is still coming to terms with her newfound fame. "I feel humbled and proud, and hope I can empower minorities," she says. "There are lots of people who don't understand that I'm Spanish. They see that I'm black — and think those two things can't go together." But the Spanish population is changing. More than 10 percent are legal immigrants who've become Spanish citizens — though most are white, from Latin America or Eastern Europe. 
 
 
 
 Spain received a wave of Latino immigrants in the 1990s, during its economic boom years, when there were ample jobs in construction and home health care. Spanish law allows citizens of most former Spanish colonies, many of which are in Latin America, to obtain Spanish passports within just two years. Some of those Latinos returned to their countries of origin after Spain's economy began faltering in 2008. Spanish unemployment remains stuck above 20 percent, and many immigrants worry they are over-represented in the jobless ranks while under-represented in politics. 
 At a recent community gathering in Valencia, on Spain's Mediterranean coast, immigrants from several Latin American countries packed into a local Podemos office to meet Bosaho, their new MP. "I'm so proud to see a woman — an African woman, no less — representing us in parliament," says Patricia Villalba, an unemployed 58-year-old originally from Ecuador. "Immigrants should be more visible in Spanish society." Arab and African migrants and refugees typically want to go to more prosperous northern Europe, and while Spain has agreed to accept more than 17,000 refugees under European Union quota plans, just a small fraction of those have arrived from landing zones in Greece and Italy. Madrid's city hall is nevertheless draped in a "Refugees Welcome" banner. Unlike in other parts of Europe, there is no major far-right, anti-immigrant political movement here, though racism exists. In 2014, a banana was hurled at a Brazilian soccer player in Spain's Villareal stadium, and spectators taunted a Spanish team's Senegalese player by making monkey noises. Bosaho's own party, Podemos, is criticized for promising dignity to unemployed protesters in the street but not yet backing that up with policy. Bosaho has yet to author any legislation. But she's changing perceptions about those who do. The stereotype of a Spanish politician "is always a man — the typical white man," says Aitana Christensen Ribera, an 18-year-old high school student who met Bosaho when the lawmaker visited her high school. "And now you have her! That's the new politics." During a question-and-answer session at the high school, another student, Rahma Mohamed, an immigrant from Western Sahara, takes the microphone and asks her MP a personal question. "People in Spain see me differently," she says. "And I worry they value me differently. How can I convince people I'm Spanish, just like them?" Bosaho thanks the student for her question. She thinks for a moment before breaking out into a smile. 
 "You and I — we're exactly the same," Bosaho tells the girl. "We're minorities, we're paying our taxes and we have voices. I think I can help."
Spain's First Black Member Of Parliament And The 'New Politics'
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/03/04/469049902/spains-first-black-member-of-parliament-and-the-new-politics
https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/11/politics/joseph-dunford-joint-chiefs-chairman-politics/index.html
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to troops: Stay out of politics | CNN Politics
2016-04-11
Barbara Starr
<div><section> <article>
 <section>
 <main>
 <div>
 
 
 </div>
 <div>
 <div>
 <h3>Story highlights</h3>
 <div>
 <p>General Joseph Dunford is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff </p>
 <p>Dunford is expected to issue a note to all military forces as soon as this week telling them to stay out of politics</p>
 </div>
</div>
 <p><cite>
 
 CNN
  — 
 </cite>
</p>
 <p>
 Growing concern that top U.S. military leaders are increasingly being asked to comment on proposals by presidential candidates has led the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to draft a letter to all troops with one message: Stay out of politics. 
 </p>
 <p>
 Gen. Joseph Dunford is expected to issue a note to all military forces as soon as this week. 
 </p>
 <p>
 Dunford will “remind the troops of the need to remain apolitical in order to sustain Americans’ trust and confidence in them,” said the chairman’s spokesman, Capt. Gregory Hicks. 
 </p>
 <p>
 The U.S. military has a longstanding tradition of remaining out of politics so that commanders are free to give any president their best military advice without it being seen as part of a political agenda.
 </p>
 <p>
 Hicks noted that the issue often comes up during the presidential campaign season. Troops are reminded not to appear in uniform at political events, for example.
 </p>
 <p>
 But this year, the issue has grown more public – and Dunford’s letter is aimed at senior commanders as well as the troops – because of the national security debate on the campaign trail. 
 </p>
 <p>
 Some of the candidates’ ideas, such as Donald Trump’s statements about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/07/politics/donald-trump-tapper-waterboarding-new-hampshire/">waterboarding terrorists</a> and Sen. Ted Cruz’s proposals for <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/02/politics/sean-macfarland-isis-carpet-bombing-cruz-trump/">“carpet bombing” ISIS, </a>have sparked intense debate and led to top generals receiving questions on the policies when they appear at news conferences and testify on Capitol Hill.
 </p>
 <p>
 Dunford “sees a trend line, he wants to address it,” Hicks said. “Our ethos of an apolitical nature is the foundation of the trust the civilian leadership has in the unfettered and unfiltered advice and counsel of the military.”
 </p>
 <p>
 Dunford was recently asked if NATO was obsolete, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/04/politics/obama-nato-jens-stoltenberg-trump/">a position advocated by Trump</a>. Other generals have been asked about carpetbombing and waterboarding.
 </p>
 <p>
 In some recent instances, top generals have answered questions by the media apparently unaware they were based on statements from candidates. 
 </p>
 <p>
 The Pentagon, like the Intelligence community, is now in the early stages of planning for a presidential transition.
 </p>
 <p>
 A small number of defense officials have been assigned to begin assessing what must be done to prepare for a transition, including what types of briefing materials and intelligence information will be needed. 
 </p>
 <p>
 The military and Intelligence community will begin to brief both the Republican and Democratic nominees after the political conventions. But fully detailed briefings with the highest level of classified information will not happen until after Election Day.
 </p>
 <p>
 Dunford, as well as several other top military leaders, will still be in their jobs when the new president takes office in January 2017, so the chairman thinks it’s imperative that the individual not see any political leanings among those military officials, defense officials said in explaining Dunford’s concerns.
 </p>
 </div>
 </main>
 </section>
</article>
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 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to troops: Stay out of politics

 By Barbara Starr , CNN Pentagon Correspondent
 Published 10:52 AM EDT, Mon April 11, 2016
 Link Copied!
 US Marine General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. speaks during a hearing of the Senate Armed Service Committee on Capitol Hill November 15, 2012 in Washington, DC.
 BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

 Story highlights

 General Joseph Dunford is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

 Dunford is expected to issue a note to all military forces as soon as this week telling them to stay out of politics

 CNN —

 Growing concern that top U.S. military leaders are increasingly being asked to comment on proposals by presidential candidates has led the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to draft a letter to all troops with one message: Stay out of politics.

 Gen. Joseph Dunford is expected to issue a note to all military forces as soon as this week.

 Dunford will “remind the troops of the need to remain apolitical in order to sustain Americans’ trust and confidence in them,” said the chairman’s spokesman, Capt. Gregory Hicks.

 The U.S. military has a longstanding tradition of remaining out of politics so that commanders are free to give any president their best military advice without it being seen as part of a political agenda.

 Hicks noted that the issue often comes up during the presidential campaign season. Troops are reminded not to appear in uniform at political events, for example.

 But this year, the issue has grown more public – and Dunford’s letter is aimed at senior commanders as well as the troops – because of the national security debate on the campaign trail.

 Some of the candidates’ ideas, such as Donald Trump’s statements about waterboarding terrorists and Sen. Ted Cruz’s proposals for “carpet bombing” ISIS, have sparked intense debate and led to top generals receiving questions on the policies when they appear at news conferences and testify on Capitol Hill.

 Dunford “sees a trend line, he wants to address it,” Hicks said. “Our ethos of an apolitical nature is the foundation of the trust the civilian leadership has in the unfettered and unfiltered advice and counsel of the military.”

 Dunford was recently asked if NATO was obsolete, a position advocated by Trump. Other generals have been asked about carpetbombing and waterboarding.

 In some recent instances, top generals have answered questions by the media apparently unaware they were based on statements from candidates.

 The Pentagon, like the Intelligence community, is now in the early stages of planning for a presidential transition.

 A small number of defense officials have been assigned to begin assessing what must be done to prepare for a transition, including what types of briefing materials and intelligence information will be needed.

 The military and Intelligence community will begin to brief both the Republican and Democratic nominees after the political conventions. But fully detailed briefings with the highest level of classified information will not happen until after Election Day.

 Dunford, as well as several other top military leaders, will still be in their jobs when the new president takes office in January 2017, so the chairman thinks it’s imperative that the individual not see any political leanings among those military officials, defense officials said in explaining Dunford’s concerns.

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 © 2023 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.
 CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.

Story highlights
 
 General Joseph Dunford is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
 Dunford is expected to issue a note to all military forces as soon as this week telling them to stay out of politics
 
  
 
 CNN
  — 
 
 
 Growing concern that top U.S. military leaders are increasingly being asked to comment on proposals by presidential candidates has led the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to draft a letter to all troops with one message: Stay out of politics. 
 
 
 Gen. Joseph Dunford is expected to issue a note to all military forces as soon as this week. 
 
 
 Dunford will “remind the troops of the need to remain apolitical in order to sustain Americans’ trust and confidence in them,” said the chairman’s spokesman, Capt. Gregory Hicks. 
 
 
 The U.S. military has a longstanding tradition of remaining out of politics so that commanders are free to give any president their best military advice without it being seen as part of a political agenda.
 
 
 Hicks noted that the issue often comes up during the presidential campaign season. Troops are reminded not to appear in uniform at political events, for example.
 
 
 But this year, the issue has grown more public – and Dunford’s letter is aimed at senior commanders as well as the troops – because of the national security debate on the campaign trail. 
 
 
 Some of the candidates’ ideas, such as Donald Trump’s statements about waterboarding terrorists and Sen. Ted Cruz’s proposals for “carpet bombing” ISIS, have sparked intense debate and led to top generals receiving questions on the policies when they appear at news conferences and testify on Capitol Hill.
 
 
 Dunford “sees a trend line, he wants to address it,” Hicks said. “Our ethos of an apolitical nature is the foundation of the trust the civilian leadership has in the unfettered and unfiltered advice and counsel of the military.”
 
 
 Dunford was recently asked if NATO was obsolete, a position advocated by Trump. Other generals have been asked about carpetbombing and waterboarding.
 
 
 In some recent instances, top generals have answered questions by the media apparently unaware they were based on statements from candidates. 
 
 
 The Pentagon, like the Intelligence community, is now in the early stages of planning for a presidential transition.
 
 
 A small number of defense officials have been assigned to begin assessing what must be done to prepare for a transition, including what types of briefing materials and intelligence information will be needed. 
 
 
 The military and Intelligence community will begin to brief both the Republican and Democratic nominees after the political conventions. But fully detailed briefings with the highest level of classified information will not happen until after Election Day.
 
 
 Dunford, as well as several other top military leaders, will still be in their jobs when the new president takes office in January 2017, so the chairman thinks it’s imperative that the individual not see any political leanings among those military officials, defense officials said in explaining Dunford’s concerns.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to troops: Stay out of politics | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/11/politics/joseph-dunford-joint-chiefs-chairman-politics/index.html
https://www.vox.com/2016/12/13/13936226/samantha-bee-identity-politics-democrats
Samantha Bee: "identity politics is the dismissive term for what we used to call ‘civil rights’"
2016-12-13
Caroline Framke
<div><div>
 <p>The phrase “identity politics” has <a href="http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12/2/13718770/identity-politics">been thrown around</a> so haphazardly in the wake of the election that it’s lost more of its meaning with every casually derisive mention. As Democrats grapple with what they can do to gain traction after Donald Trump’s victory, arguments have raged on over whether highlighting “identity politics” — now largely understood to mean any issues specific to women, minorities, and LGBTQ people — cost Democrats the election.</p>
<p>Samantha Bee, for one, thinks <a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/23/13685988/democrats-identity-politics">that’s basically bullshit</a>.</p>
<p>“Identity politics is the dismissive term for what we used to call ‘civil rights’ and ‘equality,’” Bee said on her December 12 show. Also, she made sure to add, white and male <em>is</em> an identity, as is being Christian — the two fronts Steve Doocy’s Fox News roundtable and other like-minded media outlets feel are most under attack.</p>
<p>Basically, as <a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/23/13685988/democrats-identity-politics">Vox’s Matt Yglesias put it</a>: “There is no other way to do politics than to do identity politics.”</p>
<p>What’s more, Bee said, standing up for civil rights can, and did, win Democrats elections. “You know what happens when Democrats stand up for transgender rights? They <em>win</em>,” she said, pointing to North Carolina’s gubernatorial race, which was recently called for Democrat Roy Cooper over Republican incumbent Pat McCrory, a staunch supporter of <a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/2/23/11100552/charlotte-north-carolina-lgbtq-pat-mccrory">the state’s discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws</a>.</p>
<p>Bee did acknowledge that Hillary Clinton’s messaging on jobs, while far more present than most coverage gave her credit for, could’ve used some work beyond “trumped-up trickle-down economics.” But the real shame, she insisted, would be losing the people who did vote for Democrats over those who might someday.</p>
<p>“If your panic over a loss makes you abandon both your principles and the people who actually vote for you,” Bee pleaded to Democrats, “you’ll be in the wilderness for a decade — or until Trump’s Cabinet sells the wilderness to oil companies, so really, like a month.”</p>
<p>Full Frontal with Samantha Bee <em>airs Monday nights at 10:30 pm on TBS.</em></p>
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 Samantha Bee: “identity politics is the dismissive term for what we used to call ‘civil rights’”

 The Full Frontal host wants to dismiss the theory that so-called “identity politics” cost Democrats the election.

 By Caroline Framke @carolineframke Dec 13, 2016, 11:15am EST

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 The phrase “identity politics” has been thrown around so haphazardly in the wake of the election that it’s lost more of its meaning with every casually derisive mention. As Democrats grapple with what they can do to gain traction after Donald Trump’s victory, arguments have raged on over whether highlighting “identity politics” — now largely understood to mean any issues specific to women, minorities, and LGBTQ people — cost Democrats the election.

 Samantha Bee, for one, thinks that’s basically bullshit.

 “Identity politics is the dismissive term for what we used to call ‘civil rights’ and ‘equality,’” Bee said on her December 12 show. Also, she made sure to add, white and male is an identity, as is being Christian — the two fronts Steve Doocy’s Fox News roundtable and other like-minded media outlets feel are most under attack.

 Basically, as Vox’s Matt Yglesias put it: “There is no other way to do politics than to do identity politics.”

 What’s more, Bee said, standing up for civil rights can, and did, win Democrats elections. “You know what happens when Democrats stand up for transgender rights? They win,” she said, pointing to North Carolina’s gubernatorial race, which was recently called for Democrat Roy Cooper over Republican incumbent Pat McCrory, a staunch supporter of the state’s discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws.

 Bee did acknowledge that Hillary Clinton’s messaging on jobs, while far more present than most coverage gave her credit for, could’ve used some work beyond “trumped-up trickle-down economics.” But the real shame, she insisted, would be losing the people who did vote for Democrats over those who might someday.

 “If your panic over a loss makes you abandon both your principles and the people who actually vote for you,” Bee pleaded to Democrats, “you’ll be in the wilderness for a decade — or until Trump’s Cabinet sells the wilderness to oil companies, so really, like a month.”

 Full Frontal with Samantha Bee airs Monday nights at 10:30 pm on TBS.

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The phrase “identity politics” has been thrown around so haphazardly in the wake of the election that it’s lost more of its meaning with every casually derisive mention. As Democrats grapple with what they can do to gain traction after Donald Trump’s victory, arguments have raged on over whether highlighting “identity politics” — now largely understood to mean any issues specific to women, minorities, and LGBTQ people — cost Democrats the election.
Samantha Bee, for one, thinks that’s basically bullshit.
“Identity politics is the dismissive term for what we used to call ‘civil rights’ and ‘equality,’” Bee said on her December 12 show. Also, she made sure to add, white and male is an identity, as is being Christian — the two fronts Steve Doocy’s Fox News roundtable and other like-minded media outlets feel are most under attack.
Basically, as Vox’s Matt Yglesias put it: “There is no other way to do politics than to do identity politics.”
What’s more, Bee said, standing up for civil rights can, and did, win Democrats elections. “You know what happens when Democrats stand up for transgender rights? They win,” she said, pointing to North Carolina’s gubernatorial race, which was recently called for Democrat Roy Cooper over Republican incumbent Pat McCrory, a staunch supporter of the state’s discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws.
Bee did acknowledge that Hillary Clinton’s messaging on jobs, while far more present than most coverage gave her credit for, could’ve used some work beyond “trumped-up trickle-down economics.” But the real shame, she insisted, would be losing the people who did vote for Democrats over those who might someday.
“If your panic over a loss makes you abandon both your principles and the people who actually vote for you,” Bee pleaded to Democrats, “you’ll be in the wilderness for a decade — or until Trump’s Cabinet sells the wilderness to oil companies, so really, like a month.”
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee airs Monday nights at 10:30 pm on TBS. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 $95/year
 
 
 
 
 
 
 $120/year
 
 
 
 
 
 
 $250/year
 
 
 
 
 
 Other
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Yes, I'll give $120/year
 
 
 
 Yes, I'll give $120/year
 
 
 
 
 We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
 
 
 Google Pay. You can also contribute via
Samantha Bee: "identity politics is the dismissive term for what we used to call ‘civil rights’"
https://www.vox.com/2016/12/13/13936226/samantha-bee-identity-politics-democrats
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/29/487821128/the-economy-and-politics-of-1968-now-playing-in-reruns
The Economy And Politics Of 1968: Now Playing In Reruns
2016-07-29
Marilyn Geewax
<div><div>
 <div>
 <div>
 
 
 
 
 
 
</div>
<div>
 <div>
 <p>
 Demonstrators in Philadelphia during this week's Democratic convention echo another presidential election year, 1968.
 <b>
 
 John Minchillo/AP
 
 </b>
 <b><b>hide caption</b></b>
 </p>
 <p><b><b>toggle caption</b></b>
 </p></div>
 <p>
 
 John Minchillo/AP
 
 
</p></div>
<div>
 
 
 
 
 
 </div>
<div>
 <p>Demonstrators in Philadelphia during this week's Democratic convention echo another presidential election year, 1968.</p>
 <p>
 
 John Minchillo/AP
 
 
 </p></div>
 </div>
 <p>In so many ways, 1968 was a great year for middle-class Americans' wallets — and terrible for politics.</p> <p>On the one hand, gasoline was cheap and unemployment was low. Real estate values were rising, helping average homeowners build wealth. Good times!</p> <p>Still, many people were not feeling good — at all. In 1968, the tumultuous presidential-election year brought strident clashes at political events, third-party disruptions, calls for "law and order," racial discord and worries about foreign enemies.</p> <p>Sound familiar?</p> <p>In terms of both the economy and politics, we seem to have a summer rerun playing out. Here are some of the parallels on the economic front:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Gas prices</strong>. Baby boomers remember the late 1960s as the good old days for driving because gas cost <a href="https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/showtext.cfm?t=ptb0524">34 cents a gallon</a>. Now we're enjoying even better bargains. AAA says the average gallon costs <a href="http://gasprices.aaa.com/">less than $2.14</a>. Adjusted for inflation, that's 31 cents in 1968 terms.</li> <li><strong>Job creation</strong>. In June 1968, U.S. employers created 251,000 jobs. In June 2016 (the most recent data available), they created <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf">287,000 jobs</a>. In both years, unemployment rates were low by historic standards — at 3.7 percent in July 1968 and 4.9 percent now.</li> <li><strong>Home prices.</strong> In 1968, the <a href="https://www.census.gov/const/uspriceann.pdf">median home price</a> rose 9 percent from the previous year. In 2016, a <a href="http://us.spindices.com/indices/real-estate/sp-corelogic-case-shiller-20-city-composite-home-price-nsa-index">national index</a> of home prices is up 5 percent from last year, although many cities (such as Portland, Seattle, Denver and Dallas) are up 9 percent or more.</li> </ul> 
 <p>Of course, not everything is the same. These are two big differences:</p> <ul> <li><strong></strong><strong>Paychecks.</strong> In 1968, household incomes were up <a href="https://www2.census.gov/prod2/popscan/p60-065.pdf">about 8 percent</a> from 1967. This year, hourly earnings are up <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf">2.6 percent</a> from last year. And the 1968 minimum wage was $1.60, or $11 in today's dollars. But the current minimum is just $7.25. Many states have pushed <a href="https://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm">minimums higher</a>, but none is up to $11 (exception: the District of Columbia at $11.50).</li> <li><strong>Consumers' comfort.</strong> Today's consumers are having a much better year than their 1968 counterparts. That's because inflation is up <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm">only 1 percent</a> from last year, and interest rates remain at historic lows. For example, 30-year fixed mortgage rates are hovering around 3.5 percent. In 1968, inflation was <a href="https://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/68/12/Inflation_Dec1968.pdf">running at about 4 percent</a> and mortgages were at <a href="http://www.forecast-chart.com/rate-mortgage-30.html">7.5 percent</a>.</li> </ul> <p>There's another difference: On Friday, the Commerce Department said gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced in this country. rose at a seasonally adjusted <a href="http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm">annual rate of 1.2 percent</a> in the second quarter. In 1968, GDP growth was running at 4.9 percent.</p> <p>So on the surface, growth appears far less robust than in the late 1960s. But the current sluggishness is related to weak business investment. On the consumer side, personal consumption expanded at a 4.2 percent rate, much more in line with 1968.</p> <p>And there's plenty of evidence of that at retail outlets. The National Retail Federation predicts back-to-school spending will hit $75.8 billion — up more than 11 percent from last year's $68 billion. "We are optimistic that overall economic growth and consumer spending will continue to improve," NRF President Matthew Shay said <a href="https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/back-school-and-college-spending-reach-758-billion">in a statement</a>.</p> 
 <p>So when you examine data over many decades, both 1968 and 2016 look like good years for average Americans. They sure beat the Depression of the 1930s, or the inflation nightmare of the 1970s or the frightful foreclosure years of the Great Recession. No year is perfect, but there's no doubt you'd be happier working in the summer of 1968 or 2016, compared with 1974 or 2009.</p> <p>So why such intense political discord, both then and now? These parallels may offer clues:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Voter dissatisfaction</strong>. Many young Democrats were furious about the 1968 presidential nomination of Vice President Hubert Humphrey. They wanted the anti-establishment, anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy, just as many of today's young Democrats wanted Bernie Sanders. Richard Nixon won the GOP nomination with his calls for "law and order." But many voters were so dissatisfied with the two nominees that they supported third-party candidate George Wallace.</li> <li><strong>Racial discord</strong>. In 1968, race relations were severely strained by the April assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and subsequent riots. In 2016, race relations have been roiled by charges of police brutality, as well as deadly attacks on police officers.</li> <li><strong>Foreign threats</strong>. The war in Vietnam was escalating in 1968 amid fears about communism spreading around the world. This year, many voters are worried about the spread of terrorism inspired by ISIS.</li> </ul> <p>Maybe this year's political discontent can best be explained by a theory known as the "revolution of rising expectations." The phrase was popularized in the 1950s to describe global upheavals in the wake of postwar decolonization. The idea was that rising economic expectations can made people restless and more open to insurgencies and revolution than during tough times when people are just trying to survive.</p> <p>In other words, just as the summer of 1968's political tumult came in the midst of good economic times, this year's intense political debates are playing out in an economic environment that's better for average families than at any time in many years.</p>
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 The Economy And Politics Of 1968: Now Playing In Reruns : The Two-Way Both 1968 and 2016 can be seen as good years for the economy. And yet both may be remembered for their extreme political discontent. Shouldn't good economic times make us less cranky? Apparently, not.

 The Two-Way

 Fact Check

 The Economy And Politics Of 1968: Now Playing In Reruns

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 July 29, 2016 10:33 AM ET

 Marilyn Geewax

 Twitter
 Enlarge this image

 Demonstrators in Philadelphia during this week's Democratic convention echo another presidential election year, 1968. John Minchillo/AP hide caption

 toggle caption
 John Minchillo/AP

 Demonstrators in Philadelphia during this week's Democratic convention echo another presidential election year, 1968.

 John Minchillo/AP

 In so many ways, 1968 was a great year for middle-class Americans' wallets — and terrible for politics.

 On the one hand, gasoline was cheap and unemployment was low. Real estate values were rising, helping average homeowners build wealth. Good times!

 Still, many people were not feeling good — at all. In 1968, the tumultuous presidential-election year brought strident clashes at political events, third-party disruptions, calls for "law and order," racial discord and worries about foreign enemies.

 Sound familiar?

 In terms of both the economy and politics, we seem to have a summer rerun playing out. Here are some of the parallels on the economic front:

 * Gas prices. Baby boomers remember the late 1960s as the good old days for driving because gas cost 34 cents a gallon. Now we're enjoying even better bargains. AAA says the average gallon costs less than $2.14. Adjusted for inflation, that's 31 cents in 1968 terms.
 * Job creation. In June 1968, U.S. employers created 251,000 jobs. In June 2016 (the most recent data available), they created 287,000 jobs. In both years, unemployment rates were low by historic standards — at 3.7 percent in July 1968 and 4.9 percent now.
 * Home prices. In 1968, the median home price rose 9 percent from the previous year. In 2016, a national index of home prices is up 5 percent from last year, although many cities (such as Portland, Seattle, Denver and Dallas) are up 9 percent or more.

 Of course, not everything is the same. These are two big differences:

 * Paychecks. In 1968, household incomes were up about 8 percent from 1967. This year, hourly earnings are up 2.6 percent from last year. And the 1968 minimum wage was $1.60, or $11 in today's dollars. But the current minimum is just $7.25. Many states have pushed minimums higher, but none is up to $11 (exception: the District of Columbia at $11.50).
 * Consumers' comfort. Today's consumers are having a much better year than their 1968 counterparts. That's because inflation is up only 1 percent from last year, and interest rates remain at historic lows. For example, 30-year fixed mortgage rates are hovering around 3.5 percent. In 1968, inflation was running at about 4 percent and mortgages were at 7.5 percent.

 There's another difference: On Friday, the Commerce Department said gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced in this country. rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.2 percent in the second quarter. In 1968, GDP growth was running at 4.9 percent.

 So on the surface, growth appears far less robust than in the late 1960s. But the current sluggishness is related to weak business investment. On the consumer side, personal consumption expanded at a 4.2 percent rate, much more in line with 1968.

 And there's plenty of evidence of that at retail outlets. The National Retail Federation predicts back-to-school spending will hit $75.8 billion — up more than 11 percent from last year's $68 billion. "We are optimistic that overall economic growth and consumer spending will continue to improve," NRF President Matthew Shay said in a statement.

 So when you examine data over many decades, both 1968 and 2016 look like good years for average Americans. They sure beat the Depression of the 1930s, or the inflation nightmare of the 1970s or the frightful foreclosure years of the Great Recession. No year is perfect, but there's no doubt you'd be happier working in the summer of 1968 or 2016, compared with 1974 or 2009.

 So why such intense political discord, both then and now? These parallels may offer clues:

 * Voter dissatisfaction. Many young Democrats were furious about the 1968 presidential nomination of Vice President Hubert Humphrey. They wanted the anti-establishment, anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy, just as many of today's young Democrats wanted Bernie Sanders. Richard Nixon won the GOP nomination with his calls for "law and order." But many voters were so dissatisfied with the two nominees that they supported third-party candidate George Wallace.
 * Racial discord. In 1968, race relations were severely strained by the April assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and subsequent riots. In 2016, race relations have been roiled by charges of police brutality, as well as deadly attacks on police officers.
 * Foreign threats. The war in Vietnam was escalating in 1968 amid fears about communism spreading around the world. This year, many voters are worried about the spread of terrorism inspired by ISIS.

 Maybe this year's political discontent can best be explained by a theory known as the "revolution of rising expectations." The phrase was popularized in the 1950s to describe global upheavals in the wake of postwar decolonization. The idea was that rising economic expectations can made people restless and more open to insurgencies and revolution than during tough times when people are just trying to survive.

 In other words, just as the summer of 1968's political tumult came in the midst of good economic times, this year's intense political debates are playing out in an economic environment that's better for average families than at any time in many years.

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Demonstrators in Philadelphia during this week's Democratic convention echo another presidential election year, 1968.
 
 
 John Minchillo/AP
 
 
  hide caption 
 
   toggle caption 
  
 
 
 John Minchillo/AP
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Demonstrators in Philadelphia during this week's Democratic convention echo another presidential election year, 1968.
 
 
 John Minchillo/AP
 
 
  
 
 In so many ways, 1968 was a great year for middle-class Americans' wallets — and terrible for politics. On the one hand, gasoline was cheap and unemployment was low. Real estate values were rising, helping average homeowners build wealth. Good times! Still, many people were not feeling good — at all. In 1968, the tumultuous presidential-election year brought strident clashes at political events, third-party disruptions, calls for "law and order," racial discord and worries about foreign enemies. Sound familiar? In terms of both the economy and politics, we seem to have a summer rerun playing out. Here are some of the parallels on the economic front:   Gas prices. Baby boomers remember the late 1960s as the good old days for driving because gas cost 34 cents a gallon. Now we're enjoying even better bargains. AAA says the average gallon costs less than $2.14. Adjusted for inflation, that's 31 cents in 1968 terms.  Job creation. In June 1968, U.S. employers created 251,000 jobs. In June 2016 (the most recent data available), they created 287,000 jobs. In both years, unemployment rates were low by historic standards — at 3.7 percent in July 1968 and 4.9 percent now.  Home prices. In 1968, the median home price rose 9 percent from the previous year. In 2016, a national index of home prices is up 5 percent from last year, although many cities (such as Portland, Seattle, Denver and Dallas) are up 9 percent or more.  
 Of course, not everything is the same. These are two big differences:     Paychecks. In 1968, household incomes were up about 8 percent from 1967. This year, hourly earnings are up 2.6 percent from last year. And the 1968 minimum wage was $1.60, or $11 in today's dollars. But the current minimum is just $7.25. Many states have pushed minimums higher, but none is up to $11 (exception: the District of Columbia at $11.50).  Consumers' comfort. Today's consumers are having a much better year than their 1968 counterparts. That's because inflation is up only 1 percent from last year, and interest rates remain at historic lows. For example, 30-year fixed mortgage rates are hovering around 3.5 percent. In 1968, inflation was running at about 4 percent and mortgages were at 7.5 percent.  There's another difference: On Friday, the Commerce Department said gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced in this country. rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.2 percent in the second quarter. In 1968, GDP growth was running at 4.9 percent. So on the surface, growth appears far less robust than in the late 1960s. But the current sluggishness is related to weak business investment. On the consumer side, personal consumption expanded at a 4.2 percent rate, much more in line with 1968. And there's plenty of evidence of that at retail outlets. The National Retail Federation predicts back-to-school spending will hit $75.8 billion — up more than 11 percent from last year's $68 billion. "We are optimistic that overall economic growth and consumer spending will continue to improve," NRF President Matthew Shay said in a statement. 
 So when you examine data over many decades, both 1968 and 2016 look like good years for average Americans. They sure beat the Depression of the 1930s, or the inflation nightmare of the 1970s or the frightful foreclosure years of the Great Recession. No year is perfect, but there's no doubt you'd be happier working in the summer of 1968 or 2016, compared with 1974 or 2009. So why such intense political discord, both then and now? These parallels may offer clues:   Voter dissatisfaction. Many young Democrats were furious about the 1968 presidential nomination of Vice President Hubert Humphrey. They wanted the anti-establishment, anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy, just as many of today's young Democrats wanted Bernie Sanders. Richard Nixon won the GOP nomination with his calls for "law and order." But many voters were so dissatisfied with the two nominees that they supported third-party candidate George Wallace.  Racial discord. In 1968, race relations were severely strained by the April assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and subsequent riots. In 2016, race relations have been roiled by charges of police brutality, as well as deadly attacks on police officers.  Foreign threats. The war in Vietnam was escalating in 1968 amid fears about communism spreading around the world. This year, many voters are worried about the spread of terrorism inspired by ISIS.  Maybe this year's political discontent can best be explained by a theory known as the "revolution of rising expectations." The phrase was popularized in the 1950s to describe global upheavals in the wake of postwar decolonization. The idea was that rising economic expectations can made people restless and more open to insurgencies and revolution than during tough times when people are just trying to survive. In other words, just as the summer of 1968's political tumult came in the midst of good economic times, this year's intense political debates are playing out in an economic environment that's better for average families than at any time in many years.
The Economy And Politics Of 1968: Now Playing In Reruns
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/29/487821128/the-economy-and-politics-of-1968-now-playing-in-reruns