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Shortly after the Democrats won a majority in the House of Representatives, Ronald Klein, writing for the Washington Post, beat the competition by offering the worst choice, claiming that "a Democratic majority charging hearings of Investigation would make a mistake. "And that the Democrats should rather" tackle the problems of cooking ", such as improving health care, raising the minimum wage and increasing Infrastructure improvement.
It was a bad decision, not just because of Klein's shocking and naive inability to understand that Senate Republicans and Donald Trump would make fun of any attempt to shame them for killing anyone. such bills. He is also wrong about the politics of the moment. Yes, voters want health care and more money in their pockets. voters still want it. But the reason the elections have had the highest voter turnout since mid-1966 is not because these needs are more pressing than ever, but because Democratic voters are feeling a sense of urgency unprecedented corruption of the Trump administration.
I saw it with my own eyes on Thursday night, when I attended one of dozens of emergency protests organized by MoveOn in response to the dismissal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions by Trump , as part of an apparent attempt to end Robert Mueller's investigation into the possible investigation of his campaign. collusion with the Russian intelligence services to steal private information at the Hillary Clinton campaign. Thousands of people showed up at the last minute, and the crowds swelled when passersby gathered after realizing the nature of the protest. Since it began in Times Square, there have been red state tourists who have shouted after the protesters, but overall, the people on the streets of New York have been very supportive.
There is a "John Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat, told me on the phone Thursday. Representatives to the newly-elected Congress for the first time said their constituents want to restore democracy and be accountable to the government. to be a top priority once the Democratic majority is reunited.
Display the invoice under HR1, indicating that it is the first invoice of the year, will be aig-bang, statement to the electorate, "said Sarbanes, informing voters that the Democrats had prioritized the fight against corruption in the government and the protection of the right to vote.
In addition to the Sarbanes bill, we will see clearly the efforts of the House oversight committee – and probably many other committees of the House – to investigate the impressive number of scandals and possible crimes committed by Trump and his administration. In September, Democratic members of the Oversight Committee released a list of 64 subpoenas relating to corruption within the Trump administration, all of which were blocked by the Republican majority. This list has been widely regarded as a statement of intent, indicating that Democrats will not be stubborn in their attempts to reveal Trump's dirty secrets.
This is a ""A two-way approach," said Sarbanes, in which Democrats will "denounce the lack of accountability" while introducing a bill that "proposes a set of standards on how things should work."
A coalition of dozens of organizations issued a letter of support for the bill, in which it wrote: "Powerful corporate and wealthy interests routinely challenge the fundamental principles of fairness, fairness, ethics, accountability and from the rule of law to an impending constitutional catastrophe ".
This coalition includes groups of good expected governments, such as Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the Sunlight Foundation, but also groups that focus on economic issues and human rights, such as the NAACP and Working Families Party. All of this makes sense, as it becomes increasingly clear that electoral repression and corruption in campaign financing are the root causes that make progress on so many other issues desperately out of reach.
Obviously, the Democrats only sit at the next convention and if they pass this bill – as we expect to do – it will almost certainly die in the Senate, where the Republicans will probably have from an enlarged majority. There is little reason to hope that Republicans will be ashamed to support values that any politician claims to defend, such as transparency and fair elections. It is the same party, after all, who has shown opposition to the repression of voters and shamelessly embarrassed Trump as he grew rich in public office and tried to hide any evidence of Russian collusion.
Sarbanes acknowledged, but added that he remained convinced that passing the bill in the House should be a priority. "This This bill paves the way for a broad debate on how our democracy once again meets the expectations of the public, "he said.
In a recent interview with Matt Taibbi of the Rolling Stone, Senator Bernie Sanders, while stressing his hope that Democrats continue to focus on economic issues, said Democrats "can chew gum and walk at the same time "and that" investigations are entirely appropriate "in the circumstances.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether such investigations will bring important new information, but since Trump could not possibly be more guilty with his brazen efforts to undermine justice, it would be unwise to bet against the Democrats. A dismissal is still unlikely, as it is impossible for Senate Republicans to vote in favor of Trump's removal, but it is still essential to determine how much the situation is deteriorating in the White House. The next presidential election will now take place in less than two years – voters have the right to know how badly the guy at the top of the Republican list is really dirty.
Amanda Marcotte
Amanda Marcotte is a political writer for Salon. His new book, "Troll Nation: How the law has become monsters worshiping the asset backed by Liberal rats, America and the truth itself," has just been released. She is on Twitter @AmandaMarcotte
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