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The Democratic Party's better performance in the midwestern states of Michigan, and Wisconsin, and in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia,in the 2018 midterm elections.  These states are crucial to win in the presidential election of 2020.

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Bernie Sanders points out in this NYT op-ed the idea that Donald Trump could benefit from the same discontent among working class voters that helped the Leave campaign is a wake up call for the Democratic Party. He calls for global trade and a global economy that works for working class, middle class Americans.  Sanders is pushing for a Democratic Party that embraces the concerns of working class Americans, that understands the impact of factory closings and loss of jobs, of economic uncertainty, of declining incomes and shrinking opportunities.

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Caste discrimination laws passed in the California legislature with little opposition. Opponents lobbied the governor to veto the legislation as state law already prohibits discrimination in California. Bharat (India) perspective on caste is for integration of the country and looking back at the lessons of colonization by the British. Caste divided the country and made it easier to colonize for Europeans who extracted capital for the East India Company and later Britain and creating backwardness and poverty. Bharat (India) goal was to create opportunities for integration of tribal communities lower castes Dalits and tribal Santhals into education economic mainstream. A Santhal from Jharkhand/Orissa was made president of India by PM Modi.

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Is Florida a possible swing state in 2024? Republican Senator Scott's margin shrinks to 2% in recent polls. Larger abortion rights related turnouts suggest that his is possible though it has to overcome the 1 million advantage in registered Republicans that Florida has today.

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Of 26 competitive House districts in coming midterms of 2026 in the US about 16 have median income of $86,000 (close to US median $79000), looking like Caroline County in Virginia. There Democrat Spanberger who won handily by 70% in the wealthy suburbs was even with Republican opponent with a deficit of 13 votes. It is this type of County that will determine the midterms says the WSJ Analysis. Republicans and Democrats face even headwinds in such counties, Cost of living continues in 2025 to be the concern for voters, similar to what it was in 2024.

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Liberal groups feel president Obama has lost the leverage he had after the McConnell-Biden fiscal cliff deal of Jan. 1, 2013, saying this only sets the stage for talk of spending cuts.

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Michael Bennet in Colorado, Paul Hodes in New Hampshire, both Democratic candidates, are campaigning for austerity cuts to reduce the deficit. Paul Hodes suggested $3 billion in spending cuts that would remove airport, railroad and housing funds. As Democrats shift to deficit reduction and reducing spending, to keep up with shifting public sentiment; Republican candidates are shifting to radical solutions to reduce the deficit, including shutting down some federal agencies. This may result in an entirely different Congress ater the midterm elections- one focussed on deficit reduction just as the economy slows down as stimulus fades, and local governments cut back.

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No less than the Editorial Board of the NYT says  Democrats have their heads in the sand when it comes to reflecting honestly about transgender -with the Cass Commission of Britain's NHS advising serious caution- and social issues. Lack of acceptance about the need for strong action on issues of trade that have hurt ordinary Americans with the destruction of manufacturing and the middle class. Some of this was done with Biden taking a stand on trade by keeping the DJT tariffs on China, and supporting US manufacturing. But this was not enough- stronger action was needed especially with strong tariffs action as the last resort needed to get Canada, Mexico and China to stop fentanyl flows to the US in 2025 and protect the middle and working class in the US in their neighborhoods.  Yet on immigration the NYT does not come flat out and say that opening up the border was the single biggest error of the Biden administration. And a failure to talk openly to the American people in a fireside chat reminiscent of FDR about Venezuela and Mexico. Part of the reason was a misconception about American power when it could be used to good purposes and has been in history. The Monroe doctrine of the 1820's asserted American right to prevent colonial powers returning to the American continent north and south. This was a good idea and helped this continent develop freely and independently. The US has a right to prevent migrant trafficking and fentanyl flows in its backyard in the American continent, including taking economic action, when it causes serious disruption leading to 7 million refugees and millions of migrants crossing borders. It also has a right to create an even playing field for trade, that not DJT alone but advisers with great experience, Robert Lighthizer, Deputy Trade Representative under Reagan- who negotiated with 1980's Japan on the same grounds as we do with China today- strongly advise the president to do.   ...

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President Biden gives a rousing speech to the unions and the AFL-CIO, reminiscent of Lincoln's speeches as he debated Stephen Douglas in the struggle for the emancipation in the 1850's.

"Wall Street did'nt build this country, the middle class built this country. And the unions built the middle class. I'm not joking, without unions there would be no middle class. That's a fact."

Recalling the long lines for food during the pandemic-

"Ordinary people waiting in line for an hour for a box of food. And the policies in the past created more billionaires in the past than never before in our history." 

"Laying a strong foundation for the future of this country is more than having strong roads and bridges. It is about making sure, that here in America, folks who work hard can live their lives with dignity and respect."

 

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For Democrats to represent the working class their leaders have to come from these working class communities. This is not going to happens say people in this NYT Edsall report. Working class voters are about 60% of voters mostly not college educated, to 40% for non working class voters who are college educated. Biden was one of thse working class people who headed the Democrat party and stood on picket lines fro the UAW. Not Harris or Clinton. Democrats rail about billionaires but much of the multi billionaire community is in the Democrat party, much opf Silicon Valley and New York financial interests. Bush was not working class either yet there has been a unexpected transformation of the Republican party as trade, immigration, drug and migrant trafficking required non nonsense law and order, and strong action, based on common sense and stable values from the previous generation of Americans. This also applied to social issues such as LGBTQ and Transgender. This leaves one with the question will the Democrats be able to get rid of the Califonria Silicon Valley Techies, and New York financial interests, lobbying class,  within its ranks? Will it be able to transform itself by drawing from the working class communities working class leaders? ...

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How president Biden is listening to new voices such as Chris Murphy on what economic, social and national model America should base its future on . Tech monopolies, Big Phama, Billionaires paying 8.2% tax and resisting fair taxes, Citizens United keeping out people interested in public service who don't want to raise money from corporations asking favors (Pharma, Tech monopolies). How Biden says his model in a folksy Scranton sort of way about his grandfather saying "Joey just remember" yet has the basics right about investing in the Nation, Fair Taxes that cut Deficits yet rebuild the dilapidated Infrastructure and creates Jobs, Renewable Energy target for 2035 to tackle Climate change.  And Harris as AG bringing her approach to tackle big corporate power and specific down to earth cost of living action +child care action, + housing costs action,  and Walz bringing experience from a large upper midwestern state in implementing climate change action, wage and income improvement, student debt and educational opportunity for all. This is a strong beginning and we build from here as the foundations are laid down for the future to create an Opportunity for All Economy. Making the effort bipartisan in the spirit of the legislation that Biden has achieved with Republicans senior leaders Cornyn, McConnell, and With Lankford on immigration legislation that will be a top priority for Harris to sign into law. ...

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  In a way that recalls FDR Biden backed dockworkers on wages that fell behind.  Former Fed Governor chief economist at the White House, Lael Brainard, together with the Transportation and Labor Secretaries Buttigieg and Julie Su, with White House chief of staff Zient, all in a Zoom call at 5.30 am with shipping company management in the EU and Asia. Brainard made proposal the shipping companies accepted for 62% increase in wages over 6 years, increasing top wages $24. The dockworkers union Longshoreman's Association asked for 77%, a decent share in the large shipping company profits after decades when wages lagged behind cost of living. Zient told the shipping companies in that Zoom call- “I need the offer today — not tomorrow. I’m going to brief the president in an hour that you believe you can get this done today.” Stein, Duncan and Gurley tell the extraordinary story of how Biden backed the call for raising 45,000 workers wages on the port docks along the East.  Coast. ...