Democracy Clips: January 17, 2023

 

BIG LIE AND ELECTION DENIALISM

 

Former Republican Candidate Arrested In Shootings Targeting Democratic Politicians’ Homes. “The suspect, Solomon Pena, is a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for office in November, has made repeated claims that the election was rigged and appears to have attended the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in Washington, D.C. […] Within an hour officers had arrested Pena, who is accused of paying four men to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, Police Chief Harold Medina announced Monday evening. Investigators also believe Pena was present for at least one of the shootings. Pena ran unsuccessfully in the House District 14 race and claimed on social media he should have won the election. He also visited three of the targeted officials’ homes unannounced in November complaining the election was fraudulent and should not be certified.” [Albuquerque Journal, 1/6/23]

 

Stop the Steal Is Using New Tactics. The Goal Is The Same. “Two years after supporters of former President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election, attempts to undermine the 2022 midterms in key states took a different form.  It tells us something, at least  about the next step in the evolution of the Stop the Steal Movement.  This time around, more than a dozen losing candidates in Harris County filed election contests with slim prospects of success after some Harris County polling places ran out of ballot paper. It’s certainly less violent than an armed insurrection, but the problems will hang over Harris County elections for some time.” [Votebeat, 1/16/23]

 

Driven by Election Deniers, This County Recounted 2020 Votes Last Week. “On the 797th day after the defeat of former President Donald J. Trump, a rural Pennsylvania county on Monday began a recount of ballots from Election Day 2020. Under pressure from conspiracy theorists and election deniers, 28 employees of Lycoming County counted — by hand — nearly 60,000 ballots. It took three days and an estimated 560 work hours, as the vote-counters ticked through paper ballots at long rows of tables in the county elections department in Williamsport, a place used to a different sort of nail-biter as the home of the Little League World Series. The results of Lycoming County’s hand recount — like earlier recounts of the 2020 election in Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona — revealed no evidence of fraud.” [New York Times, 1/15/23]

 

Michigan Biden Electors Sue False Trump Slate, Seeking Declaration Plot Was Illegal. “Three of Michigan's presidential electors who cast votes for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 filed a lawsuit Wednesday against a group of 16 Republicans who submitted official documents falsely claiming Donald Trump had won the state. The filing in Kent County Circuit Court added to the potential legal troubles for the slate of GOP electors who signed a certificate that attempted to direct the state's 16 electoral votes to Trump after the Republican president had lost Michigan by 154,000 votes or 3 percentage points in the certified results.” [Detroit News, 1/12/23] 

 

VOTER SUPPRESSION AND INTIMIDATION

 

‘Take Down Those Barriers.’ MLK Day Event Simulates Voter Suppression. “Aquinas College celebrated the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., with an event Monday, Jan. 16, to raise awareness about voter suppression in communities of color. King, the most prominent leader of the civil rights movement, was a tireless advocate for freedom, equality and democracy. He was instrumental in getting the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed by bringing national attention to the disenfranchisement of Blacks and other voters of color.” [Michigan Live, 1/16/23]

 

Ken Paxton Wants More Power To Prosecute Election Crimes. These Bills In The Texas Legislature Would Give It To Him. “Two bills filed in the Texas House of Representatives seek to expand the Texas attorney general’s power to prosecute election crimes. One allows the office to appoint special prosecutors to such cases, while the other empowers the office to penalize local prosecutors who “limit election law enforcement.” Although no evidence of widespread voter fraud has been found, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been actively pursuing election-related crimes since he took office in 2015. In at least the past two years, his office opened more than 300 investigations of potential crimes by voters and election officials but has successfully convicted only a handful. Experts and voting rights advocates say the bills would continue to empower state officials to scrutinize elections administrators, ignite more lawsuits and intimidate voters.” [Texas Tribune, 1/13/23]

 

DARK MONEY

 

Rightwing Group Pours Millions In ‘Dark Money’ Into US Voter Suppression Bid.  “Tax filings reveal advocacy arm of Heritage Foundation spent $5m on lobbying in 2021 to block voting rights in battleground states. The advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation, the powerful conservative thinktank based in Washington, spent more than $5m on lobbying in 2021 as it worked to block federal voting rights legislation and advance an ambitious plan to spread its far-right agenda calling for aggressive voter suppression measures in battleground states. Previously unreported 2021 tax filings from Heritage Action for America, which operates as the foundation’s activist wing, shows that it spent $5.1m on contracting outside lobbying services.” [Guardian, 1/13/23] 

 

FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY INFLUENCE

 

Opinion: DeWine, Ohio Republicans redefine natural gas as ‘green energy’ in service to fossil fuel industry. Marilou Johanek wrote, “The strategy is to deep-six damaging news and dodge political blowback with a cache of press statements dumped at 5 p.m. Friday and no returned calls. Recently Gov. Mike DeWine used the tried and true ploy to evade fallout from legislation he signed into law for one of his biggest campaign contributors at the expense of Ohio State Parks. As a fully purchased subsidiary of the fossil fuel industry, DeWine blessed an industry-friendly bill maneuvered on the sly through the lame duck session by Ohio Senate Republicans without public input or review. Not good. Senators tucked two last-minute amendments into an unrelated House bill and passed them in a hurry. One forced state agencies to open up state parks and forested lands for expanded oil and gas drilling. Basically lawmakers cleared the way for a no-exception leasing process to jump-start fracking operations eager to cash in on our natural resources.” [Ohio Capital Journal, 1/17/23]

 

Joe Manchin's top aide to join oil and gas lobbying group. “Sen. Joe Manchin’s chief of staff, Lance West, is joining the American Petroleum Institute as vice president of federal affairs, Axios has learned. Why it matters: As Manchin’s top aide for the last two years, West knows the politics – and the players — of the energy and climate change debates. His hiring indicates that API is preparing to play offense and defense in the new Congress. Through the on-again and off-again Build Back Better negotiations, he developed a reputation as a fierce advocate for Manchin's positions. A former Division I golfer, West worked closely with White House officials and other senate offices on a deal that Manchin ultimately — and somewhat surprisingly — supported: The Inflation Reduction Act, which included some $370 billion to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. What we're hearing: West’s departure is unrelated to Manchin’s decision on whether to run for reelection in 2024, which still has much of Washington waiting.” [Axios, 1/12/23]