Jon Torsch, center, wears a t-shirt promoting democratic socialism during a gathering of the Southern Maine Democratic Socialists of America at City Hall in Portland, Maine on July 16, 2018. Photo Credit: AP / Charles Krupa
To start, despite some electric wins by ultra-progressives in cobalt-blue House districts, the real story is how well mainstream and pragmatic progressive Democrats fared in both the primaries and general election contests. The moderate New Democratic caucus in the U.S. House endorsed 37 candidates in primary races, and 32 earned the nomination - an 86 percent win rate. By contrast, Our Revolution, the grass-roots organization founded and run by Bernie Sanders’s backers, had a win rate under 40 percent in the primaries. Once the general election rolled around, 23 New Democrat-backed candidates flipped House seats to help gain the majority, while not a single Our Revolution-endorsed candidate captured a red seat. Zero.
Republicans from coast to coast smelled blood and launched a full-scale attack, leaving those who had endorsed the policy mumbling something like “this is just one option of many” before moving on to a ringing defense of Obamacare. The hit was so potent that a putatively Trump-authored op-ed centered on it. By our estimation, Republicans heavily invested in ads in at least two dozen swing districts to try to stick it to their Democratic opponents. As The Washington Post, they even falsely claimed that some Democratic candidates endorsed the policy when they never did.
All of this belies the lazy conventional wisdom that has started to solidify about the new diversity in Democratic politics: Support for the magnificent range of diverse candidates who have been inspired to run simply does not equal a demand for democratic socialism. These midterms will usher in a new generation of Democrats that is more representative of the full panoply of voters than any class in history. In the 116th Congress, close to 40 percent of the Democratic caucus in the House will be women, nearly half the caucus may be nonwhite, and the LGBTQ community could boast as many as eight representatives - all a record. That is a welcome and overdue change for the party. But don’t assume people of color, women and LGBTQ candidates are all populists or far-left progressives. They run the ideological gamut inside the party.
New Mexico Gov.-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham is a mainstream Democrat and Latina. Minnesota Rep.-elect Angie Craig is a moderate and a lesbian. Michigan Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer is a woman and pro-business. Illinois Rep.-elect Lauren Underwood is an African-American woman endorsed by the moderate New Democrats. They have three things in common: They’re not white men, they’re principled Democrats, and they won tough races in tough places.
Jim Kessler is senior vice president for policy at Third Way. Lanae Erickson is vice president for social policy and politics at Third Way. They wrote this piece for The Washington Post.
Sad news today as Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize, has passed away in Nairobi. The Green Belt Movement, which Maathai founded in 1977, has planted over 30 million trees and advocates for what Maathai called the three essential components of a stable society: sustainable environmental management, democratic governance, and a culture of peace. [Video Below]
“Almost every conflict in Africa you can point at has something to do with competition over resources in an environment,” said Maathai during her visit to the Wilson Center in 2009:
Unless you deal with the cause, you are wasting your time. You can use all the money you want for all the years you want; you will not solve the problem, because you are dealing with a symptom. So we need to go outside that box and deal with development in a holistic way.
Maathai’s message was molded from her experiences in Kenya and across sub-Saharan Africa in general. She was not shy about condemning African leaders and advocating for women in the political space. In ECSP Report 12, she wrote, “I come from a continent that has known many conflicts for a long time. Many of them are glaringly due to bad governance, unwillingness to share resources more equitably, selfishness, and a failure to promote cultures of peace.”
Importantly, though, Maathai advocated for addressing these issues in concert, not separately. She said at the Wilson Center:
I can’t say, ‘Let us deal with governance this time, and don’t worry about the resources.’ Or, ‘Don’t worry about peace today, or conflicts that are going on; let us worry about management of resources.’ I saw that it was very, very important to use the tree-planting as an entry point.
Some raised questions when Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 – the first awarded to someone from the environmental field – but the recognition was more than deserved, wrote Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) Director Geoff Dabelko on Grist:
Maathai is on the front lines of the struggle over natural resources that fuels conflicts across the world. While there is no dramatic footage of tanks rumbling across borders or airplanes flying into buildings, the everyday fight for survival of those who depend directly on natural resources – forests, water, minerals – for their livelihoods is at the heart of the battle for peace and human security.
Elevating such a strong Southern voice – and one whose elephant’s skin bears the scars of the fight for peace – is a noble choice.
Maathai explained in Report 12 that she thought her winning of the prize was intended as a message to the world to “rethink peace and security.”
The Nobel Committee “wanted to challenge the world to discover the close linkage between good governance, sustainable management of resources, and peace,” she wrote. “In managing our resources, we need to realize that they are limited and need to be managed more sustainably, responsibly, and accountably.”
Topics: Africa, conflict, development, environment, environmental peacemaking, environmental security, forests, gender, Kenya, natural resources, video
Norway’s wildly popular singing duo, Marcus & Martinus, successfully inaugurated the use of a large new public sports facility in Oslo as a concert venue last weekend. They were facing a rebuke, however, for illegally urging their young fans to buy their merchandise.
Marcus & Martinus have run afoul of Norwegian laws against advertising directed at minors. PHOTO: Juritzen Forlag/FredJonny
Newspaper Dagsavisen reports that it was during their concert at Oslo’s refurbished Voldsløkka sports field Sunday night that the 15-year-old singing twins announced from the stage to their audience of roughly 30,000 that “we have a boutique on the grounds here … where you can buy T-shirts, bracelets and lots of other things. Løp og kjøp (run and shop!)”
That immediately created problems for concert arranger Atomic Soul, because the vast majority in the audience were minors just like the twins. It’s illegal in Norway to direct any advertising or marketing at children.
Tonje Hovde Skjelbostad of the Norwegian Consumer Ombud told Dagsavisen that concert arrangers need to be extra careful when audiences are mostly under age 18. Atomic Soul had a meeting with the ombud before the concert and Skjelbostad noted that they seemed sincere about “doing the right thing.”
Peer Osmundsvaag of Atomic Soul insists they were, and were well aware of all the young fans in the audience at the Marcus & Martinus’ concert, which otherwise won rave reviews. “The only thing we don’t have control over is what the performers themselves say,” Osmundsvaag said.
Atomic was fined for illegal marketing at a Justin Bieber concert in 2013. Osmundsvaag said his firm was taking the complaints from the Marcus & Martinus concert seriously and “distanced itself” from behaviour “not in accord with our guidelines.” There was no immediate comment from the twins themselves.
A former FBI agent is pleading guilty to charges he leaked secrets about a failed terror plot in a case in which authorities seized the phone records of Associated Press reporters, the US Justice Department said Monday.
The ex-agent, Donald Sachtleben, "willfully disclosed ... national defense information to a person not authorized to receive it, namely a reporter with a national news organization," the department said. Sachtleben also was ready to plead guilty to child pornography charges, it said.
A former FBI agent is pleading guilty to charges he leaked secrets about a failed terror plot in a case in which authorities seized the phone records of Associated Press reporters, the US Justice Department said Monday.The ex-agent, Donald Sachtleben, willfully disclosed...
The problems with the Takata airbags stem from the propellant used to inflate the airbags. Takata used an ammonium nitrate compound without a necessary drying agent. Long-term exposure to humidity and high-heat can cause this volatile compound to degrade. If the airbag deploys during a car accident, the metal inflator housing can rupture, sending shrapnel through the airbag and into the cabin.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), (as of March 2018), the models and model years of Mazda vehicles with defective airbag inflators include:
Please note that, given the unprecedented nature of the recall, this list is subject to change. The NHTSA has additional recalls scheduled (totaling between 65 and 70 million airbags by December 2019), and the automaker could add more airbags to the ongoing recall.
You can confirm the recall by locating your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and searching it in our Takata Airbag Recall Search.
Your local Mazda dealership will repair or replace your recalled Takata airbags for free. If you currently drive a Mazda with an open recall, we encourage you to contact your local dealer as soon as possible for servicing. In the event of a crash that triggers the airbags, these defective parts can put you and your passengers in extreme danger.
The injuries victims suffer are often catastrophic. Some first responders have said they believed the victims suffered gunshot or stab wounds. When you consider the speed at which an airbag deploys and the loose metal fragments of the fractured inflator capsule, it is no surprise how this type of injury can occur. To protect yourself and your family from potential injury, call Mazda for a replacement appointment today.
Note: According to the Mazda Recall Information Center, parts are not available for all vehicles in all zones, as of March 2018. You can check if parts are available on the Recall Information Center site.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mazda has completed repairs on less than half of the recalled airbags installed in its vehicles. Of the total 1.16 million recalled units, the automaker has replaced only 467,000 airbags.
If you or a loved one suffered serious or fatal injuries because of a defective airbag in your Mazda, you will need to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim. We offer free reviews to help you understand the strength of your case. We can explain your right to compensation, and fight for the full payout you deserve.
At Newsome Melton, a product liability attorney is ready to take a look at your case. If you believe a faulty airbag caused or contributed to your accident injuries, let a defective airbags lawyer on our team review the details of your accident for free.
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Ashington registered their first win in seven games with a richly deserved result over Seaham Red Star on Saturday.
Several factors contributed to the Colliers bringing back all three points but an outstanding whole hearted and energetic performance was the key ingredient.
It was a welcome victory – yet Steve Harmison’s side still had to do things the hard way as the home side got back on terms only five minutes after Ben Harmison had nudged Ashington in front.
But two goals at the start of the second period from Dale Pearson and Andrew Bulford put them firmly in control with substitute Kyle Downey completing the scoring near the end from the penalty spot.
Ashington broke the deadlock on the half hour with Harmison notching his 15th goal of the season. Skipper Ben Christensen’s superb pass over the top sent McGorrigan scampering away down the right and when he crossed, Bulford appeared to be fouled inside the area but the ball fell for Harmison who coolly slotted home.
However, shortly afterwards, the Star got back on terms when Robbie Bird found Proctor and the striker lashed the ball into the roof of the net.
On the stroke of half time, Bulford netted but the score was ruled out for a foul by Ben Harmison on Newbrook then the ‘keeper saved from Antony. Ashington were quick out of the traps at the start of the second period and scored twice in three minutes to take a stranglehold on proceedings. Newbrook had already been called into action to save from McGorrigan then in the 47 th minute, Ryan Bell found Bulford down the right and when he crossed low into the danger zone, Pearson side footed high into the net.
Ashington’s third came when Ben Harmison flicked on an Antony free kick which Bulford controlled superbly well before drilling home from the corner of the six yards box.
Salmon was also impeded in the area by Liam Hodgson and referee Michael Gillespie awarded a penalty.
The official brandished a red card to Hodgson before Downey stepped forward and slotted home from the spot.
On Saturday Ashington are at home to Washington then the Colliers go to Craik Park to face Morpeth Town on Monday, April 10).