Polybius
Polybius's JournalSupreme Court Reinstates Alabama's Ban on Curbside Voting
Source: WSJ
WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court reinstated Alabama’s ban on curbside voting Wednesday, blocking a lower court order that allowed county officials to use the accommodation so that disabled citizens could cast ballots more safely during the coronavirus pandemic.
The eight-member court’s conservative majority issued the order without an opinion explaining its rationale; the court’s three liberals dissented.
The 5-3 decision was the latest in a wave of coronavirus-related election cases reaching the court, as voters, officials and political parties fight over voting procedures roiled by a pandemic that spreads through close contact.
In Alabama, a group of elderly and disabled voters and four advocacy groups filed suit in federal court seeking several accommodations in relation to the pandemic. When those accommodations were granted by a federal judge, state officials appealed.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-reinstates-alabamas-ban-on-curbside-voting-11603337129
Roberts is a loose cannon. He has become completely unpredictable.
Stimulus negotiations get new 48-hour deadline, confrontation mounts over pre-election bill
Source: CNET
A sweeping stimulus package that contains a second stimulus check and enhanced unemployment aid still has a chance to pass before Election Day, two top officials have said, so long as the White House and Democratic negotiators nail down exact wording by the end of the week.
"We do share one goal, and that is hopefully to get some kind of deal in the next 48 hours or so," White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday on Fox News. "I can tell you that the negotiations have entered a new phase, which is more on the technical side of trying to get the language right if we can agree upon the numbers."
"I would think we need to have stimulus by the end of next week," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is also the lead Democratic negotiator, said Tuesday night on Bloomberg TV. "In order for that to do it, we'd have to have our legislation all written by the end of this week."
Pelosi and top White House negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, are scheduled to speak again today.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/stimulus-negotiations-get-new-48-hour-deadline-confrontation-mounts-over-pre-election-bill/
I have a feeling they'll reach an agreement any day now, but Mitch won't be happy...
I think a stimulus deal agreement happens tomorrow (Tuesday)
Call me crazy, but I think Trump/Mnuchin come to an agreement with Pelosi. I don't know the amount, but my guess is 1.9 to 2 trillion. Am I delusional?
I know it still has to get brought up and passed by Mitch's Senate, but this post is only about the potential deal with Trump and the House. We'll save that fight for after an agreement is reached.
Emerson poll (A- rated) on NC Senate race: Cunningham up by 1
He leads Tillis 45% to 44%. The really bad news is that 12% of voters are undecided.
The poll also lists Trump vs. Biden, which is exactly tied at 49% to 49%.
https://emersonpolling.reportablenews.com/pr/north-carolina-2020-biden-and-trump-neck-and-neck-as-republicans-close-gap-in-u-s-senate-and-governor-races
Dianne Feinstein Heaps Praise On Lindsey Graham After Amy Coney Barrett Hearing
Source: Huffington Post
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) showered Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) with praise as the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett wrapped on Thursday with little drama, standing in sharp contrast to the contentious and acrimonious hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh that nearly blew up the Senate in 2018.
“I just want to thank you. This has been one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in,” Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Graham. “Thank you so much for your leadership.”
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who angered Democrats by abandoning his 2016 vow not to confirm a Supreme Court justice in a presidential election year, then embraced Feinstein in a hug. Notably, neither senator wore a mask.
While Feinstein echoed other Democrats in opposing Barrett, the top Democrat on the committee took a more conciliatory tone throughout the hearing, welcoming her warmly as questioning began on Tuesday.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amy-coney-barrett-feinstein-graham_n_5f889602c5b6e9e76fbb6892
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1316807199973310465
https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1316808230278963200
Dianne Feinstein praises and hugs Lindsey Graham (both maskless)
"I just want to thank you. This has been one of the best set of hearings that I've participated in," she tells him. "Thank you so much for your leadership."
https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1316808230278963200
I get it that she's a wonderful human being, but she's a bit too nice to these snakes.
Is every Democrat united in opposing Amy Coney Barrett?
I have seen many say that they will vote No, and haven't heard any say that they will vote Yes. However, there are many who haven't said much on this. Is Manchin a definite No?
Morning Consult poll on Amy Coney Barrett
Ugh...
As the Senate Judiciary Committee considers Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, new Morning Consult/Politico polling shows support for her confirmation remains sturdy.
Forty-eight percent of registered voters in the Oct. 9-11 survey said the Senate should vote to confirm Barrett as a Supreme Court justice, up 2 percentage points from 46 percent in a poll one week ago, though inside the surveys’ 2-point margins of error. Thirty-one percent of voters said the Senate should vote down Barrett’s nomination, unchanged from the previous polling.
The level of support for Barrett’s nomination, an increase of 11 points since President Donald Trump announced her nomination on Sept. 26, also compares favorably with public sentiment toward Justice Brett Kavanaugh prior to the first day of his confirmation hearings in September 2018. At that time, 37 percent of voters said the Senate should vote to confirm Kavanaugh to the court, compared with 29 percent who said it should vote to deny his nomination.
At this point in the process, a larger share of Republicans and Democrats are voicing support for Barrett’s nomination than they did for Kavanaugh’s: 77 percent of GOP voters and 27 percent of Democratic voters said Barrett should be confirmed, compared to 67 percent and 15 percent, respectively, who said the same of Kavanaugh ahead of his hearings.
https://morningconsult.com/2020/10/14/supreme-court-barrett-confirmation-polling/
Protesters topple statues of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt in Portland
Source: CNN
(CNN)Protesters in Portland, Oregon, pulled down statues of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt on Sunday evening and vandalized some businesses, police said.
The protest occurred the evening of an "Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage" -- the day before the federally recognized Columbus Day -- in which activists had called for people to start marching at 7:30 p.m., according to a flyer on social media.
One flyer instructed people to "wear black, cover up" and said photography, videotaping and streamers were not allowed.
At a press conference Monday, Mayor Ted Wheeler labeled the behavior of the group of about 300 people "obscene" and "anarchist," and said he would not condone or tolerate criminally destructive acts.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/12/us/portland-statues-riot-trnd/index.html
Here's the torn down statue of Abraham Lincoln.
Even if we win the Senate and presidency, do we have the votes to add SC Justices?
I think we'll likely have 51-53 Senators, but adding Justices is too historical to automatically assume that every single on of them will vote yes. I'd say there are at least 5 or so "No" votes from Democrats, and no Republicans will vote for it. Manchin is not voting for this, and Feinstein is on record as late as September 22nd as opposing it.
What do you think of the chances? Will we have to wait until 2022, assuming we pickup more Senate seats (a huge assumption in itself)? Will it be easier than I think, or are the chances grim?
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Member since: Thu Sep 28, 2017, 10:03 PM
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