fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
College Admissions and the COVID-19 Challenge
By: Gay Snow
Tags: High School, Colleges And Universities, Education, Common Application, College Admissions

By Gay Snow, Esq.

How to Apply to College During COVID

These days, parents and students are a wee bit stressed applying to college during COVID. It is stressful enough applying to college. But during a pandemic? My goal is to help you relax a bit, by simplifying the college application process.

Applying to college is akin to playing a game. I call it the Admissions Game. An applicant wins an acceptance to a top college by understanding precisely what the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions wants in applicants. The Dean of sets forth the rules of engagement, fondly known as the ‘Admissions Requirements’, and selects the winners at the conclusion of the game.

Sadly, many student players do not read the admissions requirements that are written by the Dean. Failure to follow these requirements results in game over, rejection.

For the last few years, including this current admissions cycle, the Dean is searching for smart students from diverse backgrounds who participate in meaningful activities that not only impact their world, but the community in which they live. It is true, the Dean is adept at determining which students legitimately engage in activities that matter to them. The Dean knows when an applicant is ‘resume dressing’. It is not a flattering look; I do not recommend this approach.

Wait a minute… you ask what is resume dressing? Simply stated, where a student participates in activities that do not reflect who they are as a person. The elaborate activities the student participates in throughout their young life, unfortunately does not reflect the one winning game piece the Dean wants.

The Deans of most colleges seek out students who boast real, legitimate #PASSION. We are talking about that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’. An indescribable quality that makes the student unique and distinguishes them above and apart from the other applicants.

In the age of COVID, many extracurricular activities have been derailed. However, it is the ever curious, resourceful student who creates opportunities, rather than waits for them to happen.

And just like that, this applicant met the Dean’s COVID admissions challenge!

WISEWORDS: The question of the day for all potential college applicants that is asked by the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions: What did I do during the pandemic and did I make a difference in my community?

For additional insight on the college admissions process, please check out my book on Amazon!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08J1V4QLF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Gatsby is no longer great. Millennials find it a bore
Tags: High School, Gatsby, Jazz Age, Curriculum, Literature

Millennials find it a bore

The Great Gatsby is no longer great. Maybe it never was. I first read it in high school in the 1970s and recently taught it to high school juniors. I understand why it was a smashing success when published; every era loves to read about itself.

But what exactly has given the novel legs since its publication 95 years ago? It didn’t much work with my juniors, because of their scant knowledge of how World War I launched the merrymaking of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age.

Secondly, Gatsby’s brazen wealth doesn’t shock today’s kids — not when they read that Jeff Bezos is worth $180 billion. Neither are students dazed by the outlandish behavior at Gatsby’s parties; it’s possible students have attended similar bashes.

Moreover, Fitzgerald is hardly a craftsman. Even confident juniors are hard pressed to grasp his looping sentences, like this from page 1: “Most of the confidences were unsought — frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon — for the intimate revelations of young men or at least the terms in which they express them are usually plagiaristic and marred by obvious suppressions.” Whew.

Finally there is the book’s main weakness — which has existed since it came off the presses of Charles Scribner’s Sons: Who gives a damn about Daisy Buchanan? Beyond her beauty, what does she possess that gives rise to Gatsby’s pursuit of her — to the point where he buys a mansion near hers and

nightly moons over her absence from his life? Daisy shows us neither brains nor maternal love nor any talent whatsoever. The most three-dimensional quality she possesses is her willingness to settle for a husband who cheats on her. But that makes me care little about her and less about Gatsby for chasing her.

Jordan Baker, the brash amateur golfer, is far more interesting — but maybe not. Nick Carraway pursues her, but jettisons their relationship without much ado, and she fades from the story.

The book’s ending, a eulogy to Gatsby, proclaims, “Gatsby believed in the green [port] light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning —

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Except as a historical relic, it’s time to leave Gatsby in the past.
Teaching High School Math in 2020 — The Wild Ride, The Evolution & Where We Go From Here
By: Annalisa James
Tags: High School, Self Reflection, Math, Teaching, Pedagogy

Teaching High School Math in 2020 — The Wild Ride, The Evolution & Where We Go From Here

Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash

When this pandemic first hit, teachers and students everywhere stared shocked at their computer screens reading that schools would remain closed and instruction would continue fully online for the indefinite future. Math teachers started emailing, texting, pulling those old WhatsApp group chats out of the archives looking for ideas, assurance, some one to tell them it would all be ok. What did we discover? No one had a clue! It was a time of confusion and chaos, panic, insecurity and helplessness.

But, being the problem solvers that we are, we started to think, try things, share ideas, and slip into the whirlwind of survival mode. One day it’s video conferencing, how do we share screens, raise hands, find the elusive chat, channels, how do you even start a meeting? Next we’re diving into the Google tools, sharing docs, folders, linking, creating Classrooms, Classroom assignments... how awesome are those! Then we’re making video lessons, Screencastifying, Educreating, MacGyvering device stands out of old selfie sticks to record our notes. It was a crazy learning curve, but looking back, life has a way of erasing the trauma and I am mostly amazed by how much we were able to adapt and learn and still provide quality-ish learning for the students that wanted to learn.

Were there problems? Absolutely! With so much learning and change, the focus had to be on packaging and delivering content to the students along with some attempt to assess and give feedback. Students fell through the cracks, some simply could not participate for various personal or pandemic related reasons. If students chose to disengage, there was only so much we could do. Parents, dealing with their own professional and personal COVID related fallout could only do so much, but we all accepted that we were living through a state of emergency and we would have to make concessions. We somehow got through it.
A spotlight on TRIO Upward Bound
By: Hannah Hickman
Tags: High School, College, Upward Bound, Preparation, Higher Education

@trioworks on Instagram

Upward Bound is a college preparatory program that is open for high school students who are going to be first generation college students. TRIO is the organization that oversees Upward Bound and other programs, but Upward Bound is one of the biggest programs within TRIO with over 600 programs across the U.S.

Taya Cushenberry is an Louisiana State University Upward Bound alumni who has a lot to say about her positive experiences within the program. When asked why she even chose to join in the first place, Cushenberry said, “I joined Upward Bound to increase my social skills, to enjoy meeting new people, and because I love to travel.”

Upward Bound has so many resources available to their participants, including ACT prep, after school tutoring and a summer long tutoring for students to prepare for their classes next semester. After all the hard work, the students get to be awarded with small field trips and one big field trip at the end of their summer session.

Cushenberry says that her best experience was her first big trip with Upward Bound, where she was lucky enough to go to Disney World. “ It was so surreal,” said Cushenberry, “ because I had never thought that I would ever go to Disney world for having good grades at the end of the year.”

Another Upward Bound alumni, Brianna Anderson, said her best experience was attending the National Student Leadership Congress. “The longest week of my life, but the most fulfilling. I really felt like I found a part of myself that week,” said Anderson.

The goal of Upward Bound is to prepare these first generation students for their first semester in college. These students do not have any other family members to look to for advice in this experience, so Upward Bound had to mentor them and push them in the right direction.

Through their help with filling out important documents such as FAFSA and college applications, many students within the program were able to go on to colleges of their dreams with scholarships. Anderson said that the ACT prep was exhausting but “I was able to get my 19 up to a 26 which awarded me more aid.”

While it seems that everyone within the program had different experiences, it is no question that without Upward Bound, a lot of students would be lost and not as ahead as they are now. TRIO programs definitely need to be given the credit they deserve for helping thousands of young adults every year.
High School ABC’s
Tags: Abcdarian, College, High School, ABC, Stress

A single mention of anything school related can set off a panic attack.

Breathing in the ever shrinking

Confines of this school has become one of the most

Difficult things for me to do.

Every time I step foot into this place, I can

Feel the tears recklessly attempting to

Get loose. Despite my efforts to control them, my

Hands are shaking. If I am being honest, there

Is only one word bouncing around in my head at all times, causing my heartbeat to

Jump erratically, beads of sweat to race each other over my face, and a

Kickstart of anxiety in my chest: college.

Like my brother, I have foolishly been hoping to

Mimic him in getting a full ride but as I am a

Nincompoop with nothing they are looking for, my chances

Of recieving that are about as good as our former

President’s chances of not getting assassinated.

Quite honestly, I am tired, annoyed, pissed off, and constantly

Ready to die. This thing, this stress, has a hold on me like nothing else. It is happily

Stealing my will to get out of bed and unapologetically

Taking any and all of my opportunities to sleep. Hidden

Under this calm facade, I am falling apart, my

Various pieces disintegrating in a cloud of tears. For so long, I have been

Waiting to go to this magical place where I can be free and do as I please but at this point even a

Xanax could not calm me down enough to be happy about this idea that has always been so abstract until now. But,

Yesterday I got two hours of sleep, so maybe I just need to calm down and catch a

Z.
High School Romeo and Juliet
By: Sherryl Clark
Tags: Writing, High School, Poetry, Poem, Romance

High School Romeo and Juliet

Photo by Stavrialena Gontzou on Unsplash

As his hand brushed yours,

their passion leapt from the page,

sparked between your fingers.

Everything illicit was beyond you –

alcohol, smoking, drugs — except for

lust, burning hot behind

a closed classroom door,

five minutes of secret abrasion,

mouths that couldn’t stop,

invisible wires that quivered between you,

night after night, rehearsing

the school play and pretending

it was nothing, just for fun.

It couldn’t last.

He went back to his girlfriend,

wondering at his brief insanity,

and you subsided, raw and

burning still, already

tasting ash.
The Disappointing Decade of Cambridge Football
By: Cambridge Local Sports
Tags: Cambridge, Varsity Sports, Football, High School

By: Joshua Camara

(CRLS Varsity Football 2014 Credit: Cambridge Day)

Let’s take a look at Cambridge football’s hardships in the last decade.

(Cambridge Varsity Football Record over the last 10 seasons)

(CRLS wins and losses from 1999–2009)

CRLS’s win/loss record from one decade to the next shows that CRLS has flipped badly since 1999.

(Dual County League conference standings)

Above is the divisional games within the Dual County League. Each Team has played 50 divisional games.

(Dual County Population Sizes)

CRLS has the most enrollment, yet still lacks their presence on the field.
My version of every 90s high school party movie, but where nothing goes right
By: Michael Neibauer
Tags: 1990s, High School

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Of course I knew who brought the keg, I thought to myself, but that’s not what I told the Lower Merion Township police officer as I was interrogated about the party I threw two nights before.

It was top of the cop’s mind, for obvious reasons, but my dad didn’t drag me to the police station for underage consumption. He was furious about that, of course, and the damage inflicted upon our home, the murdered hamster and the total disregard for my parents’ trust.

No, what landed 17-year-old me in that room was the brazen theft. My mom’s coats. Bottles of imported liquor. An antique silver opium pipe my grandfather brought back from China. Sundry other items of value. Others of zero value. My dad wanted the thieves caught and prosecuted. Or maybe he wanted a police report for insurance purposes. I honestly don’t know.

It’s rarely come up outside the occasional, “Remember that?”

“Yeah, let’s not talk about it.”

I recall little of that night — Nov. 9, 1990, a Friday, 30 years ago today as I live and breathe. Three decades have passed, not to mention I’ve repressed much of my youth and well into my 20s. There are moments. Scattered images. If you were there, you might remember it differently. It was savage, nearly a riot. Or it was your average weekend affair on Philadelphia’s Main Line.

But of this I’m certain: If you were in the general area of 26 N. Highland Ave. that night, and of a certain age, there’s fair chance you were there.

What follows is a summary of that catastrophe. It was my version of every disastrous high school party movie except there were no high fives in the hallway the next week.
Great stuff Max.
By: Vincent Lim
Tags: Ventura County, Democratic Party

Great stuff Max. These are incredibly important issues and the delegation would be lucky to have you on it. Good luck!! And yes to YIMBY’s and UBI 👍🏽👍🏽
Katie Hill Nude Photos Leaked by Ex-Husband; Sues him & Media
Tags: Democratic Party, Katie Hill, Katie Hill Nude Photos, Democratic, Nude Photos

Former Democratic congresswoman Katie Hill nude photos leaked by her ex-husband; she sues him and the media outlets, accusing them of “nonconsensual dissemination and publication of her intimate images.”

In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Hill alleges that her ex-husband, Kenneth Heslep, made sexually graphic photos of her to the news outlets like Daily Mail and RedState, which published them online in many articles last year.

The 41-page lawsuit filed in Los Angeles came two weeks after a judge gave the former California representative a temporary restraining order ordering her ex-husband, Kenny Heslep, to stay 100 yards away from Katie Hill, her pets, and relatives.

In seeking the order, Katie Hill said her ex-husband choked her unconscious and threatened her with guns throughout their 15-year relationship. She also accused him of hurting her pets and releasing private nude photos of her.

Three days after the restraining order was confirmed, the Daily Mail published a nude photo of the former U.S. Rep. taken by Heslep.

Katie Hill Leaked Nude Photos on Multiple Media Sites

According to the lawsuit, less than five months after the breakup, Hill’s naked images that only her ex had previously possessed were published globally on the Internet, alongside personal text messages and cruel lies.

The publication of nude photos and stories came amid an investigation by the House Ethics Committee for charges that she was involved in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a male staffer.

She denied but confessed to having a relationship with a female campaign staffer.

Her lawsuit renews abuse allegations she made in her divorce case against Kenneth Heslep, which led to a temporary restraining order against Kenneth earlier this month in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Media defendants helped Kenneth maximize injury to former Rep., widely amplifying and publishing intensely private and degrading confidential information and false statements, all supplied by Kenneth Heslep.

The 19-year-old daughter of former president Sasha Obama’s bikini picture took the Internet earlier this month.

She took to Instagram to share a marvelous picture of hers wearing a cute white crop top that displayed her midriff.

Twitter was soon broken as republicans criticized Sasha Obama for her picture, and “libs” asked for attention Flotus Melania Trump’s old nude modeling photoshoots.

More articles: Oops! Cardi B’s Leaked Photos Accidentally Post on Instagram

Katie Hill Blasts Male Sexual Predators in Power

Hill resigned from Congress after Kenneth Heslep released private details to magazines as “a revenge vendetta.” The private information included nude photos, text messages, and stories about her personal life in 2019.

“It is with a broken heart that today I announce my resignation from Congress,” Rep. Katie Hill wrote in the letter. “This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I believe it is the best thing for my constituents, my community, and our country.”
When Unconditional Support Means No Support, Why it still Matters
By: Alan Villarreal
Tags: Democratic Socialism, Alan Villarreal, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Party

Thinking about my recent book on Catholicism I found that being a strong atheist meant being a strong Catholic. While I don’t pray, attend mass, or believe in the Holy spirit, I do believe you have to be a supporter of those values.

Thinking about some of my best friends or experiences, how do I show or consider being an unconditional supporter that is going in a completely different direction? Of course the first thing you would do is persuade that you can accomplish their goals or that you can win. What I’m more interested in is philosophically what do you do to show strong support without giving an endorsement and even going in a completely opposite direction.

The best example I can think of would be the simple, ‘I used to work in that field and I don’t agree with it and it’s been for years.’ It has to be relevant to providing a structure and pushing the envelope within the organization for new values. It’s not easy but that should be the direction.
Democrats Reveal Brand New Exciting Plan to Do Exactly What Was Already Tried 100 Yrs. Ago
By: Planet X Media
Tags: News, Democratic Party, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Politics, Economics

US — Several Democratic politicians have come out and given talks, speeches, and the like and announced their unanimous decision to try a new economic plan.

“It’s a totally new, like, brand new progressive economic plan that’s completely fresh and brand new and never been tried before,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced at a zoom call talk. “I think this country really needs fresh, new ideas to really shake ’em up, you know?” Ocasio-Cortez then proceeded to pull up a slideshow explaining the specifics of her and other Democrats’ brand new economic plans, only to reveal she was just gonna try to do the exact same thing that was already tried 100 years ago and failed.

“No no, this plan, it’s, uh, completely different,” Ocasio-Cortez said in response to audible confusion from her massive crowd of 3 socially distanced people. “It has a different name! See? See? It has the word democratic in it, so it must be good, right? Anyway, we’re gonna try this 100-year-old failed economic plan all over again, but this time it’s new, because, uh, because I said so.”

It was clear from only mere moments of listening to Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats that this new and exciting plan was truly a fantastical idea to behold. Anyway, just give them your money already, this is taking too long.
Democrats: Embrace the Disarray
By: Michael Harris
Tags: Politics, Diversity, Democratic Party, Coalition Building

Democrats: Embrace the Disarray

Stock image from Shutterstock

“Dems in disarray” is a trope journalists love to apply liberally (no pun intended) to any moment where there’s apparent disagreement between folks on the left. It used to bug the crap out of me! But I’ve recently come around.

We need to embrace it.

We Democrats just love to tell everyone we are a coalition party. Why, then, are we so averse to the natural conditions and tensions that arise from such an arrangement? The shortest, perhaps over-harsh answer: “we’re selfish.”

America is a big, messy, contentious, diverse nation, ethnically, culturally, geographically, and economically. We’re rough around the edges and we have a lot of competing interests. And baggage. So. Much. Baggage.

If the Democratic Party is, as the brochure says, “a reflection of America,” shouldn’t it follow that the reflection also reveals some of the messiness in that greater tapestry? Yet, every time there’s an internal disagreement or debate about the direction of the Party, we go full-on pearl-clutchy about it and launch countervailing calls for unity from both sides on Twitter dot com. Why do we find it so hard to model the kind of thoughtful debate we claim to cherish?

Coalitions are, by definition, an aggregation of different groups that come together for a larger shared purpose. It’s understood that those groups and interests pre-dated the coalition and that they exist in their own right with their own agenda. It’s not like the offense and defense of the same team; it’s more like a crew of Habitat for Humanity volunteers. Separate, smaller groups came together to achieve a goal together they couldn’t do as efficiently separately.

The hard part is sustaining a coalition over a longer period. Building that house was great and all, but I’ve got other projects I need done. Is the house crew going to travel, en masse, to my work site? Probably not. But that’s exactly what we need to get better at.

As the Democratic Coalition, we come together to elect Democratic candidates. But, after the election, we need to share in the work of supporting each other’s projects and priorities. Some of those are in tension. Some are entirely mutually exclusive. But if I’m expecting to count on you; you probably expect the same from me.

All this to say, we shouldn’t be running from messy discussions and challenging priorities. That we have a need for such debates at all shows the breadth and diversity of our coalition. We need to hear the members of our coalition, and we need to work with each in our mutual struggle to achieve our respective, as well as our collective projects. That’s messy. And that’s very, very good. Embrace it. When it comes time once again to elect more Democrats, the coalition will be that much stronger for it.

So, whether your shirt says Team Pete, The Progressive Caucus, Lucha, or Black Voters Matter, the next time someone accuses us of being “in disarray,” your response should be, “that’s how you know it’s working.”
AOC Admits That She Has No Plans To Pressure Nancy Pelosi
By: David Kain
Tags: Democratic Party, Nonfiction, Covid 19, House Of Representatives, Written Tales

Amid the toughest stretch for the US during the Covid-19 pandemic, House Rep. Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to explain that fighting for healthcare isn’t a strategic move — despite it being overwhelmingly popular amongst Americans.

Her most recent input on the matter stands in stark comparison to ideologies she and other “progressive” Democrats have echoed while in office. Responding to a tweet from Los Angeles Chargers’ running back Justin Jackson, Ocasio-Cortez wrote:

The Dem votes aren’t there yet, and with a razor-thin margin the Dem NOs are > margin. So you issue threats, hold your vote, and lose. Then what? If you want to know who’s opposed look @ cosponsors list

Jackson’s initial Tweet references a call to Congress from comedian and host of The Jimmy Dore Show, Jimmy Dore. Dore is advocating for “progressive” Democrats to withhold their votes for Nancy Pelosi as she seeks reelection for Speaker of the House. He elaborates that the “progressive” chapter of the party has enough votes to leverage Pelosi into bringing a vote for H.R. 1384 (Medicare for All) to the House floor and that they must pressure party leadership for a vote — especially given the current health and employment crisis within the United States.
FWD BLOG: It’s the Values, stupid! A possible preview into the party’s future divisions, some democratic activists seem to be pushing for the 2021 Virginia Primary to become a hypocritical race/gender
Tags: Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Virginia, Joe Biden, Identity Politics

FWD BLOG: It’s the Values, stupid! A possible preview into the party’s future divisions, some democratic activists seem to be pushing for the 2021 Virginia Primary to become a hypocritical race/gender war instead of a contest of ideas. fwdprogress Dec 9, 2020·4 min read

When a newly-elected Democrat is in the White House and not on the ballot during an “off-year” the election results can get pretty ugly. Case in point, when mainstream rural Democrat Creigh Deeds lost the 2009 Virginia Governor’s Race by 18 Points the year after the first Democratic Presidential candidate won since 1964. Terry McAuliffe barely beat a radical Trump favorite Ken Cuccinelli in 2013 but by a smaller margin than Obama won against a mainstream Republican in 2012.

The last thing Democrats need in what could be another backlash year because of ANOTHER slow economic recovery is a primary fight with activists “virtue signaling” for their favorite candidate and “shaming” supporters of their opponents based on their identities because it is someone’s “turn” to be in charge.

Have we learned nothing from 2020 or the past decade of politics? Did these same people care about identities when an African-American candidate was the Republican nominee for Virginia Lieutenant Governor or a woman ran for President in their own party but doesn’t push their values the way they want?

And that is what democracy should be about….choosing the best person within a system which gives everyone an equal voice.

But both the faction for re-electing Terry McAuliffe who pushed the Democratic Party of Virginia to say #ImWithHer and the faction for electing a woman of color that is pushing an “Anyone Will Due” approach seem to be cool with selling tribalism when it is convenient for their candidate.

So, lets be more honest and just say someone’s identity can be a valuable part of their bio but it isn’t a “governing agenda” or so extraordinary it is worthy of disqualifying other candidates. Otherwise, once we abandon the ideals of judging people by the “content of their character” expect the divisions in the democratic party and the entire country to get much worse.

I can’t believe there are “progressive” activists who think they have the right to tell voters what race, religon or sexual orientation needs to fill any particular elected office. Virginia was on the forefront of the trend of nominating and electing a broad range of folks in 2017 and every single one of them deserves an opportunity to run for statewide office too. Lets also remember that “diversity” isn’t just biological….it can come from everyone’s unique perspective too. When it comes to diversity, the Democrats could use some rural rednecks too.
Iowa Meltdown - Shall we replace the outdated caucuses with primaries?
By: Xiaodong Fang
Tags: Presidential Election, Elections, Iowa Caucus, Democratic Party

People discuss issues and candidates during political caucuses | Photo: https://www.irasutoya.com/2019/12/blog-post_189.html

The disastrous meltdown in Iowa last week has raised questions about the caucus system. Does the lengthy, complicated and sometimes “inconsistent” caucus system still suit today’s fast-moving society and democracy? With only four states holding caucuses in 2020, shall we replace them all with primaries in the near future?

My answer is no. Regardless of the problem of caucuses (e.g. low turnout, inconsistency, etc.), here I list three reasons of why we should keep the old-school tradition.

1. The tradition of grassroots democracy

In a caucus event, people physically go to a place, usually a local school, library or recreation center, to discuss the merits of the various candidates and then show their preference of contenders in groups. The processes of “demonstration” and “persuasion” are missing in the one-step voting. Caucus enhanced the political participation by giving rank-and-file party members the chance to take a public stance and participate in the decision-making in the party organization, even at the lowest level. Such experience reflects the essence of grassroots democracy, which is irreplaceable by simply casting a ballot in the primary.

Related: Top Ten Ways China Looms over the Iowa Caucuses

2. Quality Control

As the Superdelegates are prevented from voting on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention, party nominating is more likely controlled by the mass public than by the party elites. One downside of the change is that the ranks-and-files may not be “politically sophisticated” enough to select the “best” nominee to win in the general election.

Related: Is Kamala Harris a good VP choice? It depends on what Biden wants

Therefore, the existence of caucuses, to some extent, increases the “quality control” of potential nominee especially in early contests, as caucus-goers tend to be better educated and more politically sophisticated.

Photo by Moe Zoyari, Institute of Politics

3. Opportunity for Local Party and Interest Groups

Unlike in “media buy” primary states, presidential candidates have to run person-to-person campaigns to mobilize likely attenders in caucus states. Presidential candidates usually hold more field offices in caucus state than in primary states. Figure 1 below displays the total numbers of campaign offices of 2020 presidential hopefuls in four early states (as of October 2019). In general, they have more campaign offices in the two caucus states (IA and NV) than in primary states (NH and SC).

Number of campaign offices of 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates

Photo: The New York Times

The needs of campaign and mobilization provide a mechanism for local parties to recruit new volunteers and raise funds for their operations. They also create an avenue for interest groups to exert more influence in local politics.
Problem-solvers??
By: Caleb Mars
Tags: Riots, Democratic Party, Racism

Problem-solvers?? Really? Look at Democrat-ruled big cities, awash in a mix of rising crime, poor schools, decaying infrastructure, homelessness, gang warfare, and corruption. If the Democrats were interested and capable of solving problems, they would have done so long ago. They let BLM and Antifa rioters burn and loot with abandon. Their police forces were poorly-led bastions of racism if you believe the Democrats, but since they are in charge, they are the ones responsible for whatever failings those police forces have. The Democrats actually make problems worse and cultivate interest groups to complain about the problems they refuse to solve. Then they throw money at them and organize interest groups to vote for Democrats. Maybe they used to be problem-solvers, but that was long ago.
What The Ohio Dems Need To Do Now
By: Mark Gavin
Tags: Ohio, Ohio Democratic Party, Democratic Party

I published a piece last week calling on Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper to step down from his post amid yet another losing cycle. Yesterday he announced his intentions to leave at the end of the year.

Now the hard work starts.

In my piece last week, I outlined the start of what the Ohio Democratic Party needs to do in order to get us back on the road to blue wins. I’d like to dive into some of these thoughts over the next few days with more Medium posts.

Some of what I plan to cover is what a staff built around continuous organizing could look like, how to better reach Black Ohioans, and the arduous work of building a bench of Democratic talent with statewide name recognition.

What I publish isn’t intended to be a comprehensive plan because Ohio is a multifaceted state so the new ODP chair will need to bring people with different skills and backgrounds to the table to be able to build and execute that plan. Therefore, I suggest others follow my lead and start sharing their thoughts on how Democrats can win in their community.
Can Trump Get Justice in Pennsylvania?
By: Murphy Fowles
Tags: Elections, Democratic Party, Politics, Trump, Us Politics News

In May this year a group called the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans filed a lawsuit that would force the state to expand the use of mail-in ballots and allow vote counting well beyond election day.

(Lawsuits like this were being filed across America earlier this year and they played a big part in the election day chaos that’s still with us today.)

One of the lawyers for the Pennsylvania Alliance of Retired Americans in that lawsuit was Adam Bonin.

I had seen that name before. Bonin is also the lawyer for the Democrat party as it fights lawsuits filed by President Trump.

He also used to chair the board at Netroots Nation, a prominent group of leftwing activitsts, and he’s a contributing writer at DailyKos.

Okay, no surprise there. Leftwing groups and political parties like to hire leftwing lawyers.

But it turns out that Bonin does a lot more than argue cases for the Democrat party and write for DailyKos.

Remember that election in 2015 for Pennsylvania’s supreme court?

When the Soros-funded Democracy Alliance funneled all that money into the campaigns of the three progressive judges, they used a local group called PA Alliance.

Guess whose name appears on the paperwork that founded PA Alliance.

Yep, Adam Bonin. His office was also the group’s first address.

So Bonin isn’t just representing the Democrat party and its affiliated groups in lawsuits to weaken Pennsylvania’s election laws, he also seems to be behind the election of some of the state’s most powerful judges.

And it goes beyond PA Alliance.

All three progressive judges elected to the supreme court in 2015 also received money from a group called Fairness PA.

Who was the treasurer of Fairness PA at the time?

Bonin again.
Are Democrats historically corrupt ?
By: Francis Grāəm
Tags: Elections, Democratic Party, Maga, Trump, Fraud

My Youtube algos have been acting differently over the past few days

Recommending older videos that’s i’ve never seen or heard of any related context for the algos to match to.

Watch this video. https://youtu.be/8X7Ng75e5gQ

watch it from the beginning to get the full picture.

1- Russia as a country is historically demonized by Democrat Policy and elected. All of the positive diplomacies between Russia and the USA were from Republican Politicals.

2- Unconfirmed Democrat Politicals created and utilized a conspiracy targeting Trump by fully expanding on the collusion theory that Russia/Kremlin interfered in the election to hand Trump a victory. Full page graphics of propaganda in news papers declaring Trump/Putin election collusion

These people (Democrats) use the same play from a similar playbook time and time over and over. If you watch this video and listen to this man’s lecture, it becomes so blatantly clear not only did they fabricate treasonous allegations on Trump, They from the very beginning were propaganda hit jobs targeting. the election. They are blatantly doing this again, they cheated to give Democrat an easy victory by letting the US people believe they voted for a new POTUS

( Psychological war tradecraft ) since this would be the cleanest way.

If this fails, they will present Trump as starting a qcoupé against the Republic by for failure to transfer presidential power. They will tell their supporters/base/ controlled cities /in mass through the media that Trump is committing treason and attempting a coupe circumventing an election and duly elected president Biden. They will call on the military to “defend the constitution “ and this is where it starts getting dark.

Win or lose, whether they’re caught in the fraud or get away with it, the democrat’ fringe leadership is not going to allow Trump to peacefully Govern as POTUS of the US, they are fully committed. Trump needs to turn over every stone, use every resource available as POTUS he needs to have such concrete bedrock proof and paper trail, otherwise, there will be no way to fully “convict “ the dems as the guilty ones in this crisis. This is why in America the burden of proof is not placed on the innocent person because it becomes almost impossible to vindicate.

I believe whoever is pulling the strings for the Dems against Trump and our people is a true enemy and major threat to my country, myself, and the well being of my family and yours. Our civilization as we know it is being threatened. This is what people go to war with each other over. Trump if he does not pull a complete 100% victory, the election crisis will only be the start of many sorrows and crisis.
The Republicans and Democrats Like Money
By: Dave Bishop
Tags: Politics, Democratic Party, Republican Party

For over twenty years, I’ve been waiting for the US to change. The two parties have basically stayed the same during that period of time. There have been zero attempts at structural reform.

Okay, let me amend that. The Republicans have changed. They are a party of right wing populism. Which is a change from their country club roots. They are aiming to scoop up the working class from what was the New Deal coalition.

The Democrats, on the other hand, remain a party of the technocratic elites from the Eastern coastal cities. We all know who these people are. If you went to an elite liberal arts college, you know them. They have had little exposure to the working class. They don’t know who the working class are — or why they are so pissed off at “liberal elites.” I know these people very well. I went to a college full of them. And they are the problem.

This is not to say that the Democratic elites are unlike the Republican elites. They all went to the same colleges. They all have the same value systems. They all believe the same harmful shibboleths that have brought this country to the brink of collapse. You know what they believe. Like…fuck the other guy, I have mine. You are a loser if you can’t succeed in this great country. Blah, blah, bah.

The Democratic elites from elite colleges like money, but they have to pretend they want to protect people from the money changers. Let me be clear: they like money a lot. The reason they hated Bernie Sanders is because Sanders didn’t like money enough. He wanted to spread some of it around to the urine soaked peasants.

Now, our dilemma here in the States is that we have two parties that like money way too much. And who won’t change. Some are calling for socialism. Which is just another word for spreading the wealth around. I like that idea.

But personally I think we are doomed. Why are we are doomed? Well, we have two parties who like money way too much. And how do you change a bunch of money obsessed elites? But maybe that’s fodder for another Medium column.
Did Democrats defeat Trump, or did Trump defeat himself?
Tags: Election 2020 To 2024, What We Owe To Each Other, Democratic Party, Togetherwebuild, Voting Counts

Did Democrats defeat Trump, or did Trump defeat himself?

I can’t recall where one party won the White House without sweeping at least one chamber of Congress? In 2020, the Democrats easily captured the Presidency yet lost seats in the House and Senate.

The way I see it is that Trump lost the White House and Republicans won the Congress.

In 2020 the Democratic party stood by while the American people elected a government. In 2024 the Republican Party will retake the White House and increase their hold on Congress.

The Republican Party had completely hoodwinked the public before Trump came down the escalator. After January 20th, 2021, the GOP will eliminate all those who cling to Trump's coattails.

The Republican Party will continue on its way to building a one-party Oragargy/Plutocracy, whichever it is that the Republicans are trying to build.

Because most of the American population doesn’t care about others' rights and safety, our democracy/republic is moving downward in a spiral.

The Democratic Party needs completely new leadership at the federal level. We Democrats must define what the Democratic Party stands for, then let the rest of the country know.

The Democrats must never let the Republicans or any special interest group define who we are.

The past is the past. We are about the future.

Reparations for past injustices does not recognize that we are all in this together today. We are from many backgrounds, but today we all have equal rights fighting against those who deny us those rights.

Nobody owes anybody anything. We all owe ourselves to show up and vote on or before election day. We all must fight for everyone’s right to work, health, and education. All races, gender, religion, nationalities have to fight together.

The 2020 election made a convincing case that every vote we cast will count.
Who are the House Democrats who lost?
By: J.P. Smith
Tags: House Of Representatives, Democratic Party

So far in the 2020 House elections, 13 seats in the House of Representatives have been flipped by Republican challengers. As I write this on December 5, 2 House races have still not been called. Of the 13 seats the GOP has flipped, however, not all of them are races in which the incumbent Democrat ran for reelection and lost. I describe each of these 13 races below:

These are the incumbent Democrats in the House who ran for reelection and lost in 2020, at least based on the races that have been called so far. Notably, while 12 Democrats in the House lost their reelection bids this year, the Republican Party has flipped a total of 13 seats. This is because the 13th one is currently held by Justin Amash, a Libertarian who could have chosen to run for reelection this year but decided not to. Thus, both the Democratic and Republican parties nominated their own candidates, and the Republican one, Peter Meijer, ultimately won. So this district was flipped from Libertarian to Republican, not from Democratic to Republican. In addition, this is the only district to flip Republican (at least so far) in which the incumbent non-Republican candidate did not lose to a Republican challenger.

If you look at the above 12 defeated House Democrats, do you notice a pattern? You should, because for the most part, these Democrats can be described as moderate freshman Democrats who were first elected in 2018 in generally Republican-leaning districts and/or states, generally by narrow margins. Harley Rouda, Abby Finkenauer, Ben McAdams, Joe Cunningham, Kendra Horn, Collin Peterson, Xochitl Torres Small— all of them explicitly describe themselves as moderates committed to bipartisanship, and make clear they do not support “far-left” ideas they know that some voters are scared of. With two of the other three candidates on this list — Gil Cisneros and Donna Shalala — there is also evidence of them portraying themselves as moderates/centrists: Cisneros was called out by his opponent for allegedly not being a moderate like he claimed to be, while Shalala described herself as a centrist, at least in relative terms. The only real exception appears to be Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, for whom little to no evidence seems to exist that she claimed to be a moderate or centrist when running for reelection this year.
How to know when you’re wrong
By: Erik Andersen
Tags: Self Improvement, Democratic Party, Politics, Life Lessons, Republican Party

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

If you answer “yes” to any of the questions below then you know you can’t trust yourself.

Your rational brain has been hijacked by extremism and you aren’t seeing the world clearly.

Questions to ponder -

Do you disagree with everything the opposing party does? Do you take one isolated negative interaction, and quickly apply it to all members of the opposing party? Do you believe the opposing party and it’s members are all “evil”? Do you disregard perspectives that challenge your view of the world?

Most situations and people aren’t a binary “good” or “bad”. It’s merely a spectrum of “pros” vs. “cons”.

We do ourselves harm when we apply arbitrary extreme morality to a situation. It prevents dialogue. It prevents consolidation. It destroys relationships.

So the first step to heal the world is to challenge yourself.
unfortunately, right wingers’ actions belie their words.
Tags: James Baldwin, Politics, Democratic Party

unfortunately, right wingers’ actions belie their words.

fortunately it’s too obvious now to ignore.

there is no such thing as ‘trumpism’-it’s just the Republican party being open about their essential motivations.

The Baldwin-Buckley debate of 1965 is instructive in showing the thinking of the modern Republican party at its core:

https://youtu.be/5Tek9h3a5wQ

we don’t share the GOP commitment to cruelty.

Democrats have our racists, certainly. but our base is Black people and, increasingly overall, POC, and the base creates the party.
“It’s time for Democrats to learn how to make an argument for something rather than running as ‘not Republicans.’”
By: Amanda Sakuma
Tags: Democratic Party, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Polling, Establishment Democrats, Election 2020

“It’s time for Democrats to learn how to make an argument for something rather than running as ‘not Republicans.’” Amanda Sakuma ·Nov 13, 2020

Establishment Democrats were quick to blame the party’s left flank for their losses in down-ballot races this election, but perhaps they should be looking at themselves, Katelyn Burns writes. Moderate Democrats failed to put forth a coherent message and instead followed the lead of polling-obsessed high-priced campaign consultants. They only have themselves to blame.
Will Donald Trump Run Again In 2024?
By: Charlie Heller
Tags: Elections, Democratic Party, Politics, Trump, Republican Party

Will Trump Break the Historical Mold?

Yes. Donald Trump is a President like no other. Political pundits and news organizations have counted him out since 2015 when he first announced he would run. President Trump has not followed the unspoken rules of being the president, either. With his twitter tirades and provocative language, his presidency has been an anomaly of gigantic proportions. Now, just because President Trump doesn’t fit the mold of a traditional U.S. President, it doesn’t mean his election was a fluke. Donald Trump has a huge base of unwavering supporters who still love him. These core supporters have consistently been at his side through the primaries before his first term, throughout his impeachment trials, and even through a global pandemic. What makes you think Trump’s core supporters would leave now? If you log into Twitter or Tik Tok, you’ll see that there are even Trump supporters buying into misleading reports of voter fraud and other election scandals. There is no doubt that Trump’s core supporters could put him into a position to win the Primaries in 2024. Along with a primary win, loyal Republicans who do not like Trump, but very much dislike Democrat candidates will come to his camp as well just like they did in 2016. Considering his political clout in the Republican Party along with his taste for attention, it is safe to say that Donald Trump will most likely announce that he is running again in 2024, bar any unforeseeable events.